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'''At the Ankorian Sanctuary, Vaurien''' was debriefed by the council of elders,while Mahrous was examined and eventually approved as Vaurien's apprentice. The Council of Elders then ordered Vaurien to return with Mahrous to Marias Ithilien,his personal Hold and teach him more of magic.
 
'''At the Ankorian Sanctuary, Vaurien''' was debriefed by the council of elders,while Mahrous was examined and eventually approved as Vaurien's apprentice. The Council of Elders then ordered Vaurien to return with Mahrous to Marias Ithilien,his personal Hold and teach him more of magic.
   
'''Marias Ithilien was under siege''' as it had been for the last decade. Minas Ithilien was mounted atop a great peninsula overlooking an ancient valley. Downwards from the fortress,a city had been built on the face of the cliff. Vaurien and Mahrous rode Mech-Horses up this ruined city and into the fortress. They spent 2 months there. Vaurien taught Mahrous a mixture of history, fighting skills and sorcery. In the end, they sallied forth several times to break the siege. They failed but managed to damage the ranks of Tomb-Wights that besieged the fortress.
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'''Marias Ithilien was under siege''' as it had been for the last decade. Marias Ithilien was mounted atop a great peninsula overlooking an ancient valley. Downwards from the fortress,a city had been built on the face of the cliff. Vaurien and Mahrous rode Mech-Horses up this ruined city and into the fortress. They spent 2 months there. Vaurien taught Mahrous a mixture of history, fighting skills and sorcery. In the end, they sallied forth several times to break the siege. They failed but managed to damage the ranks of Tomb-Wights that besieged the fortress.
   
 
'''Once Vaurien reported that Mahrous''' was up to level 4, they were ordered back into the battlefield. First to lead a battalion of Ensorcers to relieve stress of Castle Fortaim, and then into a 7 year campaign to retake the Mountains of Blood.
 
'''Once Vaurien reported that Mahrous''' was up to level 4, they were ordered back into the battlefield. First to lead a battalion of Ensorcers to relieve stress of Castle Fortaim, and then into a 7 year campaign to retake the Mountains of Blood.
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'''The figure laughed and spoke''' to them. It told them that it was the Shadow Lord, Salazar of the Shadows, and that he was here to make good his promise from a thousand years ago. He the said that they would now die, however, Vaurien unveiled their secret weapon, a rocket launcher which he fired at the Wyrme. He struck the arch below the Wyrme, and it collapsed, but he missed the Wyrme. Then, the Skeletors attacked again, and Vaurien attempted to shoot the Wyrme again, however, he failed and lost the rocket launcher. Mahrous saw the launcher behind a Skeletor and retrieved it, shooting a huge stone pillar which collapsed the gate from which the Skeletors charged, buying them some time. They reached their boat successfully, and returned to civilization.
 
'''The figure laughed and spoke''' to them. It told them that it was the Shadow Lord, Salazar of the Shadows, and that he was here to make good his promise from a thousand years ago. He the said that they would now die, however, Vaurien unveiled their secret weapon, a rocket launcher which he fired at the Wyrme. He struck the arch below the Wyrme, and it collapsed, but he missed the Wyrme. Then, the Skeletors attacked again, and Vaurien attempted to shoot the Wyrme again, however, he failed and lost the rocket launcher. Mahrous saw the launcher behind a Skeletor and retrieved it, shooting a huge stone pillar which collapsed the gate from which the Skeletors charged, buying them some time. They reached their boat successfully, and returned to civilization.
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'''Their boat - The Morgavian - sailed''' them to Norloch, the Capital of the Sorcerer World, where the Nine Towers and Keystones resided. They met personally with the High Council(A group of nine people who each represent a Sanctuary, and therefore a continent) and Malakar, the Crown of the Sorcerers(Secretary of State + Secretary + Adviser). After giving their report, Malakar recited to them the Prophecy of Shadows, which goes as follows:
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''The Shadow Lord from Time Eternal''
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''Shall rise again in Castle Infernal''
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''To seek his blade, and make it found''
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''From lock-ed Prison Beneath the Ground''
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''And with a mighty undead army at his helm''
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''Shall unleash the Maelstrom upon every Realm''
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'''Malakar then explained that the''' Shadow Lord's blade was hidden in the sanctuary of Concordia. He further explained that the key to the vault in Concordia was in Marias Ithilien, meaning that Marias Ithilien would be the Shadow Lord's next target. This meant Vaurien and Mahrous would have to leave quickly, and indeed they did.
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'''They returned to Marias Ithilien''' by way of the Secret Stairs, preparing the defenses quickly, activating their shield and manning walls, catapults, and crossbows. Within just hours, they were attacked by a huge force of Skeletors who almost overwhelmed the defenders, striking them down with a new ability: Thrwing blasts of dark magic.
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'''The Battle for Marias Ithilien''' lasted several days, with armies sallying forth from the fortress and returning thrice a day. Neither side could gain an advantage, however, the Skeletors were lead by a General, who had a rune on his face painted in Blood, which allowed him to turn dead corpses(Such as Ensorcers who died in the charges or fell from the walls) into Skeletors.
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'''On the fifth day the''' battle became decisive, with the Shadow Lord attacking with his Voors. Now 13 Wyrmes and thousands of Voors dotted the skies, while the castle was surrounded by Skeletors on the ground. The increased heat of battle took its toll on the men, many of whom were new recruits since the War. The Shadow Lord labelled them craven cowards, and worse, in an attempt to provoke them, but nothing worked - until the Shadow Lord caught a messenger from Marias Ithilien at the bottom of the Secret Stairs.
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'''The messenger confessed the location''' of the Secret Stairs after intense torture. The Shadow Lord took advantage of this immediately, gathering a group of special troops for a raid that night. When the moon began to rise, and greatest darkness was at hand, the Skeletors climbed the Secret Stairs, coming out in Marias Ithilien. They quickly hurried through the fortress, scrambling to retrieve the key, open the gates and disable the shield.
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'''The Skeletors, unfortunately for the''' Shadow Lord, were not gifted with stealth, and were discovered quickly. A huge battle ensued, Where Vaurien and Mahrous engaged the evil Shadow Lord, Atomism versus Dark Magic and Shadow Trickery. In the end, Vaurien and Mahrous chased the Shadow Lord, who was delayed by a cook offering him muffins, to the chamber with the key. Vaurien ordered Mahrous to take it to Norloch, but Mahrous couldn't get to the docks, so he formulated a new plan instead.
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'''Mahrous took the key and''' led the Shadow Lord on a merry chase. Mahrous continued running around Marias Ithilien, before changing course and climbing the Moon-Spire. The Shadow Lord followed him to the top of the Moon-Spire, where he demanded the key, saying that there was nothing Mahrous could do to stop him. Mahrous agreed, and tossed the key to the Shadow Lord - and then used Vaurien's lessons on channeling energy to pull all of the ancient magic in Marias Ithilien into destroying the Shadow Lord.
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'''A beam of white-hot''' energy struck the Shadow Lord with enough force and power to destroy a city, and the Shadow king seemed to detonate explosively. Mahrous celebrated, and descended the tower, only to be knocked unconscious by Vaurien. Via the Secret Stair, the residents of Marias Ithilien fled, running at top speed to the bottom of the valley. Above them, Marias Ithilien crumbled and shattered, block by block, window by window till it was no more.
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'''When Mahrous woke up, he''' was in a large tent, where Vaurien chastised Mahrous for his idiocy and stupidity, saying that Marias Ithilien had been destroyed by his actions. He further explained that the Shadow Lord's Wyrme had caught the key, and that the Shadow Lord was merely dispersed for a few days. Mahrous was annoyed with Vaurien, but also angry with himself, as he'd destroyed his home and given the Shadow Lord the key. The only choice(if Mahrous didn't want to be exiled) was to tell the High Council that the Shadow Lord had already retrieved the key and that Mahrous was trying to salvage the situation.
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'''Despite the crisis, the heroes''' knew where they needed to be, and used the time Mahrous had bought them to move to the Concordian Sanctuary. When they arrived, they discovered that other forces had arrived too, the Concordian Sanctuary was now an impregnable fortress.
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'''The battle came to Concordia''' sooner than expected, with an even larger army of Skeletors than before, with the Shadow Lord at the Helm, attacking viciously with all his magic. The defenses were torn apart by waves of shadow, Skeletors leaped over and threw their energy orbs, creating chaos.
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'''Away from the battle, the''' Shadow Lord lead a group of Skeletor into the Sanctuary, where Vaurien was waiting with the second wave of warriors. The defense had been well prepared, the Skeletors were stopped in their tracks, and had to fight their way viciously through Ensorcer ranks. The Shadow Lord, however, snuck away from the battle and hurried to the vaults. He engaged and killed the guards there, and used the key.
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'''The Shadow Lord successfully avoided''' the booby traps, and managed to retrieve his sword. He ran through the Sanctuary, calling his forces, and killed anyone in his way. With his blade, he was much more powerful, and as the battle concluded outside the Sanctuary, he used his power to destroy the Sanctuary utterly.
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'''The Skeletors left the Ensorcers''' to die. Now, the endgame was coming. Vaurien and Mahrous quickly organized and mobilized the troops, taking a ship from the docks and chartering passage to Norloch again. They knew that the Shadow Lord wouldn't attack Norloch immediately, as his forces had been heavily reduced, so they had some time to get to Norloch and strengthen its defenses.
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'''Norloch was already preparing for''' war when the reinforcements arrived. The defenses had already been prepared, and Norloch was an impregnable fortress, with huge walls, towers, buttresses, shields and gates, moreover, Malakar had brought in a group of new, mysterious mercenaries to function as guards for the gates. In addition to this, extensive wards were placed throughout the city, and the docks closed off.
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'''3 days after the preparations''', the battle began. The Shadow Lord had arrived, with more Skeletors than ever before. A huge battle began, massive explosions, flashing catapults, shining shields, skies clouded by Wyrmes and Voors. Simultaneously, Malakar called an emergency meeting of the High Council to discuss recent events. It was then that he showed his true colors. Quite suddenly, he unleashed powerful red rays of destruction, killing all 8 attending members of the Council, and gave a sudden order. In the gatehouses, the new mercenaries killed their fellow Ensorcers, revealing themselves to be Skeletors, and opening the gates.
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'''In the Citadel, Malakar traveled''' to the shield chamber(Norloch's shield is generated by a chamber filled with sigils and symbols, boosted by 77 other sigils around the city). In the chamber, he redrew a line on the symbols, but backwards, causing the shield to short out and collapse. Suddenly, the city was overwhelmed by Skeletors streaming through the gates and Voors reaching down from the skies. Hundreds of citizens participated, attempting to defend their city, while others locked themselves away in their homes. The battle had changed utterly, with utter chaos throughout the city, and the Shadow Lord was using it to his advantage.
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'''A luck blast from an''' Energy Hurler knocked the Shadow Lord of his Wyrme in the middle of a courtyard. A huge battle ensued, with Vaurien and Mahrous attacking the Shadow Lord, and eventually Vaurien caused him to drop his sword.
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'''Mahrous stole the Shadow Lord's''' sword(Which is the key to the vault containing the Maelstrom) and began leaping from rooftop to rooftop to escape with the sword. Vaurien told him to take it to Malakar, and he vowed to follow his master's orders. He was soon chased by the Shadow Lord on his Wyrme. Mahrous desperately tried using the Sword's power against it's master, with varying degrees of success.
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'''The long chase came to'''an end when Mahrous spotted Malakar, on a rooftop. Changing direction quickly, Mahrous headed for him, brandishing the sword wildly. Mahrous reached the rooftop quickly, where Malakar smiled at Mahrous, took the sword and knocked Mahrous unconscious with a blue ray of light. Malakar returned the sword to the Shadow Lord, and Mahrous was tied to the Shadow Lord's Wyrme.
   
 
==Magical Abilities==
 
==Magical Abilities==

Revision as of 05:44, 14 March 2014

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This article describes a custom creation, custom theme, or other fan material, made by a Brickipedia contributor. It has never been, is not, and will not be officially released.

The Atomist
Subthemes:

Generals of Death

Creator:

Stone Warrior

'


There is a hidden world,a world layered over our own mortal world filled with magic and mystery. A place where all that we believed mythical resides,filled with sorcerers and enchantresses,centaurs and fire-breathing eagles. But now this land is torn apart by war-a war against the one enemy even immortal beings must bow down to-Death

Plot

Vaurien Serpentongue is a sorcerer. He lives in a world like our own,but also very different. It is an alternate dimension, one might say but overlapped with ours. There are ways between worlds and often from the mortal worlds, or the 'hushlands' . But in this other world, called Aethinor(Aay-thin-orr),there is magic and magical beings. Ancient creatures: witches, trolls, liches, centaurs and more. But now this marvelous world of magic and mystery is torn apart by war. But this war is no ordinary war, no petty squabble over territories and colonies. This war is waged by sorcerers and some magical creatures aligned in groups called Holds or large fortresses used as staging points and fortresses all of which were aligned with a different Sanctuary.

The enemy of the sorcerers was himself a sorcerer who called himself Dominus D Tenebris (latin for Lord of Shadows). He gathered around himself a group of three generals: Baron Von Vengeance, Nathaniel Thornheart and Myosotis Shard. Then,he rallied sorcerers into a war against the Sanctuaries who he believed monopolized and dictated sorcerers. However,despite years of hard training and grim determination ultimately his forces were failing. He knew he was losing the war,so he went on a dangerous quest,involving himself with a dangerous group of fanatics--The Heralds of Death. After learning their secrets,he went on a quest to find Death,and he succeeded. He bargained with Death itself who has always desired our world for his own. Dominus then agreed to a horrifying deal with Death--he would be given troops and warriors and dark magic as well as ancient knowledge for his war and in return,once he won the war He would help Death step into our world and turn it into a nightmarish hell.

Dominus's warriors did not react as he expected. Rather than be overjoyed and pleased by the deal they were terrified. Fortunate,he had the Hosts of Death to call on. His former men defected--except for the generals and the Heralds--and told the Sancuaries of the deal. Out of sheer terror the Sorcerer world was united in a vicious bloody war against the one enemy everyone falls to--Death.

Vaurien Serpentongue is a soldier in the aforementioned bloody war--and an extremely rare sorcerer, an Atomist who can influence matter and energy at the atomic level. During a battle,he was forced to flee to the mortal world,where he met a man whose given name--for his own protection--will not be stated and found that he had great magical potential,as he saw Vaurien through a glamour. He conversed briefly with him before leaving. They encountered each other later,where Vaurien explained everything above. The man then became his apprentice,choosing to become an Atomist and chose the name Mahrous El-Asady(Maah-Roos Il-A-Sa-DEE).

They then went to Aethinor where Vaurien taught Mahrous some basics and important things about magic,such as that everyone has 2 names and sorcerers have 3. Eventually,they went to the Council of Elders at the Ankorian sanctuary to report Mahrous as a legal apprentice and soldier.

At the Ankorian Sanctuary, Vaurien was debriefed by the council of elders,while Mahrous was examined and eventually approved as Vaurien's apprentice. The Council of Elders then ordered Vaurien to return with Mahrous to Marias Ithilien,his personal Hold and teach him more of magic.

Marias Ithilien was under siege as it had been for the last decade. Marias Ithilien was mounted atop a great peninsula overlooking an ancient valley. Downwards from the fortress,a city had been built on the face of the cliff. Vaurien and Mahrous rode Mech-Horses up this ruined city and into the fortress. They spent 2 months there. Vaurien taught Mahrous a mixture of history, fighting skills and sorcery. In the end, they sallied forth several times to break the siege. They failed but managed to damage the ranks of Tomb-Wights that besieged the fortress.

Once Vaurien reported that Mahrous was up to level 4, they were ordered back into the battlefield. First to lead a battalion of Ensorcers to relieve stress of Castle Fortaim, and then into a 7 year campaign to retake the Mountains of Blood.

Eventually,they were called off the front line and Vaurien began to talk to Mahrous about parts of the war's beginning and other magic. Mahrous was becoming extremely proficient but before he could take his level 6 examination and Prediction Practical, they were called to save the Scholars of the Library of Stars.

The Scholars were rather beyond saving, as many agreed to destroy the library before they allowed Dominus to capture their ancient secrets. In the end,they agreed to send some of their most valuable and hidden knowledge and seven scribes to restart their order. But one of the Scholars, whom Mahrous had grown close to gave him 2 scrolls.

The Great Burning of theLibrary went on as planned, and the ashes burned along with all but seven scribes and 20 scrolls. Mahrous showed Vaurien the 2 scrolls given to him and Vaurien was shocked. He went on a fanatic quest through several libraries before explaining what the scroll said.

...For surely as there is Death, there is also Life,a force of giving against a force of taking,and in the sacred well shines the light of Life. Vaurien read from the scroll. The scroll was written by the order of the YinYang,who search for proof of the eternal balance. It essentially meant that if there was an entity of Death,so to was there an entity of Life. At the bottom was a note that said simply Follow the words of the scroll,it speaks the truth.

From that point on thepair's goal became to find Life and bargain with it to counter Death. Unfortunately,they could not find someone to sponsor their quest. So Vaurien introduced Mahrous to some of his friends--Scars,a man who had gone head to head with a knife thrower who used magic and been given long,red scars across his forehead, Meta Morph Asis, a woman who could temporarily become any creature that she'd touched, Adriana Shade a necromancer, Golfindrel an elf, and Seba NightFlyer a man who could leap incredible distances and--like flying squirrels--stretch a membrane of skin like wings to glide.

Mahrous became friends with Seba and Scars,but found Golfindrel antagonizing and Meta to be eerie. They all agreed to quest for Life on their own. However,they had to hide a detail from Golfindrel--that the well of Life was the sacred Elven well.

They began their journey through the Mountains of Blood,following a ancient path. While in the mountains,Goblin raiding parties attacked them and although they escaped,Golfrindel was wounded and was slowing them down. When they were attacked by enemy Reapers,Golfindrel stayed behind to hold them off.

Despite their loss they continued on their path and reached the outskirts of the Elven forest of Celebraria,which was under siege by Hollow Men and Tomb-Wights. While trying to enter,a small army of Hollow men pursued them so Meta and Scars stayed behind to stop them. Vaurien,Mahrous and Seba continued on towards the well. Later,a small army of Uruks began to pursue them,as Dominus had discovered their intentions. Seba stayed behind to stall them.

Seba did not last long-they heard the roar of Uruks coming towards them and Vaurien ordered Mahrous to flee with him. They continued on until they reached the abandoned fortress of Targrord,where the graves of the 13 members of the royal family who ruled from the destroyed fortress. Mahrous and Vaurien hurried up the steps while Vaurien explained what Uruks are. They had a violent clash that endured for a long time,with swords,fire and magic.

Then,a dark horse with a dark rider rode into the clearing--he was tall with long hair,red and blue robes,a scruffy beard and angry expression charged with a long,golden staff with lightning coming from the tip. He blew part of the wall open and engaged the pair. He was incredibly fast and vicious but Mahrous pinned him under a rock while Vaurien stabbed him in the other arm. They fled the ruin and hurried to the river--many Uruks were dead but there were a dozen left. At that moment,the rider appeared,completely healed. He roared and charged again,but with a sword. He slashed and fought destructively,until Vaurien chopped his arm off and Mahrous stuck a sword through his leg,pinning him down. The pair hurried across the river on a long branch,only for the rider to confront them again. The pair wasted no time and cut him to pieces.

Vaurien then told Mahrous the identity of the rider--it was Draygonius Darius Drygonius or as Mahrous nicknamed him Triple D . They then hurried to the sacred grove,which was almost upon them. They arrived and found a well with a cover. On the cover was written a warning,None who go unto me leave unchanged,None who take my paths return again,None who arouse my ire return to this Sphere. Despite the warning,they considered the dangers grave enough to risk it and lifted the cover.

In the water was a face--a face like no other,for it had long crackling strands of light for hair,a dragon shape made the outline of the left side of the face while a snake the other. The eyes burned with the light of the setting sun,and the mouth filled with strange fires for teeth. Life gazed upon them and the two questors explained their plight. Life searched their minds for confirmation and searched the world finding that Death--her consort--had betrayed her by not giving her the souls of the dead to reshape and return--he was keeping them to increase his power and enter the world. Furious,she told them her plan--she would give them access to the 14 Powers of the World to use directly against Dominus.

After this adventure,the pair closed the well and they began to return and explain Life's plan. A month later,after picking up their friends and experimenting with the Powers of the World--or Avenir(Aa-vay-nir) which basically allowed them to channel all sorts of magical powers and boosted their abilities. Eventually they returned to the Sanctuary and explained the plan. The Sanctuaries agreed to the plan and assembled a huge force to attack the ore of Dominus' forces.

The army marched for near a month before reaching the battleground and setting up camp. They battled for weeks against the Dark Forces in vain for Dominus' territory was filled with endless traps and soldiers. The land itself was under his control,and he could open and close it at will.

Eventually,after hard months of fighting and extensive casualties,a ship of angered Elves arrived--the only survivors from their home city. Their Flight Ship was invaluable,as Mahrous and Vaurien boarded it for a flight into enemy airspace. The ship was attacked and brought down within 30 minutes,as it's flight cages were untethered and the hull burned--Vaurien and Mahrous were captured and bound so they couldn't use magic.

For a week they remained chained--for during those seven days they spoke with another prisoner,her name was Elena Grievance and was the leader of the Heralds of Death. She and many others believed that Dominus had gone too far and done to much,that he was a traitor to his order. Elena's family broke them out of prison at the end of their week of imprisonment. Elena convinced them that they were useful allies.

After meeting in their base the 2 groups had come up with an assassination plan. The family knew a secret route into the palace of Dominus,and would use it. Mahrous,Vaurien,Elena,Annamaria Tombstone and Isabelle Bones went to the secret entrance--a cavern filled with water. It would take a 15 minute swim,but every 10 meters was a barrel full of of air,enough for 7 people before it went stale.

One of the barrels was leaky and empty but otherwise they made it through fine into the palace. Three other separate teams were on the move--one for each General. Hurrying through the palace,the teams moved. Baron Von Vengeance was waiting for them and had a difficult battle,however Nathaniel Thornheart was caught off guard and delayed. Myosotis Shard dispatched his assassins with ease,and hurried to Dominus' side. The central team were ambushed twice and had to make it through all sorts of traps before reaching the throne room. Finally,they reached the doors and Vaurien used the Avaenir to break the door.

In the throne room, Dominus as expecting them and sent Myosotis in first. Myosotis used his abilities--telekinesis and transfusion against them,but Elena engaged him with her ability to charge objects to explode. Thornheart was killed by his assassins,but Von Vengeance arrived and Vaurien battled him. Mahrous saved Elena and stabbed Myosotis. Isabelle Bones used her power of breaking bones with a touch to kill Myosotis.

Von Vengeance was a fearsome warrior with both magic and swords,so it took Vaurien all his efforts and some Avaenir to defeat him. He didn't kill Von Vengeance,however,but rather threw him at Dominus. They then attacked Dominus.

Dominus laughed at them and unleashed his magic--he was an Elemental and an incredibly powerful fighter--using the elements in subtle ways,much like an Atomist. Vaurien used his Avaenir to send waves crashing down on him and Mahrous altered the molecular structure of his clothes to become stone. Isabelle Bones broke his left arm,but he used the air as a splint and actually heated the bone to melt back into place. He then caused the air in her throat to expand and blew her head off. Annamaria fared no better as Dominus froze water in her blood, giving her chronic internal frostbite. Elena charged fallen rocks to explode and threw them at him. She distracted him long enough for Mahrous to transmute the water he fired at them in oxygen atoms. Dominus retaliated by compressing air into a solid wave that shatter Vaurien's bones,forcing him to pause and heal himself. Then,Mahrous turned stone to quicksand,while Dominus began melting the room. However,Elena had the distraction she needed to stab Dominus in the back. Vaurien then used his power to turn his body into air.

A mass disbandment of Dominus' armies occurred and hundreds of thousands of Reapers and Tomb-Wights disintegrated. As this happened,Death appeared before them. A tall figure wreathed in shadows,he stood before Mahrous and laughed. They readied themselves for battle and threw everything they had--all their Avaenir ,everything they could create. But it was all for naught--as it approached Death,it withered and fell away. It laughed again,it's howling voice filed with menace,it's arm reached out to take the world--and then a shining figure wreathed in clouds and light appeared,Life stood and roared "Death--you have no power here,this is a place that is neither of ours,leave this place". Death roared in anger,howled and vanished. She then took the Avaenir from them and congratulated them on their work. Mahrous then returned reluctantly to his training,for he still had much to learn.

The Tale of Norloch:

In the beginning of the world, there were no Sorcerers, everyone was mortal, though magical creatures existed. Eventually, humans discovered the Eleven Keystones - items of great magical power, and any who touch them are imbued with magic. At first, there were only a few sorcerers, but magic traveled through their bloodlines, and soon humans became fearful of magic. As war broke out, the Great Wizards - to prevent a massacre on both sides - Created a slightly alternate dimension, that overlays our mortal wold, and imbued with the power of the Keystones. This world had 11 continents, one for each Keystone and. As sorcerers populated this world, they realised that they needed a place for the Keystones, so they built the City of Norloch, a beautiful city overlooking the sea, with mountains and hills near. The city grew both up and down, the power of the keystones giving it a life of it's own. Eleven great towers were erected in a circle - one for each Keystone. The evil touched the world. Slowly, Evil spoke and whispered into the ears of the sorcerers belonging to the keystones of Death and Darkness. Slowly, these sorcerers became evil, and a great war broke out among sorcerers, and at this point, the need for a government became apparent. The Sorcerers waged a mighty war, and in the end, the continent of Greathir(belonging to the Death Keystone) was shattered and sunk, while Kolothir(Shadow Keystone continent) was reduced to a small cluster of swampy islands.The final battle commenced in Norloch, when the Great Wizards and huge armies of sorcerers unleashed all their powers against the sorcerers of Darkness and Death, who attempted to unleash apocalyptic powers on the Earth. The battle ended with the utter destruction of the Towers of Darkness and Death, but the Keystones were never found,and the leader of the sorcerers of Darkness, Salazar of the Shadows(aka Shadow Lord) prophecised that one bearing his title as his name would unleash endless Death upon the World, and find the Keystone of Death, and ended by swearing his return, and that he would unleash the Mealstrom.

Rise of the Shadow Lord 12 Years Later

Since Mahrous and Vaurien defeated Dominus D Tenebris, 12 years have passed. Since then, Mahrous has become a great Atomist, and has advanced his abilities greatly - but now, a shadow from the dawn of time has returned, and will he and his mentor have the courage to face it?

The disturbances began 3 monthsago. Strangely, they went unnoticed for a short time - until traveling caravans disappeared. Traders, circuses, and more. Eventually, the bodies were found, but they had no bones. Eventually, Vaurien and Mahrous were called to investigate. Later, they did some investigation, and discovered a trail, several captains had been hired to take large shipments of disgusting, smelly bones to an island located in the region that once was the continent ruled by Salazar of the Shadows.

They promptly contacted the High Council of Sorcerers, and were ordered to investigate further. They chartered passage to the isle of the Shadow Lord with 50 Ensorcers for protection, and searched. Initially, they found nothing - until they came across a larger island, with a ruined castle atop it. The architecture was unmistakable, from the First Age of Sorcerers, it was the castle of the Shadow Lord, who'd disappeared from the world after giving a horrifying prophecy. They searched the castle, but got no farther than the courtyard, before they were attacked.

Their attackers were Skeletors, evil skeletal creatures reanimated with dark energies. They were swarmed by the hundreds, and from above, hundreds of Voors attacked, evil, winged creatures that swallow their enemies. They were hopelessly outnumbered, with their Ensorcers slowly falling. Then, they heard a roar from deep within the castle, and the fighting stopped. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a huge Wyrme appeared, bearing a strange, armored figure made of shadows on its back.

The figure laughed and spoke to them. It told them that it was the Shadow Lord, Salazar of the Shadows, and that he was here to make good his promise from a thousand years ago. He the said that they would now die, however, Vaurien unveiled their secret weapon, a rocket launcher which he fired at the Wyrme. He struck the arch below the Wyrme, and it collapsed, but he missed the Wyrme. Then, the Skeletors attacked again, and Vaurien attempted to shoot the Wyrme again, however, he failed and lost the rocket launcher. Mahrous saw the launcher behind a Skeletor and retrieved it, shooting a huge stone pillar which collapsed the gate from which the Skeletors charged, buying them some time. They reached their boat successfully, and returned to civilization.

Their boat - The Morgavian - sailed them to Norloch, the Capital of the Sorcerer World, where the Nine Towers and Keystones resided. They met personally with the High Council(A group of nine people who each represent a Sanctuary, and therefore a continent) and Malakar, the Crown of the Sorcerers(Secretary of State + Secretary + Adviser). After giving their report, Malakar recited to them the Prophecy of Shadows, which goes as follows:

The Shadow Lord from Time Eternal

Shall rise again in Castle Infernal

To seek his blade, and make it found

From lock-ed Prison Beneath the Ground

And with a mighty undead army at his helm

Shall unleash the Maelstrom upon every Realm

Malakar then explained that the Shadow Lord's blade was hidden in the sanctuary of Concordia. He further explained that the key to the vault in Concordia was in Marias Ithilien, meaning that Marias Ithilien would be the Shadow Lord's next target. This meant Vaurien and Mahrous would have to leave quickly, and indeed they did.

They returned to Marias Ithilien by way of the Secret Stairs, preparing the defenses quickly, activating their shield and manning walls, catapults, and crossbows. Within just hours, they were attacked by a huge force of Skeletors who almost overwhelmed the defenders, striking them down with a new ability: Thrwing blasts of dark magic.

The Battle for Marias Ithilien lasted several days, with armies sallying forth from the fortress and returning thrice a day. Neither side could gain an advantage, however, the Skeletors were lead by a General, who had a rune on his face painted in Blood, which allowed him to turn dead corpses(Such as Ensorcers who died in the charges or fell from the walls) into Skeletors.

On the fifth day the battle became decisive, with the Shadow Lord attacking with his Voors. Now 13 Wyrmes and thousands of Voors dotted the skies, while the castle was surrounded by Skeletors on the ground. The increased heat of battle took its toll on the men, many of whom were new recruits since the War. The Shadow Lord labelled them craven cowards, and worse, in an attempt to provoke them, but nothing worked - until the Shadow Lord caught a messenger from Marias Ithilien at the bottom of the Secret Stairs.

The messenger confessed the location of the Secret Stairs after intense torture. The Shadow Lord took advantage of this immediately, gathering a group of special troops for a raid that night. When the moon began to rise, and greatest darkness was at hand, the Skeletors climbed the Secret Stairs, coming out in Marias Ithilien. They quickly hurried through the fortress, scrambling to retrieve the key, open the gates and disable the shield.

The Skeletors, unfortunately for the Shadow Lord, were not gifted with stealth, and were discovered quickly. A huge battle ensued, Where Vaurien and Mahrous engaged the evil Shadow Lord, Atomism versus Dark Magic and Shadow Trickery. In the end, Vaurien and Mahrous chased the Shadow Lord, who was delayed by a cook offering him muffins, to the chamber with the key. Vaurien ordered Mahrous to take it to Norloch, but Mahrous couldn't get to the docks, so he formulated a new plan instead.

Mahrous took the key and led the Shadow Lord on a merry chase. Mahrous continued running around Marias Ithilien, before changing course and climbing the Moon-Spire. The Shadow Lord followed him to the top of the Moon-Spire, where he demanded the key, saying that there was nothing Mahrous could do to stop him. Mahrous agreed, and tossed the key to the Shadow Lord - and then used Vaurien's lessons on channeling energy to pull all of the ancient magic in Marias Ithilien into destroying the Shadow Lord.

A beam of white-hot energy struck the Shadow Lord with enough force and power to destroy a city, and the Shadow king seemed to detonate explosively. Mahrous celebrated, and descended the tower, only to be knocked unconscious by Vaurien. Via the Secret Stair, the residents of Marias Ithilien fled, running at top speed to the bottom of the valley. Above them, Marias Ithilien crumbled and shattered, block by block, window by window till it was no more.

When Mahrous woke up, he was in a large tent, where Vaurien chastised Mahrous for his idiocy and stupidity, saying that Marias Ithilien had been destroyed by his actions. He further explained that the Shadow Lord's Wyrme had caught the key, and that the Shadow Lord was merely dispersed for a few days. Mahrous was annoyed with Vaurien, but also angry with himself, as he'd destroyed his home and given the Shadow Lord the key. The only choice(if Mahrous didn't want to be exiled) was to tell the High Council that the Shadow Lord had already retrieved the key and that Mahrous was trying to salvage the situation.

Despite the crisis, the heroes knew where they needed to be, and used the time Mahrous had bought them to move to the Concordian Sanctuary. When they arrived, they discovered that other forces had arrived too, the Concordian Sanctuary was now an impregnable fortress.

The battle came to Concordia sooner than expected, with an even larger army of Skeletors than before, with the Shadow Lord at the Helm, attacking viciously with all his magic. The defenses were torn apart by waves of shadow, Skeletors leaped over and threw their energy orbs, creating chaos.

Away from the battle, the Shadow Lord lead a group of Skeletor into the Sanctuary, where Vaurien was waiting with the second wave of warriors. The defense had been well prepared, the Skeletors were stopped in their tracks, and had to fight their way viciously through Ensorcer ranks. The Shadow Lord, however, snuck away from the battle and hurried to the vaults. He engaged and killed the guards there, and used the key.

The Shadow Lord successfully avoided the booby traps, and managed to retrieve his sword. He ran through the Sanctuary, calling his forces, and killed anyone in his way. With his blade, he was much more powerful, and as the battle concluded outside the Sanctuary, he used his power to destroy the Sanctuary utterly.

The Skeletors left the Ensorcers to die. Now, the endgame was coming. Vaurien and Mahrous quickly organized and mobilized the troops, taking a ship from the docks and chartering passage to Norloch again. They knew that the Shadow Lord wouldn't attack Norloch immediately, as his forces had been heavily reduced, so they had some time to get to Norloch and strengthen its defenses.

Norloch was already preparing for war when the reinforcements arrived. The defenses had already been prepared, and Norloch was an impregnable fortress, with huge walls, towers, buttresses, shields and gates, moreover, Malakar had brought in a group of new, mysterious mercenaries to function as guards for the gates. In addition to this, extensive wards were placed throughout the city, and the docks closed off.

3 days after the preparations, the battle began. The Shadow Lord had arrived, with more Skeletors than ever before. A huge battle began, massive explosions, flashing catapults, shining shields, skies clouded by Wyrmes and Voors. Simultaneously, Malakar called an emergency meeting of the High Council to discuss recent events. It was then that he showed his true colors. Quite suddenly, he unleashed powerful red rays of destruction, killing all 8 attending members of the Council, and gave a sudden order. In the gatehouses, the new mercenaries killed their fellow Ensorcers, revealing themselves to be Skeletors, and opening the gates.

In the Citadel, Malakar traveled to the shield chamber(Norloch's shield is generated by a chamber filled with sigils and symbols, boosted by 77 other sigils around the city). In the chamber, he redrew a line on the symbols, but backwards, causing the shield to short out and collapse. Suddenly, the city was overwhelmed by Skeletors streaming through the gates and Voors reaching down from the skies. Hundreds of citizens participated, attempting to defend their city, while others locked themselves away in their homes. The battle had changed utterly, with utter chaos throughout the city, and the Shadow Lord was using it to his advantage.

A luck blast from an Energy Hurler knocked the Shadow Lord of his Wyrme in the middle of a courtyard. A huge battle ensued, with Vaurien and Mahrous attacking the Shadow Lord, and eventually Vaurien caused him to drop his sword.

Mahrous stole the Shadow Lord's sword(Which is the key to the vault containing the Maelstrom) and began leaping from rooftop to rooftop to escape with the sword. Vaurien told him to take it to Malakar, and he vowed to follow his master's orders. He was soon chased by the Shadow Lord on his Wyrme. Mahrous desperately tried using the Sword's power against it's master, with varying degrees of success.

The long chase came toan end when Mahrous spotted Malakar, on a rooftop. Changing direction quickly, Mahrous headed for him, brandishing the sword wildly. Mahrous reached the rooftop quickly, where Malakar smiled at Mahrous, took the sword and knocked Mahrous unconscious with a blue ray of light. Malakar returned the sword to the Shadow Lord, and Mahrous was tied to the Shadow Lord's Wyrme.

Magical Abilities

Atomism : This is the rarest magical discipline of all, as it is extremely difficult to master, and requires patience, subtlety and intelligence. Atomist is the art of manipulating matter and energy at the atomic and subatomic levels. This allows the user to re-arrange the structure of substances, manipulate elements and - if you are very skilled - transmute substances, by replacing and substituting protons, electrons and neutrons. However, it takes a long time and a great deal of talent to master transmutation. Moreover, the focus of atomism is to create the maximum effect with a minimum of power. In other words, an atomist does not try to vaporize a castle, but rather change or remove a few atoms to destabilize the castle. Mahrous and Vaurien are both atomists. There are also a few amature atomists.

BrightShining: Although it is a more common discipline than atomism, BrightShining masters are rarer than atomists. BrightShining involves control of the Seven Rays of Light. The 7 rays are: Blue ray of unconsciousness, Yellow ray of imprisonment, orange ray of ice, green ray of growth, violet ray of Breaking, pink ray of forgetfulness and the Red Ray of Destruction. Each one serves a different purpose, and are incredibly difficult to master. There are plenty of sorcerers who master 1, 2 or even 3 rays, but sorcerers who master anywhere between 4 and 7 are incredibly rare. Malakar and the Hermit are the only known masters of all 7 Rays. A true master can combine the rays and create new ones, and Malakar is evidence of this, having combined the Blue and Violet rays to create the Ray of Coma.

Elementalism: A considerably more common discipline, about 40% of sorcerers practice this discipline. Elementalism is easier to master than some other disciplines, but still takes time and experience to master. Elementalism itself is the ability to influence the 4 elements - Air, Earth, Fire and Water. It does not give control, but allows elementals to do things such as solidify air, throw fireballs, create cohesive water waves and create minor groundshakes.

Deep Elementalism: This discipline is harder to master than Elementalism and is practiced by just 7% of sorcerers. The discipline, as gathered by the name, is the choice to choose one Element and be initiated into it. The initiation requires either an Ancient or a Full Copy of one of the Elemental Books. A Deep Elemental is incredibly powerful, and can control their specific element with great skill. Earth Elementals are rare, but fire is the most common. Scars is a deep water elemental.


Energy Streaming: This discipline is fairly common, and easy to master. It allows you to shoot stream of gold or white energy from your palms. Many Ensorcers are Energy Streamers. Some Energy Streamers prefer to shoot the beam from their mouths,more destructively, but less accurately.

Energy Hurling: Similar to Energy Streaming, rather than shooting streamers the sorcerer will cough up balls of gold or white energy of varying sizes. They are powerful and accurate,but get smaller and weaker as the sorcerer's energy is sapped.

Gliding: A rare discipline, this ability allows you to grow large folds of skin between your limbs and fly, like flying squirrels.

Metamorphosing: Another rare discipline, this allows a person to change their face, body and even gender to match another. Meta Morph Asis is one of these sorcerers and even chose her name based on her discipline.

Gargoyling: Gargoyling is a powerful, but somewhat easily mastered discipline, which allows a sorcerer to turn his body to stone, making the user stronger, faster and harder to destroy. The user can combine the ability with others, for example, Seba NightFlyer combines this ability with gliding, which gives him wings when he uses both powers at the same time.

Shadowjumping: This ability is very useful for sneaking around, as it allows a person to wreath himself in a coating of shadows, appear as a shadow or move completely unnoticedamong people, unfortunately, due to the Darkening, using this ability is flirting with evil, and is therefore associated wth spies and other merciless, ruthless people.

Healing: This ability is self explanatory, allowing the user to heal minor and even major wounds. Some use it as a tool, taking it for granted - while others delve into the art and learn to explore their gift. More to be added soon.

Characters

Protagonists

Vaurien Serpentongue
Mahrous El-Asady
Scars
Meta Morph Asis
Golfindrel
Seba NightFlyer
Arabelle Reapress
Grim Reapress
Elena Grievance(out of necessity)
Isabelle Bones(out of necessity)
Annamaria Tombstone(out of necessity)
High Council
Ensorcers
Lord Thorgon
Fire breathing Eagles
Sorcerer General
Elves
Elven Commander
Dwarves
Triple D

Antagonists

Dominus D Tenebris
Triple D
Myosotis Shard
Nathaniel Thornheart
Baron Von Vengeance
Reapers of Death
Tomb-Wight
Uruks
Heralds of Death
Malakar
Abbadon
The Darkler
Hollow Men
Wyrmes
Salazar of the Shadows
Smoke Demons
Skoleros
Skeletor
Skeletor General

List of Sets

First Wave

Triple D Battle
Battle of Castle Fortaim
The well of Life
The Siege of Marias Ithilien
Prison Escape

Second Wave

The Throne Room Showdown
Attack of the Shadow Lord
Skeletor Attack
Battle in the Vaults
Malakar's Betrayal

Third Wave

Reapress Camp
Darkler Pursuit
Abbadon's Lab
The Hunt
Goliath Attacks

Battle Builders

Scars vs. Skeletor
Meta Morph Asis vs. Reaper
Golfindrel vs. Tomb Wight
Seba NightFlyer vs. Smoke Demon