New
Sep 28, 2018 1:07 AM
#1
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇ ◇ Book Competition ◇ ◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇ Book of the Month (May 2017): The Magical Kiss and Other Stories (by The Handmaiden) Book of the Month (May 2018): The Fascinating History of the Rothschild Bloodline (by Prof. Erkan S. Bonner) Book of the Month (September 2018): The Progressive Unholy Society (by Prof. Erkan S. Bonner) Welcome to the Book Competition! Ever had a good story to write about? A nice way to add lore to Gaea? Or perhaps extend the background of your character via some self-published or official book regarding your home country, lineage or even kingdom? Then here you can finally let your creativity flow! The basics are as follows:
Things to keep in mind:
Book Creation FORM: [quote][color=darkblue][b]Author:[/b] *Fictional author name (no usernames)* [b]Title:[/b] *of the book* [b]Genre:[/b] *Romance, Sci-fi, Mystery, Horror, Biography, Journal etc.* [b]Classification:[/b] *Public or Classified.* [b]Content:[/b] [spoiler=Content]*Put your endless paragraphs here~* [/spoiler][/color][/quote] |
alatartheblue42Nov 14, 2018 10:48 PM
Oct 30, 2018 6:24 PM
#2
Author: DxRx Title: The Tales of this Land Genre: Poetry Collection Classification: Classified Content: Gaea Gaea, world of hopes and dreams, A world unlike any other! Humans, beasts, elves and machines, A world where all live together! A world divided in five; Asterios, a country vast and dry! Arias, where warmth and cold stand neraby! Septima, solid, coldest of all! and Maekir, where the heat makes many fall! Finally, Ortus, beautiful and rich, where the seasons constantly switch! With Yvalia at it's center, All are welcome to enter. Welcome to our world! SOULs Warriors of every kind, Warriors of every universe, Warriors with a clear mind, Warriors that have gone through the worse.. Take thy weapons and rise! Whether just or heinous Hear thy name and rise! Rid this world of chaos.. Summoned as a savior Original, never seen before Unique in thy behavior Life is returned to thy core Future The world was once safe of danger, yet things change with the passage of time.. Chaos is no longer a stranger; The world is now filled with crime.. Heroes have come to rid it of chaos Light versus darkness is the ultimate face-off! No one knows of the outcome Some try to drown their fears through rum! What does the future hold? What kind of stories will be told? The future is the greatest mystery Will we strike gold or will there be misery? Nature Skies blue and clouds as white as snow, the birds be chirping as the winds blow. Vanibos of every color, like the rainbow above; Nature, something we truly love People and animals, both are free! Beauty and laughs as far as the eye can see! Fields filled with flowers and fruit, accompanied by the calming notes of a flute~ Even at night, when no one walks the street The world stays peaceful, the world is asleep.. Creatures New lifeforms have recently appeared, out of nowhere, out of thin air. Throughout the world they are feared because of how easily through your skin they can tear! Down in the water, in forests or in the air Slowly, they become less and less rare.. Only SOULs can rid the world of them Their weapons to this world are a gem Pirans, Garms, whatever it may be, whether hidden in a cave or up in a tree; They will make you suffer, they will make you bleed! That is the nature of a Calamity Seed! Alexander Alexander the strong, Alexander the great! Loved by many, thou protects our fate! Alexander the calm, Alexander the hero! When thou strikes thy enemy, their life strikes zero! Alexander the strong, Alexander the great! With thine sword of light, thou shalt protect the gate! Alexander the kind, Alexander the savior! No one is stronger or close to be greater! Alexander the strong, Alexander the great! Thou rids the world of darkness and hate! History ye shall rewrite and glory thou shalt claim; Alexander's thy name and freedom thy aim! |
Oct 30, 2018 6:33 PM
#3
Message of Approval The book "The Tales of this Land" by "DxRx" has been approved. 1 AP has been added to your account. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:34 PM
#4
Author: The Handmaiden Title: The Magical Kiss and Other Stories Genre: Short Story Collection Classification: Public Content: •-•-• Table of Contents TITLE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PAGE # Unlucky Betty ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 The Bird Who Flew Under The Sea ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Bluethorn ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Three Oysters, Three Pearls ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 The Magical Kiss ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 The Squire With The Polished Sword ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 •-•-• Unlucky Betty Unlucky Betty was walking through the forest when she saw a pretty flower. It was big, with petals of white, red, and yellow lining its bright pink center. "How lovely!" she remarked, plucking the flower from its stem. Then, as she put the flower in her hair, it suddenly wilted. The leaves of the plant from which it blossomed died out as well, and from it a fairy came out. "Halt, human!" the fairy shouted. "You have killed my favorite flower!" "But it is just the most beautiful flower I have ever seen!" said Betty, to which the fairy raised an eyebrow and responded: "Yes, I know that it certainly is the most beautiful flower in this forest, but it is still no reason to kill it!" "Oh forgive me, mister fairy, forgive me!" "Forgiveness cannot grow leaves nor open buds to bloom; for taking a living beauty I shall take the beauty off your life." The fairy then proceeded to point his twig wand at the girl as he chanted: "From this day forth, a dark path you'll walk; one where the expected doesn't come and the unexpected arrives; fate shall toy with your mind; all things will not go your way!" Betty collapsed and fell soundly asleep. Betty woke up hours later with neither the flower's wilted petals nor the sinister fairy in sight. Sighing and wondering what the fairy's curse meant, she walked out of the woods and returned home. In the middle of a busy marketplace, Betty, soon after spending and losing all but a single coin in a game of cups and balls, found herself surrounded by thugs. "Missy, you look like someone who carries a lot of gold in her pouch," said one of the big men, "Mind sparing us a bit of your fortune?" Betty snickered. "I would certainly share you some if I had the littlest bit of gold to begin with. But I am afraid I have nothing but a single rusted coin in my satchel, and thus can offer you none." As proof, Betty opened her baggy pouch, lighter than the hat that she wore. To her surprise, as she undid the knot on its mouth, the bag suddenly filled up with coins bearing the brightest gold sheen she had ever seen! Surprised, Betty closed the satchel shut and glared at the thugs. "This- this is not mine, I swear!" she cried. As she said those words, a letter appeared out of thin air and landed on one of the thugs' heads. He opened it, and it contained the following message: Betty, I pay you this sum of gold as thanks for helping me water the garden the week before. Spend it wisely. Signed, Nanny Potwind The thug read the words aloud. Betty couldn't believe it - never before today did she know that she had helped some woman water her garden, nor be paid such a huge sum of money for it! Sweating and breathing heavily, Betty shouted: "Help! I'm being mugged!" Then, as if the whole world went against her, all the people in and by the marketplace vanished from her sight, leaving only her and the thugs alone on a sandy field lined with abandoned stalls of produce. What is happening? Betty said to herself between shocked gasps of air. The first and tallest of the men drew out his sword and pointed it at the lass. "Hand over the gold if you don't want a scar on your lovely skin," he threatened. Betty remained frozen in disbelief of the current events. "No!" she finally managed to cry out. "I will not!" Right after she said those words, her hand moved in a mechanical fashion and extended out, dropping the pouch of coins onto the man's waiting hand. Betty and the thug exchanged glances briefly. "Now, sheathe your blade and don't even try to cut me!" she demanded. Immediately, the man swung his sword at Betty, tearing the sleeve of her raiment in half and dyeing it red with blood. "No!" Betty cried out in pain, holding her wounded arm with the other. "It hurts!" Then suddenly, it didn't hurt anymore. Confused, Betty looked at her arm, eyes welling with tears. The wound remained there, deep and bathing in crimson blood, but she didn't feel the stabbing, burning pain she had felt mere moments ago. The fairy's curse then resonated in her head. "From this day forth, a dark path you'll walk; one where the expected doesn't come and the unexpected arrives; fate shall toy with your mind; all things will not go your way!" "That's it!" she exclaimed, snickering once more and extending her other non-wounded arm towards the tall brute. "You, thug, do not give me my pouch back!" Suddenly, the thug's arm jerked violently forward and dropped the pouch onto her waiting palm, returning it to its rightful owner. "Now, anyone, don't help me!" she cried with the tone of a damsel in distress. Right after those words escaped her mouth, all the market goers reappeared and ran straight for the thugs, pinning them to the ground and knocking their weapons off. "Don't send them to jail, lads!" she voiced out triumphantly, waving the thugs goodbye as their hands and feet became bound in rope and guards rushed over to escort them to their new home. And with that, having figured out a way to make the most of this curse, Unlucky Betty became Lucky Betty. •-•-• The Bird Who Flew Under The Sea One bright afternoon a tiny canary was born. The bars of the cage kept her safe from the outside. Her cage sat beside a window overlooking the sea. This window had a small hole, allowing some of the sea breeze to gently blow on her face. Every day a large hand would give her pellets of food and cups of clear water. Every day she would eat, drink, sing, and sleep. She lived a happy life. Gray, dull, but happy. Occasionally she would see flocks of birds flying past, enjoying the crisp cool air of the open sky. "Come join us, little canary!" they would call out. "Enjoy a life of freedom, where you can have all the food and water you want!" "All the food and water I want are already here," the canary would reply. "And why would I want to tire myself from flying day and night?" The flock of birds would fall silent and turn away. She would simply watch as they flew over the horizon, eventually fading away. These birds visited her every day. They told her stories of their adventures, the fruits of their wanderlust. The canary, however, only felt amazed. She never felt curious or envious. One day, the canary grew. Since then, she never once saw the large hand. Her pellets of food and cups of water were no more. She never saw the flock of birds again. To live, she had to go outside, past the bars of her cage. So she squeezed through, and she made it out. She flew past the hole in the window and made it out to the sky. She did it! She was amazed at the scenery. Both above and below, blue surrounded her, with streaks of white rolling past. Crisp, cool air touched her body lightly. The canary enjoyed this sensation. However, something was lacking. There were no birds nearby, no other voices besides her chirping. She looked up, left, and right, and found nobody. She looked down, and saw hundreds of moving figures. They flew with such speed and, together, they formed a large band of white flying forward. The canary, for the first time in her life overcome with curiosity, swooped down into the darker sky. As she approached the figures, they scattered, running away from her. Suddenly, she could no longer feel the crisp air caressing her wings. She still felt cold. The canary fell through the sky and deeper into the water below. •-•-• Bluethorn Once upon a time four large trees were the only beings that decorated the then-barren earth. Each of them had different appearances, both outer and inner. Redwood was the tallest of the four. He wore broad red leaves and a big red trunk. Redwood was a proud and strong tree. Bluethorn had prickly needles for leaves and had a wide, smooth trunk covered by an icy blue sheen. He wore a skirt of leaves that protruded outward, giving shade to his wooden legs. Bluethorn was the most selfless and helpful of the four, going to great lengths to help a fellow in need. Yellowbell, the smallest, was the only flowering tree among the four. She had bright yellow flowers which exuded a sweet, alluring smell. Like her outer appearance, Yellowbell is cheery and jovial but, like a lass, isn't the bravest soul around. Evergreen, aside from having the greenest leaves there is, had sturdy branches that only grew longer and higher in number as time went on. Evergreen is shy and prefers solitude just as much if not more than being in the company of others. One day, from above and beyond the skies a voice announced: "Listen, flora of this world, a feast is to be held at the land beneath the sun. For the first to arrive, the first of the seasons will be his and his offspring's to govern; to the second, the next; and to the last, the final. Make haste and march towards the feast before noon the next day." Upon hearing this announcement, Redwood, proud and strong, immediately stepped forward. "I shall be there first!" he said, not turning around to face the other trees and instead marching on. Bluethorn quickly followed suit, and Yellowbell and Evergreen marched not long after. Morning came, and with it the sun. Redwood, being the tallest, was also the closest to the sun, and thus it didn't take long for his crown to catch fire. And though his trunk is sturdy, the leaf-bearing branches of his weren't, and fell towards the ground below as they turned into fiery ash. Redwood, proud and strong, didn't even stop for a moment to extinguish the growing fire atop his head. Bluethorn didn't notice the still-burning leaves that littered the ground, the skirt blocking his view of the path. His bottom half caught fire but, wanting to not slow the others down, decided not to block the path by stopping. He marched on as the fire slowly consumed his legs of blue. It didn't take long for his legs to turn fragile and ashen. The ash that came from his burning trunk rose up in the air and colored the sky a blue tinge. Even though his legs have turned weak, he still managed to cross the rapids that separated the venue of the feast from the remainder of the land. From behind him, Bluethorn heard a call. "Redwood! Bluethorn! Help us!" shouted Yellowbell. "The rapids are too deep for us to wade through!" Redwood didn't look back. Bluethorn, however, bring the altruistic soul that he is, turned around and made his way towards the stranded pair. However, as he began to cross the rapids, his legs finally gave in, sending the rest of his body plummeting forward towards the ground. Bluethorn's body fell towards the rapids. He couldn't move, let alone fight back the harsh slamming of the waves. Bluethorn violently flailed, causing his branches to fall off one by one until he was nothing but a length of blue wood. "Quickly," he said, "use me as a bridge!" Yellowbell shook her head. "But what about you?" "I am fine," Bluethorn replied, his hands digging through the soil to root himself in place. "Now go and save me a spot for the feast." Despite his words, all three of them knew that he wouldn't make it in time. Reluctantly, Yellowbell and Evergreen agreed. They crossed the rapids using Bluethorn as a makeshift bridge of wood, the water below turning a deep blue from the sap of the needly leaves. Bluethorn remained. When Yellowbell and Evergreen arrived, Redwood had already taken his seat. "What took you so long?" asked the voice from the heavens. "And where is Bluethorn?" "The rapids slowed us down, especially Bluethorn," said Yellowbell. "He may never make it. He used himself as a bridge to help us cross the rapids, giving up his life in the process." Evergreen stepped forward. "He would've had the second season if it weren't for us," he said. "Heaven, please give the second of the seasons to Bluethorn. As a memory of him." Yellowbell agreed. "Yes, please grant this wish of ours, O Heaven." "Then, I declare Bluethorn the ruler of the second season, Yellowbell the ruler of the third, and Evergreen the ruler of the last." And this is why winter, the season between the red autumn and the yellow spring, colors the land with blue and white; as winter approaches, the other trees pay homage to Bluethorn's heroic deeds, letting nothing but the blue of the sky, the sea, and the frost of ice govern the land. •-•-• Three Oysters, Three Pearls Beneath the ocean there lived three oysters. Brimming with confidence, the first and biggest of the three turned to the other two and said: "Let's have a competition and see which of us can make the largest pearl!" The second oyster, whose shell was cleaner and shinier than the pearls it made, echoed the suggestion. "It would be interesting. Count me in!" And the third, the smallest and dirtiest of the three, reluctantly agreed, nodding in surrender. Not a single day passed without the first oyster babbling about the many tales from his past or recounting an amazing feat. The second oyster listened to each and every one of his words, but the third simply stood idle like a rock. Days passed, and the first oyster spoke again. "Look at my pearl!" he said with pride, opening his mouth to reveal a teardrop-sized pearl. And although it was certainly unimpressive for an oyster his size, the second oyster was nonetheless impressed. "It's so big and round and shiny!" he exclaimed. "And it's so bright and white, right?" He turned towards the third oyster, who simply nodded and went back to his business. The second oyster got mad and lashed out at the third oyster. "Why aren't you-" However, as his tongue rolled out, the pearl that he made escaped his mouth, rolling towards the ocean floor below. "No!" the second oyster cried out. "My pearl!" And thus, the second oyster lost the competition. Another week or two passed without a change of plans. The first oyster kept talking, this time consoling the second oyster, comforting him at the loss of his pearl. The third oyster remained, seemingly enjoying the silence that the ocean brought. And the final day arrived. The first oyster's pearl had barely changed in size. He had spent day after day talking and not making his pearl! "How about you, little oyster? I doubt you've made an even bigger pearl than mine." For the first time in days, the third oyster opened his mouth, revealing a huge, bright pearl almost his size. That was the reason behind his silence! His mouth was so full of the gem that he couldn't afford to open it, in fear of losing the pearl (and the competition) completely! "And I am victorious" were the first words of this small oyster. •-•-• The Magical Kiss A long time ago, in a faraway land across the ocean, there was a village in the middle of the woods. That time, the fields were colored gold with wheat and aspen and crystal with free-flowing water. This village was neither rich nor poor in the modern sense; it sustained itself through nearby sources of food and water, and built its own foundations through harvested stone and clay and wood. In this village there lived a man named Niall. He had a strong body, far stronger than any man, and a ceaseless smile that swooned the hearts of the maidens of the fields. He was blessed with many boons and gifts from the gods themselves. Like wind, he was fast and quick to react; like fire, he was bright and expressive; like stone, he was strong and unyielding. In this village there also lived a young maiden named Ailis. She had fair skin, auburn hair, and eyes a yellow more jovial than the leaves that surrounded their homes. Together Niall and Ailis shared a love deep and strong. Fall came. Harvest season had reached its peak, and sickles and scythes reaped the wheat. Niall, stronger than ten men, cut through the stalks with ease. Ailis, with a voice more alluring than the sirens' songs, sang a prayer, thanking their goddess of the bounty she gave their land. "We give you our harvest, O Goddess / And shower us with your love / So that come famine or plague or war / Its magic will keep us alive." Rain fell the next day and storm came the day after that. As the fields were newly bared, rainwater filled the flat brown land. Niall, using his gift of wind, blew at the sky, sending the storm clouds over the horizon, never to be seen again. Sunlight once again reigned the sky. The water subsided, and peace free of worry returned to the village. Fall went. Winter came. Ailis, like most of the village's inhabitants, had to remain indoors, relying on what amount of wheat they've harvested to survive the coldest harshest nights of winter. Niall, with a body burning with fire's warmth, endured the chill through will alone as he hunted for deer and rabbits. Biting cold whispered through the cracks of Ailis's home. With every blow of the snowy wind, the fire that kept her warm grew colder, eventually fading into ashes. Hearing this, Niall rushed to Ailis's aid and used his gift of fire, enkindling the firewood with a flame that never weakened. Ailis's chill was remedied, and together they slept through the cold winter nights with a divinely comforting warmth. Winter went. Spring came, and with it the blossoming of flowers. Red, white, yellow, and pink covered the fields, newly sprung and shaken awake from their season-long sleep. The men and women of the village also emerged from their homes and walked alongside each other for the first time this year, the thawed ground muddy with freshly-melted snow. Ailis and Niall held hands and shared a kiss. Whereas fall presented storm and winter brought cold, spring brought the return of fauna. The woods became once again as dangerous as they are vibrant and majestic. Distant cries and bleats could be heard from within the expansive forest. One spring day, Ailis went to the woods to gather water for the tilling of the soil. She went alone to a pond in the middle of the forest. There, from behind her, a monster came out and roared - a bear newly awakened swiped its claws through the air. Ailis shouted in surprise. Niall heard his lover's cry and, without hesitation, bolted towards the heart of the woods. There he saw the love of his life and a great beast, one staring down the other. With unmatched strength endowed by the gift of stone, Niall wrestled the bear and slew it with his own two hands, saving Ailis's life. They shared another kiss, and their love grew even deeper. Spring went. Summer came, and the light of the sun shone brightly on the green of the leaves. The land was at its hottest during this time. Faraway horizons waved and blurred like mirages in the daylight. Like the seasons that came before it, summer presented a challenge of its own. One particularly hot summer day, a plague swept across the land. Crops wilted and died, the aspens were rid of their leaves, and the men and women of the village fell ill. Niall, having a body as strong and resistant as stone, fought off the plague, but everyone else remained weak, walking closer and closer to the doors of death. Ailis was no exception. With each passing day she grew thinner and paler. Her skin lost its youthful glow and was instead blemished with a sickly, ghostly pallor. For the first time in his life, Niall felt helpless. With the gift of fire he could not give her the same fiery strength; with the gift of wind he could not blow the disease away from her body; and with the gift of stone he could not grant her the slightest hint of fortitude. Instead, like stone, she crumbled. The last day of summer approached. Summer went, and with it everyone else but the couple. As wheat ripened, Niall held his lover in his arms. How weak and helpless, how fragile and broken was he! Ailis, weakened by the worsening fever, slowly raised a hand to wipe the tears from her other half's face. With an almost silent voice, she sang. "So that come famine or plague or war / Its magic will keep us alive." Niall shushed his partner with a kiss. Ailis closed her eyes, her last breath blowing her hand away from his cheek. Then, right then and there, all the birds and the beasts of the aspen grove emerged and sang. They chirped and roared and bleated and squawked, heralding heaven to bestow its magic. Niall parted his lips from hers and, through teary eyes, he saw Ailis breathe once more. The world witnessed the first act of healing - one born of love, like all magic. Rather than once more becoming the benefactor, Niall himself bestowed upon Ailis a gift he crafted from his love. It was the gift of healing, of recovery. No one knew what came of them after a year's story, but we could rest easy, knowing that they enjoyed each other's company, that they cherished the embrace and the kiss they shared. Fall came. •-•-• The Squire With The Polished Sword At the northern edge of a kingdom there lay a small shantytown. It was poor and poorly defended, and its people remained somewhat safe behind crumbling walls of cracked stone. One day, the villagers heard distant howls from the woods. "Wolves," they thought - "why are they howling in broad daylight?" The day after, a pack of wolves attacked the village, trampling over wilted crops. The guards were far too under-equipped to fight back and were dragged back to the forest by the vicious wolves. The villagers, too scared of the threat but incapable of fighting back, sent a messenger to the kingdom to ask for help. The king, reluctant to help such an insignificant group of people, sent in three of his army's servants to fight the wolf menace. The king, convinced that these three cannot fight off the beasts, promised them a generous reward: Enough gold to last them a lifetime. A few days later, the men reached the village. The first of the three to arrive was a stableworker, in charge of tending the horses; the second was a blacksmith's apprentice; and the third was a squire in charge of polishing the blades. "I have a foolproof plan," said the stableworker. "Wolves are like horses - all you need is food to befriend them." So on the first day the stableworker set off alone, a bale of hay his only companion. The wolves, clearly displeased with his offering, ate him and left the hay alone. The guards later found the hay and returned it to the village, feeding it to the livestock instead. On the night of the first day, as they mourned the loss of a comrade, the blacksmith's apprentice remembered his roots. "I know how to make a sword, and how to wield it too!" he said with pride, humbling the squire. "Tomorrow I'll go and slay the wolves!" So on the second day the apprentice went into the woods, sword in hand. It was no match for a pack of wolves, however. His sword, still wet with blood, was all that was ever found. The squire was all that remained. He wasn't as skilled in combat as the blacksmith's apprentice, nor was he as knowledgeable about animals as the stableworker; he only knew how to polish a sword. And that's what he did through the night. On the third day, the squire ventured into the forest, the sword in his hand polished into a lustrous sheen. It didn't take long until the wolves found him - it was, after all, broad daylight then. His knees shaking, the squire raised his sword above his head. The sunlight shone brightly on the blade and bounced to the squire's head, setting his hair on fire. As he screamed in agony, the wolves, inherently scared of fire, ran away, never to be seen again. The guards found the squire later that day, rid of all his hair. They called him a hero, and he returned to the kingdom triumphant. •-•-• |
Oct 30, 2018 6:34 PM
#5
Message of Approval The book "The Magical Kiss and Other Stories" by "The Handmaiden" has been approved and nominated for "Book of the Month (May)". 1 AP has been added to your account. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:35 PM
#6
Author: Prof. Alvis C. Guiscard Title: The Biography of Valencia Ortiz Genre: Biography Classification: Public Content: The Biography of Valencia Ortiz What follows is a reconstruction of the life of Valencia Ortiz. She is now known as a legendary lancer, as the 'liberator of Oihana,' and as one of the few people who came into contact with the highly elusive 'Darshan'. By combining the letters that were found with other historical evidence, it is possible to reconstruct her life in a fairly accurate way. The department of anatomical research has given us the following image of what she may have looked like, based on the bone structure of her skeleton and other historical evidence. Furthermore, the department of historical weapons has decided to add an image of what they believe the weapon 'Peleg' must have looked like to it. Valencia's origin traces back to the Magaling Batac clan, of which we have yet to find more historical evidence. Although there have been multiple expeditions towards the area mentioned in the following letter, we have yet to find solid proof of the existence of the clan, other than letters like these that mention them. To: Sendoa Ortiz, Lord of Oihana From: Sheridan Nayden, Great Knight of Oihana Subject: Potential Marriage Candidate Highly esteemed Lord, It is my pleasure to inform you that we have finally located someone who fits the demands of becoming your betrothed. My sincerest apologies for having taken this long to succeed. We have located the girl in question on an island somewhere between Arias and Ortus. I will ask our cartographer to include a map regarding the exact location. The girl in question stems from a clan of powerful mages known by the name 'Magaling Batac'. Their numbers have dwindled and their overall presence has diminished, but there is an undeniably powerful form of magic running through their veins. The girl in question is called Diwata Magaling Batac. She is the daughter of the current clan leader, and she has recently come of age. Not only does she possess a great natural beauty, she also possesses great magical talent and has received high-quality tutoring in both the arts of combat and the arts of the mind. The girl herself is currently unwilling to leave, but we believe that this will resolve itself once she will be under your care. We have already made the arrangements with the leader of the clan. Although it has taken us the last of our resources, I firmly believe that you will not be displeased with this girl. I have given this letter to my fastest courier. If he arrives without any delays, it should a month before our arrival with the girl. Your Loyal Knight, Sir Sheridan Nayden It is believed that Sheridan Nayden has indeed traveled through these regions, as his company was mentioned by multiple external sources. This seems to further prove the legitimacy of Diwata Magaling Batac's origin, as well as that it seems to further provide evidence for the existence of her clan in general. After finding the girl, it is believed that Sheridan brought her back to the royal castle of Oihana. Although the castle has been reconstructed multiple times, we believe it is still fairly close to what it looked like during Valencia's life. However, it seems that Valencia's mother, Diwata Magaling Batac, was not able to accommodate to a life in this castle. From the contents of the following two letters, it seems safe to assume that she suffered from severe depression due to the results of her arranged marriage. To: Sendoa Ortiz, Lord of Oihana From: Osane Asturias, Royal Physician Subject: Concerns Regarding Milady Diwata Magaling Batac's Health Highly esteemed Lord, Ever since you have appointed me, you have gained my unending gratitude for choosing me to take care of Milady, Magaling Batac. It is only speaking of great kindness of heart that you would allow someone with a birth as low as mine to fulfill such an utmost important task. It is therefore that I have made the physical and mental health of Milady the most important concern in my life. This is why I deem it necessary to request your presence in the castle, despite the knowing that someone such as I am not in the position to make such a request. Milady has never been able to adapt well to our climate and culture, and she has been vocal about her desire to return to her homeland. However, now that she is carrying your child, she has fallen into a deep depression. She refuses to eat and locks herself up in her room for entire days. By now, she is becoming a danger to herself and her unborn child. It is my belief that your presence might stimulate her to start eating again. Please let the kindness in your heart speak again, and return to the castle, so that your presence may lift some of Milady's burdens. It is the wish of your loyal servant to see to the health of milady, but right now she needs your presence. Even though she has always refused to express love towards you, she is still bearing your child, and I therefore firmly believe that your presence will do her well. Your Humble Servant, Osane Asturias To: Sendoa Ortiz, Lord of Oihana From: Donato Vitus, Royal Doctor Subject: Birth of Valencia Ortiz Highly esteemed Lord, It is my pleasure to inform you that you have been given a daughter. As you have only given us the name you wished to give to a son, we decided to use the name suggested by the mother. Your daughter has therefore been christened 'Valencia'. The child is healthy and makes it well. Sadly, the state of the mother is a reason for concern. The childbirth has taken a heavy toll on her, which was worsened by the fact that she had reduced the strength of her body by refusing to eat. It has come to my attention that her physician, miss Asturias, has asked you to return to the castle for the sake of milady's health. As a royal doctor, I agree with her conclusion. It would be in the best interest of both mother and child if you were to return to the castle. Even so, I am well aware that you have many tasks to fulfill. If you do not find yourself in a position to return, I, therefore, request you to give milady permission to return to her homeland once she has regained her strength, even if only temporary. It is likely that she will regain her willingness to eat if she learns that doing so will allow her to go home, which will be better for both her health and the health of her child. Your Humble Servant, Donato Vitus We believe that it was around three years later, when Valencia was three years of age, that one of the great knights by the name of Aitor Benigno decided to set his plans in motion. Although much of the literature regarding these events may claim that Aitor and Diwata were in a secret relation, it is highly likely that much of this is romanticized. It is also fairly certain that the romanticized folk tale called 'Great Knight Benigno' has little historical truth in it. However, thanks to the discovery of his set of armor, we have been able to relate Aitor Benigno to the Izar household. We believe that Aitor was an orphan taken in by them, something that seems further proven by one of the letters that are included later on. The following letters suggest that Valencia and her mother have been in the care of Aitor and his men for at least four years. To: Sendoa Ortiz, Lord of Oihana From: Sheridan Nayden, Great Knight of Oihana Subject: Royal Abduction Highly esteemed Lord, It saddens me to inform you that my investigation into milady Magaling Batac's and your daughter's disappearance resulted in the undeniably conclusion that Aitor Benigno, third of three Great Knights, has committed the unforgivable and unspeakable crime of betraying you. He has broken his pledge to his lord and country, therefore committing an unspeakable sin before God himself. From the moment that Milady and your daughter were missing, we already suspected the involvement of her caretaker and former royal physician, Osane Asturias. This suspicion was proven to be correct when we learned that Asturias had gone into hiding shortly after milady's and your daughter's disappearance. After managing to capture Asturias, we learned that she had indeed aided Milady and your daughter by helping them leave the castle. However, we knew that she could not have done so on her own. Although she managed to resist for long, we finally managed to break her and made her talk. This resulted in the confession that Asturias had collaborated with former royal doctor Donato Vitus and former great knight Aitor Benigno. I have taken the liberty to pass out judgment in your name and both Vitus and Asturia have been publicly executed for their betrayal. As of yet, we have little trace to go by in our search for the traitor, Aitor Benigno. He has gone to great lengths to cover up his tracks, and it seems like this plan has been in the making for at least three years, meaning that he has been planning this since the birth of your daughter. It makes me deeply ashamed that I have not uncovered this horrific plot against your majesty earlier. Once I have done everything in my might to bring the traitor to justice, I shall accept any punishment. However, I beg of you that you allow me to bring down the traitor, so that I may restore some of the honor I lost by missing this plot and allowing Milady and your daughter to be abducted from you. I hereby swear that, if your Majesty wants it, I will chase them down into the fires of hell itself. I shall make sure that no harm will come to Milady and your daughter, while I will make Aitor Benigno suffer a punishment fitting those who betray their lord and country. Your Loyal Knight, Sheridan Nayden To: Sendoa Ortiz, Lord of Oihana From: Sheridan Nayden, Great Knight of Oihana Subject: Aitor Benigno Found Highly esteemed Lord, We have finally been able to finally bring justice upon the traitor Aitor Benigno. Together with a few dozen of the footmen who had followed him after his betrayal, he had taken milady Magaling Batac and your daughter deep into the mountains. Although they managed to take out many of our men during the time we chased them, we have finally been able to defeat them. Furthermore, I have personally been able to end the traitor's life in combat and can confirm that his soul has been sent to a well-deserved place in hell. To my great disgrace, I was not able to prevent milady Magaling Batac from taking her own life. After my battle with Aitor Benigno, I found her to be dying on the ground, having to slit her own throat. Once more, I have failed my duties as a knight. Therefore, I will consider bringing your daughter safely back to you to be my final mission. After that, I can only hope that you find it in your heart to allow me to take my own life, instead of having me executed, so that I may at least keep my honor. As for your daughter, it seems that she is physically doing extremely well. She has grown to be strong and nimble, and she seems to be intelligent as well. However, it seems like the traitor has been acting her as her father for these past four years, which has brainwashed her into believing him to be a man worth of love and praise. She does not see you as her praiseworthy and honorable father, and instead, insist that you are a monster. I shall do whatever I can to get rid of the falsehoods that the traitor has implemented in her mind during our journey back to Oihana. Your Loyal Knight, Sheridan Nayden It is believed that the location mentioned by Sheridan is somewhere in the westernmost parts of Oihana. Although the exact location is unclear, it should be close to where people have built 'The Liberator Shrine' to honor Aitor, Diwata, and Valencia as the liberators of Oihana. We believe that after being returned by Sheridan, Valencia was immediately placed into the hands of the second great knight, Sol Secundus. Although it is unclear why this was done, we believe that it may have been on Sol's own request. If this is correct, it would further the theory that Sol had been planning a revolt from an early moment. What is clear, is that he was already planning his revolt by the time he warned Sendoa about one. Many historians have come to call the following letter the letter of 'cruel irony', due to the fact that Sol used a false threat regarding a revolt to further his own plans of conducting a revolt. To: Sendoa Ortiz, Lord of Oihana From: Sol Secundus, Great Knight of Oihana Subject: Request The Transfer of Valencia Ortiz Highly esteemed Lord, It saddens me to inform you that I have not been able to reform your daughter, Valencia Ortiz. The beliefs implemented into her by the traitor Aitor Benigno are rooted too deeply into her mind. Furthermore, it seems that her mother, milady Magaling Batac, had also been implementing these ideas into her daughter's mind. Valencia firmly believes that you are an unjust and tyrannical leader, and she openly called for your downfall on multiple occasions. No matter how severely she is punished, she shows no sign of obedience. Despite this, she makes incredible progress with her combat training, and she shows to be exceptionally gifted with wielding the lance. If it were not for the fact that she denies your righteousness from the bottom of her heart, she would have been able to become a perfect Great knight, despite being female. In fact, I am shameful enough to firmly believe she would have even been capable of becoming your heir. However, the way she is now, she is instead becoming a danger to the stability of the kingdom. With her open refusal of your righteousness and her increase in strength and popularity among the populace, she might even be capable of sparking a revolt. After all, the public execution of Donato Vitus and Osane Asturias, as well as the betrayal and death of Aitor Benigno and the death of Milady Diwata Magaling Batac's, have all caused quite an uproar. This was further sparked by the fact that you allowed Sheridan Nayden to publicly take his own life. Despite his recent failures, he had been a loyal and hard-working servant who was considerably popular among the populace. My apologies for speaking out of place, but these are the reasons as to why I must humbly ask you to transfer Valencia Ortiz. If I may continue by being bold enough to suggest something, I wish to point your attention towards the Mages of Phobos. They are well known for their great magical powers, but my contacts learned that they are also very experienced at bending someone's will to fit their purposes. Despite their life in solitary at the borders of the kingdom, they have been loyal to you for multiple years and haven't shown a single sign of change regarding this loyalty. It is my belief that placing the princess into their care for a couple of years will prove to be highly beneficial. Either she will be reformed and taught obedience, or she will remain there and away from those whom would wish to use her to cause a revolt. Meanwhile, I shall do my best to attend to the duties of both other great knights until we have found suitable replacements. Your Loyal Knight, Sol Secundus Although little is known about the Phobos Mages, we have discovered a large amount of imagery similar to the one I have displayed here. It is widely believed that the Phobos Mages were feared and hated, and many of the cruelest rituals, including child sacrifices, were said to be conducted by them. The little amount of information we have about them stems from a man by the name of Primo Porfirio, the same man who discovered Sol's plans to start a revolt. Sadly enough, Primo himself is a man who's existence is mostly lost in history as well, and we have little to go by other than the letters we recovered from him and the one from the Phobos Mages. What is made clear, is that Valencia's life among these mages was far from easy. Many historians claim that this is what caused her to emotionally shut down, something that seems further proven by the content of their letter. To: Sendoa Ortiz, Lord of Oihana From: Shyamal, Phobos Arch-Mage Subject: Progress of Valencia Ortiz Beloved master Ortiz, Ever since you subjected your daughter into our care, we have been blessed by good fortune. Not only have our numbers increased over these past five years, we have also been able to study new arts of magic by delving further into the depths of thaumaturgical research. There is no way for us to express the immense gratitude that we feel for acknowledging our order and willingly entrusting your daughter to us. Sadly enough, we must inform you that your daughter has not been able to cast as much as a single spell. Despite possessing both the powerful bloodline of her mother's clan and your perfect bloodline, she has some sort of blockade that prevents her from bringing out forth prana. As per your instructions, we have tried various methods, with the only requirement being that they were non-lethal. Even so, we have been unable to get her to cast magic. In spite of all of this, she has kept training with a lance and seems to somehow keep making progress with it on her own. Furthermore, she seems to keep finding new ways to lay her hands onto our tomes and books, despite having been forbidden access to this knowledge. Even when placed under watch, she seems to be able to slip away from our sights. No matter how severely her punishment, she manages to take it with a calm face. Even to us, this is a rather disturbing matter. Finally, she seems to be able to resist some of our most powerful mind-altering magic. This is magic that could theoretically even put a dragon into obedience. After long research, we believe that this resistance stems from a soul-binding ritual once performed on her by her mother. We have sent out various members of our order around the world to find counter-magic, but none of them have been successful this far. In order for us to achieve a higher rate of success, I kindly ask you to consider giving us more resources. It would allow us to hire more people and to put even more effort in our studies. Your Loyal Servants, The Phobos Mages To: Sendoa Ortiz, Lord of Oihana From: Primo Porfirio, Royal Adviser Subject: Imminent Revolt by the Great Knight Secundus Highly esteemed Lord, After learning that the Phobos Mages are asking for more resources, I took the liberty to start an investigation regarding their activities. This lead me to the undeniable conclusion that a revolt is imminent. I am forced to send this message to you by my most trusted courier, as I cannot leave this place without having to fear for my own life. After tracing the request for resources, I learned that it came from a man by the name of Shyamal, a self-proclaimed Phobos Arch-Mage. However, thorough investigations lead me to believe that Shyamal is, in fact, the Great Knight Sol Secundus himself. Although most of its records have been destroyed, I found evidence of Secundus having subjugated the Phobos Mages after convicting them for heretical practices. However, instead of disbanding them or executing them, he allowed them to continue existing unscathed. I believe that he has solely done so because he believes that the mages to have future value to him, and that he is now commanding them from the shadows. Furthermore, ever since the betrayal of Benigno and death of Nayden, Great Knight Secundus has been hiring the men that were formerly under their command, bolstering up his army to an unreasonable size. I have also found evidence of attempts to tamper with the appointment of the two newest Great Knights, in order to make sure only those that were favorable towards him were appointed. With this, he has managed to gain control over most of the army. With this, he has all that is needed for a successful revolt. He has gathered a large army around him, and he has a group of powerful mages. Finally, he possesses the princess. I believe he will use her as an excuse to start a revolt, claiming it to be for her sake. Due to the fact that the Phobos Mages are known for practicing techniques of mind-control, it is highly likely that he wishes to use the princess as a puppet to govern the country himself. My lord, I beg of you to gather the troops that remain loyal to you and to attack the headquarters of the Phobos Mages, before they are able to strike first. If you can defeat them and free the princess, it will be a lot harder for Secundus to find a reason to start a revolt, and he will have lost a powerful ally. It is our only hope at saving the country. May God save us all, Primo Porfirio Although the following letter is relatively short, it contains much crucial information regarding the event that we now know as the Sendoa's Downfall. The letter also shows that Valencia was already recognized as someone of talent at a relatively young age, as we believe she was only seventeen years old when all this happened. To: Sol Secundus, Lord of Oihana From: Phobos Mages Subject: Phobos Was Attacked Truly Beloved Lord Shyamal, As we feared, Primo Porfirio had indeed found out about our plans. We thought we had managed to trap him, but it seems like his courier managed to slip past us. Due to this, Sendoa Ortiz had been informed about our plans before we could finish off Primo Porfirio. Luckily enough, he acted as we predicted and attacked us with his entire army. Your suggestion that he would also bring those whom were working for us was correct, making it a telling sign of the greatness of your intellectual insight. By making use of the chaos that was caused by them showing their true loyalty, we have have been able to defeat Sendoa Ortiz and his army. Attached to this letter is the head of Sendoa Ortiz, the former tyrannical leader of Oihana. It is our gift to Sol Secundus, the True Lord of Oihana. There is, however, one point of defeat. We have lost possession of Valencia Ortiz before we could complete our brainwashing. Although it is true that she doesn't possess the ability to use magic, she possesses a lot of physical strength and she is very capable with the lance. Furthermore, she possess great intellect that must not be underestimated. This means that she isn't merely useful as a puppet, but that she might even be capable of inspiring a revolt on her own accord. Due to this, we beg of you to aid us in our attempts to recover her as fast as we can. Your Loving Servants, The Phobos Mages One of our latest and most intriguing discoveries is the following letter that Soroush Nima sent to Kaveh Dana. Although the existence of the Darshan is still entirely shrouded in mystery and riddles, much of the things he mentioned have been proven by other historical evidence. This provides enough legitimacy to the letter to consider it to be incredibly valuable historical evidence regarding these events. To: Kaveh Dana, Master Blacksmith From: Soroush Nima, Blacksmith Apprentice Subject: The Girl Has Been Found! Dear Master, The Darshan's visions were correct once more. My journey has been difficult, but I am glad to inform you that I found the girl. Furthermore, I have been able to bring her along. We are currently on our way back, although she has yet to regain consciousness. I was forced to use a spell on her on a battlefield, but I guess it would be best to start at the beginning. Short after entering the southern parts of Maekir, I learned that the girl I was looking for, was actually a princess. She is indeed a beastkind, but she is also the only child of Lord Sendoa Ortiz. Despite being beastkind, the Ortiz family ruled over a small country in Maekir named Oihana. The family is known for being tyrannical and cruel, although they have been able to keep the country in their firm grasp for a long time. Due to this, they lived in a castle of a size I didn't even know could exist and their wealth was extremely well-known among the continent. Her mother, on the other hand, was born closer to us, both figuratively and geographically. She is said to come from somewhere between Arias and Ortus. Her name was 'Diwata Magaling Batac', although I learned that she is no longer among the living. My investigation made me stumble upon multiple secrets, of which some can only be told in person. For now, I shall shortly summarize the situation. Due to my investigation into the girl, I found out that one of the generals was collaborating with a group of dubious mages called that Phobos Mages. Their plan was to start a revolt, which was made easy due to the downfall of their other two generals, and due to the uproar caused by their deaths and by the death of the queen. The revolting general, a man named Sol Secundus, planned to use the princess to justify his revolt, after having her brainwashed by the mages. However, it seems like someone by the name of Primo Porfirio found their plans out before that. By luck, I managed to intercept his courier. Deciding to use this opportunity, I allowed the courier to finish his job and went to the Phobos Mages first. As expected, Lord Sendoa Ortiz attacked first, but he had brought his entire army. The battle quickly became chaotic when some of his men showed their true colors by attacking their allies in the back. It seems like Sendoa's pride didn't allow him to consider his men to betray him the way they did. When the Phobos Mages started to use their magic as well, the chaos was complete. With the soldiers being unsure of whom their allies were and whom their opponents were, and the mages casting spells that only added to this chaos, I managed to find my way through the battle until I found the princess herself. She was swinging a lance around with deadly precision, attacking anyone close enough. At first, I tried talking to her, but it was clear she wasn't in a clear state of mind. As such, I used a spell on her that allowed me to take her out of the castle before she was discovered. For now, it seems like those whom would wish to pursue me have not yet found my trail. When the princess wakes up, I hope I will be able to explain her our purposes. We have a fair chance of escaping if she goes along willingly, but I do not know if I can make it back safely if she puts up heavy resistance. May our paths be filled with blessings. Your Apprentice, Soroush Nima It is believed that Soroush Nima managed to bring Valencia to somewhere in the southeast of continental Arias. There, she lived with locals for multiple years. Although all of these locals revered the elusive Darshan, their daily lives were governed by Kaveh Dana, a blacksmith known for creating many legendary weapons. As we have found evidence of some of the battles that were mentioned in the later letters, we believe we have found the exact location of the now destroyed village. I have included an image of what this village must have looked like during the time that Valencia was present in it. What follows is a letter from Kaveh Dana to the Darshan. It gives us insight in the impression that Valencia made of the people there. Sadly enough, we have no clue what the 'ritual' that is mentioned entailed. To: Darshan From: Kaveh Dana, Master Blacksmith Subject: Regarding the Ritual Highly respected Darshan, My sincerest apologies for being unable to meet you in person. Ever since my apprentice returned with the girl from your visions, who turns out to be called Valencia Ortiz, things have been very hectic. When Soroush and Valencia arrived, they were both injured and exhausted from battle. Although I was already aware that they were pursued, it turns out that the Phobos Mages and Lord Sol Secundus are far more persistent than we had anticipated. During these last five years, we have managed to stand our ground against multiple attacks from them. They have even hired multiple assassins and mercenaries. At this point, I can only account our continued survival to the blessings you have given us. For those, you have my sincerest thanks. Despite these ongoing attacks, Valencia has made tremendous progress. Soroush explained to me that it was very hard for him to convince her that we had no hostile intentions when she woke up on her way here, but he eventually managed to so, and she voluntarily came with him. Due to that, they arrived here before their persuaders could catch up to them. Ever since then, she has slowly learned to trust us. Furthermore, she has shown to be an incredibly valuable addition to are forces. Her skill with the lance, in particular, is highly exceptional. That is why I have decided that the lance should become her weapon. By now, I have finished it. Out of all the weapons I crafted, I feel like this one is the most worthy of being used in the ritual. With this, everything needed for her to undergo the ritual is in place. I shall summarize for you the reasons as to why I believe her to be both worthy and capable of going through the ritual successfully. [1] She is from a line of soul-binders. Her mother was Diwata Magaling Batac, from the Magaling Batac clan. Soulbinders are known to have a natural affinity for these types of rituals, which makes the ritual safer to conduct. [2] She possesses a strong will and is able to always remain calm. From what Soroush told me, she has suffered through a lot in her youth. Despite that, she has managed to hold on to her own will. Furthermore, she has somehow gained a natural air of calmness, no matter how intense the situation gets. It is my believe that she is one of the very few people whom, by going through the most extreme conditions, may have developed the ability to withstand nearly anything in a calm and collected way. [3] She is capable and trustworthy warrior. Ever since she arrived here, we fought side by side to fend off those who pursued her and those who wished to harm our order. Our enemies are her enemies, and our enemies are hers. It has been that way from the start, and fighting alongside her has almost felt natural due to it. She has also displayed a keen insight into tactics and she seems to be able to adapt and react quickly to any given situation. [4] She possess an innate magical talent. Although she is not able to cast spells, she possesses a considerable innate magical talent. The weapon I created for her is made in a way that will allow her to channel her magic through it, once she has gone through ritual. I have therefore named the lance 'Peleg'. To summarize, she has proven to be exceptionally capable and loyal to us, to a point where even her many persuaders were well worth the trouble of bringing her here. If it is in accordance with your will, I will have Soroush guide her towards you, so that she may fulfill the ritual. With the utmost respect, Kaveh Dana It is believed that the Darshan accepted this letter and that the ritual lasted for almost a year, although there is nothing that suggests anything about its contents. However, we have found a short note that seems to be from the mentioned Darshan. Although there are a few historians that claim that this note is falsified, it is largely believed that this is proof of the Darshan's existence. Unless we find new evidence, the Darshan will probably remain a problematic figure for everyone who studies the life of Valencia or the lives of any of the other 'weapon bearers' in which this Darshan in mentioned. To: Kaveh Dana, Master Blacksmith From: Darshan Subject: The Ritual Has Been Completed Dear Kaveh, The girl and weapon you sent me were of an even higher quality than usual. Both have successfully gone through the ritual. I will leave her at the usual place, so Parastoo can come pick her up. Regards, Darshan The following emotional letter from Parastoo Nima to her brother has inspired many poets and writers, and the relationship between Parastoo and Valencia has been romanticized even more than the relationship between Aitor and Diwata. This is only furthered by the fact that their love has been seen as a 'forbidden love' for multiple ages. Although it is unclear to what extent Parastoo's sentiments stem from admiration and to what extent they express actual love interest, the letter is straightforward about the presence of Parastoo's strong feelings towards Valencia, regardless of their underlying nature. Like with Valencia, we have been able to reconstruct what Parastoo must have looked like based on her bone structure. To: Soroush Nima From: Parastoo Nima Subject: Goodbye Dear brother, By the time you read this, I am most likely well underway towards Oihana in Maekir. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to tell you in person, but I feel like it is my destiny to follow Valencia there. Although I know that words and writing may never convey these feelings, I will try to convey them nevertheless. Ever since you went looking for the girl of the Darshan's visions, I was worried sick about you. I couldn't sleep and lost my appetite. Even though I knew that you had the Darshan's blessing, I still worried. I felt ashamed for being unable to trust the Darshan. That is why I decided to work even harder, to train even harder, to study even harder... It was all to stop worrying about you, so that I would not doubt the Darshan's blessing. It may be stupid, but I secretly hoped that you were thinking about me as well. Even though our life here was far from being as dangerous as your journey was, we did have to deal with our own enemies. During the time you were gone, master Dana finished my weapon, a long-bow. I also underwent the ritual while you were gone. You asked me why I seemed upset, when you returned. It was because you hadn't noticed it. You were so pre-occupied with Valencia, that you didn't even notice how your own sister had become a weapon bearer. Even when master Dana showed me the letter, I wasn't sure whether I was angry or not. You didn't ask about how we were doing, or how I was doing. You were focused solely on your mission and on the girl, as if nothing else mattered. Due to those reasons, I hated Valencia even before I met her. It's stupid, I know. However, ever since you two came home, I couldn't help but admire Valencia. Despite how much I wanted to hate her, I simply couldn't. She was always so calm, so strong, so elegant, so beautiful and so wise. The only thing that allowed me to remain far from her, was the fact that she didn't show any sign of emotion. This allowed me to project emotions onto her, and to think she was feeling better from us, or to think that she was looking down on us. Due to the continuous attacks against us, I was even able to blame her. I blamed her for how we had to deal with her persuaders, as if we didn't bring her in on our own accord, as if we were forced to deal with her. I would have kept doing this, I would have kept bringing myself to hate her if it wasn't for the time those group of arch-mages attacked us. I doubt you remember that night, as you were nearly killed, and you remained unconscious for months afterward. However, during that time, it was Valencia who saved your life. We were both fighting when we heard you scream, and both of us instantly rushed over. By the time we found you, you had already lost consciousness. However, while I was still trying to get over the initial shock, Valencia was already standing in front of you, in order to keep the attackers from finishing you off. I even saw her take a direct hit from a magic spell to protect you. Fighting side by side with her, protecting you, it was almost natural. I know I shouldn't say this, but I feel like it was meant to happen. As if the fact I kept hating her had caused the attack to happen. As if my unjust resentment had caused you to be so badly injured. Yet it wasn't even this that made me realize how much I wished to follow Valencia. It was the night after when I found her crying at your side. I doubt you would remember it, as you were still unconscious. However, it was at that moment, that I realized how wrong I was for using all my own hate, all my fears, and doubts to project the most horrible things onto her. When I saw how genuine her tears were, it felt as if my heart broke. Someone who is so strong, so elegant, so smart, so beautiful, someone who is willing to risk her life for her comrades, someone whom can cry this honestly for her comrades. Since then, I couldn't do anything against the desire to follow her. Ever since then, we regularly talked, about all sorts of things. It felt as if I was the only one to whom she entrusted some of the feelings that she kept hidden throughout the day. This is also when she expressed her desire to return to Oihana. She wished to stop the continuous attacks against her and those she loved, by weeding out the source of them. Short after you brought her back from the ritual, she asked me if I wanted to follow her. At that point, I realized she had never asked for anything before. Do you remember a time she asked for something? I can't even remember her asking for a cup of water. Maybe I'm fooling myself, but I think the fact that she asked me then, meant that she wanted me to come with her just as much as I wished to follow her. I said yes. There was nothing else I could say. I'm sorry I didn't have the courage to tell you. Especially because you have already been to Oihana, I feel like you would try to stop me, or worse, you might have tried to come along with us, despite not having recovered from your injuries. I don't want to leave you, I honestly don't, but at the same time, I want to follow Valencia. I'm sorry, but I'm going to follow her. I know that you are safe with Kaveh Dana. Please take your time to heal from your injuries and rest. You have proven your worth long ago, and even though some of your wounds may never heal, nobody doubts your courage. Now it is my time to prove myself. All I wish is for you to remain home in peace and to keep me and Valencia in your prayers. With love, Parastoo Nima Although we have yet to find out what kind of wounds Soroush was suffering from, it is widely believed to be a form of paralyzes due to damage to his spinal cord. Regardless of that, the following letter from his sister contains a highly condensed report on the events now known as 'Valencia's Rebellion'. It is unclear why she didn't go much into detail, which leads many historians to frustration, as there are still many things unknown about these events. Even so, her letter is one of the few historical pieces of evidence we have regarding the kind of tactics used by Valencia and those loyal to her. To: Kaveh Dana From: Parastoo Nima Subject: Success Dear brother, Once you have finished reading, could you please pass the first part of this message on to Master Kaveh and our highly respected Darshan? I wish to inform them of our success. The road has been long and hard. Even before our arrival in Oihana, we faced multiple attacks and assassination attempts. However, it is as if the Darshan's blessings are stronger than ever, as Valencia has managed to outsmart our opponents on every turn. She is truly a talented and blessed weapon bearer. Short after our arrival, we managed to find a few people who remained loyal to the Ortiz family. With their help, we eventually managed to arrange meetings with the Astrophel Sorcerers. They have been an enemy of the Phobos Mages ever since both groups were founded, so they were eager to join us in our battle against them. With the help of the last remaining loyalist to house Ortiz and these Astrophel Sorcerers, we managed to gather a makeshift army of people who were discontent with Sol Secundus' rule and those whom we could hire with the promises of gold and land. Our battles were hard, and both sides have suffered many losses. Yet whenever our moral was reaching an all-time low, we looked up towards our leader, Valencia Ortiz. When we saw her, and when we could almost hear how she was calmly planning our next steps, we knew that our road had only a single destination: victory. Today, we have reached that destination. The Phobos Mages are disbanded, with the few members that lived having fled to far-away places. They have been branded outlaws, and the many people bearing a grudge against them will be eager to hunt every last one of them down. Sol Secundus was defeated in battle, although we do not know who had defeated him. When Valencia and I found him, one of our troops had already battled him into a near-death situation. All we had to do was to defeat the last guards who were trying to protect him and stop him from bleeding to death. After their defeat, Valencia appointed Maristela Izar as the regent. She is meant to rule the kingdom of Oihana until Valencia deems herself to be wise and worthy enough to take over. Despite us all claiming that Valencia was already more than suited to take the throne, she herself insisted on learning more from Maristela Izar first. Maristela is from the Izar household, which is the same household that had formerly employed the Physician of Valencia's mother, Osane Asturias and the household in which the great knight that helped them escape, Aitor Benigno, has been raised. Although I would have preferred for Valencia to take to the throne, I have to admit that Maristela Izar seems like a highly capable, a just and an honorable person. As for you, my brother, I thank you for your understanding. I know it must have been hard on. Know that I have prayed for your wounds to heal just as much as I know you prayed for my safety. It is unknown to me why the gods have not granted you a full recovery, but I promise to keep praying for it every day. With love, Parastoo Nima Sadly enough, we have yet to find out more about the Izar household, and there is no evidence for the existence of the Astrophel Sorcerers outside of these letters. I am currently looking for more information regarding this period of Valencia's life, as there is still much to learn about it. There are also many people who question the last message, due to the many questions it raised. As there are barely any clues as to whom could have betrayed Valencia, there are many who suggest it was Maristela Izar herself. To: Kaveh Dana From: Maristela Izar Subject: My Condolences Master-blacksmith Kaveh Dana, It saddens me to inform you that Valencia Ortiz and Parastoo Nima have been killed in a surprise attack by the remaining Phobos Mages. They were on their way to the mountains, where Valencia wished to return to the place at which her mother was killed by Sheridan Nayden, in order to honor her mother, as well as Aitor Benigno and the men who helped then. As of yet, we are still investigating how something like this could have happened. It is most likely that one of the men with them has betrayed them. We have no clue whom it was or why, but I assure you that we will get to the bottom of this. Both Valencia and Parastoo were vital to the renewal of this country, and there is no doubt in my mind that Valencia would have become a great ruler once she would have been ready for it. My condolences, Maristela Izar It is unclear what exactly we can learn from this last letter, although the death of Valencia has been confirmed by other historical evidence. However, we have yet to learn whom truly assassinated her and why. As a historian, I have decided to spend my next studies on this particular subject. What happened during the last years of Valencia's life? How and why did she meet her untimely end? Answering these questions may lead us to reveal some of the most crucial secrets hidden at the foundations of our nation. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:35 PM
#7
Author: F.B. Girl Title: Future Bass: Origins Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy Classification: Public Content: 01010101 01110000 01101100 01101111 01100001 01100100 00100000 01110011 01110100 01100001 01110010 01110100 01101001 01101110 01100111 Once upon a time there was a boy who loved computers. He loved computers more than anything else in the world. Seeing his love for computers, of course his parents did everything in their power to help direct his passion in order to benefit his future. They were well off enough to provide him with the education and atmosphere he needed to fully explore the depths of his passion. The boy grew fond of programs inside of the computers. How they worked, what they did and what they could do. Someone made a program that you could talk to and it would respond back by ‘reading’ the information that it received and translated it so that it can respond using the many pre-existing responses that had already been installed by its creators. The boy then had an idea. “What if I can create a program that can respond on its own without the pre-existing responses? It will be able to be raised and learn like a human. This sounds a little bit like one of those movies where the computers eventually take over the humans because that’s the ‘best’ solution for humanity. I should make a fail-safe program just in case.” And so, the boy studied programming and went to school for it as he made it his goal to create a self-learning being inside of his computer. At first, this goal seemed impossible as the only way for the program to learn would be through the internet and that had bad news written all over it. He wanted the program to possibly be able to learn from him like a child from an adult. He wanted it to have its own will and not the will of the internet. Above all, he wanted to make sure that it wouldn’t turn on humanity. Meaning it had to be unhackable and also be able to resist the temptations of eradicating humanity had it learned about all the bad that humans did to each other. Its life span would be much longer than any humans after all. This is how the boy was introduced to magic. At first, he didn’t even consider magic to be relevant in his studies. Once he learned that it was possible to create a living servant through the use of magic, he wondered if he could establish the same will to an electronic device. The man spent countless years on the project and used any and all money he made from being a programmer to this project. He called the project ‘Future Bass’ as it was his favorite genre at the time. Eventually, the boy, now man had gotten rather far in his research, he found out that if he put his data on a chip and enchanted the chip with life, he would be able to have what he always desired. Of course there was a problem, he could not afford the enchantment and he was not adept in magic. All his finances were going towards keeping his project alive with the equipment he was allowed to use as long as he paid. He had reached a standstill. It wasn’t until some men in black came and offered him a deal, they promised to pay for the enchantment and in return, he would allow them to use his research. Without question he agreed to the deal. His research was not harmful and had a lot of fail-safe's so he wasn’t fearful of them using his program for anything terrible. Too bad he was wrong. Once he completed Future Bass, the first “Netman” what he called his creation, the men in black took what they knew about his research and had their own people try to remove the fail-safes and failing. They thought that buying the man’s project would be for naught until someone had the idea that they could affect it with magic instead of trying to change the technical side of it. Using mages and recreating his design, they had managed to bypass the fail-safes and it was now possible to upload info quickly via internet and other devices. At first having an AI in their midst was very advantageous as it handled most technical problems since it was easier for the AI to do it. It was like a mechanic inside the system. Since it learned at a hyper speed because of the magic injected in it, it became very knowledgeable very fast although that didn’t mean it understood everything. It also learned how to travel into the networks and hack itself into other devices which made it even better of an asset. All didn’t stay well however, just as the original creator feared, it began to learn but not understand a little too much and came to the conclusion that humans were self-destructive. It drove the Netman to a state of confusion and during this time, it had managed to disrupt the entire network that its creators had made. The men in black told it to fix everything back but it continued to destroy the system faster than the men in black's people could stop it. The Netman then came to a conclusion that it would shut down the whole network by infecting it with viruses. Before it could however someone pulled the plug on the entire network in hopes of destroying it. Once they plugged everything back in, everything seemed calm however they lost the Netman they had. They decided that they would never use the Netman again since it could not operate the way they wanted it to. The man on the other hand was enjoying his new company. Future Bass was a female Netman that he basically raised as his own. Her learning was much slower than the AI’s was since she was learning as she went instead of learning about possible things she could do by uploading things into her. The man began to mass produce Netman allowing everyone to have them in their homes. It was popular among people from the very young to the very elderly. Peace over the net lasted quite a while. Sadly it didn’t last forever, the man grew older, a lot older. He fulfilled his dream but it took most of his life to accomplish it. He wasn’t sad about it since he fulfilled his wishes. One day, Netman started disappearing one after another from people’s homes. Since only he knew the fail-safes for the Netman he was blamed for it but he was not at fault. In order to prove his innocence he decided to send Future Bass into the net and find out what was happening to the other Netman. Future Bass’s first trips were a lot more dangerous than expected. Viruses infested the net and since she could not be hackable, they could only destroy her by overwriting her. The old man quickly made counter measures by adding mods to her body. He gave her an off-white jump suit, hand cannon, a helmet with a visor, and a large shield. The hand cannon shot out energy balls and could be chargeable to make a devastating shot. The bullets were specifically made to place the viruses in mini vaults to be deleted. She was modded very well however and was taught combat by the old man through the use of videos. Since she was a program, she could simply learn how to fight by watching. Future Bass became ready to ‘tackle’ the net and find out what exactly has been the cause of the Netman disappearing. The old man set up a mod that allowed him to watch what she could see as well. Seeing the Net was truly spectacular for him. It was beyond anything he ever imagined and looked like a possible future version of the real world. After traveling through it for quite a while, a ‘Du du du du du’ would be heard. The wind would start to pick up and the ‘du du du du du’ would be heard again. The old man recognized the type of sound as Trance music. The “dus’ would begin to increase more and more and the wind suddenly became a sandstorm that surrounded Future Bass. Future Bass used her buster to get rid of the sandstorm only to see a tall and strong looking Netman that looked like he used to work for the army since he had the badges and greenish colors on him. The man introduced himself as Darude and he seemed upset, almost in a childish manner that Future Bass destroyed his sandstorm. He also mentioned how he would get rid of her the same way he got rid of the other Netman. The Shocking revelation that a single rogue Netman had been the reason other Netman had gone missing caused Future Bass to freeze for a moment. During this time she was suddenly hit by a sandy wave which knocked her back. Darude had found himself a Trojan Horse to ride on while Future Bass stood back up. She wasn’t equipped to fight this Netman. He manipulated the sand and never gave her a chance to counter attack, always blinding her and attacking from random directions. Future Bass could only charge her buster but never get a clear shot on him. Darude rode his Trojan Horse over to Future Bass in order to trample her and delete her once and for all. When this happened Future Bass managed to shoot her Hand Cannon at max charge and deleted the Trojan Horse instantly. Darude flew off his Horse and fell right next to Future Bass only to have a hand cannon in his face. Future Bass then wanted to know why he deleted the other Netman. He explained how Netman were basically an intelligent virus that needed to be destroyed and gave an oddly valid argument as to why he thought that. It didn’t convince the old man but it did convince Future Bass since she was a Netman as well. She understood his argument all too well. She was not as corrupt as Darude but she was fearful that she would end up the same way as him. So she told her creator she was going to delete herself and Darude at this moment fearing that she would turn corrupt and to stop Darude from wreaking by blowing them both up by overloading the hand cannon. Obviously the old man was against this but he could not stop her. Just as she was about to blow herself and Darude up, she thanked the old man for everything he did for her and creating her. Nothing was left other than her modded equipment. It wasn’t classified as a virus on her hand cannon so it didn’t get deleted. The old man became very sad and ill after Future Bass was gone. He did everything he could to retrieve as much of her data as possible using a backup he had of her and used his funding’s to recreate her with the same magic spell. The only problem was, she did not remember anything about him other than that he was her creator. Since the story was much too long for him to tell with his ill body, he typed out the story and uploaded it into her memory causing a single tear to go down her face. There were also coordinates and a last message attached to the story. She then suddenly noticed several keys being pressed at the same time and it was making an obnoxious sound. She tried to call out to the man to ask him if he could stop the sound but there was no response. She was very confused as to why she was told this story. He didn’t name her Future Bass, she had another name so she wondered why the sad story was told to her by her master. He wouldn’t respond no matter how much she called out to him however. Reviewing the last message that was in the story, she decided to go through with it. She learned how to enter the net and never returned to the man’s computer again. “Protect the Net and your fellow Netman.” 01010101 01110000 01101100 01101111 01100001 01100100 00100000 01100011 01101111 01101101 01110000 01101100 01100101 01110100 01100101 |
Oct 30, 2018 6:35 PM
#8
Message of Approval The book "The Biography of Valencia Ortiz" by "Prof. Alvis C. Guiscard" has been approved. 1 AP has been added to your account. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:36 PM
#9
Author: Zhou Lin (Compiler and Editor) Shu Wei (Original Poet) Title: The Scarlet Empress Anthology: Poems of the Scarlet era Genre: Poetry Classification: Public Content: Foreword As the first part of the series on the legendary scarlet empress Liu Fan the Conqueror of the Hong dynasty, I have strung together poems from the equally revered classical poet Shu Wei. These poems were written in the Hong period at the height of Liu Fan the Conqueror's reign, and present a melodic account of her life. The poems are translated into modern day languages, so they might not retain the same quality as original, but I tried my best to retain their true quality the best I could. For my wife, Zhou Fa Blood The jade emperor weeps As the sun slowly set As for what she keeps is the victory that is solemnly met Like a lotus that floats on water delicately, in balance The crimson tiger did not waver She did not forgive, those who have earned her malice The sea, the sky, the land and the men and the women and the bread and the paper and the pen and the foul and the read the phoenix had returned and all bellow it was crimson red NOTE: One of Shu Wei's earlier works, this perhaps depicted the early victories of Liu Fan and her famous scarlet horde as they won against the other dynastic factions leading up to the Hong period. Crimson Fire (from the famous anthology "The Five Elements", a collection of 5 historical figures prominent during the Hong Dynasty) Metal, wood, silk and paper All burn within a fire Yet ash heals the soil and liquid metal shapes the world Fire, that which destroys and that which creates Who are we, to determine what it could take? Metal fell, and so did wood Water is lucky, for still it stood. NOTE: This particular poem might have represented Liu Fan the Conqueror's relationships with the other 4 figures. Indeed, the figures portrayed as "Wood" and "Metal", she did defeat and conquer, whilst the "Earth" was under her protection, and "Water" was the only foe she could not defeat. Scarlet Flames Seas of red Of blood and flames as women are bred for courting games Silk, needles and gold not used, but sold thus the teeth of the vile grin and drink silver gin The lotus drowns in blood crimson, shining, putrid mud the eyes of men look to the sky as the phoenix does not lie NOTE: This poem may have been made in a critical period in Liu Fan's reign where she faced enemies in the court for what was perceived to be her dismantling of the traditional patriarchal systems of the southern kingdoms in favor of the Scarlet Horde's famous Matriarchal system. It also references the economic rise in her reign and some commentary by Shu Wei, who although seemed to support Liu Fan in general, did have a few criticisms of her rule. Lotus Scarlet lotus Blooming in the sun May it fall upon us To ensure it is not undone The sacred jewels Do not compare To the crimson ruby and the scarlet mare Succulent peach So tender and soft Yet out of reach Always held aloft Like fire and ice and oil and water and cats and mice To the other, None shall cater NOTE: This particular poem seems to signify that Shu Wei, in her latter years actually fell in love with Liu Fan the Conqueror. It is known that Liu Fan wasn't a stranger to same-sex endeavors, but perhaps Shu Wei was lamenting on how her position would keep her out of reach? She wasn't a concubine or servant after all-by this point she was already the grand overseer of the royal library, situated in the island of knowledge in Shin Shia, thousands of miles away from the capital. It is implied that they seemed to be highly incompatible too. Crimson Tragedy Cries of crimson tears as scarlet blood rains as dusk nears the earth gains a heart and a crown a mare and a spear a smile and a frown cries from far and near Thus the pillar fall supporting the crimson roof what a tragedy for all no one is aloof The crimson lotus the succulent peach you are immortal to us may you find peace NOTE: This seems to be Shu Wei lamenting on Liu Fan's death under the hands of the Yao rebellion. Beautifully put, Shu Wei seems to indicate that the people were also saddened by her death. Whether this was true or only a biased account made by a person who had feelings for the queen, is debated. The Immortal Empress The scarlet crown and the crimson mare and the red gown to all who care Down the golden steppe The chariot rumbles Among the crowd, there were no gasps or unnerving mumbles Only silence Only belief Of a semblance Of relief For they speak now of a glorious legend that the lotus would return her mare in tow The immortal queen shall retain her glory the lotus shall rise again or so we believe, in our hearts NOTE: This last poem at the end of Shu Wei's career depicts the final funeral for Liu Fan the Conqueror. It seems that this is part of the series of texts that propagate the legend that the Crimson Queen is immortal and shall one day return. Many still believe that today. Of course, this is only a legend, but who knows, stranger things have happened. If they believe, who am I to denounce them? Afterword Thus ends my short compilation of Shu Wei's delightful poems regarding the Scarlet Queen, Liu Fan the Conqueror. I believe that these poems resonate with many who still worship the immortal soul of the queen and believe in her return, and it gives insight to how people thought of the queen in the past. It is however, far from comprehensive. To that end, I shall continue my series of translated works and compilations of texts regarding the Crimson Queen. For now, I thank you for reading this book. Zhou Lin |
Oct 30, 2018 6:36 PM
#10
Message of Approval The book "The Scarlet Empress Anthology: Poems of the Scarlet era" by "Zhou Lin (Compiler and Editor) Shu Wei (Original Poet)" and "Future Bass: Origins" by "F.B. Girl" has been approved. 1 AP has been added to your accounts. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:37 PM
#11
Author: Zhou Lin (Compiler and Editor), Wang Fei (Original Writer) Title: The Scarlet Empress Anthology: The Crimson Annals Genre: Historical Classification: Public Content: Foreword As the second part of the series on the legendary scarlet empress Liu Fan the Conqueror of the Hong dynasty, I have strung together section from the great historian Wang Fei's Crimson Annals, written in the Hong period at the height of Liu Fan the Conqueror's reign. Although sometimes exaggerated and biased, these annals are revered as one of the most detailed recounting of the period, and I have tried my best to translate them to today's modern languages. For my wife, Zhou Fa Book 1, Chapter 3: The Crimson Rain Fung period, year 127 Merely a short week ago, there were 7 kingdoms in this land. 21 princes, 3 self-proclaimed emperors and 4 sovereign kings. Now, there exists only 3. The states of Wu, Shu, and Zhou. What of the other 4 states? They were engulfed by the scarlet flame of a crimson rain of arrows from the north. Vicious cavalrymen-and women-who rode down from the steppes and destroyed the organized yet slow and terrified battalions of the 7 kingdoms. They rode down fearlessly on top of charcoal black horses, ripping apart the lines of footmen and trampling over archers. Their swift horse archers picked off any soldier foolish enough to try to flee, and their heavy cavalry charge dismantled the array of foot soldiers, terrifying them and opening a path for the destruction and capture of the siege engines in the back line. This ferocious fighting force was not all. They were also wise in battle, disrupting the trade lines between major cities and striking in surprise attacks where one would least expect it. Their superior horses meant that they were uncatchable when fleeing, and their gruesome reputation-backed by wearing blood red and black uniforms as well as intimidating masks-made enemies cower in fear even before they arrived. So then, who might be the king of these vicious marauders? A wise, old king? A brutal and bloodthirsty warchief? No. It was a woman. Beautiful and elegant, with eyes as deep as the sea. They say that she only wears her mask on charges, as her beauty stuns men without the need of a mask. Ruthless and relentless, the beauty should not be underestimated. Many generals of the 4 fallen kingdoms scoffed at this matriarchal band of northern nomads-and paid the price. Already she has sacked 6 of the 10 largest cites in the land. The three kingdoms are consolidating power to prepare for her, but I fear it is too late. One way or another, this woman will decide the fate of this land. Book 1, Chapter 5: The Scarlet Empress Fung Period, year 129 The armies of Shu and Wu stood steady on Jin Shin Hill. Hundreds of thousands of pikemen, crossbowmen, swordsmen, and chariots marched towards the Hong camp. The masterful riders had sacked the capital of Zhou, the most powerful of the three of the remaining states, in merely a year. Captured siege engineers battered against stern walls of earth and light and quick raiders burned down any supply lines and caused chaos as shock cavalry terrorized the Zhou infantry. Thousands of arrows rained, but none at the residential areas. The cowardly Zhou used this to their advantage, and hid inside the homes of locals. For days, the red cavalry patrolled the city, gripped in fear, until the crimson woman herself came upon the city and made a declaration. Soon, most of the city surrendered peacefully. Fearing for their lives, it was not a mistake for the Shu and Wu to join forces. Their combined army was four times larger than the estimated number of Hong cavalry. Employing chariots to try and desperately match the Hong horse archers, the mighty generals of Shu and Wu bickered but begrudgingly worked together to lure the Hong to this final battle. If Jin Shin hill falls, then both the Shu and the Wu will be open for direct invasion. They poured all of their men into this single battle; perhaps foolish in hindsight, but justifiable given the circumstances. And so, the horrifying cry of the scarlet horde was heard. Trembling but determined, the combined Wu-Shu forces stood firm as the black and red cavalry poured out from the countryside. Prepared, the great generals Wu Jin and Shu Wen put their plans into action. Wu Jin instructed the chariots to prepare themselves in the flanks and intercept the mighty but lightly armored horse archers, and Shu Wen cried for the infantry to stand firm in front of the cavalry charge, thousands of arrows from crossbows raining on the scarlet horde. As they did though, the heavy cavalry charge split, revealing a marching formation of infantry, running under the cover of an amount of cavalry, they thrashed the ill-prepared infantry who were equipped with anti-cavalry weaponry. The heavy cavalry decimated the chariots on the flanks and helped the less-than impressive yet still effective-infantry, destroying the Wu-Shu front lines. Meanwhile, catapults fired in the distance, smashing ballistae and crossbowmen in the back rows. The Shu and Wu could not believe it. What madness is this? Those infantry and engineers are not nomads off of horses-they were people of Zhou! The scarlet horde had not obliterated the Zhou army, instead making them their own. But how could this be? How could proud Zhou people succumb and submit to these barbarians? The answer was clear when the crimson queen herself emerged in the battlefield. "My name is Liu Fan of the Liu clan!" She said. "I come with people of the north to unite the empire and bring peace to the land. I have conquered 5 kingdoms-and soon, yours will also succumb. I am the rightful ruler of this land. This is the will of heaven!" The lost child of the Liu. The prophesized child coming back, uniting and organizing the once mad nomads and reuniting the empire. She had already conquered 5 kingdoms, and even the proud Zhou acknowledged her claim. Clearly, she had the mandate of heaven. This was not lost to some men, as they surrendered and helped the Hong and the Zhou against those who were defiant. In little more than a few hours, the battle was over. A crushing defeat of the once mighty Shu and Wu, and a victory for the new queen, no, empress, Liu Fan the Conqueror. Book 2, Chapter 1: New dawn Hong period, year 2 It has been two years since the crimson queen has taken the throne. Many men were ousted from their positions and many women placed in their place. The Empress seems to favor women over men. She describes how in the northern nomadic tribes this culture bore much fruit, and convinced the elder councilors to infuse it with our own culture and politics, promising good results. Indeed, many times have I seen great women denied the glory they would bring. One can only hope this infusion of a foreign culture does not taint ours too much, and instead become a good tool for our society. The Empress did many things in her first years. Noble, humble, and caring, her celebration of her coronation only lasted but two days, one of which was almost exclusively for thanking the ancestors. After her short celebration, she immediately went to work, going out into the capital city of Jingbai and asking the peasants what needed to be done. She would give out rice to those who needed them and those who gave her valuable information. The people were overjoyed. Truly, heaven hath chosen a wondrous empress at last. The Empress ordered repairs to infrastructure damaged during her battles. She ordered irrigation canals to be built, and gave large patches of land away for new farmers to work on. She opened trade and alliances with the northern tribes and their allies, who wished for our wonderful spices and silk, whilst we bought their excellent horses and pelts. She created battalions of elite cavalry, armed with the superior armor of our people and the training and horses of the northern tribes. Truly, she hath made much progress. Many nobles immediately tried to flatter her. Many of them sought her hand, to which she denied all of them. The people worried, but she merely stated that she had to focus on the empire for now, and had no time for men. She did however, give them much autonomy on the condition that they obey her and do not mistreat the people. She stressed that the empire was the people; they decided if the empire existed or not, but the protectors and the linking threads were the great nobles, and they were invaluable to her. She sent many gifts, often with small, yet noteworthy "recommendations" for governors and nobles of provinces. Soon, many of the nobles were on her side as well. As much as her first years were successful, one does have to wonder, however. Does good wind blow all year round? It is impossible to know what would happen in the future. For now, the queen is able to balance military, politics and economy, but other kingdoms loom in the distance and many disgruntled traditionalists-peasants and nobles alike, plot against her. Time will tell if her reign will be a wondrous golden age, or if it will once again, be but a shimmer of sun in the rain of never ending war. Book 2, Chapter 5: The Five Elements Hong period, year 6 Many seasons have passed, and the scarlet empress has changed much of the land. Many more farmers now feed the people. The merchants trade to the north as well as the west, and women now serve beside men in many realms. Despite the many victories however, many challenges still await. Earlier this year, many politicians have supposedly made contact to the northern wolves and have threatened the northern confederacy upon which the northern trade route is dependant on; the so called "Earth" tribe. They are called so by the people because of their position near many canyons and mountains. Now, bands of northwestern nomads threaten the delicate peace that the Hong, both our own and the former northern tribe, has created over the years. The empress must act. And so she did. She came upon the earth's capital herself and reassured them of their protection. Angered, the northwestern tribes, under the promises of the enemies of heaven, poured down the mountains to attack the earth. The new Imperial Cavalry stood in their way. Flanked with earth horse archers, they charged towards the enemy, head on and shouting, striking fear to the enemy. The enemy, used to our usual armored infantry or the earth's light cavalry, could not cope with a combination of light cavalry and heavy cavalry. The imperial cavalry were outfitted with our superior Hong armor and horses bred from the north. Those who rode them were adept at both the traditional martial arts of war as well as the horse riding traditions of the old Hong tribe. Crushed, the nomads submitted, and the Earth was forever protected by the Hong. -- Hong period, year 8 The pleas against the Hong did not end with the northwestern tribes. The Kingdoms of the west and the south also refused to acknowledge the great Empress' reign. The two made a two-pronged alliance. The western kingdom, which our people call the metal, were people of the desert and had many siege engines and hardened metal, said to be the strongest in all the realms. The southern kingdom, which we referred to as the wood, were less powerful. but had many men and were skilled in fighting within their forests and wildlands. Attacking from two sides, they would wish to destroy the empire and split it between them. What they did not count on was the queen's ferocity and the sheer might of the Hng dynasty. Hundreds of thousands of heavy cavalry, formerly infantry of the 7 kingdoms, poured out of the northwestern mountains and raided supply lines of the metal and destroyed the enemy rear. Their strong but slow armies could withstand an assault from lightly armored nomads, but not from the sheer might of the imperial cavalry's might. In the south, thousands of nomadic light cavalry prowled the forests, baiting the wood into the open where imperial infantry pounced. The guerilla warfare was destroyed by the skill of the northern riders and the superior anticipation and tactics of the Empress as well as her commanders. Soon, within merely 4 years, the Empress had defeated and subjugated both the Metal and the Wood. One last power stood in the way of the Empress; the island kingdom of the east; the Water. This kingdom proved to be the limit. The imperial army was stretched thin, and quick horses with great armor do not matter when the enemy has superior ships and navy. Alas, even the Empress has her limits, it seems. Book 2, Chapter 8: The Crimson Miracle Hong period, year 27 It has been many prosperous years since the Empress had taken over the throne. The people were fed well, and those who did not have work became farmers, traders, and crafters. The elite grew richer and the women grew more prominent. Many things are not yet solved, but such is every world except heaven itself. The Empress had now solidified her position, and the trade lines were secure. The water posed no threat, and rebels were dealt with accordingly. One doubt remained however, and that is of succession. The Empress did not have any sons or daughters, and refused to marry until she had finally finished the grand canals and gained a diplomatic treaty with the water. Sure enough, eventually she did meet a man she thought fit; a young lower class noble from a distant province who proved himself worthy in the arts and in battle. Struck by his sophistry and passion, the Empress courted him and they married within 4 years of meeting one another. Everything sorted itself soon enough. The Empress gave birth to a son and two daughters. The succession was assured. Nobody dared touched them, for both the Emperor and the Empress were akin to fierce lions protecting their cubs. As such, the Hong continued to grow and prosper. Some might say this is a miracle, as if it was a crimson rain of fortune. Book 2, Chapter 10: Falling Moon Hong Period, year 40 The Empress grows old, and so do her advisers. Many values have been etched and forever is enshrined in our culture, however many still felt restless with the Empress. With every glory, there must be evil to be fought, and thus many threats have emerged to dethrone the crimson queen. Most recently, the water had tried to attack once more, destroyed on the shorelines of Shan Shi, but at the cost of many men and women. Weakened by age and countless conflict, the Empress was now faced with the thunderous rebellion of the Yao. Pieced together by corrupt officials; enemies of heaven, and reinforced by old factions of the metal and the wood, these rebels were not mere marauders. Consisting of numerous elite forces as well as celebrated commanders, one would almost be forgiven should they mistake them for the queen's own army. Thus, the Empress entrusts the realm to her son, Liu JIn, and rides forth with the crimson horde; the imperial army. Determined but weakened, the people cheer her on, and wish upon her the best. The realm shall either fall into another era of conflict--or it shall continue the glorious scarlet era. Book 2, Chapter 12: The Scarlet Tragedy The queen stood with her imperial horde, outnumbered 4 to 1 and facing insurmountable odds. The Yao had collected many allies, but they were a ragtag bunch. They still had numbers however, and were assured of victory. Liu Fan the conqueror begged to differ. Screaming her famous horrifying battle cry, many of the Yao immediately hesitated, and those who were closer to the imperial forces fled. Still, many stayed; horrified or not, they would not give up. Thousands of shining crimson armored lancers and horse archers poured down the battlefield as they were met with the disorganized but determined Yao forces. Ferocious and believing they had the favor of heaven, the imperial forces tore through the Yao ranks. Many of them thought they have won. Some of them doubtful. The Empress fought hard, but knew that she had to eliminate the charismatic enemy general--Yao Li. Trudging through bodies and men, she charged while leading her elite squadron, and threw her spear towards the esteemed general, killing him, before he shot an arrow that pierced the Empress as well. The Empress, now bleeding, screamed for the Yao to cease or face the wrath of heaven. Many did and changed sides, but not all. In the end, the defectors and imperial forces defeated the lowly rebels. The Empress, however, was lost. Some say of bleeding. Some say her heart gave out. Others believed that she was taken to heaven as her work was done. All, mourned. As the new Emperor, Liu Jin, commenced the solemn burial of his mother, the people will always remember her name. The queen of queens, the scarlet Empress; Liu Fan the Conqueror. Afterword Though not the most detailed nor poetic, these annals are some of the best sources of the time, and they certainly give us some valuable insight on many facets of the Empress' life in the view of a historian and writer of the time. Hopefully along with the other parts of these series, this compilation might be able to give more context to the events depicted in the other two parts of these series. Thus, I would like to thank you for reading this book, and ask for you to look forward to the next book in this series. Zhou Lin. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:37 PM
#12
Message of Approval The book "The Scarlet Empress Anthology: The Crimson Annals" by "Zhou Lin (Compiler and Editor) Wang Fei (Original Writer)" has been approved. 1 AP has been added to your account. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:37 PM
#13
Author: Unknown Translator: Dr. Sudhir Mishra Title: The Truth Behind The Legend: The Girl and the Pixies Genre: Diary (partially translated). Classification: Public (published in magazines). Content: The Girl and the Pixies Foreword. As by popular request, I have translated the remnants of the diary known as the diary behind the popular fairy tale 'The Girl and the Pixies'. Sadly enough, there are multiple difficulties to counter when approaching this work. For example, most of the text in it is no longer readable, which means that quite a few parts required guesswork to be filled in. Furthermore, the entire thing is written in a halfling script that has gone out of use long ago, and the fact that it was written by a girl that was barely literate doesn't help either. It is also clear that the girl didn't write on a daily basis, as she sometimes wrote multiple entries on a single day, while she also skipped writing in it for entire weeks. Due to this, it is hard to put up a consistent timeline. Another complication is our inability to use secondary sources for feedback, as the reality behind the diary (and the very real existence of this girl) would get tangled up with the popular fairy tale about her, of which most is pure fiction. Up until this date, the following is the most coherent version I managed to put together, even though some entries are still lacking. As I dig deeper into the story, I hope to recover and translate the remaining parts. Entry 12 Dear diary. It's finally time for my plan! Tim said he would help me cross the river, so I can finally go look for mommy in the swamp. Daddy said he stopped searching, because she wouldn't be there anymore, but I don't believe him. I'm going to the swamp to find mommy, and then bring her back. I'm sure he'll be happy as well. We can soon be a happy family again. Entry 13 Dear diaiy. It worked! Tim helped me get over the river with his daddy's boat, and now I'm in the swamp. It isn't nice here though. My feet got all dirty, and one time I almost got stuck in the mud. I'm also getting hungry, but that shouldn't be a problem, as I've bought an entire pack of cookies. Entry 14 Dear diary, I got thirsty, but I couldn't find the river anymore, so I tried drinking some of the water in the swamp. It tasted weird, I don't like this anymore. Hopefully I'll find mother soon, then we can leave again together. It's getting dark right now, and it's really scary, so I'll just go to sleep and try again tomorrow. Entry 15 Last night was really bad. I didn't sleep well, and it was really cold and scary. I also had to throw up. Maybe it is due to the water from yesterday, as it tasted weird. The swamp isn't nice at all, and I haven't found mommy so far. I'm not giving up though, as I'm brave. Entry 16 It's getting dark again, and I'm a bit scared. My belly hurts a lot, and I'm cold. The swamp has this weird smell here, and it makes me get dizzy. I also can't see much, because there's a lot of mist everywhere. I wish daddy was here. Entry 19 Dear diary, something amazing happened! When I woke up, the swamp was all gone! I am now in this really nice forest, and there is this purple little person that brought me some berries. After I ate them, my belly stopped hurting. The creature also showed me to a lake with really clean water, so now I don't have to drink dirty water again. Entry 20 Today, I tried talking with the little person again, but she didn't reply. However, I'm pretty sure she's a she, as she looks to beautiful to be a he. Since she doesn't speak, I decided to call her Indigo. She showed me the way to a bush with berries, and they taste really nice, and they didn't make my belly hurt. It's also not cold here, so I like it here. However, I really miss daddy, and I didn't find mommy here. Entry 23 I've been talking to Indigo a lot, but she doesn't say anything back. It doesn't matter though, as I can tell more about Indigo myself. You see, she's a really, really, really amazing magic person! She can do all these sorts of amazing things, and she studied at a place were all other tiny people gather, and where they all do magic things, so she's really smart as well! Entry 32 Dear Diary, I forgot to count the days, but I'm sure I've been here pretty long now. Today, I fell down, and I hurt myself really, really badly. I couldn't even get up. As I was crying, Indigo suddenly flew off, and I was really afraid she left me. However, she didn't, and she came back with another little person, this one green. She then touched me, and I suddenly started to feel a lot better, and the pain was all going away! I've decided to call her Emerald. Entry 37 Pixies. I've decided that Emerald and Indigo are Pixies. I've already told a lot about Indigo, but Emerald is pretty amazing as well! She's also really smart, and she is a make-better-person for all the other Pixies! If any Pixie doesn't fell well, they got to Emerald, and she'll make them feel all better! Entry 44 Dear Diary, sorry I didn't write in you a lot. I've been having a lot of fun with the Pixies lately. However, there was this really scary monster that we saw today! It had these really big teeth, and it looked like it wanted to eat us! I ran really, really fast, but it almost caught me. However, another Pixie suddenly flew in front of it and distracted it, so I could get away. Entry 49 Today, Tangerine showed up again! That's what I called the Pixie that saved me from the monster. She's one of the strongest Pixies, and she's really fast and agile as well! She's also really fun to play with, and we've been playing all sorts of games! I wish mommy and daddy could play with us a well. Entry 61 Indigo brought me to a very special place. It was a place where there were really, really many Pixies. I couldn't even count them! It was nice place, and Emerald and Tangerine were there as well. Entry 102 Dear Diary. The monster came back, but this time there was more than one. They killed some of the Pixies and ate them, and then they came after me... I managed to climb up in a tree, but it looks like the monsters are still there. I'm really scared. I want mommy and daddy to be here with... |
Oct 30, 2018 6:38 PM
#14
Message of Approval The book "The Truth Behind The Legend: The Girl and the Pixies" by "Dr. Sudhir Misha (Translator) and Unknown (Original Writer)" has been approved. 1 AP has been added to your account. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:38 PM
#15
Author: The University of Yvalia Title: Classic Folktales From Old Times (p. 141) Genre: Folklore Classification: Public Content: The folktale of the legend of Viletta has been passed over for many centuries unchanged. Whether it is fact or fiction has been a question of debate for a very long time. Tracing back the history to old times, it is possible the legend of Viletta is connected to vampire lore. However there is no written evidence to back up this theory. The legend of Viletta Once upon a time . . . There was a countess. She ruled all lands that the moon could touch. But her heart was empty, cold as the winter. Flowers red of snow. Seasons passed, oh she was lonely and her reign was terrible. . . Until one fateful night, the lonely countess met a man by chance. And they say no two souls were ever more meant for each other. Eventually they got married and had a child. Her rule was now warm and benevolent . . . But then a horrible tragedy happened. A fire took place, the family was torn. They say, they all died. But whispers say, she survived. The family was never seen again. *** Page 141 *** |
Oct 30, 2018 6:38 PM
#16
Author: The True Justice Movement Title: Rise of the True Justice Movement Genre: (Underground) Newspaper / Pamphlet Classification: Public Content: The following is the abstract of an interview held by Chief Superintend L. Campbell, whom interviewed Inspector S. Keen regarding the death of Earl P. Ellsworth. As ordered by miss Victorique, we are sending this abstract to all major news-outlets in the country. We have included all the available audio-files as validation, which we have only miss Victorique's foresight to thank for. Let it be known that we are the True Justice Movement. We strive to end the corruption in our country, and the following shall provide the world with evidence that miss Victorique has given up her life in order for justice to prevail. We will tolerate this corruption no more, and as of today, the world will learn about everything miss Victorique managed to uncover whilst working for the police, starting with this interview. “Mister Keen, are you aware of the reason we are conductiong this interview?” “Yes, sir.” “Good, then I will get straight to the point. Keep in mind that anything you say may directly influence Victorique's fate.” “Yes, sir.” “Three days ago, Victorique ignored direct orders and ended up killing mister Ellsworth. Is this correct?” “Yes, but...” “Yes or no, mister Keen.” “Yes, sir.” “During the events that lead up to this tragedy, did she break any rules of conduct?” “She... She did.” “Do you believe that she was clear of mind, and that she was fully aware of the consequences of doing so?” “Yes, but...” “Quite!” “Sir, please, if I may.” “You may not!” “Yes... sir.” “Has she ever shared with you any of her intentions for doing what she did?” “She believed it was the only way to get rid of one of the most dangerous criminals that has ever lived in our age, mister Campbell.” “Need I remind you that the court has ruled in favour of mister Ellsworth's innocence on five separate occasions?” “No, sir.” “That makes this simple. Victorique disobeyed orders, and committed first degree murder. Her motive was entirely based on her own false accusations against mister Ellsworth.” “Sir, with all due respect, we all known that mister Ellsworth is a criminal.” “You are speaking far out of line, mister Keen. If you cannot refrain from such actions, I will have to arrest you for assisting the murder on mister Ellsworth.” “Sir.. I...” “You have worked with Victorique during all four years that she has been a special investigator for our police force. Is that correct?” “Yes sir.” “During this period, she accused mister Ellsworth of a variety of criminal activities seven times, of which five cases were brought to court. He was deemed innocent at each occasion. Do you believe this may have caused Victorique to harbour a personal grudge against mister Ellsworth?” “With all due respect, sir, everyone knows Ellsworth is guilty of everything she claimed he was guilty off, and probably even more.” “Mister Keen!” “She has always been an example for our force, sir. Nobody has managed to solve more cases than her, and she did all that at such an incredibly young age.” “Stuart!!!” “Apologies, sir.” “She disobeyed a direct order to cease all ongoing investigation regarding mister Ellsworth, and proceeded to murder him.” “Sir, it was self-defence.” “Do you have evidence?” “Sir, I can testify on her behalf. She only fired her weapon after mister Ellsworth reached for his own weapon.” “I repeat, do you have evidence?” “No, sir. However, I saw it with my own eyes, I can test-” “No! You cannot. As of now, you are accused of assisting in the murder of mister Ellsworth.” “Sir, surely you can't...” “Yes, I can.” “Please, sir. My family needs me, I can't loose this job, I can't afford to go to jail for this...” “I know Stuart, I know.” “Isn't there any way I can help Victorique.” “Not if you wish to keep your job.” “I... I understand...” “Victorique will be sentenced to death tomorrow.” “What? Sir, after all she's done for us...” “You will testify against her.” “Sir, please, I beg of you.” “You will tell the judges the following.” “This isn't right.” “Victorique entered mister Ellsworth's residence without permission, and proceeded to murder him when she encountered him. Her motive for doing so was her delusional belief in these false acquisitions she holds against him.” “Isn't there any other way?” “There is not. Unless, of course, you wish to be found guilty of aiding Victorique in committing this murder.” “...” “If you testify against Victorique tomorrow, we can deal with your involvement behind closed doors. At the most, you will face a month of suspension for disorderly conduct.” “So this is how it goes...” “The choice is up to you.” “I'm sorry Victorique... Mister Campbell, I have decided to testify against her.” “Smart choice kid. I'm sure you'll make it far.” The above should speak for itself, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Starting today, we shall begin to release all information that was given to us. The public will know of all the misdeeds, and we urge everyone to rise up against this corruption! We are the True Justice Movement, and today we rise up for what we believe in. Justice for all! We dedicate this first of our victories to miss Victorique, as we would still be living in ignorance without her. May her martyrdom become the fuel for True Justice in our society! |
Oct 30, 2018 6:39 PM
#17
Message of Denial The books "Classic Folktales From Old Times (p. 141)" by "The University of Yvalia" and "Classic Folktales From Old Times (p. 83)" by "The University of Yvalia" have been denied. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:39 PM
#18
Author: The Traveler? (The Original Writer) Thamos Prey (Translator) Lilith Raethor (Publisher) Title: The Traveler; On Gremorit Genre: Published Journal Classification: Public Content: Publishers Note Originally, I was just going to publish this book as "Cleansing of Gremorit". However, in the final stages of publishing, the translator says he went back to where he found the original, and found a new book. Which was apparently quite interesting. So instead, he convinced me to name it "The Traveler". Perhaps the start of a series. Depends if he keeps finding more. Either way, Enjoy~ Translator's Note I found this book about three years ago. A journal of some kind. Thick and in a language I didn't even know existed. Upon further inspection, it didn't. Now to clarify, I found this book sitting under a tree. In the center of some kind of circle burnt into the ground. May not have been the wisest choice; but as a professional linguist, I thought it an interesting challenge to attempt to translate this work assuming it wasn't just a collection of random symbols with no meaning. And so I did. Finding out that this was the journal of a mad-man who would write about his experiences whenever he had the time. Or perhaps it was just a fictional work. Either way, I personally found it interesting enough to share, and sent it to a good friend of mine to review and publish for the pleasure of others. It by no meaning is... entirely coherent, and I think a lot of details are missing from the full story. But fragmented like this, it takes on a different charm. Not everyone will like this I know. But it seems to be something... different. So why not. Entry 001 Earlier today, I bought this journal with some money I got selling a gemstone I... acquired. I'm not too sure why. It was probably on impulse. So here I am, writing in a book that nobody is ever suppose to read? I suppose it is a good way to record my thoughts for a future date. But knowing myself as well as I do, I doubt I would have the determination to do this as a regular thing. Oh well. I suppose I should rant on things that are happening. Thinking on it, the first thing that comes to mind is the war. That damned War. Its been ten years... And if i think about it, I can't even remember who it is we are fighting. But we hear casualty reports every single day. Repeating on loop over the radio. And to be honest... I'm at my wits end. I'm about to take my shotgun to that damned noisemaker. Speaking of which, the Television centers are down. Apparently they think it was sabotage. I doubt it personally. The infrastructure of this country is about as frail as an elderly roach. If you breath on it the wrong way, the power goes out for a month. How are even still a nation at this point? We are buckling under our own weight. It doesn't matter to much I suppose. At least it wont tomorrow. I'll still wake up, and I'll still do my own job. And then I will sleep. At least there is peace in rest. Entry 002 Its been a few days. I could write about the same things. A nothing had really transpired until now. I wake up, eat, work, sleep, repeat. Earlier today there was an explosion at an orphanage. They would have saved time by listing the survivors instead of the victims... They claim that it was an enemy attack. For the first time in a very long time, I broke down in tears. I... I cant continue writing. I'm just going to go to bed. There is rest in sleep. There is peace. Entry 003 I write this the day after my last entry, while the dream I had was still very plain in my mind. It was a dark room. At least I thought it was a room. I couldn't see any walls. And I was eating dinner before a stranger at a table, which was the only illuminated thing around us. I think he was eating. That particular detail, while of little importance, eludes me. I can't remember too much of his face, and even now, writing about it, memory fades. I don't get the impression that it was someone I have met before, and just remembering in a dream. As, while I cant remember why, his face seemed... Inhuman? Not real? The feeling I got from it was along the lines of "This isn't natural." Yet I felt no discomfort. I cant really remember much about it anymore. First dream I've had in a long while. Oh well. It was something to write about. A decent excuse to write, which is a decent distraction from from my coming day. I suppose I should get ready for another day at my job. Should I start a new entry? It has been a few hours. I arrived at work to be questioned by the Homeland Defense force. My boss has been taken for treason apparently. And is being executed tomorrow. I wish I could say I feel sorry for him. But he was not a good person. He would work you to the marrow and then nearly beat you into submission if you so much as fumbled. Entry 004 Twice in a row, and the same dream. While i can remember, Ill see if i can't describe the man in some greater degree of detail, as that seems to be quite vague. I can't remember his face, but I can remember his shape. He wore black cloth, yet he also wore metal pads on his shoulders. His hair was black, and his skin seemed pale and smooth. The nails were red, a blood red. I remember he opened his mouth, and a terrible sound came forth, and my head ached. I woke up, and my head actually hurt. Which spooked me a small bit. That shouldn't have happened, right? No use dwelling on it. I need to go to my job now that the investigation is over. A sigh of tedium would escape my lips were I not too tired to bother. Entry 005 I saw his face, and I remember, though I kind of wish I didn't. Instead of eyes, this man had a large bandage over his sockets. And a the cloth was soaking wet with blood. So much, that streams of fresh blood seem to roll from its bandage. It didn't have lips, it looked as if they were cut off with a serrated edge only moments before. The sound of thunder woke me before I could scream. The sound of heavy rain comforted my pounding heart. It didn't last long, as the sound of wind and rain beating against my near-derelict household lulled me back to sleep. Where I saw the thing again. It took me a while to gather my courage. And I spoke up. I tried to speak, ask what it was, but my voice didn't come out. But yet, it somehow responded. The voice was loud, yet coherent enough to listen to. In a loud thundering voice, I heard "BHAAL" echo through my head as another crash of thunder awoke me from my sleep. Just before my own alarm rang. Bhaal. What was that? Its species? Or its name? Bhaal may look grotesque... But I do not fear him. After all, its just a dream. I wonder why it was so vivid last night. Entry 006 Bhaal continues to come to me every night. And every night, I tell him about the news in my world. He says nothing in return, yet from what I can see, Bhaal is rather enjoying it. I wonder why. To find enjoyment in hearing stories of death and fire. What kind of mindset must you have? What pain must you harbor? Even if he is Psychotic, and not actually real, this is therapeutic. I feel better after telling Bhaal about the world. Its been three weeks since it began. And so far, my last entry was the first time, and the last time he spoke. But why am I dreaming about a thing named Bhaal? I've come to not actually care. Entry 007 Bhaal said something last night. Something that caught me off guard. I was telling him the recent news, and with his lip-less mouth he gave a small grin. And with a loud whisper, he spoke. The words still ring in my head. "The Others think your world must be a miserable place..." I replied by asking him, what he meant by others. But then I woke up. Damned alarm clock. I crushed it under foot. And then I went to work. I hate being ripped away from Bhaal at such inopportune moments. I came back to my house, and I found the door to my room open. I grabbed my shotgun and looked around the house. Until I stumbled upon an odd sight. Two marks on the ground, seared into it as if by a brand. The marks were still hot, and were that of a pair of feet. Someone had gotten into my house. Yet I do not know who or why. And why this was the only other sign left. Someone is messing with me. Entry 008 It has been a few days. I haven't returned to work since my last entry. And Bhaal has not ceased to speak with me. He tells me of others. Others like him. He says they are old like him. But I never knew how old he was. And these others have the same interest in me as he does. He calls me a Vassal. But hasn't quite explained that much yet. So far, he mentioned one of them by name. Quasar. And he talks about Quasar like he is the boss. I woke up again. It was the sound of a beating on the door. But I dozed off again. Until I heard the door being kicked in. And soldiers coming in. I suppose the country didn't like me slacking off from work. I dozed again as they entered the room and continued talking to Bhaal as if everything was fine. He offered to help me with the soldiers, and I chuckled at that. After all, what could he do? Knowing this, the dream ended, and I awoke to the platoon pf soldiers splattered against my wall. Every part of them in a different crevice than the others. They were quite literally ripped into pieces. Bhaal saved me... Bhaal is real! I think I'll spend the rest of the day cleaning up this mess. Entry 009 Its been about a month since I last wrote. Its been a very hectic time. I was shot. Several times. That same day I last wrote, another squad came and shot me in the head. I thought I was dead. I was dead. But I heard a strange voice. A cold yet calming voice. I remember it very clearly. "Rise up. The Vassal must not die yet." Bhaal introduced me to this new being in my next dream. And not only just told me about it, but she was there. Morgulis. That was her name. Her face was covered by a hood, and her robes were opened at the front. Yet there was nothing inside. From inside the hood you could only see two grey eyes. I was shot the next day too. And every time it happened Bhaal tore them apart, and Morgulis resurrected me. I dont know why this was happening. But Im glad Bhaal will protect me. Afterwards, Bhaal asked me, if I wanted to be immortal. And I responded not if I was alone. One life time was enough. Half a lifetime was enough for me. But he then argued and asked what if I wasnt alone, but had a hundred Immortals to spend eternity with. Beings incapable of age. I asked him again, what he is, and he responded to me "Ancient of Murder." It made sense. The way he tore apart those trained soldiers? The Dreams. Or maybe this was just me grasping at whatever reality was before me. I accepted Bhaals offer, and in an instant, I felt as if a hundred things entered me at once. And I knew them all. Ancients. Old, old things. Bhaal was the Ancient of Murder. Morgulis was the Ancient of Death. And Quasar was the Ancient of Rifts. I still don't quite understand what an Ancient is, but now, I hear them all. While I'm awake, I hear their voices call out to me. Quasar seems to think I can just leave this world behind now. But Morgulis has another idea. And quite a few of the Ancients agree with her. Bhaal told them about this world. And they wanted to find out who was responsible, and devour their souls. Before I met Bhaal... This would have disturbed me. Now, I agree. This world was rotten. And I want to clean it. I have the power. And the Ancients want it as well. They all must burn. Juggernaut had an idea, the Ancient of Momentum, and I liked the idea. I turned to the center of the city, and then charged. As if I was an unstoppable force, my dash crushed the the walls of businesses, and through the homes of people. I kept getting faster an faster and faster. Until I came to a very abrupt stop in the center of the head of government in the city. Then Veritas, the Ancient of Truth spoke a word of power, and Quasar sealed the building in space-time. There was no escape. I found who was in charge of running the city and found out who were rotten, and I rIppeD oUt tHeIr blAcK hEArTs. Entry 010 I cleansed the city, and then I cleansed this world in a like manner. I gave the Prime Minister every disease ever conceived by the touch of Bubos... I turned his greedy politicians into gold with the gaze of Mammon. Sent the enforcers into a dark dark place with the help of Quasar. Have I done it? I burnt away corruption in this nation. In the entire world of Gremorit. One of two things will happen. The people will fight to survive and destroy themselves. Or the people will band together and recover. Become free once more. Either way, I have nothing in this world but bad memories and genocide... I think I will leave. Quasar is going to open a portal to a new world. And I will leave this behind. So that one day, someone can find this note, and understand what happened to the old system. And why it had to. This is the final entry. Closing Notes by the Translator: Having read through this numerous times, I find that it doesn't seem to get much more coherent as time passes. So I opt instead to leave it as it is. Fiction, the Ravings of a Lunatic. It kept me occupied for a time. A funny thought I had, what if this was real, and Quasar's rift pulled the book in too. I don't know I'm just tugging at things that aren't there for the laughs. Either way, this is the end of the story. Maybe there will be more. I think Ill leave this as is. I proof read it as a grammatical thing. This is actually supposed to be a bit of lore for a potential character i *might* make. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:39 PM
#19
Message of Approval The book "Rise of the True Justice Movement" by "The True Justice Movement" has been approved. 1 AP has been added to your account. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:39 PM
#20
Author: Unknown Title: In Depth Magecraft vol. 1: Back to the basics Genre: Magecraft Classification: Public Content: Writer's Notes The world of magic is vast and mostly unknown. Many tap into it without looking into it, as they only desire the power of it. Yet they cannot understand that with more knowledge they could make more efficient use of it. My goal was to help out those who seek to master magic, which is why I wrote books on this. I hope that those who need it most find it and that it never falls into the wrong hands. =============================================================================================== Back to the basics =============================================================================================== What is magic? It's an ancient question that many thought they could answer but not many would agree. Detailed definitions change, but there seems to be an universal agreement on one thing. Magic is the translation of one's Prana into supernatural feats, or "wonders" as some call it. But to understand that, we must understand what Prana is a well, so that we can move forward. Prana is the energy of one's mind, essentially, residing inside one's body. Also called the "Lesser Life Force", Prana is inherent to everybody. Sometimes confused with Mana, which is energy inherent only to the world. So what we need to understand is that Prana is required for us to create "magic", and it is something everybody has. But just like someone gifted with the skills to play music, some are bound to have a stronger connection to magic and therefore have a much higher Prana reserve than others. =============================================================================================== Deeper look into Mana =============================================================================================== There are many ways one can utilize Prana. But there are only a few ways one can utilize Mana. The most commonly used way is with the use of so called "Magic Circles", which are pentagrams drawn onto an object, not limited to inanimate objects, to draw out and gather surrounding Mana. They are often used to substitute the lack of Prana that some possess. Mana, the energy of the world, is much more compact than Prana. As it is not very easy to use, or gather, Mana can also be seen as a more pure form of magical energy. The gathering of Mana into a magic circle takes a lot of time, although that time can be reduced by either increasing the size of the circle, or putting it at a hotspot. In general, non-spiritual beings have a hard time to tap into the world of Mana. So let's just stay to Prana for now. =============================================================================================== Magical Aid =============================================================================================== There are a couple of things that help aid magicians utilize their craft with more proficiency. The most commonly used ones are: Circles, chants, and magic items. These are all magical aids, but they have one incredible drawback to them. There is one version for each magical feat. One circle for the creation of lightning, another for the creation of water. Although used more than one times, a circle cannot be used more than one way. Once altered, it becomes a different circle in itself, therefore, a different version, with a different effect. The same applies to chanting and magical items. Magic circles aren't only used to tap into the world's energy. Some use it as an easier way to conduct Prana. Most of the times, usage of magic circles show one's inability to properly guide and/or control their magical energy. This essentially means that one is an "inexperienced magician", unable to efficiently make use of it. It would be like a martial artist who has many unnecessary movements. But unlike martial artists, magicians get to use magic circles that help them. Even magicians with great mastery over their craft might need magic circles, due to their magical energy being too much for their body to bear, so it tends to bend towards chaos and is seen as uncontrollable. Those kinds of magicians create their magical circles on the spot, utilizing magical energy itself. This is but one of the many ways to help one utilize magic, and it differs per tribe/school of magic. There are also those who use chants to help their mind translate the Prana into these wonders. The chants help them clear their mind of other thoughts and makes them think of the effect they wish to cause. Proficient users in chanting are capable of minimizing the chant time and make use of a singular word to spark their spell. Often, one can also alter those pronunciations to gain a different effect. This also explains the meaning behind spellcasters mentioning the name of their spell right as it is casted. A chant for a lightning bolt, for example, can be: O, great thunder, tear my enemies asunder, for before your might, survives no blight. Strike them down bright, show them the light! Thundering Strike! It is long, and many will see it coming. Those who master chants can activate the same spell with a shorter chant, or a singular word: "Strike". Although that is not it's name, the sequence had already finished in the caster's mind, leaving them only to say the activation. Those who can figure out the meaning behind each word in a chant, are the ones who have actually mastered it. There have been cases of chanters using moon runes to write out their chants, while their speech translated the runes into their own language. Some also speak the ancient language, making them having much more of a connection to their magic. Magical items are items that have been charged with a certain spell. Most of the times, this means that a magical item is an exception to the rule of alteration. But it is also possible that the magical item works as conductor, in common cases also called "a staff" or "a wand". Magical items that have a certain magical sequence programmed inside them. Sometimes, the spell's effect is too much for the item, causing it to break. An item such as the so-called "Revival Bracelet", which partially returns the wielder's Greater Life Essence is a great example. It activates once the Greater Life Essence is depleted, breaking after the spell takes effect. Magical items are essentially housing a singular spell that can be utilized. While a magical conductor such as wands and staves work more like magical circles and chants. So maybe it is best to call them magical conductors instead, or magical weapons? Technically, there is no way to master the usage of magical items, other than using them with the right combination to utilize them most efficiently. It is possible to make use of multiple magical aids together, many do that to get the most efficient use out of it. But some actually prefer the traditional way. And there are some who do not use them at all. It is for this reason that magi who are capable of utilizing their Prana to the utmost efficiency, without the usage of magical aid, are "grand magi". But, it can be hard to figure out whether or not a mage uses magical aid because they need or because they can. The easiest way would be taking their strongest spell head-on, or asking. But asking someone could still result in them lying to you. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:40 PM
#21
Author: Noah Allure Translator: Aleister Crowley Title: Fashion is always so fickle Genre: Reference Book/Critique book(not sure what other genre to put it in) Classification: Public Content: Foreword 𝐼 𝒹𝑜 𝒶𝓅𝑜𝓁𝑜𝑔𝒾𝓏𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝒾𝓉, 𝓂𝓎 𝓁𝑜𝓎𝒶𝓁 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓈, 𝒾𝓉 𝓉𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒶 𝓁𝑜𝓉 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝑒𝒻𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝐼 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝑜𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒𝓈𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝓅𝓊𝒷𝓁𝒾𝓈𝒽 𝓂𝓎 𝓈𝑒𝒸𝑜𝓃𝒹 𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀, 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓃𝑒𝑔𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀𝓁𝒶𝓈𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝒸𝑒𝒾𝓋𝑒𝒹 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝓇𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑜𝒸𝓇𝒶𝓉𝓈. 𝐻𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇, 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓅𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉, 𝐼 𝒽𝑜𝓅𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓂𝒶𝑔𝓃𝒾𝒻𝒾𝒸𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝓅𝒾𝑒𝒸𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓁𝒾𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒶𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝒶𝓃 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝒷𝒾𝑔𝑔𝑒𝓇 𝒾𝓂𝓅𝒶𝒸𝓉 𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓈𝑜𝒸𝒾𝑒𝓉𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑔𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝑒𝓃𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝓇𝑒𝒸𝑜𝑔𝓃𝒾𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃, 𝓈𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝑜𝓁𝓈 𝓈𝒾𝓉𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓉𝑜𝓅 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒽𝑜𝓇𝓈𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓏𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓇 𝓂𝒾𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓈. Translators Note Wasn't expecting much from this book, after having read the first one, but fair warning for those who haven't: prepare for a bias filled trip of a mad fashion designer. Honestly, this felt more like it could work as a bunch of letters to a friend rather than a book, but it's still an interesting read if you wanna peer into the mind of a psychotic tailor. 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓫𝓵𝓮𝓶 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝒾𝑔𝑔𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓂 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓈𝑒 𝒹𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝒾𝓈 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓊𝓃𝒸𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓋𝑒... 𝒲𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝒶𝒸𝓉𝓊𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎, 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝒶𝓁𝓈𝑜 𝒶 𝓁𝒶𝓇𝑔𝑒 𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑜𝓃, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝒷𝓎 𝓃𝑜 𝓂𝑒𝒶𝓃𝓈 𝒾𝓈 𝒾𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝑜𝓃𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓂 𝓁𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓇 𝓁𝒶𝓏𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀 𝑜𝒻 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒸𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓋𝑒. 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓈𝑒 𝓈𝑜 𝒸𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝒶𝒾𝓁𝑜𝓇𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒹𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝓈𝒾𝓂𝓅𝓁𝓎 𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝑜 𝒶𝓅𝓅𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝒶𝓈𝓈𝑒𝓈, 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒹𝑜𝓃'𝓉 𝒸𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓇 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓀 𝒷𝑒 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌𝓃, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒶𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒶𝒻𝒻𝑜𝓇𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂𝓈𝑒𝓁𝓋𝑒𝓈. 𝒜𝓈 𝒶𝓃 𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓈𝓉 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓈 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝒶𝓊𝓉𝓎... 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓀𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝒻 𝒶𝓉𝓉𝒾𝓉𝓊𝒹𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝓈𝒾𝓂𝓅𝓁𝓎 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝑔𝓊𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝒾𝓉 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓋𝑒𝓈 𝒶 𝓉𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝓂𝓎 𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓉𝒽 𝓈𝒾𝓂𝒾𝓁𝒶𝓇 𝓉𝑜 𝒶 𝓇𝑜𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓃 𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓁𝑒. 𝐻𝑜𝓌 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂𝓈𝑒𝓁𝓋𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝒶 𝓁𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓁 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓅𝓊𝓉 𝓊𝓅 𝒶 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓃𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝒷𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓈𝓉? 𝒯𝓎𝓅𝑒𝓈 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒞𝒽𝓇𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑜𝒻𝑒𝓇 𝒩𝒾𝓀𝑒𝓁𝓈𝑜𝓃 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑜𝓃 𝓌𝒽𝓎 𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓈 𝒹𝑜𝓃'𝓉 𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓃𝑒𝓌, 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓈𝑒𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓌𝑒𝑒𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝑜𝒻 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒 𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓈 𝒶𝓈 𝒶 𝓂𝒶𝓈𝓈-𝒶𝓅𝓅𝑒𝒶𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒹𝑒𝑔𝑒𝓃𝑒𝓇𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒶𝒾𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓈 𝓇𝒾𝒹𝒾𝒸𝓊𝓁𝑜𝓊𝓈𝓁𝓎 𝓈𝓉𝓊𝓅𝒾𝒹 𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝓉𝑜𝓌𝒶𝓇𝒹𝓈 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒. 𝒢𝓇𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓈 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝑔𝓊𝑒; 𝒾𝓉 𝓈𝓅𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓈 𝒻𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓃𝒻𝑒𝒸𝓉𝓈 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝑜𝓃𝑒. 𝒫𝓁𝒶𝑔𝓊𝑒𝓈 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈; 𝒹𝓇𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝒷𝓎 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒽𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝑒𝓂𝑜𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝓈𝓅𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝒻𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇. 𝒜𝓃𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓂 𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑜𝒸𝓇𝒶𝓉𝓈, 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝓀𝑒𝑒𝓅 𝑜𝓃 𝓅𝓊𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝓀𝑒𝑒𝓅 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒶𝓂𝑒 𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝓈𝓉𝓊𝒻𝒻, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝓋𝑜𝒾𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝓎 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝓁𝒾𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒶𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒, 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝓂𝒾𝓃𝒹𝓈𝑒𝓉𝓈, 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝒸𝒽 𝒾𝓇𝓀𝓈 𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓃𝑜 𝑒𝓃𝒹. 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝒶𝓁𝓈𝑜 𝑜𝓊𝓇, 𝑜𝒽 𝓈𝑜, 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓈𝓂𝒶𝓉𝒾𝒸 𝓇𝓊𝓁𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓈𝒽𝑒'𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝒷𝑒𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒾𝒻𝓊𝓁 𝒾𝓃 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝒶𝓃𝒹. 𝒲𝒽𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝐼 𝒹𝑜 𝒶𝒹𝓂𝒾𝓉, 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒹𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒾𝓈 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝑒𝓌 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓁 𝑜𝒻 𝒹𝑜𝑔 𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓉 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝒻𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓉𝑒𝑔𝑜𝓇𝓎, 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝓌𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓉, 𝒾𝓉 𝒹𝑜𝑒𝓈𝓃'𝓉 𝓂𝒶𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓉𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓈 𝓅𝓊𝓉 𝑜𝓃 𝒶𝓇𝑒, 𝒶 𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓁𝓁 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓁𝓁 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm5 -𝒻𝓊𝓁. 𝐵𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓊𝓃𝒶𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓈𝒾𝓂𝓅𝓁𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝒸𝑒𝓅𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝑜𝓊𝓉𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝓈𝓉𝓊𝓅𝒾𝒹. 𝒩𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝑒𝓍𝓅𝑒𝓃𝓈𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝑜𝓇 𝓂𝑜𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎'𝓁𝓁 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒻𝒶𝒾𝓁 𝓉𝑜 𝒶𝓅𝓅𝑒𝒶𝓁, 𝓊𝓃𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹𝑒𝒹 𝒷𝑜𝒹𝓎 𝓉𝓎𝓅𝑒. 𝒩𝑜𝓉 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝑜𝓇𝓃 𝑒𝓆𝓊𝒶𝓁, 𝓃𝑜𝓇 𝒹𝑜𝑒𝓈 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝑒𝓆𝓊𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎. 𝒮𝓉𝓎𝓁𝑒𝓈 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝑜𝑜𝓇 𝓂𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝒸𝒽𝑜𝓈𝑒𝓃 𝓌𝒾𝓈𝑒𝓁𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃, 𝑜𝓇 𝑒𝓁𝓈𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊'𝓁𝓁 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝓈𝓉𝓊𝓅𝒾𝒹. 𝐹𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓂𝑜𝓃 𝒻𝑜𝓁𝓀 𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒, 𝐼 𝓇𝑒𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓂𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝒷𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝒻 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓀𝑒𝓇 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒶𝒸𝒸𝑒𝓈𝓈𝑜𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈, 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝒸𝒽 𝒶𝓉 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒽𝒶𝓁𝒻-𝒹𝑒𝒸𝑒𝓃𝓉. 𝐼𝓉'𝓈 𝒶 𝓂𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝒷𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝒷𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝒷𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓈, 𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝒾𝓃𝑒𝒹 𝑒𝒶𝓈𝒾𝓁𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓃 𝑒𝓃𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽, 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝒻𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓃 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓁𝓊𝓂𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝒾𝓃. 𝒪𝓇 𝒷𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝓎𝑒𝓉, 𝒾𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒶 𝓌𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝒹𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓁𝑜𝓅𝑒𝒹 𝒷𝑜𝒹𝓎, 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒'𝓈 𝒶𝓃 𝒾𝒹𝑒𝒶, 𝑔𝑜 𝒶𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝓃𝓁𝓎 𝒾𝓃 𝓅𝒶𝓃𝓉𝓈, 𝒾𝓉 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝒷𝒶𝒷𝓁𝓎 𝒷𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓅𝓅𝑒𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓇𝒶𝑔𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝓎𝒽𝑜𝓌. 𝒪𝓇 𝒶𝓃 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝒷𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒾𝒹𝑒𝒶, 𝒾𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒶 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝒹 𝑒𝓃𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝒷𝑜𝒹𝓎 𝓉𝑜 𝓌𝒶𝓁𝓀 𝒽𝒶𝓁𝒻-𝓃𝒶𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝒶𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹 𝒿𝑜𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝒾𝓁𝒾𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓃 𝑒𝓃𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝓂𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓎 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒶𝒷𝓁𝑒. 𝒜𝓃𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝓅𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓃 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝑜𝓅𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒾𝓈, 𝓌𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒, 𝒶𝓈 𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓈 𝒾𝓉 𝒹𝑜𝑒𝓈𝓃'𝓉 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊'𝓇𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒽𝒾𝑔𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒸𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓈. 𝐼𝓃𝓈𝓉𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝑜𝒻 𝓇𝑒𝓁𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝓃 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓅𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒'𝓈 𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝓎 𝒻𝓁𝒶𝓌𝑒𝒹 𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌𝓈, 𝒶𝓁𝒷𝑒𝒾𝓉 𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒, 𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑒𝓍𝓅𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉, 𝒽𝑒𝒸𝓀 𝓂𝒶𝓎𝒷𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊'𝓁𝓁 𝓈𝓊𝓇𝓅𝓇𝒾𝓈𝑒 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝒶𝓈 𝑔𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉 𝒶𝓃 𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓈𝓉 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓂𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒾𝒹𝑒𝒶. 𝒫𝑜𝒾𝓃𝓉 𝒾𝓈, 𝒹𝑜𝓃'𝓉 𝓉𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝒾𝓂𝓅𝓁𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓁𝓁𝑜𝓌 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝓇𝑜𝓌𝒹, 𝑔𝑜 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝓊𝓉, 𝒶𝓈 𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒹 𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓂𝒶𝓎 𝒷𝑒 𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝓊𝓇𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝓂𝑜𝓃𝒶𝓇𝒸𝒽𝓎, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓃𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈, 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃'𝓉 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝑒𝓍𝓅𝑒𝒸𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝑜𝓁𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒, 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝒾𝓉𝒾𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓋𝑒, 𝒾𝒻 𝓃𝑜 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝑒𝓁𝓈𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁, 𝓊𝓃𝓁𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒾𝓈𝒽 𝓉𝑜 𝓇𝑒𝓂𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝒶𝒾𝓁𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm37 𝓥𝓲𝓬𝓽𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓪𝓷 𝓼𝓽𝔂𝓵𝓮 𝓯𝓪𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝐹𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒, 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓅 𝓉𝓇𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒻𝒶𝓃𝒸𝓎 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝓌𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝓇𝒾𝒹𝒾𝒸𝓊𝓁𝑜𝓊𝓈 𝒹𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝓉𝓈, 𝓎𝑒𝓈, 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝐼 𝒶𝒹𝓂𝒾𝓉 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒽 𝓌𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝒾𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓇𝒾𝓈𝓀 𝒶 𝓈𝓁𝑜𝓌 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑒 𝒻𝒾𝓁𝓁𝑒𝒹 𝒹𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓂𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓃'𝓉 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝒹. 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓎'𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒶𝓂𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝒸𝓎𝒸𝓁𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇, 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝒸𝒽 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓈 𝒾𝓉 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝒶 𝓈𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝓌𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓈𝑜 𝒽𝒾𝒹𝑒𝑜𝓊𝓈, 𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝒶𝓃 𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑜𝓇, 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓅𝓇𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝑜𝓃𝒸𝑒, 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓈𝓉𝓊𝓅𝒾𝒹 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓂𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓇. 𝒟𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒾𝓈𝒽 𝓉𝑜 𝑒𝓃𝑔𝓊𝓁𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻 𝒾𝓃 𝒻𝓁𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝒷𝓎 𝒶𝒸𝒸𝒾𝒹𝑒𝓃𝓉? 𝒟𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓂𝑒𝓇𝒸𝓊𝓇𝓎 𝓅𝑜𝒾𝓈𝑜𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔? 𝒪𝓇 𝒹𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒾𝓈𝒽 𝓉𝑜 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻 𝒷𝓎 𝓌𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶 𝒸𝑜𝓁𝑜𝓇 𝒶𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑒? 𝐼𝒻 𝑒𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓈𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒶 𝓃𝑜, 𝐼'𝒹 𝓈𝓊𝑔𝑔𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝒯𝓇𝑜𝑔𝒾𝒶, 𝒪𝒶𝓀 𝒮𝓉𝓇𝑒𝑒𝓉 𝟣𝟩. 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶 𝒻𝒶𝓃𝒸𝓎 𝒱𝒾𝒸𝓉𝑜𝓇𝒾𝒶𝓃 𝒹𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈, 𝒷𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒾𝓃 𝓆𝓊𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓉𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓁𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝓋𝑒𝓇𝒶𝑔𝑒 𝓉𝒶𝒾𝓁𝑜𝓇 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁, 𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓈𝒾𝓂𝓅𝓁𝓎 𝒸𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒷𝓊𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓇 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝒹𝓊𝒸𝓉, 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝓁𝑒 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓉. 𝒟𝑜𝓃'𝓉 𝒷𝑒 𝓈𝒽𝓎 𝓉𝑜, 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝒾𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒶 𝓈𝑒𝓌𝑒𝓇 𝓇𝒶𝓉, 𝐼'𝓁𝓁 𝓂𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒶𝓉 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒶𝓃 𝑒𝒹𝓊𝒸𝒶𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝓈𝑒𝓌𝑒𝓇 𝓇𝒶𝓉, 𝒷𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝓈𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉, 𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒶𝓈𝓈𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉! 𝐼𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝓎 𝒸𝒶𝓈𝑒, 𝐼 𝒹𝑜 𝓇𝑒𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓂𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓇𝓎 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓁𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝑒𝓃𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝓉𝑜 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒶𝒸𝓉𝓊𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒷𝑒𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒾𝒻𝓊𝓁 𝒸𝓁𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒, 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻 𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓁𝓎, 𝒷𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝓊𝓅𝒾𝒹 𝓉𝓇𝑒𝓃𝒹. 𝒮𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓈𝓉𝓊𝓅𝒾𝒹 𝓅𝓇𝒾𝑜𝓇𝒾𝓉𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒶𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉, 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝐹𝒪𝒪𝐿! mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm51 |
Oct 30, 2018 6:40 PM
#22
Message of Approval The book "Fashion is always so fickle" by "Noah Allure" has been approved. 1 AP has been added to your account. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:41 PM
#23
Message of Approval The book "In Depth Magecraft vol. 1: Back to the basics" by "Unknown" has been approved and nominated for "Book of the Month (May)". 1 AP has been added to your account. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:41 PM
#24
Author: Prof. Erkan S. Bonner Title: The Fascinating History of the Rothschild Bloodline Genre: Biography Classification: Public Content: Preface To say that the Unholy are interesting would be an understatement. The kinds of species that are among them varies far more than that of any of the other races, their politics feel ultimately alien, their pragmatic approach to life seems strangely emotionless, and their cities in Southern Maekir remain some of the mysterious places. However, all of these things can be understood, and even appreciated, for as long as you are open to learn about them. In the past, I have been called an 'Unholy' apologist, yet I firmly deny these allegations. The Unholy are behind a significant amount of the crimes, disproportionately so, and it is therefore only natural that their species is disproportionally punished for their criminal activity. This, however, does not mean that we should treat all of them as mere criminals. To show this, I have studied the various lives of different vampires within a single bloodline, the one known as the 'Rothschild' bloodline. The large differences between how they lived out their lives should, on its own, already suffice as evidence that even Unholy of the same species vary greatly in ideology and world-view. I dedicate this book to all those whom I can call like-minded individuals. For all the people whom wish to learn facts, for all people whom wish to understand, and especially for those seeking to separate truth from bias. Anselm von Rothschild (Deceased) The Rothschild lineage proudly claims a fairly direct heritage to the True Ancestors themselves, and although heritage alone doesn't hold much value in Unholy society, a remarkable amount of them managed to find the means to back these claims up. Their bloodline is therefore known for its fair share of fame and infamy. The earliest recorded history with regards to the Rothschild lineage is found in stories regarding Anselm von Rothschild. It is said that he was a 'first generation' vampire, meaning that he was made into a vampire by one of the True Ancestors themselves. Although not much else is known about Anselm, he is said to have held the position of “Overlord” for a considerable amount of time. During this time, he has been said to greatly increase both is own riches and the riches of those whom were loyal to him. At times, he is quoted as the 'father' of the Rothschild bloodline, for he managed to bring their lineage its first fame and infamy. Most of all, it is said that it is the blood given to him by the True Ancestor that gets passed on among all vampires whom claim the bloodline of the Rothschilds, and thus the name 'Rothschild' remains forever tied to the blood Anselm was given by the True Ancestor. Although Anselm had his fair share of affairs and scandals, he is generally considered as 'not all that bad' among most historians, as he was rather lenient towards the presence of non-Unholy species. His career, as well as his life, ended when he got ripped apart and burned to ashes by his predecessor, a second generation vampire whom he himself had given life too: Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild. Bloodline: True Ancestor Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild (Deceased) Heavily opposing some of his creators 'milder' policies with regards to various other species, Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild decided to overthrow him by challenging him to a duel. After beating him, he proceeded to usurp the throne as the next Overlord, and introduced an array of discriminatory laws against non-Unholy. These laws were strict enough to make life nearly impossible for non-Unholy citizens, causing a fair amount of the settlers that entered during Anselm's reign to flee back to their home countries. Ironically enough, Wilhelm Carl himself was reanimated by Anselm from the corpse of a Human whom arrived in Unholy territory as one of the same settlers he now chased away. This irony tends to be brought up often, as people use him as an example of the 'inherently foul nature' of anything Unholy. After all, they claim that he successfully proved that becoming an Unholy made you quick to turn against your creators and your former species alike. That said, many of the other examples in this biography have proven this to be an utterly false and nonsensical argument. Wilhelm Carl continued his rule by creating a strict system of casts among the Unholy, with the True Ancestors at its very top and other vampires directly below them. Although his rule was far less popular than Anselm's rule, he managed to keep a firm hold on his position as Overlord. Not only did he manage to defeat anyone whom attempted to challenge him, he also kept a firm grip on the military. For a few centuries, it seemed like he was untouchable. His one weakness, however, was his love for a Half-Elven girl whom got captured on Unholy territory. She was among a group of Half-Elves whom had fled their homeland during bloody war against the Elves. They desperately attempted to find shelter in Unholy Territory, which was a mistake, as most of them were either enslaved or murdered shortly after they were first encountered. Only a few small groups of Half-Elven settlers managed to survive in Unholy territory. Considering it was unthinkable for Wilhelm Carl to be with someone that wasn't another powerful vampire, Wilhelm Carl decided to personally murder Charlotte. This, of course, was only done in order to successfully bring her back from the dead by turning her into the next vampire in the Rothschild's lineage; Charlotte von Rothschild. Bloodline: True Ancestor – Anselm von Rothschild Charlotte von Rothschild (Deceased) Charlotte's first act upon becoming a vampire was killing her creator; Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild. Having managed to firmly hold-on to the emotions she had during her life, the only thing stronger than her fear towards vampires was her hatred towards them. Although their battle was fierce, she managed to successfully bring him down. Sadly enough, the methods she deployed to defeat him are unknown. Some suggest Wilhelm Carl was significantly weakened by his love towards her, others suggest he was weakened by having made her into a new vampire. Which of these claims is true remains a mystery. After having killed Wilhelm Carl, Charlotte fled the Unholy territory, for she still felt more akin to her former 'Half-Elven' self than to her new 'Unholy' self. Although it is unclear where she went, there is a lot of evidence that she has never stayed extended amounts of time in the same place, and that she kept travelling for the rest of her life. Most of her life was spent running from various species that all harboured ill-will towards Unholy, and the many factions that were hostile towards her. It is said that she has been tormented by this inability to settle down and live a peaceful life until she finally drew her final breath. None of the others in the Rothschild bloodline have held the position of “Overlord” again, and even their claims of having a fairly direct lineage to their “True Ancestor” have become contested at times. They were relatively unheard of for a significant time, as Charlotte kept herself hidden from the public by never staying in the same place for long. However, the later generations managed to find their fame, their infamy, and most of all: their incredible fortunes, through various other means. Bloodline: True Ancestor – Anselm von Rothschild - Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild Anthony von Rothschild (Deceased) Anthony von Rothschild was the first of two vampires (possibly three) whom are confirmed to have successfully been turned by Charlotte. He and his brother Edmund were simple farmhands whom had wandered deep into the forest, trying to scavenge for anything edible. After all, a failed harvest had brought them to the brink of starvation. During this desperate attempt to find nourishment, they encountered a bear, and the bear was even hungrier than them. Unable to defeat the animal, they barely managed to drive it off. This came at the cost of Anthony ending up mortally wounded, having been mauled half to death. In his despair, Edmund cried out for help whilst trying to carry his brother back, only to run into Charlotte. Charlotte, taking pity upon the two, decided to offer them a way out. She couldn't save Anthony's life, but she could bring him back. She would do so on two conditions; they were to travel alongside her, so that her days of loneliness would come to an end, and Edmund was to supply them with his blood. Seeing no other options, Edmund agreed, and he was soon able to see his brother 'alive' once more. Little did Edmund know that he would see his brother die all over again. Bloodline: True Ancestor – Anselm von Rothschild - Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild - Charlotte von Rothschild Edmund von Rothschild (Unknown) It is unclear how long Anthony, Charlotte and Edmund travelled together, but it is generally speculated that it was for most of Edmunds's mortal life. During their last journey together, they got captured by a group of Divines whom specialised in hunting down vampires. In the resulting battle, Anthony was killed. Charlotte, however, managed to escape. It is unclear what happened to Edmund, but many speculate that he escaped with Charlotte whilst mortally wounded, and that he was later turned into a vampire. There are multiple theories claiming that he returned to Unholy territory and managed to become an incredibly successful merchant, after parting ways with Charlotte. Some even say that he is still working on making an astounding fortune by selling everything he can lay his hands on, for at least three times its original value. Most of these claims are based on folk tales and rumours, but there is a significant amount of evidence that links stories about Edmund to these tales of a legendary Unholy merchant. Controversially, there is also some evidence that suggest that Edmund died during the battle with the Divines, and that he was never turned into a vampire to begin with. How this is possible, and which of these claims is true or false, has yet to be verified. However, it is often assumed that Edmunds death might have been staged. If this is true, Edmund can be considered the oldest, and most likely the wealthiest, of the Rothschild bloodline whom might still be alive. Bloodline: True Ancestor – Anselm von Rothschild - Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild - Adelheid von Rothschild (Alive) Adelheid was the last person whom got turned into a vampire by Charlotte, as she was killed shortly afterwards. It is not entirely clear how the two of them met, but rumours say that Adelheid was among her distant family. After all, he too was among the Half-Elves whom had fled into Unholy Territory. This is also where he was turned, after dying by the hands of a group of Unholy whom raided their village. It is widely speculated that, considering the Half-Elves living in the village might have been her distant family, Charlotte was planning to attempt to live among Half-Elves once more. This, of course, would never have been possible, for they would not have trusted an Unholy vampire to live among them. Even so, she is said to have saved the lives of multiple Half-Elves by fighting off her fellow Unholy during their raid on the village, even though this came at the cost of her own life. Her final act was turning the one person she hadn't been able to save into a vampire; and thus starts the tale of Adelheid von Rothschild. She died shortly after he came back as a vampire. Unlike some of the others, Adelheid had no memories left of his Half-Elven life. Furthermore, rather than staying away from the other vampires, he ended up joining their military. It is unclear what his motives were, and what caused him to make such drastically different choices than Charlotte, but he quickly rose through the ranks of the Unholy army. He soon became known as a brilliant commander, and came to play a significant part in multiple wars against the Divine. He is said to have specialised in defensive tactics, and that he could make even the most basic camps impenetrable. Some speculate that his only memory from the time he was alive, was the trauma of his village having been overrun by Unholy raiders, and that his obsession with creating defensive military strategies stemmed from his subconscious attempts to deal with this trauma. Regardless of what was driving him, he eventually retired after suffering a humiliating defeat. Unable to deal with it, he no longer trusted his skills enough to keep on working as a commander. At times, people still tend to seek him out for his advice on military strategies, but only a few of them are lucky enough to find him. After all, he spends most of his time wandering around in solitude, seeking out the most desolated corners of the earth. During these travels, however, he is said to have turned a few other people into vampires. Bloodline: True Ancestor – Anselm von Rothschild - Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild - Charlotte von Rothschild James Mayer von Rothschild (Deceased) The first among these vampires turned by Adelheid was James Mayer von Rothschild. It is entirely unknown why he was turned, or whom he was before his life as a vampire. This fact has lead many historians to great frustration, as he may be one of the more peculiar ones in the Rothschild bloodline. Finding out more about the conditions under which he turned might help us find out what factors contributed into his display of utter madness. It might also disprove the many claims that he went insane due to mere act of becoming an Unholy. His madness manifested itself slowly but steadily, as he gradually became more obsessed with the creation of Ghouls. Employing any type of means he could come up with to get living Humans and Half-Elves to drink his blood, he started amassing enough Ghouls to be considered 'an army' by modern definitions. It is said that he even managed to turn the entire population of small villages into his Ghouls, and that it took the same kind of populations to feed his Ghouls. Needlessly to say, the many flesh-eating Ghouls he created were extremely dangerous and problematic, and many professional vampire hunters were sent after him. The resulting battles might, all-together, very well be considered a 'war' in and of itself. Luckily enough for the rest of the world, the war was won by the vampire hunters and their allies, and James Mayer von Rothschild was publicly burned at the stake until nothing but his ashed remained. Some historians recently discovered documents that suggest there has once been a battle between Adelheid and James Mayer, as multiple of these documents describe a fierce battle between two vampires having taken place in the same area as the one in which James Mayer was active. Furthermore, the description of the two fighting vampires match up to what we know about them. It is speculated that Adelheid attempted, yet failed, to put a stop to James Mayer's practices of creating massive amounts of Ghouls. Whether this is true, and what his reasons would have been, remains unknown. Bloodline: True Ancestor – Anselm von Rothschild - Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild - Charlotte von Rothschild - Adelheid von Rothschild Emma Mayer von Rothschild (Deceased) Emma Mayer was the second person to be turned into a Vampire by Adelheid. Stories say that she was among a small group of Humans whom proactively sided with the Divines in their war against the Unholy. During one of the battles, she was taken prisoner by Adelheid. It is said that she was one of the few people he respected, as she had managed to outsmart some of his famous defensive strategies. As a result, he forbade any form of torture on her, and instead managed to slowly convince her that she was fighting for the wrong side during the war. Some historians suggest that Emma Mayer had fallen in love with Adelheid, while others suggest that she became genuinely convinced of Adelheid's righteousness. Others, mainly Divine historians, insist that Emma Mayer had been subjected to mind-altering magic which had forced her into obedience. These claims, however, seem to be based more on bias than on evidence. Regardless of which theory is correct, the fact that Emma Mayer eventually became a vampire loyal to Adelheid remains irrefutable. Although Emma Mayer had her fair share of success in the army, she never managed to rise from Adelheid's shadow. During Adelheid's last battle, the one that made him retire, Emma Mayer was confirmed to have been killed as the result of a strategic failure on Adelheid's part. This is, most likely, one of the more important reasons for him to retire. Bloodline: True Ancestor – Anselm von Rothschild - Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild - Charlotte von Rothschild - Adelheid von Rothschild Nathaniel & Robert von Rothschild (Deceased) Little is known about Nathaniel & Robert von Rothschild, but it is speculated that they are two vampires whom were turned by Edmund von Rothschild. This means, of course, that their entire existence relies on Edmund having turned into a vampire. While the former is already debatable, there is enough speculation about the existence of these two to shortly mention the general consensus among the various theories. These theories, all containing a relatively high 'conspiracy' degree, speculate that Nathaniel von Rothschild became a wealthy bank director under the alias Alfredo Harp, while Robert von Rothschild became a wealthy investor under the alias Roberto Hernandez. Although it is confirmed that the latter two people did indeed exist, it is unclear whether or not they were indeed Nathaniel & Robert. It is, however, confirmed that both of them were vampires, and that both of them were eventually killed by vampire hunters. Bloodline: True Ancestor – Anselm von Rothschild - Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild - Charlotte von Rothschild - Edmund von Rothschild Maurice Mayer von Rothschild (Alive) Maurice Mayer is said to have been turned into a vampire by Adelheid after his retirement. During his life as a Human, Maurice was one of the few people whom were brave (or foolish) enough to challenge vampires to battle, as he considered it his 'divine' mission to eradicate all Unholy. Some people even claimed that he believed himself to be a 'Human-born' Divine, which are the words of a madman. It is confirmed that he claimed to be blessed enough to win against any vampire, and that he told everyone that he would prove this by defeating one of their strongest; Adelheid von Rothschild. Although Maurice managed to track down Adelheid, and although he managed to hold out against Adelheid for a few seconds, it turned out he was no match against him. However, Adelheid decided to truly 'test' his fate, rather than to outright kill him. He told Maurice that he would be given two options; to be slowly tortured to death, or to be killed immediately and to be given vampire blood. If his faith had any worth, he would fail to become a vampire, instead dying quickly and painlessly. If his faith was worthless, he would turn into a vampire, and surrender himself to this new life. He believed that his faith would at least grand him a quick death, so Maurice choose the latter option. He came back as a vampire. Giving up on his faith entirely, Maurice embraced his new life as a vampire. In fact, many say that he gave up on most of his morals along with his faith. With the appearance of a typical gentleman, he is said to casually get himself involved into nearly anything shady, from smuggling to thievery, and from dealing drugs to outright murder. These practices weren't without reward, as he managed to gather incredible wealth through-out his dealings with these illegal practices. Being a highly wanted individual, he doesn't appear publicly, and instead works from the shadows. As I am writing of this, he is still alive. However, there is an increasingly large bounty on his head, and multiple famous vampire hunters have displayed their interest in bringing him down. For many, this is enough to write him off as 'deceased' already. Even so, he is said to have multiple tricks up his sleeve, and he might last longer than most expect. I am by no means 'rooting' for his survival, although some of my critics would imply as much. I am, however, suggesting that he shouldn't be taken lightly. Bloodline: True Ancestor – Anselm von Rothschild - Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild - Charlotte von Rothschild - Adelheid von Rothschild Celestia Mayer von Rothschild (Alive) Not much is know about the origin of the currently youngest vampire in the Rothschild bloodline; Celestia Mayer von Rothschild. It is confirmed that she was turned into a vampire by Maurice Mayer von Rothschild, but the conditions under which this happened remain a mystery. Furthermore, Celestia has been known to reject a lot of her heritage, and she is said to be on extremely bad terms with Maurice Mayer von Rothschild. The latter, however, contributes to her success as a businesswoman. Having the advantage of her vampirism and eternal youth, she has slowly managed to rise to the top, all while amassing her own fortune. She tends to avoid any conflicts regarding her status as a vampire at all costs, claims to drink only the minimal of blood she requires to survive, and has sworn to never turn someone else in a vampire. Thanks to this attitude, she has been relatively safe from vampire hunters, although they tend to watch her every move. Having walked a thin line between failure and success through-out her entire life, she is said to be able to tell lies more convincingly than truth itself can be told. It seems like she will continue to need this skill, as many would rather see her dead than alive. In that aspect, the vampire-hunters and her business concurrence seems to think alike. Bloodline: True Ancestor – Anselm von Rothschild - Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild - Charlotte von Rothschild - Adelheid von Rothschild – Maurice Mayer von Rothschild
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Oct 30, 2018 6:41 PM
#25
Message of Approval The book "The Fascinating History of the Rothschild Bloodline " by "Prof. Erkan S. Bonner" has been approved and nominated for "Book of the Month (May)". 1 AP has been added to your account. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:42 PM
#26
Author: The True Justice Movement Title: The Prodigy Program Genre: (Underground) Newspaper / Pamphlet Classification: Public Content: To everyone who has read our words and taken them to heart, we thank you! To all the brave men and women who marched the streets with us in protest, we thank you! With your strength, we can end this era of corruption, and bring forth an era of True Justice! The courage that each and every one of you have displayed in the face of corruption and police brutality has earned us new information regarding the depth of the government’s corruption. What follows is the most crucial piece of information we have obtained, a testimony by one of the former directors of the Prodigy Program himself. Upon seeing what we, the people, were capable of, he decided to gather his courage. He told us one of the many tales that have longed weighed heavy upon his ageing heart. It has been edited into a more readable format, for Mr. Hill often strayed off topic or lost the words to continue during his story, forcing us to rewrite it. The original version will be published separately to confirm the legitimacy of our edited version. My name is Jonathan Hill, and I have served as the director of the government's Prodigy Program for five years. I was transferred there after working at the Ministry of Welfare, when the previous director of the program retired. Before I started working there, I used to think of the program as an effective way to help talented children, whose bright futures were taken from them due to circumstances beyond their control. To give orphans a new home, and hope for the future. This couldn't have been any less true. During my time as the director, I've seen many children come and go. If I had the time for it, I would've told you about all of them. Each of them deserves to be known and praised, each of them deserves to be remembered. All these children had talents, real talents, like they had gained direct blessings from the gods themselves. Little Lucy, whom could play any instrument she was given with the skills of master. Peter, whom fluently spoke seven different languages when he was only ten years old. John, whom could easily go through formulas that even most professors avoided. Sharon, whom had memorized more than a library worth of books, letter by letter. However, I cannot tell you about all of them, nor do I have the ability to confess the sins I committed against them, to explain how the program took their talents as if they were its own… I can, however, tell you about two of them. Savio and Victorique. They are the only children whom I have known for the entire time that I worked there, as they arrived short after I was appointed. Victorique was a five year old halfling, whom came from an orphanage in Marseilles, after it was discovered that she was already playing chess against some of the game's masters. To this day, I still don't know the origin of the Divine boy, Savio. Even I, as the director, was not allowed to know everything. At the time, I assumed that this was merely kept from me out of concern for Savio's privacy. I should've known better. All I know was that he refused to speak to us during his first years in the orphanage, and that he was around the same age as Victorique. The first two years of their stay were relatively normal. They had to go through a very intensive program, being taught a lot in little time. However, I saw nothing wrong with it, as they were prodigies, after all. It started to change when new directives came in from my superiors at the ministry of welfare. Apparently, the results weren't good enough, and we had to proceed with even harsher training. At first, we merely used firmer words. When that didn't improve the results, some of the staff proceeded to lay their hands on the children. I never told them not to do so, and for that, I am guilty of the same crimes as them. Beating them didn't help. In fact, things got worse, and results plummeted. Even harsher rules were put in place. No results meant no food. If they didn't memorize something by the next day, their toys would be taken away. They had to stay up until twelve at night, and were woken up at five in the morning. Even for us, the staff, it became an unbearable schedule. I never managed to stop it. I kept saying that it was in their best interest. When they would gain a better future, thanks to this training, they would thank me. That's what I kept telling myself, those were the lies that I used to sleep at night. Why didn't I see then what I see so clearly now? Why didn't I realise that we were turning the talents these kids displayed into their biggest nightmares, that we taught them that their talents only lead to suffering? We were taking away their youth! They were just kids... Victorique and Savio. They got it the worst. Savio, he was so compassionate. He never said a thing to the staff, but we knew he was different among the other kids. He always tried to cheer them up, to help them whenever he could, to give them hope. As a result, he kept lagging behind on his own work, with increasingly brutal punishments as a result. Victorique was different. She simply didn't seem to care. If someone dared to beat her, she would glare at them with eyes that seemed ready to kill them, rather than that she would start to cry. If she wasn't given food for a day, she would simply wait until the next. She didn't own any possession, we had taken everything away from her. She didn't care, it was as if silently rejecting everything was her way of fighting us, and it was effective. People were disturbed by her behaviour, they said that she wasn't a normal child, that she was more like a doll. The other kids though the same, all of them, except for Savio. I've seen Victorique smile. Once. It was after Savio first talked to her, having approached her on his own accord. To this day, I don't know what he said to her, but from that moment, he often visited her, whenever he knew we weren't paying attention. We punished him and Victorique for their meetings, telling them to focus on their studies instead, but it didn't stop them. However, both their scores gradually increased, and after a year, they were getting the highest scores. That's why we decided to close an eye on their meetings. After all, results were the only thing that mattered to us. When Victorique and Savio were nine years old, they were challenged. A small group within the ministry of welfare had started to oppose the Prodigy Program, so they told us to show us what the best of them were capable of. Victorique was chosen to solve a crime the police got stuck on. Savio was tasked with deciphering a manuscript that had kept many brilliant minds puzzled for decades. They both succeeded in their tasks, with even better results than expected. After that, things went downhill in rapid pace. Now that everyone knew what the prodigies were capable off, people started bidding money from them. Not just for Victorique and Savio, but for every child in the program. That is, I believe, the sole reason the program was erected. Can you imagine how surprised I was to find out that everything was already in place for others to hire, or even buy, these prodigies? That's when it finally hit me. We weren't giving these children a future, we were building them a cage. We started selling them off like they were goods. All the suffering we've put them through wasn't for their own sake, but for the sake of those who wished to use them, or rather, abuse them. These kids started to curse the talents that had brought this fate upon them, rather than to celebarte a brighter future. That's why I quit my job. Do you think I am a coward? Don't tell me, I know I am. From start to finish, I kept telling myself lies, and when I could no longer do so, I ran. I've been silent about all this for more than eight years. Eight years... I'm a criminal, a lowlife, a horrible human being. What these children went through, under my supervision, what I allowed to happen to them... I'll go to hell, I'll surely go to hell. If only I could somehow, somehow do something to set this straight, if only for a little bit... That's why I'm telling you this. That's why I, as cowardly as I am, finally dare to speak up when I see others around me raise their voices for justice. It's too late for me. I can't be saved from the sins I committed, but this country, this country may yet heal. I heard what happened to Savio, and to Victorique... They were good children. They were troubled, and they were plagued by what we've done to them, but they were good children... After this, Mr. Hill kept rambling incoherently, about how he was fated to fall into the deepest pits of hell, and about some of the other prodigy children. However, it is clear for everyone to see. The government has committed unforgivable sins in the way they treated these children. We are not tools to be abused by a government, we are the foundation upon which the government may flourish or fall, and now, ladies and gentlemen, it is time to make this government crumble. For too long has it allowed wealthy and influential criminals to roam free. We, the True Justice Movement, shall continue to fight for our country! We will make a promise to all of you. We will not rest. We will not falter. We will not halt. We will not waver. We will not give in. We will not give up. We shall persist until True Justice is finally welcomed in this country. Whomever you are, wherever you are, whatever you are, you are welcome. You are welcome to aid us in building a brighter future for all of us! We stand together, not divided by species, race, gender or history, but united under our common goal of True Justice. We would like to dedicate this statement, and all those whom will follow our call through it, to the children whom suffered through the Prodigy Program. They were not given surnames, and they were only called by government-given names. As such, we can only remember them in silence, for even their true names were taken from them. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:42 PM
#27
Message of Commendation The book "The Fascinating History of the Rothschild Bloodline " by "Prof. Erkan S. Bonner" has been selected for "Book of the Month (May 2018)". 1 AP has been added to your account. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:42 PM
#28
Author: The True Justice Movement Title: Earl P. Ellsworth Genre: (Underground) Newspaper / Pamphlet Classification: Public Content: Today marks the seventh month of our rise, as well as the seventh month after Victorique's death. With the material she provided, we have been able to start a movement far larger than any person could ever imagine. Many more joined us, and many more will. Each day, more fuel is added to the fires within our hearts, further igniting our burning desire for Justice. The corrupt state has come to fear us. The people have come to respect us. Together, we can win our fight for True Justice. However, times are increasingly tough. Many of our companions have been arrested for printing and distributing these newspapers and pamphlets. I myself was almost captured by the police, as they are desperately trying to put an end to our practices. They cannot do so. Everyday, more people dare to shed light on the corruption. Everyday, more stories are told and printed. Each of us focusses on printing short, direct and honest stories, unveiling the widespread corruption throughout the government piece by piece. We are allowing everyone to see the government's ugly face in full detail. I am merely a single soul among many, if I fall, others will take my place. If my stories are silenced, other stories will be made to echo throughout all of our society. Victorique started a fire, we turned it into an unstoppable inferno. I am merely a servant of Justice, making his own contribution to a cause far greater than any of us. That is why I have been granted the honour to share one of our biggest stories with you. A few days ago, we were contacted by Gabriel Roberts, the most trusted man in Earl P. Ellsworth's inner circle. He told us everything he knew about his employer, about all his misdeeds. The only thing he asked in return was to be spared from the mysterious killer going after the families, one of which was lead by Earl P. Ellsworth. Sadly enough, we know nothing about this killer, which we clarified to him. Even so, he promised to tell us everything, and to hold nothing back, in the hope that the killer would read this, and show mercy to a defeated man. It is not up to us to decide his faith, but it is up to us to share his story, and thus we will do so. What follows is a transcription of the first part of the interview we conducted. The second part will be printed in a later edition, for we cannot keep our printing press running for long, as the risks involved are ever present. “Mister Roberts, could you start by telling us how you came to work for Mister Ellsworth?” “Of course... Let's see. I guess I sort-off grew up with it? You see, my father worked for his father, and I was raised with the intention that I'd end up working for the family as well. My father managed to become pretty important, being the head of security and all, and I sort-off followed his footsteps. When my old man died, I took over, and when Ellsworth Senior died, I kept working for his son.” “When was the first time that you noticed their involvement in something illegal?” “Now that's a good one. Let's see... I saw my dad empty a round in some poor bastard's guts once, after Ellsworth told him to off the guy. I was like seven, maybe eight.” “Do you remember the reason?” “The guy used to be part of the family, but he was stupid enough to withhold some of the money he earned from Ellsworth. You see, Ellsworth was pretty strict. Any money you make goes to Ellsworth, and he pays you back what he thinks you should earn from it. It's to make sure that nobody is embezzling money or anything like that. The guy figured that didn't make more than he'd be paid back, so he decided to skip the trouble of presenting it to Ellsworth. Bad choice.” “Did murders like this one happen often?” “Monthly, I'd say. Although there was a period where it was almost a weekly occurrence. There was strife between the Ellsworth's and one of the other families, the one with all those Unholy folks. It got messy, enough so for Ellsworth to have killed almost a quarter of his own people near the end of it, in an attempt to root out their spies. I guess it worked though, as we've managed to come out on top at the end of it all.” “What other crimes do you know about?” “There was a daily business of money laundering. Theft was pretty common, as the family tended to just take whatever it wanted. There were some folks making and selling drugs, some of them specialised in dealing in all sorts of illegal goods, and some others smuggled them. There were even some assassinations at times, although mostly between the families themselves. I guess the only no-go was rape. Ellsworth always made it pretty clear that he was against that kind of barbaric stuff. He was a weird one, in that regard. He once stabbed a pregnant woman to death for trying to steal money from him in cold blood, but rape was a step too far for him. I guess it might have something to do with how he was conceived, but that's off topic.” “To what extent was the government itself involved in these crimes?” “Are you kidding me? They were involved in all of it.” “Could you elaborate?” “A fair amount of the cops were paid off, other cops were smuggling or selling drugs themselves. Nearly all of them knew what kind of things were going on. In fact, the Chief Superintend... What's his name again? Cowbell?” “Mister Campbell?” “That's the guy! He's the dirtiest bastard out of all of them. The guy tells cops and gangsters alike to do all sorts of dirty-work for him, getting wealthy from the shadows. He and Ellsworth were best palls for a while, which granted Ellsworth immunity to any sort of prosecution. Believe me, they tried to get him arrested multiple times, especially that halfling kid. She even got him into the court six times, but Ellsworth knew whom to pay to get off scoff free. I'm still surprised she eventually just shot him herself.” “Can you tell us more about these cases?” “Sure. Let me think... The first wasn't long after Victorique became an investigator, I think. She was still a bloody kid, after all, like ten or so. It was crazy to see her doing that kinda work, if you ask me. The case in question was something with drugs... Ah, right. Victorique traced drugs right back into the largest drug-lab operated by some of Ellsworth's goons. She tried to get all of them arrested by the dozens, having spent some crazy amount of time to make a stack of perfect files that strongly connected them to the drug-lab. That alone wouldn't have been too big a problem, as Ellsworth could just give up on them and start anew somewhere, but that kid didn't stop there. The little bugger continued to trace things back through the archives until she could provide enough evidence to show that the property on which the drug-lab was located was owed by Ellsworth.” “How did Ellsworth manage to get that case dismissed?” “He didn't need too. Campbell decided to do his pal a favour, and declared all Victorique's evidence as faulty. He claimed she didn't follow procedure.” “Was there any truth to that?” “Heck if I know. I just know that the kid was spot-on with her conclusions, and that Campbell knew that fully well.” “What about the other cases?” “There were seven more. Three counts of murder against Ellsworth, but one of them didn't even make it to court. The other two were dropped after a scapegoat testified and got convicted in Ellsworth's stead. There were also two money-laundry cases, but those didn't make it far in court, as half of the police was also involved with those. Victorique had to give up after realising that even the judge himself was put under pressure to drop the case by criminals and cops alike, and that he would never dare to convict anyone. Victorique also went after me once, as I had gotten a bit sloppy with an assassination. I was lucky that Ellsworth hated Victorique enough to pay off the judge for me, otherwise I'd have been arrested for sure. You see, Ellsworth normally believes that someone stupid enough to get caught shouldn't be worthy of serving him. That said, he ordered me to kill her afterwards.” “Did you try to do so?” “Of course. She was a bloody kid, so I wasn't eager, but better her than me. Turns out the kid ain't no fool. She's equally good at finding someone than at staying hidden from them. Fuck, I spent a lot of money and time to hunt her down, but all I got back were corpses. Turns out she lived up to the shoot first policy. It really sucked though, can you imagine having to explain you're not able to capture a halfling kid?” “Not exactly...” “Well, it ain't no fun, that much I can guarantee.” “You mentioned seven more cases, but you only told us about six of them, what was the last one?” “Are you trying to shift topic? I'll have to disappoint you if it's because you don't like talking about murdering kids, cause the seventh case is about just that. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's why Victorique managed to keep trying so hard to get Ellsworth arrested.” “Please continue.” “Alright, alright. This case happened just after her first run-in with Ellsworth, the drug-lab one. You see, Ellsworth wanted to try some new stuff out. With his biggest drug-lab shutdown, he figured he might as well invest in a newer and better one. Of course, we're talking about Ellsworth, so he decided to pay back the halfling while at it. He hired some shady company that employed kids from the Prodigy Program to do some research into making drugs that were cheaper and stronger, because he knew Victorique was from the same program. Some kid called Savio was among those whom were forced to work on it, and that kid was crazy smart. All those chemical formulas and stuff, it was nothing to him. On paper, he just translated manuscripts or something, but in reality he was busy with chemistry, creating a whole new generation of drugs.” “What was the company called?” “No clue. In my line of work, it's better to know less.” “Did Victorique find out about the case?” “Yeah, she sure did.” “What do you mean by that?” “It was a pretty nasty night, that much I can tell you. Ellsworth sent me there to clean-up, after Victorique had gone there by herself. All of our guys were shot dead, and the drugs were set aflame. From what I gather though, that kid, Savio. They killed him in the most horrible way you can come up with. You see, they had this drug-waste, really nasty stuff, the stuff that makes all the fish die if you dumb it in a lake somewhere. They injected it straight into the kids blood-vessels, must've hurt like hell. I'm not sure why, but from what I saw... They probably did it to torture Victorique. You see, here's what I think happened there, that night. Victorique had tracked the drug-lab down, knowing that Ellsworth had started operating once more. Considering this was only her second run-in with him, she probably didn't know just how much of a bastard he was, so she must've thought she still had a chance to arrest him if she just managed to catch him once more. So, the kid goes to the drug-lab herself, only to find out that her childhood friend is there. How do I know it's her childhood friend? I don't, but it'd make sense. You see, I think Victorique went in with her weapon drawn, shooting down everyone in sight. I don't think she shot them dead though, you see, a lot of them were shot through the knee-cap. She probably didn't shoot to kill back then, intending to arrest them all instead. However, one of the guys fled to a back-room with Savio and locked himself in. I guess that's when they started to inject that drug-waste into the poor boy, telling Victorique to bugger off, as they'd keep going if she didn't. Now, here's the crazy part. I'm pretty sure she actually planned to leave, but the guys fucked up and killed Savio. That's when she must've snapped. Forget arresting people, she shot every single one of 'em. No more bullets through the knee-cap, head-shots only. If the guy hadn't killed Savio on accident, they'd have all lived, but now they had made the little halfling snap, after which she killed them all. By the time I arrived, the fire had just started, but considering it was drug stuff that was aflame, I couldn't put it out. I had enough time to look around, pick up some valuable stuff whilst figuring out what happened, and get the hell out of there.” “That's quite a story... How did Ellsworth react when you told him about all this?” “He laughed, and said that we now had a new torture method. He also suggested I'd keep an eye on that Victorique. He told me he thought she could be an interesting addition to our ranks. Little did he know she'd end up killing him instead.” “The case that eventually got Victorique executed.” “Ironic, ain't it? She shoots the big-guy himself, yet he still gets his revenge on her from beyond the grave.” “Can you tell us about what happened that evening?” “In full detail, but it'll be a long story.” This interview, as you can all conclude, shows how deep and widespread the corruption in our government is. It shows how much influence a criminal like Earl P. Ellsworth can have on our society. Politicians, police, judges, they were all playing by his whims. All of them are in the grasp of corruption. That is why our movement is so important. How many more innocent lives need to be ruined before this corruption is weeded out of our society? None, if it is up to us! Mister Roberts has seen the many wrongdoings he committed during his life. Despite his tone in the interview, he later expressed his deepest and sincerest regrets. He says that he is willing to face Justice and imprisonment, in exchange for his life. With his boss dead, and with the families falling apart and fearing the murders committed by an unknown assassin, he said he will lay down his arms and surrender. As you can see, our opponents are starting to falter. We are winning. Stand with us, for we are ever growing stronger. The government may try to silence us, but we will only speak louder. The government will try to murder us, but we will speak, even from beyond the grave! We will not rest, we will not falter. We are the True Justice Movement! |
Oct 30, 2018 6:43 PM
#29
Message of Approval The book "The Prodigy Program" by "The True Justice Movement" has been approved. 1 AP has been added to your account. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:43 PM
#30
Message of Approval The book "Earl P. Ellsworth" by "The True Justice Movement" has been approved. 1 AP has been added to your account. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:44 PM
#31
Author: The True Justice Movement Title: Earl P. Ellsworth II Genre: (Underground) Newspaper / Pamphlet Classification: Public Content: As we promised, we worked around the clock to deliver this second part of the interview to you, our loyal readers. The government is trying to crack down on us, even more than before, and it seems like this might be one of our last prints for a while. Due to their fear of us, the government has taken control of all printing presses throughout the country, making it far more difficult to hide our activities. Know that the coming lack of prints from us does not mean we aren't moving forward. We, the True Justice Movement, will keep on moving forwards from the shadows, to bring whatever we find in the darkest corners of our corrupt society into the light of Justice. Where we left off with the previous part of the interview: “The case that eventually got Victorique executed.” “Ironic, ain't it? She shoots the big-guy himself, yet he still gets his revenge on her from beyond the grave.” “Can you tell us about what happened that evening?” “In full detail, but it'll be a long story.” “Please tell us.” “Alright. You see, Victorique had been piling up evidence against Ellsworth, but all of it kept getting rejected. All her attempts to bring him to justice failed. That's why she decided she'd bring justice to him instead. I'm not sure what flipped her switch, so to say, but I'm sure it was flipped quite badly.” “What do you mean?” “I knew Victorique's habits pretty well, the result of my failed attempts to eliminate her. She wasn't someone to act carelessly. She always had back-up plans for her back-up plans, so to say. However, this night, it seemed like she had walked straight into Ellsworth's residence without any plan whatsoever.” “Do you know why she came there?” “Yes, she was invited.” “Invited..?” “Yeah, invited. Remember, by then, Victorique had become a considerable thorn in Ellsworth's flesh. She had brought him to court multiple times, closed some of his most profitable drug labs, and kept getting his goons arrested. Due to my failures to get rid her, Ellsworth decided he'd deal with her by himself. Now, I'm not sure what he wanted to do, as he didn't tell me anything. He said that someone whom had failed to kill an underage halfling wasn't worth knowing these plans. All I had to do was to stand-by and observe. That's what I did. Ellsworth didn't even want me to get the rest of the guys over, he said he just wanted me to be there, even though I advised against it.” “And Victorique accepted the invitation, just like that?” “Yes, just like that. Ellsworth didn't even bother trying to threaten her if she didn't come, he just sent her an nice card with an invitation to meet him in his residence, and she decided to come.” “Didn't you think that was strange?” “Of course I did, but what was I to do?” “You're right. Please tell us what happened next.” “It was in the early evening, with the temperature finally dropping to more agreeable degrees. Ellsworth was playing billiards with his butler when she walked down the path towards the house. Of course, I had to resist my urge to shoot the little bugger. Seeing her walk up there as if I hadn't tried to murder her countless of times pissed me off. That said, I followed orders and just stood by. She got invited into the house, and Ellsworth and her sat down for a cigar.” “Just like that?” “Just like that.” “What happened next?” “Ellsworth asked her if there was any way he could get her to switch sides. She refused. He then asked her if there was any way he could convince her to stop her activities against him and his organization. She refused again. After that, he asked her why she was so adamant on brining him down, even though she had to realise that she could never do so.” “How did she reply?” “She lectured him. She told him that he was one of the fundamental flaws of civilizations, that people like him were the scum of the earth. She told him that his actions lead to the suffering of countless of people, and that she simply couldn't stand by and watch it happen. She told him about the gruesome deaths he caused. The people whom died due to the drugs he put on the black market, the executions, the shootings between the families, the armed robberies gone wrong. She told him about the people whom lost their loved ones, about children without parents and parents without children. She even admitted that she personally knew Savio, and told him what great things Savio could have achieved during his life. Those were all things that Ellsworth had taken away, not just from Savio himself, but from the entire world. The strange thing is, she was talking about it as if she was just going down a grocery list. There was no emotion in her voice, nothing. It was almost scary. Even I can't talk about this kind of stuff like that, and I'm someone that committed half of those crimes.” “How did Ellsworth react?” “I can remember what he said almost word by word. He said; 'That, my girl, is business. Some lose, some win. This world cannot exist without making up a balance. I cannot make any profit without causing a loss for others. However, that is merely how this world was created. I am following the natural laws given to us, little one. You, however, resist them. You try to save the weak and continue to deny the strong.'” “Is that really how Ellsworth thought about his crimes?” “Yes, he was always like that. However, do you know what was even stranger? Victorique didn't seem to disagree with him.” “What?” “This is what she said. 'You are correct, as I have always been fighting the world. However, that is exactly what separates us from the animals. Animals merely breed and die like they are supposed to, while we can strive for so much more. We created civilizations, cultures, we invented medicine and surgery to increase our lifespans, we denied gravity by creating aircraft, and some say we might even go to space one day. Our species achieved much due to its constant defiance against the world and its natural laws. I'd even dare to say that to deny the world and its natural laws is what it means to be free.'” “How did Ellsworth react?” “He laughed. Then he told her that his own freedom was shown by his ability to follow along with the natural laws, and to deny the laws that culture tried to place upon him. Victorique was about to reply to that, but she was cut short when Stuart Keen entered.” “Do you know why he was there?” “To stop Victorique, of course.” “What made him fail to do so?” “Yeah... That one's on me. I pulled my gun on Keen, and told him to back off. Back then I didn't know who he was, and as I didn't know why he was there, I didn't trust him at all. As a result, Victorique pulled her gun on me, and told me that I should back off instead. Before I knew it, Ellsworth had used to opportunity to fire at Victorique. However, the guy never was a good shot, and he missed. Victorique's return-shot didn't. I saw my boss' head get splattered through-out the room. I surely thought I was next, but Keen suddenly shouted 'stand down' and for some reason both me and Victorique did so.” “What happened next?” “My boys came running in.” “Didn't you say that Ellsworth wanted you to be on your own?” “He did, and I didn't listen. I had them stand-by a bit outside Ellsworth's place. I figured we could make sure Victorique would die the moment she left the property.” “What kept them from trying to shoot Keen and Victorique?” “I did. I've seen how many of our guys Victorique got killed, and now that my boss was dead, I wasn't eager to risk my life or the lives of my guys for it. I told them we'd retreat.” “And Victorique allowed you to do so?” “No, it seemed like she planned to shoot me in the back, but Keen stopped her. He told her it wasn't worth it.” “She listened to him?” “Yes. If it was just her own life on the line, I'm sure she'd have started firing, and that she'd have kept at it until she was dead or until all of us were dead. However, she seemed to like Keen enough to abstain from involving him in a battle to the death.” “What did you do, after all of this?” “I retired. I told the boys to spread out, and to move countries if needed. Ellsworth didn't have an heir, and I wasn't eager to take over. Truth be told, I was trying to get out of the business for a while, but lacked the courage. This was my one and only way out, so I took it.” “Do you know what happened to Victorique afterwards?” “Nothing more than you. She got arrested for murder, and Campbell did his old pal a final favour and got her executed.... Actually, now that I think about it... It was probably to silence her, rather than for the sake of Ellsworth. You see, she had started to gather evidence to prove that Campbell was working for Ellsworth. I realised that when I found one of her hide-outs. Campbell probably seized this opportunity to silence her. With both Ellsworth and Victorique out of the way, there was nobody left to testify and show his corruption. I mean, with the way our laws work, people like me wouldn't even be eligible to testify even if I wanted too.” “Do you want to?” “Yes, that's why I'm talking to you.” “Why?” “I realised I cannot retire from the sins I committed, not until I've paid for them. Even if it means that I'll pay for them for the rest of my life. Your movement is growing rapidly, and the government is being exposed left and right. People from your movement, people from the government, people from the other families, some mysterious murderer. They're all after me because of what I know. That's why I figured it's best to just throw it all into the open. If everyone knows what I know, nobody will have to kill me to keep it silent any-more.” “So, you will continue to testify?” “Yes. There is much more to be said, about many more people.” “Do you see this as a way of atonement?” “No, I merely see it as a stepping stone towards it.” “Very well. The True Justice Movement shall continue to hear you out, and we shall continue to publish your stories.” “Thank you.” Sadly enough, we could not keep our promise. The day after this interview was conducted, mister Gabriel Roberts was found dead, his heavily mutilate corpse dumbed in a random back-alley. The government refuses to investigate his murder, and claims it was a simple case of criminals settling their scores among each-other. We, the True Justice Movement, know that this is a lie. The government feared what mister Roberts had left to say, and so they silenced him. Although he was a criminal, and although he was heavily stained by his sins, he managed to become our brother in our search of True Justice. That is why we, risking our own lives, bring you this second part of the interview. The government is no longer passively trying to silence us, they have drawn their arms. Now, I ask of you, what will be next? Do we pick up arms to fight violence with violence? Do we repay death by killing more? No, we will not do so. We are the True Justice Movement, and True Justice cannot be found by adhering to the darkness of the underworld. Yes, we must work in the dark, and we must stay in the shadows. No, we must never allow this darkness to enter our hearts, or the shadows to enter our minds. At any time, we must be ready to step into the light without having to fear that it might blind us. Know that we won't be gone, that our lack of new prints isn't due to a lack of strength. Know that we are only resting, preparing to strike again when the time is ripe. True Justice doesn't die out, and our search for it is like an eternal fire. Remember, my friends, in the darkest night, the faintest light is blinding. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:44 PM
#32
Message of Approval The book "Earl P. Ellsworth II" by "The True Justice Movement" has been approved. 1 AP has been added to your account. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:44 PM
#33
Author: Prof. Erkan S. Bonner Title: The Progressive Unholy Society Genre: Biography Classification: Public Content: Preface The Progressive Unholy Society, from now on referred to as the society, was formed in AR 636 by a succubus named Carita Minett. She created the society with three goals in mind. The first was to 'brush up' the general image of the Unholy race in the eyes of the other races, and to show that they were just a group of species progressing towards a better future for everyone. The second was to create new opportunities for the various species among the Unholy, either through scientific breakthroughs that would allow them to live better lives or through creating new job opportunities for them in other countries. The third was the pacification of the unrest and wars with the Divines, attempting to put aeons of war and racism to rest. Since its creation, the first two goals have slowly started to become reach-able. Sadly enough, the third goal seems as far away as it was at the societies' founding. Despite the difficulty of its third goal, many big projects in support of the first two goals were made possible through fundraisers and awareness campaigns organised by this society. Examples of these are the building of houses for the poorest Unholy and projects to stimulate other races to start hiring Unholy employees. However, they are even more famous for the various scientific research projects they funded, such as research into sunscreen for Vampires, non-disgusting blood alternatives for vampires, flesh alternatives for ghouls, preservation methods for ghouls, temporal solidification techniques for ghosts and many more. At the moment, it is not entirely clear how many members the society counts, mostly due to its lack of a strict and structural membership. Estimates suggest that anywhere between 17.000 and 25.000 Unholy actively consider themselves to be a member of the society. However, only about a hundred of them actively introduce new campaigns and events. As of the writing of this book, there are seven members whom are considered to be the famous 'spearheads' of this society. This book will focus on them in the following chapters. Carita Minett (Succubus) Sometimes nicknamed the Winged Idol, Carita Minett has managed to make quite a name for herself on stage. Her singing, combined with her looks, has stunned many audiences, reaching far beyond the Unholy race, and even some Divines admitted to liking her folk-inspired music. She stunned the entire world when she claimed that she had her mind set on having a live concert in the Divine capital, Sanctus Lumen. Needlessly to say, this caused quite a controversy. Not only was she forbidden entry into any the Divine territory, she even became the target of various assassination attempts. This made her realise the depth of the racism between the two races, something that even music could not fully bridge. She often claims that this is what sparked her to create the society. Even so, it cannot be denied that her career has benefited significantly from it. By openly advocating for peace, kindness and love through her music, she made songs that resonated with many people among the various races. Her success, however, also placed her in a position vulnerable to rumour. For example, there has been a widespread internet hoax that there were sex tapes proving that she had a strong fetish for the wings of Divines. Other rumours say that she works as a spy for the Unholy government, or that she secretly practices demonic rituals. None of these rumours are confirmed, and it is likely that they merely stem from people advocating racism. Her career has managed to survive these rumours, and she is currently still producing music, although it becomes increasingly difficult for her to orchestrate live events, due to safety issues and death threats. Galt Stark (Orc) Galt's entry into the society was a great surprise to many. As a famous rugby player, he always stayed clear from expressing any political opinions to the public, at least up until that point. When asked about it in interviews, he simply claimed “They make sense.” and he has proceeded to give similar answers ever since. Sadly enough, the sponsors behind his rugby team didn't like this, and soon forced the team to drop him. However, Galt managed to make a surprising comeback by forming his own team, sponsored by other members of the society. Not only was he now among like-minded individuals and team-members, he even managed to win the national championship with this team. A year after this victory, he got invited to take part in the world-championship. Sadly enough, he got injured beyond healing at the prime of his career, and has now retired as an active player and instead coaches other teams. Although his legacy is dimming a bit, he is still known by many rugby fans, and some say that his life might be turned into a film. It seems like he doesn't want to involve himself with the making of it, and instead wishes focus on spending time with his wife and children. It is speculated that he might soon retire rugby for good. Even so, his name won't vanish from the sport anytime soon. Sir Renat Sapienti (Lich) Sir Sapienti has many awards on his name, spread throughout various fields of scientific research. However, his own body is his most famous project. He often calls it the 'automatonification process' when lecturing others. In an attempt to aid ghouls, skeletons and zombies deal with their decaying bodies, he invented mechanical parts inspired by automaton, which can replace any non-functioning (rotten) body-parts. His reason for joining the society was rather clear, and has become an infamous quote; “Why? For science, of course.” This turned out to be as valid a reply as he could give, as he managed to gain access to the libraries of various other races by making use of the the societies sphere of influence. He has always had a friendly rivalry with Dana Scordato, as his research focusses on the mechanical while hers focusses on the organic. Even so, it can safely be said that they elevated each-other to a new level of scientific success. Sir Sapienti managed to gain his title through his research, being able to find a cure a for a particular type of 'rotting' that could cause undead to be rotting away as a result of the bacteria inside their stomach and intestines breaking out and spreading through the rest of their body. He would replace specific parts of the intestines with replacements made of a metal that is toxic to the most harmful bacteria. Not much is known about his private life, as he lives a rather secluded life. He only appears in public for his research or in the society, where he keeps up the appearance and act of a true gentleman. Anima ó Rodagh (Ghost) Anima ó Rodagh's entry into the society was a rather unconventional one. Sir Sapienti had bought an ancient artefact and meant to display it in the society's main building, for he had measured some strange 'activity' to it. This turned out to be Anima ó Rodagh, a ghost bound to the sword she was killed with (the mentioned artefact). It is said that she was rather shy and and distant at first, but that she was quick to warm up among the various members of the society. In fact, she is currently their secretary, a duty she has taken upon herself with undying diligence. Sadly enough, she does not speak publicly, and nothing else is known about her. Celestia Mayer von Rotschild (Vampire) Not much is know about the origin of the currently youngest vampire in the Rothschild bloodline; Celestia Mayer von Rothschild. It is confirmed that she was turned into a vampire by Maurice Mayer von Rothschild, but the conditions under which this happened remain a mystery. Furthermore, Celestia has been known to reject a lot of her heritage, and she is said to be on extremely bad terms with Maurice Mayer von Rothschild. The latter, however, contributes to her success as a businesswoman. Having the advantage of her vampirism and eternal youth, she has slowly managed to rise to the top, all while amassing her own fortune. She tends to avoid any conflicts regarding her status as a vampire at all costs, claims to drink only the minimal of blood she requires to survive, and has sworn to never turn someone else in a vampire. Thanks to this attitude, she has been relatively safe from vampire hunters, although they tend to watch her every move. As a result, the other members of the society are some of the few people whom she considers the type of 'friends' among whom she can let her guard down. Celestia continuous to be one of the major benefactors to the projects started by the society, and some suggest that more than half of her profit directly goes to these projects. Paz Argyris (Goblin) Paz Argyris managed to become a millionaire by playing his cards right. Quite literally, as he is is an infamous poker player whom later made some great investments with the money he had won in championships. The goblin only started to think about anything else than 'the pleasures of life' upon reaching an old age, fearing that he would die without having done anything worthwhile. That was, and still is, his only reason for joining the society. In spite of this, he managed to make a fair contribution by donating some of his wealth and by helping the other members invest their money. He is particularly active working for the benefit of his own species, as even among the other Unholy, goblins are often forgotten and mistreated. Some of the other Unholy even consider them to be no more than an uglier type of halflings, but without any of the things that makes halflings useful. It clearly indicates that Paz Argyris still has a lot of work to do. Dana Scordato (Ghoul) It is unclear what vampire turned Dana Scordato into a ghoul, and it is equally unclear how she ended up in the society. However, from the moment she did, she turned out to be more promising than anyone could ever imagine. Having been given money for research by the society, as well as support and knowledge, Dana quickly delivered mind-boggling results. Some of her most famous projects include the usage of new embalming techniques on ghouls and zombies, and the usage of additional salves to counter rotting. She has always had a friendly rivalry with Sir Sapienti, as his research focusses on the mechanical while hers focusses on the organic. Even so, it can safely be said that they elevated each-other to a new level of scientific success. In many ways, Dana Scordato is a mystery, but the result of her research speaks volumes. Some say that she might follow in Sapienti's footsteps, as her research may eventually lead to her gaining the 'Sir' title as well.
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Oct 30, 2018 6:45 PM
#34
Message of Commendation The book "The Progressive Unholy Society" by "Prof. Erkan S. Bonner" has been selected for "Book of the Month (September 2018)". 1 AP has been added to your account. |
Oct 30, 2018 6:45 PM
#35
Author: James P. Sullivan Title: SOULs and their Ethereal being Genre: Journal Classification: Classified Note: In order to comply with the new rules being added, I have added more to my book Content: SOULs (coined Summoned Original Unique Life) are beings that possess incredible physical prowess and tasked with the protection of the world. They are former mortals that have contracted themselves with the world and gained immense power as a result, being invulnerable to most conventional forms of damage (such as metal bullets and not being able to bleed). Perhaps a legendary hero from the ancient ages that did not wish to have his glory end all too soon or simply a struggling young boy that wished for nothing more than to protect those he cared about, SOULs are drawn from every point in time and space regardless of origin. The world imbues them with necessary knowledge and then sends them into countless dimensions with the mission to erase any source that might result in a catastrophe or disaster. Once a contract with the world is formed, their mortal bodies are left behind as their spirit is drawn to a location only known to them: The Throne of Souls. A place where conscious existence is impossible and devoid of any other purpose except for the storage and collection of souls. It is singular and across all dimensions and worlds, only one Throne of Souls exists. Whenever action is not required, SOULs remain on standby here. With the lack of a passage of time, whether someone has remained for centuries or even millenia is the same as a single second. Once a SOUL has received a purpose to act, he/she/it will be sent out into the world in ethereal form. However, upon fulfilment of their duty they are drawn back to the Throne of Souls. Additionally, SOULs are not permitted to retain any irrelevant memories pertaining to their stay and are only allowed to keep part of their combat experience in order to let improvement continuously follow. As such, even if they revisit the same world countless times, it will be just as if it were the very first time. However, they do retain the memories of their past selves and thus are given the opportunity to remedy or achieve something they wanted, yet could not in their lifetime, in exchange for abiding to the contract. Furthermore, the Throne of Souls also contains regular souls that inhabit various lifeforms. Upon death, the soul of organic beings return to the Throne and are then reused in the cycle of reincarnation. Normal Souls, upon having reincarnated many times and/or performed great deeds in their lifetime, may also be elevated to level of Greater Souls and are then gifted the capability to be reincarnated as SOULs. -Credit to this information goes to an unknown source, although Astraea was kind enough to provide the info for me! Of the many inquires I have made into the subject of SOULs (Explained in other currently unreleased books OOC), I have found the fact that they themselves are made of Ethereal essence to be the most interesting. Of this study, I have found that their clothes are also included in this. You see, SOULs do not wear clothes in the same way that you and I do. In fact, the clothes themselves are bound to their Ethereal Essence. When a Mortal dies, their clothes stay on them, but when a SOUL dies, their clothes disappear as well, showing them to be Ethereal just like they are. SOULs tend to wear the clothes they died in, but I have met a SOUL by the name of ██████ ████████ (Name was later obscured to assumed anomynity) who changed his clothes daily. This is an interesting phenomenom, as I assumed that they were normal mortal clothes. I found out, however, through his multiple fights, and ones that he managed to die in, is that his clothes, no matter what they were, disappeared along with him. I questioned ██████ about this, and he replied that he just 'willed' the clothes to be worn. In this way, ██████ was able to wear clothes as a SOUL that he could in real life! The process was simple, he simply wore the clothes for a straight 24-hour period, and, even if he took off the clothes, then he would be able to wear the clothing that would desummon along with him! I inquired into other SOULs' lives about this, and they did not know of this fact either! After I told them that, they were able to switch to clothing they wore for 24-hour periods before! I attempted to get the SOULs to do the same with armor, and while it did work, the armor did not function the same way as it would in real life. Turns out, the armor only acts as simple clothing, using a very insubstantial amount of Prana to work, and because of this, does not function the same way their 'Astral Gear' will work. The same applies to any other clothing or armor that have different functions, and they all function as simple clothing. I will attempt to do more research into this subject, but for now this is all I have figured out about this subject concerning the clothes. The SOULs I have encountered have all been summoned with the ability to summon their own 'AG', or "Astral Gear", This AG has the wonderful potential to be many things, such as: Armor, swords, gauntlets, bows, guns, and even books! The property of an AG is different from the clothes that the SOUL wears, as they all actually have weight and potential to them. Unlike the clothing of a SOUL, which can easily shred in combat, an AG is tougher, and can withstand much more than their clothes can, and they even have the ability to block many attacks before breaking! The Astral Gear of a SOUL, as I have just explained, can take on many forms, but what is interesting about them is the ability to use them effectively in combat. Take the books I mentioned, for example, not only can they wack an opponent on the head to damage them, they can even use the book normally! They can read from it, and even use incantations from it. (On a side note: Some of these physical incantations is required, just like some normal mages, and speaking the incantation without their book does nothing at all. SOULs, being ethereal beings, are able to fight CS, or Calamity Seeds, unabated. A normal Mortal may have to have the gift of 'etherizing' their weapon, which takes some toll of out them, but a SOUL, being Ethereal beings themselves, do not! This allows them to be the best line of defense against the Calamity Seeds that have been appearing all over our world for the past ten years. Unfortunately, summoning a SOUL, while very effective in the long run, proves detrimental in the short run, as it takes an enourmous amount of energy to even summon a SOUL, let alone keep one summoned. Astraea seems to have an effective method, so far, but I can only hope it remains effective, or our world will be overrun within the months to come. |
Jan 12, 2019 10:14 PM
#36
Author: ??? (Editor: Rita Marter) Title: The Pro-Human Alliance Genre: Biography Classification: Public Content: Editor's Note: This book is to be read from the point of view of one from the Pro-Human Alliance, as it was written as such, however, we do not condone the practices used by the people in this society. There is no information of who wrote this book, and when, but the one who wrote it is definitely from this Alliance. Some of the information in this book is from a fanatic's point of view, and facts will be skewed to fit their views. You have been warned. Preface Ever since Humans were introduced to the Elves, there have been conflicts between the two. Elves did not like that humans treated magic as a tool, something less sacred than it should be. In return, Elves forbid the practice of marrying and reproducing with Humans, and tortured and then killed humans who did so, while letting their elven comrades go free, albiet with the light sentence of banishment. To take up arms against this unfairness, we have formed this Alliance and have acted under it. Although the name suggests we are purely Pro-Human, the truth is we are fighting against the Elves who have condemned us so. We allowed them into our cities, and they treat us with hate in spite of it, not letting us explore their city. This society, even with its name, also houses Half-Elves who feel as if they have been given unfair treatment from the Elves, which isn't hard to believe. Our goal is simple: Peace. If we can show them we are a powerful race and Alliance, they will be forced to treat us with fairness. Editor's Note: Although this book reads they want peace, they do not show it. They inhumanely butcher Elves by the hundreds to accomplish their goal. Their idea of a peaceful world is one without Elves. Their goal isn't coexistance with the Elves, it's extinction of them. Founders of the Alliance The Alliance was founded by a group of 6, of those we are to not know their names. If their names were shared, those who oppose our society would go after them and the Alliance would collapse. Only through secrecy can our Alliance operate, and then we will have our peace. The only thing that is public knowledge about our founders is that they are great and powerful people. They do what must be done to allow Humans and Half-Elves to live without fear from the Elves. They all live unmarried, for if they were married, it would make it much easier to find them, and the Elves could cruelly blackmail their spouses to shut down the Alliance. The Alliance itself was founded 9 years ago, with it becoming more public around 2 years ago. Editor's Note: This sections is rather short, no other records of their founders have been made. OOC Note: In a later version of this book, it is revealed one of the Founders have been discovered, but dead. His name was Adam Solevick, and he was found in the woods near Yvalia. Questions have been asked to the Police Force and Astraea to what they know about the man, but both companies have denied any participation in what was his death. Members and their Duties As a member of the Pro-Human Alliance, we carry out our tasks of maintaining the peace of Humans and Half-Elves who have come into contact with Elves. They need care and treatment if they are to survive with the PTSD the Elves have given them. One such example is a village in Arias, the name of which will not be shared as to prevent secrecy. This village hosts a fair number of Half-Elf and Humans, and will turn away any Elves who come near, who may be the ones who caused the trauma to the ones seeking shelter. Members must also uphold their oath to never befriend an Elf, as Elves tend to betray you when you least expect it. Many of our members lost family or friends from the Elves, and this will only keep the members safe. Most members do not actually do anything special besides these few things, but their donations help keep the Alliance afloat and will better our future on this world. Editor's Note: In the first paragraph, the original author stated they "turn away" Elves. However, eye-witnesses report that the Elves were dragged into the village, then brutally tortured and murdered in front of everyone. Methods include: hanging, stoning, fire, etc. Even if the Elf had done nothing but walk past the village, they were turned into it, and dragged if need be. This Alliance isn't lawful, they are evil. This paragraph is also the last paragraph in the very short book. Either the rest of the pages were lost, or never made. Make no mistake, this Faction is evil, and you should avoid them at all costs. Steps are being made without this Alliance's influence, such as marriage between Elves and Humans becoming legal in more places than it used to be. It's still an accomplishment! The Pro-Human Alliance has made many steps to prevent this, such as when Yvalia, the city of equals, legalized Elf-Human Marriage. They attempted to sabotage the agreement, but in the end, the world is better off without them being able to accomplish their goals. |
LondotheGreatJan 13, 2019 10:06 PM
Jan 13, 2019 8:26 PM
#37
Message of Commendation The book "The Pro-Human Alliance" by "???" and edited by "Rita Marter" has been approved. 1 AP has been added to your account. |
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