Mirror Wraith Prophecy
One of the longest and most detailed events put on by the GMs. One of the early events in the story, the killing of Lady P, occurred in late August of 1997 and the event concluded in early September of 2000.
Books detailing events of the Mirror Wraith Prophecy
Summary by Rigby, partway through the event
THE MIRROR WRAITH PROPHECY
Summary of Events Thus Far...
PROLOGUE...
It seemed only natural that the Guild of Moon Mages, whose members have the uncanny ability to predict the future, became the center of a dark prophecy, revealed by an enigmatic creature known as a Mirror Wraith. A thousand times a thousand interpretations lie veiled within the poetic chant, and it seems that some of it has come to pass - or has it? So many meanings, so many applicable answers, and so many more questions. It all began with that entity from somewhere else, when it recited the following in exchange for the warmth of new memories...
A mirror wraith says, "Your gift is fairly earned, and so you shall all hear the words of prophecy."
"Gather round, good worthies, and hear what I've seen,
Reflected in a glassy eye
Heed the truth of my words alone...
...for prophets never lie."
"Three Deceivers set forth upon the lands
Emerging from the cold --
While your protectors sleep and dream soft dreams
Their plans already unfold."
"No king! No squire! No heart nor reason
Can alone unturn this darkling treason
But an army or a legion
Will find their weapons worthless lead."
"And here, pray allow, some light be shed."
"To the first, a man with platinum eyes that once reflected moons
He grasps for all he cannot have in a chamber of lapis and gold
For the promise of power he'll bring forth change..."
"...And ruination, ere this tale is told."
"To the second, once a warrior saint,
Now a fiend to the eyes of the blind.
Only one knows where his path truly leads,
Through battle, and aethyr, and time."
"To the third, a bone-yard, and a restless grave,
Lost in the trinkets of a tragic past.
When every hour is spent in delirium dreams,
A moment's peace is a fortune amassed."
"An artisan will become his final work,
When the stars begin to fall.
The first Deceiver re-awoken --
And its brethren hear the call."
"Trust not what you know, o worthies,
In a realm of confusion and strife.
Nothing is as it first appears,
Illusion the deadliest knife."
"With this weapon the Deceivers shall strike,
And a mighty blow be laid.
An ally will fall, one hope be lost,
In a grave that your ignorance made."
"One shall travel a province most unwilling,
Kidnapped by a righteous man.
Blood will be shed as it passes into
Strange circles and stranger hands."
"While the wise mourn, the wiser take heed,
And brace against turbulent times --
Now comes the season of discontent,
With a shadow o'er people's minds."
"War begins in an unlikely place,
Fought with precious metal and lies,
Sides are chosen, lives are staked
With a curse the only prize."
"Now two are one and one is lost,
Held in a sanctified place.
A dead man knows what the living do not,
But keeps a somber face."
"A confession is a treacherous thing,
From a soul so weary and tattered --
But words of truth will unmask the darkness...
... And the work of five centuries, shattered."
"With hours left upon the clock,
And doomsday well at hand,
A midnight sun will shine upon
A forever altered land."
"And what of the future, o learned ones.
What will become of you --
The choice resides in your hands alone...
... And this is the only thing that's true."
|
A mirror wraith says, "And now you've your gift, if gift you still call it."
Gift indeed. One that has caused much concern and arguement, and which still lingers on curious and frightened minds years after it was first related. Perhaps it would be best to explain what events have unfolded, and continue to come to pass even now.
Around the time of the telling of the prophecy, the Weaver of Fate and gypsy Demosel Dez'Madielle had a chance encounter with a lich known as Lady P. Despite Lady P's long term standing with the Guild of Moon Mages, Demosel claims she'd never met her before, but regardless, they became fast friends. Lady P was a unique individual, unaware of her own undead status, and driven to scholarly pursuits. Some would not trust this gentle being, most likely due to her condition. Nonetheless, she continued her efforts to better the Moon Mage Guild through devoted research and study. Of note here is the reappearance of the Bloodworm Comet in the constellation of the Mongoose, which Lady P had spent years studying, and which itself was a herald of terrible events to come.
In Lady P's possession was a music box, which was entrusted into her care because of its tendancy to drive the living insane. The exact purpose of this music box can only be surmised, but is believed to allow the user to hear the souls of children.
Meanwhile, Demosel's brother, Andraethu, began a reign of terror that only ended recently. Having suffered immensely as a child under an abusive father, Andraethu was quite mad. In his possesion was an unusual device known as the trapezoid statuette, which he was desperate to have repaired. A machinist known as Mortreyu agreed to fix the artifact, and, as reward, became one of Andraethu's first victims. During the eve of Mortreyu's death, a meteor shower lit up the sky, leading some to believe that part of the prophecy was coming to pass.
Using this infernal artifact, Andraethu went on a rampage, stealing the souls of whomever he fancied. One in particular was a small girl in Leth Deriel. Where Andraethu got this device is anyone's guess...
It was after this time that a self-proclaimed undead hunter known as Kellior arrived. He made no bones about his desire to see Lady P dead, and she, being a trusting soul, fell into his trap. After she was murdered in the town green of the Crossing, Kellior stole the music box from her dying body and fled south.
He managed to get to the gondola in the mountains north of Shard before Demosel caught up to him and slew him on the spot as vengeance for the murder of her friend, Lady P. During the fight, the music box fell into the chasm where a shadowy figure scooped it up and vanished. Its whereabouts remained a mystery for years after that. Demosel retreated to Throne City after this, seeking answers.
Another questionable individual showed up at this time, surrounded by a storm of rumours and speculation - Grell Pel'cora. Tales abound about him, ranging from involvement with Dragon Priests as a mercenary to a romantic liasion with Guildmistress Gylwyn. One thing is certain - the Moon Mage Council has no love lost for this man, and has warned him time and time again to stay away from the Guildhalls. He's refused, of course.
Which brings us to the matter of the Council of Moon Mages. Consisting of twelve council members and one Grandmaster, they've all dodged simple questions, shown signs of bickering among themselves, and pass down mandates that only seem to anger the students. All in all, pretty typical behavior for politicians.
The members of the Council raise the tally of people notably involved in the Mirror Wraith's Prophecy considerably. For the Celestial Compact, there's Thorrick, Jonela, Zeltir, Dinlael, Alsu and Waldrin, and together with Grandmaster Taramaine, they hold the majority vote in almost any situation. The Nomads of the Arid Steppe are represented by a large, quiet man named Giromu, and the Tezirites by none other than Lady Erzebet Crowther herself - though recently, she's announced that her daughter Annisean will be replacing this seat in short order. The Crystal Hand reps are Mirdanya and Tharvon, who seem to be involved with one another. Upon the Council, there is also Elvaka of the Gypsies. The G'nar Pethian representative, Dothrein, rarely shows up for Council meetings, and his seat is considered unofficially vacant.
One interesting thing that occurred was Andraethu's assassination attack on Grandmaster Taramaine. During the attack, he implicated Grell, though some believe this may have simply been a ruse. In either case, both Grell and Andraethu quickly became enemies of the guild.
Throughout all of this, the guilds were attacked by Dragon Priests, who proclaimed strange things, such as remembering "lines," and all in all were acting quite peculiar. Whether they were working for Grell or not is unknown.
Then everything grew relatively quiet. Demosel vanished, presumably kidnapped. Andraethu took a journey to parts unknown. The Council retreated to its chambers in Throne City to ponder the prophecy as well as the daily guild's maintaince. Yet the Bloodworm comet remained in its perch in the heavens, so the wisest of the Moon Mages knew that it was merely a temporary lull, the still before the storm. And this seemed accurate...
Appearing in Shard was a most unusual individual exhibiting the skills and magic of a Moon Mage. His name was Lasarhhtha Oshu'ehhrsk, and he referred to himself as a Bone Dancer - the same title as was known by the infamous Kir. Lasarhhtha has proved to very unpredictable and rather insane. Obsessed with souls for his "experiments," the ancient S'kra Mur often lays claims to a convuluted heritage that involves Dragon Priests, Bards, and the Skindancer Sect of Moon Mages.
An explosion occurred in Shard, and the streets ran rampant with undead. Lasarhhtha's necromantic ties are obvious, as he has had no qualms summoning spirits and tortured souls to wreck havoc on those that task him. Something prompted his attentions to turn back to the Moon Mage Guild, and he vanquished the S'lai guard when it refused to let him inside the Crossing Guild.
There was a strange series of events, as Grell was spotted at the two obelisk locations, teleporting between Taisgath and Theren, and then appeared in a place known as "Old Crossing," dead. Grell explained that he was "caught between" obelisks.
Meanwhile, Andraethu returned, feeling as though he'd been "enlightened." His claimed that he had used his trapezoid device upon a granite statue somewhere southwest of Langenfirth, and that this resulted in his gaining an artifact known as a brass semisphere as well as the destruction of the trapezoid. Still caught in his old ways, he killed a small child in Arthe Dale, and was in turn killed by a Bard for this act. Eventually, Andraethu made his way north to Riverhaven, where the Y'Shai inquistor Stavro tracked him down and killed him.
As time went on, the semisphere device began to have some odd effects on Andraethu, giving him the ability to see the future. With this grim foresight, he took under his wing another small child in Therenborough, determined to keep him safe from what Andraethu had seen. He failed, and succumbed to temptation, killing this child as well. Most unusually, it was Grell who came to Andraethu that day, killed him, and took the brass semisphere - the trapezoid was nowhere to be found, and some suspect that a Moon Mage adventurer now possesses it. Andraethu, drained of favors, walked.
Grell took the brass semisphere to Gylwyn, who, oddly nervous, convinced him to turn it over to the Moon Mage Council. He reluctantly agreed, and Council Member Elvaka claimed the device.
During these events, the various Guildhalls were plagued by attacks of undead germish'din and seordhevor kartais, with Lasarhhtha being present during each invasion, babbling about the dangerous "secrets of the Council," and Taramaine in particular.
Observed first as hidden voices, two Bone Elves known as Anashia and Amaggo also attacked the Guildhalls and their students in an attempt to locate Lasarhhtha. Zombies, skeletons and wir dinego were attacking the guilds, clearly at the instigation of the two Bone Elves. They have admitted that they are looking for something Lasarhhtha has in his possession.
Eventually, Erzebet placed three Y'Shai around the Crossing Guild to protect it, but strangely, none around the others.
A circle of Moon Mages did a group prediction, assisted by council members Zeltir and Thorrick, who were sympathetic to the circle's desires to seek answers through this form of divination. Claiming to have learned something from the council's studies of the semisphere in their possession, Thorrick assisted in an ill-fated session of the group prediction, during which a rift opened, releasing a Shadow Master upon the unsuspecting mages. The beast from the Plane of Probability quickly slaughtered the majority of the gathering, until an army dispatched from the Crossing finally eliminated the creature. The Council announced that any further group predictions would violate the sanctity of the guild and thus would be forbidden.
The earlier placement of the Y'Shai guards drew Lasarhhtha's interest, since Crossing's was the only guildhall to be protected in such a way. He was forced to find a way past the guards. With the assistance of several adventurers, who gated him directly to the basement, he was able to find a spot in the wall which was obviously hiding something. The group broke through the wall, revealing a secret - a sewer system that descended beneath the guild, through an area known as Old Crossing, and eventually to a devastated mansion. Lasarhhtha announced that any Tezirite should be proud to stand within these now-ruined halls. During the journey, Lasarhhtha found a parchment and tablet detailing old Y'Shai secrets, which he claimed. Also found in this area were the remains of a third obelisk and a dead Y'Shai. Lasarhhtha retreated to study his findings.
What are Lasarhhtha's ulterior motives? What has the Council been hiding? What is it the Bone Elves are seeking from Lasarhhtha? How many of the verses of the Prophecy have been completed? To whom did the mansion beneath the Crossing belong? What does the semisphere do, and where did it come from? What does the trapezoid statuette do, and where is it now? Various Council Members have been seen scrutinizing the music box in Chyolvea Tayeu'a; what significance does this device have? Who sent the Mirror Wraith? So many unanswered questions...
Additional Information on the Obelisks, Tezirah, and the Deceiver Device
The three Obelisks contained lost arts, as was shown during the reign of the Empire. In the year 718 BL, a woman named Tezirah Eilsina formed a group known as the Saesdorian Cabal. The Cabal's studies were always mysterious, but rumors quickly spread that its members were studying an ancient structure. It is now known that they were indeed doing so; in fact, they were researching one of the Obelisks, the most likely candidate being that which has since been buried beneath Zoluren.
Somehow, Tezirah found an uncompleted device, one created five centuries before her time: the Deceiver. She soon after began to work towards assembling it, eventually accomplishing the construction of the device -- although to what end she had hoped for it, none are certain. The most common belief is that she wished to use it, in concert with her Sorcery, to spread chaos throughout the Empire.
In the year 706 before the Victory of Lanival, 12 years after Tezirah formed the Saesdorian Cabal, Empress Demin I of the Seven Star Empire outlawed the practice of Sorcery in all of its forms. This decree led to the eventual orders demanding the execution of Tezirah and her followers; they fled underground to escape persecution.
Three years later, in 703 BL, the Imperials discovered their hideaway. The soldiers tore through Tezirah's mansion, finally discovering her with the Obelisk. It was the Obelisk on which they attempted to hang her. What exactly Tezirah did next isn't certain, but by all accounts she tried to cast a spell - which failed, summoning a Shadow Master into our Plane for the first time in recorded history. By the time the Imperials had slain the beast, Tezirah had vanished. The mansion was destroyed and the Deceiver device taken apart; the knowledge of their existence buried for centuries to come.
Roughly 70 years before Tezirah's release on Taisgath in 362 AL, an expedition began to study the old manor below the Crossbow Observatory guildhall. Council members, Y'shai, researchers, and students were all among the explorers, including Erzebet Crowther, Mortom Saist, Taramaine Ennis-Braun, the Gypsy Demosel, and a mercenary named Grell.
Rummaging about the ancient collapse, they found an intact Obelisk and the disassembled Deceiver device. Being researchers, they did not hesitate to reassemble the pieces of the device and, in doing so, once again unleashed the Shadow Masters from the Void. A pair of the beasts leaped forth and blood ribboned through the air as students, researchers, and even two Council members fell to their power. The Shadow Masters had to be stopped, or ruin would fall upon The Crossing; countless would be murdered and much destroyed. Taramaine, along with Mortom and Erzebet, knew there was no choice; they utilized the power of Sorcery.
Their spell succeeded -- the Shadow Masters were destroyed --, but its magic was uncontrollable, and it struck both the Obelisk and a Y'shai named Shanrolias. Shanrolias was the first Y'shai to die since their inception, and it was then that their secret was discovered: a Y'shai's soul is lost forever, cursed to never find peace on the Starry Road. A shard of the exploded Obelisk also lodged itself in the chest of Grell Pel'cora, and would later give the Obelisks the power to summon him to them as they wished. Such is how he became a part of the Prophecy.
The survivors found that the Deceiver could not be destroyed, but it could still be deconstructed, and so that is what they did. The three pieces were then hidden; one lay inside the music box of Lady Penelope, another resided in a Therengian Shrine, and the last was kept with Mortom during his long, enchanted sleep. Knowledge of the events was kept secret. The mansion was locked away. All those involved hoped that none would ever discover what had transpired under the Observatory, in front of the mysterious Obelisk.