NationStates Jolt Archive

The Ermorian empire was at its peak state. They had conquered all of the world they knew. It was a great honor to be called an Ermorian citizen, and the Ermorian religious cult had been embraced by all in the Empire, if not always through peaceful means. The military was not quite as large as it used to be, they had already won their wars of conquest, what was left was used to uphold peace within the great Empire.

The Holy Capital of Ermor was Eldregate, in which extravagant religious ceremonies were held, and magical research developed even further with the help of C'tissian Sauromancers. The Ermorian mages were hungry for new methods of using magic, and there were no better teachers in the Empire in the ways of nature and death than the Sauromancers of C'tis. Many other ways of magic were researched there as well, of course. Astral magic was of great importance for the Empire during their wars, and they had researched it even further. For some reason, many of the ones who were attuned to astral magic were from the eastern parts of the Empire.

The Censors of Ermor kept a close eye on their activities and the mages were constantly harassed by them, for the sake of the security of the Empire. Magic can be of great use, but it can also be of great harm. The priests of the Empire were losing their touch and all that was left to keep the mages in check were the Censors. Nothing would go past them, or so they thought. Who knows what the mages would be able to accomplish, even with the Censors watching them? Of course, the Censors also had other things to do. They did not only keep an eye on the mages, but on all of the citizenry. There were many of them with the armies of Ermor.

Eldregate, as the religious and magical center of Ermor, was a place of pilgrimage, and many people from even the farthest stretches of the Ermorian empire went there daily, just to see the Holy Capital. Many also noticed the Holy Sepulchre that stood in the center of the mighty capital. A rumor said that it held an ancient queen of Ermor, a queen from times long past, from the times when Ermor had just started its conquest. She was also, presumably, the founder of the Ermorian religious cult. No one knows why she died, but because of her achievements the Ermorians wanted to make this monument for her, in which her dead, mummified body still lies.

It was obvious to them that the area they now controlled could not be all of the world they lived in. Mages many times told of their experiences, in which they had treaded in different places, far away from Ermor, in which humans lived. Soon they might have to make contact with those others, unknown to them. Who knows what would happen if they were found? It would be safer to be the ones who find those others themselves.

The most respected troops of the Ermorian empire were the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. They had been pivotal in the conquest of the Continent, and lands beyond it. They are the elite of elite, devout followers of the Ermorian religion who would never waver, they would give their lives for the Empire if needed. Now they guard the Holy Capital of Eldregate, which is a great honor for anyone, given for the ones who brought glory to their Empire in times past.

Ermor's roads were of exceptional quality, considering the age. Bridges had been built, so that they connect the different parts of the Empire to each other, only the islands in the southern parts were more or less cut off. Troop movements were swift and decisive because of this, and all attempts to rebel had been easily thwarted. Of course, such things happened, even if it was quite rare, during the occupancy most places had experienced unseen progress. The crops were more regular and predictable, most people were quite content with the Imperial rule.

This did not apply to C'tissians in the same extent, as their Sauromancers would not have helped the Ermorian mages in their research of death magic unless they had been forced to. The C'tissians are a species of herbivorous lizardmen, but they have enslaved race of carnivorous lizardmen which were the ones they mostly used in the battles against the Ermorian conquerors, but they could only delay the inevitable. The Ermorian armies were superior, and the C'tissians had to submit. Their (quite limited) use of undeads peaked the interest of Ermorian mages, who never had been quite efficient in using the path of death, but they would be, with the help of the Sauromancers.

The Holy Empire had been mapped (http://sensori.soldats.net/ermor/ermor.jpg) by a potent astral mage some time ago and this map (http://sensori.soldats.net/ermor/ermor.jpg) was deemed accurate enough by the Ermorian Censor who had reviewed it. It quite vaguely noted where different places were, and of the Empire's major cities only Eldregate had been noted.

C'tis was not the only nation-like entity the Empire took in its conquests. In the vicinity of the Great Mines were people who did not believe in magic, only in their black steel. Apparently the villages of the area had a loose defensive pact with each other, as they fought as one against the conquerors of Ermor. Many of those barbarians were highly trained in combat and many Ermorian legionnaires were lost, but they had one major weakness: They could not withstand magic. It was easy for the mages of Ermor to destroy the minds of their leaders, and they had no other option left but to surrender. Their lands were then incorporated to the Holy Empire, and now the Empire uses their steel on Imperial weapons and armor.

In the East, there were the people who use serpents as their steeds. They surrendered before they even had to fight. Why, no one knows, maybe they did not wish to fight the large Ermorian legions, but that is what happened. Many mages come from there to Eldregate, to learn and to teach. They modernized themselves to seem more like their masters, they have their own variations of almost everything Ermorian. They even brought up a legion of their own to help defend the Empire. They never seize to amaze the mages of Ermor, and their knowledge over the Arcana and of the path of air is quite awesome.

There were others, but they were of lesser significance. No one remembers them, and battles against them were quickly concluded. But there is one thing: Their lands are of great importance for the Empire, as their base of magical gems comes from them. Without them, the lesser mages could not cast anything and now there are more of these lesser ones than of the higher ones. Even from some of these places mages were found, actual lineages of such to be exact, and they have been of great help to the Empire.

Nice! Map is a bit dark.

Say hello to the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre for us from our counterparts.

Eldregate, the Holy Capital, was a well fortified Citadel. It had taken years to get it to this glorious state it was in, it was built with the blood of thousands who died in the process, but this was disregarded by the people who lived there. They were the most fortunate ones of the Empire, the ones who had power. Priestly, magical or secular, it did not really matter, they all lived there in relative peace, mostly in separate quarters. Only the Censors had access to all places in Eldregate. It was bound to their duty.

There, in Eldregate, were mighty temples made for the Ermorian gods, but there was yet another temple, which was not meant for any god. It was the temple of the Spheres, a temple made to honor the Arcana that controls Astral magic. There the Grand Thaumaturgs and the lesser Thaumaturgs of Ermor resided, the greatest of all Ermorian astral mages. They had little interest over secular power, and their priestly authority was limited. They mostly kept to themselves, searching for new ways to use their beloved Arcana, but sometimes they had to hold religious ceremonies, it was their duty. They were priests of the Arcana for the Ermorian citizens, after all.

Times were changing. Death magic had found its way into the Ermorian capital. Some Thaumaturgs and one of the few Grand Thaumaturgs had fallen to its lure. They would learn whatever the Sauromancers of C'tis could teach them, no matter what, and go beyond them. Because of this another temple was built, right next to the temple of the Spheres. The temple of the Dead it was be called, and it was meant to honor the path of death. As a result, the Thaumaturgs would be divided for the first time in Ermorian history. The Censors did not see anything wrong in this, or maybe they just did not wish to intervene in an obvious power struggle between magical cliques.

There is an Emperor in the Holy Empire, as there is a Senate as well, but both of them have lost much of their authority. The Emperors lost much of their powers to the Senate when it was first formed, and they are now almost powerless. They have had a say in the Senate, but it is not often heard by the senators. The Emperors have only grown weaker, and no one takes them seriously anymore.

But the Senate had to fight a long time with the Censors for power and in the end, the Senate lost control over them, and it was their own fault. They did the mistake of giving the Censors emergency powers over all once, when corruption was rooting itself to Ermor and they could not see no other options. Yes, the corruption was swiftly rooted out, but the Censors never gave up their power. No one can touch a Censor. The courts are powerless against them. Only a higher ranking Censor can really punish a Censor for his doings, which has brought problems. The Censors themselves are not impervious to corruption. No one is.

The Arch Censors have been de-facto rulers of Ermor ever since. They are practically untouchable by any authority, and there are no higher Censors, so they cannot be punished for brutality, but Ermor has been lucky with its Arch Censors, as they have been mostly benevolent and dedicated to their work as Censors, not powerhungry madmen. There has always been only one Arch Censor at a time, and the current one is a man named Lordean Naal, who has been the best Arch Censor for a long time, in a humane point of view.

The mages and priests of Ermor have never been quite as privileged as the Censors, who constantly follow them around and pester them with questions. They only rarely criticize the Censors for their doings, as it could prove lethal and is pointless. They do not even seek to control their fellow men, no, they seek power over things that are less tangible.

So, the Ermorian death mages were learning the ways of undeath. They had been able to bring unlife only to mindless longdead skeletons and soulless, but now they had finally been able to bring something else to being. Something that would prove their superiority over the lowly astral magic which has dominated the magical research in Ermor for so long.

An Ermorian mage was brought back as an ethereal spectre from the Underworld. Him, or it, was not all that powerful, but it still showed the potential of the path of death. What if they could bring back the ancient Emperors and Empresses of the Holy Empire? Or even the even older kings and queens of the Ancient Kingdom that stood there for hundreds of years, before the reformation of Ermor? Who knows, maybe they could evenbring the ruler of the Underworld to this plane of existence, and make him, her, it, whatever it happened to be, their servant?

They were excited about their find, of course, but it would take a long time for them to actually do something of significance. They have only scratched the surface of death magic, and their understanding of it is quite low. They are walking on a dangerous path. No one knows what could happen if they took even a single wrong step.

Something had awoken beneath the holy capital of Eldregate as the mages lured by death continued their experiments. It lays there, waiting for its time to come. No one knows what it is, no one even knows it exists, only a few Grand Thaumaturgs most adept in the astral magic even felt its presence in their sleep, as well as a small number of the most devout priests of Ermor. They did not know what it was that they are feeling, but they knew that something was not right. The Empire would fall. When and how remained to be seen.

It was a normal harvesting of the magical gems on some ancient battleground when it happened, brigands had attacked the almost defenseless collectors and massacred them. The Grand Thaumaturg of the path of death now demanded more troops to be put to defend these... Harvests, or they would put their own troops there. This was a very potent threat, the "troops" the followers of death would put there would be undead beings, and they do not act well in the presence of living beings. They cause fear, they feast on the flesh of the living.

Of course, the Arch Censor of Eldregate, the most influential secular figure of Ermor, ignored the Grand Thaumaturg's demands, and now the gems of death are harvested by undeads, which causes much unrest to the general population. After this, all the brigands were only turned into mindless, undead beings after being horrendeously slaughtered by the soulless and longdeads of Ermor.

The followers of the astral path had chosen not to use such crude tactics in keeping people out of their "harvesting" grounds, as they scry the lands and take care of any people attempting to loot those sacred places with the power of their minds. Gems with astral powers only form in places of wondrous purity, and although, at the moment, there are many such places in the lands of Ermor, they could be easily tainted by outsiders, who know not what their actions might do.

OOC If it is okay with you Sensori, could I post that thing here now, and do a time slide?

OOC If it is okay with you Sensori, could I post that thing here now, and do a time slide?

((OOC: Yeah, it's OK. Just do it whenever you want, I won't stop you.))

Three small islands where seen from Scryings by the mages onboard the Seven Spelljammers, unoccupied and near a source of magic, a perfect place for the founding of their new nation. The Seven spelljammers cut through the air, and landed amongest the seas of this strange land. Onboard one of the Seven the crew could be seen jumping into the seas and rejoicing, for Years they survived amongest the stars on preserved Sea water, but it was only a substitute for the real thing, and this new water was a necter from Corellon and the other gods.

Not that the water was perfect, they could taste impurites, pollution, but the Elves did not mind, at least not at the moment, they had reached a sea, and the inpurity was weak here, it may not be so elsewhere but that was for another time. Quickly the abandoned vessel was secured by the rest of the fleet, and the Seven vessels sailed into what appeared to be a natural harbour on the central island.

Now Githras disembarked the first of his people to set foot on their new home, his launch carried the Tree of Souls, for they he had chosen the site of their landing to be the Capital of their people, and so ontop of a cliff that looked out into the Seas of this land, he carried the Sapling, and their with great celebrations the Six leaders of the great houses that had accompiened Githras watched as he lowered it into the ground. The Tree burst into life, and where had been planted a Sapling now stood an Ancient tree, huge and beutiful to gaze upon, the leaves of this tree where Gold and green, it spoke of age old magics, and of a peace unsurpassed in age.

At the trees planting however something else less physical occured, the Spread of High Magic. In a Circle five Hundred Miles wide it spread a place where a Magic more powerful than anyother known to these elves could occur without fear, this spread could be felt by all sensitive across the world. It was as if a beacon of Magic that had been lit, for a second the beacon was as bright as staring into the sun, but then it faded, becoming a dull feeling easily dismissed and ignored.

Githras placed his hands upon the tree and spoke a single word, he was gone from view, traveling the vast distances between earth and Toril, and for a moment he stood once more in Evermeet, but only a moment. There he spoke to an Elf who had been waiting on this side of the Gate for decades, waiting this moment, and it had arrived. The man ran to the streets of evermeet, and Githras returned to his kingdom. Those that had pledged themselves to him would come now.

Of course this was only the start for the people of Githras, now the work would begin, here where the tree stood a mighty fortress would oneday be erected to serve as the Palace of Githras and his descendents. The Six leaders of the houses would leave to select their own centers of power amongest the Three Islands, or under the waves. For Weeks to come the Elves would grow in number, the colonisation of these Islands had begun.

[Tag]

All through Ermor many people had felt something odd, but its effects had been the worst in the Temple of the Spheres. It was almost as the Arcana had gone berserk, but it had ended just as suddenly as it had started. In the Temple of the Dead this was taken as a sign, the followers of the astral path would falter. They would have to learn more of their path, Arcana would fall, and death would take its rightful place.

Some apprentice mages had lost their consciousness during the event. They had been just taught how to project themselves on the astral planes and how to look onto the "real world" through there, and their target had been the Ermorian Isles. Those are basically three, uninhabited islands in the southwestern corner of Ermor. They had always been perfect for this lesson, but this time, something had happened.

This worried the Grand Thaumaturgs of the Temple. One mage would be sent to investigate what has happened there. A Thaumaturg would be sent, one that is considered expendable thanks to his age old quarrel with the Grand Thaumaturgs. Though, the Grand Thaumaturgs acknowledge his skills. He knows more of the magic paths than most of the Grand Thaumaturgs combined, but he is still a weakening old man, even if he doesn't look like it. The magic he uses sustains him, he looks much younger than he is, but even with astral magic, a human cannot prolong his life forever.

The Grand Thaumaturgs summoned him before them, and gave him his "mission". This he would do, and return only after finding out what caused the disturbance. He had no other choice but to accept the... Assignment.

He would have to prepare for the journey ahead of him, but soon enough, he would go through the astral planes, and find his way to the Ermorian Isles.

He had grown weary of the ones who call themselves "Grand Thaumaturgs", but there was not much he could do. He preferred working with the Censors, but they couldn't help him this time. The Censors, even the Arch Censor himself, although being the most powerful man in the Empire, was reluctant to actually intervene in the business of the Thaumaturgs. He has no other choice but to go explore the isles, and seek for anything unusual.

He could have checked the place with his spells as any self respecting astral mage could, but for some reason he was told to go there in person. Waste of time, he thought, waste of time and possibly life threatening. Instead of using his knowledge to advance the cause, they make him run errands.

He was ready. He told a mage that was passing by his quarters to inform the Grand Thaumaturgs of his departure before disappearing into the Astral planes in a bright flash of light. Why me, he thought, why me of all the mages in the order? Why do they always pester ME?

It was a short trip, as most are. He only had to take a few steps before reaching the point in the Isles where the weird phenomenon had happened on the astral planes. He walked out, back to the real world. He had expected to find, well, maybe a rogue mage or something of the sort, but it wasn't exactly what he found. Human-like, but magical beings had found their way to the Isles! Yes, it was quite obvious.

He casted a few spells quickly, one at a time, to make him a less easy target before attempting to converse with the beings. His gem pouch became somewhat smaller as a result, but who knows what those beings are up to. He closed in on them, attempting to seem as not threatening as possible.

Although he is quite old, he seems middleaged, which is of course not true. He is well over a hundred years old. He wears a purple robe, with no insignia on them what so ever, and he is wielding a green scepter-sort, which has a golden knob with a green interior. On his head is a silver colored helmet. Because of that his hair cannot be seen.

It was dark, the skies an endless blackness, the tower almost mergig with the darkness...

Most people slept, only a few, robbers, lost souls, guards, mages and the like, were awake, working, fleeing, searching for food, hoping to survive another day in their miserable lives.

Rumours spread across the land, from village to village, from city to city, they were told on the streets, whispered in the woods...

Many of this rumours were just useless, irrelevant, babble about some strange events somewhere else...

Others however were more interesting...

One of this rumours was a rumour regarding a nation called Ermor...

The mages, a disease in Rezo, ruling the lands, researching on their magic without even caring for the people, allowing brutal nobles to rule the cities... They heard this rumour as well...

For a hundred years, they researched to find a way... A way to revive their former master...

But they had failed. It was simply... impossible.

However, the rumours about Ermor included rumours about Necromancy...

The power they needed, yet failed to master.

The decision was made quickly. Several mages, working closely with each others would send a delegation to Ermor, to find out the secrets they needed to know...

However, there was opposition, and it was likely they wouldn´t be the only ones heading towards Ermor... But maybe, just maybe, the others would have different aims...

The work had barely begun for the elves, at the moment it consisted of the wise looking over the site that had been chosen, selecting trees for the changes that would come. The arrival of a mage was missed at first, but soon picked up on, human which surprised them a little. They had met humans from this world, they had been ignorent of magic, this man through was not, it seemed once more that mankind followed but one rule, that they had no rules.

Cautiously therefore was he approached a ring steel surronding the man before a mage could be brought forward and a spell to allow conversation could be cast. Although the men gaurding the human where cautious enough not to appear threatening, it was evident that they ment no harm, only security.

Eventually an elf was brought forward, and a spell cast, and then in a perfect version of the humans own tongue he began to speak. 'We welcome you to the Kingdom of Giltheran stranger, but we would inquire as to your busisness here. and how it is you came to be.'

(OOC I am glad that some new people here have high-quality posts. Well done, keep at it, this is a wonderful start :D )

'We welcome you to the Kingdom of Giltheran stranger, but we would inquire as to your busisness here. and how it is you came to be.'

The man chuckled, he had been on these islands more times than he could remember. Sometimes just to be alone from all the hassle that comes with being a Thaumaturg, sometimes to teach something to young mages. And these beings call him a stranger. He could appreciate the irony, although the elves obviously would know nothing of this.

He said to the elf, "How I came here isn't exactly a secret. Most people in Ermor would know, so it is quite obvious to me that you are not from Ermor, but that is irrelevant. If you really want to know, I will say this: Through the astral planes."

"These isles have been in the possession of the Empire for quite some time, but now you people live on them. These islands have always been uninhabited, at least to our knowledge. Do whatever you wish with them, these islands have never interested us that much."

"But there is a real reason why I am here. Something happened on this very island not so long ago. I am guessing it was your doing. What did you do?"

The elves did not have to think for long to determine what the Mage ment, it seemed obvious. The question was what to tell the man, in the end they thought he was someone they could trust. 'We did indeed cause something to happen, we planted the Tree of Souls, an ancient artifact of my people it's planting symbolises our new land, it is I would suppose a source of magic.'

The others that had formed around him, slowly began to disperse if he could be trusted with this information he was no threat. 'Come I shall take you to our king, he an answer all your questions, he should be by the Tree, overseeing the work.'

The man gestured upwards, towards a hill, and ontop of which no matter the distance a Tree could be seen, standing out amongest all the surronding area. As they got loser the mage would be able to see humanoid shapes, elves obviously seemingly emerge from the tree, an almost endless line of them.

As they closed in on the tree, the man didn't think much of it. It's a tree. A large one, yes. A magical one as well, yes. But he has seen stranger things in his life. Obviously these beings like nature, but the magic of nature is quite weak. Especially after being tamed. He is not here to see the physical manifestation of what they have done, no. He wants to know what they have done, and what consequences it might bring with it.

And then he was shown the person who they called their king. The man slightly bowed his head, it almost seemed that he only nodded. He then said, "I can see that you have already started building your nation here. I was told that the tree was the cause of the... Inconvenience in our capital. What does it do exactly? I can still feel its presence, lingering in the back of my head... Oh, here I go, forgetting to introduce myself. I am a Thaumaturg from the empire of Ermor, which I here represent. Avius, Tarchon Avius is my name. I mean you no harm."

Githras nodded to the man and mumbled the same spell as the mage from before.
'Disturbance hmm I suppose one could see it as disturbance, this is the Tree of Souls. For several centuraries it lay dormant, in a kind of Stasis, until now. In that time, those of my race who chose rather than to go onto Arvandor, joined with the tree. When it's time came, as it has now, it awakens the ancient magics, allowing their casting within it's sphere.' He smiled as he spoke the next bit, it was obvious that the tree allowed more, one only had to look at the Settlers that where emerging from the tree.
'It does more of course, the tree serves as gate to a place we once called home.' The Githras paused a moment and a look of sadness crossed his features. he doubted he would use the gate again, others may in time, but he would never return to Evermeet...

He looked at the man as he spoke 'Still I apoloise if the Tree caused any amongest your people distress, We planted it to repersent our presence here, and the few Humans we had met as we came to this world where... not aware of magic... We assumed it was this way on your planet, an assumption I can now see to have been a mistake.'

The king looked around himself as he spoke, 'Actually it comes as a relief, for the Metal mosters of the others on this world, are, disconcerting to look upon. I prefer something I can understand. So is all you sought knowledge of the Tree, or would you require to see more?'

Empire of Ermor, it concerned the Young King that name, empires where often forged in blood, and looking outwards for new people to conquor, he may have to organise the army and soon.

"What worries me are the effects this tree of yours is going to have on Ermor, as it is already quite magical. The fact that it works as a gate to some other place is not a thing to be taken lightly either. I would guess that the tree is supposed to work on lands that are not inherently magical, but Ermor happens to be infested by magic. What assurances can you give us that your tree doesn't affect our age old empire negatively?"

"I can see you are worried. Let me assure you, these islands mean nothing to us. No one has lived on them for as long as I can remember, and their magical properties are quite low. It is good that someone lives on them now. We are glad that you have settled on them, although I wonder where did you come from. If what you say is true, it is obvious that you are not from this world. Where did you come from, and why did you choose this very place?"

"Oh, and you do not need to use your magic to speak with me. I understand you quite well enough without it."

He now saw the astral body of the tree, and it was growing rapidly. What was that thing, really? These beings were not telling him everything. It can't be a mere magical amplifier with a gate... It wouldn't have to expand like that if it was. Or maybe it is their version of the Arcane Nexus, who knows. It would require further study.

He nodded leaving the spell in place only due to the fact it was pointless to cancel it, once in effect the magic would run it's course with no ill effect. 'I shall answer your questions as well as I can, firstly. The tree is should have no ill effect on your lands, it is ment to work where their is magic, it opens a type of magic that is hard to use, for it drains the life force of the caster permanetly, yet within the shelter of the tree no drain will happen.' He paused as if considering how to assure the man then he smiled.

'As assurance of this fact let me tell you of what created the Tree, Correllon, God of our people, head of the Seldarine, and champion of the light. He would not harm a people that have done us no harm.'

Then the smile seemed to spread across the mans face as he spoke next, 'In answer to why we came here, and where we came from, we came here because it was time, for several centuaries our people had retreated to an Island stronghold on the Planet known as Toril, there we where safe, but it was not in our nature to stay in one place and eschew contact with other peoples. The time to end the retreat came, and I was chosen to lead our people in doing so,' If his voice filled with pride as he spoke, well that was to be understood, after all, it was something to be proud of.

'but, we went on the retreat because the lands where filling with others, and we could not hold them forever, that condition had only worsened since the retreat, so I went outwards. the tree of Souls was promised to us, for when the retreat ended, so it was that it was given into my care for the journey.'

"Ah, so its use is primarily the same as our magical gems, then. Although our magic does not require 'life force' as such, no, but the more sophisticated the spell is, the more it exhausts its user. That is why we use gems. The best spells, or the worst depending on whose side you are on, can dominate the battlefield with their immense power and kill the caster if he or she is not powerful enough and, or lacks gems. Even the best of us can lose consciousness after casting the most powerful spells without the help of magical gems. And there are those spells that require massive amounts of gems for them to actually work. But you did not ask me, so I will stop my idle chatter."

"As we both most obviously use magic, perhaps we could trade, at some point, our knowledge? We could use all the help we can get in our everlasting competition against the Ermorian Death cult."

"It is apparent that you and your people have endured much hardship, and I would say it is time to let you continue on your quest to build your nation. But I will say this before I leave: It was wise that you chose to settle on these isles instead of settling on the Continents. Now we see you as friends, but had you attempted to colonize on the Continents without consulting us... We must consider both of our peoples lucky, for that war would have been awful and pointless."

It was about three months after the ruling mages decided upon their course of action. It had been a long journey across the ocean, something they rarely did, isolationist as Rezo was...

However, now, they finally arrived. According to the information they had, to the information the eagles they send out to explore the area, the city they saw was the capital of this nation... 'Ermor'. 'Eldregate', thats how the natives called it.

An hour or two later, they finally made it into the harbour... Their ship was fairly impressive, five high masts, full with sails coloured in a deep red, it`s sides plated with gold down to the waterline, five flags waving in the wind, each of them a requiem of colours merging into each other.

The ship is large, very large, however, it is obviously not a military vessel, since whoever build it was aiming at impressing the people watching it. It was a symbol of might, without being able to enforce it.

The crew was comparably small, only about fifty crewmen and as many soldiers for their protection. And a small group of others...

Five men, and as many women, some of them clothed in garments of mindboggling beauty, will with jewelry, gold and silver, silk and other precious things, colourful, with grace and beauty, others preferring mere black robes and simple staffs, looking like beggars... but all of them together, and all of them with their heads, their faces covered.

Another thing that was interesting was the sheer amount of animals on the ship. Eagles could be seen, tigers and wolves. Smaller birds, singing beautiful, as well as snakes, their look frightening, threatening.

Music came from the ship, beautiful, yet somehow odd. Bells in it´s sails, on it´s masts made it, forming a requiem of beauty, joining with the voies of the animals... yet it wasn´t exactly 'beauty'... it sounded as if they praised a dark beauty, a red, horrible beauty... The beauty of blood, the honour of death.

Finally, the ship stopped, ropes were thrown on the wharf, and the music stopped, the shouting of the crewmen and soldiers taking over, while the ten men and women remained silent.

Finally, they left the ship, only one soldier and one crewman following them, the rest staying on the ship.

A man in a red cape and in a plate hauberk, accompanied by a few fully armored men who each wielded a broad sword and a purple tower shield, Praetorian Guards they were called, greeted the new arrivals. "Welcome to our holy capital of Eldregate, travelers," he said. "What business do you have here?"

He was a Censor stationed on the port of Eldregate. He knew that there was a ship coming into the port, but he was not expecting a group so obviously involved in some death cult to emerge from it, and there was only one thing he could think why they would be here... To meet the Ermorian equivalent of their own kind. But that remains to be seen.

"Welcome to our holy capital of Eldregate, travelers," he said. "What business do you have here?"


The five men and five women looked around, their two 'companions' staying a few steps behind them, their heads bowed. The armoured men didn`t seem to impress them too much. But looking at the city... It looked strange. The information their secret servants, their animals, had given to them had been incomplete. The city was... interesting. There weren´t many ordinary people here, mostly soldiers (Censors, they thought they were called, but since they knew their information was incomplete, no one of them would bet on it) and mages... other important looking people.

It seemed to be some sort of... 'artificial city', some sort of... yes, of a 'hideout' for the elites ruling Ermor.

Finally, one of the mages, his clothing merely a wide, black robe and a staff in his right hand, answers the question, bowing slightly. "We thank you for you welcoming us. We came here to learn... to learn things we do not know... We heard that there is an art... a magical art, that is fairly advanced in your nation. Necromancy. We wish to learn more about it. We seek help. Can you... perhaps... guide us to whereever we can find this aid?" His voice is strong, despite the devout words. It`s definitely a man who knows what he wants.

"Welcome to our holy capital of Eldregate, travelers," he said. "What business do you have here?"


The five men and five women looked around, their two 'companions' staying a few steps behind them, their heads bowed. The armoured men didn`t seem to impress them too much. But looking at the city... It looked strange. The information their secret servants, their animals, had given to them had been incomplete. The city was... interesting. There weren´t many ordinary people here, mostly soldiers (Censors, they thought they were called, but since they knew their information was incomplete, no one of them would bet on it) and mages... other important looking people.

It seemed to be some sort of... 'artificial city', some sort of... yes, of a 'hideout' for the elites ruling Ermor.

Finally, one of the mages, his clothing merely a wide, black robe and a staff in his right hand, answers the question, bowing slightly. "We thank you for you welcoming us. We came here to learn... to learn things we do not know... We heard that there is an art... a magical art, that is fairly advanced in your nation. Necromancy. We wish to learn more about it. We seek help. Can you... perhaps... guide us to whereever we can find this aid?" His voice is strong, despite the devout words. It`s definitely a man who knows what he wants.

"Necromancy, you say?" the Censor said with contempt in his voice. "Then you must be seeking the Temple of the Dead. It should not be hard to find. It is the only black building within its otherwise white surroundings. Just follow that road, and you will find it soon enough."

--

Eldregate is deceptive in the eyes of the people who first come there. It is true that in the Citadel of Eldregate the elite of Ermor reside. The Citadel is directly connected to this particular port. Inside, only the Censors, the mages, the priests and the like actually live. Others may come there, but never stay there for longer periods of time.

But the Citadel is only one of the many aspects of Eldregate. There is a much larger fortified area outside of it where the common citizens live, although the people from the conquered lands are not allowed to live there, it is only for true Ermorians. This is upheld with some success by the Censors of Eldregate, who have slaughtered many who have defied this law.

The Citadel of Eldregate and more specifically the temples within it are places of pilgrimage and some of the pilgrims attempt to live in the city, even if it means living outside the fortified walls of Eldregate, as they are not truly from Ermor, but from the lands conquered by it. Because of this, one could say that Eldregate has at least three layers.

"Necromancy, you say?" the Censor said with contempt in his voice. "Then you must be seeking the Temple of the Dead. It should not be hard to find. It is the only black building within its otherwise white surroundings. Just follow that road, and you will find it soon enough."


The mage that talked to the Censor before noticed the contempt in the voice of the Cencor.

They do not seem to be fond of this art. Perhaps they aren`t as advanced as we thought.

But for the moment, he stopped thinking about it, they would know the truth soon enough. He simply bowed, and begun moving, the others following him...

Despite being quiet, not saying a single word, they looked after anything they encountered with interest, always willing to learn, always wary...

After a (long) while they finally found the building... Black, large, sort of... yes, threatening.

They didn`t hesitate, and stepped towards it.

As the group came closer and closer to the building, someone... Something came out and for a brief moment, it looked at them. It was in a pitch black cloak and under it a robe of the same blackness and they seemed a bit torn.

The darkness around it dissipated a bit, and for a moment it was possible to see its face. It had no eyes in its eyesockets, but some strange, faint red glow came from them. Its face was... Skeletal, blackened. Nothing else could be seen of itself until its hands came visible, as skeletal and blackened as its "face". It raised its arms, and soon it vanished in a flash of black light.

Most of the mages notice the 'thing'. They wonder for a moment, but then enter the area of the temple, wondering where to ask to be.. allowed inside of it.

They looik around, memorising every detail, it could become handy.

Meanwhile, on the ship, birds begin to fly and, leaving the ship, exploring the city...

They are the scouts, doing things a human being would never be able to do...

A Thaumaturg walked out of the temple and saw the odd group, looking around in front of the temple. As he walked towards them, it did not take that long for him to realize why they were here, nor did the fact that they were obviously looking at the temple make it any harder to find that out.

When he was close enough, he said, "I can see that you are not from these parts. Is there something you are looking for?" He then waved his hand to the general direction of the building he just came out of and continued, "That is the Temple of the Dead. Are you here, perhaps, because of our death magic?"

"That is the Temple of the Dead. Are you here, perhaps, because of our death magic?"

The mage in the gray robe nodded. "Indeed, we are. It´s an art we have not mastered... truly unfortunately, as this is exactly the kind of magic we would need right now. We have sort of... ah... a problem regarding our leader... perhaps we could talk about details inside?"

The rest of the group just stood there, not even nodding, it seemed almost as if they weren´t even breathing... Waiting for the reaction of their... well, hosts.

"Ah, so its use is primarily the same as our magical gems, then. Although our magic does not require 'life force' as such, no, but the more sophisticated the spell is, the more it exhausts its user. That is why we use gems. The best spells, or the worst depending on whose side you are on, can dominate the battlefield with their immense power and kill the caster if he or she is not powerful enough and, or lacks gems. Even the best of us can lose consciousness after casting the most powerful spells without the help of magical gems. And there are those spells that require massive amounts of gems for them to actually work. But you did not ask me, so I will stop my idle chatter."
Githras listened to this talk of Gems with interest, at some date it would likely prove useful for greater investigation into such things, they promised great advantages in the creation of Artifacts.

"As we both most obviously use magic, perhaps we could trade, at some point, our knowledge? We could use all the help we can get in our everlasting competition against the Ermorian Death cult."

"... Now we see you as friends, but had you attempted to colonize on the Continents without consulting us... We must consider both of our peoples lucky, for that war would have been awful and pointless."

Death Cults he had to smile a little at that, indeed he had a hatred for most forms of Undead, his advisor was a rare exception for to become A Bealnorn was a reward from correlon and a great sacriface, for the Elf surrended indefinatly his chance at Arvandor to serve his people. However others amongest the undead ould not be said to be so... generous, it was perhaps a little soon to think of these men as Necronmancers but he had his suspicions.

Finnaly he spoke 'Indeed it is fortunate, and I look forward to any trades that may arise between our two nations, as for this 'Death Cult' perhaps with greater information we could aid you. I cannot commit obviously yet, but my natural leanings would be against them I suspect.'

"-- a problem regarding our leader... perhaps we could talk about details inside?"

"Yes, yes, very well. Go inside at your leisure, but I am not the one you wish to speak with, it is one of the Grand Thaumaturgs of our order. I will take you to the one who is currently leading us."

He turned back to the entrance, and said over his shoulder, "Just follow me," as he waved his hand as to show them to follow him.

The temple itself was as black inside as it was outside, with magical, glowing lanterns floating in the air, well above the heads of everyone who happens to walk through there. Sometimes weird, glowing purple gems could be seen in the walls. They passed a few intersections, but they continued walking straight, and they had to go down some stairs. The temple seemed larger inside than it was outside, which it actually was, as it is partially in the ground itself.

Then they came to a small hall, a library, in which they could find an old man, sitting there, reading a book. The Thaumaturg said to the group, "He is the Grand Thaumaturg," after which he went closer to the man, and whispered something.

The man stopped reading the book and rose up, and said, "Ah, so you seek our knowledge of death? Who are you, and why should we help you?"

The security in the place might seem almost laughable, but that is how it supposed to seem.

--

Finnaly he spoke 'Indeed it is fortunate, and I look forward to any trades that may arise between our two nations, as for this 'Death Cult' perhaps with greater information we could aid you. I cannot commit obviously yet, but my natural leanings would be against them I suspect.'

"Very good. I shall leave now... Oh, maybe I should give you something before I go. As a sign of good faith."

He took something out of his pocket. It looked like a miniature ship, a rather sturdy one at that. He said, "This is a magical item called a pocket ship. When it is put to the sea... It grows into a real ship, capable of traveling the seas. It might not be the best possible ship, and it is definitely not made for the deep and treacherous oceans between Ermor and the other lands, but it should be enough to explore the seas close to these islands. And it is better if you used it if, or when you wish to contact us, instead of using your own vessels."

He extended his arm, with the ship in his hand, and said, "Please accept this small gift."

Nodding as he accepted the gift the King looked around for a moment. 'We have few gifts at this time, my people are still arriving, but what I have I willingly give. Take these'
His hands reach out and in them where three simple Acorns 'When Planted a Tree of great age will be formed, the tree can be shaped to form a living place, but in all other ways it is simply a Tree. I am ashamed that we can only give so little at the moment, but...'

He looked around himself at the chaos of the colonists arrival and departure across the Islands., 'Of course you are welcome any time to return and I shall use this gift of yours when all is starting to come together here, to visit your lands.'

Nodding as he accepted the gift the King looked around for a moment. 'We have few gifts at this time, my people are still arriving, but what I have I willingly give. Take these'
His hands reach out and in them where three simple Acorns 'When Planted a Tree of great age will be formed, the tree can be shaped to form a living place, but in all other ways it is simply a Tree. I am ashamed that we can only give so little at the moment, but...'

He looked around himself at the chaos of the colonists arrival and departure across the Islands., 'Of course you are welcome any time to return and I shall use this gift of yours when all is starting to come together here, to visit your lands.'

"These are more than enough. Thank you."

He bowed his head slightly as he received the acorns.

"And thank you for your hospitality as well. I will come and see how you and your people are progressing from time to time, and wait for the time when you are ready to come to Ermor. But for now, I bid you farewell."

Formal goodbyes were made, and soon he left in a bright flash of blinding, white light. He would have to report the fact that the isles are now habited to the Censors. As he had said, he knew that no one would care too much about the isles, so the elves should be able to settle them in peace.

"Yes, yes, very well. Go inside at your leisure, but I am not the one you wish to speak with, it is one of the Grand Thaumaturgs of our order. I will take you to the one who is currently leading us."

He turned back to the entrance, and said over his shoulder, "Just follow me," as he waved his hand as to show them to follow him.

The ten mages just... followed, in silence. It was almost as if they weren´t there...

The temples interior was quite fascinating, it was obvious that the mages of Ermor were at least as advanced as they were, perhaps even more advanced.

The man stopped reading the book and rose up, and said, "Ah, so you seek our knowledge of death? Who are you, and why should we help you?"

The mage in the gray robe bowed slightly, and with a quiet, but firm voice, he begun to speak:

"We are from Rezo. For a long time, we were divided, after we were crushed in a great conflict, a thousand years ago...

However, about a hundred years ago, we succeeded in reuniting, in recreating the empire.

We even tried, and succeeded, in reviving our great leader of equal name, Rezo. However, something failed... he awakened elsewhere, and didn´t know who he was... and in the end, he died again.

We need to revive him, for he is our past, and only he can be our future. But our ressources are stretched thin, and we are not able to revive him a second time. Indeed, many things have changed, even if we had the ressources we once had, we wouldn´t be able to revive him.

One other thing... A being... a divine being is imprisoned in him, concealed, banned in his soul.

I don´t know how this may change the process..."

He stopped, waiting for the old man to answer.

The man listened to what the visitors had to say and sat down deep in thought.

He said, "That is more important than you might think. Divine and hellish beings both attempt to stay away from the center of undeath, which is the Underworld. But it is very likely that not many of them know of the place first hand, so they might accidentally find their way there anyway. Apparently the place corrupts the mind and the body of the one who enters it. This might be why when he was resurrected, he was 'born' without the knowledge of his own past..."

He abruptly stopped talking and he whispered something to the Thaumaturg, who left with haste.

"What was I talking about? Oh yes. The fact that he came to be somewhere else than the place he was supposed to only confims this assumption. The 'visit' in the Underworld might have been too traumatic for him to process quickly enough for him to revive the way he was supposed to. It is likely that he will never be quite whole again after the experience, but if what you say is true and there truly is a divine being in his spirit, he has much better chances of still having his mind intact than almost any other."

The Thaumaturg returned with some books in his hands and he placed them onto the table, after which he left. The old man opened one of them and turned its pages until he found what he wanted.

"There might be a reason why you have not been able to resurrect him again. There are several planes in the realms of the dead, and Underworld is only one of them. Even if it is the one touched the worst by the unholy energies of them. I would guess that he and this 'divine being' in his spirit are in the Netherworld instead. There the spirit is far less affected by the unholy energies that are more rampant in the Underworld."

He muttered something and turned the book to the visitors. "Read it for yourselves," and he turned the book to them so they could read it.

As they were reading the few pages the man had shown to them, he spoke again. "I am quite confident that we could bring him back. But what will you give us in return if we are to do what you ask? This is not exactly a trivial task."

Update on the progress of Giltheran

The Tree of Souls had been shaped, it had taken a while, but now it formed not only a place of great power, but the palace of the new nation. Druids had worked for Weeks on every detail. and so while one could enter, and walk around within the tree, and not even realise where they where, the Tree still lived un-disturbed by the changes. In other places of course the Palace went outside, and the view was stunning, as you walked amongest the branches of the Tree you could see across the bay and down upon the newly constructed capital.

It too was stunning, Wide streets, and buildings made of minerals, from across the Islands and from Evermeet itself, a gift to the people of Giltheran from their relatives far away. Yet even through they where constructed the buildings seemed a part of the land itself, not a single stone was out of place, or looked false. The city seemed one with the lands.

Beneath the waves another City had been constructed in that place lived the Sea Elves, guarding the shores of the lands above from the threats of the sea. It's buildings differed from the surface in that they never acted to keep the seas away from the buildings simply to mark a section off. The sea Elves had their own king, living as a semi-independent realm within the greater nation, but emmiseries of the Surface Elves would still visit, and they followed in the end the words of the King.

In the mountains of the Island giant Eagles soured, and where tended by their riders, they had been brought from the lands beyond, and formed the core of the elves 'air force' beutiful majestic creatures, that served in partnership with the Elves, as they always had.

In the forests lay other cities, the Wood elves constructing buildings very much akin to the Palace, and practiced their skills honing them.

And deep in the hearts of the Forests tribes of Wild Elves moved hunting and fishing, living directly from the land as they always had, and always would.

In all Six cities would be constructed One for each of the Great Houses, bar the Wild elves, who where content to stay in their tribes. Githras looked upon what his people had built and was pleased.

Of course other works other than the buildings had been conducted, and the first results of this study was now being presented to him.

'Yes my King, we think we have an interesting idea. You mentioned the concern of these Metal ships the other species seem to enjoy. Well we think we have a solution. We can prepare Bolts and shot for the that with great care can be enchanted with Rusting Grasp and a delayed Fireball. Perhaps this combination will prove most effective against these vessels. The only problem is we have no way of knowing until it is tried.'

'Indeed that is a problem, send out some riders seek the nations we have met or heard about and ask them for any older damaged, none functioning Metal Ships. Ask them if we might purchuse the hulls of these vessels for testing the effectivness of these experiments. Also seek this Menelmacar with the same offer.'

As the command was given soon after a flock of Giant Eagles bearing their riders took of seeking nations and the hulls of vessels.

((Flight of the giant eagles, rather than conduct that here might be better in a seperate thread. So here it is http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2708585#2708585 ( Eagles))

Arch Censor Lordean Naal had died and there was a need for a new one. It was customary that the new Arch Censor would be chosen by the Senate from a list of prominent Censors and the custom was upheld this time as well. The Arch Censors have had practically dictatorial power over the nation for quite some time, but only a very small number of them have ever succumbed to the lure of power in the times of the Empire. The Senators were confident they could continue this tradition.

There were many candidates, but only one of them was truly promising. His name was Caractor. He had all the qualities required to be the next Arch Censor, or so they thought. He had many traits. He was just, honorable and a superb commander. They had heard many good things of him and his exploits as a Censor, ridding the lands of evil.

It did not take long for them to vote for him to become the new Arch Censor. The ceremony itself was quite plain. All they did was that they summoned Caractor to hear what they had to say, and he was given the purple cape and the emblem of the Arch Censor, after which he was directed to his new quarters. It would be up to him to continue from there.

But little did they know how they had been subtly manipulated by the death cult. He was not quite the man they thought he was. He would not be able to resist the corruption of true power unlike his predecessors, which was what the death cult sought after. When he would become negligent, they would be able to do practically whatever they want..

The very first thing Caractor did as an Arch Censor was to appoint a Censor to take some of his burden. He just randomly chose one who was then given the title of Grand Censor. The Grand Censor would be the supreme Censor outside Eldregate, and his or her words would have the weight of the Arch Censor's behind them.

The fall had begun...

As they were reading the few pages the man had shown to them, he spoke again. "I am quite confident that we could bring him back. But what will you give us in return if we are to do what you ask? This is not exactly a trivial task."

So far, the mages had merely nodded to the explanations the man had given to them. Most of it was trivial, but then, they weren`t exactly specialists for this kind of magic, so they simply listened. However, now, they answered. It was a woman of undefined age, clothed in a black robe. Only her voice betrayed her gender, anything else was covered.

Nodding, she begun to talk: "We are aware of the difficulties such a task iuncludes, and we are prepared to, ah... pay for it. In what way, may it be money, a task, or knowledge, that is yours to decide."

Nodding, she begun to talk: "We are aware of the difficulties such a task iuncludes, and we are prepared to, ah... pay for it. In what way, may it be money, a task, or knowledge, that is yours to decide."

"As one would expect. Knowledge is what we seek, we have all the resources we need, and I do not see why we would need you to commit to a task. We seek knowledge over the path of death. That is what we will ask of you, when we have done our part. Anything you know that we do not yet possess."

He stood up and started walking towards a door in the back of the room. It was not visible up to this point, as it was swallowed by darkness. "Follow me," he said, and opened it. The room behind it was rather roomy, and it was obvious what it was meant for. Its walls were distorted by the unholy magics done there. It was a room where only the most demanding of those dark spells are done.

There were several people there, waiting. Their faces could not be seen. Nothing but their black robes were visible.

"There are several things we need before we start anything, though. There is something you need to provide. A fresh corpse. We cannot just go and murder people here, you see. Draws too much unwanted attention. We only use... Volunteers."

It had become obvious for all that the one who had been chosen to be the Grand Censor of Ermor was the worst possible choice, although he was chosen randomly. A murderer he was, meting out his deprived justice against practically anyone, innocent and guilty alike, for no other reason but his own twisted notion of righteousness.

Absolute power had corrupted him absolutely. He had always desired bringing justice to Ermor, but he had become a common murderer.

"As one would expect. Knowledge is what we seek, we have all the resources we need, and I do not see why we would need you to commit to a task. We seek knowledge over the path of death. That is what we will ask of you, when we have done our part. Anything you know that we do not yet possess."


The woman just nodded. Hadn´t her face been covered by the shadows of her robe, one could have seen her smiling... althought it was only a thin smile. "You shall get what you seek. Any knowledge we carry, we will open to you, for ours is to enlighten the world."

"There are several things we need before we start anything, though. There is something you need to provide. A fresh corpse. We cannot just go and murder people here, you see. Draws too much unwanted attention. We only use... Volunteers."

Again, the woman nodded. "We thought so much, and we have this... volunteers." She didn´t look around, but one of the mages, again of undefined age, stepped forward. "I swore to bring him back, to be his vessel... It´s the best i can do... For me, for him, for my people." He bowed, seemingly... excited, not showing any fear. It wa shis task, it was what he lived for. And he would fulfill his mission. Despite knowing that his existance would end now... He was ready for the task.

"You shall get what you seek. Any knowledge we carry, we will open to you, for ours is to enlighten the world."

"Very good."

Despite knowing that his existance would end now... He was ready for the task.

"Everything else has been taken care of already, so your corpse is all we need." One of the black robed mages who had waited in the room gave the Grand Thaumaturg a potion, who in turn gave it to the man who would be the one to give his body to the spellcasting. "Drink it," he said, and the man did this. Everything was ready.

The Ermorian mages put the dead corpse on something that seemed like a blackened, round stone table. In reality, it was of some unknown substance derived from the Underworld. They started to chant something and purple lights came to being around the corpse, all on the very edges of the table. The Grand Thaumaturg on the other hand had gone close to the corpse, chanting as well, but what he was doing seemed counterproductive, as the purest possible light came from his hands, illuminating the black room.

Hours had passed and practically nothing had changed. The mages just continued their chanting. The lights had formed a symbol of some kind by now, but it was of alien design. The light they had emitted changed into the most sickening green when the symbol was complete, and the pure light the Grand Thaumaturg had been applying on the corpse turned pitch black. Finally something was happening. A black light consumed the body, but the mages did not budge. They only continued their chanting as did the Grand Thaumaturg.

Then something happened. The mages stopped, and they were obviously exhausted, as was the Grand Thaumaturg. The corpse had come visible, its eyes were open, emitting the same green light seen before, but soon it dissipated. The corpse rose to sit, holding its head. "What... Has... Happened?" it said.

"What is your name?" said the Grand Thaumaturg. "Wormtongue... No... I am not... Memories... Flooding... I am... Someone else," answered the undead.

The Grand Thaumaturg turned to the visitors from Rezo. "Yes, as I thought. It will take a while for his memory to be restored. This is perfectly normal. The process might take days, weeks, even months. Until that time, he will be a bit... Let me say, vulnerable."

"Ah, and what I did was because of the being inside him. They would not have survived the process without it, but it can be thought of as a gift as well."

He seemed to go into deep thought until he continued.

"He will bleed but he will not die. He will regenerate, but it is not necessary. We have done this before. He is undead, yes, but less so than almost any we have brought to this plane of existence. He is somewhere in between, even more so than those damned vampiric beasts. But there is one trait they do not have which he has. He does not thirst. He does not need to eat. But beware, if his body ever is destroyed, he will be returned to the planes of the dead. Decapitation will destroy him as well, because of his unnatural state of existence."

They were still in the room. Some time had passed. The Grand Thaumaturg continued speaking. "Ah, I must have forgotten to tell you some things about the spell we casted. In fact, it was several spells combined. A spell called ritual of rebirth, one other, create revenant and then the spell I used was a spell called Astral healing. "

"We have experimented with different combinations of spells for a while. The way your leader here has reacted is normal, yes, but only for someone who has been in any of those realms for several of Earthern days. But he had been there for years, yet he still was able to start to recover. The astral healing was needed because of the, hmm, divine beast in his spirit. I would guess that it was the reason why he has been able to begin recovery, which was indeed expected. These occasions are quite rare, not many times have we gotten to resurrect such things."

"There is also the distinct possibility that he in fact remembered everything whilst in the Netherworld, but while coming here, the corruptive powers of the Underworld hit him severely. But what caused him to forget things for the moment doesn't really matter, it is absolutely certain that he will recover, and the process has already started."

"What do you wish to do with him now? He isn't going to help you much until his memory has at least recovered for the most part."

(OOC: Although I already started the thread about the fall of Ermor, this should be continued as it has already. Like, this happens in the past, and that happens in the so called future.)

The mages listened and nodded to the explanations of the Grand Thaumaturg, occasionally asking minor questions.

Of course, they were impressed by the work... It was something they couldn´t do, and such things are always impressive.

"What do you wish to do with him now? He isn't going to help you much until his memory has at least recovered for the most part."

"We are sure he will regain his memory with our help. However, since we`re supposed to give you knowledge, I think we will stay here until he regained significant parts of his memory, fulfilling our part of the pact."

"We are sure he will regain his memory with our help. However, since we`re supposed to give you knowledge, I think we will stay here until he regained significant parts of his memory, fulfilling our part of the pact."

"Good. And I must teach you how to use the spell we call Astral healing. It is required or the flesh on his body would start to decay rapidly. It would not kill him, but it would make him... Less human-like, and it could affect his mind as well. If you are worried about the thing in his spirit, if it survived the transfer, it should also survive without new casts of the spell. But remember, because of that spell, he is, in a way, both undead and alive at the same time. Not many could see the difference. As long as you cast the spell... He will never lose his human appearance."

They left the room. The Grand Thaumaturg searched for a certain book from the small library in the room. When he found it, he browsed it through, found the pages he was looking for and without saying a word, he gave the book to the visitors. It was about the spell he spoke of before. The spell and the way it needs to be casted were described with great detail.

He asked, after a while, "So, what knowledge can you give us?" It would be time for the mages from Rezo to keep their end of the bargain.

He asked, after a while, "So, what knowledge can you give us?" It would be time for the mages from Rezo to keep their end of the bargain.

The leading mage was still reading, but put the book aside, quickly. "Lots of it." He answered, calmly. "However, I assume that you are mainly interested in expanding your knowledge of 'Death Magic'." He hesitated, but continued soon enough. "Of course, your knowledge regarding this kind of magic is far greater than ours is, hence the reason why we travelled here. However, I hope that certain details are stuff useful for your own research."

He stopped talking, and nodded to one of the other (apparently relatively low- ranked) mages, who stepped foreward and produced a fairly large manuscript from under his robe.

"This is a summary of the more intriguing results our own research in the field of death magic produced." The other mage opened the book, and let the Grand Thaumaturg read it.

"It includes spells to summon the dead, to change them, to manipulate them. To control them. To increase and to slow down the aging process, although slowing down just keeps your youth until your time comes, anyway. To animate dead matter with the spirits of the dead. And various smaller, relatively unimportant, but neat ones."

He hesitates. "Thats a short summary, anyway. Of course, there are various other things we could supply you with, but they have little to nothing to do with your field of interest."

He browsed through the book as he spoke. "Yes... Many of these are spells we have already researched, but... The processes themselves seem very different. Interesting."

He stopped browsing and raised his head.

"The difference in our styles is... Intriguing. Of course, they seem to tap into the very same power, but... The spells themselves that need to be chanted are quite different. Some of these spells are things we never even thought of."

"Yes, I think this is quite enough as payment for our efforts. Although many spells that do practically the same are already in use, you do them in such a different way that it's mind boggling. We will research this."

The (remaining) mages nodded politely.

"We will be of assistance as long as we stay here... probably about a month." The mage talking hesitated, and looked after the undead who looked around, slightly confused, slightly nervous. "Until he regains his memory... In any way, our hopes have been more than fulfilled, we cannot thank you enough for your help."

They left the room, the temple, and slowly, they walked back to the ship, to help the now undead to regain his memory. They would stay here, for a few weeks, probably exchanging knowledge... Until they would finally return.

(OOC: This starts from the time when Ermor was just about to fall, and it is supposed to be between me and Giltheran. The RP bit with Rezo happened before this, well before this, but... This thread moves in strange ways.)

IC:

Tarchon had the strangest feeling. He just knew he should leave Eldregate. And he knew he had no time left. He gathered whatever gems he could and casted the spell Gateway to enter the astral planes, taking five of his best students with him.

Just when they had entered the astral planes, the gate crumbled down with the blackest light ever seen and he felt... Exhausted. That is when he knew that Ermor had fallen.

They had no place to go, and they did not know whether the effects had been local or had it taken out Ermor completely. So, they went to the only place Tarchon could think of. To the islands. Even if they are not uninhabited now.

It did not take too long for Tarchon to find the proper way to them within the astral planes, he had been there so many times that he knew the way by heart. He formed a gate, and they walked through.

He and his students appeared with the whitest flash of light to the very same place he had been before. He felt strangely relieved, although his exhaustion had not subsided.

He said to the very first of the beings he had encountered before he could find:

"Where is your leader? I bring grave news from the Empire of Ermor."

The Elf stopped as humans approached and smiled a little. 'King Githras should be at the Palace of Souls, there on the top of the hill, if you like I could find you a guard to help you.' The man seemed to be pointing to the Tree that had been the reason they had met this man the first time, now it housed the Palace of the King.

If he is not there, then they will likely know where to find him, or one of the Council will be in attendence.'

Around the city changes where continuing in the bay well actually next to it a giant construction project had begun wires and wood stretched across the bay, as elfs moved around securing lines, at the moment only the ground work was being conducted in the bay, elsewhere within the city artists laboured to create the moulds for the Gaurdian.

Indeed as guessed the king was in attendence within the Palace, as was the Council of the nation. The first full meeting since the founding, the Wild Elves and the Sea Elves had sent their repersentatives, it was not for any particualr reason, it was just the first time that both had happened to send someone at the sametime.

"Yes, thank you. I shall go there," he said, and teleported to the entrance of the palace. He was so exhausted... But he was close now. He mentally searched for the king, and ran as fast as he could towards the place, not caring that much about the elves who obviously found it strange for a human to run in their palaces.

He ran, until he found the elven king. He was too shocked about the events to care much about etiquette.

"Githras! King Githras! The Empire has fallen! The undead are rampant! The Ashen Empire has begun to rise!"

Momentary taken aback, the council having been discussing some small matter of trade routes, and the like, King Githras looked up as the man burst in. Guards raced after the man, and surronded him as he entered the Council chambers more angered at his manner than at his presence, the council being open to all who had busisness with it, but they where expected to await being called. Yet Githras motioned them aside recognising the visitor from when they arrived.

'Calm friend, and tell me from the begining of what you speak, how has the Empire of Ermor fallen and this Ashen Empire what is it?' Of course as he spoke another guard made his way quickly to other chambers within the Palace, calling the Bealnorn Jervais to the Council Chamber recognising the situation as one he would be needed for.

He regained his composure.

"I saw it when I searched for you. I know it now. The Holy Empire of the living in Ermor has fallen, and Eldregate... Eldregate is now the home of undead beasts. The holy capital became unholy. The Ashen Empire... It is the Empire of the undead horde, the 'new' Empire. All they wish for is the death of all. I felt that something was about to happen whilst in Eldregate and that is why I left it. That is also why I'm here now."

After that he said, "I'm sorry for my lack of manners, but this could not wait. I can only hope that the undeads would leave these islands unharmed."

'There is no need to apologise this is grave news indeed. Have all fallen to undeath or do living still remain on the mainland? If any still live my people stand ready to assit, In truth the Seldarine would expect no less of us.' Nods came from the council none would allow the living to fall under the heel of the dead if it could be stopped, they would gladly fall in battle to help fight this threat.

'Council members I am declearing a state of emergency as is my right as king. Your advice is still, as it always is, welcome but the powers of the council are suspended. I trust this meets with your approaval?'

Again came nods of agreement as Jervais entered the chambers. 'I have spoken to the others of the Bealnorn circle, they give thier assent also my Lord. Giltheran stands beside the living at this time, against the foul undead.' That technically Jervais was undead also was unimportant, his was a blessing, a choice to serve, and so his hatred of the Ashen Empire was as strong as any other.