Nebuchadnezzar
First Post
After the Divine Silence, a withering spiritual emptiness marred the minds of the Khanesian people. The elves were convinced that some fault of their own drove the gods to silence and were thus driven nearly insane by grief and guilt. Few elves had strength to carry on after the cataclysm, most succumbed to the grief and took their own lives. The silence in forests where elves used to dwell is one of infinite sadness.
Mardukia, the empire of man, crumbled as the ruling clergy's prayers for spells went unanswered. The tyrannical priest-kings could no longer claim a right to rule by the will of the gods, nor could they cow the populace with magic. Chaos ensued. People stormed the temples and desecrated the altars of gods they had feared throughout their lives. The few clerics who did not flee were hanged or beaten to death in public executions. Those who still revered the old gods joined their former oppressors in death. The haflings, who had been enslaved by the mardukians, broke free of slavery and waged a short, but brutal war against humanity. The capital Bel-Marduk was left abandoned after a horrible black mist enveloped the city. Giant humanoid shapes of darkness prowl the streets, radiating an unnatural chill which keeps the city cold despite the scorching sun. Nightmares came to torment the mardukians in their sleep. It was a sense that something truly horrible was coming to pass, an impending doom.
With the elves gone and Mardukia being in a state of anarchy, the primal aspects of evil made their way into the world. Creatures demonic and devilish saw an opportunity to take advantage of the spiritual vacuum left by the passing of the gods. The demons had learned their lesson in the War of Fiends, this was not to be a full-fledged invasion. Demons disguised with magic acted as prophets, spreading the word of how ordinary people could turn to the abyssal princes for advice and favours. It was not long before every demon prince had a cult of his own in most cities, cults which grew in power and size. The devils were even more subtle. They knew most goodly creatures would fight the demonic taint, and that they too longed for spiritual consolation. It was not the intention of the devils to announce their arrival by spreading word of devil-cults. This would make the demons, not to mention the forces of good, strive to destroy them. Rather they tricked a former cleric of Corsentius to believe himself a prophet of good. The devil lords appeared to this broken cleric, one Ahmut Zhad, each wearing the guise of a true deity. Hiding behind false names, the devil lords explained that the gods of old had been challenged and destroyed by a new pantheon, and that he was the one who would lead the creation of a new faith. People both good and neutral would follow what they believed to be true gods, but instead their faith would benefit the lords of the Nine Hells and their souls would be forfeit. Also, the dogma of this new faith would state that demons are first among foes and ought to be destroyed. People would lose their lives fighting demons, thinking they die for a good cause and clinging to the thought of a blissfull afterlife. In truth their souls are damned to torment in the Nine Hells, their heroic deaths serving only the cause of the devils.
No one knows what happened to the gods, the Divine Silence remains a mystery. But beneath the cold, dark streets of Bel Marduk are horrors far worse and far more dangerous than devils and demons. Just before the Divine Silence the people of Khanesh had a dream. In this dream there was only a deathly chill and a whispering voice repeating a single, omnious message:
"We bear tides from the stillborn yet to die - mankind will shrivel and elves cry"
Mardukia, the empire of man, crumbled as the ruling clergy's prayers for spells went unanswered. The tyrannical priest-kings could no longer claim a right to rule by the will of the gods, nor could they cow the populace with magic. Chaos ensued. People stormed the temples and desecrated the altars of gods they had feared throughout their lives. The few clerics who did not flee were hanged or beaten to death in public executions. Those who still revered the old gods joined their former oppressors in death. The haflings, who had been enslaved by the mardukians, broke free of slavery and waged a short, but brutal war against humanity. The capital Bel-Marduk was left abandoned after a horrible black mist enveloped the city. Giant humanoid shapes of darkness prowl the streets, radiating an unnatural chill which keeps the city cold despite the scorching sun. Nightmares came to torment the mardukians in their sleep. It was a sense that something truly horrible was coming to pass, an impending doom.
With the elves gone and Mardukia being in a state of anarchy, the primal aspects of evil made their way into the world. Creatures demonic and devilish saw an opportunity to take advantage of the spiritual vacuum left by the passing of the gods. The demons had learned their lesson in the War of Fiends, this was not to be a full-fledged invasion. Demons disguised with magic acted as prophets, spreading the word of how ordinary people could turn to the abyssal princes for advice and favours. It was not long before every demon prince had a cult of his own in most cities, cults which grew in power and size. The devils were even more subtle. They knew most goodly creatures would fight the demonic taint, and that they too longed for spiritual consolation. It was not the intention of the devils to announce their arrival by spreading word of devil-cults. This would make the demons, not to mention the forces of good, strive to destroy them. Rather they tricked a former cleric of Corsentius to believe himself a prophet of good. The devil lords appeared to this broken cleric, one Ahmut Zhad, each wearing the guise of a true deity. Hiding behind false names, the devil lords explained that the gods of old had been challenged and destroyed by a new pantheon, and that he was the one who would lead the creation of a new faith. People both good and neutral would follow what they believed to be true gods, but instead their faith would benefit the lords of the Nine Hells and their souls would be forfeit. Also, the dogma of this new faith would state that demons are first among foes and ought to be destroyed. People would lose their lives fighting demons, thinking they die for a good cause and clinging to the thought of a blissfull afterlife. In truth their souls are damned to torment in the Nine Hells, their heroic deaths serving only the cause of the devils.
No one knows what happened to the gods, the Divine Silence remains a mystery. But beneath the cold, dark streets of Bel Marduk are horrors far worse and far more dangerous than devils and demons. Just before the Divine Silence the people of Khanesh had a dream. In this dream there was only a deathly chill and a whispering voice repeating a single, omnious message:
"We bear tides from the stillborn yet to die - mankind will shrivel and elves cry"
Last edited:
