Tag: Grad Artanais

#Lore24 – Entry #243 – Helica Month #31 – The Final Scroll Claimed, the Final Battle Begins

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

The Transgressor has come once again, this time it’s barely been thirty years.  If my calculations are correct, after its defeat this time, it will only take another twenty to twenty-five years to reappear.  Time grows dreadfully short for Helica, but I feel a certain amount of hope within my soul, a feeling I’ve not known in some many centuries, for Saghirah, along with the other Amaranths, have put their scheme into motion.  I have known of it for some time, given what I have learned and through the dreams provided me by the Amaranth, but have not written of it until now, for their enemies could not know of it should my texts fall into the wrong hands.

It was only now that I could possibly have claimed the final scroll from within Tyraguard, for a great tragedy has befallen the Church and a quiet chaos spread through their ranks.  My enemy for the last few centuries, the Summoner Most High, Lady Tephysea, has fallen.  The Church says that she passed from old age, but I know that was a lie.  Though I had sought to slay her myself for many centuries, it was not meant for me to do so.  Rather, she suffered betrayal all her own, and though I cannot confirm it, I have my suspicion that it may well have been her own son, Selanar of House Wynmaer, who was responsible, for he quickly ascended the ranks of the Church in the wake of her death, and the Sylvanae were quite fast to spread word of her passing quietly in her sleep, far too quick. 

I will know for certain soon enough, but at long last, I have claimed the final scroll of Saghirah, having gone into the Church’s most sacred places as a Knight Protector once more, this time with a summoner by the name of Baiharu and his Knight Protectors, his lifelong friend, known as Nyxon, and a man out of time known as Kenjiro, one brought here by none other than Saghirah herself.  Baiharu is remarkably open-minded, having been raised as a summoner only reluctantly before Tephysea’s death as he had come from a disgraced family that had been wiped out due to their heretical actions, but given the fewer numbers of those capable of summoning the Amaranths in this age (an entirely different topic for another time), the Church had little choice in the matter.  Perhaps they saw potential for a redemption story to sell to the people should Baiharu ultimately be successful.

I will certainly do everything in my power to see this through, for the coming of Kenjiro, plucked from ancient Grad Artanais by Saghirah herself, is the key to the ultimate victory for the Amaranths and the salvation of Helica.  More will I reveal soon, but for now, I will compile everything that was contained within the scrolls and await the right moment to reveal it all.  It is coming; at long last, it is coming, the end of this journey…one way or another it will end.  I continue to place my faith in the Amaranths, in my Empress Saghirah, for Helica has no other choice for its salvation. 

#Lore24 – Entry #236 – Helica Month #24 – The Lost Years

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

One cannot appreciate the simple things in life, such as feeling the sun upon your skin, or the act of writing in one’s journal, until one has been forced to live as a Beast under the control of the Church of Phyresis.  I thought certainly that I was to be sentenced to death when I was captured along the banks of the Rusting River, but I was granted a “merciful” punishment by Tephysea and enslaved with the others who have displeased the Church, even with the truths I knew.

I did learn something of the process of creating a Beast when the sentence was carried out, and that the Order of the Tamers has a completely different meaning than the one that is commonly known, for it is they who are responsible for developing the process, and it is a special sect within their ranks that oversee its application.  I was placed within the lowest ranks of Beasts, the Servant Breed, my magical arts sealed away, and my leash extremely short. 

As a Beast, I would be made to serve my accuser, Tephysea, exclusively.  I would learn that she possessed a nature even more sadistic than what I had only guessed at before, and every little infraction was punished with pain that often times left me unable to move for several hours.  Though the rubbery flesh of a Beast is resilient to the elements and in the case of the hardier breeds, physical damage, it seemed that mine only amplified the agony I experienced.  Even more insidiously, all the while I was trapped within the new flesh, I was subjected to a constant psychic nudging to obey, serve, and worship the One True God, almost as if its very voice were in my head.  I do not yet know if this was a special punishment for me, or if all Beasts must suffer like this until they willingly accept the commands and do as they are told.  I am not sure if my mental fortitude was a blessing or a curse in all honesty.

I won’t further detail my time as a Beast, for I wish to forget as much of it as I can.  As Tephysea’s slave, I would learn disappointingly little, for I was hardly more than a pet for her to amuse herself with and was kept far away from her machinations.  The outside world may well not have existed for me, for my world revolved around her and her alone, and when I was not caged, I was being tortured behind closed doors. 

It is indeed a sad state that one finds themselves in when the awakening of the Transgressor is seen as a blessing, though this has led to another somewhat unsettling train of thought regarding the Beasts’ existence.  I am curious as to whether the Beasts are somehow magically preserved by their enforced state, for none who knew of my fate seemed surprised by the fact that I lived as long as I did without seemingly succumbing to old age or frailty. 

For, you see, it had been just over sixty years since I was made a Beast, and only the timely arrival of the Transgressor would see me freed of my sentence.  This time, when it came, the Wicked One came to Tyraguard itself and announced its presence by attacking the most holy of cities on Helica.  Tephysea was, conveniently enough, away from the city on one of my few reprieves from her cruelty.  Thinking back on the timing of her absences, I have come to realize what it was she was doing but will not discuss it here.

I am not certain how I survived the blast which destroyed the residences I had been secured within, but suffice to say I awoke sometime later, naked and bleeding on the newly expanded waterfront Tyraguard had gained, the Beast’s magical bond to me apparently broken by the Transgressor’s attack.  With the Sylvanae presence at a minimum given the timing of Tephysea’s absence, I was not recognized by the human priests who found me and took me to one of the treatment stations to tend my wounds, and no signs of my Beast flesh remained to clue them in, its magical anchors, the collar and shackles, melted away.

I wasted no time when I could finally move and hastily fled the city, blending in amongst the refugees bound south for San Granalle.  Though my mind and spirit were unsettled at the time, I would nonetheless plan to resume my journey once I had sufficiently recovered my senses, and I would pick up where I left off in this strange yet familiar world.  I feel it will be some time before my mind is at any kind of ease on my task.  I can still hear the voice of the One True God echoing in my head even though the influence of the Beast’s shell is gone, and I still suffer a keen paranoia and sensitivity to sensations that could only have come from my torture at the hands of the wood elf.  I was never one for vengeance, but it seems I may be developing a taste for it.

#Lore24 – Entry #235 – Helica Month #23 – An Unfortunate Meeting

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

In the weeks I had spent within the Wildlands, word of my survival had reached the ears of those whom I had hoped would ignore such a rumor, and upon my return to the Highlands, I found that the presence of the Church ‘s soldiers was greatly increased, and they possessed orders to apprehend me on sight.  There was no doubt about this, certainly, for I saw posters plastered in every village I came across with my likeness, decrying me as a heretic and a threat to common decency.  It took little imagination who it was that was responsible for such a decree.

I would not make it easy for them, however.  Though the Church’s gaze was practically everywhere, I had long ago learned many ways to travel unnoticed and was no stranger to living in the inhospitable wilderness that most would fear to tread without a proper armed escort.  So it was that I updated my cached documents in their many hiding places in the following days and weeks, avoiding people when I could, and disguising myself when I had no choice but to venture into civilization. 

I have yet to receive further visions from Saghirah, so I must busy myself with finding ways to funnel this information to those willing to listen and who may learn from it, to begin cracking the foundations of the Church, if you will.  A printing press would have worked wonders for this task, but alas, I cannot carry such a thing with me easily, and certainly could not risk remaining in one place too long.  Thus, I have decided that I will attempt to reach the first of those who may be willing to listen to me, the Ketzeryn.

[The following paragraphs have been scrawled hastily.]

Curse my luck!  I’ve been recognized by some of the fishermen that arrived at the docks as I attempted to secure passage down the Rusting River in the hopes of reaching the coast in a matter of days instead of weeks, and now the Sylvanae soldiers are on my trail!  I remember these men, for we had spent an evening with them as our Crusade traveled toward the Frozen-Tree Timberland.  I don’t blame them for the lies they’ve little choice but to believe, but I fear I may be captured unless I can find somewhere to hide, though I know of no such places along the river, and I am dangerously close to Sylvanae territory. 

I will hide this journal away in the ruins I’ve come across, part of those jutting from the ruined city that lies beneath the Rusting River.  May the Amaranths preserve me, for I fear that my time on Helica has come to an end.  The Sylvanae are literally coming out of the woodwork like a furious swarm; Tephysea cannot have me remain as a threat to her growing power.  Forgive me, Empress Saghirah, for I have failed you.

[No further entries have been made.]

#Lore24 – Entry #234 – Helica Month #22 – The Second Scroll

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

My travels would eventually lead me into the extreme northwest territory, a broken and shattered wasteland that once was perhaps a great city amongst the mountains, littered with ruins of the past.  There were even some rusted hulks of ancient forbidden machines laying amongst the rocky spires, some kinds of ships that were able to traverse the skies themselves.  It was this area that I had dreamed of, almost exactly as I found it now, right down to the tribal markings that indicated ownership by some monstrous race or another.  After some further exploration of the surrounding remnants, I approached the broken remains of another shrine complex, similar in layout to the one I had found in Grad Artanais, though in a much worse state, fully three-quarters of it broken off and vanished beneath the churning sea far below, ending at a crumbling, shear drop.  And yet, as I ventured inside, I saw that the shrine of Saghirah yet remained, and sensed her presence once again, though her statue was long ago shattered and defaced. 

With some effort, I found the hidden chamber I knew would be there, though I had to spend quite some time digging my way through the collapsed rubble.  The inner chamber was in a sad state as well, all but one of the additional visages of the Amaranth broken, most of the circular space filled with rubble from the collapse, but the altar remained, and upon it rested another scroll case.  Perhaps I was simply more jaded now, for the revelations contained within the ancient text were not as jarring to me as had been contained within the first scroll, but the information within was nonetheless enlightening. 

Given what I had witnessed in Grad Artanais and the betrayal that I had suffered, much of the true nature of Phyresis and the Church that worshipped it was brought to light, in glaring contradiction to the accepted truths they have spread across civilized Helica.  No more will I say here for now, for the time is not right, nor is this the right place.  I have brought a sufficient supply of materials that I may properly copy and retell all that I have thusly learned, and I will cache these copies safely away for the future, should I be unsuccessful in my efforts. 

Saghirah has entrusted this task to me, however, so I cannot allow myself to fail, for the sake of Helica and its people.

#Lore24 – Entry #233 – Helica Month #21 – Digging into the Past, Saving the Future

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

Now that I was unbound by the dire threat of a horde of raiders sweeping across the border wall, I could take time to properly appreciate the ruins that lay partially buried within the Wildlands that I had only glimpse from afar before.  It almost felt like old times as I traversed the crater that marked one of the Transgressor’s prior destructive sweeps, taking note of the similar but slightly different architecture that marked the era that preceded the monster’s arrival.  It was not my destination, though it was on the way, and brought a certain kind of peace to my troubled mind.

It was hard to miss the expanded presence of the Church patrols out here now.  Beyond the border wall, they had maintained their presence in the city that had served as the bandit leader’s base of operations, likely to ensure that there were no further uprisings, but given that they were rebuilding it and adding new fortifications, I imagined they were going to be staying a lot longer.  It was somewhat unusual for the Church to expand so quickly, but perhaps that came with the influence of a certain Sylvanae summoner who now held a great deal of power within the church; I’d heard rumors she was already on her way to the very topmost ranks of its leadership. 

I avoided coming in too close, taking a roundabout route that led me through additional ruins, where I noticed signs of recent habitation from the fleeing monstrous races we had driven out of the area.  Thus far I had encountered none of them, likely driven into the depths of the earth or wiped out entirely.  I doubt that they would have appreciated my coming regardless, but I wonder if perhaps there could have been a peaceful resolution that would have allowed me time to speak with them about what they might have known about their land and its history.

My journey was not without its hardships, though, for there were plenty of demons for me to deal with, though they were nowhere near as fierce as they were with the Transgressor’s awakening, almost as if their fighting spirit had been drained from them.  All the better for me, given that I ventured into these lands alone.  I continued to see signs of recent habitation here and there, old campsites or abandoned villages, and could only wonder where the former inhabitants had gone in the wake of the Church’s culling.  I would be curious to attempt to explore and try to seek them out after some more time had passed, but that would have to wait, for I neared my destination.

#Lore24 – Entry #232 – Helica Month #20 – No Use for a Failed Knight

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

Though months have passed since I last passed through the Kinarrora Highlands, I found that some of the people along the way recognized me and were none too pleased by the revelation.  They were under the impression that I had died defending High Lord Summoner Esekia during his final battle.  I attempted to deny who I was, to convince them I was someone else, but they were not to be fooled (I’ve never been that great with people, admittedly), and began to call me a coward, accused me of fleeing and leaving my summoner to die.  What other choice did I have but to bear their sudden hatred, conduct my business, and be on my way as fast as possible?

I had expected such a reaction from the Church, certainly, which is why I avoided anywhere they were known to be, but I had not considered this possibility when I had set out.  The story woven by Tephysea had spread quickly, as one would expect, and I was an affront to that story, even in the eyes of the people who had once treated me with respect as I had guarded Esekia.  It seems that I would need to be much more cautious going forward, less the word of my survival reach the Church.

Thankfully I have received another vision from Saghirah now that things have settled down.  I had dreamt of the Highlands several times since my return from Grad Artanais, and now that I had returned to them, had dreamt of the Wildlands, of the lands beyond those which we had conquered when we slew the leader of the raiders.  Though it was certainly enemy territory, I had the distinct impression that everywhere save perhaps the lands held by the Ketzeryn could be against me now.  At least, I was not aware of anything I could have done to offend them, other than being a former Phyresian, of course.  Perhaps that would be enough?  I had little doubt I would need to seek their aid in searching their lands for another scroll eventually.

For now, though, I would venture again into the Wildlands and face what dangers may come.  Though I am hardly invulnerable, my time has a Knight Protector and my education in the art of black magic has made me more capable of dealing with most threats, especially now that the fire has diminished within many demons following the destruction of the Transgressor.

#Lore24 – Entry #231 – Helica Month #19 – The World Moves On

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

Many weeks have passed since the terrible betrayal I witnessed in Grad Artanais, and I have made full account of the incident, stowed safely away with the knowledge of the first scroll in no less than three places along my path that I will not name.  Though casual observation will not reveal the documents, in time, they will be revealed should something befall me.

Even though I know the truth of the bargain which was made, I cannot bring myself to fully hate the coming of another Tranquility, for even in the outlying towns, the joy is clear upon the faces of my fellow Helicans.  The demons which roam the land have diminished already, their aggressiveness much lessened too.  I wish that the cost had not to be so terrible, and that it would be everlasting, but that is sadly not to be.  If anything, it will allow me some greater freedom to search for the next forbidden scroll.  I feel it best that I avoid the larger cities and towns for the time being anyway, for I have already heard the narrative which Tephysea, now the High Lady Summoner and Grand Mistress of the Church of Phyresis, has woven regarding her miraculous survival and the noble sacrifice made by her most precious lover, Esekia. 

To hear the people tell the tale, with such joyous looks upon their faces when I knew the truth of the matter, made me sick to the very core of my being, but I could do nothing about it for now.  The only way I could avenge Esekia, Zubayr, and the nameless Stalker that had protected us on the way was by planting the seeds of truth well out of the wrathful gaze of the Church and nurturing them until they were ripe. 

I am the chosen of Saghirah for this task, and I will not let her down no matter what it takes.  Though I have yet to learn all there is to know of the great amaranth, I am certain that she has a greater plan that I would only jeopardize should I be aware of it.  I have faith in her that all will be revealed in time, for I have no remaining faith in Phyresis, the false savior of Helica.  My faith is returned rightfully to the Amaranths where it belongs. 

#Lore24 – Entry #230 – Helica Month #18 – Betrayal and the New Tranquility

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

As with my first visit to Grad Artanais, I would leave the city shaken by what I would find, though the circumstances could not be more different.  As I write these words, I lay near death in the only safe place I could find within in ruins of the ancient city, within the shrine of Saghirah.  It is perhaps only by her blessing that I survived what befell my party and yet live to tell of it, though I fear my revelations are simply too much for the populace of Helica to bear, to say nothing of the Church of Phyresis.

Once we had descended to the camping spot I had used what seemed a lifetime ago, I could sense the change that had come over Grad Artanais, the malevolent, oppressive pressure that radiated from it, specifically from the massive ruin of an ancient Battleball arena at the city’s center.  Standing upon the slope of the holy mountain at night, I could see the vile aura of swirling blackness that surrounded the building, could see massive demons roaming the streets as if guarding it, miniscule compared to the Transgressor, but larger than any I had before witnessed.  For once, even Tephysea seemed overwhelmed by what lay ahead, though she again professed that the love she and Esekia shared would see them through. 

I had voiced my concerns about this relationship previously, but Esekia was quite resolute in his love, and for the additional hope it gave to the people of Helica.  Perhaps it would make a difference, I had thought then, for if one summoner had to sacrifice themselves to defeat the Transgressor, then perhaps two could overcome whatever lay within that arena and walk out alive. 

Of course, I would soon learn, after our party pushed through the guardian demons into the heart of Grad Artanais with the help of the Amaranths, that was a foolish hope.  Even though I knew not what to expect once we had breached the arena, passing by the statues of heroes long forgotten to history, I could not have predicted that which we found waiting within.  This is the truth that must told, but how can I reveal such a revelation to the people and actually make them believe it?  Surely the Church would never allow such knowledge to escape, for the entirety of their faith is borne upon it. 

What lies within the dark heart of the Transgressor is…

[Text becomes incoherent scrawls, drifting off the page]

…

I continue this entry with a clearer head now that I’ve had time to rest and have somewhat recovered from my injuries, for I am no longer near death, perhaps saved by the grace of the Amaranth herself.  Like Saghirah’s forbidden scrolls, I cannot reveal what I learned just yet, not here, for it would find its way to the Church, and the rumors would be quickly quashed, and any proclaiming them killed, or at best, permanently enslaved as a Beast to silence them. 

No, a more cautious approach is needed.  I must be subtle, and I must be extremely careful once I leave this place.  Though the darkness is gone for now, for a new Tranquility has started, the Transgressor will return, and the cycle will continue unabated until a way can be found to stop it.  Suffice to say, the Sylvanae, specifically Tephysea and her loyal followers, are complicit in what comes next, and were responsible for what befell Esekia and my other companions.  A full accounting of her betrayal will I make elsewhere, and it shall be secreted away with the knowledge of the forbidden scroll of Saghirah, safe from any who would seek it.  I will see justice done in time, for I am assured that I will have plenty of it by the great Saghirah.

And so I end this journal for now, for the world I return to will surely be a different one upon my return, and I will have new purpose beyond simply uncovering the rest of Saghirah’s scrolls, for righteous vengeance is a powerful motivator.

The cycle cannot continue, for surely Helica will be destroyed, no matter how many times the Transgressor is defeated.

#Lore24 – Entry #229 – Helica Month #17 – Water and Earth, Light and Dark

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

I neglected my notes in the following weeks and months, for our journey back to the Highlands and beyond was at once triumphant and somber, for while we had defeated one evil and were hailed as heroes, a greater foe loomed ever-present.  The Transgressor had remained active while we had been diverted, attacking several villages along the coast, never in a predictable fashion, but driving deeper into the mainland each time.  Several summoners had already faced it and lost their lives, not yet strong enough to see the task done.

So it was that we and the Sylvanae party made haste through the Kinarrora Highlands, treading where I was at least mostly familiar, heading first to the temple of the earth Amaranth Kayalik, and upon its successful taming, to the temple of Glacia, the water Amaranth.  I had perhaps wanted to broach the possibility of seeking out Saghirah with Esekia, but by this time, he had been quite taken with Tephysea, enthralled I would daresay.  She seemed to reciprocate his feelings, and there was talk amongst those whom we met along the way that the pair of lovers would certainly overcome the Transgressor and bring the next Tranquility.  I didn’t see the love, personally, only the manipulations of one of the Sylvanae nobility, but my concerns were not headed.  Zubayr was mostly indifferent, more concerned with seeing the Crusade successfully completed, and our Stalker was ever the loyal guardian, hardly willing to oppose its master. 

So, we would not seek Saghirah, but instead would continue to the holy city of Tyraguard, the seat of the Phyresian faith, and to the most powerful of the Amaranths, the final taming before the journey would take us to the ruins of Grad Artanais, the great winged serpent, Nur-Atahk.  After a long vigil in the chambers of the Amaranth, Esekia was ultimately successful in his taming, as was the ever-confident Tephysea.  Thusly armed with the power of the Amaranths, we would make our final journey over the ruin-spotted expanse of the Serene Steppes toward the ruins of Grad Artanais, where the final battle would be held at the place where the Transgressor was first born unto Helica, the only place it could be once again defeated, for that is where the foulness, the sins of the people of Helica are gathered to birth the monster.

When I phrase it like that…I suppose I was rather foolhardy to venture into that place by myself, even during the last Tranquility.  I am also wondering as to why I could not sense the growing vileness of the Transgressor in the city then, for surely there must have been some indication that something so massive was growing nearby. 

I will ponder this as we begin our ascent of the sacred mountain Temismere on the morrow, before our descent into Grad Artanais. 

#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.