Midnight RPG - Chapter 30.111

LOREBOOK: Kyuad has a +18 modifier

Within the Cadaverous Eye

While within this artifact of massive necromantic power these are the things that Kyuad learned...
BILL: feel free to ask any questions you have regarding Kyuad's knowledge base from being joined with (or in) the Eye. I'll answer the questions as best I can. Some may be purposely confusing or incomplete. First I'll try and note all the things we talked about to collect your info gained...

• Bill's Question: I take it all of this information came from things that the 'Eye knew? Is there any indication as to the source of the information? As in Vrolk vs. the Drugal vs. the dwarven library of Moria.
  Hope you don't mind, but I re-structured just a little. The content is the same.

ANSWER: Correct, info holdover from the Eye. No indication of where it's from. However, in general you'd know that Vrolk never "dealt" with the Eye when it was alive. Hence it likely was not him that "input" the information. Was it info learned/inserted from the Drugal? Was it info learned from the Dwarves? Was it info learned from the library of Moria? All possibilities. No way to know for sure. This is more in your mind/memory than a science. It just feels like info you are aware of.

Zardrix

Zardrix Held At Bay

Through as yet uknown means, only hinted at by the strange mind-meldings of the Cadaverous Eye and Kyuad (below) - It is known that it was not the Vrok demon that held the great dragon at bay that day of our death on the Spear of Grief. It was the Eye itself. And in this the Demonbane holds hope of control of the Beast on Wing, as did Lord Sunulael hope for the walking and tethered deads...

• Bill's Question: What is the Demonbane again?

ANSWER: ROLL: Kyuad (Lorebook +13) ROLLED: 2+13 = 15
With this roll -

If you don't know the reference, Kyuad won't know the solution until you learn in-game somehow.

Near Perfect Undeath

The matriarch of dragonkind, the beast on wing, death incarnate, the Wrath of Shadow, Zardrix is our greatest success. A gift given unknowningly by our masters to the Fallen One, the Hate of Aryth. An ultimate success of undeath, created by the device of our master's whims. Who then is the true gods of Aryth, that which revolts from the light or they that hold the beacon, allowing the Enemy to cast Shadow? Yes... it is with this that the world will come to destiny, the culmination of our master's work. The body not killed, living but dead within. The mind surpressed from feelings of heart. What became of her is - "living undeath". What pulses and pumps the dread ichor within her veins then if heart is lost? So comes the next incarnation of a plan set in motion when the world was young...
There is a great and grotesque necromantic experiment walking the lands of the world. Yet her black blood moves as with the tethered dead, the fuels of unlife. However the demand on the body of the beast yet beckons, two and ten times the worth of replenishment of feast and dream is call for the Wrath to maintain the Thing on Wings - lest the clutches be lost... For her neck is as thick and long as a maudrial tree, and her wingspan could cover an entire village. She trails smoke, fire, and darkness behind, and an unearthly roar precedes, heralding the destruction that she will wreak.
But the masters may now fear even themselves knowing that the cutting of the pump from her breast is long lost by the powers of those of Black Blood, this Claws of Zardrix is lost to mankind. Yet she is still a tool to more than one, the near perfect undeath.

Bill's Questions:

• "Our masters" refers to what?

ANSWER: "our masters" = those that control/made "you". "You" being the Cadaverous Eye.

• "Yet her black blood moves as with the tethered dead, the fuels of unlife." - Here "as with" seems to imply that if the tethered dead stopped moving, so would her blood. Her blood moves as if her blood were with the Fell (or undead)? The sentence structure also implies that the tethered dead are the fuels of unlife. Can this sentence be clarified please? It's unclear if this is just nonsense or if it is supposed to be saying something, but I can't see any sense to be made out of this.

ANSWER: What you "implied" is very much in the direction of what was intended. I won't offer more meaning though. That's part of the mystery. Don't overanalyze the sentence structure though - I'm a GM not a writer.

Bill: I don't mean to be critical of your grammar, I totally understand that you aren't typing as if this is ready for print or anything. But the few mistakes that have had a big affect on my understanding have to be dealt with, of course.
As for this question, what I wrote about the implication is supposed to indicate a problem of non-sense. I'm pretty sure that the implication wasn't supposed to be an impossibility.
If I were to guess what this might mean, it would be, "Yet her black blood moves as it does with the tethered dead - it is the fuels of unlife." This is absolutely not what the sentence says, but I bet that's what you meant. Is that sort of accurrate?

• Is "the Wrath" (Zardrix) the same as "The Thing on Wings"?

ANSWER: Yes. I like using other references to characters like that.

• "two and ten times the worth of replenishment of feast and dream is call for the Wrath to maintain the Thing on Wings... " Another sentence that doesn't make sense. It in other words: "12 times" what the value is for a "replenishment of feast and dream" is currently required (from "is call", a present-tense form) so that the Wrath (Zardrix) can maintain herself. I don't think this is right, because it doesn't make sense given the context.

ANSWER: 'called'... Try to read what I meant. Not the grammar mistakes. Otherwise your thought is correct. ie. She FEEDS and SLEEPS alot to sustain that body.

Ah, thanks!

• Is a maudrial tree the thing you detailed to us before, when we were at Hamlet? Same thing as that tree?

ANSWER: Yes. But in this case "maudrial tree" is really only a descriptive reference for how big her neck alone is... Think of it as the size of a Redwood! Walden's home was built into a maudrial tree. This is a tree of Eredane, from the books...

• "But the masters may now fear even themselves knowing that ..." The masters fear themselves knowing? Or the masters themselves fear that...?

ANSWER: The masters fear what they know that may become of this mess... They're afraid of the situation that could happen

• The masters of the Wrath, from the rest of this information, are understood by Kyuad to be the Order of Shadow, yes?

ANSWER: Yes.

• "... the cutting of the pump from her breast is long lost by the powers of those of Black Blood, this Claws of Zardrix is lost to mankind." The cutting is lost? Or the pump (heart) is lost?

ANSWER: The pump is lost. How to do it is lost. The "Black Blood" have/had the power find/do it. But they lost it.

• • Who are "those of Black Blood"? Is that implied to be those who are undead, or those whose blood is figurtively black due to serving the Shadow?

ANSWER: No it is not implied that they are undead, they they might be now. That is unknown to you. Figurtively black - Yes. But it is also a name of a people... Who? If you don't know, Kyaud won't know until you learn in game. That's part of the mystery.

• • The sentence implies that the cutting is the "Claws of Zardrix," but a cutting is an event, not a thing. I don't understand how an event that is known could be "lost."

ANSWER: This misunderstanding is because you don't know what the "Claws of Zardrix" references exactly.

I don't think so. I think the misunderstanding is grammatical. It seems like the whole sentence could be re-written thus:
"But the masters themselves may now fear knowing that the pump cut from her breast is long lost by the powers of those of Black Blood, this Claws of Zardrix is lost to mankind."
It really just doesn't make much sense otherwise. The issue here is that as it was first written, the object of the whole sentence was the "cutting" though it implies that it was the "pump." Of course, cutting can also refer to the refuse produced from pruning a tree, but that doesn't really apply to a thing like a dragon, and if this meaning is used then "cutting of the pump" would be incorrect - unless the claws of Zardrix refers to a branch cut from a tree that was planted in the dragon's heart. See what I mean? I think the sentence just needs editing.

THE ULTIMATE LIE

Lore

There is one truth, hidden from the eyes of man, fey and dragon alike. One truth, which would plunge the forces of Izrador, the Shadow in the North, into chaos. One truth, that has been hidden for millenia by the darkest forces on Aryth; one truth, hidden behind thousands of years of deceit. One truth, so absolute, so fatal, it would shatter the forces of darkness into a thousand fragmented pieces: There is no god. Izrador is dead. All the gods are dead. The Sundering did not cast a god out of heaven. It was a divine cataclysm of heaven, in which all the gods perished. The Sundering was no war between divine beings. It was a war between god and mortal. Mortal won. Maybe the Elthedar grew arrogant, and believed they no longer needed their creators. Maybe mankind looked at the Elthedar and their gods, and his jealousy at the glory of this people turned to hate. Maybe the gods, fearful of the mortal race of Men, not of their creation, began the evil. Maybe the gods made the fatal mistake of making mortals fight their wars. There was a war, a war unlike any other, a war known now as the Sundering. In its final days, the power of mortals shred the divine realm apart, spilling dying gods from heaven. One of these burned through Aryth's skies. Izrador. In the final act of the gods, Izrador's body smashed into the world of the Elthedar, scarring it one final time. Then, there was silence.

Bill's Question: What is the source of this information? Anything about how mortals won? As in, what was actually done?

ANSWER: The source? You just "know" it from the merging of minds. How mortals won? Again, you know what you know.

How did this come to pass? There are many tales.

Some say that the Elthedar were created by the gods, that they were their mortal descendants on Aryth. If so, they were the ungrateful progeny of the gods. How they did it is uncertain, but as the Elthedar race grew and prospered, they came to realize one thing: They had no need for the gods. Like discontent heirs, tired of seeing their condescending, all-knowing parents make their decisions, they went to war on their creators. They won. They never had time to celebrate their victory. As the gods died, the fabric of the very world was torn and shaken, and the event known as the Sundering came to pass. The Elthedar race died with their divine parents. Their own twisted progeny now walks Aryth as elf and dwarf, gnome, dunni and orc.

Bill's Question: I forget, is dunni another name for gnome?

ANSWER: Dunni is another word for Halflings. It's the word they call themselves. It means "the people" in their own tongue.

This may or may not be true. Some claim another tale.

These scholars claim the Sundering were not an act of the Elthedar. The Children of the Gods loved their parents. They were not alone on Aryth, however. In other lands, the race of Man grew. It looked at the Elthedar, their gods and their glory, and they felt envy. Man had no gods, no glory. Every day was a bitter struggle for survival. Envy soon turned to jealousy, jealousy to hate. Hate to rage. A unified, primal rage that grew so powerful mankind was able to do the unthinkable. They may have been a primitive race, but they were powerful nonetheless. Mankind blasphemed against the gods, stormed the cities of the Elthedar, and brought about the Sundering.

Bill's Question: From what I remember, the humans came to Eredane long after the sundering and only ever encountered the "twisted progeny" of the elthadar. Is this new information supporting a pre-dornish invasion? Or does this support evidence of elthadar in Pelluria?

ANSWER: Good question! Unfortunately I can't answer. It's part of the mystery. You can consider this "new" information though.

There are other stories too. The truth is lost in time.

IZRADOR REBORN

Following the destruction of heaven, dying gods fell. Most plunged through cosmos, perhaps plunge still. Only one burned through the skies of Aryth – Izrador. If he was dead as he fell, if the actually fall killed him, or whether the direct touch of the mortal world was his bane, are all debated. But he died, his essence smashing into the northernmost reaches of Eredane.

The gods died, but their servants did not. Scattered across the world, angels and demons despaired, their world torn apart. However, the forces of evil had a rally point. They flocked to the Scar left in the earth by Izrador, and there, they formed a pact. They would preach the continued glory and existence of Izrador, proclaiming him the Shadow in the North, the Evil Under the Mountain, the Dark One. When shattered Elthedar drifted north, they were easily subdued by these spirits, twisted into the race know to Man as the Orcs.

The Keepers of Shadow

For a long time, the Keepers of Shadow were the true lords of darkness on all of Aryth. The remnants of a shattered celestial realm, they flocked to the remains of the only god to fall with them. Champions and symbols of all causes, fearful of the Elthedar, fearful of mankind, and fearful of the future, they clustered together like lost children. Unlike lost children, they were still powerful, but that power was slowly seeping away from them. They came to realize one horrifying truth: They were dying. No longer fed by the divine energies of their masters and creators, the angels and demons were withering away. Like starving cannibals, they first turned upon each other. However, this was before they discovered the latent powers of a dead god.

Black Mirrors do not sap the magic of the world for the benefit of Izrador. The celestial overlords of the Keepers do not eat, breathe, or sleep, but they need sustenance to survive nevertheless. The divinity that once kept them alive – for they are all avatars of the gods – is gone. Instead, they have turned on the world, sucking on its magic, living as arcane parasites that feed in magic and life. Through the zordrafin coriths, the pure essence of the world is channeled through the corpse of Izrador, warped into divine energy that the avatars can feed on. Excess life-force is bled back through the mirrors as divine energy, allowing it to be accessed by the legates and other spellcasters serving Izrador.

At first, black mirrors existed only among the orcs, the Keeper's warped Elthedar servitors. However, as the lands grew more barren, they came to realize that they had to expand in order to survive, seek new lands to prolong their lives while searching for a permanent solution. The wars known as the Rises of Izrador were attempts at this, but it was not until these wars were led by the creatures they destroyed that one was utterly successful. Now, as orc, even man, prospers in the divine, the Keepers fear they might have bitten over more than they can chew, as their Machiavellian schemes threaten to collapse on themselves.

Bill's Question: When did Machiavelli live in Eredane?  ;)

ANSWER: He was a mean elf. No, seriously - this is just a perfect word to describe a paragraph of info. Assume it's a descriptor, not a reference to a name.

Adding to their hardships, the Keepers are far from united. Though Razors hunt their enemies, giving them a united face against the outside world, many inner splits exist. Once champions of radically different causes, most those who were once of light have long since turned to corruption and darkness. Even among the heart of evil though, there is dissent, as fallen angel battles demon, battles demon, battles devil over the power to pull the strings of the world.

Bill's Question: What are Razors?

ANSWER: ROLL: Kyuad (Lorebook +13) ROLLED: 4+13 = 17
With this roll -

Wouldn't you like to know! Again, something you'll have to learn of in-character. Good catch though!

The First of the True

The First of the True had once been the destroyers of gods. Whether human, Elthedar or something more sinister at first, none know, but the traditions and responsibilities of the order had long since moved to Man. Ever since the Sundering, The First had aggressively hunted, enslaved or killed remnants of the divine all across Pelluria, destroying the past of the continent in favor of the true children of Aryth, by now embodied in mankind. Now, they had come to cleanse Eredane. Beirial was its champion, and he came north with a cause. Word of Izrador had reached their ears, and they came in force to annihilate a broken god. Together with his fellow First, he spearheaded the advance of mankind into Erenland.

Bill's Question: It sounds like the First of the True are a mysterious people that no one knows anything about now, is that right? But the Rest of the True were all humans?
Also, is his name really "burial"? Or is it pronounced (beh-ree-ALL)?
Where is Beirial now?

ANSWER: "Beirial" is a proper name of someone from history. ROLL: Kyuad (Lorebook +13) ROLLED: 9+13 = 22
With this roll -

Known as "Beirial the Seeker", he was one of the first of the Order of Truth. He helped to spread his version of faith among the holy men of Bandilrin, ultimately creating the Order of Shadow. So he was the "FIRST of the True" as in first member of the Order of Truth to come under the Shadow. As for pronunciation... I don't know. I just typed it. heheh

Hostility between Man and Fey – the descendants of Elthedar, children of the gods – was immediate. Rather than begin a systematical eradication of the Fey, though, Beirial led his forces north. There was a threat there unlike any which the sorcerer had ever seen before, a creature which not even the stories of The First could describe, and Beirial would lead his men through fire and death to find it. By spell and sword, the Dorns plunged through central Erenland, crossed the Sea of Pelluria, and entered the North. In their wake, they left the decimated cultures of the gnomes and halflings, as well as their own fortifications along the Eren and the Pellurian coast.

In the Northlands, the Dorn did battle with the orcs. Having witnessed the rapid progress of Man across the south, the Keepers felt true fear, and hurled all they had at this new, aggressive enemy. For decades, the races did battle. Thousands died, and Man was forced to consolidate his positions before advancing. In these years, The First founded many cities across the land, beginning the civilization of the Dorns in Erenland.

As the war kept going, Beirial, like all mortal men, aged. In his age, he too felt fear. Fear like he had never felt before. The fear of the death that crept upon him as his hair turned to silver and his skin wrinkled. He feared he would never see this divine, and he feared where he would go when he was gone. The First preached no afterlife, and Beirial did not want to disappear. It was with this goal in mind, that the sorcerer made secret contact with the Keepers. He offered them his order, his fellow men, and himself, in return for one thing: A touch of the divine. The Keepers consented.

Beirial in turn, upheld his end of the bargain. In the cataclysmic years that followed, The First were eradicated, the few survivors the ones who turned to the Shadow. In Pelluria, the rise of the Sarcosan empire with its star worship spelled the doom of the brotherhood on that continent. The Dorns, having lost their champions, were on the brink of doom, when the Fey intervened. Led by Aradil, the new alliance of fey and man halted the tide of darkness, and created new allegiances. This event became known as the First Rise of Izrador.

Bill's Question: So the first rise of Izrador was also the first time that non-orcs were made part of the Keepers' conspiracy?

ANSWER: If that's how you interpret it... Yes. heheh

The Order of Shadow

It is no coincidence that the Order of Shadow is mostly human. Founded by Beirial the Betrayer, the order at first consisted of those of The First that Beirial managed to corrupt. Later, it expanded, as generations forgot. But the Order never recruited among the orcs, who Beirial saw as the progeny of the Keepers. The Order of Shadow plays a vital part in the divine scheme, because they are the ones who spread the word of Izrador's greatness. Aside from Beirial and a select few, once of The First, the order's members do not know that Izrador does, in fact, not exist. They preach with fervor and devotion, solidifying the lie, and giving it life.

For millenniums, Beirial has played the subservient ally of the Keepers, waiting for a time to strike at them, taking the power of Izrador and the black mirrors for himself. He knows that the god is dead, but he also believes that he can claim a larger part of that godhood for himself once the Keepers are not in his way. Beirial knows, however, that he cannot take on the ancient avatars alone, and is forced to wait, spinning his webs and laying his plans.

The order, almost entirely human, displays Beirial's continued xenophobia towards Elthedar descendants, a xenophobia which is strangely present in the order at large too. Most legates are uncomfortable around the orcs, who are supposed to be the faithful soldiers of Izrador. While faithful, doubt is still a large part of the life of many legates, who worship, but never hear the voice of their god. When the time is right, Beirial plans to reveal the truth to them, and use them as a weapon against the Keepers, destroying the celestials once and for all.

The Orcs

Like all other Fey races, orcs were once Elthedar. When the Sundering shattered the race, scattering its remnants to the wind, those who were to become orcs drifted north. They sought peace in the distant colds, but found something entirely different. Ultimately, they found the Scar, and were warped by its lingering evil. Twisted and dying, they were formed by the Keepers into what they are now; the warriors of Izrador, the soldiers of a dead god. The spiritual scars of their ancestors fateful contact with the dead god still linger in their hearts, but what they hear in their dreams is not the voice of Izrador, it is the echoing screams of their tortured progenitors.

The leaders of the orcs, the Mother-Wifes of Izrador, are some of the most misled creatures on Eredane. The truth rests right in front of their eyes, yet they do not see it. Perhaps they do not want to, perhaps they chose to ignore it. The fact remains though, that the witches are avid worshipers of a dead god, and send their people to die in his thankless name. The kurasatch udareen are one of the Keepers closest allies, treated as old friends and used as leashed dogs. However, should the truth be known to them, their vengeance would tear apart orc lands.

Bill's Question: The orcs are commonly sacrificed in the mirrors, right?

ANSWER: The weak ones are. "weak" meaning those that fail the Enemy in any way.

The White Mother

Orcs of the White Mother have existed since before the founding of the Order of Shadow. There have always been dissidents and doubters, and rebellions, even large-scale ones, have occurred. However, there has not been a time before when the orcs have been so far from their masters. Though the Keepers of Shadow expend great amounts of resources in order to exert influence over the orcs south of the Fortress Wall, control in these areas invariably falls to the Order of Shadow, the Night Princes, and the kurasatch udareen. Under such circumstances, the doubting orcs have prospered.

Bill's Question: I don't understand. "The Order of Shadow, the Night Princes, and the kurasatch udareen" are the ones who normally control orcs, aren't they? The context seems to imply that they would have less influence in the areas south of the Fortress Wall, but that's not what it says here.

ANSWER: This is something that, again, might be best discovered in game. It is semi-true that those groups control the orcs, but not completely. The orcs are controlled by the Enemy overall. Their hate is fuelled by the Shadow in the North. How or why that's a problem is for you to decipher. BTW, for your reference....

"the Fortress Wall" - Though legends abound about the great Fortress Wall of the Northern Marches, there is no doubt that the ancient defense works is a real part of history and one that played a major role in staving off the Shadow in the Second Age. The Fortress Wall is not a single edifice but a long chain of forts, keeps, and towers that stretches along the border of the northern frontiers. Built during the heady days following the first defeat of the Shadow, the Wall was a collective effort of the free races of Eredane, a testament to their combined strength and their shared fear of Izrador. Today the ruins of the Fortress Wall are a bitter legacy, standing like a row of gaped and broken teeth across a desolate land. Most of the individual keeps are gone, lost to the ravages of war and time. A few are still held by forces of the Shadow, but even most of the battlements they once took have been abandoned as the armies moved south.

The chosen champion of the White Mothers is Grial Fey-Killer, though he does not know it himself. For the last two decades, as Grial waged his war, the White Mother orcs have infiltrated his command structure, and do their utmost to sway the warlord to their views. Already, the seeds of doubt have been planted in his heart, but they have not sprung out yet. For now, The White Mothers await the right time before springing their plan to life, still believing that there is a god, but believing that he cares not for the orcs. In the meantime, they are content with letting the orcs whittle away at the other races, who they by no means see as allies.

Bill's Question: Does Kyuad have more information on Grial? I think he does, somewhere.

ANSWER: Maybe. I'm not sure where/how. Kyuad would know that (as Durgaz told him) Grial was seen in his visions dealing with Vrolk in the past outside the Obsidian Spire, what they dealt with is unknown. Other than that I'm not sure what you're thinking about. There is all the "stuff he knows" under Kyuad's wiki page that I've posted for you.

The Night Kings

Fearing the growing power of the Order of Shadow, but reluctant to destroy it and its skilled leader, Beirial, the Keepers desired new champions, in order to balance the power among more factions. In this quest, they sought out the most powerful heroes of good, corrupting them like they had once seen Beirial corrupting his fellow man. Success was total. Too total. The Night Kings fully embraced their dark gifts and strode into the world, disregarding the Keepers, who were but wardens. They would be conquerors. Now, only Zardrix remains in their control, as the Keepers possess her heart, and control her through it. The other three are left to their own devices.

Among them, Ardherin has begun to suspect the truth, secretly fed to him by Beirial. Vard though, remains an almost ever-present threat, and the Sorceror treads lightly. Sunulael, originally created as a balance to Beirial, has become increasingly doubtful, as even now, he does not hear the voice of his god. For now though, he is content with fighting his war against Beirial, blaming the other priest for his misfortune. Jahzir does not care, relishing in the powers granted him, believing that as long as his master does not chastise him, he does his duties well.

Bill's Question: Who is Vard?
Is Beirial undead or immortal?
Jahzir's master is the Keepers at large, is it not? Or does "master" being singular suggest someone else?

ANSWER: If you don't know, Kyuad doesn't know. Again - part of the mystery to discover...

Aradil

The Witch Queen of Erethor knows precious little about the force that is Izrador. Even through her great power, she is not able to stand against the united force of the Keepers of Shadow, and against her, they will always make a united front. Those scant few mortals who know the truth hide their knowledge well, and are not easily found or captured. Should any unlucky mortal stumble across the truth, the Razors remain on hand to deal with them, as the Keepers take a very personal interest in defending their secret. So far, after 8,000 years on the throne, Aradil knows only one thing: The Shadow is hiding something, and it is hiding it well.

Bill's Question: Darn good reason to keep most of this to myself, huh?

ANSWER: Up to you... You are a "hero" afterall...

ARADAR

Known to some as The Well of Hope, Aradar has been a strange enigma to the world, ever since its name was first spoken. Until the Last Age, the place has been but the reflection of a ghost, for in a world of light, a a candle is hardly visible, but as the world grows dark, it becomes a beacon. Now Aradar, and its effects, are more visible than ever. Resistance fighter and legate alike now hunt it, seeking a price that cannot be found by living eyes.

Bill's Question: Seeking a "price"? Should that be prize?

ANSWER: Yes.

Aradar has long been believed to be a place, but this is not true. Aradar infuses the world, the earth, the water and the sky above. It is the spiritual mate of Aryth, created by its children.

Bill's Question: It sounds almost like Aradar could be the source of arcane power, or spell energy. Usually thought to be Aryth, the spell energy that infuses everything could just be the Aradar which infuses Aryth. This would mean that was is actually being harvested by the mirrors is the manifestation of Aradar - the energy infused into all living things. Does Kyuad know anything more about this? Is this a bad conjecture?

ANSWER:
ROLL: Kyuad (Lorebook +13) ROLLED: 18+13 = 31
With this roll -

The origins of the Aradar myth are lost in the fog of folklore. Ever-changing songs adapted by the performers in every region alter the language and, so, distort the lineage of the myth until, thousands of years later, fact and fancy have become legend. Though there may be no truth to the legend of Aradar, some common beliefs held by the world’s remaining scholars give it tantalizing verisimilitude. Most songs of Aradar suppose that it is the source or inspiration for all arcane power on Aryth—the site where an elf of noble and pure elthedar blood is said to have found the spark of arcane magic. In modern poems, this elf is called Engalad or, archaically, Engal Ladai. In Erenland, especially in villages with little or no elven contact even before Izrador’s victory, some tales replace Engalad with Aradil, the Witch Queen, despite the obvious historical impossibility.

However, the name Aradar does share a root with the name Aradil; it’s an ancient male form of the name. Fragments of dwarven and gnomish poetry suggest it was also called elenhath miradil, roughly meaning “wellspring of insight.” Elven myths of old called it simply “Wellspring.” Some believe that Aradar and, by extension, all arcane power—is a gift from the Lost Gods, a bit of their power left to light the mortal world. “One day,” an elf ballad claims, “the gift shall cast a light bright enough to pierce the veil of Shadow and be seen in the heavens.”

Already something of a bedtime story by the time the Shadow in the North returned for battle, Aradar was receiving little scholarly attention from the archivists and scribners of the world. When the sacking of academies began across Erenland, few records of Aradar were carried out by fleeing librarians and scholars. The people needed information vital to the success of the war against Izrador, and Aradar was little more than a folktale all but forgotten. It’s generally known that the Scholar’s Tower in Highwall and the great old Library of Moria contains whole books on the subject of Aradar, but those are surely gone. In Cale there was once an inn that sported a mural of the story. There is now little way of knowing what is myth and what is true—if anything—in the legends of Aradar.

The Legend of Aradar illustrates one of the few unexpected advantages of the desperate effort to safeguard the scraps of knowledge that come trickling into the Scribe Archives in Caradul. Bits of the legend that have never before been cataloged together are now being seen with new eyes. Whereas individual stories about Wellspring seem to vary rather substantially, certain commonalities between the tales became apparent in comparison.

The confluence of motley sorcerers within the Five Towers is at least partly responsible for the recent rise in interest in the Aradar myth. Nights at the Five Towers are commonly spent with fire-side stories and talk of history, arcana, religion, and superstition. Somehow, the legend of Aradar continued to come up. Before long, it was a popular subject among magically inclined and ordinary refugees alike. Word was soon brought by travelers from the Five Towers to Caradul, where the Court of the Witch Queen took up renewed interest in Aradar as a hopeful legend and happy dream.

Word of Aradar has been drawn from the Eyes held prisoner in the Arteries like an arrowhead pulled from a wound. The Night Kings now know that Aradil and her court in Caradul are giving the old myths a bit of scrutiny. Worse, they know this reveals trickles of valuable lore leaking back into Erethor. Although the Night Kings see that Aradil is using the Aradar myth as little more than a pretty symbol to spread hope among her people, they also know how to use such myths to poison that hope. Legates are now actively searching for artifacts mentioning the Aradar myth and secretly leaking them to the resistance, then pursuing the messengers to more important figures in and out of Erethor.

Demonbane even now uses the legend to draw out more sorcerers and explorers from Erethor and eliminate them. When the legend has lost its luster and hope for truth in the myth has waned, the word may be released that Izrador’s armies have found Aradar and are set to destroy it. In the meantime, only a scant few legates are actively pursuing the legend of Aradar. So long as Aradar remains an exploitable myth, the Shadow keeps its formidable advantage.

In ancient times, when the Elthedar laughed, cried, dreamed or prayed, their hopes, emotions and desires reached the heavens. This spiritual essence of life, helped the gods build and maintain the world. When the Sundering destroyed heaven, these spiritual forces of creation no longer had a place to go. Life, however, is inventive, and will not dwindle easily. Rather than bleed away and wither, the energies of life gathered, forming a place beyond, but within, all places. This is Aradar, and it is the gathering point of every dream dreamed, every hope held, and every joy felt. It is also the home of whispered curses, dark thoughts and tears shed. Aradar is a many-faced place.

After 10,000 years of life without gods, Aradar has become great indeed. However, it was not until the days grew dark, and the hopes of the living desperate, that the force gave back to its benefactors. As a desire for salvation, for champions and for aid grew in the hearts of those who suffered from the shadow, Aradar answered. In small drips, the force of the place seeps into the mortal world, touching the souls of Man and Fey alike, creating involuntary champions of the world. Whether the time this has happened is random, or whether it is destiny is unimportant. Heroes can be forged by these touches. What they chose to do with their blessings is up to them.

Among all powerful forces of Aryth, there is a united fear of Aradar. It is an enigmatic entity which they have been unable to hunt down for the better part of three ages, yet it keeps affecting the mortals of the world in strange ways. The Keepers fear Aradar for the potential power of the place, Beirial fears it because he believes it is a growing divine entity, not yet born. Aradil fears it, for she knows that not only good seeps into that place, and she has seen more than one vile being touched by Aradar. The only one who doesn't fear the name is Ardherin, who sees in it only the potential for destruction, and an upheaval of the ancient, hidden status quos.

Despite their fears, all hunt Aradar, for it is a price that cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of another. But how does one hunt the ghost of dreams? How does one hunt the energy of life? All factions have come to the same conclusion: When it manifests, seize it. Spies, channelers, legates, spirits, demons, all are involved in a hunt for those who walk what one scholar of the Order of Truth called the Heroic Paths, the Pathwalkers.

Bill's Question: Again, should "price" be prize?

ANSWER: Yes.

THE PATHWALKERS OF ARADAR - Kiss of the Dreamworld

The first to discover a Pathwalker were the Lightbearers, the militant allies of the Order of Truth. When the phenomenon started appearing in several people, the Abandoned took a serious interest. After twenty years of study, the order has developed one theory:

• The Pathwalkers draw on the divine. To them, there is no other explanation for how their powers have come into existence. The source of this divine though, is open for debate, but three theories prevail. Either, the Pathwalkers have been able to tap into some hidden reserve of the divine on Aryth, effectively becoming avatars of the Lost Gods.
• Another theory is that Aradar has become manifest in the world.
• The third alternative is a dark one, which is nevertheless not discarded: The Pathwalkers draw on the powers of Izrador. How this could be possible is heavily debated, but some suspect that the dark god may not be in control of his powers.

Bill's Question: Who is the Order of Truth again? Who are the Abandoned? Are both of these the White Mother?

ANSWER:
ROLL: Kyuad (Lorebook +13) ROLLED: 13+13 = 26
With this roll - alot of this info was likely gathered when you were in the Hamlet...

The White Mothers are an Orc tribe. As for the details... that you don't know exactly.

However you know a good deal on the Order of Truth.

In the winter of 3893, an old seer came to the court of the Witch Queen, bearing word that he promised was of dire importance, and Aradil agreed to a private audience. Though it is not known what passed between them, or what proof he offered for his claims, the Queen emerged from the meeting in a black and terrible fury. She ordered reports from the northern patrol captains and sent them soldiers to double their numbers. She ordered the old man, a monk from a long forgotten religious order, to send for his brothers and bring them to Caradul where they were installed as secret advisors to the throne. Though the group called itself the Order of Truth, beyond the walls of the elven court, these blind prophets of lost gods became known as the Abandoned.

Their mission became to gather and keep all knowledge of the words and ways of their old masters, the Lost Gods, the lords of light. They became known as the Order of Truth.

The monk scholars of the Order of Truth have kept the religious traditions of the elder fey and the Lost Gods alive since the Sundering, through the Time of Years and the Ages of the Scribe Calendar and now into the Last Age. However it is possible that there have been changes and errors that have become canon in their practices and beliefs over the time of years.

One of Aradil’s greatest sources of information on Izrador and the Lost Gods is the Order of Truth. The members of the Order have long been known as the Abandoned by many elves, since they continue to study and worship gods that have been cut off from the world of Aryth. In truth, they were her first military advisors, instructing her in the ways and wiles of the dark god and his Though their current goal is to ensure that the messages of the Lost Gods are passed down, the Witch Queen still calls on them for advice when she needs spiritual guidance or for new ideas on ways to thwart the dark god’s schemes. A few die-hard believers among the Order of Truth still believe that the Lost Gods will someday contact their children once more; after all, if the mortals have striven to remove the Veil for so many millennia, can it not be assumed that the gods would likewise be striving from the other side?

Finally, while all of the Order of Truth agree that the teachings of the Lost Gods must be given back to their children, those who actively seek their return believe that renewed faith in the Lost Gods may be key to eventually eroding the Veil.

While they are unable to tap into the divine majesty of the Lost Gods that they worship, they are still possessed of a great deal of knowledge of all things divine, including Izrador himself. This knowledge makes them excellent planners of raids and hunters of the Shadow’s minions, while the otherworldly might of the Trapped among them make them very valuable allies to the beleaguered human resistance. This contribution to the war effort, combined with the establishment of an actual temple to the Lost Gods eight centuries ago, has warmed the people of Erethor to this strange sect of monks. They have finally begun to respect their teachings, as demonstrated by the fact that the Order has been entrusted with custodianship of the Scribe Archives of the elven people.

Aradil brought the Order of Truth to Caradul in the middle of the First Age as secret advisors on the ways of Izrador. Since the end of the Second Age, interest in the Lost Gods has spread among the elves and a following has grown around the Abandoned. Aradil has done nothing to dissuade this and in fact believes the renewed faith will rebuild the order’s dwindling membership and may even be a spiritual ward of sorts against Izrador.

Almost 800 years ago, the order commissioned the growth of a small temple for the Lost Gods in a quiet grove just north of Caradul. The temple has since been enlarged and the surrounding trees now contain a small community of religious scholars, apprentice monks, and faithful pilgrims from across Erethor.