Riel Epic

[Robert55]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :pirate:

[Maharg67]

One 5.3[19]

 

Sabatee frowned. "You PaleOnes could do more to fight the AntiDivines and their madness."

 

Yavina snorted. "So we PaleOnes, at least a large minority of us, have fooled even the great PrimusFirst Sabatee." She snapped her fingers. Out from antechambers came thirty-four PaleOnes in technomagical power armor and with technomagical weapons. "We are the Revengers and we will fight the AntiDivines."

 

"And you will die as they drain away your living energies through the links that they have with you." The PrimusFirst shook his head, his face expressing deep thoughtfulness. "We will work together to create some kind of shielding, or other technomagical devices, to at least weaken that process."

 

Yavina nodded. "Excellent! Most PaleOnes are either Dedicators who are convinced that the Thirteen Divines are of no threat to them and that they will continue to serve them. Then there are the Passivators who simply wish to do nothing, who hope nothing bad will happen while they divert themselves with endless debaucheries."

 

Then she changed subject. "What are we PaleOnes? We had false memories implanted in our minds but they had failed to fully convince many of our kind, have even weakened their hold on us. We were not Kvatch Citizens before the Thirteen Divines conquered the city."

 

"You were cloned from the AntiDivines as basic clones, making you into subantidivines, which helps explain your magical abilities and extended lifespan." Sabatee grimaced. "Having seen the truth, of this chamber, I strongly suspect that you are clones designed to live only a few years. Why make more sophisticated clones when the AntiDivines will drain you to death? You will need seek a range of special, painful, treatments to extend your life spans, to cut your ties with the AntiDivines and rid yourselves of the many faults that are probably inside you."

 

Then Yavina changed subjects again. "This chamber was not our only discovery of importance. Please follow us again."

Edited January 3, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

One 5.4[20]

 

"When the Empire ruled Kvatch, they had this whole area sealed off with armored doors and fighters of a kind unknown to the general public. They were of the Guardian Legions, being known as Legionards instead of Legionaries. They guarded other sites along with this one in Kvatch." Yavina led the enlarged group, along with Sabatee, through Ayleid Imperial hallways adorned with statues that were somehow both 'normal and abnormal' at the same time. They were of Ayleid folk and yet, oddly enough, also of other peoples such a humans and others unknown.

 

Yavina went on speaking. "The Legionards are trained from youth to deal with the strange influences of this place, and others, and only spend carefully regulated shifts so they are never in such places for too long. Each area has a SageWizard to overseer it also, a powerful long lived and well learned mage. Not much is known about them. There are others, who serve, but we do not know of them. Our knowledge is patchwork and taken from metal tablets that we found by accident. Our people were seeking weapons to use against the AntiDivines, down here, and found them in a chamber filled with an amazing array of artifacts of differing values."

 

They turned and came into a great chamber, a high dome reaching up and a gentle bowl of a floor partly full of clear, clean, water. There were statues, twelve of them, around the circular wall and in the center of the floor, on a disk shaped platform, a much bigger statue. There was a feeling that the chamber was very very old and there was something horribly familiar about the human like figures. They were the Thirteen Divines (AntiDivines) but it seemed that they had been in Tamriel during the time of the mysterious Ayleid Empire.

 

Sabatee was both shocked and deeply concerned. "How could they have been here, in Tamriel, so long ago when they had not even been born as mortals back then. The 1of1 is my brother and I could have been one of the AntiDivines if I had chosen to be part of their insanity, to be seduced by the Celestial Serpent. I was born when he was because we were twins though not much like twins now."

 

Sabatee shook his head in wonder. "Once I was sick and fell into a long coma like sleep full of strange dreams; or so I was told when I awoke from it. I have vague recollections of those dreams. They were of this underground place, of the Ayleid Empire that replaced earlier Ayleid Kingdoms by overthrowing them with brutal force. They were reaching across Cyrodiil when the Nine Divines struck. Yet that is impossible because Talos had not been created as a Divine back then."

 

Yavina frowned at him in puzzlement. "Talos did not arise as a Divine but one of the Hero DemiDivines. Kellisa was the Ninth Divine and remains so. She has always been the Divine of DemiDivines, overseeing them for the Nine Divines, along with having other holy duties that she needs to carry out."

 

Sabatee looked as if he was starting to understand something deeply troubling. "Some force attempted to meddle with time, sending the Thirteen Divines back in time to create, or help to create, the Ayleid Empire. The ripples, of the event, may have gone through time for time itself is not so straight forward a natural state as most assume it is. The very nature of the Nine Divines was altered by the event, or so I guess, and they intervened to end the Ayleid Empire along with the forces behind it. The statues (of the humanoids) are disturbing because they were twisted living-dead entities. My guess is that the Ayleid Empire used living-dead workers, and probably soldiers, to carry out their purposes. I was here and the whole coma sleep story was linked to an attempt to block me from knowing it to be so; such a nasty trick smells of my twin brother."

 

Yavina looked puzzled. "I wonder what happened to the SageWizard, Legionards and others that were here to guard the place."

 

That was when the tall, robed figure of SageWizard Prograndis stepped seemingly out of mid air.

Edited January 5, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

One 6.1[21]

 

The Eternal Champion's group had some difficulty reaching the Sangrina Caverns, an infamous place of dark stories though not considered greatly dangerous by Tamriellan standards for such places. They had avoided the possible trap of the AntiDivines built tunnel but not all living-dead vyles. Twice they skirmished with ugavyles, noidvyles and fast running, agile, twisted monkey like keyvyles. Twice they found the dead, dessicated bodies, of traitor mercenaries and it seemed that the traitors had been betrayed by the vyles.

 

They came upon 'ruins' of different peoples, which was normal for Tamriel and its long, dramatic, past. They briefly examined an Aldmer devotional shrine that was later used by other folks. They stepped carefully through Ayleid mines with chambers partly built up with structures to keep them from collapsing. Both mines were of the Ayleid Kingdom of Kingdoms which was evident by the skeletal remains of slaves and other proof.

 

In the second mine they found more recent signs of mining activity most likely carried out by the AntiDivines; for one thing the bodies of dead slaves were much 'fresher'.

 

The atrocities, of brutally working slaves to death, did not escape the group. The Empire had banned slavery and that the AntiDivines had been returning it to Cyrodiil was most appalling. There was enough dark activity taking place, in Tamriel, with out more being added.

 

They soon found out what the later mining activity had been for. An abandoned metal working site, made to be temporary, had been used to create much cursed blood-metal in the form of moderately large ingots. They were of standard Imperial size. The dead, dessicated bodies of slaves lay heaped in a corner; clearly they had been 'fed upon'. It was also clear that much that had been brought to the site, such as tools and larger mechanisms, had been taken away as they were too valuable to leave behind.

 

RedSonja sniffed the air as she examined the remains of a smelter. "Something smells wrong here but it is not just the living-dead of the vyles."

 

Baurus spoke out. "There are stories of necromancer circles, and the undead, being active here. Perhaps that is because the Necromer dealt with both the living-dead and the undead."

 

RedSonja turned and looked deeply into Baurus' eyes, causing him to be noticeably nervous. "Amazing that you would know that. Who, what, are you really?"

 

Eternal Champion Jadekia humphed softly. "Baurus is Baurus but, like Martin in Kvatch, is a true Dragonborn son of Emperor Uriel Septum VII. He is the half-brother to Martin and two twin daughters of the Emperor. The three sons, born to the Empress, are not of True Dragonblood for the Empress cheated upon her Imperial husband. They look partly like him because their real biological father is a cousin to the Emperor but with out the True Dragonblood. By the time Uriel found out the truth he had signed legal documents stating that he accepted them as legitimate sons. He has been trying to deal with them, and the monstrous Empress, ever since. The irony is that the Dragonethrone will not accept the three brothers. The True Dragonblooded inherit knowledge along with special magical abilities and other skills such as the one to call upon the Imperial Dragons as first created by Akatosh himself."

 

Only the DemiDivines were not staring at Baurus in amazement and he was obviously quite shocked.

Edited January 2, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

One 6.2[22]

 

Traveling further, through the Sangrina Caverns, brought them into an area of caves lit by heavy clumps of garish glowmoss and big glowing glowbugs crawling through the glowmoss or over glistening rocks close to large, slow flowing rivers and streams of cool, clear water. They were in Shago-Sangrina, the dreaded area of ancient necromancy and powerful malignant undead entities. Its reputation had become lessened after powerful, mysterious forces had struck hard, and fast, to wipe out the dreaded Necromancers Brotherhood and its workings, including its undead slaves. It was widely believed that the Dawnguard of organized vampire hunters, along with allies, had been responsible for the attack.

 

They came upon an ancient site of the Necromancers Brotherhood, still showing the signs of a bitter struggle, and it was here that Jadekia spoke out as she stood with her war-horse. "I remember the battle well, even now! It was a hellish conflict with powerful vampires, vamprires and zizombies coming out of the very ground for it had been a well made trap. The Dawnknights were there, knightly vampire slayers who later created the first of the Dawnguard factions. There was also the BattleWizard Gloridisha who summoned up potent elementals of burning flame and sunlight. Others were vampire slayers of many kinds and those that I can not, will not, speak of."

 

Baurus shrugged. "The Imperial Battlemage Erial Septum!"

 

Jadekia sighed. "That was not something you were supposed to speak out loud, Baurus. You will need special training beyond that which the Blades can give you. Perhaps you will need to leave the Blades."

 

Baurus looked startled. "I would not willingly leave the Blades unless of course the Emperor himself would have it so. Nor will I expect special favors because I am the son of the Emperor."

 

The Bladeknight smiled coolly at him. "Do not worry, Baurus, for you were not going to get any."

 

Jadekia looked around. "The living-dead have been here including powerful living-dead entities. There are many mixed psychic impressions, hard to read, yet I know they were seeking something in particular. We, who destroyed the Necromancers Brotherhood, did not manage to find all of their more lethal artifacts such as blood-soulstones, blood-golems and the spell-emblems that turned mere zombies into far more dangerous zizombies. Yet the AntiDivines could not use such artifacts if they were also dabbling with the living-dead of the vyleno. The two forms of magic can not be used together."

 

Then she saw it, a broken section of statue that seemed to be more recently toppled over. It mostly hid what appeared to be a hole in the floor but part showed. Jadekia, and two other DemiDivines, went there to investigate. An ancient, armoured, floor safe had been broken open and from it had been taken not an artifact of undeath but one of living-death.

 

"A Necrotyne!" Jadekia scowled. "A crafting artifact of the Necromer used to shape dead flesh living, of the living-dead, to enhance entities or even to create new, more powerful, ones. How the Necromancers Brotherhood gained it, or why they would bother keeping it when they could not use it, are both mysteries but it is most concerning that the AntiDivines have most likely gained control of such a device."

 

Xena frowned softly. "I suggest we find what Baurus left behind. I had considered it a foolish act but perhaps it was not so. There seemed to be a purpose behind it to lead us here."

 

Baurus grinned. "It was a wise thing I did after all."

 

The others looked at him, hard, and he had the decency to look embarrassed.

Edited January 3, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

One 6.3[23]

The group found what Baurus had carefully hid in what was more than the basic satchel that he had thought it was. The first item brought out of the container was a brief note asking that Baurus not be blamed for what had happened as he had been mesmerized into making his deliberate mistake. The note was not signed and had been cleansed of any impressions to disguise who had written it.

There were some special crafted devices that were designed, and made, by elite magical artisans (magisans) with the assistance of magical skilled workers (magitans). Many such things were made in cities like Vissernt, Barrinta, the Imperial City of Kaytishari and in the Grand Imperial City (Imperiarna) itself but the vague markers on the devices indicated that did not come from any of them. The DemiDivines each took three of the devices

Then there was a scroll-map of the caverns that was fairly dependable for such things, it being a good copy of the original artifact. Then there was a thin leather bound journal full of copied notes, drawings, small maps and other items from various sources.

Jadekia shook her head. "Somebody has taken a great deal of effort to prepare what is here. Clearly we were meant to come here and then onward to Myxcrodix. Or at least the first of the writings, in the journal, indicate." She had seemingly skimmed through the journal while absorbing its contents but she intended to examine it again. "The elite magical devices are all designed to detect the living-dead and to deal with them in varied ways. Detection, defense, attack and confinement."

She then took turns to look deeply into the eyes of RedSonja the Blade, Xena the Disk, Gabrielle the Staff and Xianda the Archer. The knowledge, that she had gained from the journal, she had passed onto them.

 

They took a rest in that place and some planning was done to indicate how they would move on from that spot. The Blades found themselves to be isolated from the DemiDivines who were making further plans that they were not sharing with the elite warriors.

 

Undetected by others, and while a short way from the others, Baurus took his Blades ring and carefully twisted its disk shaped front. Then he opened it, door fashion, took out a softly glowing pill and swallowed it with a grimace. He drank some water, from his canteen, and then sealed up the ring again. For just a couple of second Baurus shimmered and did not look like Baurus but like another figure of vague description.

 

Baurus then rejoined the other Blades.

Edited January 3, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

One 7.1[24]

 

Emperor Uriel Septum VII sat on-in the Dragonthrone that was active with magical power. With his eyes closed he was tapping into the exotic abilities of the artifact as created by Akatosh of the Nine Divines. His mindeye picked up powerful impressions of the siege of Kvatch that had become a painful stalemate between the Imperial and AntiDivinal forces. Only those of the Dragonborn, the True Dragonblooded, could sit on-in the Dragonthrone and of them only a few could utilize anything like its true potential.

 

He opened his eyes to look upon a cluster of Imperial Elders, consultants, advisers, government officers, guild elders and others considered important enough to talk with him. They were in the WhiteGold Tower that most folks assumed had been built by the Ayleid but which had been created by the Aldmer, the first of the Mer peoples. The truth was kept secret because the great tower had many secrets that the Imperium (Imperial Government) wished to keep secret.

 

He spoke with out bothering to conceal his tiredness. "I have failed to truly penetrate the magical energy bubble that covers Kvatch but I can tell you that the people of the city are suffering terribly."

 

It was clear that the group before him had nothing productive to say to that and did not wish to make meaningless statements.

 

ArchMage Traven spoke out. "We have verified a strong link between the use of soulstone magic and the AntiDivines. Their agents are buying, and stealing, all the soulstones that they can. The Thieves Guild has chosen to have nothing to do with them nor the Dark Brotherhood. Since the Empire banned necromancy, narcane magic and soulstones, there has been far less open use of them and many hidden stockpiles but the AntiDivinal agents seem to have an uncanny ability to find the stockpiles."

 

ArchMage had carried out the first great strike against both necromancy, and narcane magic, by banning both from the Mages Guild. Doing so had earned him many enemies, some of them being quite powerful. Then came a bigger surprise, to most folks of the Empire, when the Emperor extended the ban to all of the Empire. That took a lot of pressure off the new ArchMage for to attack the policy was seen to be attacking the Emperor himself who had endorsed it.

 

Traven went on speaking. "The soulstones are being smuggled to Kvatch by means unknown to us or so we have come to believe."

 

Jauffre, BladeMarshal (high commander) of the Blades, wore the decorative armor of a Bladeknight but with the badges of his rank. He spoke out. "What of the great celestial battle between the Nine Divines and the AntiDivines?"

 

Uriel frowned. "None of the Nine Divines have made full contact with me, or the Lesser Divines that serve them, but I have gained some information through the Dragonthrone. The two great forces are waging war on-in the Plain of Celestial Natures and it appears that the Nine Divines are holding their own but that there is a stalemate. It is a most peculiar conflict for both sides are generating new forces, new types of entities, even as the conflict continues. At a glance the picture seems complete of what is happening but a second, closer, look shows there are puzzles and gaps in the story."

 

At that moment the real Baurus came into the chamber, looking pale and tired, with two healers escorting him. He stopped beside Jauffre and bowed to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, I have just awoken from a very long and disturbing dream. Even now there are visions occurring in my mind that leave me wondering. Am I really your son?"

 

Uriel sighed. "No, my grandson as the DemiDivines well know. They wanted the false Baurus to pick up the falsehood and for you to be able to pick it up from that one. It was their way of saying that they know they have a false Baurus amongst them though that deceptive entity is very skilled in the ways of mimicry."

 

Baurus smiled. "Your Highness, surely they would know that is not me because I am not that naive or shy." Then he showed surprise. "I am your grandson meaning that you, sire, are my grandfather!"

 

Uriel Septum VII smiled some more. "That is the way it normally works, grandson! As for being that naive, and shy, I am afraid to say that the imposter has you very well copied. You are young and have much to learn. The imposter may not be truly aware of the link between the two of you, that 'he' is open to you. You need to return to sleep and, with some special assistance, try to pick up more information from the false Baurus. Do so passively and make no attempt to probe for information for then the fake Baurus may learn that you have had a link with 'him'."

 

Baurus looked flustered but he bowed. "Sire, I will do fully as commanded."

 

Soon he was gone, being escorted away by the two women healers.

 

Uriel sighed. "How many copies of Baurus have we found so far, including the poor young man who just left our company?"

 

Jauffre frowned hard with anger. "Five so far but it will be no surprise if we find more. Somebody is playing with life in a most careless manner but we do not know if it is the AntiDivines."

 

The Emperor nodded as if in response to his own thoughts. "I would meet that one and express my feelings on the matter but not just because of the cloning of Baurus but the cloning of the real Emperor. Yes, I know I am not the real Emperor for the Dragonthrone has told me so; the Dragonthrone has not rejected me only because it is using me to try to find the real Emperor Uriel Septum VII."

 

The group did not appear to be surprised at his words and all bowed in respect despite of them.

Edited January 3, 2014 by Maharg67

[Robert55]

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[Maharg67]

Zero 0.1[25]

 

As the celestial war raged between the Nine Divines and the AntiDivines, the Orbis came to Mundus to begin to probe deeper into what troubled that realm. Orbis came at the urging of the Lords-Ladies of the Light but also of other powerful, wise, celestial deities who were far beyond the Divines as the Divines were beyond mortals.

 

Others were also being drawn to Mundus including powerful entities that had been involved in the events of its creation.

 

Shifts were taking place in the natural, and supernatural, plains of existence.

 

A false Emperor sat on-in the Dragonthrone that partly enfolded him. He was a clone and thus the Dragonthrone took a greater toll of him as it would have the real Emperor. Yet, despite his suffering, he persisted.

 

The cloned Baurus, in the WhiteGold Tower, continued to carefully 'spy' upon the fake Baurus who was with the Eternal Champion and her four DemiDivine comrades, along with the Blades who had been with the fake Baurus.

 

The damphires, of the Divinemors, entered healing rejuvenating capsules to become renewed totally with the assistance of both the Fifteenth Divinemor and MyxcrodixPrime. Vissha gave advise and added powerful herbal remedies to the treatments. The hoblins settled down in the exotic city, that is the outer city, becoming homesick for their caves and their people. A calm fell upon the area of Myxcrodix and around it but alertness was kept anyway.

 

Sabatee, and the Revengers of the PaleOnes, began to work together against the AntiDivines (the Thirteen Divines) but also to try to learn more about the truth. They met with the mysterious SageWizard Prograndis.

 

The group of DemiDivines, and Blades, continued seeking their new goals.

 

In the Primary Realm of Oblivion, kept for great meetings of the Daedric Gods, such a meeting was held between many of the Daedric Princes. Normal infighting was put aside for the deities were fearful, which was something that they did not want to admit even to themselves. Soon many decisions were being made as a wary alliance was formed.

 

The siege of Kvatch continued and also continued to be a stalemate though a bloody one with some battle zones being taken, then retaken, by both sides. The biggest danger to other siege forces was boredom and getting into trouble in the camp follower settlements of tents and shacks.

 

Then there was the Celestial Serpent, the Wanderer and the Lords-Ladies of Balances.

Edited January 5, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

One 8.1[26]

 

Eternal Champion Jadekia led the expeditionary group into the outer edges of Myxcodix, into a great cavern chamber with cut, molded, stone statue-columns against all of the walls. Big glowcrystal glowballs lit the chamber from where they were melded high on statue-columns. The statue-columns showed a wide range of naked entities, including humans and other humanoids of both sexes.

 

Jadekia spoke even as she dismounted from her horse. "The sharp illumination of the glowballs and the odd freshness of the air both suggest that the FirstOnes city is awakening back to full activation."

 

The Blades fanned out and Baurus was at the forefront of the group. He was smiling oddly, in a fashion very unlike that of the friendly, naive Baurus. "Now is the time to reveal the truth of how you have been so easily deceived. DemiDivines, I thought you would be more observant!"

 

Xena gave a mild grin. "What is it that should take us by surprise, Baurus, or should I call you Stashanto, a DemiAntiDivine of deception, manipulation and maker of traitors. We have wanted to have a good long talk with you for a very long time. Were you the foolish one who made many clones of Baurus? Do you know where the real Baurus is? You really overdid the Baurus act in some ways."

 

Stashanto looked deeply shocked and then tried to conceal it with out success. "I gave you the devices that you have touched and that will now undo you."

 

RedSonja frowned. "We did not touch them with out skin but only with prepared gloves. Those devices were left behind, safely buried, back two cavern chambers ago. Now, do we fight or talk?"

 

Stashanto shimmered and became taller, broader and a massive hulking armored figure armed with exotic weapons including a spike-shield. The other Blades, who were also fakes, transformed into powerful creatures of monstrous power but less than that of Stashanto. The horses, of the false Blades, also transformed into monsters being crouching, hissing bonekyles.

 

But then the war-horses of the DemiDivines transformed into big, powerful, dragonhorses and their armored jaws opened to expose long, sharp, hard fangs.

 

The battle began instantly as Jadekia leaped back onto her war-steed and then the two forces were charging at each other spitting dragonhorse flames, hurling magical energies and roaring battle cries or just roaring. Then the two groups were at each other with brutal intent, no mercy intended, striking at each other with powerful magical weapons against power magical armor and shields.

 

Xena's disk cut off the head of two bonekyles before it returned to her hand. Then she reverted to using her divine magical broadsword and longsword.

 

Xianda struck, and killed, three of the false Blades with her amazing arrows so that they burned away as they fell.

 

It would have been hard for almost any observer to see just what was going on, so fast and crowded was the fighting, but MyxcrodixPrime did so. A stone panel slid open, hidden by a statue-column, and out stepped a red metallic golemite. The technomagical entity aimed its exotic gun at the nearest bonekyne and shot it with a sparkling metallic bolt. The bolt exploded, wounding the terrible creature, being soon followed by two more of the projectiles.

 

Stashanto went to teleport away, to leave behind the others of her group, but RedSonja cut off her head with a great swipe of her divine magical longsword. With the destruction of the DemiAntiDivine, the last of the other creatures were quickly finished off.

Edited January 4, 2014 by Maharg67