Tag: elvish dominion

#Lore24 – Entry #353 – Sci-Fi Month IV #18 – The Imperium Falls, a New Empire Rises

Transcribed From the Personal Recording Implant of Andra Ganim, Chronicler of the Codex Infinitum

AG:  “As a follow up to a previous question, before I forget, do you know what it was that the rebels, and I assume, the FPC, managed to track down whatever it was that relic had hinted at?”

RV:  “It was another draconic ruin, an entire island nation, really, long abandoned like all of them, but in time it would be determined that this was amongst the newest of the draconic sites, something on the order of three to four thousand years younger than the next nearest site at the time if I’m recalling that particular study correctly.  Though I would not be as fortunate as Lila Darius, as I understand it, she found one of the last known living dragons in the galaxy and sought knowledge of the arcane that was once thought lost.  For a Chronicler of the Codex Infinitum, she was remarkably tight-lipped about what it was that she learned beyond that, though, having failed to record it as one would expect, much to my vexation.  By the time I would be able to study the site myself, the dragon she met was long gone.”

AG:  “Fascinating.  Did her knowledge impact the outcome of the Imperium War?”

RV:  “Perhaps it accelerated what had already been set in motion, perhaps it tipped the scale at some point along the line, but to say the FPC would have been unable to achieve victory without that knowledge would be overstating its significance by several orders of magnitude.  Lila Darius was and is but one person in an entire galaxy after all…though her current incarnation has certainly made waves much more significant than her previous ones…”

Note:  A shadow has passed over Rivalle’s features, and her secretary is looking even more anxious, her tail hasn’t stopped swishing for some time now, and it seems the storm outside has further intensified, as if sensing Rivalle’s dark mood.  I believe I have strayed into more current events that are still something of an open wound and will backtrack to the end of the Imperium War.

AG:  “To return to where we were before I diverted us, you, in the guise of Ruvaen, had attempted a coup and revealed that Emperor Halaxaes had indeed had a cloned body waiting to receive his soul.  Given what you’ve revealed before, was there a reason that you did not have a trap prepared to capture his soul?”

RV:  “Of course.  Upon his death, had his soul not been tuned to that cloned body, the clone would have awakened and, likely, proven to be just as capable a leader as the real Halaxaes, though with a much greater chance of becoming unquestionably psychotic.  As I had said before, cloning methods then were not as reliable as they are now, though they are typically limited to new body parts in the systems where it is allowed at all, and with what I would learn soon after, we did not need a psychotic emperor in charge of the power he would reveal.  Ruvaen, and thus I, was aware that Halaxaes had devoted much of his resources to building what we had assumed was a new fleet but had yet to reveal it.  As it would turn out, I had once again underestimated him, likely due to my fixation upon chasing Lila Darius.”

AG:  “So, the bunker that had been hidden away, and this mysterious fleet, were one and the same, the massive battle station known as Sentinel Prime?”

RV:  “Indeed, you’re correct.  Halaxaes had constructed the monstrosity in the shadow of the Demon Barrier, where long-range sensors could not detect him, and few but pirates and other outlaws would dare to tread.  Even though I had secured those loyal to Ruvaen for the moment, I was not prepared to deal with the appearance of Sentinel Prime and was forced into a hasty retreat.  Several of the capitol ships and two of the space citadels in my possession would be destroyed before they could evacuate the system.  For such a massive structure, the fact that he had managed to secure a functional TK-Drive assembly impressed even me.”

AG:  “Several worlds were devastated once Sentinel Prime had made its appearance by its planetary bombardments, many were those that were sympathetic to the FPC’s, but some were targeted seemingly for no reason.  I assume these were worlds that were used by the Ruvaen faction as bases or hiding places?”

RV:  “Yes, that’s correct.  In a very short time, we had been forced to follow the ways of the FPC and remain highly mobile and scattered.  Simply rejoining Halaxaes’ forces with a renewed vow of loyalty would not be enough to ensure their survival, for those that tried were immediately executed, no quarter given.  I suppose it was something of a race to see which of us would be decimated first at that point.  My plans had not accounted for something on the scale of Sentinel Prime at all.  Though for all its impressive engineering, it did have a weakness that we could exploit, namely that it had to frequently return to its support facility outside the Demon Barrier for repairs and recharging; no power source exists that could sufficiently power something that large, even today, arcane or technological.”

AG:  “What was the power source for Sentinel Prime?  How had he managed it?”

RV:  “Oh, I would think it’s quite obvious.  He had managed to tap into the greatest source of energy in the known galaxy:  the Demon Barrier itself.  It is essentially a mass of radiation and raw energy, after all, so it had been theorized for some time that it could be drawn upon given proper methods, methods which Halaxaes and his arcanists and scientists had managed to devise.  Much of the internal structure of the monstrosity was simply batteries and capacitors, really.”

AG:  “I see…rather simple in its complexity in some ways, then. Could you tell me of how the final battle against Halaxaes came and went from your perspective?”

RV:  “Given the rather desperate situation we found ourselves in, and with my plans thoroughly disrupted at this point, I reached out to the FPC for an alliance.  Through Lila Darius and her closest allies, for the FPC leadership certainly had no willingness to trust Ruvaen, even if he had become just as much an enemy to Halaxaes as they had.  As much as it galled me to do so, for it seemed that my hatred of her had only grown with her own power, an aspect of that instinctual antithesis which I had mentioned earlier.  She felt the same for me, but was much more capable of dealing with it, as much as I hate to admit it, and had not allowed herself to be distracted during our feud, nor had she allowed it to cloud her thinking, for she was quick to accept my aid, for she already had a plan, and just needed to find and then enter Sentinel Prime to make it work.

With the aid of my most talented arcanists, we devised the basis for the modern art of astral divination and managed to scry the comings and goings of Sentinel Prime during its attacks, eventually finding the region in which its support facility was located.  Our respective fleets would be mustered and prepared to follow Sentinel Prime upon its next return to the facility, with our combined forces set to deal with Halaxaes’ own defense fleet while myself and Darius would strike from the shadows, so to speak, infiltrating Sentinel Prime to sabotage its power systems and face down Halaxaes once and for all.”

AG:  “How could you be sure that he would have no other clones to return his soul to?”

RV:  “I had already taken this into account.  I had no doubts that his personal cloning facility was aboard Sentinel Prime, so my task would be to see to its destruction while Darius kept him busy, and our combined teams would work to sabotage the power system using what I thought was some of the same transplanar bombs that I had become so familiar with over the centuries.  As it was, Lila Darius would manage another humiliation.”

AG:  “If these were not bombs, what were they?”

RV:  “I had hoped to simply disable Sentinel Prime, you see, and use its power for myself once the war had ended.  Deal enough damage that it was no threat, but silently rebuild it during the coming years as a nice little base of operations for my revised plans.  I had anticipated massive damage from these explosions, but that is not at all what happened.  You are familiar with World Creation Engines?”

AG:  “Yes.  Arcane-technological devices that are used to terraform planets that are on the edge of habitability and make them fully useable.  They came about during the Age of Expansion that followed the Imperium War.”

RV:  “Almost correct.  They came about during the Imperium War, and were first used upon Sentinel Prime itself.  You could say that the ‘bombs’ Darius had devised were the prototypes for them.  How else could a world like Sentinel Prime exist today without the use of magic?  Certainly, it was not as the tales of scavengers and pirates and their like building it up over the centuries would have you believe.  There is no sun for it to orbit, though it maintains its own rotation and life-sustaining functions, still draws on the power of the Demon Barrier for those functions to continue in fact, even though it has become unsuitable for a battle station in the intervening centuries, for it would rapidly grow unstable and likely fall to pieces should it be moved from its proximity to its power source, assuming its TK-Drive could even be restored, of course.”

AG:  “Incredible.  So, how did the final conflict with Halaxaes go?”

RV:  “Our strike teams came in hard and fast, a dozen ships, loaded with these ‘bombs’ and the best soldiers on both sides, slipping through the chaos of the larger fleet battle.  For a bit of irony, we made use of aerian star sabers for this operation, for their adamantine frames and ramming tips made them uniquely suited for such a plan.  I and Darius came in on different ships but would reunite once she had seen to it that the power control center was secure, and I had seen to it there would be no more Halaxaes clones.  We would then make our push to Halaxaes himself, a smaller team cutting through his royal guard while I and Darius dealt with him ourselves. 

Halaxaes had prepared well for us, though, and had somehow managed to tap into the same power that fueled Sentinel Prime to defend himself.  It was a narrow victory, admittedly, for Darius was severely wounded, and I would have been killed but for Ruvaen and my golem armor.  In the final moments, with Halaxaes assured of his victory, he came in to slay his traitorous son, still unaware of me.  His blade pierced through the core of the armor, right through where a heart ought to be.  In that moment I teleported myself outside the armor and pierced my blade. Soulshatter, through Halaxaes’ heart, finally revealing myself in his final moments as it consumed his soul once and for all.  I allowed him to linger just long enough to tell him the quick version of my subversion before he was utterly destroyed.

I perhaps would have liked to have captured Darius then, for she had knowledge I wanted, but as we prepared to face one another, her wounded and mostly depleted of her power, and me still quite well off, the ‘bombs’ began to detonate, forcing us to abandon our feud for the moment in favor of mutual survival.  Ruvaen was more than willing to assist, still quite functional, so he carried Darius as I returned us to our nearest ship.  As we made our escape, I realized that her ‘bombs’ were nothing of what I thought they were, could already sense the transmutative power coursing through Sentinel Prime as our fleet retreated.  Halaxaes’ remaining forces, still outnumbering the FPC’s significantly, were severely reduced in number when they were caught in the ensuing detonation, being sucked into the transmutational maelstrom that had consumed Sentinel Prime and its support facility. 

Following this, in due course, the Imperium was officially dissolved by order of then Emperor Ruvaen, and any remaining Halaxaes loyalists eventually hunted down and dealt with by a united force if they continued their attempts to maintain the Imperium or form their own.  It was something of a chaotic time, my plans thoroughly in shambles by this point, but I’m nothing if not adaptable.  Given the fiercely independent nature of many worlds and peoples, the chances of a unified government seemed unlikely to be accepted, so I would attain the control and power I required in another way.”

AG:  “Regarding Ruvaen…what became of him?  Once the Imperium had fallen, there is very little mention of him.  Was his soul too…consumed by your blade?”

RV:  “Oh, of course not.  He had become a most loyal servant by this time, and I do like to reward loyalty.  Isn’t that right, Ruvaen?”

Note:  Rivalle turned her gaze toward the corner display of various artifacts, amongst them a large suit of armor, a unique, larger redesign of the battle armor used by the Imperium.  I had detected its magical nature when I had first entered, assuming it to be a relic of the period, but now the arcane energies grew stronger as its eyes began to glow.  The armor moved, taking one knee, closing its fist and crossing its chest plate with hits forearm.  I heard Rivalle’s assistant gasp and take several steps away from us, apparently unaware of the armor’s true nature.  It spoke then, a deep, echoing, mechanical voice.

RH:  “Yes, my empress.  Your eternal guardian remains ever vigilant.”

Note:  The golem armor that is Ruvaen Halaxaes then rose, returning to its former position, the surge of power fading as it once again resumed its semi-dormant, watchful state.

RV:  “When I build golems, my dear, I make sure they are built to last.”

#Lore24 – Entry #352 – Sci-Fi Month IV #17 – Getting Personal During the Imperium War

Transcribed From the Personal Recording Implant of Andra Ganim, Chronicler of the Codex Infinitum

AG:  “I could help but notice that you have something of a…fascination…with Lila Darius.  Did this begin during the Imperium War, or was there something going back to her incarnation during the Age of Legends?”

Note:  Rivalle’s assistant is looking rather uneasy again.  I believe I may be treading upon a very touchy subject.

RV:  “There was actually something during the Age of Legends.  I witnessed some of her exploits from afar, but since I never interacted with her myself, I didn’t realize the true nature of the subtle feelings I had about her then.  There was always something about her that rubbed me the wrong way, some little thing that just made me dislike her.  Not simple envy or jealousy over her looks or personality, or any other such drivel, but something on a more instinctive, baser level.  I had experienced the same feeling with Marcon to an extent, but given his rather unique nature, the effect was greatly lessened.  It was when I finally met Marcon’s children, felt that same kind of unexplainable dislike as I had toward Lila Darius, that I realized there was a much deeper meaning to my obsession with studying draconic history.  During the Imperium War, though, that innate dislike was magnified by her constant interference in my plans.”

AG:  “How did your first encounter with this incarnation of Lila Darius start your rivalry?”

RV:  “This was a year or two after the Auralus incident.  I, or rather, Ruvaen, had been tasked, as he typically was, with hunting down yet another rebel cell and crushing them under the might of the Imperium.  In this particular case, the rebels had actually managed to acquire knowledge that I personally was quite interested in, relating to a draconic ruin that was unknown to me at the time.  There was potentially something there that had drawn their interest, enough so that this particular group had devoted a significant amount of their time and resources to locate. 

I, in the guise of Ruvaen, pursued the rebel courier who had come looking for one of the many Chroniclers who had gone into hiding, hoping that the Chronicler could decipher the mysterious artifact they had.  The courier had brought the artifact with them, and I intended to have it.  They proved to be quite a wily opponent, however, and would evade capture for some time.  Eventually, though, their luck would run out, and I would have them, though before their capture, they managed to hide the artifact on some backwater world, which, it just so happened, placed it within the hands of Lila Darius. 

As it turned out, Darius was a most talented arcanist during this incarnation, and nearly as skilled with a blade as I was.  Once I had discovered where the courier had hidden the artifact, I would return to the world only to discover it gone and would begin my hunt for Darius.  She would prove quite elusive, managing several vexing defeats of my soldiers through her own wits and luck, and those of the courier and a defector who had managed to escape with the courier while I was searching for the relic.

It was some time later that we had tracked the rebel cell down to a mustering point for their tiny fleet that I would first face Darius in combat, aboard one of our space citadels.  Though I had her defeated in our personal battle, that defector managed a lucky strike with a missile launcher, and they escaped.  It turns out the courier had managed to steal Ruvaen’s personal starfighter and led the rebel group into the depths of the citadel, destroying its power core and setting up a destructive reaction. 

I must admit, I was rather angry to have been foiled in such a way, and my frustration would only deepen as Darius and the rebels would continue a series of unprecedented victories against the Imperium.  Granted, our goal was ultimately the same in the end, but my own foundation had not yet been settled, so these losses were detrimental to my ultimate success.  I would say that the setbacks Darius and her FPC allies caused set back my plans at least a decade or more, and extended the Imperium War further than I had originally intended by perhaps another five years.”

AG:  “How many times would you face Lila Darius in battle during the war?”

RV:  “We fought personally on half a dozen occasions.  Each time but one, it seemed that the fates would favor her, and though I had carefully planned how I would entrap her, she would find a way out, through her own guile, her allies, or in at least one case, pure luck.  I’m not too proud to admit that I may have lost sight of my goals for a time during this period, so focused was I upon seeing that woman defeated.  She, and further incarnations, would be the only beings that would confound me so over the centuries.”

AG:  “In spite of the defeats the Imperium suffered, they remained firmly in control of the core worlds surrounding their capitol of Anyllion, and would prove most resilient to the FPC’s efforts to eradicate them.  Can you elaborate on the use of cloning technology during this time to bolster the Imperium’s armies?”

RV:  “Though I was quite familiar with the arcane technique for creating clones, Halaxaes’ scientists had indeed developed a method for creating clones that did not result in immediate attempts to kill the original, though the effectiveness of these clones was never especially great when compared to the originals.  Though they were certainly capable of serving, they were simply inferior to the originals, lacking their abilities to adapt quite so well and to think as quickly.  They made excellent fodder, though, and in the numbers they were eventually produced, would serve the Imperium quite well. 

The locations of these cloning facilities were a secret known only to the Emperor, Ruvaen, myself, and a handful of others, and were always at the top of the FPC’s list of targets.  I would again face Darius during one of the rebel’s assaults on one of these facilities, and it would be the one occasion I would best her in combat, though I have since questioned whether it was her plan to be captured in the hopes of doing exactly what we did later.  Though we are most often against one another, occasionally we seem to align in a strange way.”

AG:  “So you’re saying that you allied with Darius?  Could you explain?”

RV:  “The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as the old saying goes.  I took a chance that had to be taken.  I had learned some time before this that Halaxaes had a private bunker somewhere that Ruvaen was not even aware of.  The Emperor’s growing paranoia had led him to secret this away even from his own son, and I suspected that he had a reason for this.  I suspected that he had a clone body waiting, and that he had already made preparations to transfer his soul to that body should he die.  It was exactly what he had originally wanted for Ruvaen, but he had grown wary of Ruvaen by this time, sensing perhaps that all was not as it should be, that perhaps the golem body his son possessed was exerting a negative influence upon him, or perhaps, spite of the loyalty that had been displayed, there was an underlying threat there.

His instincts were quite correct; we elves are rather talented when it comes to our scheming, after all.  So, I made the decision to test my theory as to whether he did indeed possess a clone.  At the time, either it would be proven true and I could use the various methods at my disposal to find this secret bunker, though it would be somewhat complicated by the fact that Ruvaen would be seen as a traitor, or Ruvaen would be elevated to be Emperor of the Imperium, thus allowing me to advance my original plan by some many years, should there be no clone.

So, when Halaxaes had Darius brought before him, I gave her a few subtle hints that she managed to pick up on, and, though she did not trust me in the slightest, she too saw the potential gains.  When the time was right, I sprung the surprise, allowing Darius to deliver a surprising, fatal blow to Halaxaes, before I would aid her in her escape. 

As it turns out, Halaxaes indeed had survived, his soul transferring to a cloned body; within the hour he would be in command once again, though the Ruvaen faction of the Imperium was firmly in my control.  However small it was in comparison to the rest of the Imperium’s forces, it was quite powerful, for I had the bulk of his arcanists on my side.  This fracture would be the beginning of the end for Halaxaes’ empire.”

#Lore24 – Entry #351 – Sci-Fi Month IV #16 – The War Against the Imperium Begins

Transcribed From the Personal Recording Implant of Andra Ganim, Chronicler of the Codex Infinitum

RV:  “Well…perhaps not save his life, rather, save his soul.”

AG:  “Save his soul?  Forgive, Miss Volcari, but I don’t follow.”

RV:  “Of course you don’t, so let me explain.  My plan for revenge required that I be exceptionally close to Emperor Halaxaes, for he had taken great pains to ensure that no scrying could touch him, had insured that his magical protections were second to none, and that he had grown suitably paranoid of more mundane methods of spying, so it would be no simple matter.  There was but one he would trust, and that was his dear, sweet son.  So, I had to make use of the boy, as he was Halaxaes’ one true weakness.

Auralus at the time was, at the time, a peaceful world, primarily used by the elite of the Imperium, those high within the Great Houses, as a secluded resort from which they could grow fat from the resources they siphoned off the rest of the Imperium, filled with themselves and their servants, and, in the areas accessible to those outside the Imperium’s upper crust, plenty of vices for their lesser to be distracted by.  Quite decadent.  It was here that I would see the first blow struck against Halaxaes, in particular, against Ruvaen.  Through no small amount of preparation and secret communication amongst no less than a dozen rebel groups, I engineered the factors that would allow the assembled strike team through the defensive network and to the surface of the world.  In short order, chaos had taken Auralus, and Ruvaen’s forcers were on the defensive, unable to reach the forces garrisoned upon the space citadel in orbit thanks to my interference with the communications network.  Oh, I had secreted myself aboard the citadel by this time, in the guise of a lowly novice arcanist, studying, and rather unsuccessfully, on a way to create the ultimate soldier through artifice.  I played the part perhaps too well, if I do say so myself.

Anyway, through the course of the battle for Ruvaen’s stronghold, I slipped away from the citadel and, in the chaos that had started up, saw myself through the magical defenses that had been in place so that I could attain the primary component I needed.  Using some rather advanced illusions to draw the attention of the rearguard, I infiltrated Ruvaen’s bunker and decimated it from within, the boy’s arcane talents, while impressive, were quite pathetic in the face of my own.  I made certain to keep the boy alive, if not entirely intact, and made sure that his body would not survive the encounter.

It was then that my planned disruption of communications ceased, and the Imperium’s forces swept down upon the rebels.  With Ruvaen’s condition suitably stabilized, if only for the moment, I once again donned by guise of the lowly researcher and returned to the citadel.  In short order, I found myself aboard the cruiser that housed Ruvaen’s broken body, which was slowly being consumed by the curse I’d laid upon it that prevented proper healing.  As the evacuation of the boy commenced, the next wave of rebels came in with the ships they had managed to secure through my generous donations, hampering the escape. 

As Ruvaen’s condition worsened, it was up to the lowly arcanist to save his life, though not in a way any would suspect.  It was then that my golem, more accurately, my special golem armor, was brought into play, though none would suspect it was indeed an armor.  It was made with life-sustaining magics from the ground up, so it seemed as likely a method as any to save the boy’s life, as desperate as the surgeons were at the time.  A shame those rebels managed to break through the outer defense perimeter during a peculiarly ill-timed systems glitch and just happened to know the exact ship their target was upon.

The first phase of my plan was ultimately a success; the destruction of the ship would not affect my golem armor in the slightest, its life support functions making certain that I would survive for quite some time within.  Ruvaen’s body, impossible to save by the point the ship was destroyed, was to be sacrificed as my golem armor absorbed his very soul into itself, just before the ship’s shields failed and it was shot down.  Of course, all hands, including that unfortunate researcher and all her data, were lost, aside from the newly reborn Ruvaen, and the passenger the armor was actually intended to protect all along.”

Note:  I am experiencing an unusual level of unease at the tone of Rivalle’s voice and the rather wistful smile upon her face, as though she were recalling a most pleasant memory, yet she has just spoken of an absolutely terrible series of events and the use of horrendously foul magics.

AG:  “That passenger being you, of course.  What exactly was your plan with this…golem armor?”

RV:  “It was the best method I could devise to get myself close to Emperor Halaxaes in a way that would allow me to have my revenge.  He would be quite furious once news reached him of the assault, then very nearly broken at the word of his son’s apparent death.  I could not know all that had passed between the two, of course, so I needed Ruvaen to fill in the blanks for me, to prove to Halaxaes that his sone did indeed still live, however strangely.  Though Ruvaen’s soul was firmly in my control, I would allow him some leeway in certain matters, to act as he normally would, and over the course of some weeks, he would again regain his father’s trust and prove that he was indeed his son, however altered and miserable within the golem’s shell.  His soul would mask my own presence, and with some minor influence from Ruvaen, the emperor’s arcanists would not be allowed to study the armor closely, for fear of doing something that could endanger the son trapped within.  Scans and magical probes would reveal a living body inside, if they were of sufficient power and duration, but this was simply taken as his broken body being sustained from within.”

AG:  “So…with that raid…the Imperium War began…with you right there beside Emperor Halaxaes all along.”

RV:  “Indeed.  I, with Ruvaen’s soul riding along with me, would prove quite the fearsome opponent for the officially announced rebellion, calling themselves the Free Peoples’ Compact.  Halaxaes’ revenge was foremost of course, and those rebels who were captured at Auralus were duly executed in public, though this would do nothing but enhance the anger against the Emperor throughout the systems he controlled.  Ruvaen would lead the assaults on the worlds that were confirmed to be allied with the FPC, or who hid their operatives.  Quite the bloody affair.”

AG:  “Were you responsible for turning the Emperor’s baleful glare upon the various arcanist orders, and the Chroniclers?”

RV:  “No, I did no such thing, though I could not exactly step in as Ruvaen to speak against it.  He knew that arcanists of no small talent were involved in the raid upon Auralus and would see to it that all such institutions were either made absolutely loyal to the Imperium or were eradicated as rebel sympathizers.  It was certainly a great loss for the galaxy; magical studies have truly still not recovered following his decimation. 

I believe your Order, the Chroniclers, while insisting upon a neutral stance throughout, had drawn his ire because he had gotten it in his head that they were holding back vital knowledge that would see Ruvaen restored to a proper body.  Cloning technology was severely limited in that time, and the old methods of creating magical clones were lost to all but a handful of arcanists throughout the galaxy, though historically speaking, most clones created through arcane methods tended to grow unstable quickly and usually tried to kill the original if awakened early.  He wanted to see his son restored, and when he could not find the knowledge he sought in the order’s archives, he assumed the worst and went to war against them, instead.

It was during this period that I would first come in conflict with Lila Darius, well, one of her reincarnations, in fact, and would be but the first of many vexations she would bring me in the centuries to follow.  It’s rather fortunate I remained on the sidelines during the Age of Legends, for if I’d met her then, history may have turned out quite different indeed.”

#Lore24 – Entry #350 – Sci-Fi Month IV #15 – Tightening Fists, Growing Discontent

Transcribed From the Personal Recording Implant of Andra Ganim, Chronicler of the Codex Infinitum

AG:  “I take it that the spread of the Elvish Imperium’s control would hinder your further exploration of the draconic ruins that had been discovered since the expansion from Andyllion?”

RV:  “It would, yes.  There was a specific something I was looking for, had been looking for since the Age of Legends, in fact; I’ll get back to this soon enough, I promise.  I could travel mostly where I wished, being an elf, but I didn’t want to have the many eyes of the emperor upon me.  I learned quickly that I was as much of a threat to Halaxaes as any of his enemies, for I was a power he couldn’t control.  There were several attempts on my life as I came out of my seclusion and learned of the new state of the galaxy, even rating the attention of one of the Hands of Mausolus when more mundane methods had failed.  This one was the newest Hand, Twilight Tokikatsu, not the legendary Korvalis Nightrunner, who was still active at the time, and would be so for a while yet before he would “retire”.  Still, I very nearly met my end at their hands at least twice. 

Sending the Hand of Mausolus after me was the second strike Halaxaes would earn.  Now, it’s common that you allow three strikes before retaliation, but I long ago lowered it to two.  I resolved upon my second escape from the Hand of Death that Halaxaes would need to be dealt with.  As much as it pained me, I would have to put my research on hold for a time and see this little struggle for ultimate control of the galaxy ended in a way that would satisfy me.  I could have perhaps simply eliminated him then and there, but I’ll admit to being rather incensed at his actions, so I vowed to make him suffer.”

AG:  “I see.  How exactly did you go about this?”

RV:  “I would remain in hiding, and let the story spread that I was afraid of Halaxaes.  I would do nothing directly to him, not at the time, anyway.  Rather, I would do what we elves do best, plant seeds and watch them grow over time; I had played this game centuries upon centuries longer than him, after all.  I would let the fool continue his expansion, let him tighten his grip to the point he could tighten it no more, to allow a proper discontent to grow upon the many worlds he would oppress with his military might.  The many space citadels he would create would help to ensure that discontent, as would the creation of the Sentinels.”

AG:  “You refer to the massive space stations that were capable of destroying an entire planet, yes?”

RV:  “That’s correct.  Sentinel Prime was the first and largest of them, supposedly the only one that still survives in fact.  Halaxaes was nothing if not insistent that bigger was better, and the idea of building a station capable of hyperspace travel that could easily match an entire fleet and still have enough left to obliterate a planet was the pinnacle of his power.  It shows how small minded he was, in my opinion; I can think of at least a half a dozen measures that would be more efficient when it comes to destroying a planet or laying waste to a system, in terms of manpower, resources, and time.  But, all are more subtle and hardly as blatantly obvious a threat to intimidate the populace into compliance, so his ways were not entirely without merit.  I just prefer more subtle methods of control, I suppose.”

AG:  “A more corporatized method, would you say?”

RV:  “I would.”

Note:  Rivalle seemed quite smug at that response.

AG:  “So you would allow Halaxaes to continue expanding his empire; what did you do in the meantime?”

RV:  “I helped encourage that discontent, helped to shift funds and resources to the growing rebellious groups in various systems, all under different identities I developed.  I even worked with several groups of Malvaxor worshippers to help start plagues and famines throughout many worlds where the Imperium was at tis strongest, just to keep Halaxaes and his people distracted, keep that little bit of discontent simmering within those most loyal to the emperor.  This would of course spread to other systems as resources were pulled from them to compensate, further growing the hatred against the Imperium.  It would only be a matter of time before the cracks would grow too wide to cover up.

I would also begin working on another golem during this period, quite a special one in fact, with a particular purpose in mind.  Halaxaes had a most beloved son, you see, Ruvaen, who was his right hand, a most devoted boy with no small arcane talent himself, a master swordsman and seasoned soldier, too, though he notably lacked his father’s ambition, otherwise he likely would have tried to wrest control of the empire from him some time before.  So, he would be my next target, and it was for him that I built this special golem.”

AG:  “Was the golem to assassinate him?  Was that what attacked him during the raid on Auralus that would spark the war against the Imperium in earnest?”

RV:  “Oh no, not at all, quite the opposite in fact.  This golem was meant to save his life.”

 

#Lore24 – Entry #349 – Sci-Fi Month IV #14 – The Great Elvish Imperium

Transcribed From the Personal Recording Implant of Andra Ganim, Chronicler of the Codex Infinitum

AG:  “How did Halaxaes manage the remarkable growth of the Elvish Imperium during their rise?  Why would so many worlds fall under his sway?”

RV:  “A combination of factors, really.  Initially it was plans that had been laid by the old Dominion upon Andyllion centuries before that the shorter-lived races simply wouldn’t be able to trace that would be the Great Houses’ way back into power.  Destabilize a nation here, cause a crisis there, and have the solution ready to go and paint yourself as the hero.  Rather standard operations, really.  In spite of the advancement in technology and much further spread, the old ways of manipulating the races still worked, even on those worlds that had civilizations all their own, completely independent of Andyllion’s history.

Once sufficient wealth and resources had been secured, Halaxaes began working against his detractors through subterfuge and magic that had likely not been used for centuries, clouding or even breaking minds to his will, painting the image of a growing threat of an unknown attacker from deep space that would have to be dealt with, specifically a second demonic invasion from the Demon Sector, which had only been discovered recently back then, and only mapped out as far as finding seventy-two stars within, though our detection methods were hardly as sophisticated as what we possess today.  As an aside, I dislike the name “Demon Sector”; the region is far too large to classify as a single sector, composed of thousands of star systems; we know today that it composes an entire arm of our galaxy, so it really should have a more accurate name in my opinion, but “the Demon Arm” just sounds rather lacking. 

Anyway, once the idea of a possible demonic invasion had been firmly established and fear heightened through a massive propaganda campaign and said mind-altering magic used upon world leaders, Halaxaes had nearly everything he needed to see Elvish dominance over known space.

Truth be told, I am rather impressed with his success in building such a vast empire in a period when so many worlds were reaching out to the stars and seeking independence or to remain unbothered in their own regions.  As I recall, we of the Andyllion sector had already encountered other space-faring worlds by this time, though none possessed the TK-Drives that we had developed, exploration beyond their own systems limited mostly to generation ships or the rare alternate high-speed engine that simply wasn’t nearly as fast as the TKD’s hyperspace traversal, so there had already been some minor conflicts here and there, so I imagine that Halaxaes had some greater difficulty convincing these worlds to join, but once they did, they received the secret of the TKD in return for loyalty.”

AG:  “What can you tell me about the leadup and aftermath of the Massacre of Tollinda III?”

RV:  “Oh, this was well-planned, no doubt, by Halaxaes and his loyalists.  By this time, I’m sure they were looking for ways to secure their power in a manner that would insure it would be nigh impossible to break going forward.  I do believe he had something of a chip on his shoulder about the dissolution of the former Elvish Dominion, for he would have likely been in charge of the Great Houses as that group was originally structured.  He needed a verified example of the demonic threat to ensure his control would be unquestioned.  For as slow as some races are on the uptake, there were rumors finally breaking through the propaganda wall that threatened his lofty position.

Chief among these was the Tollinda system, specifically the Tollinda III colony, well, it had become a properly functional world on its own by this time.  It made the perfect sacrifice for the cause, really.  One, it had a large aerian population, hence the high resistance to elvish control, two it was the most civilized system on the edge of known space at the time, placing it closest to the Demon Sector boundary, and three, the world had established a rather formidable defense force and had claimed that it was quite secure without the help of the Elvish Imperium.  A devastating attack here would serve to eliminate challenges to Elvish rule and convince other worlds that the threat from beyond the Demon Barrier was indeed real.”

AG:  “There has been some question as to the nature of the attack group that assaulted Tollinda, and of the weapons which they brought to bear upon the world.  Do you have any knowledge of them?”

RV:  “The ships were simply Elvish vessels that were heavily modified to look alien and demonic.  Since the threat didn’t actually exist, the ships could look like anything, really, so they simply went with garish exoskeletons bolted to the hulls, and lots of red paint, then masked their drive signatures through higher radiation output while using magical constructs to spread “demonic foulness” into surrounding space which was little more than a smokescreen combined with a highly inefficient comms and sensor jamming field.  It only had to look good for the long-range sensors and what camera footage they would allow to leak, after all.

Now, as I recall, the Tollinda defense force put up a rather impressive fight, and actually looked like they might have succeeded in fending off the “demonic” invasion once they had brought the aerian Star Sabers into the fight.  Nothing quite like an aerian ship barreling toward you at full speed, piercing your hull, and deploying boarding parties into the heart of your ship to ruin your carefully laid plans.  Those must have been newer additions to the Tollinda fleet, because it seems that Halaxaes’ forces weren’t aware of them.  Had the decision not been made to scuttle the ships and destroy the aerian boarders with them, the secret may have been found.

As to the destruction of the world itself, it was nothing new, rather quite old.  Halaxaes and his arcanists had simply recreated the transplanar bombs I had devised centuries before, altering certain properties of course, to limit the planar damage while making it look suitably terrifying.  The attack on Tollinda III hadn’t gone to plan, so there might’ve even been a chance the plan would have failed had the devices, like had done before upon Andyllion, not already been smuggled into the cities on the surface.  In the end, Halaxaes got what he wanted, that rallying cry to face the demonic threat that didn’t exist, and worlds clamoring to his side when footage got distributed of the Imperium’s fleets destroying the invaders in an act of revenge for the fallen world.

This was also the first instance in which Halaxaes would cross me.  By destroying the world, he also destroyed several draconic ruins I had yet to study.  I likely wouldn’t have found anything I hadn’t found elsewhere, but there was always that chance that the breakthrough I needed would have been there.  It was the first strike he would earn.”

#Lore24 – Entry #348 – Sci-Fi Month IV #13 – Waning Magic, Growing Technology

Transcribed From the Personal Recording Implant of Andra Ganim, Chronicler of the Codex Infinitum

AG:  “Can you comment on the state of magic during the period leading up to and following the development of the TK-Drive?”

RV:  “Obviously the use of magic overall had greatly diminished during this time.  As technology advances, magic wanes; it’s been a consistent trend across the galaxy.  Knowledge not utilized is quite often knowledge forgotten.  The gods, much to their chagrin, I’m sure, were losing followers in droves by this time as technology supplanted everything.  Nothing remarkable or unexpected, just a natural course as what was once magical became mundane and easily distributed via a technological or scientific replacement.”

AG:  “Were you negatively affected by this change?”

RV:  “I’m quite stuck in the old ways.  I had to adapt to certain things, but overall, no, my abilities remained undiminished compared to much of Andyllion’s younger arcanists and other mystics.  There were plenty of worlds that remained, and yet remain, in a state like that of Andyllion before its advancement within this galaxy, which the gods and magically inclined may seek to continue their traditional paths.  All things change in time; it’s inevitable.  One must simply learn to adapt and change if one wishes to survive.”

AG:  “Did the development of the TK-Drive and related technologies of exploration advance your research into the ancient dragons more rapidly than before?”

RV:  “Unfortunately no, at least for some time yet.  I found plenty more ruins as the decades and centuries passed, but they were usually in a state comparable to most of those upon Andyllion, offering me little more than crumbs of knowledge.  I did learn that the earliest such discovered sites were of a comparable age to those of Andyllion, though, meaning that it was very likely that this region of space was visited by the dragons at roughly the same time.  I even learned that, at one time, they possessed the power to link worlds through the use of portals and gateways, though this network was long since defunct.  Discoveries made much later would reveal newer sites, and eventually, much older ones than those upon Andyllion, but it would be some time before I would find those.”

AG:  “Your name, as it is now, or even your full original elvish name, doesn’t show up during this period of expansion, and wouldn’t appear in the history books until approximately fifteen hundred years after the first TK-Drive was developed, when you first founded DSM following the collapse of the Great Elvish Imperium.  Were you involved in the formation of the Great Elvish Imperium that would attempt to seize control of the many new worlds that Andyllion had discovered?”

RV:  “I wasn’t directly involved with the formation of the Elvish Imperium, no.  I had my eyes well beyond Andyllion by this point, and was absorbed in my research, translating the High Draconic records and trying to find some clue as to where they could have gone after Andyllion and surrounding star systems.  I cared little for politics at the time, and had paid little attention to anything going on that didn’t directly affect my continuing research.  I wouldn’t become aware of its formation for nearly a century after it had claimed control of Andyllion and its surrounding systems and had begun to spread further and claim more worlds under its banner.  I honestly didn’t think that ambition like that of Orzius Halaxaes existed in the galaxy anymore, aside from myself, of course.”

AG:  “Had you known Orzius Halaxaes before he declared himself emperor and created the Great Elvish Imperium?”

RV:  “Briefly.  He was young, only a handful of centuries in age, during the Age of Legends, and had spent time studying the arcane beneath me, and knew something of the draconic history I had uncovered to that point. He was nothing remarkable when I knew him, but in the intervening centuries, it seems, he had grown quite ambitious and resourceful indeed.  Once I had become aware of the development of the Imperium, I remained in the shadows, watching how he manipulated the elves of other worlds to join this new Imperium and bend other races to his will.  I must also credit him for using my concept of a sky fortress, never actually implemented upon Andyllion, as the basis for his space citadels.  The influences were obvious once I had seen them in person, the blend of technology and arcane power was quite inspired, honestly.  Were it not for the many worlds already under his control, and the high amount of resources they contained, such vessels would have remained quite impractical.  A pity that his insistence upon reestablishing elvish control of other races, only on a much grander scale, would come to cause me great frustration in the coming year.  I daresay had he not riled my anger, the Great Elvish Imperium may still exist to this day.”

#Lore24 – Entry #347 – Sci-Fi Month IV #12 – Andyllion Advances Towards the Stars

Transcribed From the Personal Recording Implant of Andra Ganim, Chronicler of the Codex Infinitum

AG:  “The period of roughly a thousand years following the Age of Legends saw an incredible change upon Andyllion as technology and the sciences advanced.  Was this due to the influence of the demons upon the world, the Elvish Dominion, or both perhaps?”

RV:  “Both.  The demons preferred their method of control and would have seen the world come under their thumb in one way or another through their control of powerful individuals throughout the world, likely duplicating the kerryn blood curse that kept them sustained on all the races should they have spread further. 

We elves, on the other hand, knew well how to manipulate the other races without need of cursed magic and had much longer-range plans for how we would guide events forward.  This ensured that we would see the outcomes we wanted, even if generations of the lesser races passed before we attained what we desired.  We can be quite patient in that way.  Technology would have advanced quite a bit faster than it had to that point had we previously allowed it; when the dwarves or gnomes or even the drakonae pushed too far, stood upon the cusp of some great advancement, we would either make a most spectacular display of how dangerous and unstable such technology was, and see to it that the knowledge was buried deep, or simply eliminate those responsible for its development and erase their mark in history.  That, of course, had been our way for time immemorial, long before I was even around.”

AG:  “But you pushed them away from this mindset and allowed such advancements following the Age of Legends.  Was this purely to further your own interests?”

RV:  “Mostly, but not entirely.  I was possessed of a drive few of my kind would understand, of course, and as I stated previously, I needed many more eyes out there searching for the secrets of the dragons that yet remained.  It was simply the most logical step to take, allowing the world to advance and reach into the heavens in ways never before conceived, at least not that the Dominion would admit to.”

AG:  “Was there pushback from the leaders of the Elvish Dominion on this?”

RV:  “Oh, absolutely, however briefly.  When necessary, I would involve myself in matters and see to it that any obstacles in my path to the stars were eliminated.  They learned soon enough that my will was not to be denied.”

Note:  The coldness with which Rivalle made that statement has sent a chill down my spine.  Her reputation for ruthlessness is undoubtedly well earned.

AG:  “The advancement of Andyllion through its industrial phase to that of the space age is considered to be remarkably fast when compared to that seen upon other planets, even those that attained space and faster-than-light travel well before the people of Andyllion did.  Some accounts of certain technological developments have been attributed to divine inspiration or uncovering long-lost documents that detailed the previous steps in their development, while others remain mysterious.  Was some of this your doing?”

RV:  “Perhaps not directly, but that is my guidance at work in many cases, yes.  Even before the Age of Legends, I had visited worlds in which technology had advanced to the space age, with much of what we are familiar with today, and could have, if I had wished it, brought Andyllion completely to heel using weapons and devices I found upon these worlds.  I suppose it was something of Marcon Shadowmist’s influence upon me in that regard; though I was bound by no such agreement with the gods, I likewise did not wish to draw their attention upon myself, and would keep my interference in matters subtle and indirect, let the people themselves think that they were the ones wanting to make these great leaps forward.”

AG:  “Were you responsible for the development of what became known as the TK-Drive?  It’s development was an absolutely unprecedented advancement in the known galaxy, and its origins are cloaked in mystery.  Did you know Tonzura Koite?”

RV:  “Sadly I cannot claim credit for that, aside from being one of the largest financial backers of the project that would lead to the drive’s development.  The figure of Tonzura Koite is entirely mythical; they were, in actuality, a team of researchers led by two strong personalities, one a kerryn named Renji Koite and the other a dusk elf by the name of Tonzura Viejra.  The two were constantly at each other’s throats over how the proposed drive would function, Koite being a classically trained arcanist and Viejra being a highly educated scientist, each often proposing the same thing from opposing approach vectors.  I daresay I could not have set up a better conflict of personalities if I had tried, though I had absolutely no reason to do so since it went against my desires.

The need for the drive was, as history suggests, accurate.  The rapid advancement had left no small portion of Andyllion’s resources exhausted and much of the planet contaminated by pollution and other industrial wastes, and space travel to that point had barely begun exploring the Andyllion solar system, let alone beyond it.  The world had settled into several major powers that roughly resembled the ancient continental powers, and it was only a matter of time before war broke out over the remaining resources, and at this time, magic-infused explosives, not unlike those I had developed long before, were quite common.  It likely would have been a level of destruction equal to, if not greater than, the Great Cataclysm, had Koite and Viejra not had their breakthrough.”

AG:  “So it is entirely true that the TK-Drive saved Andyllion, then?”

RV:  “Absolutely.  Once the team had conducted their tests and proven that their combination of magic and technology worked, the first ship to utilize the drive was constructed by another team of dwarves, gnomes, and drakonae, and, though exceptionally slow-moving by today’s standards, in a matter of hours following the first test flight, the first communications from beyond the solar system were received.  It was almost immediately practical to begin resource-gathering operations in the Andyllion system, so the resource war was averted.  In a matter of weeks following the deployment of the second version of the drive, Andyllion reached the next nearest star system, and so on, and so on.  The first new draconic ruin would be discovered within a handful of years, and I would again continue my passion project.”

#Lore24 – Entry #341 – Sci-Fi Month IV #6 – The Great Cataclysm of Andyllion

Transcribed From the Personal Recording Implant of Andra Ganim, Chronicler of the Codex Infinitum

AG:  “History is rather dubious about Marcon Shadowmist to say the least.  On the one hand he was reputed to be something of a boogeyman, living deep within the Shadowmist Swamp where his manor house served as the bane to many an unwary adventuring party.  On the other, testaments and evidence have been uncovered that paint him in a more benevolent light, his machinations serving to better the world.  What was your impression of him?”

RV:  “I was young enough at that time to have been rather awed by him approaching me.  I’d heard tales of him going back centuries; he was a legend even in those times.  I suppose I was rather intimidated by his presence upon our first meeting, for I could sense a particular power about him that was at once frightening yet…somehow familiar.  He seemed to know more about me upon our first meeting than even I knew at the time; it was actually our working together in this that would lead me to my future studies, in fact.  He was a dangerous man, a dangerous entity, but if you treated him with at least some respect and didn’t attempt to invade his domain, then likely you would never run afoul of him.  I am fairly convinced that most of the rumors swirling around him were in fact created by him and his loyal followers just so that he could enjoy some peace and quiet.  I can absolutely relate to such methods’ effectiveness, for I have used them from time to time when I wished for privacy.”

Note:  The historical record relating to Marcon Shadowmist still remains mysterious and incomplete, and there are theories that certain details have been either omitted or removed intentionally.  I would like to press Rivalle more about him, but must tread carefully, and remain on task in questioning her about her past.

AG:  “Could you elaborate more upon the plan that he had come up with to save Andyllion?”

RV: “Well, if you can call it that, certainly; some would argue, especially those who lived through the Great Cataclysm, that what we did was hardly saving the world.  But yes, his plan was quite inspired, honestly, and I still don’t know how exactly he managed to perform his side of it.  My task was much simpler in comparison; I and those I trusted… imagine using a word like that with my people at the time… was to create a series of linked, arcane matrices filled with as much energy as we could store in them and align their resonance to the demons’ home realm.  That was the rather simple part; the more difficult part was distributing them around Shinsei Daitoshi and other demon-controlled areas without their knowledge.  Still, a brilliant mind loves a challenge, and I certainly was intrigued by his proposal.  Given the arrangement which he proposed for setting out these devices, I could immediately see what he had planned.”

AG:  “Which was?”

RV:  “Oh, it’s rather simple, if you think about it for a moment.  We created a network of transplanar bombs, my dear girl, which would, when detonated, rip the very fabric of reality asunder, with most of the power being funneled directly back through the planar rifts and into the heart of the demon realm.  Of course, it meant that severe damage would result on our side too, but all things considered, it would be relatively minor compared to what the demons would see on their side.  Our hope was that the explosions would only devastate our world, not completely destroy it, you see, for dealing with demons once they have a foothold in your world is much more difficult than even I understood at the time. 

Their very presence is not unlike a virulent cancer once it has set up in a world, corrupting and twisting everything to their own nature, and this happens faster and faster the more there are physically within our realm.  You can get away with summoning a few of them at a time and sending them back, but once they’ve established a foothold, it’s much more difficult to handle.  And they had quite the foothold on Andyllion back then.”

AG:  “I see… So the destruction off the kerryn capital was actually due to the bombs you helped to create, at the behest of Marcon Shadowmist?”

RV:  “Not entirely, but mostly, yes.  There were other factors in play, for Marcon had several teams working on fixing that particular mess, placing dominoes all around the world that would topple once the fuse had been lit and the transplanar explosions began.  It was the fuse that I found most fascinating during all this, for it is that factor alone which I still cannot clearly comprehend how exactly he did it.”

AG:  “And what was the fuse?”

RV:  “The very divine essence of Saressh herself, born from the suffering of her and her people, distilled into raw, angry power.  It could only have come from the goddess herself after she had been deposed and captured by the demon lords, so how Marcon Shadowmist obtained it, I can only begin to surmise.  Regardless, he gave this to her chosen upon Andyllion at the time, one of the younger members of the kerryn royal family by the name of Shibari Sukimori, who had, at that time, was married to the aerian prince Maltizar Skyrider.  Though we had been at war, even I was struck by their willingness to do what must be done, for they ventured into the very heart of the demonic invasion to face its leader, Suzu’reitani directly.  Upon Shibari’s death, the detonation occurred, as did the detonation of all the bombs my people had created and secreted away. 

Though I was on the far side of the continent at the time, it was not far enough away.  I still witnessed the explosions even at that distance, still felt the world shake as it was torn asunder and reformed.  I had intended to relocate myself to another realm for a time, but by then planar travel was far too dangerous even for me, so I had little choice but to endure.  Deserts became oceans, mountains became as plains, entire cities vanished and reappeared on opposite sides of the world, others were lost forever, while the deepest dwarven strongholds were thrust upward into the sunlight.  It was a wonder that we survived at all, really, but survive we did.  Only those closest to the site of the main detonation were lost, the remaining aerians were wiped out, for they were absorbed in a futile battle at the kerryn capital to assist the heroes who faced the demon lord, and we would not see their kind upon Andyllion again for a long time.  The kerryns themselves gained their rather unique ability to reincarnate themselves during this time, I believe, for I had never heard of such a thing previously, possibly due to the blood curse placed upon them by the demons, possibly an alteration brought on by the eruption of Saressh’s power, perhaps a combination of both. 

The demons themselves would be mostly obliterated, seared away by the power of an angry goddess combined with my arcane brilliance, though quite a few would remain behind, their physical forms destroyed, their dark essences still intact and safely hidden away inside mortals they would possess, not the least of which was Suzu’reitani herself.  They would be the least of our concerns for a long while, though, for we had a world to rebuild, civilizations to reform, though their corruption would remain a permanent feature on Andyllion, specifically with the mazoku, well, they are usually called succubi these days. 

I essentially had to relearn how to use magic during the first few centuries as well, for the very essence of the mystic forces that fueled Andyllion had changed.  It was an…interesting period, I would say.”

#Lore24 – Entry #340 – Sci-Fi Month IV #5 – The Calling of Demons

Transcribed From the Personal Recording Implant of Andra Ganim, Chronicler of the Codex Infinitum

RV:  “I am most certainly NOT saying that, Ms. Ganim.  I am saying that I was responsible for discovering the methods of contacting the realm of demonkind and developing the methods by which we could gain access to their power.  Any irresponsible use after that cannot be placed upon my shoulders.”

AG:  “Of course, of course.  Could you explain how this line of research came about?  What were you researching at the time?”

RV:  “Interdimensional, planar travel, even the concept of parallel realities, the “multiverse” if you will; truly few minds were capable of grasping the concept in that era.  My initial research had focused upon improving the ability to transport our soldiers and supplies long distances through magical gateways, in concordance with the use of scrying to perhaps arrange for surprise attacks upon our enemies.  For as idiotic as they are, the aerians were wise to our methods, thanks to their kerryn allies, primarily, so finding a workaround to their detection and countermeasures was naturally a priority. 

It was during my studies of a particular draconic ruin and the ancient portal there that I pieced together the early concept of my multiversal theory and began to theorize that perhaps the dragons that we have so long sought could have not only left Andyllion and our galaxy, but they could also have left our reality entirely.  My unique brilliance has led me to many such radical theories over the centuries, and I have, more often than not, been proven correct.”

AG:  “Were you the first person on Andyllion to make contact with the demons, then?”

RV:  “I was, yes, quite possibly the first outside the Demon Barrier and the Demon Sector, in fact, but that’s something we’ll have to circle back to later.  It was during one of the many jaunts I took through the planes during that time.  I had taken precautions, of course, to hide my trail, and had not shared my ability to shift amongst the planes with my fellow arcanists at the time.  In those days, you see, only the priests were considered capable of such a thing, should they travel to the realm of their gods, and that was seen strictly as a reward for their devotion.  What I did then transgressed the commonly held beliefs at the time, for it was assumed that all magic called upon the “aether” present in the world, that elementals were summoned from the four elements, that sort of thing.  I could go on at great length about ancient arcane theory, but I don’t think that’s what you’ve come for.

To answer your question more thoroughly, I had found a trail of corruption in certain planes and realms I had visited, and with some deduction and insight, I followed that trail and puzzled out the particular ritual methods that must be performed in order to bridge the gap into the demonic realm.  Not knowing any particular demons at the time, I was fortunate to have encountered only a minor one that was well within my ability to slay, for it was quite hostile with me.  My future attempts to contact them would be within the most controlled of environments, with strong wards and multiple layers of protection spells designed specifically to deal with beings not native to our reality.”

AG:  “How did matters escalate to the point that the demons were allowed to invade the world?  Did something go out of control?”

RV:  “Only the ego of my people.  Once I had solidified my knowledge of planar shifting and the rituals required to deal with the demons, and a mostly concrete understanding of their hierarchy and ways, I revealed my knowledge to my fellow arcanists and the leaders within the Elvish Dominion.  By this time, things had escalated to full blown war between our forces and our allies and those led by the aerians and kerryns, and the tide had already turned against us.  I will admit that my attention was elsewhere, and I had not paid due attention to the situation.  It was a decision I made in the interests of self-preservation of myself and my kind.

We originally sought only to augment our forces to fend off the advance of our enemies, to push them out of our lands.  But, once the full extent of what I had learned in the intervening centuries was understood, a plan was formulated that would break our enemies and see the Elvish Dominion returned to its proper place atop the world.  So, instead of using the demons directly as our soldiers, we would discredit our enemies and tear them apart from the inside.

Through a series of planar jumps, we were able to infiltrate deep into enemy territory without their knowledge, and once we had established our base of operations beneath the kerryn capital of Shinsei Daitoshi, we enacted our plan, coordinating with the lord of demons known as Suzu’retani, the Queen of the Succubi, the Bringer of Calamity.  Oh, don’t give me that look, Ms. Ganim; she was destroyed thousands of years ago; if any demonkind still remembers her name to even hear it uttered, they can do nothing about it within my domain. 

Now, then, the invasion started subtly enough, with her forces causing all manner of disruption amongst the enemy.  A deal was made with the demons; in return for elvish dominance over Andyllion, they could have all the aerian and kerryn souls they could possibly want.  Though I led the initial operation to bring the demons to Andyllion, I would be well away from Shinsei Daitoshi when the Demonfall occurred.  I must admit, even I was caught by surprise when Suzu’reitani subverted the kerryn faith and managed to capture Saressh.  Even I don’t know exactly how she managed that feat, but it was the madness that filled the kerryn priesthood that signaled the beginning of the Demonfall, and soon enough, the beasts ravaged our enemies, taking souls as if they would never end. 

Their taint spread, and soon enough those who had once allied with the aerians and kerryns turned to us, and against them.  The aerians, without the help of their longtime kerryn allies, were wiped out and driven from our lands.  However, though the Elvish Dominion had made a clearly defined bargain, we had not taken into account the nature of the corruption that spilled forth from their incursion in the kerryn capital.  The very essence of the demons began to corrupt and taint the world, and seemed to affect the elves more quickly and fiercely than other races.  This was initially how we garnered so much sympathy from our former enemies, in fact, for we played it off that the kerryns had summoned forth the demons, set the corruption against us, and then lost control of the monsters they had brought forth.

My own corruption was significantly lesser than my peers due to the time I spent in realms beyond our own, though even I could see that something had to be done to reverse course.  I’ll admit that I played my part in the atrocity, but I likewise did what I could to save Andyllion from the destruction that my overeager brethren had wrought upon it.  I would find myself in strange company in this endeavor, for the being known as Marcon Shadowmist would seek me out to right the situation.  Not even I can understand his way of thinking, why he had waited this long, but it was his plan that we followed to restore the balance and stop the demonic invasion.  This was what led to the Great Cataclysm, and somehow, that was the better choice, not just for Andyllion, but for the rest of the galaxy, though we certainly could not have known that at the time.”

#Lore24 – Entry #339 – Sci-Fi Month IV #4 – The Elvish Dominion

Transcribed From the Personal Recording Implant of Andra Ganim, Chronicler of the Codex Infinitum

AG:  “So would you say you specialized in destructive magic at the academy?  Would seem fitting going to war.”

RV:  “At the time, yes.  As I said, rebellious young blood.  It was my first specialization, though I have since mastered all recognized disciplines…and perhaps some that aren’t.”

AG:  “Most intriguing; I will circle back around to this later.  For now, could you describe your first experiences upon the fields of battle?”

RV:  “I would call them positively invigorating.  After being confined to the stuffiness of the academy as I had been, being in a setting where things were actually happening was a most welcome change.  I was not possessed of the fear that often overtakes someone during their first real battle, rather, I found myself in my element, almost as if it were a natural state.  Though our engagements were limited at first, I relished the chance to rend my enemies asunder through my command of the arcane.  I do believe that this was the first time I truly recognized that I had a sadistic side to my nature.  I can’t recall any specific examples, but I know I would leave many aerians in various states of dismemberment and see if I could coax some screams from them.  They are dreadfully stubborn creatures, you know, even more so back then than they are now, and it was a rare treat to make one scream in pain.”

Note:  The casual manner in which she related this sent a chill down my spine, and I am quite disturbed by the look of fond reminiscence upon her face.

AG:  “I see…how did your battlefield experience lead you to improve your house and to the formation of the Elvish Dominion?”

RV:  “It was the lack of unity I saw.  For all our enlightenment compared to the lesser races, we elves tended to stick to our own blood for whatever reason, well, back then, at least.  I daresay that was why we could never truly control the world as we so often dreamed of, because we always saw a plot against us, usually from others of our kind, for we were the only ones to be able to think that far ahead, you see.  The shorter-lived races were of no real concern except in the moment; they could always be dealt with in some form or another, but the threat that was always there was our own kind.

Even though the aerians were quite brutish and backwards in their ways, they were tenacious and had an excellent ability to work together for a common cause, namely the eradication of any elves that crossed them, and more on top of that for good measure.  For all of my brutality in slaying them with my magic, they would return the favor in kind with their own barbaric methods and had been for some time.  I noticed early on that my people would make decisions that would benefit their houses over the greater good of the entirety of the elvish nation, resulting in losses that didn’t have to happen. 

I do believe this was likely when my natural ability to lead and inspire first manifested, for I began to create alliances that broke down some of the barriers between the houses, forged in the fires of war.  After a handful of years on the battlefield, I would return to my homeland with my inner fire burning quite hot and pushed the leadership of House Volcari to change their ways.  I won’t say that it was entirely the force of my personality that was responsible for these changes and growing alliances, however much I would like to say that was the driving factor.  No, there was no small amount of subterfuge and arcane methods employed, and no few people had to be made to disappear.  Luckily enough we had an enemy that was more than capable of being manipulated into doing the work for us, exploiting the opportunities that I and my loyalists would create for them.

It was the loss of many of the elder leaders of the various houses that spurred them to action, to lay aside ancient feuds and oft-imagined plots against one another and join together to form the Elvish Dominion.  As expected, this unification, and the formation of the twelve Great Houses that would lead the entirety of the elven people caused quite the stir amongst the people on the outside.  Most saw this as a threat to their own peoples, and perhaps it was.  Some would ally with us, and some would try to remain neutral or come to the defense of the aerians, seeing the elves as a real threat for the first time. 

Quite a tumultuous period, really. 

Though I would be prominent as a force of change for some years, I would eventually return to my arcane studies, firmly established as the true power of House Volcari.  It would not be without its own dangers, certainly, and I made it a point to master my protective warding magics during this period, for there were many attempts on my life during the early days, something that has continued to this very day, believe it or not. 

In spite of the relative unrest that would prevail during this period, my studies and experimentation would lead to several remarkable advances in the magical arts, born of the study of the ancient and long-lost draconic race that likely seeded Andyllion.  I would become quite fascinated with uncovering all that I could about them, driven by a desire from deep within my very soul, as it were.  Though I had little proof of it at the time, I would eventually come to learn the nature of this fascination and how my unique nature was related to it. 

During these scant few centuries, I would likewise uncover a plethora of previously lost sources of power that would prove quite literally earth-shattering in the coming years.  You know of what I am referring to, yes?”

AG:  “You speak of the Demonfall, correct?  Are you saying that you were responsible for calling the demons to Andyllion?”