mmat

I'll be perfectly honest and say that I didn't read all of this post because I'm a lazy *******. I'd love the existence of an overarching map storyline to tie things together. Unfortunately, I don't believe there's enough of a unified vision for a long enough period of time on the ST to maintain it. There are too many people who would (and often do) seek to insert their own flavour into it or steer it in their own direction, regardless of what is best. It would inevitably descend into a grey, overly broad mass, rather than an engaging and unique tale. Perhaps the only way I can see this working without the project losing steam or falling apart is for one person to hold the reigns and drive it themselves. And that's just as impractical as the alternative. But maybe I'm just pessimistic, which is likely

I love mountains and particularly mountain passes. They are cool. No canyons, they suck ass x

Welcome back : )

5th of the Sun's Smile SA 85 SANCTION BETWEEN SNOW & VALE Despite the racial and cultural disparity between the Mali’ame of Neveahlen and the men and women of Haense’s northern realm, our two peoples have nevertheless maintained a cordial and profitable friendship over the years. Hitherto, this has mostly taken the form of informal connections, friendship and association. But during times of war and turmoil in Almaris, such as the apparent days to come, the Mali‘ame Eldarchy and Haensetic Dual-Monarchy have elected to reach a more formal accord so that tranquility and stability might be maintained. Section I: Articles of Blade and Bulwark I ⃒ The Vale of Neveahlen and Dual Monarchy of Hanseti-Ruska join forces with one another in the form of a defensive agreement. In the event that an external descendant power engages in offensive warfare against one party, the other is bound by treaty and oath to intervene on their behalf with all military and political capacity. Brazen aggression or other warlike conduct from one party to another shall render the accord null and void. II ⃒ The Vale of Neveahlen and Dual Monarchy of Hanseti-Ruska commit their formidable strength in warriors and knowledge to eradicating the myriad cursed forms of dark sorcery, evil and corruption that blight the domain of Almaris and, if necessary, beyond. Relevant knowledge concerning the purging, slaying and expulsion of such malevolence is to be shared at the earliest convenience. III ⃒ The Vale of Neveahlen shall not be induced to intervene in the ongoing political tensions between the Dual Monarchy of Hanseti-Ruska and its adversaries at the time of signing, unless directly and militarily threatened by either faction. In which case, the Vale may join its ally as its leadership sees fit. IV ⃒ The Wild Chiefs of Neveahlen and Marshal of the Dual Monarchy of Hanseti-Ruska agree to maintain regular contact in regard to military affairs, keeping one another informed about potential matters of importance and hosting mutual training sessions so that one party may benefit from the martial prowess of the other. Section II: Articles of Culture and Commerce I ⃒ The Vale of Neveahlen acknowledges the sole legitimacy of the Dual Monarchy of Hanseti-Ruska to govern the human peoples under its aegis, as well as those other civilians who so choose to make Haenseni kingdom their home. In turn, the Dual Monarchy of Hanseti-Ruska acknowledges the sole legitimacy and sovereign authority of the Vale of Neveahlen to govern the mali’ame peoples under its aegis, as well as those other civilians who so choose to make the Vale their home. II ⃒ In the interests of continued cordiality between peoples and openness between cultures, both the Vale of Neveahlen and Dual Monarchy of Hanseti-Ruska pledge to respect the ways of their counterpart when conducting business in and passing through their respective territories. In addition, avenues shall be opened allowing archivists and scholars to catalogue and educate their own people on the others’ ways and rites. III ⃒ For the purpose of filling the coffers of both realms and the enriching prosperity of their respective peoples, the Vale of Neveahlen and Dual Monarchy of Hanseti-Ruska vow to facilitate the development of a bountiful trade relationship. Each party will, therefore, earmark a single section of their capital’s primary market area or bazaar to be used in any commercial fashion the signatory sees fit, so long as that commercial enterprise is not used as a vessel to undermine or hinder the host realm. Section III: Articles of Intricacy I ⃒ The Sanction Between Snow & Vale, together with all of its binding terms, shall remain in-effect for a period no less than ten Elven seasonal cycles. In lieu of any subsequent diplomatic action, its terms will expire exactly a decade following its enactment. II ⃒ Nine seasonal cycles following the enactment of the Sanction Between Snow & Vale, emissaries from both parties will gather to renegotiate, reconfigure or otherwise renew or discard the treaty as per the need of their respective realm. III ⃒ Should any dispute between the endorsing parties arise that may, if not handled adeptly, put the Sanction in jeopardy, the Vale of Neveahlen and Dual Monarchy of Hanseti-Ruska vow to engage in all necessary, just and mutually agreed measures to resolve the dispute. Matriarch of the Vale of Nevaehlen and of the Mali'ame Wild Chief of the Vale of Neveahlen Valeseer of Neveahlen ___ His Royal Majesty KARL III by the Grace of Godan, King of Hanseti and Ruska, Grand Hetman of the Army, Prince of Bihar, Dules, Lahy, Muldav, Solvesborg, Slesvik and Ulgaard, Duke of Carnatia and Vanaheim, Margrave of Korstadt, Rothswald and Vasiland, Count of Alban, Alimar, Baranya, Graiswald, Karikhov, Karovia, Kaunas, Kavat, Kovachgrad, Kvasz, Markev, Nenzing, Torun, and Toruv, Viscount of Varna, Baron of Esenstadt, Kraken’s Watch, Kralta, Krepost, Lorentz, Rytsburg, Thurant, Venzia and Astfield, Lord of the Westfolk, Protector of the Highlanders, etcetera. HER EXCELLENCY, Isabel Baruch, Lady Palatine of Hanseti-Ruska, Duchess of Valwyck, Countess of Ayr, Viscountess of Voron, Baroness of Laval and Riveryn, Lady of Jorenstadt, Guardian of the Hanseti Coast Drafted by Neveahlen emissary

I had the same problem. He seems to over-write a lot of stuff that doesn't add any real excitement to the story. 4 was probably the most difficult one to finish

Tolkien is always going to have a place on my favourites list, and I'd say probably my favourite book ever is almost certainly the Silmarillion, for its combination of mythology and history of Arda. I've also been listening to more modern fantasy authors lately like Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight Archive, Mistborn, Warbreaker, etc etc.) as well as science fiction mainly in the form of Warhammer 40k books. If you're a 40k fan looking for a comedic book with a lot of lore and serious subtext, listen to the Infinite and the Divine by Robert Rath. If you just like dumbass Orks being funny, listen to Brutal Kunnin'.

There is not a single Minecraft server or other roleplaying medium with the potential for creativity, freedom and dynamism that LoTC has. I dislike roleplaying. However, I love roleplaying on LoTC (sometimes).

1.9 is and has always been utter trash. It was removed once before for being utter trash and it should be removed now for being utter trash

- A cohesive storyline and compelling, powerful and yet subtle antagonist - Far, far less peripheral settlements. Discouraging of flavour of the month settlements that subsquently get abandoned - Less map degredation through the above - Nation capitals closer together - No freebuild at all - No contrived bullshit crafting systems - More freeform war casus belli, but war that is moderated far more stringently as to discourage RP destruction

No freebuild at all, ever. All it will do (and all it ever has done) is turbocharge the ever-inevitable degredation of a new map into a clogged mess saturated by abandoned, half-constructed or unappealing settlements.

In that other place beyond the mortal coil, Avius looked at the unmarred face of the woman he had truly loved for as long as he lived. Free of its strains, its burdens and its anguish. He let out a sigh and shut his eyes, all worries banished. It's over.

Medieval = badass Victorian era committees, institutions and departments = zzzz

Avius probably would have smiled. He didn't, however. Because he was, in fact, dead.

ETERNITIES BEFORE THE END “Nothing awaits you.” But what awaits me? Avius Csarathaire realised that he was dead. Yet Brother Cinder’s blazing soul, ever defiant, rebelled. The warrior could not move. His armour, perhaps? Yes, it must be that. The armour, rigid metal, impeding his motion. No, you fool. Ignorant fool. His mind’s voice spat, laced with spite. Go away, please. The Wood Elf shut his eyes and grit his teeth, feeling the tightness of his right arm instinctively clasped around his chest. It is true, isn’t it... I’m hurt... But I have been hurt before. The rationaliser within him pointed out, desperately. But he felt something then. Benign at first, then terrifying. A viscous wetness that weaved its serpentine path over his lip and then down his chin. Do not drool, you idler. The rational voice chided. Face the truth, fool. The instinct commanded. And Avius did. With the arm that still worked, the Wood Elf reached up and wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. It came away covered in crimson red. His soul shocked out of its gridlocked, delusional denial, he let out a sigh. Of exhaustion, of pain and of understanding. The creature’s blow had been so fast, so strong, smashing him against the mountainside. He couldn’t move. Of course you can’t move, idiot. How could he have been so stupid? One mortal. One weak mortal with a metal stick. Oh of course, Avius was good with that metal stick, great even. Magnificent, even. And still, here he was. Weak. For all your efforts, you were always weak. Avius found that realisation bothered him more than the revelation of his imminent death. Death. Now? It couldn’t happen, could it? Almost two centuries of life, ended in a single moment. Towering, beautiful edifices of friendship, love, skill and life’s joys, collapsed as though they had never been. But the Phoenixian swordsman found that the thought of death itself held no power over him. It was the unanswered questions of life that bothered him in those final moments. The unresolved hatreds ending without a conclusion. They will never forgive you. The mind said. Those beloved whom he had never said a final goodbye hurt him. Those to whom he owed everything, but who went without gratitude. You deserve this. Every moment of agonising understanding. A tear escaped Avius’s icy eye. The physical pain, now almost crippling, pailed in comparison to those ever-branching thoughts. Miven. The ‘ame’s thoughts began racing, uncontrollable now. His will was too injured, too weak to resist them. Our century of companionship. I ruined it in a moment. Pointless. I’m sorry. Avius’ body seized, recoiling from its attempt to do something, anything to make things right. He was powerless, only able to sit there, dying, and watch as his comrade’s descended on his killer. Mother. His heartbeat, already growing irregular in its death-throes, skipped another weak beat. What will you do now? How will you find out? Why could you not be here with me? To wrap my grazes, to tell me everything would be alright? To tell me to get up and walk it off. It seemed, with death’s strangling embrace weakening his will and shrouding his mind, Avius’s defences against all the wiles of existence collapsed with it. He couldn’t restrain the torrent of unbound, whirling guilts and longings now, even if he had wanted to. He felt, for a final time, that uncomfortable plummeting of the stomach. The feeling of realising something terrible once forgotten. My lioness… Avius squeezed his eyes shut, as though the force of it would do anything at all. That realisation represented the truest horror of them all. He was to be the one to shepherd his tormented lifemate to the next world. I failed. Do not linger here, please. His mind deliriously begged nothing but itself. Do not linger here just to decay and degrade. Come with me, unspoiled, please. I cannot go alone. I cannot bear to see you tormented, bound eternally to this place. And then there was Rosalia, and long-lost Artanis, and Valerica, and Eretria. Kalius even. Serinwe, from oh so long ago. Layla. Owl. Awaiti. Eir’thall. Eir’thall. My friend. Where did you go? Why did everyone have to go? Then. A strange sensation. A lifting of burdens. Layers of poisonous chaff, accumulated over decades, centuries of battle and service, discarded in that final moment. Unbending hatreds fell away. Lifelong grievances disintegrated. All worry, all strife, all terror disappeared. The resentment of every stolen hope and every broken dream vanished. Fire illuminated the dark smog of battle, blazing hues shimmering against the icy chill of Avius’s flicking eyes, blinding him more with each moment. Avius Csarathaire smiled, one final time. As did the firebird. As did Brother Cinder. As did the phoenix. As did sword-boy, and all the others. What awaits me? He supposed he would find out soon enough. The hateful, blazing blast of infernal flame struck its mark. Avius’s body simply disintegrated, falling to ashes within a suit of charred armour. But unlike the phoenix, nothing would rise from them.

Whilst in the midst of training with the sword, Avius Csarathaire pondered the proclamation of unity with an uncharacteristic pensiveness. What to make of this new phenomenon? Something appealed in its grandeur and scale. Strength, security, a realm to ward against the predations of the other races. Other things, however, rankled him deeply. This Malinor seemed not to represent the ancient realm in the old legends, its king faithful to the Elves' ancestral gods of nature. It would be a realm of ice drakes and arcanists, spirits and shamans. A realm antithetical to the past. What to make of it? For once, despite all his dogged certainties, Avius did not know. But for once he hoped, and said a prayer to the Aspects, that circumstance unlooked for would not bring him into conflict with this new domain of the Elves.

Username: iMattyz Discord: Matthias#3960 Skin Reference Alex or Steve model: Both ideally, but mainly Steve Skin details, if any (the more, the better): We're going for a kind of old style royal Elf thing, but with the blue trim around the sides instead a deep green. If you need any more details, just hmu on discord

Within the deepest vaults of Elven libraries rest tomes concerning topics both tangible and abstract. Philosophies and ways of life, martial might and magicks, bestaries and biology. Alongside those dusty pages sits a passage of epic history, lost unjustly among the reams of parchment. It details the life and times of a figure, potentially historical, potentially mythical or perhaps both, from the ancient past. Thousands of years ago, the first Elven kingdom of the progenitor Malin splintered into the fragments of today. The High Elves bathed in the gilded pools and the sorceries of the void. Their skin turned pale, their cities silver. Forces unknown twisted others of Malin’s children into the ashen, moonlit Dark Elves, further sapping the species. Last to leave the old domains were Irrin’s Wood Elves, who departed with their ways and their gods to live a simpler life. But during that period of transition, after Malin disappeared and before the great Elven cities of antiquity fell wholly into the annals of barely recalled memory, a tale tells of one Elf who attempted to reverse the tide of history. Did this enigmatic figure truly exist, or is he simply a figment of an unknown, overactive imagination dreaming of greatnesses long gone? Did the events of the fall of Malin’s realm take place as described? None can truly know, millennia later, of course. Nevertheless, the tale remains to be read. Welcome to the Life of Ulnafex the Undivider. The King is gone to lands unknown. Our kin from Malin’s path have flown With ashen skin and sorcerous spell Or shirkers who in the forest now dwell Sundered it is, our great realm of old Amid the trees its cities sat silent and cold Then from the bleak ashes did rise An echo of old, strong, willful and wise. Born of black tragedy, forged in strife He came through it all, a beacon of new life. Ulnafex. Ulnafex. Your people wish to know Where, my king, oh where did you go? Turn the page Book I ⃒ Apathy Book II ⃒ Growth Book III ⃒ Action Book IV ⃒ War Book V ⃒ Rule Book VI ⃒ Verdant OOC:

Started going to the gym and lifting a few months ago, but was put into hospital in October and advised to stop for a long while. Really wasn't my thing but a PT helped get my technique up to snuff and it actually started being pretty satisfying. Might go back when im well again Favourite is bench because you really feel like a chad when you get a PB

((I religiously look at these scores and the commentary every time they're posted and I still have not a clue what the **** any of it is

such a based thread

I am Avius Csarathaire, a warrior of ability, and a prince of none. Son of the dead Khaine, and the living Quillian. I am still young, by our race’s reckoning, but I have seen more than mali thrice my age or more. What follows is a collection of thoughts and beliefs concerning the wild gods and my heartfelt faith in them. I call them ‘Ideals of the Warsworn’, because I could think of nothing more creative. Provoked by a sense of my own mortality, I expended whatever small slice of scholarly ability I possessed to pen this scattered text. Something initially prevented me from doing so. Perhaps I thought that writing down my convictions decreases their sanctity and purity. Perhaps I believed that my limited skill with a pen would not adequately portray the gravity and sincerity of the things I value. Possibly this piece, as a result of my jumbled thoughts, does not truly show what it is I am in the proper detail. Maybe even I fear that, if I live a long life, I will be required to write my contemplations again some day - a task I do not relish. Perhaps it is all of these things and many more. But here they are nonetheless. I hope that, when I am gone, future generations will find profit in these words and emulate the principles within. Maybe that is vanity, and the amateurish work will languish in obscurity instead. Nevertheless, continue on at your leisure, and continue our fight against the end. Now, I go to fight, and perhaps to die. The Cinder Druid IDEALS OF THE WARSWORN At the sunrise of all creation, the unknowable sculptor of all worldly things set out the blueprint for all that would be. Three beings of might and vision - Aenguls, deific entities in their own right, descended unto this newly forged plane and assigned themselves the endless task of maintaining the resplendence of what had been wrought. Flora of all varieties; plants, trees and flowers grew and flourished, decorating the world with a lush, lively verdance. But without maintenance, even that initial burst of life would wither and die. And so did the mother Cerridwen infuse the earth with her lifegiving touch. Trees stretched their roots and formed vast primordial forests, sprouting anew with life amid a sea of fungi and plant life. Grasses stretched from horizon to horizon as vast meadows, and the wilds were born. But life bloomed and flowered, continuing its ever-growth. Life bloomed so greatly that its vines and thickets risked throttling the entirety of the world. And so did the father Cernunnos join his companion and bring down a mighty spear, adding his gift to hers - the gift of death. The first animals awakened with their claws and fangs, devouring the mother’s fruits for their own sustenance. Plants and trees began to compete, some ascending to majesty while others were claimed by the cycle. But with the hunter god’s advent the balance grew imperiled once more. Death now weighed heavier than life, and Cerridwen’s creations gradually succumbed to destruction. And so did one final being complete the triarchy of wild gods, and give birth to the balance of the world. Then came the Four first ones and their flocks to inhabit the wilds and the forests and the plains that the aspects had brought to order. Meanwhile, did the triarchy merge their strengths into a single power and create their own dominion - a perfect throne from which to shield a perfect world for all time. Alas, the archenemy surged forth then upon wings of flame, to murder and break and despoil and maim. The shattered world and its protectors quailed and wept, Malin’s children routed to their final sept. The enemy failed and the nightmare did fade, but the world then would never break free of his shade. For all ages to come would the druii now fight, lest this broken plane be stolen by the blight. CONVICTIONS “FIGHT OUR WAR, EVEN IF IT CANNOT BE WON” The three divine aspects brought balance to a world unsullied by the archenemy’s black hand, unspoiled by the evils of outside parasites and all darknesses that have since come to infest it. Wage everlasting war to restore their creation to the ideal place it once was. Burn away blight and corruption wherever on the land you may find it. Bring Cernunnos’ wrath not only those twisted abominations brought into being by the aspects’ mortal foes, but also the vile traitor descendants that slave themselves to its dread cause. You are the vanguard. “THE LIFEBRINGING GIFT IS TO BE WIELDED, BUT STRENGTH FORGED FOR ONESELF” We warriors of the wild gods are not the Titan’s bastardised slaves, whose inner weakness must be shrouded by the coward’s carapace of another’s might. We are not the subservient masses of the valah, prostrate on their knees in the dirt, begging the empty skies for succour. Lift yourself to the apex of physical perfection. Increase your prowess with the sword, the spear and the bow. Become a keenly honed blade of the hunter god, that he would be honoured to host you as his warrior. “THE ASPECTS ALONE ARE TO BE REVERED” It has become all too common, in the century and a half of my life, for druii and ‘ame to cast aside worship of the aspects in favour of the mani. Those who perpetrate this folly are guilty of not only idolatry, but also an utter abandonment of their ancestral faith. It was the aspects who counselled the Father of all Mali on his ancient throne. It is a fragment of the might of the aspects that courses through the veins of all druii, infusing them with lifegiving force. The mani are lesser servants, brothers to us in duty and subservient to the wild gods, as are we too. “STAND ALOFT, A KING, BUT WITH A CROWN OF WARRIORS” I am not a scholar, nor a reader of histories. Still, I know that our people’s civilisation was once something far greater than we have since become. The collapse of Malin’s great realm deprived our race of culture, strength and unity. In the aftermath, we, the aspects’ remaining faithful, delved into the deepness of the wilds and claimed the aspects’ favour. Embrace your warlike, predatory instinct. Immerse yourself in nature. Do these things, but do not forget the sceptre of majesty we once held aloft. Live in the wilds, but do not wallow in filth. “BE, ABOVE ALL, THE HUNTER-GOD’S SPEAR, AND THE LIFEMOTHER’S BOW” The duties and responsibilities of a druii are many and varied. However, to those whom a greater calling and ambition is required, there can be no prime mandate except to pick up the spear, and the sword. Our world is a thing of perfection drowning in and sundered by an everlasting ocean of filth. It is not adequate to grow plants or study. Scouring darkness and blight is the most important duty. Harness violence and flame to burn away corruption. Wander afar, find comrades wherever you must. Do whatever you feel necessary to destroy the aspects’ foes wherever you find them. “TO SPREAD THE CURSE OF THE ARCHENEMY IS ANATHEMA” The unspeakable betrayer despoiled many things in his war to end life. Not least did the malignant beast spit a curse upon the descendant races. “May your halls forever be silent, and your hearts heavy with sadness.” Our people have suffered through the many centuries since, dwindling in number and succumbing to melancholy or madness. And so it is among the greatest evils to damn a child of Malin’s blood with two of the archenemy’s horrors. The interbreeder is therefore unworthy to be druii, and moreover sacrifices any claim to the legacy of both Malin and the aspects. Execute such dark beings wherever they are found. “THE MANTLE OF THE GREAT GIFT IS MALIN’S BY BLOOD. ” While any being of middling sense and good priorities may serve to defend the balance from its myriad enemies, only the mali race holds ancestral primacy in the ranks of the druii. It was our people alone who, in ancient days, took the divine aspects as our gods and entered their embrace. The mali formed the druii and guarded the world from the archenemy’s corruption for millennia. Those of other kindred blood who take the gift, be they valah, dwed or beyond, take it as outsiders graced by the aspects’ benevolence. The trunk of the druii tree must always remain mali, or they will no longer be druii, only thieves. CONTEMPLATIONS OF CINDER “I am a creature of extremes. Someone must be.” INNER IMBALANCE AS ULTIMATE BALANCE Do not slave yourself to the flawed term balance. Do not allow the chained limitations of a mortal language imprison your inner fire. The ‘balance’ of the wild gods is the sum of nature and life in their ancient influence. Its order and its chaos, its growth and its death. All in perfect order with one another. In this way the components of the balance, in a contradictory twist, are actually not a balance at all, but an extremity on all sides that symbiotically oppose one another to become a balance, to become a complete whole. That complete, ferocious, delicate whole is what we protect as Mali. We, as Mali, however, are not the completed work. We are, each of us, an imperfect, gnarled root, cut leaf or snapped branch in the vastness of a great forest. Therefore, it is not our calling, nor is it natural at all to seek perfect balance within ourselves. An imperfect world of sorrow and loss has birthed imperfection and darkness in us. No one of us is capable of such an impossible task as to expunge this sickness completely. It is the brotherhood of all druii that unite in all their many imbalances and imperfections. Warrior druii - the warsworn; are claimed often by anger, by hatred and by bitterness in the pursuit of duty. We are but one, and our ways are good to the aspects. When you scorn the weak for their inability to do as you yourself are able to do, know in the back of your mind that they too are but leaves in the wind, settling into their allotted place within the aspects’ great work. Know it, but scorn them still. For such opposition, such conflict, such turmoil is the lifeblood of the ultimate balance, and is the way of life. Remember, in the end, that neutrality, inactivity and passivity in the name of a spectral balance is folly. The greatest servants of the aspects have ever been those overpassionate druii, those beautiful few driven to act by the imperfections bestowed upon them by this ailed world. INEVITABILITY OF THE END It is indeed beyond doubt that, in the course of time, you will be granted the hunter-god’s gift and perish indeed, in spite of any agelessness you may possess as Mali. This is not a terror to be shunned. Nor is it the end of all things, as deceivers would have you believe. Rather, scorn the unworthy death. Do not waste your long years of strength and potential service sitting idly, performing vain duties and wallowing self-satisfaction while the encircling darkness continues to throttle the good. Do not discard your life in pointless or alien struggles, for it is a precious and rare thing. Do not commit suicide. Such an act disgraces what the aspects and your peers have done for you. Do, however, seek out the foes of the aspects and stand in their path no matter the great danger to your life. To forfeit one's own life to shield the balance against a mortal threat is not a waste, it is the greatest triumph we can achieve. Thereafter, your kin will cry your hallowed name as they charge into the wars to come, and your gods will embrace you in their great forest realm with open arms. Now, to the greater matter. Inevitability is not merely restricted to the end of we mortal creatures, but the balance itself, and the world it sustains. Accept, when you take up the sword, that it may be ultimately in vain. You may mete out Cernunnos’ wrath on a thousand thousand enemies. And yet, the very next may be the one to destroy everything the druii have toiled millennia to protect. The betrayer archenemy’s first great despoiling did unto the world a terrible, terrible injury, from which it may eventually bleed out and die a long death. It may be dying as I write this, as you read this. Accept this as truth. Only then will find yourself girded against the creeping pull of hopelessness. To struggle against the end is victory in itself, whether in the end we are finally defeated. And if that day ever comes when the final failure is complete, let the foes of the aspects remember your name and your blade. Let the thought of it fill their ‘victorious’, blackened souls with dread from beyond the veil. In that, we win anyway. Then, when you have accepted and overcome the inevitable fall of every good you stand for, only then you may draw upon the sliver of light. The speck of hope that one day, long, long from now, we may truly win, and finally live in peace and harmony without need for the warsworn. EMBODY FORTITUDE, NOT CRUELTY As a warrior devoted to defending the balance, a druii must grow harsh, ruthless and sometimes even brutal in order to effectively carry out their role in an increasingly bleak world. A mewling innocent irreversibly corrupted by the archenemy therefore may need to be mercy-killed A warsworn must act without qualm or hesitation in such a circumstance, despite the outwardly dirty nature of the deed. Do what must be done. Know that constant exposure to such harrowing situations is likely to bleed unwittingly into a soul. Be vigilant of this inner poison, and do not allow such dark emotions to dominate your relationship with kith and kin. Do not take pleasure in the pain you must inflict, and do not inflict pain on those who are not your enemies. Be a paragon to those about whom you care, so that others may emulate your laudable qualities, and later do the same. Put aside, but do not forget your bitterness, your anger and your scorn for the enemies of the aspects at home. If heartlessness, cruelty and brutality rules the heart of a long-serving druii, then the aspects’ enemies have already defeated them. Are those monstrous creatures not also heartless, cruel and brutal? Do not emulate them. Slay them, and go home grateful that you are able to go home. ON THE ARTACENDRE AND REDEMPTION Artacendre - the divine cinder - denotes a particular history or myth that took place at an undetermined point during the immediate decades following the year First Age 1400. The harrowing series of events, fictional or no, serve as the founding legends of Clan Csarathaire, passed down through the centuries since. From within the loamy earth of these scattered tales can be mined lessons of considerable use for the druii and mali of today. The story can be told in detail elsewhere, but I will give a brief summary here. Fleeing valah persecution in the lands of Anthos, a great caravan of assorted Mali refugees ventured into the untrodden waste between continents, seeking a life of peace and harmony. They found neither. After becoming caught in an ice storm or blizzard, the beleaguered Mali were massively reduced in number and almost wiped out. Then, burning wings of fire spread and split the sky, burning away the cold and providing succour to the desperate. Many saw this being as a representation of the aspects, and some versions of the tale do indeed state this. That is a lie. The great phoenix was a degenerated nightmare creature, masquerading majesty for its own gain. A creature of the archenemy returned, drawn like a malevolent moth to the familiar flame of Malin’s children suffering, just as they had so many ages before. The beast bound them in service, and they betrayed the aspects in their desperation. Csarathaire was forged from scattered husks, remnants of an apocalypse, into a clan of traitors. As newly turned slaves of this ancient, blazing terror, the Mali clan Csarathaire burned and razed in its dark name for years and then decades, committing atrocities and blasphemies fortunately lost to the scouring sandstorm of time. But the traitor phoenix-bearers grew into warriors of legend, forgetting their old purposes and, one and all, taking up the sword in the name of their terrible master. They were to serve in the final armies of darkness when the archenemy returned. But it was not to be. Memories of old returned in dreams, memories of gods once held dear, now discarded. A terrible kinstrife took place, setting the archenemy’s thralls against the unredeemed, who sought to free their people from the horror that had ensnared them. Most of Clan Csarathaire is said to have died casting off the blackened phoenix, and those guilty who lived killed themselves soon after. Only one branch of this clan is said to have survived, and its lone living member eventually arrived in Axios. Take from this tale that redemption, even from the greatest treacheries, is possible through the greatest of sacrifices. Take from this that the valah are never to be truly trusted again for their age-old crimes. You may conclude alliance with them, deal with them to defeat common enemies, but they will never be our friends again. Finally, learn a lesson that even against the steepest of odds, facing the greatest enemies, victory is possible in the aspects’ name. CERNUNNOS’ FIRE Despite their care for the state of our world and for us, their faithful, the aspects elect to maintain a safe distance. The wisdom in their choice is easy to see for those who look with open eyes. When gods descend to this place, destruction follows, willingly or not. And so the aspects, in their divine wisdom, lend aid however they can in order to keep the mortal world safe. They grant us a pale fragment of their power in the gift. They grant us tools with which to shield the balance, and send their created servants to serve as a vanguard against the dark. Counted among these gifts is fire. Cernunnos’ gift is death and endings, so that other life might continue to flourish. When an old forest becomes choked with vile rot and unlife, and begins an unending decay, flames wipe away the dead wood in a holy conflagration, and then feed the bare earth so that rejuvenation may occur. When evil emerges and the land grows ill, too ill for the tender gift to touch, fire scours away the blight and burns its spawn to ashes. That may of course beg the question: why does the gift not include fire? Simple. To contain the might of the inferno into a pale shadow of the aspects’ strength that is their gift to us would attempt to control its power, and thereby limit its effectiveness. Fire is an uncontrolled sanction for when all else has failed. In that, it is Cernunnos’ greatest gift. A deathbringer of great purity, and a restorer of life. Let the world burn, rather than fall to corruption. VOIDAL PARASITISM Words such as these are so redundant as to be utterly pointless, but they must be set in stone regardless, such is the world we inhabit. Any influence drawn from the outerplane parasite that is the malignant void, and any individual that either suckles from its malice or sympathises with those who do, are worthy of nothing but extermination. As all parasites are keen to do, the void and its repugnant monstrosities infest all that is good and right, spreading and destroying until it has devoured its fill of life. Slay, burn and expunge each and every single creature spat forth from the nightmare realm that is the void until they can no longer harm the world. Any profession, by druii or the aspects’ ‘faithful’, that the void plays any role, however slight, within the aspects’ balance is betrayal of the highest order. It is an ultimate, cunning lie, designed to subvert and weaken the resolve of those warriors who would defend life. Dread legends of black necromancy and other evil ‘dark’ magicks are no different from those blighted by the void. While taint and blight originates from the cursed archenemy, voidal malignancy originates from an equally dark source, however disguised it may seem. Abhor each with equal vigour, and punish their abusers. HONOUR IN COMBAT Grant honourable conduct unto those to whom honour holds meaning. The aspects’ faithful warriors must have a code, a series of principles to bind their lethal prowess to a just, upright cause. We are not unbound monsters akin to the uruk. Deliver on promises to kin and comrades. When testing yourself in combat against fellow brother warriors, fight face-to-face, blade to blade, fist to fist. Do not degrade yourself with trickery, deceit or underhanded tactics to achieve an undeserved triumph. Cernunnos values skill, strength, agility and tenacity in his loyal warriors, not the contemptible ploys of a coward. But to those monstrous beasts commanded by such forces as the archenemy or the great parasite, honour holds no weight. Furthermore, it is inevitable that the ways of a warsworn warrior druii are extreme, and not suited to all. There are those who, rather than taking up the spear and sword, were instead granted great skill in craftsmanship and other peaceable things. As an addendum to serving the aspects and protecting their instituted balance in the world, it is also your duty to protect those faithful mali kin who are incapable of protecting themselves. Whether they are incapable of fighting by choice or not is immaterial, protect them regardless. Defend any endangered oem’ii you come across with your own life, for they are the precious lifeblood of our people. Defend your lari’onn’an who harbour oem’ii within them, for they are among the greatest warriors of our race to birth the next generation. Place yourself between the evil and the vulnerable, and only give way when Cernunnos’ gift takes you. Last of all on this matter, never underestimate any foe, from the greatest of dragons to the humblest of halflings. Approach each and every clash with the same severe, focused mentality. Hubris is the death of victory. ESCAPING COMFORT If only for a short time, leave the tepid warmth and luxury of the deep forests we call home and experience the extremities of the world beyond, for they are also the aspects’ domain. Venture into the icebound tundras and the snow-capped peaks, risking bitter cold and tumbling snows. Delve into the most barren deserts of sand and stone, enduring scalding heat and its many illusions. Intentionally deprive yourself of abundant food and water. Know what it is to starve like an animal, for a time, and to have your mind bent towards nothing but survival. Therefore, learn gratitude for your place as a part of the aspects’ favoured people, at the apex of their assigned hierarchy. Realise your fortune at being able to act on and protect the balance, rather than an animal buffeted around by the often brutal winds of the natural world. When the grim necessity of war draws near and you are called to stand in the aspects’ service, expose yourself willingly to all the terrors you may face. Oppose them with your back upright and your blade raised. Do not fear such monstrosities. Rather, hate and revile them for what they have done, and what they represent. Then, when you have triumphed over the enemy and done the aspects’ work, allow yourself a moment of rest and dignified relaxation. ATTUNEMENT & THE GIFT In many druii circles and cadres, the act of attunement has become routine and casual, rushed through as a mere formality on the way to receiving the aspects’ great gift. This is an untenable state of affairs to any person who claims to worship the wild gods. Those who are, in truth, unworthy, often undergo the experience due to the neglect or lacking care of their tutor. Let it be known and declared that the moment of connection is perhaps the most perfect moment in the life of a druii of the faith. Amid kith and kin the dedicant is placed into an ethereal sleep by their mentor and given a vision by the aspects themselves. They are graced by the power of the gods, who bequeath them a small portion of might to carry out their duties. Although cities, when weaved into the land in the proper manner, have a place in the aspects’ order, such bustling places abuzz with intrigue and chatter are no place to conduct the divine measure of attunement. Instead, venture out into the wilds and perform the act there, in a glade where the veil between us and the gods is thinner. It is not only a duty for the mentor to judge whether or not the student is ready and prepared to take the final step, it is the role of the student also to understand their own worthiness. If one is not yet ready for the responsibility, there is no shame in admitting it. Rather, be shamed if you steal the aspects’ gift when unable to fulfil your role. BLADED HEXARCH OF THE WARSWORN Warrior-druii who wish to bear a symbol of consequence, of accomplishment and of strength need look no further than the bladed hexarch. This tattoo, to be placed on either the centre of the back or the centre of the chest, is actually a fusion of six individual markings. Three separate segments of a split circle represent the aspects and their cycle. Three blades pierce the empty spaces between the circle segments, intersecting to form a secondary triangle. Each of these individual markings should be earned, before it is placed on one’s own body to form a collective whole. VI HUNTER-GOD’S FAITHFUL The final honour A druii is marked with the uppermost arc, the hunter-god’s arc, if and when they fall in service to the aspects as a warrior of the wilds. The warsworn’s closest comrade will perform the inking process. If this is impossible, the closest kin. Although valiant death is the main means of gaining this marking, druii may also be considered worthy if one of the gods themselves, or their foremost agent Sister Transcendence, deems them to have reached the required acclaim and service. V | LIFEMOTHER’S GUARDIAN Balance’s shield Druii earn the lower left arc of the bladed hexarch, the lifemother’s arc, upon slaying a greater nemesis of the aspects in single combat. By doing so, the warrior proves not only their fearsome prowess and strength as a warrior, but also a bold willingness to confront the worst evils that the many great darknesses can spit at them. Such bravery shows the lifemother, and one’s fellow druii, an ability and intent to protect her great works in the natural world. Destroy the inferi captain, the parasite monstrosity, the stone demon or the archenemy’s slave, and Cerridwen’s arc will be bestowed. WARSWORN CHAMPION | IV Exemplar champion Warriors may prove themselves worthy of bearing the lower-right tattoo arc by honourably defeating a total of five fellow druii warriors in ceremonial duels. Any opponent may be challenged, so long as they are of sufficient physical strength and technical skill to give the prospective warrior a hard fight. A great difference in prowess does not equal triumph, but laziness and cowardice. The duel must be witnessed by the warrior’s druii circle, brother-warriors or kinsmen, both in order to officiate the bout and celebrate the honourable combat with rites and ritual. I | FIRST BLADE The first step The druii begins their warrior dedicancy only when they are ready. At this point, the aspiring faithful must be adept in combat at the very least, trained in at least one variety of weapon. SECOND BLADE | II A worthy scion During the course of a warrior dedicancy, the would-be druii confronts and defeats either a beast of the natural world, or any kind of foul creature that they may come across in their wanderings across the world. III THIRD BLADE Finish the cycle After an extensive and gruelling dedicancy, during which the warrior greatly increases their knowledge, girds their strength and heightens their faith, they are finally connected to the aspects and thereby become a true druii. This is a hallowed occasion, and must be undertaken accordingly. As the warrior is now connected, they are now eligible to take on the three greater markings. TEACHINGS Having committed oneself to worshipping the aspects and furthering their purpose for this world by the means of a blade, a warsworn must be granted the steeliest possible education and training in all necessary fields. This foundation of knowledge must focus on the martial, for a good druii is naught if not martial, with a background of history, so that the aspirant will know their heritage and what it is they fight for. FAITH So that their path may remain clear in the mind, the aspiring druii should be tutored in the ways of the aspects, with a focus on Cernunnos - the hunter god, patron of warriors and bringer of death. More complex questions should also be discussed concerning the nature of the balance, its purpose and other things. When the tutor then deems their student worthy, they may begin speaking of greater topics such as the eternal forest. Methods of ritual, ceremony and rite should also be spoken of, that the student may be able to devote themselves as befits their personality. HISTORY The druii and the mali race in its entirety are both plagued by lies and deceit meant to undermine Malin’s descendants and cast them away from the aspects’ rightful path. Often has our race suffered from these lies, such is the state in which we find ourselves today. Even a basic grasp of history, both recent and far, provides a firm anchor onto which a student might cling in the roiling ocean of false assertions. Teachings of this kind ought to include ancient accounts of how the aspects first came and brought balance to nature, how the Elvenfather Malin took counsel with them and the subsequent creation of the druii. Focus ought to be placed on the archenemy’s great war against the world and its terrible consequences. Other topics from the far-past include Malin’s great kingdom and its dissolution, the dawn of the Mali’ame and the Garthonian War. Recent history may include the Great Slaying of Mali at imperial hands in Anthosia, together with the war against the scourged dragon Setherien, the archenemy’s near return and other important events. COMBAT The aspects’ order is perennially plagued by atrocities of all shades that wish it dire harm, and so a druii must be ready to confront and destroy them, whatever they may be. It is prudent to specialise in the use of one specific weapon type, such as swords, spears, axes or whatever you may wish, together with varieties of protective equipment. However, while gaining mastery in your chosen armament is a step toward ultimate prowess, do not focus only on it. Almost all druii alive at the time this text is released will still feel the heartache and rage of Emerald Sage Awaiti Aureon’s loss. This loss was caused, in part, by warriors not possessing the correct weapon skills to deal with the foe at hand. If the weapon which you are masterful in practicing is a bladed weapon, also take up a warhammer or axe as a secondary weapon to ensure that, whatever enemy emerges, you are able to kill it. Learn also of the various kinds of god-imbued weapons and the feats of which they are capable. Thus draws to a close the Ideals of Brother Cinder; giving way to an empty void into which a warrior yet unborn might carve a chapter for their own.

Based, I hope the paladins take this kind of principled turn

Avius snorted in amusement upon reading of the latest mali'thill diktat, having only recently discarded another piece about Hael'unorian war defeats. "You would think they had more pressing things to worry about than this typically 'thill farce."