praguepride Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 A series of short fictions to flesh out the Infinity+Verse and to track the mysterious origins of...The Device!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praguepride Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 Origins of... Elix Vitae pt. I 1256 A.D, Earth. Draiochtan Island was an island realm off the coast of England. Conquered by the Romans who promptly forgot about it, the island remaind mostly independent until around 1150 when the English invaded and made the former king bend his knee to the English king. During that war there are constant rumors that strange and magical events came out of the island but such rumors were quickly dismissed as the superstitions of the rabble. Which was exactly what the Jeweled Order of Wizards wanted the world to think. Draiochtan Island was centered over and incredible nexus of ley lines that allows fanatsy to become reality. The land was filled with warlocks and witches, faeries and ogres, even a dragon was still believed to be alive, slumbering beneath the rocks. The Jeweled Order invested considerable energy to keep themselves hidden, pursuing magical research and guiding the way mortals warped the fabric of reality for ages on end. They knew that the world would not tolerate such power held in their hands so they remained in the shadows, keeping their interests and influences into the magical realm only. In fact, one of their most guiding principals was secrecy which is what prompted an emergancy meeting of the Jeweled Council, the most powerful representatives of their respective fields of magic. http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk191/praguepride/blkfade.gif "The Jeweled Council is now in session." His voice echoed around every part of the domed room, bouncing from wall to wall until it seemed that dozens of men had the room surrounded. The old man in green just rolled his eyes at the effect. It wasn't even magical, just a trick of engineering yet it never failed to impress the idiots that surrounded him. On his left he saw the blue robes shift as the imbicile beneath them straightened up and appeared to look important, and the old man guessed correctly that to his right the woman in red was doing the same. Across from those three sat the speaker himself, a relatively young man clad in shining white that seemed to glow in the sunlight cast through the immense skylights of the room. "The Ruby Wizard shall speak first to address the issue presented." With a nod, the lithe woman in red began. "Learned Council, the question around research into demons has been brought up throughout our history and throughout our history it has always been decided that looking into the infernal is too dangerous to be tolerated. One of our fundamental duties has been to protect the realm of mortals from the influences of demons so to tempt disaster by dealing with them has always been forbidden. And yet, one of our very own has violated this trust nad has treated with beings from the lower plane." The flabby man in blue gasped in surprise. "One of us? That is impossible! That is unthinkable! Who amongst us would even think of..." The old man in green couldn't contain himself, Sapphire's propensity for theatrics was unbearable. "Oh, stuff it Eldin, there isn't an audience here so spare us the hysterics." The Sapphire Wizard silenced immediately but had a hurt look in his eyes at being cut off. "And you, Beatrix, how dare you judge me. Maybe if you spent more time in the study and less time in the bed of the stable boys you might realize that I am on the cusp of true greatness." Across from the three, the young man's face had gone red, a sharp constrast to his pure white robes. "Silence Emerald Wizard! How dare you show such disrespect! We have all set aside our personal lives in service to the Order and to be on the council you set aside your name. How dare you try and personify the highest sources of magic in this realm!" "Piss off, Diamond...or should I say Walter!" The Emerald Wizard stood and grabbed his staff as the Diamond Wizard stammered in rage. "I thought about denying Beatrix..." "Ruby!" "That whore's accusations but truth be told I've grown tired of the council. Endless bickering and constant meetings. Nothing important ever happens except the constant interruption of my work. Work that goes so far above and beyond anything any of you could even contemplate that frankly I've grown tired of even associating with you incompetent fools." "Are you implying that your area of magic is greater then mine? I command the power of the elements!" "And I have mastery of the mind!" "All you are master of is the banquet table. And I laugh at the elements when I hold the power of life itself in my hands. I shall warn you all only once to stay out of my way and let me complete my work in peace." The Emerald Wizard leaned heavily on his staff as he started towards the door. "Halt! I command you and shall pass judgement upon you! For violation of the Order's trust and for consorting with demons you will be imprisoned within our dungeons until you can either be redeemed or pass from this world. For the extreme disrespect you have shown, you will be bound and gagged until such a time as you learn proper manners. Ruby! Sapphire! Guards!" Diamond and Ruby grabbed up their staves while Sapphire remained sitting, stunned at what was transpiring. With surprising agility, the Emerald Wizard whipped around and fired off a blast of pure death that caught the Sapphire Wizard full. Within seconds his pudgy body began to shrivel and decompose, leaving a partially rotten corpse still sitting on his throne. With a roar Ruby let out a blast of fire from the tip of her staff, engulfing the Emerald Wizard in a raging inferno. The Emerald Wizard erected a glowing green field and let the fire wash over it, protected from its heat within his bubble. He quickly chanted a spell that sapped the strength from Ruby's body. Gasping for breath, her staff slipped from her fingers and she collapsed to the floor. "Looks like it's just you and me, Walter." The Diamond Wizard roared in anger and unleashed a powerful blast of pure white energy that shattered the Emerald Wizard's shield. "I am THE DIAMOND WIZARD! Are you so far lost that you have forgotten what that means? It means I am a master of Sapphire magic." He let loose a swirling blast of blue from his diamond studded staff and the Emerald Wizard was overwhelmed with pain as his mind started to tear itself apart. He dropped his staff as well and clutched his head in agony from the pain within his skull. "It means I am a master of Ruby Magic." A gout of fire lept from his staff and engulfed the defenseless old man, horribly burning his face and body. "And it means I am a master of Emerald Magic as well." With a final cry he unleashed a sickeningly green haze from his staff that wrapped around the Emerald Wizard, leeching the very life out of his old bones. The Diamond Wizard strode forward as the Emerald Wizard lay broken, burnt, and dying. "For all your arrogance, you have suffered this fate. You have served on this council longer then any other before you but instead of embracing that honor you let the power at your command corrupt you. I just hope that others will be able to learn from your folly." With his dying gasp, the old man started to chuckle. "You think...you...have...won? You...have...only..." His last words faded so softly that the Diamond Wizard leaned closer to hear them. As he did, the Emerald Wizard suddenly burst out with a powerful spell, draining the life the Diamond Wizard to heal his own battered body. In shock, the Diamond Wizard tried to erect a shield to protect himself from the insidious magic but as his mind started to burst and his body started to burn, he lost control and succumbed to the pain, collapsing even as the Emerald Wizard rose with new vigor. "You see the powers that I can command. Who cares about the mind or the elements when I can control life and death itself. The only reason you ascended to the Diamond throne was because I had no use for inferior magics of other schools. You claim you're a master of Emerald but you know NOTHING about life." The Diamond Wizard was too weak to respond as his life essence continued to leech out into the Emerald Wizard. "My god, I should have done this years ago. I feel better then ever..." He paused and looked at his hands. His skin was still blistered and scarred even though beneath it the damage was healed. "No matter, who cares what I look like when I command powers the gods can only dream of." He looked down at the once mighty and imperious Diamond Wizard, now reduced to a barely breathing sack of meat and bones. "As a parting gift, let me help you. While you know nothing about Life, let this be the only lesson of death that you will ever need." Laughing, he picked up his staff and strode out of the council chambers and through the Jeweled Order. Guards and apprentices, even magical allies rushed to stop his exodus but a few words of power spoken by him let him stride easily over their dying and decomposing bodies. http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/jsilver536/DisfiguredSorcerer.jpg The Emerald Wizard - by J Silver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhd1 Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Good idea for a dynasty praguepride, and having yet to try the mod itself I'll definitely be reading this. However, I think it would really benefit from some pictures of the new characters - especially given the diary's purpose. Looking forward to some more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praguepride Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 Elix Vitae pt. II 1259 A.D. "RE-TREAAAAT!" The cry of the defeated echoed across the battlefield as the soldiers fell back, brave knights fleeing alongside untrained peasants, warriors dropping their weapons and shields to hasten their flight. Many stumbled as they ran, tripping over the dead or dying as they fled out of sight of their fearsome enemies. The infernal hoarde laughed and taunted as the English forces retreated for the third time that day. Their demonic might, bolstered by other mystical creatures and men of evil intent had once again proven too fearsome to overcome for the brave crusaders. After laying waste to the Jeweled Order, the Emerald Wizard had wasted little time in gathering allies as he dropped the veil of secrecy and revealed himself to the world. He sent out a warning to the English King in the form of a plague in the royal court with the demand that the King make no attempt to stop his ritual from completing. The King replied by mustering his forces and laying seige to the island, bolstered by forces from the Church looking to wage holy war against servants of Satan that infested the island. Despite their superior numbers, the English army was once again put to flight. Far away from the front lines, the English generals continued to argue and bicker as their army once again crumbled into chaos. "This is hopeless. We cannot stop that hoarde! They have demons fighting beside them. Actual demons walking the land!" "All the more reason why we must stop them. The Lord's domain shall not suffer the presence of the infernal any longer then it must. It is the duty of all Christians to stand up and fight such evil." "With what? Arrows and blades bounce off their hides!" "Holy water and artifacts have proven effective..." "And they know that. The last team of priests we sent out there were immediately overrun and killed. We are running out of holy men to purge those demons. If the demons don't break us then the deserters will. Dozens slink away every night only to turn up on their front lines the next day. The Emerald Wizard's forces have doubled since we landed. This is hopeless, we must leave this cursed place. Maybe we can muster more troops from home or gather allies from abroad but our force here has been ground into dust. We must leave!"[/color] "No." From the head of the table, Sir Fenix finally spoke and the bickering generals quieted down. Sir Fenix had been granted command of this army by the King and the Pope himself had given him the holy order of purging the blasphemous Emerald Wizard from the land. There was no one in the room, whether driven by duty or faith who could argue against him. "We will stay and we will finish this." He gestured for the guards to bring in his visitor. A battered and broken old crone hobbled in, her back bent and face haggard. The generals shifted nervously, not knowing what to expect from a strange and unexpected vistor garbed in crimson silk. She tried to speak but was reduced to coughing fits so Sir Fenix spoke instead. "This is the Ruby Wizard, she was a member of the same order as the Emerald one before he turned on them and caused this mess. She will help us to avenge her order." "Her? She can barely stand let alone fight. What use will she be?" "She has knowledge more valuable then a legion of men-at-arms. She has informed me that these demons are weak to pure silver and even now our armorers are melting down everything they can find to outfit our archers with silver-tipped arrows. Our reserves are creating torches to better fight the living dead and the rest are just flesh and blood. More importantly, she knows the Emerald Wizard's plans. He is preparing some vast ritual to take drain the life of the entire island. It is delicate and must not be interrupted once he starts which is why he is fighting in the first place. His entire army is just there to buy him time. Once we have regrouped the men we will make one final strike for the tower, putting everything into punching a hole through enemy lines and storming the tower. Once the Emerald Wizard is defeated his army will shatter so we mustn't hold anything back. Generals, form your honor guards for you will all be following me and protecting the Ruby Wizard through the fight. If we can get her into that tower, victory is at hand." The tent exploded in outrage as the generals object to being placed in the fight, knowing full well the mortality rate of their warriors. Sir Fenix stayed long into the night, quelling each and every arguement. By morning, the troops were regrouped and reorganized and re-equipped in a fantastic display of efficiency. It seemed like everyone knew that this would be the final push and no one wanted to be unprepared for the end. The army marched, their fearsome enemies took to the field again, eager for the slaughter. "Archers...loose!" A hail of arrows flew across the battlefield peppering enemy lines. Where before there had been only laughter as they had bounced off of demonic hides, now screams of pain, fury and death came from the demonic lines. A cheer rose up from the English as they charged forward. The undead shambled out to meet them, little fearing spear or arrow but when the men-at-arms brandished torches, the desicated flesh quickly caught and flames engulfed the enemy army, reducing the dead to ashes and providing no more vassals for necromantic energies. Finally the mortals clashed, men against men fighting with cold hard steel. The hearts of the pure against the hearts of the wicked. As the battle raged onward, Sir Fenix and his generals escorted the carriage of the Ruby Wizard across the battlefield, slowly making progress towards the tower. As the fighting raged on, Sir Fenix heard a cry from elder lips. "It...it is too late! The ritual has started!" Sir Fenix rushed back to the Ruby Wizard and held her frail hand as he rode alongside her. "Is there nothing we can do? It will still take us hours to reach the tower with all this fighting, if we even make it there at all. Do we have time?" "No...I'm afraid not, Fenix." "Then all is lost..." "Not...entirely. Do you know...your name?" "My...what? What are you babbling about?" "Your name...it is a corruption of a legend. A bird of fire and hope. Give me your cloak." Sir Fenix seemed uncertain but unwilling to argue with a Jeweled mage he unclasped his cloak and handed it over. The old woman chanted softly and the cloak began to glow. Her chanting grew louder and louder until her shout could be heard across the battlefield. The glow intensified and waves of heat rolled off the wagon. The horses reared in fear as their tails began to smoulder. And then it was stopped, the glow flashed away leaving little more then singed hairs. The Ruby Wizard lay motionless, the cloak lying on her charred chest. Driven by instinct more then anything, Sir Fenix dismounted and carefully reached out to touch his cloak, wary of the harm, but found the cloak perfectly ordinary to the touch. As he clasped it, he felt immense power, power like none before. He heard a whisper in his ear. "Rise, my Phoenix!" He looked at the prone body of the Ruby Wizard but she remained lifeless, and yet he continued to hear her voice. "I have grafted my spirit to your cloak so that I may grant you the powers of the fire bird for which your ancestors were named after so long ago. Tap into my power and you shall restore hope to this land. With me you shall lead your army back from the brink of death and burn away the corruption that has plagued this land for too long." "Rise, my Fenix!" And he burst into flames. http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d105/jsilver536/Phoenix.jpg Sir Fenix - by J Silver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praguepride Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 Origins of... Hemotose Moon Pt. I 69,625,208 B.C. With a flash It once again appeared. Looking down It saw the Purpose. The Purpose was existence, and existence was the purpose. Although It was far too large to hear any being on the Purpose, It still knew what was going on. They had dubbed the Purpose as Hemotose Moon. A strange, confusing name but It had no need for names. ...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmm...... Casting a gaze across the cosmos, It checked the fabric of reality ensuring the continuation of the Purpose...this...Hemotose Moon. Everything was as according to The Plan...except there was a disturbance, a disruption in the greater fabric. ...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmm...... Pulling inward from the far gaze, It noticed that something was happening right in front of itself. A fleet of ships had appeared and were moving towards It at high speeds. They tiny specks were charging energy weapons and opening fire, but It hardly noticed such a distraction, It's thoughts were wrapped around the distrubance it had sensed. ...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmm...... The disturbance hadn't appeared yet, it would take thousands of years to manifest yet it was still there, visible on the horizon of time and space. The universe, with its infinite possabilities had finally created something that could ruin The Plan. This was something that It would never allow. ...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmm...... With casual disintrest, It destroyed all the ships in the sector. Beams of pure energy shot out and vaporized each target with pinpoint accuracy while It searched for something, anything that would allow It to change the course of history, to prevent this disturbance from ever fully manifesting. ...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmm...... Although It could alter the fabric of reality, the scope of such power was too limited to alter events on the other side of the universe, however there was another way. It reached out and plucked an asteroid from its orbit, an asteroid of just the right size and shape and material composition for It's plan. ...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmm...... With only a minor amount of effort It calculated the proper trajectory and let the asteroid propel out of the system. The asteroid would travel for millions of years, slingshotting from star to star to star to navigate it's path and achieve the purpose that It has chosen. STONG!!! And with that, It disappeared again. http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk191/praguepride/CBH/CBH300811-B2_clarity.jpg Amstong - by J Silver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praguepride Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 Origins of... New Cacogass Pt. I 1850 A.D. "Well looky here! We got ourselves anotha' new comer. Welcome! Welcome! The newcomer was greeted by a large, sweaty man blasting out of the local hotel. He was dressed head to toe in a cheap fabric suit covered in dirt, but that didn't stop him from embracing the traveler with a big hug. Noticing the newcomer's reaction, he straightened his hat and smoothed down his suit. "Sorry to surprise you, fella' but that's just how we greet each otha' down here. I'm Mayor Swyne and welcome to the friendliest town West of the Mississip, that's New Sassafrass." "The sign says New Cacogass." Mayor Swyne goes red in the face in indignation. "What're you babblin' 'bout? The sign clearly says 'Sassafrass'" The newcomer looks between the sign labeled NEW CACOGASS and the Mayor and decides to let the issue drop. "So let me take you for a tour. Right here is the Sassafrass Hotel." The large man gestures at the New Cacogass Hotel, a large brightly colored affair that sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the towns conservatively decorated buildings. "I built this hotel up before there was even a town. I figured if I built it, people would come. Turns out I was wrong but luckily enough other things started poppin' up and eventually people did come. Although we was strugglin' mighty fierce before the mines opened up." At the mention of the mines the newcomer's interested peaked. "Yes, tell me about the mines. I've heard so many...different things and I'd like to differentiate fact from fiction." "Well...I'm always willin' ta oblige some diffienteating...diffiarentia...always willing to help. Now the mines started out as nothin' more then ordinary coal mines but then something weird started happening. The miners found a rich vein and shortly afterwards stuff all around town started explodin'. Wouldn't go a day without some furnace or somethin' goin' KA-BOOM" He gestured wildly, nearly knocking off the newcomers hat in the process. "Finally after a bit of thinkin' we linked it all back to the coal comin' out of the mines. We found that this new vein of coal is little different. Burns ten times hotter and longer then the regular stuff. Also emits a very odd sound when it burns which helped us seperate the good stuff from the ordinary real quick. I've been dubbin' it Piper's Coal and when news got out about our special blend that's when things really started boomin' round here, and I'm not talkin' about explosives this time. Now look at this place, a bonafide town, and me the mayor." The Mayor continued to talk but the newcomer's attention had already drifted. As the pair rounded a corner, the newcomer quietly drifted away, letting the oblivious Mayor continue to deliver his tour to nobody in particular. The newcomer smiled as he grabbed the reins of his horse and extied town. It would seem the rumors were true, that this new coal coming out of New Cacogass' mines was something special indeed. Perhaps it would finally be powerful enough to bring his plans to reality. And if that was possible, then soon he would be ruling first New Cacogass, and then eventually the entire world. http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk191/praguepride/CBH/SenatorGoodmanBody_scottie.jpg Mayor Swyne - by Scottie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praguepride Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Origins of... New Cacogass Pt. II 1850 A.D. In his hidden lair, Dr. Wyatt Lee continued his work. Free from interruptions his work was proceeding at an incredible rate. Already he had assembled dozens of chasis and was putting the finishing touches on the very last one he would need for his mission. And if his plan succeeded, he would have the manual labor needed to build the army he needed to conquer the rest of the world... Almost shaking with anticipation, he slid the access panel open and inserted the small black lump that would power this mechanical man. The Mayor had dubbed it Piper's Coal, but Wyatt learned the truth in just a short amount of time. While it looked like coal and the ignorant could burn it like such, this material was something else entirely. Something not of this world and each one contained almost limitless energy, the only trouble was safely unlocking it. The shattered remains of his earlier prototypes heaped in a corner were a testament to that difficulty, but with enough time and science, any problem could be solved, and now he had the ability to fuel his war machine. He placed black lump into the center of the harness and shut the panel. He lowered his goggles and flipped the switch, sending bolts of electricity into his mechanical army. One by one, they started emitting horrible shrieking sounds, sounds of superheated air escaping from the porous fuel. Sounds that Wyatt had learned equated to success. http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk191/praguepride/blkfade.gif The town of New Cacogass was bursting at the seems. Mayor Swyne's decision to hold a giant festival was turning into a huge success, people had traveled hundreds of miles to see the festivities of the Wild West's bursting new town. The mayor couldn't help but smile as he saw the future of his tiny town, a town that would turn into a city, a bastion of civilization in an uncivilized land. His dreams were pierced by shrieks from the far side of main street. Panicked patrons started running the other way, fleeing...something. As he focused he started hearing strange sounds, heavy thumps and high pitched hisses. "Now now, what's tha commotion? Everyone just calm down, there's nothing to fear in Sassafrass." But the crowd ignored him, nearly stampeded him in fear. As he picked himself up and dusted himself off, he finally saw the source of the commotion. An army of metal clad men were marching down main street, marching in perfect unison. Something was off about the men, their movements were rigid and jerked like a puppet on strings rather then a living person. Mayor Swyne had seen nothing remotely similar before in all his life and he stood transfixed by the approaching army. So focused was he that he didn't notice the person standing right next to him. Glancing over, he stumbled in fright. It was a man clad in metal, but this one was different, his movements more fluid and Swyne could see the person's eyes behind the metal mask. With a soft hiss the man bent over and grabbed Mayor Swyne's jacket and in one swift motion hauled the large man up by one hand. "This town is mine, understand?" Mayor Swyne could only blubber and sputter. "The mines as well. Understand?" Swyne continued to sputter formless words. After a couple moments he finally recovered his wits enough to form a complete sentence. "Who...who are you!?" The man casually tossed Swyne twenty feet away as if he was nothing more then a sack of potatoes. Swyne landed in a heap, badly hurt and unable to rise up. The man laughed and looked at his hands as if amazed by his own strength. "Remember this day, for this is where it all begins. I AM MECHA-MAN!" http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk191/praguepride/blkfade.gif http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk191/praguepride/CBH/Amrak2.jpg Mecha-Man by i effin rule Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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