-- Paths in the Mist --
"Few can recall the frightening happenings of the great War of the
Weavers, for even though the time-measured distance between their
time and ours are merely centuries, the fear remained throughout
history. With the Gap reinstated, the free people of lush Estomar
need no longer beware of direct danger from that which lurks on
the other side... Though no man has ever dared to cross or descend
into the Gap, many a human's imagination is sufficient to illustrate
what lies on the other side: desolate, rocky wastelands, darkened
and forged out of Shadows by the coldness of Gilgath, the
darkness of Khalkaroth, and the wrath of Tsulokath. Three names
that have invoked chaos upon those hearing them. Three Demons
that have crossed the Rim of the Netherworld and created their
homestead on the surface... and under their command were the
most hideous creatures thinkable, and few dare to speak their
names, even in basic language."
-- Excerpt from the Book of the Chosen:
Appendix IV, "Estomar and the Lands Unspoken Of"
added by the High Priest Council 159 AWW
Thus concludes the Book of the Chosen, held myth by most disbelievers,
yet a religious artifact to those who know of its existence. An encyclopedia spanning millenia of work, cornerstones of history
in epic journeys throughout the shifting plains of Estomar. There are only two groups that know the full extent of its knowledge.
One is the High Priest Council, a select group of six wise men that annually speak about it in the great temple that
stands atop the highest hill in Estomar, the skyline adorned by its white marble peaks and ancient texts of engraved gold
that plate the capitals of the plethora of pillars that support the structure.
Only dark, whispering winds tell of the second group. For the Demons
mentioned exist indeed, though the priests prefer to keep it secret. To the villagers, Gilgath, Khalkaroth, and Tsulokath
are only words, frightening tales to keep their children from the street late at night. All Estomar priests are sworn to the
death that they will not spill the information they are taught at the Temple into the wild, at the penalty of death of all
who know about it. For they are names of darkness, and knowledge of their existence would only fuel the fear within all people
until joy became a distant feeling of tormenting pleasure.
The Demons know of the Book, for they created the history that
is written within it, and a horrible story it is, full of bloodshed, treachery, and atrocities against humankind that should
not be told in absence of daylight. But right now, the children of the dark one keep quiet, unable to cross the Gap, a great
rift of oblivion that separates Estomar from the Lands Unspoken Of. No one knows where it ends, both horizontally and vertically,
yet to the peaceful people of Estomar it was a blessing said to have been invoked by the High Priest Council itself. The priests
themselves, however, know that this is not true.
Under the Temple, a dark cavern stretches, abandoned tombs that time forgot. No guards present
throughout the structure, the only thing protecting the Book within is the great amount of spells cast about it. Only through
the united power of the Council can a priest cross the maze of dark, puzzling hallways and find the Book, and get out again
afterwards. It is the last test for the priest that wants to be part of the terrible history of Estomar, and is prepared to
wield arms against the Unspoken Demons, if ever they take up arms against the free people again...
"... From the Bridge of Shadows the enemy took flight, with wings of
darkness upon the cold northern wind. The fertile green lands were
beset by the demonic onslaught as billions of shadowlings crept
over it, a trail of destruction following them throughout their assault
on Estomar's capitol... the Temple. Yet when all seemed lost and
victory firmly in the grasp of the Unspoken, light seeped from the
great Temple. Enemies screamed, and perished, for there were
the Arch Priests that had taken up their arms against them with
weapons of life and death. However, they were soon overwhelmed
by the sheer greatness of the foe's army, and all would have been
lost if it wasn't for the Weavers.
...Planeshifting wizards, they came in small yet invincible patrols,
bearing their magics with them as a lethal weapon for even the
greatest demons. They rode upon the Spyders of their dimension,
fearsome beasts of the Web that spewed virulent streams of
searing web upon the enemies. As a mark of friendship, the High
Priest Council created a gateway within the Temple, which could
be used to enter the world of the Weavers, the Web. However,
no priest has returned from the journey..."
-- Excerpt from the Book of the Chosen:
Chapter 57: "Saviour from the Web"
Yet it was not the only thing that the Weavers had left in the
world of the priests, and only a select few know of the child of the Web that roams within the temple, only seen as a talented
priest by the unacknowledged. His white hair and nearly transparent eyes attract a lot of attention, yet no one dares to ask
such a question to the Council in fear of lethal reprimandes. Even Dracadas doesn't know about his homelands. His affinity
to ethereal magic is enormous, and in many ways he seems connected to the Web.
His training started in the catacombs, separated from the rest of the priest students, tutored
by Tyrhian of the High Council himself. This treatment was instated by the most powerful priests, in hope that Dracadas would
one day be able to cross the Web and reunite the knowledge of the Priests with that of the Weavers. However, his magic was
dangerous, uncontrolled and rash within the young man's soul, his Weaver magic steaming up to the surface time and time again.
One day, Dracadas travelled down the web. He tamed a Spyder and learned about the Weavers.
Yet he never reached them. Instead, he gained the knowledge about the positive and negative energies present within each spirit.
In two years, he understood the theory perfectly, and from the strange substance of the Web, two swords were formed. The runes
upon them were engraved in ancient Weaver language, yet the young priest read them as if he had seen them before a dozen times:
Serrath and Torrath, light and darkness, yin and yang, positive and negative. With those two swords, his
balance was perfected, his movements swift.
Surprised by his pupil's return, the High Councillor gave Dracadas permission to study in
the High Library, normally only accessible for the legendary priests of old. Gleafully Dracadas accepted the privilege, and
his studies did not let him down. Through investigation, he learned that the element he had learned to control was spiritual,
ethereal substance that the Web was comprised of. After a long period of time, the spirit priest decided to exit from the
Temple and search for a solution to the presence of the Demons.
Therefore, he took the test to become Arch Priest. And he succeeded in it. The fastest to
find the Book of the Chosen ever, he studied day in day out and memorized every particle of information that could be derived
from the wise texts engraved upon the withered paper of the book. When he came back, he was officially welcomed into the Arch
priesthood, and was free to go. However, the young mage did not have a profession to make money with.
The solution was simple: he was a mage, and so would he behave throughout his travels. And
so it was that he learned some illusionary tricks from a paladin of light on one of his adventurous journeys. The spectacular
shows he delivered are well-known in many cities, and even the royal court takes joy in his jolly presence. Upon request,
the mighty King of Estomar let him train with the Royal Guard to learn how to wield Serrath and Torrath traditionally. However,
Dracadas developed a totally new style that he called the Spydrous, referring to his 'homeland'.
-- Appendix:
"The Var'Aven" --
Meaning
Var'Aven is a word of ancient Elven origin, meaning "natural astral aura of all things or
beings", though many humans, especially the Weavers of the Estomar Temple, look at it like "magical energy", or "aura"
(which is also used in the context of ethics). Human scholars often use the word "Var'Aven" as a term in their studies
and theories of metaphysics as well, which, as it means literally translated, tells us "that which is above life".
Var'Aven is life's substance ("soul" or "spirit"), in the most general way this can be interpreted. In short, if you want to say so, the alignments within someone's personal Var'Aven
is what constitute this person: how one looks, acts, feels, thinks and exists in general. Var'Aven,
as the substance, on which everything else is grounded, influences our personalities and how we act and see the world around
us.
Var'Aven affects a person both spiritually and physically, however,
Var'Aven is more than that - it also determines the form and orientation
of beasts, plants and inanimated things. The way a rock is shaped, whether it is hard or brittle, is determined by the structure
its Var'Aven has. However, Var'Aven is nothing determined and unchangeable. It is a substance, which can change
its consistency and alignment temporarily or in a more permanent way.
You can lose Var'Aven and add Var'Aven through magical
means and/or belief, and you can change the structure within your Var'Aven to make you feel stronger or to make yourself
feel more energized. In a way you can interpret Var'Aven as energy, as a power living in everything and which needs focus
and alignment. Changing yourself into something you’re not is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, at least physically.
You cannot easily change yourself into a lizard or a fly or a bird, though you can create the illusion that you did by
re-aligning the compositions of the elements within one's Var'Aven e.g. through a spell.
Spiritually, changes in one's Var'Aven throughout a person's
life are nothing unusual and often overlooked, but a wizard manipulates the same Var'Aven only in different ways to achieve
effects.
Composition
Var'Aven
is not, by any means, made up of one homogeneous mixture. Each Var'Aven representing a seperate entity (be it a being,
a spirit, an inanimate thing) is composed of different elements that makes it up. It is the diversity of each person’s Var'Aven
that gives distinct characteristics and different personalities, and the same is the case in a similar sense with objects
of various kinds.
It is the altering (the expanding, contracting and moving around) of these
elements resulting in a more or less ordered alignment within the Var'Aven that the system of magic is built upon. There are four different elements of which the Var'Aven is composed
of, relating to the four types of Elemental magic.
The Element of Wind
Whenever the element of Wind is dominant within a person or object, it
stands for inabstract subjects like spirits, ideas, peace, healing, tranquility, and craftsmanship.
The
Element of Water
Whenever the element of Water is dominant within a person or object, it stands for non-lasting subjects
like ambiguity, instability, and the power of changes.
The
Element of Fire
Whenever the element of Fire is dominant within a person or object, it stands for abstract subjects
like desire, power, longing for something, or strength of will.
The
Element of Earth
Whenever the element of Earth is dominant within a person or object, it stands for lasting
subjects like stability, endurance, strength, and trust.
Manipulation
Var'Aven is
held together by a number of flexible links called Xeua, and often times these links can be used to manipulate certain elemental
connections within the Var'Aven. Strengthening or weakening them is what allows mages to cast spells. The ways in which Var'Aven
is manipulated is what determines a spell’s sphere. Each element has three spheres.
First
Sphere: Intension & Removal of Elemental Energies
The first sphere manipulates the Var'Aven by contracting
or expanding the Var'Aven of the element you want to make more or less influential on the target of the spell. However,
the amount of Var'Aven does not change, but the more the Var'Aven is expanded, the greater the influence that element
has on the target. Xeua (links) are elastics that the mage can stretch as he or she wishes to get a desired effect.
Second Sphere: Application
& Initiation of Elemental Energies
The second sphere effects gathering up scattered components to make them more
influential to the overall Var'Aven. In a target’s Var'Aven, the seperate components of each element are often scattered
throughout, and each piece only holds a limited influence. However, when the pieces are gathered together and combined, they
have greater focus in the Var'Aven of the entity.
Third Sphere: Creation & Recreation of Elemental
Energies
The third sphere deals with adding or subtracting actual Var'Aven of a certain element to make the element
less or more apparent in the target. This deals with indirectly making Xeua (links) between the original Var'Aven and
the new Var'Aven, and, in doing so, make the element more influential to get a desired effect. The Var'Aven
connects like hands that can grab on to each other or break apart. The kind of elemental Var'Aven, be it physical or spiritual,
will influence the target in different ways. By connecting to or ‘covering’ a person’s Var'Aven with
one’s spirit, it is possible to gain information on that person based on their Var'Aven.
The alignment
of the Var'Aven, as thus far may be clear,
is very affected by Xeua, or the links that connect them. The breaking of these links (called Ecua) can also affect the alignment
of the Var'Aven greatly. Those who break and create links (Xeua and Ecua Mages) are classed under the two Archschools.
Such schools are extremely powerful in their ability to be able to create and destroy things by directly targeting the structure
of the Var'Aven. If enough of one’s links are broken, one may suffer great trauma or even death. Xeua mages have the
great ability to summon things and create things by making connections between different amounts of elemental parts within
the Var'Aven.
Weavers,
too, use Var'Aven, but the way in which they are able to use Var'Aven and Xeua and
Ecua links is rather extraordinary. Weavers, instead of having to experiment
and do connections one by one, have a set pattern in their head of how Var'Aven connects or breaks in order to create
an effect. In this respect, magic tailors itself to the mage - and
the desire of the mage - instead of the mage having to tailor him or herself to the magic.
Because of this pattern, the Weavers are able to use magic with relative ease, and without having to utter spells or incantations. Because of
their ease with magic, Weavers are incredibly powerful.
