IC TBA
Heroic Impulse
In the beginning there was nothing. No light, no dark, no colour, no sound, no space, no time, just nothingness. However, from this nothingness, through some unknown means, something came into existence. This something was creation. Time, space, light, dark, colour, sound, everything came into being. But it all existed in chaos, until through the chaos, the first being was born. This being would become known as Zenith, a being with no gender, and no known form. Zenith did not create, instead it took what came into being, and organized it. Slowly, the chaos of creation ceased, and everything fell into order. Through this order, many things came into existence, include the mortal world.
However, order must be maintained, else chaos rises. In order to keep creation from falling back into chaos, Zenith gave its life. From Zenith’s flesh, the first life came into being. From Zenith’s soul, the invisible forces that maintain reality came into being. From Zenith’s blood, magic came into being. Finally, from Zenith’s heart, the Three came into being. The Three were Zenith’s children, and would come to be considered the primal gods. While they all came into existence at the same time, they were not equal and would come to rule over different domains.
First there is Tivnia, who would become known as the Lord of the Light. He would be considered the holiest of the three, and ruled not only over light, but the Heavens and all things good. Unlike the other two, Tivnia is the only one who would maintain his physical form after the Sundering. Tivnia is credited with the creation of the Angels, who serve as his personal army, and the mortal races. Second there is Ijun, who would become known as The Sunderer. When he had his physical form, he could match Tivnia in terms of strength. But that form was lost during the Sundering, as his body was torn apart, and spread over long distances to prevent him from regaining his physical form. Even without a physical form, his influence would still be felt. He would eventually become considered the most demonic of the three, and is said to rule over darkness, the Dark Realm, and all things evil. Ijun would be credited with the creation of the Daemons, who served as his personal army.
Finally, there was the most powerful of the Three, the goddess Zodia. With power over time, space, and the forces that maintained reality, she would never be considered fully demonic, nor would she be considered fully holy, as she acted as the balance. Her physical form was lost during the Sundering, but unlike Ijun, whose body remains in the mortal world just in pieces, Zodia’s body was lost. She gave her body not to stop the Sundering, but prevent the mortal world from being forever lost, and maintaining it in its current form. However, one part of her body was said to remain, her heart. Unlike her brothers, who had their own personal armies, Zodia did not. Instead, she was credited with the creation of the only beings capable of naturally traveling from the Heavens to the Dark Realm, the Dragons.
However, the Three’s roles would only be solidified with a certain event, the Sundering. The Sundering happened before the mortal races existed, before the Dragons, and before any of the gods, the exception being the Three. The only intelligent beings that existed where the Three, Angels, and the Daemons. Many details surrounding the Sundering are unknown, as Tivnia refuses to go into too much detail, as it was a hard time for him. That said, it is not completely unknown, and the story goes like this.
Sometime after the birth of the Three, Ijun grew jealous of Tivnia, jealous of his rule over the Heavens. So, Ijun challenged his brother to a duel, where if he won, Tivnia would hand over Heaven, and he would give his brother command of the Dark Realm. And if he lost, Ijun swore to never bother his brother over the right to rule the Heavens, which came with the right to rule the mortal world. So, they fought, and Tivnia won. Despite losing, Ijun refused to keep his word, and returned to the Dark Realms, where he planned to overthrow Tivnia. So, he created his Daemons, and returned to challenge Tivnia. However, Tivnia knew his brother was creating the Daemons, and as such, he created his own army to fight against them, the Angels. The two brothers clashed once again, this time with an army aiding them. Once again, Ijun lost, and once again Ijun was disgraceful in defeat, this time he decided though that if he couldn’t win, he’d take the mortal world with him.
Focusing all his power, Ijun struck the mortal world, causing it to shatter. But there was a price to using all this strength, as Ijun’s body also shattered and flew off in all directions, as the fragmented pieces of the mortal world did so as well. Tivnia tried to stop Ijun, but was to late. So, Tivnia just watched and begged for help as the fragments of the mortal world, which would soon be known as Aeria, flew further and further apart. That was when Zodia arrived. She could not reverse what had happened, but she had the power to prevent the fragments of the mortal world from flying to far apart and away from the mortal world’s core, which remained intact.
So, Zodia descended to the burning core of the mortal world, ripped out her own heart, focused her power, and plunged her heart into the core. The molten core changed with the addition of the heart, as invisible chains erupted from the heart in all directions. These chains embedded themselves into each of the fragments of Aeria (and the Dark Realm), and prevented them from drifting too far apart from each other. It was then that Zodia’s body was said to transform into the barrier between the fragments that formed the new Dark Realm, and the fragments that formed the new mortal realm. This barrier can still be seen, though it takes the form of an endless cloud that is far to dangerous for most mortals to attempt to penetrate. Still in her body, Zodia’s blood changed and gave birth to the Dragons.
The Sundering took Tivnia’s siblings from him, and left him alone with the mortal realm, along with his Angels. After hundreds of years of loneliness, as the Angels made for poor company, Tivnia decided to do something about it. He created the races who would inhabit the mortal realm. With the creation of the mortal races, something unexpected happened. More gods started to appear as well. Tivnia was no longer alone, and eventually joined with these new god. Eventually the mortals stared to create their own nations, inventions, languages, but still appeared lost to Tivnia. So, Tivnia came to some mortals, and told them how they came to be, and what would become the dominant religion, The One Faith was born.
For many thousands of years, the world was dotted with many city-states, and kingdoms. Due to the fact that the “islands” of Aeria are drifting, and constantly moving at a decent speeds, maintaining the borders of large empires has nearly been impossible, but ambitious souls did try to found empires. Of course, some succeeded, and out of those who succeeded, they all fell before five years passed, with the average lifespan of empires at this time being a year, thus the term One Year Empires was used to describe empires of this time. However, that was until the creation of magic devices known as DAMS, or Dynamic Aeria Mapping Systems. With the creation of DAMS, nations could keep track of their territories, no matter how far apart they drifted. As such, empires could last much longer, thus ending the era of the One Year Empires.
Not many empires did rise however, as while DAMS made it easier to track ones territory, one still needed the resources to defend it. So, only the most powerful empires survived. Such as The Epostolis, an empire founded to serve Tivnia, spread The One Faith, and to enforce its doctrine. It is during this time of grand empires that our story begins, and it begins with a single mortal. A mortal who managed to not only pass into the Dark Realm, but return alive. Deep in the Dark Realm, he found it, the legendary Heart of Zodia. But unfortunately he could not obtain it, as it was sealed away, and in attempting to break the seals, the mortal lost his mind. But for the sanity that he lost, the mortal gained the knowledge of what was needed to break the seals.
This mortal was found by The Epostolis, and revealed the knowledge to them. Certain items where required, items that the mortal referred to as the 7 Keys of Truth. The mortal was unable to say what they were, or where they could be found. After the mortal told The Epostolis this, The Epostolis tried to prevent this knowledge from becoming public knowledge on the orders of Tivnia. But of course, knowledge of such items could never remain beyond the reach of the enemies and allies of the Epostolis for long, not to mention the general public.
Why so many people desired to find the 7 Keys was no secret, as if the legends were to be believed, then who ever controlled the Heart of Zodia would have the power to rule Aeria. So of course, many power hungry individuals and nations began searching for the 7 Keys. Of course, upon learning about all this, The Epostolis could not remain silent. So, using its influence it demanded that all other nations cease searching for the 7 Keys. Many backed down, at least publically, and others just scoffed at the Epostolis’ demands as they decided the risk was far lesser than the rewards. As such, The Epostolis was forced to act.
This is where our story begins. The Epostolis has gathered a team, be them mercenary or members of The Epostolis military, that they will send to gather the Keys and return the Keys to The Epostolis. Will this team find the Keys? Or will this team fail? The future is clouded, and the stage is set Aeria to change once again.
OP: Faal Lot Himdah
Co-OP:
The Grand Cathedral of Tivnia, Luxsancta, The Epostolis
Three Months Ago
Somewhere within the massive Grand Cathedral of Tivnia in the holy city of Luxsancta, in the holiest nation of The Epostolis, a single room could be found. The room had only one door, and within the room, everything that was expected for a bedchamber of a high ranked official of The Epostolis. The walls and ceiling were decorated with gold, elaborate designs and paintings depicting events through out the history of Aeria, or depicting divine beings, or of battles between the good and evil deities. The room was home to a rather large and fancy bed, along with equally fancy furniature that was expected. There however was only two chairs, both near the fireplace, with a person sitting in each.
"Down. Down. Down. Down." The maddened mortal explorer spoke as he remained curled up on the seat he found himself sitting in. His eyes never stayed focused on the same place for more than a few moments and his right hand constantly tapping his left shoulder. "The Heart beats. Below. Below. Below the clouds. Deeper down. Through the land untouched by light. Follow the path. The path daemons and angels do not travel. Follow the path of Zodia's children. For they know their mothers heart. But down. Down. Down. Deeper. Deeper. Deeper. Heart was found. Watched it beat. Ba dum. Ba dum. Ba dum. Beating in time with the flow of everything. Can see it. But can't reach it. Sealed away, beyond mortal reach, but still visible. Reach for it. Try to force the seal. Seal pushes back."
"What do you mean, seal pushes back?" The priest speaking to the maddened man asked.
"It called out. Ringing. The ringing. He still hears it. Up here." The explorer said as he now repeatedly tapped his head. "Its call summoned them. Two of them. Aryna and Ymari. She took his mind. For that was the punishment. But Ymir... he came not to bring punishment, but for the Heart. She took his mind, but he shared secrets. He shared secrets of fate."
"And these secrets of fate were?" The priest now asked
"Two secrets." The maddened explorer said, raising two fingers, "First he told him, how to break the seal. He told him seven keys were required. Seven keys of truth. Hidden for mortals to find. Light. Darkness. Life. Death. Order. Chaos. And finally, Time. Truth is in all of them... they are the keys of Truth. With all 7, the seal will break, and the Heart will be in reach of mortals... But not for him. He will never touch the Heart. For he doesn't know where the keys are. Not even Kyaris knows where to find them all."
"And what of the second secret of fate?" The priest spoke again.
"Second." The maddened mortal spoke, "Second. Second secret of fate. Yes. He was told to say this. Broken seal; Extant powers give rise to Elder powers; Heavens will fall and the unsullied world will rise to meet it. Order will fail, as Aeria is consumed by the tides of Chaos. The great deception will be no more."
"Anything else?"
"No. No. Nothing more. He wants silence." The maddened man said as the priest left the room.
Outside the room the priest meet with another group of Epostolis officials. After a short discussion, one place their hand on the door, and a seal appeared on the door to the room holding the mad explorer. As the seal faded, the door disappeared from sight and the group that had assembled dissipated.
Grand Cathedral of Tivnia, Luxsancta, The Epostolis
Two Months Ago
"Ah, Sir Alard. Please join us." The eldest cardinal spoke as the elderly admiral and war hero entered the room. The room was a rather empty, but sizable room, with a handful of Epostolis officials. There was three cardinals, a general and another man, the Epostolis' Head Inquisitor. "I am sure you are aware of why we have gathered in secret."
"I have an idea, but lets hear it." Silas spoke with a smirk.
"The existence of the Keys has some how become public knowledge." The general spoke, "Someone let the secret go..."
"Not possible." The Head Inquisitor now spoke, "Everyone who knew about the Keys hasn't spoken a word. I personally investigated. So, are you suggesting that I don't know how to do my job?"
"Well, how could the information get out?" The general said with the smirk.
"Aryna." Silas said, "The explorer did say that both Aryna and Ymari gave him the information. So, it is only natural to think that the goddess of discord and mischief would let it slip. After all, it is a good way to cause a headache for the forces of order. So, now the question is what are we going to do about it? Though I suspect there is already a plan."
"The Aetherwing." The youngest cardinal spoke, "It's almost finished. We called you here to tell you that in the best interest of the Epostolis, we want you to lead an expedition to find the Keys. With The Aetherwing as the expeditions ship. You will have to operate without assistance form the Epostolis' military..."
"So to avoid starting unnecessary conflict with other nations." Silas finished, "I understand. I assume that I will get the right to decide who I bring."
"Of course." The eldest cardinal spoke now, "I assume you already have a number of people in mind. But if you need more, the Epostolis has prepared a list of possible crew members. Also, the Epostolis will pay whatever is needed to get them on the ship, unless it is to extreme."
"And one last thing." The middle of the cardinals spoke, "There has been another attack. It is now clear what they are after..."
"I understand." Silas said with a nod, and then left them. He had some letters to write and an expedition to plan.
Palace of Tivnia, The Heavens
Two Months Ago
Far beyond the reach of mortals, in the realm of gods, high in the Heavens, the palace of the greatest of the gods could be found. The Palace of Tivnia was a sight that no mortal had ever laid their eyes on, and would never lay their eyes on. Its pure white walls, with golden designs and dotted with shining gemstones would never be seen by the eyes of mortals. Nor would the paradise that surrounded it be seen by mortals. The great doors of gold would open up to polished floors, great white walls, and a highly ornate ce-
"Enough of this blah blah blah." A certain fourth wall breaking deity interrupted the setting up of the scene. "Oi, how about my real title? Aryna, goddess of trickery, mischief, manipulation, discord, madness and cats... and the destroyer of needless word barfing."
Anyways, Aryna was here at the Palace of Tivnia, far from her palace in the Dark Realm, as she was summoned -
"Hey, no one summons me." She interrupted once again, "Not even Tivnia can summon me. After all, why would I obey a guy who doesn't evne realize that he is but a creation of forces beyond this world that you decided to put together. I only came because I was bored."
Fine. Aryna had travelled from her palace in the Dark Realm to the Palace of Tivnia in the Heavens, because her presence was requested. And Aryna being Aryna, she only came due to being bored out of her less than stable mind. So, there she was, in the Palace of Tivnia, approaching the great god Tivnia whom sat upon his throne, watching her approach.
"Aryna. So you have come." The more powerful god spoke, "You are really a pain sometimes... I know what you did."
"You'll have to be more specific." Aryna said with a smirk and a mocking bow, "I really do a lot of shit that can be considered a pain in your ass..."
"Your most recent action..."
"Oh... Its already happened?" Aryna started pacing, "Damn that mortal acted fast... to think that he'd start a minor revolt in the furthest reach of the Epostolis over the uncalled for death of his brother's cat... and his brother. But more importantly, the cat."
"That is not what I am talking about..." Tivnia slammed his fist to his throne, "Enough games Aryna. I am running low on patience for your games."
"Fine. Fine. Fine." Aryna sighed, "Yes, it was I who leaked information about the 7 keys. After all, what good would it do if it was kept a secret. Its much more entertaining when mortals compete for unimaginable power..."
"And also threaten the order of this world."
"Oh, that should go without saying." Aryna cocked her head with a smirk. "I have other reasons for doing so as well..."
"I am aware." Tivnia spoke, "Do you really thi-"
"Ah. No. No. Spoilers." Aryna said and winked, not to Tivnia, but to some space of in the distance. "Now, if you got nothing else to say, I'll be going. You know, I got things to do. Mischief to cause, discord to sow, the fall of nations to plan, people to pull into madness, you know, my usual."
And with that Aryna left Tivnia speechless like normal.
Some Tavern, Neunau, Juali Imperium
A Week or So Ago
Neunau, a city that flew the colours of the Juali Imperium, but currently found itself sitting much closer to cities of The Epostolis than cities of the Juali Imperium. Due to this proximity, Neunau was often known as the most religious city of the Juali Imperium. Despite this, one could find taverns and other rather sinful places if they looked hard enough. It was in one of these taverns that a certain mercenary could be found.
Alicia Messier, one of the hardest to locate mercenaries in all of Aeria, and one of the deadliest snipers not among the ranks of the Juali Rangers. In fact, her skill had been often compared to that of the Juali Rangers, and when ever she heard that, she’d just smirk. Little did most people who hired her know that she was a former member of the Juali Rangers. While she could have made it more known, and raise her prices, there was no need. The prices for her services where already fair, for both her clients and herself.
Right now, she was in town after just finishing a contract for a client, and was getting a bite to eat, along with something to drink. So, she there she was, sitting in the corner of the tavern, with her meal and drink, listening to the other patrons speaking. Until everything went silent. The silence caught her attention, and she looked up from her meal to see a man in the robes of the priests of the One Faith start to approach her. The strange man didn’t stop till he sat across from her. Soon, the others in the tavern returned to their normal business.
“So, what brings a holy man to this den of iniquity?” Alicia spoke as she continued to eat her meal, “And why have you come right to me?”
“A job.” The priest spoke, and removed a letter from his robes and placed it on the table before sliding it to Alicia. A letter sealed with the seal of the Order of the Merciful Hammer, “Alicia Messier, master sniper, former Juali Ranger. You have been requested by name.”
“Umm… and what are the details of this job.” Alicia said as she looked at the letter, and then back at the priest.
“I have not been told.” The priest spoke, “I was told the letter would have all the details you’d desire, and to deliver it directly to you, along with this, a ticket for the next vessel from Neunau to Luxsancta.”
The priest then reached into his robe, and pulled out a ticket. He then stood up and left the tavern, leaving Alicia alone to finish her meal. Once her meal was done she opened the letter. After a short read, she just smirked, pocketed the letter and the ticket. She had a ship to catch, and one last job to do before a very early retirement.
The Vitonca Library, Vitonca, The Epostolis
A Week or So Ago
"Let's see..." Min-Ki spoke to himself, as he looked through the many shelves of the Vitonca Library. Vitonca was one of the big cities of the Epostolis, and was known as the Epostolis' center of learning. So, it was no surprise that the Vitonca Library was not only grand in design, but massive in size. Thousands, upon thousands of books and documents could be found. Books and documents of cultural and scientific value, along with some documents of historical values. The labyrinth of shelves was easy to get lost in for those who were not used to the library. Fortunately, Min-Ki was very familiar with the library.
"Oreus' Lament... The tale of the warrior poet Oreus' journey to the Land of the Dead, and his attempt to retrieve the soul of his lover, Iryce... and his ultimate failure." Min-Ki spoke to himself as he flipped through the pages before adding the book to the bag he was carrying that was already holding multiple bags, "Yep. Going to need that."
"Min-Ki." A voice said, causing the demihuman to turn to the voice, and taking note of the priest that was approaching him. The priest handed him a single piece of rolled up paper, with the seal of the Order of the Merciful Hammer. "I have a message for you."
"Oh? A message?" Min-Ki said and took the paper. As the priest left him, he unsealed the letter, and started to read, "Let me see here... Oh? That's fun. Well, looks like adventure is calling... need to get a few more things first..."
Duzinok Prison, The City State of Duzinok
A Week or So Ago
It was cold, and poorly lit. But what else would one expected from a prison in a state run until recently by a single monarch, who was often seen as a tyrant. A state that had long been embroiled in a civil war, a civil war that many of the elite had gotten sick of. That was part of the reason she was being lead down the narrow corridors, deeper into the prison in chains. You see, she was hired by a certain noble to eliminate the tyrant ruler of Duzinok, which she did with relative ease.
Unfortunately it had seemed like the noble betrayed her, and reported her not long after the murder. In fact, while she was meeting to get paid, she was surrounded, ambushed and brought in. She didn’t fight, even though she would have likely gotten the death penalty, it wasn’t worth fighting. So, instead, she let them take her weapon, put her in chains and now found herself in the cities prison.
“Alright, here we are…” One of her escorts said, and opened the door to the cell she was now faced with. When the door opened, the human escorting her from behind decided to push her into the cell. “Enjoy your stay, pointy eared bitch.”
With that the two escorts left, and Fi took a look around the cell. She couldn’t see much, besides two old beds, and a rather foul smelling bucket. Oh, there was also her cellmate. A human male, it was hard to tell his age due to the darkness, and that she had a hard time to determine differences in the ages of humans. But what she did know was who he was, by the scar on his face.
“Umm….” The man said and looked at his cellmate, “What are you here for? Seeing as you have been placed her, I assume it was something to justify a death penalty.”
“Yes, it was.” Fi spoke and smirked as she sat down on one of the beds. “Just job. A little murder of a high profile target… you know that tyrant that called himself king.”
“So, he’s dead?” The man spoke, smiling slightly, “After all these years, he’s finally dead. It's only a matter of time before this country is reborn... “
“Well, about that…” Fi started, “You are under the assumption that there was only two parties in this civil war of yours. Your forces and the king's forces. It's never that simple…”
“So, there is a third party…” The man said, “And let me guess, they hired you to kill the king.”
“Yep.” Fi said and shrugged, “But it seems they have betrayed me…”
“So, they used you. Now, like the king threw away his people when they were not needed, they have thrown you away. It is only a matter of time before my men free me from here…”
“Whoa there.” Fi said, “I’m not joining some rebel group… it’s about time isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“For my escape.” Fi said and approached the door to their cell.
“Hah, there is no escape. At least not with help from the outside.” The man said, “There are a series of spells on the door and walls to prevent such escape. Its partially why they don’t have legions of guards wandering around. No need to guard something that no one can break out of…”
“That’s good to know.” Fi said and turned to the man. She smirked as blue lightning started to crackle from her back, travelling to her chains. She closed her eyes, as the lightning slowly heated the chains, until finally she opened them. As she opened them, she pulled her arms apart, causing the chains to break. “I’ve wasted to much time here. I have a job to finish…”
“What do you mean fin-” He froze, realizing what she meant, “No… Please no…”
“Oh, that won’t change anything…” Fi said and approached the man before placing her hand over his mouth, “I always do my job…”
With that she summoned her white lightning, and watched as it entered the rebel leader. Everything burned, from his skin to his hair. The screams and the smell didn’t bother her, instead she kept her hand on him until the man's body fell to the ground lifeless. She then smirked and waited. A few minutes later, the door to the cell opened, and the noble who employed her to kill the tyrant, and the rebel leader entered.
“There you go.” She said and motioned to the body, “The former king is dead, you apprehended the killer, and now the rebel leader is dead. I assume that you are going to say the kings killer was killed, but before the king died, he ordered the death of the rebel leader… spin it to your liking so that you may seize power… as the mastermind of this most recent coup, and the newest tyrant of this dark, cold and miserable little slice of Aeria. Anyways, what you do now isn’t my worry, all I want is my pay.”
“My men will lead you to a ship I have contracted to take you away from here.” The noble said and stepped out of the way for Fi, “They will present you with your pay… Oh, before you go, someone else is here to see you.”
With that a priest stepped out from behind the nobles men, and removed a letter before handing it to Fi. The first thing she noticed was the seal, the seal of the Order of the Merciful Hammer. As she looked at it, the priest spoke.
“I was asked to deliver this to you.” The priest said, “You will find answers to all your questions in there.”
“Um, interesting.” Fi said and slid the letter into her cleavage, before following the nobles men out. After retrieving her weapon, boarding the vessel, and getting paid, she opened the letter. It was a job, and an opportunity, that made her smile.
On the Upper Deck, The Aetherwing
At Port, Luxsancta, The Epostolis
Today was the day, after weeks of preparation, today was the day that a single ship would set out on a world changing expedition. This would become a decisive moment in the history or Aeria. A moment that would lead to all of their names to be etched into history. Or just a fairly normal event for Silas. There he was, walking through the empty halls of the Aetherwing, to greet his crew on the upper decks.
Once he stepped out of the ship, and on to the upper decks, he took a moment to look over the crew as he stepped up to an elevated platform. Most of them were volunteers, people who wanted to forge their legend, make their fortune. That said, he didn’t trust the volunteers, as while some may have wanted to serve the Epostolis, he was also aware that many of them desired the Heart for themselves. The same could be said for those few who did not volunteer, but were invited to join the crew of the Aetherwing. Call him paranoid, but that was going to be the only way for the Epostolis to retrieve the Heart.
“Welcome…” Silas spoke, loud enough to cause silence to fall over the crowd, “I am Sir Silas Lucius Alard, and I am pleased to welcome you all to the Aetherwing. I will be serving as your captain. Now… what are you all standing around for? I want this ship out of port yesterday.”
With that, everyone went to work, as Silas returned to the bridge of the Aetherwing. After a few minutes, the ship left port, and began its journey. Its quest to find the 7 Keys of Truth. Fortunately, the location of one of them was already known to the Epostolis, and that was their first stop.
"Set course for Swiftpeak Citadel." Silas issued his orders, "We have a Key to collect."