Tag: transplanar bomb

#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 #342 – Sci-Fi Month IV #7 – Rebuilding the World

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

AG:  “What were the greatest challenges you and the world faced following the Great Cataclysm?  Did you participate in the rebuilding process or focus more upon your own development during the Reforging?”

RV:  “For the first few years, it was simply survival.  Thanks to the preparations I had made, House Volcari and our allies were mostly intact, but we found ourselves upon an entirely new continent, our arcane abilities severely hindered, and nature itself in an uproar as the world changed around us.  Though we remained relatively close to Arcavarlon and the Isle of Fang, the city itself was mostly a rubble-filled ruin, and the geography had changed significantly; in fact, we were on the other side of the world, what had once been a massive central continent was now hidden beneath a vast ocean. 

Even with all the changes we faced, the Elvish Dominion, perhaps not as great as it had once been, would remain the driving force behind rebuilding civilization upon our side of the world.  The majority of elf communities would find their way to us in time, though a not insignificant number would remain on the other side of the world, forming their own societies that I would have little to do with.  For many years, we and the other surviving races would work to tame this new land we found ourselves part of, learning its layout and ways, learning to trust each other again.  Oh, the shorter lived races were just as susceptible to our influence as they always had been, and soon enough we were guiding them from the shadows as we had always done, to our benefit, but one could simply call that the natural order, from a certain point of view.”

AG:  “An elvish point of view?”

RV:  “Indeed.”

AG:  “How would you say you shaped the world as it was rebuilding?”

RV:  “I didn’t involve myself more than I had to.  As I said, I was busy trying to relearn magic during the first few centuries.  Once we had stabilized our own people and started guiding the other races to something that resembled proper societies, I remained focused upon regaining my previous power and studying exactly what had changed not only upon Andyllion, but in the realms it was linked to and those that I had previously traveled to.  Planar travel remained very dangerous for many centuries, and it was rather a lost art until the Age of Legends came about.  Magic overall had grown weaker, I would discover, making the traversal to other realms either impossible or much more intensive than they previously were.  What once could be achieved in a single planar jump could take a half dozen smaller jumps, for example. 

I would avoid the realm of demons, of course, for it was quite thoroughly blocked by Marcon’s plan.  You could say that what separated our realms then, and to a similar extent now, is akin to the barrier that separates us from the Demon Sector; anything that tried to pass through was utterly destroyed, or, if you were fortunate, only nearly so.  Hence why the surviving demons had to adapt and change their ways upon Andyllion; they would fight to survive just as hard as anyone else.

To summarize, I would mainly serve to reestablish the arcane disciplines during this period, disseminating what I would to the lesser arcanists under me, who would then teach the other races what we would allow them to know.  The interdimensional and interplanar communication and traversal had provided their own challenges for those who served the gods, so their power was likewise diminished for a time.  Those of a more primal, druidic slant would also find their power had waned, if only due to the immense chaos within the world as the massive upheavals slowly settled down and a new normalcy prevailed.”

#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.”