[FL] Fantasy Lynching Out of Character: Blood alone turns the Wheels of History

[Cracklord]

If you want, i can have them run into him.

[industrious]

Doesn't really matter to me either way. I'd ask that the Sword of the Celestial be able to work when the three eventually have to face off though. So that they aren't immediately crushed by the Sword of Truth/Rahl's power.

[doliest]

Forgive me, Mr Tolkien. You do not deserve what I now do to you.

Sorry, sorry, I know we're forgetting this conversation, but can I Sig this? I love it for some reason.

[Cracklord]

Doesn't really matter to me either way. I'd ask that the Sword of the Celestial be able to work when the three eventually have to face off though. So that they aren't immediately crushed by the Sword of Truth/Rahl's power.

No problem. Hey, do you think the Champion will be needed for the Final battle? Because if so, they need to find some way to bring him back...

Sorry, sorry, I know we're forgetting this conversation, but can I Sig this? I love it for some reason.

Have you read Lord of The Rings yet? If not, go for it.

[doliest]

Thank you.

And no, I could never get all the way through it. Which is weird, as I've read all the way through 'Mr.Norell and Jonathan Strange' which, while not as long, is extremely...wordy. I just never quite got Tolkien's style. So much is devoted to the setting and descriptions that I just want to drop the story and read a 'History of Middle Earth' type book.

[Cracklord]

And no, I could never get all the way through it. Which is weird, as I've read all the way through 'Mr.Norell and Jonathan Strange' which, while not as long, is extremely...wordy. I just never quite got Tolkien's style. So much is devoted to the setting and descriptions that I just want to drop the story and read a 'History of Middle Earth' type book.

Takes a while to get into it, but it's well worth the effort. You just need to apply yourself a little.

[doliest]

That's kind of my problem. I've always been a 'If the first hundred-two hundred pages don't hook me, I can't get any further' kind of guy. I'm also one to get hit by fatigue with a long enough book or series. It's what stops me from finishing the 'Hitchikers guide' series every time I pick it up.

[industrious]

No problem. Hey, do you think the Champion will be needed for the Final battle? Because if so, they need to find some way to bring him back...

Probably; I mean, he's the Champion of the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. That being said, he's a generic RPG character, and while I have an outline as to how to play him, he would practically be an original character.

Also, his backstory is...complicated, but I'll explain soon enough.

Right now, he's gone into Hell (or the Abyss of the Faithless) to retrieve the soul of the person whose body he has. That last clause is important; I'll get to it soon enough.

200 years of pre-Oblivion history:

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200 years before the events of Oblivion, two Fiends left the Abyssal Planes to take up residence in Tamriel. They named themselves the "Ehothorn family" and established their estate several kilometres from Cheydinhal. The Fiend who would later come to be known as Allecia Ehothorn was essentially the brains of the partnership, where as her companion was the brawn. And though she was obviously submissive to him, she recognized his weaknesses due to his lack of subtlety in his approach.

Eager to gain some manner of control over Tamriel, yet knowing that taking a direct hand in conquering the realms would be suicide, the Ehothorns opted to use a more subtle approach to achieve their ends. They found a young man who could be easily coerced, and they began to train him in the ways of a leader. Their victim was a boy by the name of Cleon, who had been born into a farming family and longed for escape from his menial existence, and the opportunity to make his name in the pages of history. So desperate was he to achieve greatness that he was completely oblivion to the Ehothorns manipulating control over him, as he evolved from a farming boy, into a soldier and steadily progressed through the ranks.

At some point in time his burgeoning abilities and insight as a tactician finally removed the veil from his eyes, allowing him to see precisely how the Ehothorns were controlling him. He refused to listen to their advice any more, and vowed to make his name as a soldier in his own way. Knowing that they couldn't afford to lose him after having invested so much effort, Allecia Ehothorn decided to try a different approach. Without the Fiends knowledge, she created a new name and image for herself -Alleria- and made herself an important figure in Cleon's life, Eventually the two were married, and through subtle manipulation and underhanded subversion she managed to sway Cleon back into the Fiend's thrall.

Finally, with Cleon now ordained a General, the time had come for their march across Tamriel to begin. Cleon led his armies to the city of Armindale and promptly destroyed the city, slaughtering everyone. With the Fiend whispering advice in his ear, he tore apart the city and demonstrated to the realms just how dangerous an enemy he was.

He then continued his march towards Imperial City, eliminating some of the smaller cities and destroying all who opposed him. He was looking very much unstoppable, however his own bad habits soon became his downfall. One night while drinking with his soldiers in celebration of their latest victory he was waylaid by a group of Assassins, forced into a back alley and murdered. His body was then taken to the leaders in Imperial City, who decided on a somewhat radical course of action. So desperate where they to prevent his return to the realm (by resurrection or other means) that they took his body to castle Anvil, and there he was entombed in an unmarked, hidden crypt beneath the Castle Blacksmithy. Those who knew of his precise whereabouts took their own lives and the secret of his tomb stricken from history.

Realising how close they had come to being discovered, the Ehothorns opted to remove themselves from public eye for a time. Knowing that their immortality would draw attention over time, they decided to adopt new names (still remaining underneath the Ehothorn Family banner) and created stories about how their "parents" (former pseudonyms) had died, spreading this story throughout Cheydinhal, and alleviating any concerns regarding the fact that they did not age. Throughout the years up until the Player's discovery of Allecia Ehothorn's true identity, Allecia would continue to use this naming trend in order to maintain a certain level of anonymity.

Regardless of this, rumours still abounded of a Fiend that had taken up residence on the outskirts of Cheydinhal (though few in the town ever indicated that it was the Ehothorns), and eventually the rumours attracted the attention of Edward Pellew - an aspiring Hero who had been blessed (or cursed) with Celestial blood, granting him ridiculously long life, and a certain level of control over Fiends, Demons, and the downright Evil. As a hero, Edward Pellew had been constantly met with failure, and so desperate was he to make a name for himself (and thus live up to his ancestors ascendency) that he swore to eradicate this Fiend and free Cheydinhal forevermore. Travelling with him was Maris, a Bounty Hunter (or Hunter as he called himself) who had become enraptured after seeing Pellew's abilities in action, and had volunteered to serve as Pellew's companion in his quest to rid Tamriel of all fiendish entities. The two of them began tracking down the Fiend's trail, which naturally pointed them in the direction of the Ehothorns. A number of close calls saw the Ehothorns evading Pellew and Maris by the narrowest of margins, and Pellew's desperation increasing to dangerous levels.

In a dream, Allecia Ehothorn prognosticated (prophesised) her companion's demise at the hands of Pellew and the Hunter, and so she delved deep into Tamrielic lore, and knowledge of the occult, searching for a way for him to escape his fate. Finally, she found her answer, and approached the Fiend with her idea. the two of them would begin a process that would transferred the Fiend's soul from his body to some manner of catchment device, and would then transfer that soul into an empty vessel - the body of a child- which would essentially allow the Fiend to live on after death.

Needing a place to complete their work, they opted on the Ruins of Armindale, and constructed a chamber there in which they could begin the process of preparing for the reincarnation. The two of them snuck into an orphanage not far from Imperial City and kidnapped a child of suitable age and appearance whose body would serve as the vessel for the Fiend's pre-incarnation. In order to escape pursuit by the guards, the Ehothorns set fire to the building and left it to the burn to the ground.

Yet while they escaped, their actions did not go unnoticed, drawing the attention of Pellew and Maris (who at this point were struggling to discern where the Ehothorns had been hiding all this time). They followed Allecia and the Fiend back to the Ehothorn Estate, and waited until Allecia left the Estate on an errand. They then burned the building to the ground, killing the Fiend and completely destroying the Estate.

Allecia fled to the Ruins of Armindale where she began the process of transferring the Fiend's soul from the catchment device to it's new vessel - the body of the child. The process of this forced the original soul out of the body, thus killing it and sending it to the Abyss of the Faithless - the realm in which those who have made no patronage to a particular God are sent to live out eternity after death. However, before the process could be completed Maris the Hunter attacked Allecia, breaking his enchanted weapon in the process and destroying the catchment device. Allecia fled with the child, narrowly managing to escape Pellew and the Hunter.

Knowing that she would not be able to run forever and unsure as to whether or not the reincarnation of the Fiend had succeeded, Allecia decided to leave the Child in an Orphanage in Imperial City, branding him with a number of runes (which read "Ehothorn") that would guide the child down the path of his Legacy, should his memory remain in tact.

For a time Allecia roamed the lands of Tamriel, however a conversation with a former Argonian Shadowscale (Ruined-Tail by name) revealed to her the importance of Home. She returned to Cheydinhal, and there she constructed a new Ehothorn Estate, continuing the charade of the "cursed Ehothorn Family", which always resulted in only one family member being alive at any one time. Though she knew that Pellew and Maris may well strike at her, she doubted they would do so while she remained in the open. And without a reason to attack her, she felt safe enough to remain in the Estate. And so it was that she remained there, biding her time and hoping that her Companion's, -the Fiend's- reincarnation would return to her with his memories restored and his desire to remain with her intact.

Soon after this Maris and Pellew parted ways. Maris opted to return to life as a Bounty Hunter -having seen Pellew as being nothing more than an abject failure in light of Allecia's escape, and the devestation that was caused to the Orpahange before they managed to eliminate the Fiend. Where as Pellew continued his hunt for the Child that Allecia had left in Imperial City. He knew the race, the gender, and the Legacy of the Child -which he did not doubt would begin to show itself in time, manifesting as a seemingly unbeatable individual who would doubtless leave his mark on Tamriel-, yet there was no way for him to locate the Child until the Legacy had begun to manifest itself. He devoted himself to discerning all the potential candidates within Imperial City, and removing names from the list as they fell out of contention. During his search, his poverty stricken family (a wife and son) dies of illness due to having no money to pay for treatment. This in turn was due to Pellew having squandered the family fortune in his hunt for the Fiend.

And so the Player's tale began. He defeated Mankar Cameron and Dagon, placed Martin Septim on the Throne and closed shut the gates of Oblivion forevermore. The Player made a name for himself, and demonstrated that he harboured something more than that of an ordinary mortal citizen of Tamriel.

And all the while, Edward Pellew watched closely...

Since then:
Tears of the Fiend

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The Player is, in fact, the Champion (awarded the title of Champion of Cyrodiil, the highest honor in the Order of the Dragon). Pellew attacked the Champion one day while the man was resting at an inn, nearly certain that the Champion was the Fiend he had sought for so long. Yet during their encounter, while Pellew was able to sense the presence of the Fiendish soul the Champion held, the Champion did not recognize him; the memories of the Champion's prior life as a fiend had been erased by his earlier interruption of the ritual. Furious at being denied true vengeance, and having been defeated by the younger, stronger Champion, the Paladin pointed him towards his heritage, towards the Ehothorn family.

The Champion thus discovered Allecia, who traveled with him for some time, and who sought to awaken her former lover, and to restore his memory. She guided him through various sites that were important to the two of them; culminating in the alter in the ruins of Armindale. There, the Champion's mind was forced to confront the Fiend that he was...and the Champion refused to accept his heritage, refused to succumb to the lure of his dark nature.

Pellew arrived shortly thereafter, having followed them, and seeing that the Champion had recovered his memories, sought to kill him. Displaying an ability with words and diplomacy that the Fiend had lacked, however, the Champion convinced the Paladin that he was his own man. Pellew, seeing that his thirst for "justice" was merely that for vengeance, gave unto the Champion the Sword of the Celestial. And Allecia, who had attempted to seduce the Champion back into darkness, was likewise shown the Light, and sought to redeem herself as well, out of a new love, and the promise of a second chance.

The Redemption of Cleon:

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The Champion felt great remorse for his actions as the Fiend; he felt responsible for the destruction of Armindale. In a fit of madness, he sought to resurrect the General, and to redeem him, if he could. Entering the Abyss of the Faithless by means of a forbidden Necromantic potion, he discovered, to his further horror, that the infant soul whose body the Fiend had stolen, that he had stolen had been condemned to the Abyss of the Faithless. Powerless to do anything about it, however, he brought the Butcher of Armindale back to life, and over the course of several months, attempted to redeem him.

Through several adventures, culminating in Cleon's attempt to kill Allecia in the ruins of the castle that Cleon had killed the ruler of Armindale, Cleon was cured of his inner demons: his hubris, his pride, his amorality.

The Last Quest:

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The Champion then married Allecia, and the two retired to the Champion's House in Verona Bay. For six months, all was well. Until the Champion, his conscience disturbed by an off-hand comment by his wife, decided to quest once more, to descent back into the Abyss of the Faithless, and to retrieve the soul who had never seen the light of day, who had never walked upon the Earth.

The Words:

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Spoken to Allecia by the Fiend when they first fled the infernal realms, and then by the Champion to Allecia after the Sword of the Celestial was passed to him, they are the couple's best way of recognizing each other, free of any sort of disguise, potion, or mental control.

Allecia poses two questions or statements, first a threat to kill the Champion and for the imposter to run for his life, the second a scornful remark on the ugliness of the world/the Fiendish Realms.

The Champion: "I move fast with a good incentive."

The Champion: "Not everything there is ugly."

[Cracklord]

Probably; I mean, he's the Champion of the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. That being said, he's a generic RPG character, and while I have an outline as to how to play him, he would practically be an original character.

I'm cool with all that. Don't worry about it, just don't take too many liberties and we'll be fine.

[industrious]

Fair enough. I wrote down Allecia, Pellew, Cleon, and the Champion's backstories in the above post for reference (lots of words. The first part is from the guide to the mod).

Just getting these things out there.

[Cracklord]

I know the problem. Everyone one of them has an answer.
The Northerners survive because each of them is an expert, self-sufficient hunter, willing to eat any meat. Including human, so they can generally care for themselves, and bring their herds south with them. If they can support themselves in the Northlands, with only raiding as addition, then here in the soft lands they have little to be concerned about.
The Trollocs survive because they live in small tribes, and only gather for war. The rest of the time, they are so spread out that the world can support them. It's only when Myrmadraals send out through the ways that they start to gather.
The Skaven survive BECAUSE they are perpetually at war, with the upper world, the lower world, and each other. If they were not, they'd soon die of starvation due to their breeding being so rapid, and over-population. In short, the fact they are so willing to kill each other is actually a survival skill for their race. And besides, they live off what they grow and breed bellow.
The Palanthians and Saur are actually able to grow their own food and feed themselves. They even have domesticated animals. But then, they are a very advanced civilization fallen on hard times.
And so on. Most of them don't actually live on The Blight, they live in the rest of the world, and gather there when the call goes out.
The Dark Elves (of both colors) have slaves to do it for them.

[InyutheBeatIs]

We've already got a perfectly rational explanation. We don't need to get Ponies involved.

I know that technically this never happened, but can I put this in my signature anyway?

[Cracklord]

Of course you can. Intellectual property is a myth perpetuated by industrialists to take advantage of people, that is slowly being strangled by the internet.

Also, do you want to come straight to Alagesia, or do you want a few encounters (with dark elves and such) first?

[InyutheBeatIs]

Well, my thought process is this: the more opportunities for Glorfindel to catch darts with his teeth, the better. So I guess that means that the dark elves are a go.

[Cracklord]

Well, my thought process is this: the more opportunities for Glorfindel to catch darts with his teeth, the better. So I guess that means that the dark elves are a go.

Wow. That's almost (but not exactly) the way I feel as well. Awesome.

Then on the way, you can meet a Black Arc (basicly a floating sea-fortresses that act as mobile strongholds) captained by this man:



Then attack it, fight your way up the towers, kill your hated kin (you hate each other on general principle, since they say you lot cheated Feanor's son out of his throne, and you say that Feanor was a maniac and had done enough, thank you very much), and free the slaves.

[Colesign]

I know the problem. Everyone one of them has an answer.
The Northerners survive because each of them is an expert, self-sufficient hunter, willing to eat any meat. Including human, so they can generally care for themselves, and bring their herds south with them. If they can support themselves in the Northlands, with only raiding as addition, then here in the soft lands they have little to be concerned about.
The Trollocs survive because they live in small tribes, and only gather for war. The rest of the time, they are so spread out that the world can support them. It's only when Myrmadraals send out through the ways that they start to gather.
The Skaven survive BECAUSE they are perpetually at war, with the upper world, the lower world, and each other. If they were not, they'd soon die of starvation due to their breeding being so rapid, and over-population. In short, the fact they are so willing to kill each other is actually a survival skill for their race. And besides, they live off what they grow and breed bellow.
The Palanthians and Saur are actually able to grow their own food and feed themselves. They even have domesticated animals. But then, they are a very advanced civilization fallen on hard times.
And so on. Most of them don't actually live on The Blight, they live in the rest of the world, and gather there when the call goes out.
The Dark Elves (of both colors) have slaves to do it for them.

Soooo....no single or primary source of food that Tavi can torch?

And please Cracklord: don't bring the Covenant Chronicles into this.

[industrious]

...I liked my solution. Well, it's probably that way for Trollocs and other Shadowspawn like Myrddraal.

Also, a list of Shadowspawn. Have fun.

I'm also a bit worried that I'm controlling 2 of the Tactical Genius Generals, and if you allow the Champion, 2 of the "Chosen One's." I'll still play Mat gladly, but if anyone else wants to adopt him so that I won't be talking myself when we get Cleon, Tavi, and Mat together to plan tactics, they can feel free.

[Cracklord]

...I liked my solution. Well, it's probably that way for Trollocs and other Shadowspawn like Myrddraal.

Right. But I sort of like civilizations of awaiting this day and preparing Shai-tans return all over the globe. All in all, your way works fine, and I can really see him doing that, but for this to work a sa global catastrophe it needs Shadow-spawn everywhere, all gathering at the Blight to spread across the world.

I'm also a bit worried that I'm controlling 2 of the Tactical Genius Generals, and if you allow the Champion, 2 of the "Chosen One's." I'll still play Mat gladly, but if anyone else wants to adopt him so that I won't be talking myself when we get Cleon, Tavi, and Mat together to plan tactics, they can feel free.

I'll gladly do that if you like. It's no problem at all. And we have four chosen ones. The Dragon Reborn, The White Rose, The Earth King, and The Champion.

[industrious]

Fair enough. Reminds me of Mistborn that way.

Who's the White Rose?

[Cracklord]

Character from Chronicles of The Black Company. I threw her in because I wanted a trio of heroes when it became established that the original Lews Therin worked with Erden Geboran.
We can probably do with out her, if The Champions involved as well.

[Colesign]

Fair enough. Reminds me of Mistborn that way.

In what way?

[Cracklord]

Fair enough. Reminds me of Mistborn that way.

I've tried, but I've never really motivated myself to read past the first book. It's got some good things to say for it, don't get me wrong, but for the most part I found it a tad too...

[doliest]

Cracklord? You're right. It IS fun to quote The Major in these games.
.
..
Pity that none of my characters would say 'I like War.'

[Cracklord]

Forgive me for not answering Soth. That deserves something a bit better then 'you ride out. Stuff happens.'

Cracklord? You're right. It IS fun to quote The Major in these games.
.
..
Pity that none of my characters would say 'I like War.'

You have to write your own dialogue as well, of course. That's actually the best bit.

'Ve march to war because ve choose to. Zat is ze only reason zat matters, so vhy complicate it vith zings like objectives? Ve come to fight, and die, and kill. Zat ist reason enough."

[doliest]

Soth's speech is honestly less Major, more 'High Fantasy' but 'sickly soft children' really did help it.

Kitaria's short internal monologue was much more Major-Fanservice. Some real speaking from her will come once I can have her talk to at the citizens of Dras-Leona.

Edit:I don't mind. I really don't; I understand. So much to do, so little time. Tomorrow, my posting might be a bit off. Got a friend's graduation to attend.

[Cracklord]

She should get one shortly.
Why, if she plays her cards right, she might end up in the same position as Galbatorix was in the begining of the game.

[doliest]

Empress Kitaria...I do like the ring of that. Admittedly, depending on the situation, it might mean keeping Eragon around, alive, and in power. She's just the one really in charge.
.
..
Ironically, what's awesome for one character(Kitaria) is hell for my other (Tasslehoff, or extending to another character Tanis) Soth...Soth is a wild card. Not sure what's good or bad for him, as you pointed out when he got brought back.

[Cracklord]

Yeah. Well, that sort of happens when you sit on both sides of the fence.

[doliest]

Very true; but then, Soth has no particular 'drive' for 'Team Evil.' He was only nominally on it because he was..well...evil. But he had no schemes or desires. Now, he's alive, but he's not just going to jump back to good. As a result, he's just going to let the situation decide his actions. Which means he's not doing much, yet.

[Cracklord]

Yeah. Which is sort of making him really interesting, but also a little hard to place.