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mortallyclearwonderland · 3 years ago

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Star Wars Alien Species - Jenet

The Jenets evolved from rodent prey animals on Garban. Using the remains of ancient trash piles, archaeologists hypothesized that after the species had developed sentience, early Jenets lived in caves underground. They stayed in such cramped confines for much of their day, only stepping out to the surface to scavenge for food. Experts agreed that thousands of years before the Battle of Yavin, ancient Jenets organized against their predators and began an onslaught against the species they had once feared. Jenet legend revered this period, which they called the Great Conquest, as a time of heroes and warriors, immortalized in epic poetry. According to such tales, the danchaf of Garban were once a sophisticated and cunning species who ruled Garban's woodlands in packs and prevented the Jenets from penetrating the forests. The Jenet rulers Chirr't Ferr and Rhet H'rrr formed armies to drive back the danchaf hordes. H'rrr, according to legend, developed attacks to target camale danchaf—one of the species' four genders—and thus disturb the tree goblins' reproductive abilities. An epic titled The Ballad of Shan'Gredor told of the Jenet Ch'irrk Felt, who created a giant trap of pots, pans, and bright phospowder; the noise and blinding lights dazzled the danchaf and allowed the Jenet soldiers to slay them. Although such wars were unsuccessful in eradicating the danchaf from the planet, legend claimed that the Jenet attacks forced the danchaf to devolve into a primitive state and allowed the Jenets to spread out and dominate Garban. With the exception of a xenobiologist named Xemlorn, scientists dismissed any notion of a more sophisticated past for the danchaf, thus doubting the veracity of the Jenets' heroic tales. To the Jenets, however, the legends were key elements of oral history.

Jenet lore told of the Great Conquest, a war in which the Jenets defeated the danchaf, or tree goblins, and claimed domain over the surface of Garban.

Jenet society came to be organized into clans and oriented around life in warrens. The Jenet bureaucracy developed, as did the positions of premier and the Council of 127. Jenets also learned to manage the animals on their world without resorting to widespread eradication. The species advanced technologically, eventually reaching spaceflight by their own innovation or scavenging a stardrive from another source.

Over time, Jenet fecundity and lack of predators caused the species to overpopulate Garban. The Jenets sent settlers to the other worlds of the Tau Sakar system, where they found conditions very similar to those on Garban—a fact that led scholars to postulate that an unknown intelligence once terraformed the planets. The Jenets eventually founded colonies outside the Tau Sakar system as well, and over time they reached technological parity with other advanced worlds in the galaxy. Their system became part of the Abrion sector in the Outer Rim Territories.

The Jenets' spread to other worlds inevitably brought them into contact with pan-galactic government. During the Galactic Civil War, the Galactic Empire took over the Tau Sakar system. Imperial sentientologist and propagandist Obo Rin included the Jenets in his Catalog of Intelligent Life in the Galaxy, a project commissioned by Lord Darth Vader to detail those sentient species of most interest to the Empire. Rin claimed that the galactic regime protected the Jenets from marauding members of the Rebel Alliance; in exchange, the Jenets gladly served the Emperor as laborers, mining ore from the planets of their home system. In the Jenets' view, however, they were mere slaves, forced to live in labor camps and undertake a task that they collectively deplored. The Empire found the Jenets to be useful workers on other planets as well due to their high reproductive rate, which rendered any worries about mortality levels moot. Accordingly, enslaved Jenets often operated in perilous work conditions. The Empire set up breeding facilities for the species in an effort to select for traits that increased their pacifist tendencies and compliance and decreased their intellects. Jenets willing to fight back against the Empire were rare, and few members of the species joined the Rebel Alliance.

After the collapse of the Empire in 4 ABY, the Jenets still had to contend with the after-effects of a generation of Imperial breeding programs and enslavement. The species never joined the New Republic, the successor state of the Rebel Alliance, due to their preference for being among only their own kind, although individual Jenets did serve in various capacities in the new government and its successor, the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. The Shi'ido anthropologist Mammon Hoole included an entry on the Jenets in his publication The Essential Guide to Alien Species.

The Jenets lived on Garban and six other habitable planets in the Tau Sakar system of the Outer Rim Territories. They were divided into clans and tended to live only among their own kind. Female Jenets had little role in society other than to bear young. Due to their rapid reproduction, however, their enclaves could easily lead to all members being related to one another and the introduction of genetic defects from inbreeding. Jenets thus set up ties with other Jenet groups to exchange children—whom they called "sub-adults''—and thus increase the gene pool. Jenet children could walk and scavenge their own meals at two months of age. Jenets put their children in schools to educate them.

The Jenets shared Garban with the danchaf, or tree goblins, a creature they held to be highly intelligent but which many scientists considered non-sentient. Still, the Jenets claimed that the danchaf were simply too intelligent—and dangerous—to be observed by scientists in the field. Jenet oral histories spoke of the danchaf with great trepidation, and the Jenets avoided the tree goblin's forest habitat. Instead, their communities were subterranean warrens dug deep into the surface of their worlds. Such burrows were cramped and claustrophobic, but to Jenets, they were normal—although the conditions caused Jenets to misunderstand the importance of personal space to members of other species. Life in such enclosed spaces led to generalized acrophobia; Jenets much preferred subterranean environments to elevated ones. They exhibited utmost cooperation with one another due to the exacting social stratification that their photographic memories afforded. Another practical application of their recitation of names and histories upon meeting one another was that when a Jenet heard the background of another Jenet, it allowed him or her to gauge whether the new acquaintance was a social superior or inferior, and thus whether or not he or she was worth dealing with. Despite the social stratification this system engendered and upheld, deeds were the ultimate determiner of status, so Jenet society allowed for social mobility.

The Jenets were ruled by a premier or premiere, assisted in his or her duties by the Council of 127. These positions were selected via an opaque process poorly understood among non-Jenets, although all members of the species knew who their rulers were based on the accomplishments listed in their names. The council oversaw a huge, byzantine bureaucracy, which they ran like a corporation. The bureaucracy's job was to oversee resources and secure the homeland. Millions of Jenets served as functionaries in the government, their task to memorize details about as many other Jenets as they could. This information was then used to assign jobs, resolve disputes, and distribute resources. Group deposits of goods known as Community Heaps fell under the bureaucracy's administration. The prevalence of red tape in Jenet society meant that members of the species were seldom bothered by such matters even when dealing with the bureaucracies of other cultures.

Jenets were temperamental and obsessed with trivialities, which led many other species to regard them as irksome and obnoxious. Despite their dominance over their homeworld both politically and technologically, Jenets were unabashed scavengers by nature. They never discarded anything: whatever they acquired was kept in their homes or in large piles in their community's warrens. These Community Heaps, filled with broken tools, leftover food, empty containers, and the like, were common property, and Jenets enjoyed rummaging through them to find items of use. Although they were omnivores, they did not hunt or raise animals; rather, they ate only meat they found from an animal that had already died. The species practiced animal husbandry to ensure that the wild creatures of their worlds did not overpopulate. The Jenets themselves had to contend with creatures that might try to eat them, so they kept an ear out for such attacks while working. The sentient rodents were adept at fleeing in an emergency, running and leaping to safety.

A notable Jenet trait was their extraordinarily accurate and detailed memories; members of the species never forgot even the most trivial datum. One manifestation of this characteristic was a tradition of ballad singing about ancient heroes, poems beloved by the rodents but considered doggerel by non-Jenets. This infallible memory also meant that Jenets never forgot slights and insults, and therefore could hold grudges indefinitely. In Jenet society, rumors and reputation were of paramount importance: Jenets could hold actions against even people whom they had never met, based merely on hearsay. Jenets cared little for what other species considered tact, so they were not shy about airing these opinions and grievances in public. Since they could easily recall any bit of information about another person, Jenets freely insulted each other, even when among close friends and family. Exchanges of excoriation were so common as to be a form of greeting, since an upbraided Jenet could usually recall some embarrassing fact about his or her interlocutor. Jenets took pride in being denigrated, for it proved they had gained enough notoriety to be worth the effort. However, few non-Jenets found such treatment enjoyable. Members of other species usually considered the Jenets' temperament to be argumentative, pedantic, dull, and uncouth. Some non-Jenets even accursed the rodents of fabricating memories so as to influence others. These widely held beliefs meant that many species simply chose to avoid Jenets when possible. Nevertheless, the Jenets had no tolerance for ignorance or duplicity.

The Jenets had access to all aspects of galactic technology, including hyperspace-capable starships. Nevertheless, their homeworld of Garban boasted only a limited-service spaceport. Most Jenets had a healthy work ethic, and their obsessive attention to detail made them useful employees. However, they tended not to learn technological skills and preferred to automate as much of their production as possible in lieu of mass labor. Members of the species particularly hated working as miners. Despite their fur, Jenets tended to wear clothing. The style of this varied with the individual; some males preferred loose-fitting tunics with trousers, while others sported a more militaristic look, with button-down jacket and epaulettes. Each member of a group led by Ludlo Lebauer wore an elaborate and expensive noron doublet and tunic suit with a blaster sidearm. Some females wore backless blouses with shorts that reached the knees and were slitted up the hip, a look considered provocative by male members of the species. Others had clingsilk skirts.

Jenets, or Jenet, were a species regarded as unattractive—if not repulsive—by Humans. They were sentient rodents who stood between 1.4 and 1.6 meters or 4.6 and 5.2 feet tall. Although a few individuals exhibited a highly muscled or corpulent physique, the average Jenet had a gaunt build characterized by long, thin limbs. Jenet locomotion involved a bipedal gait whereby they walked on their toes, with the long, wedge-shaped feet jutting upward at an angle. Their forelimbs terminated in four attenuated fingers and an opposable thumb, and their hindpaws in four elongated toes. All of these digits ended in sharp claws. Although Jenet physiology made them adept at running, jumping, swimming and climbing, their general form of movement was to scurry from place to place. They also exhibited extreme flexibility: a Jenet could fit through an opening as small as twelve centimeters across by dislocating his or her limbs and separating the individual bones of the cranium to squeeze through.

A Jenet's pale, oily, pink skin was covered in coarse, thin fur. It grew more thickly on the top of the head, where a mass of hair of a different color from the main coat might have manifested. Fur colors ranged from white or gray to red. Some individuals sported a short beard as well.

The rounded Jenet muzzle could grow quite long, terminating in a wet nose surrounded by stiff whiskers that grew to a length equal to the smallest opening through which a Jenet could fit. The beings had a keen sense of smell, developed to help them find food. A cleft upper lip lay below the nostrils, only partially covering a pronounced set of sharp, yellowish teeth. Jenets had small, red eyes set under thick brow ridges. The rodents were noted for their keen eyesight, another food-finding adaptation; they could see well even in low-light conditions. Their pointed ears lay flat against the head, providing most members of the species acute hearing—although not all Jenet shared this trait.

Jenets were omnivorous. They were able to digest virtually any organic matter, and their diet ranged from wild fruit to necrotic flesh. At least some members of the species slept with their arms and legs held tight to the body and the muzzle nestled near the hindlimbs.

Jenets had two sexes and reproduced sexually. Pregnant females carried their offspring in the womb for ninety standard days before bearing a litter of typically four to six young. Jenets were particularly fecund, so that a female rarely went more than a standard year before giving birth to another litter.

Jenet age at the following stages:

1 - 4 Child

5 - 8 Young Adult

9 - 29 Adult

30 - 54 Middle Age

55 - 69 Old

Examples of Names: Channik Who Built a Starfighter and Flew to Ryloth, Lezarn Who Deals in Spice, Rish Who Slew Vahgar the Drunken Houk.

Languages: Jenets communicate using squeaks, squeals, chatters, and high-pitched barks. They have no written language, instead relying completely on an oral history even for mundane details.

#star wars #star wars species #star wars aliens #Jenet #star wars Jenet

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merelliahallewell · 4 years ago

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An Order of Embers Roleplay Primer

Hello, friends. A while back I wrote a not-so-brief guide to Order of Embers roleplay that seemed to help a few people. MG’s Kul Tiras community has been growing lately and I’ve also founded a new guild and RP project set in Drustvar, and so I figured I would update this for clarity and ease of reading. In other words? I... am back on my bullshit.

This primer will be headcanon/fanon free, and only reference quest text or other information that can be found in-game in Drustvar. If headcanons are your thing, I’ll be releasing an in-character guide to Kul Tiras’s monsters and dark magic soon. I hope. It is the endless writing project.

Drustvar’s Woes

On Kul Tiras’ western side lies the mountainous region of Drustvar. It provides most of the island kingdom’s ore, some food, and some of their strongest warriors.

In recent times, a civil war raged across Kul Tiras. A secessionist, N’zoth-aligned faction run by Lord Stormsong in the north and an attempted coup led by Lady Ashvane in Boralus itself nearly toppled the Proudmoore Admiralty, but were stopped by brave souls. Drustvar was strangely absent from these conflicts, and many refugees spilled out into the rest of Kul Tiras telling frightening tales of “wooden demons” who had driven them from their homes.

Most of the land west of the mountains had fallen to a group of terrifying magic-users who enslaved the minds of all they came into contact with... if they didn’t kill them for sport or use them as reagent for foul and perverse rituals. The land east of the mountains was on the brink, as well. Corrupted wildlife roamed the woods freely and witches practiced their dark spellcraft freely, driving the remaining desperate souls into worship of the wickermen or into frenzied attempts to prosecute innocents for the crimes of the terrifying Heartsbane Coven. All of this happens before the player even arrives in Drustvar.

The Order of Embers

During the zone’s storyline, the player and Lucille Waycrest discover that the magic being used against the people of Drustvar is that of the ancient Drust, who were defeated thousands of years earlier by a group known as the Order of Embers. The Drust were a seafaring clan of Vrykul that eventually settled on Kul Tiras sometime after the Sundering. They developed druidic ways that brought them in tune with the land and even earned them the blessing of nature spirits, but those ways were perverted by a sorcerer-king who set the Drust upon the path of death and domination.

The old Order were comprised of those who took up arms against their far more powerful foes, exploiting weaknesses in Drust magic uncovered by scholars. The Waycrests were members of the ancient order, and it was Arom Waycrest himself who led the charge to defeat the Drust king Gorak Tul. In the cavern Gol Var, once a Drust stronghold, they recover an ancient tome known as the Tome of Silver and Ash, a treatise which contained all the old Order’s knowledge on combatting their magic.

In the town of Arom’s Stand, some of the Waycrest Guard’s finest remaining soldiers were recruited to become the reborn Order’s first Inquisitors. The newly-anointed inquisitors brought the fight to the Heartsbane from there.

The Order’s battles with the Heartsbane Coven play out over the latter half of the Drustvar questing experience and also the zone’s world quests. They add new members to their ranks, create new weapons for use against the Coven, and push back against them on all sides. Eventually, they storm Waycrest Manor, cutting off the head of the snake and defeating the Coven’s leadership. Gorak Tul was forced back into the death-realm of Thros, prevented from returning for the time being. (Tul was later killed in Thros during the Pride of Kul Tiras questline.)

It’s unclear how long it took to purge the Heartsbane from Drustvar- if the task was truly completed at all. Blizzard rarely addresses zone stories after the fact, which means the plot thread has been left hanging and was not addressed in any subsequent patches in BfA. The Order of Embers also assisted with the fight against the Horde during the Drustvar invasion.

It may be a reasonable inference that Drustvar is being repaired and de-cursed in the aftermath of the war, but that is not an easy task.

Who leads the Order of Embers? Does it have a hierarchy?

Lucille Waycrest- now the ruling Lady of Drustvar, and the last of her house, is in charge of the Order. All inquisitors are raised to their stations by the authority of House Waycrest. Other important figures are the remaining original inquisitors (Sterntide, Mace, Notley, and Yorrick), the quartermaster Alcorn, and Marshal Joan Cleardawn, a former inquisitor that was given new leadership over the Waycrest Guard.

The Order seems to lack much of a formal hierarchy- most of the named NPCs are simply titled with inquisitor, working together as a team rather than issuing commands to one another. They also seem to be adept at handling missions alone and on their own or with the aid of local allies.

Can I roleplay an inquisitor or other member of the Order of Embers? Is it lore-abiding to do so?

Sure! The Order didn’t stop at five inquisitors- a world quest boss for the Horde during the invasions has them facing off against a new Inquisitor named Erik. They also have a quartermaster and a cleric, which means there may be support staff involved that do not bear the big title but are still part of the group. The Order is probably not handing out inquisitor garb like candy, but there’s no reason to assume that a worthy and trusted individual wouldn’t be made an inquisitor.

However, it is worth mentioning that the Order of Embers might not be too trusting of those wielding or even infused with darker powers, given the devastation of their homeland by spellcasters wielding terrifying magic. That is just a guess on my part, but an educated one. Drustvar as a whole has a very low-magic culture.

Could a non-human join the order?

I don’t see why not, but there are no non-human methods ingame. I would never say that it is lore-breaking to roleplay a nonhuman as an Inquisitor, just that there’s no real in-game basis to make this judgement on either way. If you want to roleplay an inquisitor that’s not human and you think you have solid IC reasoning: go for it!

Obviously, the Order of Embers may be more hesitant to accept, say, a void-infused elf with tentacle hair or a worgen warlock as an inquisitor than a race they’re more familiar with such as a sturdy dwarf or genius gnome. Ability to serve House Waycrest and being of aid against the Heartsbane are likely strong factors in joining up- they may not make a person an inquisitor if they’re a night elf sorcerer that’s been in Kul Tiras for two weeks and hasn’t ever seen a witch in his life.

Initiation Ceremony

To become a member of the Order of Embers, the initiate undergoes a short ritual where they are presented with their garb.

Brothers and Sisters, today you become the searing fire that burns away the darkness.

Today you become the shining blade that cuts through the wicked.

Today you become the beacon of hope against the endless foe.

By the authority of House Waycrest, I name you inquisitors of the Order of Embers!

Clothing and Armor

Upon being appointed to their new stations, inquisitors are offered a set of garb inspired by drawings in the Tome of Silver and Ash of what the ancient inquisitors wore. This armor seems to be dark brown leather gear and also has a feathered cap involved- though only one of the inquisitors seems to have chosen to wear that accessory. The specific in-game set is the “Armor of the Dashing Scoundrel,” which comes from Antorus. It drops from the heroic difficulty of the raid. It should be noted you don’t need the whole set- each inquisitor wears different pieces of it and matches them with other clothing or armor pieces. The hat also has a chance to drop from the Commodore Calhoun rare in Vol’dun. Not sure if it would drop for non leather users, so be careful.

Don’t feel like you have to be a rogue to play an Inquisitor- going for tones of brown with some silver or grey mixed in will likely net you a pretty good-looking set. There are Kul Tiran questing and dungeon plate sets that look fantastic and are worn by Waycrest Guard/Marshal NPCs that would work great as an inquisitor’s battle armor.

The Order also has a tabard, which is worn by the quartermaster who sells it. While no inquisitors actually seem to wear it, it’s one of the better-looking tabards added that expansion and has a distinctive look. It matches well with just about any gear that has brown or tones of silver/grey.

If you’re looking for some transmog ideas, this is a link to the Order of Embers mogs on /r/transmogrification. There is a super sweet plate set OoE set on there that actually won Best Dressed of 2018 for that armor class.

If you’re looking for a great Order of Embers-type transmog, the Leather PvP set from Shadowlands’ first season really hits those vibes. It has a very witch hunter theme to it, is colored largely brown, and the belt has fucking potions and silver spikes on it for use on... enemies. I cannot understate how badass this set is. The best part? It is not class locked, meaning that this armor is available to anybody that can wear leather gear, if you toggle the vendor pane to show “all classes.” However, it does cost Conquest points (and a lot of them), so you may want to be picky with what you grab unless you don’t intend to gear through PVP this season. We don’t know if it will be available after the season ends, so you may want to pick that up soon if it’s your thing. Also, it’s just a nice-looking coat and we don’t have a lot of those in-game.

Weaponry

The inquisitors of the Order of Embers wield a number of different weapons, taken from their prior occupation as members of the Waycrest Guard. Everything from two-handed swords to crossbows are used by them- and that’s just primary weapons. Their armor features throwing knives as well. Inquisitor Mace even carries a trio of daggers sheathed at her belt- it seems they have no shortage of tools for dispatching foes with.

Players who have completed the zone’s Bleak Hills Mine quests also have a buff called Silvered Weapons. Silver can disrupt the magics of the Drust, and stun abberations, elementals, and undead in the zone. This is an inference, but it may be because all of those monster types in Drustvar are powered by this magic. The silver recovered from one of the region’s mines was used to begin producing weapons for the Order such as the silver-plated hand cannon Witchrend, which seems to shoot silver shrapnel to great effect against the Heartsbane.

It should be pointed out that silver is a shitty metal to make a weapon out of. It is not half as strong as steel or whatever else they make weapons out of in Azeroth. The original Order of Embers got around this fact by making weapons with a steel core and covering them with a layer of pure silver- you find one of their long-abandoned knives out in the world.

Other universes have done similar things with silver weapons- D&D has a ruling about silvered weapons, and The Witcher series has a whole class of silver swords created with special forging techniques. It may be wise to take a page from the latter universe, as Witchers face the same issue regarding silver’s weakness as a weapon. They get around that by carrying two swords- one for men, the other for monsters. I’m not telling you that you should roleplay a Witcher but I am saying that’s kind of half the reason we’re here, so it might be okay to borrow that idea since they face that very legitimate problem with a smart solution.

Storm Silver is a metal found abundantly in Kul Tiras, and is used for building ships, making armor light enough to swim in, and consecrating for various uses by Tidesages. It is likely not the same as pure silver, but we don’t have explicit confirmation either way.

Alchemical fire is also a potent weapon against witches and Drust alike, crafted by Master Ashton. The original text specifically says it was used to “burn away the Drust.” This concoction is tricky to make, requiring the reagents Heartbloom, Saltpeter, volatile sap, and Sulfur. The fire is carried in a reinforced flask that is made to withstand the test of time, able to hold the volatile components without igniting. Inquisitors use alchemical fire to pour over dangerous objects or to shift into more breakable containers for throwing. This is seen in the Gorak Tul fight, when alchemical fire is put into flasks which are shattered over the corpses of his minions to prevent them from rising again.

It isn’t addressed whether magical fire has the same effect as this alchemical concoction. A fire mage, destruction warlock, or priest wielding holy fire might be a neat character concept to bring to the table for an order that doesn’t have a lot of magic.

Rowan wood is also useful against Drust magic. However, it is not specified how exactly it is helpful. Rowan trees don’t grow in Kul Tiras, so an inquisitor seeking that wood would need to travel overseas for such a reagent. It could, however, be extremely helpful and far cheaper than making a silver weapon.

Non-inquisitor Roles

If you find the Order of Embers cool, but don’t think you like the idea of hunting witches all day, they have more than just inquisitors. The witch hunters rely on specialists to help them get the tools they need to beat back the Heartsbane, and even simply through the questing experience they gather new allies. The blacksmith Angus Ballaster and the alchemist Master Ashton both are essentials. As mentioned before, they are also joined by a cleric, Loriette. A skilled smith or alchemist could find work alongside the Order of Embers, perhaps helping to craft more weapons for them or concocting potions for use in the field.

Allies

The witch hunters are not the only ones out to defend their homes- they are joined by a plethora of others trying to protect the region. Whether you believe the Coven is still an active threat or not, these are still the most common friends an Inquisitor may find in the field.

Waycrest Guard - The Waycrest Guard are Drustvar’s chief protectors, but lost many of their members to the mind-enslaving curse of the Heartsbane. They work alongside the Order of Embers in the Drustvar quests. The original inquisitors are all drawn from the Waycrest Guard, so the Order has deep ties with them. It appears largely as if the Guard protect the settlements, and the inquisitors are the ones striking deep into enemy territory. They could be called to do heavier lifting when the Order alone cannot do the job.

Town Militia - With much of the Waycrest Guard falling under the control of the Coven, the towns of Drustvar were forced to look to their own defenses, such as in Falconhurst and Fletcher’s Hollow. Ordinary citizens have bravely taken up arms in defense of their homes, and the aid of a skilled inquisitor would likely be welcomed. Even with the witches defeated, it’s likely some militia still protect their towns.

Thornspeakers - The Thornspeakers are a faction of Drust and human druids that live out in Drustvar’s woods and mountains. They are led by Ulfar, the last living Drust and the leader of the faction that sided with the humans against their own kind. The Thornspeakers seem to congregate at Ulfar’s Den along the eastern side of the mountains, but watch over all of Drustvar and Tiragarde. They work hard to maintain the balance in nature, and have allies in the mysterious pair of stags that roam the forests...

Drustvar Rangers - Though they only appeared in a few brief quests supporting the Thornspeakers, Drustvar seems to have a number of woodsmen trying to do their part to protect their home. They do not seem to be magical or anything, just some normal folks

Notes, RP hooks, Excess Lore, etc

The Order of Embers is based out of Arom’s Stand in central Drustvar. The building Lucille occupies is possibly their headquarters. They also may use Gol Koval as a base of operations.

Onions seem to be anathema to the witches and their servants.

Witches have been observed to call upon Drust magic without the Coven’s assent- once by a rejected witch in Drustvar, and again in Tiragarde at the Algerson Yard. This could open up the possibility of inquisitors venturing outside Drustvar to battle new threats. Additionally, it seems as if there may be some witches left as of the Shadowlands quests that take you back to Drustvar, so the hunt may not be over.

The Drust themselves have invaded Ardenweald from Thros. Whether it’s Drust artifacts/contraband making their way into Azeroth of the Drust themselves trying a full-on invasion through the yawning portal into Thros that was left unresolved in BfA, there’s a ton of possible plot threads that can be picked up related to them. A journey into the afterlife wouldn’t even be out of the question, since common citizens make it to Oribos and there is talk of mortals being able to join covenants. The Night Fae would be in dire need of a bold soul bearing flame and silver to drive back their foes and protect the cycle of life and death.

The Holy Light may be used by some members of the Order of Embers. Inquisitor Erik uses holy spells for his attacks when engaged by Horde players, and Cleric Loriette casts a fiery blessing on players who have unlocked her, a spell type usually reserved for priests. She’s also a cleric which usually implies the Light in this universe. A Light-wielding inquisitor is not out of the question, it seems, especially since Drustvar seems to have some ties to the Light if you look into it.

Despite the possibility of Drustvari Light-wielding inquisitors, this is not the same situation as the Scarlet Crusade. The Order of Embers is not a holy or religious order. It owes allegiance to House Waycrest. Religious zealotry is not on their menu. Per the faction description, the Order of Embers fights with knowledge guiding their blades.

It’s unlikely the Order would be suspicious of magic-users such as druids or shamans, given that they share a continent with Thornspeakers, Tidesages, and even mages (even if those are offscreen). They would have to be a pretty poor inquisitor to confuse the magics of their allies with that of Drust magic, so don’t go inquisitioning random magic users.

This isn’t really anything to do with canon, but please don’t use the Order of Embers to live out really fringe stuff with purging ‘heretics’ or being racist at elves or what have you. The community has a history with seeing that sort of stuff in inquisitor characters and it is unlikely to earn you a super great reception if you choose to roleplay that.

Further Reading (Fanon and out-of-WoW information)

This blog post goes over some potential processes for silvering and what happens when these weapons are used on creatures averse to silver.

Matt Mercer has created an interesting Dungeons & Dragons class called the Blood Hunter (which used to be called Witch Hunter.) It provides some interesting ideas that could be brought into an inquisitor character, especially one that might be interested in wielding darker magics to counter evil powers. You can view the class on D&D Beyond, or read the old Witch Hunter PDF which is a prior draft.

I recently did a huge series of writeups on the Drust, the Order of Embers’ perennial foe. If you’re wanting something to face off against or just want to know your lore, you can give these a read!

The Drust Background - - The Drust in BfA - - The Drust in Ardenweald

Night Fae Campaign (1) - - Night Fae Campaign (2)

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I hope this post was helpful to anybody who’s feeling like trying out this sort of roleplay! It’s terribly long-winded but I wanted to do my best to cover all of the information out there. If you’d like to reach out to me about this topic or roleplay with an inquisitor, I play the character “Inquisitrix” mainly on both Moon Guard and sometimes “Merciella” on Wyrmrest Accord.

If you’re looking for Order of Embers-themed roleplay and you play on Moon Guard, the guild <Silver and Ash> might be what you’re looking for, as they roleplay a group of inquisitors! On Wyrmrest Accord, there is a small interguild community called the Hex Hunter’s Society that I believe may be active still. If you’re looking for other Kul Tiran-type roleplay or want to put an inquisitor in a different environment, there are a few other guilds out there that utilize Kul Tiras on both Wyrmrest and Moon Guard. Happy hunting!

#Drustvar #Order of Embers #Roleplay Guide #Lore Dump #Please come roleplay in Drustvar #Join Autumnhearth too #Kul Tiras #Drust #Heartsbane Coven

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java-kitty · 6 years ago

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We’re playing into the Old God’s hands.

I am not one to typically share theories I have about World of Warcraft, but there has been something bothering me for sometime now, the entirety of the Burning of Teldrassil makes no sense. I main Alliance but I do play Horde, I’ve had a chance to play the opening sequence for both sides, and well, it doesn’t really add up.

Sylvanas actually has a point when it comes to attacking the Night Elven capital, it’s logical maneuvers in war, cut off a key strategic outpost for the enemy, however the issue is, we weren’t at war. We were at peace as we banded together to defeat the Legion.

That’s when a few key pieces started to fall into place, and I noticed something that I don’t think many people have picked up on. The near fanaticism in acquiring Azerite. There is a very key difference when it comes to the factions and their reaction to the new ore.

The Alliance, see that it can be dangerous in the wrong hands and should be contained and studied to understand the full effect of the ore. There is a general fear the Horde will harness it to use it as a weapon so the Alliance is monitoring the Horde’s collection of it as well.

The Horde however, outright states they want to harness it as a weapon before the Alliance has the chance to use it and turn it on the Horde. A sense of self defense and crushing the opposition in order to protect their interests.

Now at the top of this I did state that I am an Alliance player, however I play both factions equally and have read through the quest text for both the encounter in Silithus and Darkshore and it’s a very clear line that the Horde intend to weaponize Azerite while the Alliance simply want to study it further before making any decisions.

This led me to a conclusion, a strange one that most people have probably written off as a possibility for why this sudden aggression is happening.

Sylvanas is strongly being influenced by the Old Gods, follow me here, this isn’t a “She’s been corrupted / driven insane” by the Old Gods theory, no unlike Garrosh or Deathwing, or other villains, Sylvanas isn’t under their control, she’s not even doing their bidding, she’s just had a push over the edge that’s made her, and in return us, play right into their slimy tentacles.

When she killed herself by throwing herself off the top of Icecrown Citadel she received a vision of herself in hell, being tormented for her sins for all eternity. This always bothered me lore wise, Sylvanas had always been morally questionable but had done nothing truly evil since she’d gained free will from the Lich King, her sins were not her own and everything she did in undeath was for the Forsaken people. Yes she had the plague created, but she did NOT use it at the Wrathgate, and she had not used it on innocents before the death of the Lich King, if anything he goal was to protect those who fell to the Lich King and see that he be punished for his crimes. In a sense, see him brought to justice.

Her being sent to hell, didn’t make sense, she had been a good person in life, and in death although her methods were questionable she still had a sense of nobility. From bringing the Blood Elves who shunned her as a monster into the Horde, to helping liberate and give purpose to the undead who’s lives were ruined in the Lich King’s wake.

But then I remembered, she died, to saronite. The blood of the Old God Yogg-Saron.. She wasn’t going to hell, the Old Gods made her believe that. Consider everything she has done since this event, it in the end serves the Old Gods. By destroying Gilneas she took out a strong bastion of resistance and reignited Horde and Alliance conflicts that started a new war. (No she did not start the war but this escalated it to an extreme due to the use of the plague) Sylvanas has sought ways to make more Val’kyr to raise more undead, again dwindling the fighting force of the world. Then trying to enslave Eyir, her whole quest to cheat death at any cost despite the fact we were at peace. Then with Azerite.. she made sure it was weaponized immediately, Azerite, blood of the Titan spirit, something Old Gods would know the power of, and know that it would be world shattering in the right hands.

But the main thing that got me to believe she’s been influenced by an unseen hand, is Teldrassil. The WORLD tree, that is sacred to both the HORDE and ALLIANCE for it’s significance to the world at large. Serving as protection to corruption and the influence of the Old Gods after being blessed by Ysera and Alexstrasza who are now weakened or dead. This isn’t just the Night Elven capital city, this is a sacred place to all druids, a place known to be crucial in the safe guarding of the world.

This is the last standing World Tree, Nordrassil is too weakened to guard against corruption, having been sacrificed in the Third War, the siege from the Twilight’s Hammer Cult and Ragnaros, and recently the Well being drained and the trunk weakened by the Legion. Teldrassil is the only safe guard left in place by the Aspects.

With it gone, the Old Gods could spread corruption to mortal creatures unchecked.

The reason I don’t think she’s mad or possessed? Taking the city is a logical move in war, it makes sense from a strategic military standpoint, she states clearly that she simply wants to occupy the city until a peace can be agreed upon on HER terms. But the city burns, the world tree burns. Someone wanted this to happen, something isn’t right.

#World of Warcraft #crack theory #theory #sylvanas windrunner #spoilers #sort of

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wazafam · 4 years ago

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Gaming with friends is always an enjoyable pastime, no matter what the genre might be. Bullets might fly, starships might be destroyed, and fighters might be met with gruesome and gory fatalities, but there are few themes more enjoyable than joining together on a quest in search of an adventure.

RELATED: 10 Best Story-Driven Games On PS1

RPG games come in a variety of flavors from fantasy to sci-fi and beyond. Since it's dangerous to go alone, why not invite a friend or two to join in on the loot and the action? There are dozens of titles to choose from, and the genre is rich in quests, side missions, and excitement to share.

10 King of Dragons

RPGs and side-scrolling-beat-em-ups are two games that are often blended together in a delightful cocktail of action and adventure. If gamers are just getting into that beloved combination, this Capcom classic is an excellent way to start.

The beat-em-up combat is the core of this adventure, but it has a healthy handful of RPG elements that perfectly complements the traditional fantasy aesthetic. It's an arcade gem that more than likely inspired a number of other games on this list, so why not give the original a go?

9 Castle Crashers

It might not be as classy as some of the other entries on this list, but it's impossible to say that Castle Crashers isn't fun. Beating and brawling through a cartoony fantasy kingdom will definitely keep players entertained for hours, but don't let the Newgrounds look mislead, there's some strategy at play too.

RELATED: Castle Crashers & 9 Other Best Beat-Em-Ups on Switch, Ranked

Players can upgrade their knights, pick different weapons, assign skill points, and take different paths throughout this over-the-top adventure. And with plenty of unlockables, there's reason to come back for more.

8 Borderlands Series

Borderlands has been called a hybrid of FPS and Diablo, and that essentially isn't too far from the truth. Fighting off hoards of mutants and bandits through a cell-shaded wasteland has never been so much fun, especially when this game has more loot than a dragon horde.

With multiple classes, tons of weapons, and four entries in this cult-favorite series, there are plenty of ways to get thrown into the fray. Best of luck, Vault-Hunters.

7 Torchlight Series

This top-down RPG might have a Diablo-inspired makeup, but Torchlight has a fantasy flavor all its own. Its lore, world, and characters alone are worth giving the game a once over, but as is the case with most dungeon-crawlers, this one is definitely better with a full party.

RELATED: Torchlight 3: Best Things to Do After Beating The Game

There are plenty of monsters to mash, character classes to experiment with, companions to aid, and a world to explore and conquer. Single-player is fine, but nothing beats a full party.

6 Lord of the Rings: War In The North

An underappreciated hack-and-slash title, but one that will scratch every fantasy itch imaginable. An epic journey set against the backdrop of Tolkien's War of the Ring with a fellowship of three original characters? How has this not gotten a re-release yet?

The split-screen might take a little getting used to, but it makes for an epic quest between friends once everyone's locked in. The action is the biggest selling point, and crushing orcs together never gets old by any means.

5 Gauntlet Series

If there's one co-op RPG that the entire genre owes its life to, it's Gauntlet. It's the OG of dungeon crawlers and every entry from the arcade original to the modern remake deserves to be played with a full party of adventurers.

RELATED: Best Video Games Of 2020 With Crossplay & Multiplayer

Warrior, Wizard, Valkyrie, and Elf join forces together against an army of goblins, skeletons, and more on their quest to raid dungeons, gather loot, and get to the exit. A little rinse and repeat, but not a formula without its own distinct charms.

4 Battle Axe

Perhaps the newest entry on the list, but not one that was considered lightly. Battle Axe is what happens when Gauntlet, Golden Axe, and Zombies Ate My Neighbors get put in a blender. When an evil sorceress puts a curse upon the kingdom, three heroes must join forces to stop the world from falling by her dark hand.

It's an arcade adventure at its finest, but certainly not without its flaws. Single-player mode can be as difficult as a quarter-eating arcade cabinet, so having multiple players literally provides a better experience.

3 Stardew Valley

Not all RPGs have to be about fighting evil, casting spells, or raiding vaults for guns. Sometimes it's just nice to unwind and plant a garden together. Enter Stardew Valley for players who just want to unwind and veg out.

RELATED: Stardew Valley: 10 Things To Do In The Secret Woods

The 16-bit paradise of Stardew Valley offers more than just sharecropping to pass the time. In fact, players can mine for ore, explore dungeons, raise livestock, and even just take a simple fishing trip. Why not exchange codes and come over for some company?

2 Dragon’s Crown

It's been said time and time again, but the reputation still stands. Dragon's Crown is one of the most beautiful RPGs ever created, thanks mainly to the art design from Vanillaware. It checks a lot of boxes for traditional action RPGs, but it's a classic experience any fan of the genre should have.

It's practically a love letter to the genre and with a full party of adventurers to choose from, each offering their own way to play, it offers a great deal more than the standard fantasy beat-em-up.

1 Diablo III

While the second entry in Blizzard's famous dungeon-crawler series is regarded as the best, Diablo III arguably brings just as much content and carnage to the table as its older brother. Plus, it's the one that's currently available across a multitude of consoles.

Players have their choice of heroes, armor, builds, weapons, and of course that all-important share of the loot. Raiding dungeons and killing demons will always be a go-to activity for RPG fans, and Diablo just makes that multiplayer pastime an absolute dream.

NEXT: Diablo 4: Character Classes That Should Return From Previous Games

10 RPGs That Are Better Played With Friends | ScreenRant from https://ift.tt/3htIun9

#Blogger

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fictionerd · 6 years ago

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Good to see you, Nya~

You’ll have to forgive me if things get a little brief here. Fictionerd seems to have vanished and I’m not sure where he is. We watched the latest episode of Magical Girl Ore, but as soon as it finished he took off without writing notes or anything. That’s kind of why I haven’t gotten around to putting anything up about the series. He just sort of vanished and I haven’t seen him since yesterday.

Picking up from where the series left off last week we now know that Saki and Sakuyo’s manager is the boss of the demons that have been going after Mohiro. Having learned that Saki and Sakuyo are on to him he enacts the final phase of his plan. He finally secures Mohiro, and unleashes a horde of demons upon the city through portals scattered everywhere. Something about these portals seems to cause massive trauma to the fabric of reality making the artwork of the world somewhat crappier and more inconsistent.

Konami gets on TV and announces is great villainous plan to the world and then invites the Magical Girl Idols to come and take him down. Saki and Sakuyo do so with Hyoe telling them he’ll try to find a way to close the portals. The two go to the Demon Realm to find it all dressed up like some kind of strange cutesy RPG world. The door to Konami’s chamber is locked and a horde of Demons crawls out of the woodwork to challenge the two. Sakuyo literally throws Saki through the door saying that she’ll fight to defend Saki so that Ore can be there to rescue Mohiro.

Saki moves onward reluctant to leave her friend behind, but knowing that to do anything else would be spitting on the very reasons they both became Magical Girls. When she arrives Konami gives a big “Final Boss” speech and then calls a cut. He’s been filming everything that’s happened and it’s revealed that the entire reason he’s done any of this was in order to make Saki famous as a magical girl.

Even as a Demon Administrator Konami was always a fan of Magical Girls. When the overseer of the Demon Invasion of Earth was killed and Konami learned that Magical Girls were responsible he took over the position personally, lying through his teeth for the sake of meeting his beloved Magical Girls.

When he arrived, however, he was greeted by the sight of Saki’s mom in her failing Magical Girl form. This threw him into despair and made him slide lower and lower in the esteem of the Demon Realm. He got the job as an Idol Manager, Met Saki, and just as the Demon Realm was about to come down on his ass Kokoro approached Saki to become a Magical Girl.

This was when Konami struck sending demons to capture Mohiro serving as the catalyst for Saki to become a Magical Girl. Every attack and bit of leaked information about Ore and Sakigasuki since then had been Konami’s doing. His dastardly plan? To Skyrocket Saki as Ore into popularity and then have her defeat him to cement her as a hero.

We end with that revelation, and I’ve just got to say that-

Fic: Hold up there, Robin.

Robin: Fic!? Oh good, you’re here. I was just in the middle of doing the post. Did you have some notes for me on your thoughts?

Fic: I have thoughts on the episode, but there’s something more important we need to discuss.

Robin: Nya? [Cocks his head to the side]

Fic: You’re not from Magical Girl Ore.

Robin: [Begins visibly sweating] What are you talking about, Fic? O-of course I’m from Magical Girl Ore. It was you getting frustrated at the show that tore open the portal that brought me here. I was working for Konami and-

Fic: [Points a sword in Robin’s direction] Don’t lie to me, Robin. Your story about what you are, and the lore of Magical Girl Ore don’t add up. You were able to hide when I didn’t know too much, but with the most recent episode your cover’s been blown. Who or what are you?

Robin: [Stops cowering and hunches forward. Shadows cover his face and his voice no longer sounds cutesy] So you think the game is over do you? Not by a long shot. However, I’ll answer some of your questions. You’re right: I’m not originally from Magical Girl Ore. I simply inhabited the body of one of Konami’s Demon Minions. I played along in that creature’s role until your frustration opened the door to the Library for me.

Fic: What do you plan to do now? You know what I’m capable of.

Robin: Oh, I DO know. I know very well what your capable of, “Drake”. For now my plan is to finish out this series. From there? We’ll have to see next week.

Fic: [Swings sword but Robin catches it inches from his bulbous teddy-bear head] My name is not “Drake”. As for finishing the series. I don’t think so. We’re going to have this out RIGHT NOW.

Robin: [Dissolves into shadows that split and move along the floor of the library melting into shadowy corners elsewhere] I don’t think so, Fic. We’ve got to save that for when this is all done. Trust me. Things won’t be so grim as you’ve made them out to be in your head. You go ahead and share your thoughts on this week’s episode. I’ll be around.

[Puts away the sword he had acquired and looks back at what all Robin had said]

Hey, This is me now. I don’t know what Robin was planning to say to end this out, but whatever he is has got me a tad bit spooked. I continue to be perplexed as to why exactly I enjoy this show. Though at this point I’ve come to just accept it. I’m pleasantly surprised by the path it’s taken to get to this point. I feel somewhat safe in saying it had more than just the “Buff dude as a magical girl” joke to carry it. They seem to have taken that as the starting point and then asked themselves how many ludicrous, tropey, or sattiric ideas they could staple to it as supports.

I still feel like I ought to hate this show, but I just don’t. It’s like some sort of goofy, misshapen puppy creature. It can’t support the weight of one side of its body, but you just have to adore the way it keeps stumbling around trying to look cute. I like that Saki just let Konami go through his “Dramatic Reveal” Speech even though she knew it was him.

I also like the implication that Mohiro is going to take some sort of active role in the final episode. That seems particularly interesting.

Now, if you’ll excuse me I’ve got to go down to my Fa-

I need to go down to the Lab and see if I can dig up any research notes from the Library’s previous occupant. See if they had any clue what this thing is. Maybe it’s telling the truth and whatever it has planned for next week won’t be so bad, but then again, maybe not.

Until next post keep talking fiction, friends! I’ll see you soon.

#Anime #Mahou Shoujo Ore #Maho Shojo Ore #Magical Girl Ore #Episode 11 #Robin the Stock Demon #Fictionerd #Let's Talk Anime #LTA #Storyline

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brillraven · 7 years ago

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Current Racial Coolness Meter: Horde

(in ascending order of coolness)

Nightborne - A whole zone dedicated to their lore and history. Great aesthetic. Great introduction to the horde via Liadrin. Thalyssra is a badass. Suramar is beautiful. 100% can do no wrong.

Forsaken - Made up the horde side of the main faction conflict in Legion. Sylvanas in the BfA trailer made every horde player (even the ones who staunchly hate her) like her even if just for that moment. Nathanos got a freshly dead boytoy makeover. Things are looking good (minus what’s gunna happen to the Undercity...)

Trolls - Vol’jin’s death made everyone cry. Zandalari trolls are gunna be awesome, and their druid forms are what’s making all the alliance players bitch about how they’re not getting anything cool.

Goblins - Gallywix is finally relevant! First ones to discover Azerite, and of course they’re strip-mining the hell out of it. Have a good feeling they’ll be heavily involved with the new ore source in the next expansion.

Blood Elves - On the one hand, they recruited the Nightborne into the horde and the scenario with Alleria at the Sunwell was pretty dope. On the other hand, Lor’themar exiling Umbric because he was into shadow magic seems against the sin’dorei attitude of power at any cost.

Orcs - People are still kind of sick of them after WoD, but everyone seems hyped for the mag’har playable race that walk upright. Still, though, they’re just orcs, and did next to nothing in Legion worth mentioning.

Highmountain Tauren - Cool zone, even if the quests are tedious as hell. Basically tauren with antlers. Whoop-ee-doo.

Tauren - Like highmountain tauren only without antlers and less lore regarding Legion beyond their connection to the Highmountain. Baine made a nice speech at the post-Argus brunch but was totally upstaged by Gallywix.

Huojin Pandaren - Made absolutely no appearance. Ji wasn’t even present when the horde leaders had their post-Argus brunch. Blizzard doesn’t care about Pandaren at all.

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monsterdramahub · 1 year ago

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🌈The Artifacts of Theia🌈

The following are a set of powerful objects whose ownership has been in contention for millennia. It is said that uniting them will cause a great "unification". They're passed around the factions throughout the story, so the faction listed to possess them is more of a "has them the majority of the time". Explained are also the appearances of the artifacts and their special power. All objects are capable of switching from their default color into a spectrum of light, and all objects may cause the corruption of the body and mind on contact: the traits listed are what distinguishes them from each other.

⚪The Echo Crystals

The Echo Crystals are many, scattered throughout Theia and take the form of small, unpigmented, irregular fractals. They're said to be shards of the following seven objects. They grant the ability to view visions of the past, usually relating to the past of the one holding the crystal. Echo Crystals can also be charged by another object to gain its powers, but this is temporary and they will require frequent recharging. They aren't all owned by any single faction and each has a few in their possession.

🔴The Pearl

The feared Pearl takes the form of a large red globular mass, cracked and appearing tentatively held in one piece. Viewing the Pearl causes one to enter a blind state of fury and near invulnerability, making those affected into ideal berserkers and terrors of the battlefield. The Pearl is wielded by the Gourmand of Ore Horde.

🟠The Eye

The coveted Eye is square in shape with inner rings of varying orange hues vaguely resembling an iris and pupil. It may be used in a manner similar to a crystal ball, it's gaze able to be directed anywhere and spy upon many things at once if the proper rituals are completed. The Eye is used by the executives of Topaz Corp to monitor their citizens.

🟡The Rose

The draining Rose appears as a small gilded sphere with spiraling inlays making it resemble the pedals of a flower. It has the ability to sap the magical powers of anything and everything, no matter how powerful, within it's range of influence. It is kept by Queen Ari of Rosegold Kingdom.

🟢The Shroud

The mysterious Shroud is a teardrop-shaped, finely spun cloak with a texture similar to velvet and is a deep green in color. Prolonged exposure causes the body to break down and fuse to anything it comes into contact with, taking on the attributes of whatever is absorbed until all sense of self is lost. The Shroud is being researched in Emerald Commune by Regina, Jelly and (outsider to Emerald) Spines.

🔵The Crown

The renowned Crown takes the appearance of a tiara with a single tall spire of brilliant blue stone. The Crown bolsters the natural and magical abilities of whoever is wearing it, making them significantly stronger than anyone within range. Sapphire Regency's privateer, Joei, uses the Crown for their missions.

🟣The Mask

The despised Mask looks like a royal purple half-mask, diamond in shape, broad at the top and pointed at the cheekbone, with a similarly diamond-shaped eye hole. The Mask is capable of making its wearer mimic any and all powers volleyed against them. It is owned by Trash of Amethyst Empire.

💗The Heart

The beloved Heart is a smooth pale pink stone in the shape of a love-heart, similar in size to a real human heart. It may sway the emotions of all within its influence to whatever the wielder pleases. It is held by the twin dragon of the sky. It is held by Altar of Topaz Corp for everyone's own good.

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shadowhooftribe · 8 years ago

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The Shu'halo and You

[This is something I posted on the WRA forums such a long time ago. I figure I would repost here, and adjust a few little points here and there. I hope you all enjoy some personal head canon!] Tauren have been nomadic for 10,000+ years? Before the sundering, the centaur were culled by the Quel’Dorei as stated in lore surrounding Desolace. However, once the sundering happened the centaur would have gone unchecked. For this reason, we might assume that the Tauren began feeling the brunt of centaur expansion only a short time after the sundering. What does this means for you? As people who have great historic tales of nomadic life and hunting, they would not be quick to jump into a sedentary life. Especially true for the spirited tauren, the need to keep their hooves moving would be strong enough to form large groups for the purpose of travel. Many tauren would agree that a permanent life is a safe option for the sick, very young, and very old. However, wanderlust would still exist, and that is something only several generations of stationary living would diminish.

The Earthmother is everything

The tauren do not just worship the Earthmother as a deity, but as anything and everything that has ever existed. They consider the twins, Mu’sha and An’she, to be her eyes that watch over her children. The earth is called by her name, and when the tauren hunt they thank the Earthmorther for providing the game. The Earthmother is a guide, “Earthmother guide you”, as well as a protector, “Earthmother watch over you.” The tauren know that she is both benevolent and wrathful, and do what they can to maintain her eternal balance. For a tauren, the Earthmother is the reason anything exists at all.

War is never the right answer, it just is

The people understand that war touches everyone, and that the wildlife and surrounding landscape are affected as well. The lumber and ore needed to secure a victory against the Alliance destroys the Earthmother, and the tauren feel this burden. As a whole, the tauren do not support all out war against the Alliance, but when push comes to shove they will put everything on the line to save their people. The tauren people are like a sleeping giant, calm and gentle in slumber but once awoken a thunder of anger and power. This does not mean that your tauren must be a passive thinker, though a good majority might lean towards idealism. Peace is only maintained through the awareness of battle, and many tauren are going to be sure that they have the forces and strength necessary to uphold the peace.

Shamanism is not just a path for tauren, but a way of life

The ancestors exist in everything the tauren do, from death rites to simply hunting to provide meat for their people. Tauren are always giving respect to their ancestors and honoring them daily. Every evening in Thunder Buff [Zangen Stonehoof] lights a ceremonial fire and gives thanks to the ancestors. The third rite of passage for tauren is a quest that asks you to find and commune with a tauren spirit. A common farewell used by tauren is “Ancestors watch over you.” These are behaviors every tauren can and do perform each day without being of the shamanistic path. Shamanism is not just for shaman -- The Spirit Champion, the Holy Strider, and the Spirit Walker are all tauren special classes that incorporate the shamanism path with another: the warrior, the hunter, or any tauren attuned to the spirits. Not every tauren is a shaman, but every tauren -knows- shamanism.

To be a tauren is to be a hunter

It used to be that the final rite of passage for every tauren player was to hunt the great Kodo, Arra'chea. [Now a rare spawn!] The mark of the hunter is the highest honor given to the tauren people and a lot of ancestral pride is given to the hunt and those who have completed the tasks. The white stag, Malorne or Apa'ro by the tauren, was written in myth as a great hunt and honored through that myth. Holy Striders, the elite of tauren society are by definition hunters. It is very likely that a tauren who does not know how to hunt would probably live with a great deal of shame within the tauren society.

Baine Bloodhoof is The Chieftain of the “United Tauren Tribes”, not every tauren tribe on Azeroth

Baine is not the leader of every tauren tribe that ever existed, but he is the head of the tribes that have agreed to his confederacy within the Horde. If you are a tauren you most likely exist within a tribe who has agreed to such a confederacy. However, it is not too far-fetched to believe that a few tauren tribes have either avoided such political positions or kept enough to themselves to have evaded the convergence altogether.

Regardless, everyone respects Baine in some way or another. He has protected the tauren people with honor and maintained a large expanse of land the tauren can call home. He also helps to keep a pact between the tauren people and the Horde.

#shadowhoof tribe #head canon #tauren #world of warcraft

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atruefanofnothingreally · 5 years ago

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What my fantasy video game would be like. (With references of popular modern games)

I am a huge fan of cinema. Cinematics are probably my favorite part of a videogame. The feeling of being a part of a grander reality really comes to fruition when you see the cut-scene.

Much like the intro to Warcraft 3. This scene begins after Warcraft 2 where you build yourself as Arthas the pure Prince of Lorderon. The now corrupt Prince Arthas, tainted by demonic energy from his sword Shadowmourne walks dramatically up to his father the king, and beheads him. Signifying the beginning of the Lich Kings Reign.

My dream video game will be spawn of a long lore before it. I think that's perhaps where many MMORPGs failed when compared to World of Warcraft.

In World of Warcraft you enter into a world of hero's. Entire cities like in Stormwind decorated with giant statues of Hero’s that come before you. In any other MMORPG you are the decisive hero. No predecessor before you made enough of an impact that it called for much adoration of the player base. Kings are as important as pawns in this sense.

My dream videogame is an MMORPG. This is because, I find great joy in the responsibility over a unique personalized character. I want the player to feel a connection to their creation and the world it exists in.

Naturally that world is a mystery and the beginning, but it should be smooth and interactive. I think the newer RPG Outward executed this perfectly.

However I think there is a design point to be made in the scaling of the world, and how the players camera is positioned.

I grew up playing pretty much all the MMORPGs. Started with Runescape in 5th grade. This game is still one of the most popular online games. I am a fan of how they executed the player view points. In Runescape you look over your character and the world like and angel sitting upon a throne. Every command you enter your character, interface, and environment responds.

Another game that accomplishes this “angelic” distance is Grand Theft Auto. In Grand Theft Auto you play a semi street thug, vigilante type character. The entire time you play, the camera has a tendency to draw back and show you more of the world as it reacts to you. For example car chases in GTA. After you are running for a few minutes the world send more units to capture you, but it also pans the Camera out giving you more perspective on how to escape.

In Runescape you are in a world that actually dangerous, with goblins, giants, dragons, and barbarians so the camera is fixed on this widened lens capacity. But In Grand Theft Auto you are in a civilized modern world and the players lens only widens as danger draws nearer.

I feel the need to specify further what this distance is by using a counter example. Lets take the game Elder Scrolls Online. In ESO the camera is sort of like the player is sitting on an Invisible horse a few steps behind the in game character. This to me takes away an element of Alertness that I desire in my game.

In Runescape you can see a dangerous enemy from 30 or 40 paces away.

In GTA you can calculate with your expanded mini map how to escape the police.

In these games this element of alertness and your capacity to respond to new information determines your success.

If as a player you can only view and respond to a distance of 10 to 20 paces all around you, the amount of plays you can make is halved and the amount of unprecedented threats is expounded.

The scaling of the world plays a huge part of this. You must consider that when you position the camera just so, the played character will only take up just so much space on the screen. . . God bless the capacity to zoom in and out and also cinematic view mode so you can screen shot your newest armor set.

Earlier I talked about the world being interactive. I mentioned the new game Outward. Well honestly, I think its pretty close to perfect. In any adventure fantasy - regardless of story, you need a crafting system. I want to give people a real reason to explore the world. Crafting that levels up and requires investment in time and money and energy to master.

Don't get me wrong, I think the world itself should have a bountiful reward following successful exploration and domination.

For instance an extremely rare item that can be found on any monster any where in the world. Or a frequent rare item that can be found from only a specific enemy character. Or a guaranteed reward for a truly heroic deed or role in an event. These are all for sure necessary in my fantasy game.

However, I want to instill a crafting system that is challenging and rewarding. The challenge should lie where the materials and recipes are unlocked. Recipes as reward to key questlines, materials only found in dangerous terrain. The reward should be a blend of dynamic and static improvements. Like an endgame set that has similar stats but a unique appearance. Or a midgame set that has fantastic stat bonuses, helping you level up to towards the late game. Or items that can be used to enhance something you already have, giving you the just that much more edge on the competition.

The materials should be reasonable and challenging. Recipes should call for an amount of the materials just so that you would go broke buying all of them. Yet, useful enough to be worth spending some time on the grind. I believe that most powerful items should come from defeating end game enemies, finishing key quest lines, and players crafting equipment.

There should be a separation in the players at some point. Players must choose at a certain point where they stand in the politics in the game. I want players to commit to their stance, feel pride in their selection, and passion towards that factions agenda.

The idea of “Us. vs Them” is the driving force in games. Games is but a competition in this way. From Mario jumping over barrels to save Princess Peach from Donkey Kong - to saving the mothership from the invading aliens in Halo. Games put you the adventurer apposed to the threat defeat of failure.

In my game the “US” you get to decide.

The typical method is factions. Like in World of Warcraft two apposed factions the Horde and the Alliance war over the majority domination over the world. The horde practice slavery and the alliance practice pollution. One simply selects the lesser of two evils.

In Runescape they use the factions to symbolize three gods and the players then war over one centralized holy site in the castle wars battle ground.

My philosophy in player stance competition is inspired by Civilization VI. This game automatically separates players because it acts as a sort of free for all. However in playing the game the play has a responsibility to co-operate with the enemy before all out war ensues.

In my game I want there to be a variety of ways for players to compete.

There should be a free for all arena area or territory. There should be a games area for teams or individuals to compete over and objective. And there should be a territory designed for large group battles.

The separation of players will come towards the late middle of the story and the factions can be based off of positive yet perhaps opposed ideals or maybe even opposing heroic story characters.

Economy is an aspect of MMORPGs that needs perfecting. In all the later games, the economy is propelled by a robotic auction house. How the program is set up varies on the tittle.

When I first started playing in 2005, on Runescape. Players would sit at a high density area and manually advertise in the chat, their products they either pillaged or created.

I thought this was the closest a game could get to a realistic economy in a fantasy world.

Later they put in the robotic auction house called the Grand Exchange which purchases and sells items at a standardized price based off supply and demand. Yea you can buy a stack of iron ore at 25gp per but it might take an hour because of the player supply chain. Unlike, reality it is difficult to track and manage supply chains in game. Making this a less realistic version of a functioning economic process.

My game will include in game player forums that will help players advertise merchandise and find items they need to be effective in the world. It might take more time for trades to take place, but as a player meets more clients and generates leads on sources it will become more smooth out for them.

Even though my dream video game is life like, it is not realistic. It is very fantasy based, with magic, and hyper futuristic technology, and ancient rituals traditions and cultures. I want to utilized the long list of documented mythological ideas such as potions that can heal your wounds instantly or a specially charged item needed to unlock the door that the final boss hides behind.

I believe that videogames are meant to be real enough to keep you distracted from what’s really real.

“My mom has cancer, I’m 13. There's nothing I can do.”

Well here is something for you to believe in, because sometimes real life leaves you without a significant and effective option. . .

Thank you.

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warframeshorts · 7 years ago

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Banshee Lore

"These like-faced savages, these earth-worn mules, a vast violent ocean at our command. Yet they wither. Mired in massed steel and flesh, casting these hordes from gene molds and flock minds, we inspire nothing.

Our demons of void womb must be different. Unusual. Singular. Crafted without cast, wrought of the finest ore, slender and queer.

Sight without eye. Wrath without sound. Not a soldier, but a myth. Not a warrior... a spirit... Banshee."

#warframe #banshee #ballas #orokin #lore #grineer #tenno

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merelliahallewell · 6 years ago

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A Guide of Silver & Ash

I’ve been super excited for the Drustvar inquisitors ever since I first got to play around on Beta and have been roleplaying one since BfA dropped. It’s not likely that we’re going to be getting any more lore on Drustvar or the Order at this point in the expansion, and so I’ll recap what’s gone on for them so far. In the hopes of maybe finding more of them to roleplay with (and maybe encouraging people to try out the character concept) I decided to put together a guide to their roleplay!

This will be headcanon free, so don’t worry about having to sort out out somebody’s personal lore from what’s present in-game. If I do make an assertion or reference something not in WoW canon, it’ll be easy to notice.

If you’re looking for some more detailed Order of Embers headcanons, I’ll attach some at the end of this post. Merellia, my inquisitor, is writing an IC primer for the Order of Embers that I’ll be releasing (hopefully) soon, so keep an eye on this blog if that’s your sort of thing!

Guide is after the jump- this will be a longer post!

On Kul Tiras’ western side lies the mountainous region of Drustvar- providing most of the island kingdom’s ore and some of their strongest warriors. In recent times, Drustvar has fallen quiet- no shipments have come from it, and the Waycrests have not been seen in Boralus in a long time.

As players enter this zone in Battle for Azeroth, they find a region on the brink of succumbing to the influence of the vile Heartsbane Coven, a group of witches who have spread like a plague across the land, corrupting and destroying all in their path in the name of their Drust patrons.

The Order of Embers

During the zone’s storyline, the player and Lucille Waycrest discover that the magic being used against them is that of the Drust, who were defeated thousands of years earlier by a group known as the Order of Embers, who took up arms against their powerful foes and eventually triumphed. The Waycrests were members of the ancient order, and it was Arom Waycrest himself who led the charge to defeat the Drust king Gorak Tul.

In the cavern Gol Var, once a Drust stronghold, they recover an ancient tome known as the Tome of Silver and Ash, a treatise which contained all their knowledge on combatting Drust magic.

Conflict with the Coven

The Order’s battles with the Coven play out over the latter half of the Drustvar questing experience and also the zone’s world quests. They add new members to their ranks, create new weapons for use against the Coven, and push back against them on all sides. Eventually, they storm Waycrest Manor, cutting off the head of the snake and defeating the Coven’s leadership. Gorak Tul was forced back into Thros, prevented from returning for the time being. (Tul was later killed in Thros during the Pride of Kul Tiras questline.)

We don’t know how long it takes for all these events to play out- it could range from a handful of days to months after BfA’s launch.

Even once the Coven’s leadership is defeated, though, it’s likely a number of witches still remain entrenched in their strongholds and forests. An inquisitor’s work is never done, it seems...

Who leads the Order of Embers? Does it have a hierarchy?

The Order seems to lack much of a formal hierarchy- all the named NPCs are simply titled with inquisitor- working together as a team rather than issuing commands to one another. They also seem to be adept at handling missions alone and on their own- or with the aid of local allies.

Can I roleplay an inquisitor or other member of the Order of Embers? Is it lore-abiding?

Sure! The Order didn’t stop at five inquisitors- a world quest boss for the Horde during the invasions has them facing off against an Inquisitor named Erik. They’re probably not handing out inquisitor garb like candy, but there’s no reason to assume that a worthy and trusted individual wouldn’t be made an inquisitor.

Could a non-human join the order?

I don’t see why not- though obviously, the Order of Embers may be more hesitant to accept, say, a void-infused elf with tentacle hair or a worgen as an inquisitor than a race they’re more familiar with such as a dwarf or gnome. Ability to serve House Waycrest and being of aid against the Heartsbane are likely strong factors in joining up- they may not make a person an inquisitor if they’re a night elf that’s only briefly in Kul Tiras.

There’s no real in-game basis to make this judgement on either way, so if you want to roleplay an inquisitor that’s not human and you think you have solid IC reasoning: go for it!

Initiation Ceremony

To become a member of the Order of Embers, the initiate undergoes a short ritual where they are presented with their garb.

Brothers and Sisters, today you become the searing fire that burns away the darkness.

Today you become the shining blade that cuts through the wicked.

Today you become the beacon of hope against the endless foe.

By the authority of House Waycrest, I name you inquisitors of the Order of Embers!

Non-inquisitor Roles

If you find the Order of Embers cool, but don’t think you like the idea of hunting witches all day, they have more than just inquisitors in it. The witch hunters rely on specialists to help them get the tools they need to beat back the Heartsbane, and even simply through the questing experience they gather new allies. The blacksmith Angus Ballaster and the alchemist Master Ashton both are essentials. As of patch 7.1, the Order is also joined by a cleric by the name of Loriette. A skilled smith or alchemist could work alongside them, perhaps helping to craft more weapons for them or concocting potions for use in the field.

Allies

The witch hunters are not the only ones out to defend Drustvar- they are joined by a plethora of others trying to protect the region.

Waycrest Guard - The Waycrest Guard are the chief protectors of Drustvar... or they were, at least, until the Coven took over and enslaved many of their number with a powerful curse. They are shown to work alongside the Order of Embers when Watchman’s Rise is retaken. The Waycrest Guard had some of their finest join the Order- so it is natural for them to work alongside one another. The Guard seem to act as, well, guards for those settlements not completely lost to the witches, while the inquisitors are the ones striking deep into enemy territory.

Town Militia - With much of the Waycrest Guard falling under the control of the Coven, the towns of Drustvar have been forced to look to their own defenses, such as in Falconhurst and Fletcher’s Hollow. Ordinary citizens have been forced to take up weapons in defense of their homes- and the aid of an inquisitor would likely be welcomed.

Thornspeakers - The Thornspeakers are a faction of Drust and human druids that live out in Drustvar’s woods and mountains. They are led by Ulfar- one of the last few remaining Drust, and somebody who remembers the original war with the humans- though he found himself eventually joining their side. The Thornspeakers seem to congregate at Ulfar’s Den along the eastern side of the mountains. They work hard to maintain the balance in nature, and have allies in the mysterious pair of stags that roam the forests...

Drustvar Rangers - Though they only appeared in a few brief quests supporting the Thornspeakers, Drustvar seems to have a number of woodsmen trying to do their part to protect Drustvar.

Army of Light - Patch 8.1 brought new allies to Drustvar. While they have little official presence in the zone’s story, the Army of Light is the main Alliance contribution towards defending Drustvar. They have brought their Lightforged Warframes with them - incredibly powerful weapons that once fought the Burning Legion - as well as bunkers deployed by the Vindicaar and Light-based shield generators, all to protect Arom’s Stand from the Horde’s Blight-carrying gunships. they seem to have a permanent encampment to the north of Arom’s Stand, and are summoning in reinforcements from Stormwind.

Clothing and Armor

The Order also has a tabard, which is worn by the quartermaster who sells it. While no inquisitors actually seem to wear it, it’s one of the better-looking tabards added this expansion and has a distinctive look.

Brown is a color you’ll find often worn by the Order and those associated with it- like Lucille Waycrest. The order’s official uniforms include tones of brown and silver or grey.

In an OOC sense, the uniforms the inquisitors wear is the Heroic version of Rogue Tier 21, which comes from Antorus, the Burning Throne. This is Rogue only, sadly. The hat is available sometimes as a drop from Commodore Calhoun, a rare mob in Vol’dun. I do not know if it drops for non-leather wearers.

Weaponry

On top of this, the inquisitors recovered a small amount of silver from one of the region’s mines. The silver was used to begin producing weapons for the Order- such as the silver-plated hand cannon Witchrend, which seems to shoot scraps of silver and other metals to great effect against the Heartsbane.

Players who have completed the zone’s quests also have a buff called Silvered Weapons. Silver can disrupt the magics of the Heartsbane, and deal increased damage against them.

Alchemical fire is also a potent weapon against the Drust, crafted by Master Ashton. This can seemingly be put into flasks, which are thrown at enemies. The flasks shatter, and release the flames within, which is a potent weapon against both Gorak Tul and against the animated wicker creatures.

As an OOC note- silver is a terrible metal to forge a weapon out of. It is extremely soft, and would not hold up well in a fight. Blizzard never covers how the silver weapons are handled.

Other universes have done this, though- D&D has a ruling about silvered weapons, and The Witcher series has a class of silver swords with special forging techniques.

Miscellaneous

The Holy Light may be used by some members of the Order of Embers. Inquisitor Erik uses holy spells for his attacks when engaged by Horde players, and Cleric Loriette casts a fiery blessing on players who have unlocked her, a spell type usually reserved for priests. In WoW, the IC classes of cleric and priest is often interchangeable. A Light-wielding inquisitor is not out of the question, it seems. However...

Despite the possibility of Drustvari Light-wielding inquisitors like something we observed in the Scarlet Crusade, the Order of Embers is not a holy or religious order. It owes allegiance to House Waycrest. Zealotry is probably not on their menu.

Witches have been observed to call upon Drust magic without the Coven’s assent- once by a rejected witch in Drustvar, and again in Tiragarde at the Algerson yard. This could open up the possibility of inquisitors venturing outside Drustvar to seek out new threats.

The Order of Embers is based out of Arom’s Stand in central Drustvar. The building Lucille occupies is possibly their headquarters.

Per the faction description, the Order of Embers fights with knowledge guiding their blades. As mentioned before, blind zeal like the Scarlet Crusade had to fight the undead with is not their style- even if Inquisitor Mace is really good at rushing into battle ahead of her allies. It’s also unlikely the Order would be suspicious of magic-users such as druids or shamans. They would have to be a pretty poor inquisitor to confuse the magics of their new allies with that of Drust magic.

Onions seem to be anathema to the witches and their servants.

Further Reading (Fanon and out-of-WoW information)

I did an interesting write-up of Drustvar’s strange and curious connections to the Light, rather than the Tidesage religion, and it prompted a bit of discussion on the forums. It sticks to canon information, but attempts to draw conclusions from it. You can give it a read here!

This blog post goes over some potential processes for silvering and what happens when these weapons are used on creatures averse to silver.

I write my own fanon on the blog AzerothExpanded. Over the last few months, I’ve written a number of entries about Drustvar, including a post about the Order’s practices, the roles of its inquisitors and clerics, and Drusvar’s witches. People are free to use these in their roleplay!

Matt Mercer has created an interesting Dungeons & Dragons class called the Blood Hunter (which used to be called Witch Hunter.) It provides some interesting ideas that could be brought into an inquisitor character. You can see the class on D&D Beyond, or read the old Witch Hunter PDF.

Keep an eye out for the upcoming in character writing from Merellia, coming on this blog! I’m super excited to get it out once my finals end later this week. It should wind up coming in Google Doc, TRP3:E book, and Tumblr form because I like gifs.

- - - - - -

I hope this post was helpful to anybody who’s feeling like trying out this sort of roleplay! It’s terribly long-winded but I wanted to do my best to cover what’s out there, so that people have all the information they need to jump into this and start on their characters.

If you’ve read all this and you’d like to meet some Kul Tiras roleplayers or try out inquisitor RP, I’d suggest giving @cesarewatch‘s Kul Tiran RP Starter Pack Forum Post a read. That’s got links to the cross-realm Living Kul Tiras in-game community (and discord) that features members from WrA and MG. It also has links to other smaller communities, including Thorny Inquiries- the Drustvar discord.

If you’d like to reach out to me about this guide or roleplay with an inquisitor, I play the character “Merciella” on both Moon Guard and Wyrmrest Accord. Happy roleplaying!

#drustvar #kul tiras #wyrmrest rp #Moon guard rp #RP Guide #wyrmrest accord #moon guard #Order of Embers #Witch Hunter #Inquisitor

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donaldharryrobertscreativestudio · 8 years ago

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ABOUT MY STYLE

Imagine we are in a café’….sitting across from each other sipping on a coffee…cappuccino…tea….whatever….and I am telling you a fanciful story….a fantasy or mystery or sci-fi or a combination of all…

That is how I write…like I am sitting with you…..

There’s minimal punctuation…just pauses here and there.

My style of writing is pre…sixteenth century which is delightfully void of annoying piques and marks that the brain does not need…..I write much in the fashion as to these brief paragraphs…which you probably understood quite without difficulty.

Thanks a million

Donald

Last Part Recap

Outside the lights were dimming. The carnival music had grown silent and everyone was gone except the workers who were shutting the rides down.

“I suggest we fine lodging for the night. I don’t think it is wise to be out and about after the stroke of twelve.” Eifion suggested.

“Why?” Timothy demanded.

Eifion shrugged his shoulders. “I suppose the only way to know is to stay out…..if you dare.”

“Maybe I dare.”

“Yes….Maybe I will dare.” Timothy cheered. “And I dare you Mr. Cavalier…if you have the courage?”

“Sometimes Mr. Mundanie…..What looks like courage is stupidity. However…if you chose to be stupid then I must follow and try to keep you from something totally disastrous.”

The midnight trumpets sounded and suddenly the streets were abandoned and silent…..almost silent.

"So." Timothy said with a hint of challenge in his tone. "What should I be watching for?' He asked and was answered but not by Eifion.

"A human....and a Cavalier. How unusual is that?"

The voice came from above.....along the eaves of a grand old manor.

"Very unusual and not very polite. The Cavalier at least should know that the night belongs to us."

"Absolutely rude." I would argue.

Timothy looked in the direction of the voices and to his awe and....hint of delight he spied upon the eaves of the Manor a pair of Gargoyles.....a few moments ago simply statues of stone, but now....living breathing creatures.

"Forgive us. I did not mean to be impolite ore rude. I was merely curious why we should not be out after midnight.....and now that I see you I think the rule is a sad one.....I think you are delightful creatures and would so much like to learn more about you." Timothy exclaimed...or would that be....Proclaimed......Hmmmmmm.

"Interesting. It appears he was not warned." Said one of the Gargoyles.

"Definitely." Said the other....then he asked of Eifion. "You should know. Did you not explain us to this....Human?"

'Yes.....after a fashion....however.....This is a human of a different sort...not born of this realm...but of Mundanie and more so he is the Grandson of that most auspicious hero Wilf Chyme. That is why I did not press the issue of staying in past your hour of waking. You may well wish to meet this Grandson of our Hero." Eifion replied instructively....with his fingers crossed. Gargoyles are notoriously poor tempered even with heroes and Grandsons of Heroes.

The two Gargoyles turned to face each other....conversing in a language none could understand except creatures made of stone....which are actually quite numerous in Majixland.

After a few minutes they spread their wings and glided down to land in the street facing the midnight intruders.

"I am Grunfedol. Captain of the Gargoyle Guard. We protect this city by night. This is my Second, Andringal. We forgive you your rudeness Timothy Chyme...not because of what the Cavalier said but because we have learned that Majixland is once again in need of a Mundanie Hero....and we are charged to advise you to go to Palisade City." (Sometimes called a Stake wall or a Paling which is typically a fence or wall made from wooden stakes or tree trunks and used as a defensive structure or enclosure.) "The King of Majixland is waiting for you. I am afraid what your Grandfather fixed has been....well......unfixed.....by another Mundanie....an unlooked for and unwelcomed Mundanie who is wreaking havoc throughout the realm."

"It seems my journey has taken on a whole new perspective and a very dark one." Said Timothy.....Then he asked..... "Who is the interloper?"

"I am afraid you will have to ask the King." Said Grunfedol.

"Then I suppose we should set out for Palisade City as soon as possible. This very night I should think." Timothy responded contemplatively.

"And I Andringal will take up the journey with you.....as I did when your Grandfather disgorged the Fell-beast from its lair....in the first war of Majixland."

"First war....You mean this could be the second war?" Asked Timothy.

"Could be....nonsense....undoubtedly would be far more accurate. Whenever unwelcomed Mundanie try to over-throw Majixland a ware is a certainty." Answered Andringal.

"How would you travel by day?" Timothy queried.

"We sleep by day....usually, but under given circumstances....such as now....we can function by day as well as any." Grunfedol responded indignantly. "You Mundanie's really are dense between the ears." He grumbled.

"Yes well.....if we are to get a start we should get started." Eifion interceded. "Palisade City is a five day march from here....if we don't dilly dally along the way or something does not interfere with our progress."

"We will prepare and meet back here in two hours." Timothy instructed....taking command of the expedition.

"Now we are three." Said Eifion. The odds grow in our favour....especially since our third is a Gargoyle who are legendary warriors in a battle.....Very hard to kill since they are made of stone....living stone but stone nonetheless."

"If we are moving toward war we will need more than three soldiers Cavalier." Timothy replied sullenly. Then he said. "Grandfather told me stories about the First Majixland War but I always thought they were just stories. Now here I am writing my own tales.....for whom.....maybe a son or grandson....or maybe no one if I do not survive."

"Be of good cheer and hope Mundanie. Do not defeat yourself before you are even on the road....because it is always a good chance your road is the road to victory." Replied the Groundhog.

Andringal was waiting as planned clad in armour and weapons....a sword and a crossbow. He was as grim looking as Timothy had ever seen someone looking grim.....and dangerous. He was glad in that moment Andringal was a friend and not an enemy.

"Very well my worthy companions. Let us be off and pause only when we cannot take another step....or flap a wing one more time." Timothy ordered cheerfully.

"I will walk and save my energy for flying for a time that it is needed."

"And look skyward Timothy. We are four. She has decided to join us on this expedition." Eifion directed.

Timothy looked up. Circling against the star filled moonless sky was the Qilin. Then a moment later she swooped down and in a mystical transformation she stood next to Timothy as human as he and as beautiful a girl a Timothy had ever seen. She said in a soft, musical voice..... "I see in your eyes those of your Grandfather....a true creature even though he was Mundanie."

And so they....the four companions set off for Palisade City to visit the King and.....well.....sometimes not all things are bright and cheer.......or go the way one wishes things to go.

The first day's march went along delightfully uneventful....at least in those first early morning hours then while the sun shone a bright gold in the azure sky. The company had only allowed themselves a few brief rest periods so by sunset they were bone weary and ready for a good...log rest....at least until midnight....everyone except Andringal who seemed to have managed plenty of rest while marching...his mind lost in some form of sleep peculiar to his kind. So when the others were ready to sleep he was waking and took the post of guard...which as you will discover was a very....very good thing because the uneventful day did not continue into night.

Luanna curl up near the fire...her human body unused to the open air of night. Timothy was at the edge of the fire light stretched out in his bed roll and using his back pack for a pillow. Eifion had dug a small hollow to bed down in and Andringal had found a branch high in an old oak to keep watch from.

The air was still and silent......

Some of the most treacherous creature of myth and lore are small....but by no means weak.

A sound. A scuffling...like footsteps in gravel drew Andringal's attention. It was faint and far off....on the very edge of the Gargoyle's acute hearing. It was a sound he had heard before and a tingle of alarm went up his spine.

"Wake up." He warned in his gravelly voice. "A troop of Stonemen approaches. It cannot mean anything good. In the first war they hired themselves out to the enemy of Majixland and served as the main fighting force. It seems they have come down from their mountain caves and are abroad again."

Timothy was on his feet in a flash...already wide awake having not being able to find sleep.

"Stonemen....By that you mean Trolls."

"Yes....but a smaller version and far more vicious than trolls."

"Are they coming for us"? Timothy asked cautiously.

"I suspect they are searching for us....but I do not think they have found our company yet. If they had they would be moving much faster and more in our direction." The Gargoyle replied. "I think we should move on now. If the horde catches us we are most certainly doomed." He advised.

But the words had barely faded from his lips when a screech resounded across the night sky that even Timothy recognized as dangerous.....

Andringal spun about abruptly. "We must hurry....The Stonemen have been warned of our presence and most likely our location. That screech came from a Darkingbird....companions of the Stonemen. The will double their pace now."

Luanna slipped into the dark of night and a moment later the Qilin was aloft and a moment after that the screech of the Darkingbird was last in a blast of blue/red flame.

"Run!!!" Cried the Qilin who then swept down and quick took up Eifion on her back then veered north to scout the way ahead.

"Do not stop. Do not rest." The cavalier's voice faded into the night.

Andringal and Timothy set off once again....following the northerly road 30 paces at a trot....30 paces at a walk...

The miles and hours blurred by....at first in hope but then when the Qilin returned and Eifion rejoined the company he told them that the Stonemen were gaining on them quickly and before the next nightfall it would come to a fight....30 against 4...the only bright light being that the Qilin was worth all her companions and more in a fight. The bad news was, swords and bows were of little to no use against these dwarfed Trolls, unless you could take out their eyes....which was unlikely. The only weapon that was of much use was a stone-crusher which only Eifion possessed. Of course there was the Qilin who could do a good deal of damage to any creature....which would have proved good....but after another scouting flight she reported that another band of a hundred or more Stonemen were in approach from the northeast and would intercept the company almost at the same time as those coming from the southeast.

The Qilin descended to the earth and in a swirl of light transformed into Luanna. She joined the others and said...."There is a way out of this.....at least enough to gain us some time. I could carry Timothy for an hour...in flight....and Andringal could carry Eifion. If we were to fly northwest then we would have some distance between us and the Stonemen....and hopefully they would lose our location....I have seen no more Darking Birds in my sojourns."

It was considered by all a good plan and may have worked but just as the decision was made the whole plan was made useless for out of the darkness came a horde.....as nasty as nasty can be. Some might have called it a swarm...but whatever name it was called the giant Praying Mantis were hunting......and they could fly.

"We are doomed." The Gargoyle screamed. "These creatures have only the very basic survival instincts....eat and reproduce."

"Great....Eaten alive by bugs. I find this....." Timothy was saying when suddenly he felt something grab his arm. Without looking he drew his sword and lashed out.....a lucky blow lopping off the head of a large green mantis....as big as an eagle. Then another came right behind it and knocked Timothy to the ground......

And if that was not enough Luanna who was now the Qilin cried out a warning that the Stonemen were closing in.....All of them.

Like it was told....you cannot reason with an insect....no matter how small....or....big it is....but they can be tricked and sometimes running toward danger has its merits.

"Follow me." Timothy commanded as he turned toward the oncoming Stonemen but not exactly running straight at them. It was more like charging the space between them as they approached from the north east and south east.....I am sure you can see the merit in this desperate plan....and the folly if it failed...which it did not do....however the plan did not go exactly the way Timothy hoped. Still.....In the finally throw of the dice it worked out.....more or less.

What happened was what Timothy hoped. When the Stonemen met the swarm of giant praying mantis there occurred an incredible battle that took all the attention away from the company.....and that gave them time to put some distance between them and the battle....which Timothy thought would go on for some time.....But things don't always work out....as you probably well know from your own experiences in life.

It was only a matter of twenty or so minutes before the Stonemen decimated the Mantis because...even the jaws of the giant praying mantis is a match for the rock hard skin of the Stonemen.

So...Before the company could get any good distance away...The Stonemen were in hot pursuit of their quarry once again.

The night wore out and dawn etched a white/gold line across the eastern horizon. The company....who had been running now for three hours was quickly slowing to little more than a weary jog.

And the Stonemen were coming on tirelessly.

"If we run ourselves ragged we stand no hope at all of defending our selves." Said Timothy as he slowed to a halt. "Can we not try the first plan and let our winged companions take us away....at least put some distance between us?"

"I am weary beyond reckoning but I will try." Said Luanna.

"Yes. We could but I too am weary...." the Gargoyle was saying when an enormous harangue reached them.

"What is it?" Timothy cried out.

A cloud of dust to the north rose skyward.

"More trouble I suppose." Timothy added sarcastically.

Andringal took to his wings and rose aloft quickly....flying in the direction of the dust cloud. Only a few minutes later he returned with cheer in his voice.

"We may face battle this day but we will not be alone." He announced. A cavalry of mounted Cavaliers is coming.....Your comrades Eifion....They ride Centaurs and like all Cavaliers the bear Stone-crushers. I count thirty....but that will make sixty fighters...as well as us four. A great battle will be had and I am sure we will rise victorious from the melee'."

"But where have they come from and how did they know our plight?" Timothy asked excitedly.

"We shall ask when this is done. In the meantime my Mundanie friend just accept the boon and prepare for battle. I have a spare Stone-crusher.' Said Eifion then handed Timothy a short handled sledge hammer.

And a cloud of dust rose in the western sky.

*********

Have you ever had to wait for something horrendous to happen....inevitable but seemingly taking forever to get at it and get it over.......and......your life is at stake.

Probably not and you must believe you never want to experience it....especially when you are far away from home....in a world you don't know or even understand....but you cannot escape because you are not entirely certain how you got there.

I mention all this because I wanted you to have some understanding of how Timothy Chyme felt as he waited to engage in battle....waiting to live....or....not.....

*******

Timothy took the Stone-crusher in both hands and swung it freely. He never realized how much a ten pound block of iron attached to the end of a 2 foot stick could weigh. He tested it on a rock about the size of a man's head. The weapon crushed the rock to bits and pieces.

It frightened Timothy as he wondered if he could do such a thing to a living being....even a malevolent one.

He was minutes from finding the answer.

The Cavalry to the north began to take form and in the east the vague shapes of living rock resembling a rounded form of human thundered ever closer by the minute and it would only be a short time before the clash of weapons filled the air.

It was good fortune that the Cavalry of Cavaliers and Centaurs arrived first......announcing that the King's Watcher had seen this foray but.... "We were not aware that treachery was so close at hand....Otherwise we would have come sooner." Said the Captain...who then added.... "Nonetheless we are here now and we shall fight the good fight all the way to victory." And as the Captains words faded his companion.....the Centaur turned toward the oncoming horde.

And they advanced.....Stone-crushers at the ready. Timothy and company followed close behind.

Their fate was unpredictable....They were still out-numbered.

Luanna took to the and for the first time Timothy saw her fire.....a fire that would melt iron.....and....stone.....or anything else that got in its range.

*****

"Who won the battle on the Plains of Abraham?.... Timothy Chyme.......Timothy.....Chyme....Are you paying attention?"

Mrs. White's angry tone crashed into Timothy thought and startled him back to the class room.

Mrs. White was already to scold him for daydreaming........again.....but he stood and answered the question.

"The Battle of the Plains of Abraham fought on the 13th day of September 1759 was an important moment in the seven years' war and in Canadian history. A British invasion force led by General James Wolfe defeated French troops under the Marquis de Montcalm, leading to the surrender of Québec to the British."

Astonished Mrs. White replied. "Correct young man but I know you were not completely attentive. Just what were you thinking about....besides history....

Timothy Chyme smiled devilishly and answered as honestly as he could...."Ma'am...You would not believe me if I told you so it is best I keep it too myself." Then he retook his seat and waited for the repercussions of his insolence...which never came.....Mrs. White just stood there string menacingly at him for a moment then turned away and went on with the class.

If you did not get it....Timothy essentially....however politely it seemed....told the teacher to shut up and mind her own business.....in a diplomatic way that is.....sort of.....

Timothy turned his head and let his thoughts follow his gaze out the window. The mundane world faded and once again he was back in Majixland.....on the brink of battle.....

What do you want to know.....the horrors of battle.....the blood and guts of it.....loping of heads.....severing of.....well.....it was all there and fortunately it was all on the Stonemen. Except for a few cuts and bruises and a broken finger the Cavaliers and Centaurs and the company came out the end of the battle almost unscathed....Dust and rubble was all that was left of the Stonemen Horde...

If there was a back-lash to the battle of note....they were weary.....and hungry.....and thirsty....and not looking forward to continuing their march to Palisade....not would the Centaurs consider carrying any one on their backs save the cavaliers. So after a bite of food and drink and an hours rest the company moved on north....their pace fitting their fatigued bodies.

And the afternoon faded to evening and the evening on to a star lighted night with a bright full moon. Finally the company....It was Timothy who made the decision....decided to stop and rest.

"I am too bone weary and foot sore to take another step and I long for a good meal in my belly." Said Timothy Chyme as he came to a halt and let himself fall to his knees and roll out of his back pack. "I am sure we all could use some food and a rest until midnight would do us all good.....and the march would go faster than a snail's speed."

No one argued...not even Luanne who needed the least rest of all for even she was feeling the drain of endless hours....battles and an empty belly....She flew off to find her own food.

"And what do we find here. A lazy troop in desperate times." The voice came just as the company was snuggling in for an hour or two of sleep..... "And no guard set."

Timothy recognized the voice and lazily climbed from his bedroll to greet the visitor. "It was not you who did battle today or marched five leagues since the fights end old Hobo." His voice was not unfriendly but it carried a hint of sternness in its quality.

Strebor Nod laughed heartily then bowed his head and replied. "I have heard of your troubles friend Chyme. And there is no doubt that you are weary but I come to offer fair warning that something very....very dark and dangerous is coming this way. Even now it sit on the edge of dawn....not many days from this. The sooner you get to visit the king the better. I suggest you do not remain long in your lazy mood.....That is all...." Said the old Hobo....Then he turned and walked away....fading into the darkness of night.

"He has never been a bearer of good news or good hope....but he never has spoken of doom and that doom not come as he warned. I believe we should push on....weary or not." Eifion's voice filtered into Timothy's thoughts of defiance.

"Very well....let us pack up and march on.....We cannot be all that far from Palisade City." Timothy relented.

"We are near indeed....but a day and a half." The Cavalier agreed.

So long before midnight and with only a short rest the company gathered their belongings and set out at a steady pace northward.....silently.....

The mood was sullen until Eifion began whistling.....as only a ground-hog cavalier can whistle.....a cheerful marching tune that fit some lyrics Timothy had learned from his Grandad Will.....

"The ants go marching one by one hoorah...Hoorah"

Soon they were all in on it.....out of tune but well in beat of the march....hoorah.....hoorah.

And the sun came full and golden over the eastern horizon. The company spied a glint far to the north....a glint as golden as the sun.

"That would be the spire of Palisade City." Luanna announced. If we keep our pace and nothing more comes to hinder our passing we should be there not long after midnight......an hour or two.....or less if we hurry along.....just a little quicker."

"Going faster is out of the question.....I for one need a rest....even if it is only for an hour......or two." Timothy complained.

"Yes....you would....I forget that you are Mundanie and do not have our stamina." Luanna replied with a teasing quality in her voice.

Timothy almost fell for the taunt but instead he grinned....shrugged his shoulder.....slushed off his back-pack and quickly laid down in his bed roll. He was asleep in the time it took to take a couple of breaths. The others stood there staring at their fearless leader for several minutes then realizing he was really asleep they set about other business.

"Mundanies....sometimes I wonder how they survive." Andringal muttered amusedly.

*****

Timothy Chyme checked his stride just before stepping off the edge of a precipice. He should have been afraid or at least startled....but he was neither.....It was like this was exactly what was supposed to happen at that very moment.

He gaze whimsically at vast sea that stretched out from the base of the cliff and in the distance....dancing on curling...white capped waves were dolphins....riding on their tails.

"Beautiful are they not?" It was the voice of his teacher Mrs. White.

"What are you doing here?" Timothy asked....miffed at the intrusion. "This is my place....my dream and you are not welcome....you belong in the class room."

"I am your teacher Timothy and believe it or not I understand the world you see outside the window. I only want what is best for you and your imagination. I will see you in Majixland very soon.....but when you see me you may not recognize who I am."

Mrs. White blinked out.....

"What does that mean? I don't understand." Timothy shouted but no answer came from his teacher. Instead Will Chyme appeared and looked at Timothy through his warm blue eyes.

"My Grandson. Nothing that happens in Majixland happens by chance.....nor is it fore told. It happens as you see it.....and that includes all things good and all things bad."

"Does that mean I make it up as I go Grampa?"

"Not exactly Timothy. Thoughts you have are translated into your journey. If you have a good thought....good things may happen.....If you have a bad thought....Bad things may happen.....but there is always that random thought that is neither.... good ...or bad. Still it its effects can be monumental."

Will Chyme faded away. Timothy was staring out across the sea again.......

"Hey. Timothy Chyme. You cannot sleep forever. We must be off. Our journey is not yet over."

Eifion stood over Timothy shaking him with his clawed foot.

"Yes. Now we must hurry. We are standing on a precipice....looking out over the sea over time. We must........"

Timothy did not finish. He jumped to his feet....collected his belongings and took up a quick march.

Palisade City. It was nothing like Timothy expected. It was exactly as the dictionary described Palisade..... A palisade is sometimes called a stake wall or a paling and is typically a fence or wall made from wooden stakes or tree trunks and used as a defensive structure or enclosure.

In this case Palisade City's fortification was made of tree stumps beautifully carved into magnificent creatures from the world of myth and magic and the gate was made of polished iron hung on iron wood post figures of Cavaliers mounted on Centaurs.....and as was so common in Majixland much of the display was gilded in silver....helms....shields.....weapons in hand.....leaves on the trees and in the back-ground towering over the city was a silver gilded spire that rose out of a palace that made the best of Mundanie Places look dwarfed and diminished. But most magnificent of all was ornament at the peak of the spire.....A great, white, horned owl with eyes of amber and talons of ....yes....silver. It seemed to watch everything as its head turned about...first to the left and then to the right.

The gates opened and heralding trumpets sounded welcoming Timothy Chyme and company. And the street leading to the steps ascending the palace entrance was lined with people....and creatures of a nature Timothy was in awe of......elves, dwarves, leprechauns, Brownies, Dryads....too many to list them all.

And the street approaching the palace steps were made of silver....specked with sapphire, emerald and amber......and if it was old it was not worn....in fact it appeared never to have been used.

Timothy was smiling but he said to Eifion. "This is all very....very beautiful and wonderful. I feel welcomed.....However I also feel a strong reverberance....Timothy made up his own word to fit..... Of apprehension.....like the unwilling cow entering an abattoir.

"Given the reason you have come to Majixland I can understand. But it will not be all bad I am sure......" The Cavalier replied though there was less than absolute confidence resting in the quality of his tone.

At the head of the steps stood the King......not at all looking regal.....but like a Hobo straight out of a photograph Timothy's Grandfather had shown him once a long time ago. "Remember this man Timothy. One day he will become very important in your life."

'"King Albert. Grandfather was right." Timothy said when he stood before the Regent of Majixland. Instead of a bow he offered a handshake.....the secret handshake of the hobos of the dirty thirties.

"Will was a great companion when the times were hard in Mundania. And when he came to our aid at the time of the first Majixland war he was and remains our greatest hero. I welcome you Timothy Chyme....Grandson of Will Chyme.

"It is a shame that my family only visits this marvellous kingdom when things are treacherous." Timothy replied.

Albert nodded his head and countered. It is a shame indeed but it happens that these treacherous times have a great deal to do with your family.....Majixland has a great deal to do with the Chyme family....and today you and I must decide what your Family is going to do about our current dilemma.....We are threaten by a Queen.......a very dark and evil Queen who believes what she is doing is for the best of all who dwell in this land.

Now.....until next time......see you in a month or so....

Brahahahaha.

8Tm8 A�Z �

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