The Death Of Mirtok

[Mirtok 2853]

For weeks, months, even years now Mirtok has been mining. It began as a simple ploy to acquire more material and earthly riches for which he could sell and use. However, on one day he came across something much different deep under the surface of his domain. The caves that surrounded his fort Wachter Stadt were no mystery to the seasoned veteran of rock and war. He had nearly cleaned the landscapes below him of the valuables they once held. His coffers filled rapidly and his stocks quickly over flowed with an abundance of coal, iron, diamond, and gold. As he was conducting business as usual Mirtok stumbled upon a set of abandoned mines, possibly from a much older generation of miners that once inhabited the lands now known as Hanseti. Sensing a high prospect of adventure and even treasure Mirtok proceeded to explore these mines.

Event 1

While excavating a small vein of dirt and gravel I quickly found myself looking down into an already mined out hallway. I'm no fool, I know of this lands past and that mining is far from a new concept in these parts. I climbed down into the hallway and found myself unable to see the ends of the long corridor. I'm running low on torches and food so I set up a make shift camp out of the hollowed portion I came in from. The structural integrity of these mines appear solid and the wood enforcing the roof seems untouched by weather and decay. Whom ever built these built them to last and it shows. Each direction that leads down the hallway is clouded in darkness and therefore difficult to tell what lies beyond. I plan to venture further down after a brief moment of rest and some time to sort my goods. I have plenty of coal and some wood so torches wont be a problem, food is the only thing I'm worried about. No real worries though, these mines are strong and I have confidence I'll be able to make it back before I succumb to any real hunger.

*************************************************

Mirtok restocked on necessary explorers gear and rested for a short while. However, his sleep was not a lonely one. For what seemed like an eternity, Mirtok was constantly plagued by horrific images of death and gore. Twisted forms of men were plastered over the walls in a small antechamber with a single stone stand placed at its center. Putrid blobs of flesh, muscle, and bone were positioned towards the center of the room, as if trying to escape the forsaken chamber. The finer details were hard to distinguish due to a sort of pink haze that clouded Mirtok's view of the scene. A large metallic door slowly opened inward with light spilling in from the source, and a sensation of wind began to rush in the direction of the door. Mirtok awoke in a cold sweat, breathing hard. Mirtok is no stranger to bad dreams, being a soldier has that effect on people. He has seen death and horrors that no man would wish to have burned into their memories. Undead raids and the like some times make unwelcome guests during Mirtok's slumbers. But this dream was different, nothing he had ever felt or seen ever before in his life. Shrugging it off he collects his gear and proceeds down the left hallway . . .

Event 2

These things stretch on for miles and arnt entirely vacant. I have come across a number of chests containing some minerals and surprisingly edible food. I haven’t had the need to return to the surface either as there is just enough coal for lighting when I need it most. As I write this I am sitting in what seems like a lobby of sorts. The walls are polished and the floors look processed. The rooms and hallways around this room are also man made and even look lived in. I can clearly spot what was once a forge and some areas that contained bedrooms. Every once in a while I am stopped by the rotting shambles of Undead spawn and I quickly dispatch of their presence immediately. The only real trouble I have had comes from those smaller spiders with the spitting fangs. Little bastards are nimble and my ax doesn’t work too well in these close quarters. There is also this pounding that can be heard from some where further on in the compound. I have tried to locate its source but I just find myself deeper and deeper into this place. I don't have a clear account as to how long I've been down here but I'm sure my absence has been noticed. I'll make my decent soon, but I feel like I'm getting closer to something . . . something important.

*************************************************

Deeper and deeper Mirtok went, picking up treasures from the past and making camp as he went along. Every so often Mirtok would once again be haunted by that dream he had on the first encounter with the compound. Each one revealing a tiny detail that was hidden previously.

Event 3

These dreams are getting' worse and are happening more often. I try to skip sleeping as much as I can stand just to avoid them. I've seen some real bad stuff in my life, but nothing compares to what my mind is projecting to the back of my eyelids. I was searching around some more rooms and facilities today . . . or is it night? Some old scribbling of some poor fool with horrid handwriting. From what I could understand, this location was host to both some commonwealth group and a band of . . . researchers is the best word for it. The drawing that were dispersed between the writing showed sketches of the human body as well as a various anatomies of elves. As I get deeper down from where I started, the temperature drops in certain areas to the point where I can see my breath. The walls also show more signs of wear with smudges along it's surfaces. Nothing too bad though, the supports appear to be in good order and the roof only shows minor signs of age.

P.S. I've noticed a large decline in monsters and creatures the further I go, not sure if that's a good thing or not.

*************************************************

As time advanced, so did Mirtok's curiosity for what he was surrounded by. The workings of the past intrigued him and sparked his inner desire to explore and discover. Instead of looking for metals and riches in the rocks he was delicately searching through old offices and dorms. But Mirtok's greatest moment of discovery came when he stumbled upon a large domed room, filled with books and contraptions. For what he could only think of as days, Mirtok searched through books and toyed with the strange machine that seemed to have no purpose. He ignored the sounds that echoed around his new place of discovery, he ignored the natural need for food, he ignored the thoughts of the world above him. However, he did not let himself starve. He rationed his food off to accommodate his activities among the books and a connecting room featured pools of water that so was safe to drink.

Event 4

I still don’t have a name for these people. I've read dozens of books and studied piles of scrolls and haven’t learned anything past what they researched here. Don't get me wrong, what I have seen is amazing! These people were on to something big . . . as in game changer technology. It's funny really, the more I read the more I keep returning to the nightmares I've been having. These people were working on what I can only describe as eternal life. It's not as simple as that but its the basic idea of what went on here. They drew their plans around a number of magics, good and evil. Most of what they tried to do was something along the lines of anti-aging, stop or slow the natural decay of humans. Massive studies are also directed towards elves, I think they were trying to discover what allowed them such large longevity. I can't what they tried to do was good though, it appears many died and many were “experimented” on. This one account here talk about the retrieval of a book said to hold a number of spells and enchantments pertaining to life and the soul. Plenty of work and resources went into this work but it makes me wonder, where did these people go and how far did they get?

*************************************************

Mirtok crept closer and closer to the answer of his question. But, bodily needs became to much for him and he abandoned the project. After an unknown amount of time spent in those mines, Mirtok emerged. His skin was much paler and his mass deteriorated severely. Much had happened while he was away, many of his brothers had left on personal missions and crusades, his own blood brother was off stir trouble for far off lands, and worst of all his friend of countless years and leader of his Order had died. Sam's passing was a complete mystery to him, all he was told was that he died fighting in Wolf Edge at the hands of Blood Mages. Kai had ascended to the position of Hochmeister and once again, Mirtok was made general. However, Kai came to him one day while he was working and informed him on a shift of power. Mirtok was then made Hochmeister of the Teutonic Order. Both filled with happiness and extreme grief, Mirtok returned home to Wachter Stadt.

Event 5

My brothers are gone . . . Sam is gone. Kai told me that I am to become Hochmeister, but it still feels like he will be running things. What the nether was he doing all the way out in Wolf Edge? Why wasn’t he traveling with Teutonic soldiers? Those Blood Mages said they would leave us alone after the last time they visited. Something is off . . . I need to know more. I plan to visit Sam's body soon, give it a good inspection. Kai is keep him frozen in one of the rivers near the city, hopefully his remains weren’t too disturbed from the haul over. Right now I'm going back in that compound, there is something down there that could really change things, maybe even bring Sam back . . . who knows. I will depart soon, just have to bring some supplies.

2 packs of Battle Biscuits

2 rolls of torches

3 pickaxes

1 shovel

1 empty book

1 pack of TNT

1 flint and tinder

*************************************************

And so he did. Mirtok quickly found his way back to the research room and set up camp. For a number of days he poured over books and discovered more and more about where he was. When looking through a pile of papers on a desk he came across what looked to be a map. It showed the massive sprawl of the compound . . . or better called city. From the various specialized rooms and open areas, this place housed a great number of people. The city was divided into 4 sectors, each responsible for their own set of tasks. The first district was entrusted with the general administration of the city. The second district housed a large underground orchard equipped with various wheat fields dispersed throughout the tree lines. The third district was home to military functions and storage for the cities gatherers. And finally, the fourth district, where he stood, was in charge of any and all research and development projects. He studied the map and found the room where he was, a library sort of room that doubled as a display room for a number of successful projects. However something odd struck him as he scanned along the edges of the walls printed on the map, another hallway lead off from one side of the pentagonal library.

Event 6

Found me a map! Shows off just how big this place really is. It's a wonder how I found myself in this part of the city, seeing as I began somewhere near a military depot. After I found the map under a collection of doodles I took a slight nap. Those dreams I've been having . . . the nightmares . . . it continued this time but this time it was strange. I . . . I was in this room looking at a wall. I reached my hand out and pushed in a rather strange brick made of a red stone rather than the normal gray of the walls. At my feet lay a bright golden and red tapestry, just like the one that can be found on the wall not too far from where I'm sitting. In my dream, after I pushed in the brick the walls slid away from each other revealing a long and dark passage ending in . . . big metal doors. I've seen those doors almost every time I closed my eyes to sleep, except this time I say them from the other side. I walked forward down the dark hallway, screams were being echoed off the walls with each step I took. The noise was unbearable but I couldn’t stop getting closer to that door. My legs had a mind of their own and they brought down that hallway right up to the door. I could then see my hand reach out and . . . touch the door. When I did I woke up immediately. I know it was a dream but . . . but it seemed too real. The noises, the cold almost frozen stone that made up the hallway, the pain as I unwilling crept closer to those big metal doors.

*************************************************

In a fit of anxiety and curiosity, Mirtok tore down the large tapestry adjacent to where he was sitting. Instantly his eyes locked on a single red brick slightly protruding from the wall. He drew nearer to it, neglecting to actually touch it, let alone press it. If what he had seen during his sleep was true, those doors were waiting for him on the other side of this wall. However, Mirtok thought of what could be behind those doors. They were but dreams, and he thought that it was impossible for him to actually have seen behind them. But that still raised a number of questions regard how he had come to know where this red brick was hiding. The nation above was in trouble and had just suffered a tragedy. Mirtok thought back to what he had read in the books the lined the walls, what could be housed behind the metal doors. He could bring back his nation to its former and rightful glory or even bring those from the past back . . . Sam and Gaius. Breathing in deeply and closing his eyes, Mirtok pressed the brick in ending with a slight cracking sounds. He peeked from his shut eyelids to see that in fact the walls were separating from one another, revealing a long dark passage. He saw those big metal doors waiting for him at the end of the hall. The walls were unnaturally dark but the end was unnaturally light. A whisper spoke to him in the back of his head causing him to shiver and look around for the speaker. It wasn’t anything he could understand, but it called to him. Mirtok's legs began to move forward, pulling him with them. He could feel the shivering cold leeching into his armor and passing on to him. His head began to pound rapidly with each step closer to the doors. The whispers began to grow louder to the point of insanity. Mirtok's very insides felt like they were going to fail and he was going to die, but when he reached the threshold of the doors, it all stopped. Mirtok caught his breath only for a moment before the voice returned, screaming inside his mind. Mirtok's arm stretched forward on its own accord and place a hand on the cool metal door. The doors began to glow, emitting a bright white light that destroyed any darkness that inhabited the long hallway. Mirtok was forced to look away for a brief moment before turning back to see the monolithic structures moving into the room they guarded. In that split second the doors reached their open position, a solid cloud of pink gas erupted from inside the room. Mirtok was quickly engulfed in the pink cloud, filling every inch of his body with pain. All in the span of a few seconds, Mirtok buckled to the floor writhing in intense pain as more and more of the pink cloud washed over him and spilled out into the previous room. The pink cloud was far too much for Mirtok, it found its way into his armor and pooled itself around him. Before he could register what had happened, Mirtok DeNurem died.

Event 7

It was black, cold, and empty. Every inch of me wanted to die and I honestly thought I did, but here I am. I don't know what I did, what I allowed out of that room. My dreams were a spot on replica as to what lay beyond. Twisted and grotesque forms of men littered that room around an alter of sorts. Encased in a stone claw was a pink orb, with a slight crack in it. That's where all this pink came from, that orb is powerful stuff. When I “died” and “woke up” I was right where the cloud hit me. In those brief moments after I opened the door, I broke the seal that held the horrid gas in. Before I could react it all rushed out and engulfed me . . . it was horrible. Once I realized what had happened I dashed for my gear, I couldn’t let this gas get out. I prepared for what could happen when I saw that final dream, I needed the security before I did what I was going to do. I rigged several hallways with TNT, and without hesitation I detonated all of them. Hopefully most of the gas was contained and didn’t escape out into the surface. Celestia only knows what would happen to the world above if it got out. When I triggered the explosives the air around me began to dissipate with the pink cloud, and with it the constant pain of its presence. It was almost as if the very walls absorbed it, everything did . . . even me. I don't know how to explain this but . . . I am my armor now. I've pulled and pried at my chestpeice and leggins for hours, trying to get to tear away from my body but I know it now, we are one. During the initial exposure my helmet was knocked off, sparing me from complete armor infusing, but I only wish it had stayed on. I crawled over to a mirror and saw with great shock what I had become. It's far too horrible for me to explain, I am no longer me, I resemble a monster. That explosion should attract people to my location, I used more than enough TNT to cause a rather large cave in that would result in a massive dirt cloud. I have supplies but not for long, any organic material in the proximity of that cloud was either melted or rendered inedible. I can hardly write these very words, I feel so weak and drained. I fear this may be the end of me but I can't allow this gas to react with the outside world. The people that once inhabited this place are gone for a reason, they either died from the cloud or left in fear. That would explain the almost newly abandoned aspect of this whole city, as if people just up and left in a massive hurry. I'll try to quarantine the infected areas so that when a search party comes they will be safe.

*************************************************

A lot more time passed than Mirtok thought it would take to find him. He wallowed about the remains of research facility for days, and days turned into weeks. His food store depleted just after the first few days, but he didn’t ever grow hungry. Mirtok was a shadow of his former self, a shred of his past life. All his natural white hair had fallen out, his skin transformed into a sickly arrangement of rotted flesh and bare muscle. What lay underneath his armor was no longer a separate entity from his protective gear. The skin and muscle were fused with the armor around it, Mirtok could still function the same as he always could but now his armor felt overly form fitted. The state of his body was completely unknown to him for he could not see it. The combination of organic and metal material prevented any attempt at examination. Mirtok looked rotted, ancient, and decrepit but he felt alive and grew stronger with each day. In a little over than a week he had returned to his former strength, despite the horrid appearance his face displayed, he was fully functional. The only characteristic that could link Mirtok to his old appearance were his eyes. The only part of him unaffected by the pink cloud remained a deep green. At first Mirtok could hardly stand the sight of himself and only wished for death. But as he grew accustom to his new form, he appreciated his luck. The men from long ago perished under the press of the pink cloud, turning them into horrid entities of flesh and bone. Mirtok has died and been reborn, able to pick up and carry on. He had a responsibility that bound him to the world and gave him the will to continue. His brothers needed him, his order needed him. After nearly a month of total solitude, Mirtok was rescued. The men that greeted him were friendly faces, his brother Darius and his Order mate Haleth Morin.

Mirtok will never be the same, at least not appearance wise. What had happened deep underground was a traumatic and surreal experience that will haunt him for much of his life to come. However, Mirtok knows what secrets are awaiting him down there, treasures and information that could greatly benefit his people. But for now the problems of the surface are the dominant thoughts of his mind, and that compound will have to wait.

[firespirit44 1323]

((Good story, and I guess your skin suits the story alright. Very descriptive and I look how you separated them into chapters.

My new Hochmeister appears to now be Ironman.))

[MajesticOwyn 334]

Great story, I loved it. The part where your armor fused to your skin was pretty awesome.

Ironman for Hochmeister!

[Religious_Pie 127]

((indeed, an extremely impressing read...I look forward to what else is made from this pink gas...))

[Mirtok 2853]

*Mirtok sits alone in his throne room with a book in one hand and a quill in the other. He spends several minuets scrawling something unto the pages before stopping and looking to the other end of his throne room. He gazes out past the mountains, traveling over the high peaks and low forests in his minds view, before eventually halting over a deep hole in the ground. Mirtok then looks back down at the pages he had been writing in and reflects upon the words he had wrote . . .

Years have gone by now; The effects of "The Accident" have been little trouble for my personal health. Though gruesome and scarred is my face and unreachable is my body, I am still able to maintain myself on the field of war and in the rooms to plan them. I was quite upset with the changes for a good many years, but I soon grew accustom to the strikingly horrid appearance that I expose to my enemies; Their faces as I edged closer and spoke of their deaths often caused me to chuckle- But none the less I still needed to find a fix for my predicament.

For awhile I merely collected books in hopes that what I seek could be found within their pages but I soon lost that venture to a seemingly better and more successful method of revival- Return to the site of corruption. I was hesitant to do so, but I knew I would find something to heal my ailments; And I did indeed. In fact, I found it rather quickly but didn't realize it- A potion that was devised to reverse the corrosive effects on organic matter from the "Pink Cloud" that I encountered in the now collapsed portion of the compound. Among the solution were other forms of treatment that I gave attempts at but with little avail; For a period of two days I was cured by a certainly odd method of regrowth but the effects faded on the eve of the second day.

Such method required me to construct several discs fastened within each other with a single chair in the center that had a few animal intestines for tubing. I was to sit upon the chair and activate the mechanism with a pulley- the pulley drops a weight and the weight pulls a rope the sets the whole contraption spinning- All the while the animal tubing feeds a thick potion into the openings of my armor. I was supposed to sit and endure the sickening spinning for nearly 30 minuets, allowing the liquid to soak the entirety of my deformed flesh, allowing to to pry away and begin a sort of rapid repairing.

The liquid used in the treatment appeared to be a primitive version of the actual formula that I use now. I suppose the alchemists who devised the solution quickly saw that the spinning machine was no good, as the original prototype had a moltenous blob of organic flesh stuck to the tops of the rings- thus they built on the formula and dropped the rings. After many failures at curing the corruption, I finally came upon my work at brewing the correct potion.

1 part magma cream

- to be added after 3 hour periods.

3 cubes of diced cocoa bean

2 stalks of of river reed

4 parts mild poison

- Found on the ancient corpses

2 shots of alcohol

3 scoops of explosive powder

3 scoops of blaze powder

3 scoops of sugar

Fill half a flask with Ice melt

Brew under cold temperatures

Fill flask half full with solution

Fill flask half full with own blood

Allow to settle for 3 days

Be it the potion or the gods, the fact of the matter is that I can feel my body healing. Painful as all nether but as long as the end result is purification then I must endure. The brilliant rays of Celestia grace the lands of Hanseti daily with good fortune, hopefully my darkened soul can make room for her radiance, giving me the strength and will to finally be cured of this corruption.

As I write these very words I can feel the chain mail that have imprisoned my fingers- loosen from their once solid state, allowing me the sensation of individualism from my armored components. I dare not examine my face, I am both hesitant that such is even repairable and I wish to view myself once I have undergone every stage of the treatment. From my readings, long hours of translating and even longer weeks of trying to understand it all; Once I complete the treatment, I must face the “Pink Cloud” once more.

The final exposure should react with my potion saturate body, causing a complete reversal of the corruption. I still need the clouds intense magical powers to collide with careful alchemy in order for the healing process to succeed. I do not know what kind of things these ancient Hansetians were dealing with. I have spoken with the Subudai leader Sauros- Asked him questions regarding the Order's past and the peoples that once inhabited Hanseti- he spoke of nothing regard what I had found and experienced deep under the frozen crust that is Hanseti. I plan to make more trips back into the compound, see what else I can recover. I believe in my incident reports I noted several contraptions and writings- oddly enough in common tongue- that would prove to be a massive benefit to any military order whom has the means to research and fund- which I do. I will soon be my old self, white hair and fair skin.

My former image has long since escaped clear visionary understanding in my own thoughts, I can only work off of what my brother Darius tells me. Damn, when he found me in the rubble, I thought I was dead and that Celestia herself had allowed me to remain upon Asulon as merely a spectator. Gods these days, from many to one, from one to The One. Whether it be Celestia or God, I thank thee every night for allowing this corrupted soul the fortune of life with the price of corrupted appearance. If anything, my ailment has opened my eyes- cleared away the hazed fog that was holding me back, holding my order back- and now I will utilize the opportunity.

It's getting late, most men would be either sleeping or enjoying a hearty meal near their embracing fires- but I sit here, unaffected by fatigue, hunger, cold or warmth alike. I have been robbed of many senses but given life and that is all I can ask for. Perhaps I shall go on a midnight stroll, perhaps find out what has been killing off some of our recruits- Maur claims it to be a monster of massive size. Bah, I've seen enough to no longer care what it is, I just know it needs to be halted lest more men perish late in the night.

[Mirtok 2853]

*Mirtok yawns as he sits upon his throne. His stomach growls from time to time and the slight desire to rest invades his immediate thoughts. Covering his mouth for another yawn, Mirtok takes out a piece of parchment and readies his quill with ink. Connecting tip to paper he writes . . .

There is only so much the potion can do on its own. I will soon make the trip back into the compound- the collapsed area. With each passing day- little by little- I can feel and sense once forgotten sensations. I can feel my self grow independent from my metal casing, looser and more alive. These past decades have not been kind to me, but luckily I have had the luxury of numbness to it all. There was a time when killing bothered me, when I thought to take the path of words over blood; When the sight of a beaten man meant the end of a struggle or when civil forms of interrogation were all that was necessary. This accident has changed me I suppose, jaded my mind and caused a fog to slip over mercy- upsurting its rule and replacing it with the violent tyrant that occupies my hands. which in turn direct my blade into the flesh of man.

Though I still feel slightly connected to my former self, I still think the same thoughts more or less, still enjoy the same things- Just with a few additives. I have let the monster others see me as become me. When I became OrdenMarschall I took on a more defensive approach to battle, utilizing large walls or deep mots. Now I have shed such reliances and have taken directly to the field, preferring open air combat as opposed to a city assault. Bloody hell, I used to be called soft for the way I was and now I am called a monster or evil. Perhaps I am. I've done a fair amount of killing, burning, breaking, stealing, looting, taking. I've sent brave men into the nether itself, lead men to their deaths on the field, watched my friends and family grow old and die. It amazes me how long I have lived, all that I have seen; It is both not fair but fitting that I must live in this torment. Even more fitting that I was stripped of what still made me Human, but now I am taking that back.

I do not know what is in store for me. Do I deserve what I fight for? Do I deserve all the riches, land, and power? Sure, I took it, it is mine. I do not fancy myself a greedy man nor a joyful killer. Seeing a man die brings no joy to me, nor does it bring sorrow. The countless years of war, fighting and struggle have done its toll. I miss the old days, of simplicity and pleasure. Aegis was a fitting home, but like most good things in our existence, someone has to take it. Why can I not go back and live those days, a simple farmer earning his wages; The world struggle that I found myself at was a far deviation from what I wanted to achieve in life. My dreams perverted by blood and remade by habit. Enough of such ramblings, I must record my observations regarding my recovery.

The potion is working wonders but like I have said before, it cannot do it alone. The intensive power that the "Pink Cloud" carried should excel the process towards an immediate conclusion. I am still unaware as to how I should expose myself to the cloud- Last time was far from a joyful experience. The older writings that I work from give no mention as to the delivery of the gas, just that it is necessary. I fear that too much will further the corruption and too little will halt my recovery at an inopertune stage. Still so very much to discover down there, what I do have is the very tip of the glacier. The ancient Hansetians were working on extraordinary feats of Human engineering and they blended it all perfectly with magical enhancements. It make one wonder what they were preparing for, what massive obstacle they hoped to destroy or what evil they awaited. In Gaius' old accounts, he retold the journey that the first men took to get to Asulon. To escape Iblees and the wretched lives that fall under his evil influence.

Perhaps they geared up for the fighting to come to their shores, but still there are many questions. Who were the ancient Hansetians? Both the writings by Gaius and the information I gathered from Sauros describes nothing about the people in Hanseti. And even stranger is why have none of the other inhabitants of Human decent in Asulon progressed to the stage that the ancient Hansetians had? Keeps me up at night . . . even though I do not need to sleep on account of my predicament.

They seemed to be doing many things, the "Pink Cloud" at the forefront of their ingenious attention. The more information I uncover only furthers my conclusion as to what they hoped to achieve. My initial ideas were centered around eternal life or prolonged longevity, but new evidence points towards organic enhancement. The creation of superior soldiers and miracle thinkers. There is only so much that the old Hansetians could describe with their ancient dialect, more fitting for military or industrial work as opposed to artistic or intellectual expression. None the less it is all fascinating, a true marvel for what they went out to achieve.

While men like me went through the infant stages of modern life back in Aegis, Celestia only knows what these Hansetians were doing in their massive underground cities. It took us Aegis folks nearly a century to reach the lower pegs of the Hansetian ladder of advancement. The early days of my life were plagued by bandits whom owned the long roads between settlements. Then they were driven out by organized militias, the militias replaced by professional soldiers. Thus ushering the cities to become sprawling centers of trade and interaction, the will to explore and to settle new lands. New lands brought more wealth and with more wealth came intense greed. Kings and lords rose personal armies to take from each other, conquer land and claim resources. Then Asulon became our new home, we were forced to rebuild but with nothing; All the while keeping the same mindset of men with soldiers to spare and gold to fund it all. War never left our thoughts as right away we fought- with sticks and stone and arrow and bow- then a whole new era swept over Asulon- World War. Now that is all we see, massive armies from many reaches of the world teaming up to fight the remaining portion. 100 years and still we are so young.

Night falls upon me once again and tonight I might try to sleep for the first time in nearly two decades, maybe treat myself to a crisp and a biscuit.

[Mirtok 2853]

*From atop the towering walls of the East, Mirtok holds a book in his hands as he stares out towards the Easter Peaks. The massive columns of gas erupt from the mountain crest, altering the sun light as it struggles to shine through. Mirtok looks away for a moment and opens the book in his hand. It falls open to the most recent entry . . .

I was a little over 60 when I had my accident. The years of war and time were starting to take its toll on my body, but my mind remained ever strong. I look back upon my transformation from time to time, thinking about whether or not it was a gift from the Goddess or a curse by some unknown evil. I have been allowed to live longer than a normal Human but without the qualities that makes someone Human. I look like an Undead sorcerer and I have lost the barrier that kept me from toppling into a darkened hole of inhuman thoughts and lack of compassion. In a sense I have been freed from such a confinement; free to operate without limitation or moral chains. And to be quite honest, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Now I ask myself; Do I want to be healed? I have come very far and have done many things to prepare myself for this day. People have died and opportunities were lost, but all necessary to bring me to this point. I have nothing more to do then to allow my body to be taken once more by The Cloud. To allow its powerful and unexplainable magic to consume me, to change, to fix me. And I ask myself; Do I want to be healed?

With each passing day, more and more of the deadly gas spills into the air. The columns can be seen from the capitol city of Oren, dark magenta with pink dissipation. With each passing day the overhang grows larger and heavier, and it will soon fall and consume everything that is Hanseti. The people will, the animals will die, the trees and flowers and grass will all die. I can only pray that the Goddess herself protects me and my brothers when it matters most- guide the The Cloud away from our homes and spare us the horrible death that is exposure to the pink. I suppose that I will not have a choice soon as it grows nearer. Willingly submit or undergo the effects of procrastination and indecision.

May the Goddess Celestia smile upon the frozen lands of Hanseti.

Beliae doe Moedor Lent!

[ski_king3 0]

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