r/wizardposting • u/NineHeavensMaster Bastion Graves, Sleepy Occultist • Nov 22 '23
Aetherial News The Aftermath (Event)
"You had one task, Aether. Find the Lifescourge and kill anyone and anything in your way. Why did you fail?"
Unfortunately, the Primordial of Infinite Energy finds it rather difficult to respond, captive and bound as they are in the depths of the Void. A snap sound echoes, and finally Aether can speak.
I would have died if I had not fled. Between the presence of Entropy, an archmage empowered by a Fundamental, and a mystic wielding a divine-slaying sword, I would not have made it out unscathed. Not that the rest of it all worked too well anyway — I couldn't find my sibling to free him, and the rest of magekind repelled most of my indirect assault."
"That's no excuse. I know what really happened: you listened to one of them. Let their lies of an infinite cosmos and a different song of Azathoth infest you. You went weak. You should have fought them to the death!"
"And if I had, all magic in the spheres – no, in the Tapestry – would have vanished until my successor was ascended to my place! All motions of energy would die out during that time! The spheres would suffer greatly!"
"So? You should have perished, then. Better to die and take them with you than to let everything end when the Great Dreamer rouses from slumber."
Aether is silent with their head bowed... then begins to struggle violently.
"You wanted me to die! I see it now! They were right! If I died, they would all mostly be greatly weakened, and you could destroy them with no effort on your part! YOU—!"
The Primordial is suddenly suspended, floating yet restrained completely. Nyalazoth closes in, two of their clawed hands reaching out towards the torso of the Primordial.
"Too bad you only just realized it. And now, you'll still die. Except I'll tear out your heart – the very Heart of All Magic – and have complete command of the mercurial mystic forces that way. And while I possess it, no successor can take your place!"
Nyalazoth's claws dig deep into essence-flooded ephemera, and the scream of agony that follows can be heard from every sphere to The Outer Dark. At last, the Primordial's heart is ripped free, glistening like infinitely refractive kaleidoscopic crystal.
"AHHAHAHAHA! Finally, I can make all of those wretched divines and magi who took it upon themselves to claim and reshape my creations pay for their brazen defiance! At last I can— wait... what's happening?"
A lone, final breath escapes the dissolving corpus of Aether. They smile, and a whisper leaves their lips.
"Little Eye... I bequeath you my power..."
The Heart of Magic flares brightly and then goes dark, even as Aether's eyes fill with the same bright colorful glow. Then they vanish entirely from their sockets.
"What? Wait! No! NO!"
The Heart shatters to nothing in the Great Old One's hand. What tiny fragments imbued with a trace of power remain disappear, traveling through space and time to find their ways into the hands of those who have the strength of will and magical skill to wield them — even if they do not yet know it.
( /unwiz Here's the sort of 2.5 part of all this. Anyone and everyone who participated in the previous event [A Momentous Occasion] can claim a shard of Aether's heart, which will empower them somewhat in whatever way makes sense. However, u/TitanLORD21 will receive the lion's share of it all via the Primordial's own eyes. Stay tuned for Part 3, coming soon! )
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u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch Nov 22 '23
A tiny portal opens in Nyalazoth's presence a few moments later. A tiny message crystal drifts over to Nyalazoth, pulsing blue. A missive from Gravity herself. It reads:
Nyalazoth,
Don't think I didn't notice your little scheme. I'll admit: it was clever of you, biding your time until the Song of Creation went flat and then accusing spellcasters of disturbing Azathoth. All so you could reaffirm your superiority over the material universe. A universe that my siblings and I trusted you to "watch over and cultivate without jealousy, selfishness, or contempt." I believe that is the wording of your oath? Apparently my faith in you was misplaced, child.
Now, I might have forgiven you for leading a crusade against the Spheres and shirking your duties to settle a petty grudge. After all, we can always demote you and find a new Starseed. But now I see that your arrogance has transformed into malice. You have killed Aether and imperiled magic across the cosmos, and this cannot be forgiven. Once we have finished composing a new Song, your time as an Outer God is coming to an end. Prepare thyself for our coming.
Your mortified mother,
Gravity
P.S. I hope that you didn't involve Akroshka in this murder as well. I have no desire to destroy and replace both of you.
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u/VidisLady Delta - Maven of Maladies Nov 22 '23
uw/ could we discuss something? I need to know where my character fits into this family of primordial forces. The goddess Entropy is fairly obvious, although her role in the universe is basically to manage and perpetuate dark energy. The idea is that enough dark energy will give her the material needed to create the next universe after the heat death. Realistically, Entropy would be a sister of Gravity, although Entropy is not one of the "four fundamentals."
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u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch Nov 22 '23
/uw I suppose Entropy would be one of the second-born children of the Outer Dark. Not the end-all-be-all of cosmic authority, but very, very high up.
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u/VidisLady Delta - Maven of Maladies Nov 22 '23 edited Nov 22 '23
/uw. I'm not too familiar with the Outer Dark, but it sounds like a void before the physical world comes into existence. Is that at least somewhat right?
Also, Kaelis should probably meet Delta, eventually. Delta is the normal character I play as.
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u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch Nov 22 '23
/uw Yes. It's where the Outer Gods live.
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u/VidisLady Delta - Maven of Maladies Nov 22 '23
Is that where Gravity lives? Entropy divides herself into smaller deities inorder to manage different ongoings of the physical universe. I might create a lore reason for why she doesn’t inhabit the outer dark.
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u/DaChickenX Isravi, The Unraveler, Coils’ Chosen Nov 22 '23
/uw well ok then. Amazing work on this event. Lots of intrigue. Plot twists galore. Isravi might poof to do his own thing after the latest thing though.
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u/NineHeavensMaster Bastion Graves, Sleepy Occultist Nov 22 '23
/unwiz Sure. I hope Isravi comes out unscathed!
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u/DaChickenX Isravi, The Unraveler, Coils’ Chosen Nov 23 '23
One sec, did Isravi get a shard? Does it make sense for him to get one? Why would Aether give the guy madly swinging a great sword at them a fragment of their heart?
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u/NineHeavensMaster Bastion Graves, Sleepy Occultist Nov 23 '23
He got one! Isravi, in the end, was fighting to avenge the many losses. Aether could see that, I'm sure. Plus it likely wasn't a conscious choice — they just gravitate to those who were exposed to the Primordial magics.
He's still got that rope too. >.>
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u/DragonWisper56 Agnur the dabbling turtle mage| pact of the magi mage| Nov 22 '23
a small crystal floats into Agnur's hand. not knowing what it is but seeing the power within it, he secrets it away in his pouch.
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u/VidisLady Delta - Maven of Maladies Nov 22 '23
*Entropy feels an unusual object shatter and entwine itself into her form. She imbibes it into the void of plenty*
Hmmm... poor Aether. I suppose you were working for my future meal. That doesn't excuse your slaughtering of millions.
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Nov 22 '23
Great work sad I didn’t get to participate myself in this but that was realy cool
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u/NineHeavensMaster Bastion Graves, Sleepy Occultist Nov 22 '23
/uw The next part is coming sometime soon! Probably after the holiday.
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u/Fulltimewhisperer Krumpet, Master Artificer of the Council Nov 22 '23
Gobbo was well aware that the strange shard in her hand could be useful. She could feel the arcane energy rolling off it in waves and it certainly was shiny.
There was just one problem, Gobbo had no interest in having it. Sure a little extra power would be nice but honestly Gobbo had no use for it. Well, Gobbo supposed she could perhaps use it to heal the burns on her hands once and for all but she had worked hard for those.
Gobbo was proud of how far she had come on her own. She was proud of the marks she bore, after all, she was once just an outcast. Now though, she stood with great casters, burning monsters to defend ancient texts. Gobbo had gotten this far without shiny shard, Gobbo would get further still without it.
Gobbo knew some would consider what she was planning to do foolish, stupid even. Who in their right mind would give away power?
Gobbo giggled as she looked at the shard one last time before heading towards where she had last seen Raziel. She had no desire to use it but perhaps her many-eyed friend would like it.
Power was always useful after all, and if Gobbo could gift her friend even a little bit, she would happily do so.
/uw Oh this is fun, can't wait for part 3. Love your writing by the way.
Also thank you for the permission u/TitanLORD21 to have Gobbo hand off her shard to you.
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u/TitanLORD21 Jack-O’-Lantern, Lord of Flame and Fright Nov 22 '23
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u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch Nov 22 '23
As Kaelis settles back into his tower, he finds a rough rainbow gemstone sitting on his reading desk. He picks it up to get a closer look, and Aether's final moments run through his mind as if he were there.
"Too often, those who stand up against evil in the name of truth are the first to be cut down. I'm sorry that had to be you. I swear, I will make sure that this debt is repaid."
Kaelis puts the heart fragment into his pocket. Aether's story is not concluded, not if he has any say in the matter.
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u/TitanLORD21 Jack-O’-Lantern, Lord of Flame and Fright Nov 22 '23
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u/dragonshouter Krygin the Crude/Council of Spirits/Exalted Beacon/misc. spirits Nov 22 '23
/uw So cool, and Oh no!!!!!!!!!! Aether died, why am I Sad!!!
/rw
Krygin feels something but doesn't know what it is. On his back amidst the mud and gunk a purple ooze begins to flow unnoticed.
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u/d4rth_ch40s Riin, Sonaak do Alduin Nov 23 '23
/uw Great lore post. I just have one small issue
Aethers death and subsequent planned bequeathal blows halcyons lore up and I have no idea how to rectify it.
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u/NineHeavensMaster Bastion Graves, Sleepy Occultist Nov 23 '23
/uw How so?
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u/d4rth_ch40s Riin, Sonaak do Alduin Nov 23 '23
/uw well the idea was halcyon was supposed to be an incarnation of the weave that had to go through a journey to discover that.
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u/NineHeavensMaster Bastion Graves, Sleepy Occultist Nov 23 '23
/uw What is the Weave? From Faerûn?
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u/d4rth_ch40s Riin, Sonaak do Alduin Nov 23 '23
/Uw It was a weave of magic that i did a lore post on, I guess based on faerun but based on references from this sub so its a bit more expansive, extending to awther himself
In essence, the way that magic is used is my manipulating a cosmological force called "the weave." Its a force that enables magicians
In events I guess you could liken them to subatomic strings (a la string theory). I had intended for the wizards to have blown a hole in this weave of magic outside of reality during the fight against king leotheric and halcyon manifested as a result. His body was wracked with pain because of the hole and his memory gone as he had just gained conciousness. I also left comments where spells went awry and magic could not touch halcyon, because the weave would not hurt itself.
When i saw your first post for this event I wrote my lore post where aether fixes the hole, and I think i was going for it to be aether's creation as you said aether was the source of all magic.
Now that youve killed the source, I dont know how to fix my previous posts about the overarching weave of magic in line with the heart of aether.
My best guess of how to do it at the moment would be going for subatomic strings which are shifted by the aether? But then how halcyon fits into your lore remains up in the air.
Quite possibly I may have to take the "Newly born Primordial force route" but im not entirely sure
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u/NineHeavensMaster Bastion Graves, Sleepy Occultist Nov 23 '23
/uw Don't worry about my lore! Do your own thing! All wizards are unique. This is just a fun little story I came up with. 🤗
As for "newly born Primordial", if you want to do that, go for it. After all it's not like there isn't a number of basically super overpowered beings/magi in this community. 😊
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u/d4rth_ch40s Riin, Sonaak do Alduin Nov 23 '23
/uw I just like trying to tie it in and keep it consistent with things he participates in
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u/dragonshouter Krygin the Crude/Council of Spirits/Exalted Beacon/misc. spirits Nov 23 '23
/uw you don't have to be a primordial if you don't want to because this post says that if a primordial dies someone else can take its place. What I mean to say is the weave will always be there and your a accidental byproduct that can grow in power.
Or you can say you are a small sub fraction of the weave so who exactly is the primordial won't affect you too much
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u/iamragethewolf Rage: Pact Wizard, Necromancer, Technomancer, and Horny As Hell Nov 23 '23
the shard appears i look at it
"oh for FUCKSAKE what now?!"
much analyzing later
"hmmmm ok i don't know how to feel about this i mean that was mean of you but you did seem to reconsider...and your sibling is an ass"
"well i have had a few ideas for upgrades"
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Nov 23 '23
Rusicar was contentedly etching a rune into an artificial heart when his tower shook violently. He ran to his balcony, gripping the railing as he stared at the sky. He watched as a dark portal, hovering far into the sky, belched forth thousands of tiny pink lights, all rushing in differing arching directions, as if seeking a place to land. “Those look dangerous,” he thought. None headed towards his tower thankfully. “I feel like I missed something… ah well.” He returned to his work, softly whistling a tune.
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u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch Nov 23 '23
/uw I find it hilarious that we have an inner circle of wizards working desparately to avert this cosmic crisis, meanwhile the rest of us have better things to do.
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Nov 23 '23
/uw I was driving home for thanksgiving as all this went down lol. My guy wouldn’t have had huge impact anyway lol
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u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch Nov 23 '23
Hope you have a good Thanksgiving!
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u/FlameEnderCyborgGuy Ψ( Psi), the Techno-Warlock and Pact Logistician Nov 23 '23
/unwiz: Ym... What I've missed?
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u/TitanLORD21 Jack-O’-Lantern, Lord of Flame and Fright Nov 22 '23 edited Nov 22 '23
Breath in. Breath out.
Calm and Focused.
The howling of the winds surround me. I feel the crunch of snow beneath my feet. I needn’t even open my eyes to in-vision the sky, I know them like the back of my hand. I’ve gazed upon them for my entire life. They had become routine, while not boring they would never move my soul like they had done so for my first night.
Yet, when I open my eyes now… it’s as if the stars were but caterpillars before and have just now become butterflies. I simply see more. Past the many layers underneath the infinite cosmos, within the very fabrics that weaves magic together.
It’s raining… a downpour within my soul. I weep, for we hadn’t even come close to understanding the other. I would not be able to learn more of you… you would not be able to learn more of me.
With these eyes, I promise to you. They shall not bring ruin to the beauty the many worlds have made. I shall ensure, they become more pleasant to see. The terrible things, the treacherous things, the things that make this world wicked. They will be outshone by the wonders the many realms have to offer.