Dzree: Empress of Death (book) - Revision history

VMPHNTRD: repaired some links

2021-05-14T15:26:21Z

repaired some links

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:26, 14 May 2021
Line 33:		Line 33:
	fame, as a member of the [[Ru'atin Peri'el]], the sacred order		fame, as a member of the [[Ru'atin Peri'el]], the sacred order
	of sisters that watch over Peri'el and aid her with song		of sisters that watch over Peri'el and aid her with song
	and ritual -- an order greatly admired in S'Kra Mur		and ritual -- an order greatly admired in [[S'Kra Mur]]
	culture.		culture.

Line 78:		Line 78:
	I shall interject myself here to make note that if one		I shall interject myself here to make note that if one
	wishes to learn more of the Sisters of Peri'el, one should		wishes to learn more of the Sisters of Peri'el, one should
	read the excellent accounting, "A History of the Ru'atin		read the excellent accounting, [[History of the Ru'atin Peri'el (book)\|"A History of the Ru'atin
	Peri'el," by Laricra Milaeshi.		Peri'el,"]] by Laricra Milaeshi.

	This was a turning point in her life... and quite truly, a		This was a turning point in her life... and quite truly, a
Line 225:		Line 225:
	[[Adan'f]].		[[Adan'f]].

	For more on this affair, one should read the book [["On		For more on this affair, one should read the book [[On_Necromancy_(book)\|"On
	Necromancy"]] which discusses in detail the acts Dzree		Necromancy"]] which discusses in detail the acts Dzree
	undertook at this time, which led to the creation of the		undertook at this time, which led to the creation of the
Line 240:		Line 240:
	She eventually established a citadel, which would function		She eventually established a citadel, which would function
	as her base of operations. It was in this place that she		as her base of operations. It was in this place that she
	was visited by the [[Bard]] [[S'zhella]]. She expected to be		was visited by the [[Bard]] [[S'zella\|S'zhella]]. She expected to be
	entertained. But she was not.		entertained. But she was not.

	S'zhella was a biting satirist, as the tome [["S'zhella's		S'zhella was a biting satirist, as the tome [[S'zella's Tale (book)\|"S'zhella's
	Tale"]] tells us. And he mocked and humiliated Dzree, for		Tale"]] tells us. And he mocked and humiliated Dzree, for
	the Bard knew nothing but hatred for the Hag and what she		the Bard knew nothing but hatred for the Hag and what she

Maintenance script at 08:08, 19 March 2010

2010-03-19T08:08:16Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:08, 19 March 2010
Line 78:		Line 78:
	I shall interject myself here to make note that if one		I shall interject myself here to make note that if one
	wishes to learn more of the Sisters of Peri'el, one should		wishes to learn more of the Sisters of Peri'el, one should
	read the excellent accounting, [["A History of the Ru'atin		read the excellent accounting, "A History of the Ru'atin
	Peri'el,"]] by Laricra Milaeshi.		Peri'el," by Laricra Milaeshi.

	This was a turning point in her life... and quite truly, a		This was a turning point in her life... and quite truly, a

CARAAMON: moved Dzree: Empress of Death to Dzree: Empress of Death (book)

2010-03-19T05:24:46Z

moved Dzree: Empress of Death to Dzree: Empress of Death (book)

← Older revision	Revision as of 00:24, 19 March 2010
(No difference)

CARAAMON: moved Book:BnaDE to Dzree: Empress of Death

2010-03-19T05:20:22Z

moved Book:BnaDE to Dzree: Empress of Death

← Older revision	Revision as of 00:20, 19 March 2010
(No difference)

Maintenance script at 14:43, 3 April 2009

2009-04-03T14:43:13Z

Maintenance script: Created page with 'Dzree: Empress of Death By Nereon Amisal ...'

2009-04-03T03:09:43Z

Created page with 'Dzree: Empress of Death By Nereon Amisal ...'

New page

Dzree: Empress of Death
By Nereon Amisal

Dzree -- it is a name known by every one living in the Five
Provinces, for so great were her misdeeds and the damage
she inflicted upon the world. She is truly famous, although
infamous would likely be a far better method of describing
her.

She has been known by many names and titles. The Hag.
Dzree the Smozh. Empress Dzree. High Priestess Dzree --
these last two were used interchangeably, as her Dragon's
Empire was a theocracy; Dzree served as both Empress and
High Priestess of the Dragon. Perhaps the most appropriate
title by which Dzree was known, though, was as the Empress
of Death.

I've often been asked, as a teacher of this particular era,
where the Dragon Priests ruled all but supreme over
Kermoria... I have often been asked for the details of
this woman's life, the details that could breed such a
monster as would commit the acts she did.

This is the collection of the research I have compiled into
Dzree's life, and it serves both as a biography of this
woman and a chronicle of her evil acts, so that in hundreds
of years, the world will still know the crimes she committed
upon us all.

Dzree was born in a small village on Reshalia Island, one
which, as far as historians can ascertain, does not exist
any longer. Her mother was a woman of great repute and
fame, as a member of the Ru'atin Peri'el, the sacred order
of sisters that watch over Peri'el and aid her with song
and ritual -- an order greatly admired in S'Kra Mur
culture.

Dzree was the fourth daughter of her family, which was a
great honor for any daughter of a Sister of Peri'el. The
Ru'atin always hoped for female children, and they would
perform rituals in the hopes of assuring that, pray to
Peri'el and Tamsine for daughters that could carry on the
legacy of the order. The fourth daughter of a sister was
thought to be specially blessed by the gods, and there was
an expectation that she would be among the greatest of the
sisters. And of course, such an expectation and honor was
only magnified when the child was the fourth daughter of a
fourth daughter.

Much was expected of Dzree, then, among the Ru'atin
Peri'el. Her family, and the Sisters, thought she would
become a masterful singer, giving aid and comfort to their
cherished goddess, to keep the World Dragon asleep. But
Dzree did not live up to those expectations.

When she came of age and became a young woman, she was
given the test of entry to the Ru'atin Peri'el. And
shockingly, she failed it.

She could not sing at all, unfortunately. She did not
just sing averagely, or even badly -- she was terrible.
The test of entry required of a fourth daughter of a Sister
was the simplest of all tests, and she failed even that,
quite miserably.

This failure brought an extreme amount of shame to Dzree's
mother and family, and to their community. Most fourth
daughters were thought to be blessed by the gods, but many
in their village decided that surely Dzree was instead
*cursed* by the gods. The villagers directed loathing at
her, treated her poorly -- they thought she would bring the
ire of the gods down upon them. Dzree's mother was a good
woman, and would never have turned the girl out, as many of
the villagers wanted... she still loved her daughter. But
Dzree did not wish to remain in the village, and so she
fled.

I shall interject myself here to make note that if one
wishes to learn more of the Sisters of Peri'el, one should
read the excellent accounting, "A History of the Ru'atin
Peri'el," by Laricra Milaeshi.

This was a turning point in her life... and quite truly, a
turning point for the world, because it was these events
that set the course of her life and the acts she would
commit in later years.

Dzree had been taught her entire life that her destiny, her
reason for existing, was to help keep the World Dragon
asleep. I make no excuses for the evils she unleashed upon
the Five Provinces -- none at all! -- but I can still
acknowledge that certainly it would have been hard for a
young girl to deal with such a situation: to be told from
birth what your fate was, that the gods smiled on you and
you would do great things for them, that you would help
and nourish the goddess that gave you life, and then be
unable to accomplish that destiny. When it was finally
time to live up to that fate, to fail. Certainly it
filled in her a loathing for the Ru'atin Peri'el (a
loathing she would later take out upon the Sisters in
infamous and brutal violence) which eventually great to
encompass all singers (these events likely planted the seed
for her hatred of Bards as well as the Sisters).

But more importantly... she still felt the need to
accomplish her destiny in life, which was to help the world
by keeping the World Dragon asleep. The method by which
she was to accomplish this goal was removed from her, but
the desire to accomplish it was no less diminished. So as
she left her village, young, helpless, and alone, she
sought to find another way to fulfill her destiny.

She wandered then, for some time, struggling to keep
herself alive. It was this that brought her to the man
known as Sh'kial.

Sh'kial was a radical. An old and wizened S'Kra Mur man
who had formed a new religious ideology, a new way of
thinking about how to view the World Dragon and how to save
the world from his wrath. Sh'kial believed that the World
Dragon's awakening was inevitable, and so the people of
Kermoria must placate him, pacify him, earn his favor.
This was a shocking way of thinking that earned Sh'kial the
enmity of the followers of the Immortals.

So he and his small sect of followers -- little more than a
dozen at that point, really -- wandered about, preaching
where they could, and performing the acts and rituals and
sacrifices (though never of mortals) that they believed
would keep the World Dragon content and pacific.

In one village where Dzree had been staying... sleeping in
a pile of hay in a stable... she came across Sh'kial and
his band. And as she listened to them, she thought,
"Surely this is my fate." Here was a man offering to her
what the Ru'atin Peri'el ultimately had not been able to --
the ability to keep the world safe from the Dragon. She
was, needless to say, a true convert. She joined Sh'kial
and his followers and journeyed with them, becoming his
most eager and exceptional pupil.

As the ranks of these new Dragon Priests grew and expanded
-- too many S'Kra Mur were, unfortunately, willing to
believe Sh'kial's problematic and erroneous dogma -- Dzree
served as the leader's right hand, indoctrinating and
leading many of the priests.

But she was still filled with that dark seed of hatred,
that loathing of the Ru'atin Peri'el... as she grew more
and more engrained in the dogma of the Dragon Priests, she
grew more and more disdainful of Peri'el, the goddess
worshipped by the Sisters. She was convinced of the
rightness of the ideology that had restored her purpose in
life, and so by that ideology, Peri'el and the other gods
WOULD fail and the World Dragon would awaken. That
assurance of the Immortals' eventual failure led her to
hate them... and in time, to hate those who placed their
hope in the doomed Immortals.

As time passed and the hatred inside her grew, her beliefs
became more and more twisted. They changed from a belief
of awe-filled fear of the Dragon, to an outright worship of
it -- she was no longer seeking to placate an angry being
that was held in awe in fear, but she was seeking to
worship a being she viewed as a true god. And as time
passed, more and more of the followers, the Dragon Priests,
came to see things her way. After all, Sh'kial was growing
older and older, and he was less capable of persuading
others as he once was. He was a weak man who relied on his
protege more than ever in the running of the priesthood.
So she began to take it in a horrific new direction.

Thus was born the new Dragon Priests... which became more
militant than the harmless religious sect they once were.
Dzree believed the Immortals were fraud gods, and that
their followers were an affront to the World Dragon -- that
he would never bring the Golden Age the Priests believed
would come, so long as the land was infested with the
children of the doomed false gods that had sought to hold
him captive. And so she believed that she and the priests
must subjugate those followers... and they even began
capturing them and offering them as sacrifices to the World
Dragon.

As most know, Sh'kial found out about this practice, and he
attempted to put a stop to it immediately. He had been
withdrawn, tired, and had paid little attention to what was
going on with the Priests. He did not know Dzree had
transformed them so. He soon found out there were few
remaining that were truly loyal to him and his ideals.
Sh'kial was murdered by Dzree herself.

The Dragon Priests then worked at becoming more and more
militant, seeking to amass the power they needed to do the
bidding of the World Dragon and so enable him to usher in
his Golden Age of Peace.

Once her army was strong enough, she captured the city of
Shard by employing both strong magic and lethal cunning.
She laid a trap for the Ferdahl Corik, he of the Black
Cloud, and when he left the city of Shard with his army to
confront the Priests, she outmaneuvered him and sacked the
city. Dzree used Moon Gates to maneuver behind Corik
without his realizing it, and this tactic would demonstrate
a reliance upon magic that she would have throughout her
life.

With Shard firmly under her control, she set her sights on
even grander things -- the rest of the lands. But she knew
that to do that, she would need more than just her army of
Dragon Priests. The Elotheans were easy to defeat -- they
were a weak, peace-loving people. The Humans, the Elves,
the Dwarves... they would pose greater challenges, and
Dzree would need to be crafty in order to overcome those
coming obstacles.

It was thus that she began her experiments in summoning and
breeding. She first attempted to control the Vykathi, but
that was an unsuccessful attempt. Next would come efforts
to summon the malevolent fae, the Frostweavers, from
another Plane, and utilize them in combat... but these
beings were far too fickle, and she abandoned her efforts
to use them as part of her army. Thus she went to her
third experiment, which was disastrously successful -- the
Adan'f.

For more on this affair, one should read the book "On
Necromancy" which discusses in detail the acts Dzree
undertook at this time, which led to the creation of the
Adan'f.

In any event...

These beasts, bred through dark, sorcerous magic,
multiplied the ranks of her forces, adding great power to
the Dragon Priests. With them adding strength to her army,
Dzree marched northward to begin in earnest her ravaging of
the lands.

She eventually established a citadel, which would function
as her base of operations. It was in this place that she
was visited by the Bard S'zhella. She expected to be
entertained. But she was not.

S'zhella was a biting satirist, as the tome "S'zhella's
Tale" tells us. And he mocked and humiliated Dzree, for
the Bard knew nothing but hatred for the Hag and what she
was doing. Dzree was not accustomed to humiliation -- it
was not something she had felt since the time she was
driven from her village, an act she laid at the feet of the
singers of the Ru'atin Peri'el.

She quickly had S'zhella executed, but she did not let it
there... oh no. Twice now Dzree had been utterly
humiliated in her life; twice now by Bards and singers.
Her hatred overwhelmed her.

She also blamed the singers -- Bards and Sisters alike --
on the songs that sustained Peri'el and kept her god, the
World Dragon, asleep. These singers were, in her demented
mind, keeping away the Golden Age she wanted to bring to
Kermoria.

Dzree began a crusade to wipe out all Bards and Ru'atin
Peri'el from the face of Elanthia. She and her fanatics
hunted them down, slaughtering them without mercy. She was
beyond determined to eliminate the song entirely. It was
one of the most horrific tyrannies that would mark her
reign.

And there would be many.

Dzree had long since passed the point of any hope of
redemption. She had become a person of pure, true evil,
and to solidify that (had she not done so already), more
and more atrocities were committed in her name. Mortal
sacrifices, destruction of temples, shrines, and cities,
the twisting and corrupting of the very land itself -- such
as what she did to Adamantia, in order to bring a painful
death to HighHold. And then there was her crime against
life itself: the black magic she used to unnaturally
extend her life.

Dzree was not willing to give up power. She was not
willing to leave the Empire she had created through her
unleashed hatred. She was determined not to leave the
world until the World Dragon awoke and ushered in his
Golden Age.

So she relied upon sorceries and necromancies... all foul
magic... to maintain her crazed grip on life. She lived
longer than any S'Kra Mur had before. But with each
passing year, she grew more and more insane.

So it was that she eventually succumbed to the fear and
paranoia her insanity bred in her mind. Dzree died, a
truly contemptible wretch of a woman, all shriveled up and
hag-like.

There was not one positive thing to acknowledge about the
life she lead, which was marked by nothing except fear and
loathing.

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:43, 3 April 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
	Dzree: Empress of Death		'''Dzree: Empress of Death''' <br>
	By Nereon Amisal		By Nereon Amisal <br>

	Dzree -- it is a name known by every one living in the Five		[[Dzree]] -- it is a name known by every one living in the Five
	Provinces, for so great were her misdeeds and the damage		Provinces, for so great were her misdeeds and the damage
	she inflicted upon the world. She is truly famous, although		she inflicted upon the world. She is truly famous, although
Line 17:		Line 17:

	I've often been asked, as a teacher of this particular era,		I've often been asked, as a teacher of this particular era,
	where the Dragon Priests ruled all but supreme over		where the [[Dragon Priests]] ruled all but supreme over
	Kermoria... I have often been asked for the details of		[[Kermoria]]... I have often been asked for the details of
	this woman's life, the details that could breed such a		this woman's life, the details that could breed such a
	monster as would commit the acts she did.		monster as would commit the acts she did.
Line 31:		Line 31:
	which, as far as historians can ascertain, does not exist		which, as far as historians can ascertain, does not exist
	any longer. Her mother was a woman of great repute and		any longer. Her mother was a woman of great repute and
	fame, as a member of the Ru'atin Peri'el, the sacred order		fame, as a member of the [[Ru'atin Peri'el]], the sacred order
	of sisters that watch over Peri'el and aid her with song		of sisters that watch over Peri'el and aid her with song
	and ritual -- an order greatly admired in S'Kra Mur		and ritual -- an order greatly admired in S'Kra Mur
Line 40:		Line 40:
	Ru'atin always hoped for female children, and they would		Ru'atin always hoped for female children, and they would
	perform rituals in the hopes of assuring that, pray to		perform rituals in the hopes of assuring that, pray to
	Peri'el and Tamsine for daughters that could carry on the		[[Peri'el]] and [[Tamsine]] for daughters that could carry on the
	legacy of the order. The fourth daughter of a sister was		legacy of the order. The fourth daughter of a sister was
	thought to be specially blessed by the gods, and there was		thought to be specially blessed by the gods, and there was
Line 51:		Line 51:
	Peri'el. Her family, and the Sisters, thought she would		Peri'el. Her family, and the Sisters, thought she would
	become a masterful singer, giving aid and comfort to their		become a masterful singer, giving aid and comfort to their
	cherished goddess, to keep the World Dragon asleep. But		cherished goddess, to keep the [[World Dragon]] asleep. But
	Dzree did not live up to those expectations.		Dzree did not live up to those expectations.

Line 68:		Line 68:
	daughters were thought to be blessed by the gods, but many		daughters were thought to be blessed by the gods, but many
	in their village decided that surely Dzree was instead		in their village decided that surely Dzree was instead
	cursed by the gods. The villagers directed loathing at		'''cursed''' by the gods. The villagers directed loathing at
	her, treated her poorly -- they thought she would bring the		her, treated her poorly -- they thought she would bring the
	ire of the gods down upon them. Dzree's mother was a good		ire of the gods down upon them. Dzree's mother was a good
Line 78:		Line 78:
	I shall interject myself here to make note that if one		I shall interject myself here to make note that if one
	wishes to learn more of the Sisters of Peri'el, one should		wishes to learn more of the Sisters of Peri'el, one should
	read the excellent accounting, "A History of the Ru'atin		read the excellent accounting, [["A History of the Ru'atin
	Peri'el," by Laricra Milaeshi.		Peri'el,"]] by Laricra Milaeshi.

	This was a turning point in her life... and quite truly, a		This was a turning point in her life... and quite truly, a
Line 113:		Line 113:
	She wandered then, for some time, struggling to keep		She wandered then, for some time, struggling to keep
	herself alive. It was this that brought her to the man		herself alive. It was this that brought her to the man
	known as Sh'kial.		known as [[Sh'kial]].

	Sh'kial was a radical. An old and wizened S'Kra Mur man		Sh'kial was a radical. An old and wizened S'Kra Mur man
Line 198:		Line 198:
	Once her army was strong enough, she captured the city of		Once her army was strong enough, she captured the city of
	Shard by employing both strong magic and lethal cunning.		Shard by employing both strong magic and lethal cunning.
	She laid a trap for the Ferdahl Corik, he of the Black		She laid a trap for the Ferdahl [[Corik]], he of the Black
	Cloud, and when he left the city of Shard with his army to		Cloud, and when he left the city of Shard with his army to
	confront the Priests, she outmaneuvered him and sacked the		confront the Priests, she outmaneuvered him and sacked the
Line 209:		Line 209:
	even grander things -- the rest of the lands. But she knew		even grander things -- the rest of the lands. But she knew
	that to do that, she would need more than just her army of		that to do that, she would need more than just her army of
	Dragon Priests. The ~~Elotheans~~ were easy to defeat -- they		Dragon Priests. The [[Elothean]]s were easy to defeat -- they
	were a weak, peace-loving people. The Humans, the Elves,		were a weak, peace-loving people. The [[Humans]], the [[Elves]],
	the Dwarves... they would pose greater challenges, and		the [[Dwarves]]... they would pose greater challenges, and
	Dzree would need to be crafty in order to overcome those		Dzree would need to be crafty in order to overcome those
	coming obstacles.		coming obstacles.

	It was thus that she began her experiments in summoning and		It was thus that she began her experiments in summoning and
	breeding. She first attempted to control the Vykathi, but		breeding. She first attempted to control the [[Vykathi]], but
	that was an unsuccessful attempt. Next would come efforts		that was an unsuccessful attempt. Next would come efforts
	to summon the malevolent fae, the Frostweavers, from		to summon the malevolent fae, the [[Frostweavers]], from
	another Plane, and utilize them in combat... but these		another Plane, and utilize them in combat... but these
	beings were far too fickle, and she abandoned her efforts		beings were far too fickle, and she abandoned her efforts
	to use them as part of her army. Thus she went to her		to use them as part of her army. Thus she went to her
	third experiment, which was disastrously successful -- the		third experiment, which was disastrously successful -- the
	Adan'f.		[[Adan'f]].

	For more on this affair, one should read the book "On		For more on this affair, one should read the book [["On
	Necromancy" which discusses in detail the acts Dzree		Necromancy"]] which discusses in detail the acts Dzree
	undertook at this time, which led to the creation of the		undertook at this time, which led to the creation of the
	Adan'f.		Adan'f.
Line 240:		Line 240:
	She eventually established a citadel, which would function		She eventually established a citadel, which would function
	as her base of operations. It was in this place that she		as her base of operations. It was in this place that she
	was visited by the Bard S'zhella. She expected to be		was visited by the [[Bard]] [[S'zhella]]. She expected to be
	entertained. But she was not.		entertained. But she was not.

	S'zhella was a biting satirist, as the tome "S'zhella's		S'zhella was a biting satirist, as the tome [["S'zhella's
	Tale" tells us. And he mocked and humiliated Dzree, for		Tale"]] tells us. And he mocked and humiliated Dzree, for
	the Bard knew nothing but hatred for the Hag and what she		the Bard knew nothing but hatred for the Hag and what she
	was doing. Dzree was not accustomed to humiliation -- it		was doing. Dzree was not accustomed to humiliation -- it
Line 301:		Line 301:
	life she lead, which was marked by nothing except fear and		life she lead, which was marked by nothing except fear and
	loathing.		loathing.

			[[Category:book]]