Tarkar Merek's Journal

[cypher132]

These are the journal entries of Anti-Sage Tarkar Merek, former apprentice of Dannmos, former Head Archiver of the Dural, Respected Scholar amongst those that know him. He was created for the Dural in Mega Story 1, but he fell out of the story. Still, he carries the unusual logic of his tutor, Dannmos. I'm posting one entry first and then see what kind of response I get.


"There is good and evil in each sphere of magic. Many people consider Death Mana to be evil, used only be the wicked. But what if a Death spell were merged with a Life spell? Does that not bring about the question of resurrection? Fire and Ice combine to become a ball of fire aided with the piercing spears of the ice. Even the religions have reason. The Ashen Veil, lords of Entropy and Death. The Order, pledged to ridding the land of evil. Chaos and Order. What if these two elements were combined. A system created for the use of "evil" magic as so many have called it."
-Tarkar Merek, Year 41 of Rebirth​

Edit: Please leave comments. If you have something negative to say, I guess say it in a nice, constructive way.
If you have some you want Tarkar Merek to speak of Erebus-wise, just say it in bold letters.

 

[Zugvogel]

This should be interesting

Please, worshipful sage, tell us of the Cult of Dragons.

 

[mimic]

So, what does the good sage have to say of the enigmatic Octopus Overlords?

 

[cypher132]

So, what does the good sage have to say of the enigmatic Octopus Overlords?

"The Octopus Overlords are by far and large unknown to the usual scholar. You would have to dig deep into the society of the Overlords, but by the time you get to that level, your mind is so addled that you wouldn't be reliable. I have seen ab Octopus Overlord village, Turlisa, working in perfect harmony with outside villages. I have seen trade caravans of the Bannor and the Elohim meet these openly Octopus villages and trade with them. The Turlisans even share their gospel with these priests in a calm manner, never doubting the validity of the other priests' beliefs. The Octupus Overlords may not be as bad as expected. Perhaps drowns are volunteers, perhaps they are merely criminals, that, instead of the death sentence and trying to find a place to bury them, they could simply turn them into a warrior to continue to serve their nation. If Order and Empyrean priests would expand their minds and their sense of "what could be" we could learn a lot from Turlisa."​

 

[cypher132]

This should be interesting

Please, worshipful sage, tell us of the Cult of Dragons.

So, what does the good sage have to say of the enigmatic Octopus Overlords?

"The Cult of the Dragons regularly have different agendas. Instead of worshiping the Gods they worship their creations, the Dragons. Some of the cults wish to resurrect these dragons. Many of the dragons are cruel and wicked, caring only for their own survival and contentment. There is but one dragon that is worthy of its resurrection. The Great Golden Dragon Eurabatres. If Eurabatres were to be resurrected, he could usher in a new era of peace and trade that could last centures. Alas, the Sheaim wish to bring back Abashi. If Abashi were to return, it could be the end of civilization as we know it. And if Eurabatres, Acheron, Drifa, and Abashi were to ever meet in combat, may the Gods help us."

"I spoke publicly with the people of Densmoore. I spoke of my ideas of death and life, of the combinations of magic. Many laughed, some threw stones. My head is still throbbing from an amazingly well-thrown stone. I spoke of resurrection, which brought boos and hisses from the crowd around me, not to mention the aforementioned stones. I tried to bring to their attention, what if one of our men fell in battle? Would he not be willing to be reanimated for a short time to exact some revenge upon his killers? If the Order and the Ashen Veil would sit and speak, have a civilized conversation, there is much progress we could make. However, it is more likely to devolve into conflict. I shall continue to try."​

 

[mimic]

Interesting, OK what can the sage tell us of the shadowy Sidar? or the vampiric aristocracy of the Calabim?

 

[cypher132]

"To be a Mortal in a Calabim society is a hard life. You will never gain the respect that even the lowliest vampire could achieve and you will likely die in battle or in obscurity. However, I had visited some Calabim towns. Most were as described above, but some had a different hierarchy. The Council of these towns were made up of Vampires and Mortals. From speaking with a Vampire, who identified himself as Valek, the town of Witcaga realized that Vampires can only do so much. Being alive for so long, their emotions dwindled, they may have a God-complex, and, in rare scenarios, can become blind with insanity for living for so long. The Vampires of Witcaga realized that they would need emotions and the much-needed "flight reflex." Just as the Overlord worshipers of Turlisa realize that everyone has a right to their own religion, the Calabim Vampires may someday realize that Vampires and Mortals can someday be equal."

"The Sidar are elusive, but I did learn much from my various conversations with former Sidar High Chancellor Votakara. The warriors train day and night, or whenever they get up. They are required to train 10 hours a day. six by day, four by night so as to accustom themselves to fighting with little to no light. The government is made up of one High Chancellor and seven advisors. Legends say this came about from the earliest, and even lesser known, record of the Sidar. Eight men were ostracized from their villages and met at the same time in the same place by chance. Believing this to be fate, they named themselves the Sidar and began to accumulate followers. One of the Eight was chosen as the leader, or High Chancellor, and the Sidar were able to grow into an influential nation."​

 

[mimic]

Awesome

 

[cypher132]

From here, most of Tarkar's entries had a title to it, perhaps in plans to make a new book.

Spirit Magic

"Spirit magic is by far a neutral power. Giving hope to the Bannor could be considered a good act, an act that will help the good conquer over the dark. Give spirit to a farmer and he is sure to work harder, faster, and more efficient than before. Give spirit to a pregnant woman and her chances of having a strong child grow as she truly believes her baby will be a hero. However, what if the spirit could be given to the dark. If spirit is given to the mages of the Sheaim, they could become more ambitious with their studies, bringing the end of Erebus earlier than predicted. Spirit can also be used on soldiers whose morale is beginning to slip. However, this can make Spirit magic very dangerous on the battlefield, especially when a spirited 6 foot Doviello Berserker is charging at you swinging the body of your former comrade."​

 

[MagisterCultuum]

Vampires are by no means unemotional beings. The Sidar loose their passion as they consume their own souls, but Vampires instead gorge themselves on the souls of others. If anything they are left more emotional than mortals, especially when it comes to the basest emotions of lust, greed, vanity, and jealousy. They also definitely have a flight reflex, especially evident when they flee in terror from direct sunlight (which drains them of all their superhuman strengths and causes them serious pain but does not kill or even physically injure them more than it would a normal human). Vampires are subtle beings that prefer to hide and ensnare their prey rather than expose themselves. Their desire for self preservation is very close to cowardice. Human Bloodpets and Moroi in Calabim society are the brave ones trained not to flee their fears.

 

[cypher132]

Vampires are by no means unemotional beings. The Sidar loose their passion as they consume their own souls, but Vampires instead gorge themselves on the souls of others. If anything they are left more emotional than mortals, especially when it comes to the basest emotions of lust, greed, vanity, and jealousy. They also definitely have a flight reflex, especially evident when they flee in terror from direct sunlight (which drains them of all their superhuman strengths and causes them serious pain but does not kill or even physically injure them more than it would a normal human). Vampires are subtle beings that prefer to hide and ensnare their prey rather than expose themselves. Their desire for self preservation is very close to cowardice. Human Bloodpets and Moroi in Calabim society are the brave ones trained not to flee their fears.

Yes, well. These are insights from one man who studied a few of the villages. It's not like it's ALL canon. Still, I had a squealfit when I saw you posted in this thread.

 

[ornom0n]

Please, tell us about Balseraphs!

 

[cypher132]

Please, tell us about Balseraphs!

OOC: I'll do the best I can, but they are the Balseraphs, so forgive me if it's not exactly...Accurate. I might actually do three installments for the Balseraphs. I'll ponder it. Everyone else, keep giving me suggestions and remember to put it in bold so I can see it easily. Thanks to those that are participating so far.

 

[Jabie]

O Great Sage, I bring news of conspiracy. There are nations that our leaders fail to acknowledge. In some quarters, the mere mention of such "unofficial" nations is treated as blasphemy and such knowledge has been excised from the "official" history of Erebus. Please tell us more of life amongst the Palintate and the Mechanos?

 

[cypher132]

O Great Sage, I bring news of conspiracy. There are nations that our leaders fail to acknowledge. In some quarters, the mere mention of such "unofficial" nations is treated as blasphemy and such knowledge has been excised from the "official" history of Erebus. Please tell us more of life amongst the Palintate and the Mechanos?

(OOC: I'm not very familiar with those civs, but I'll do some research and get back to you on it. In return, I'll give you another excerpt that I hope will satisfy you until I'm done.)

The Wild Goblins
Part One

"The stink of Goblins is foul and the presence of one is alarming to any camp as there will be many more. After long research of these amazing creatures, I have discovered that they reproduce fast, mature quickly, and follow their leader's orders to the letter. If unchecked, Goblins could very well overwhelm the other nations and become the dominance species on the planet. Ironically, the one thing holding them back is the one thing that is attacking humanity, the barbarian Orcs. Without the Orcs to kill them for sport or eat them for dinner, Goblin numbers would surely explode."​

 

[cypher132]

Necronomicon

"There is an evil sea-bound book seeked by many a pirate and many a cultist. The pages within the book describe spells of drowning men and resurrecting their corpses as creatures I have repeatedly been heard referred to as "Drown." These creatures can walk on the bottom of the sea due to their heaviness, and due to being dead, there is no reason for air as the Drown could easily launch an unexpected beach attack. This book, called many names such as the Book of The Dead, Tome of the Seas, Scripture of the Old Ones, but it is best known as the Necronomicon. I have studied all I could find on this book and all I could find was information about Drowns. That's when I cam to an idea. What if soldiers were willing to become a drown instead of forcing villagers and slaves to succumb to the depths of the oceans? Surely, the power of the Old Ones can be put to good use."​

 

[Gaga1111]

Oh great sage would you enlighten me with your knowldege about the sheiam archmage Tebryn Arbandi

 

[cypher132]

Oh great sage would you enlighten me with your knowldege about the sheiam archmage Tebryn Arbandi

Tebryn Arbandi

"Tebryn Arbandi, leader of the Sheaim, is a very complex person. If you meet him, and it's highly recommended that you avoid such an encounter, you will see his outward anger and hatred of most things around him. If you speak with him, you will probably learn of his crusade to bring about Armageddon. What you won't learn is that he is doing so to avoid Hell. Fear is a basic emotion, part of our very instincts. Many could empathize with Tebryn over his fear of death and the Hell that awaits him. However, his actions far outweigh any possible empathetic emotion that most people would feel for him. His attacks on the Mazatl, the persecution of all things holy, and, of course, the attempt to bring about Armageddon. Many try to conquer him, but none have been 100% successful. When his capitol is destroyed, he moves on to another city and reinforces his army with demonic creatures and the bodies of the soldiers sent after him."​

 

[cypher132]

The Mechanos

I was able to spend some time in one of the Mechanos cities. All around me I saw machines of all kinds doing the work of men. Great axes chopped down trees and pick axes cut into the rock of the mountainside, extracting copper to be used in the creation of more machines. However, I also noticed a great many workers tending to these machines, keeping them operational. I also saw a few workers die in the process of doing their job. I can only imagine that the Mechanos created their own weakness, the need for men to keep the machines of war running. Their factories must take more lives than the simple machines tending the fields, causing a need for more men to work the machines.
I also saw the worship of the machine. Many of the houses contained some sort of symbol of the Ordo Machinarum. Conspicuous by their absence were religious symbols to the Gods. I soon learned that the Mechanos were atheistic, a dangerous choice in the face of the other God-revering nations around them. Due to the rejection of the Gods, there were no mages. Instead, they used a type of refined mana to charge their machines and keep them going. Their men wielded strange machines they called "mus-kits" that propelled a small iron ball at their enemies, causing a life-threatening wound without immediate attention.

The Mechanos grew weary of my presence at this point and escorted me out of the city. Obviously, there is much more to find out, so the exploration into the Mechanos is not over yet.​

 

[Zugvogel]

Since you spoke of mortality and afterlife(s): Could you tell us of the fearsome Immortals?