Sin and Sacrifice

The Generals

Although Aurea and Atros are broken, their generals - the most powerful and terrifying creatures in their armies of old - are risen again. They break free from their resting places - from mountainsides, rivers, ocean and all manner of hidden places around Alva - and take to the skies again in a terrible march that watchers far and wide can see. The heavenly war is not over yet, and they are ready to take command until their gods are back.

They join their armies in the floating fortresses constructed by the Ascended. Their arrival is met with relief and jubilation; to the lost armies waiting there, the generals open a way forward.

The Ascended

The Ascended they command to find and gather Aurea and Atros' broken pieces. Their gods are not dead - how could they be killed by mere mortals after all? - and if they could be revived before, they can be revived again.

The godly pieces themselves are now scattered all over Alva as shards of shrapnel. Wherever they lay, the world around them corrupts in strange and unpredictable ways. Space knots into mazes, water turns to tar, fertile soil dissolves to sand... and much more*. They differ wildly in size and shape - some are indistinct lumps of flesh and some are massive dismembered body parts - but all emanate a powerful miasma that the Ascended are sure to recognise. Should they find a piece too big for themselves or too difficult to reach, they may call upon a general to help. And should they come across an enemy soldier, they are to eradicate them if possible.

The Ascended scatter on their mission as one. Their minds are now focused with a clear command - but for some, their hearts are still shaken. There is a gaping hollow inside where their god used to be, and now that it is empty, mangled fragments of their old personalities begin to emerge again. Their memories are still gone - save for rare, incoherent images and sensations devoid of context. Their past selves and lives are still truly obliterated. But simple things like a yearning for comfort, camaraderie, fear, sorrow, anger and the crushing loneliness of being 'one' rather than 'many' stain their hearts. After the divine rapture that has consumed them until now, it's an almost unbearable disquiet that only the return of their god can quell.

Note: The extent to which Ascended regain themselves is very small. The intent is to allow them to have just a little sense of self and simple relationships with each other. Their memories are still gone, but they may be haunted by e.g. a weird yearning for some entity they no longer know, or a single blurry scene of a golden field whose significance they cannot grasp. They won't remember any names or specifics about people in their past. They may feel twinges of loss, doubt or regret, but aren't capable of rebellion and mostly want the feeling to go away. This is, in short, supposed to be sad and temporary.

* These are examples. Not every location is like this - in fact most are very different - but this is the kind of thing that happens wherever the body parts are.

The Oathbound

Meanwhile, the Oathbound and other mortal soldiers of Aurea are commanded to return to Delverne for a different mission - to forge new weapons and armour for the divine battle. 

In the bowels of their oldest cathedral is a sacred room called the Heart Sanctum. And in that room is an ancient well, whose frame is knotted with thick roots and whose stones have transformed into glowing mana crystals over the millenia - for the holy tree of Delverne feeds from this well, and the well taps not water but ether. If Delverne is a blessed land abundant with magic, it is because of the rich ether that flows from this well and the holy tree which keeps it tethered here. Each Oathbound is given a scale and a crystallised drop of blood by one general. If these are melted in that ether, they may be remolded into powerful arms. It will take time, but if they are to continue standing on the divine battlefield it is something they must have.

They are flown back to the city on the backs of the dragons who have flocked to Aurea's army. And when they march through the gates again, they are welcomed as glorious heroes. Feasts are laid out for them. Every material comfort they desire is lavished upon them. People clamour to their sides for stories of the faraway battle and their exploits. The well in the Heart Sanctum can only melt and forge arms for one person a day, so there is plenty of time to enjoy their welcome before they must return to battle.

The Risen

The undying soldiers of Atros have no need for armour and no place to return. Instead, they are commanded forth to the Citadel of Crowns, where the devastation of both divine war and mortal folly have scarred the landscape. Collapsed spires, broken bodies and smeared rune circles lie in ruins... but what the Risen are here for are the fallen souls. To strengthen their army, they seek not weapons but soldiers: like them, the dead. 

The generals Vipera and Lucernae - the Reaper and the Guide - lead the way. Cold magic seeps into the earth and then rises as shadowy mist, and with them rises the tattered forms of the newly dead. Many are - or were - researchers from the Empire who died in the fallout of Aurea and Atros' shattering. But some were Delvan soldiers slain in battle. To rid them of their distasteful light elf origins, they are forcibly remade into dark elves, and with their wills no longer their own, they have no choice but to serve Atros' army. It's an utter desecration of Aurea's beloved, but one Atros' generals certainly do not care for. Thus the ghastly army of the dark god grows, in both vastness and horror.

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Art Entry

Draw or otherwise depict your character's participation in this part to earn an event bonus. 

For the Ascended, you can request a personal prompt in the #ascended-quest channel or make up your own scenario. If you invent your own, please post what body part your character finds in the channel so that we don't end up with e.g. Atros having five noses. Body parts can be anything from a hunk of flesh to a hand but no larger (i.e. no whole heads or limbs).

For the Oathbound, you can pick any general other than Maelog for a character to receive a scale and blood from (free choice). The design of new weapons and armour forged from those scales should visually match with the chosen general. The arms are made in order of rank (i.e. the higher-ups get theirs first). Only one Oathbound a day is allowed into the Heart Sanctum to deliver the scale/blood and collect their finished arms, as the room is small and the long staircase leading down to it is narrow. The Heart Sanctum is usually off-limits to all but the highest clergy, so entering at all is a great honour.

The oceans and rivers quake as Mareus unfurls Herself throughout Her watery dominion. Maraenel too unfurls long tentacles across the stormy surface of the northern seas. Everywhere the god child touches calms, turning waves into mirror-like pools. Questers are finally given respite - those in the water are buoyed upwards by blessed currents and those in the air can alight upon the still water as if it was glass. 

Maraenel approaches the gathered questers. Her jewelled body shimmers and then dissolves like dazzling seafoam into the wind. In its place, a familiar figure now stands - a woman with hair of waterfall and lashes of dew, like the classical depiction of Mareus. It becomes clear, suddenly, that the people-like portraits of the gods so widely accepted across Alva are actually of their children. As envoys of the gods in the mortal realm, it is only right that they can adopt worldly forms. 

Maraenel's elven self opens her eyes. In a voice that floods the mind and resonates with a thousand languages, she speaks:

"Mareus has witnessed the world."

"Aurea and Atros seethe with war. Their forbidden armies walk again. Tharoneos and Iryneia are missing. Without them, Therras and Iridus cannot return. Alva sits upon the cusp of destruction."

"Mareus has witnessed you."

"Despite being lost, you have searched. Despite being mortal, you have faced the divine. We have heard the resolution in your hearts and found it to be admirable. We will help you."

There is a feeling of water pressing into their ears and all sounds fade for a moment. The calm seas ripple and huge, murky silhouettes emerge from below. Within moments, immense creatures break the surface, their knife-sharp edges glowing with magical energy. These, Maraenel explains, are undines, warriors that Mareus created in a similar way that Aurea created dragons and Atros created the monsters of Wispwood. They have been dormant for aeons in another dimension, incomplete and unfit for Alva - but now that the times call for it, they will be comrades and weapons. Mareus will grant each quester an undine to command, thus lending them power to face the divine calamities. For while Mareus is a god, She is still one against the war-hungry armies of two. She will help them, but they must also help Her.

The undines lift the questers safely as the ocean begins to swirl around Mareus' body - slowly at first, then faster and faster until it becomes a colossal whirlpool. The air trembles as magic beyond mortal comprehension reaches over Alva.

Maraenel, unflinching within the churning spray and mist, points a finger to the south. There, she says, Mareus has drained all water from the underground caverns where Therras' people are searching - thus opening to them the deepest parts of Telurea, the kingdom where Tharoneos laid his roots long ago. To regain control of Alva, the quest to wake Therras must succeed.

Maraenel then points to the east. There Iryneia, the only one who can reach Iridus, waits to be found. This is a mission She cannot help with, as "there lies a crimson sea that even She may not trespass", but the freeing of Iridus too is essential - only with all three gods together can They banish the forces that are destroying Alva.

Finally, Maraenel points towards the sky above. There, she and Mareus Herself will do battle with the divine. Only She is powerful enough to combat the terrifying top generals, Maelog and Salecus. But it will take all Her focus to quell them, leaving the undines directionless against the rest of the divine armies. Should the questers choose to fight the armies by Her side, She will welcome them.

And then the time to talk is over. With every passing moment, Alva fractures a little more under the immense pressure of the fully-awakened armies; they cannot be left any longer. A wave as tall as the highest towers crashes from Mareus as She rises into the air with Maraenel alongside Her. The next stage of the battle begins.

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Missions

Those on the Mareus quest have three options - to join the Therras quest, to join the Iridus quest, or to battle the divine armies - i.e. the Generals and the Ascended. All are important missions. The Therras and Iridus quests will have roleplay games soon. The divine battle will have further story and a battle game later - dates and details TBA.

The quest for Therras in Cantor has reached an impasse. Therras is risen, He is undeniably standing above them - but try as they might, with Tharoneos gone there is no way to reach Him. After so long searching in the dark, the weight of doubt and frustration grows. Was this always a doomed mission?

But far away in the north, Mareus has returned, and with Her return comes miraculous change.

On their journey from the ruins of Riag to Soloros, the quest-goers had passed low caverns filled with vast underground lakes. Then, they'd been impossible to cross or explore - black as ink, still as death and so immense that their eyes could only pick out the nearest banks in the dark. Now in Soloros, the edges of the closest such lake shiver. Waves of cold mist roll out as if it is breathing. Pinpoints of shining blue algae bloom across the water's surface, until it glitters like a reflected galaxy. And then, slowly, the waters begin to recede, leaving flecks of bioluminescence behind on the wet earth they once covered. A scouting group quickly follows the water's retreat to see how far it will go. Hours later they return to report: it goes further than they can travel in a day, is still going, and has revealed entire new ruin grounds even deeper in the earth. Considering how far the lakes once spread, there's a very real chance that it has - or soon will - reveal the real Riag.

A day later, as they are preparing to scout further, the first of their reinforcements arrive - people who were on the Mareus quest and who are now here to help with Therras' on Her bidding. The new arrivals and their good news reinvigorate the mood, just in time for their last push.

The thin sliver of hope they all hold on to is a brief passage in an old Telurean text that suggests the Telurean 'gods' - i.e. the god children - reincarnate. But there is no further information about what that actually means, let alone how they might make it happen. Among all the relics they've found so far, there have been no more details on divine life and death. Now that the true depths of Riag have been opened though, hopes brim that they will find their answers there.

It's the final attempt. There is no good plan after this and if they fail to find anything, there'll be no choice but to abandon this quest for Therras. But there is a chance that they will succeed, and for now that's enough. The final search for the Telurea's hidden secrets begins...

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Ghosts of Telurea RP

An escape room style roleplay will be hosted in the Discord server between 12 Sep and 19 Sep to explore this new area of Telurea. Check the #news channel for more details!

Note that this will be the last hosted exploration of Telurea, and all relevant lore about it will be revealed in this activity.

This activity is now over, thanks for playing!

Strange things are happening in southern Linhythe. As the scattered survivors of the Iridus quest pick themselves up, an eerie howl reverberates across the sky. It comes from the direction of Hangman's Cross - the treacherous, famously haunted pass that connects Linhythe to Tusa. 

The survivors regroup on the Linhian coast and prepare to investigate the source of the howl. Just before they head out, the questers from Mareus arrive. They provide a welcome boost to both morale and numbers, but the news they bring of a crimson sea that even Mareus cannot touch sends a chill through the party. The direction Maranael pointed towards is also the very same one that the unsettling howl came from; surely, this cannot be a coincidence. Still, if Mareus Herself said the key to freeing Iridus is there, then it must be. The combined questers push onwards. The journey inland is quick with the undines' help and they soon arrive at Hangman's Cross - where they are met with a terrifying sight. From the twisted rocks of the pass, deep rivulets of red run unceasingly, bleeding into the barren sand.

Just as the questers are ready to request reinforcements, a message from the Crown stops them dead. By decree of the new High Council Chair, Marchioness Renata Kaspar, the quest for Iridus is indefinitely suspended. No more support or funding will come their way. The military will be withdrawn. All participants are to go home. All nobles especially must return to court, to carve out their part of the rapidly changing political scene. The party splits between those who willingly return, those who want to stay but can't, and those who stay anyway.

The few who stay continue to watch and investigate. Venturing deeper into the Cross, they see the trickling streams pool together into rivers and lakes of red that completely flood the roads of the pass. These crimson rivers flow further than can be followed - they are too deep to wade, too narrow for the undines to traverse, and scald everything they touch like acid. Every day they run faster and thicker, and the screams the Cross echo louder.

The Wissen leadership returns to the capital to petition for the quest's continuation. But it becomes clear as time passes and delays pile up, that Renata has no interest in it. After two weeks of being brushed off, the Wissen Chairman Elmer Hase decides to take matters into his own hands and begins unofficial preparations using the Wissen Fellowship's own resources. It is hampered by the political turmoil in Koben, but some progress is better than none.

Renata's coronation deals the final blow. Soon after she becomes Empress in full, she announces the formal cancellation of the Iridus quest - for she has made a deal with the capable Estran Consul that Estraude will take over responsibility for all this disastrous supernatural strangeness. Koben will lend aid to Estraude when required, but no longer needs to be directly involved. Foreigners who came for the Iridus quest are politely but firmly requested to leave. Aspects of normal life like festivities and events are encouraged to resume as if the clock has wound back to a more peaceful time.  It's a great comfort and triumph to those who can afford to turn a blind eye to the world's disasters... and a gross farce to others.

But the Wissen leaders are ready for this outcome at this point. Over the next few days, they send a message to all former questers who still wanted to finish things - if they are willing to defy official orders, they should gather at the Linhian entrance to Hangman's Cross soon, before the Crown finds out. The quest for Iridus will happen by their own power.

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Devil's Dare RP

A live RP to explore Hangman's Cross was run from 2 - 3 October 2021. 

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The journey into Hangman's Cross proves stranger and more perilous than anyone could have imagined. Beneath the crimson sea lies a world that defies all laws and logics of Alva: the Six Circles, an interdimensional rift in which countless otherworldly creatures dwell. These creatures, the questers learn, had once been worshipped as gods by the ancient empire of Faldor - an empire that created the art of summoning and rose to greatness through it, but that vanished overnight by the same power.

One such 'god', Nesha, guides the questers through the realm as they chase the elusive sound of Iryneia's song. Finally, in the deepest layer of the Six Circles, they discover not Iryneia but Dunor, the monstrously powerful 'mother' of the Faldrish gods. She tells the questers of how Iryneia became lost in the otherworlds after Faldor's meddling long ago. Only she has the knowledge and power to bring the god child back.

And so a deal is struck. In exchange for Dunor's aid in retrieving Iryneia, the questers will bring her, dead or alive, two generals of Aurea and Atros for her to feast upon. It is, frankly, a task beyond any mortal means. But with both the fate of the world and Dunor's binding word weighing against their souls, the questers cannot afford failure. They prepare for the impossible battle ahead.

As divine battle rages at the Citadel, Song-Lu is in chaos. The newly awoken weiwu roam the streets. Waters from the hot springs froth up and turn the roads to shallow rivers. Fire and ashes rain from the sky. Songluans scramble in the midst of it all to restore their beloved city - sheltering their neighbours, pushing the water and the weiwu back as far as they can... but before they can even get to grips with the situation, everything and nothing changes.

Starting from the Chancellor's palace, strange sights begin to appear before all eyes - little floating firelights with mischievous faces popping up everywhere, the sky folding like origami into a kaleidoscope of twisting colours, clouds splitting into paper streamers and then to confetti, inanimate objects leaping and tumbling around in jaunty dance, peoples' faces replaced with festival masks and animal heads... and the Chancellor, striding the streets with palms of crystal and robed in scarlet flames. Yet as bizarre as everything is, all who witness it are sucked into this new 'reality' - to them, this is now how it should be and how it always has been. They are enthralled by a giddy rapture that replaces all fear and doubt with blank-eyed joy.

The madness soon swallows the whole city. It is only at the outskirts that people are able to fend off the blurred reality and sound the alarm. And even then, none who venture too far in or linger too long return with their minds intact. Within days, enthralled 'preachers' from within the city begin to wander out as well - dancing and singing that the Chancellor has Ascended to become Huozai's prophet. Come one, come all to the fire god's faith! Some just yell, laugh and teeter as if drunk - but many more fling themselves upon their victims and forcibly, violently drag them deeper into the city. The most dangerous among them are the ones who call themselves 'apostles' - those who Ascended alongside the Chancellor, marked by a horizontal halo of fire that spews from their eyes and engulfs the head. As some may recognise with horror, these are the survivors of Adabrene.

Those who manage to escape enthrallment gather in the towns and villages outside the capital. A brave handful with strong minds form search parties to go back and rescue whoever else they can reach - even if they're only armed with makeshift protections, and even if the enemies they must now fight are former neigbhours and loved ones... not to mention the prowling weiwu. The first groups return haggard, but they bring with them a new shred of hope born from desperate experimentation - traditional Songluan wards and charms will work to halt the encroaching circle of madness. All able hands come together to make and set up an immense spiderweb of wards around the city - turning it into a giant, haunted prison. Yet whatever they try, there doesn't seem to be a way to truly dispel the horrifying phenomenon. They can now keep it from advancing, but they can't push it back even with the most powerful of spirit wards. And once a person is completely enthalled, there's no return to sanity. For now all they can do is keep it at bay, prison guards of a cursed city... and keep searching.

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Notes

The madness phenomenon starts a few days after the Citadel clash (check the updated timeline for dates) and has no end - i.e. Song-Lu will continue to stay like this until after the event. Because this part starts early and continues indefinitely, characters can canonically be part of this as well as other parts of the event, e.g. the Iridus quest.

In terms of what the rest of the Empire is doing: Word didn't reach outside of Song-Lu until several days into the madness because its onset was so insidious. It tempts victims with comfort in rapture, and is incredibly difficult to notice since it alters one's sense of reality as soon as it starts affecting them. Everyone who experienced it was enthralled or captured, until its effect thinned out around the city outskirts. The Koben Crown, led by Renata, has lent some aid but only started focusing on it a few days after her coronation.

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Art Entry

Draw or otherwise depict your character's participation in this part to earn an event bonus. This includes evacuating, rescuing, making and setting up wards, and/or fighting off enthralled/weiwu.

The days that follow the rescue of the Irana cave explorers are oddly quiet and still - almost peaceful compared to the chaos unfolding througout Estraude's neighbours. The answers they'd set out for had only resulted in strange questions and even stranger mysteries. It's clear to all that Irana has not been found nor awakened, but the brave explorers had achieved something... the question is, what? 

Forced back to the drawing board, the Apostles and Consul decide to send a team of specialists to the base camp around the Viyanaru cave. The arcane team is tasked with understanding the nature of the strange ether that pours from the now open door, and to discover how to nullify it - until then, the best they can do is wait patiently. The questers, meanwhile, are instructed to stay within Estraude city to be observed and cared for should any strange side effects arise from their venture into another realm. But they are not left without work.

Firstly, they are approached by the law masters of Estraude. Having shown their competence and being the last people to see Faris and Alana, they are asked to investigate the missing Estrans. The law masters hope that taking a chance on the explorers will provide them with new leads and stop whatever nefarious business is taking place within the shadows.

Secondly, a wealth of artefacts has been successfully brought back from the other realm, along with the explorers' notes and personal accounts of the strange place. Researchers and scholars across the land gather to join the explorers and sift for answers within the tangled mess of information. For the first time in Estran history, Noir, the Atros apostle, grants limited entry to the Noitheque and grants a few Inquisitors permission to reveal themselves to assist with the ongoing inquiry.

With the combined knowledge of the explorers, the Estran specialists, the church college and the Noitheque, Noir and the other apostles are confident that the mysteries of the other realm will be revealed. The calls for the Sixth might not have been answered by a divine being, but not all is lost. There is still something out there, waiting to be discovered...

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The Lost and the Found RP

An investigation and lore digging game was run in the Discord server from 23 - 31 October 2021 to investigate the missing Estrans and understand the secrets of the other realm artefacts.

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Armed with temporary power from Estraude's Lawmasters, the gathered investigators delve into the mysterious disappearance of Alana, Faris and Apostle Lupuna. The strings soon unravel to reveal the shocking truth - a plot to oust the Consul. Its head is the Consul's rival Kasem Lamar, its muscle is Aalok's trusted bodyguard Rakhani, and its mastermind is the shadowy figure known only as 'Vide'. They manage to arrest the unknowing Kasem and capture Rakhani before he can destroy crucial evidence, but Vide vanishes like smoke.

But that's not the end of anything. In the midst of the investigation, Consul Aalok and researcher Seoras disappear one night without a sound. A disturbing rumble shakes the depths of the Noitheque's archives, and again the investigators chase down the mystery. In the flooded corridors and collapsed tunnels they find a long-forgotten chamber, inside which the unmasked Vide - local barkeep Ishaan - is waiting with his two kidnapping victims, Aalok and Seoras. He ambushes them there with their twisted crystalline monstrosities, the likes of which Alva has never seen before...

Up on the surface, chaos consumes the city. Portals to the unknown open on all reflective surfaces from mirrors to pools of water. Plant-like monsters spill through - and panic spreads as they start transforming people into horrifying creatures of twisted flesh and vine. The church scrambles to fight them back, and only they manage to seal all portals present to become the sole safe haven in the city.

Now, all survivors focus outward. Through their struggles, they have found that the portals can be closed and the possessed can be recovered - but they must act quickly to regain control of the capital or they'll be overwhelmed. There are three main portals within the city's borders, and it’s these that they target first with small task forces:

• On the outskirts where the rainforest meets cityscape is the ruined temple of St. Almyria. A possessed jaguar twisted with vines and swollen to abnormal size prowls its grounds.

• In the heart of the capital, a portal has swirled open in the Chamber of Aediles. Several Aediles have been possessed and morphed into a mass of writhing muscle and limbs, stitched together by nature.

• In the floating river bay market, the calm waters have opened up beneath the merchants - plunging the unlucky into unknowable depths only to return to the surface transformed into aquatic monsters.

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Art Entry

Draw or otherwise depict your character's participation in this part to earn an event bonus. This includes battling the otherworld creatures, closing portals (does not need to be the mentioned 3 above) and tending to possession victims and civilians.

Alone and isolated beneath the crushing depths of the ocean, the exploration party dispatched by the Fintáni journeys on through the mysterious sea tunnel. It has been weeks since they left Nisalvini's borders. They have perfected their travel through the water - swimming in intervals, camping within magically-crafted pockets of air, foraging the dense plantlife around them - yet every day the questions in their minds only deepen. What are the immense shadows that drift by outside the tunnel, the eerie organisms that scuttle within, the never-ending creaks and sighs from the ocean floor? And most of all, what is the true nature of this tunnel? 

The hint of an answer finally comes when the tunnel widens and ends in a vast cavern. Glowing pink and turquoise seagrass covers the ground, bathing the area in soft light. The seabed is warm, pleasantly so, and these favourable conditions have allowed plants, anemones and fish to flourish like a garden. This place seems like a literal bubble of paradise... except for its very centre, where a deep, unnaturally perfect hole gapes in the ocean floor.  

The hole is as wide as a castle gate and too dark to see into. Even more mysteriously, it appears covered by a magical barrier. Luminous blue runes shimmer just above it and block anyone from passing through, like a glass shield. Yet, inexplicably, some of the fish are able to swim through it as if it wasn't there as well...  

After some discussion, the explorers set up camp in the cavern. They have come this far already, so it is time to do what Nisalvinians do best: study the magic of this place, and figure out just what arcane secret they have been led to.

. . .

Meanwhile, a great distance away in the ruins of Riag, Telurea, a tiny fish falls out of one of the portal doors and flops around on the ground. It is barely noticeable in the gloom, but for just a few minutes, someone could see which door it came through.

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Notes  

This Riag portal will lead to the deep sea cavern but it is a one-off, one-way trip - the portal will break shortly after it is used. Meta-wise, this is an opportunity to transfer a character from the Therras quest to a different one if you wish. In-verse, characters who use the portal will end up unexpectedly submerged in the cavern and require speedy rescuing from the Nisalvini explorers (who can provide breathing equipment).

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Fishing Mama RP

A fishing game and RP was run from 6 - 11 April 2022 for the Nisalvini crew to explore the cavern, tackle the magical barrier and delve even deeper.

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After the intensive study of many fish samples, the explorers make a breakthrough: some fish are able to cross the magical barrier due to long-term ingestion of the mysterious ether emanating from it. After several trials (and wilful disregard of research safety protocols) they succeed in formulating a fish meat that, when eaten, enables the explorers to pass through the barrier too.

A small party is sent forth to explore what lies beneath the seal. As they swim deeper into the rocky tunnel, they discover patches of blue light that transform skin to scale, countless corpses of fish and animals, and then... something alive.

"You cannot be here."

With these words, the unknown being flings all the explorers from the tunnel and, impossibly, into the sky far above the Jewel Sea. Undines swiftly come to their rescue and deliver them towards the Citadel, where the other undines fight alongside Mareus... and so the deep sea expedition comes to a surreal end, leaving more questions than answers.

Delverne is alive with festivity. The return of their Oathbound warriors, combined with the return of Delvan expatriots from all over the rest of Alva, sparks an enormous celebration - dubbed the Festival of Blessings. With their glorious heroes among them and 'long lost' fellow light elves home, the streets of Delverne come alive with hope and togetherness - including the Cardinals of the Dominate. It's a rare occasion to mingle among the highest, and to play a part in the power games of Delverne's elite.

But unbeknownst to them, not all are here for the Delvan dream. After a harrowing journey through underground Telurea, those seeking to revive Therras lurk among the merry-makers. To complete the rebirth of Tharoneos, the essential link between mortals and Therras who the Delvans slew themselves, they must infiltrate the secretive Heart Sanctum of Delverne Cathedral. And to infiltrate the Heart Sanctum, they must find the way in through the Delvans...

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Revelry RP

The Revelry main RP was run from 19 - 24 April 2022, and epilogue was run from 25 April - 1 May.

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The celebrations end in chaos. Just as Delverne is resting after a full night of hot-blooded fun and political revelations, their own mysterious Oracle Triss appears to wreak havoc and betrayal as a parting gift. Not only that, the Kingdom attacks while they are still reeling as part of the infiltration plan. The Therras questers swarm the Cathedral on their cue - and at long last, after trial upon trial, they reach their goal. From the depths of Delverne's ancient ether well, Tharoneos opens his eyes and bursts to the surface - Therras' child and hope reborn.

But success comes at great cost... for Delverne. Tharoneos' revival right beneath the waterfall of Delverne city destroys it in an instant. Yet even then the destruction does not end. From the Radiant Peaks, to the coastline, to the Tira Forest, all of it crashes and folds into mountains that climb higher and higher as Tharoneos grows into his true form. All of this is now the his domain - home for the scions of Therras, and death for any mortals who enter. Had the Delvans not killed Tharoneos' former body, the new one's domain would not have spread so far - so in the cruel and beautiful way of nature, this is the harvest that was sown.

For the Delvans of the countryside, who know nothing of what has transpired, it is simply a terrifying disaster. Most perish in the land's transformation - but some make it to the coasts where the mountain domain falls away to ocean. Now bereft of home, land and living, they are swept under the wing of Zefiel Sarabrea and his sprawling band of warrior loyalists.

Some escape across the Tira forest into the only untouched land in this part of the continent - annexed West Cantor, now known Alesse. Among them is a simple but increasingly beloved priest determined to protect the innocent from both the rotten humans and the corrupt old guard of Delverne - Renard Renne.

Of the many Delvans drawn to the city for festivities, a great number escape into the portal to Riag thanks to the advice of one Therras quester. The portals no longer work and Therras' stirring has caved in the only other entrance at Soloros, so they are sealed underground - but there is a silver lining. They are now at the place where long lost gifts from Aurea are buried... gifts that, if they are found, may give them hope of reviving Delverne. Led by Lumis Dormona, they delve into their past to seek out their future.

And as for the Therras questers, they are safe on the Mirian skyships sent to aid them. Their homes in Cantor are gone but their Kingdom will give them a place. Among their number is one extra person. Officially, she is a servant of Cantor Abbey who was retrieved from Delverne along with Tory - but those who took part in the Heart Sanctum infiltration will know her as Solenie Benoit in disguise. Whenever they go to rescue Alis from the survivors of Delverne city, Solenie will go with them.

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Notes

The Delverne storyline will follow the group in Riag. Though Alesse and Zefiel's band exist and you can place NPCs there, they won't be a focus of the main plot.

The quest for Iridus has been met with a path that is as much a way forward as it is a dead end: they must somehow hunt down two generals from the armies of Aurea and Atros and offer their bodies to Dunor at Hangman's Cross. Only then will Dunor be able to retrieve Iryneia from the otherworlds.  

It is a gargantuan task. Every soldier of Aurea and Atros is far beyond the power of any mortal, let alone their monstrous generals. Yet they are also not the only ones with the divine on their side now. The questers turn their eyes towards the undines that had joined them from the north - and further, to the stormy skies above the Citadel where Mareus wages war.  

A message is sent by undine to those who have already been embroiled in battle with the heavenly armies for weeks - those from the Mareus quest who chose to stay and fight alongside the goddess. Seeking their experience in combatting the generals, the Iridus questers ask for aid, advice, anything that may offer them a sliver more success. It is no silver bullet, they know, but the coming battle will take every bit of resourcefulness, planning and creativity that the questers can muster - so they will grasp everything they can.

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Titans' Hunt RP

The Titans’ Hunt RP and battle game was run from 4 June - 10 July 2022, in three stages.

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Mareus answers the call of the questers. Reinforcements from the Citadel - mortals and undines alike - arrive at Hangman’s Cross bearing information, divine power and a promise from Maraenel to separate two generals from the armies. Together with forbidden research from the Wissen Fellowship, a daring strategy is formed: the questers will lure the generals to Hangman’s Cross with fabricated fragments of Atros and Aurea. Once there, the questers can employ elaborately-prepared seals and weaponry, Mareus’s undines, and most importantly the generals’ own ire towards each other to quell them. When both generals are weakened enough, Dunor will be summoned to accept her sacrificial offerings.

The generals chosen to be targeted are Ursus, the Guardian of Atros, and Velegor, the Forge Dragon of Aurea. Unpredictability dogs every step of the operation but ultimately, the willpower and resourcefulness of the questers manages to stay ahead of every chaotic turn. After arduous battles and losses, Ursus is felled into the crimson sea and Velegor is brought to her knees just enough for Dunor to seize her prize as she is summoned from the Six Circles.

The sacrifices are a success. The questers have upheld their end of the deal to empower and return Dunor to Alva, so now it is time for Dunor to fulfil her promise and retrieve Iryneia. Yet as Dunor’s triumphant, mirthless laughter rings out across Alva, it becomes clear that something is wrong. Across the sea, Mareus gazes upon the Faldrish mother god and calls her by a different name: Athrealyn.

It is a name full of portent. And just like that, Dunor reveals herself as more ancient, more malicious and more dangerous than she had appeared. With only a grin, she shatters her promises, crushes the Six Circles, and throws the questers who bargained with her into the otherworlds to die. Then, stretching blood-red storms and stars of salt across the heavens, she turns with a vengeance upon the world that forsook her.

A divine being has returned to Alva, but not the one that can save it.

A deep crimson hue bleeds into the sky of Alva as Dunor seizes the domain still bereft of its deity. High in the firmament of Linhythe, Iridus thrashes in shackled fury at the corruption. From the endless storms of the Citadel and new mountaintops of Delverne, Mareus and Therras turn Their gazes east towards an adversary They never expected to see in Alva again. And lost within the ruins of a collapsing otherworld, questers and false gods grasp at one final chance for salvation...

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The Final Hour RP

The Final Hour RP was run from 31 July - 3 Oct 2022. 

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Through the voices of Tharoneos and Maraenel, the gods reveal the truth about Dunor. Long ago, before humans and elves walked the earth, the trinity of Therras, Mareus and Iridus created powerful avatars to be Their link to the mortal world: the God Children, Tharoneos, Maraenel and Iryneia. Aurea and Atros, with Their immaterial domains, had no need for such Children - yet They desired one all the same, so They created a Child to share and named her Athrealyn. Athrealyn was beloved and blessed by the twins at first, but as Atros and Aurea fell apart, so too did Their Child. In the end, Athrealyn was ruined beyond repair and the twins replaced her with new, separate Children: Maelog for Aurea and Salecus for Atros. Athrealyn, now a monstrosity unfit for Alva, was sealed away in the otherworlds, where she festered in bitterness for aeons. And now, at last, under her new name of Dunor, she has tricked and thieved her way into returning to Alva.  

Athrealyn's - Dunor's - only motive now is vengeance and destruction. If Alva is to survive, she must be stopped. But steeped as she is in the powers of Atros, Aurea and now Iridus - for it was Dunor who robbed and crippled Iryneia in the otherworlds - it will take the combined might of the trinity gods to truly suppress her. Thus, while Therras takes His questers to battle and contain Dunor alongside Mareus, Iridus takes Her own remaining questers to search beyond the borders of Alva for both Her Child and the stolen questers.

At the bottom of the Six Circles, the stolen questers - all those who bargained with Dunor - awaken. Salvaged by the eclectic blessings of Faldor's false gods, the questers miraculously discover Iryneia there - aged, mute and mauled, but alive. Together with the Child and false gods, they journey back up through the Circles, through the lost ruins of Faldor, and finally through oblivion itself as they seek a way back to Alva - to home.

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Art Entry

Art entries for this part can receive a second event bonus (i.e. they will receive a 30 EXP bonus regardless of whether the character has already earned the event bonus on another art entry) and will contribute to the event’s conclusion. The three art prompts for this part are: 

Queen of Diamonds

Your character battles against Dunor at the Citadel of Crowns. Empowered with Therras' blessing of baetyl, they seek to break the diamond within Dunor's mouth that holds Iryneia's stolen powers.

Where I End

Your character traverses the space beyond Alva's sky, led by Iridus within a mortal body. Building bridges from their dreams of home, they search for Iryenia and their companions who were snatched away by Dunor.

And You Begin

Your character, after a long journey through the Six Circles, pushes beyond the collapsing otherworld. Buoyed by Iryenia's music, they sing of home to call Iridus and their companions to them.

More details on the prompts can be found in #the-final-hour RP channel.