Topic: ~*Whom Gods Annoy*~
Subject: ~*Whom Gods Annoy*~
Twenty thousand years before this age, before even the first elves visited the continent, Jamara was the land of the gods. It was not the land it was today, for the gods were creative, and at times selfish, and shaped it according to their wants and desires. Scorching desert plains sat side by side by arctic tundra, thick forests by an open plain. Isles of fire sat in the center of great lakes, and some parts of the continent seemingly ceased to exist, their divine patron infusing them with such chaos that they were naught but an endless void, slowly sucking even the light and color out of their surroundings. The gods were more numerous then, numbering in the hundreds instead of the mere twenty-six that remain today, and each with the power of a legion of men. For millennia they lived in a sort of harmony, with nothing more than the occasional light quarrel between the most violently opposed among them.
But this was not to last…
The first signs of the conflict to come were subtle, barely even noticed by the wisest and most observant of the deities. Archanaloth, elder brother of Magnagoth and his teacher in the magic arts slowly began changing and expanding his domain. His once verdant green fields blackened gradually over a century, replaced by dark stone and forbidding fortifications. The once ivory walls of his citadel blackened as well, sprouting twisted minarets and elongated spikes.. Such transformations were common however, as without mortals for them to interact with deities commonly changed their desires and purpose when they tired of their former place. What was different about this one however was not the transformation of Archanaloth’s domain but the transformations it spawned among neighbouring deities. One by one their domains slowly became one with his, until it appeared as if fully a third of Jamara was his. Soon other deities became worrisome, but one by one those that spoke out against this expansion vanished, being lost from both the land and the memory of those that once knew them. By the time the others deities took heed of this it was already too late.
The attack came swift and brutal, with Archanaloth leading a force of allied deities and infinite legions of hellspawned demons against any who refused to acknowledge him as the master of all things. The deities closest to his domain were destroyed without a struggle, taken by surprise and mercilessly destroyed, their divine spark absorbed by Archanaloth to further increase his own power. The others deities scrambled to mount a defence, but by the time they had formed a cohesive alliance only a fraction of their original number remained.
Or all the deities left standing the only one to have not taken sides in the conflict was Magnagoth. While he had watched his brother devastate the balance he loved, killing some of his own closest friends, he could not bring himself to fight against his own kin. Archanaloth capitalised on this weakness, personally leading a legion of demons and deities against his brother’s domain. By now the war had taken its toll on both armies with less than one hundred gods remaining, of which half had thrown in their lot with Archanaloth, and this attack away from the main front was the moment the gods had waited for.
While Archanaloth busied himself overcoming his brother’s magical defences, Bultan, Carselt, Delila, and Ragnarok spearheaded a flank attack on the demon legions. Quickly they worked their way through the forces assembled Magnagoth’s keep, and although they lost some of their numbers, they were ultimately victorious, defeating the demon legions and destroying the divine energy of the other gods. By the time Archanaloth had penetrated into the heart of Magnagoth’s sanctum he was the only deity in his grand alliance left standing.
Trapped and outnumbered, Archanaloth turned his formidable power against those that sought to put a stop to his dark plans. So great was his power that he managed to fight the gods to a standstill, killing a handful but ultimately locking the combat in a stalemate. It was then that Magnagoth finally took action.
Still unwilling to fight his brother, yet wanting to stop the conflict, the mighty god of magic did the only thing he could. Taking advantage of his brother’s distracted and exhausted form, Magnagoth summoned all his magical reserves to cast his brother forever into a distant and warped plane. Unable to resist, Archanaloth was torn from the fabric of reality and bound to a twisted plane of madness.
His energy spent, Magnagoth was unable to complete the wards upon his brother’s return, and pleaded with the remaining gods to assist him. They consented, and through their collective will they forged impenetrable seals against not only Archanaloth, but any divine beings from entering Jamara. Their pride and arrogance had cost them greatly, and not one among them had a desire to remain on the now desolate plane. Their wards in place, they did all they could to return the continent to its former glory and creating new creatures to dwell upon it before departing to travel the planes.
But their magic was flawed…
Each had formed their wards from their own will, and as such their own will could break it. With twenty-six different wards in place, it would be impossible for one to return of his own accord, but should all of them desire it at once, such a thing should be possible. Determined that such an event would never occur the gods did nothing, and so it remained until this day.
Over the years this tale was repeated, changed slightly each time, until eventually, it was forgotten…
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Month of Light, Day 35, 2384
Approx. 2 Nautical Miles from Camatcha
The air was clear, the wind was strong and the sea was calm, an excellent day for sailing. The bow of The Saucy Wench cut through the surf swiftly and smoothly, much to the delight of its captain. He had business to attend to in Camatcha, and in this business time was almost literally money. They looked to be alright now though, not a cloud in the sky and his shipmate in the crow’s nest had just spied the port town off in the distance. An excellent trip indeed.
Below decks the rooms were dark, lit by small magical lanterns that produced no heat. The smell of tar and rotting wood was omnipresent, as were crewmen walking about and talking about how good it would be to see land for a while. Also in these dark rooms were five travellers who were not a part of the crew. They came from many different walks of life and it seemed they were united in nothing except that all of them had required passage on this ship to reach Camatcha, and from there the rest of the continent of Jamara.
Pacing back and forth in the small room was a medium height man whose slightly pointed ears called him out as a half-elf. His dark hair hung behind him in a ponytail, and his hand rested lightly on the hilt of a rapier resting in its scabbard at his side. Near him was a husky individual dressed for what one would guess would be a lengthy trip through the forest. A bow and quiver lie beside him.
Sitting off to the side, half concealed in the shadows is a feline humanoid wearing a dark robe and hood. Her tail hangs out the bottom of her robe, twitching side to side, probably unconsciously. Not far from her sits a female human, her well worn travelling gear and greatsword making up for her diminutive stature. Her brown hair is shoulder length and moves slightly as she surveys the room.
Across from the rest of the group are the last two individuals in the room. Relaxing casually in a chair is a charming young man probably in his early 30s. He wears finely wrought mithral armor and has both shield and crossbow sitting near him. Next to him is the oddest member of the group. With skin the color of new leaves, the sixth person in the room appears to be more tree than person. Her long twig-like ears hold up her long shockingly white hair that hangs down almost to the ground.
The silence in the room is soon brutally shattered however, by the sound of a bell ringing on deck. The loud clang is soon followed by the cry no one wants to hear while at sea; ”PIRATES SIGHTED OFF THE STARBOARD BOW! PREPARE TO PROTECT THE SHIP!”
(OOC: Ok, started. You may post now and do what you will. For those that know what I’m talking about, please do not light the ship on fire or kill a dolphin. Also, 3 pages in word…brain hurts.)
Posted on 2008-02-24 at 22:21:52.
Edited on 2008-03-02 at 14:32:30 by Grugg
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