The First Land Herald/450-04-25
| Article Number: 109 |
| Dateline: 450-04-25 |
| TEMPERS FLARE DURING PURE MANA EXPERIMENT Previously, Valenal has claimed that there is an entity stealing magic from our plane, which is only able to steal pure magic and not sorcery. As a result of that, attempts have been made to gather together and cast large amounts of sorcery in one place, the result of which has been the wrath of the Heralds followed by a feeling of increased stability. The reverse -- a pure mana casting party -- had as of yet not been attempted. The purpose of this gathering was to attempt it. Additionally, Asildu had said that if we attempted a gathering such as this, he would try to put in a good word for us with the Heralds and ask for the release of a clan from its encasement. "The messengers for the Heralds claim the stability is due to the Heralds' reaction to us. Valenal claims it's evidence that sorcery is stabilizing the plane as he said," Kethrai said. "Hopefully, today we'll learn something new. Whether large amounts of native casting will also have a stabilizing effect -- or won't." Before long, Unaka, Miraena, and Asildu arrived to observe the undertaking. Kethrai instructed the participants to cast as many of their native domain spells as possible, with as much mana as they could manage. He recommended casting a wide variety of spells to ensure there would be no influence from favoring one pattern over another, but absolutely no sorcery or spells outside of one's native domain. After a few roisaen of mass casting, a low rumble swept the area, spreading outward. The air felt charged, a gentle prickle playing along my neck. A series of pops crackled across the air. A voice roared, "Finally, you listen! There may be hope for you yet." I felt as though I was parched and could drink deeply, but I could not recall what the voice sounded like, though it echoed all around me. A voice gently said, "We will weather these storms, and they will always be part of this land." I felt strangely confident, though I was unsure why. Separate and pure, light green and blue hues coursed along the air. The wind began to howl. I felt queasy for an odd moment, as though I was on rough seas. Everything felt extremely chaotic, and I fought a wave of nausea. Then time slowed and the air took on a golden light. A hooded figure in darkest midnight black stood before me holding a tall staff that crackled with energy. I could not see his face, though I heard a menacing growl as a huge black wolf stepped forward, teeth bared, hackles raised. The dog barked, furious and menacing, and the figure turned away from me. Both vanished. I heard Him, discouraging me from this course of action. "You empower Them, and They work against Us, against everything, they will burn this place to ash and start anew. You must do what is necessary, for all of Us." Alarmed by this message from Meraud, Unaka roared out, "ENOUGH!" Unaka and Asildu began to argue, with Unaka pointing out that the Immortals were displeased and we should stop, while Asildu argued that we should continue. Unaka then challenged Asildu to a fight, one-on-one. "No one interfere," she said. "This man likes to send messages? I will send a message to his masters." Miraena's eyes widened with alarm and she tried to talk Asildu out of fighting, reasoning that he did not know anything about fighting. He calmly responded to her, "It's alright, young Miraena. Whatever happens, the Heralds will protect my soul. It's more important that you remain safe." Pulling back both arms, Unaka gave an impossibly loud roar, a deep, powerful sound that reverberated through the area. She bashed her left arm with her maul, a shield of radiant light suddenly materializing there, then lowered her shoulders and rushed directly for Asildu. The Human was too slow to dodge but managed to raise his staff between them in a gesture of pure defense, surprisingly deflecting the enormous Gor'Tog's assault. Asildu shook his head and reset his stance, shaken yet resolute. He paused, listening, the air stirring in response. A crackle of untamed energy culminated in a bolt of lighting that streaked toward Unaka. Nimbly, Unaka sidestepped the fulmination, barely escaping the strike. Without wasting a moment, Asildu closed the short distance between them, using his walking stick to unleash a barrage of wild strikes against her. Unaka whirled in a surprisingly lithe dance, easily blocking blows. She chanted loudly as she worked, bellowing out to him, "YOU. WILL. HALT." Asildu froze, caught in the dominating glare as she raised her maul overhead, bringing it down swiftly, its arc defined by a searing white glow. "JUSTICE FOR THE CLANS!" The massive weapon descended, connecting with Asildu's arm before he was able to evade the blow, tearing at clothes and skin indiscriminately to reveal the hardened keratosis beneath. Unaka moved to strike again. Miraena impulsively darted off of the sidelines and into the fray, throwing herself in between the two combatants, with no heed to Unaka's still-moving maul. Her sudden appearance caught Unaka off-guard, and she was unable to pull back a swing that beared down towards Miraena's head. A deep thrum echoed through the gathering as the blow was deflected unnaturally, but the strength behind the attack sent Miraena tumbling to the ground. Fearful for Miraena's safety, Unaka turned towards her, rushing to her side to check for injuries. Asildu fell to his knees, bloodied and disoriented. Pure, unadulterated fury flashed in his eyes as he looked at Unaka bent over Miraena's fallen form. Invigorated, Asildu rose to his feet, a powerful thrum of energy building around him, eradicating all trace of his pain. Fists clenched, he shouted at Unaka, "Get away from her!" His eyes blazed with an intense rage and he unleashed a single, prolonged shout, the wave of sound blasting into the Gor'Tog to separate her from Miraena, upending her and forcing her into a heap on the ground. Unaka blinked, then slowly rose to her feet, maul in hand again. She saw the fury in Asildu's eyes and resolutely set her stance, turning her shield arm toward him. Growling, she executed another burst of blows against Asildu, but this time he fully blocked each with speed and precision, sending her stumbling to either side of him as if she were a novice. The energy around Asildu pulsed, the speed and strength of his strikes displaying a marked increase in technique and fluidity as compared to his earlier attacks. He focused on Unaka with an unflinching ferocity, swinging first his weapon, then his fist. Amidst the blows, Asildu began a frigid chant, summoning an elemental maelstrom around him. The admixture of flames and frost crashed into Unaka with incredible force, slamming into her chest and leaving her reeling, wounded and in pain. Asildu angrily exclaimed to Unaka, "You think you're untouchable because you worship your precious Immortals. But you're wrong. You're not untouchable. The Heralds could squash your Immortals like bugs, just as their power will help me squash you!" Unaka staggered to the ground, panting. She spit blood, then stared up at Asildu with one good eye. Slowly, so slowly, she drove herself back to her feet again and took up her defensive stance. Taking advantage of Unaka's fatigued state, Asildu initiated a flurry of intricate strikes to vital and vulnerable targets - throat, ears, eyes, solar plexus - leaving the Gor'Tog blinded and gasping for breath. Showing no sign of fatigue himself, Asildu caught Unaka off balance, using his walking stick to sweep her legs out from under her. He began a musical chant, the earth beneath his feet trembling and groaning with each melodic syllable. In a blast of rock and stone, a deadly spear erupted from the ground, impaling Unaka with its sharpened tip. The Gor'Tog opened her mouth to scream, though no sound came out as the final threads of life escaped her. Angered by Unaka's death, a group of adventurers, led by Sir Madigan, retaliated against Asildu. Tirost, Rileos, Saragos, Mahe, Nawain, Luna, Briaen, Zyros, and I joined the fray. After a fierce battle, Asildu fell, with Mahe delivering the final blow. Not long after his death, writhing tendrils of whip-like vines and malleable stone encased Asildu's corpse in a natural cocoon. After a moment, the tangled mass flashed with a golden light before sinking back into the ground, leaving me certain there was something there a moment ago, though I could not recall what previously occupied the space. Afterwards, Unaka apologized for disrupting the gathering but explained that she felt that fighting Asildu was the only way she could send the Heralds a message. Kethrai, who has long been a vocal opponent of sorcery, declined to comment on what was learned from the attempt until he could give a measured response, and the crowd dispersed after a bit of discussion. A few days later at the Zoluren Community Forum, Kethrai spoke before the people in attendance. "I have spoken to no Immortals. I have my doubts that we truly understand the nature of their fight. I also don't know if Valenal is telling the truth, or Liraxes, or if they're both lying or fools." "I can only follow the evidence, what we can observe with our own eyes," he continued. "And what I've observed is... Mass gatherings to cast sorcery have yielded a time of increased stability of the plane in their wake. And the mass casting of pure mana spells we did last andu... yielded an immediate break in that stability. It's become clear to me that sorcery is, by whatever cause, necessary to bring the threat of wild magic to a close." There was much to contemplate in the aftermath of the pure mana casting experiment. The Heralds' praise and the Immortals' warnings -- as most of us interpreted them -- was yet another hint at a larger conflict between these powerful entities. While the evidence from this experiment favored the use of sorcery, the exact nature of the forces at play and the implications of their conflict remained unclear. We must remain vigilant, continue our search for information, and prepare for whatever challenges may arise. Determinedly yours,
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| Real Date: Unknown Date |
| Subject(s): Wild Magic |
| Author(s): Illiya |