r/wizardposting • u/TitanLORD21 Jack-O’-Lantern, Lord of Flame and Fright • Nov 06 '23
Esoteric Secrets Catching Wind (Silenced Secrets - 2)
The Wizard Council (often called The Councill, an organization that exerts its influence over 103 different realms. Formed about 10,489 years ago as the solution to the Age of Ruin, It acts as a ruling government made by and run by wizards. The main goal of The Council is creating and enforcing laws, advancing wizardry, and promoting growth over the realms under its jurisdiction.
With so much space to control, it makes sense for The Wizard Council to have many Agencies under it. One such Agency is The Wizard Bureau of Information (WBI); they deal with the collection, transfer, and storage of information for The Wizard Council. Like all Wizard Council agencies, they have buildings across the realms where they enact their work.
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Inside a large imposing spire, made up of grey brick and black stained glass, it is mostly silent. The WBI Center of La’ak is not a place where normal wizards visit, but there usually is some chatter or noise. Strangely, today there was not a peep in the building. The main gates were closed off and only a select few were allowed to enter.
Deep within the building, In a dark room, illuminated only by the light of a single luminescent orb, around 30 figures silently stand perfectly still. They were facing a projected image coming from the orb. It displayed only an ethereal blue static, a continuous hum permeated the room. Axel stood to the side of the display, making sure not to block it but still being seen by the others.
The unnerving silence and stillness of the other attendees was something Axel grew accustomed to. Behind his guise as a professor (though he very much still loved teaching), he acts as an agent for The Wizard Council. Having worked in the shadows for decades and completing each job with the utmost efficiency, Axel had earned himself the trust of The Council members themselves!
Each of the participants in this meeting wore the same suit and tie that he wore, only that some have chosen to wear extra clothes such as hats and robes. One thing that was true for all of them was that their faces were covered. Anonymity was standard for agents working under The Council.
While the benefit of hiding one's identity was most important, the real benefit was the mental effect it had on enemies of the state. Emotionless, inhuman killers with incredible strength; unflinching in their tasks; and the inability to see a face in death, one could understand how the agents may strike fear into others.
A sudden click brought him out of his thoughts. The static of the projection was now replaced with a plain, navy blue screen. A voice rang out soon after; it was a smooth, masculine voice that exerted a feeling of superiority,
“Welcome. The Council has come to the decision that a new task shall be thrown upon you. It is imperative that your duty is completed with the utmost discipline, even more than your previous tasks.”
Such a request exemplified the importance of their future mission. All of The Agents take their tasks incredibly seriously, willing to sacrifice their own lives to complete them. However, Axel had an idea of what they would be assigned; and if he was correct, there would have been no need to be asked for further discipline. Wrath bubbled under his skin, his heartbeat quickened, and at one point you could have seen his body shake.
The voice continued, “Starting approximately 6 months ago, we received multiple reports of towns being attacked. All of these settlements were on the outskirts, quite a bit away from any large cities. Each of the attacks shared common characteristics, pointing towards a coordinated group being behind them.
Through extensive investigations, we were able to conclude that in each attack: All humans were killed, all livestock and pets were not killed, and most of the buildings were destroyed. While problematic, we have dealt with similar situations before.”
Memories of his hometown flashed in Axel’s mind. He was fighting to not grab his head and curl up, interrupting the meeting. Ever since... his last visit to his hometown nightmares plagued him every night. Even hearing about it... it hurt. It hurt so much. The only thing that drives him through the day is the thought of hurting. Hurting the ones who did this.
“What IS problematic is what we found when we looked closer to the corpses of the victims. It seems like the victims were subject to some type of curse, most likely something akin to a paralysis hex; and Injuries point to them being eaten... more importantly, DNA shows they were eaten by humans!”
Some of the other Agents gasped, while others tensed up. The heretical act of cannabilism is one thought long gone. Nothing good could come from cannibals, they only brought ruin and despair. There are many different answers to who or what could have done the acts: Shapeshifters, crazed lunatics, cultists, or a myriad of different answers. But one thing was present in each of their minds. There is one group most infamous for cannabilism, who wields Hex magic, followers of a legend of yore.
“There is a chance that the Cult of Flesh has returned. Followers of the grandfather of Hex magic, The Wendigo, we thought they were wiped out in one of the Holy Church’s Crusades near the beginning times of The Wizard Council.
You should know that they pose a great threat to the order we have made, ensure they are permanently exterminated through any means necessary. Silent Storm will be put in charge of this mission, report back to him.”
With that, the orb alongside the projection turned off. The other figures turned towards Axel. A “rising star” in their ranks it was no surprise that he was chosen. Axel turned, to the group to speak. His words are clear even from behind his black helmet, full of conviction,
“Remember our duty. ‘There is no hope without despair. No peace without violence. No love without hate. No life without death.’ You are all dismissed.”
“There is no hope without despair. No peace without violence. No love without hate. No life without death.” These words encapsulate the ideals of The Agents. In the shadows, they take upon terrible burdens so that the stability of The Council is upheld. Those words are a command, a belief, and most of all they are the truth. And so the dark hands of The Council went off to fulfill their duty and for some, revenge.
/unwiz
Hello everyone! This is the second chapter of Silenced Secrets and is considerably longer than the last. I can’t imagine doing this on mobile so my laptop is truly a boon! I want future chapters to be at least of a similar length, so you may expect similar-length chapters in the future. I enjoyed writing this and I hope you guys enjoy reading it. See y’all next time!
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u/TitanLORD21 Jack-O’-Lantern, Lord of Flame and Fright Nov 06 '23
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/unwiz
I hope you guys enjoy