Caoimhe's Journal
Mass exodus from Skye should not be considered a tragedy. See it as an opportunity! I, Caoimhe of Re-Strike Rock, have successfully set sail across the sea and reached the coast of Greenguard Kingdom. Or is it, Queendom? News of the chaos in that patch of grass is as confusing as it is likely inaccurate.
Starting a new school of Energy-based necromancy for my scattered colleagues and I will prove to be challenging. Greenguard necromancers favor Darkness - a volatile and dangerously corruptive element Makes little sense from the stories back home about the Avatar Voidstar’s weak heart.
The locals’ magic and mine may not mix but those I have spoken to have been affable enough to share advice:
“Independent necromancers don’t last long without the protection of the Shadowscythe. A lone necromancer would be walking fodder.”
So said a man by the name of Shakaz. He had a different introduction for, well, beefier folks.
He went on to describe the grand history of their Empire, which was impressive but startlingly, very young. Shakaz only had respect for the previous Emperor and the current Empress. It wasn’t worth mentioning what came before them.
I don’t trust it when a soldier only has good things to say about their leaders. Every warlord is ambitious, merciless, and rewards loyalty generously.
If we are to survive far from our homeland and lightning, we need the backing of the leader with the least amount of issues. The plan for the following weeks will be to interview individuals willing to speak plainly about their masters. If they want to work with us and share in our knowledge, I need to hear at least one negative trait.
Shakaz refused to divulge ‘personal’ information about his Empress and threatened to turn me into bone broth. The smart thing to do was run.
I foresee much difficulty with the other factions as well.
The Archfiend’s Nation: Interview with Soil Eater (alias)
There was indeed difficulty. Just not in the way I was expecting. This next passage is a summary that condenses the details of a conversation that lasted hours. The interviewee later returned and demanded that large portions be removed from my log.
“Demanded” is a kinder way to describe how they begged.
They were a member of the Archfiend Nulgath’s Nation. Master Nulgath himself is an ancient being that has been feared far longer than the current Shadowscythe or the Legion.
When I first asked them about Master Nulgath’s glorious origins, this loyal follower put me in a headlock and accused me of being a spy. The rest of the interview was conducted while I was in this headlock. Thankfully, I’m Undead, so I don’t need air.
I explained what I had to offer as a foreign necromancer and how that could benefit the Nation. But, bowing to Nulgath would only be possible if I heard at least one negative trait about him from his most loyal follower. I emphasised the word ‘loyal’ and this Nation member cracked right away.
He did not wish to be referred to by his real moniker so I have given him the alias Soil Eater.
Mr. Soil Eater said that Master Nulgath’s vision and ambitions stretch farther than any could see. He is intelligent, masterminded grand plans, and can turn what seems to be defeat into incredible victory. The most recent example was during a war between himself and a former student.
Master Nulgath allowed himself to be defeated, and gained access to another realm altogether! The Archfiend was able to return after claiming complete dominion over the land he had been exiled to.
That sounded amazing! Almost too good to be true, and that was when Mr. Soil Eater shared his concerns with me.
Since that day, Master Nulgath has been carefully biding his time. He still has more plans and is waiting for the right opportunity to ascend (not sure what that means). But it’s been years. The members of the Nation are beginning to suspect that opportunities have arisen, and were subsequently left to rot.
Master Nulgath must be wary. Too wary. Possibly indecisive, and he does not share the reason why with anyone. Mr. Soil Eater wonders if it is because his former student betrayed him.
They mentioned that the other factions within the Evil Alliance were making advances because they asked for favors from a specific individual. This individual shared a unique understanding with Master Nulgath as well. I could tell that many Nation members were envious of this person.
Mr. Soil Eater was one of them, yet even he had something to say about that matter. “Maybe if he asked that person for…” Mr. Soil Eater began, and quickly clammed up. He was troubled by these thoughts, refusing to speak further, and forgot that he still had me in a headlock.
The Undead Legion: Interview with Rando (alias)
What incredible luck! Apparently Mr. Soil Eater was a very high ranking Nation member, Not long after, I was able to speak with a Legion General!
Apparently, many of them are using the continued Good and Evil Alliance to reach out to potential recruits they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.
This General also preferred to be referred to by an alias. We will call him Rando.
Dage the Evil is the Master of the Legion and the current Ruler of the Underworld. The two halves of his soul have been reunited and he now wields the unimaginable power of an entity known as The Beast. “I think his soul is whole now, Or, he has two souls and a half. I don’t remember the details but it’s a big deal.” Rando said as he escorted me towards the outhouses nearby.
Each member of the Legion has a small fragment of Lord Dage’s soul. This enhances the might of the Legion and gives Lord Dage a way to keep an eye on his Legionnaires.
But, he does respect each member’s privacy. Or it might be that there are too many Legionnaires to reasonably keep track of.
Rando figured his Lord wouldn’t peek if we had a harmless conversation in the bathroom.
“Lord Dage probably forgot who is undead and who is alive.”
In the cramped confines of this outhouse, Rando shared his concerns about the Master of the Legion.
Dage the Evil has spread his conquest and destruction for centuries, but there has been a huge change.
The Throne of the Underworld is not a seat aligned with Evil. It is a title burdened with the responsibility of maintaining balance between the Dead and the Living. The nature of this crown and Lord Dage’s identity clash greatly, and it’s causing a slight ‘internal crisis’ of sorts.
These crises have actually been occurring intermittently for a while now. It is the opposite of Master Nulgath’s issues.
Lord Dage has major mood swings which are seemingly instigated at random. At best, it manifests as a flight of fancy that results in ruining Frostval or Thankstaking.
“At worst, there was a span of fifty years where no babies were able to be born in Mythsong” Rando shared, unsure of how Lord Dage managed this and why. His Lord treats the matter as a taboo subject, one he may be embarrassed about.
“Someone might have said something that affected Lord Dage. There’s no telling what sets him off. Or, I just don’t remember what exactly makes him so angry.”
Rando became undead when he was in his late teens. He admits that most of his memories from that time have eroded.
Human-shaped things aren’t meant to last forever. His bones may continue to exist, but his mind becomes more complacent as years pass. Sometimes, he has spikes of intense emotion when blurry memories resurface. These memories conjure intense hatred but Rando no longer remembers who this is directed at.
This deterioration of the mind could also be what is affecting Lord Dage, who was born a mortal man.
At that point, someone started to knock and yell on the outhouse door so we had to continue the interview outside.
Overarching Questions
With negatives out of the way, we touched on specific questions of note.
“There is a chance that neighbouring countries and Kingdoms will invade Greenguard. How is your leader preparing for that possibility”
Both Mr. Soil Eater and Rando went quiet. At first, I thought they were alarmed but that can’t be it. Their masters must already have plans.
Elemental Champions hold great power. The birth of a single Champion would bring prosperity and bounty to their homeland.
For an unknown reason, multiple have emerged within the Greenguard Kingdom’s borders at around the same time. This is highly suspect, and many believe that the Greenguard Royalty have found a way to force the Planes to choose Champions that would be loyal to them.
Otherwise, these countries would have to accept that they have been abandoned by the Elemental Planes and their Avatars.
“Will you leader ally themselves with the invaders or Greenguard? Will they take part in the inevitable conflict independently? Or will your Faction take a step back to allow the carnage to play itself out?”
Mr. Soil Eater and Rando had no comment, but became uneasy. So, I pivoted to a question specific to Greenguard.
“Swordhaven is calling on talented engineers, mages, and warriors to the coast to assist with a secret project. What are you doing about that?”
At this question, Mr. Soil Eater began shaking me while Rando reacted more calmly during his interview.
“Haha, well what do you think they’re up to? I don’t want to tell you things you already know.” Rando was very thoughtful about my time.
I explained that I had a suspicion. If this was a project that needed to be located on the coastline, it had to be related to the Temple of Water. Skye is a land associated closely with Lord Haeos and Energy. We are balanced by Lady Neso and Water. Our people would have a vested interest in what the followers of Lady Neso were up to.
One of their most feared weapons during the Planar Conflicts was known as The Drowning Machine. Its purpose was lost to time but when Lord Haeos heard of its progress, he commanded his then current Champion and his people to leave the continent.
The Avatar Haeos’ relationship with the Avatar Neso did not sour, however, as the weapon was never put to use. In fact, the Temple of Water and the water elves within completely vanished off the face of Lore.
Final Worlds
It’s been a couple of weeks.
I was wary about being spied on during the interviews but my suspicions fell on the wrong individuals. Nation and Legion snitches weren’t able to get to me.
The Temple of Light’s attendants caught me first.
Currently, I and many others are a captive audience to their rendition of the Drowning Machine.
It is a pedestal that copies the water elf aesthetics of the Temple of Water. The attendants assure me that it is not a weapon. They wish for peace and the warmth of the Sun. To fulfill that wish, they will use the pedestal to power a portal that will give them access to the Plane of Darkness and ‘pacify’ it.
As of now, it is attuned to the Plane of Light, which means they needed to collect individuals afflicted by evil. Darkness and evil are not intrinsically linked but these freaks sure do think it is
I have seen other independent necromancers, and sometimes thieves or bandits, set on the pedestal to be “drained.” They all perished.
Because we are unaffiliated with any faction, nothing was stopping the attendants of the temple from capturing us. As far as the fine print of the Alliance was concerned, we were indeed “walking fodder.”
When I had a moment alone in my cage, I attempted to raise a deceased thief from the dead. It yielded no results. There was simply no soul that could be called back from the realm of the dead.
An attendant of Light came over to speak with me. I’m sure they had allowed my attempt for their sick enjoyment. They smiled and informed me that it was my turn to pay for my existence. Then, the portal will be attuned to the Plane of Darkness.
Idiots. My magic is rooted in Energy. They assume that all necromancers prefer Darkness, and it’ll set their plans back by months. If another like me stands on that pedestal, attunement will be completely ruined.
The process would need to be restarted from the top.
If I am to return to death… or cease to be entirely, then it is what it is. I didn’t take this path ignorant to the consequences of my choices.
Should this journal outlive me, I hope whoever reads this will use what they learn to ruin Celeritas’ day.
My final thoughts go to my homeland. May the wails of Skye’s enemies drown out the roar of its thunder.