NationStates Jolt Archive

The lordcity of Istar was the center of the world around which all else revolved. Capital of an empire vaster than any Ansalon has ever known, it sat next to the crystal blue lake that shared it's name, it's high white marble walls encircling the city like a mothers arms, over 55.7 million souls dwelt within it's sweet embrace. It outmatched all other cities on Ansalon not only in size but in splendor as well, legend has it that the golden statues that had been raised onto the gilded gates had wept real tears even though they were but metal.

Everywhere one looked one would only find wonders, vast manors and churches lined it's wide tree lined streets, roofed with domes of gold and alabaster, and smaller buildings gleamed in the light of the sun and the moons alike. Gardens filled the streets and homes with thousands of flowers that were forever a rainbow of color, and fountains shot water into the air so that it would look like diamonds on it's way back down. Silken sails filled it's harbors, forever overlooked by the God's Eyes, twin towers where mirrors of polished silver blazed day and night. The markets were filled with hustle and a riot of trade riches, silk, incense, spices, satin, pearls, wine, brightly hued songbirds, and the skulls of long dead dragons.

Even in such a marvelous city however some wonders did stand out, in the western quarter of the old city the School of Games, where gladiator-slaves fought to the death day and night for the amusement of the paying fans. In the northern quarter of the old city the Keep of the Hammer the center of the Order of the Divine Hammer the official (but out of favor) protectors of the Holy Empire. In the eastern quarter of the old city, rising above all the wonders and surrounded by a grove of enchanted olive trees stood the Tower of High Sorcery, it's crimson-turreted body sticking out like a bloody dagger in the city of shining marble.

All this was nothing compared to the Great Temple of Paladine. In the heart of the city, the marble-paved streets radiated from it like a wheel's spokes the Temple was the greatest structure ever built by man. A wide plaza, the Barigon surrounded the Temple and was large enough to hold over 500,000 souls so that they could look upon it's graceful buttressed walls and it's seven golden spires that reached out to the heavens as if praying to the Gods themselves. Within the Temple, amid lush gardens and ponds filled with jewel-hued fish, stood more than a dozen buildings, each more wondorus than the last. Among them were the entrance hall, itself larger than most cities cathedrals and the towering silver-roofed cloisters where the clergy resided. The imperial manse where the Kingpriest lived surpassed even these and at the eye of the Temple was the true heart of the Church and the world. There, most perfect of all these, was the Basilica, a vast dome of frosted crystal that shone with its own holy light, like a star taken from the heavens and mounted in the unworthy earth.

Here, in this holy place of such glorious good, even here evil grew, even here dark plots emerged and these plots would threaten the entire world. For in a secret place, hidden within the mass sprawl of the new city, a small meeting of clerics of the Gods of Darkness was taking place, and this meeting could one day bring Istar to it's knees.

OOC: This is the introduction, a LOT of typing, hope you like it!

A bald man in a blue suit strolls through the church, acompanied by an ambassador from Istar.
"This is a marvelous structure, in Dontgonearthere, we have nothing like this, our climate demands that we live in domes, and almost everything is a utilitarian concrete slab. The closest we get to this is Dontgonearthe castle, which is rather boring itself..."
He pauses to examine a stone carving in the wall.

OOC: Whoa, Istar, you got the population bug! You got it bad!

OOC: Whoa, Istar, you got the population bug! You got it bad!

OOC: nope, I'm a ressurectie, interested in this RP?

OOC: Whoa, Istar, you got the population bug! You got it bad!

OOC: nope, I'm a ressurectie, interested in this RP?

Oh.... Yeah, perhaps...but what type of RP is this? Do you want people to play 'dark gods', or do you want a political intrigue of communist spies and mysterious bombings?

The Ambassador, Sfaia, an elderly cleric of Mishakal, Goddess of Healing, wearing pink silken robes in bare feet to mark her stats as a Holy Cleric of Mishakal. Lead the man from Dontgonearthere through the ever beautiful paths of the holy Temple, as she shooed away several peacocks in their way she took him to her favorite orange tree and picked a ripe orange and said. "Have one."

OOC: Yeah, I'm interested, but what are you looking for?

OOC: It's going to be an RP about Istar comming to grips with it's magical past and it's technological future, about forces of darkness trying to take the entire empire for their own and the forces of the light that have to fight them off to save the empire from destruction, of course if anyone wants to get in on the action they are more than welcome.

A man waring a battleuniform enters the church and looks around. "Amazing" he says as he inspects the structure. "I dont mean to be rude by this church is amazing for its size the ones in Stromata are a tad bigger". He turns and walks over to Sfaia. "May I have one"?

Mr 47 takes the orange and examines it for a few brief seconds, special sensors incorporated into his left eye scanning for known toxins and virii, finding none. He peels it quickly, and pops a section into his mouth.
"Hmmm, its quite good, they are rather sweet for oranges, it seems."
He chews for a few seconds, then swallows.
"So...how was your religion organized? I always found religions fascinating, all the variety, and yet, they are all so similar, each god has its own personality, but two thosand miles away virtualy the same one is being personified as a large golden cow."

Sfaia said as a small lizard that had been bred to look like a gold dragon, complete with tiny horns and stubs for wings ran up the tree in search for food. "It is a... strange question you ask stranger, for the Gods have been worshiped since the beginning of time, however the form of organized worship of the Gods wasn't created until the Holy Church of the Gods of the Light was created in Istar three thousand years ago and rose to power as a political and religious force." Sfaia then touched the corners of her eyes with her index fingertips and then kissed them (the holy sign of her Goddess Mishakal). "The deitys that the Church deals with are the Gods of the Light, the disorganized Churches of Neutrality deal with the Neutral Gods whle the worship of the Gods of Darkness is punishable by death." The golden bells of the Church then rang an a glorious pagent to the midday son as it rose to full glory and made the Basilica shine all the more brighter.

Galdanian spy sattelites gaze down on the city. Unseen by the human eye, the Stizimov III orbits the earth, and the operators look at the beauty of the city. The Head Operator looks at the screen blankly.
"Churches." he scoffs. "Tools of the oppressors..."
But the operators don't listen. They agree with him, more or less, but the architecture alone was enough to mesmerise the most stalwort communist.

Though Istar was a wonder of beauty, wealth, and splendor, deep beneath the city however darkness was brewing. In the underground ruins of a forgotten tomb, five women had gathered in the this place of death and decay, five women dressed in black robes of the darkest black satins, women who wore bone-ornament in their hair and painted their faces with blood. Medallions on their necks showed an image of a five-headed dragon, the symbol of Takhisis, Queen of Darkness and the one God hated above all other deities of darkness in Istar and by all those who worshiped the light.

These women had come to make an offering to their dark queen, an offering that they had stolen away from its crib a scant hour before. The High Priestess of the Dark Queen placed on the bloodstained alter of the Dark Queen an un baptized baby that was crying out for it's mother, the statue of the dark Queen portrayed as the Five-Headed Dragon glowed with a dark light, a light only visible to those who walked the paths of night.

A light beeping sounded in 47s ear.
(sir, were getting an unusual energy reading a few miles from your location, its just registered on the Sub-Etha reciever...)
"Hmmm, it seems that were getting some odd signals...they are apparently barely in this dimension, from what the crew tells me. Is there anything on this planet that could cause something like that?"

The four Priestesses formed a circle around the altar and began to chant words to a pray so dark and so foul that none except the worst of humankind could hear half of it without going deaf. The High Priestess felt the flows of the powers of the Dark Queen begin to grow as she raised the ceremonial knife high in the air and began to chant the words "Exuia tia uia porus shaldi kama!" "Take this, oh dark majesty, as a gift to your glory!"

The ten eyes of the statue began to cry sweet oils that dribbled down onto the babies head, the sing that the Queen was pleased with this gift and wish to have it's blood and flesh and soul. In the Abyss, the place where the Dark Gods were trapped along with the souls who were condemned there for crimes unspeakable, Takhisis had a good idea why her Priestesses would risk a full Calling in the Lordcity itself, she need only wait until the ritual was complete so that she could use the voice of the High Priestess to speak her new orders to her slaves.

stupid double posts!

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Deep within the Basilica of the Great Temple of Paladine, past the Dinning Halls where table upon table groaned underneath the weight of plate after plate of rare and exotic foods for the guests of the Kingpriest to dine on before meeting with him. Past this room and the small shrine of Paladine to which all were required to bow to and to lave the hands to be blessed before speaking with His Holiness, one managed to enter Throne Room.

Those few lucky men fortunate enough to of have seen the Towers of the Elvish Kings of Qualinesti and Silvanest spoke that the beauty of the towers were mere shadows when compared to the Throne Room of the Kingpriest of Istar. The floor and walls were of white marble with the veins filled with real silver, the wall hangings and tapestries were of the finest silks and decorated with images of the Gods. Marble statues inlayed with lapis lazuli of former (and famous) Kingpriests lined the main pathway from the main entrance doors to the raised dais that lead to the throne of the Kingpriest. The walls were painted with frezors of the Gods of Light in all of their benevolence and glory destroying the Gods of Darkness in all of their hideousness and sin. The ceiling of the throne room was in fact the center of the frosted crystal dome of the Basilica, the light it gave off turned the darkest nights into day making candles unnessisary.

The Lords and High Clerics of the Gods (wearing enough gold and jewels to feed an entire small city for a year) stood in various groups at their respective places on and around the dais (with the First Son and First Daughter of Paladine on the second highest step next to the throne, on downward to the Chamberlain who stood by the door at the bottom of the food chain) arguing about the latest news from the outside world and the Istarian Projects to bring the Empire up to speed on the latest technology.

The Kingpriest Velorn X, the first Elvish Kingpriest in Istar's history was over 400 years old and one of the oldest elves in the Empire. His long silver hair and long silver beard were combed and golden beads had been threaded into the hair, he was wearing soft green robes of the finest silks, he wore many rings on his fingers and the ornamental golden breastplate shinned in the light and rainbows of the light reflected from it's rubies shined in the Throne Room, and the sapphire tiara that all the Kingpriests had worn shinned with a light of it's own. The Kingpriest readied himself to speak.

The Kingpriest rose from his throne, the courters and other lords and clergy became silent as the Kingpriest began to speak, "Children of the God, I have learned of many strange and wonderful things that exist beyond the borders of the Holy Empire and I declared that the Empire would no longer remain in Splended Isolation but would take it's rightful place in the world. Now I, The Kingpriest Velorn X will take another bold step into the future, this Empire will begin research into a Space Program, we will investigate technologies from other willing nations in order to develop Istar into a space power, one that shall spread the glory of the Holy Empire throught the universe." The elvish Kingpriest then sat down as a rising clamor emerged from the people of the Imperial Court.

Elsewhere in the city.

The High Priestess struck the dagger into the crying baby, cutting off both it's tears and it's tiny lifeforce as an offering to her Dark Queen. Then the statue of Takhissis then flared to life as a dark light filled the ruined tomb, black magical lightning issued forth from it as the spirit of the Dark Queen took over the body of the High Priestess and then issued forth the following orders. "You, my pitiful slaves shall issue the following message to all those who worship the Night. Take this Empire for me, I don't care how you do it, just do it... and soon. Then the spirit of the Dark Queen withdrew to her realm in the Abyss and the four Priestesses then picked up the High Priestess and began to run for their lives. They knew that the powerful spell they had casted would be sniffed out by the Kingpriests dogs very soon.

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one more shamless bump!

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Several clerics in a small church just within a few miles of Istar the Holy, several hundred feet above the ruined tomb dedicated to Majere felt queasy when the Dark Queen had entered the world in Spirit form for a short while, they knew only one thing could of caused it, the performance of foul evil of massive power near the Church. Within a few minutes a telephone call was made to the Great Temple who contacted the Divine Hammer and the Scata units who called on a small squad of 40 Scatas and 20 Knights of the Divine Hammer with 5 Clerics of Paladine that then moved with all speed to the Church of Majere.

Meanwhile while this was going on several specalists in the Library of the Great Temple were using computers to go through all the records of the area around the Church, several bits of interesting information popped up. The information was of a small underground tomb that had been abandoned due to poor construction, the small above-ground enterance had fallen into the ground, the sewer system of the city of Istar constructed a small tunnel that went past the tomb and the Church to the god Majere had been built over the site a few hundred years ago, the perfect place to hide anything, but not a smart place to perform Dark Rituals but a good place to start looking.

Within a few minutes the information was relayed to the Capitan of the Scatas who then ordered 5 of his men to the nearest manhole so they could go into the sewers to look around while the rest looked in the Church for another enterance.

The Priestesses were fleeing into the direction of the five Scata men, unaware they had been found out so quickly.

A young, eurasian man found himself walking through the city after arrive a short time ago. He'd been sent to try and make contact with the nations leaders, but he was caught up just looking at the different peoples and structures in the city.

He had thought he heard a child crying, when he turned to listen again, there was silence.

Guess I was just caught up in the moment, he thought.

Several Minotaur slaves were being taken in chains along the sidewalk by several merhant-guards to the slave markets in the New City, far from where the young man was walking towards. A few children threw rocks at the giant cow-men creatures and called them the usual dergoatory nations "Cowman" and "Walking Coat-Rack" were the most popular.

An elderly woman in rich robes of purple silk and wearing enough perfume to drown a household pet. noticed the eurasian man and asked him where he was going and if he was interested in going to on of Istar's many famous wine shops (a combination of a bar and a resteraunt).

He caught a moment of the children taunting the slaves.

Oh damn, I'd hate to be in their shoes.

He turned, "Oh yes, thank you ma'am. That sounds very interesting, maybe later though. I'm... ummm... looking for someone called the 'Kingpriest', I believe he is called. Or someone in the government."

Wow! Nice perfume, do you have to marinate in it? he thought as he gave his best smile.

"Unless you are an important person, and from your foolish question it is obvious you are not, the Kingpriest is in the Great Temple of Paladine in the center of the Holy City." she then gave him the look one would give a small child and then left, allowing the flow of the people to sweep her up and vanish.

The slaves continued their forced procession, the slavers far from trying to stop the children cracked the minotaur slaves with the whip if they didn't walk fast enough, of whenever they felt like showing off to the children. A small crowd of onlookers from one of the wine shops across the street cheered them on.

OOC: Just so you know, Minotaurs account for over 30% of the population but are not counted as citizens so their numbers do not appear in any cences except for a minor "Slave-Goods Total" Cences.

"Unless you are an important person, and from your foolish question it is obvious you are not, the Kingpriest is in the Great Temple of Paladine in the center of the Holy City." she then gave him the look one would give a small child and then left, allowing the flow of the people to sweep her up and vanish.

OOC Oooooooh, slam! :D

The slaves continued their forced procession, the slavers far from trying to stop the children cracked the minotaur slaves with the whip if they didn't walk fast enough, of whenever they felt like showing off to the children. A small crowd of onlookers from one of the wine shops across the street cheered them on.

OOC: Just so you know, Minotaurs account for over 30% of the population but are not counted as citizens so their numbers do not appear in any cences except for a minor "Slave-Goods Total" Cences.

OOC: Gotcha, he's seen slaves quite a bit before during one of the wars he was involved in.

IC: The former Ranger smiled at the woman's comments, he'd heard worse and lived through it.

Let's see, the great temple of Paladine in the Holy City. Geez, it would have been nice if the Foreign Affairs Office had at least given me a map, rolled through his head as he slipped out of the crowd and opened the flap on the briefcase to see if they'd slipped one in. Nope. When in doubt, usually you go the opposite direction of the way the slaves are going.

He walked up the street a little further, then realized he could use a drink. He ducked into one of the wine bars.

One of the barmaids, a young filly of the thing of a mere 16 years of age with curly blond locks, and deep blue eyes that just said Take me! creemy milk skin, and the perfect body. Walked up to the new customer and said, "What's your pleasure?" the small skirt that was up to her waist teased one with the mystery of the pleasures the lay beneath it, her bumox bossom jiggled as she bent over to grab a small empty tray off of a table.

OOC: LOL, that'll get me drug into the bosses office tomorrow "What in the hell are you reading!" ;)

IC: "Ummm, whiskey please," he'd said with a smile after he quickly regained his composure. Javin, remember what you are here to do.

OOC2: quick description, he's mid 20's, grey eyes, dark hair, muscular in a Dolph Lundgren/Van Damme sort of way, and looks kind of like Brandon Lee through the face. He's wearing a grey pinstriped suit with a black leather case.

"You got it cutie." the barmaid said as she wrote down his order (after picking up the tray) and let him sit down at the table, she then went to the bar to get his drink, but not before letting him get a full view of her "assets".

At the bar she told the manager (who was also the bartender), "Plain whiskey, on the rocks." He mixed it up for her and she took it back to the man and said, "Heres your drink cutie."

OOC: if you can't tell she is interested in more than just getting him drinks... :twisted:

"Surely I felt the presence of the Queen herself" Mandrake mused as he loitered on the streets before his next business meeting. Surely this is important, yet more so is the contract for car sales, the commission of which will buy many sacrifices from poor mothers and stock the Grotto most handsomely with slaves and opulence. "Perhaps even a shameless blonde with curley hair could be purchased and, dripping with jewelry and sensuality, could adorn the manor and greet visitors" the wizened salesman grinned inwardly.

OOC: * :lol: pulls out old "DM's Book of Dirty Tricks", dear god, a plot device? ;)*

IC: He sips the drink, "Thank you sweetie," he says pulling out some steel pieces (OOC: Correct me if I'm wrong on the currency, it's been a while since I've played DL) to pay for the drink and leave a large tip. At least the Office gave me a decent expense account this time. Wow, I wonder how ol.. come on, behave Javin.

"So how long have you been here," he asked. What in the hell kind of question is that, can't you at least come up with a better way to be polite, he thought with a quick blush.

OOC: Istar uses Gold Falcons, coins with the Imperial Seal (a falcon holding paladines sacred triangle).

IC: The barmaid smiles to show her perfect white even teeth and says, "A year next monday honey, her red fingernails find an exuse to stroke his hand lightly and sensually as she picks up her tip and the fee.

"Really? That's quite a while" Javin asked trying to stay focused (OOC: You're giving me another chance to have Parliament bust his chops when he gets back to Larkinia :twisted: Thanks! ;) ), "I.. er.. I have to try and meet some one in the government today, but what time does the wine bar close tonight?"

"It's 24/7 thing but my shift ends in five minutes, this wine shop also has a few spare bedrooms if you like... By the way my name is Serenity, here is my phone number." she then gives him a slip of paper with her phone number.

Javin puts the number in his pocket. "Thanks," he smiles. Need to put that on the speed dial today

He finishes his drink, "Maybe you can help me, I have to find the... Great Temple of Paladine," he started after remembering the elderly woman's description. "I've got to try and meet with some government officials today, and I've just arrived here."

The barmaid smiled and said, "Your in the Old City so your in the right place, you need to just get on one of the main roads, the ones that are VERY wide and are paved with both marble and silver, you need only look for the view of the Seven Golden Spires to find the Temple in the heart of Istar."

"Thanks, by the way, name's Javin" Javin said handing her another few coins for the trouble. "Here's to hoping for the best." He smiled, waved and walked back onto the street, looking for the nearest main road, and seven golden spires.

"Thanks, by the way, name's Javin" Javin said handing her another few coins for the trouble. "Here's to hoping for the best." He smiled, waved and walked back onto the street, looking for the nearest main road, and seven golden spires.

OOC: read my desription of the Great Temple in the first post for a basis, the spires are tall enough to be seen for several miles, just post him walking through the crowds and onto a main road.

OOC: Cool.

IC: Javin walked through the crowd, trying his best to slip around people and keep from running into them. At the end of the street was the large silver and gold street that Serenity described to him. Turning to the right, he saw the towers spiring up.

The beauty of the Temple was visible (just as it always was) in the noonday sun, the light shinning off of the seven golden spires and the graceful buttressed walls that enwrapped the Temple like a mother's arms. The crowds around the Barigon, the great plaza that surrounded the Temple Complex were small as this wasn't a holy day and most of everyone in Istar was either at work, at the wine shops, or at the Gladiator Games. The guards at the Main Doors to the Temple were of course checking ID'S to make sure that the people who entered were supposed to be there.

A flock of doves flew in the sky just above the temple, a single feather fell from the sky and onto the lowest step to the most sacred place on earth.

"Wow, that looks great." Javin said as he slowly approached.

Damnit, I'll bet I don't have an appointment. Leave it to the FAO to forget something as basic as a damn phone call.

Javin approached the main doors, Might as well give it a shot.

He handed one of the guards a business card.

Javin Katana
Special Diplomatic Attache
Principality of Larkinia

"I don't have an appointment, but if there is someone in your internal government I could talk with, I would be most appreciative."

Before the heavily armed guards could answer the doors opened from the inside and a single figure walked into the light. A young woman in white robes, no White Robes, on a belt on her robes were pouches that contained spell components, her face was lost in the darkness of her robes hood but her cherry red hair was visible. "You are Javin, come with me, I will keep a watch on him." she said to silence the guards before they spoke. "Follow me." she then grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and half-dragged him in.

She then lead him down the gold paved paths in the gardens of the Temple, the gardens themselves were filled with rows upon rows of carefully tended rare flowers and even rarer trees, exotic fruits hung from the rare fruit trees from beyond the bounds of the Empire, the rose bushes which shouldn't of even had a bud on them at this time of year were in full bloom and thriving in the warm sunlight. The path was covered in cherry blossoms petals (again the wrong time of year yet they bloomed) as she lead him to her small and asture apartments (asture in terms of the Temple but her rooms alone wouldn't look out of place inside the manors of a billionare) where the regular clergy lived. "I rarly use these chambers as I maintain a small villa near the temple where I usually live." she said as she offered him a chair, "Now you must be wondering how I knew you would come, I saw your arrival in a minor vision, I am psychic and a very powerful Wizardess and representative of the Conclave in the Court of the Kingpriest."

"I.. um.. yes ma'am," Javin said as the woman grabbed his collar and drug him into the building.

He walked along the temple garden path. Wow! They've got some beautiful plants.... Hey, I thought that one was extinct.

Javin walked into the room. Hey, this is a nice place.

"I figured you had some sort of psychic powers," Javin said sitting down. "I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice, well, it might not have been short notice for you after all."

The nameless wizardess smiled as she lowered her hood to reveal a face with tanned skin, deep violet eyes that seemed to suck up everything they looked at, small pink lips, and a brillant smile. "My name is Lelara 'do Canto." she said as her long spidery fingers played with a small crystal she had plucked out of a nearby bowel.

Javin smiled at her, "Javin Katana. It's a pleasure to meet you. As you could probably guess, I'm here to try and build relations between our two countries.

"That's an interesting crystal. What kind is it?"

"Quartz, cheap when you think of the kind of wealth that this one room alone boasts and this is considered rather asture and plain when ones compares my apartments to the Imperial Manse of the Kingpriest, or even this entire city." Lelara said and smiled in return.

"Really?" Javin said. "That's very impressive."

I am definitely in the wrong line of work...

"What is your official title with the government. The Foreign Affairs Office has very little information on Istar, except that it is ruled by someone called the Kingpriest," Javin said.

"I am a representative of both the God Solinari and the Orders of High Sorcery in the Imperial Court of the Kingpriest of Istar. So you could call me an ambassador from a powergroup in Istar, granted this powergroup is over 30 Centuries old but thats beside the point." Lelara said as she placed the small quartz crystal into it'a bowel and layed down on the satin sheeted, four poster bed.

"30 centuries? That's quite a long time for a powerful group to remain together," Javin smiled. "This is really a very beautiful apartment.

"I'm not quite sure where to begin, I'm still new at developing relations between nations," he continued. "I've noticed that you have different races of people in your country, from the groups that looked like Hell Bovinians in the streets as I walked here. Yet at the same time, you have technology in addition to your magics. How is that impacting you?"

"So far so well, from all apperances the decade long program to bring Istar up to technological speed is going quite well. As for what you term "Hell Bovinians" they were most likely Minotaur Slaves being taken to either their master, or to market, or to the mines, or to execution if they were escapees." Lelara's voice showed a certain distate in the tone, almost as if she didn't agree with enslavement.