Theadeacus, Lesser God of Death
Unifier of Eros
The Horror of Noor
Tireless Demise

Realm: Eros

Souls: 6500
Essence: 1

Major Boon: Death Cultivation. The Aso gain the knack for manipulating their own internal life-force and mental state, allowing them to enter a flow state, ignore debilitating pain, and dedicate themselves to constant training, depending on their extent of cultivation.

Minor Bane: Raumlaathlah's Affection: Attracted the favor of the Triumph Unheard.

Provinces Explored: 3/4
North: The Deeplands - Explored Populated- Formerly the Storm Sea, now a much reduced ocean, expansive tide pools, and deep caverns.
Level 0
-Poisoned Cavern
-The Edge of Eros - A stone outcropping at the waterfalls, looking from there reveals somewhere else.
South: Deaos, the Radiant City - Explored Populated - Once called the City of Heathens, Deaos is full of ruins and warring barbarians
Level 0
-Fortress of the True God
-The Museum of Former Glories
-Arcaeon, the Temple of Thedeacus
-The tribes of the Illuminated Imgalti & Ur'theral
East: Dagger Peaks - 25% Explored- Difficult to cross mountains filled with ettins and frigid cold
-Fount of Brutality - Pool that turns mortals into ettins
West: The Old Road - Fully Explored - A raised ancient road that spans realms and currently lead to the Between
-The Old Road - A mystical highway that spans worlds, tended to by Wayward
-The Salt Depths - Huge caverns beneath the province full of glowing green salt dunes and strange plants.
-Leviathan Dying Ground - Countless skeletons of great proportions lie buried under the shadow of the Old Road.
-Entropic Fields - A unremarkable bit of wasteland, here decay and entropy have concentrated.

Center Province: The Spire
United
Level 1


-----------------------

People of the Realms

Cliff King Titalus - Historical Figure. Said to have once ruled the Spire, he grew fearful and paranoid in his old age, he built secret paths from the Spire.

St. Vastos, Death of Order - A wise man of the Kevarik tribe elevated to sainthood by Arthos, he wore polished stones on his wrist that jangled as he walked and a leather tunic that bore scars from what appeared to be the claws of beasts and he speaks on behalf of his shunned people. He was badly burned during the Battle of the True God and bears extensive scarring from fire. He has sired four offspring.
-Theamen - First son of Vastos, residing in the Court of the Deathbringers.
-Vastin - Second son of Vastos, under tutelage by Werin in the Recausi lands currently.
-Kevalek - Third son of Vastos, residing in Deaos.
-Baeril - Fourth son of Vastos, residing in the Deeplands.


Werin - Leader of the Recausi, he's young for such a role, but pragmatic and level headed.

Rugarin - War leader of the Ontasil.

Malicatese - Ancient beast locked away in a petrified tomb. Theadeacus entered its lair and slew the invader in one on one combat.

Jalak - Blade-binder of the Kevarik tribe, creates stone and bone weapons. Taught to work metal by Theadeacus, and later elevated to be a hero, the divine power infused in the man helped inspire him and he eventually fathered the Age of Steam.

Master Ophos - Elder of the Kevarik village who oversees tutelage of the Academy.

Lethar - One of the aso rescued from the Tomb of Malicatese.

St. Castos, Death of Entropy - One of the aso rescued from the Tomb of Malicatese. The premier necromancer, second only to Theadeacus.

Kalahae - Captain of the Ontasil forces. Second in command during the War of the Heathens.

Andaleece - One of the aso rescued from the Tomb of Malicatese. She suffered grievous injuries during the ordeal, but survived to become a hermit on the edges of the Kevarik village.

Holy St. Quilos, Death of Rituals - Leader of the Illuminated Imgalti elevated to sainthood by Eros, he wears a broad wooden mask carved with a monstrous face and carries a staff hung with delicate bells.

Ekeres - Teacher at the Academy of Kevarik, he led the uprising during the Tumult of Teachings. A prominent Tier 2 necromancer.

St. Garamea, Death of Grief - Former Lieutenant of the Blade of Death, commonly referred to as the Deathbringers, one of the leaders of the holy order. Elevated to sainthood by Eros and served as a Tyrant during the Dagger Peaks Campaign.

Laydalin - Most promising apprentice of Jalak the First Smith, Jalak has tapped her to be the successor to his forge and she was approved of by Theadeacus who also blessed her.

General Usalin - Field commander of the army that intends to march upon the Dagger Peaks.

Sites of Interest

The Tomb of Malicatese - Said to have once been an immortal, now it stands as petrified stone. Some traces of its power still linger within the rocks and earth, perhaps along with some danger.

The Demense & Mausoleum of Kevarik - A spiral descends down into the earth. Into the cool earth, the stairs emptied into a large 20x35 foot room of bare stone. While there were few adornments to the room, it was full of eager potential, like the air before a storm. Energy seeps into the newly fashioned chamber, like water filling the bottom of a well.
Resting atop the demense, this new structure served as a gateway to the well of magic below. It was the Mausoleum. Those who were hostile to the god of death and his works would find entry difficult, but not impossible.
Trait: A well of magic.
Trait: Hostile forces struggle to enter the Mausoleum.

The Demense of the Blood Spattered Fields - Unlike the Demense in Kevarik, this on lies above ground, but is otherwise the same. It is a windowless chamber in which magic accumulates like water in a well and sits atop a foundation of rust stone.
Trait: A well of magic.

The Radiant Demense - A new Demense, one inspired by the style of Deaos' old way of building and the newer style of the Kevarik Academy. The result was a place of ribbed stone that looked like smoky marble. It was built near the Illuminated Imgalti village on the edge of dried up canal.
Trait: A well of magic.

Jagged Demense - On the border between the Spire and Dagger Peaks, the fourth Demense exists. Just on the inside of the Spire side, here magic pools like at the other demense.
Trait: A well of magic.

The Gatekeeper Citadel - Sitting atop the wound in Eros, a great eye sits at the top of the Citadel and notes all comings and goings of the Wound and records their passage.
Trait: Records traffic of the Wound.

The Children's Den - The lodge where children are raised communally in the Kevarik tribe. This place has been divinely blessed so that those who dwell inside are untouched by disease or illness.
Trait: Those who dwell here are protected from disease and illness.

The Kevarik Forge - Blessed by Theadeacus, the fires here heat a bit quicker and the materials burn a little longer making it greater than other mere forges.
Trait: Productivity in blacksmithing is increased here.

The Spire - Three great pillars at the center of Eros have long been inhabited by aso. This ancient city serves as the capital of the central province. It was once held by the Cult of the Living Flame.

The Barracks and Academy - Within the Kevarik village the warriors dwell within the barracks. Those studying magic reside in the Academy, overseen by village elders. Both structures were built by the god-touched builders prior to the Battle of the True God.
The Grand Archive: A library in the base of the Academy, texts stored here are more resilient to damage.
Trait: Texts are better preserved.

Poisoned Cavern - A subterranean chamber of the Deeplands where Theadeacus defeated a stranded sea monster and where its body still resides in poisoned pool left over from the battle.

Jalak's Forge - In the heart of the Spire market place, the forge operated by the smith Jalak burns hotter than any other.
Trait: Slightly increases smithing projects worked here.

Fortress of the True God - On the edge of the City of Heathens, this fortress was formed from the debris of the city itself. Made up of high walls and thick doors, it is a gods resolve made manifest.
Trait: Assaulting the Fortress is even harder than normal.

Arcaeon, the Temple of Thedeacus - Once known as Imgalteldrel, the last creation of the City of Heathens. The tower is topped by a great brass dome that slowly rotates. Inside was found a pool of powerful creation that mortals had managed to harness. Theadeacus used his power to reshape it and rechristen it, turning it into a temple in his own honor.
Trait: Contains a rough history of Theadeacus, which continues to update.

Towers of Mourning - Outside the walls of Deaos stands a memorial to the fallen aso of the Battle of Noor, laid to rest there by Theadeacus. Two great towers, one on either side. The towers spiraled to a blunted point and within were rows and rows of empty stone tombs.
Trait: Damaging the towers brands the desecrator in Theadeacus' eyes.

Penumbrin - A metal lantern with glass panels, it has been crafted specifically to contain the myth Umbrin and prevent it from roaming and setting its appetites on things it shouldn't.
Trait: Can contain Umbrin.

Ekeres Tome - The results of the Academy's long decades of study and collected knowledge. The book is bound between two solid covers of wood that bear a scorched appearance. Etched into that wood by the finger of Theadeacus himself was the compendium's title, the Ekeres Tome. It as a compilation of all knowledge relating to Necromancy at the start of the Era of Steam.

The Fiends Prison, the Clockwork Prison - A squat, single story with walls made up of pitted and rusted iron, what windows it had were narrow barred slits. A jagged door offered the single point of entry and it looked likely to slice a careless entrant to ribbons. Stepping through that door was a main room only large enough for a half dozen aso to stand comfortably. It was only a fraction of the space that made up the place. On the far wall was a gate of toothy iron bars, a turnstile clearly designed to allow one to enter deeper into the facility, but the way it was fashioned it would not allow one to leave again.
The outer façade was transformed by Theadeacus:  Gothic styled blackened stone structure and aesthetic sheets of balefire that hovered mere millimeters away from the stone that formed the long walls.
-Warding Wall: A thirty foot wall studded with balefire lanterns surrounding the Fiends Prison.
Trait: Repels those who approach unless they have a purpose for visiting the Prison.

Leviathan Necrofortresses (4) - Living fortresses created on the bones of ancient leviathans found in the salt flats of the Old Road. Their mighty lungs hold them aloft. The fleet of Necrofortresses have been anointed the following names:
The Harbinger - Flagship of the fortress-fleet and blessed with divine power that it allows it to traverse the boundaries of Realms.
The Damnation
The Absolution
The Revelation

Tribes

Kevarik Tribe - We Who Dwell in the Shadows of the Beast - This small tribe lives only a scant few miles from the Tomb of Malicatese. Some decades later, their village is now protected by a blazing wall of necromantic fire.

Igelesi - Worshippers of the 'living flame' they are devout believers and capable of wielding fire that call up with their bare hands.

Recausi - Tribe who has a village beneath the surface of Eros in one of the subterranean pockets.

Ontasil - They live at the base of the Dagger Peaks, a violent clan that respects might.

Illuminated Imgalti - Named after the monster-gods of the City of Heathens, they were converted by Theadeacus when he slew their previous god, Caleastrolyn.

Ur'theral - A subservient, uncultured, people, they worship the imgalti of the City of Heathens, they eagerly accepted worship of Theadeacus, seeing him as a 'greater' imgalti.

Deathbringers - "The Blade of Death," A religious organization based in the east, in Ontasil lands. They are a missionary faith dedicated to spreading the word of Theadeacus via sword and flame.

True Path - A religious organization in violence opposition to the Deathdealers, located in the south, in the recently reclaimed Deaos. They take a blend of knowledge and have developed a brand of worship to Theadeacus that is centered on magic, transformation and ascendance.

Dangers of the Realm

Gerg'ibvin (Slain) - An ettin of the Dagger Peaks. He stole the Axe of Lavistus from the village of Ontasil a century ago.

Malicatese (Slain) - Ancient immortal that had been imprisoned outside the Kevarik village.

Igelesi (Slain) - A towering figure of living fire. It once inhabited the Spire and commanded the Cult of Igelesi, aso who wielded its fire and devoted themselves to Igelesi, calling it a god.

Caleastrolyn (Slain) - A metal cat beast of the City of Heathens, it was some sort of relic from the glory days of the city.

Unique Creatures & Objects

The Staff of Theadeacus - The staff is cracked and blackened under such immense power, the grain of the wood loops and gnarls, they almost appear as sigils. Darklight blossoms from the artifact, blazing and dripping like molten magic.
Magical Attunement: Necromancy
Effect: While wielded the user has greatly enhanced magical potency, though it strains the one who wields it.
Jewel of Shadows: A gemstone of endless darkness. He then set the artifact within one of the gnarls of wood within his staff.
Trait: Allows creation of solidifier armor/weapons of Shadow.

Axe of Lavistus - Carved from a single bone, one end notched and transformed into a wicked chopping tool, the hilt polished smoothed and wrapped in leather for grip. It was not a pretty weapon, but it held an innate majesty
Artifact
Effect: Unknown.

God-Touched Builders (2) - Blessed by Theadeacus, these Aso builders hold an innate power to manipulate Eros. Not to the degree of their god, but enough so that their project progress more quickly and more easily than they would otherwise.

God-Touched Smith (4) - Blessed by Theadeacus, these aso possess rudimentary skills of blacksmithing innately. These four work at Jalak's Forge in the Spire.

Whispering Kites (4) - With soft wings like bats and long tails, these pseudo-living creatures are created for ferrying messages. Currently there are two, one inky black, the other ashen white.

Ebon's Gate - A black ring with an embedded stone made of scintillating colors.
Artifact
Trait: Allows access to a pocket space

Essence Urn - Composed of black plaster, the urn holds the essences harvested by Theadeacus.
Current Holding: Chittaq Essence

Necropaths (6) - Aso who have been blessed so they're able to send their souls beyond their bodies and communicate directly with Theadeacus regardless of the distance, so long as is in the same Realm.

Specter of Death (1) - A phantasm summoned up by the Night of Macabre Mischief, this phantom has an affinity to death and senses when a life is nearing its final moments.

God-Touched Engineers (30) - Deathbringer engineers elevated by Theadeacus during the campaign to invade and tame the Dagger Peaks.

God-Touched Builders (30) - Deathbringer builders elevated by Theadeacus during the campaign to invade and tame the Dagger Peaks.

Djinn (4) - Spirits of frost and air created at the border of the Dagger Peaks to serve as Theadeacus' eyes in those harsh lands.

Heirs, Seconds and Heroes

Heirs: None
Vastos - Wise man of the Kevarik tribe, his body scarred from an encounter with the fire-beasts of Igelesi and one good eye remaining. Given three commandments. All Aso are to be treated as our brothers and sisters and welcome among in this land. No harm shall willfully befall our young lest they suffer my judgment. Third, grow and multiply.
Hero & Second
Power: After surviving the Battle of the True God, he seems to possess the power of foresight.

Castos - The emotionally mute survivor of the Tomb of Malicatese and a supremely gifted student of the magical arts.
A Whispering Kite follows him.
Hero
Power: Unknown.

Rugarin, Warlord of the Ontasil - The battle loving leader of the Ontasil and wielder of the Axe of Lavistus, Rugarin is a man of action, though that does not mean he disregards strategy and careful thought, though he has less patience for it when it doesn't relate to the battlefield.
A Whispering Kite, scarred and pale gray and nearly twice as large as others, follows him.
Hero
Power: Unknown

Jalak the Smith - Blessed by Theadeacus, the smith will eventually attain fame for his works.
Power: Ushered in the Age of Steam (One Time Power)

Werin - Leader of the Recausi, he's young for such a role, but pragmatic and level headed.
A Whispering Kite, pale and ephemeral that blends into the background, follows him.
Power: Unknown

Wayward - Living steward of the Old Road, an animate relief that exists upon the stones of the path.
Power: Blessed Travel - Wayward can bless or curse a traveler, easing or hampering their travels.


Local Color and Culture

Event: Battle of the True God - The name of the battle in which Theadeacus overtook the Spire, slew Igelesi and crushed the Cult of the Living flame.

rust stone - dense rocks that are impenetrable to the chittaq due to high iron quantities

chittaq - territorial burrowers with several limbs, armored hides and which are capable of digging through solid rock

Event: Days of Blood and Beast - Some period of time that occurred in the City of Heathens.

Event: Tumult of Teachings - An uprising and restructuring of the Academy took place which unseated the Elders of the Kevarik tribe as the leaders of the academy.

imgalti - What residents in the City of Heathens call the local monsters which they revere as gods.

Myths

Umbrin, the Black Light

Vitality: 0
Instincts: 1
Magic: 2
Loyalty: 2
Strength: 0
Finesse: 1
Supernatural Ability:
Magic Eater [2 pts] - Consumes magic.

Weaver of Flesh - Many limbs with a black body of fibrous plant and metal threads, the Weaver of Flesh has few true feelings, not pain or pleasure, but an overwhelming drive to sew together flesh from the sinew and cartilage that issues from its spinnerets.

Statistics (900-soul myth):
Vitality ***: By integrating fresh organs when they wear out, it can live theoretically forever; organ redundancy and sheer size make it difficult to harm.
Instincts ***: Innovative and resourceful, it is capable of devising amalgamations to suit any battlefield role. It also has a wealth of anatomical knowledge.
Magic -: Anna was unable to reproduce Theadeacus' necromancy. =(
Loyalty *: It has an irresistible compulsion to corpsecraft without cease; while it may allow its efforts to be directed, it cannot stray from its duty for long.
Strength **: Much of its strength is used merely to support its mass, but it has enough left over to crush any mortal stupid enough to agitate it.
Finesse *: While extremely skilled in corpsecraft, the Weaver lacks speed and agility in most other areas.
Corpsecraft **: The Weaver's limbs end in a mass of feathery tendrils which can each be articulated independently. It uses these to stitch together flesh and bone with great finesse and alacrity, or to tear them apart cleanly and precisely. It is also a very skilled Operation player!
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:08, Tue 22 Jan 2019.

Theadeacus felt himself drifting, dreaming, and then the drifting ceased.

He was stuck fast, as if deep in clay. The darkness shifted, colors of black and white, then gray, and then blooming color.

He was far, far above Eros, above the clouds. The entirety of his realm was stretched beneath him, but his own body was curiously absent. He could see like an eagle, vision unparalled - he could count the hairs on the back of one Aso, and at the same time count the pores in the stone of the canyon walls where the Aso made their homes.

And then - he felt himself, far below, sleeping securely with the highest chamber of the Arcaeon, within the Pool of Creation.

He knew instinctively that he could return to his body immediately, if he so wished.

And yet, below, a day passed with each minute, the twin suns tracing their paths through the sky. And with each passing day, a tiny mote of essence was born - the Tree, awakening, blooming again, feeding power into the living realms that remained.

Already, twenty years had passed, and Theadeacus possessed an new Essence, but it was strange - living potential, not of the kind he was used to, more ephemeral than that. It belonged to the Realm, not to him - it was a gift of the Tree.

He could direct how the Essence would be spent, or allow the Essence to dissipiate into the Realm, to produce new growth at random.

Directing it would concentrate it - it could be used exactly as any Essence could be - but allowing the Essence to return to the Realm could potentially have a greater effect, for good or ill.

There was an end point to this dreaming - after a century had passed, he would return to his body. In that time, he would see five Essence flow into Eros.

Yet, while lingering in this liminal space, he was unable to communicate in words with his people, and unable to interact directly with the world, other than in directing the essence. He could, if he wished, 'whisper' to up to five individuals - imparting a general sense of his desires, wordlessly. The individual would instinctively know that it was their God's desires.

As was the nature of things, issues would inevitably appear. Would it be better to end this early, and put a stop to dangers approaching while they were in their infancy, or to see it through and trust in his people, for the benefit of the Realm?



Already, the Age of Steam was upon Eros. Pipes were laid into stone, and steel grew from the canyons like a crystalline lattice, beautiful stained glass adorning the new buildings. Locomotives were being tested, their tracks running along the canyon walls and stretching between them - corpsecrafted workers handling the immense amount of labor necessary.

This was a time of peace and prosperity for the unified Aso - education was furthered, new schools built.

And yet - the Aso were lovers of nature. The stained glass resembled the canyon from which it was made, and the natural beauty of Eros was given high priority. Perhaps this slowed 'progress', but progress was but another name for a hurried rush towards death. The Aso continued their way of life. The Age of Steam buoyed trade as the tracks were laid to connect the provinces, and perhaps that was greatest gift. Tensions between sects softened as the Spire and its surrounds became more cosmopolitan, the many tribes mixing more than before.

There were rumours among the Aso - the edges of the Realm were shifting as the years passed, and some said there were lands beyond.

Eros was growing larger and seeming smaller at the same time. Not all were pleased . . .
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:17, Fri 11 Jan 2019.

Theadeacus was at peace as he floated above his humble world. He watched the Aso work and commune with one another. He watched as the tribes worked towards becoming one people and the declarations he had made bore fruit.

As he watched he could feel the months and years slipping away from him but he was content. He had done well in bringing up his children and they had seen to it that his will was being carried out even in his absence. Still he needed to pass on instruction to those who would hear it.

To Holy Quilos and Garamea he sent an empathetic message to inform them that he would one day return and that they were to keep the faith and protect the Aso as he had dictated to them. From there he considered how best to use what remaining people he did have to influence the world. He contacted Castos and Ekeres next sharing with them his desire to see Necromancy grow and advance in his absence.

Finally, with the energy left for a single message he reached out to Vastos. Initially he intended to deliver a message with some modicum of directing influence but instead opted to simply send a message of love and pride. Vastos, of all of his children, had proven himself loyal and competent time and time again. Theadeacus felt in his heart that even without direct guidance all would be well.

Then as he was going to drift off into slumber for some time to come he felt the pooling of Essence within Eros. It could never be his, no it was a gift from the spirt of the Tree, and was meant for his realm. He could feel its nature and its power but elected to let it run its course. The Realm itself would decide what to do with the fruits of his labors.

And so he slept and his dream was the world and the world was his dream.

Strange music-beneath music, a thrumming, thumping feeling, suffused Theadeacus, one with the realm as he was.

Eros flexed and knitted together, striations of rock shifting, canyons aligning, rivers conforming to ideal shapes.

Pressure built in Eros; the Ettins slept, the Aso too, soothed to sleep by the thrumming, thumping.

Then Eros was still. Heartbeats of every living being slowed, slowed, stilled, stopped.

Moments passed. A full day passed, and every living being was dead - but there was no decay.

Then - slowly - slowly - thrumming, thumping, shaking, pounding -

The hearts of Eros beat as one, then again, coming back to life, and grew discordant again.

The realm shifted back into place. Rivers returned to the courses; canyons, striations of rock, relaxed, drifted apart.

But the Aso were changed. They whispered of a ferryman, of a long coast, of what they had seen, of what they couldn't remember. There was a stillness in them that couldn't be shaken, an unnerving certainty and peace, an unhurried manner. They had been freed of the attachment to life, and found themselves in tune with the hidden rhythms of their bodies, and the secret connections between them.

Major Boon: Death Cultivation. The Aso gain the knack for manipulating their own internal life-force and mental state, allowing them to enter a flow state, ignore debilitating pain, and dedicate themselves to constant training, depending on their extent of cultivation.

Minor Bane: Raumlaathlah's Affection: Attracted the favor of the Triumph Unheard.

The Ettin were affected differently. Stripped of their instinctual desires, their limited intellect made functioning difficult. They wandered aimlessly, fell from canyons, and accidentally immolated themselves. Over the next decade, their numbers fell precipitously - but those that remained organized themselves into cloisters, methodically building their bodies and moving to a rhythm they still remembered.

Something . .  touched the Ettin. Something the In Between, carried there but a dark figure that walked out of the Old Road. They ceased to speak, yet still communicated, and their bodies darkened to a midnight blue. They grew horns - and staring into the suns, they made themselves blind.

The dark figure had four arms - that much Theadeacus was able to determine, but supernatural power hid the identity of the being from his awareness.

Something moved among the Aso, taking children from their roosts while their parents slept. Theadeacus was able to determine that the mutated Ettin were responsible - he saw the children spirited by magic from one place, and into the Dagger Peaks, where his awareness ended.

 At first it was a few per year, then it was dozens, and as the twenty years came to clase, nine hundred went missing in a single day. The unity of the Aso was unshakable, but in droves they prayed for the intercession of their deity and the return of their young.

Vastos, with the aid of Castos and Ekeres, set about rectifying the situation. With the blood of the parents, a necromantic ritual was conducted, tracing the mortal thread of the children, measuring how much 'time' they had left.

That time was rapidly lengthening. They were being transformed into something immortal - and with difficulty, it was determined that Dagger Peaks was where it was occurring.

The myriad tribes of the Aso came together as one, and a holy warpath was determined. Their children would be reclaimed, and whatever had done this, destroyed.

And then - twenty years were up.

Essence was welling again in the Realm.

Round 1 complete.

Theadeacus watched as his world changed, both for the better and for the worse. With the boon that Eros had given his people they had grown closer to death and through their closeness with death they had grown closer to the truth of their own existence and himself. For that he was pleased. However his heart was pained by the transformation, death, and subsequent enthralling of the Ettins. They were his most troubled children but his children never the less; none deserved quite a fate as this.

He felt as though he could continue to dream, to linger in the ephemeral dream-state that he found himself in. It would be the easier option but he knew that he could not bare to do nothing while his people suffered at the hands of foreign powers. Slowly gathering himself he sent a message to Vastos, Garamea, Holy Quilos, and Castos that he was returning and that those who would make the voyage should meet him at the Pool of Creation.

With his intent delivered he coalesced within the Pool of Creation, calling forth his body from a formless abyss, collecting and shaping his divine essence once more. He exhaled a breath he never held and his heart went still once more.

He had returned. The Lord of Death had risen.

Holy Quilos with his brazier-staff and robes; Garamea, Vastos, and Castos in millitary garb. This may be the grandest expedition the three had been part of, but it was certainly not the first. Perhaps that was the greatest strength of the God of Death; he had a way of making mortals hardy and self-reliant.

Essence welled up from the earth, pouring from the Pool of Creation. In a gray flood, it washed over the gathered four, overwhelming them and casting them to the ground.

Each now bore a faint spark of divinity; not merely god-touched, but saints - demigods in your service.

St. Vastos, the Second Death, Demigod of Order;

St. Castos, the Third Death, Demigod of Entropy;

Holy St. Quillos, the Fourth Death, Demigod of Rituals;

and St. Garamea, the Fifth Death, Demigoddess of Grief.

Distantly, another being unknown to you, among the Jagged Peaks, also gained power . .

They recovered - Vastos recovering first. "Your blessings are never given to the undeserving, and never without need. You return to us, Lord Theadeacus, in this grevious time. What are we facing? What are your commands?"

All of them knelt, loyal unto the last.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:38, Mon 14 Jan 2019.

Theadeacus rose from the pool and bore witness to his divine essence become sacrament, elevating those gathered before him well beyond anything his previous powers could have hoped to produce. Silently as he watched he wondered what these new changes would bring to his Realm and his people.

All the same when Vastos gathered himself enough speak Theadeacus began moving out of the pool. As he did he called his Artifacts to himself, each item appearing as shafts and rings of black-gray smoke before coalescing into their proper form.

"It is as you say Vastos and of those within my Realm I find you all to be most worthy. I have returned once more to lead our people in holy war. A foreign power has sought to corrupt the minds and bodies of the Ettin. Now as their unwitting agents they seek to repeat the past and claim the lives of Asoian children."

He allowed his words to hang in the air for a moment.

"I will not allow it. Rise my champions, my hallowed saints of death. There is much to be done and so little time to prepare for it."

He then moved past them and began to speak as he moved down the Arcaeon.

"Vastos I would like an update on how civil matters have progressed in my absence."

"The Age of Steam pushed us in a strange direction, but we've adapted to it. Preservation of our way of life comes before 'progress', and effort has been expended in recording the history of Eros, and the many tribes that populate it.

"Cultivating a pan-Erosian culture is my goal. Being united is a matter of will and common concern, not uniformity. As Castos has told me of the Academy, we Aso thrive best when flock together under hierarchy determined solely by merit. Tradition must be thoroughly leavened with ambition.

"We need the Ettin. They are part of Eros, as much as the Aso. I do not believe they are complicit in what is occurring the Dagger Peaks. This has become framed as a holy war, but. I believe we must do our best to mitigate losses on all sides.

Castos nudged Vastos. "Right. Necromancy has been considerably advanced ever since Revelation. Our attachment to life, our doubts, was keeping us from greatness. The game of 'catch' you taught the student of academy is trivial now. It's become something of a sport, as our Academies has sprung up. Many Aso now find they have the apititude. Every six months there is a demonstration of power - Darklight Relay, Speedstiching, and Rot Race, I believe are the names of the main events. Every student must copy by hand their own Ekeres Tome during the time under the Elder's tutelage. They then must add something of use to the Tomb before they graduate the academy. The Elder were very happy when allowed to teach the young necromancers proper handwriting. The Tome is on its sixteenth revision."

"Otherwise, all is quite well."
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:12, Tue 15 Jan 2019.

As they descended the stairwell of the Arcaeon he listened to Vastos' report. It seemed that he was right in assuming that all would prosper under his seconds guidance.

"Pan-Erosian"

He allowed the word to play over his tongue. As he did his heart swelled with pride but in typical fashion his expressions remained subdued.

"I quite like that."

When he switched to Necromancy, Theadeacus became even more deeply intrigued. It seemed that time and the boon that his people had received accelerated the advancement of Necromancy. Fifteen properly recorded editions of the once humble Ekeres Tome. Even Anathema would be jealous of what his people had accomplished.

"Excellent. I would like a copy of the latest tome to be brought to me."

He turned his attention to Garamea and Holy Quilos.

"What of the followers of the Deathbringers and the True Path? How have they grown?"

They were nearing the bottom and would soon take flight to the Spire. From there Theadeacus could better organize his military efforts.

"They retain their differences, but a third cult has formed that bridges the gap between them - the True Dead, they are called. They believe that the event of temporary death was a call for union from you, and came together to seek common ground. They are zealots, but balance their zeal with contemplation of their own death. There have been no violent conflicts between  Deathbringers and True Path since, though they frequently debate and maintain a strong rivalry. There are temples of all three sects within the capital."

As you were reaching the Spire, a copy of the Ekeres Tome XV was brought to you from a local branch of the Academy - small research libraries now dotted Eros.

The Tome finally deserved its name. It was several pounds, and a quick flip through revealed several new branches of Necromancy that had been researched and discovered, as well detailed, precise illustrations, meditations on the process of death from the perspective of the dying and the extinction of consciousness, and references to unique experimental logs, as well as commentary and cross-referencing with relevant material - including handbooks for species autonomy and compilations of general magical practices and principles.

Aside from corpse-stitching and death magic, there was also apototomancy (voluntary directed death of cells - curing cancer within the body, as well as other diseases), true necromancy (divination by contacting the spirits of the dead), thanatoengineering (harnessing the heat energy released by the decay of materials to power devices, such as breaking down lead for fuel) and mortuary science (halting and rapidly encouraging the decay of corpses, as well as the study of anatomy) and the corpse-stiching sub-discipline of creating prosthetics that leech life from their users at the same rate as living tissue, including researching into the concept of a necromecha - molding a flesh servitor around a suit of armor that an Aso could 'pilot'.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:36, Wed 16 Jan 2019.

Theadeacus landed outside of the Titalus' old castle and began to move into the structure, leafing through the pages as he went. He was quite intelligent, especially comparative of a mortal, but he could not learn the whole of the tome's contents without dedicated study. All the same he familiarized himself with the broad topics which were being discussed.

Medicinal disciplines to treat malignant growth, divination of departed souls, engineering through decay, and mortuary sciences. There were also expansions and corpse-stiching to create replacement limbs and a fledgling school of thought dedicated to suits of interactive corpsestiched armor. How truly fascinating.

Bringing his interest under control he deposited the tome into Ebon's Gate and continued with his orders.

"I need an update on our military forces. How many troops do we have and what is there status? In addition to that where are my Necrofortresses and have they been improved upon in my absence."

He turned to Vastos.

"I'll also need a report on what we know of the situation within the Dagger Peaks. Have we made any scouting attempts?"

Vastos signaled for Garamea to answer you.

"The Deathbringers have contributed 500 of their 'paladins' - elite light skirmishers, equally capable on ground or in air.
The Truth Path has contributed 150 Imalgati shamans, capable of calling other Aso into trance, boosting their effectiveness and immunizing them to fear. They are also useful for coordinating command.
The True Death Cultists have contributed a company of 60 academy dropouts turned zealots - they have the basics of necromancy down, and are a moderately armored ground infantry, highly resilent.
We have 125 volunteer warlocks, graduates of the Academy that are . . eager to test their theories in the field. 120 are of the first degree, and 5 are of the second degree. The second degree warlocks have been trained to command the Necrofortresses, which have been outfitted with suitable arcane foci for long-range engagement by specially trained Iglesi firecallers.
Of standard flying infantry, we have 2000 that are fully trained and active duty, and 5000 reservists, recruits, and city guardsmen that we could bring to bear in a few month's time.
Of standard corpse-stiched troops, we have 6000 standard ground infantry and 750 heavy infantry. While there are more exotic designs in testing, I wouldn't want to waste valuable prototypes on this engagement. Less chaos, the better.

If need be, we could surely reach out to some of the tribes that have yet to contribute troops to the expedition, but I feel we are well-prepared." Garamea reported.

"Scouts have reported at least a thousand corrupted Ettin, and one survivor of a scouting party reported a dark figure that was commanding them - and a particularly massive ettin with great horns, in heavy armor of unknown make. They have a modest number of well-defended caves, and innumerable small ambush camps."
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:09, Thu 17 Jan 2019.

Theadeacus reached his chambers by the time Castos began running through the numbers of active and reserve forces across the various groups that comprised his military might. He had to suppress his surprise at the numbers but it was to be expected. Twenty years ago he saw to the unification of his territory and a great deal of the effort was based in militarism.

Some elements saddened him, such as the zealot dropouts, but he would simply have to adjust. The gift of necromancy was jus that. His people had to choose when and how they would use it. All the same he had to consider the situation and his forces.

The Dagger Peaks region presented a unique hinderance to an all out invasion. Its densely packed mountains, frigid temperatures, and extreme weather all serve as deterrents. This coupled with the Ettin's use of guerilla tactics and their home field advantage will make them excessively difficult to drive out.

"What we need is a team of elite infiltrators. Scouts who can be dropped within the Dagger Peaks and report back on the location of Ettin units. From there we will drive them out as we claim strategic territories. The first of which should be the Font of Brutality. Without it the possessing force cannot replenish their ranks."

If such a team of infiltrators exists then Theadeacus would hear of their status and capabilities. If not he would have such as team assembled and given the nature of the situation have them become god-touched and outfitted appropriately.

A team of ten operatives were drawn from the ranks, half of them Aso that had been given a second chance at normal life by dedicating themselves to the military in order to avoid imprisonment for crimes related to thievery and and such and whom had experience hiding in the Dagger Peaks, along with one of the Enlightened Imalgati shamans for covert communication, and a dedicated firecaller for support. The rest of the team was filled out by two warlocks - one dedicated to offense use of darklight, the other a medic.

-500 Souls for God-Touched Counterinsurgency Team (Oo-Rah)
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:29, Fri 18 Jan 2019.

And so his infiltrators came to be.

"You shall be known as Reapers and you shall become my hand and scythe. None shall escape your reach. Rise now my Reapers for your task begins now. Gather what equipment you will under my authority and report to our forward operating base outside of Dagger's Peak. Our main force will rendezvous there within a week. I want you behind enemy lines by then. I shall instruct my djinn to seek you out and you shall speak through them."

Theadeacus turned to Vastos and Garamea.

"Rally a force of 1000 infantry servitors, 500 Asoian warrior, 50 Paladins, and 25 Shamans. Have them marshal and ready the Harbinger."

He turned to Castos.

"Gather those 2nd degree warlocks who you believe suitable for an extended engagement. They will accompany you directly and yes I intend for you to join me in this campaign."

He turned to Garama.

"You shall lead the Paladins. Of their number elect four others so serve as my guard."

Finally he turned to Quilos.

"Rally the shamans. Spread word that I have returned. Prepare all to hear my proclamation. I shall speak to the people in three days time."

Now passing his gaze over those assembled he spoke once more.

"Now go forth."

Thy will be done.

It was as you commanded. Three days passed, and your forces were on the march. The Shamans spread the word to all - Death had returned to Eros, to return the stolen generation, to end the threat from the Dagger Peaks, and would speak today.

The assembled forces had passed beyond your sight a day ago, making doubletime to the destination. A bone-bird came to you, a message at its leg. "Font found."

The crowds below, before, and above were massive. The Aso had grown in your absence; there were at least 20,000 Aso packed into the capital, and a hush fell over them as you came into view from a balcony of the Spire.

Thedeacus had spent the day in meditation. He needed to align the forces of Eros so that they would be primed for his speech. Slowly throughout the day he called water into the sky and gathered the resulting clouds, centering them on the Spire. He moved them steadily, growing out more and more. Soon a blanket of absolute darkness was cast over the Province. Finally, as he moved to take center stage atop the castle balcony he pulled apart the center of the clouds mass and pure sunlight shined down on him and his assembled demigods.

He spoke and the wind carried his voice.

"My children. I, Theadeacus, God of Death, dwell among you once more. I have returned to Eros to fulfill a sacred duty. I have come to lay low those would trifle against us."

His voice raised and lightning began to streak through the clouds, a testament to his anger.

"To lay waste to those would seek to claim the souls of my creations!"

More lightning appeared and thunder boomed to punctuate his sentences.

"TO REND FLESH FROM THE BONES OF ANY WHO WOULD DARE ENTER MY REALM!"

The sky became a corona of fury as lightning, yellow and red, streaked across the sky.

"Heed my children for I have come to deliver judgment. I have come to reclaim that which was taken. I have come. Death has come."

He punctuated his last words be dispersing the clouds in an exertion of divine will.

"Today we begin our crusade."

The Dagger Peaks Campaign

A day after your speech whipped the Aso into a holy fury, you arrived at the base camp of the army, lead by your tyrants, Garamea and Castos.

They greeted you as you entered the tent. "Lord Death."

They moved around the war table, so you could easily approach it.

"We've already experienced casualities since last night, a sortie of ettin in attempted sneak attack. They were repelled, but a few servitors were destroyed and a guardswoman was killed."

Castos spoke next. "Whatever happened to the Ettin, it's made their hide highly resistant to mundane weapons, but heavy crossbows still do the trick, and darklight is highly effective. The bigger issue is how they Ettin got smart enough to start with a small, stealthy sortie."

Garamea pointed to the rough map, outlining three routes to a location marked with a crown. All of them were marked with red pieces, representing ambush points.

"The Font of Brutality is the key to all this. Our elite infiltration team has been providing regular reports. The entity is some kind of mad horror, and the transformation of the Ettin is a secondary pursuit - the horror spends all of it time studying and manipulating the Font of Brutality.

"The children are being hidden in a large cavern nearby, guarded by a particularly massive and nasty Ettin and a dozen of the regular sort. Our highest priority is their safety, but in order to ensure that, we're going to need to hit both key locations close to same time but slightly staggered. If we hit the font first, the children might get slaughtered. If we get the children, the horror might notice the commotion and join the fray, putting the children in the crossfire."

"The issue is if we can manage that, while going through ravines and switchbacks riddled with tunnels where Ettin are just waiting to ambush us. We don't know how long we have before the horror finishes with the font and decides in time to use the kids however it's planning, so we can't just slowly take ground over a period of weeks."

Garamea tapped against the table. "It's a mess. Conducting a war and trying to resolve a hostage situation with a horror in the mix."

Theadeacus listened attentively as Castos and Garamea updated him on the situation. He was surprised that Castos spoke as much as he had, apparently having overcome whatever trauma had made him so emotionally mute and apathetic when he first meet him. That, however, was a minor detail. Instead he focused on the map before him. The region was largely as it had been previously; a boon if there ever was one.

The situation was complex. An operation intended to be carried out on two fronts: a hostage retrieval behind enemy lines and a search and destroy of a high priority target. They would need to be precise.

"Have the swordswoman and any other Aso that fall entombed in the Tower of Mourning."

He looked at the map, studying the terrain between the Font's location and the area where they are holding the children.

"How are the Ettin's communicating with one another? If we can destroy their communication lines we can ensure that each operation is carried out in isolation."

"They don't appear to be communicating. Our infiltration team had to take care of one group of ettin that were guarding a through-tunnel. It was a full day before the missing ambush group was discovered by other Ettin, and they've haven't replaced that ambush team. We believe the Horror is issuing them directives, which they carry out, but they don't plan or organize independently. Might a crude form of mind control." said Garamea.

She glanced at Castos. "What was our suggestion?"

"Oh, yes. Lord Death, I believe that the best course of action is three-pronged. First, we have the counter-insurgency team in position to tackle the cavern with the children. After taking on the ettin, their warlock will engineer a rockfall to block the cavern's entrance using decay. That will keep the children safe until we can dig them out.

Before that, we launch a full offensive against the Dagger Peaks with our ground troops as a feint. Hopefully, that will draw the horror's attention.

Meanwhile, you will be aboard the Harbinger with a team of Paladins. You'll get as close as possible to the Font of Brutality, then attack the Horror with Paladins supporting you in the melee and a few firecallers and Tier 2 warlocks providing air support. When they see you descend, that's when the C.I. team will move to secure the children."

Castos coughed. "That's what we think would go best, given what we have to work with, and the time constraints we're under."

Castos was different. He now had the stillness you'd noted in the Aso that had extensively cultivated their alignment with their death, and the faint spark of divinity could be felt within him. Both potent sources of healing and development.

Theadeacus considered the words of Garamea and Castos as he continued to scrutinize the map. This alien being had a very typical mentality. It likely believed its individual strength and power could see to the end of any rebellion mounted by the Aso.

It was terribly mistaken.

"We will move forward with that plan Garamea. Have the Reapers moved into position and the main forces organize for a frontal assault. We will use The Harbinger to clear a path to the Font. Garamea I will have you lead the Paladins, you will be my blade. Cut down anything that stands in our way. Castos, form a triad with the warlocks and operate the ritual drives aboard the Harbinger. Do not allow any interference. I will kill the horror."

With his plan set he need only wait for the orders to be passed down and his will to be enacted. While he waited he retrieved Ekeres Tome and reviewed the material formally. He wouldn't have time for a dedicated study but he wished to review the ongoing research into servitors. The necromecha were fascinating and he could see the synergy between that line of development and thanatoengineering. Perhaps he would see to perfecting that technology when the time came. Some hybridization with the ritual drives?

The "necromecha" was the design of a peculiar young female Aso named Raasiel. She was a pilgrim-hero - a mortal that had attained heroic power and the ability to travel to other Realms without the use of a Gate - and was a corpse-stitcher of the highest degree. Her experiments were grotesque, if morally acceptable - she had been born with a rare congenital condition that lead to gradual paralysis and eventually the giving out of the heart before the age of maturity. Using herself as the basis for her own experiments, she had discovered a means to engineer a complete stasis of all biological function while binding her soul to her inanimate body. The notations were exceedingly complex, and much of it seemed unique to her; even with your exceptional knowledge of Necromancy, her corpse-stitching was a tier about you, when it came to her own body.

She had entirely replaced herself with self-sculpted bone and flesh. In the text, she described herself - a being with a prosthetic body created through necromancy - as a thanaton. With herself as the basis, she was developing the necessary rituals to bind other Aso to an exoskeleton that would respond to and enhance their natural movements, rather than simply being a servitor they rode around in. She intended this as a remedy for those with similar conditions to hers, but also spent some time extrapolating to military applications, including the concept of producing exceedingly large servitors for use as exoskeletons.

She was currently living in exile in the Dagger Peaks, as of the latest edition of the Tome, which had been published last Selach.

+5% progress with Necromancy.

=

All was set and ready to go, as you had ordered. You were aboard the Harbinger with thirty Paladins, Garamea, and Castos. Your forces were arrayed below you, and a bone-bird had just arrived with the news that the Reapers were in position. The Harbinger was a half-minute from passing over the front line of the ground forces.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:17, Sun 27 Jan 2019.

And so the time had come. Theadeacus meditated aboard The Harbinger, gathering his Essence and reaffirming his Will. He had come to liberate and cleanse, to ravage and destroy.

He was to become death incarnate.

He remained this way, wreathed in a progressively ordered aura of darklight, until Garamea arrived to notify him of the operations beginning. Slowly he opened his eyes, allowing the magic to degrade as he rode.

"And so we set upon our divine task."

First Battle of the Dagger Peaks Campaign

Erosian Forces
Commander: Theadeacus, God of Death
1000 Servitors
500 Flying Infantry
50 Paladins
25 Shamans
Castos, Death of Rituals
Garamea, Death of Grief

Raamthumalah's Forces
Commander: The Triumph Unheard
Subordinate:
650 Oni
1 Great Oni

First Hour

The Erosian main force advances in a long column seperated into 10 divisions, each with 4 squadrons. Each squadron is headed by a shaman and composed of 40 servitors and 20 Flying Infantry. Each Each Division is supported by two Paladins, who direct the flying infantry to respond swiftly to ambushes.

When an ambush occurs, the divisions crash together to squash the ambush, limiting tactical options for the Oni, who mostly are able to destroy servitors by causing rockfalls along the gorges and canyons of the valley.

The Harbinger rains down fire ahead of the front line, the flashes of darklight serving suppress known ambush points and signal their location to the ground troops.

Still, the gurrila tactics are of limited effectiveness, and the Oni are tough and stealthy.

The Harbinger makes good progress towards the Font, and will arrive within striking distance within the next hour.

End of First Hour

Erosian Forces
Commander: Theadeacus, God of Death
925 Servitors
470 Flying Infantry
49 Paladins
23 Shamans
10 Reapers (C.I. Team)
Castos, Death of Rituals
Garamea, Death of Grief

Raamthumalah's Forces
Commander: The Triumph Unheard
545 Oni
1 Great Oni

In his heart Theadeacus weeps for his fallen, pained by their deaths. Speaking general to the subordinates aboard the Harbinger Theadeacus delivers his commands.

"Stay the course. Instruct any squadron which falls beneath 40% fighting strength to regroup with the nearest squadron and proceed. The dead will be recovered after the conflict."

Moving to one of the arcane foci,Theadeacus added his own power to the assault. Using his baleful gaze to augment the targeting systems he peered into the Dagger Peaks and laid waste to ambush groups as the radiance of their life force, tainted or otherwise, could not hide from him.

Second Hour

Causalities continued to mount, as new Oni joined the fray. The closer the assault drew to the Font, the more horribly corrupted the Ettin became, and nonmagical weapons became ineffective. These Oni were cloaked in emerald mist, and moved unnaturally fast, leaping into the sky to snatch Aso and tear them asunder.

Your own efforts were more effective, obliterating the Oni that dared attract your baleful gaze, mutation or no mutation. But it wasn't enough; the forward momentum of your advance was stalled as the Oni abandoned their ambush tactics for an all-out assault. It made them easier to target, but your servitors were being massacred.

Garamea sounded a horn that echoed over the Dagger Peaks and bounded between them - the call to retreat. She sounded it again, and again.

The feint had served its purpose - the Harbinger was in striking distance of the Font, and by the change in the behavior of the corrupted Ettin, you knew your troops had stolen the Horror's attention.

End of Second Hour

Erosian Forces
Commander: Theadeacus, God of Death
525 Servitors (-400)
370 Flying Infantry (-100)
42 Paladins (-8)
15 Shamans (-8)
10 Reapers (C.I. Team)
Castos, Death of Rituals
Garamea, Death of Grief

Raamthumalah's Forces
Commander: The Triumph Unheard
300 Oni (-245)
1 Great Oni
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:56, Thu 31 Jan 2019.

"Send word to the Reapers. Begin their operation."

Theadeacus then looked to Castos.

"Maintain the aerial assault, cover the retreat. I don't want to lose anymore Aso then is absolutely necessarily."

He then looked to the team that would be assailing the Font with him.

"There is no time for speeches. We've come to kill this invader. Let's scour their bones from this Realm."

With that Theadeacus used the Jewel of Shadows to cloak himself in an ebony suit of armor and enshrouded the Staff of Theadeacus with a mantle of night, augmenting its shape to be more simple to a warscythe then a simple stave. He left the Harbinger, followed by his people, and made his way to the Font's entrance.

Advancing forward under the full spectrum of his vision abilities, Theadeacus were prepared for combat.

Skirmish at the Font & First Reaper Team Operation

Erosian Forces
Commander: Theadeacus, God of Death
30 Paladins
10 Reapers
5 Warlock Alumni
Castos, Death of Rituals
Garamea, Death of Grief

Raamthumalah's Forces
Commander: The Triumph Unheard
15 Mad Oni
8 Oni
1 Great Oni

Raasiel's Forces
Commanader: Raasiel, Thanaton
4 Experimental Thanatoautomata

First Minute

With the force of Paladins in tow headed by Garamea, Theadeacus desends of the font. The Oni here are unlike anywhere else - they move with strange dimensions, snatching Paladins form the sky and forcibly moving parts of their body into higher spatial dimensions than rest, resulting in gory explosions and inverted dead. Despite this horrific threat, the Paladins are well trained - calling on the simplest and swiftest magics to imbue their weapons with a trace of magic, allowing them to slay the otherwise impervious Mad Oni, though two paladins fall for each Mad Oni before Theadeacus breaches the Font proper and is confronted with the Triumph Unheard.

The horror is a spindly thing, a dark gap in space-time with spindly branches that move through reality like pickaxes through glass - sometimes shattering, sometimes resisted.

It is - doing something to the Font, words - words carved and written in shards of time - that are not words; deafening Theadeacus as all natural ambient noise is silenced by swarms of hungry untones. Garamea screams, her sanity shaking and fraying. Theadeacus is of more resilent make, but even he would begin to succumb to Truth if this battle lingered on for too long.

Meanwhile, the Reapers move swiftly, their firecaller and warlock focusing their destructive potential on the Great Oni while two sub-teams of warriors flank the ordinary Oni. Short work is made of them, but the Great Oni survives the initial assault. The Shaman screams into the Great Oni's mind, dazing it for long enough that the sub-teams move in and spear it a dozen times - and so it falls. The shaman collapses, a broken thing, contact with the Mad mind having shattered her own. The second phase of the plan is intiated, as the children are verified to be alright and the team starts the process of producing a cave-in.

Meanwhile, the Harbinger continues to cover the retreat of the main force.

End of First Minute

Erosian Forces
Commander: Theadeacus, God of Death
10 Paladins
9 Reapers
5 Warlock Alumni
Castos, Death of Rituals
Garamea, Death of Grief (incapacitated)

Raamthumalah's Forces
Commander: The Triumph Unheard
5 Mad Oni

Raasiel's Forces
Commander: Raasiel, Thanaton
4 Experimental Thanatoautomata

This message was last edited by the GM at 17:32, Thu 07 Feb 2019.

As Theadeacus descends he lashes out with tendrils of darkness, pulling the fallen into himself and  Ebon's Gate. Steadily he uses his Body of Endless Horrors to fashion a gruesome but powerful suit of armor and focuses his Jewel of Shadows to produce a stronger sheathing of destructive power around his war-scythe.

The wildly alien movements and appearances of these creatures reflected their unnatural origins and corruption. Theadeacus could not help but think back to Anathema's return to the Buoy when he say their dimensional movements and disregard for the fabric of reality. Had this been her doing? Had she sent these monsters to attack his Realm?

He dismissed the thought for the moment and focused on the task at hand. Moving to the Font he grimaced under the assailing force of the....thing...that existed before him. If not for his Will he would be crippled outright but Garamea was not nearly as resilient. He considered retreating to bring her to safety but he couldn't afford to allow this thing the time it needed to complete its workings.

Bringing his augmented staff to bare he channeled his magic and produced a hail of darklight bolts, testing if the thing could even be wounded with such magics.

[Private to GM: Where did Raasiel's forces come from and where are they?]

(OOC: Oh right! Your Gaze lets you even see animated constructs, so they popped on your radar even though they haven't come into play.

Raasiel's home base is about a quarter mile to the north of the font laterally, and a good distance up, near the peak of that mountain; she's not yet involved in the battle, but is allied to Eros and may intervene.)

Just a ping so that the thread doesn't fall under your updating radar.

Reality fractured again as you struck the beast - it didn't seem harmed in the least, in fact you could swear that it was - moaning in pleasure?

"Hagar al'rathuhayd alagran tomithu!" It howled. "Salack immenan al'layan hiraka?" It queried.

The branches of the beast waved, and there were then three "Theadeacusi". One was dead; one was you; and one was beyond beautiful, a thing beyond life or death - the death of death, end of ends, The One Undying. When Taeltresin fell, when Atropos lay on her deathbed - it would be this one that came to turn out even her light.

It was no longer bothering the font; it was focused entirely on you. Aside from the effect of its presence, it had yet to take any offensive action towards you, and seemed curious rather than frightened or aggressive.

You felt that the reality-fracture was this thing's version of asking you a question - it was asking who you were, among the many potentialities of you that it was seeing from its position in a higher dimension.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:32, Sat 16 Feb 2019.

Theadeacus was unsettled by the sudden appearance of three of himself, especially the one which seemed to be more powerful and perfected than himself. Still the reality-fracturing being had turned its attention towards him and it seemed as tho his magic was largely ineffective against the being.

So he responded to its inquiry.

"I am Theadeacus, creator-god of the Aso, and ruler of Eros."

He allowed his answer to linger for a moment before offering his own question.

"Why have you come here?"

A question for a question.

The thing spoke again, and now you understood its words, faintly, at a third of their previous volume. You were hearing through the stranger other Theadeacus, who knew the thing's tongue.

"I have come for you, my love, and been granted many children by you, sweet death. They are inferior, but all firstborn are. I understand your grevious displeasure! I will bring you our lastborn soon, yes, a fitting child, hmm, if you will help us, embrace us? You will not die as you too may eternal lie, oh yes, and with strange days as these, perhaps even your father's father may perish,"

A voice in your head. I am Raasiel, a friend and one of yours, until I figure out how to transcend you. That thing isn't really here - it's far weaker than it should be, in case you didn't notice. It's actually playing very nice with us. We can't kill it, but we can banish it. How fast of a learner are you? Think you can pick up enough Animancy to revoke a nothing-that-noths before you go Mad from my instruction, or do you need my help in person?
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:45, Tue 19 Feb 2019.

Thedeacus maintained a contemplative face as if he were considering the words of the alien being. In reality his mind was turned inward as he responded to Raasiel.

I am aware of you and your work Raasiel. If you have any assistance to offer I would appreciate it. We can discuss Animancy and your road to transcendence once we have removed this interloper.

Some part of him was glad that Aso like Raasiel existed. There would likely come a time when his people needed to transcend his own existence, to reach beyond the vision of the world he had created so long ago.

Alright, I will be coming down. You lack experience, but between your godhood and your staff you should have the juice to make a Pact.

I don't know how experienced you are with Spirit magic, but beyond manipulation of spirit stuff, you can manipulate your own soul and that of others. All gods are able to change up their physical bodies, I gather, because your soul is powerful enough to make its own self-law. That's kind've what I -

She was an academic. Of course she'd ramble like this in a crucial moment.

She stopped herself. Whatever. Research later, action now. You need to Invoke me - summon my soul-word into yours. But I will only tell you my true-name if you agree to make me into a Vassal. I'll teach you how to do it. It'll cost you ten Spheres of power - basically it's like god-touching but instead you grant me a slice of your godhood. Don't worry, godhood grows back just like livers do.

If you Invoke me while I'm still mortal I'll go batshit within fifteen seconds of meeting that horror. You saw what it did to a Demigod. I need to be a bigger fish.

What she told you was truth, and resonated with you. +15% Spirit Magic.

If you agreed, she continued:

So repeat after me. Exactly. 'Blessed Embrace of Raasiel the Thanaton, Vassal Mine - Admixed Intellect and Ambition - Raziel, I Summon and Invoke Thee.' Do that, sacrifice the spheres, use your staff to amplify everything - I'll be there, I'll help you revoke this motherfucker.

If you disagree, she instead continues with:

Disappointing, but okay, fine, I will still help as I can. I'm not risking my sanity though, so I am going to help your from here. I will set up a revocation ritual within range, naming you as the Banisher. Your Darklight will become Voidlight, and you'll be able to hurt this thing.

Meanwhile, with speed that wasn't speed - it didn't move, it just was somewhere different, just like that - the Horror was beside you, and stroked you back. Your nerves burned, and your spine was riddled with - would have been riddled with tumors, if your nature as a god wasn't that of Death and therefore directly opposed to the touch of antideath.

As it was, it nettled and burned, and your mind drifted closer to madness as you heard its words, knew them, felt the paradigm of your existence shifting, expanding, gaining new angles.

sweetling

your silence is beautiful

you are the breath of the void

and my love between stars

Theadeacus: 8/10. Taking psychic damage.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:06, Fri 01 Mar 2019.

Thedeacus contemplated his choices, albeit briefly. The burning sensation of the alien beings touch compounded with the psychic trauma its words were slowly afflicting upon him was enough to force his hand.

Grasping his staff with two hands he rose it vertically upward.

"Blessed Embrace of Raasiel the Thanaton, Vassal Mine - Admixed Intellect and Ambition - Raziel, I Summon and Invoke Thee!"

He then brought his staff downward all the while channeling his Essence and divine spheres into the staff.

- "Raziel, I Summon and Invoke Thee!"

-10 Spheres. Raziel is risen from the mortal coil, and becomes a new God, as a Vassal to Theadeacus. She takes Dagger Peaks as her Fief.

Theadeacus, however briefly, gained sight-beyond-sight, as he touches a raw nerve of Taeltresin and dips a hand into the pool of Theogenesis -

Meanwhile, at the Academy, a few short years ago, or perhaps a few short years hence . . .

The head researcher blasted the head off another philosophical zombie with an orb of darklight. "This is entirely your fault. Raziel. Raziel, when I'm speaking to you, it's customary to reply. Raziel!"

"I'm studying, you mite. The Antidead were a stupid idea. It's not my fault I mistook the advice of that Erebite for wisdom and decided to make Antiservitors. The interconnections between the Shamanism of Arthos and the the Life magic of Erebus and our own Spirit magic - there's something there, and you know it."

A golden, mechanical hand crushed a windpipe. Horunculi. The anti-zombie groaned, pawing at the book in Raziel's other hand. She channeled decay, and the thing crumbled into dust. "That they would share my hunger for the knowledge and try to directly consume the brains of the living in order to accelerate their own learning? Exactly how could I have foreseen that? Now focus on the reverse incantation so we revoke the spirits of genius possessing these corpses."

The sight-beyond-sight faded, and beside you was a new Goddess - Raziel, Goddess of Intellect and Ambition, Vassal to Theadeacus.

You have reached level 1 in Spirit Magic.

"Speak with me - I've done the research. Use your staff - I'll chant - we'll get this done together."

You really just charged into a war without even trying to do any independent research on what you were fighting? Theadeacus, you have got to do your homework.

I guess you just really couldn't let another hour slip past while those kids were in danger, you big softie.

The Revocation spell was formulated in the same way as the Invocation you had just used. You were combining Spirit magic with your own lordship of Eros to force a creature that was outside the domain of Death to be expelled back into the Void from whence it had come. The exact words weren't very important, so long as you said what you were doing, named what you were doing it to, and then established a spiritual link to the target by describing what it was. The most powerful Spirit magic required collaboration between the incanter and incantee, but a revocation was simpler.

"something revocation of the Horror Raamthumalah - Admixed something and something - Raathumalah, I banish thee!" or some equivalent

Raamthumalah: 15/15, temporarily stunned by 4th dimensional distortion
Theadeacus: 8/10
Raziel: 10/10
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:20, Thu 07 Mar 2019.

Theadeacus wasn't sure how he felt about the birth of this new god, especially having ceded the Dagger Peaks to her, but he wasn't prepared to lose more in the pursuit of something already done.

With the alien being stunned her shifted his position away from it and brought his staff in line with its distorted form.

"I'd sooner die a thousand deaths than let my own people come to harm. If you are as skilled as you claim then let's put an end to this."

He channeled his new power and chanted.

"Accursed revocation of the Horror Raamthumalah - Admixed Lies and Madness- Raathumalah, I banish thee!"

She spoke as you spoke, and your words had power - as the lord of the Realm, you had never extended a invitation to this being. You wanted it out; the Tree, recovering as it was, rejected it as well - the power you poured out through your staff was a beacon, a marker, the sharpened the contrast between this being and the Tree, hardened the lines between dimensions, cut off the many claws this thing was using to cling to reality.

Raziel was considerably weaker than you - newly minted - and while she lent little power compared to what you were able to muster, she bore half the aftershock.

As reality crashed backed together, the three of yourself crashing together, there was uncertainty. On a deep level. As your spirit asserted itself, it was shaken and smashed, causing you bodily harm as if you were a diver coming up from the depths too rapidly.

Theadeacus: 3/10

She took as much of the shock as you did, but she was less resilient. She collapsed beside Garamea, although she was still conscious - just weak.

Raziel: 2/10, in shock

There was . . a remnant of alien thing's power, a shadow of rot and chaos. You could draw power from it, if you so chose, before it faded . .

Theadeacus looked to the alien power still lingering in his world and he knew that he could harvest it, just like many of the powers left by his fallen foes. This power, however, was different. It was rotten and chaotic and some part of him knew that while it could make him stronger he would also loose something more valuable.

Instead he watched it dissipate until it was finally gone.

Once he was satisfied that nothing of the being remained he turned his attention to Garamea and Raasiel. After confirming that they were both alive he used Body of Endless Horrors to modify his necroarmor into additional arms in which to carry the both of them with.

Exiting the Font he went to rally with his forces and bring the campaign to an end.

It took awhile after you left, the battle finished, for word of total victory to reach the troops, and then be communicated to the Reaper squad. They began the lengthy process of tunnelling themselves out, and within an hour's time the children - most of them with wings still yet to mature - were given over to the waiting arms of the troops; it became apparent that many of children had parents who were part of the military.

Some of them would never see their parents again, of the many lives claimed by the Oni.

By that time, Raziel was recovered, and without hesitation she began helping Garamea come around, aboard the Harbinger. She was using spirit magic. "I'm reminding her soul of its own name . . . healing the damage to her psyche. It's good that her mind shut down instead of fully embracing what it saw. As it is, it's just damaged . . the greater danger when dealing with something from the Void, is that often time it changes you instead of injuring you. And that change is very hard to reverse,"

You'd made the right choice by not claiming that power, it seemed. Not many would have been able to refuse the allure.

There was another speech to give, to your waiting forces. The warlocks aboard the harbinger were exhausted; it was pretty much only the Demigod among them that still had enough focus left to keep the ritual drives running smoothly. Castos proved reliable, again.

Theadeacus nodded to his Vassal Raasiel.

"Thank you Raasiel. Do the best that you can. Garamea has been a loyal solider to our people and has kept the faith. It would be a shame for her to loose her mind to a foreign power. When this is over we will discuss the nature of your rule. The Dagger Peaks are a most inhospitable locale but I believe you capable of ruling it for the interim."

With that Theadeacus dismissed himself to speak to his victorious army. His voice carried out on the wind as he spoke from the main deck of the harbinger.

"My people. Today is a day of days. We have rescued the captured children of our people, we have released our tortured kin from their corruption, and we have slain the foul alien presence that dare enter our domain. Today we stand stand victorious. By blood, by steel, and by magic we stand victorious! Let all who dwell within creation know that the Aso of Eros kneel to no being. Let all who trespass against us know that Death has come for them. For Eros, For the Aso!"

With the Dagger Peaks under the control of his Vassal, Theadeacus had fully unified Eros at the moment of that speech.

New threats were bound to arise, as Taeltresin woke, and things once lost emerged again, and new growth bloomed - for better or for worse.

=

Garamea came around weeks later, and Theadeacus was back in the Dagger Peaks again, within Raasiel's sanctum; a tower of brass and clockwork hidden within a peak of the third-highest mountain in the realm.

"Her mind has fully recovered from the ordeal. What she remember of that day, I have rewoven. Her memory will not be exactly the same as yours - she will recall the being as a shadowy figure, rather than its true form - but I have otherwise preserved her mind. Just a stitch or two, really."

Raasiel went to the wall; the very tip of her sanctum was a solarium that embraced the setting sun. "I have plans for the Dagger Peaks, Lord Theadeacus. I would like to discuss them with you."

Theadeacus listened to the report on Garamea and nodded once.

"You have done well Raasiel, I thank you."

He looked to Garamea once more and allowed her to rest while he moved about the sanctum with his vassal. As they moved to the highest point he commented on the structure.

"It is quite impressive Raasiel, some of the best craftsmanship I have seen and not simply within our own realm."

Then conversation shifted to plans for the Dagger Peaks.

"I am sure that you do. I would be interested in hearing them."

She chuckled. "If only I could claim to be the craftswoman. No, I found this, and based my research on it. The Font of Savagery is linked a curious supernatural ore that can be mined in the peaks - Horunculi, the living metal, is made from it. But it cannot be worked unless it can granted hunger,"

"This . . fortress . was built before you or I. It had books within that told me of the world before the blight. A horrid world where mortals were the playthings of immortal parasites called 'gods' that traded their souls as currency and their realms as fortresses, or as the seats of pantheons,"

"Horunculi is a horrid thing . .  naturally. It is sourced from meteorites that fall from the skies above, and found in realms old enough to remember a time when the universe was young. It grows by and thrives by consuming mortal souls, when properly treated with death and spirit magic. This realm, I believe, was once a hidden weapons manufactory for a pantheon lost to the Blight,"

"However, while it is a deadly weapon beyond compare in the hands of a God, it lives only on mortal souls. By bonding the metal to my own soul, I was able to feed it. Now that I am a god . . ."

She flexed, clenching her fingers. "The bond remains. I found archives of this - of tamed Horunculi. I desired to be your vassal - something I read of within these archives - to test my hunch. I feel quite vindicated."

"Now. We need to prepare for the inevitable. Unless swift action is taken, the existing pantheon will soon be at war with factions once firmly under the thumb of Gods - the Beasts, Devils, the Inquistors, Antigods, Made Gods, Old Ones, whatever perversion of divinity best pleases your palette."

"You're different that other gods - obsessed with your people, with seeing after and protecting them. You sacrificed yourself rather than see your friend be eaten by the Pantheon. You're worthy of the title, and of devotion, because you are devoted."

"I'm going out on a limb here, and you might kill me for what I'm going to suggest,"

"But this is the best I can come up with. I've been in contact - via old communications technology, an Inter-Realm Channel, or IRC - with others delving into old magic. The Vix of Arthos, an Erebite that was once a god and remembers the old world, a Telluran Pilgrim, and the fine minds at the Academy."

"We need Gods to stand against what threatens us from without and within, but the Pantheon that exists is insular and of the old world. It exists to dominate and mortals have no rights within the Valley Di- the Valley of Banners. With strong enough magic and careful employment, a skilled mage can take on a God. Especially in a bonded suit of living metal, which the Gods used to use to kill each other as efficiently as possible . . ."

"We can trust you, and you trust your friends - and from what I've heard, they're insane but by no means tyrants. And still young, able to grow in their understanding. With your backing, I want to revive an old faction of mortal godkillers - the Nauii - who were once the only thing the Old Gods feared, before the Nauii stronghold was discovered and obliterated. I want this sanctum to be their base of operations,"

She gently rapped her fist against her metal chin. "This time, with living metal on their side, and a Pantheon of new gods at their back. I want to call a summit here, to my sanctum, of representatives from the mortal races of the New Gods,"

"And I want you to formally accept your role as leader of a new Pantheon. We will build weapons of steam and godsteel, engines of decay and deep magic, and soldiers of living mirror and stitched shadow."

She leaned back against the enchanted glass of the solarium. "I do need a decision here and now, lord Theadeacus. You know the winds are changing. We need a captain at the helm or we'll be soon lost at sea."

She grinned. "With a trusty navigator at his side, of course."

Theadeacus listened to Raziel, his expression neutral but attentive. He allowed her to finish before speaking and even then he only began a few moments later.

"There is quite a bit to digest here."

He paused again organizing his thoughts.

"For the moment I will accept everything you have told me to be true and assure you that your proposal has not jeopardized your life, at least not by my hand or any of those who would answer to my word."

"I have to agree with your assessment of the Pantheon. Their's is an old power and with it they bring ideas and ideals which no longer serve those who they are supposed to protect and guide, if they ever did. I believe the New Pantheon has the potential to bring about the change we desire and defend ourselves from the old and new enemies of the tree."

"That said resurrected godkillers armed with living metal seems a precarious solution to the Pantheon. Should we succeed we will have a group of beings capable of killing us. What is your proposal for controlling them?"

Theadeacus listened to her proposal but he also had other questions.

"I would like to know more of these perverted divinities you have gained awareness of. That and tell me of this deep magic."

Raziel considered. "Any mortal general knows the armies he commands could turn on him if morale sours. Men are not swords - they cannot be fully trusted. However, the living metal is a weapon . . . and the men, in truth, are merely the power source."

"I will hand-craft each of these weapons myself. As the Goddess of Intellect and Ambition, my greatest ability is my Oath of Avowal - a ritual which binds the hearts of men to serve my ambition, as a retainer joins herself to her lord's dream. It requires a voluntary ritual, which I will incorporate into the bequeathal of the Horunculi. I will, so to speak, have an invisible trump card that would activate to overwhelm the mind of any that wear my armor."

"The effectiveness of the Nauii relies on subterfuge. To kill a god, a mortal must surprise that god, strip them of their greatest strength with the Witchhunter's Word, and then slay them with a supernatural weapon before that God can change tactics."

"The Witchhunter's Word is an ancient curse, and in a language spoken only by the Mad. It binds the caster's own death to their foe - to rob an enemy of the ability to use magic, for example, or the ability to use a divine power they are noted for, or removing the simple ability to breathe . . ."

"Every Nauii ascended to become a Pilgrim Hero without the assistance of a God. That can be done if the mortal is in possession of a Dream - a purpose beyond themselves that draws them to greatness. My dream is for an interconnected world of a thousand cultures - where both God and Man operate within a relationship born of mutual respect. The Nauii cannot be a true army - it was the individuality and their unpredictability that allowed them to succeed for so long against the Gods."

"Perverted divinities . . . I have many theories, but little fact. There is something aside from the soul the distinguishes gods and monsters - humanity. From what I have heard, you have retained a great deal of this trait, while your siblings have traded some of it away in exchange for power. When a God loses their humanity completely, they become something else. They gain power to fill the void left by their loss of humanity, but they are no longer exalted paragons of their culture . .  and this corruption can spread to their people. The cannibal Beasts who lose their higher mind, the inviolable zeal of an Inquisitor that has given up emotion, or the chaotic horrorshow of a Mad God that abandons sanity and understands what no creature born of Taeltresin should . . A God is a shackled beast, but the same bindings that restrict power, also grant shape and form."

"Deep magic . . . I would speak little of it, if you would allow me the privacy. It is an Arthosian secret. I have heard of those that delve into it being slain by a strange creature of Arthos; and I do not wish to betray my sources."

Theadeacus listened to Raziel and was placated by her words. The Oath of Avowal was a powerful and useful ability. It would ensure that at the very least those possessing the Horunculi would be under the command of his vassal should the need arise. The existence of the Witchhunter's Word concerned him but it was to be expected that the Mad would have powers of that nature. Luckily, Theadeacus had foreseen the limitations of his own power and invested heavily in the power of his people. Should the Nauii slay him at least Eros would still prosper.

Still talk of the perverted divinities and how his allies had corrupted themselves with foreign powers concerned him. He was passingly aware that they had undergone a great many changes to become who they were now. All the same he could understand their temptation having seen the power that lay beyond humanity in the visions the alien being had shown him.

"You have given me a lot to think about but as you said these times call for exact measures and actions. Let us begin the creation of the Horunculi and the resurrection of the Nauii. I shall work to unify the new Pantheon and bring them in line with this goal. I believe we shall not face serious opposition."

When she mentioned not wishing to discuss Deep Magic further he nodded understandingly but did speak on it more.

Garamea came around, murmuring. The demigod stood from the daybed she had been resting in nearby. "What happened?" she said. "Did we win? Are the children safe?"

Raziel nodded. "I'll organize the summit. It will take some time. You're free to explore my sanctum, and consult my library. I'll retire to my study."

With that, she departed the solarium.

Theadeacus nodded to Raziel, allowing her to depart without interruption. He then turned his attention to Garamea.

"Garamea you shouldn't be up."

He moved to her, supporting her weight.

"The battle is over. We were victorious. The children are safe. Now follow me back to your bed."

Theadeacus brought Garamea back to where she had been resting up to this point and put her back in the bed, regardless of any dissent he might have gotten from her. Once she was settled to his satisfaction he continued to speak.

"You were injured thru a mental assault at the beginning of the battle. I was able to repel the invader using spirit magic and with the assistance of my new vassal, Raziel. You are currently in their sanctum located within the Dagger Peaks."

He allowed her a moment to process before continuing.

"It was Raziel who oversaw the healing of your mind. Still I would refrain from thinking on the incident if you can manage it."

Seated on the bed, she cupped her face in her hands. "I can't . . . even think about it. I don't want to. I remember what we saw - the oni, how they messed with how things should be. Is that what we're up against? Is this something related to the Blight?"

"I can't take this shit, Lord Theadeacus. These aren't thing that are meant to be fought . . . this isn't something mortals can hope to deal with. I guess I'm a demigod or something now, but even that . . . we need Gods. Gods like you, an army of them. That's the only way we'll ever be safe." She blinked away tears, and looked up at you.

"What makes you what you are, Lord Theadeacus? What strengthens you? Is it our faith? Something to do with . .  Eros? I don't understand any of this. Eros feels so small . . "

Theadeacus was taken back for a moment by Garamea's comments, although his face had not shown it. Here was the woman who led a militant religious group, who had once proposed committing a campaign of genocide to cleanse Eros of heretical factions, who now was the demigod general of one of the largest armies in all of Taelstrin and she was crying. If nothing else it did not bode well for how others would deal with facing such creatures.

Theadeacus moved closer to Garamea and placed her head into his shoulder, smoothing the length of her hair with his hand.

"I am as I am but it is my people who give me true strength. Everything I have ever done, all that I have accomplished in this existence is because of the people of Eros, because of people like yourself."

Theadeacus looked off for a moment, still trying his best to comfort Garamea.

"But you are right. Eros is but a small world but I still believe in its strength."