Riizu

As dusk set on the realms of Athera, stars began to twinkle into existence, setting the sky alight with pinpricks of illumination, casting a magical glow on everything below. Birds and woodland creatures were setting in for the night, and for a brief period, the troubles of the land were of no concern to its inhabitants.

Meanwhile, in the frigid north, a harsh winter was setting in. With the exception of a few trappers from the realms of Oren, and various nomads working to create a cartagraph of the new lands, the north was an untouched bastion of nature. It was here, that one such trapper came upon a clearing in the woods, softly illuminated by the glow of a crackling fire.

Not one to place his life in danger, the trapper cautiously approached, aware of the numerous bandits and thieves that permeated the wood. As he approached the final tree blocking his view, he peered beyond, and was met with a rather peculiar site.

Towards an edge of the clearing sat a man, or so the trapper assumed, considering the individual was draped in robes of the purest white, which gave no indication of their gender and more than adequately hid their features from any onlookers. The man slowly turned a crude rotisserie made of sticks and stone anchors with which a small rabbit was skewered, its flesh being slowly cooked by the flickering flames below. A smell of decadent meat filled the clearing, and the trapper was soon salivating at the corners of his mouth - it had been quite awhile since he last ate.

"Would you like some Lad? There is plenty to share..." The man's voice rang out through the clearing.

"He couldn't mean me..." thought the trapper, as he was adequately hidden.

Sure enough though, the man turned his hooded head towards him. While the trapper could not make out his features below the hem of the hood, he could see eyes of the purest blue, that seemed to glow with an inhuman light behind them. In such situations, the trapper would usually flee for his life. It was no secret that followers of the ancient evils still existed. But in this case, he could not help but describe the feeling he had as one of intense comfort and relief.

This man could be trusted.

The trapper slowly left his hiding place entered the grove, clearing his throat as he approached.

"How did you know where I was?" he immediately blurted out, silently cursing himself that he seemed unable to quell his own curiosity enough to figure out who the hooded figure could be first.

The man chuckled. It was a gravelly noise. The type of chuckle that one made after seeing hundreds of seasons pass them by. This was a man who had watched children be born, grow old, and die - all the while silently watching over them.

"Why don't you sit down? You look like you could use some food."

Again with the mystery. The trapper wasn't surprised to find that the man hadn't answered his question. It was far from the most surprising thing he had witnessed this evening. As he sat down, the man muttered a few words, almost musical in nature. They weren't of any language he was familiar with, but the elicited feelings of warmth, happiness, and protection. The fire immediately diminished to a low flicker, casting eerie shadows throughout the clearing.

The trapper must be seeing things he thought, for magic was unknown in this time. In fact, the last time magic had been a normal occurrence was when his grandfather's grandfather was still a child, back in the land of Aegis. He did his best to quiet his wandering mind, and turned back to the hooded figure.

At this point, the man had pulled two bowls from a nearby pouch, and began stripping the rabbit, places large pieces of succulent meat into each bowl. Each morsel glistened with moisture, and a delicious smell wafted into the nostrils of the trapper. The man finished his work, and handed a bowl to the trapper before leaning back again, a majestic oak tree supporting him.

"To answer your question Lad, I was aware of your presence well before you had reached that tree. The words of Aeriel travel well on gentle breezes, even after all that has happened, and I was informed of your arrival the moment you entered the wood earlier this morn" the man stated. His voice was filled with a jovial tone, one that conveyed not a sense of power, or danger, but instead that of a father or close friend. He seemed to genuinely care for the well-being of the trapper, though having never met him before.

The hooded man continued his story.

"And before you ask the next questions I am sure are on the tip of your tongue, my name is Riizu. As for where I am from, I can not tell you, for my memory is quite hazy to say the least. The last I remember, I was in a land known as Aegis, though I am quite sure this place is far from there. As for what I am, that is a little more complex."

The man took a moment to let his story sink in, and began to eat the rabbit in his own bowl. Meanwhile, the trapper remained silent. It was quite rare to meet a man in this part of the land, not to mention one who spoke Aeriel and Aegis - words that were only common in history books and the tongues of crazed followers clinging to the Old Ways. The trapper felt it best to pick his words wisely in the company of this strange man.

"I feel.. that perhaps it would be best for me to wait for you to tell your whole story before I ask any more questions" said the trapper.

The semblance of a grin gleamed from within the shadowy confines of Riizu's robe. The man seemed amused by the trapper's words.

"Then you are quite wise, though I will do my best to keep my tale short." stated Riizu, who pulled a strange device out from inside his robes. It was not unlike a common tobacco pipe, though its shape was strangely round and stout, rather than long and curvy. With another set of words, smoke began to billow from its center. Riizu took a long drag from it, before letting out a cloud of sweet-smelling smoke, which soon began to twist and twirl through the wind.

"Long ago, I was a member of an Order. This Order was created by myself, and 5 others, under the guidance of a divine being named Aeriel. I am sure you are aware of the Aenguls who watch over the lands. Aeriel was indeed one of them, the leader of their military forces. She spoke to us through the mouth of one of my fellow travelers, speaking of a great danger that would descend upon the land of Aegis. She informed us that were in fact descendants of a select few who had begun families with Aenguls who chose a life here, rather than in the Heavens."

Another puff of smoke filled the camp site.

"More importantly, she told us that it was our job to make sure this danger was averted. We began to assemble an army of other descendants, and named our Order the Ascended. After years of training and study, we were soon ready to come out of hiding and help the people of Aegis. At first, things went well. We constructed a grand road, the White Road to be exact, between our lands and the lands of the local Dwarves and did our best to provide our help when we could.

Unfortunately though, this was not destined to continue. Soon the blight of Iblees reigned across the land, and his followers slowly destroyed every peaceful settlement in Aegis. Many turned to us for help, but we suffered betrayals within our own ranks, and were unable to complete our mission. The people of Aegis fell under the onslaught of the Undead, and blamed our inaction as the cause."

A sense of sorrow filled the words of the old man, as he remembered times long past.

"Soon, we were no longer allies, but enemies as well. Members of our Order were hunted, and killed. Meanwhile, Iblees began to sow seeds of distrust throughout the land to further this cause. Without an idea of what to do, my fellow Sages and I turned again to Aeriel, begging for help. She had decided that we had failed, and took back all that she gave to us. Our city, our homes...all was filled with a blinding light. And finally, I awoke in this forest. Alone and in a strange land."

The tale was a strange one indeed, and the trapper did his best to follow along. Of course, he was familiar with the fall of Aegis, though it was many hundreds of years ago. Since then, his ancestors had traveled from various lands and dealt with various other significant events throughout history. Of what he did know, some coincided with this man's story and some didn't. He himself began to relay the history since then.

All the while, smoke churned and billowed from the pipe, spinning tales of it's own.

When the trapper finished, the clearing fell eerily silent, the crackle of the flames having died out long ago. All that remained was the light of the stars, and the whistle of the wind through the trees. Then, the silence was broken...

A large wind gust blew into the clearing, threatening to knock over the grandest of the oaks that surrounded them. Riizu's robe billowed in the breeze, and a mighty clash of thunder filled the ears of the trapper, before it immediately landed upon Riizu.

The old sage was set aflame in the heavenly light, his eerily blue eyes gazing back at the trapper. A strange voice began to fill the clearing.

"Ariel...Ariel is dead. The days of Aeriel are no more! Be forewarned mortals, for Aeriel is no longer here!"

As the voice finished its sentence, another clash of thunder echoed throughout the forest.

"...Uriel...Uriel has spoken..."

With a flash of blinding white light, the Trapper fled the clearing, racing away in fear before relaying his story to anyone who might listen in the surrounding territories.

(( Hello everyone! So, for those wondering who I am, I recommend you read my post over in the Introduction forum. I have created this story as I'd like to create a new arc in the Ascended storyline. The days of Aeriel are past, and the days of Uriel have begun! Get ready for more amazing creations, and very involved, elaborate roleplaying that people will refer to hopefully for another three years.

Anyone who may be interested, I am definitely looking for builders and fellow roleplayers to help move the story forward. Please let me know in PM's, respond with your character's on response to hearing the trapper's story, and we'll see where it goes from there.

Be aware that by the time you have heard this story, it could be in any of the given cities or principalities, in any manner you wish. Whether it be a notice, a discussion in a tavern, hushed tones in a dark alleyway, you name it! ))

@Kalen -> Your username seems familiar. I apologize, but thats about it. >.< It's been a long time!

@Fredfort -> Yall are gonna make me tear up over here. :P Thank you :)

 

Ha, ha, can't miss out on a welcome back to someone from the old days. Ancient Chinese secret style, right?

 

Well, anyway, I hope they're doing well. They were a great crew in my experience. Welcome back :P

 

Thank you Sir. I AM tempted though to immediately feel a strong hate towards your character if I ever see him though. I just won't know why. ;P

@Karma -> I did indeed leave for the military, but honestly there were a large number of factors that made me leave LotC at the time.

Woah. Not to fan-girl but you are definitely the reason I started playing LOTC.

 

*fangirls anyways*

Means a lot. Really :)

 

Sup Old Man Sage ;P

 

Edit:

 

 

Oh god, thinking of that, how are any of the old crew that hasn't come back and are you still in contact with them all? Sue sure left an unforgettable impression on me at that wedding party in Oren...

 

...Then again, being groped by a drunken Ascended Sage does that.

 

Susitsu, I KNEW you'd comment. ;) Anyway, I don't speak to Sue much. I'll leave it at that.

As far as everyone else goes, we speak on occasion. :)

@Freya - Mongooses are the best race. Bar none. ;)

@Vardak - Thank you, though who knows, amnesia could be fun!

@Karma - I...just...thank you? :)

Hey everyone!

For those who have never met me, hello! For those who have, hello again! My name is Riizu, and I joined LotC way back in its initial first month...back when the site was a simple forum thread on the official Minecraft forums.

During my time, I watched this server blossom into a place with the highest concurrent user base of any given server (RP or otherwise) available. I watched nations fall, and heroes arise. I'm also proud to say I helped to create the race of the Ascended, and helped to battle Iblees, though our efforts ended in vain.

In fact, it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. For every victory, there was a soul-crushing defeat. Worlds were destroyed, as were many a friendship. As with anything people are passionate about, tempers flared, fights ensued, and ultimately I felt it was best if I left the community.

Thankfully, three years later (give or take a few months) the server is still thriving, and once again I can go back to hopefully doing what drew me to LotC in the first place, creating stories with others that we'll remember for years to come. Whether its battling the Undead, creating grand empires, or simply playing goofy games around a table in some Inn, I can't wait to do it with you guys.

As for the character I'll play, we'll see. I know it will be Riizu, the elf and original leader of the Ascended I created so many years ago. Will he remember his past? Does he still stay faithful to Aeriel? There are so many possibilities.

I look forward to exploring them with you all.

Whose side am I going to take in this situation.

The trolls (Riizu and Sue ONLY. The others are FINE. I will MISS Arcadius and Blaedr with all my heart) who nearly made me quit the server several times over with their constant abuse of power, position and prestige...

The user who trolled on OOC all the time without getting even a slap on the wrist? The users who could absolutely not physically handle someone disagreeing with them without throwing a fit? The users who refused to let me attempt to intelligently discuss something with them without accusing me of trolling?

The "GMs" who decided to, in one last fit similar to one a child would throw, regen the whole of Haven and Aeriel's Keep, deaf to the fact that other users, Ascended or not, may have had homes or items there?

Or am I going to take the side of Native, the absolute SAINT of this server, who puts up with so much crap and asks so little in return? The one who deals with all of our problems, listens to all of our complaints, takes all of our feedback and all the while asks nothing in return but people to respect him?

I am sorry you feel you had to leave; but the side of the story that should be believed here is incredibly obvious to me. I hope that any new users who may fall for whatever the ex-sages are attempting to pull here do not do so.

This will not be the final battle for the Ascended OR the Undead. There is still at LEAST a whole month from when 1.9 hits, and when the new map is released. It can't even be developed until 1.9 is released due to the map changes.

Believe me, the Ascended and Undead will be sure to go out with a bang even BIGGER than this. Something that people will say "Hey remember when...?" a long time into the future.

Thanks guys SO much for all your wonderful input and praises. It really makes staying up 48 hours editing worth it! Look forward to more in the future, as Arcadius and I apparently are masochists and wish to put ourselves through more sleep deprivation, repetitive stress injuries, and sore throats. :P

Really though, thanks so much.

Your soul is gladly welcome to reside in the World Of Aegis.

change your age though. your too young for an elf.

Attention! While the Ascended usually do not mention their judgement on the scrolls that are given, we feel it necessary to inform you that Agith and Vardak are currently on heavy probation, if not complete denial. This is due to their actions in the world of Aegis.

((The Ascended will not tolerate any form of powergaming, or abuse of RP events. Next time, don't try and use your scroll as a way to make yourselves better than others. You are no better, and in fact worse. Im sorry to see that are trust was so badly misplaced. I also apologize to Danie, as she shouldn't of had to come and break it up.))

Well, experience has shown me that the elitist are few and far between. In a game where numbers are quite important (this has dampened with the release of skills), I believe you will find your faction to be quite small, and have a very negative appeal. No one enjoys being looked down on.

((Guys, for the record, your not IN the race until you see the little yellow writing pop up. ;) Theres a fairly lengthy process involved with becoming Ascended, but I assure you, its well worth it.))

Thank you very much Vardak. I am sure staves of such great caliber will be useful to our efforts in the future!

((Speak to Blaedr. He runs the Followers of Aeriel, and reports directly to us. Im sure he'd be alright with a special preacher section. As for skins, no, no, and no. Im sorry, but the Ascended skin serves two purposes. One, instant identification, and two, a privledge. Only those who have deserved it where the skin.))

((Video is in the main post! Allow for processing. The thing is huge, so its still poor video quality, but I recorded it in 720p.))

((Get ready folks! Hour long Intro video full of BRAND NEW information is on its way. Expect it late tonight, or early tomorrow!))

((Attention. This post is now being locked. Please direct any and all questions to our new Stickied thread, that is designed for that purpose. There will also be a basic rundown on our recruitment, housing policies, etc.))

OOC: My worry isn't the assistance Ascended can give in battles, its the fact that them having a base close to the undead will incite more people to CONSTANTLY barrage the undead with failed attack after failed attack. Its more of a mob-effect which will cause people to think its okay to attack all the time that I am worried about, also the fact that if the Ascended wanted to be closer to the undead threat, why didn't they just build closer a long time ago? A small base up north for Ascended who are on the frontlines of the battle would be more understandable. But TPs between major cities seems a bit...much.

OOC: You obviously misunderstood. Ascended players will not be getting an item or mechanic that allows them to just TP at will to other cities, or even there own. That is a system SOLELY reserved to Soulstones. Instead, this will provide an RP reason for the GM Sages (currently myself and Omtra) to provide support. There is just TOO much distance between Haven and the north. This Citadel city would fix this, by being located closer to the Undead threat. We do NOT plan to place it directly next to the battle line though, as that would provide too much of an unfair advantage for us. We merely wish to be able to join the fight without having people whine at us for 30 mins about how we should have been there sooner.

As well as this, it will also provide more housing space under the Ascended banner, which currently people beg daily for. This way, we can allow MORE people to build in our cities (which many people love), without being as restrictive. Overall, it will better economy, housing, and gameplay. We aren't aiming to create an unfair advantage.

In response to whether or not the Undead get free TP's, I assure you, they most likely do. Otherwise, you wouldn't have players at there battlefield base all the time. There capitol is just too far north, just like ours is too far West. Neither race though will use that as a way to create advantages though. We merely use it so that the actual gameplay can continue, instead of each of us taking 15-30 minutes to get to the fight.

-you observe a strange notice board, constructed in the Ascended style outside your main city-

By decree of the Council of Sages, the Ascended will be founding two new cities. These will each serve a purpose. One for providing more houses to those who wish to live under the Ascended banner, and another for those who wish to help defend Aegis against the undead.

The Ascended Citadel will be located closer to the north, as to better fight the Undead Scourge.

Each city will also be outfitted with a special shrine, allowing the Sages to quickly usher troops to each city, in the event battle is needed. This should help prevent a situation involving an undead attack that the Ascended must miss.

If you have any ideas on specific locations, building styles, plot prices, or anything else, please post them here.

Thank you.

~Master Sage Riizu

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