Hi. Hopefully this goes in this forum. If not, feel free to move it.
This is excerpted from the history of a world that is getting pretty thick with its own history. A friend began this world, and I and others have taken up writing small parts of it. I'm posting this here to see what the Enworld community thinks. One of my friends -- who doesn't know the world -- suggested it might eventually make a decent PDF. This is somewhere between a late first draft and an early second draft, so I look forward to constructive criticism. I'm not sure how much it'll make sense given that it is very much from the perspective of someone within his own world. And a virtual cookie to the first person to know where the name of the "author" comes from.
Editing Note: This is a revised edition. Its definetly a working form, which is why it says "X of Necromancy", as I'm not sure what I want to call it. It is literally crafted from a corpse, and I'm pretty sure Naice has to remove his own skin in order to wear it. Gruesome, I know. But I'm just not sure what to call it. Any ideas? More comments?
The Curse of Necromancy.
by Naice Aurillius, the Living Flesh Magician
Regent, Council of Magicks
Brethren of the Covenant of the Lotus
For a hundred generations of man, the Lords of Flesh and Bone have been loved and feared. Loved for we could restore the dead to life. Feared, for we could bind the dead into servitude. Now, we will be only feared. All will fear the name of Aurillius. No longer shall we free souls from eternal prison. but instead we shall only reap souls to our service.
The Necromancers have long known that man has a tripartite soul. Within our bodies are the plant, animal, and Begotten souls. The soul of plants gives nourishment, the soul of the animal gives movement. The soul of the Begotten in man gives what none other has -- reason. By the black hand of Phaedrus and the betrayal of our blood, we have lost the ability to direct the plant soul. Now we can make only mockeries of life. The gods have long evaded our power, for they contain no soul, merely the Divine Spark.
When before the Aurillius line could restore life to those taken by Phaedrus, now we can only end death. We can create zombies, ghouls and ghasts with a wave of the hand, but restoring life is now beyond our ability. The Cabal of diviners says it shall be so till the Aurillius line has lost even Gillia, the gods war again amongst themselves, and even the Imperius Magi has fallen.
For many a month, my Great Father, the late Living Flesh Magician, had directed our work towards the Key of Heaven as requisitioned by the Emperor. With this weapon, the forces of man would destroy the gods. Knowing this, the gods themselves grew jealous. They offered man many a gift to switch sides, to betray the Covenant of the Lotus. Edrus Aurillius, my Great Father's younger brother, was always jealous of the power and esteem by Father possessed. Edrus sided with the gods. The Black god Phaedrus gave him divine power nearly equal to his arcane power.
Edrus Aurillius, the great traitor of kin and creche, so sided with the forces of heaven that he sought to destroy the power of his own bloodline! My own brother, Lucas, was his target. Edrus kidnapped Lucas, and demanded ransom. His price was that we stop and never again work upon the Key of Heaven. My Great Father demanded help from the other Great Houses. The Abjurers and Transmuters responded in good time, and war was made against Edrus.
Though Edrus commanded much power of man, divine, and the arcane, he could not stand against the full power of three great houses of the Imperium. When war was brought to his keep, he did the unthinkable. He sacrificed Lucas to the dark god Phaedrus. All the Aurillius line felt this sacrifice. My dear sister, renown for her healing, fell comatose, and all felt weakened. This dread deed laid upon our blood a terrible curse, and no longer shall our magicks be used to heal. We cannot heal, we cannot restore life. Our magick is now no better than the destructive magicks of the Evokers -- it can only be used to destroy our enemies, not to bring life to our friends.
My father was slain trying to save my brother, his first son. Edrus slew my Great Father, and the battle raged for night and day. His army defeated by magick and dragon, with my own hand did I destroy my uncle Edrus. I have imprisoned his Begotten soul in his own rotting corpse. He will be given no Dark Gift in the hereafter. With the death of my father, the betrayal of my uncle, and my brother sacrificed, I have taken upon myself the burden of leadership. I control the seat of the Aurillius clan. My father's research into the Key of Heaven has not been lost, and I have what he did not -- a human sacrifice.
I would not let my brother die in vain. I witnessed the death throes, and was sickened. With my brothers scarred and broken flesh, the knowledge of my father and my own fury, I crafted the X of Necromancy. This is our part of the Key to Heaven. I willingly have given up my own skin to make war against our Great Enemies. This war shall be brought to the gods themselves. As the Emperor demanded, the X can consume the Divine Spark. Already have I consumed Fay my Great Father had imprisoned, the spark freely given to the Covenant of the Lotus. Fear will strike the gods at the whispered name Aurillius, and they will tremble when witness to the dark visage of my scarred X.
This is excerpted from the history of a world that is getting pretty thick with its own history. A friend began this world, and I and others have taken up writing small parts of it. I'm posting this here to see what the Enworld community thinks. One of my friends -- who doesn't know the world -- suggested it might eventually make a decent PDF. This is somewhere between a late first draft and an early second draft, so I look forward to constructive criticism. I'm not sure how much it'll make sense given that it is very much from the perspective of someone within his own world. And a virtual cookie to the first person to know where the name of the "author" comes from.
Editing Note: This is a revised edition. Its definetly a working form, which is why it says "X of Necromancy", as I'm not sure what I want to call it. It is literally crafted from a corpse, and I'm pretty sure Naice has to remove his own skin in order to wear it. Gruesome, I know. But I'm just not sure what to call it. Any ideas? More comments?
The Curse of Necromancy.
by Naice Aurillius, the Living Flesh Magician
Regent, Council of Magicks
Brethren of the Covenant of the Lotus
For a hundred generations of man, the Lords of Flesh and Bone have been loved and feared. Loved for we could restore the dead to life. Feared, for we could bind the dead into servitude. Now, we will be only feared. All will fear the name of Aurillius. No longer shall we free souls from eternal prison. but instead we shall only reap souls to our service.
The Necromancers have long known that man has a tripartite soul. Within our bodies are the plant, animal, and Begotten souls. The soul of plants gives nourishment, the soul of the animal gives movement. The soul of the Begotten in man gives what none other has -- reason. By the black hand of Phaedrus and the betrayal of our blood, we have lost the ability to direct the plant soul. Now we can make only mockeries of life. The gods have long evaded our power, for they contain no soul, merely the Divine Spark.
When before the Aurillius line could restore life to those taken by Phaedrus, now we can only end death. We can create zombies, ghouls and ghasts with a wave of the hand, but restoring life is now beyond our ability. The Cabal of diviners says it shall be so till the Aurillius line has lost even Gillia, the gods war again amongst themselves, and even the Imperius Magi has fallen.
For many a month, my Great Father, the late Living Flesh Magician, had directed our work towards the Key of Heaven as requisitioned by the Emperor. With this weapon, the forces of man would destroy the gods. Knowing this, the gods themselves grew jealous. They offered man many a gift to switch sides, to betray the Covenant of the Lotus. Edrus Aurillius, my Great Father's younger brother, was always jealous of the power and esteem by Father possessed. Edrus sided with the gods. The Black god Phaedrus gave him divine power nearly equal to his arcane power.
Edrus Aurillius, the great traitor of kin and creche, so sided with the forces of heaven that he sought to destroy the power of his own bloodline! My own brother, Lucas, was his target. Edrus kidnapped Lucas, and demanded ransom. His price was that we stop and never again work upon the Key of Heaven. My Great Father demanded help from the other Great Houses. The Abjurers and Transmuters responded in good time, and war was made against Edrus.
Though Edrus commanded much power of man, divine, and the arcane, he could not stand against the full power of three great houses of the Imperium. When war was brought to his keep, he did the unthinkable. He sacrificed Lucas to the dark god Phaedrus. All the Aurillius line felt this sacrifice. My dear sister, renown for her healing, fell comatose, and all felt weakened. This dread deed laid upon our blood a terrible curse, and no longer shall our magicks be used to heal. We cannot heal, we cannot restore life. Our magick is now no better than the destructive magicks of the Evokers -- it can only be used to destroy our enemies, not to bring life to our friends.
My father was slain trying to save my brother, his first son. Edrus slew my Great Father, and the battle raged for night and day. His army defeated by magick and dragon, with my own hand did I destroy my uncle Edrus. I have imprisoned his Begotten soul in his own rotting corpse. He will be given no Dark Gift in the hereafter. With the death of my father, the betrayal of my uncle, and my brother sacrificed, I have taken upon myself the burden of leadership. I control the seat of the Aurillius clan. My father's research into the Key of Heaven has not been lost, and I have what he did not -- a human sacrifice.
I would not let my brother die in vain. I witnessed the death throes, and was sickened. With my brothers scarred and broken flesh, the knowledge of my father and my own fury, I crafted the X of Necromancy. This is our part of the Key to Heaven. I willingly have given up my own skin to make war against our Great Enemies. This war shall be brought to the gods themselves. As the Emperor demanded, the X can consume the Divine Spark. Already have I consumed Fay my Great Father had imprisoned, the spark freely given to the Covenant of the Lotus. Fear will strike the gods at the whispered name Aurillius, and they will tremble when witness to the dark visage of my scarred X.
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