Swgrclan

I was never fond of the Shaman-Druid interaction ordeal that had gone down awhile back and I'm of the opinion that Druids need to stick to their own guns in matters like communing and interacting with the Fae Realm. Good work, though.

my supplier's offer is generous. please relay all transactions to him on my behalf.

I need this skin made. If anyone knows how to put a lot of detail in armor and can follow references well, around 2k $$$$$$$$$$$ big fat ones (lord of the craft minas) or more are in store for you. Here's references. Contact me on Discord via notxephos #1921. If you come at me with scams or weak ass pixels or Chinese quality import proposals, I will seriously **** you up. There will be no recovery.

Liches?

The lack of magic in the Striga race was an intentional feature to ensure their balance. They don't need a mixture of both arcane capacity and inhumane physical capabilities, like every other playable nonmortal entity. The lore's fine as-is.

The Old Lords "Beyond this fragile coil, what awaits us? There are those who once peered into the nascent dark within, And sought to find the answers Men were denied." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MU5m8fJrvQ [ Credits to B3ast_Mod ] Fear the Old Dark; that is the ancient adage which four souls had devised, come the time when the first land was consumed by a lightless Abyss. It is a saying that resonates with the deep, primal nature nestled within the bosoms of all mortals, and anchors those among them dregged with a particular hatred against the Gods. That adage, scrawled as a harbinging heading to vengeful scriptures, is the work of the four, very old Lords. First, they were curseless Men, hailing as knights in the age when Horen reigned over those before the Humans. In their desperate search for a means to defeat the Betrayer that threatened to consume their homeland in the 30 Year War, they happened upon a device concocted by a timeless Dragaar, and teased out the means to use the shadow of Iblees against its master. From Iblees, they stole Necromancy; and with Necromancy, they blackened their relic, and brought upon themselves a most terrible first end. But alike their inheritors ages onward, these primordial Humans rose as the First Wraiths. Unbound from their feeble forms and immune to the curse that would soon assail their kind, their hatred of the Daemon of Ruin soon spread to become an unfaltering malice to all whom would be known as Gods, Immortals, or Aengudaemons. With the dark within them unshackled, they knew what they had to do; they would cast out the Gods. The Wraithsouls Upon their reformation as Wraiths, the Old Lords were bequeathed a grand mortal power that turned their Superior Souls into dark "Wraithsouls". Wraithsouls are the most powerful of the dark descendant souls, and grant the bearer the capability to ascend to tremendous points of power. With the Wraithsouls, the four Old Lords carved their own paths, and achieved legendary things to prove to the Gods that Men were capable of much more than what their enfleshened forms displayed. Scorned by this fact, the Aengudaemons soon marked them as eternal enemies. The Four Each Lord came to embody an aspect that resonated with their eternal duties to outcast the Gods, and each Lord came to follow a story which led to the division of their singular, vengeful beliefs. In godless text, their names are not uttered for the sake of reverence, but in an older age each bore a name unlike that which they had in life. The time of their flesh is long passed, and with it, their true, mortal names. Dhurzumkal [Credits to Henry Parsinia ] Lord Dhurzumkal rose as the Lord of Embers. He is the only one among his kind to have retained the original mission of the First Wraiths -- to cast out the Gods from the mortal plane. The scriptures which Dhurzumkal heralds state that the Gods need not deserve destruction, but rather their influence must be banished from both the body and the mind so that the realm may repair itself and once more fall under the reign of Men. It is from Dhurzumkal that the name "Xion" was first spoken, as a name given to the Abyss that lingers where Aegis once stood. Like two of his brethren, but unlike one other, he fled the mainland and abstained from entering the portal into the Verge so that he could behold the perilous battle that took place upon the land that Iblees desecrated with his fire. He once said to a single devout follower, that the struggle between the Daemon of Ruin and the Caretaker of Souls was so devastating and bright that it was blinding, and thus forced Dhurzumkal to retreat into the gloaming darkness of a remote cavern, located within the now-ruined land of Athera. Before the time came when the land was again populated by the Descendants, and then brought low to destruction by the Old God Feldamfir, the Daemonic flames that scorched Aegis during its collapse followed the Old Lord into the depths, and it is there that they assailed him, and sought to burn his being away. But the strength of Dhurzumkal's Wraithsoul denied the flame the ruin it sought to inflict, and thus he was fated to burn for an eternity. To his devout pupil, he explained that the flame which gnaws at him is a cursed essence that only devours Men. It is the resplendent Lifeforce within Dhurzumkal that this blighted fire so vicious sought, and so with so much to spare, the Old Lord could not be so easily burnt away. So like ages before, Dhurzumkal usurped the deific nature of the flames upon him, and fused his quintessence with it to become an everlasting, sentient pyre. There, trapped within the depths of crumbling earth, remnants of ancient Dwarves that still inhabited Athera even after the destruction of Aegis found him and trapped him behind a great runic door. It is from these Dwed that the name Dhurzumkal - "Demon of Fire" - was conceived. That is the only name he can remember being given to him, even if in spite. In yore, Dhurzumkal was a pupil of the Old God, Widukind. Widukind, who bore the power of foresight, was capable of peering through time; in his dreams he could witness the threads of time fabricate the likely image of the future, and at the same time he could pick through the petrified visions of distant past. With the power of flame, Dhurzumkal achieved the same means as his old master, but used it instead to dream upon the nature of the cosm beyond. Malkaathe [ Credits to OEVRLORD ] Though he retained the original design of their mission in the beginning, Malkaathe, the Lord of the Abyss, was the first to suggest that the Old Lords spite the Gods. As the unofficial "leader" of his kind, Malkaathe incited the influence of his brethren among the clans of descendants that scattered across the world after the 30 Year War and caused an old, though long-forgotten hatred against deific presence to take root in their various, now dead cultures. Among these forgotten tribes are the Vaiker, whom upon being gifted the Old Truths of the Old Lords broke away from their brethren, the Esheveurd, and soon after waged a great and terrible war against them over the right to hold relics empowered by the Sun. When the battle between Aeriel and Iblees came, Malkaathe did not flee, but rather sought to meet the two upon the battlefield. Yet his Wraithsoul did not enable him to match the power of Godhood, even if made corporeal upon mortal ground, and thus when Aegis collapsed into the Abyss, Malkaathe fell with it -- all the way to the very bottom. It is there that Malkaathe awoke to behold the desolate, lightless remains of the land where the Descendants converged together and lived in relative harmony. Such deep, mortal emotion took hold of the Old Lord's soul that he screamed in agony for ten days and ten nights; emitting a searing, painful cry that matched the shifting of mountains and the death knells of a thousand innocent souls. When he could not bring himself to scream anylonger, a hatred deeper than that of the other Lords took root within him, and made his Wraithsoul blacker than any other spirit which may inhabit the makings of a being - mortal or no. He knew what he had to do; Malkaathe would destroy the Gods. But before that time came, he had to tend to the ill grave that now dwelt in place of old Aegis. From the ruins of the towers of Aemon and Daemon he fashioned together a throne, placed before the deepest point of the Abyss, where the broken-open entrance to the long-burning Nether gaped. There, upon his throne, Malkaathe proclaimed himself Lord of the Abyss. Though he did not fashion himself a monarch, or corralled the Abyss-tainted undead that soon rose from the ashes of the once-was to form a force, he attained such an influence over the lightless realm that he became one with the Abyss, and thus achieved a form of dominance over it that matched that of the Aengudaemons in their incorporeal planes, far away from the mortal world. Through the ages he came to witness many vile things stir within the depths which he protected, and many souls descend into the depths either by their own will or another's. Mordring, the Lord of the Morning, who had been the one to fashion the relic from which the Old Lords gained the means to steal Necromancy, is said to have plummeted into the Abyss upon awakening to its visage, but failed to die upon colliding with the bottom. The Dark Lord lured the broken Dragaar from the Aengul-like nature which he once harbored, and taught him all that he knew, so that the Dragaar could preserve himself through Lichdom and then act as the guardian of the Sunless Sanctum; the ash-laden ruins of Aegis' timeless Cloud Temple. The most devout of Malkaathe's followers, who still bear their mortal sentience even after undeath, utter tales of what the Lord of the Abyss toils upon in the depths of the deepest chasms. They resonate with their Lord's stirring, peculiarly mortal emotions, and piece together his motives through these understandings; a nostalgic effort to carve a new world into the face of stone, and the desperate, fearful attempts to keep the first soul to die from awakening, and consuming the world beyond the Abyss. Brandh [ Credits to SymphonyP ] The Lord of Oaks is known in scripture as the most peaceful of his kind. Indeed; from the point of reawakening up until this very day, he was the only one among the Old Lords to be spared a tragedy-riddled fate, and thus roams the lands in the shadow of the Descendants, seeking to act as their guardian and leave behind messages upon lands left desolate by the land-faring mortals. It is from the Old Lord Brandh that the Weirhents came to rise in ancient times, and from the Weirhents, a pacifist's form of godless vengence. From Brandh, the Druid-like Weirhents, who were taught the means of Lifeforce Manipulation in order to nurture the living world through self-sacrifice, preached to the peoples that would have them and acted as wisemen and powerful seers. They taught that the concurrent design of the Descendants is flawed, and that in the beginning, all was well within them, for the original race of "Men" which all mortal races descended from reveled in the natural darkness that inhabited their souls. Without the curses of Iblees, Men were unified and singular, and held reign over the corporeal plane through four monarchs known as the Four Brothers. It is the eternal duty of Brandh, and the Weirhents hailed from him, to discern the means to break the curses and restore mortal unity. That is how the Lord of Oaks sought to spite the Gods - to show them that their blessings and illusions of granduer were not needed, and that by relinquishing the light of Immortals, Men could again regain their natural darkness and achieve dominance upon their native world as its sole rulers. Through this, the Weirhents and all followers of the Way of Oaks were demanded to display rigorous self-restraint; that even in the face of the enemy, they would show that peace can be retained and without a single drop of blood spilled can grievous errors be amended. Though this pacifism is not so dearly found within the Lord of Oaks himself. In his time tailing the Descendants and watching for cosmic threats, Brandh became a slayer of Dragons, a hunter of abominations from the Abyss, and even a foe to mortals who would ignore his wisdom and instead face him with the blade. Every last one of them were felled by the strength of his greatbow, and their remains respectfully cast into the depths of the earth, where the Old Lord believes their sins may fade through nurturing the wounded world's soil. The Nameless Lord [ Credits to Sarah--AS ] Little is known of the Nameless Lord beyond the designs of his doctrines, much befitting to the title which he was given after his trek to the Cold North. Long before the Abyss came to be, the Nameless Lord departed from his brethren, much to their displeasure, and sought to establish a bastion of mortal godlessness in a cold land abstinent of deific light. In this land, north of where Aegis once stood, the Nameless Lord forged a kingdom. The land which this kingdom stood upon was named Geidleth. Through the domination of the squabbling tribes there, the Nameless Lord became a monarch, and with mercy rarely seen from his kind those that he called his foes became his subjects, for they were inspired by the Old Lord's willpower and desire for mortal unity. The kingdom upon Geidleth grew and grew, encompassing almost an entirety of the northern land, and was fated to flourish as long as the Nameless Lord ruled; and without the means to die, he would rule forever. He was the first to converge upon the very real reality of truly defying the Gods with his achievements. Soon his power became so great that the Aenguls took notice of this and were tainted by a fear of what would come, should the kingdom upon Geidleth spread beyond the frigid north. So it is said that the Aengul of Lordship came down to battle the Old Lord, but was matched; and so through self-sacrifice, defeated the Nameless Lord at the cost of his own godhood. Wraithsoul and Godsoul became one, and were bound to the throne which the Old Lord ruled from for ages. In his time of need, the unnamed Aengul of Lordship called upon the Aengul of Fate, known as Eshtael, for the means to prevent the kingdom upon Geidleth's growth come his failure to defeat the Old Lord. Eshtael harkened his bidding and cast a curse upon the kingdom; wiping away its memory from the minds of its denizens and scorching the text from every scripture written by the land's proud scribes. It is said upon inscriptions of stone that survived the kingdom's fall that these scribes, cursed with this forgetfulness, screamed the memory of their merciful lord in an attempt to retain memory of it, and through their cries retained enough of a recollection to enscribe portions of the kingdom's design upon pageless stoneface. So it is said upon these carved texts that the battle between God and Man took place upon the very moment when Aegis was consumed by the Abyss, far to the south, and the battle waged between them was so furious that brought ruin to the kingdom upon Geidleth, and incited a frigid corruption upon it that resonated deeply with the stagnation found within the Abyssal realm. The Lifeforce woven into the earth was made still and unflowing, and drifted into the skies, where it would blot out the sun until the end of days. The kingdom upon Geidleth, brought to ruin, became a bastion of undead. Ages onward, both mindless and sentient undead would corral there through what is known as the Harkening, where each would fight and suffer and scorn one-another in desperate attempt to claim the throne which the Nameless Lord once ruled from. Those that seek Geidleth are said to be driven by the remnants of the fallen Old Lord's dream; to fashion a kingdom of Men, so that they may conquer the world, and then forever wage war against the Gods.

By the Thulean Accord, this enclave of Druids has been granted the Mark of the Beast. The Ophidian of Thule arrives and imparts to their Archdruids a message:

By the Thulean Accord, this enclave of Druids has been granted the Mark of the Beast. The Ophidian of Thule arrives and imparts to their Archdruids a message:

as usual i am left uncredited for writing the very thing that inspired this mess of godforsaken anti-aspectist gibbering. i have been failed for the last time

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

Shade and SotA powers do not conflict, no.

Aahh, yeah. The Half-Undeath thing makes it kind of vague whether or not they're Darkstalker-tier entities or not. They're on the same level as normal people and deific magic users, though, meaning they're vulnerable to everything they are. Cheers for the feedback.

Well... no, they aren't strong against everything, because they're still alive. And they can't have a weakness against holy magic because they're designed to be resistant against it. I wouldn't call it invalidation. It's just how they function. They have to resort to more conventional means, like trying to kill them with mundane weaponry (iron, steel, etcetera).

I can throw holy damage into one group because they all exist to do the same thing; kill unholy things. They draw their power from various holy-affiliated Aenguls that shape their magic in the same manner, and while Clerics and Paladins don't have holy magic that effects a dark being as spiritually as the Ascended do, they still reach the same result with their powers. The fact that an Abyss Knight has a far more resilient darkened soul is what allows them to resist Ascended magic as well as Clerical and Paladin magic. Despite this, however, Ascended magic functions in the same manner with them; they cast their soulfire on an Abyss Knight, it spots the evil dark stuff in their spirit, and then it encroaches. However, it causes no physical damage and only produces pain, making it ineffective. They also resist holy magic because that's what the lore is based around.

Exceptions as in exceptions to what kind of holy magic they resist. If they could resist the power of Clerics and Paladins, but for some reason couldn't resist Ascended magic, that would break down the purpose of being an Abyss Knight. If you choose to be an Abyss Knight, you're able to resist these kinds of magic types, so they resist them all across the board.

It does, but the reinforcement of an Abyss Knight's soul resists it in a much more substantial way than any other soul twisted by dark magic. Can't be making exceptions. It means that the equivalent amount of damage dealt to regular mortal people with holy magic is shared by Abyss Knights, but the only difference is that they feel more defined pain from it. If a normal guy was bathed in holy fire, he would both feel nothing and take no damage; but if an Abyss Knight was bathed in holy fire, they would feel pain from it, but take no damage.

The Resonant Knights [ https://fanburst.com/konstantinbg/es_residuum-1-patrik-almkvisth ] “Thus the living, lone and sobbing, In the throes of anguish throbbing, With the loathsome Furies robbing Night and noon of peace and rest. But beyond the groans and grating Of abhorrent Life, is waiting Sweet Oblivion, culminating All the years of fruitless quest." When mortalkind was ushered into existence, the oppressive shackle and chain was the first thing they came to know. Bound to a coil of flesh and bone and blood, their kind was one born of limitation, yet a reverence of it. There is something deep within their shadow-touched souls that the gods could never have; the humanity, deep within them, was heavy and breathed emotion into their souls, bringing warmth where there is cold and purpose where there was none. Though mortals were indeed bound to their limitations, it was their capacity to become something far darker and transcendent that frightened the few Gods of Light who would come to scorn them through history; for if they were ever to escape their bindings, the wholesome darkness within them that made Men pure would go wild, and thus come to threaten the world they walk upon, and the Gods themselves, if they ever defied their natural order. The Resonant are those who had truly sought this fate, whether by their own choice or another’s. Since the ancient times, “Resonant Knights” have existed; some were drowned in the blood of an Old God to be spared the scorn of the Fallen One’s curses, but when the Gods bathed them in fire for the sin of confiding in their inner-darkness, they rose again as the Resonant; fed by the madness of the Abyss before the Abyss even took shape centuries later. Others were enslaved by one who bore Half-God blood, led into the illusion that a war against a Dragaar in the Abyss who could not die would lead them to redemption, yet descended to embody the very shadow they sought to destroy. Time and time again, fragments of mortality had undergone great, terrible struggle either against the Gods or beneath them, and when their enslavement to their heavenly masters or the cold barbarism they were presented by the very same deific souls became too much to bear, their spirits unfurled like pus bursting from a wound, and thus they became more “mortal” than they ever could have; half-Undead, those resonant with the dark of the Abyss. For it does not matter if the Abyss takes shape in this world or not. A thousand years from now, when that cesspit no longer bears such depthless darkness and despair, the Abyss shall be carried on as fragments within all of mortalkind, for it is merely a representation of our suffering; deep loss, fury and agony, born of suffering. Vengeance is the greatest anchor of mortalkind, and when one is born through it, vengeance is all one knows. Design of the Resonant “Through the ghoul-guarded gateways of slumber, Past the wan-mooned abysses of night, I have lived o'er my lives without number, I have sounded all things with my sight; And I struggle and shriek ere the daybreak, being driven to madness with fright.” Resonant Knights are mortal beings that achieve a “connection” to the Abyss, like a Cleric or Paladin would to a God, in order to gain the type of being necessary to utilize what is known as the “Strength of the Abyss”; a Dark Art that draws upon the deep emotion and suffering a Resonant Knight endures in order to culminate true power. In order to become a Resonant Knight, one must become Half-Undeath through the Most Base Rite, which involves the cannibalization of a Soul Shadow bearing undead such as a Ghoul. Through this, that Soul Shadow and the Superior Soul of the ritualist becomes one, and thus they are afflicted with the status of Half-Undeath. Through Half-Undeath, Resonant Knights retain their mortality, yet are caught in a limbo between life and death where, as they age, they become more and more visually alike a corpse and less like a living individual. This is because Half-Undeath curses their souls with something known as “Lifeforce Stagnancy”; a state of Lifeforce where it does not flow as it naturally should, and simply remains anchored in the air to “stagnate”. Because this occurs in the body of the knight, they do not become truly undead, because they are still saturated with the essence their corporeal form demands in order to function and live. But it causes their Lifeforces to sink deep within them and culminate as the heaviest weight within their bodies, acting as something parallel to a mana pool which can be drawn from in order to cast the spells of the Strength of the Abyss. Because of their state of beings, the Half-Undead are both pained by Holy Magic, yet resistant to it. The Abyss, which is saturated with Stagnant Lifeforce, is known as a place where Aengulic powers barely function, if at all. This acts as the foundation for the powers of the Abyss Knights, for they are capable of defending themselves against the arcane designs of Clerics, Paladins and Ascended, putting them on equal, if not threatening footing with them. Visage of the Resonant “Evil wings in ether beating; Vultures at the spirit eating; Things unseen forever fleeting Black against the leering sky. Ghastly shades of bygone gladness, Clawing fiends of future sadness, Mingle in a cloud of madness Ever on the soul to lie.” Though Half-Undeath does not afflict Abyss Knights with physical decay, it does affect them physically and in ways beyond mere aesthetic changes. The onset of being Half-Undead not only darkens them spiritually, but also externally, for when their consumed Soul Shadow binds with their Superior Soul, it distorts the nature of their true mortal design. Hair begins to blacken, eyes begin to develop dark circles and sagging as though much sleep has been lost, even if none has at all. The most defining feature of Half-Undeath is how tightly the flesh clings to a Knight's bones; the most youthful among them appear as though aged another two decades, making them appear bittered, weathered, worn. The skin of a Knight of the Abyss also takes more ashen hues; not pallid, but as though a layer of soot formed over the flesh to make it appear as though waned. True change comes with the passing of time. Half-Undeath truly takes shape upon those long since bound to the Abyss' accord. The most ancient among the Resonated almost appear corpse like; skin taut and dried, eyes faded and almost dead, and hair color not darkening, but rather graying until it is a white shade that would normally denote great deals of stress or age. It would seem as though ancient Abyss Knights were undead themselves, though they still live; for the stagnancy of their Lifeforces, even if preserving their life, causes the transpiration of such unsettling distortions. Perhaps the mortal form was not meant to harbor such darkness, and thus grows worn from containing it for years; or perhaps this is the natural state of Men, to stray so close to death that to exist in its wake is the only true way to live. Though as aforementioned, not all changes are external and aesthetic. Coupling with the wearing of the form are internal degradations, such as the utter loss of fertility and the fading of the mind. In due time, Half-Undeath becomes so strong within the mortal harborers that they may as well be undead after all, for when they reach a century of service, their minds begin to break down. Only true resolve and willpower may stave off the madness found within the most base of the undying, or else the Soul Shadow within these Knights shall grow too empowered and shape their spirit into something most un-mortal. The depths of mortal emotion within them may go mad, crazed and fervent, thus leading to their own form of deep, dark insanity that truly allows them to mimic the Abyss; for within the Abyss' darkest of recesses, only calamity and lightless chaos lingers as bleak reflections of what all Men contain within. In the end, when a Knight becomes desperate and riddled with mortal madnesses that will not subside, they may seek the Abyss almost as though it is a home to them; and to keep themselves from succumbing to a rot of the mind, they may plummet, and pile upon the ever-resting dead that reside within that deep, dark place. Strength of the Abyss Abyss Knights utilize a form of dark sorcery known as the Strength of the Abyss. With an essence called stagnant Lifeforce, they can pull from their bodies a condensed form of the essence which can be used in a variety of ways. Each spell is listed here: Manifest Stagnancy (T1) Summon from oneself a fist-sized mass of denatured Lifeforce and cast it forth toward any given target. Stagnate Lifeforce culminates as the heaviest thing within a Resonant Knight's body, and thus travels much slower than something like a Clerical Orb of light, but carries with it the same amount of physical force. With focus, a Resonant Knight may curve the flight of manifested projectiles and have less of a chance of missing their target. This, however, places them at risk for any other threats. The number of Lifeforce culminations a Knight may summon depends on the tier of their power, with a maximum of five to mark their mastery. Casting this spell instills meagre presence of pain through the arms of the Knight, and can be cast up to five times before the agony becomes insufferable. Cast Dark (T1) Exude stagnate Lifeforce like an aura and will it to invade the air around the Knight. Though harmless through this method, the denatured Lifeforces hang in the air and, upon being spread, are capable of snuffing out nearby sources of light, such as torches. Casting this spell instills moderate presence of pain within the chest, and can be cast up to three times before the agony becomes insufferable. Stagnate Essence (T3) Mimicking the touch-based method of fabled Darkstalkers, a Resonant Knight may draw upon their willpower to shroud their hands in stagnant Lifeforce. Upon taking hold of another living being, it seeps into them and causes a temporary denaturing of their own Lifeforce. This is an incredibly agonizing experience and, if allowed to transpire for too long, can be crippling for the victim. Though great pain is delivered, no true harm is done to either side. Most of the spell's use comes from the fact that the immediate stagnation of Lifeforces within mortals may cause temporary complications, which in higher tiers may range to blindness or entire-body numbness and fatigue in later tiers. Casting this spell instills moderate presence of pain within the hands, and can be cast up to three times before the agony becomes insufferable. Calm Darkhollow (T3) A spell based on the pacifist teachings of the Old Lord of Oaks, Brandh, a Resonant Knight may use their Stagnate Essence ability in a similar manner on undead that crave Lifeforce. By touching them, the insatiable Darkhollow within them abandons its serpent-like hunger and becomes "calm", allowing the undead's sparse Lifeforces to briefly denature and prevent the suffering their curse brings. This effect is temporary and allows their minds to be cleared of their hunger, but does not last forever. Casting this spell instills moderate presence of pain within the head, and can be cast up to two times before the agony becomes insufferable. Resist Light (T3) A spell inspired by the vengefulness of the Old Lord Malkaathe, a Resonant Knight may draw from their reserves of stagnant Lifeforce to coil themselves in a deep black aura capable of nullifying the effects of Aengudaemonic magic, for a time. It operates like a weak shield, and with enough damage dealt by practitioners of the Gods, it may be broken to leave the Knight fatigued. There is a differentiation for Druidic powers, where they cannot influence or manipulate any form of nature six meters around a Resonant Knight utilizing Resist Light. Casting this spell instills moderate presence of pain within the torso, and can be cast up to three times before the agony becomes insufferable. Dispel Light (T3) Drawn from the same thread as Resist Light, Dispel Light is designed to hone in on deific fabrications such as blessings, wards and other projections of Aengudaemonic connection. While the shattering of holy and Aengudaemonic ensorcelling can be broken by a single Resonant Knight (with difficulty depending on their tier of power), wards take up to two to three Knights of average (T3) strength, and scales depending on power as well, with a single T5 Knight being capable of taking down a ward themselves given they aren’t presented with exterior stressors. Dispel Light can also be utilized as a pseudo-combat utility against deific conjurations, like the holy shields and armor of Paladins, but a greater tier (T4) must be achieved before that’s possible. The ability can only function via touch in this manner, but in terms of affecting wards, it may have a shorter range. It has the same pain influx as Resist Light when in “lesser” use, but can only be done once against wards before the agony becomes overwhelming whether or not several Knights assist. Spread Abyss (T4) Through the Strength of the Abyss, Resonant Knights may usher in the stagnation of Lifeforces around them. This is considered as "spreading" the Abyss beyond the chasm it occupies, for places infected by this spell become wretchedly lifeless and decrepid, as well as black as a moonless night, for the dark essence of life is denatured and forced to taint the air like an unmoving smog. Spread Abyss does not cause an immediate effect, but rather is placed much like a seed, where it is then given time to grow. Through growth, it slowly spreads across the life present within the area and slowly blankets the vicinity in an unfading darkness. Like the Abyss, places infected by it are havens for dark creatures and, if allowed to spread for some time, become almost insurmountable obstacles for deific practitioners to overcome, for their powers are halved in strength when they occupy the new Abyss' territory. This means it is best to hunt the ethereal "seeds" planted by Resonant Knights early on, so that they may purged prior to tumultuous growth. [While there is no limitation on "standard" seeds of the Abyss that Knights may spread, the capability of this spell prevents the common presence of "greater" seeds. Greater seeds of the Abyss are defined as seeds that had been allowed so much time to grow that they are capable of shrouding even entire cities in unfading darkness, at maximum. Because of the effects that seeded areas have on the powers of others, and the advantages dark creatures gain, greater seeds are allowed to exist in a minimum of two per map. Standard seeds, which may only encompass small towns or sections of forests at most, require no limit, as a coalition of holy magi are capable of wiping them out within reason.] Awaken Abyss (T4) A spell said to be fabricated from the designs of cursed rings forged by a godless pontiff to the east, it is designed to act as the true final stand of the most experienced of Resonant Knights. To ensue its power, one must meditate before their time of great confrontation and be assured that their demise is to come, for the spell will soon fade from the spirit if left unused. To awaken the Abyss within is to ensorcel the soul of the Knight in a true manifestation of darkness, causing the Soul Shadow they harbor to awaken upon their deaths. Through death, they immediately rise again as a ghoul-like creature; deprived of individual will or sentient thought, as well as the means to utilize the Strength of the Abyss, but capable of combat with the armaments of the usual Resonant Knight. A player has control over this undead form only for a brief period of time, being when the deliverers of their defeat are still near and active. After roleplay ends, control of their undead character ends, and the original is revived within the Cloud Temple. Awaken Abyss is not a method of suicide, but if used more than once a month, permanent death of the character ensues. Undead Resonant Knights are physically stronger than Morghuul, but equivalent in weaknesses, and cannot usually determine friend from foe during their rampage. Only the most cherished individuals of the "awakened" Knight are spared immediate aggression, as though a glimmer of recognition parts the waves of madness. (Wraiths cannot utilize this ability.) Strengths & Weaknesses Strengths A Dark Art devoid of physical degradation, allowing the martial-magical combination of Aengulic followers to be mimicried. Good defensive spells against Aengulic or "holy" magic, enabling a balance between Resonant Knights and their holy foes instead of the factor of being immediately overpowered in combat for either side. Useful offensive spells that are capable of reaching both medium and close range targets. Weaknesses Turns a character into "Half-Undead", which enables them to feel pain from holy magic being used upon them, but not substantially damaged. Curses the Resonant Knight's soul with what is known as "Darkening", where no other magics may be learned besides the Strength of the Abyss. Each spell of the Strength of the Abyss can cause the caster pain, which varies depending on what spell is used and frequency of casting. Excessive casting can lead to the decay of the Knight's body, which can lead to death. Requires the PK of a Soul Shadow undead character (Ghouls, Ghosts, Gravens, etc), which may cause Resonant Knights to be rare. Redlines Abyss Knights are not undead, so they aren't able to mimic the physical prowess, the pain tolerance or damage capacity that most undead species are capable of. They live and die as Men, and so they shall fight like Men. The Strength of the Abyss has a selection of spells learned by tiers. Their tiers scale with the standard system: Tier 1 - This is your first week or two. Tier 2 - This lasts for about two or three weeks, making it a month in total once finished. Tier 3 - This lasts for about a month or two, making the total 2-3 months once finished. Tier 4 - This lasts for another three or four months, depending on how long Tier 3 took, making the total 5-6 months when finished. Tier 5 - Mastered the magic. The Strength of the Abyss must deal physical pain to the caster upon each use. Every spell is marked for the severity of pain sustained, and repetitive use can ensue crippling pain within the body of the Knight. Fully undead beings cannot become Abyss Knights. Those connected to Aengudaemons of all kinds cannot become Abyss Knights. There is never more stagnant Lifeforce than Mana within a Resonant Knight's body. They drain equally, so when a Resonant Knight nearly runs out of Mana (which is most likely possible in lower tiers), they run out of stagnant Lifeforce. Attempting to cast anything further can cause degradation and decay of the form, and immense fatigue and pain. Spells and martial combat cannot be used at the same time. They can be balanced in combat, but a spell cannot be cast while a sword is being swung. Clarifications Half-Undeath is not a type of mortal existence, but rather the means to "resonate" with the Abyss. It is much like a deity connection, in that a tether is established to a source far away. The only substantial difference is that Resonant Knights do not draw power through the Abyss, and rather through their resonation mimic its nature and culminate within themselves a similar form of darkness. Abyss Knights do not have the means to live forever through the stagnation, or rather the stillness, of their Lifeforce. This is especially for human characters, as Knights of other races have a much more vast longevity. All forms of holy magic do not do them damage, but they do inflict pain upon the Knights. Wards are of a similar effect; failing to break their bodies down as they do other dark creatures, as well as holy fire, which causes immense pain, but fails to ensue any true amount of harm. For all intents and purposes, one may consider areas infected by the Spread Abyss spell as viable "wards" to all forms of Aengudaemonic magic, as the strength of them are halved when within the vicinity of a grown seed. Some forms of Aengudaemonic magic, such as Druidism, which depends on the presence of life, becomes ineffective completely, as fully developed seeds of both standard and greater forms sap the life from the spread areas completely, in order to cloud the air with dark smog. Abyss Knights are not solely geared toward evil intentions, and character dynamicism may lead them to pursue goals that do not always involve combating Aengudaemonic presences. Resonant Knightdom exists as a form of practice that allows for a Dark Art equivelant to a majority of holy magic, abstinent of total holy magic weakness, yet not based completely on the nullification of holy magic -- all anti-deity spells are defense-based. Strength of the Abyss powers that focus on combating Aengudaemonic powers do indeed specialize in combating all of them. This ranges from Clericism to Ascended magic, to Druidism to Moon magic, to even any form of Ibleesian or Undead magic that may take shape in the future. The variety is the speciality of Abyss Knights, though is circumvented to a few defensive spells. The Khorgûl (The Abyss Wraiths) “I have whirled with the earth at the dawning, When the sky was a vaporous flame; I have seen the dark universe yawning Where the black planets roll without aim, Where they roll in their horror unheeded, without knowledge or lustre or name.” Though at the end of their service a Resonant Knight delves into a most unraveling madness, they take witness to mindbound whisperings that promise them of an existence beyond the decadence of mortal life… sentient, corruptive influences that drawl from the very bottom of the Abyss itself. One among They Who Cannot Be Named, the Old Lords, the First Wraiths -- Malkaathe, as he is known by ancient souls, finds promise in those so dregged by Abyss-wrought madness that destruction is the only solutiont they conceive. And thus when they are burdened by their greatest torment or led to the end of their sanity through a century’s worth of servitude to the lightless chasm, he reaches out to them, and offers them a final answer; Wraithdom. “... Only one terribly afflicted, or burdened by deep sorrow, could begin to understand this.” Abyss Wraithdom is the “endgame” of the Resonant Knights, only achievable after they’ve been in the service of the Abyss for a quarter of a century’s time, or exactly six Elven months, when the roots of deep, burdened emotional distortion first begins to take root. It is said those that reach a century of service have the sole choice of either destroying themselves or becoming Abyss Wraiths by default, like their Old Lord progenitors before them, but it is not recorded in history if this is true, for no proper chapter had ever been formed to scribe such a terrible transpiration. It is the very result of their powers that every Resonant Knight seeks to avoid, for Abyss Wraiths embody the depravity within Men to such a degree that it cannot be expressed in material form, and thus when this corruption becomes too burdensome, their inner-darkness bursts from them like pus, and thus they become ethereal deathlords like the Gravelords before them, and the Old Lords before those. Though unnaturally strong, durable, magically potent and frightening, Abyss Wraiths abandon what “peace” that their Resonant Knight kin bore in order to enable their deific resistances, and thus easily fall victim to Aengulic powers, as well as fire, sunlight and golden weaponry. Even then, the coming of an Abyss Wraith spells an ill fate for those hunted by them, for their wroth is the deepest any mortal is capable of feeling and it is one they are incapable of letting go. The emotions of an Abyss Wraith are a cesspit of madness, a nexus of extremities; they twist and contort, and where there is no evil, it culminates without error. The sorrows and fury of an Abyss Wraith are able to last for hundreds of years, for unlike Gods, whose emotions are swift and fade through critical action, the Abyss Wraiths carry a tormented humanity that relentlessly tears at them until all they know is affliction. But through trial of fire, their forebears attained control of their fate and the madness within them, and came to become the Old Lords. Who's to say the those among the Abyss Wraiths cannot do the same, and conquer the aspects of mortality that keep them so stubbornly tethered to this corporeal world? Design and Visage of the Abyss Wraiths “I have haunted the tombs of the ages, I have flown on the pinions of fear, Where the smoke-belching Erebus rages; Where the jokulls loom snow-clad and drear: And in realms where the sun of the desert consumes what it never can cheer.” Like the Ash Wraiths, the Gravelords and the Old Lords, the most defining feature of the Abyss Wraiths is the deep, dark shroud which they hide themselves under. Long have those known as “Wraiths” been known for these obscuring cloaks, for they are fundamental to a Wraith’s existence; they hide from the sunlight and the light of flame beneath a coil of cloth, for without it, they are a mere silhouette, a tragedy comprised of shadows, a “horror unheeded, without knowledge or lustre or name.” The strongest of Wraiths in antiquity had been known to don entire suits of armor, and now that the strength of the Abyss has returned to them, they are capable of doing so at the cost of some abilities. Beneath the shroud lingers the outline of a mortal being, over six feet in height, comprised entirely of stagnated Lifeforce that culminated so thickly that to attempt to reach into the mass of mists would be impossible, for their density defies such invasions. This is what givens Wraiths “weight” and “form”, though in truth the form is no form at all. Without flesh, bones and blood, they are practically spectres, unbound from mortal limitations and thus immune to many weaknesses, such as exhaustion, physical stress, fatal wounds, aging, disease, and pain. Though they are robbed of what would make them individuals, Khorgûl often seek to fashion accents to their robes and shrouds that would grant them an inkling of individuality, even if it meant the slightest change, such as the color of cloth. The most preferred choice is the adornment of unique helmets, which like the face a mortal man may bear, is often forged in the image of the Wraith’s desires. The helmet of a Khorgûl is representative of how they perceive themselves, and thus on behalf of the twisted armada of emotions that groan within them, bears a warped or unsettling shape. Reign of the Wraithlord “Oh, great was the sin of my spirit, And great is the reach of its doom; Not the pity of Heaven can cheer it, Nor can respite be found in the tomb: Down the infinite aeons come beating the wings of unmerciful gloom.” Where there have been Wraiths, there have always been a Wraithlord; first, among the Gravelords, once ruled by the Lord of Ashes Nimdravur, and then Vinzakra, before the mantle was taken up again by the Lich-Dragaar Mordring, who sought to utilize the design of his wretched mistakes for the sake of all of Dragonkin’s revival. As the veritable king of their kind, the old Wraithlords were as capable of blessing Men with a rise to transcendence as much as they were able to take it away, so therefore in this rise of concurrent Abyss Knights and Khorgûl, the new Wraithlords would be able to do the same. Their word is law, for they are the sovereign of darkness. Though Wraithlords are known in antiquity as the “strongest” among their kind, there is little difference between them and their subjects. Just as mortal men bearing the crown of a monarch can be slain by the lowest of peasantry, their rule is symbolic and thus a Wraithlord must bear the wisdom of a true king in order to guide their kindred without deterrence from within or without. Power of the Wraiths “I have stumbled by cave-ridden mountains That rise barren and bleak from the plain, I have drunk of the fog-foetid fountains That ooze down to the marsh and the main; And in hot cursed tarns I have seen things, I care not to gaze on again.” As Wraiths are born from the very same darkness which Resonant Knights rise from, they are capable of wielding the Strength of the Abyss. But their transcendence grants them greater power in the fact that they are capable of utilizing all forms of Dark Arts alongside their innate abilities. Though Wraiths in the past were capable of dabbling all forms of magic beyond deific-born practices, their souls have become far too dark and twisted to retain the capacity for powers from the Void, and thus they alone wield the Strength as their primary power alongside Dark Arts to offset the loss of Old Dark arcane. Every iteration of Wraith that has existence since their first dawning in the ancient times have been able to replace their shroud of black cloth with one of flesh and bone. This is known as “husking”, and enables a Wraith to mimic mortal shape by occupying a body they craft themselves from the remains of descendants. Though Husks do not rot entirely as long as they’re inhabited by a Wraith, some extremities entail the cursed beings that inhabit them; several parts of the body, such as the arms or legs or the abdomen are afflicted with an immediate rot, demanding the husked Wraith to cover them in adornments as to hide their true nature. This functions much like the old, black scar the Ash Wraiths bore in terms of giving other individuals subtle hints to what a husked Wraith actually is, but less properly covered, reveals them quite obviously. To become husked is for a Wraith to acknowledge that, by taking a physical shape, they then adopt certain limitations. They still retain greater strength, endurance and magical power, but adopt mortal frailty in the sense that the destruction of “fatal” areas, such as the cranium or the spine, destroy the warped stability that husks contain, and thus cause the demanifestation or “death” of the Wraith occupying their false shells. Bones are capable to break under too much duress as well, meaning they must limit their strength to prevent their own undoing. There is also a passive ability that Wraiths bear while in their true shape that enables the discomfort or unsettling of a mortal being if the interior of their hood or helmets are peered upon for too long. Though not crippling or truly disadvantageous to the victim, it functions much like a weak Graven’s stare, where men of feeble willpower are stricken with a culminating fear should they look within a Wraith’s terrible darkness for too long. Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths Extremely durable against mundane (iron, steel, etcetera) weaponry and physical trauma (high falls, hard impacts, etcetera). Pain is also not felt when being struck or suffering physical trauma. Lacks mortal limitations and therefore, much like Darkstalkers, bear the strength of honed mortal knights while being immune to fatigue. Resists bodily harm from a majority of primordial elements, such as extreme cold and heat and the shock of electrical surges, as well as suffocation brought by drowning. Lacks fatigue brought by magical exertion and is unaffected by the trauma caused by running out of mana, similar to Liches. Capable of mimicking mortal shape through Husking. Able to utilize and learn all forms of non-deific Dark Arts alongside their SotA powers. Weaknesses Weak against pure gold weaponry like swords forged entirely of aurum. Gold has the capacity to deal great pain against Wraiths as well as deal the equivalent of damage to them as mortals would take from mundane weaponry, but for weapons that are only “laced” with pure aurum (gold tipped arrowheads for example), only mild pain is dealt alone. Defenses formed from the use of gold, such as gold dust in front of doorways and gateway entrances lined with pure gold cause difficulty for the Wraith’s passage, even when Husked. While aurum acts as the common man’s defense against a Wraith incursion, they still must approach them strategically. Damage dealt by gold is dependant on where it struck, meaning teritary damage (arms, etc) can cause limb demanifestation below where the strike landed. Severely weak against the Aengulic Arts on behalf of the Strength of the Abyss’ deific resistances failing from their transformation. Weapons blessed by Aengulic powers have the same capacity to demanifest them as pure gold armaments do, and wards act aggressively toward their being; forcing a Wraith to either destroy them, or flee. Husks are also very weak to holy magic and can cause a Wraith to succumb to their powers faster than they do in their true shape. Wraiths are also weak to the powers of Fi’ practitioners. Heavily adverse to both sunlight and fire. Wraiths must adorn cloaks to hide themselves from sunlight to prevent the gradual erosion of the Stagnant Lifeforces that comprise their partially-corporeal being, and fire threatens the shrouds they adorn to prevent that. While a Wraith will not demanifest from being lit on fire or doused in magma, it will weaken them, while a direct impact from something such as greater, explosive fireballs can lead to their immediate demanifestation. This can lead to a Wraith feeling very insecure or uncomfortable in the presence of flame, to the point of fright if it’s used aggressively against them. If adorned completely in plate armor, a Wraith loses their capacity to utilize all forms of magic. Loses the capacity to conjure Voidal and deific magics entirely. Guidelines & Redlines On Husking Wraiths can enter and exit their husk whenever they please. Though Husks retain the physical prowess of a Wraith, there is a greater risks for sustained damage on behalf of being able to over-exert. Pain tolerance for a husked Wraith is higher, but by overdoing the capacity of a physical coil they risk breaks in their bones and flesh, leading to the ruination of their disguise. You must make your own husk from the fresh remains of mortals. If your husk is destroyed, you have to go out and murder someone to recollect the parts for repair. You can't enter a mortal body as a husk until they're permanently killed, but they make for more convincing disguises. The black scar will remain but can be covered by clothing, armor, or other form of obscuring attire. If a Wraith remains in a mortal body husk for more than a week, it starts to affect the Wraiths mentally. The Soul Shadow of the corpse manifests within them, beginning to tamper with the thought-processes of the dark inhabitant until they start taking on traits and even memories of the host. Mortal pain and duress becomes an aspect of husking, but mortal-equivalent weakness to wounds or bodily trauma does not. This means a husked Wraith can survive getting their arms ripped off, but suffer the pain that comes as a result of it. When a husk is destroyed, the shape of the Wraith exits it, and is allowed the option to flee. They are incapable of fighting back effectively in this state. On Wraithlorddom A Wraithlord always exists where there are Wraiths so they may have a proper lord and horizon to kneel to. Their word is law, for they are the king of their kind. Wraiths under a Wraithlord are not forced to follow their command, but in disobeying them they risk the stripping of their transcendence as punishment. From T4 Abyss Knights, or Abyss Knights that had existed for a minimum of six months, a Wraithlord may create a Wraith. Only five Wraiths can exist, however, with their lord being the final sixth. A Wraithlord is able to take power away just as they may give it. In order to banish Wraithdom from a subject’s soul, a Wraithlord must challenge them to single combat and best them before they’re able to ensorcel their weapon with the Black Rite, which is an imbuement a Wraithlord can summon to be plunged into the darkness of defeated, rebellious Wraiths. The disgraced Wraith reverts to a mortal Abyss Knight as a result of this. A Wraithlord cannot be assisted in this duel, and must use their own resources in order for the Black Rite to become available. On SotA Because Wraiths are no longer bound by the flesh, they do not feel pain while using the powers of the Strength of the Abyss, but instead perceive the dispersal of their Lifeforce-bound being; SotA retains the same limitations for them without the pain, but if they overexert themselves with the magic, they risk hastily demanifestation. Wraiths are considered the “masters” of Abyss Knightdom, as their transcendence makes them T5 of the magic. A Resonant Knight, however, may abstain from such a fate and become T5 as a mortal anyway. Credits Scubasteeeve - For the initial conceptualization and brainstorming assistance. Tsuyose - For the original concept for Abyss Knights based on older lore he wrote (no one cares about it anyway). The Wraiths - For collective feedback and assistance on how to balance the Abyss Wraith rewrite. Swgrclan - For sole development and the sacrifice of sweat, blood, and tears.

The similarities to Soul Puppetry in our cursing section seems to have been an oversight that one of us wrote in without mentioning. However, cursing has been apart of Necromancy since Anthos (Setherien-era), and will remain apart of the magic. Edits will be made to alter the currently defined strengths of necrotic cursing, alongside how they actually function.

The "circle-jerks" will remain as long as clotting does as a power. There's no spread of the magic in mind right now.

RP Name: Faron of Tryvarus MC Name: Idolomun Known Arcane Arts: Fulmenmancy Mental Magistry Enchantry Position Desired: Scholar When is the best time to contact you for an interview: N/A

This Lore has been denied. Topic moved to Denied Lore forum.