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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nebuchadnezzar" data-source="post: 382376" data-attributes="member: 1938">Khanesian Lore: The War of FiendsIn 154 M.R., the ecliptean priest-king Dachan II fell in battle against the heretics of Syth Spire. His successor as priest-king was the high-priest of Corsentius known as Devhorian. During the inauguration ceremony in Bel-Marduk, Devhorian vowed to avenge Dachan II by slaying the denizens of Syth Spire. Ecliptea was thus once again preparing a military campaign against the sythian heretics. As the armies were moblized and the weapons forged, Devhorian's heart grew even darker with hate and vengeance. His zealous devotion to Corsentius made him loathe heretics who would denounce the gods and instead worship vile demons or practice forbidden dogma.    This hatred was fueled by an event early in Devhorian's life in which his mother was converted by a sect dedicated to a strict philosophy of hedonism. She engaged in blasphemic acts of sex and violence, which again led her to the worship of the demon prince Socothbenoth. Devhorian found the will and faith necessary to report her own mother to the proper authorities, she was found guilty of heresy and flogged to death. As Devhorian's father already had perished in the great plague of 147 M.R., the church of Corsentius embraced the orphean as one of their own and gave him an upbringing suitable to a future cleric of Corsentius. For many years Dachan Dauth, he who would later become Dachan II of Ecliptea, served as Devhorian's personal mentor and taught the aspiring cleric much of Corsentius and his clergy. Dachan even came to harbour fatherly love towards the young orphean, who in return cared deeply for his mentor. Devhorian's strong feelings when Dachan was killed by the heretics of Syth Spire does not seem so unreasonable in the light of these events.    The ecliptean army led by Devhorian himself marched towards Syth Spire and attacked with great ferocity. This time the ecliptean army had been bolstered by clerics from Bel-Marduk and steel from Khawum. The clerics conjured forth their allies from the planes, primal creatures composed of either fire, water, earth, or air, and exalted celestials who made many heretics repent and beg for mercy by their presence alone. The fanatical heretics were poorly trained and no match for the routine of the ecliptean soliders equiped with khawumian steel. Heretics who surrendered were slain where they stood, neither children nor elderly were spared from Devhorian's wrath. This time there was no battle, only slaughter.   After the conflict, Devhorian led a group of inquisitors and sages into Syth Spire to collect knowledge of the enemy. Even though the sythian heresy had been destroyed, there were still many other heretics and pagans throughout Mardukia. Devhorian was shocked to find widespread evidence of demonic taint. As the priest-king and his inquisitors braved the halls of Syth Spire, a horrible creature emerged out of a hallway and attacked. It stood nearly eight feet tall appearing like a cross between a large human and a vulture. It charged screeching into battle, slashing with wicked, sharp claws and releasing spores which pierced into the skin of nearby inquisitors. The creature drove its claws into the eyes of an inquisitor, tearing off parts of his face. Devhorian and his entourage quickly spoke Words of healing to aid the fallen comrade, and continued with Words that blasted the vulture-like creature with holy fire. The creature's grey feathers were schorched black and fell to the cold, damp floor. In addition to the screeches emitted by the creature, it pounded the minds of Devhorian and the remaining inquisitors with screams. Although capable of communication with telepathy, this creature just kept sending high-pitched screams, growls and moans. As the creature bitt off an inquistor's hand, Devhorian severed its head with one massive swing of Tuvuth, an ancient magical greatsword. With the monster defeated, the company healed their wounded and continued through the hallway.   The chamber they entered contained bookshelves filled with tomes describing how to summon demons with black magic. As the inquisitors gathered the books for burning, Devhorian was filled with purpose: not only had demons been behind the corruption of his mother, these very people he now had slain was also tainted by demonic influence. His realized his hatred had been misplaced, the heretics he once despised so much were victims of an even greater evil, perhaps the greatest of all. Dachan II had not been avenged by the destruction of the heretics, the demons who whispered seductive blasphemy into the ears of the weak-willed were unharmed. Thus Devhorian left Syth Spire with renewed purpose, his appetite for vengeance had not been sated.  To be continued ...</blockquote>

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