A while ago I asked for wizard movies, which I am still slowly watching. Finished the Last Unicorn few months ago and need to look at the list again later to watch another movie. I'll make a tier list of the movies once I watch them all. But I also really like wizard games and am looking to play more. Im talking about the games on emulators and indie games no one has heard about. You are welcome to suggest popular/mainstream wizard games but just be aware I most likely already have a few hundred hours in each one of those, lol.
/uw this is generally closed to R&A members, but if you can come up with something clever, I'll allow it. Vanio is included ;P
/rw
Vytsky had just been hired to work at R&A. Today was his first day, and he was quite nervous. He packed up whatever he felt he needed, and he went on his way to the HQ. Thankfully, he only needed to fly there once, and then he could just teleport there and back as needed. Once he arrived, he entered through the front door, unsure of where to go from there. He wandered, trembling slightly more than usual, but still not really visible unless one had a good look at him.
It'd been a few universes since he last worked somewhere that he didn't found himself. He could only hope that whatever he did today was the right thing. He could only think: 'Don't fuck up don't fuck up don't fuck up...'
Alas, still expecting perfection from himself, even if he's never done this before.
Civilians go about their business in a rather large, but peaceful town... Chatting, buying, working...
Until a rift shatters open in the center of town. Out of it, comes a large being... Towering over the normal humans.
And along with him, flows a dark, oily substance... Malice. It spreads through the ground, up the walls... Into homes...
People barely have time to process what's happening. The Malice corrupted Talios grabs hold of one man by his head, stabbing his other hand straight through his chest. Consuming his soul in the process for something else...
And as Talios drops the body, it begins to disfigure and morph. Turning into something else entirely... A demon. It shambles aimlessly.
The Malice creeping in infects others in short order too. Turning them into demons all the same. Many turn into nothing but shambling zombies, while others become something... Stronger.
People scream, try to run... But it's useless. The demons quickly converge on those remaining, Talios himself grabbing hold of a few as well. Men, women, children... Not a soul is spared from this sudden, and absolute takeover.
And once it is all said and done... Talios returns to the center of the town... Planting his hand on the ground... Causing a massive pillar of green, sickly flames to erupt, reaching high into the sky for all to see. Along with it, he projects a message across the realm...
"Children of Man. Demihumans. Any and all inbetween. I challenge you."
His voice doesn't sound too different, besides it being a bit lower, gravelly and all around evil sounding... Regardless, it may be enough to pull the attention of those who know Talios.
"Come to the pillar of flame. Show me your strength. Your power. Everything. So I may crush it, along with everything you hold dear."
Yet it seems this was not just a calling to the people... But to something else as well. Shortly after, from the horizon, from places unknown... Even more demons would flood in in hordes, all converging upon this singular town. Guided by the Ruinous Flames. All corrupted by the same thing, many moons ago... Having finally been stirred from their slumber, by the awakening of a new power.
Now, Talios sits in the center of the town... Waiting for worthy challengers to approach. Waiting for them to show him their strength...
((Get ready to kick some ass and take names! But fair warning... Talios is anything but a pushover right now. Do not expect a win against him, and maybe have an exit plan. But hey, who knows. Just maybe somebody can beat him...))
Marys days have somewhat returned to normal after what has happened to her. She attends classes at the Scola magica though she still has a hard time focusing. Her newfound constant need for vigilance consumes her thoughts..She must be sure she is safe especially without echo… Her mind drifts away carried by rolling waves of sadness. She still hasn't opened the envelope he left for her. She can't stop crying everytime she tries.
“Find her voice…”
She ponders The echoes last words did did they mean to heal her voice was that even possible black irons doctors and mages have tried but with no success it seemed no matter how hard others tried or no matter how hard she willed it she could not speak.
“MARY”
The professors prompting startled her, causing her to dive underneath her desk and cover her head. Before looking around and hearing no threat she takes her seat again now embarrassed and depressed.
“My apologies I did not mean to scare you”
The professor said before returning to their lecture. When school was done she took the third daily call from her father before leaving to help Analina study. After a few hours of mutual catching up. She goes to the apartment she is staying at and gets ready for bed. Mary took a deep breath before putting her head on the pillow expecting the ruins,what she got was much worse.
“Mkaldak”
Those were the words that were written on every pillar as she carried the platter of grapes over her head, the weight of a bushel and a half of grapes pressing into her arms as she was forced to carry it to the slavesmith. Any hesitation being met with the whip of a Nehemjar. Lounging on a rug made from still living greatwyrms that writhed in agony. It lounged with all of the misplaced self importance of a lower bureaucrat in it's chamber
The creature labored with a thousand arms it's form and constant shift flash reshaping itself to suit his needs as it judges and refines the viability of each slave that is brought before him. It is exhausting work but fortunately for it it has just hit lunch time. Mkaldak paused their task to feast on its favorite appetizer; it slurps down a thread of silver magic as the slaves responsible for bringing in its food arrive.
Mary trembles in fear as she is urged to bring the grapes She carries towards it towards the shifting horror that has bound her in its service her arms are getting tired. She holds the platter a steady as as her shaking arms can and tries to make herself as small as possible. But it's too heavy to her horror and the horror of her fellow slaves Mary drops the platter.
A crown of Maws that that round the main body of Mkaldak all break into a smile, a meal and entertainment how fortuitous. One of his arms grabs Mary by the throat and holds her up it's many eyes to examine her.
“A Taka that knows the …. How amusing” Mkaldak fills its hall with a fit of cackling laughter that feels like it's about to shake apart of the very universe the room is in.
Mary can only gasp for air and struggle in response. She feels her senses going dark.
“Tell me Taka how would you like this nightmare to end” the slavesmith releases it's grip on Mary's neck. Allowing her to draw in just enough air to stave off unconsciousness.Mary could have ended it at any time but Mkaldak knows this and is banking on her childish naivety. To create a new plaything.
(“Please let me go I'll do anything”)
Just what he wanted to hear.
Mkaldak reaches out a long finger and plunges it down Mary's throat down into her esophagus before piercing her heart and ripping it out through her mouth all in a fluid but slow motion. Mary could only offer choked gurgles of a black sludge-like fluid as she watched Mkaldak consume her heart before dropping her.
Mary leaps out of her bed with a startle. Her stomach, her lungs all full of something, something she needed to expel. Mary rushed out of her room dashing us quickly as she could to the bathroom and it's toilet. Mary bowed over the bowl before vomiting a black viscous sludge.
Meanwhile in a humble manger a pregnant ewe feels it's stomach begin to swell even more than you usual. As Mary vomited for the second time the lamb begins to press against the sheep's stomach causing bulges in its skin as it begins to mutate distressed the animal begins to ram itself into the walls of its pen. Another wave of vomiting and contractions begin black sludge begins leaking from the ewes eyes nose and mouth. Mary completes one more round vomiting and the lamb begins to exit the surrogate through the only way a newborn has stretching breaching ripping and tearing before finally with a horrific squelch the lamb emerges as the ewe dies.
The lamb begins to make its way into the city crawling on a misshapen combination of human and sheep limbs dragging forth an impossibly long umbilical cord as it makes its way towards it's host. Mary collapses unto the bathroom floor hitting her head on the tiles with a thund she loses consciousness for a brief moment before awaking with intense pain in her torso.she can hear a baby crying from somewhere.
It Is by now Firsts concern turns into worry as she forces open the door to check on Mary only to find her on the ground and a toilet bowl full of black sludge.
“Brick wake up! We need a medic stat!”
Brick jumps into action immediately casting healing magic upon Mary.
“This isn't a normal injury he says as he begins to work I can alleviate the pain but….Jez wake up come have a look at this!”
The bird dragon springs into action immediately trying to analyze the nature of what's going on via a variety of magic he knows.
“This is beyond me the ailment is clearly magical in nature but I do not have enough expertise to solve it”
Brick goes silent contemplating his options he was never one really for command he looks at first.
“We should get her to an apothecary or someone who knows more magic than we do” she answers the unspoken question. Brick nods before scooping Mary up into his arms
Maximillian skids down a chain hanging from the Ironsides. His golden greaves sparking as he scrapes the metals together... Wholely unnecessary, but flashy all the same... Nhak had asked one simple thing of him... to go get Kavrala.
[Kavrala stands there. donned in green and brown leather armor. Her bow and quiver is slung upon her back, and she holds a white spear in hand. She has pouches of what can be guessed to be plants. Rehuo stands by her side.]
"Well hello Kav. Your taxi is here."
He looks... slightly different from how she saw him last time. He's far more... glowy... His eyes shining with a light gold, and any golden details on his person seem to almost glitter.
A remarkable entrance. But, how are we going to get back up?
"Ferraaa?" On command, another chain is lowered down, this time, a gigantic four-pronged anchor, something big enough that Nhak, Sarah and Aoi could stand together on one prong and still have room.
"It's not as luxurious as the usual... We had a little... crash. Still repairing many of the subsystems."
[Kavrala laughs] At the very least it still flies. I have no doubt in you or your crews ability to fly it
"I'm just the captain, Ferra does all the heavy lifting... She essentially is the ship's systems."
He gestures over at the anchor.
"Please, do hold on to the main chain, wouldn't want the wind to get you."
[With strength and elegance Kavrala jumps up onto the anchor, holding onto the main chain. She doesn't think she'll fall, but she doesn't want to worry him. Rehuo takes her bags and lifts off to fly up to the ship on his own] So.. You're very shiny! Last time I saw you your hair was only a normal golden blond!
"Long... long story. Mom's a god, I tried to do something that Alchemists definitely can't do, usually... pushed me over the edge to become one myself. Brings a whole new set of complications though..."
He steps onto the anchor, and it's instantly pulled taught, getting pulled back up steadily but slowly, to prevent discomfort.
[She appreciates the kindness of the slow ascent] Interesting.... Don't alchemists try to create the sorcerers stone?
"It's something that I chased for many, many years... hoping it would help me heal Rachnia... but I've long given up on it. Alchemy has far better uses than to just chase power like that."
He chuckles.
"No... I tried to fix Tara's wounds with alchemical transmutation... saving someone who means a lot to you is... a priceless endeavour... and if you know how Alchemy works, well... you can see how that can cause a problem."
[Kavrala hums, content with the knowledge. Her mind turns to the war, and how to best help. She goes silent, her helmet hiding her face from view]
"Kav, I... I do want to tell you... when we get to Zeroth... or rather, what's left of it... it's not pretty. The things we're up against... they are not natural."
"Like I deal with monsters... I duked it out with griffons time and time again, I've done selective slime breeding, I've helped you move the sanctuary's dragons... I even have a casino in hell rivalling Hellfire's in size... but these things..."
"They're nothing like what I've dealt with before."
Something flashes through Max's mind... the image of the Aurum Vitae mutagen... a gift from Jean... her voice sounds along with it... "Max... Get ready. Something is about to happen when you get back. Be prepared."
[Kavrala hums again.] Worry not about me, for I have promised myself, Nhak, and my dear daughter that I will not die. [Her voice softens] However.. I thank you for your warning..
Max pulls the syringe of Aurum Vitae out of his coat liner, and secures it onto his belt.
"Even if you do pass... well... I have countermeasures in place."
He pulls out a family photo, and points at a silver armoured knightess, with green flames for a head. The family photo is a picture of them all together at home, but Sarah and Aoi do bunny ears behind each other's heads, Eliza is jumping into frame, Nagisa just posing with V hand signs, Harriet right behind Max and Rachnia at the front on their shoulders, Lala just trying to kinda stay out of frame in the background, Cerne trying way too hard to look good, Kyouko having a bone sticking out of her mouth, and Margaret tripping over like the drunk she is, Ferra is trying to catch Margaret from falling into the others. Vera is reading in the corner.
"The countermeasures in question... Lala."
[Kavrala smiles behind her helm, appreciating the family photo] And even should the countermeasures not work, I will come back as a spirit so ferocious even Crow, the goddess of death and destruction herself will fear me.
"hah... I expected as much from you."
"I would sure hope Lala can keep your soul safe, though. These things supposedly corrupt souls as well... as I said, bad, bad time..."
[Kavrala reaches over with her other arm and pats his shoulder] Lets end this quickly then, so no one else has to go through this bad time! [He can tell she's smiling now, the tone in her voice gives it away]
"That is the plan indeed. Just like ARMADA's motto. We shall die in the dark so others may live safely in the light."
"Though when we die... it's not exactly a permanent thing when you have a high ranking Dullahan nearby."
The anchor finally reaches the top, and enters into the vessel. A metal gate shuts below it.
"Welcome to the Ironsides... or at least, it's underbelly. This is not where your dragons lived, mind you. That's on the upper levels."
[Kavrala chuckles] Even if they were housed here, I would understand, your citizens come first afterall. [Rehuo is laying down on the floor a ways away] He says hello
"hello Rehuo. I... don't think we've truly been properly acquainted yet... I just know your name... not much else."
"We should at least head to the main city so I can catch you up on any questions you may have. Please follow me."
The two run into Ash, Talios' totally-sister-but-refuses-to-acknowledge-she's-literally-his-sister... Max introduces the two, and they continue walking through the vessel.
As they stroll their way through the halls, shiny with electronic indicators pointing at locations through a strip on the walls, they finally make it to the main city, having beelined straight to the middle.
It's glistening, a metropolis that seems to be built specifically to house as many people as possible, yet to be incredibly comfortable and pleasant to live in... these are the outskirts... yet they're built to be perfect.
[Kavrala silently wonders about how the get all this illusion magic to stay, perhaps it's enchanted to an object?] What a wonderful city.... [She is, already, completely lost]
*"*It was built by the old owner... I've just made some adjustments."
They end up at a cozy little Café... called... 'The Café'.... originality doesn't seem to be the strongsuit of the inhabitants.
"This seems like a good spot to sit down and talk for a moment... we don't want to overstress the engines, so we can't make the jump just yet."
"Usually not an issue, but... you know... still dealing with the damages from the crash."
The two take a seat at The Café, as Max briefs Kav on what they can expect... While they talk, Ferra initiates the jump... leaving Kavrala's home empty, as she heads off to fight a war that was not her own...
....................................
What came next... was a blur...
Max used the mutagen, turning into his draconic form, the Living Hoard...
His crew and Kavrala take a ship down to the surface... but the very moment they arrive... their enemy is upon them... The Aspect of Ruin. A foul entity keeping their dear friend, Gonkgar, now as their body... Everyone present fights tooth and nail...
Maximillian is caught by the fiend... Black tendrils restraining his body...
"A good fighter knows when he's trapped... but that is never the end, is it?"
A toothy grin appears as he laughs.
"Heh.... Hehehe... HAHAHA... Oh.... Ripping our souls from our corpses, huh... You filthy pest. You'll be forgotten in the annals of time, you shall be the one to know oblivion... unlike us."
He laughs, still trapped, his laughter turns almost maniacal, the jingling of coins matching his broken laugh.
"Ever fought a gambler? Sure doesn't seem like it, you oaf. Let me show you the power of a man with No more hope of escaping."
His tail swipes around, grabbing a bottle from his throat. A pure jet black, bubbling, angry liquid. Something some would recognise... but it's far more dangerous than what they've seen before... Unrefined... Wild... an un-distilled "Lost Hope Tonic." He tosses the bottle between his teeth, and crunches. The viscous black goop smudging across his jaw. His muscles bulge, a second pair of wings sprout from his back, and new rows of teeth line his toothy grin, making it as grotesque as it is cocky... His Body crackles and snaps as new bones find their place, some ribs even jutting out of his chest entirely. Three new arms sprout from his upper torso, their claws malformed, sharp and of inequal length, as the other arms warp similarly.
"ł ₦ɆVɆⱤ Ⱡł₭ɆĐ ฿Ɇł₦₲ ⱧɄ₥₳₦ ₳₦Ɏ₩₳Ɏ."
He was now on borrowed time... His mind was breaking... The Lost Hope Tonic was a simple exchange... power... at the cost of your mind... and eventually, it would claim your life... This would normally not be a problem... Death was a small hurdle for a man who had a Gem of Rebirth... but to die as a dragon... meant to stay a dragon. A choice he made, consciously... A gamble...
The battle rages on... yet mere minutes later... Max is at his end... his flesh is falling away, as the Aspect's blood gnaws at him... corrupts him... He burrows his very bones into the beast... and makes a final effort to damage the monster... He turns his breath weapon inward... converting his own body to solid gold, slowly but surely... but before he dies... He starts to transmute the gold into mythril. A reaction that would turn him into a living bomb.
.............
Soon after... Max had faced the Gate of Truth, for the second time... (lorepost for this)
And now... he was changed... A dragon... AGreatwyrm...
His age, paired with his wealth, had skipped him straight to the finish line... power... ferocity...
He unfurled his grandiose purple wings as he stood on the Ironsides once more... and dove down to the war-torn sands below... but even as he returned, rejuvenated and filled with might... It was too late.
He dove up from the sands... Only to see the Aspect of Ruin vanish with Kavrala in it's foul claws... He was powerless to change this... Even now...
Even... with as much power as he could ever desire...
He was powerless...
To prevent a friend vanishing... in a war that was not her own.
/uw This is a summary of events that transpired for an event currently going on, on the Zeroth Discord! Expect more posts from several people involved. Jean already did a post, and I absolutely 100% recommend reading it because it was totally peak fiction that deserves to be read!
Also yes Max has gone full dragon now.
Repost PS: Some people may have read this post before. this is due to it having been posted to a sub that rhymes with AsphaltLayer before, and having been double-posted to my own profile for preservation... but with that Sub now being replaced with r/Rathara , it's high time this lore returns for people to actually read on here. Did already get permission to repost these to wizardposting, and there will be a few more that had vanished with the wind when that sub went down. Of course reposted with the permissions of Traxxya!
If you wish to skip the wait for the reposts, I have a post that has all my lorepost links, right here!
The featureless god of Alchemical secrets stands before him once more. He knows her all too well...
"So... Back again, I see."
"A little bit differently too, it seems. guess I'm a pesky client... and... guess ya were right... about the whole... being a dragon thing, I mean..."
He cricks his neck.
"Man... exploding hurts."
Jean, not as her higher godly self, but as her usual self, appears to be standing next to the gate as well, the two separate aspects standing on opposite sides.
"I knew this day would come, eventually... The day you outgrew the confines of a mortal soul."
"Is that why exploding hurt so bad?"
"Wait... no, that's probably just the effect of my body dissolving... and then exploding... yeah probably."
"So... guess something went wrong then... don't think I'd be here, otherwise."
"Your mortal soul resides within your Gem of Rebirth, with a little bit of Your divinity... but the rest of your soul is here, unable to rejoin it for you to revive... you're no longer compatible with the Gem of Rebirth."
The gem of rebirth... a near flawless method of immortality... a recipe she had passed down to him... one that he had changed... refined... now not unlike a phylactery... just without the... frankly silly necrotic downsides. Take that, skelebros.
He had paid a high price to create these... They were not cheap to make... and that cost would stay unknown, if he had a say in it.
Each member of his crew had one... to keep them safe... to keep them alive... to keep them with him... but now...
He was incompatible.
"Ah... that uh... yeah that's a problem."
"Quite a.... huge problem..."
"Well... It's a good thing you prepared for this."
"Prepared? wait.... how?"
Jean holds her hand out, and above it, appears Max's Gem Cluster.
"By binding your Gems of Rebirth together, You stabilized your own... they are taking the extra force and dividing it up... but it is putting a tremendous strain on their souls as well."
Jean walks over to Max, and places the cluster within his hands.
"You also prepared by ensuring that a part of me would be alongside you when this time came, even if not intentionally. I say it's time we break what is possible entirely."
"Break what is... possible?"
"That would take... abandoning the laws..."
The laws of alchemy... one of the first things any alchemist learns... is that some things cannot be done, and that some things... are simply too costly. Equivalent Exchange...
"Laws are made to be broken."
Jean places her hand on top of the gem cluster, and it begins to dissolve into a cloud of fine, crystalline particles, before reforming into a perfect sphere, surrounded by the individual Gems of Max's Companions, except Rachnia's, now fused into the main sphere, orbiting around it.
"I've reshaped the Gem into a form more suitable... Now you just gotta put all the souls where they belong."
he looks at his draconic claws, and thinks about how... he cant do anything like this...
He feels exactly how to solve it, though... shapeshifting... an innate ability of metallic dragons especially... a truly perfect human disguise... it's... not that different from transmutation, as he feels himself return to his usual self... with a single change... a long, slender, golden tail.
He gets closer to Jean and the sphere.
"Placing their souls where they belong... in each of these crystals?"
"You already know. Let me ask you one question... How does one break the Laws of Alchemy?"
"By not obeying the law of equivalent exchange?"
"Close. Equivalent Exchange isn't a law... it's merely a logical conclusion. You always put in what you get out... even if what you put in is just your own willpower."
"So, How do we Break the Laws?... By realizing There are None."
"No laws, huh..."
The featureless form of Jean speaks up.
"Every Truth is a contridiction. Only Relativity is Absolute. Only Chaos can be perfectly Ordered. That which Cannot Be is the easiest thing to create."
He takes a good look at the different shards... "Sarah... should be in this one..."
"It feels... right."
"You don't need me anymore... You already know what to do. I'll see you on the other side, when you're done."
The mental construct of Jean fades away, to leave Max to finish his work of putting everyone's souls where they belong, not all that different from how he made the Gems to begin with.
He carefully takes each gem in hand, as they glow their respective colour....Sarah's Bright Orange.Aoi's Crimson Red.Margaret's Navy Blue.Cerne's Turqoise.Vera's Icy blue.Nagisa's bubblegum pink.Eliza's Aqua.Lala's Lime Green.Kyouko's Dark Purple.Harriet's Teal.
"that... should be all."
The featureless aspect speaks up one last time... now far more like her usual self.
"Well then... It seems you are done. Now git... I wanna get back to watching the fight."
Max feels himself being pulled through the gate.
"Thank you, JeaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~" He yells as he's pulled through.
... and he wakes up as the real Gems of Rebirth begin to change their forms... To a true divine core.
..........................
He finds himself back in the present, shaking himself out of his thoughts. He pulls the dummy in with his tail, and delivers a flying knee straight to it's head, sending it's decapitated, robotic skull flying across the training ground.
"Enough training for today..."
He walks through the halls of the Ironsides... His vessel... the thing that enabled him to do so, so much... to take out things far, far bigger than any man... any singular god... he could challenge nations with this... and even then...
He felt lost.
No amount of power... not of his own... not of his ship... not of ARMADA... could help him here.
He wanted answers.
As he returns to his mansion, he stops by the lounge, where Rachnia is playing with their little Harpy daughter, Harriet. He gives Harriet a hug, and Rachnia a kiss, before heading out of the lounge again.
He stops by Cerne, who he hands a new jar of polish for her swords. He remembered she was low on that. He leaves her room, and heads straight to Sarah's room.
He checks up on her. She wasn't doing too well from the battle. Not mentally well, at least. Leaving any level of lasting physical damage on her is harder to achieve than founding a successful company, after all. He gives her a hug, and leaves for his office where he sits down in his big chair...
"Mom... Can we... talk?"
His mother, Fortuna, appears in a cloud of golden glitter.
"Of course sweetie. What do you want to talk about?"
"Why did you never tell me..."
"Tell you about what?"
"Mom... there's no reason to play dumb..."
His tail whips around behind him.
"You don't wake up with a dragon's tail and a greatwyrm's strength for no reason..."
She sighs.
"You found out... it was only a matter of time..."
"But why hide it? You were gone for most of my life to begin with, the least you could have done was be honest when you returned!"
"Because you weren't ready."
"What do you mean with being ready? You're talking nonse~"
"Kaguya told me you'd become a tyrant!"
Max quickly silences himself at the sight of his mother like this... tears in her eyes, a look of regret on her face...
"She divined... that you had a path you'd go down... unless I threaded carefully... and did exactly as she said... the weave... backed her up."
"Your father... was a mercury dragon... I did not know, until I had lost him... You carry both blood of mercury... and blood of gold..."
"With that kind of power... and the knowledge of being of divine origins... you'd have gone down a path of tyranny... of pain and suffering... not just for you... but for everyone..."
Max is silent... He doesn't know what to say...
"I've always been watching... all those years... I watched you grow up... and every moment that I could not spend with my own child was agonizing..."
"But if I showed myself... before you had learned to grieve... before you learned what kind of pain it brings... when you lose someone... before you discovered how it felt to watch others go through painful times in their lives... before you learned to help those people... the joy of putting smiles on their faces..."
"You would not have been the man you are now... You would not... have been able to carry the responsibility of a path."
"Divinity... comes with an incredible responsibility... Power... amplifies the best... and the worst in us..."
"As you are now, Max... you will become a great, benevolent god... and I am so... so proud of you... and I am so incredibly sorry that you had to find out this way... that I had to lie to you... leave you to your own devices for so long... I'm so sorry..."
Her words are cut short by Max giving her a hug. He himself is crying too.
"I didn't know... and now that I do... thank you, mom... for having taken such a hard path..."
"I couldn't imagine how I'd feel... if I had to do the same for Harriet, or any of the others, really..."
"I'm just glad that... I know the truth now..."
.............................
/uw Part 2! I know I said like, early next week, but like... inspiration struck.
Got way more emotional than I intended originally too. Got some tears in my eyes as I'm writing this.
Again thanks to Jean for writing that first chunk with me on the Zeroth Discord
Repost PS: Some people may have read this post before. this is due to it having been posted to a sub that rhymes with AsphaltLayer before, and having been double-posted to my own profile for preservation... but with that Sub now being replaced with r/Rathara , it's high time this lore returns for people to actually read on here. Did already get permission to repost these to wizardposting, and there will be a few more that had vanished with the wind when that sub went down.
If you wish to skip the wait for the reposts, I have a post that has all my lorepost links, right here!
Maximillian stands in the training ground of the Ironsides. The reality of what has happened lately has only just started to truly sink in, as he slashes and thumps away at one of the targets...
He was no longer just the child of Fortuna... no longer just some guy that could turn into a dragon with some help...
He thinks back to the events of the past few weeks...
.........................
First it was Tara getting badly wounded... They had fought a demon mixed with technology... created to hunt HER. It left a wound on her... designed to create a conflict between her Arelonian biology and her Chaotic nature... Her body was dying... and he could not change it. Not without an act of a god... or an alchemical act of equal power...
He knew damn well he couldn't do the latter... As talented as he was... He was no god... and no act of Alchemy could rival divine intervention at this level... But to throw in the towel was not what he was known for.
"Fortuna... just... what does it take..."
Fortuna puffs in, placing a hand on Max's shoulder. "Take to do what?"
"To... bear a path... like you..."
Her voice grows increasingly concerned. "Are you sure... we talked about this..."
Max slowly inscribes sigils onto his gauntlet before placing it over the wound.
"No... no I'm not..."
"But... Maybe... just maybe... I'm about to find out."
"All or nothing..."
He surges his gauntlet with mana, making the transmutation circle he just inscribed glow a brilliant gold.
The world around Max begins to spin, the energy he needs to perform this act of Alchemy is far more than he can give... The world falls into darkness for him, before he finds himself standing in a dark void. Behind him, is an open door... and Before him, stands a colossal stone gate, Inscribed with alchemical symbols, symbols revealing truths about Max's life, history, and his very being.
In front of the gate stands a vaguely familliar, silver haired woman, with a crown of 13 shards above her head, the rest of her body's features totally obscured from view.
He takes in the surroundings, taking note of the pattern on the door.
"So... guess it wasn't enough..."
"You have come far, Maximillian. But you have come to the point of no return... Should you continue, You will never be able to go back."
"point of no return... what am I continuing... and what can I no longer go back from?"
"You are trying to break one of the greatest hidden laws of the universe... in order to save a deeply cherished person. The cost you would have to pay cannot be paid... Not without seeing what lies beyond the veil of reality. Should you open that gate, You can never close it. You will become both aware of the truth, and unable to look away from it."
"The Question is... Are you prepared to lose everything that makes you... You?"
He stands there, staring at the figure."to lose what makes me... me?"
"I... don't think I understand..."
"You must decide this for yourself. Is saving this person worth losing yourself in the process?"
"What does it... mean to lose yourself?"
"That... is a hard question to answer. It can mean many different things... The problem is you never know what exactly it means until it happens."The figure places it's hand on it's chin, as though contemplating the question itself.
"Well... I don't think I need to really tell the multiverses greatest gambler what it means to put everything on the table."
"Logically... it'd be my soul... my mind... who I am and how I act... I'd be sacrificing myself to save Tara..."
He thinks to the sorrow he'd put Rachnia through if he were gone, as he looks at his ring finger.
"Logically... But you stand in a place free of the illusion of logic, yourself. What does your instinct tell you? That keenly trained part of your brain completely freed from the bounds of what is logical, rather than intuitive?"
"My instincts tell me to both go for it... and to walk away... at the same time."
"Well... That is to be expected. Do you choose to return to what is safe... known... or do you take a leap of faith, putting all your cards on the table for an unknown wager?"
"Mother..... your blessings better work out, here... sorry Rach... I said I'd keep her safe, just like you..."
"All in, it is..."
If the figure had a face, you get the feeling it would be smiling. It stands aside, to let Max approach his Gate of Truth.
"Well... I don't need to wish you good luck, Son of Fortuna."
Max nods to them, and slowly walks through.
As Max pushes the gate open, he swears he can hear Jean's voice...
"You know the game was rigged from the start.. right?"
He chuckles. "it always is... ain't it."
Max snaps back to reality... As he performs this transmutation he feels himself now grounded back in the moment... Intuitively, and without even thinking about it, he begins to undo the damage dealt to Tara's body, and the wound begins to close... He has Forgotten Everything he has ever known about alchemy, as the cost... But now, it just seems like his nature itself, so easy to just do without even thinking about it.
He looks at Tara as he works to close the wound... as confusing as it feels... no longer is he working consciously off of his literal library of knowledge, but off of skills that come to him like this. Behind him, flashes a golden disc, beautifully decorated... before fading away again.
Fortuna looks at her son... no longer merely a child of a god... but a bearer of a path... or as most would call it, a Domain. The Domain of Alchemy.
"A new path... well... I'll be damned."
/uw Heya folks. Just a retelling of what happened on the Zeroth discord. In part written by u/Tyo_Atrosa
Repost PS: Some people may have read this post before. this is due to it having been posted to a sub that rhymes with AsphaltLayer before, and having been double-posted to my own profile for preservation... but with that Sub now being replaced with r/Rathara , it's high time this lore returns for people to actually read on here. Did already get permission to repost these to wizardposting, and there will be a few more that had vanished with the wind when that sub went down.
If you wish to skip the wait for the reposts, I have a post that has all my lorepost links, right here!
My Spire mate has shown me up in the department of posters, using magic related to planes and battleships. I need to have more posters of my wizarding prowess, as I have earned my wizards hat recently. I will print anything related to wizarding, spells, transfiguration, and maybe even a hex or two to hang up. I will make my bed, I just have to do some more divinations. My goal is to have no more brick left to see
/uw thought I’d try out LORE or whatever. Hopefully I didn’t do too horribly… but I don’t care if I did I actually quite enjoyed writing this. I’ll probs cut it down next time lolz.
Titanesque, formidable, and if the legends are to be believed, around before time had a name. The fortress loomed high above Yernwyn and the petty squabbles of mankind. Its name, and indeed a great many of its towers and fortifications, had been lost to the ages, mostly forgotten by man, though whispers of its former state and purpose echoed from inn to inn…some said it was once home to the old gods, others believed it was build by an ancient power that still lurked therein… As the years became centuries its memory became but drops of water in the deep history of the town, its dangers forgotten… But not by nature, forests and animals seeming to whither and decay before its twisting, runescribed iron gates. But like in every horror movie, ominous foreboding imagery is never quite enough to deter the bold, or the stupid….
Blobby: “OOOOO cool… it looks castle-ish”
Evren: “Well done Sherlock, you’ve cracked the case… now try figure out how to get past the gate and I’ll give you a meda…”
Blobby slid through the gate with ease, his slimish form negating the narrowness of the gaps between each bar.
Blobby: “You were saying?”
Evren proceeded to just open the door like a sain person… I don’t know why blobby didn’t check to see if it was locked… oh yeah, he’s STUPI…
Blobby: “oh shut up omniscient narrator”
Erven: “what? Who are y… are you taking your meds blobb,..”
Blobby: “yeah yeah anyway COOL castl… where is it?”
Where once stood a mighty fortress now stood… a decrepit little shack? Where towers once stood now stood dead oak trees, where walls once stood was now just… empty space? This shack was certainly no fortress, its defences but a small, old oak door…
BUT WHAT ABOUT ALL THAT COOL WORLD BUILDING I JUST DID!
Erven: “looks like they redecorated…
Must have been an illusion of some sorts…”
Cautiously, the pair inched ever closer to the hut, sliding the door open slowly BEFORE IT SWUNG OPEN DRAMATICALLY TO REVEAL… a random old man?
Dravenmoor: WELL IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH! 503 year, 31 days, 6 hours, 31 minutes and AH 3 SECONDS!
Wrinkled and leaning over on his stick stood the cloaked Horgart, though at his age it was a surprise he could stand at all… and yet here he stood, and with an unusual vitality as he bounced about jittering through the room lined with clocks of all kind.
Erven: “What are you talking about? What do you mean?”
Blobby: “I was born like…”
Counting on his hands*
“5 years ago?”
Dravenmoor: “5 YEARS! HA! MY MY CHILD! You’ve bearly scratched the surface of time… Ohh how I’ve waited… what is the time? 12:00? 4:00 oh it’s such a blur! 5 MONTHS! Do you hear it too? The ticking OHHH how it maddens me! 4 SECONDS! Every second a reminder of my time… my limited time. BUT AH here you are now! I must tell you of what secrets I keep… of what you must do… THE PROPHECY… 10 MINUTES! NO NO 5!
Blobby: “What? Prophecy? Why do you keep blurting out tim….”
DRAVENMOOR: “56 MINUTES! Oh my tis a dreaded number! Oh children… TIME IS RUNNING OUT! CAN YOU HEAR IT TICK TOK TICK TOK TICKING AWAY??”
Blobby: “well you are surrounded by clocks mate”
Suddenly the grandfather clock rang out, silencing the winds which seemed to cry out as though in agony, to which Dravenmoor whaled and violently struck the old clock. Hands bloody, he picked up a spherical object of the shelf.
Dravenmoor: “LOOK AND SEE!”
The orb seemed to contain some sort of gas, which swirled into a vision- in his hands he held a scene of of a great, vast jungle, trees waving up at the sky, a canvas upon which a kaleidoscope of colours unfurled, and a great sunset was painted.
Dravenmoor: “OH how time goes so swiftly, I have such little left with you now! Find this place at once, and you find him!
Blobby: “ok a little more specific, please?”
Dravenmoor: “what? What are you talking about? Oh where was I again? AH YES THE PROPHECY! “OH how time goes so swiftly, I have such little left with you now! Find this place at once, and you find him!”
Evren: “well you did just say that mate… I think your a bit…”
Blobby: “wait a sec, we supposed to go on a quest or some crap?”
Evren: “nah it’s Dravenmoor mate, didn’t you listen to anything they told you in the Red lion?”
Blobby: “well in my defence that goblin was hammered. Oh yeah and drunk, but it was more concerning there was a hammar in his brain. What does him being Dravenmoor have to do with anything?”
Evren: “oh yeah he gave a quest like 500 years ago to some guy, but given he’s immortal he kinda went… crazy. Never would have expected he’d be hiding up here though! He thinks he has yet to give Rilik Rwern the great prophecy and quest to defeat some old Titan. Hell that jungle he was just on about got cut down, like completely demolished (she said, pointing at the orb), yeah it’s a factory now I think. ”
Dravenmoor: “WHAT TIME IS IT?!? 5 MINUTES MORE! Do you hear the ticking? PROPHECY TIME! TIME TIME TIME OH HOW MY TIME IS RUNNING OUT! Go to this place and find hi…”
Blobby: “so… wanna go get a Wizard Happy meal?”
Evren: ”…”
Blobby: “So that’s a yes then. Bye old geezer, enjoy your rambling? I don’t know.”
