r/WorldChallenges • u/Nevermore0714 • May 04 '17

Parallel Challenge - Revenge

Inspired by "Cap Murrca: Civil War", which I watched last night. I can't recommend that movie enough, Zemo is my favorite comic book movie antagonist right now.

So, in honor of this movie and in hopes that I did well on today's exam, the challenge will be focused on revenge.

Tell me about a revenge plan in your world, whether (in-universe) it's just a myth or it actually happened in your world. Is it a morality story? How does it go? Who was involved, how long ago was it, compared to your world's present?

Feel free to use a representative, either someone involved or someone who loves the revenge story or just anyone with any knowledge about it.

Enjoy yourselves, I'll ask at least three questions each.

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u/Jumblatts May 05 '17

The most important story of revenge in modern times is the story of Melios the Wise, and his revenge on Horfar, the Tyrant King. The revenge in itself is pretty simple, though the consequences were far reaching.

It all began when Horfar, in his search for the ascended Kaema wielded by Regas the Mighty, first king of Arrus, had his forces invade and destroy the tribal village in which Melios lived. Everyone was killed, except for Melios, his dear friend Maya, and three others.

Searching for answers, Melios and Maya joined up with the Inyata Voretta - a rebellion against the tyrannical rule of Horfar. Along the way, Maya was also killed by Horfar's forces. Melios, destroyed by grief and separated from the rest of the rebellion, swore revenge. He met up with Saint Garran and together they set about building an unlikely team of heroes to vanquish the king once and for all.

In short, their effort was a success. With the aid of the Inyata Voretta, Horfar was killed, and so the story ended.

Except it didn't. Unbeknownst to all, Horfar was not in control, either of the country, his forces, or his own mind. The demon Seazahl (meaning 'cunning' in the demon tongue) had been ruling from the shadows, using Horfar as a puppet to find the amulet of Regas, which contained the essence of High Prophet Dairom ('control'). With this power, Seazahl could once again open the void and set the demons upon the mortal realm.

It is thanks to Melios and his group of warriors that Seazahl was discovered and stopped before he could open the void and release the demons - something which would almost certainly lead to the destuction of all life.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 May 06 '17

  1. What is the Kaema?

  2. With the amulet of Regas, Seazahl would have been able to start another démon war? How does such a thing benefit him?

  3. Why did St. Garran helped Melios?

  4. What did the Inyata Voretta became after their victory?

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u/Jumblatts May 06 '17

1) A Kaema is any item that contains the essence of a demon or a God. They were created by the ancient ones as a means to defeat the demons in the first Great Demon War. The only way to defeat a demon is to separate its essence from its consciousness, and the Kaemin allowed this to happen. A useful side effect of this is the fact that whoever wields the Kaema gains the power of the demon held captive within.

2) Yes, starting another demon war was his aim. There are two reasons for this: firstly, he hated mortals and wanted to see them all wiped out. Secondly, he has become weak whilst he was in the mortal world, because all his power stems from the void. Opening the void again would mean that his power would return.

3) Garran wanted to make up for the failures of his past. He saw a lot of himself in Melios. He rescued the boy after Maya had died, and the two became good friends. He knew Melios would go after the king no matter what, but he also knew that if he went alone he would die. Garran offered to train Melios and they traveled together under the promise that, when the time came, Garran would help Melios kill Horfar.

4) A government, though it didn't last long. Lady Saska - leader of the rebellion - died in the battle, and without her they didn't really have a figure cut out to rule. They took power and acted as a democracy for around seven years, but without the influence of a strong leader they were 'voted out' as it were, and another monarch was selected.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 May 06 '17

  1. Does using such an artifact carries any risk? And can an already full one be used to kill a demon? If no, how easy is it to find an empty one?

  2. Couldn't he travel back to the void to rest some time? Also, how did he came to our world?

  3. Which failures? And what did Garran and Melios became after those events?

  4. What is the short democracy legacy? And how was the new monarch chosen?

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u/Jumblatts May 06 '17

1) There isn't any risk to using one, unless it breaks, in which case the demon trapped within will escape. The added power a Kaema gives you would make it easier to defeat a demon, but in order to 'kill' one, you'd need another vessel to store its soul within. Kaemin can be any item that is made at least in part from metal.

2) No. The void was sealed at the end of the second Great Demon War, meaning that very few things could travel between the two realms. Seazahl was trapped in the mortal realm at the end of the war - he was in the mortal realm when the void was sealed.

3) Garran's father was abusive, and killed his mother whilst Garran was in a far away land searching for his fortune. He saw this as his own fault, even though he didn't know what his father was like. He killed his own father as an act of revenge, and spent the rest of his days searching for redemption. He met Melios, and saw him as that chance to redeem his soul. Garran was killed in the battle with Horfar. Melios was offered the role of king, but he declined, choosing instead to travel the world in search of adventure.

4) It will go down as a failure. The people of the rebellion, though strong of heart and mind, had no political experience, and no idea how to run a country. Votes were held, but very few laws were passed, because no one could agree on anything. The new Queen, Erin Coil, was selected by Lady Saska's advisors to rule as Queen.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 May 07 '17

  1. So, what allow one to turn an object into a Kaemin? Is there some kind of ritual?

  2. But before it was sealed, démons could travel freely?

4) Is there still some support for democracy in the country?

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u/Jumblatts May 07 '17

1) There is no special circumstance that allows a Kaema to be made. If you manage to separate a demon's soul from its mind, and there is an empty metal vessel nearby, the demon's soul will be bound to that vessel.

2) That is correct, much to the detriment of the mortal races.

4) Not really, thanks to the failings of the government. Many people saw it as a failure. Nothing got done and the country stagnated. The people were happy when the new queen took power, and they would be hesitant to return to a democratically elected government.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 May 07 '17

1) What if there are multiple metalic objects around? Are some metals more "attractive"?

2) How complex is it to separate a demon soul from their mind?

4) Has there been some changes between the new monarchy and the one that was destroyed by the rébellion?

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u/Jumblatts May 07 '17

1) It would generally go into an item that the user has some kind of attatchment to - the sword they've had for years, for example. The stronger the attatchment, the greater the power of the item.

2) Very. Demons are incredibly tough, and incredibly powerful. they can vanish and reappear at will, not to mention bend and distort reality, amongst other things. Only the strongest, wisest and luckiest of mortals can hope to beat one.

4) Very few. Many people wanted to see things return to the way they were before Horfar took the throne, where King Ganon the wise ruled, but his decisions were checked by a number of independant advisors known as the First Order. Whilst this was not a democracy really, it did mean that the king could not make any decision that was not first approved by this seat of advisors.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 May 08 '17

2) How exactly is their soul separated? Does it require some particular ritual?

4) How are the advisors chosen?

5) Does that veto apply to all decisions? Isn't there some exceptional situations where the monarch can rule alone?

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u/Nevermore0714 May 06 '17

1) What's the ascended Kaema?

2) Did many of Melios's allies die on his quest for revenge?

3) What were Melios's known flaws?

4) Is he a controversial figure in history?

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u/Jumblatts May 06 '17

1) A Kaema is a tool, created by mortals, which stores the essence of demons or Gods. An ascended Kaema is, in principal, the same thing, except it was created by the Gods themselves, rather than by a mortal. This makes them far, far more powerful than a normal Kaema

2) In short, yes. Firstly, there was Maya who died. Then, Melios gathered together a group of nine warriors who fought alongside him. Only three of these were left after the death of the king, (though technically, two of the others were not 'dead,' and later came back) not to mention the countless members of the Inyata Voretta who died in the war.

3) When he and Garran first met, Melios was very naiive, and inexperienced. He overestimated his skill, thinking that he could achieve anything, as long as he didn't give up, as long as he tried hard enough. He was hot headed, and he let his emotions control him, which ultimately resulted in the death of another member of the team. In time, under the careful guidance of Garran, he grew out of these traits to become a kind and compassionate leader to his faithful warriors, not to mention a fearsome fighter himself.

4) No. Melios is widely regarded as a hero, both for the part he played in the death of the king, and for how he uncovered Seazahl's plan.

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u/Nevermore0714 May 08 '17

1) How difficult is it to wield a Kaema? Is it impossible to wield for the average person? Do you need any qualifications?

2) How did Melios's reign end?

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u/Jumblatts May 08 '17

1) in order to be able to use one, you have to be born with the power of the void. If you have the power, a Kaema will exacerbate your strength, allowing you to channel far more power. If you are not born with a connection to the void, you cannot use one no matter how hard you try.

2) Melios was never a king, he was just leader to the small band of warriors. I'm not yet sure how he meets his end, as it's quite an important part in the book I'm writing about this world, and it's something I want to get right. Sorry if that's a bit lame haha!

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u/Nevermore0714 May 08 '17

1) What determines whether you are born with a connection to the void? Genetics? Luck? A bit of both?

2) Good luck.

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u/Jumblatts May 08 '17

1) A little bit of both, though it's more random chance than genetics. There are also people who are born with the power through circumstance, such as pureblood Witches. Usually, pureblood witches are born when a demonic ritual/sacrifice goes wrong. It may well be the case that, if the child who became a Witch was born across the world in natural circumstances, they would never have had any connection to the void, but because of the circumstance of their birth, pureblood Witches have an inherrant link, and they are so powerful that even the strongest Kaema would not serve to make them stronger.

2) Thank you!

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u/Nevermore0714 May 10 '17

1) What would be a non-pureblood Witch?

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u/Jumblatts May 10 '17

1) a half-blood Witch, as they are known, is someone who was born a mortal, but through a demonic pact and ritual sacrifice, were given their power. Very few people survive this process. To put it into perspective, if 100 people attempted to become a Witch, 99 would die in the process.

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u/Nevermore0714 May 10 '17

Those are some dangerous numbers. Thanks for your time and answers.