Arunara, Defiled Incarnate
The Legend of the treacherous and corruptive Lich Queen of the Frozen Vale Isles.
Summary
During the Dark Age of Vorell, when evil rose to power and hope loses touch, the perception to decimate the corpses that live beneath us grows in constant curiosity. What if, ignoring the Moth Queen's advice would grant power? Then it struck. Persistence in vanquishing the vile has been a disgusting task. For anyone that has chosen the path into Necromancy during the early years of the Dark Age of Vorell, the powerful couldn't rise a group of more than a hundred corpses without punching a strain in their minds. This changes when the Hallowed Conduit was formed, this is a formation that has grown a taste in malignant practices to test the limits of the Essence. An army of defiled corpses and reincarnated subjects come a long way from the small group of corpses many Necromancers try to change in practice but never achieve because they either die in the process or they give up entirely.
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We speak of this story of one of the members in the Hallowed Conduit, the most infamous of them all, Arunara; the Defiled Incarnate. Recognized as the first reincarnated mortal to have a free will of her own. Much like how the Moth Queen has died, all to control Necromancy and carry the dead to their designated place in the afterlife, Arunara has been reincarnated in condemning this practice. This has left the Moth Queen in a fit of rage to witness someone cheat death, not even demanding her soul to be brought back. This was found out to be the arts proposed by Arkros because he was simply bored, approaching Danerei and Maslath to combine their knowledge and power to control Necromancy in the mortal realm by serving a conduit, and that conduit was noneother than the former spellcaster, herself, Arunara.
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Arkros would approach the accursed forger Danerei, in a fit of boredom. Requesting a plot to defy the Material Realm, in order to find some "fun" in his passing time. After the Ancient Sin, the vile Arkros wanders to find some scheme or attempt to lead the mortals into complete disaster. With a wonder of Necromancy, he hopes to ask a favor from Danerei and maybe something to maintain control from Maslath. A chosen mortal from Vorell should be chosen to have a perfect fit. After a brief disagreement, Danerei admits that she fears what the Moth Mother would do if she discovers this issue, but Arkros always knows how to foil minds, even those of Gods from Nhedeus. The proper studies of the necrotic shell would lead a malignant smoke that casts into a ritualistic form from the proper use of Danerei's ambiguous alchemichal studies. As she would draw the dead to life once again, the soul would in fact also find it's vessel with clear mind and conscious, like a Lich or Revenant who has defied death before with true purpose.
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Meanwhile, the Moth Mother would approach the Perfect Palace, seeking an audiance with Draul and everyone else among his refuge. The angels would view the dreadful Mother of Death walk the luminiscent halls as her image in black pales in the all white and shine. She barges inside demanding answers, as she has stated that a vergeance in the Essence has been seen in her own foresight. The sight that has monitored all that is dead and all that is undead. A miraculous binding of rare magic that only a God or Demi-God could conjure. Belonging to a young woman who has been killed and meeting her scheduled demise, but in doing so, she has been given the gift of life once again, but in dangerous proportions. The Palace may reasonably fear something may appear as a legitimate issue but others wouldn't bear concern from their own blinded arrogance, believing this threat couldn't become any more than another Lich emerging from the darkness, an easy prey to slaughter once they've deemed it a necessary issue to intervene in.
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"All-Father, you must imagine the depths this problem may occur. I've seen this future in my own eyes if we do not intervene. The mortal skills are above natural proportions and her path would only lay down the foundation to what she may become." The Moth-Mother proposes intervention in confidence as almost everyone in the council would gasp in a harmonic tone that feels surprising to hear when something has been done before to help before. The Ancient Sin was one of the only few times Nhedeus felt this was a necessary conflict to intervene in. Especially with the hope these Molochs have in terrorizing the Material Realm. "I understand you may have some concerns, Moth-Queen. This prime evil is a threat to the caelus we've built, but it cannot be deemed necessary to intervene for the life of one mortal. No matter the threat." This angers the Moth-Mother with how confident the All-Father deems his statement to be, yet she knows the intervention must be done in order to rid of this probable evil that may bring a dark and deathly age where necrosis is the dominant force to rule all of Vorell and it's species. An age of Necrosis.
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The Moth-Queen is given no more of a choice to attempt an intervention if anything become dire from this Lich-Queen. Authorizing the insignia from her rotted arm to glow a tattoo that would show the name of the coming Lich-Queen that shall be her omen in time. The rival, who shall be named, Arunara. She must prepare for this encounter and prepare to test her own immortality against a being that her foresight shows is to be almost unkillable.
--- The Early Life ---
Before her passing, Arunara was born in 708 SE a noble daughter of the locally known, House Ekkans in the city of Alzenberg. She was gifted in the arts of alchemy and spellcasting. She had a taste for expirementing and learning about things she doesn't know, this would involve other people or other races she'd encounter. When she was young her family would try to teach her the proper lessons in being a noble of House Ekkans but she'd ignore this to continue her practices in crafting and theory building. Once she has grown to a teenager, she'd be interested in dead animals and test them as well. She was secretive of this nature but planned it well for she was always super attractive to other men and women, she'd sometimes have one fall for her with her practices to becoming a lady and presenting herself to the other nobles, it wasn't much of a celebration though. Once she has grown to be seventeen, she attracted a young noble of House Kale. A House that grew recognition, known to have been of the unknown Eastern lands. She has met a boy a year younger than her, by the name of Sato Kale during the annual dance she was always forced to go to. They bonded over time then her time with him was romantic and inspiring, but her aspiration has gotten the better of her, growing sociopathic tendincies then behaviors, she has lied, tricked and plotted for the fall of Sato Kale.
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She has always been a woman curious about her body, even the pleasures of it and wondered what pleasured a man too. It didn't feel right with Kale since his family was taught to wait until their marriage ceremony, otherwise this would be a shameful act against the House name and their faith. Arunara did not care and seduced Sato in them losing their virginity after having a romantic interest for a few months after they've met. It wasn't long until this first time would become something of a revelation with Arunara to become a use for pleasure instead of love from Sato. She'd continue this with him but in time grow in the extreme. Her ties with Sato would only weaken, growth of pleasure seeking to debauchery. Sato has grown to tire of all this and condemns her of her actions. She cries about this, knowing she doesn't want him to leave as she sobs on the floor, half-naked as he stands there seeing her vulnerable and emotional. Sato wishes to comfort this but this would only catch him by surprise as she binds him to the bed against his will and she locks the doors in her chambers. Taking advantage of him, however way she deems to take that pleasure, until she grows out of it or she has no use to him. He was still cared for and treated farely, but physically, sexually and emotionally, this was shameful.
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Months of being used, Sato is beaten, bruised, cut and drained. In chains while laying in her chambers while Arunara is always in her cheery self as if she sees nothing wrong with this. The Kale family grow desperate to find their son and the Ekkans family deny of ever seeing him in the past few months he's been gone. He couldn't yell out when he would notice them asking about him, because she'd try to cover or fill his mouth so he couldn't shout. Sato was her prisoner, all because she is curious about anything she doesn't know about her body and the man's body, especially a live one. The guards would finally search the Ekkans household as they would have a have a warrant to search the house and search for the missing person. In quick search, they'd finally approach Arunara's room with sheer horror. They find the boy in an obvious state of vulnerability and torture against his own will. He was picked up but Arunara ambushed the guards and murdered them before they could even notice what had happened. The first one had his back boiled by melting metal from a blue flame and the other forced against a wall from a blast as her magic threw blades at him from anywhere she knew could kill a person quickly. Sato chose to run away from her.
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The chase was long and Arunara ran to Sato, crying and begging to come back as Sato ran with all he had available even with his fatigue and weakened state. She lose Sato from a crowd in the streets. Her grief made her roar a sonic shout across the street, as people would burst their ears then bleed from them, only for her to noticed, she shot their eardrums and killed many people in that moment. Forcing her to run from the guards and supposedly from Alzenberg. Her practice and long aspirations would lead her to her own downfall. Guards would surround her as she runs away, until she was forced to use her magic against the guards, overpowering them to make her escape. She made her way to the docks as she ran for a boat until one of the guards shot an arrow at her, breaching her calf, forcing her to fall to the ocean, sinking before any of the guards could save her, then drowning.
--- Resurrection ---
It was said that when she last saw the light, she thought it was the end, until she saw the sight of a blue flame covering where the light was, then hearing the voice of Danarei, "My child, you shall not know death for over a thousand years. You shall conquer the path of death. You shall look the Moth Queen in the eye and deny her services. I grant you, immortal." Her vision grows back after an hour in the water, then taking her garb off to swim above water as she is caught in a storm far off coast as the freezing ocean waves blind her and make her movement uncontrollable. She would be knocked out from knocking her head on a rock. Then waking up as her eyes begin to glazed in crimson red, she is somewhere in the Stavropol Icefields.
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Waking up in the icy plains off the coast of the frozen wastelands, it's amazing how she doesn't feel even the little bit cold while she stands entirely naked and bare foot in the middle of the snowy wasteland, confusing her as she should understand that the bit of cold would even require her to be under sheets to feel comfortably warm again. She reaches some mountain passes in order search for some place to take shelter, until she is called by the whispers and soothing sounds luring her to the caves where darkness and evil collide within as a menacing void. She meets with the grove of Hags who worship the darkness and wish to do nothing but learn the paths of magic within its extremities and the Essence's entirety. She walks with threats to destroy her, consume her, defile her, or enslave her. But her actions speak enough, "A marvelous establishment you have here. No human could ever find your disgusting deeds here, nor could they ever find help anytime soon here either, not even you, perhaps." She spoke with a demeaning tone, acting like she didn't fear them. The Hags smiled at her but once she opened her mouth, they glanced at her with distaste. "Your tone should be kept in check, you bitch! What makes you think we couldn't hurt you?" She continues to observe everything while they try to talk down to her and teach her, but she ignores. "Because I wish to be a part of your enclave." The Hags gleam in surprisal then huddle to speak with each other. They decide to take the offer and test her, but they admit it wouldn't be fair. She'll have to be trialed with what she knows and is willing to learn. A Hag cannot be trusted and cannot be friendly with another Hag.
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Time goes by, her work has lasted her years. From when she walked in the frozen cave, naked, when she was eighteen to becoming adept in alchemy and spellcasting at twenty-four. She has grown to have wretched skin, pale complextion on her face along with scars she has done to herself in the ritual acts. Even the other Hags have grown a liking to her as well they begin to fear her and her power. She appeared to be more powerful beyond their understanding. In Arunara's experience, she has gotten hold of the Liber Mortis to work more into a practice the Hallowed Conduit do not understand, necromancy. She has studied the arts, infiltrated the cities and learn practices from other spellcasters even established seductive relationships with some to learn more. While wandering the cities and villages, she has learned that though she may be a corpse, she still has functions that allow her to seek pleasures in ways that could become erotic for her own desires. Always changing into her own natural form when in public eyes to hide her true self from the ignorant, only to have platinum hair but sometimes someone would grab a glimpse of the necrotic walking corpse she is now. She was untrustworthy, unloyal, and psychopathic. Her victims would be given a good moment, then killed on their bed the next morning without a trace of her whereabouts as she would teleport back with new knowledge or a waste of time. She knows her power when it comes to mortals, but now she knows her power beyond spellcasters too.
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With the Liber Mortis, she has the full understanding to harness the power to tame mortals even after death, to control them. "I have learned humans since I was but a child. Learning how they work, why they work and what could BREAK them." As she works on some alchemical substances in an enranged tone. "They never interest me. Never bothered to have me care about them. Unless it was for my own desires. And that is what I shall seek with what this has given me... desires. Unaltered, untamed desires." She would give a smile with only the thought of it coming to approach, until the Hags would suggest she grow more tame. She knew they feared her. She knew they would want her gone. It wasn't long until fear became rebellion. The Hags teamed up to fight Arunara in order to rid of her and her deeds. She was in a constant serach for necrotic knowledge, and what she has revealed scared them. One by one, they couldn't even stop her power and she knew that you can't truly kill a Hag in the Material Plane, but you could break them. Reinstating through the Liber Mortis, the words of incantations rush out from her mouth to overturn the Hags, ressurecting them as they become Hag Liches. Stronger, faster, free-willed and more potent with the Essence but untapped to their Elderkin branches.
--- The Battle of Kalda ---
This is where it begin, with her banishment from the Hallowed Conduit, where it would change from a list of Hags in the frozen wastelands to a Lich council, mastering the arts of necromancy. Her ambition has changed the Hags forever, and allowing her to begin the new age in which she deems it fit to call it, the Age of Mortum. Her true vision of what Vorell shall become. She has terrorized anyone in her travels after her banishment from the Hallowed Conduit. They will not stop until they figure out how to rid of their necrotic curse by any means necessary only to transition back to their elderkin selves again. Meanwhile, Arunara has traveled long and far, making a name for herself as her infamy began to grow as she continues to claim souls. Wasting boats, claiming crews and creating an army of her own without the need to breathe, sleep or eat or any essential needs a natural-born requires in their lifetime. Only to continue a decaying husk until they are wasted into oblivion. The Duke of Sovnkranger had gotten word of a difiling Lich traveling the northern borders and laying an emboldened shadowy terror in her path. This has grown to a threat as once she has passed Hrothgrall, not even the Njordic colonists could stop her, or her army.
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In 729 ME, along the southern coast was Kalda, a port city with most of it as the Njordic colonists living in the frozen coast where they have grown fortified against the cold. Until they see a mist blue approach their domain as the necrotic Lich approaches the Njords with claim to subjugate the colonists. An army of over four-hundred defenders with weapons and skills that is reputable to have an average slaughter count of twenty-three kills before they meet their demise. They knew what kind of Lich she was but a Lich nonetheless, and no Lich has ever even destroyed a populated village with their limited and strained power. Until they have met this Defiled Incarnate. Her abilities merely shed fear against the Njords, a defence they have layed out as she set a challenge. She will approach from the north, allowing the colonists to evacuate any of the ones unwilling to fight or unable to attack. Those that wish to defend their home and familes would be recommened to stay and fight her horde. They didn't take her serious enough until she revealed her boats landing ashore in the far distance but unable to see what the army is though, they have a hunch of what it could be.
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In the waking moments when they set, only a day past by in the break of dawn. When the army has set their defences to fend for themselves knowing that Sognkanger will not be fast enough to send help. So they are on their own. Jarl Sigbrand has ordered the charge to defend their colony and lay waste to the undead. Sending word to his half-brother and best friend, General Authonson, the leading General advisor for the Duke of Sognkranger with some of the best statistics and tactics in warfare anyone has ever witnessed. Taking advantage of his teachings, allows the Njords to use the Steel Wall Defense maneuvre. Align a shield wall with two shields high or using great shield with an additional one covering above them while they wield halberds through the wall and a cavalry line to leap overhead of the wall allowing an offensive formation breaching past their own defenses before any of the enemies could breach through, confusing the enemy of the defense while displaying an offense when they charge.
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The undead army was quick and moved as bones unwithered by the blizzards of this icy land. The army stood as over a thousand necro-morphed units charging against an army of four-hundred strong. They claim this should be a fair fight to them in regards to numbers but they have been decieved. Believing their battle was gonna be faught against bones and cleavers only, they witness a hurled rock of blue flame reaching over their heads and even beyond them to the colony. They were not told of such magic to be used in the battle. As their battle line is broken and the Njords ask for orders, their morale and confidence is in question, so Jarl Sigbrand allows the line to be broken, ordering the men to scatter and charge the enemy head on. Arunara knew this could happen. She couldn't rely on her army to defeat the Njords head on and she is not experienced in warfare, but she is aware how to manipulate someone into doing things in her bidding, allowing the line to break and reaching for her advantage as her enemy charges the enemy and she raises golems the size of ogres or even spectral illusions to demoralize the enemy. In this quick battle, the Njords had wiped out hundreds of Arunara's forces but they did not stand a chance against her manipulative tactics as they lose the fight, she allowed the Jarl to live as she approaches him on his knees. Jarl Sigbrand only stared at a corpse standing on two legs. "My dear, Jarl. Has no one told you how to treat a lady?" Her gaze leaves the broken Jarl as she unlocks a command when reading her book, witnessing the purple rise from the ground then growing a spectral color to witness the corpses made of Sigbrand's own men become corpses of her own design. Even the fighters that retreated into the colony witnessed this.
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She looks at the Jarl in the face, "I do not wish to kill you, my dear Jarl. But I will hold you until I wish to rid of you. Do not think of you as my slave, more of a pet of mine." Sigbrand faces her with a disgusted look at her, "Listen here, Corpse. You may have bested my forces and caught us in surprise with this outrageous power you control, but heed my word. When my brother comes for you, and he will, I hope Omyth is willing to take your heartless wretched ass in along with all of your difiled souls." She listens to this but does not give a taste of fear from this threat. "Very well, pet. Your deal has been made. If your brother bests me, he better kill me completely. And if he doesn't, you will be forced to watch me destroy your brother corpse or not until neither of you recognize each other." The forces within the walls watch this and order arrows to fire beyond the walls at Arunara and her army. Quick reaction, it is like she had slown down time to step out of the way from the arrows as her army falls by some and others soak up the pain from the arrows like it was nothing. All the Jarl heard from her voice, "Take them, and leave no prisoners. The women and children leaving the boats too." She wanted to stop her after hearing this but it wasn't gonna change anything. He reached for an axe and rushed her to cleave an axe onto her stomach, as the blood would spurt and intestines would emerge but the shape of her face does not appear to be changing shape into agony, she laughs maniacally. A necromancer is normally alive and a Lich is a necromancer who can still be killed with a hit like what Sigbrand did to her, but this was nothing, something is entirely wrong. As she smacks Sigbrand away onto the ground with the strength of a horse kick, she takes the axe away with magic that would rot the weapon then is only concerned with how she is gonna keep her intenstines inside her while Sigbrand pours vomit from his mouth after what he has witnessed as an utter failure of an attempt.
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"Do you have tears coming out of you warrior?" Arunara almost looks concerned for the mortal man that tried to kill her. "You're a wretched monster. You were made from the depths of Omyth and your place here is not meant to be", coming from Sigbrand after vomiting some more and feeling lost. Meanwhile, the fight rages as the Njords face their last stand to allow the boats to evacuate. Corpses mutilate, destroy or decapitate the Njords in an aggressive charge as the defense grows chaotic with lack of leadership or awareness. To make things worse, the evacuation would be ruined by those finishing the last of the boats as undead would rise from the waters or beaches to slay the ones evacuating. Any woman, child or even unabled fighter would be killed in a violent death to be added as another unit for Arunara's corpse army. She has destroyed all of Kalda's fighters and begins slaughtering the civilians. Some of Kalda's forces would see their defeat as they watch the undead lay waste to their own friends and families who had hoped to run from the battle and seek refuge elsewhere, but instead their fate is the same as the fighters. No survivors, no prisoners and no watchers, those were her commands. Only a few had made it off shore but their boats wouldn't be able to make it across the open seas. She knows they'll drown in their travels and the few will be lucky to even make it halfway to Sognkranger.
--- Rise of the Lich Queen ---
Eventually this would be noticed a week after the fight, as the letter sent by Jarl Sigbrand would eventually arrive to General Authonson, hearing about the attack. Arunara had likely lost about three-hundred or so forces but this would not change the fact that her slaughter would overcome those losses. The General was ordered to blockade the sea from Hrothgrall's channel, in order to prevent her corruption to spread across any further. She has done the same thing once she has approached these blockades, as they order her dreadful amount of boats to stop but she pushes through. Using the same tactics she has done to the civilians offshore, to the crewmembers in the blockade. Geomancers and Centurions working with large tools capable of throwing large objects at far distances. This did not matter as the undead would overwhelm the crew on their own boats as she orders the attack against the blockade from her own ships. Arrows and fireballs crashing onto the larger boats but little damage against her own as the Dwarves are too distracted in their own issues. More and more attacks would flare but it would only continue to raise her ranks and numbers.
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She'd finally reach the Frozen Vale Isles after a month of sailing. A colder place with constant blizzards and snowfalls as the place is mostly made up of icebergs and small islands attached to these icebergs. Her conditions would be met in the familiar cold that she is used to. In a glaring potent flare, she drops to the ground to lay her hands flat on the cold surface as she raises the ice from the surface. A castle of stone but made of ice. A fortress that appears fragile but is powerful. Where she arrives, this is her home. A place that no one shall dare travel, and a place that no one shall dare approach. Her mark begin here. Growing to 730 ME, as she reaches the end of her book of the Liber Mortis, there lays a passage to foretell of an item used by the previous necromancer to have made this book. Mentioning the name, Aelfwurd of House Constantin He was a vampire, and one of the first vampires in all of Vorell. The putrid race had made up an artifact in the shape of a dagger, the Vhori Vuus (The Necrotic Mark). Anyone to be slain by this dagger is not just a necrotic servant but a servant like her. Unlike the Liches she has risen but only because they were once Hags, so the Essence has given quite the resurrection in result of their own power. A mortal to become a vampiric or ghoulish servant to remain with their psyche and intelligence, is something to uphold as a gift. She has found it in the vampire's vault in Envelgresire, deep within the Paladin Catacombs, where they take in all deceased Paladins who have served their king in the Kingdom of Man. It's all disgusting to her. The holy and divine to clash against the undead. Her taste in the living grows shorter by the minute. She had to face against these Paladins. Her destruction has layed waste to these new and fresh soldiers that were meant to pose a threat against most, but it would appear with her magic, she is not most. Something that has made these fearless Paladins know fear until they have met their mortal ending.
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The dagger has been secured in the palm of her hands. She robbed the tomb of Calzador Zuriel, still buried with the Paladins, strangely enough but still takes sight of the Necrotic Mark. Elegant shaped lines paving through the blade as the curved weapon appears crude by feels durable and refined. She has been waiting to cause a bit of chaos with this weapon. She knew to approach the one thing she knew that could hurt the Kingdom and it's spirit. She has slain the Great Dragon of Drevados. Sneaking to the depths of the Kingdom, decieving anyone and everyone, she makes her way to the Drake Chamber. Where the first King of Drevados once befriended the Great Crystal Dragon, now has become a demoralizing compass to all of the Royal Family and the Kingdom. Arunara was not provoked to commit to such attrocities nor was she claiming anything against the Kingdom, but it was an act of self interest. A declaration of war against what the Kingdom of Man had dared call, the Lich Queen. Declaring such a title for the first time in history, a necromancer has slain and resurrected a Dragon to become a Drake of Undeath. None knows how she managed to acquire the Dragon, but she now holds an Undead Dragon in her ranks along with many of the king's fallen Paladin's cursed to walk among the earth once more.
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Never forgetting the former capture of the Jarl, Sigbrand. He would watch all of this and is forced to do Arunara's bidding. Whatever they may be, even explicit. Sometimes ordering Sigbrand to tend some of the monsters, monitor a certain point, torture a captured victim Arunara has captured, or even use Sigbrand for her own personal pleasures. His capture would soon reach a breaking point within Sigbrand, losing hope and peace. Having Arunara obtain full control over Sigbrand. She would tell him that her brother would and could not save him. No one is rescuing him. No one is searching for him. All he has is him and her. Being talked down to from the corpse lady with the glowing crimson eyes haunting his sight and forcing him to shiek in a panic, leaving him to his final melting point. His mind and emotions are broken. Influence has caused him to grow numb to certain things she tells him to do.
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His story would become one mortal man who has aged over the years he has been enslaved to the wretched Lich Queen. She has been hold his leash for so long to the point he feels like she needs him and he need her. "My dear pet, I do need you. You are as necessary as my heart held within my chest" she lays her
--- The Fall of the Arobleism Sanctuary ---
Where the Kingdom of Man has declared war and the Duchy of Dwarves try to defend against the Lich Queen, fate would have it soon to be fatal once the trap has been set against the Dwarves and Leonin. When the Duke of Sognkranger noticed an army being forged in the western island of the Njarvik Isles, Duke Raquiel has ordered his forces to venture across Sognkranger to contain and extinguish the rising necrotic threat. Witnessing thousands of undead soldiers possibly more arming themselves against the channel between the Isles. Arunara knew the way to weaken the hearts of her enemy is hit them where they wouldn't expect you to destroy and this is attacking the Arobleism Sanctuary.
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In the blissful winterlands of the Njarvik Isles, the Arobleism Sanctuary was known to be the harbor of the Dwarven and Njordic religion and is the backbone of their Stetrium mining operations, run by the Merchant company, Mage Conductors. The Sanctuary was known to be the largest city in all of Sognkranger with procedural military duties in order to defend a prized estate within their borders as they consistently do not trust the Drukhvaa or the Elvenkin. Explorers would contact the Sanctuary upon the outskirts of the city as patrols, informing them of nearby activity as it was standard procedure. In this point and time, the Dwarves have been blissfully unaware of the Undying Menace from the ashes of darkness. Though peculiar moments in time would identify this crisis then deem the known static locations and events would consider a possible unatural change within the area. Colder climate in places when it should be warming up in conditions and necrotic creatures unburrowed beneath the ground more frequently than normal. This would result in the enemy, the consuming force of Arunara's necrotic army to draw near, bordering her forces into boundaries of the Duchy. Many explorers would be unable to report these findings to become infiltrators or die before they could escape, though one managed to reach the walls before anything could happen to them, reporting the findings of a massive undead army collecting among the island at the edge of the Njarvik Isles entering their own borders. The explorer would carry this grave message, spreading the matter of this dreadful threat carrying over.
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In 735 ME, the Dwarves and Leonin knew to work together along with their allies with the Halflings and Gnomish cousins alike. With all that is unholy, as long as Arunara continues to build, then her threat could be unstoppable. In light of the Sanctuary being at the edge of the Duchy, in a hazardous and monumentally unexplored location, the city has been remarkably reinforced with weapons and tools thought to be sufficient ward off attacks from hostile threats. In the Sanctuary holds some of the proudest and strongest fighters Sognkranger has to offer. The best Dwarven fighters, the Silverheart Fleet. The Leonin Duke dispatches a detachment of the Warhound and Frontier forces two of the most valored military units of Sognkranger, along with their Geomancers and some assisting forces from the allied Kingdom of Man such as the Incarnatus Paladin Legion and their Griffin deployment. This defense was meant to be the overarching force to finally destroy the enemy, once and for all with the ultimate power. These Silverheart soldiers are some of the most durable and courageous soldiers the realm has ever faces. Moving like boulders and hutting like stone. These dwarves understand combat and understand they way of death can be at any moment, these are the Dwarves largest suppliment of fighters in all of the Duchy. The scene was set with these units, building the confidence to defeat the wretched Lich Queen, once and for all. Leading the front is none other than General Authonson with Leonin Jarl, Jarl Sorma. Her notice was to evacuate the city but remain with a suitable workforce to build the most impenitrable wall the realm has ever seen. Made up of Rhun Metal and Reinforced Stone, capable of defending even magical powered attacks that woulc pierce through natural material and fortified towers along the outskirts to be the first line of defense against the attacking threat.
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The wave unleashes soon after, as the cold and bitter blizzard waves in a mist of cold icicles dapping onto the skin of the defenders and echoed clackling of bones is heard beyond the great wall. As the siege weapons hail overwhelming power along with arrows and magic decimating the front line as waves of nerver-ending units would be left to overwhelm the wall but soon be left to retreat from the mass not long after. The plan worked and the enemy has been defeated by the forces in Sognkranger. General Authonson and Jarl Sorma, being ignorant of the undead threat, celebrate this victory as the fight finishes. The leaders order the withdrawl of the attack, this was a build to their demise. By feigning their defeat, Authonson was able to successfully withdraw his siege weapons weapons away from the protection provided for the wall. The wall scouts would quickly discover, to their mortal surprise and horror, thousands and thousands of undead fighters rushing to the wall in a stampede that would feel like an earthquake. Large and grotesque builds of massive and colossal undead creatures of many shapes and forms under the control of the Lich Queen and spells in a magnitude of hail fire erupting like a massive volcano. The defeated force was merely but a fraction of what they had managed to repel and are now facing. Suddenly the undead forces turned around and attempted to penetrate or breach through the wall. The fortified towers in the outskirts begin to face overwhelming odds against them, they were the first to go. Ruby Division was the first to go, as their stoned walls had been no match to the breaching damage of the necrotic essence penetrating their walls, armor then skins to swallow their souls like straws. The Righteous Company was next to go, with their last message to report a colossal biologically-engineered undead flesh horror swallowing them whole in a gaping maw like many of the other towers beyond their sight.
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The Dwarven army would soon rain fire with their arrows and spells allowing to defend as much as they can, if possible. The undead runners would soon pile onto each other once all the towers have been destroyed or consumed. Thousands upon thousands of hazingly blue flares reach over the city. Seemingly corrupting the citizens of the city and killing some, forcing the chaos to erupt an evacuation as the wall stands against the invasion. Large swarms are taken down in minutes but the numbers are almost endless. As the Leonin forces are enacting an evacuation as the Silverheart Fleet hold the line for the citizens to be given time. Siege weapons would be placed back in operation but it was too late. Once one of the undead fighters clambered over the wall, soon more will join them. The defenders would be overwhelmed by numbers to their breaking point as some would be torn apart and battered by larger threats reaching the walls. Arunara knew that her victory would come to a standing rise soon.
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Once the undead army has reached the wall, siege equipment and mages would be dealt with next. Geomancers would try to defend themselves by raising rocks to defeat, hold off or stop the undead from advancing deeper within the walls. It wasn't until one of the colossal undead creatures, standing at above thirty-feet tall, would become the rushing force that would charge into the wall, forcing a breach after just minutes of damaging the wall. In the otherside would observe hope being lost in this crisis. The undead have breached through the walls and are now hunting for more targets to slaughter.
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Despite the advance of overwhelming numbers by the undead, the Sanctuary's defenses put up a valiant effort in defending their home and holding off the invaders. But this was soon to change in a defining effort. Authonson and his forces stand, overlooking the breach as he orders a retreat for the citizens to evacuate the city. He notices smoke and sounds coming from the north and south ends of the wall, as the main assault comes from the west. This is a more coordinated attack of a neverending horde of bones and decayed flesh, where some of these boned units are engaging in fronts, sacrificing themselves for the major victory than rushing full on. The defense group, with some of the most experienced units, they couldn't stand a chance against the horde either. Griffins cover the skies laying magical power as air support, but they couldn't stay on the sky as Arunara's Ghost Dragon would soon come a board to tame the skies above. It was known that one Griffin Rider would see Arunara and rush a Firebolt to kill her, but she'd simply block it. The last thing that rider once saw was an evil smile from her face as he was swallowed by the Ghost Dragon.
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Authonson orders a complete retreat, if possible. He sends a message through the Warp Stones to give a warning to the Duke. "Our Duchy is under threat of an awful threat. Where we stand now is the first and possibly final fight against the undead horde. I've stood here with over a thousand of my soldiers against thousands against the walls to the west. Our Duchy cannot live through this. You kill one the ten more shall take its place. Almost as if they are without numbers, and if they are without numbers, then our Duchy and likely the rest of Vorell is doomed to an extermination against a painful death more heterogeneous than Omyth itself! I call this death, by our Gods! Death has come for us!"
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These were the last words anyone has ever heard of from Authonson. Hearing this was the final warning the Duke of Sognkranger has recieved. Duke Auirel has never heard from his General after the battle. Not many have been heard from again. What looked like an apocolypse, the battle has ended in one evening, where the hours felt long as the undead sweeped across the impenetrable city like a flood. Aunara and her power continued to grow ever more intense. Said, she had a quarrel and a discussion with the Moth Queen herself, to know her power has reached too far.
--- The Lich Queen vs. The Moth Queen ---
Arunara's was coming to a victory as she finally met the Moth Queen, her rival. Time stopped in her own vision. Where the battle continued and she watched her own army charge to rain havoc against the demoralized and destroyed army, it looks like she is winning. Until she hears a voice some where, as everything stops and goes quiet. "Your judgement shall come to an end, witch." Arunara turns around and witnesses the deity dressed in silk moth dress, the Moth Queen. She draws a sweat on her side, beginning to feel something, but doesn't show it. "I suppose I should feel honored that the Mother and Matron of Death is hoping to stop me." The Moth Queen stood a top of a hill then proceeds to walk down with her heel tops in confident strides, "I should have let you die when I had the chance, but I allowed the Molochs to trick me in allowing you to be resurrected and remain with such power." Arunara laughs, "The Molochs are nothing but a piece of the puzzle in why this all happened. I remember I died in that harbor. In that cold and dead ocean, but then I ended up opening my eyes once again, in a curse that ha led me to this mess!"
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The Moth Queen looks at her in what she truly is, as her form is finally revealed as a decaying husk with magic to appear with however complexion she desires but really, she is another walking corpse, burdened with immortality. "I am not meant to die for another millenia I was told, so I may as well make the most of it. Testing and expirimenting with mortals and undead alike. Maybe I can work on those aberrations I've been hearing about." "Arunara, what you have been toying with can destroy the balance with life and death, even taking you. What is the point of death if anything continues to die then repeat it without its finality?" The Lich Queen remains in tone, "The Age of Necrosis shall come to rise, but you just don't understand it's practicality, because other Gods have been using you to fill their shoes in something they couldn't keep track with. Not even their own angels."
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And at that moment, the Moth Queen chose to stick with the confrontation in a physical dispute, understanding Arunara is too far gone, too stubborn to be reasoned with and corrupted with the very cursed abilities she has been tarnished with. Such power has corrupted her so much that now this must become a fight. The Moth Queen rushed up to her where she grabs Arunara then flies in sonic speeds up to the skies to throw her back onto the ground, as Arunara tries to burn the Moth Queen with only minor burns on her. The Lich Queen must realize that she is facing a God, the God of Death, the very being that is known to care for death. As she is thrown down onto the ground like a thrown boulder diving through the wind, where a large cloud of dust and the crater where Arunara impacts the ground, her injury is stricken with her body in pain, barely able to move with body mangled as a massive ball of fire falls onto the ground where she lays. Forcing her to teleport, she reaches out of the way, as the massive explosion the shape of large boats foils the sky. The Moth Queen lands against Arunara, as she laughs at her while she uses magic to mend her body to normal. "Is that the best, the Lady of Death has to offer? I thought the Gods have given you more!" In a rise from the ground, the Matron of Death spawns her Mortum Scythe, then approaches her in a blink of an eye, releasing a trail of shadows behind her swift charges as she moves to swing this deathly blade in blinks to cut or severely injure her body, swinging then dashing across the field then dashing to swing once again until she dashes one final time to completely kill her but Arunara's reflexes are above, if not then equal to the Moth Mother once she has become contempt with these strikes. Reaching out to grab onto the Moth Mother's cranium to smash it onto the ground, and over and over and over again until where she lands it is another crater, along with the God's crushed head. As her abilities would cease, the Moth Mother is thrown for a far distance like a ball without problem to be released like a catapult, Arunara the calls upon magical blades surrounding her, hundreds of blades all consistently thrown at the Moth Queen from far distant and thrown like comets in the sky. The Moth Mother dodges and rushes toward the Lich as Arunara tries to spawn more but the Moth Mother is hit by some, thus injuring her too. In this instance, overwhelming the Moth Queens senses to be defeated in battle thus having the Lich Queen laugh in sheer excitement to kill a God as she lays a massive electrifying blast against her released by an explosion of intense imploding energy, incinerating the area with a sudden flash of light that could be seen in extremely far distances.
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The area finally settles as the smoke and steam relax, but she watches as the Moth Queen laying on the ground in a defeated look as she is severely burnt and mangled like a toy, to perish in this extreme displey of power. "A God of the Dead!? Killed off, just like that!? What a joke!" She continues to laugh in a hysterical sense with such pride. She wishes to enjoy this moment as she continues to throw firebolts at the dead God while she chuckles everytime the body flinches in blood. "I never knew I would ever see a God bleed. How does this feel? How does it feel to see your body flail and bleed? How does it feel for me to destroy your corpse, sister?" As the body is toyed with for many times, the body continues to become more unrecognizable. Suddenly, the corpse shines in a gold and dark orb as it implodes with fury, forcing the Lich Queen to cover her eyes and try to shield herself from the powerful blast as the Moth Queen returns, like she is fresh into the scene once again with no wounds or injury. "How is this possible?" asked the Lich Queen but The Moth Queen continues the situation without hesitation or dialect, to reach for her body once again and fly her her. "We are both servants of death, undying servitude... sister." As the Mother throws the Lich again then lays swift attacks at the Lich Queen to beat her down but in equal footing again, the Lich Queen would retaliate with an attack again, only repeating what has happened before. After some time the same results would occur yet again. The Lich would defeat the Mother then she would rise again or maybe the Matron would defeat the Lich but to learn of the immortal lives she has stored within herself. The only way the Matron could truly die is if it was under immense obliteration or with what Arunara realized, using the Vhori Vuus dagger to take her soul. And what a soul it would be to take, the soul of a God, stolen into the dagger's chamber.
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After many times of the both defeating each other, killing each other, flaying each other or even destroying each other, it would apear this match would be in equal footing. A likelyhood in which both renditions of this confrontation could be a stoic match that could last for eternity. The balance of death and undeath would be kept how at bay, but care would not be preserved properly for both entities clash with each other as a mere distraction. Like a cosmic rift or end of times could appear and the brawl could still occur for everyone to observe this battle come down with no winner in sight. Until the Mother finally comes to a deciding factor to end this once and for all, as they both appear the need to rejuvenate their energy. The Mother rushes for a sweep with her Mortum Scythe once again but the Lich Queen attempts to destroy the weapon as she reaches out for the dagger then draws it to stab the Matron with it like a stake as they try to avoid each other's strikes. As the Mother rushes, she cancels her Scythe to grab onto her arms instead, as she reaches for them to cast the Lich Queen into petrified stone. The Lich would cry in anger, as heard like a thunderous plead of anger, knowing she was somehow defeated. The Lich Queen found this out when it was too late, then cursing her as chants her final words marking necromancy to remain so long as she lives, even so long as she still lives in the statue. Necromancy most definitely would remain but only a fraction of the Necrosis curse would continue for some Necromancers lose their stronger attunement to the necrotic essence, but some would remain powerful, though no one would become near as powerful as Arunara in any age or years to come. Preservation of this statue must remain as a the best way to perserve the power the God's could contain. They knew that her death cannot come yet, for her power will lead her to rise once again in any location, so long as her power shrouds the realm of Vorell, and that power is very difficult to spot in order to rid of this hostile frequency.
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The Moth Mother won and reveal the victory by leaving the statue in the center of Arunara's now frozen army. Where they all stand frozen like statues much like how she is. The omnipotent Lich Queen, stands in the center of an undying army, frozen in a statue, only to live as a statue for the rest of eternity. The Matron has transitioned to appear as a Psion of the Matron to ensure the security and preservation of the Lich Queen is kept with the position of security belonging to the Duchy of Sugnkranger. She cannot be kept in Nhedeus for there would be risk of powerful secrets revealed by this dangerous mortal in the Celestial Realm if the risk of her being free would be made. She has a better chance to be imprisoned in Vorell than in Nhedeus. Meanwhile in Omyth, Arkos is furious at this event unfolding. "It was just getting good! The Lich Queen was going to destroy all of the Dwellkin and the Leokin but instead, the damned Goddess of Death chose to ruin all the fun!" Danarei looks at Arkros to assure that this plan of their is not over, and in time, her rise will come again, indefinetely.
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With such a devious and malevolent threat defeated from the powers of the Gods, the Duke of Sognkranger made a statement:
"Never have I witnessed such malevolant power before in history or in history as we can recall. Where the rise of Necromancy has certainly wounded many and slain many others, it is rightful to declare this threat to be a distant agreement to understand there are forces beyond our own who could defeat thousands or even millions with powers that shape them like gods. This power cannot allow our politics or personal judgements to set footing before the safety of those within our borders and the safety of others we know beyond. Without this declaration, we cannot maintain such a defense and promise to defend our own. I announce this to be the foundation of the House Alliance. Where we place ourselves in this established order to serve alongside each other in order to ensure the future of our nations and so history can no long repeat itself once again."
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Where Arunara shall share the rest of her eternity, undergound in the center of the Citadel. One of the first fortresses, meant to keep anyone in or out with maximum security placements and full time proper surveillance. As the events have shared the rest of Vorell to form this alliance as the Houses Alliance, they vow to never recreate or involve anything that could begin this crisis again.
Historical Basis
This story involves the creation of the following;
- The Hallowed Conduit: A covenant of some of the most powerful Liches in all of Vorell.
- The Fall of Arobleism Sanctuary: The massive siege that resulted in the collapse of the Dwellkin's most prideful and established defence until it was overrun by the Necrotic menace.
- The House Alliance Initiative: This takes charge of the nations across Vorell to begin forging an Alliance declaring them in their houses such as House Leo, House Drake, House Minm, House Valor, House Fae, House Esta, and so on.
Spread
This is known legend, almost two-thousand years ago. In time many would believe this tale to be fake or a bedtime story to scare kids. Belief would change after the capture and the denial of this story ever having true identity among Vorell with any of the nations.
Date of Setting
During the Dark Age
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