Faerie: the Hellgate Opens
Jan 17, 2016 0:45:03 GMT -7
Post by wanderingmagus on Jan 17, 2016 0:45:03 GMT -7
Far to the south of the Kingdom of Thalassana, beyond the fortress-cathedrals and monastic cities of the Sacred Congress, there is a land of magic and enchantment, of wealth and of power, of peace - and of war.
Upon the Golden Isles, where the Seepay meets the Xiku Sea, sprawls the strange and powerful city of L'Anza. Some call it a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Some call it the greatest merchant harbor in the known world. Some call it the city of endless wealth. And all are correct.
But something is simmering behind this glamorous exterior: anger, hatred, fear, and whispers of war.
For something had awakened, in that place none dared tread, that Hellgate long tainted by Plague and by blight, that place of ash and dust and death, and it HATED.
And everywhere, all at once, magic had returned: TRUE magic, and with it, the fey of old. The Forest Gentry, the Witches and their huts, Lone Sorcerers in misty towers found only by the lost, and worst of all, the Unseelie, the shadow-beasts, and their dread masters the Wraithlords.
Sailors and pirates alike once told tales of the monsters of the Xiku Sea, but always they laughed, for tales only they were... but now, they spoke in fear and terror, with haunted eyes and hands that shook, and ships that ne'er returned.
We are cut off from before and behind. A black mist rises upon the horizon. Things with too many eyes and teeth wait beneath the rippling waters, and treacherous lights flicker in the Enchanted Woods.
Whence shall our salvation come, to save us from without... and from within?
***********************
For centuries, the cursed black gates deep in the ruins of the Ancients to the north of L'Anza were a place of legend and terror. Even bandits and outlaws shunned that place, for it is said that any who stepped foot upon that unholy ground would be struck with Plague, or some terrible malaise, their very flesh melting from their bones. It was no surprise, then, that only further death and terror came when it finally opened.
Wraithlords:
The Wraithlords are, by all accounts, an ancient race, who claim direct descent from the Ancients themselves. Their members are gaunt beings of pale and aged flesh on bone, hooded and cloaked in black shadows and mists. Their stated goal is to "purify" the world by wiping its surface clean of all life, then rebuilding upon it a utopia whose glory surpasses that of the Golden Age of old.
Unseelie:
These are the servants of the Wraithlords, or the ex-servants. Daemons, Shadows, Abominations, these creatures of dark magic desire nothing more than to turn all the world into a wasteland for their dread masters. Daemons are fiery humanoid beasts with the strength of a hundred men; it is said that they can level mountains, and that their merest gaze can set a man ablaze. Shadows come in many guises, sometimes in the shape of wolves, sometimes as warriors long dead, but always black as night, save for their piercing eyes. Abominations are eldritch, unspeakable beings of utmost evil summoned from beyond the veil; their writhing forms are nothing short of alien, constantly shifting and maddening to even set eyes upon.
Lone Sorcerers:
Some say they were once Wraiths themselves, others that they are merely wizards who have turned to evil; all agree that it is inadvisable to seek them out. They almost always live in high, forbidding towers shrouded in mists, far from civilized lands. What sorceries they concoct in their lairs none know for certain, but unless disturbed they rarely will openly attack any village or town on their own, though whispers abound of shadows which steal away children in the night, or horses and livestock found missing, or screams in the depths of those accursed mists.
Sidhe:
The "Light Fey" some call them, though not for their morals or their alignment. Pixies and Wisps, High Fey and Elementals, their appearances all seem to draw upon the element of Light, but their goals are mysterious and unknown. Some say they are working with the Wraithlords, others that they were sent to trick mortals, still others that they are here to help. Pixies are small humanoid creatures, about the size of a bird or an insect, with large wings and a body not unlike a very thin child, and surrounded with shimmering light. Wisps are merely balls of light in themselves, and none who approach ever seem to be able to draw near to them before they vanish. High Fey are said to be tall, graceful beings almost like humans, but far fairer, whose glamour could pierce even the strongest heart. Elementals are humanoid beings of the very elements themselves - earth, air, water, and fire. All are mysterious, sometimes helpful, sometimes downright dangerous and fearful to behold.
Upon the Golden Isles, where the Seepay meets the Xiku Sea, sprawls the strange and powerful city of L'Anza. Some call it a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Some call it the greatest merchant harbor in the known world. Some call it the city of endless wealth. And all are correct.
But something is simmering behind this glamorous exterior: anger, hatred, fear, and whispers of war.
For something had awakened, in that place none dared tread, that Hellgate long tainted by Plague and by blight, that place of ash and dust and death, and it HATED.
And everywhere, all at once, magic had returned: TRUE magic, and with it, the fey of old. The Forest Gentry, the Witches and their huts, Lone Sorcerers in misty towers found only by the lost, and worst of all, the Unseelie, the shadow-beasts, and their dread masters the Wraithlords.
Sailors and pirates alike once told tales of the monsters of the Xiku Sea, but always they laughed, for tales only they were... but now, they spoke in fear and terror, with haunted eyes and hands that shook, and ships that ne'er returned.
We are cut off from before and behind. A black mist rises upon the horizon. Things with too many eyes and teeth wait beneath the rippling waters, and treacherous lights flicker in the Enchanted Woods.
Whence shall our salvation come, to save us from without... and from within?
***********************
For centuries, the cursed black gates deep in the ruins of the Ancients to the north of L'Anza were a place of legend and terror. Even bandits and outlaws shunned that place, for it is said that any who stepped foot upon that unholy ground would be struck with Plague, or some terrible malaise, their very flesh melting from their bones. It was no surprise, then, that only further death and terror came when it finally opened.
Wraithlords:
The Wraithlords are, by all accounts, an ancient race, who claim direct descent from the Ancients themselves. Their members are gaunt beings of pale and aged flesh on bone, hooded and cloaked in black shadows and mists. Their stated goal is to "purify" the world by wiping its surface clean of all life, then rebuilding upon it a utopia whose glory surpasses that of the Golden Age of old.
Unseelie:
These are the servants of the Wraithlords, or the ex-servants. Daemons, Shadows, Abominations, these creatures of dark magic desire nothing more than to turn all the world into a wasteland for their dread masters. Daemons are fiery humanoid beasts with the strength of a hundred men; it is said that they can level mountains, and that their merest gaze can set a man ablaze. Shadows come in many guises, sometimes in the shape of wolves, sometimes as warriors long dead, but always black as night, save for their piercing eyes. Abominations are eldritch, unspeakable beings of utmost evil summoned from beyond the veil; their writhing forms are nothing short of alien, constantly shifting and maddening to even set eyes upon.
Lone Sorcerers:
Some say they were once Wraiths themselves, others that they are merely wizards who have turned to evil; all agree that it is inadvisable to seek them out. They almost always live in high, forbidding towers shrouded in mists, far from civilized lands. What sorceries they concoct in their lairs none know for certain, but unless disturbed they rarely will openly attack any village or town on their own, though whispers abound of shadows which steal away children in the night, or horses and livestock found missing, or screams in the depths of those accursed mists.
Sidhe:
The "Light Fey" some call them, though not for their morals or their alignment. Pixies and Wisps, High Fey and Elementals, their appearances all seem to draw upon the element of Light, but their goals are mysterious and unknown. Some say they are working with the Wraithlords, others that they were sent to trick mortals, still others that they are here to help. Pixies are small humanoid creatures, about the size of a bird or an insect, with large wings and a body not unlike a very thin child, and surrounded with shimmering light. Wisps are merely balls of light in themselves, and none who approach ever seem to be able to draw near to them before they vanish. High Fey are said to be tall, graceful beings almost like humans, but far fairer, whose glamour could pierce even the strongest heart. Elementals are humanoid beings of the very elements themselves - earth, air, water, and fire. All are mysterious, sometimes helpful, sometimes downright dangerous and fearful to behold.