Tag: cataclysm

#Lore24 – Entry #155 – Wild West Month #3 – Spirits of Nature Arise

As told by Kumiko Stalks-Amongst-the-Stars, shaman of the Midnight Panther tribe of Kerra-Kerra

So, it came to be that the Devil-Wardens’ power would come to wane, and ruin would follow soon after.  Our ancestors say that the Devil-Wardens had imprisoned the very spirits of land and sea and air, had used foul sorcery to shape the land itself to their dark desires.  However, the spirits of nature would not take well to such treatment, and soon enough would prove that they were more powerful than even these sorcerers and their Ships that Sail the Stars.

It would come to be that one day, the bound spirits of nature would tear free of the great devilish device that the Wardens had created to contain them, had used them to reshape the world as they saw fit.  Then, without the dark sorcerers knowing, for the Many Spirits are more cunning than we can fathom, they gathered their power and begin to dismantle the evil spells which bound them.

In a Great Uproar, the spirits of nature would break the sorcerous chains that bound them and bring terrible destruction upon the Devil Wardens and their Fortresses of Stone and Metal.  In great torrents of wind and water, of eruptions of earth and fire, with fury that rent the very earth beneath us, they would tear down the walls of the fortresses that once imprisoned our ancestors and drive the Devil-Wardens from the Broken Cage that Still Imprisons.  They would flee in their Ships that Sail the Stars, and, for a time, even the future of the Many Peoples would be in doubt, for the Great Spirits were angry, and their fury would not end for many moons. 

Though the Fortresses of Stone and Metal once imprisoned the Many Peoples, some would find safe shelter within them during the Fury of the Spirits, while others, our ancestors, would follow the guidance of our Great Mother goddess, Sarresh, and embrace the will of the spirits who had freed them, to learn to worship and appease their volatile moods, to find harmony amongst them, and so we would prosper in the wilds beyond the Fortresses.  And this is how the many tribes of the Kerra-Kerra came to be, of how each tribe learned of its sacred totem spirit, and how the Broken Cage that Still Imprisons came to be as it is now.

But do not think that the Great Spirits are tamed.  Never assume such!  For the Great Spirits still hold memory of their own imprisonment, and they will lash out with their rage and fury, just to remind our people, and the Many Peoples who are not of the Kerra-Kerra, that the spirits are to be respected and feared, for it is they who hold the true power of life and death upon the Broken Cage that Still Imprisons.

#Lore24 – Entry #71 – Fantasy Month #11 – Ruins of Shinsei Daitoshi

 

From the journal of Angeliqua “Goldeneyes” Cartacustos:

 

A rather sad topic today, but such is the nature of history.  Once the capital city of a great Kerryn empire, Shinsei Daitoshi was destroyed following the Demonic Incursion approximately two-thousand years ago, when the sealing of the dimensional breach resulted in a terribly destructive explosion, which in turn triggered the Great Cataclysm that followed, reshaping the very face of Andyllion in the process.  The true history of the city, even its true name, and the kerryn empire that it once served, has been greatly obscured and erased by decree of the first Great Dragon Emperor during the same decree that saw the kerryns themselves perpetually enslaved, lest they be allowed to cause another calamity with their demon-summoning ways.  Or so the official history states.

As a side-note here, I feel that I must note that the Order itself was founded in the century following these decrees and the foundations of the Empire, in an attempt to preserve as much history as possible from those who would seek to bury or destroy it.  Such is the way of tyrants, I suppose.

Back to the topic at hand:  The ruins of Shinsei Daitoshi still remain, however, and lie several weeks travel to the west of Draconis Magna, beyond the Ashenvale and the Broken Spine Peaks, in the region now known as the Demon Blight, a magic-scoured wasteland filled with poisonous plants, deadly creatures, and horrible monstrosities, many of which bear the taint of demons to this day.  For those adventurers brave enough to venture into the region, the city ruins can be found roughly two-days travel beyond the start of the Blight, many of the ancient buildings still standing on the outskirts, but now crumpling ruins and just as likely to house vengeful spirits of the past as a demon-tainted monster hungry for a meal. 

Beyond the outskirts, the ruins become so much rubble, eventually leading to the center of the city, where the Gateway Crater now lies, spanning over a mile in diameter and just as deep by several accounts of those who have been there and returned alive, though later accounts state that it has since, at least partially, filled with toxic water infused with the lingering demonic essence in the area.  The entire region is likewise a wild zone for magical energies, with terrible arcane storms flaring up without warning, and spellcasting of all types becoming unreliable at best, dangerous to its wielders and their allies at worst, as the very magical essences are twisted and corrupted as they are cast, resulting in wild, unexpected outcomes, though most accounts indicate explosive results are the most common. 

And yet, there are always those foolhardy enough to risk venturing into the region and the city center, for there are still treasures to be uncovered, long lost secrets to scour from the destruction, lying buried in the rubble or in the vast underground tombs that were once the very buildings that composed the city.  The Emperor has of course decreed that such ventures are outlawed, but that has done little to stop such activities, as there are many places beyond the empire where such secrets are worth a fortune. 

I must admit that even I have a desire to at least see the ruins of Shinsei Daitoshi for myself, to walk amongst the ancient kerryn buildings and witness the Gateway Crater for myself.  I can only imagine what history has yet to be uncovered there, and perhaps what secrets may be uncovered that the Emperor wishes to remain thus.  I have much training to do yet, and will also admit to having little worldly experience in adventuring, so it is unlikely that I’ll ever venture there, but still, one can dream, though it may be considered a strange and terrible dream.  As a student of history, however, I feel rather obligated to uncover as much of it as possible in the small length of time I have upon this world.