Luciloo

Yoghurt in peace, comrade.

Within the mountain capital of Urguan, Lulubelle places another hefty barrel of grain atop the accruing pile. "Hold on longlegs, we're comin'," she huffs, before assisting her wee cousin Hana with the next. "Gunny need uh Legion escort, but we're comin'.." @twinwolf1

Much better, very nice. Going to use Songsteel in alchemy to separate powdered symbols with vibrations.

"If there's uh superior race, i's not teh Umros," scoffs a Dwarf who tore down a propaganda poster from Oren for toilet paper. "Suck mah toes yea actual beardless cousin-fockers."

"Blessed be.." a Mali'ame spoke softly into the wintry night air. A clear inky blue sky dotted with glistening stars. Her breath fogged as she spoke and then bowed her head. "Sister Transcendence." Rust-coloured brows adopt a subtle crease and she ponders upon the vision for some time, eventually disappearing into the gloom of the Grove.

Love it +1

"All the Inferi were destroyed.." The comforting words from one stranger to another. Aesilnoth, blinded by the Inferi at the Siege of Starlight Bay, offering his sympathy to a pale Mali'aheral woman, cloaked in a lie. Her voice fell quiet for a long moment and she huddled her arms about herself. "You can rest easy now.." Amethyst eyes searched the floor with a glassy gaze, as if awaiting an exception which was never uttered. She maintained the lie well enough perhaps, the facade of weariness, a burden lifted from her shoulders; yet instead there was a rush of dread. Father had been defeated, not only by the Mali'ame and Almendorim of Aegrothond, but by hubris. Again. Then the Sea Prince himself approached and offered drink and a warm fire. “I could tell you myself of the Inferi and their wicked powers, but such could be frightening for those unaccustomed to such wickedness.” She felt her blood chill then and recalled the basin and its gory contents, the diminutive creature Father demanded she let, and the transcendental agony and burning which followed as she was remade anew. “I have already been subjected to their unnatural sorcery." Her mind and body whole felt raw, and her facade might have slipped had Feanor not excused himself to attend the gatehouse.  Before he could return, she disappeared into the dark of night, where even the gentlest ray of moonlight could not follow. As her blood grew thick and hot, she broke into a run and her dress caught upon thorns and branches, raked away from porcelain flesh. Her lungs burned like fire and her legs ached as her cheeks became pink and raw from a slow trickle of bitter tears. When the familiar silhouette of her home came into view, and its golden light welcomed her in, the lari stumbled upstairs, disrupting the cosy quiet of the house- her sisters sleeping peacefully or elsewhere. Turning to that nook which belonged to her, the 'aheral trembled as she felt herself overcome with a whole breadth of emotions all at once. Father was gone again. Just as before when he had ripped the mortal vestiges from her flesh and mind and soul, and sculpted her into something else, he had abandoned her once more. The sense of loss surrendered to a swell of anger, and in a trembling hand she snatched up a nearby flowerpot and hurled it to the ground to send ceramic and soil skittering over the wooden floor. Bursting into her room then she let out a cry, and threw down the lantern with a clatter and crash of broken glass. Then she came to the window and grasped the curtains in curled fingers, nails gouging holes into the fabric as she tore them down. Tichar had promised to burn away the old world, the world which had wronged she and his other 'daughters,' those discarded dregs of society who were too broken or soiled to be accepted anywhere else. He had lied, she could see it now. For so long she had dwelled alone until his return, and he had offered no explanation, but instead commanded her to serve his vision for the world. Another vitriolic scream came from the banshee queen as she turned from the window and caught sight of herself in the long mirror beside her wardrobe, and through blurred eyes she could see it all clearly now. Tichar had lied to them, to her. He had stormed Aegrothond and in his hubris he had been slain and could not- no- would not return. Then as this realisation coursed through her like a lightning bolt she swung her fist at the pane and punched out the mirror in a cascade of glittering silver glass.  Into a heap upon her knees she dropped, hanging her head and sniffling quietly. The last of hot tears dried against raw cheeks, and she balled her hands into fists, as dark glossy blood oozed from the back of a delicate hand. In the dark she dwelled in silence, numb and empty. Tichar had named her Mozizhkar, Archangel, when he had made her. When he promised to take the pain away, to make her stronger. Instead he'd only hurt her more. She grit her teeth, closing her eyes tightly as the betrayal cut deep. From out of the dark then, came a voice as smooth as quicksilver, emanating from every corner of the room and her mind simultaneously. "Mozizzzzhkar.. rohn'zak urkarka raht uhd'rkhut.." it hissed softly in her ear. "Zd unmatar ak'kalark mokn, kuul ak'ol rohn zd'zak naakh kuul daz'liivengorka.." Her voice caught in her throat as she recognised the burning words of an infernal tongue. She dared not open her eyes for a long moment, and when she did the lari found herself staring into the dark, with only a few silver fragments of mirror reflecting a distant moonlight. "Who are you?" she asked, breath trembling. In that serpentine voice it replied, "Kiiztria.." 

Great post, it summarises a lot of the things I grumble on about w/r to voidal magics in a concise way and hopefully players will take the suggestions on board.

Narg re'givvenpor kuram Lovely work

As nature's song dropped to a sombre melody, Niv took a steady breath and let it crash over her. Gleaming eyes closed gently as they glistened with welling tears and she released a sigh from her nose, "A death already.. how many more will there be?" her voice hardly more than a whisper. After some time she bows her head in a far corner of the Grove, "Blessed be, Sister Ferret."

This looks pretty neat, but I'm apprehensive about how it interacts with a Naztherak's Malflame, since Dread is a Pact-Malice and therefore locked behind three slots. Not only that, but cursing Malflame with your Malice requires an extra emote, but by taking this feat you essentially get Dread without taking another slot, and you don't have to add another emote to your casting. It messes with the balancing of Naztherak a touch, but that's really the only gripe I have with this- well aside from "Ew Shade haha"

Laudanum exists IRL as an opiate, seems weird to lock it behind an FA. The sleep agent can already be achieved with javens, which is an open herb and doesn't require ST-signing etc. Even then night sap also grants a powerful tranquilliser with severe addictive side-effects and so on, if you like the 'addict roleplay' thing. You can already achieve these things without a new submission.

"Where life goes, so too should you," Nivndil thinks to herself, eyes closed for several long minutes after the vision concludes. Taking in a steady breath, she then releases it. A hand reaches out for her staff, which leans into her hold and soon finds her fingers gripping it firmly. "Back to work, old friend.."

Nivndil reads over the declaration, with a gentle crease in her brow. Shaking her head, she sips quietly from her tea and ponders the incredulity.  Lulubelle cackles within the depths of Kal'Darakaan. "Wha' uh load o'shite," she snorts.

The "Read-it Gold" is received. Haelun'orian illiteracy remains hidden from view for another year.

A Druid underlines and circles the many grammatical errors in the publication with red ink.

Naztherak Lore Inferi Lore Ambience (Kjell, the Night Mother by Ire Azure) Synopsis Naztherak is a pseudo-deity dark magic, in which one of five Zar’rokul patrons lays claim to the soul of the character upon connection. The patron is not the source of such powers, but instead is able to pull upon their strings via a complex web of pacts and fealties. A Naztherak will not know of this ‘smallprint’ immediately. From connection and acquisition of Malflame and Demonology, a portion of the Naztherak’s soul is corrupted as their patron grooms them toward demonic ends, even to their own detriment, to say little of other Descendants. Each subsequent subtype offers additional rewards and powers, but the Prince’s soul becomes further warped, until they are eventually more infernal than mortal. At no point may any of the slots dedicated to Naztherak be unslotted. Which is to say, one may not ‘drop’ Naztherak. Even if stripped of their powers the slot is forever lost, as one should expect when making deals with devils. The magic comprises four subtypes and one CA. Malflame and Demonology are acquired upon connection, together consuming two slots. Curses and/or Pacting may optionally be taken at T3, each consuming one slot. The Zar’akal CA consumes the fifth slot, and may only be taken only with all other subtypes slotted. Naztherak may be combined with other dark, neutral or Voidal magic, allowing for diversity- or one may choose to Dedicate all five slots to Naztherak and truly descend into the demonic. Combining Naztherak with deity magics however, is not possible. The Zar’rokul will not share their prize. Comptable magics, Feats and CAs: Housmagery, Voidal Evocations, Translocation, Transfiguration, Sensory Illusion, Vivication, Blood Magic, Mysticism, Seer, Golemancy, Kani, Arcane Displacement, Sorvian Sculpting, Animati Crafting, Animati Machine Spirits, Epiphytes, Kha and Hou-Zi Incompatible magics and CAs: Druidism, Paladinism, Malchediael's Templars, Yeu Enaction, Chi Manipulation, Shamanism, Necromancy, Affliction, Tree Lords, Liches, Wights, Azdrazi/Nephilim, Golems, Sorvians, Siliti, Sprites, Treants, Strigae, Ghosts, Gravens, Vargs, Anthroparion CAs Connection To become a Naztherak, a hopeful Princeling must convince a Hzakhadlu (Tier 5 Naztherak posessing a TA) to offer them a deal of sorts. This is decided entirely through roleplay, and a Zar’akal may readily offer an enthusiast their dark powers, purely to see it destroy them, or to aid in their patron’s goals; alternatively they may seek some personal or symbolic gain in exchange. Be tasteful, don’t just ask for a thousand minas or have someone bring you a bunch of iron ingots. A good example of meaningful exchanges might be for the Zar’akal to request items of sentimental value, only to destroy them in front of the hopeful Princeling, or a gruesome trophy wrenched from an enemy. To seal the deal, the Zar’akal may perform an elaborate ritual full of flavourful supernatural phenomenon, or simply offer a fiery handshake with the hopeful Naztherak. Invariably upon completion however, the newly-connected character will find a marking upon the palm of their dominant hand, as a reminder of their deal. At this point, the player may post an MA for Malflame Manipulation and Demonology, which together consume two magic slots. Remember you can never recover these slots, even if other magics can strip your abilities away. You bargained with your soul, those pieces are gone. It’s important to note that any Naztherak may apply for a TA and teach, after possessing the magic for four IRL months, and one need not be a Zar’akal to do so. Similarly a student is not required to be taught by the one who connects them, and in some cases a Naztherak who chooses a new student may be the one who introduces them to the Zar’akal in order to strike a pact. Note that one may only teach spells and subtypes they have learned through roleplay; players may not teach Malflame barriers or walls if they were never taught how to conjure them for instance. Progression A player does not progress in the magic without lessons and practice. One may not go on hiatus at T1 and return in time to be T5 and post a TA and so on. Players are also reminded that they do not automatically unlock spells and abilities, and that they must be taught through roleplay. Princeling - Tier 1 - Immediate The Naztherak has sealed their pact and is connected to the magic. Their Brand begins as a mere blister upon their palm and when they cast it glows with the sickly colour of their Malflame. The Prince is able to conjure small tongues of felfire to harvest maleus from mortal victims, and may bind and summon imps to their court. They may imbue an aesthetic of ash, ember and smoke to whatever they touch at will. Maximum Maleus [30] Spells & Abilities Malflame: Kriviir Demonology: Subjugation Shackle, Invocation Zevn Apprentice - Tier 2 - Two IRL Weeks Post-Connection The Prince’s Brand has grown to encompass the entire hand and some of the wrist. At this point they may be taught to wreath their hand in Malflame, conjure wicked balls of spiteful fire and to bind and summon beastly Inferi for their court. When they use any of their dark powers, their cheeks may seem to sink, flesh discolour and their pupils may become slitted or narrow. Maximum Maleus [35] Spells & Abilities Malflame: Vhiit, Rok-Dhurz Demonology: Invocation Zekul Malice’s symptoms begin to manifest Adept - Tier 3 - One IRL Month Post-Connection With their Brand now covering their arm to the shoulder, the Naztherak may wreath their entire arm in Malflame should they see fit. Additionally they are capable of more pronounced manipulation, leading them to be able to learn how to form discs, cones and even waves of seething soulfire. The Prince may attempt to bind Zar’ei and be taught how to revive them, should they be slain. At this point one may make additional pacts, if they are so inclined to further dark sorcery. Maximum Maleus [45] +[15] per additional subtype Spells & Abilities Malflame: Rok-Heedz, Rok-Kirluk, Rok-Ladom Demonology: Invocation Zar’ei May opt to take Curses and/or Pacting Expert - Tier 4 - Two IRL Months Post-Connection The Naztherak may now be taught the dark ritual of Naz’kuthun, to infernalise not only small creatures and animals, but mortals too, as a means to further bolster their court. With their Brand now enveloping the half-torso of their body upon which it originated, their occult pyromancy makes them capable of summoning barriers, pillars and even whips of Malflame. Maximum Maleus [50] +[15] per additional subtype Spells & Abilities Malflame: Rok-Argal, Rok-Norrvut, Rok-Niirk Demonology: Naz’kuthun Master - Tier 5 - Four IRL Months Post-Connection Capable of conjuring chains and great infernos of Malflame, dealing with even Zentherak and later summoning them for their schemes and plots, the Prince is now a master of their dark powers. At this point the Brand covers their entire body, glowing when they call upon their occult sorcery. If the Naztherak has carefully avoided taking further pacts, they may still blend into mundane society, but the temptation to delve deeper may be all too much to resist. Maximum Maleus [55] +[15] per additional subtype May create a TA. Spells & Abilities Malflame: Rok-Krimth, Rok-Zevik Demonology: Invocation Zentherak Curses and Pacting do not have tier progression, but their effects on the Naztherak’s appearance and the abilities they provide are listed in their relevant section of the lore. ⛧ Mutations From the moment of connection, the Warlock’s soul is forever marked due to the corruption inflicted upon it by the demonic patron gnawing away at its mass. This corruption enables the Naztherak to perform a number of supernatural abilities, but like a disease it also has a number of unsavory symptoms called “Thaznitaka” or “Mutations.” These mutations are the outward expression of the soul’s suffering and turmoil. The first mutation to manifest upon a Naztherak will be their ‘Brand,’ which appears upon the palm of their dominant hand once connected to the magic. This Brand typically appears as a small burn scar, often silvery or dark and is at least initially, easy to conceal. When the Warlock casts any Naztherak ability however, this Brand will illuminate with the sickly colour of their Malflame and functions as a tell for other players to discern that they are casting magic. As a fortunate side-effect, wherever the brand appears will be immune to the Warlock’s own Malflame, preventing accidental burns of one’s own body. Stemming from previous distrust between a Zar’akal and a soon-to-be Naztherak, there is a natural layer of unease between the teacher and their student. In a weak attempt to stop potential students from climbing the infernal hierarchy and ascending above their teachers, there is a stipulation inserted into every deal, be it knowingly or not. Every time a Naztherak is connected, their teacher allows the hells to restrict their body and naturally, their strength. Use of the hells is not free. (The Anchor, by Deleted Account BariumBorate) An example of a Brand at Tier One (left) to Tier Two (right) As the character progresses through tiers in Malflame Manipulation and Demonology, this Brand grows over the hand and eventually the entire body. Players are permitted to have their brand resemble burns, loops and whorls like those of a fingerprint, or even Lichtenberg figures, and they may also passively glow if you wish, but must glow more brightly when casting. Tier One - The Brand appears insignificant within the palm of the Naztherak’s hand, able to be easily concealed by something as simple as a glove or other hand-covering. Tier Two - The Brand encompasses the Naztherak’s entire hand and part of their wrist, still easy to disguise with a glove, though quite noticeable upon bare skin. Tier Three - The Brand comes to encompass the Naztherak’s entire arm up to their shoulder, now significantly more difficult to conceal, though not entirely. Tier Four - The Brand spreads to the Naztherak’s half-torso upon which the Brand was initially applied, now impossible to conceal unless one is completely covered, as some of the Brand has even reached the lower portion of the Prince’s neck, requiring discretion. Tier Five - The Brand has completely covered the Prince, perhaps appearing as strange tattoos or markings which have overtaken their entire form — a grizzly heraldry of true dedication. Redlines: In addition to their Brand, the Warlock will also find that when they cast Naztherak abilities, their skin will discolour and become pale or sallow, while their cheeks sink slightly. Their eyes may darken or lighten and their pupils may become more narrow, or even slitted. Like Voidal Mages of old, Warlocks will also experience a deterioration in muscle mass, resulting in their inability to participate in prolonged melee combat. Lastly, skin on skin contact will always cause the person the Naztherak is touching to experience an unpleasant squirm of the stomach, or a shiver down the spine, this even affects other Naztherak. As long as the character takes no further subtypes, this is the limit of the mutations they will experience. Should they stray further into the infernal and opt to learn Curses or Pacting however, this corruption of the soul worsens. With each additional subtype taken, another piece of the soul is corrupted(represented mechanically by the slot each subtype occupies) and further mutations develop. Note that all mutations provide no combat advantage, appear only when casting and take two emotes to fade once casting ceases. Emote examples: (Pact of the Tome Warlock, Ashkan Ghanbari) A Naztherak of four slots. Pact Progression First Pact - [2 slots] - The connection a character negotiates with a Hzakhadlu (Tier 5 Naztherak posessing a TA) on behalf of the Pentacle, establishing them as a Mortal Prince, or Naztherak. Upon casting their magic, their flesh will discolour, their cheeks sinking as their pupils might become only slightly more narrow and slitted. This may be disguised relatively easily through things as makeup or coverings. Second Pact - [3 slots] - The first subtype the Naztherak has taken. Upon casting their magic, small horns appear at their temples, twisted and gnarled, as their fingernails might elongate, their flesh becoming a distinct discolouration. This may be disguised by complete coverings, and even then, this is hard to do. Third Pact - [4 slots] - The second subtype the Naztherak has taken. Upon casting their magic, they would possess great twisted horns, their eyes raging like that of fire as they become nearly akin to a demon in all regards, save still distinctly humanoid and mortal. This is impossible to completely disguise even when fully covered. It’s important to state here that mutations are always unnerving and grotesque. A Naztherak may not simply be conventionally attractive and possess horns, as was stigmatised in past Naztherak players. What is and is not acceptable for a character’s mutations is potentially very broad, but included below are a number of examples to help players pick an aesthetic they like, without veering close to “uwu demon girlfriend/boyfriend” territory. (Satan is Waitin’ by Vashperado) Example #1, a conventionally attractive character with minor demonic traits such as unnatural eye colour, horns, unnatural skin colour. This would not be allowed. Horns this long and pronounced should also be accompanied by more grotesque mutations. (Warlock by Matias Trabold Rehren) Example #2, a character wrapped in head-to-toe to conceal his extensive brand. Alas it glows visibly despite his attempts when he casts, and his eyes grow fierce. This is acceptable, and is a good example of a 2-slot Naztherak. (OC portrait by Fernmir) Example #3, a character who's not innately attractive and has some grittiness to his features. His prominent brow ridge accompanies horns, sullen cheeks, ridges under his jaw and scarring about the chin. His nose is also sharp and pointed, and his skin is discoloured. This is acceptable for a 3-slot Naztherak. (Lilth by Joker Y) Example #4, a conventionally attractive character, whose appearance has degenerated. Her skin is pale, her cheeks are sunken, she has prominent brow ridges, she has no hair and instead a fleshed out crown of horns. The eyes are cold and cruel. This is allowed, and would feasibly be seen in another 3-slot Naztherak. (Portrait by Aizel Kon) Example #4, a character so physically degenerated that they appear almost corpse-like. Their face is visibly unsettling, the skin is the sickly colour of Malflame, the eyes are fiery and unnatural and even their horns look unpleasant. This is allowed and would be feasible for a 4-slot Naztherak. Redlines: ⛧ The Prince Naztherak, ‘False Prince’ in Ilzakarn, or commonly just ‘Prince’, are terms used to refer to the mortal sorcerers who wield Malflame and summon Inferi to do their bidding. Outside of such covens, many mortals are privy to superstitions, legends and old wive’s tales surrounding Warlocks and demonologists, which is to say that all Naztherak should be wary of revealing themselves in mundane society. Witch Hunters are e’er watchful. At the point of connection, one of the five Zar’rokul who comprise a mysterious power-enclave called the Pentacle becomes the Prince’s demonic patron, and enables them to wield their infernal powers. A teacher may detail this, if indeed they’re privy to it, but may opt not to. They should, however, always explain about the paraphernalia surrounding their arts to the Princeling, namely Malices, Grimoires, Maleus and Ilzakarn. Reasonably this would be a newly-connected Naztherak’s first lesson, before they begin to delve into occult pyromancy or demonic conjuring. Malices A Malice is another symptom of the corruption within a Naztherak’s soul, which manifests as a magical mental affliction, gradually altering the Warlock’s mind. This is mostly for flavour, but in the past a Malice was known to be a title, such as Prince of Desolation, or Prince of Lies, as a pseudo-cultural facet. Upon connection the player chooses(OOCly) one Malice from the list below, and this will influence the character’s motivations, behaviours and quirks and so on. On its own a Malice is just a negative side-effect of dabbling in dark magic, but has a tasty mechanical use to those who also learn Curses. Lies Sometimes white, but always wrong; breaks a heart and wounds the strong — Lies are a powerful tool when used strategically, but quickly unravelled without careful employ, causing pain and harm to both the recipient and the conceive of such a fabrication. Princes who take up the Malice of Lies will find themselves to be less inclined to tell the truth, this proclivity only worsening as they progress, and thus making such Princes often the most dangerous to encounter, as they may fabricate deceptions quickly in order to achieve what they most desire. Revolt Disgust is an inherently powerful reaction in Descendants, often used to discern what is right and wholesome from that which is unnatural. Yet a Prince who takes up this Malice brings such a concept, inherently to the reverse, making Revolt a thing which they have twisted to their own will, no longer establishing it as a concept of recognition, but rather a perverted practice. Such Princes find themselves to be disgusted with the world and even themselves, seeing focuses of their Revolt as things which must be cast from their very presence, much like how one would seek something vile to be removed from their sight. Temptation The compulsion for one to attain an object of desire, tying in with many others iniquities and often being the base for which true sins and wrongdoings are set, both in that of the Prince and even those untouched by the Infernal, for it is the fallacy of all mortals. Princes who take up the Malice of Temptation will oftentimes find themselves to be immersed, mesmerized even, by desires both material and immaterial, leading them to act quickly upon such desires with little thought, and allowing little to stop them from such, making them quite dangerous should one be so unfortunate as to stand between them and their deeply coveted prize. Woe A depressive and melancholic disposition comes far too readily with those exposed to this Malice, then perhaps more so Naztherak who take it as their own. Such Princes are plunged into great misery and distress as they fail to find even the faintest semblance of hope amidst their accursed lives. They are then brought to eternal melancholy, such despondency only growing more and more with every moment of their wretched existence, perhaps even unable to recall what it was like to feel contentment. But alas — one does not escape from the clutches of the Infernal so easily. Desolation As the plains of Moz Strimoza are oft a blasted wasteland, so it is that a Prince may inherit a similarly desolate mind, reflecting the agony which is experienced within the High Hells. Princes who take up this Malice may find themselves to be withdrawn from others, coming to forget that which they held dear and cherished, such memories of fondness being cast to oblivion. As a result, Princes of Desolation will often find it difficult to recall things, whether they be simple or complex, though when applied in more ruinous practices, it is a vice not to be underestimated. Madness The mortal mind is complex and fragile, even amongst mundane matters the mind can only contend with so much violence, stress and pain, before it shatters. Princes who pursue such a Path are truly accursed, for within them is fostered a grave affliction, which they come to bestow upon others in some of the most malicious and cruel ways, even at times unintentionally. They are affected by vivid hallucinations, no longer able to conceptualize what is real and what is mere delusion, loosening the barrier between reality and their own twisted imagination. Tips: Redlines: Maleus Where a Mage uses mana to fuel their spells, or a Necromancer uses life-force, a Naztherak uses a foul substance called maleus. Appearing as a smoky plasma, maleus is a form of warped soul essence, usually found in the blood of Inferi or weeping off from Malflame burns. Crucially however, the infernal corruption of a Naztherak’s soul means that they are capable of producing, storing and manipulating maleus. (Magic Bottles by Vera Velichko) A Prince may will a sliver of their maleus to their hands, and then by simply touching an object, imbue it with a purely aesthetic effect of ash, smoke and cinders. Metal may darken and blacken, while paper and wood may char, occasionally collecting ash and soot. All such objects may produce cinders and smoke, as if they were smouldering with fire - but cannot cause harm, blind or ignite anything. This only works on objects one can physically carry, and may not be used to damage buildings or people. Tips: Redlines: Mages do not have a precise quantity of mana, but upon expending all of it are physically exhausted. By contrast Naztherak have a quantifiable measure of maleus they can expend, and while they do not become exhausted by using all of their maleus, should they attempt to cast without enough of it, they will become afflicted with horrible Malflame burns - Should they attempt to do so again, this will consume the Naztherak’s soul and kill them, which is a PK by suicide rules. The quantity of maleus a Prince has is determined by two factors: their tier, and the slots dedicated to Naztherak. As they progress through tiers and slot more subtypes, the quantity of maleus they have at their disposal grows incrementally. Maleus refreshes every 12 IRL hours, but there are ways for a Warlock to harvest maleus from other sources, so they may replenish themselves when necessary. A character with Malflame and Demonology has [20] base maleus, and receives an additional quantity based on their tier as indicated below: [T1] - 10 Maleus [T2] - 15 Maleus [T3] - 25 Maleus [T4] - 30 Maleus [T5] - 35 Maleus So for instance, a T1 Naztherak of 2 slots, has a total maleus pool of [30], while a T3 Naztherak of 2 slots has [45] and so on. For every additional slot allocated to the magic however, in the form of slotted subtypes, the Prince gains a further [15] maleus, as per below. [3 Slots] - 35 Maleus [4 Slots] - 50 Maleus A T4 Naztherak who takes Curses for example, will have a total maleus pool of [65], and a T5 Naztherak with both Curses and Pacting will have [85]. A Zar’akal, who has all five slots allocated to Naztherak will always have a maximum pool of [120] maleus. Tips: Redlines: The Grimoire Journals, books and tomes are a familiar tool for scholars and learned folk, and even some Voidal Mages are known to keep a book of their spells. Perhaps fittingly, study of the infernal and demonic also uses a tome of an esoteric sort called a Grimoire, in which the Naztherak records the spells they know and the Inferi within their court. Without it a Prince is incapable of casting any spells and it may be knocked from the character’s hands, held closed or destroyed by burning, waterlogging and so on, to prevent casting. All Naztherak abilities must include an emote whereupon the Warlock opens their grimoire. This is always required, except for a Zar’akal who does not need a Grimoire at all, and may substitute the emote for another tell. If you cannot open the Grimoire or speak the incantation for a spell aloud, then you cannot cast the corresponding spell. (Recent MTG Illustrations by Igor Kieryluk) Firstly a Grimoire is created by soaking pages in a mixture of blood and maleus, then bound into a suitable covering. Players may choose to have Grimoires as grotesque as their demonic benefactors, and bind them in flesh and sinew, while others may opt for a more subtle and easily-overlooked Grimoire. After assembling a tome, the Naztherak writes their name into the first page and may go on to inscribe their spells and notes, however ordinary ink will be burned clean off the page and the only writing medium which will stay is a substance called rakir. For Naztherak, rakir is made by simply willing their maleus into a liquid suitable for writing or painting. Ink is the most common, but the blood of Inferi functions as rakir for this purpose and indeed some Warlocks are known to create a similar rakir by combining maleus with other blood samples. Players do not need to have roleplay item representations of rakir to write within a Grimoire, or for use in other rituals. Lastly, because of their supernatural composition and contents, Grimoires are able to exhibit small flavourful feats of paranormal behaviour. They may levitate into the Naztherak’s hand, conveniently open themselves to specific pages, whisper occult ramblings and similar aesthetic properties. None of these however, may be used to prevent players from removing the Grimoire from the Naztherak’s person, or destroying it. Grimoires do require RP item representation, which must be ST-signed as an enchanted object. Tips: Redlines: Ilzakarn Ilzakarn, “the chaotic tongue”, is the language used natively by the denizens of Moz Strimoza, or “High Hells”, and is chiefly spoken by Inferi of all rungs of power and influence. It is based upon Old Blah, and uses the grammar and(when written) script of Al’tahrn-Durngo(known more commonly as Blackspeech). Mortalkind are incapable of learning and interpreting Ilzakarn when written down, and even should one attempt, they will find their eyes grow dry and sting, as if looking into a bright flame. The glyphs will darken and even char the material they are scrawled upon and remain warm to the touch. If spoken or heard, Ilzakarn causes mortals to experience faint and brief hot flashes, even inducing sweating after prolonged exposure. Due to the partial infernalisation of a Naztherak’s soul, a Prince is capable of not only deciphering, but also reading, writing and speaking Ilzakarn. A teacher may wish to roleplay teaching it to a student, or one may roleplay a gradual self-teaching of the language. Learning the language is necessary, as all Maleflame incantations are in Ilzakarn and many rituals use Ilzakarn scrawlings to function, so teachers should make the document containing the language available to students. Redlines: ⛧ Malflame The conjuring of fire is a common hallmark of Mages throughout history, and it is fitting that a Naztherak’s pyromancy is particularly spiteful. In place of Voidal or mundane fire, Princes summon a much more cruel ember called Malflame. The flame itself may have light or it may not, though it has no heat, nor can it burn objects. This is to say that any Malflame conjuration cannot penetrate paper or cloth, much less a wall or platemail. Unless the flesh is exposed then these wicked flames cannot harm an individual; so for instance a shirtless character is vulnerable if struck in the stomach or chest, while a character in full platemail or even gambeson with a face covering, is immune. For those unfortunate enough to be touched by hellfire, it is incredibly painful, as if white hot metal is being pressed to their skin. This is enough to prevent an individual from casting, including other Naztherak, and otherwise burns slowly until the flame is smothered or submerged in water. The wounds and scars caused by Malflame usually darken as they heal, and may even possess an afterglow the same colour as the dark ember which caused the burn. Malflame may appear in various colours depending upon the Naztherak who wields it, namely being alien colours such as shades of violet, putrescent pink, sickly green, and other vivid colours. but as long as they don’t look like mundane fire, it’s permitted. (Book of Rituals by James Ryman) Non-Combat Casting When in a non-combat circumstance, the Malflame capabilities of a Naztherak know almost no bounds, allowing them to employ their Malflame conjuration in any way which the Ilzakarn language would allow. While they are limited by tier, higher tier Naztherak, especially if in greater number, are capable of performing great feats of hellfire and malice, anything from creating an ember for a visual representation of agony, to decimating an entire landscape in a terrible display — baptizing it in infernal fire. - Malflame may be applied in non-combat in any artistic way the Naztherak wishes so long as it can be invoked through a correlating word in Ilzakarn. While, of course, there is not a word for every shape or form, one might substitute the word ‘rodkar’ if the spell is being used as a small, artistic representation, such as forming a skull out of Malflame in one’s palm. - If combat begins while the Naztherak is casting a non-combat spell, the spell will vanish and they will be forced to fall back to the explicitly listed combat arsenal. - The amount of Malflame a Naztherak can summon is tier-based. A tier-one Prince could not possibly summon a storm of Malflame. Additionally, while emote counts are not explicit in non-combat, reason should be applied. In the event one is trying to summon a Malflame storm, several detailed multi-line emotes would need to be applied, around seven or eight at least. Redlines: Combat Spells In a combat scenario, you have access to a number of spells which have generic applications to harm or deter opponents, but sometimes small niche uses as well. These spells each cost maleus, meaning that it is a quantifiable resource a Naztherak must learn to manage; too many spells flung carelessly may mean you have no maleus to fend off a foe later. Kriviir - [T1] [Combat] A Naztherak may create a small, golf-ball sized sphere of Malflame which may be used to drain maleus from a soul-bearing victim upon sustained touch. This particular spell costs only [5] maleus to perform. It requires [2] emotes to charge, and can be sustained for up to [5] emotes, each emote where touch is maintained restoring [5] maleus. For example, sustaining touch for [2] emotes may yield [10] maleus, while [4] emotes restores [20]. Emotes of a Naztherak making contact worth [10] maleus. Tips: Redlines: Vhiit - [T2] [Combat] A Naztherak may create a wreath of Malflame around their Branded hand, which can be used primarily to inflict greater pain when performing physical attacks such as punches. This spell requires an initial [10] maleus to cast, with [2] emotes to conjure the Malflame around the marked hand. It may be maintained for [3] emotes, every additional [3] emotes requiring an extra [5] maleus. 2 emotes of conjuring, then one of application Tips: Redlines: Rok-Dhurz - [T2] [Combat] A Naztherak can create a sphere or ‘ball’ of Malflame which they may cast towards an opponent, these projectiles come in three different sizes; small, which is golf ball sized; medium which is the size of a baseball; and large, which is the size of a standard 3ft diameter beach ball. Each of these requires [2], [3], and [4] emotes to conjure respectively. Projectiles also have ranges of [10], [20], and [30] meters, respectively, before dissipating. The maleus costs for each are [5]/[5]/[10]. Emotes for a beachball-sized Malflame ball Tips: Redlines: Rok-Heedz - [T3] [Combat] A Naztherak can create a disc of Malflame which they may cast towards an opponent, these projectiles come in three different sizes; small, which is the size of a compact disc; medium which is the size of a large dinner plate; and large, which is the size of a bicycle wheel. Each of these requires [2], [3], and [4] emotes to conjure respectively. Projectiles also have ranges of [10], [20], and [30] meters, respectively, before dissipating. The maleus costs for each are [5]/[5]/[10]. Emotes for a dinner plate sized disc. Tips: Redlines: Rok-Kirluk - [T3] [Combat] A Naztherak may create a cone of Malflame which may be projected forwards in the form of a flamethrower. This funnel is no larger than a block in diameter, and cannot exceed ten blocks further than its point of origin, that being the Naztherak themselves. This spell requires [3] emotes to perform, as well as a total of [10] maleus. It may be sustained for up to [4] emotes, requiring an additional [5] maleus every [2] emotes after that. Emotes for Rok-Kirluk, sustained for 3 emotes Tips: Redlines: Rok-Ladom - [T3] [Combat] A Naztherak may conjure a wave of Malflame which will move towards its targets, holding no solidarity nor force, yet completely dousing any it touches in Malflame. The wave itself has a maximum size of [2] meters tall and [3] meters wide. It requires [3] emotes and [15] maleus to conjure, and will continue to move forward either until it hits something, or it has exceeded a twenty meter distance from its point of origin, dissipating afterwards, not requiring sustenance to be sustained. Emotes Tips: Redlines: Rok-Argal - [T4] [Combat] A Naztherak may create a wall of Malflame in [3] emotes, which provides a deterring barrier in front of them or another, albeit not very defensive. The wall is purely composed of malflame, scaling up to [3] meters tall, and may be made at a minimum of [3] meters in length, and [1] in depth. It cannot be moved once charging begins, a spot glowing the colour of the Prince’s Malflame appearing in the location it is being conjured The overall cost of the wall is [15] maleus and the length of the wall may be extended by [3] meters for every [10] maleus added to the cost. The wall will last for 5 emotes, and may only be summoned within 16 blocks of the caster as long as they have direct line of sight with the location. Although the Prince does not need to channel the wall once summoned, it will dissipate should they leave the combat encounter, regardless of how many emotes until its expiration. Emotes for a 6 meter wide wall sustained for 3 emotes Tips: Redlines: Rok-Norrvut - [T4] [Combat] A Naztherak creates two pillars of Malflame in front or around them. They cannot be moved once charging begins, a spot glowing the colour of the Prince’s Malflame appearing in the location it is being conjured. They can be conjured in two [2] emotes, and lasts for up to five emotes afterwards. Only two may be conjured at a time by a Prince, and it is only one block in diameter. This spell requires ten [10] maleus to conjure at two blocks high; fifteen [15] maleus at three blocks high and twenty [20] maleus to conjure up to five blocks high. Pillars may not be summoned more than sixteen blocks away from the Naztherak, and they must also have line of sight with the location they intend to summon it at. Although the Prince does not need to channel the pillar once summoned, it will dissipate should they leave the combat encounter, regardless of how many emotes until its expiration. Emotes Tips: Redlines: Rok-Niirk - [T4] [Combat] A Naztherak conjures a whip or lasso of pure Malflame into their hand. A whip-like conjuration functions as a bullwhip and may be lashed at a foe, while a lasso may be flung with the intention of ensnaring a target over the head etc. Summoning either takes three emotes to fully manifest and costs fifteen [15] maleus. Whips and lassos may be at most [8] metres in length, and last for five emotes. Emotes for summoning Tips: Redlines: Rok-Krimth - [T5] [Combat] Similarly to whips and lassos, a Naztherak may conjure chains of seething Malflame into their hands. These may be lashed at a foe in a manner similar to whips, or may be manually placed around the wrists, torso, legs etc. of one’s victim to continuously burn into their flesh. The links of the chain may be as large as the Warlock wishes, but may be no smaller than those of chainmail, and the chain itself may be no longer than [12] metres in length. When used, these chains assume material properties comparable to that of mild steel, providing strong restraints for most demons and nearly all descendants. The conjuration takes four emotes to fully manifest, and consumes [20] maleus whilst lasting for five emotes; this may be extended by spending an additional [5] maleus per two emotes. Emotes Tips: Redlines: Rok-Zevik - [T5] [Combat] A mastered Naztherak, may conjure a large storm of Malflame which covers a wide radius of [7] blocks in a dome or column no taller than four [5] blocks inclusive. It must centre around the Prince. This is however, incredibly draining, requiring a large amount of maleus to perform. It costs [35] maleus to perform such a feat, requires [6] emotes to charge, and may be sustained for up to [7] emotes. Emotes Tips: Redlines: ⛧ Demonology The souls of the dead which are profoundly hurt or traumatised drift to the edges of the Soulstream, and there become vulnerable to the predations of other entities. In these throes of grief and turmoil, should the soul feel that it is undeserving of healing and peace, it will descend into the pits of Moz Strimoza. There upon planes of ash, marshes of bile and blasted mountains, the soul is sundered anew by its own guilt and pain, mutating and festering until from its fetid mass a new body is formed. A twisted vessel of flesh and bone, as repulsive and vile as the soul sees itself. For in believing itself damned, the soul has in fact damned itself and a new Inferis is born. Demonology, or ‘Zakuzazevir’, is the dark art of binding, summoning and commanding Inferi, the monstrous and demonic denizens of the High Hells. Those who practice it assemble what is known as a ‘court’ composed of Inferi from varying rungs of power, skill and intellect, just as the courts of Kings may have advisors, knights and even fools. This court is kept together by the charisma, guile or at least dominance of its Prince, and should they be lacking in any one of such qualities, their command is at least magically bolstered so that none of their Inferi may directly turn upon its master. (Portal by Sandara) Each Inferis bound to a Naztherak has a page dedicated to them within the Prince’s Grimoire, which may be accompanied by occult symbols, drawings or even diagrams of the specific Inferis. Invariably the page will detail the Inferis’ name, typically one with a meaning in Ilzakarn. The power of a name is often steeped in superstition, and to Inferi who are so very chaotic and opposed to organisation, to be named is to be forced into some semblance of order or categorisation. Consult the Ilzakarn document to help you name your Inferi, whether you choose fitting, or even ironic names. General Redlines: Subjugation A Naztherak has two means of dominating an Inferis in order to initially bind it with the powers of their Grimoire. The first is to physically exhaust the Inferis, such as by defeating it in combat, while the second means is to restrain it through mundane or magical bindings. Neither of these methods are for the faint of heart, and for the scholarly sorts typical of Warlocks, the latter option may be preferable. Subjugate — Shackle [T1] [Combat] The Naztherak summons forth fetters, shackles and chains of Malflame which immediately move to ensnare an Inferis within 10 blocks. These will immobilise a prior-exhausted Inferis, while those who have the strength to fight back can attempt to escape. Attempting to ‘shackle’ an Inferis takes three [3] emotes, one to open the Grimoire, one to speak the incantation and one for the shackles to move to the Inferis and begin binding. Additional emotes after that are more freeform as the Naztherak and Inferis fight. A Prince must expend [20] maleus to shackle and bind an Inferis in such a way. After a successful binding, a new page in the Naztherak’s Grimoire must be filled in with numerous scrawlings about the bound Inferis, and is completed by writing its assigned name at the head of the page. Emotes Tips: Redlines: Alternatively, a Warlock of particularly shrewd bargaining may be able to convince Inferi to be willingly bound. Typically this is only temporary such that the demon and Prince may cooperate toward a common goal, or to wreak havoc in a mutually beneficial fashion. It is only later that each may discover how true to their word the other is. Redlines: Invocation A Naztherak may summon a bound, non-playable Inferis as an independent combat summon, though only to a particular tier of demon. Both Imp and Beast Inferi may be summoned interchangeably depending on the circumstance and how the Naztherak wishes to apply their court to the situation. To do this, they must speak the incantation correlating to the Inferis they wish to summon, which will then be brought forth. Aesthetic is left up to the Naztherak, allowing them anything from Malflame chains pulling the demon forth from the ground, to the Inferis appearing in an explosion of Malflame. Of course, such creatures must be coaxed, and thus the Prince offers a certain amount of maleus to bring them forth into the Material World and wreak the havoc both the Prince and their court so desire. Invocation — Zevn [T1] [Independant Summon] [Combat] A Naztherak may call forth a bound imp, assuming they possess one. They may do this in three emotes; one to open their Grimoire to the right page, one to begin the incantation, and one to summon forth the imp, which can take anywhere from one to two emotes. Multiple imps may be summoned at once by taking two emotes for every additional imp, up to two being able to exist at once typically. They will last for up to eight emotes, at the cost of five maleus per imp, and can be sustained further by spending an additional five maleus, unless they are killed or dismissed prior to their maximum duration. While the imps tend to follow the mechanics and behavior as listed in the Infernal Compendium, they do possess some minor differences. Imps summoned, while following the general commands of a Prince, follow them vaguely if at all, causing unnecessary destruction and chaos even in simple tasks. They are notably unintelligent, unable to wield more than rudimentary weapons such as clubs or crude maces, and also have a limited capacity to control Malflame. In the latter case, an Imp may use the Rok-Dhurz spell up to five times during the encounter it’s summoned in, and may be instructed to do so on command. Emotes to summon two Imps simultaneously Tips: Redlines: Invocation — Zekul [T2] [Dependant/Independant Summon] [Combat] A Naztherak may call forth a bound Zekul, a beast, assuming they possess one. Only one Zekul may be conjured at once, ranging from the size of a housecat to the size of a warhorse or grizzly bear at the very most. They will last for up to six emotes after initially summoning, though may remain longer should the Prince spend an additional ten [10] maleus, unless they are killed or dismissed prior to their maximum duration. The quantity of maleus and emotes used varies upon the size of the Beast, with larger Zekul requiring more bribery and coaxing. A Beast up to the size of a dog, may be summoned in three emotes, at the cost of [10] maleus; a wolf, big cat or horse-sized Beast, may be summoned in four emotes, costing [15] maleus; finally a Zekul up to the size of a grizzly bear requires six emotes to conjure, and costs [20] maleus. Note that any Beast beyond the size of a housecat is not permitted to fly, and even those which can fly may only sustain flight up to [5] blocks above ground and have poor stability when hovering in place. Emotes to summon a big cat Beast Tips: Redlines: Invocation - Zar’ei [T3] [Non-Combat] Although a Naztherak may not conjure a Zar’ei as they do lesser Inferi such as imps and beasts, they may reconstitute bound ‘Twisted Ones’ who meet their demise by steel and sorcery. A Warlock requires only the most meagre remains of the Inferi in question, such as blood, charred bone or even ashes. Here the maleus does not act as a bribe for the Inferis, but is used to refuel them. This may be performed in no fewer than five emotes; one to open their Grimoire, one to speak the incantation, one to ignite the remains with Malflame and two for the Zar’ei to reform. It may not be performed in combat. Emotes Tips: Redlines: Invocation — Zentherak [T5] [EVENT ONLY] A skilled Warlock, or perhaps one merely charismatic and lucky enough to have bound a Zentherak to their court, may summon it as they do of Inferi several rungs below a ‘True Prince.’ The devastating power of Infernal beings of this stature however, is not to be taken lightly, and a Prince will likely have only a few permitted uses of such a summoning. To perform such a feat, the Naztherak may do so in six emotes; one to open their Grimoire, one to speak the incantation, then four for the Zentherak to emerge in all its fel glory. Emotes for summoning a Zentherak during an event with a small offering Tips: Redlines: Naz’kuthun Finding Inferi to bring into a Prince’s court can be entirely due to timing and fortune, and at best one’s ability to wrestle such demonic creatures into being bound is inconsistent. For those who are a step closer to total damnation than their peers, a Warlock may take an existing soul, such as that of an animal or Descendant and subject it to an ungodly ritual, to transform it into a new Inferis, as a form of rapid infernalisation. Such a profane practice is surely given to Naztherak for a heinous purpose- but one cannot make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.. Using Naz’kuthun, a Prince may turn existing player-characters into Inferi, via the corruption of the character in all capacities. The soul warps to a demonic state, with the flesh taking on monstrous mutations, while the victim’s mind is similarly sundered. At the end of the ritual, the character will keep all of their prior memories, but will see the world through a new lens- no longer as a person, but as an abomination. Such an Inferis may regard their prior lives with disgust in such sentimentality or weakness, while others may reflect on their experiences in a new light. In any case the Inferis will now be driven by chaos, spite and the desire to spread turmoil in their wake. This is not to say all will immediately seek to destroy a nearby village, and indeed these Inferi are much like their peers in the capacity for cunning and manipulation. Some will exist as a slow-burning flame, puppeteering great calamities from the shadows, while their more instantaneously gratified counterparts will burn brightly and revel in mayhem and bloodshed. Mechanics: - The victim must be submerged in a bath, basin or pool of blood and gore. A Naztherak may add additional blood and corpses etc. on top of them afterward. - A [T4] Naztherak performing Naz’kuthun will open their Grimoire and begin to read a prepared incantation, whilst infusing [50] maleus into the pool of gore. - The victim will begin to undergo a transformation of mind, body and soul. The process is agonising, but the character is incapable of preventing it at this point. - A player must OOCly consent for the ritual to successfully corrupt the character. - Elves, Dwarves, Humans, Orcs, Hou-Zi and Kha will become Zar’ei. - Sprites and similarly small characters will become Imps. - Halflings may choose between the two, but may need to shrink to adhere to Imp size limits. - When the new Inferis emerges from the pool, they are exhausted and easily bound by the Naztherak. At this point the player may create a CA for the playable Inferis. - A Prince may perform the same ritual upon animals to create Imps and Beasts, acting as sufficient roleplay to justify their later summoning. Tips: Redlines: ⛧ Curses For many Princes, the power to conjure hellfire, command demonic soldiers, and even True Princes, is enough to quench their thirst for infernal knowledge and damnable potential. There are those however, who wish to pry further into forbidden arts, or who prefer a more subtle and yet more cruel means to enact their will upon the world. Known as “Narthruzka”, Curses is a loose school of Naztherak sorcery which enables a Warlock to harrow their foes with a number of undesirable effects. Why duel your enemy in the open, when a curse of Misfortune causes him to take an unfortunate fall? Sabotage a rival noble house’s reputation by cursing their heir with Temptation, and watch as he steals from the jewelers, overcome with an insatiable greed. Perhaps a desirable position is already occupied, but easily supplanted by a Prince when the original occupant is suddenly stricken with Madness.. (Disciple of Griselbrand by Clint Clearley) Curses enables a Naztherak to make use of their Malice, by allowing its ire to burn through them and their maleus, embracing it as a diabolical disposition. While other Princes may fear or avoid the symptoms of their Malice, those who study Curses understand its true potential, even if they too accept its effects begrudgingly. Due to the use of the Malice however, one is restricted to the effects associated with the Malice or Malices they possess when creating flames- which is to say a Prince of Temptation may not create a wall with the curse of Madness, though they may create an idol of such. General Redlines: Cursed Fire The more ‘active’ function of Curses involves the imbuing of one’s Malice into their Malflame conjurations. A Prince may perform this by the addition of [1] emote to any Malflame spell’s original emotes, which will cause their hellfire to burn with the spite of their Malice. Like all Malflame however, this can only take root should it meet living soul-bearing flesh, meaning that the curse cannot be passed to a target unless the Malflame burns the character. Emote guide for Vhiit, while using the Malice of Desolation Should such “Cursed Fire” succeed in making its mark, it will cause an effect to occur within the victim as detailed by the descriptions below. All such curses will however, last for the entirety of a combat scenario and one hour afterward; if they occur outside of combat, they simply last for an hour. Just as Malflame burns may be soothed by servants of the Light such as Paladins, so curses may be drawn out and destroyed too. Malflame Curses are as follows; note that it also includes the Malices gained from the Pacting subtype: Woe Lies Revolt Madness Desolation Temptation Dread Venom Gluttony Pestilence Misfortune Tips: Redlines: Cursed Idols More subtle still than the added ire of cursed Malflame, are the deceptively harmless trinkets, gifts and possessions a Naztherak might imbue with vicious properties. Similarly to their pyromantic counterparts, these curses also draw from one’s Malice, but where the prior burn bright and brief, these curses are a slow smouldering flame which builds to an all-consuming inferno. (Vessel of Malignity by Kieran Yanner) These cursed objects, referred to as ‘idols’ are created through a ritual, which burns the Warlock’s Malice into the idol and fuels its effect with maleus. Although initially this comes from the creator, the curse is able to consume tiny proportions of maleus or healthy soul essence from whoever possesses the idol, thus sustaining itself indefinitely. To create such devilish devices, the Prince must prepare an area for ritual. This may be an elaborate altar with all manner of occult embellishments, or just a corner of a cave in moments of urgency. Preparing the ritual requires a complex pentacle of Ilzakarn script, scrawled in rakir, which details the Malice used and what manner of curse is being placed upon the idol. With an adequately prepared place to perform the deed, a Warlock places the idol in the pentacles’s centre, then opens their Grimoire and invokes their Malflame as a catalyst, whilst feeding the ritual with maleus to begin the process. Candles may flicker, alien whispers may be heard and other supernatural phenomena occur as the ritual is performed. The ritual burns the Ilzakarn into the object like a circuit board or a set of instructions, and uses the Naztherak’s maleus to initially charge the idol, finalising the curse laid upon it. Mechanics: - Creating a curse requires the ritual as described above, a minimum of four good-quality multi-line emotes, and may not take place during combat. - One’s Grimoire must be present to create a curse, except for a Zar’akal. - Creating a cursed idol consumes forty [40] maleus from the Naztherak per object. Assuming one has enough maleus to do so, multiple objects may be simultaneously imbued with the same curse. - An idol may only be cursed with a single Malice. The curses placed upon these idols follow a pattern in their development. After skin-contact with the idol, the curse will begin to take effect over the first IRL day; at this stage the effects are almost harmless, and so subtle that one could not reasonably think anything significant of them. Assuming the victim has consistent contact with the idol, which is to say they physically touch it here and there, it hangs in their work office or bedroom etc., or it sits in their pocket almost daily, then the curse will progress over the second IRL day; at this stage, the effects are more noticeable and typically more malicious, although discerning this as a supernatural attack is tricky still. If the victim continues to have consistent contact with the idol, then the curse will progress further over the third IRL day; at this point, the curse has reached full bloom; its effects are at their most debilitating and dangerous, and it is more reasonable to suppose there may be a nefarious force behind the curse’s effects. These idols are however, just trinkets when all is said and done, and they may be destroyed as other mundane objects- smashing a cursed pocket watch, or burning a cursed book will end the curse’s terror after three days. It should also be noted that servants of the Light may purge the curse both from its idol(and keep the object in tact) and from those suffering its effects. - Curses provide long-term effects as detailed by the corresponding Malice. They take three [3] IRL days of possessing the idol to ramp up to their most debilitating effects. - They do not require recharging, and sustain themselves by gnawing at the bearer’s soul essence(alternatively maleus) periodically. No emotes are required. - An individual under the effect of a cursed idol may be alleviated of the curse by a Paladin’s purging ability, or any similar ability from other Holy magics. - Idols may be purged of their curse by the Paladin enchantment Sunlight’s Wrath, or a similar ability from other Holy magics, keeping the object itself intact. - The idol itself may also be destroyed by non-magical means. A cursed necklace may be melted down in a forge, a cursed pocket watch can be smashed with a hammer and so on. As long as the Ilzakarn ‘circuit’ upon the idol is destroyed, then the curse is broken. - When destroyed or purged, the dregs of maleus within the idol are released as a small curl of vile smoke, before dissipating entirely. - Although one may begin to realise that their behaviour changes after acquiring the cursed idol, or that they experience supernatural symptoms within its proximity, it’s considered metagaming to simply read the item’s description and immediately know it is cursed. Woe Lies Revolt Madness Desolation Temptation Dread Venom Gluttony Pestilence Misfortune Tips: Redlines: ⛧ Pacting There are Princes who when presented with the price or ruination of their dark tutelage, are abhorred and wish to be rid of such powers and to escape from their pacts. Many who are presented with the true cost however, are intrigued and ponder what further rewards they might bargain for. For these Warlocks, the first step to establishing this is to contact their patron, who until now has been beyond their reach, at least as far as they’re aware. (Thavius by Chris Rallis) Should a Naztherak prove diligent enough, they may find others willing to instruct them in creating pacts of their own. The art of ‘Pacting’ is to draw up agreements between the Prince and other mortals, Inferi or indeed their patron, and the ability to bequeath small powers or curses as negotiable terms. This is to say that one who studies Pacting, has a few more tasty morsels to entice others with, than even other Naztherak. To understand how best to draw up such pacts however, and to bargain for their own tools with which to do so, a Prince must first hold communion with their patron and agree to a pact with them. General Redlines: Communion Nizarhuk, or “communion”, is the ritual performed by which one may make contact with their Zar’rokul patron. It is never to be undertaken lightheartedly, as even a favorable Naztherak may earn the ire of their fiendish financier. A Prince teaching the ritual to another, should assist in its assembly, and prior-warn their student of the process- least they falter when presented with the terms of their pact. The Warlock must prepare a ritual pentacle drawn in rakir, not unlike those required for Curses, and similarly it may be embellished with candles and other occult objects if one desires. In this case, the Ilzakarn scrawlings call upon the Pentacle of Moz Strimoza to witness it, and in the centre of this pentagram an offering bowl is placed. Into the bowl, the Prince must offer their own blood such as by cutting the palm. This need not fill the bowl entirely, but the offering must not be wanting. After this the Prince then wills a sliver of their maleus into the bowl, to create a rakir of their own blood used only in this ritual. The rakir will shift and bubble as if being heated, until pale plasma-like fluid will appear to separate from the main body of the substance. This swirl of plasma will then form the likeness or name of the Zar’rokul who has chosen the Naztherak, revealing their identity. At this point the Prince must then fill the remaining contents of the bowl with the blood of the animal corresponding with their patron, by means of slitting the creature open and spilling its blood as a sacrifice. A goat for Velkuzat, a bat for Drazhana, a snake for Kiiztria, a crow for Kholidav, or a black cat for Zathairn. Filling the bowl with animal blood, the Naztherak has made their offering and the Zar’rokul will answer. They may be played by an ST with manager approval, or the teacher if the prior is not available. The patron will appear either in an avatar fitting their demonic nature, such as floating eyes in the dark, a vile spectral body more unsettling than most Inferi, or speak through the animal sacrifice. Drinking their fill of the Warlock’s pool of maleus, the Rokul will then acknowledge the Prince as chosen by them, makes their offer and names their price. The Naztherak may agree or refuse, the latter will cancel the ritual and the Prince receives nothing for their spent blood and maleus. Upon striking their bargain a fresh page within the Prince’s Grimoire will mysteriously become inscribed with the pact. Written entirely in Ilzakarn, it details the terms agreed upon, including the price: a further portion of the Prince’s soul, allowing the Zar’rokul into their mind, and one permanent mutation. It also lists the prizes one has paid for: a familiar, the Rokul’s own Malice and the knowledge of and ability to use Boons and Banes. Mechanics: - Performing nizarhuk requires the ritual described above, in a minimum of four good-quality multi-line emotes, which may not take place during combat. - The Naztherak’s grimoire must be present throughout, unless they are also a Zar’akal. - The TA-holder teaching the Pacting subtype must be present throughout the ritual and guide the student through the process. - Players are encouraged to have various flavourful supernatural phenomena occur during the ritual, and are permitted to be creative insofar that it is not abused to seriously harm bystanders. - In their bargaining with the Zar’rokul, the Naztherak must allow them to consume the entirety of their pool of maleus, no matter how full or how large their maximum pool. - The Rokul will also demand a further sliver of the Prince’s soul, permanently slotting Pacting. - As a result of this further corruption upon their soul, the Naztherak will inherit a permanent mutation unable to be hidden, which bears a likeness to their patron. Such things may include scales, a bat-like nose, a forked tongue, fangs, cat-like eyes, vestigial wings etc., but may not grant any combat or mechanical advantage. - Lastly the Prince must allow their patron into their mind, causing vivid nightmares at least once a week. If one attempts to forgo sleep to avoid these, they will instead manifest as waking hallucinations. Either may be visions of their patron, Inferi or Moz Strimoza. These cannot be cured with medicinal aids, only ever granting temporary reprieve. - Upon successful completion of nizarhuk, the Prince may also adopt the Malice associated with their patron. Gluttony from Velkuzat, Dread from Drazhana, Venom from Kiiztria, Pestilence from Kholidav and Misfortune from Zathairn. - After acquiring Pacting, the patron may also telepathically contact the Prince to goad them into certain actions, such as interfering in world events, sabotaging the efforts of a rival Zar’rokul and their servants, or other flavourful means of grooming the Warlock into serving their patron. - Nizarhuk may be performed again for flavour roleplay after acquiring Pacting, or used for ST events where the Prince wishes to consult with their patron, but may not be used to metagame or stall combat etc. - An ST with manager approval may roleplay as a Zar’rokul for the purposes of communion rituals, eventlines or for telepathic communication to a pacted Naztherak. Tips: Redlines: Familiars Although the price of a pact with a Zar’rokul is great, the rewards are not lacking. Perhaps the first of these to manifest is the Naztherak’s familiar, dubbed a “striith” in Ilzakarn. These creatures take on the appearance of the animal associated with one’s patron, as a disguise for the wicked Inferis concealed beneath the flesh, fur and feathers. Even then this deception is inherently flawed by the truly demonic nature of the striith, exhibited by traits such as albinism, melanism, uncharacteristic size, red or bleeding eyes, enlarged teeth and claws, or other such symptoms of infernal origins. The striith is both a servant bound to the Naztherak, but also a means for the Zar’rokul to have a Prince under nigh constant observation. It is perhaps ironic that the striith is both jailor and prisoner in some regards, as like all Inferi bound to a Prince, they must obey. (Malakir Familiar by Alejandro Mirabal) Possessing intelligence on par with a Descendant, these infernal familiars make for useful advisors and companions upon the dark path of the Naztherak. This intellect coupled with the inherent power struggle of all Inferi however, may prove to be one’s undoing, as the striith is innately manipulative. They will seek to subvert their relationship with the Prince if they can, preying upon fears or a weak will, to dominate the Naztherak for spiteful amusement by tugging upon the few chains they are able to. Should the striith and the Prince be of alike personalities- finding kinship within deceptive, malicious, chaotic mentalities, or at least greed- then they can build a more amiable, symbiotic relationship, aiding each other in their respective endeavours without the explicit instruction of the Naztherak. In fact a Warlock is able to telepathically communicate with their striith, as long as it is within #w range, or within their line of sight. Lastly a striith is capable of meagre Malflame conjurations on par with those of an imp. Which is to say they may throw coin-sized balls, or spit small tongues of felfire, but do not possess a Malice of their own to utilise. - A striith is given to the Naztherak upon acquiring Pacting. It will invariably be the animal representation of the Zar’rokul; a goat for Velkuzat, a bat for Drazhana, a snake for Kiiztria, a crow for Kholidav and a black cat for Zathairn. - Each familiar will possess demonic physical traits such as melanism, albinism or other unnatural skin/fur/feather discolouration, horns, larger fangs, claws, talons etc. red or bleeding eyes, unnatural size etc. As long as the animal is unmistakable for its representation. - Familiars may emerge from the body of the animal sacrificed during nizarhuk, allowing a one-time transformation into the striith’s form, or it may merely be roleplayed as appearing mysteriously. - The striith may act as a servant for the Prince, akin to a pet or messenger bird, but all usual rules apply. E.g. 3 emotes to ‘bird’ with the striith. - The personality of the familiar can be roleplayed as one pleases, as long as it is of an inherently selfish, chaotic nature. Players are encouraged to treat the striith as a character, not just a pet. - Princes may communicate telepathically with their striith as long as they have line of sight with it, or it is within #w distance. Tips: Redlines: In addition to a fellow traveller upon a dark path, the striith is also a potent source of maleus, when burned by Malflame, allowing a desperate Warlock to sacrifice their familiar for a fix of maleus to fuel further casting of their infernal powers. Alternatively it may be harvested for its Inferi blood, which acts as a unique form of iridescent rakir the colour of the Prince’s Malflame. This rich striith blood is known to be used by Warlocks in the creation of pacts with mortal man, and the conveying of magical boons and banes onto bodily flesh. - Should a Naztherak cast kraviir upon their striith, it will yield the fullest crop of maleus as the spell states in the Malflame section. This will destroy the striith however, and it may not reappear for an IRL week. - The Prince may instead choose to let the blood of their striith, to produce a shimmering rakir the colour of their Malflame. - The quantity of this does not change with the size of familiar, and always yields enough blood to inscribe a boon and a bane, without destroying the striith. If the Prince chooses to extract a further ‘count’ of blood within the same IRL week, they may at the cost of destroying the striith and triggering a 1 IRL week for it to manifest again. - Striith do not like being destroyed and resummoned repeatedly, and will quickly foster hostility and toxicity toward a Naztherak who does so. - If a striith is slain by mundane means, such as during an attack upon their Naztherak by other parties, it will remanifest after 3 IRL days. Tips: Redlines: Boons & Banes In following the theme of learning how to make pacts of their own, a Naztherak is gifted a few small tools to assist in this, although a particularly favorable Prince might develop a level of competency before seeking out their patron. To further ‘sweeten the deal’ when creating pacts with mortals, a Warlock with Pacting is gifted with the power of boons, small supernatural abilities, and of banes, minor non-progressive curses. Many boons grant powers of convenience or whimsy(similar to cantrips in D&D), such as the ability to levitate or ignite and extinguish candles and small fires close to the caster. Banes, by contrast, force the bearer to suffer from a negative effect, but in doing so it will fuel a boon. These negative effects vary from an unsightly, squirming scar, to losing a sense or even one’s ability to read and write. Even if a Prince waives a price for a boon for a loyal servant or whatever passes for ‘friendship’ among Warlocks, a boon will not function without a bane. At the point of creation, the Naztherak offering these boons and banes is able to choose them, and may discuss the ‘price’ with their pactee- or may choose without consultation, and let them discover the price only later. In any case the Warlock takes a measure of blood from their striith and infuses it with their own maleus, then either paints it onto the recipient, or tattoos it into the flesh; the prior being temporary and able to be washed off, and the latter is more permanent, but may be scored across or cut out to destroy it. During the receipt of boons and banes, the individual will suffer from searing pain and hot flashes. For days afterward the marking will still burn, but they will be able to use the boon’s power and will suffer the bane’s price. The marking takes the form of Ilzakarn script painted or tattooed into the flesh, and such will always be warm to the touch and feel as though a scar or scab. An example of a boon and bane as they would appear tattooed into the skin. Ascendancy(top) and Witch’s Mark(middle and bottom) The currently known boons and banes are listed below, but more may be created via a Prince with a TA who submits them as a lore addition. Boons Ascendency(hahkduv) The character may passively levitate no greater than one foot from the ground though they otherwise benefit from no greater movement speed. Users with this may float in combat to avoid obstacles under a foot in height, or to avoid the slows of alchemical potions such as tanglefoot. This however, is not weightlessness as armor still weighs upon their person, encumbering them as it normally would. The use of alchemical or other magical powers to attempt to upgrade this will not work. Redlines: Clayface(telrotukar) The hair and/or eye colour of the character is chosen anew, and may include unnatural colours for either. The colour choice is detailed in the tattoo, and thus the Naztherak may choose. Redlines: Devil’s Presence(zevirna’zak kortret) The character may will minor flourishes of supernatural flavour, such as turning pages of a book without touching them, crudely animating a doll, rattle door handles as if by unseen hands, and even open/close unlocked doors and windows akin to general ‘haunted’ phenomenon. Faces on paintings may turn to face a target and odd indistinguishable whispers may fill a room. Eye contact is required while doing this and objects may only be thrown as hard as a beachball and only one may be affected at a time. Affected objects will have harmless infernal traits such as ash flowing from them or small sparks. Redlines: Eyes of Watyll(hontka za’Watyll) One may read any writing, etching, script, alphabet etc. at half their normal reading speed, and understand its meaning, but is not automatically granted the ability to write, speak or otherwise learn the language. Redlines: Firetamer(rokvhiitlu) The character may create controlled sparks, such as with a snap of the fingers, sufficient enough to light a candle, a torch, or the kindling of a small bonfire no greater than 15 blocks away from them. They may also extinguish flames of the same size, within the same distance. Furthermore, a user may amplify flames once, increasing their size by double, which may cause the flames to spread to nearby surfaces if such makes sense. A user may also contort these flames slightly, for instance making a candle’s flame split in half like a snake’s tongue or point at someone like a finger. Flames may only be controlled if they are the size of a torch and controlling a flame requires two emotes - one to focus on it and one to contort or expand it. Redlines: Regrowth(kakhurzu) Missing body parts such as a single finger, both ears, beard-bearing skin, teeth or tusks and so on, or a scar no greater than the size of a human’s palm, are restored to their original state over the course of an IRL week. Redlines: Banes Animal Antagonism(dughe’ilza) The bearer will give off an inherent aura of distrust to animals and creatures around them. This will lead such animals to be wary of, adverse to, or even hostile toward the character. It does not however, incite outright unprovoked attacks. Redlines: Illiteracy(utwatuvduv) The character loses all ability to read and write. Redlines: Infernal Mutation(zevirlat thaznitnak) The individual is cursed to sire or bear children with demonic mutations, akin to the Naztherak’s own. The nails may be long and black or absent entirely, their teeth elongated and twisted, their nose resemble a bat-like snout, they may grow twisted horns, cloven feet, hairy palms, beastial eyes and similar abominable traits. See the following lore for more information: Ra'liivengor Kreika | The 'Blessed' Ones Redlines: Stolen Mind(tiv da’nirhk zatk) One loses the ability to picture things within their mind’s eye, as if their imagination had never properly developed. Redlines: Taken Sense(tiv dag’nirhk shiizoh, khliir, zkuum, graur, hon) The character loses at least one of their senses from the list of taste, hearing, smell, touch and sight respectively. A Naztherak may choose which senses are taken, by inscribing them in the tattoo. Redlines: Witch’s Mark(malda’zak vhiit) The recipient develops a mark, not unlike the Brand of a Naztherak, upon a prominent place of their body such as the palm, arm, face, neck, chest, stomach or back. Never fading, it resembles a burn scar or lichtenberg figure upon the flesh, and will squirm and shift as if a parasite were moving beneath the skin. Redlines: Mechanics: - A Prince may offer boons to other soul-bearing player characters as a means of bribing them for cooperation, material goods, knowledge, promises of servitude or other such things as the Naztherak finds worthy of trade. - Even if they waive a price for the boon, such as to reward a loyal pawn, each must also be accompanied by at least one bane. A Prince may even choose to place a bane and no boon. - Imbuing their fresh harvest of striith blood costs the Prince a flat [50] maleus per one count of striith blood. They may imbue multiple counts of striith blood at once if they possess enough maleus to do so. - The roleplay for this process is freeform, but it must be roleplayed. Handing out boons and banes without roleplay will be considered OOC magic trading. - After one receives their boon and/or banes, the Naztherak must notify the ST to update their MA with a comment. The comment should detail which boons and which banes the character has been given. - A character may not have more than three boons and five banes at any given time. - Boons and banes have no expiration. The bane feeds on the bearer's soul essence to fuel itself and the boon indefinitely. - If the tattoo of the bane is scored or cut out, the boon will cease to function. - If the tattoo of the boon is scored or cut out, the bane will continue to function. - Boons and banes may also be destroyed by a Paladin’s Purging ability, or similar abilities in other Holy magics. Tips: Redlines: ⛧ Algzok Rokol To Smoulder Magic The disconnection ritual. An intense ritual that requires either one Zar’akal and two Naztherak or five Naztherak with two being at least tier five. Not to be taken lightly or as an escape from the hells, this ritual consumes the magic slots given to Naztherak while removing the ability to use the magic, scarring the soul as it does so. To perform this ritual, a group must draw a pentacle with rakir and place the unfortunate Naztherk in the center. From there, each Naztherak would stand within a corner of the pentacle before channeling their malflame and maleus into the center. Once all the flames converge upon the center and then the victim, they would flow over and throughout the brand, burning away the slots of magic and permanently damaging the soul.

In what way are spells drained? Does a Naz lose all their Maleus, or are they unable to speak Ilzakarn incantations? You should specify to what degree dark magics are weakened. Typo here after "and" In my skim read before work, I couldn't see all too much different from Archi and Delmo's rewrite, but it looks good. Love what you came up with for the Ilkgarokk, and I hope to see some healthy dark/light conflict come from it.

Kind of wish we had this roadmap prior to map launch, else I wouldn't have chosen sand and clay for Druid capital improvements, since whatever market there might be for them is now significantly reduced by introducing more nodes to provide access. Had I known this was the case, I probably wouldn't have chosen clay and sand, and that's a pain in the ass frankly.

MUSIC Ravens take flight from Kal'Darakaan, each bearing the purple and gold of Clan Starbreaker. Far and wide they fly, bringing a letter to all members of the clan. -=[]=- 14th of the Deep Cold, 9 SA To the Sons and Daughters of Gotrek, I write to you this eve' hale and hearty, and although I am no scholar nor poet, know my words come from hearth and home. Many of you will know me, some perhaps from my work, but I dare not assume you all do. When I was brought to Agnarum as a Dwedki by my da, I knew not our kith and kin, I knew not the legacy of Gotrek, nor its true meaning. Yet just as our folk were welcomed into those halls after the Kinstrife, so were my brothers and I welcomed and met with Anbella's blessing of a warm hearth and a family. Kazrin, e'er kind, taught me of our forefather Gotrek, and kindled in me a fire for my life's work. Jorvin watched over me, ensured I never went hungry, brought me to the forge at the age of nine, and taught me to hold the Brathmordakin in my heart. When my da was revealed as a heretic, he took me and my brother Karvek in. As Jorvin grew weary beneath the burden of a crown, so our hall became quiet and its throne empty. I write this not to insult him, nor belittle his achievements, for I will always proudly remember him as a King, but his struggle and striving have reminded me of the responsibility he took upon himself. I write to you, to announce that the throne is no longer empty and the mantle of leadership has come to rest upon my shoulders. This clan gave me a craft so I could work to feed and house myself, a heritage to uphold and be proud of, and a family to share it all with. I intend to do right by it, so no Dwedki goes hungry or unlearned, no beardling drifts aimlessly without knowing the legacy his blood carries or no craft of his own, and no elder watches grim as the line of Gotrek wears thin. As your clan mother, together we’ll smith works of great beauty and mastery, learn of alchemy and magic, and carve Golem and rune from stone. Then may Yemekar look upon our folk and see in us the same skill and talent he saw in our forefather, and may we earn his blessings again. Narvak oz da Kornazkarum. Narvak oz Gotrek. Lulubelle Starbreaker Bekarumm of Eldar Clan Starbreaker, Granddaughter of Gardath, and the First Starsmith -=[]=-

"Such blind zealotry.." A cold voice remarks into the dark, "They don't understand.."

Remember when we had activity requirements in check to prevent players arriving at inactive nations or settlements day 1 and quitting? Man I'm so glad we have those, it's clearly done a lot and not burned out community leaders in the process. Hit the nail on the head.

"Perfec'ly reasonable home defence measure," a Dwarven lass bobs her head.

Is this referring to any connection? Attunement is just the specific Druidic nomenclature for connection to the Aspects. Is a Paladin capable of learning Astral Sorcery? Housemages are 'connected' with their mana pool too, are they unable to learn? Outline exactly which magics are compatible and incompatible.