An Age of Rancor

[femurlord 2364]

 

Spoiler

https://youtu.be/3MUGAxpI0Bc?si=moeXta8lWdvm9ZLJ

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The northern capital of Haense transformed into an eerie tableau as dark clouds and lightning replaced sunny skies. Deserted streets and distorted shadows haunted the city, with an unsettling stillness replacing its usual cheer. Parks became haunted landscapes, and the city's architecture loomed like spectral apparitions. The grand cathedral's spires pierced the sky like skeletal fingers, and the town square echoed with ghostly whispers. As the storm intensified, blood-spattered pages with cryptic messages appeared on monuments, deepening the unsettling enigma that had befallen the once-vibrant capital. What brought about this change?

 

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Northmen of Aleksander, the Sovereign,

 

The Midlands and North ring with the whispers of the knowing man, they cry of betrayal, a lapse in judgment, a dance with the devil; It's all true. You have no need to question it, the inheritor of past Kings, Aleksander, has knelt and offered me tribute out of sheer greed.

 

As Haense’s leader, he decried his enemies as unholy and dishonorable against their faith, but truly it is the fattest rat that squeaks the loudest. In a pact with me, the King forsook what his predecessors swore to protect after recovering it from the hellbent leader of an infernal party that once stormed your capital walls. A blade of immense, demonic power promised to be sequestered, to be kept from dark hands; instead it was conveyed to me by his most trusted men, saw to by his Wife and her chambermaids to deliver it to me, The Archlich.

 

All for an ancient grimoire, and it is why madmen howl in the streets as they do now. And in light of this, he acts much like the rat he is, hiding among the cracks and crevices outside this world under the lie of wounds from battle. And while you hide from the truth, I roost in your nest among your vile brood.

 

Let this be my declaration of war and heed it well, I will bring upon a great storm, one of violence and monsters. With my prize, there is no line I won’t step past, no warrior that will stop me as I mantle a crown of strength and will bring more than Dragons and Worms. I will tear it all down. Expect me soon.

 

You WILL know my name,

 

Gashadokuro

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Spoiler

I made a blunder writing this, if you caught it early and saw Planeswalking mentioned, disregard.

 

[wowj 2825]

"The weak are meat and the strong do eat." Spoke the Undead Hero of Eastfleet, UnderLord of DuLoc, Lord Protector of Quentin Brae and Knighted Sir of Aaun.

[_NotChris 202]

"Bozz'Brudda blah iz true!" - "HEHEHEHE!" The regally dressed ghoul cackled within the confines of blackened walls. 

[Reckless Banzai Screamer 11594]

A military governor :doomers: beneath the Cherry Blossom petals and says to his samurai council,

 

"Owari da, burn the rations the Haensers gave us. They might be contaminated."

 

The Sakuragakure food storage was set a blaze then along with any semblance of friendship. 10 more years of famine...

[Mio 3771]

Aleksandr roamed a plane of grass and wheat; lost. He'd thought that all would be well upon his return - if he could.
Alas, time would prove to that King the truth of the matter: this would not be the case.

[ferdaboy 1593]

Ser Garen paid no mind to the lies of the damned. He cast away the copy of the missive he had been given and began burning any other copy he could get his hands on.

[sam33497 2793]

Lanre Cerusil seethes at the Mio's actions before exploding the missive.

 

"He can't keep getting away with this. . . Gashadokurooo!!!!!"

[Gaja 289]

Hermann Wendl shambles awaits the command of his lord, the Archlich....

[DahStalker 2856]

Adela Taronitissa, seeing the beloved Queen mentioned, once more panics. “How do we censor this?!?”

[Islamadon 4429]

 

The Yasu-Tori frowns, knowing all too well that an eclipse had cast a shadow upon the Kingdom of Haense. He had known that hatred blinded the Monarchy from treating the defeated Midlander with dignity, and now he knew that the King had also been blinded by greed. Woe were those souls who perished in the Infernal attacks, undone by the ambitions of a single man.

The worst truth of all - Planeswalking was a terrible feat! Why make deals with daemons to spelunk a realm of garbage? Oh the horror . . .

[SupaSaMM 257]

An elderly woman gives a missive to her son, Stefan Starling. Stefan would read the missive and think to himself "What on Aevos are they doing up in Haense? Making deals with the devils? What will the church have say about this I reckon?" he said then returning to writing some papers regarding law in Lotusgrad. 

[SteppeNomad 1552]

"Thus are the wages of those who delve too deep."

 

The only active priest of haense builds an olog sized war machine with enough hammers and blades to make an orc warband spin

 

"And lo, shall Your holy steel be as armour around our souls, and shall Your wisdom guide our hands.
No spear nor barb of the enemy shall trouble our flesh of iron. Let the will of THE OWYNSSIAH be done!"

 

"FOR FATHER STOOOOORRRRR" The factory churns out more and more BOMBS and ALCHEMY

 

"May the IMPURE fall before the FIRE of the RIGHTEOUS."

 

 

 

 

[Karina 412]

Somewhere, sometime, Sermi was very pleased when she read the missive. Though, the description of what was handed over gave her pause. For long had she hunted the same. Even if it was not hers, something deep in her chest was quite entertained at the prospect of it finally finding a /use/. 
 

[indiana105 2138]

Ivan Aleksandr rises from his sickbed . . .

[PrimnyaQuorum 1036]

"...Poor Amaya."

 

Haus bids in his own silence, a copy safely kept in his quarter's and away from the burning hands of the Haeseni. Somewhere across the room, a larger stack rests - his own collection. History memorialized.

 

The Once-Weiss never imaged he'd live to see the Descendant of the Lion, Karl III, engaging with Hellish forces. Truly, a wonderful surprise. Yet all he could muster was that of sympathy for the dear Queen - the one who had lead the Haeseni through thick and thin, perhaps to be disgraced by association. 

 

He rose, opting to pace around his halls. Perhaps she need not be.