ENES: World of Magic II

[Erik Mesoy]

From: Lokianica
To: House Leonhard
We request your protection from the undead hordes. We are but simple farmers; if you will protect us and allow us to flee to your lands, we will till the fields for you and be your vassals.

 

[RoddyVR]

Minor footnote: It is now 45 years since the first update, so Czar Roddy must be a fairly old jolly grandfather. I suppose he just never let age apply to him. Remember, the planet's energy responds to human minds and their strongest emotions - the Roddynans' fears of losing their technology led to the Orc attacks both at the beginning and now that you're entering a new age. If Czar Roddy is obsessing over how much he doesn't understand and how much more he has to do in his life, he might simply not be aging.

na, i think this may be his last turn... he's aging normal like, and will die soon. when i first started playing this game i thought about making him live a realy long life... but now i'm sure i wont go that route... with all the gods and so on around, i dont feel that another imortal is neccessary... plus, what's the point of describing in the nation description how the government changes rulers, if they never change.

 

[Azash]

When is the deadline?

 

[Erik Mesoy]

The "would be nice" time is Sunday afternoon. Get your orders in by then and you will have happy random events and unicorns will visit your people. Maybe I'll even do an update Monday if I get enough orders.
The strict deadline is Thursday.

Not that I know what's keeping you from sending orders right now...

 

[Azash]

Planning, ofc

EDIT: It will be three lines as usual, I think, though

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Nekros, Lord of Death, held out his bony hand. Dark energies swirled around it, enveloping one fallen Bersian soldier, panting close to death.

The lich quietly thought of how, in a way, he was saving the man from death... Nekros' skeletal face may have grinned, but it was difficult to tell.

Nekros was not wandering around his victorious battlefield for no reason, or even the simple reason of rising intact corpses. His sights were set on something much greater.

Striding into the smoking remains of the palace, Nekros probed into his past. It had been so long ago that he had once been a citizen of Bersia... they had banished him for his dabblings in necromancy. Nekros suddenly let out a laugh. At his feet, head smashed on the floor, was the body of his old master, Lokosh. The very man who had ordered his banishment.

"Ahh, it has been a long time, has it not, master?"

The corpse, naturally, gave no response. Nekros raised his hands, feeling the dark energies of death permeating him.

"Keeping your mind would be too good for you, old man. You could have come with me years ago, accepted me, and your precious nation would still be standing, united under the hands of Nekros, the greatest necromancer to ever walk on the face of the earth!"

Nekros calmed for a moment, then completed a plan in his mind...

"Maybe I shall not kill your mind, my master."

The dark energies swirling around the lich poured into the body of Lokosh. With a start, the man jumped off the ground. The back portion of his skull slid off and fell with a wet sound back to the floor. The old wizard's eyes widened.

"You..." he coughed.

"Ah, you recognize me." said Nekros smugly.

"No in face, lich, but I feel the same stench of evil, darkness and corruption that always hung around my apprentice, Daresh."

"Daresh is no more. He killed himself in the swamps of Duskmist decades ago. All that remains of him are memories. Nekros, is now!"

"Fool, you still think like the headstrong child you always were. Not even with the most powerful magic can you conquer the world!"

"Is that a challenge? Besides, even if I cannot conquer the world, I can content myself with... smaller things."

With that, Nekros unblocked the pain receptors in his old master's brain. The man screamed horribly, shuddering and reaching to the back of his head to feel some crushed brain. Suddenly, the pain stopped.

"Now," said Nekros, "I really have no time for games. I have quite enjoyed this talk, but I have a policy for slain magi. You will be raised, like the rest, and mindlessly obey my will. But... for an old friend I don't think I could do that."

Nekros magically probed into the mind of Lokosh. Parts were shut off, parts were corrupted, and parts were enslaved to his control. The lich took a look at the now paralyzed wizard.

"Can you hear me?"

"Yes I can, you-"

"Good." Nekros shut off control over the rest of his old master, the man's mouth.

There now appeared to be nothing left but a zombie. But Nekros could feel the mind of the wizard, crying out at his imprisonment.

"Back to the horde, slave."

The former wizard walked stiffly out of the room.

"Now, where was I..." thought Nekros aloud.

His search, the reason why he had been here, until the coincidence of finding his own master.

There was a great man in here, a fallen defender of Bersia. Nekros remembered the name that the Bersians defending the walls of their capital had been shouting: Khorshad.

A brilliant tactician and a skilled mage, one who had caused significant casualties to the undead.

A man who was worthy of lichhood.

Nekros walked further into the palace, towards the throne room where the Bersians had made their last stand. He began to ponder the words of his old master.

Deresh.

He had not heard that name for decades. It brought back memories, the memories of what was wrong with mortality... a brutal father, dead mother... how he had been so overjoyed to go to the academy in Berseopolis, when he had first met Lokosh... a twinge of conscience hit Nekros, and the thoughts were brushed away.

Focusing his attention back on the door ahead, Nekros magically exploded the doors from their hinges, walking in through the dust. Two Bersian necromancers who had pledged allegiance to him some time ago were present, raising the corpses of the countless fallen.

"Stop." Commanded Nekros. He scanned the room-

"There he is!"

Nekros strode towards a body lying at the decapitated king's feet. He was strongly built, with dark stubble and strong features. Perhaps the stereotypical warrior. At the fallen man's hand was the broken shaft of his great battle-axe. Nekros gazed at the mans torso, to see that he was partially disemboweled.

"Perfect, no structural damage."

"Khorshad, my enemy, you have put up an excellent fight. Such skill deserves reward."

Nekros began concentrating. This was only his second time raising a lich, and the first time Lerkal had been willing to join the undead. This man would not.

Dark energies swarmed throughout the room, wrapping themselves around the form of Khorshad and lifting him into the air. Nekros felt into his mind. There was little he had to change. He felt one part of the Bersian's mind. That was it.

Loyalty.

Nekros felt an image of the King of Bersia. With all of his will, he wrenched it away from the fallen King, and to the great lich. With this done, he began to bind this loyalty with layer upon layer of magic.

After several minutes passed, it was complete. The lich Khorshad fell to the floor. Slowly, he rose, still clutching the shaft of his broken axe.

"That will not do. Khorshad, give me your weapon."

The Bersian handed over the shaft, Nekros raised the blade.

Focusing again, the Lord of Death guided the two fragments together. With a buzzing of magic, they fused. Darkness strengthened the blade. An orb at the top of the axe faded from brilliant silver to a corrupted indigo.

"Who do you serve, Khorshad?"

"You, Lord of the Dead."

"Excellent. I have much work for you..."

*****

Erik, do you have my old orders?

 

[Erik Mesoy]

I *had* your old orders. They are stored digitally.

Important Notice - my laptop where I store everything just broke. It will intermittently fail to reboot, or COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY freeze while I am using it. OS makes no difference - it fails in WIndows, Ubuntu, LiveCD Knoppix, and it's even managed to freeze the bleeping BIOS before that finishes loading! Sometimes, it will blink the CapsLock light at me ten times when I press the power button, and do nothing else.

I think I will try to get it covered under warranty, because this really really shouldn't be happening. Norwegian law guarantees a five-year warranty that retailers can't make you sign away.

So. I don't have access to old orders, nor to a good editing program, nor to most of my data. But in the worst case, I will edit the map with Paint from a completely different computer, and thou shalt have the update nevertheless, although it may be rough.

PS to Iggy: The Bersian palace is still holding out. No last stand has been made yet. You know from interrogating the dead that the King's courtyard in there, which used to have magical fountains and an ornamental garden, has been retooled to provide food and water. There's a great bell, enchanted so that its ringing produces disruptive vibrations when struck, literally sloughing the remains of flesh off your zombies. The mages maintain force shields at the entrances most of the time, and so far the warriors have destroyed any skeletons that ran in when you managed to break through a shield. They're well trained and well armed, fighting against mindless undead, and they call the mages to reestablish the shield behind the undead, preventing both reinforcements and retreat. Challenges of single combat will be refused.

 

[TerrisH]

working on a Story and Orders now Erik. a bit image intinsive the story is.. oh, asnd Lord Iggy, Prepare to meet the Olympian Mistress of the Dead. fear her!

 

[Oruc]

Hey I remember Bersia, another one of those damn civil war things I was planning

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Good luck with that now! HAHAHA!!!

Okay, assume in my story I found Khorshad outside of the palace then...

 

[Contempt]

From: Lokianica
To: House Leonhard
We request your protection from the undead hordes. We are but simple farmers; if you will protect us and allow us to flee to your lands, we will till the fields for you and be your vassals.

We will protect you.

((NPC me please, gotta leave at 8 am tommorrow, and there's a lot of stuff to do before then))

 

[The Strategos]

Rather...unorthodox orders were sent. Please let me know if there is any problem with them.

 

[Erik Mesoy]

Contempt, it would be nice if you'd atleast sketch a battle plan.

Strategos, your unorthodox orders are cool. Expect reinforcements shortly.

 

[TerrisH]

Story Done, and ready to be posted as soon as photobucket comes back online so I can upload the 13 pictures needed for it. Preparing Orders should see them soon.

 

[jalapeno_dude]

lurker's comment: TerrisH, try using ImageShack instead.

 

[TerrisH]

nah, it was down for mainince. back up now. now, time for the Story.
----

Ah, young one, it is about time for you to learn of the gods and their duties... and why they are worth of our worship.

First is Zuse, God of Nature, and ruler of all he sees. Including us, young one. It is best you know this now, and respect him for all his might. While he prefers to exist up on his throne whenever he can, he watches us closely, and if we step out of line to far, he will punish us. If you see him in form, immediately get on your knees and pray to him, for you are only worthy to look upon him if he says so.

Next we have Hera, Zuses wife to be, though he has yet to realize this. A true wonder to behold, she is the Goddess of Love and Family. She protects all ties of love, be they woman to man, friend to friend , or parent to child. She often gives boons those who express their love truly and in sincere ways. So try to always to be true to your heart.

This is Neptune, Goddess of the Sea. She is the most beautiful of the Goddesses, and possibly the most gentle. If you ever travel near the sea, or embark on a voyage across the sea, be sure to offer her a prayer. For while she may be gentle most of the time, when she gives into her anger, woe be any who are in her way. She is also known for the fact that she fell in love with a mortal, and granted him immortality so he could be with her forever.

Ares, the God of War. The most feared of the Gods. Often seen at the front of battles, he personally leads our troops in all our wars, and is responsible for their training. Personally, I would recommend that you don't join the army. He is just not a nice guy.

Aphrodite, the most public figure of our pantheon. Mother of Hermes, Wife of Hephaestus. Goddess of Marriage, and of Justice. Each morning, she opens the doors of the Tower, and read the list of newly married couples, extending her blessing to them. Then, allowing the various mortals who have come to see her into the court of the gods, she hear the official requests of the people, passing those she deems worthy onto the other gods. And in the cases those pleas are for a case of judgment of a crime, she will judge, then deal immediate retribution for the crime, or if the one accused is innocent of the crime, punishment upon the accuser. Eventually, the day ends, and her husband closes the doors of the Tower.

Hephaestus, Husband of Aphrodite, Father of Hermes. Protector of the Tower, Master of the Forge, Holder of the Keys to the Cornucopia. Everyday, he surveys the Tower along with his Apprentice Kei, correcting any imperfection, and polishing it to a dazzling shine. By noon, the Tower is aglow from their work, shining brilliantly in the sun. They then retire to the forge deep below the towers base, crafting mysterious things, wondrous tools, and amazing creatures. One never knows what he will make next. And at the end of each day, he closes the door to the Tower.

Artemis, Mistress of the Heavens. Mysterious and solitary, she charts the heavens, and steers the stars. She rarely speaks, and watches the heavens from the top of the tower with her single red eye.

Eris, Goddess of Discord. Tthe strangest Of the goddesses, Nobody knows where she came from.. all that we know is that She is a spreader of chaos, and brings interesting Times where ever she Goes. if you encounter her, be wary, for She might do anything.

Arther, the Inventor. Quite mad, but also brilliant. He is constantly coming up with odd concepts and strange ways to make our lives better. Some work out, some do not. He is also said to be Lady Hades's father.

Hades, Mistress of the Dead. A kind and gentle soul, she personally greets every soul who dies and guides them to their proper place of rest. An easy task for her, since she can apparently split herself into as many forms as she wants, with out any detriments to herself. Recently, she has begun dating Hermes, and it warms our heart to see such love between the two.

Hermes, Messenger of the Gods. Born a few short years after the Ascension of the other gods, he is a friendly lad, always darting from place to place, delivering messages, boons, and Justice across the land at the bidding of the other gods. As quick as lighting itself, this is an easy feat for him. He is often seen with an aspect of Hades when he is seen, and the love between them is a truly warming sight.

Kei, Apprentice of Hephaestus, Husband of Neptune, and former mortal. Just a hundred years ago, Neptune fell in love with him, and they were soon married. Afraid to see him die, she granted him immortality with the permission of the other gods. And so, he came to live in the Tower. Soon, he became the Apprentice of Hephaestus, helping him with his works, and his power has slowly started to grow. Still, he is the weakest of the gods.

Orion, The Unknown. Some say he is the tower, other say he is the creator of the world. We really don't know. He is known as the Lost God, and nobody knows where he currently is.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

I'm going to be gone for the weekend.

Erik, if you update before I get back, NPC me temporarily. Keep the Bersian capital besieged, etc.

 

[Kozmos]

Eric if you are ging to update, if I havent sent orders please NPC me. You know expand, increase science, invest into my project.

 

[Azash]

The summoning chamber was once again bathed in crimson light, reflected by the few candles in the circle of blood drawn on the floor. Gathered around it was ta circle of the Pale Masters Erathal had called to join him in the ritual. On Erathal's sides stood semi-ethereal, semi-real necromantic projections of Naz'ghar and Rewan. Like all others, they were cloaked in modest style, in torn, night-black robes of silver stitching.

The circle mumbled in a choir the ancient language used for this ritual, a dialect of the speech of the Abyssal realms. Rising above their quiet, atonal song was the speech of Erathal, who scattered ashen bones and torn strips of flesh from sacrificial victims, the components magically guided to form perfectly shaped runes on the inside of the circle.​

The speech of Erathal finished, and the circle raised their voices to a growling chant as blackfire flowed out of Erathal's fingers, completing a hexagram inside the circle and consuming the reagents. As the choir's song drew to an end, the flames escalated, and Erathal now returned to his incantation.

The circle's members tensed, as the demon's name, Belarosh, was spoken and the creature suddenly stood in the middle of the circle. It hissed words in its foul language, and cursed in the common tongue as it found no error in the circle. The Pale Masters relaxed.​

"Do you know who I am, Erathal Denaranesth? Do you or any here understand what you have unleashed?" The demon bared its teeth, but snapped them shut as Erathal loosed a burst of lightning at it.

"I know who you are, demon, and I know that even alone you would be easily defeated. Now we are thirteen, and only for the sake of convenience are called forth. I charge you thus.." Erathal paused to consider his words once more. "..Seek out all those, whose residence is of Duskmist, who are plagueridden or undead. Slay them. Harm none other. Now go, and return upon your task's completion."​

The demon growled, but had no choice but to leave the circle, and melt into the shadows as it left the tower to fulfill its grim charge.

The Pale Masters bowed respectfully to Erathal, for they realized that this was a demon lord he had called forth, and understood that such power as this outsider possessed was found in few mortals.​

 

[Silver Steak]

Meh. I don't have any time for NESing, but I'd hate someone claiming Arkenaar.

Officially rejoining.