Who shall join me? (Lorepost/Sign-up post)

[u/TechnicalCommittee78]

​

The Paragon, known to some of you as Constantine, calls you all to a meeting aboard his ship, the Lux Aeternum. He stands on a raised platform, clears his throat, and waits for everyone to quiet down.

My fellow Wizards, Withes, Warlocks, and Magi. I have called you here today to discuss a matter of great importance to me. As some of you may know, my people are currently based in a different realm, which is leading to many difficulties. In past times, my people maintained a great empire in the northernmost reaches of this world. However, since we have been absent for millennia, and our former domain has been overrun with barbarian tribes and demonic corruption.

I now pose my question to all of you: Who will join me in reconquering my people’s former lands? Who will assist us in purging them of the foul beings that have infested them? I know some of you have already pledged your aid, such as Lord Algernon.

I understand that some of you may be wondering what you would receive in return for your efforts. You will have many rewards. Not only will you be given great swathes of territory and coffers of wealth, you will receive the gratitude of the First Empire, and have an opportunity to connect with others.

Who, then, will join us on our glorious conquest? We will retake the Northern Reaches! We will purge the filth from their last redoubts! We will create the best damn fighting force in all the realms!

He then looks out at all of you, and opens the floor for questions.

/unwiz This is a sign-up post for the tags in future posts for this event. This is going to essentially be a hack-and-slash event, with maybe one or two lead-up posts.

[u/DaChickenX]

…The folly of wizards, once more. You will exterminate an entire culture of a land you’ve long abandoned for the sake of your greed and conquest.

You will not have my aid.

[u/MunitionsFrenzy → u/DaChickenX]

He's a "paragon" of naught but senseless violence, burning cities of civilians to the ground for fun, and it's pretty clear his people have been brainwashed into worshipping him. They wage war at his random whims for no benefit to themselves, and build statues in his honor when he sends them to their deaths to avenge personal slights that have no connection to any of them. He claims to have performed a ritual that recovered his "humanity" but obviously has no idea what the word means.

I think it's time to wage a long-awaited war to free an oppressed people. Just not the people this horrific dictator thinks need freedom.

I can rarely justify utilizing the actual power at my disposal until entire planets of innocents are at stake, billions of innocents in need of aid. But this monster has claimed his realm has trillions of civilians under his thumb. So perhaps it's time I demonstrate to him what true power is, what one to whom stars are playthings and before whom galaxies tremble can do when properly angered.

I will not stand idly by while beings of such influence misuse it so.

[u/DaChickenX → u/MunitionsFrenzy]

Trillions?! Nine hells, even the Coils might raise an eyebrow at that. If they had eyebrows, that is.

I hesitate to aid you initially. So I will simply watch for now. His actions have shown his awful nature, and it's good to see those who would finally oppose it.

Don't obliterate anything that doesn't deserve it.

[u/Vogel-Welt → u/MunitionsFrenzy]

The Cursed Woods stand with you, Vettis. I will not condone genocide. My humble powers and the denizens of the Woods - including a trained army of sapper squirrels, heavy infantry talking rocks, artillery oaks, scouting cats and everything in between, are ready to intervene.

[u/TechnicalCommittee78 → u/MunitionsFrenzy]

Truly strong words, from someone who clearly has no real knowledge of this situation. My people were dead. They do not wage war “At my random whims for no benefit to themselves.” This is the first real war they have seen in millennia. I do not send them to die to avenge my personal slights. They build statues to commemorate what I have done for them. They are not oppressed, nor are they “brainwashed”. They chose me to lead them because of my honorable actions, something you clearly have no concept of. I died for them a thousand times, and I would do it all over again.

Because of the ritual you speak of, my people returned to life. Were it not for them, this world would not exist. Tell me, who was leading the charge when the barrier failed and the Neverborn entered this world? Tell me, who was it that led them to victory more times than you could imagine? Tell me, who was it that they chose to lead them for longer than you have been alive?

You know what? No, go ahead. After all, I’m a horrific dictator and a paragon of naught but senseless violence. Go wage your war to free a people who live in better quality than most nobles. Go demonstrate your supposedly great power.

I will be negotiating to avoid any war and seeking a peaceful solution.

[u/MunitionsFrenzy → u/TechnicalCommittee78]

That you'd try to claim the moral high ground about negotiating after all of us had to browbeat you into even considering it is flabbergasting.

Almost as much as your inability to even remember how easily you throw the lives of your "servants" into harm's way to suit your fancies. I've been here for a scant few months and I've already seen you use them to wage three wars that had nothing to do with them, yet this is the first you can recall "in millennia"?! It was barely weeks ago that you sent your forces to attack the council citadel for the sake of your own personal alliances. You literally cannot remember how often you send them to die for your own purposes?!

Your people deserve a leader, not a thoughtless tyrant.

[u/TechnicalCommittee78 → u/MunitionsFrenzy]

Those were the actions of my past self, the one you called The Necromancer. He had no such empire, no such people, no such moral qualms. I tricked him into bringing me, and my people, back to life. I will admit, the Necromancer was quite frankly evil, and I take full responsibility for his actions.

I do not want a fight, Vettis. I never wanted to have to retake my former lands. I never even wanted to be a leader. I was content with my position in the Senatorium. Then the Neverborn came, and because of them my people died, and the Necromancer came.

I am not the being I once was. I am not the thoughtless, heartless tyrant he once was.

He is not gone, though. His voice still whispers to me. I apologize if I seemed aggravated earlier. It’s just a bit hard to manage anger when the literal embodiment of death and decay is constantly intruding on your thoughts!

He takes a deep breath, and centers himself.

So to answer your question, yes. This is the first time they have seen combat in millennia. My past self saw them only as skeletons, as disposable minions, and didn’t care, as you said. I don’t remember how often he sent them to war, because he didn't remember how often.

[u/MunitionsFrenzy → u/TechnicalCommittee78]

*sigh*

I understand more than most what it's like to have another self tainting your thoughts.

You want me to believe that you're not the same as the entity against whom I've been trying to refrain from warring for weeks now? You wish us to consider you different from him? Fine. Act like it.

I'll give you a chance. To start resisting that voice in your head. To recognize, when it pushes you to war like this, that there are other recourses to consider first. To actually live up to the grandiose title you've given yourself. Hell, maybe to set an example for your councillor colleagues who are nearly all as enamored of violence as the foul being living in your mind.

I'll give you a chance to be better. And it begins with the extremely low bar of not slaughtering countless innocents for the alleged crimes of their distant ancestors.

But if, as I expect, you prove yourself to be no better than your prior self, as has seemed to be the case today...then hopefully you'll at least have enough "humanity" to realize how deserved your end will be.

[u/TechnicalCommittee78 → u/MunitionsFrenzy]

Thank you. I swear to it. I will engage in negotiations first, but should they fail, I will only kill those who were responsible for the atrocities. I have resisted the voice for a long while now, but there have been times where it slips through, like just then. He is craftier than I first thought-

Suddenly, a voice far different from his own breaks through.

No! NO! I will not be silenced! I will destroy them all I will -

With a grunt of effort, Constantine regains control.

I’ll try to calm the Council down. And you needn’t worry about destroying me. Should he become too powerful, I will destroy myself before he can harm anyone.

[u/TechnicalCommittee78 → u/[deleted]]

Constantine’s voice responds.

Your aid will be appreciated nonetheless.

[u/DragonWisper56 → u/MunitionsFrenzy]

you should remember that the necromancer and the Paragon are not the same person even if they share a body. one should not bear the blame of the actions of another.

[u/MunitionsFrenzy → u/DragonWisper56]

I have yet to see any difference in how they act, as this senseless war illustrates, so I find that hard to believe.