Project Genie Core & Genie Golems

[Stag 3233]

Disclaimer: This piece of writing was something that I had been working on for awhile. Actually since the start of Aengudaemonic Descension in Athera but due to my eventual absences the lore revolving around Eshtael (which I know nothing about and it is most definitely not this) had been developed (it previously being quite literally non-existent) and so this lore no longer fit. None of this is official lore. In fact it's all officially unofficial otherwise you wouldn't be reading it in the OOC section! It's just a piece of creative writing but it directly inspired Grigario & His Arbiters, a new magic lore revolving around beast taming and the Fay. This bit of writing is something the Event Team does all the time in order to produce unique events with both a backstory and an arc. The idea was to set an arc and then have players completely drive what happened with it. Anyways enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Project Genie Core Questline:

 

 

Commonly referred to as the Sunken Sewers in modern society, a place meant to be the foundation of a great oceanic city now a stronghold of darkness. It is said that the civilization working on the sewers sent criminals to the sewers to hasten the completion but at some point simply disappeared. The occupants of the sewers, having been trapped after the downfall of their masters, haven’t been seen or heard until the rediscovery of the sewers.

 

Now, those brave enough to enter find the underground canals festering with nests of monsters. Likewise there seems to be abandoned homes and barricades assembled throughout the sewers. Did any of the criminals sent here or their descendants survive all these years? What became of them and why do monsters now lurk the halls?

 

*A dusty tome left at uncovered entrance of the sewers. It reads: We held out, we prospered while we built from stone, from nothing. Our fathers spoke of the masters and how they have forgotten us the freedom promised to us for our fathers crimes. They speak of the happening when the halls cracked and our lives became buried. Without the light the darkness grows. The halls grow cold and our numbers dwindle. We were not warned. Our fathers did not tell us. They didn’t tell us why we continued to build.

 

*more books/journals to be added*

 

***

 

The Lore:

 

 

The Face, known by no other name, is the true reason for the sewers being built. An ancient civilization, it’s name lost to time, had enslaved it’s populace in order to build a prison to keep The Face inside. The dark being was the main antagonist of this civilization at one point calling total war on them. If it wasn’t for divine intervention the culture that had been fighting for survival for centuries would have been eradicated. The Aengul of Balance, Eshtael, devised a solution for the mortals. Though one that would only level the balance on the weights between the two forces, allowing the mortals a fair chance to overcome this obstacle.

 

It was Eshtael that constructed the initial prison to hold The face and ordered the civilization to conceal the prison and ensure it does not escape its cell. In assurance the Aengul called upon one Champion of Order, entitled The Oracle, to maintain the cell at costs. The Oracle, blessed with the innate ability to create and infuse Genie Cores into specially molded magi-golem bodies, crafted three Genies, and together preserved a bastille around The Face.

 

Around this prison grew the sewers and centuries of development the progress seemed to have halted at some point. It appears that as the civilization continued to need workers for the prison an influx of monsters began infesting the sewers at a gradual pace. A few at first prompted the workers to carry weapons on them but soon without armed forces stationed within the sewers almost constantly it seemed the monsters never ended. The Champion of Order and its three Genie Golems locked themselves away in their separate chambers and what soon became aware to the workers was that they didn’t receive assistance with the plague of monsters.

 

Over this period of time workers who were once paid began to be replaced with unpaid, criminals who had broken severe laws in the prosperous culture. With The Face locked away and a majority of civilian workers now replaced by criminals what was known of the being began to be lost and changed. Culture boomed and the harrowings of the past became only bedtime tales for children. Unbenounced to them was the blight that grew within the sewers.

 

Monsters grew frenzied as they grew closer to The Face, but it was an unquenching thirst that drove them to get closer and closer. Over the centuries of prosperity the monsters had been slowly eating their way into the protective chambers that held the Genies, and one by one the Genies overtaken by the darkness and it’s following. As the sewers deteriorated the civilization also began to frenzy. Monsters began to breach the surface, preying on the helpless populace. In answer the leaders of the civilization sent any criminal, no matter what the crime, to the sewers. Not to repair them but as sacrifices to hold out against the waves of creatures for as long as possible. However over time it was not enough, soldiers eventually were sent in due to the increased need in the sewers. Soldiers that were meant to be guarding the populace living on the surface but instead were being massacred in the sewers. It cannot be said for certain when The Happening actually took place but at some point the Sewers were sealed off and the civilization on the surface disappeared. The city, the populace, everything. It was all gone and underneath the ground the remaining survivors began redeveloping a culture, only seeking to survive as long as they could.

 

For a few generations the remaining survivors inside the Sewers developed ways of keeping monsters away and learned that it was sometimes better to avoid the monsters rather than to eradicate them. Living in their quasi-balanced environment it was not until the last generation that we see pieces of text and lore emerge regarding The Face and through these we see the eventual demise of the sewers populace, who are notably human.

 

The Faceless are the previous inhabitants of the Sunken Sewers who have been collected by The Face and twisted into blighted beings known as Ghouls. Though they are directly commanded by The Face, the faceless are feral and often roam around the sewers to sometimes breach the surface and lurk among mortals.

 

Having grown free of the Genies maintaining his prison cell The Face eventually took the opportunity to gradually build his power to where The Oracle could no longer repair the Genies and instead entered a stasis purely designed to keep The Face from breaking free. Due to the origin of The Face the Oracle’s initial command to maintain the prison was inherently flawed. The Face once also called itself a Champion of Order and served Eshtael the Aengul’s servant had been corrupted by Iblees and no longer served order. It craved chaos and could bend the will of creatures around it to frenzy and seek chaos as well. Had it not been Eshtael’s creation perhaps the deity would not have interfered at all but because she sent another Champion to the mortal realm it would come to pass that mortals would eventually seek it out.

***
 

The Oracle

 

(albino-z @ Deviantart)

 

The Oracle is a Champion of Order, one of Eshtael’s strongest tools for maintaining worldly balance. The only other Champion of Order possibly known to the descendants is the White Stag who was recorded in lore during Athera. While technically genderless The Oracle is commonly referred to as male. The Oracle’s ability as a Champion of Order is his ability to engineer Genies, which are specifically crafted golems infused with Genie Cores (See Below). He also is what golemancers call, the impera, of any crafted Genie-core golem. He isn’t a genie himself but resembles one, or perhaps they resemble him.

 

He is humanoid in figure but in place where flesh would be is a hardened organic material similar in property to quartz but light enough to allow greater mobility than say, an actual golem, but less than a regular mortal. Along with this is a skeletal frame around his lower back and sides, showing a visibly glowing object within. White wings spread from his back allowing him to defy gravity as he carries his personal spear, the regalia used to create magi cores. Although he has the power to infuse cores he cannot create an infinite amount of them. This is due to the exact way a genie core is created (See Below)

 

***

 

Genie Core

 

 

The Genie Core is the offspring of a magi-soul, that being the soul of a mage who can connect to the void, and a soul core. The core uses the soulbinding technique and warps it into a magi-core which retains its attachments to the void. The mage core is then attached to a normal soul core. This allows the two cores to work in tandem. While the soul core supplies the resources needed to maintain the golem, the magi core is able to carry out more complex instructions and retains the ability to access the void. The price is the inability to maintain an extremely sturdy frame. The ritual needed to craft them is carried out by the Oracle and involves the mage sacrifice to willingly connect to the void during the entire process of crafting the core.

 

***

 

Genie Core Golems a.k.a Genies

(albino-z @ Deviantart)

 

 

Genies are crafted using the dual-core system known as genie cores. Unlike regular golems Genies are smaller, lighter and more human in appearance. They are resilient due to their immortal nature and hardened bodies but are comparatively weaker than a normal golem and slightly slower than a normal human. However in exchange for physical power the Genie is able to cast spells, though they are not able to craft new spells on their own. Instead they are able to be taught and explained how to shape their magic by their impera or whoever their impera has instructed for them to serve. Likewise in order to cast any large spell the Genie’s body becomes stationary. An example being if a Genie begins casting a fireball larger than a small ball the Genie becomes stationary but if it were say a short distance void shift they could keep mobility at a relatively normal degree. Along with this they can learn to use weapons as long as they bodies are repaired.

 

As they continue to use their connection to the void to cast spells their body begins to deteriorate and over time they need to be repaired. The cracks that form along the bodies of Genies glow when casting a spell and can be counted to show the condition of the body. When the magi core lay dormant in its use of the void the glow that emanates from all Genies is red, and blue when in the process of casting a spell. Unlike normal golems that have their core completely protected by an earthen body the core of a Genie is visible through it’s lower back and it is possible to disable the Genie by inflicting physical or magical damage directly to the core. If disabled the Oracle is required to re-enable to the core. It is because of this and the fact that the Oracle is the sole impera and required in the creation of Genies that they could often become lost, only to be eventually reclaimed by The Oracle.

 

***
 

The Face

 

The Face was once a Champion of Order and served Eshtael with unmoving loyalty. While The Oracle dealt with specific and usually remote instances to ensure the balance of the future The Face was often on the front lines of several major conflicts against the daemon armies. Somewhere down the line The Face came into contact with Iblees’ servants and began battling them using his divine gift. He had the ability to empower sentient beings around him with both bravery and the will to fight by his side. He was captured and tortured for information on his master, or a way into Eshtael’s sanctum. Eventually, having not been broken, he was corrupted, a shell of what he once was. His power to inspire was twisted into the power to frenzy. Those dwelling in the sewers over generations of close contact to his frenzy withered away into what they are now, the faceless. As his power shifted so did his objective. As he had once galvanized against the daemons he know led torrents of monsters on rampages through settlements. His power once enabling him to command even dragons and their ilk. The descendent races are able to naturally resist the frenzy however after long periods of time that resistance can falter. His regalia is a rapier that allows him to manipulate an aura around him. Once red now a pitch-black smog that travels through the sewers as harmful miasma.

 

***
 

The Faceless

 

 

Those who remained trapped in the sunken sewers survived for a few generations and actually learned to survive quite well in the sewers. So much so that there are only a few instances within the sewers infrastructure where possible routes to the surface were dug only to be collapsed and flooded by the large body of water above them. Gradually the faceless lost the control they had over the sewers as The Face dominated the Genies one by one. Eventually his frenzy afflicted them too and their forms twisted into dark beings. It is doubtful that any individual faceless still possesses mortal thought. They are commonly referred to as ghouls or zombies but they are merely another helpless pawn caught in the frenzy.

 

***
 

Resolution or Possible Outcomes

 

 

 

The descendents adventure into the sewers and may eventually find The Oracle’s antichamber. A fight will ensue and  The Oracle will fight alongside the descendents and if they choose to assist him rather than fight him directly he will lead them through the sewers to reactivate the disabled Genies. Their frames would be heavily damaged and unable to regain their proper functions. So instead The Oracle and the descendents leave the Sunken Sewers and the descendents are contacted later to begin phase two which is to regain his regalia, the genie spear. The Oracle sets up a dig site and begins digging towards the spear’s resting place, which had been buried by earth over the centuries it lay dormant. Descendents will be tasked with keeping a few swarms of monsters that had been attracted to the site from the Sunken Sewers and eventually the spear is uncovered and the genies rebuilt. The Genies are then take up their original function which helps seal the prison. This makes it so the final boss fight is just The Face. He will be unable to call upon the swarm during this time. After the fight The Oracle collects The Face and his regalia and explains that The Face will be cleansed of his corruption and reborn. If the Maheral is involved The Oracle asks what they seek and the Maheral answers, the golden pools, which prompts The Oracle to instruct his Genies to begin their search. A series of quests follows that end in the collection of an urn fragment.

Those involved may not even want to help The Oracle and if he is somehow beaten he would finally retreat back to Eshtael’s sanctum. If this happens The Oracle next appears for the boss fight against The Face in which he does not have his genies but instead fights alongside the descendents only to collect The Face’s weapon and body to bring back to the sanctum. If the Genies had not been repaired then the boss fight is also swarmed by the faceless due to the prison failing The Face having more power.. Sometime after this The Oracle may attempt to contact the descendents again in order to enlist their help in retrieving the Genies. If they choose to help a series of quests will eventually lead them to uncover an urn fragment. The urn fragment once apart of the enchanted urns used to activate the golden pools.

 

***

 

ESHTAEL & their ilk

 

 

After this Quest Line the Genies will enlist the help from ANY descendents in order to begin cleansing the Sunken Sewers, including wiping out the the faceless nest. This allows players who are not high elves to get a chance to find lore books and participate in events that actual change the environment.

 

Along with the Quest Line for the urn fragment this opens the possible event line to reintroduce The White Stag and the corruption of Eshtael’s garden which resides in the sanctum. Also there is a possibility that future champions are discovered, some of which are corrupted as well. The Face will be reintroduced down the road and participate in these events & Genies may be sent to instruct descendents to due specific tasks. Due to the increased presence of Iblees chaos spreads rapidly through the realms and the Aengul of Balance controls the spread when possible, maintaining order between light and darkness through tactical deployment of the Champions of Order.

 

Along with whatever the outcome of this event line is a new branch of questlines may develop from here involving other Champions of Order who have been corrupted and scattered across a land. Eventually it is revealed that Eshtael’s Inner Sanctum lays largely empty, untouched by even immortal hands. Eshtael is gone, or perhaps never existed. Not even those in the Order truly know why they were created or why they are driven to complete these individual tasks. The culmination of the event line (which is yet to be fleshed out) is the search to discover who or what Eshtael is and why the Champions were created.

 

Champions of Order (Subject to complete change as I develop and expand on each Champion) Other Inspiration Art

 

The Face - Rapier. Can rally sentient beings. Maintains the army. (When corrupted he causes monsters to frenzy towards him.)

 

The Oracle - Spear. Can create Genies. Maintains the prisons. (When corrupted he creates bloodfiends instead of Genies)

 

The Stag - Eyes. Can warp mental reality for others. Maintains the gardens. (When corrupted creates the blighted garden.)

 

The Gate  - Staff or Cup. Can transport others between realms. Maintains the entrance to the realm. (When corrupted summons descendants to a dungeon.)

 

The Chain - A Hammer. Transmutes corruption into gems. Maintains the realm's populace. (When corrupted creates blight crystal that emits miasma)

 

The Hand - Gauntlets. Shatters mortal weapons. Can lock away immortal items. Maintains the inner sanctum. (When corrupted can shatter and reforge metals into bedrock level material)

 

The Bastion - A Buckler. Manipulation of Gravity. Maintains the Realm's defense. (When corrupted the Realm of Eshtael is vulnerable to attacks from other deities.)

 

Eshtael - Maintains direct control over the balance of light and dark. They guide the fate of the descendents.

 

Working on this but essentially my idea is that the Order of Champions is ESHTAEL and that each of the seven works to accomplish a specific task. Haven’t quite gotten to an origin story or specific lore on an actual Aengul, Eshtael.

 

E - Eyes (The Stag)

S - Sentience (The Face)

H - Home (The Common)

T - Threshold (The Gate)

A - Aegis (The Bastion)

E - Empathy (The Hand)

L - Law (The Oracle)

 

[Elad™ 560]

Moved to the Archive. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.