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Morathor
Supernova
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2012
- Location
- Midwestern USA
Long ago, a great temple was raised to honor Carielle, a goddess of love and beauty. Priests, mages, and mechanists worked together to create a holy place that would not merely serve as a testament to their deity, but as a conduit for her divine power into the world. As her influence reached the surrounding lands, the weary found new delight in the world around them, which sustained and invigorated them; the oppressed found new strength and solidarity, to overthrow the corrupt who would exploit them. And as many people recognized this as Carielle's influence, many became her devotees. New worshipers flocked to the temple, and built a grand city around it, using the same mechanisms and sacred architecture that had been used in the temple. And so, Carielle's influence spread like no other god's before, reshaping entire civilizations and ushering in a new golden age. Things were never perfect, but for a century, the world grew fairer and kinder with each passing year.
And then, some four hundred years ago, Carielle seemed to vanish. Her priests could no longer feel her guidance or draw on her power, and the holy city ceased to to spread her influence across the land. Some said she had decided her work was done; others, that for all her accomplishments she had grown frustrated with those evils that stubbornly lingered in the world. Some proposed that Carielle had become horrified at how her power had stripped people of their free will, while many spread the tale that the goddess had fallen in love, and chosen to live out her life as a mortal. Then, of course, there was the notion that Carielle had turned her attention to some evil beyond the scope of mortals, and lost--or at least, that victory had cost her her life, or all of her power. But whatever the reason, the goddess' influence on the world abruptly ceased, and although a century of progress did not collapse overnight, little by little corruption and cruelty began to flourish again. Still, even without the goddess influencing the people directly, her lessons and legacy were not easily erased, and the world never became as miserable as it had been before Carielle.
Not until about fifty years ago, when the holy city--all but abandoned at this point--was overrun by devotees of Athaniel, a primordial deity of madness and desire. Sacrificing Carielle's priests at the altars meant to honor her, they corrupted the power of the holy city to spread the profane power of their dark god. His taint spreads into the minds of men, enkindling madness and weakening their resolve against their darkest impulses. It seeps into the land itself, blighting forests and withering crops. Even those creatures already feared as monsters are twisted into something far more unclean. Sometimes, armed raiding parties emerge from the city, accompanied by undead abominations, or things more unthinkable still, to claim food, captives, and corpses from the nearest settlements.
A call has gone out for heroes, willing to enter the holy city, seek out the corrupted altars, and purify them--weakening Athaniel's influence on the world and clearing a path the the great temple, where perhaps the madness can be stopped once and for all. For fifty years, it has been all that we could do to slow the advance of Athaniel's corruption, but perhaps you will be the ones to turn the tides against the dark god.
------------------
The journey to Silvergate has been long and wearying--more wearying than you might have expected, based on distance alone. The terrain has not been terribly arduous, mostly poorly maintained dirt roads that cut through flatlands, with the occasional sparse forest. But it's depressing to travel through these blighted lands, to see increasingly withered plantlife struggling to grow in barren soil, to see color drained from the world bit by bit, mile by mile, until you trudge through a world of mostly grey. And the people of these lands are no less dreary. They are miserable, malnourished, and exhausted--no doubt plagued by the same disturbing dreams that have haunted you as you draw closer to your destination. Most are sullen, inhospitable, or downright mean. You've encountered a few kind souls along the way, but even for them, a smile or a laugh seems like a herculean effort. The only vigor you've seen among the locals comes in the form of a predatory glint in their eyes; it is hard to tell which is worse, the ones that covet your possessions, or the ones that covet your body. You've had to fend off more than your share of muggers, bandits, and would-be rapists since you set out on this quest
But, despite all of that, you've made it to the last stop, the town of Silvergate--the smallest, dirtiest, most miserable town yet, the closest town to the holy city that has not been completely swallowed up by Athaniel's corruption. But it is a near thing; this close to the city, the sky itself has been tinged with a sickly yellow, and the land is more barren than ever. You pass a sign outside of Silvergate, which once marked the population, but it seems they have given up on keeping it up to date. The last figure before it was crossed out was a mere 98 souls.
This, you believe, is the best base of operations from which to launch an excursion into the city. For that, you will need to make arrangements for a place to stay, and to return to when you are ready to retreat. And you will need allies.
Where do you start?
And then, some four hundred years ago, Carielle seemed to vanish. Her priests could no longer feel her guidance or draw on her power, and the holy city ceased to to spread her influence across the land. Some said she had decided her work was done; others, that for all her accomplishments she had grown frustrated with those evils that stubbornly lingered in the world. Some proposed that Carielle had become horrified at how her power had stripped people of their free will, while many spread the tale that the goddess had fallen in love, and chosen to live out her life as a mortal. Then, of course, there was the notion that Carielle had turned her attention to some evil beyond the scope of mortals, and lost--or at least, that victory had cost her her life, or all of her power. But whatever the reason, the goddess' influence on the world abruptly ceased, and although a century of progress did not collapse overnight, little by little corruption and cruelty began to flourish again. Still, even without the goddess influencing the people directly, her lessons and legacy were not easily erased, and the world never became as miserable as it had been before Carielle.
Not until about fifty years ago, when the holy city--all but abandoned at this point--was overrun by devotees of Athaniel, a primordial deity of madness and desire. Sacrificing Carielle's priests at the altars meant to honor her, they corrupted the power of the holy city to spread the profane power of their dark god. His taint spreads into the minds of men, enkindling madness and weakening their resolve against their darkest impulses. It seeps into the land itself, blighting forests and withering crops. Even those creatures already feared as monsters are twisted into something far more unclean. Sometimes, armed raiding parties emerge from the city, accompanied by undead abominations, or things more unthinkable still, to claim food, captives, and corpses from the nearest settlements.
A call has gone out for heroes, willing to enter the holy city, seek out the corrupted altars, and purify them--weakening Athaniel's influence on the world and clearing a path the the great temple, where perhaps the madness can be stopped once and for all. For fifty years, it has been all that we could do to slow the advance of Athaniel's corruption, but perhaps you will be the ones to turn the tides against the dark god.
------------------
The journey to Silvergate has been long and wearying--more wearying than you might have expected, based on distance alone. The terrain has not been terribly arduous, mostly poorly maintained dirt roads that cut through flatlands, with the occasional sparse forest. But it's depressing to travel through these blighted lands, to see increasingly withered plantlife struggling to grow in barren soil, to see color drained from the world bit by bit, mile by mile, until you trudge through a world of mostly grey. And the people of these lands are no less dreary. They are miserable, malnourished, and exhausted--no doubt plagued by the same disturbing dreams that have haunted you as you draw closer to your destination. Most are sullen, inhospitable, or downright mean. You've encountered a few kind souls along the way, but even for them, a smile or a laugh seems like a herculean effort. The only vigor you've seen among the locals comes in the form of a predatory glint in their eyes; it is hard to tell which is worse, the ones that covet your possessions, or the ones that covet your body. You've had to fend off more than your share of muggers, bandits, and would-be rapists since you set out on this quest
But, despite all of that, you've made it to the last stop, the town of Silvergate--the smallest, dirtiest, most miserable town yet, the closest town to the holy city that has not been completely swallowed up by Athaniel's corruption. But it is a near thing; this close to the city, the sky itself has been tinged with a sickly yellow, and the land is more barren than ever. You pass a sign outside of Silvergate, which once marked the population, but it seems they have given up on keeping it up to date. The last figure before it was crossed out was a mere 98 souls.
This, you believe, is the best base of operations from which to launch an excursion into the city. For that, you will need to make arrangements for a place to stay, and to return to when you are ready to retreat. And you will need allies.
Where do you start?
