Asheri Rising

Alexandros Fatali

Light and Darkness on the world of Aeterna



The Forces of Shadow:

Organization:

The Great Mistress of the Night is the incarnation of the Shadow. Little is known of her other than she was spawned from the Creator’s shadow, and that she seeks to cover the lands of Aeterna in darkness.

The presence of Shadow on Aeterna is led by The Chosen of the Shadow, Prince of Lies, Linerin Gheral, a Fallen Shadowseeker. He became devoted to the cause of the Shadow sometime previous to the Great War, and became the Chosen just before the war. There had not been a Chosen on Aeterna since the last of the Veri had transformed to their current state, nearly two thousand years previously.

The Chosen is served directly by the Seven. The Seven are Veri, powerful spellcasting undead creatures, with gray, withered skin, sharp needle-like claws and noseless faces, who were once the Chosen of the Shadow while they lived their mortal lives. However they are able to mask themselves as normal mortals at will, and their magical abilities are unrivaled since the Age of Legends. Their names and titles are as follows: Kaliva, Mistress of Pain, Ragash, Lord of Corruption, Fenix, Lord of Unlife, Suedomsa, Lord of Taint, Marian, Mistress of the Night, Gravan, Lord of Lust, and Mellin, Lord of Spirit. The Seven serve as militant commanders, powerful spies and loyal servants to Linerin. They are his most powerful allies within the organization of Shadow, and though they have their own motives and goals, will serve him as he wishes. Veri, if killed, will arise anew from the fiery pits of the Black tower in one thousand and one days.

Under the Seven Veri Is the Legion of Hatred, the basic militant formation of the Shadow. The organization is made up entirely by Vexes. Vexes are Servile that served so well in their mortal life, that the Chosen or the Mistress herself gifted them with eternal life. Vexes are for all intents the same as Veri, but they do not possess the ability to wield magic. However, having lived countless lifetimes, most are extremely skilled warriors or commanders, and they lead the forces of darkness in a most effective manner. Vexes function as the Shadow’s Commanders, Lieutenants, and other commanding officers. Be warned, Vexes are unmatched in close combat ability, and many brave warriors have fallen to the tainted blade of the Vex, which can kill by the smallest cut. Vexes, if killed, arises from the pits of the Black Tower after one hundred and one years.

Next in the hierarchy of Shadow comes the Servile. Servile are normal mortals whom serve the Shadow as a matter of choice and have gained some respect and power in the organization through good work, deeds or just the favor of higher powers. Servile serve sometimes as military leaders, or Priests for the Mistress, but more often are employed as assassins, spies and in other forms of work where secrecy is of the utmost import.

Finally, there are the Sevron. These are the mortal people whom simply serve the Shadow in minor ways. They serve as messengers, spies and sometimes as muscle. They often do not know even that they serve the Shadow, but their auras become tainted by their interactions, and eventually their minds will twist to reflect their interactions. Soon they begin to faithfully attend their Servile priest for insight and orders from the Shade.

Shadowspawn, the Presence of Darkness on Aeterna:

There are so many types of shadowspawn that there is no way to describe them all. Most shadowspawn are of animal Intelligence, and are able to be controlled by force of will by Linerin, Veri, or Vexes. However there are some more intelligent Shadowspawn that can manage guttural speech, and even others that are as intelligent as men and elves. Seeing as how there are so many types, I shall list a few of the more commonly encountered breeds: there are the Wyrmlings, long snake like creatures with wings, barely capable of speech, that breath balls of fire from the sky upon their opponents, there are the Undead minions of Shadow, zombies, skeletons and the more powerful Mezirol, a sentient type of skeleton knight, imbued with magical powers, and there are the Azenials, an ancient magically engineered unification of Elwain and Ogre, whom care for nothing more than the pleasant taste of mortal flesh.

Daemons, the Armies of Hell:

There are also powerful, highly intelligent creatures that can be summoned from the home of the great Mistress, However, only powerful Shadowseekers, Veri, and the Chosen have ever successfully summoned one of these creatures and lived to tell about it. Their organization is ever shifting as factions use military and political maneuvers to gain power within Hell. There are many types of daemons, and the list contains, but is not limited to: Beautiful and seductive Incubi and succubi, fiery imps, and enormous winged fiends. These are the creatures that battle the forces of heaven in the otherworlds.


The Forces of Light:

Organization:

The Creator is the omnipotent, omniscient, being who shaped the world. She has never interfered directly in the affairs of the mortal world after its creation save once, when she willed into creation the Crystalline Chapel atop Mount Nyliam, the temples of dedication, and the Spire of Life, which was destroyed in the past by the forces of shadow. The ruins of the Spire of Life lay on the island now known only by the name Demos.

The light of Heaven:

The heavenly servants of the Creator fall into four types: Archangels, Seraphim, Aeternals, and Choristers. There are but three Archangels, for after the war that raged the lands in the Age of Legends, the Creator disbanded the affiliations of the Eight Archangels with the eight spheres of magic. Their names are Velisei, Madrian, and Sumai. The Seraphim serve as the eyes and ears of Heaven, watching all that occurs on Aeterna, and writing it into the Heavenly song. The Aeternals serve as heaven’s armies, and battle with the forces of Shadow on the other planes where only a handful of mortals have ever set foot. Finally, there are the Chroisters, whom sing the Heavenly song, so that all whom die and live again in Heaven may learn of the history of the world, and of all events that have ever transpired.

Heven Rarely interferes with the affairs of motals, and as such, if anyone wishes to have a heavenly intervention, they should get Keiru approval first.

Mortal Agencies, the Light of the Creator on Aeterna:

Holy Knights: The Holy Knight is perhaps the most well known and most widely respected mortal servant of the creator. Blessed with Angelic speed, strength and endurance, as well as holy powers, these few men and women serve as the Creator’s hand on Aeterna. One that wishes to become a Holy Knight must travel to the most holy place, the Crystalline Chapel, and take a test there that pushes their limits. The few whom pass are branded with the mark of the creator, the meshai, on the back of their left hand and under their right eye. Those who fail are accepted into Heaven for their attempt.

Priests: There are Chapels, Churches, Temples, Monasteries and Cathedrals to the creator all over Aeterna, and the men and women whom run them are the voice of the Creator on Aeterna. Most anyone can come to any of these places and be granted food, shelter, and even a bit of money if they are in need. Regular services giving praise to the Creator are given every day, and it is thought, by the priests and other theologians that one should attend at least once every ten days to be of a clean and pure spirit.

The Common Person: The common person whom leads their life as they believe they should is a servant of the Creator in their own right, for they unwittingly, whether they believe in the Creator or not, usually are serving some sort of greater good.

End notes: Well, I hope this will help us all understand a bit more about the forces of good and evil on Aeterna, I hope you all like it, because it was fun writing it, and I’m looking foreword to reading all of your stories.

Kudos,

Keiru Emerald as The Noble One, Child of Darkness, Raised into Light, Revered Sir Alexandros Fatali, Son of the Prince of Lies.

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Tygan deParte

Great Job Alexandros =) I know who to avoid now lol

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Arboreal Prowler

Tygan, if you're ever in the Evisis Woods, I'm the one you want to avoid. Muahahahahaha!

Thanks for this wonderful treatise, Alex. I'll find it very helpful (though I'm still working it out with Silver about what impact my current adventure is going to have on current events in Aeterna.

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Palin Freeborn

Sweet Jesus! Thank you Alex! I'm kinda scared now. Any chance we will run into these fiends? I'd like to plan on hiding if even one vex is coming out into the world.
Very well written and thought out, my good friend. May you live a thousand years and never look a day older!

Palin

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Zander Kohen

In this time of darkness, it is very likely that you will run into one form of darkness or another. But even with Aeterna enveloped in a dark blanket, there are still beakons of light.

Revered Sir Zander Kohen

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Keiru Emerald

Courtesy of KS, I bring you a first hand account of the Shadowspawn...

One Balan present during their assult on Balanum says: "They have a sadistic interest in death. I've never seen anything like them. A swarming mass of loosely associated animal parts, all tinted blacker than coal..."

A Lunari Scholar said after her retreat from Fayre: "There is little beneath the Shadowspawn. They crave destruction, desecration, and death. They are the lowest of those who serve the Shadow, but attack with great fury when driven. They travel in groups of 20 to 1000 or even more. It is easy to mistake their common lust of destruction for an organized attack. But the only thing driving these feral creatures is a deep seated hatred for all living things. They attack their own kind, and fear nothing. Fear is what they are, creatures based on perception and tales. They have corporeal bodies, twisted and dark. Most of them resemble what may once have been animals, tortured and mutilated into sickening forms that hobble about on unbalanced frames. They move with unexpected speed, and swarm over their prey. When there are Shadowspawn about, it is wise to lock your doors, bolt your windows, grab a weapon and pray..."

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Til'Sylvanna Evenstar

Hay Palin...

If you do ever run into a Vex... I would suggest running!!! I lost one Warder to one already, and Fin and Saeth are just now up and about after their fight with one. They ae nasty S.O.B's!!!!

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