ScreamingDingo

Something I want to reiterate is those that claim harassment over minimal interactions are the exact same people who go into their friend discords and make horrendous, slanderous rumours about me over a variety of actions because they dislike me. The VCs of the most victim based discords are filled with quotes calling me a pedophile and saying I’ve pex abused to uplift a friend and other outrageous claims. There’s no point dragging him down for actions that he did not commit, but you have pinned on him as a main contributor. Don’t be a hypocrite when I know the above happens.

With this, Dharas does not deserve to be affiliated with me and is a fantastic new generation player who actually understands the fundamentals of roleplay. He knows where to take risks, how to drive narratives in roleplay and has become one of the most notorious “villains” and most successful dark mage players in public perception in the last decade. He has overcome dogshit decisions and instances of PEX abuse to try and stifle him, constantly OOC targeting and harassment by other player bases and being ostracised by communities because he has taken a different direction with their magics.

I will not advocate for him as an ET, because we genuinely need more selfless, non self insert, narrative builders amongst the community. We have too many people who push their own agenda and OOC feelings into every bit of roleplay, but he is as eager as can be to create some real initiatives and enjoyments for players he interacts with.

SYMBOL: The Eagle - The Broken Shackle

DOMAINS: Freedom, Rebellion, Anarchy

STATUS: Alive

ORIGIN

History of Valaen

I - THE FIRST FLIGHT

Valaen emerged as many did through the epoch of creation, where the realms of the material and immortal broke forth from the endless nothingness. The Creator's own will crafted the heavens, the hells, the skies and the mountains to layer upon the endless landscapes that all would now wander. As every creature and entity sought their true home upon their realms. Valaen, that of Freedom, took flight in the endless skies that enveloped the world.

Valaen himself was never one to be, 'evil', for he did not wish to incite the destruction of countless lives. Yet, the term of Daemon does simply not mean that one aims to point towards destruction, but they are mortal in their truths that they exude upon the world. For Valaen stood as a bulwark of endless freedom, of the hopefulness that came from the departure of the ground to the clouds that ensnared the skies. His wings took him upon the winds that bellowed through the world, with every switch and turn spurred by the nature of fate. Valaen himself was an entity that did not stay upon his realm, isolated by the barriers of protection that allowed for the Aengudaemons to continue their percieved immortality. For he instead, stayed on the lands of the descendants before their clashing with the Betrayer, the large eagle that flew across the heavens and granted them the wish of travel and migration. Many of those of the ancient tribes and peoples of Aos crafted totems and sigils upon the existence of the gods, as did many during this formative time in the world. One where the stained mark of death did not linger from the gods, and they roamed ever freely to explore the lands that were not their own. Many of these entities descended upon the world and helped guide those to form collective groups, incite warfare and uplift their spirituality.

For Valaen's flights of freedom were not on his lonesome, for they were taken with another entity that flew in tandem with him. That of the Aengul of Youth, an entity who's true name is lost to time and only mentioned in scripts of pre-curse descendant understanding. For these entities shared a partnership as one would expect, for the curiosity of a child allows for the freedom for them to linger upon the world and know its full intent. Those of the first Aengudaemons shared these experiences and exchanges, where that of Youth took to the form of an Eagle to mimic that of Valaen. The gilded eagles that spun upon the heavens of the world shone in their plumed feathers of gold and silver, staining the skies with streaks of light that would occasionally create the rays of rainbows that would break through to the eyes of man.

These flights were numerous, yet upon one fateful day, the intrusions upon the mortal plane led to dire consequences. As the two took flight, that of Youth decided to glide upon the expansive oceans of the world, where the winds swept and created waves that shuddered against the coasts. Valaen himself flew high above them, as they watched their wings change and move forth, as the entity rose depending on the changes of wind. A small collective of people were seen from the edges of the coast as they would both veer to follow the line of the water, before a sudden crack would follow from the form of Youth. A hefted spear, that of huge proportions was torn through their form, the spear of stone tearing through the feathers of the divines and skewering it mid-flight. A few cheers and cries of victory were heard from the coast, as the hefted giant sat, watching his prey succumb to its wounds.

That of Youth turned suddenly towards the ocean, as the glimmers of golden blood rained from its chest. The strange ichor, first fell upon the material and soaked in the water. No cries or screams of pain came from the Aengul, for they knew not what they experienced, their immortality was never challenged or understood. For now, it was taken away from them with a single weapon. Valaen swung his wings upwards as he watched the carcass of the eagle plunge into the ocean. Water sprayed up akin to a geyser, as the pools of blood sank from the surface to deep beneath them, following the fallen Aengul to the very depths. As the corpse sank, a thunderous echo tore through the skies that would almost draw blood to the ears of those unaware. The grey clouds swirled as the beacon of white light shone down from the heavens to the lumbering giant, who sat there unaware, while he watched the struggle of his prey. A single, piercing column of white struck upon the flesh of the giant, completely eradicating flesh and the existence of the being in a blink of an eye. The skeletal remains of the giant remained taut in its position, its arms reaching to the heavens as their bones calcified into stone. Defiance, as Valaen realised the true mortality that sat with this plane of existence. He fled for years afterwards, never taking flight from the skies.

The death of Youth was an event that was immersed under great secrecy by the pantheon of the heavens, for this revealed to them of something they knew not of before. For when their feet touched the ground of the Material World, they had to follow its rules. The power of their souls did not extend or manifest as they did in the immortal realms, it instead was a fraction of their unfathomable outreach. For now they knew if they did not protect themselves and precaution their existence with barriers upon their soul, a mere mortal could potentially tear them from very existence. The accursed relic that struck the first blow against the descendants laid hidden by the powers that would be, locked up until stumbled upon in the very far future.

Yet, Valaen’s own knowledge and recognition of mortality made him ponder about the beasts that were truly mortal. For he flew within his feathered form and interacted with some of the first people, where they appraised his wings and knew nothing of true flight. Because of such, Valaen himself caused a terrible meddling of the soul that would be akin to Metzlti’s own abominations. For those who were most valiant to grant freedom, they instead drove themselves from the cliffs and were granted gnarled wings of twisted proportions. Their skin itself plumed with feathers, as their throats sung the calls of the sweet songbird, their forms carried the twisted abominable freedom that their master granted them. That of the Harpy.

II - THE CAGED BIRD

Valaen’s own influence wavered upon the first wars against the Betrayer, where the Daemon himself hid away from the machinations of warfare that raged upon the heavens. His own fear of descendant kind after the destruction of Youth forced his presence in the material realm to dissipate during these tumultuous times. As he flew upon the endless spires of his realm, he dared not revisit the battlefields of the descendants; instead, he hid within the depths of the realm he held dominion over.

The influence of Esthael grew upon the completion of the wars of the Betrayer, where her cosmic duties were linked to shackling those that had broken the perceived balance of existence. Those that could ravage realms spawned from the machinations of the Outvoker, from those that could create and manipulate to the near-levels of the Creator. These abominations against the cosmos were systematically hunted down by the Cults of Esthael and Esthael herself. The destruction of Dragur, the chaining of Apohet, the seals of Azdromoth, and all Dragonkind—these marked the very influence that the cosmic jailor had upon all. The innate passion for freedom that flowed within the heart of Valaen was smothered by the presence of Esthael as years passed and the Descendants continued their growth beyond the Four Brothers.

As Valaen sought freedom, Metzlti aimed to create those in her own image, to define the true beauty of her moniker upon the realms of mortals. The emergence of the various beastkin of the goddess, such as the Kharajyr and Hou-Zi, was encouraged, as she herself aimed to create those that were beyond the original machinations of Dragur. For the Elder of Knowledge's creations were flawed and corruptible with a single touch of chaos and ruin. Metzlti knew that her creation of new entities could not be from nothing, and so she began with the transmutation of souls into animals. Valaen watched with great intent these experiences, as his own ideals aimed at granting the freedom of existence to all. To create something of such purity and free will could maybe allow for those like Esthael to loosen their shackles upon existence and allow for more entities to enter.

Valaen grew jealous and sought to sow the rebellion of the Kharajyr to break free from Metzlti and determine their own fates. That of the White Tla’ and Ordium were constructs of oppression, where these entities could thrive without the interference of such. So the seeds of oppression were sown throughout the descendant kind; uprisings against the Kharajyr and the moniker of the Eagle inspired by Metzlti emerged. Small groups of such continued until the descendants themselves charged against the walls of the Kharajyr, sieging them and causing the Fall of Ordium, a construct of great importance to the Daemon. As the power of Metztli’s disgraced entities vanished, the influence of Valaen’s meddling was made known to the heavens. For a Daemon to defy another and incite rebellion upon them was throwing the natural order and balance of the world into disarray. As Valaen tried to flee into his realm, Esthael herself ensnared the realm of Freedom in a ritualistic seal of silence. The outskirts of his realm were ensnared in a never-ending darkness as the world itself transformed into an eternal night, where only the moniker of Aerial’s influence shined upon the heavens. That of the moon. Esthael herself was brutal in the capture of Valaen, fracturing his limbs and sealing him upon a pyramid monument constructed of ivory, akin to the towers of the Bastille. With such, the shackles of Brightsteel ensnared themselves over the form of Valaen, as he was shown as a monument of oppression. For any of those that flew of his realm, the winds themselves would lack the ferocity of the skies, the birds perched upon the peaks as the endless chasms led to their fates of death. Valaen lay hunched over, the eternal night now engulfing his realm by the cosmic Jailor.

III - FREEDOM

The ensnared Daemon felt the heavy shackles of Brightsteel as he lamented in his realm for many years. His home was now his prison, the skies of freedom now only the boundaries of his cage. Hatred and imbalance, the defiance against nature itself, all these thoughts culiminated through the head of Valaen as he felt himself worthless to command presence even in his own realm. Oppression and imprisonment, was this what others felt under the true binds of Esthael, were they just as hopeless as he was? For what judges the world, a singular entity that balances the world upon the whims of their own mind. The Cosmic Jailor, the despised Aengul.
 

The Daemon's thoughts were all he was left with, as the almost eternal 'subjugation' continued. A sudden crash happened as the veil of night in the realm broke apart akin to glass, the jutting of the manifestation of the divines seen on the horizon. An arm, a ribcage, the divine corpse of a beast being torn apart by the ravenous horrors of the void. Their rampage slammed the body of Metzlti upon the jail cell, fracturing the locks that kept the entity under subjugation. The violent calls of the divines rattled through the cosmos as the plan of Gazardiael continued its cruel machinations. For that of Vanity was slaughtered like a sheep amongst a pack of wolves, her realm encased by horrors that tore apart its former dominion and laid claim to it. The skies of Valaen’s domain broke into sunlight as the brightsteel shackles fractured under the influence of the magic being broken by coincidence. The emancipation of freedom now emerged from the chaos of the cosmos, as Valaen’s own influence was spread by those who pledged their lives to freedom. Cults that already worshipped the Eagle spread prophecies to find those subjugated by not only Esthael, but all.

EAGLES REST

Realm

Valaen’s Realm reflects his own endless journeys of flight and freedom. The mountain ranges of the lands itself continue in an endless spiral, never ending as they break through the infinite expanses of his realm. Peaks and jagged outcrops are littered with souls claimed by Valaen, those either transformed into winged creatures or those that worship at their very peaks. Upon the center of the mountain ranges lay a strange, intricate pillar of ivory, where chains of ethereal gold now lay rusted and broken. For once, these bounds held the realm under hostage, shattered by its cosmic incursions. 

For Eagle’s Rest offers infinite flight, an endless amount of depths and heights to dive from and glide across. To taste the heavens and skies, is to embrace the comfort of Valaen’s wings to fight against the conformity of the cosmos. Those that intrude would find themselves aimless amongst the abyssal chasms and cliffs that litter the landscape, meaning those that wander without the blessing of Valaen are stranded, with no clear direction as to where to head. 

A section upon the very edge lies in a weakened state, for where the corpse of Metzlti crashed upon the realm’s tether. Such a land is desolate and immersed in an eternal maze of outcrops and chasms. For those that are unwanted, their first steps are upon the edges of the cliffs. Where they shall either succumb to mortality, or fail in their attempts to breach past this ‘barrier’.

MODERN DAY

Following

Valaen’s direct ‘cult’ upon his re-emergence are the Order of the Fractured Chain, who are an occult group of radicals that aim to uncover eldritch tombs and seals to break them open. They are entities that have been reported to utilise Blood Magic to call forth the removal of Aengudaemonic seals and to cause strife and chaos to incite these acts of rebellion. As the influence of Valaen has spread, there have been small instances of rebellions and uprisings in lands that are not of descendant kind, many pursuing the innate magics of the Outvoker to spread their cosmic will.

Though with Valaen’s presence in pre-curse descendant cultures, he has been a defining sign of freedom and rebellion for those that incite his name. The symbol of the ‘Eagle’ itself has been used in various uprisings and the destruction of slaving nation-states. For these freedom fighters have taken influences from the knowledge of the heavens, with even the Elven Fighters of the original Aeldin incursion adopting marks of the Eagle and the eternal vigilance to use violence to achieve monumental peace.

PURPOSE

Explanation

This is another ‘rebranding’ of an entity that was made with really the only purpose to potentially make bird-people as a player race. I always enjoyed the symbolism of freedom and birds, knowing that this could be a great foil against Esthael and allowing for a Daemon that may seem ‘evil’ in overall intent, but ultimately represents freedom. 

It is meant to be the comparison between Order and Anarchy, and could be an interesting symbol to adopt. I took inspiration from Meso-American cultures in the depiction of Valaen and wanted to really brand a symbol of freedom as one that would fight when pushed. All to allow for potential movements or cultures that aim at violent uprisings to free themselves from oppressors.

I just think it’s something cool that helps expand the cosmos and also helps build the ying-yang dynamics of the aengudaemons that [I, ScreamingDingo] is the superior way to approach it.

CITATIONS

Credits:

ScreamingDingo - Writer

Werew0lf - Formatting

>don’t walk into this area it is very dangerous and you will die

>walks into area
 

i remember having to watch this event to ensure that people weren’t being too crazy on the ST side. It was falling and staying and fighting back, it was not they fell into an area and were killed in one emote. There was ample time to get out, ample time to run, yet they all continued in this area.

people were very well aware the hollow was a no-go zone, especially in the blast zone. To linger and fight things in the crater after falling is probably what led to the deaths, not immediately being vaporised