Legends of The Goat

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Spoiler

 

Legends of The Goat

Revealed to and transcribed by R E N, Scribe of Velkuzat in 210 of the second age.

 

A goat surveys the mountainside, searching for enemies.

 

 

Left or right, which path to take? As the guardsman wondered which direction would take him back to camp, he undid his helmet strap and tucked the object into the crux of his elbow. He held his torch outward with his left hand as he attempted to peer deeply into the dense woodline, though he could see nothing more than the few trees ahead of himself and remnant hoof marks of past creatures who had traveled the land.

 

Deciding that a farmer must have traveled through the area recently, the man went off after the tracks. But these soon disappeared. Turning around to head back, the man saw that even the tracks he followed were gone. 

 

He was lost, helplessly so.

 

In the distance, there was the sound of a weak bleat. Deciding it was his only option, the guard walked aimlessly towards it. He would never make it to his destination. The following morning when the search party was sent for him, all they found was a destroyed pair of armor - trampled by a set of hoofs.

 

 

 

Although many of the descendants slain by His followers fall to either infernal beasts or man, some loyal creatures also play a role in leading unwary victims to their doom. These creatures, whether by luring descendants into unfamiliar territory - as in the story above - or by directly attacking soldiers on mountainsides, serve as agents of His will.

 

Numerous legends tell of rogue goats slaying a soldier at a critical moment, or causing chaos in a village square, but there are also many other stories revolving around His will. While most of these merely serve as conversational tools to teach people about Velkuzat and the workings of His army, others are thought to have legitimacy, even if their arts are currently lost to time.

 

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A forge, endlessly spewing molten rokodra.

 

When one was approaching the legendary Forge of Kaz, there could be no mistake what territory of Velkuzat you were in. The sounds of heavy hammers slamming onto hardening metals echoed for miles as the forge was approached. Your ears grew tired from the noise before the forge was even in view.

 

One could find the forge without relying on sound too. Endless caravans of rokodra streamed back from the front lines, creating a clear path for anyone to follow. It was here, at the Forge of Kaz, that Velkuzat equipped his legions.

 

—

 

The Forge of Kaz was a forge controlled by Velkuzat that was necessary for the mass production of Rokodra before the mining city of Rokhard-maek was captured in the year 124 of The Second Age_[1]. 

 

This forge was not simply where raw materials were turned into Rokodra - but quite the opposite. When soldiers and fighters of His army would decimate another army, there would naturally be plenty of rokodra left on the battlefield. This armor - marked in the colors and symbols of foreign legions_[2] - would then be transported back to the Forge of Kaz, where it could be remade into new armor.

 

However, for most armies, this was an inefficient process. A percent of the metal was lost as it is with modern forging techniques. To combat this, Velkuzat blessed the forge to consume blood as energy. With large quantities of blood - oftentimes easily obtained from nearby battles - the forge could remake an entire set of rokodra armor without losing any metal.

 

[1] - More information about Rokhard–maek can be found in the paper: "Culture and Customs of The Goat”

[2] - Rokodra glows the color of the forge master’s malflame, and so it must be remade to recolor it properly.

 

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A follower of The Goat offers blood to an assisting demon. 

 

A beggar, poor and tired, sat on the edge of the cobble street. He held out a hand to those who passed in hopes of gaining even a singular coin. Many passed without offering anything, though eventually a robed man stopped and offered a hand to him. He stated that he could assist the beggar, and give him a fresh life. 

 

The beggar had heard stories of this before and was afraid of losing his spot. Wary of the man, he swatted away his hand and told him to leave. To his astonishment, as the robed man left, he saw that he was walking on a pair of hooved feet. 

 

The beggar quickly rose to his feet so that he could follow the robed figure - but he could not move. He opened his mouth to call out to him, but no sound came from it. Velkuzat had offered him a new life - and the beggar had not recognized Him.

 

—

 

In the same way that one would not show up to church without a coin to give, and how one would not expect a demon to assist without a bit of a bribe, Velkuzat expects you to recognize His assistance when it is offered. There is little that one must do to earn his favor - especially the poor and hungry_[3] - but do not expect to be offered a second chance at life often.

 

Those who wish to be influenced by Him must keep their eyes open. His emissaries roam the world, and one never knows when they may be approached. Likewise, it would be wise for those especially loyal to Him to keep a bit of extra food on their persons at all times. It would naturally draw his ire if an emissary was met and no food was offered.

 

[3] - This is referenced in the paper: "Trial and Commands of The Goat".

 

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A rokodra helmet survives against a burst of flame.

 

Amid one of the endless wars of Moz’Strimoza, Velkuzat and his legions were experimenting. It had not been long ago that the best blood mages of The Bat had been captured and quickly put to work. This group was tasked with creating bloodless soldiers - and it would not be long before this goal was realized.

 

These soldiers were said to possess infinite stamina, able to march and fight forever as if untouched by fatigue. Like the ancient runes that once adorned the soldiers, the rituals that were used to forge these limitless soldiers were eventually lost to time. The stories of their might and the souls bound to armor were not.

 

—

 

The fort of Alzkark erupted in chaos as loud alarm bells rang out. Zevn flew frantically through the sky and screamed in Ilzakarn while zar’ei scrambled to arm themselves. A small detachment of Velkuzat’s soldiers had been spotted nearby - dressed head to toe in rokodra armor.

 

The zar’ei and zevn quickly gathered into a small warband and marched out into the wastes of Moz’Strimoza. They soon encountered just a few rokodra fighters - the armor was engraved fully with blood magic runes. As the groups closed in on each other, a battle quickly began.

 

A multitude of imps flew at the first set of armor - though they could not separate the armor’s plates to expose the wearer beneath. A few zar’ei then began to assault one of His soldiers with warhammers - though the armor would not dent. Finally, after one of the armored suits had slain a few fighters, a zar’ei managed to stab deep into the armor. When his sword was withdrawn, there was no blood.

 

The fort was quickly claimed by His forces, and more of these bloodless soldiers were produced. It is unknown what was responsible for their eventual demise.

 

 

 

 

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