Tag: Azita Gaji

#Lore24 – Entry #223 – Helica Month #11 – The Many Amaranths of Helica

Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica, Seeker of Knowledge, Blessed of Saghirah

Once I had managed to set up my lantern, I began clearing the accumulated dust and dirt of a few hundred years from the walls of the chamber.  Beneath them lay carved murals, most still with their brilliant paints still visible, though many had suffered cracks and collapsed sections due to the shifting of the earth around them.  I had no way of knowing for sure, but I got the sense that these were perhaps ancient even in the heyday of Grad Artanais.

The chamber was generally circular in shape but was composed of twenty-four walls set at slight angles to one another to form the angled circle.  The murals themselves were each about three-feet wide and as tall as the chamber itself, about twelve feet, and covered twenty-two of the walls, the last two being reserved for the entrance I had used, and another which was collapsed after a half-dozen feet. 

The first of the murals I examined were of fantastic creatures at once familiar and strange, bearing features of the wildlife of Helica, but grander, more exotic, and possessed of an intelligent countenance.  It was when I laid my eyes upon the foxlike figure of the Amaranth Glacia within an otherworldly snow-covered forest that I realized what these murals were.  Sure enough, as I progressed, I discovered images of the great birdlike Makani amongst the clouds, Cinza the fire dragon in his volcanic realm, and Kayalik the equine Amaranth of earth in a rocky valley.  Then there was Saghirah in her winged feline form, imperious upon her throne, above her temple in a great desert, and Nur-Atahk, the majestic, winged serpent guardian of the holy city of Tyraguard.  And yet, that was the entirety of the Amaranths I recognized, a mere six of the twenty-two! 

What were the names of these other Amaranths, and why were they not revered to this day?  Why were some of them more human in appearance than others?  Were they perhaps no longer living or unable to exist upon Helica?  Had they been destroyed at some time during the past, perhaps during the first battles with the Transgressor?  Had these Amaranths been forgotten to time?  Or had the church tried to hide their existence like they had attempted with Saghirah?  Had they too had representations in the temple complex in Grad Artanais that had been buried and lost?  So many questions flooded through my mind then.  This had to have been what Saghirah had wanted me to learn on Ukejama!

Though I didn’t have names to go along with most, I hastily began sketching the murals to the best of may abilities, making sure to include as much detail as I could manage, especially the symbols and ancient lettering I was not familiar with, for I would surely be using these as a guide for my future research.  There was so much yet to learn, so much that had been lost of Helica’s history that I may never know, but Saghirah willing, with her blessing, maybe I will uncover those lost truths, or at least, the most important of those truths.

#Lore24 – Entry #222 – Helica Month #10 – Upon Ukejama Island

Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica, Seeker of Knowledge, Blessed of Saghirah

Though I have never been to Ukejama Island previously, I was aware through my research that there were ruins from the same age as the holy city of Grad Artanais dotting the jungles of the island, though there was little information on what they may have once contained, to the point that I seriously doubted they had ever been seriously explored. 

We arrived mostly intact from our journey through the demon-infested seas, the frequency of attacks lessening as we got further from San Granalle where the Transgressor first appeared.  So, when we arrived at Ukejama, we found the locals on alert, their fishing fleets staying closer to the island itself, but for the most part, life hadn’t changed in this distant place.  The villagers were hungry for news of what had happened, and their were plenty of others aboard, seeking to have their chance to become full-fledged summoners, who were eager to tell them all of what had occurred. 

Ascending the holy mountain to the temple of the Amaranth Makani was a challenge for Esekia and Zubayr, the first having lived an easy life in the temples of the capitol city Tyraguard, and the second having not been on a serious adventure for some time.  For the Stalker and myself the ascent was enough to get the blood flowing, and paled in comparison to my journeys across the sacred peaks of Temismere. 

As it would turn out, we had little to worry about in terms of guarding our charge during this time, for the many would-be summoners who sought to tame the Amaranth meant that we would have to wait our turn, which gave me a chance to explore the ruins for myself.  Though of the same vintage as the city of Grad Artanais, the ruins hidden within the jungles were of a different civilization, one that was not immediately recognizable, and likely lost, the stone structures mostly overgrown or buried by what I could assume were massive upheavals of the land itself, perhaps during the first coming of the Transgressor when the world had first fallen under its terrible influence.  Unfortunately, I would be unable to immediately find signs of a shrine to Saghirah, for I could find no access beyond perhaps a hundred feet into the structures, so bad was the collapse.

I was about to call my explorations finished when I found a hidden pathway amongst the last of the ruins I could find, the place partially flooded due to its proximity to the sea.  The passage was treacherous to say the least, for I feared a collapse at any moment, but I could not leave it unexplored.  My perseverance was worth it, though, for I came to a mostly intact chamber which contained signs that it had once been related to the Amaranths, perhaps once maintained by the priests and priestesses who once served them.  Here, I would learn much.

#Lore24 – Entry #221 – Helica Month #9 – Taming the Five Elements

Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica, Seeker of Knowledge, Blessed of Saghirah

During the long days in which we traversed the sea from the mainland toward Ukejama, I would have several conversations with the Tamer known as Zubayr.  His kind are known as masters of black magic, the destructive and debilitating side of magic, opposing the restorative and enhancing side that is white magic.  I knew something of his order before, of course, the Order of the Tamers of the Five Elements, but now that we had joined together in a common goal, I was able to glean more information about them and magic in general, however difficult it was.  Zubayr isn’t especially talkative, preferring to remain in his cabin for the most part, pondering the mysteries of the cosmos as it were.

Though the common practice of using black magic involves the casting of “spells” that are well known amongst its practitioners, such as hurling balls of fire or creating fissures in the earth to crush enemies, the art is actually much more involved and considerably more difficult because of the mental focus.  They are called “Tamers” for a reason:  they are literally willing the raw magical essence and the very elemental makeup of the world to bend to their will, and it is the words of power that are spoken with these spells that help to maintain that focus.  It is conceivable that other “spells” could be performed, or certain effects combined, but this is exceedingly difficult for even masters of the order, and thus why the common spells have become thus. 

It is similar for those who practice white magic, in that intense focus is required and their focus involves “prayer” instead of the arcane spell words, though instead of taming elements, they are calling forth the power of the One True God.  Though I could not get him to tell me more, Zubayr hinted that there may be other sources for such powers.  I wonder if perhaps he means the Amaranths?  Were they not worshipped as divine beings in the times before the Transgressor and Phyresis? 

It is possible to use elemental magic to some extent without using power words, usually during the early training of a Tamer, when they are just learning to sense the elements and to manipulate them.  However, to be effective tools against the demons and the spawn of the Transgressor, the additional focus from using the words, and through channeling that power through a stave, turn these effects into truly devastating weapons. 

I would also learn from Zubayr that I possessed some potential for learning to tame the elements.  It was on the second leg of our journey, on the way to the volcanic island of Vallalava, after we had to assist in repelling some of the Transgressor’s spawn from the ship that he first sensed it within me.  It is barely enough to be classified as a potential student, he said, but it is there, and curiously, he didn’t recognize it when we first met.  He told me that it is not unheard of for such a thing to happen, either someone’s potential awakens later in life, or perhaps being around demons and the spawn of the Wicked One as much as I have, has changed me in some way. 

Or perhaps it is a side effect of the blessing bestowed upon me by Saghirah?  If it is true that the Amaranths can grant the same powers of white magic as that of the One True God, then perhaps she has awakened this growing potential within me?  I will have to ponder this more as we travel.  I feel that I must submit myself to Zubayr’s instruction and don his collar as his apprentice now that he has made the offer.  We will need all the help we can get on this crusade, and I can only imagine such knowledge will benefit me in the future.

#Lore24 – Entry #220 – Helica Month #8 – Beasts of Battle and Burden

Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica, Seeker of Knowledge, Blessed of Saghirah

This would be my first time traveling closely with one of the Beasts, and would afford me some time to study them closely, for their nature was rather mysterious as of yet, for in spite of their prevalence upon those lands held by the Church of Phyresis, Beasts have only been in existence for perhaps fifty or sixty years.  They are called Beasts as a way to dehumanize them, for they are inherently human, though upon looking at them, one would perhaps not believe it.  The “Beasts” have had their humanity further stripped away by covering them in some kind of magical material akin to thick rubber, the process known only to the Phyresians of high rank.  To make one a Beast is to punish them for the sin of defying the Church, using forbidden machines, or otherwise displeasing those of great standing, and their entire existence becomes devoted to serving the Church and its machinations, no matter how much they may disagree with it.

Perhaps to become a Beast is a fate which awaits me, should my delving into the forbidden lore of Saghirah be revealed?

There are different “breeds” of Beasts, each with unique appearances and purposes, and I suspect that one’s breed is determined by their skills possessed in their previous lives, before they committed some great sin against the Church.  All breeds appear as humanoid animals of some type.  The Stalker breed is commonly seen traveling alongside a summoner with whom they are bonded, leashed via magic, as it were.  They appear as large humanoid wolves with varying features, though I know not how these features are determined, for while they share certain characteristics, each has unique markings and colorations.  In the case of the Stalker breed, they are skilled hunters and combatants, allowed to bear weapons in the defense of their bonded summoner, their senses keen to spotting demons and spawn of the Transgressor. 

Other Breeds include the Warrior breed, reserved for the largest and most powerful of Beasts, and usually reserved as part of the guardian forces accompanying the highest-ranking members of the Church, or for front line duty in battles the Church engages in, and have appearances not unlike that of the mythical dragons.  The Workhorse breed is used as general laborers, for mining, and now propelling larger ships by having teams of them running on large wheels to power the paddlewheels and have the rather unsurprising appearance of large horses.  The Sprinter breed, used to relay messages quickly in or between cities, or sometimes to power smaller ships when speed is required, appear too as some breed of hare, smaller and more delicate in appearance than their brethren, but unnaturally fast when they run, as the name suggests.  Lastly is the Servant breed, and perhaps these are the most common, appearing as felines, and are used as domestic labor, handling food preparation, cleaning, tending to the many temples of Phyresis, and similar such duties.

All Beasts, being the shunned of society, at least in my experience thus far, are never referred to by name, only as their Breed.  Though of different size and form, each is likewise equipped with a stout collar about their necks and matching shackles upon their wrists and ankles, each enchanted in some way to maintain their bestial appearance and mobile prisons, though each set is composed of a metal that may be silver or platinum.  In the case of the Warrior and Stalker breeds, these are much larger and serve as additional armor.  The magical bond with their summoner gives them an uncanny sense of where that summoner is at all times, and alerts them to any dangers the summoner may suddenly find themselves facing, should they, for whatever reason, not be close to them, and also allows the summoner to call them or give them instructions at a distance. 

I have perhaps gone on too long about the Beasts for now, but to be so close to one now, I find them at once fascinating and disturbing.  Surely so many people could not be unfaithful to the Church or have wronged it so grievously as to be made into Beasts as this?  Perhaps they are composed of conquered people from outside the Phyresisian faith, from those “barbarians” who live in the dangerous lands beyond those protected by the Church?  They do exist, as much as the Church perhaps does not wish to admit it, but that is something for another time.

#Lore24 – Entry #219 – Helica Month #7 – A Summoner’s Duty

Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica, Seeker of Knowledge, Blessed of Saghirah

I spent several days in the destroyed city of San Granalle, helping as I could with defending it from the many spawn of the Transgressor that still roamed after the monster’s departure, and aiding the survivors with picking up what pieces they could.  Grim days indeed, but so is the way of the Transgressor…the monster thrives on death and suffering, after all.  Though I wanted to reach Ukejama with utmost haste, I knew that I had no need for such urgency; my greater work now would come as it would in time.

With the destruction of San Granalle came a new wave of prayer and devotion to the Church of Phyresis, for those who lacked faith suddenly found it, having witnessed the mercy of the Church with tending to the fallout from the destruction, and in the power of its summoners, who called forth the Amaranths to drive the Transgressor away, Saghirah notably excluded.  I suspect, however, that it was more a matter of the beast requiring time to regain its power, rather than the power of the summoners, that was ultimately responsible for its departure.  The details I’d already learned from Saghirah’s first scroll would seem to support this theory.

Many new, potential summoners would also make their appearance following this tragedy, young acolytes of the faith eager to prove themselves and earn eternal glory as one who would bring another Tranquility.  Most would never reach the end of the long journey they must endure, the many trials of breaking the Amaranths to their will, but perhaps amongst them there would be the one.  It was with one of these youths that I took up with as they took up their journey, deciding to begin with the Amaranth known as Makani, housed upon the distant island of Ukejama. 

Though I possessed no special sense of his destiny, Esekia seemed more humble than most who would seek to become a summoner, and though strong in the faith of Phyresis, our conversations during our work in San Granalle led me to believe that he was not entirely closeminded, and may be willing to consider truths that had been hidden.  Time would certainly tell, but for now, journeying to Ukejama with others was a welcome change to the many weeks and months I spent alone chasing Saghirah’s secrets.  I would serve in a guardian role, and something of a mentor to him in the ways of the world, for I had traveled most of it.  He was likewise accompanied by a bonded Beast of the Stalker Breed, in servitude to the church for sins that I would not know until later, and a Tamer of Elements called Zubayr, who was well versed in the black magics. 

And so, with the next ship bound southward, we departed San Granalle upon dangerous waters, for the coming of the Transgressor had stirred up the demons across the entire world.

#Lore24 – Entry #218 – Helica Month #6 – The Terror of the Transgressor

Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica, Seeker of Knowledge, Blessed of Saghirah

Perhaps it was some cruel twist of fate that the Tranquility would end in the weeks it took me to journey from sacred Temismere Peak through to the grand port city of San Granalle, or perhaps it was some quirk of Saghirah’s will that the timing worked out in such a way.  The Amaranth had been silent since the vision in which I had stood atop her temple, but had remained ever-present, her eye upon me.  I had spent much of my journey in contemplation over what I had learned, and as I neared San Granalle, coming down the Granalle Road from the Kinarrora Highlands to the north of the city, I bore witness to the fearsome form of the Transgressor rising from the depths of the sea, the monstrous form bathed in the bloody red light of the setting sun. 

Terror filled me in that moment, for I and the others in the group I had taken up with on the outskirts of the holy city of Tyraguard were in no way prepared for what we would witness.  With a roar mighty enough to shake our bodies even miles away, the Transgressor tore into San Granalle with a terrible fury.  I simply cannot find the words to describe the shear destructive power of the Transgressor we witnessed that evening, the bloody light of the setting sun soon replaced by the light of hundreds of fires burning across the remains of San Granalle. 

The thought did enter my head as I witnessed the destruction of the Battleball arena that Saghirah had perhaps been wrong in her vision to me, for how could the Angel appear in the destroyed arena?  But then I remembered the blessing she had bestowed upon me, her revelation that my work would take many lifetimes.  How much more of the Transgressor’s destruction would I be forced to witness?  How many Tranquilities would I experience, and how many would I witness shattered with the coming of the Wicked One before the Angel came?

Could a mere mortal mind such as mine even fathom such a terrible fate without breaking?

I honestly do not have an answer to that question.

#Lore24 – Entry #217 – Helica Month #5 – Bound to the Will of Saghirah

Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica

As I carefully rerolled the scroll, I sensed a change in the chamber.  The air grew heavier with Saghirah’s presence, and I felt the dry heat of the desert suddenly consume the chamber.  As I looked up, I saw that the visages of the Amaranth that surrounded me were glowing with faint golden light.  In the next moment, I was suddenly far beyond the cavern below the temple in Grad Artanais, standing atop a massive, pyramidal temple in the center of a great oasis in a desert.

Sensing the Amaranth behind me, I quickly turned, going to my knees before the massive form of Saghirah herself, looming over me in all her majestic glory.  I was too stunned to speak, for I never had the capacity to become a summoner, and why I was suddenly in this vision before Saghirah, I could not fathom in those moments.

“By reading the sacred scroll of Saghirah, thou hast become bound to Her will,” she said to me, her voice rumbling as thunder over the expanse of the oasis.  “Thus, thou must continue the task She has set before thee.  Seek the other scrolls, traveler of Helica, that the truth of the Transgressor be revealed, but use the greatest of subtleties in this matter; reveal not thy forbidden knowledge of Saghirah to those incapable of understanding it, to those who will destroy thee for it.  Seek those of likeminded intent, those who can see beyond the doctrine of Phyresis.  In this quest, Saghirah grants you her blessing, that time may not ravage thee, Seeker of Knowledge, for thy task will take many lifetimes to complete.  Thou will knowest thy task approaches its end when the Angel of Grad Artanais reveals herself upon the grand stage of the arena in San Granalle as a beacon of hope unto Helica, and thou will knowest she is the true Angel, a true vessel of the will of Saghirah, for She will appear alongside the Angel.  Go now, Seeker, for thy long journey has begun.”

I awoke from my vision with a start, disoriented and freezing, my eyes focusing upon the night sky and the stars far above me.  As I regained my senses and got to my feet, I realized that I was no longer within the shrine, no longer in Grad Artanais at all in fact, for the ancient ruin lay far below me.  I had somehow come back to the small campsite I had occupied on the lower slopes of the sacred mountain Temismere before my journey into the holy city.  Only now I had the faintest sense of Saghirah’s presence within my mind, a sense that her ever-watchful eye was upon me, perhaps a sign of the blessing she spoke of.  Thoroughly exhausted, I started a fire and settled in for the night, my thoughts filled with a vision of where I must travel next, the island of Ukejama, far to the south.

#Lore24 – Entry #216 – Helica Month #4 – The First Scroll

Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica

I approached the scroll case reverently, for Saghirah’s gaze still weighed heavy above me, and I could not help but wonder if the reasons the Church had disavowed the existence of the Amaranth were in fact true, for their doctrine is absolute, and all are raised following it.  Still, I willed myself forward and gently opened the case, finding the rolled parchment inside to still be intact, and for a wonder, not as brittle as I feared; something of the Amaranth’s influence had preserved it well over the centuries. 

Always eager to absorb new knowledge, I suppressed my eagerness and carefully unrolled the scroll upon the altar, translating the ancient text easily enough through my many years of study of the world before the Wicked One’s arrival.  I committed the words of the Amaranth to memory, reading and rereading the scroll several times until I was certain not a word was out of place in my mind.  Normally I would have transcribed the words of Saghirah to my journals, but I knew instinctively that was not her wish, and with good reason.  The full contents of her scrolls will be revealed when the time is right.

What I will say of the first of the scrolls of forbidden knowledge is that the contents shook me to my very core.  Any remaining faith I’d once had in Phyresis, the One True God, fled me as I read and reread the ancient words.  At the time the scroll was created, faith in beings beyond our mere mortal existence was at an all-time low amongst all the peoples of Helica, with the Amaranths, the ancient guardian spirits of our world, becoming relegated to myth and legend by most. 

Faith, more specifically, the lack of faith by the people of Helica, would lead to the Downfall.  This was how the Transgressor had prepared our world for its arrival, by patiently seeding distractions and false beliefs amongst the people.  And when the Wicked One did come, that fateful night so many centuries ago when Grad Artanais fell, the world was simply not prepared to mount a defense, so scattered and divided was its people. 

The true nature of the Transgressor is positively vile, but no more can I say here.

#Lore24 – Entry #215 – Helica Month #3 –Within the Shrine of Saghirah

Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica

Though many would call me mad for daring to stay in Grad Artanais for as long as I did, especially alone, in the end, my faith in the knowledge I had uncovered to that point would prove to be well placed.  It took some time to work my way through the shrine complex, for it was in a sorry state by this time, though I was confident that I would not be molested by the roaming demons in this place.  The ethereal calmness that permeates the temples to the Amaranths still lingered here, and without the Transgressor’s presence, the demons would not dare to approach these divinely protected places.

At last, I found Saghirah’s shrine, still mostly well preserved, ancient streamers covered in prayers to the Amaranth still hanging from the ceiling and blowing in the cool breeze that permeated the structure.  Her stone visage loomed large above me, the image of a large, winged feline, sitting imperiously with head held high, wings spread wide and angled back, regaled in armor that, in spite of the ravages of time, still held some semblance of their golden sheen.  Though I doubt there has been anyone to visit this place in centuries, I still felt the gaze of the Amaranth upon me the moment I came before her image, and I knew then that she was there, watching me.

I immediately dropped into the reverence position, offering my praise to Saghirah, explaining why I had ventured into this place, begging her aid.  I could feel her gaze weighing heavily upon me, the sense that I was but a mouse before a great predator that could strike me down at any moment.  There is little else that I could do then, for I was suddenly stricken by the fear that perhaps what I sought had been hidden by the Amaranth herself, not the Church, and that to court her for this forbidden knowledge was to invite death itself.

There was a shift in the ambiance of the shrine then, for the cool, damp air, like that of a tomb, that I had experienced since my arrival suddenly vanished, replaced in what sounded like a deep, sighing breath from the visage of the Amaranth herself by heat and dryness, not unlike the heat of a desert.  As I dared to look up, I swore I saw a gleam in the eye of Saghirah’s statue, and then the warm blast of air shifted, stirring the ancient streamers, drawing my eye beyond the visage to a doorway partially hidden by rubble. 

Taking this as a blessing from the mighty Saghirah, I rose and ventured forth, finding signs that this doorway was once hidden.  Beyond were stairs leading downward, and soon I was within an even more ancient place, still heavy with the presence of Saghirah, this chamber filled with fine sand and circled by half a dozen stone plinths, each bearing smaller images of Saghirah, half similar to those of the larger image above, the other half that of an unearthly humanoid woman, adorned in armor similar to what her bestial form wore, her head hidden behind a great feline mask.  In the center of this chamber was an altar, and upon this altar, still appearing pristine, was a scroll case.

#Lore24 – Entry #214 – Helica Month #2 – The Angel of Grad Artanais

Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica

The tales of an angel, seen and heard across the broken expanse of the once great city of Grad Artanais are true!  I have witnessed her with my own eyes, heard her voice singing the Eversong with my own ears! 

As I dared venture down from the overlook in which I camped last night, a thick fog rolled in from the poisonous sea that borders the ruined city.  On the one hand, it would be useful in concealing my presence from the roaming demons that fill this place, but on the other, so too would they be concealed from me.  It didn’t take long for me to hear them, their claws scraping over the broken skyscrapers that lay about in piles, rending the ancient metal remains of machines that were somehow frozen in time, still there and not rusted away by time and seasons.  I tread carefully, using every sense I had to navigate in the direction I had chosen, careful to avoid notice. 

It was perhaps two hours into my dangerous trek that I began to hear the Eversong, the reverent and soothing tones echoing eerily through the dead city’s remains.  Then I heard her voice, the voice of the angel herself, clear and distinct, chilling me to my very core.  Her voice sounded otherworldly, a starkly beautiful, yet hauntingly melodic sound amongst the fog-shrouded decay and littered remnants of demon-infested civilization past.  I saw her guiding light then, piercing through the fog, and in the direction I had intended to go, a ball of light in the dim fog, like a beacon.  And so, I followed the light and the song, sensing not the demons as I went to her light.  As I neared, the light faded out, only to be replaced by another further along, her voice moving with it, leading me, guiding me.

I followed the angel for perhaps an hour, my tension eased by her voice and her holy light, finally coming to understand what it was that those summoners and their protectors who had survived this place to tell the tale had experienced, for truly she is a being of the divine.  And she led me exactly where I had deigned to go!  It was nearing midday, the fog finally starting to thin, when I finally came upon the ancient shrine complex, broken and decayed, but still recognizable to me as the place I had discovered in the lost records where many of the Amaranths were once worshipped. 

There the angel left me, and I ventured forth into the ruin, seeking the shrine of Saghirah, and hopefully, one of her ancient, forbidden scrolls.