Luciloo

Your clan has existed for all of 50 iRP years dude. This needs to be better worded. Yes the average medieval fantasy peasant wouldn't understand, but this is so vague it can be abused to circlejerk and cause numerous headaches. Better to say that only those with existing knowledge of steam-power could feasibly reverse-engineer, interpret designs, blueprints etc. or replicate it etc. The ST won't want to do this. Even if they agree to it initially, it'll fall by the wayside and your railroad tycoon management will just become free. Requiring ST to sign off on your rails every month is unnecessary, but if you wanted to demonstrate the amount of coal required to use the trains, you could require refuelling stations along the line, and/or a coal mine at either end.

Rip and Tear Think thunk mystery Resource management Deep Lore™️ Bounties Dynamic roleplay Thoroughly impressed. I had fun, and although I was a bit tired toward the end, it was an engaging event-line with lots to offer folks other than "Defeat the Big Bad!" and so on. If this is the direction the ST are heading in, I'm looking forward to it. I'd like to say thank you, to all the ST members and players who made this work. It took a lot of time and energy from a lot of people.

A Drui bowed her head from the walls of Al'Faiz, as the land was ripped asunder and forever blasted and warped. She removed her helm and released a sigh, before turning away, hanging her helm at her hip to begin transporting their wounded back to the Grove, assisted by a Halfling Dedicant and a large hippopotamus.

Your priorities suck

So I don't know what lotc can really do to help people make that first step. Like I understand these are issues which affect a lot of the playerbase, given the age demographic, so it's really important to make use of the platform, but I guess I don't know how to begin putting a plan like that together. Ironically I am having trouble knowing where to start with a project like that. Save perhaps, having a page which links to various websites/resources I guess.

If someone doesn't pin this, I'll use my basic ***** NL PEX to try.

Fortunately Grimoires have been a staple in Naz lore, and its one of the flavourful things I found really interesting about the magic as an outsider looking in. One of the main things I really enjoyed during writing with everyone, was trying to come up with similar knick-knacks, which led to cursed idols and being able to create an aesthetic effect on objects.

Fair

I expect there will be nitpicks with the combat applications, which Archi, Pund, myself and so on have not considered, but I’m sure someone will spot them and we can fix those issues. Working on the theme of warlockry and other ‘dark magic’ themes was fun, so I hope that players enjoy getting to use those facets of the magic.

[ Ambience ] [ Accompanying Naztherak Lore ] The Infernal hordes of Moz Strimoza burst into existence in an innumerable and wicked variety. From the meagre yet numerous, the cunning and wily, to the brutal and gigantic, they are all born from a seething cauldron of chaos and as such reflect the many facets of eternal conflict. Each are soldiers in an unending war, played out across Moz Strimoza by the Pentacle, and more recently upon the realm of Arcas. In such skirmishes and sieges many new corrupted forms of monstrosity were observed, but there are a few consistent Inferi who are known to servants of the Light, demonslayers, witch hunters and practitioners of dark magics. Of these more commonplace abominations, only few seem to manifest upon the mortal world without the assistance of a Naztherak. Those few who do roam free without a warband, quickly fall prey to the unwavering zeal of those Descendants with the courage to hunt them, or False Princes with a desire to fill a vacancy in their court. It is not unheard of for these Inferi to attempt to bargain for their lives, but surely only a fool would believe the forked tongue of a demon to be capable of producing any words with meaning more than ash. Zevnka - Imps Closed Playable [CA] + Independent Summon The most diminutive of all Inferi, zevn are typically thought to be a minor nuisance when alone, but can be more dangerous when appearing in a flock. Together a flock of winged imps may be able to carry an unwary individual off into the night, while a lone imp may otherwise serve as a distraction or sabotage various efforts of mortals. Although they are a perversion of their Faeish counterparts, they do seem to share a proclivity for mischief and mayhem. One should not be surprised to find the origins of housefires, destroyed machinery or other apparent acts of misfortune to be the work of imps. Imps are small goblinesque creatures, which revel in causing as much chaos and mess as they are physically capable of. Although not particularly intelligent, they are known to employ a degree of low cunning, in the form of ambushing Descendants, setting traps, or other spiteful acts to otherwise make the everyday lives of mortals as bothersome and inconvenient as possible, if not downright dangerous. Physicality Although zevn come in a colourful array of wicked appearances, they often appear emaciated, or conversely very fat. Perhaps the most significant difference however, are those sorts with and without wings, although all imps have been observed to cause equal disruption and mayhem, regardless of their predispositions. They are oft confused with the Faeish imps of the Aspects’ domain, perhaps simply for their namesake and diminutive size. Other than their origins and uniformly wicked and unnatural appearances however, a zevn is not dissimilar in its use of numbers to overwhelm a foe. Indeed during the Inferi Incursion, flocks of imps dropped carcasses onto Descendant patrols, and lifted civilians and livestock into the sky. The profane and mutated bodies of all Inferi are almost exclusively carnivorous, with very little sustenance gained from plant-based foods. Were an Imp forced to survive only upon vegetation, they would grow sluggish and weary. Among some covens, it's thought to be a convenient means of disposal to cut up the corpses of victims drained of maleus and the pieces thrown to a Naztherak's Imps and beasts to fight over, as neither have any reservations about eating sapient beings, such as Descendants. - Imps may be no taller than 2 feet in height. - They require a high protein meat-based diet to remain at their peak strength, and will wane should they be forced to subsist only upon plant-based foods. They may substitute animal protein for Descendant meat and so on without risk of prions disease etc. - Their builds may vary, from stringy and gangly, to rotund and fat or possessing some degree of musculature. None however, may lift more than 30lbs in weight alone. - All imps must possess an ugly demonic appearance of sorts, such as pig or bat noses, horns, viscous teeth, tails, claws, scales, fur and so on. - Tails are not prehensile enough to grip weapons or strong enough to cause any real harm. - Claws can scratch flesh and tear cloth, but can only mark leather and are incapable of damaging armour or coverings more substantial than that. - Those imps which possess wings, may not fly greater than [5] blocks high in combat, and their ability to ‘hover’ in flight is clumsy at best. - CA imps may not use flight to bypass settlement defences, which they cannot otherwise mechanically bypass(e.g. parkouring inside) unless an RO permits so. Strengths: - Functionally immortal. - May spit or throw small wads of Malflame. - Imps may fly, if indeed they have wings. Weaknesses: - Abilities such as Holy Affinity from Paladinism are substantially more painful to an Imp. Even mere contact with Xannic Mist or Tahariaean Light etc. will cause a burning sensation. - A Paladin’s passive aura and similar holy auras, will illicit discomfort in Inferi, akin to instinctual disgust. - For the purposes of Holy magics, Inferi are always considered a ‘revealed dark creature.’ - Imps can also be poisoned in the same fashion as any Descendant might be, such as by Azhl. - This includes thanhium and thanic steel toxicity. - Unable to disguise demonic appearance. Redlines: - Imps must appear ugly and goblinesque. There are no pretty imps. - Imps may not spit acid, or spread poison with their claws and so on. - Scales or fur etc. may not provide protection from heat or attacks etc. - Tails are not strong nor dextrous enough to operate weapons or deal any real harm. - Claws are only strong enough to cut into flesh and tear through cloth. Leather and upwards will protect from them. - Imps may possess wings, but may not fly more than 5 blocks off the ground in combat. - Flight may not be used to justify bypassing defences in settlements etc. without RO consent. Mentality A notable difference between the Fae imp and the Inferi zevn is their intellect, where the prior is arguably comparable to that of a Descendant, the zevn is much less advanced. Imps are known to produce vocalisations and even to taunt their adversaries with seemingly witty and snarky jabs, but their capacity for speech is best described as ‘broken,’ as is demonstrated in their use of both Common and Ilzakarn. Imps are incapable of reasoning cause and effect to a complex degree. Where a Descendant can foresee A leads to B, which leads to C, the imp sees only A leads to B. This is not to say they are incapable of forethought, but such low cunning is usually reserved for betraying one's superior to advance beyond them, and imps are otherwise all too often preoccupied with immediate chaos and turmoil. Indeed many would overlook a zevn and presume it too easily pleased to harbour sentiments of backstabbery, but they would be poorly mistaken; like all Inferi imps constantly seek to climb to greater rungs of power, but frequently squabble over the first few steps. This interest in immediate gratification also means they are easily distracted, and could be lured away from their pranks and sabotage by certain promising rewards, such as vials of rakir. One is unable to ‘tame’ an imp, and even those Naztherak who bind them will find their chaotic energy can often disrupt otherwise carefully laid schemes. Suffice to say, one may take the imp from the chaos of Moz Strimoza, but may not remove the chaos from the imp. - Although imps possess a degree of trickery and cunning, they are not particularly intelligent. They may speak in broken Common, but are prone to repetitions such as “Good-good” “Yes-yes” and “Boom-boom!” etc. - Imps struggle to understand how their actions impact the world, beyond the immediate. They may harbour regicidal feelings for their Prince, and can attempt to deliberately sabotage the Warlock's own plans. - They may be distracted from their current actions, if something particularly enticing catches their eye, or ear for that matter, but players should not hope to placate an imp simply by waving food at it. - Imps do not have familial connections and so on. Any relationships they foster are merely of immediate convenience, such as a group working together to set a house on fire. Redlines: - Imps are not capable of fluent speech in any language. - Imps are prone to disorganised thinking and cannot see far beyond their immediate actions. They will know for instance that sabotaging a wagon will cause its wheels to fall off in transit, but will not understand that the wagon’s inability to provide supplies to nearby places leads to hungry mouths or a lack of medicine etc. - They may however employ backstabbing, betrayal and bargaining to acquire that which they covet. In such cases Imps are extremely shrewd and unfair in their deals. - Any relationships an imp creates is of immediate convenience. They will not desire to be ‘adopted.’ - Seriously, if I see anyone playing an imp that asks to be adopted, I will scalp you IRL. - Imps may be distracted from their task by the right bait, but it is up to the player to determine what would tempt their imp adequately. Abilities Rok-Dhurz [Combat] A signature spell of Malflame wielders, a result of them compacting their Malflame into spheres which they may shoot or lob towards a target, burning any living skin which it touches, yielding a painful wound which many seldom recover from. Mechanics: An imp may create a sphere or ‘ball’ of Malflame no larger than a coin, to spit or throw towards an opponent. This takes [2] emotes to conjure and outside of combat may be used to summon small tongues of Malflame for aesthetic purposes. The projectile has a range of [5] metres. When casting, the Imp must have some manner of tell to telegraph its attack. Such tells may include glowing in the chest or throat, the body exuding embers and smoke, or even an uttered incantation. Redlines: - Each projectile will travel at about the speed of an overhand baseball throw, regardless of size. - They do not draw maleus upon contact. - These may be cast at most 5 times per combat encounter. - Outside of combat, imps may use this ability for aesthetic purposes to summon tongues of Malflame. - When casting, the Imp must have some manner of tell to telegraph its attack. - Must adhere to Malflame general redlines. General Mechanics - Non-playable Independant Summon imps may be summoned using the Naztherak spell “Invocation — Zevn [T1]” and all imps may be bound by the spell “Subjugate — Shackle [T1]”. - CA imps should accompany their party into combat mechanically, and may not be summoned. - If an imp is slain, it may be resummoned by its Naztherak, but not during the same combat encounter in which it was slain. - In combat, bound Imps will de-manifest after eight emotes, unless their Naztherak spends an additional [10] maleus to extend this by a further eight emotes. - A Naztherak may only bind [5] total Imps, whether CA or non-CA. - Imps are considered a ‘category B’ CA. General Redlines: - Imps may not be more than 2 feet all. - They must possess hellish and monstrous appearances of some kind. - Imps may lift a maximum of 30lbs, whether flying or walking. - Tails may not be used to cause substantial harm, or to hold weaponry etc. - Claws may not tear anything greater than cloth and can be negated by leather and more substantial armour. - Winged imps possess a wingspan permitting only themselves and the maximum burden of 30lbs. Which is to say one may not have excessive wingspans to justify carrying greater weights, or working around the height limit. - Should thanhium or thanhic steel weaponry be used against Inferi, it will still have the frostbite/poisonous effects, but cannot corrupt the Inferis' mana pool, for it has none. - Zevn may still be effected by Malflame and any Malice used. - They may also be successfully cursed by Naztherak curses, or those of other magics. - Holy magics are more effective against the imp, causing a burning sensation upon mere contact and additional pain and burns when struck with spells. - Holy objects, artefacts and auras additionally elicit spiteful scorn from all Inferi. - CA imps are subject to all normal resurrection rules, even if resummoned by their Naztherak. - Imps may not be revived during the combat encounter in which they were slain. - CA imps may not be summoned into or out of combat. - An accepted CA is required to roleplay an imp character, whether it is bound or unbound. - Although imps are meant to cause chaos and turmoil, if imp players use the creature to OOCly harass others, or for excessive ‘troll rp’ or ‘meme rp’ it is considered an abuse of the CA, which is grounds for a blacklist. Zekulka - Beasts Independant Summon Perhaps the most plentiful of Inferi, of greater stature and strength than their impish lessers. Resembling fauna of the mundane, exotic and magical variety, zekul roam the ashen plains of Moz Strimoza as gruesome game, or appear as monstrous beasts of burden and mounts in the eternal conflict between the numerous warbands of the High Hells. Like their natural counterparts, Beasts possess instinctual behaviours which make them both dangerous and desirable for a Naztherak’s court. Beasts are monstrous animalistic creatures, which vary in size and oft resemble a perverse mimicry of their mundane bestial counterparts. They follow similar instinctual behaviours, and are known to be used in a number of capacities such as hellhounds, abominable mounts and so on. Like imps they are not particularly intelligent, perhaps even less so, but possess substantially more developed strength and stature. Physicality Beasts collectively occupy a variety of size, stature and build, such that they resemble any existing natural animal. Typically Zekul bound to Naztherak manifest in canine, feline, equine and ursine forms, although always grotesque in appearance. In place of a coat of fur, the Beast will have wiry hair growing in loose tufts, scarred or charred flesh, or even lack flesh entirely and appear as if only muscle, bone and sinew. A Zekul resembling a horse may possess horns, such that they resemble a mockery of Faeish unicorns, or bear-like Zekul may have overdeveloped jaws and so on. Zekul resembling canines are often dubbed ‘hellhounds,’ for their likeness to many Canonist and occult imagery, and make for deadly pack hunters. Felines may instead stalk in quiet, while an equine might bear their Naztherak as a thoroughbred ferries its Prince. - Zekul may be no larger than a grizzly bear or a warhorse, and no smaller than a housecat. - Their height, mass and so on must resemble their animal counterpart. One may not have a dog-sized Beast with the muscle mass of a grizzly bear, and so on. - All Zekul must possess an ugly demonic appearance of sorts, such as lacking fur or skin, tumorous growths, insectoid mandibles or eyes, many eyes, no eyes, tails or no tails etc. - Tails are not prehensile enough to grip weapons, but may be swung or whipped for attacks. - Claws can scratch flesh, tear cloth and leather, but are incapable of damaging armour or coverings more substantial than that. - Those Zekul which possess wings cannot fly unless they are housecat-sized, and may not fly greater than [5] blocks high in combat, and their ability to ‘hover’ in flight is clumsy at best. All other Zekul are incapable of flight. - One may not use winged Zekul to carry oneself or other player-characters past settlement walls etc. Redlines: - Zekul must appear ugly and monstrous. There are no pretty Beasts. - All must bear some resemblance to an IRL animal, or lore-compliant magical animal of sorts. - They may not spit acid, or spread poison with their claws and so on. - Scales etc. may not provide protection from heat or attacks etc. - Chitin or bone-like plates will protect from slashing attacks, but may be crushed with blunt weaponry such as maces, or penetrated with arrows or crossbow bolts. - Zekul can be destroyed like any other combat summon. They are by no means unstoppable. - Tails are not dextrous enough to operate weapons etc. - Claws are only strong enough to cut into flesh and tear through cloth and leather. Chainmail will protect from slashing attacks, while plate mail is sufficient protection from claws entirely. - A Zekul’s strength will mirror that of its animal counterpart. For example a dog-like Zekul is unable to bite through platemail; a horse-like Zekul will be able to carry a rider etc. - Beasts may possess wings, but may not fly if they are larger than a housecat. Beasts of this size may fly no more than 5 blocks off the ground in combat. - Flight may not be used to justify bypassing defences in settlements etc. Mentality When compared to the Imp, a Beast has a similar level of mental acuity, but excels in differing capacities. Able to understand Ilzakarn, insofar that a dog understands ‘sit’ or ‘speak,’ the Zekul may be trained to act on certain commands, which is bolstered by the Naztherak’s binding of them. This means that a pack of ‘hellhounds’ could feasibly be sent to harry one’s foe, or brought to heel should they prove too aggressive. Despite this capacity to be trained akin to their animal counterparts, the Zekul cannot be described as tame. They will still obey their base instincts for food, rest and survival over their Prince, but are not necessarily prone to ‘biting the hand which feeds them’ so to speak. One could not possibly have a panther-like Zekul draped over their lap for example, but a housecat-like Zekul is more feasible. - Bound Zekul may be commanded in Ilzakarn by their Prince and no other. - A Beast may not be docile and ‘cuddly’ unless it is housecat sized. In which case, it is still rather ‘wild.’ - Although they are not totally mindless, they do not possess foresight beyond the immediate task before them and their survival. They are not able to understand what comes after a ballista is loaded by their foe and aimed at them, for instance. - Any connections with other Zekul are purely pack-based, with a dominant over its lessers. They are Inferi after all. Redlines: - Zekul are not capable of speech in any language. - They are bestial in their intellect and will typically act on instinct. Equine Beasts may kick and flee from a foe for instance, while a feline Beast may stalk its prey. - Beasts may not be docile. Even housecat-sized, they are untamable and cannot demonstrate affection. - A Zekul may not be turned against its Prince, or commanded by another Naztherak. Abilities Rok-Skramutna [Combat] The more powerful, but simple of Malflame conjurations. Breathing it in great tongues and gouts from the mouth or nose, this ‘flaming breath’ is capable of burning any living skin which it touches, yielding a painful wound which bleeds off Maleus- sometimes lapped up by the Beast, as a predator gorges upon its prey. Mechanics: A Zekul may breathe a cone of Malflame, projected out in front of them as a crude flamethrower. This funnel is no larger than a block in diameter, and cannot exceed five blocks further than its point of origin, that being the Beast themselves. This requires [3] emotes to perform, and may be sustained for up to [4] emotes. When casting, the Beast must have some manner of tell to telegraph its attack. Such tells may include glowing beneath chitin plates, the body becoming wreathed in flames or embers, smoke pouring from the mouth etc. Redlines: - These may be cast at most 5 times per combat encounter. - Outside of combat, Beasts may use this ability for aesthetic purposes. - When casting, the Beast must have some manner of tell to telegraph its attack. - Must adhere to Malflame general redlines. General Mechanics - Non-playable Independent Summon Beasts may be summoned using the Naztherak spell “Invocation — Zekul [T2]” and may be bound by the spell “Subjugate — Shackle [T1]”. - If a bound Zekul is slain, it may be resummoned by its Naztherak, but not in the same combat encounter. - Only one [1] Beast and two [2] imps may be summoned at one time during a combat encounter. Outside of combat, players may have multiple beasts for flavorful roleplay, though only one may be permitted to enter combat, should they be summoned beforehand. - One beast or two imps may enter combat if they were summoned prior to it starting. A user’s grimoire must be constantly held on their person after they are summoned. This is to say that one may not hide their book in a chest and expect their summons to enter combat with them still. - While only one beast or two imps may enter combat with you, you may summon the other mid-combat should you perform the required amount of emotes. - One may not presummon a beast larger than a big cat. - In combat, Zekul will de-manifest after six emotes of invocation, unless the Naztherak spends an additional [10] maleus to extend this by another six emotes. - A Naztherak may only bind [5] total Zekul. Strengths: - Have access to a Malflame breath. - Possess intellect up to and including that of a trained dog. - May have natural armour not exceeding the strength of ceramic. - Possess the strength of up to a grizzly bear. Weaknesses: - Abilities such as Holy Affinity from Paladinism are substantially more painful to Zekul. Even mere contact with Xannic Mist or Tahariaean Light etc. will cause a burning sensation. - A Paladin’s passive aura and similar holy auras, will illicit discomfort in Inferi, akin to instinctual disgust. - For the purposes of Holy magics, Inferi are always considered a ‘revealed dark creature.’ - Zekul can also be poisoned in the same fashion as any Descendant might be, such as by Azhl. - This includes thanhium and thanic steel toxicity. - As animalistic creatures, Beasts may be frightened into fleeing. General Redlines: - Zekul may not be larger than a grizzly bear or warhorse. - Should a Beast be used as a mount, it should be mechanically represented with a horse mob. - They must possess hellish and monstrous appearances of some kind. - Beasts should ideally adhere to one of three archetypes: wolf/big cat, bear, horse. They inherit the strength and vague appearance of whichever they adhere to. Creative variation is allowed, so long as it is not used to justify invincible combat summons. - Tails may not be used to hold weaponry etc. - Claws may not tear anything greater than leather, and can be negated by more substantial armour. - Winged Beasts possess a wingspan permitting only themselves and small burdens. Which is to say one may not have excessive wingspans to justify carrying greater weights. - Zekul of any sort may not be used for ‘scent-tracking’ or similar roundabout means of metagaming. - Should thanhium or thanhic steel weaponry be used against Inferi, it will still have the frostbite/poisonous effects, but cannot corrupt the Inferis' mana pool, for it has none. - Zekul may still be effected by Malflame and any Malice used. - They may also be successfully cursed by Naztherak curses, or those of other magics. - Holy magics are more effective against the Beast, causing a burning sensation upon mere contact and additional pain and burns when struck with spells. - Holy objects, artefacts and auras additionally elicit spiteful scorn from all Inferi. Zar’eika - Twisted Ones Closed Playable [CA] Perhaps the most unnerving of all Inferi, even despite the massive stature of those demons occupying greater rungs of power, the Zar’ei are a perversion of Descendants in all capacities. For mortal virtues such as kindness and patience are corrupted when a Zar’ei is made, and instead the appearance of charity is but bait for a trap, while restraint is employed to await the perfect moment to backstab another. Indeed it is woefully fitting then that these Inferi originate from the damned souls which descend into Moz Strimoza, too hurt and despairing to believe they deserve respite and healing. Even those Zar’ei created by the dark ritual of Naz’kuthun are no less spiteful, devilish and perverse in their mimicry of all the worst facets of Descendant mortality. Regardless, these humanoid Inferi are a perilous foe to mortalkind and even those steeled against the worst of Moz Strimoza- for what more dangerous an opponent is there, than a creature as capable and calculating as its hunter? Zezimar Playable [CA] Zezimar, or Seraph, also known as Zar’ei, are the most obscure of Inferi to the average Descendant, but typically the most sought-after by False Princes. For the capacity of intellect within a Zezimar is on par with that of man, Elf, Dwarf and Orc, making for uniquely equipped members of a Naztherak’s court. These humanoid monsters are equally devoid of goodness and selflessness as any other Inferi, but are crucially capable of both high-level thought processes and survival instincts to manipulate others to their benefit. Mechanics: - Zezimar are playable CA Inferi of the Zar’ei class, meaning that they are humanoid and possess intelligence and physical prowess on-par with the stature of Descendants they most resemble. - No Zezimar may be roleplayed without an accepted CA and must be bound to a Naztherak with room in their court for a Zar’ei. In the case of Naz’kuthun, players must post the CA after the ritual is successfully performed, listing the Naztherak as the creator. Physicality Easily the most insidious of all Inferi, for their close resemblance to mortal Descendants, and their uncannily sharp mind. Their appearances typically harbour a perverse mimicry of Elves, Dwarves, man and Orcs, where hair and beards are substituted with tendrils, tusks are twisted and accompanied by horns, and whatever beauty their counterparts possess is mirrored as an unnervingly vile facade. Indeed some Zezimar resemble a corrupted specimen of Descendants, while others have totally alien forms. Insectoid mandibles, eyes, limbs and antennae are not unheard of, while other Zar’ei are known to resemble a rotting statue with great clumps of flesh falling off in sloughs. Their stature similarly varies, but always more closely mimics those of Descendants and are easily sorted into the three ‘archetypes’ of Malda, Kozun and Rakaal. The profane and mutated bodies of all Inferi are almost exclusively carnivorous, with very little sustenance gained from plant-based foods. Were a Zar'ei forced to survive only upon vegetation, their muscle mass and strength would wane, but they could survive in this diminished state. Woe to those who fall victim to these Inferi however, as they are known to consume the flesh, blood and bone of Descendant races. Indeed the Sultan of Inferi-occupied Al'Faiz M'ag'nus C'arne, was known to devour his captives and foes. - Like all Inferi, a playable Zezimar must be hellish and monstrous in appearance; snouts, elongated teeth, additional arms, chitinous exoskeletons, horns, fiery eyes, tails and so on are permitted. - Horns are made of bone, but are not exceptionally strong. If broken they will regrow steadily over time. - Any limbs beyond two arms and two legs will divide the total strength between those limbs. - Tails may be swung as an attack and so on, but may not be prehensile enough to grip weapons for example. Tails cannot feasibly crush a person to death. - Natural ‘armour’ may not be more resilient than ceramic and although may protect from bladed weapons, will still be harmed by polehammers and other blunt weaponry, or penetrated by crossbow bolts etc. - Swords and axes will chip off pieces of this armour, without getting into the flesh beneath, while hammers, maces and so on will crack and crumble it and render it useless. One may not wear other armour over carapace/natural armour which is not streamlined to the body, such as spines, spikes or other protrusions. - Weapon-like limbs, teeth, claws etc. are on par with bone. They may not penetrate platemail. - Zezimar may be slain just as any other playable character, they are not invulnerable. They may be starved to death, beheaded, die from blood loss and so on. - Although Inferi do not die of old age, as a Zar’ei ages it will gradually take on a more ‘ashy’ appearance, like a fire burning low. Those in their first 100 years will be akin to a bright flame, those reaching 300 will begin to accumulate soot upon their body, and those around 600 will be cloaked in ash and cinders. - Zar'ei require a high protein meat-based diet to remain at their peak strength, and will wane should they be forced to subsist only upon plant-based foods. They may substitute animal protein for Descendant meat and so on without risk of prions disease etc. - A slain Zezimar will take 1 IRL week of feasting upon its own maleus to reconstitute its body, unless the Naztherak it is bound to willingly casts “Invocation - Zar’ei [T3]” to revive them manually. Mentality When these creatures do emerge onto the mortal plane, they gain little opportunity to explore, before their very presence incites servants of the Light, and hopeful witch-hunters seeking to purge the Infernal from amidst the innocent. It is not uncommon then, that to satisfy whatever drives the Zezimar to escape Moz Strimoza, they may agree to pact with a Naztherak purely for self-preservation- although like all demonkin, their prices are far from fair. Even should they be bound, Zezimar will use their intelligence and cunning to sabotage the schemes of a Prince who pulls too readily upon a short leash, best placated by giving them at least the illusion of freedom. Zar'ei are incapable of forming healthy, reciprocal relationships. Even if they conceal their hostility for their Prince or his allies, they do so out of what they gain from the interaction. Whatever relationships they form with Descendants are inherently toxic, and usually marked by manipulation, exploitation and eventual discarding of these accomplices to preserve oneself. Whatever niceties a Zar'ei fakes, are entirely to get what they want, as they are utterly incapable of genuine affection. - Zar’ei lack the mortal ‘lens’ of perception and comprehension. They are monsters with little regard for mortals who they see as souls to devour or playthings to manipulate. - They are inherently selfish and self-serving. All relationships are innately toxic, unless with individuals of similar goals and mentalities; even then a Zezimar’s cooperation is merely for their own convenience. - All Zar’ei are able to understand Ilzakarn by sheer ‘virtue’ of being Inferi. They may speak, read and write it freely, even if they were subjected to Naz’kuthun and have no prior experience with it. - Playable Inferi may not outright refuse orders or attack their Naztherak. - In turn a Naztherak should be wary of assigning an Inferis mundane tasks, or holding their leash too tightly. Should the Prince not give the Zezimar enough free reign, the latter will surely look for other means to ‘stretch their wings,’ such as loopholing commands to avoid busywork and so on. Strengths: - Functionally immortal. - Have access to a few Malflame spells of their own. - Possess intellect and physical strength on par with Descendant counterparts. - May have natural armour not exceeding the strength of Ceramic. Weaknesses: - Abilities such as Holy Affinity from Paladinism are substantially more painful to Zar'eika. Even mere contact with Xannic Mist or Tahariaean Light etc. will cause a burning sensation. - A Paladin’s passive aura and similar holy auras, will illicit discomfort in Inferi, akin to instinctual disgust. - For the purposes of Holy magics, Inferi are always considered a ‘revealed dark creature.’ - Zezimar can also be poisoned in the same fashion as any Descendant might be, such as by Azhl. - This includes thanhium and thanic steel toxicity. - Unable to disguise demonic appearance. General Redlines: - Playable Zar’ei possess an intellect on par with Descendants. - Cannot produce Rakir. - Their general appearance must be somewhat humanoid, and may resemble one of the four main races if one so chooses. - All Zezimar must however, be monstrous and demonic in appearance. They may not be smooth and beautiful. - Demonic appearances may not be used to justify unreasonable durability of the character. They may be slain, die from blood loss, starve to death and so on. - Although demonic qualities may provide a combat application, claws and weapon-like appendages may not puncture platemail, or slash through chainmail; tails are not prehensile enough to crush a person, or wield a weapon; natural armour may not be more protective than ceramic and may be destroyed by crossbow bolts, hammers and other blunt weapons; extra limbs(excluding a tail) will divide the character’s overall strength between all limbs. - If a Zezimar is forced to subsist upon plant-based foods, such as while captured, they may not maintain their peak physical strength. Their appearance may deteriorate to connote this. - Zar'ei may not form healthy, fulfilling relationships. Any comraderie or companionship they create is inherently exploitative, toxic and a vehicle for their own gain. Gaslighting, manipulation and abuse will be rampant in these exchanges, should they occur. - When a CA Zar’ei is slain it will be unplayable for an IRL week, unless the Naztherak who bound it uses the appropriate ritual to reconstitute them manually. All normal resurrection rules apply. - Although Inferi are meant to cause chaos and misery, if players use the creature to oocly harass others, or for excessive ‘troll/‘meme rp’ or poor-quality villainy or banditry roleplay it is considered an abuse of the CA, which is grounds for a blacklist. - When casting, a Zezimar must have some manner of tell to telegraph its attack. Such tells may include glowing in the chest or throat, glowing underneath chitin plates, smoke or cinders peeling off from their body, incantations, flaming eyes and so on. - Thanhium or Thanhic steel weaponry affects Inferi the same as normal descendants. - Zar'ei may still be effected by Malflame not their own and any Malice used. - They may also be successfully cursed by Naztherak curses, or those of other magics. - Holy magics are more effective against Zezimar, causing a burning sensation upon mere contact and additional pain and burns when struck with spells. - Holy objects, artefacts and auras additionally elicit spiteful scorn from all Inferi. Subtypes Just as there is a multitude of diversity amongst the demonic hordes, so there are specializations amongst their ranks. Specializations not unlike the castes of Descendants, but of far more devilish and unsavory professions than yeomen, merchants and scholars. These castes possess three archetypes, the Mage, the Knight and the Brute, named so by False Princes either for the roles they occupy within a Naztherak’s court, or perhaps for their counterparts in mortal society. Whatever the case, each of these three subtypes of Zezimar excel in a capacity where its kin does not, but also possesses their own shortfall. Thus warbands of the Pentacle usually combine more than one type of Zezimar to compensate for their individual weaknesses in the field of cataclysmic infernal warfare. [Mage Type] - Malda Maldaka, or ‘Witches’ are slimmer and less physically robust than their peers. Typically originating from mortal souls privy to magic and sorcery before their death, or transformation, they excel at infernal pyromancy and may wield Malflame spells much like a Naztherak. Crucially however, they do not require a Grimoire. Mechanics: - A Mage type Zezimar possesses physical stamina and strength on par with a modern Voidal Mage. They may not be taller than 6 feet in height, and may not possess significant muscle bulk. - These Zar’ei may use Malflame spells from T1 to T4, and possess a maximum usable pool of [70] maleus. - Aesthetic Malflame, such as cinders burning off from skin or embers escaping the nose while breathing etc. do not consume maleus. - Their maleus refreshes fully every 12 IRL hours. Redlines: - Mage-types must possess slimmer, less physically muscular builds. They may not weigh more than 150lbs. - They may be no taller than 6 feet in height. - They may only use the following Malflame spells: Vhiit, Rok-Dhurz, Rok-Heedz, Rok-Kirluk, Rok-Argal, Rok-Azrak - Malda have a max maleus pool of [70]. - They may wear full plate mail and cast Malflame spells, but will tire more quickly in prolonged physical combat. [Knight Type] - Kozun Kozunka are the footsoldiers and lieutenants of Inferi hordes, capable of tactical insight and martial strength comparable to their mortal counterparts. ‘Knights’ possess the peak strength of a human, with wits and wiles to match, making them a dangerous foe to confront alone or in groups. Their capacity for sorcery is reduced over their Witch cousin however. Mechanics: - A Knight type Zezimar possesses physical stamina and strength on par with a fit and healthy human. They may not be taller than 7 feet in height, and must generally be equatable to at most peak human physicality. - These Zar’ei may use Malflame spells such as fireballs, cones, harvest and so on, and possess a maximum usable pool of [40] maleus. - Aesthetic Malflame, such as cinders burning off from skin or embers escaping the nose while breathing etc. do not consume maleus. - Their maleus refreshes fully every 12 IRL hours. Redlines: - Knight-types must possess builds no greater than peak human physicality. They may not weigh more than 300lbs. - They may be no taller than 7 feet in height. - They may only use the following Malflame spells: Vhiit, Rok-Dhurz and Rok-Kirluk. - Knights have a max maleus pool of [40]. - They may wear full plate mail and cast Malflame spells. [Brute Type] - Rakaal Rakaalka or ‘Tyrants’ refer to the heavy shock troops of Moz Strimoza’s eternal strife and battle. Comparable to mortal Orcs, their strength and stature make them considerable adversaries, as walls of meat and muscle who absorb damage from enemy warbands and deal it in equal measure. While Knights and Witches will employ tactics, cunning or sorcery, the Rakaal knows brute strength is its greatest weapon, and will utilise it almost exclusively. As a result, their ability to manipulate Malflame is crude at best. Mechanics: - A Brute type Zezimar possesses physical stamina and strength on par with the average Orc warrior. They may not be taller than 8 feet in height and no heavier than 400lbs. - These Zar’ei may only breathe gouts of Malflame or wreath their bodies with it, and possess a maximum usable pool of [20] maleus. - Aesthetic Malflame, such as cinders burning off from skin or embers escaping the nose while breathing etc. are still permitted and do not consume maleus. - Their maleus refreshes fully every 12 IRL hours. Redlines: - Brute-types may possess a build and stature no greater than peak Orcish(Not Olog) physicality. They may not weigh more than 400lbs. - They may be no taller than 8 feet in height. - They may only use the following Malflame spells: Vhiit and Rok-Kirluk - Tyrants have a max maleus pool of [20]. - They may wear full plate mail and cast Malflame spells. Evolution It is said that chaos is a ladder, and the demonic denizens of Moz Strimoza are all too familiar with such a concept. The drive to climb higher, surpass and consume those above them and crush those who fall beneath them, is intrinsic to the nature of an Inferis. It is of little surprise then that the Infernal Ladder consists of traps, schemes and plots of demonkin attempting to climb to greater rungs of power. This is how the Zar’rokul acquired and keep their position, and ensures their rule of law: “Ra’drakurz raht roknoth kuul ra’vaznan amol tul.” “The weak are meat and the strong do eat.” Stealing an Inferis from their spot upon this Ladder then, a Naztherak denies a Zar’ei the ability to climb higher and grow stronger through its usual means, much to the frustration and ire of the demon itself. For those who are willing to cooperate however, the Zezimar and Prince may come to a mutual understanding- by assisting the evolution of the Inferis, the Naztherak gains a more powerful ally. So it is that agreeing to such a pact, the Inferis and their Prince may together take the steps to provoke this evolution. Inferi are inherently driven to become more powerful and overthrow those who are seated above them, it is for this reason they may seek to loophole their Prince’s commands, or otherwise harbour hostility. If they and the Naztherak can agree to a pact however, they can work together to achieve a mutually beneficial end. - Upon creation, the Zezimar will inherently know how to undergo evolution, and may impart such knowledge to their Naztherak and strike a pact to achieve so. - Only CA Zezimar may undergo evolution. Consumption The devouring of lessers is both symbolic and literal, as the consuming of souls and cannibalism are also intrinsic to Inferi nature. In attempting to forcibly evolve the Zezimar then, it must consume the souls of three mortals untouched by Infernal corruption. The Inferis may do so by either killing a mortal and snatching their soul as it departs its vessel, or stripping away chunks from the whole soul of a living victim. Upon achieving three, their infernal body is primed for metamorphosis. - The CA Zar’ei must consume three mortal souls not belonging to Naztherak, before proceeding to the next step in order to undergo evolution. - This can be achieved by killing soul-bearing player characters and consuming the soul, which does not require the victim to PK. - Alternatively, the Zezimar may bargain with soul-bearing player characters, to sup upon their soul essence, leaving the victim alive. In such a case the victim receives a permanent burn scar at the site of such siphoning and will periodically be subject to nightmares as a lasting reminder of their deal. Additionally they feel weakened, akin to a sickly malaise, for [1] IRL week before the soul regenerates. Redlines: - Players receive no additional benefit should a victim PK, and should not goad the other player into PKing. - A slain victim may be resurrected by Monk Revival as per normal rules. They may choose to suffer from nightmares and so on if they desire character development from the experience. - ‘Soul-supping’ may only be performed upon a consenting soul-bearing player character. It is up to the Zezimar to coerce the character into allowing this through roleplay. - Although the sickly malaise lasts for only a week, the nightmares are semi-permanent, but not totally debilitating. They may be managed with mundane medicines. - Scarring and nightmares may not be used as a vehicle to metagame information about individuals or lore. Metamorphosis Once primed for their transformation, the Zar’ei will slink into its lair and begin to change. In a truly perverse mimicry of nature’s butterfly, the flesh cracks and scars rapidly as their form shifts, leaving them vulnerable as agony racks the Inferis’ form. Their prior appearance will grow more grotesque and unnatural, and their bodies advance to compensate for the weaknesses of their archetype; the Witch becomes less physically vulnerable, the Knight inherits a greater competency for sorcery, and the Tyrant gains more fine control of Malflame. - Upon achieving such evolution, the ST should be notified so the corresponding CA can be updated. They may ask for confirmation of acquired souls. - CA Zezimar who achieve evolution remain as Zar’ei, but may change their physical form some to connote their more ‘advanced state.’ Examples are a lengthening of horns, a one-time regrowth of severed limbs, additional muscle mass etc. - Evolved Zezimar may gain no more than 1 foot in height, to the maximum of 9 feet in total. - All Zezimar may pick a Malice from the base list, or may adopt the Pact Malice of their Prince. In the case of the latter, their appearance will shift slightly to resemble the animal of the Pact Zar’rokul. - Malda types may reach physical strength and stamina on par with a physically fit Elf. They may reach up to 200lbs in weight. - Kozun types gain the Malflame spell Rok-Argal, they also receive +[10] to their maximum pool of maleus. - Rakaal types gain no Malflame spell and +[5] to their maximum pool of maleus. Redlines: - Evolved Zezimar do not become Zar’kiel, they remain as Zar’ei. - This evolution should not be used as an excuse to break redlines and powergame the CA. - Players may ‘puff up’ and otherwise develop the appearance of the Zar’ei via transformation, but must still be hideous and monstrous in appearance. - Regrowing limbs through evolution may be used only once, and may regrow tails and wing stubs etc. - Evolved Zezimar may gain no more than 1 foot in height and none may be taller than 8 feet. - Upon evolution Witch/Mage Zezimar may develop physical strength and stamina on par with a fit Elf, and weigh up to 200lbs. - Knight types receive 10 additional Maleus to their maximum pool and the Malflame spell Rok-Argal. - Tyrant types receive 5 additional Maleus to their maximum pool. - One may choose a Malice from the base list, or may adopt the Pact Malice of their Naztherak, if indeed the Prince possesses one. True Evolution There exists one final stage of evolution a Zezimar may strive for, with a far greater prize than the comparatively meagre growth spurt of acquiring a Malice. The temptation to climb even higher will always tug upon the twisted mind of a Zar’ei, and for their strivings they may be able to ascend to the stature of a Zentherak, or True Prince. The exact process for this is unknown, but Naztherak and Zar’ei alike may infer that it concerns the devouring of many more souls to fuel such a grand evolution- otherwise how to achieve it is something worth pursuing. - The ascension of a player CA Zezimar to a Zentherak may be achieved through ST events and eventlines. In these cases the overseeing ST should have manager approval to enable such evolution. - Should a player Zezimar reach the point of evolving into a Zentherak, the character will no longer be playable. - Naztherak may summon the Zentherak during ST events when approved by the overseeing ST. - By evolving into a Zentherak, the player is offering it up as an event character, which may be used in future lore and eventlines. This is as a means of satisfying narrative progression for the character. Redlines: - Evolution into a Zentherak surrenders the character to the ST as an event character, and will no longer be playable. - The process for becoming a Zentherak may differ between ST events which grant the opportunity. B is not guaranteed the same list of requirements that A was, when they became a Zentherak etc. - This path to progression will be difficult, but is a way to tastefully bring characters to a satisfying conclusion without death. General Redlines: - All Inferi do not die of old age. - All Inferi require food, drink and must breathe, but do not need to sleep. - All Inferi have no genitals and are forbidden from sexual FTBing. - All Inferi are immune to their own Malflame, meaning they may wreathe their entire body in it for attacks. - No bound Inferis may directly disobey or attack their Naztherak, but they may use half-truths or vague wording in order to avoid doing as instructed. - All Malflame spells must follow their specific redlines and general Malflame redlines as stated in the Naztherak magic lore. Inferi using Malflame may substitute the Grimoire opening emote for another tell. - Although Inferi do not require a Grimoire to cast, they may be prevented from casting by sufficient pain, being knocked out or otherwise being rendered physically incapable of speaking a spell's incantation. Purpose This piece serves as an accompaniment to the Naztherak magic submission. It details the specific physiology and abilities of Inferi used as independent summons, particularly fleshing out Beasts and Imps, but also serves as the CA submission for playable Inferi. Dunstan’s attempt to introduce castes of Zar’ei was an interesting theme we carried over, that of noodly casters, stalwart knights and great lumbering brutes. Evolution has been scaled back slightly, offering a Malice and some small mechanical changes, but requires fewer souls to prevent ‘ghoul banditry.’ The more grand evolution allows a player’s Zar’ei to become a Zentherak and to be used by the ST for future eventlines or lore, at the cost of no longer being able to roleplay them. This was decided to prevent the issues previously seen with player Zar’kiel, but to still provide a satisfying narrative conclusion for a character; they grow in power until they are ‘free’ from obediently serving their Prince, and have more leverage to make their own pacts with Naztherak in future. This submission also introduced open playable CA imps, which we felt was possible given their relatively minor abilities and strengths. As per a requested change by the ST, imps are now a closed CA, as a measure against abuse, but they can still lead to some amusing roleplay situations. Otherwise they serve as a largely harmless CA for players to cause mischief with. Citations Credits Archipelego - Consultation Frott - Consultation Luci/Nivndil - Writing Mordu - Consultation Sorcerio - Writing Zarsies - Consultation Changelog

[ Obligatory lore submission music ] [ Ambience ] [ Accompanying Inferi Lore ] “True power is not wrought by merit alone, yet from ambition…” Descendants of a scholarly disposition or those with a blinkered lust for power, may be lured to the path of the Naztherak for the promise of forbidden knowledge and unearthly gifts. Little do they realise however, that these prizes are scarcely guaranteed and even those which are, come at a grave price. Such infernal powers stem from the deepest pits of Moz Strimoza, and the nightmarish fiends who dwell there. In these citadels of searing flame, fissures of decaying flesh and sulphuric seas of unfathomable anguish, the Zar’rokul reign with a cruel iron grip, founded upon a single principle: “Ra’drakurz raht roknoth kuul ra’vaznan amol tul.” “The weak are meat and the strong do eat.” Together these five abominable titans comprise Ra’Urdol or “the Pentacle”, a power struggle of cataclysmic proportions, between extremely dangerous superpowers. Each Zar’rokul eternally attempts to gain an advantage over the others, some favouring brute force, while others employ cunning and subtlety in a very high-stakes game of chess. In the prior century Naztherak or ‘False Princes’ were known to perform rituals to attract the attention of a Zar’rokul into a daring negotiation. The price: souls and footholds upon the mortal realm, which many agreed to provide all too eagerly. Yet power-chasing Princes were able to slip through the claws of the Pentacle when the promise of power was elsewhere, and the plots of their beastly benefactors scarcely came close to fruition. But no more.. In an unprecedented move, the Pentacle agreed to convene and together devise a means to ensnare mortal Warlocks to their designs, so that they could never again be left without their dues. They hauled upon the very foundations of Moz Strimoza, stripping the remaining Princes of their gifts, then beat and wrought the powers of the Naztherak into a new shape, the chains of which they could pluck, tug and lash as they pleased. From here they sowed the seeds of discord and corruption far into the mortal plane, upon dark whispers; promised forgotten pieces of creation held within the burning battlegrounds of Moz Strimoza, shards of divinity sequestered in the flesh of Inferi, forbidden knowledges visible only to those who discard mortality entirely, and of course the allure of power beyond the comprehension of ordinary Descendants — these are the bait upon which Warlocks are tricked into this deadly game of infernal chess. Not as Kings and Queens, but as pawns. The Naztherak is blind to this grand scheme, far too preoccupied with their own pursuits and the promise of further spoils, than to see the jaws of the trap surrounding them. Even should a Warlock eventually learn the deck is stacked, it is already far too late, and they are beholden to a sunk-cost fallacy. Having bartered away their very soul, they are already in so deep, that digging deeper into the demonic is of little comparative consequence. ⛧ Synopsis Naztherak Control, authority, power — each of which are desires of the common man, who seeks to submit all under his own thumb. Yet despite the many who seek these gifts, few men of flesh ascend to such a level of power within the courts and councils of their respective provinces, a handful of mortals placing themselves upon thrones of gold, silver, and ivory, the rest are left to grovel at their feet in capitulation. True ambition fuels passion however, granting these lesser peers the unorthodox ability to transcend the feeble capabilities of their mortal coils. Such aspirants as these are known as the Naztherak, Descendants who usher forth their own court in which they may ascend — instating themselves as Princes, Lords of their own infernal domain. To serve under the Pentacle even for power, is a great sacrifice, for they have marked the Naztherak as their own, subjugating the Warlock beneath themselves. As harbingers of Moz Strimoza and ra’Urdol, it is the duty of the Zar’akal to subjugate forces beneath them, or to decimate opposition. Such may be performed upon a consenting mortal, whether or not they know of the Pentacle or akal’s true motives matters not, so long as they are willing. The Zar’akal must then take the mortal and bathe them in a deluge of Malflame, or enact some other means of applying a brand of Urdol — an infernally wrought star with five sides — upon the soul of the mortal, forever marking them as a servant of the Pentacle and thus binding them to its will. This ‘brand’ will forever remain upon the soul of the Naztherak, marking them as one of the Infernal for infinitum. The Prince The Naztherak, or False Princes, are Descendants who have surpassed the barriers of mortal capability, drawing upon infernal powers in order to grant them a greater capacity for might than any common mortal. Such an art permits its practitioners to wield the very powers of the High Hells itself, great feats of heinous origin through a conduit of infernal power known as the Grimoire, a precious relic of demonic conjurerers. Yet such power comes at an immense price — that of the individual's soul; for once one has set even a toe into the diabolic art, there is no escape, their spirit now tainted by the damnable influence of Moz Strimoza, forever a bound vessel of the Pentacle’s will. As a result of their ties to the Pentacle, the Prince takes upon themselves various telling traits which stand testament to their dealings with the infernal. Primarily as a result of their use of Malflame, Princes suffer from physical degradation not unlike that of the Void Magi of yore, for they are scholars and zealots of the Zar’rokul above all else, not typically affluent with the blade. The most immediate and significant change of the Prince however, is the Brand which they receive upon their hand once they have pacted with the Zar’akal, signifying their allegiance to their respective Zar’rokul. The Brand Once the mortal’s pact with the Zar’akal has been sealed and they have begun their pursuit of the Infernal, they shall receive upon themselves a Brand, or Vhiit, marking them as beneath the Pentacle’s influence, and serving as a reminder of their perilous tutelage — for one cannot invest within the Infernal and anticipate a life of mundanity. The further the Prince delves into the empty promises of the Zar’rokul, they will find their Brand to expand and encompass even more of their being, until it becomes that which truly defines the Naztherak in mind and body, as such dedication should. Yet the Brand serves as more than a sign of their being, allowing them to conjure forth that which exists only to cause devastation and agony — Malflame, the ember of the Infernal — as well other capabilities which only those Branded could perform. A Naztherak receives a brand upon their hand when they pact with the Hzakhadlu (Tier 5 Naztherak posessing a TA) who connects them, allowing them to begin their training in the Infernal arts. The brand may appear as a twisted scar, burns, Litchenburg marks, loops, and whorls like fingerprints which may seem obscure or strange to the mundane observer, even granting a passive glow should the Naztherak wish. Regardless, the moment the Naztherak begins to cast their magic, the brand will illuminate brightly with an otherworldly glow. An example of a Brand at Tier One (left) to Tier Two (right) Tier Progression 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 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 true 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. General Redlines: - It is considered metagaming to assume a person of being a Naztherak by the brand alone, unless they have had genuine roleplay experiences with other Naztherak to inform the character. - While the Brand offers the Naztherak protection from their own Malflame, it will not defend them from the Malflame of others even if it should make contact with the Brand directly. - The Brand will always glow and become noticeable when one casts, even through clothing. Thaznitaka A cruel irony of the Pentacle is making those who subjugate demons become like demons themselves, and thus the Prince is brought only further into the grasp of Ra’Urdol. As the Brand grows to encompass more of the body with a Prince’s progression, it is a strange, twisted mutation afflicted upon the Naztherak, either a byproduct of their dabbling of the Infernal, or a cruel irony wrought of the design of the Zar’rokul. With each pact sealed, the Prince’s soul is further gnawed upon by the flames and influence of Moz Strimoza, similarly to those unfortunate, desolate souls who find themselves cast into such a realm, as their mortal body appears to take on increasingly more devilish traits. While an apprentice may disguise her discoloured flesh with powder, for she has only pacted yet once, a Warlock who has signed his third would reveal fiery, bestial eyes rivalling that of Inferi themselves, having also twisted, vile horns emerge from his temples. For as one delves further into the demonic, they may realize their humanity is truly lost. As the Naztherak commits to further pacts with the Pentacle in the form of slotting additional subtypes, their mortal form will change accordingly, reflecting that of the Inferi they subjugate as members of their court, each pact making them appear more demonic. Of course by means of Infernal Magic such “mutations”, as they are called, are able to be hidden safely by the Naztherak, yet are forced to emerge whenever they seek to cast their wretched magic or practice such godless arts, acting as a distinct tell. Additionally, the corruption occurring within the Prince’s soul leads to a curious symptom experienced not by him, but by the mortals he still maintains social relationships with. For all who make bare-skin contact with the flesh of a Naztherak, will feel a subtle unnerving in themselves, as if a kernel of goodness inside them is disturbed by the wickedness lurking within the Warlock. 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. A Naztherak of three pacts. Pact Progression First Pact - [2 slots] - The initial pact a mortal strikes with a Zar’akal 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 second pact a mortal strikes with the Pentacle, perhaps allowing them the ability to curse and afflict others by means of Malice and infernal magic through things such as idols, cursed trinkets. Upon casting their magic, small horns would appear upon 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 third pact a mortal may strike with the Pentacle, potentially granting them a Striith as a symbol of their dedication. 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. Fourth Pact - [5 slots] - The final pact wrought with the Pentacle, granting true ascension as the Prince is reborn into that of an Inferis, thus establishing them as a Twisted King, a Zar’akal. They will always appear completely demonic and unnatural, as stated in the Zar’akal physical description. General Redlines: - The first and second pacts’ mutations may be hidden or disguised, though the second to a much lesser degree and with much effort taken. The third and fourth pacts cannot be disguised by regular means whatsoever. - This state emerges every time the Naztherak casts their magic, and only when they cast their magic. Upon mutations being visible, the character will be considered a 'revealed dark mage' for the purposes of Holy magics. Once they have finished casting, they will return to appearing as a regular mortal over the course of two emotes. - Mutations will always make one appear noticeably disfigured after the second pact, appearing demonic and twisted and vile. By no means are these excuses to play “cute boys with horns,” but rather, these are distinctly gruesome and wretched forms which would set a Naztherak apart from any mundane mortal upon the sight of such. - Generally speaking as one progresses through pacts, horns grow longer and more twisted, claws turn black, teeth become predatory fangs, eyes appear flaming, skin colour changes to that of Malflame, etc. - Any mutation which occurs offers absolutely no combat advantage. - All Naztherak must also roleplay a sense of unnerving experience in those who make skin-on-skin contact with them. This can be likened to a pang or squirm in the stomach, or a shiver down one’s spine. Other Naztherak are not immune to this. - Even though a Prince is partially infernal, they still require food, water, sleep, must breathe etc. and will grow fatigued and so on as any other mortal character. - A Naztherak will experience an effect that mimics Voidal poisoning experienced by Mages. This limits their ability to obtain substantial muscle mass, meaning although they may swing a sword and so on, they will quickly tire. - They are however capable of wearing half plate and casting while wearing it. Malices of the Prince Upon their birth as a Prince, a Naztherak finds themselves to have acquired a Malice, the driving aspect of the Prince’s newfound nature which grows the further they delve into the Infernal. There are many Malices which the Naztherak may initially follow, each determining how the Prince comes to behave, even going so far as to determine the disposition of the Naztherak’s own court. Ultimately, the Malice will eventually define the Prince as much as the Prince defines the Malice, a dastardly sin wrought by the Pentacle only to further ensnare those which they have bound to them as False Princes. Maleus and the Grimoire Whilst other dark crafts may focus more upon inherent capabilities of their art, the gift of Naztherak is one of great study, appealing to both those of scholarly mind as well as aspirants of raw power, granting knowledge at a price. In order to contain their sum of unearthly knowledge, a Naztherak will often carry around with them what is known as a Grimoire, an bedamned book of blasphemous binding which stands testament to their scholarly nature and study under the infernal. With a Grimoire in hand a Naztherak can become quite formidable, permitting the Naztherak a plethora of capabilities, allowing them to curse others, conjure the damned, and summon forth dreaded hellfire, known by the accursed as Malflame.. This unholy tool indeed makes the Prince a versatile foe, the Grimoire demonstrating a surplus of supernatural abilities which hint towards its godless nature. These may appear however the Naztherak wishes, yet also hold infernal qualities of their own; pages may turn by unseen forces, ghostly whispers may emanate from the scrawled parchments, and perhaps even defy physical restraints such as gravity, hovering within the Prince’s very hand, making them quite discernible from the mundane books and tomes of studious scholars or zealous preachers. These damnable tomes may be forged in all manners of vile means, the most common practice being the use of mortal or infernal flesh as binding, then soaking each page in a mixture of blood and maleus. The Grimoire is an essential tool for the Naztherak, allowing them to perform all of their infernal abilities, from conjuring Malflame to binding and summoning Inferi. To have their spells made accessible, the Naztherak must inscribe the spell’s wording within the pages of the Grimoire using Rakir, an infernal material created from mixing maleus and ink. Once they have inscribed the necessary Ilzakarn wording relating to the spell, whether it be Malflame, Inferi Summoning, or Pacting, they may draw upon these powers by opening their Grimoire and reading the inscription aloud, taking at least a single emote to do such, much like establishing a Voidal connection. Without the Grimoire in their hands or possession, a Naztherak will be unable to cast. Grimoires may possess supernatural qualities, though to the degree of being used for flavor purpose only. It may hover above the Naztherak’s hand, whisper occult ramblings, or possess other mild aesthetics. These of course, do not make the Grimoire more difficult to knock out of the Naztherak’s hand or be stolen. Likewise soul-binding does not prevent such theft or sabotage of the Grimoire, however were it to be found again by the Naztherak who inscribed it, such as on the Auction House, it may be assumed that the Grimoire managed to return to the Prince by some infernal means — though this is never guaranteed. General Redlines: - Without a Grimoire, the Naztherak will be unable to cast. One cannot ‘memorize’ inscriptions. The only exception to this are the Zar’akal who may cast their magic without need for the Grimoire. - Supernatural qualities of the Grimoire, such as opening automatically, floating, etc. exist only for aesthetic and flavorful purpose, and by no means grant any advantage against the Grimoire being removed from the Prince’s possession. - The Grimoire is not impervious to harm. It can still be ripped apart, waterlogged, or destroyed through other means. Grimoires can always be stolen/knocked from a Prince’s hand. - Even with the Grimoire, a Naztherak must still practice the necessary schools to use their spells. A Naztherak who does not possess the Cursing pact would not be able to imbue their Malflame with a Malice, for instance. - Functionally identical grimoires may be made freely by the player as long as they are objects that can be written on / read from. - A Naztherak may emote speaking a spell without physically typing out the name to avoid meta-gaming. - No unique grimoire may be harder to knock out of your hand than a book would be. - If a Naztherak is in an extreme level of pain, even with their Grimoire, they will not be able to cast. While they may be able to cast through things as cuts or scrapes or through movement, excessive dodging, stabs, and maiming will prevent casting still. To cast such wicked demonology, a Naztherak requires maleus, which is a dark and abominable residue, used to fuel a Naztherak’s forsaken spells of devilry and hellfire. Maleus is essential in the scribing of spells within the Grimoire via Rakir — a macabre ink made from maleus and any scribing substance — whilst also being used as a means of supplying the infernal energy for a Naztherak's conjury. Maleus can be found in the blood of Inferi and can be drawn from mortals burnt by means of Malflame, composed of warped soul essence, the result of infernalised spirits doomed to an eternity as an Inferis. Whilst Princes of the past relied upon a Cistern in order to contain this vile substance, now the Pentacle's meddling has enabled a Naztherak’s own hellish nature to contain it within their bloodstream similar to that of Inferi, for indeed they truly lean toward such a foul existence. When harvested, maleus resembles a smoky plasma which seeps from the wounds of Inferi or the Malflame burns of mortals, trailing over towards the Prince in a sickly haze as it seeps into their bloodstream and replenishes them. As opposed to using a Cistern, they now store this within themselves, drawing upon it each time they cast their infernal magic. While it does not hold the exhaustive properties that mana does to a Voidal Mage, if the Naztherak were to deprive themselves of this substance too hastily, should they cast a spell requiring such, terrible Malflame burns would form upon their body, leaving them scarred and in agonizing pain. Attempting to do this further, they will perish as their own soul is consumed from the expenditure. A Prince may will their maleus to their hands, and while doing so their touch will impart a purely aesthetic effect upon weapons, tools or other objects. One [1] emote is required to perform this, and when doing so whatever the Naztherak is holding will take on a darkened ashy appearance, give off faint smoke, embers and cinders as if it were smouldering with fire; these are harmless, give off no heat, nor potential to ignite any material, and the smoke will not impair sight or breathing. This effect does not fade and may be used to make flavourful roleplay items. The following list dictates the amount of maleus a Prince will possess per tier of Naztherak, regardless of how many slots are dedicated. It essentially acts as a base number which may increase depending on how far the Prince delves into the art. [T1] - 10 Maleus [T2] - 15 Maleus [T3] - 25 Maleus [T4] - 30 Maleus [T5] - 35 Maleus Naztherak who have dedicated themselves further to the infernal practices would be bestowed a larger quantity of Malflame for each slot they dedicate, building upon the base pool they inherit initially. [2 Slots] - 20 Maleus [3 Slots] - 35 Maleus [4 Slots] - 50 Maleus [5 Slots] - 85 Maleus Thus, say a novice Naztherak were to only have dedicated two slots, they would have a total of thirty maleus, whereas a master Naztherak who has dedicated four slots will possess eighty-five maleus in total. A Zar’akal, who has both mastered Naztherak and dedicated themselves fully to it, would possess a grand total of one-hundred-twenty maleus, allowing them great feats unlike that which any mere Mortal Prince would be able to perform on their own. Dedicating more slots to the magic does not make one’s Malflame spells more powerful innately, but instead enables the Prince to use more spells from their repertoire, or a few specifically expensive ones. Rakir is a key component in the scribblings of a Prince, for no mere mortal ink is fit for the scholarly and devilish works of the Naztherak. It is the only substance which may be used by a Naztherak within their Grimoire, allowing them to scribe their spells and runes to draw upon them later. It may be created from maleus and any scribing substance such as ink, though far more foul ingredients may be employed if the Prince so wishes, such as the blood of an Inferis. Spells inscribed within the Grimoire without Rakir will bear no effect and will likely be revoked by the Grimoire or burned clean off the page. Infernal Alchemy Lore: Rakir General Redlines: - A Naztherak’s ability to cast depends on how much maleus they possess and they cannot cast without it. Should one attempt to cast after they run out of maleus, their body will be overtaken by Malflame burns, leaving them alive but in terrible pain. Attempting to cast without maleus again before it replenishes will result in their death and thus a PK by suicide rules. - Maleus will naturally replenish over the course of twelve OOC hours, though a Naztherak may restore it forcefully through means of draining maleus from members of their court, their Striith(should they have one), or even inflicted Malflame burns upon mortals to draw the warped soul essence from the infernal wound. Details are listed in each section respectively. - Rakir may be made from mixing maleus with ink or Inferis blood for the purposes of writing in one’s Grimoire or performing Naztherak rituals. This does not require a set quantity of maleus to perform, nor item representation etc., though discretion should be practised. It is the only substance that may be used to inscribe spells within the Grimoire. - A Naztherak may will their touch to cause held objects to take on an ashy appearance, and give off cinders and smoke. This takes one [1] emote to do so and consumes no quantifiable amount of maleus. - This effect is purely aesthetic and serves no function other than to create visually flavourful roleplay items. These items do not require ST signing. - Players may not use this to damage buildings or affect objects they cannot physically lift and so on. It will only affect small objects and personal effects. - More slots dedicated to Naztherak does not increase the power of spells. E.g. The Malflame of a two-slot Naz is as strong as a four-slot Naz. Ilzakarn — The Infernal language Known by Warlocks of demonic cabals merely as the “chaotic tongue” and a language of foul and infernal origin, such is Ilzakarn. This obscure and fel speech is based in the ancient spirit dialect Old Blah, and uses the grammar and script of Al’tahrn-Durngo, a tongue devised by the Greater Spirit of Fear and Insanity, Ikuras. It is thought that it was Ixli who was the one to craft this infernal tongue yet no record can account for the machinations of the Greater Spirit of Forbidden Knowledge. The Naztherak may begin to learn Ilzakarn as they master their occult pyromancy, and most masters and few rare scholars of questionable morals are versed enough to hold conversation in the language. Unlike Al’tahrn-Durngo it lacks the staticy, ear-biting quality when heard, but rather can cause mortal listeners and speakers to feel faint, fleeting pulses of warmth which if prolonged may induce mild sweating akin to the physical of anxiety. Where the Black Language causes exhaustion and stinging in the eyes of those who read it, the Chaotic Tongue induces dryness and agitation in the eyes when its glyphs are read. As well, all markings of Ilzakarn darken upon what they are written, ink or carvings appearing charred or irregular in texture and feel warm to the touch. It is quite possible for certain names, such as those signatures of powerful greater Inferi, to spawn fire upon what they are inscribed and are unsafe to be recorded lest they ignite a hidden tome or scorch a rock face. [Recorded on a separate document to avoid metagaming]. General Redlines: - Ilzakarn may only be read, written, and spoken by individuals who currently study and practice Naztherak or were users of it in the past. - Mortals not studying Naztherak who come to hear the language will feel an uncomfortable warmth and anxiety, and reading it if transcribed would be as if looking painfully into a bright flame, their eyes becoming dry and agitated. Written runes in Ilzakarn may be uncomfortably warm to the touch, though not enough to burn an individual directly. - Inferi may speak Ilzakarn as their native tongue, at will without any side effects. - For a spell to be inscribed within a Grimoire, it must be written in Ilzakarn with Rakir. To then cast the spell, the proper incantation in Ilzakarn must be spoken aloud by the Naztherak. ⛧ Malflame Conjuration “Cursed flame, darkember, the devil’s brand, hellfire — call it what you will..” The most notable and definitive ability of Naztherak beyond that of Infernal Summoning — Malflame Conjuration, which allows the Prince their many great feats, branching off into further, more advanced applications of the infernal. It is a dastardly practice, wringing forth a damnable fire from the depths of Moz Strimoza itself, possessing far more heinous properties than any spark or ember known to the common man. While flame of the material consumes that which is physical, it is the wicked, blasphemous nature of Malflame which targets a far more metaphysical presence within its victims, leaving those touched by its ire in utter torment as their very soul is burned from within them. Such practice is the Prince’s primary tool in combat, as well as being key in numerous other feats such as restoring maleus or as a catalyst in several rituals. Usage and Application Malflame may be summoned forth from Moz Strimoza by a Prince by means of utilizing their Grimoire, consuming the Nazthrak’s maleus in exchange for the infernal flame wrought forth. Whilst the spells and inscribings for such lie within the Grimoire, it is the Prince alone who may bring them forth, as they are the author of such an accursed opus. Its use requires that the individual be able to read and speak aloud the necessary incantation in Ilzakarn, as well as possess the Brand which prevents them from being burned by their own infernal spell. With this in mind, Malflame may be manipulated in a variety of malicious and devilish ways, as the language of the Inferis is one derived from beings of spite and malevolence, allowing dastardly applications of the element that hinge upon the wording used to conjure forth ignoble cinders. Malflame is a fire-like substance which a Naztherak may conjure, the flame itself may have light or it may not, though it has no heat, nor can it burn objects. It 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. Such flame possesses no light, nor has any effect upon the Material Realm on its own, only agonizing the soul upon direct contact with a soul-bearing individual’s flesh. It ignites the portion of the soul blueprint where upon it strikes a victim, and then inflicts agonizing pain that wracks the body at that point and ebbs at the flesh leaving it blackened, sickly and burning with the Malflame’s afterglow. Spells of malflame scribed in a Naztherak’s grimoire in Rakir take the form of a three part string, a phrase in Ilzakarn glyphs, the same runes which brand inferis to a Prince. These spells are formulated in three parts, the first always the same: ‘rok’ is the core word to malflame spells, ‘fire’ in Ilzakarn. Following ‘rok’ comes the size of the spell added onto ‘rok’, defined as diminutive, small, medium, large, and giant; -maul, -kharv, -kot, -hzak, and -viit. Following the size comes the shape, the form in which the malflame takes on with a hyphen, an instantaneous structure such as a ball or something sustained over time such as a wall. While there are various shapes and applications listed here, not all will be. However, note that any phrase or word not listed may be applied strictly for non-combat purposes. Example spells of malflame written or spoken in Ilzakarn may be: Rokhzak-dhurz , a large malflame ball. Rokkharv-norrvut, a small malfame pillar. Rokkot-niirk vorzhnak, a medium malflame whip laced with Desolation. Size Limitations Malflame may be conjured in four quantities by a False Prince, yet they can only bring forth so much. Even greater feats or quantities may be applied by those with a great amount of natural maleus, often being Inferis or True Princes. These sizes often determine the significance and severity of the spell in question, though some particular shapes may require a particular size for them to function. For example, one would likely not conjure a ‘small’ storm. Maul - Ilzakarn word for ‘diminutive’. Spells which use this root-word are rather harmless in their own right, doing little more than causing distraction or wreaking havoc as opposed to causing true damage. Kharv - Ilzakarn word for ‘small’. Spells which use this root-word are still rather insignificant, though can deal some minor damage, often used to cause pain or torture than outright decimation. Kot - Ilzakarn word for ‘medium’. This is the most commonly used root-word, creating relatively significant spells which can be used to cause moderate damage to victims. Hzak - Ilzakarn word for ‘large’. The least used root-word, often because of how much maleus it costs on its own. It can be used by a high-tiered Prince to conjure anything from waves to storms of hellfire. Most often, these are applied in a more ritualistic fashion, though at times may be used in combat by an individual with a far superior maleus-blood concentration, likely to be an Inferis or True Prince if not multiple Naztherak working together. 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, likely around seven or eight at least. Combat Casting While Princes possess more freeform in non-combat, in a more chaotic environment, the Naztherak is drawn to invoke their more diabolical and cruel powers, utilizing only the most wicked spells in their arsenal. Some may find themselves capable of restraint, but typically the Naztherak will find themselves inclined to use spells which cause agony as opposed to outright decimation, though if such is absolutely necessary, the Prince will not hesitate to do what must be done. Kriviir - [T1] [Combat] The first true manipulation of Malflame which a Naztherak is taught, permitting them to invoke a small tongue of flame within their hand, which may be used to burn away at the soul of a mortal within its fleshy vessel. This particular spell yields the greatest crop of maleus from the victim, which may be used to refuel the Warlock’s powers. Mechanics: A Naztherak may create a small, golf-ball sized sphere of Malflame which can 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]. Redlines: - Cannot be thrown, must remain in the Naztherak’s hand. - Must have constant contact with the flesh to draw maleus. - If this ability is used to harvest maleus, it may not be NPC’d or ‘happen off-screen.’ It must occur during roleplay with another player-character. - Using secondary personas or throw-away characters to ‘feed’ Maleus to a Naztherak is strictly not allowed. Vhiit - [T2] [Combat] A more combat oriented spell of Malflame which a Naztherak may inscribe, invoking a wreath of Malflame around the Prince’s hand, spiraling up their arm from the elbow. This may be used to burn flesh similarly to that of Kirviir, as well as sending forth cruel punches with minimal burning effect, though nonetheless painful. Mechanics: 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. Redlines: - Does not draw maleus from contact. - If a Naztherak attempts to wreathe part of their body not covered by their brand, they will suffer Malflame burns and pain just like anyone else. - Cannot be made into a projectile. Rok-Dhurz - [T2] [Combat] A signature spell of Malflame wielders, a result of them compacting their Malflame into spheres of various sizes which they may shoot or lob towards a target, burning any living skin which it touches, yielding a painful wound which many seldom recover from. Mechanics: 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]. Redlines: - Each projectile will travel at about the speed of an overhand baseball throw, regardless of size. - They do not draw maleus upon contact. - The ball of Malflame disperses upon impact and has no ‘splatter'. - By spending [1] extra emote, this spell may have light combustive force added to it. It may dent plate armor, rip cloth, and will cause someone to trip if it strikes their feet. Rok-Heedz - [T3] [Combat] The Naztherak conjures discs of Malflame which they may throw or send whirling towards their target upon the ground. The disc will fly or roll forward at substantial speed and will stop upon coming into contact with flesh or some other hard surface, leaving Malflame burns where flesh it touched. Forming Malflame into a disc requires more fine control than spheres, and those Naztherak with more finesse may find niche uses for a flaming wheel over a flaming ball. Mechanics: 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]. Redlines: - Each projectile will travel at about the speed of an overhand baseball throw, regardless of size. - They do not draw maleus upon contact. - The ball of Malflame disperses upon impact and has no ‘splatter'. - Discs and spheres are similar in function, but discs require more fine control of Malflame, thus requiring a higher tier Naztherak to grasp adequately. - By spending [1] extra emote, this spell may have light combustive force added to it. It may dent plate armor, rip cloth, and will cause someone to trip if it strikes their feet. Rok-Kirluk - [T3] [Combat] A better spell for a more detering Naztherak, who seeks to keep his opponents at a safe distance by using the terrible powers of Malflame, creating a funnel of flame which streams towards opponents, searing them so long as they are touched. Mechanics: 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. Redlines: - The flamethrower must have its point of origin at the Naztherak themselves, and cannot be conjured anywhere else in proximity. - Cones of Malflame may extend no further than 10 blocks ahead of the user, no wider than one block in width or height. Which is to say Rok-Kirluk may reach a maximum size of 1x10x1 blocks. - A Zar’akal may breathe the Malflame from the mouth or nose etc. by following the same emote count. - This is more intensive on the user than other Malflame spells. They may move at a walk, but any sudden movements such as side-stepping an attack, or ducking behind cover will interrupt the channel. Rok-Ladom - [T3] [Combat] A powerful, foe-deterring spell which can leave those in its wake in utter agony, a wave of hellfire sweeping over them and disfiguring and warping their very flesh. Such a cruel spell is often used as crowd control by the more fiendish Naztherak which wield this hellish fire. Mechanics: 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. Redlines: - The point of origin of the wave must be the Naztherak themselves. - The wave has no force whatsoever, and will merely pass over any targets, leaving searing Malflame embers upon any unprotected skin. - After moving toward the target, the wave cannot be controlled such as turned/rotated or raised up etc. - It may travel in any cardinal direction, including up and down, but may only move continuously in that direction. Rok-Argal - [T4] [Combat] A deterring, more defensive barrier of Malflame which a Naztherak may conjure. While a wall of mundane fire may only deter one to a degree, the effects of a wall of hellfire are not to be taken lightly, as walking through it with exposed skin will cause excruciating pain to those who dare to traverse its scorn. Mechanics: 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. Redlines: - A Prince may summon it anywhere within 16 blocks of their current position. - They must have direct line of sight with the location they wish to summon it. - The wall has no force whatsoever, and one may pass through it, leaving searing Malflame embers upon any unprotected skin. - One may not move the wall after casting begins. - Only one wall may be formed at a time. Rok-Norrvut - [T4] [Combat] Columns of flame are not unfamiliar to magickal fire-tamers, but are more often associated with the intervention of Aenguls and Daemons. The Warlock may pervert this likeness, using their wicked flame to create seething pillars as a means to obstruct or deter their foe. Mechanics: 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. Redlines: - The pillar must originate from the floor or ground. It may not levitate in mid-air. - It has no mass whatsoever, and may be passed through freely, but will scorch the soul at the location of exposed flesh. - Only one may be conjured at a time by a single Prince. Should they attempt to cast another, the original will collapse in on itself. - A pillar may be conjured at most [16] blocks away from the Naztherak. - One requires line of sight with the position, in order to summon a pillar there. - One may not move the pillar after casting begins. Rok-Niirk - [T4] [Combat] An agile selection of the Malflame spells where a Naztherak may conjure forth a whip or lasso made of cursed flame. While it functions as an intimidating sight for mortals to see and is no less painful than any other weapon in the Prince’s arsenal, its effects upon Inferi are more interesting. Against demonic imps and beasts, the whip or lasso possesses physical mass, and may be used to bind or bring them to heel. Mechanics: 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. These conjurations naturally possess physical properties, allowing a Naztherak to whip or lasso imps and beasts as well as their mundane counterparts such as descendants or creatures. Redlines: - Zar’ei and greater may be lasso’d, but are capable of breaking free where their lessers are not. - Although the ethereal whip/lasso will burn upon skin contact, it will not bind a mortal player-character. Rok-Krimth - [T5] [Combat] Not unlike the whip-like conjurations of their more novice peers, a master of Malflame manipulation may summon chains of pure Malflame with which to burn and strike continuously against the flesh of mortal men, or to bind infernal adversaries. Mechanics: 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. Redlines: - Imps, Beasts and Zar’ei may be bound with this spell, but Zar’ei/Zezimar may attempt to break free. - Brute Zar’ei may brute force chains to break them, while Malda and Kozun may loosen them to escape. - Although the ethereal chains will burn upon skin contact, it will not bind a mortal player-character. Rok-Zevik - [T5] [Combat] The most powerful and destructive use of Malflame, only able to be performed by creatures whose acumen over fel flame is truly mastered. By conjuring a substantial amount of Malflame, a Prince essentially creates a storm of the accursed fire, which can completely destroy entire groups of men, while leaving the surrounding area virtually unaffected. Mechanics: 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. Redlines: - The firestorm still only burns exposed soul-bearing flesh. - It must centre around the Naztherak and may not be repositioned. - Otherwise the flames pass harmlessly over covered persons. - The storm has no mass and may be passed through easily. General Redlines: - Malflame may only be conjured by a Naztherak, as they possess both the Brand and are able to read the Ilzakarn inscriptions within their Grimoire. One who is not a practicing Naztherak would be unable to conjure Malflame even in the event that they know the Ilzakarn language for whatever reason. - The exception is that Inferi can naturally use Malflame and are immune to only their own Malflame. - A user may move at different speeds while channelling Malflame conjurations depending on the spell tier, but may not employ sudden movement without the spell ending, e.g. dodge-rolling. - May move 4 blocks while channeling T1-3 Spells and 3 blocks during T4 and T5 spells. - While Malflame projectiles do not always have a set range, the more they travel, the more they will weaken. - Naztherak are not immune to the effects of Malflame, only immune to their own when conjured where the Brand is present. - The burning from Malflame is extremely painful, like being pressed against white-hot metal. The pain from such may interrupt casting, and will likely last for several narrative days in the event that the person survives. The effects and pain of Malflame may be alleviated by Holy Magic and may be treated, to a lesser degree, by medicinal painkillers. - Malflame will consume the victim until there is nothing left to consume, as long as there is continuous exposure. Simply landing the hit does not make it an insta-kill. - It may be put out by smothering or submerging in water. - Burns left by Malflame will darken, even blacken in some cases. After healing and scarring, they may still present a subtle glow the colour of the Malflame which caused it. - Malflame cannot burn through cloth, armor, or any other protective material. It must make contact with living flesh or hair on a user in order to be effective. - One may not guide or shoot Malflame through the visor, eyeholes etc. of helms, or similar small gaps in clothing. The skin must be exposed. - Should Malflame conjurations make contact with air evocation spells of T3 or above, they may be blown out or redirected. - Druidic Blight Healing is unable to alleviate the effects of Malflame burns, except in the case of Epiphytes, Soul Trees, or Fae, Treants and animals through the respective Beast-Purging ability. In the case of animals is does not heal the actual wound. ⛧ Demonlore “Oh how they yearn to be freed!” A Prince is naught without a court to call his own, having servants of the Infernal subjugated beneath them in a cruel hierarchy of the Pentacle’s own design. Such a profane practice may be employed with the use of the Naztherak’s Grimoire, much like that of their other enactments of the accursed. With this in mind, the Prince may bind to himself Inferi through the use of Malflame, subjugating them beneath him either by force, or whatever semblance of reason such a heathenous creature holds. However, chaos begotten will yield chaos in turn, often leading to resentment as the very Inferis the Prince has subjugated seldom heeds their words true, for a False Prince is only entitled to false subjects — those who obey in fear by power, yet not righteousness. Subjugation The powers bestowed upon a Naztherak permit them to bind the Infernal and force them to kneel, as a serf to his Prince. Their power is magically bolstered, allowed only by the machinations of the Pentacle, such that even should they be lacking in charisma, will or at least dominance, their Inferi will obey. It is not limitless however, and a weak Prince will find their court may avoid careless or vague commands, loopholing and using half-truths to permit them to act as they please, even sabotaging the Warlock’s plans- all very possible despite a bound Inferis’ inability to directly harm or disobey their master. 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 means. 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. Redlines: - NPC Imps and Beasts may be bound by wrestling them into submission and then Shackle cast upon them. - Imps and Beasts are unable to resist the Shackle spell, but Zar’ei and anything more powerful may attempt to break free. - Player CA Zar’ei and Imps must be roleplayed with, such as bargaining between them and the Naztherak to allow themselves to be bound, or combat to ensue etc. and to then be forcibly bound. - A Naztherak may attempt to bind Inferi which appear in ST events, in which case a player may create a CA to play a Zar’ei bound in such a way. The overseeing ST may refuse and otherwise has discretion about how to handle such cases. - Every attempt to bind an Inferi costs 20 maleus. - This spell does nothing to non-Inferi etc. 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: - A Naztherak and a CA Inferis may agree to a pact whereby the Inferis is bound in the Grimoire as if shackled. This may be as steeply-priced as the Inferis desires, as long as the agreement is based in RP. - One may also negotiate with Inferi to cease hostilities or otherwise make bargains of a sort in ST events. In which case, the overseeing ST has the discretion to name a price, determine what the Prince receives in exchange etc. They may alternatively reject the chance to bargain. Naz’kuthun Even among False Princes, there are depths to which some may wish to avoid sinking into. Those who are already paving their walkway to damnation may seek other sources of Inferi for their court, those comparatively more dark than other powers possessed by their peers. One such practice among Warlocks is named Naz’kuthun, a ritual which induces the rapid and complete infernalisation of a mortal’s mind, body and soul. Such an act is truly profane, but certainly a practical solution to those Naztherak who seek to bring another into their court, without the legwork of finding stray Inferi. 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 Inferi 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. Redlines: - Only a Naztherak of at least T4 may perform Naz’kuthun. They must be taught the ritual through roleplay. - OOC consent from all parties is required for a Prince to transform a player-character into an Inferis. - Humanoid player-characters, including Kha and Hou-Zi become Zar’ei, and may choose their ‘type’ appropriately. For example an Elf may decide to be either a [Knight] or a [Mage] type, while an Orc may choose to be a [Brute] or [Knight] type etc. - CA Sprites and other small creatures become Imps. - Halflings may choose to become a Zar’ei or Imp, but must abide by all redlines of either, e.g. height limit of Imps. - If an Olog undergoes Naz’kuthun, it may become a [Brute] type Zar’ei, but must adhere to the redlines of Zar’ei, including their height/build restrictions. - The player-character must possess a soul and a body in order to be transformed by Naz’kuthun. Liches, Darkstalkers, ghosts, Sorvians etc. may not be turned into Inferi. - Characters transformed in this way will lose their prior magics. - Being transformed into an Inferi is utterly irreversible. - All Inferi are subject to the redlines and mechanics as outlined in the Infernal Compendium. Invocation By means of invocation through infernal incantation, the Prince may summon forth one of their own bound Inferi which they have subjugated, sending them forward to enact the Naztherak’s cruel will. While demons of greater power may indeed be bound and wrought forth by the Prince, there may be instances in which the Naztherak may have need for a weaker, less significant power to whom they appoint their malice. This practice requires that the Prince had inscribed a rune within their Grimoire associating to the particular Inferis upon their initial binding, thus allowing them to call it forth. 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 must offer 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 rather unintelligent, unable to wield more than rudimentary weapons such as clubs or crude maces, and also have a limited capacity to control Malflame. Redlines: - Zevn may be conjured even if the Naztherak has not bound a player-character imp, though the roleplay of binding the NPC imp should still be present for one to summon it later on. - Zevn summons follow their respective behaviors, redlines, mechanics, and abilities listed in the Infernal Compendium, unless explicitly stated otherwise. - Zevn require five maleus to summon initially per imp. Expending five additional maleus will extend the summon by a further eight emotes. - Although a Naztherak may have at most two imps in combat simultaneously, they may possess up to five under their command in non-combat scenarios. 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. Redlines: - The roleplay of binding the NPC Beast should be present for one to summon it later on. - Zekul summons follow their respective behaviors, redlines, mechanics, and abilities listed in the Infernal Compendium, unless explicitly stated otherwise. - Zekul between the size of a housecat and dog require [3] emotes and cost [10] Maleus. - Those between the size of a wolf and a horse require [4] emotes and cost [15] Maleus. - Larger Beasts up to the size of a grizzly bear require [6] emotes and cost [20] Maleus. - Although a Naztherak may have at most one beast in combat simultaneously, they may possess up to four under their command in non-combat scenarios. 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. Redlines: - The roleplay of binding an NPC Zar’ei should be present for the creation of the player CA later. - Zar’ei follow their respective behaviors, redlines, mechanics, and abilities listed in the Infernal Compendium, unless explicitly stated otherwise. - Zar’ei require [50] maleus to be reconstituted. - Reconstituting a Zar’ei in such a way must follow all rules of Monk Revival mechanics. - One may not use this to summon a CA Zar’ei in combat. - A Naztherak may not have more than three Zar’ei. 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. Redlines: - The summoning of Zentherak is restricted to event-only encounters. - An ST overseeing the event has the discretion to ask for additional reasonable requirements from the player, in order to summon a Zentherak, such as a living sacrifice, offerings etc. for the sake of fairness. - A summoned Zentherak is permitted to stay for the entirety of an event, unless it is defeated, or withdraws due to injury etc. - This drains the Naztherak’s entire pool of maleus, no matter how great or meagre. General Redlines: - Any aesthetic of summoning cannot change the function nor have any damaging influence, and it must also fit the general theme of Naztherak. It would not make sense to summon Inferi from a snowy portal. - For aesthetic/flavor/environmental purposes, a Naztherak is not limited in the number of Inferi they may have wandering about their lair, though these will serve no combat or RP advantage, acting as NPCs. - A Naztherak may not summon Inferi beyond Zevn and Zekul in combat. They may be accompanied by CA Inferi prior to combat, but these may not be summoned from the Grimoire at whim. - Accompanying CA Inferi contribute to the player cap for raids and other banditry. - Players cannot possess more than three CA Zar’ei in their court. - They may also not have more than five imps, NPC or CA, four beasts and three Zar'ei in their court. ⛧ Narthruzka “Yet the taint of his own spirit was not enough, nae - he had to set the ruin of others as well...” The cruelty of the Infernal Lords knows no bounds, their dominance of lessers absolute. It is of little surprise then that their abominable countenance should pass on to mortal Princes like an infection. Such is the origin of Malices; Infernal inclinations which take root within the Naztherak’s very soul, at their first connection to their Princely Powers. They are not without their uses to those who dabble in devilry, but Malices further warp the Warlock’s mind when adopted as their own. An accomplished Naztherak who takes on a further pact, undertaking tutelage in the art of Curses, will find themselves capable of empowering their Malflame with the ire of their Malice, to further scourge their victims and adversaries. Other Warlocks will discover that a more subtle approach can be equally as devastating, burning the Malice into objects and harrowing their enemies with debilitating curses. Whether a Prince realises so or not, this spreading of cruelty only guarantees more tormented souls for the grinder within Moz Strimoza, such is the nefarious purpose of this spiteful art. Cursed Fire Cursed Idols A Naztherak may also be taught to take objects or ‘idols’ and curse them with profane properties. These are then to be distributed as the Prince sees fit, whether casting them out into the world, sown like seeds of spite to cause misery and turmoil among mortals, or offered to unwitting recipients disguised as harmless gifts. A Prince may even sell or trade such objects to those mortals with a spitefulness akin to their own, who seek to achieve the downfall of their brethren. 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 circle’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. - 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. After this dark ritual is completed, the cursed idol’s effects could be described as passive and continuous, constantly prepared to prey upon soul-bearing creatures. Physical skin-contact with the idol is enough for the curse to begin taking effect, but consistency is required for the curse to progress to its fullest effects. To sustain themselves without the need for a Naztherak to revisit their victim, an idol will siphon off minute slivers of soul essence from their bearer; if they instead possess maleus, the idol will consume this in the same fashion. Over the course of weeks and months, if there is consistent contact with the idol, its curse will grow and develop from mere cinders to an all consuming flame, capable of destroying one’s life. An idol can be difficult to detect, allowing an innocuous possession or even a treasured gift to secretly bring mayhem and suffering into the lives of mortals, without their knowing. Should such an idol be discovered however, Holy magicks can strip it of a curse, or even non-magickal folk may destroy the object in question through mundane means. - 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 An idol cursed with Woe will cause the bearer to, over the course of the first few IRL hours, become progressively more miserable and depressive. They may merely take to brooding for hours, or may lack the motivation to cook and clean. As this progresses into the second IRL day many will find themselves unable to leave their bed, wallowing in self-loathing and turmoil. They may forgo cleaning, eating or other activities necessary to function. On the third IRL day, victims may not be capable of taking care of themselves, and even forgo activities which once brought them joy. Particularly susceptible personalities may even consider suicide. Lies An idol cursed with Lies will initially cause the bearer to begin responding to yes or no questions incorrectly on occasion. As this progresses into the second IRL day of the curse, a victim may attempt to weave a complex web of lies around themselves or others, which require further deception lest they be revealed as a sham. Developing further into the third IRL day, the cursed individual may even begin to believe their own lies, whether through sheer delusion or out of necessity to maintain this fragile fantasy they’ve constructed. A discovered liar may quickly realise the consequences of crying wolf. Revolt An idol cursed with Revolt will cause the victim to feel a gradually increasing sensation of disgust within themselves. Initially this may begin with merely a nudge to avoid certain individuals, objects, activities or even one’s appearance, as chosen upon creation by the Naztherak. After a second IRL day, this progresses toward an innate aversion to specific things, such as attending church, speaking certain words, or even possessions from one’s home. At its peak, after three IRL days, those cursed with Revolt may feel physically nauseous, skin-crawling sensations and other instinctual responses of disgust from the fixation of their Revolt. Some may be physically incapable of looking at their own reflection, for how utterly repulsive they find themselves to be. Madness An idol cursed with Madness will incite psychological discord within a victim. This begins with only minor symptoms, such as easily dismissed sensory hallucinations, or habitual and ritualistic behaviours. As the curse progresses into the second IRL day, the symptoms exacerbate, until friends and family would certainly notice the victim’s ‘disturbed’ nature from their usual selves. Paranoia may emerge here, along with more complex delusions, such as the belief others can hear their thoughts. After three IRL days the victim’s mental state deteriorates and they may become catatonic, or isolate themselves to avoid the triggers of their specific malady. Removing the curse’s effect with Holy magic will not automatically undo the trauma this Malice causes. There is no quick fix and overcoming this trauma will take IRL weeks. Players are also reminded to be tasteful, and that mental illness is more likely to lead one to hurt themselves rather than others. This Malice should not be used as a means for edgy 'serial killer’ roleplay etc. Desolation An idol cursed with Desolation is a truly spiteful weapon. The first stage occurs within the first IRL day of possessing the idol, where the most recent of memories will begin to degrade in accuracy. This may lead to simple mis-remembering of events, or requiring triggers such as smells, or coaching from others to assist the victim. At this point, it can be easily dismissed as forgetfulness. Upon the second IRL day however, this curse begins to attack memories from further into the past and particularly those which hold significance to the victim, such as birthdays, their wedding day, or even the birth of their children. This likely leads to frustration from others and the victim, that they continuously fail to grasp these important aspects of their past. Finally in the third IRL day, the curse burns away at fundamental pieces of the victim’s personality, such as lifelong skills, names, remembered faces and to a lesser extent even language. In this final stage the victim experiences true Desolation, as they as a person are obliterated, destroyed without a drop of blood spilt. Temptation An idol cursed with Temptation will cause the bearer to become progressively more distracted and preoccupied with their desires. Within the first IRL day they may experience reduced impulse control, resulting in the stealing valuables, if for example one is a material individual, or may become vocally obsessed over a love interest. Moving into the second IRL day of the curse, a victim will experience a degradation of social inhibitions, for example resulting in poor etiquette, not respecting the personal space of a love interest, or even speaking uncouthly of another within earshot. Finally in the third IRL day, a victim of Temptation will find their willpower diminished and are driven by the need to obtain objects of their desire; whether material goods, knowledge or even people. Dread An idol cursed with Dread inspires a growing terror and paranoia within its victim. In the first IRL day of the curse, this creeping fear will be akin to a feeling of being watched and being easily startled by sudden movement in the periphery, or loud noises. Progressing into the second IRL day, anxious symptoms intensify and will fixate upon one of a number of possible triggers, essentially causing the victim to develop a phobia. In the final stage of the curse(after 3 IRL days), this phobia will be allconsuming, the expectation of encountering its trigger will inspire paranoia and delusional thinking, such as an arachnophobe believing their mattress is filled with spiders. At this point the fear is far beyond rational and the victim will abandon almost all reason, save for self-preservation, should they encounter the trigger of their phobia. A Naztherak creating a Dread-cursed idol may choose from the following phobias at creation, and may not change the phobia once the curse is created: Fear of any given animal/creature including dragonkin, chimeras, manticores etc. Fear of a specific inanimate object, as defined by the Prince Fear of confined spaces/being buried alive Fear of germs, dirt or the unsanitary Fear of drowning/deep water Fear of open spaces/crowds Fear of thunderstorms Fear of falling/heights Fear of the dark/night Fear of holy symbols Fear is difficult to assuage in such victims and similar to Madness, even those who receive the help of Paladins or other Holy magics in purging their curse, will require IRL weeks to unlearn the phobia, such is the truly cruel facet of this Malice. Venom An idol cursed with Venom debilitates its victim with extreme symptoms, which mimic those of a toxic snake bite. Within two IRL hours of the curse, a clammy sweat sets in, followed by nausea and discomfort in the joints of the victim. One may easily dismiss these as symptoms of a mundane illness. They can be mitigated some by normal medicinal treatment, but won’t subside. During the second IRL day, the clamminess develops into a fever, accompanied by vomiting and in some cases mild delirium such as hallucinations. Dehydration is a potential danger here. After the third IRL day, the victim will experience difficulty breathing and abnormal functioning of the heart, such as palpitations. Were someone to have pre-existing conditions of the heart or lungs, this would be greatly aggravated and may even lead to death. The curse alone is unable to kill a physically healthy individual unless with OOC consent, otherwise only greatly weakening them. Gluttony An idol cursed with Gluttony is a dark totem indeed. Initially the victim will experience an increase in appetite and thirst, accompanied by nausea, which is a minor inconvenience and easily sated by simply indulging cravings. Upon the second IRL day of their curse they will discover that mundane food and drink cannot satiate this gnawing demand within their body. The aroma or taste of blood will be more appealing than that of wine, and the smell of flesh will prove more appetising than seasoned meats. After three IRL days of possessing the idol, the victim will find their body’s need for mundane food has been replaced by an unnatural hunger for the flesh and blood of their own race. Pestilence An idol cursed with Pestilence is a potent font of disease. Placed upon the person or in the home of one’s victim, it will begin to spread a malaise to those who come into direct contact with it, or those in frequent proximity to where it’s kept. Over the course of the first IRL day, victims experience this malaise as a general feeling of being unwell, accompanied by chills and a rising temperature. At this point, they will likely seek the assistance of a healer for what they believe is a mundane sickness. During the second IRL day, the supernatural plague advances to a persistent cough and shortness of breath, accompanied by blood in the phlegm and a weeping bloody discharge from the eyes and nose, while the temperature rises to a fever. At this point a healer’s attempts to manage symptoms will begin to fail. In the third IRL day of the curse, the prior symptoms persist and likely force the victim to remain in bed due to weakness. Necrosis may additionally begin to spread up the extremities, starting with toes and finger-tips, to begin consuming the victim with rot and disease. If the idol is destroyed, or ‘Holy’ magic is used to cure the curse, tissue death can be reversed if the victim wishes(OOC consent required). Healers are also at risk of becoming cursed, if they enter a victim’s home to treat them while the cursed idol still functions. Misfortune An idol cursed with Misfortune will sabotage the efforts of the Naztherak’s victim in almost all capacities, from the everyday to the magical. During their first IRL day of the curse, the victim may stub their toe, cut themselves shaving or overcook their evening meal, minor inconveniences easily attributed to benign bad luck. Advancing into their second IRL day, alchemists may find their potions have spoiled, Mages fizzle their spells without explanation and mundane mortals may lose their possessions or otherwise encounter numerous and consistent inconveniences. Upon the third IRL day, more dangerous mishappenings will emerge, such as falling down the stairs, windows falling shut upon one’s head and other supernaturally suspicious accidents. In this state, a victim would start to feel like someone was out to get them. It is up to the player to roleplay Misfortune appropriately, whether they choose to roll for the chance of Misfortune striking, roleplay a series of unfortunate outcomes, or indeed succumb to a tragic end during an event etc. Redlines: - Cursed idols require an ST-signed RP item as enchanted objects. They should adhere to the ST’s criteria for enchanted objects. - One may not curse multiple objects with different curses within the same ritual. - One may not stack multiple Malices upon the same object. - Druidic Blight Healing has no effect upon cursed idols. - Creating a curse is not possible in a combat scenario. - Curses are not immediately detectable, but one may roleplay a gradual realisation that the idol is supernatural. - The Paladin Purge ability, or similar abilities in other ‘Holy’ magics, will remove the effects of a curse from its victim. - If the idol is not destroyed, the victim may find themselves cursed again, taking another 3 IRL days to ramp up to its full effects. - The Paladin enchantment Sunlight’s Wrath, or similar abilities in other ‘Holy’ magics, are able to destroy the idol’s curse permanently. - Cursed idols are not immune to damage. They are functionally ordinary objects and can be smashed, melted in lava etc. - If an idol is destroyed, it takes a full 3 IRL days for its curse to pass, unless expedited by ‘Holy’ magics. - Characters may not be used as a cursed idol, e.g. Shapeshifted Izkuthii - Izkuthii and Sorvian masks may also not be cursed, but they can still be affected by Malice-infused Malflame spells. - If an idol is placed within a player’s home, the inventory may not be locked to prevent access for its removal or destruction. - Curses cannot affect constructs and non-soulbearing entities, with the exception of Sorvians, which possess Soul Essence to fuel a curse. - Tree Lords can be affected by curses, but in place of ‘Holy’ magical intervention may be cured by the Purge ability of Druidic Blight Healing. General Redlines: - A Naztherak must reach [T3] to be taught Curses/Nathruztar. - Curses as a subtype has no tier progression, and occupies one [1] slot. - One may teach Curses after [1] month of possessing it. They must also have been taught how to infuse their Malice into Malflame spells and how to create a cursed idol. - The Prince's TA should be updated with this subtype, when the allotted time is reached, should they wish to teach it. ⛧ Pacting “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” While the practitioners of Naztherak may obtain for themselves power by research and force, their studies will not have gone unnoticed by unseen eyes. For when a Prince makes their first pact, the deal is sealed on behalf of a higher, more diabolical power. At the precipice of a mortal’s descent into the infernal, a Zar’rokul lays claim to slivers of their soul and watches over them, as a beastly benefactor grooming them ever closer to the needs and desires which serve the Rokul’s own ends. The Naztherak is unaware of this patronage, as is the design of their powers as wrought by the Pentacle, lest meek apprentices learn too quickly of their mephistophelean downfall and wrench what remains of their soul beyond the demons’ grasp. Instead the Zar’rokul moves pieces upon a board, creating opportunity or even placing obstacles in the path of their newest toy. It is only when the Prince achieves a level of blinkered, zealous pursuit of further knowledge, or at least jadedness, that they may earn the privilege of contacting their patron. Nizarhuk A Naztherak who has grown further invested in their demonic powers, may seek to open a means of communication with their patron, who until such a point has remained anonymous. To achieve this the Prince must create a pact, not dissimilar to that which they may have initiated at the beginning of their journey upon the infernal path. This pact begins with a ritual to draw the eye of the Prince’s patron such that they can conduct nizarhuk or “communion” with the Zar’rokul. Although the outcome of nizarhuk is typically the same regardless of the Prince and their patron, there may be minor variations in the pact’s smallprint, suited to the Rokul’s specific wants. The Prince 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. A Naztherak already in possession of Pacting who is teaching a student, should assist in assembling the ritual to demonstrate each step and such will not impact the ritual itself. 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. Into this the Prince then wills a sliver of their maleus, 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, by either manifesting as an avatar before them or speaking through the body of the 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 sliver 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 further corruption of 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, 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. Redlines: - An accepted Naztherak MA, and T3 is required to perform this ritual and thus acquire Pacting. - One may not conduct the ritual during combat. - If an ST member is not available to roleplay the Zar’rokul during the ritual, the teacher is permitted to play them instead only for the purposes of their student acquiring the Pacting subtype. In which case the Rokul is scripted to its offer and price, and may not make unique demands of the Warlock. - After the pact is complete, the player must notify the ST to update their MA appropriately. - One may teach Pacting to another Naztherak after possessing it for 1 IRL month. A TA may be updated accordingly. - The Prince must wait the full 12 hours after the Zar’rokul has consumed their maleus, before it replenishes, as they have no maleus with which to cast kraviir. - Permanent mutations are not able to be hidden and do not respond to casting. They must have some likeness to the Zar’rokul one has pacted under. Again these must be unsettling or grotesque. - The nightmares and subsequent adverse effects upon the Prince must be roleplayed, whether that is as a disturbed mentality, extreme tiredness due to an inability to sleep, or other such symptoms. - Alchemical, magical or herbal sleep aids have a diminished effect upon a Prince’s nightmares, at best working by half their typical strength. This may not be bypassed by taking extra doses. - Pacting consumes one [1] magic slot. - Like all Naztherak subtypes, one may not regain the slot offered to their patron. Ever. - One may teach Pacting after [1] month of possessing it. They must also have been taught the properties of their Striith and how to apply boons/banes. - The Prince's TA should be updated with this subtype, when the alloted time is reached, should they wish to teach it. Infernal Familiars “Every Prince needs a Herald” 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 patron to have the Prince under nigh constant observation- for the Zar’rokul did not ascend to their position among the Pentacle, by allowing themselves to be blindsided. 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. Striith Psychology Comparable in intellect to that of a Zar’ei, 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, may prove to be one’s undoing, as the striith is inherently 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. The pact between the mortal Prince and their Zar’rokul patron is mirrored in their striith too, allowing master and familiar to communicate telepathically as long as they are within whispering distance or within sight. - 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. Properties of the Striith 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. 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. - 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. Redlines: - ST guidelines concerning combat pets must be followed, concerning a striith. One may not use a goat familiar beyond the size of a golden retriever in combat, for example. - Snake familiars must adhere to the ST’s policy for poisons and venoms. - All other rules concerning pets or animal companions must also be followed with one’s striith, such as at least three ‘bird emotes’ to send a message. - One may not use their striith to metagame information. For instance you may not ask the striith who killed you should it have witnessed so. Similarly it may not be used to spout exposition about lore the player-character is not privy to etc. - A striith may possess demonic traits as listed above, or similar, but which may not give it outlandish abilities beyond those of their mundane animal counterparts. - Their Malflame capabilities are on par with those of an imp. - Although familiars are a device to encourage strongly aesthetic flavourful roleplay, one may not roleplay their striith as a totally docile pet. It must always at least be selfish, manipulative and chaotic, with room for them to be plenty spiteful and hostile as well. - Striith who are repeatedly harvested, killed and resummoned by a Prince may not harbour an amicable relationship with their master. - A Prince may cast a single spell of Kraviir upon their familiar to harvest it for maleus, which burns it away into embers and ash. - A Prince may take enough blood from the familiar to create one (1) boon and one (1) bane, or any combination thereof without issue. Should they do so again within an IRL week, this will kill the striith. - Should a striith be slain by mundane methods, it will remanifest after 3 IRL days. It may reassemble itself from ash, or otherwise mysteriously reappear. - If a striith is destroyed by over-harvesting blood or maleus it will take 1 IRL week to manifest itself again. It may reassemble itself from ash, or otherwise mysteriously reappear. Boons & Banes “A Prince's prize is handsome indeed..” Perhaps the greatest reward bequeathed to the Naztherak by their patron, are the means to begin making pacts of their own among mortalkind. For the Inferi Incursion upon Arcas taught the Pentacle the true value of luring Descendants to their side as pawns, with promises of power, trinkets and other such frivolous promises. As a Prince who serves their Infernal Lord however, it is the place of the Naztherak to make these agreements on their behalf, and by now they should be all too familiar with how to bargain for devilish deals. Boons and banes are additional powers a Naztherak may employ in order to begin entangling mortals within their own complex web of pacts. This is the very intention of the Pentacle, to further encourage a mortal Prince to such tendencies, until they not only excel in them, but are far too invested to be concerned with the price for their own powers. A Prince may negotiate a contract with a mortal, promising the power of a boon and assign their own price as they see fit. Even should one still possess a modicum of kindness, or at least nepotism, so as to waive a price, the dark magics of the Pentacle still require a bane to accompany the boon. Like the boon, this bane may be chosen from a list, but continuously gnaws at the bearer’s soul essence, whilst fuelling the boon’s power. To give a boon, the Prince must harvest blood from their striith- enough for one boon and one bane- and expend a sum of their own maleus to enrich it further. At this point such a rakir will virtually crackle and spit with embers, as it is saturated with the potential for wickedness. Using this the Prince may tattoo or draw upon the flesh of their pactee, an inscription in Ilzakarn which names the boon and bane selected. This process is painful and will inflict hot flashes upon the individual who receives it, with a lasting stinging sensation which will only fade after a few days. Upon completion however, they will discover that the boon’s benefits may be enjoyed and the bane’s curse suffered. - 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. The Naztherak may mark their victim with any of the following boons and banes, and a TA-holder with Pacting may create new ones via lore additions. Boons Banes General Redlines: - Striith blood must be used within 2 IRL hours of harvest unless an appropriate RP item is made and signed by the ST. - When tattooing boons/banes upon a character, both they and the Naztherak must be in close proximity in roleplay. One may not be more than 5 blocks away mechanically or iRP and still receive boons/banes. - One may not NPC the receipt of boons/banes. The roleplay should occur between two player characters. - A character may not have more than three (3) boons and/or five (5) banes. - To roleplay the received boons/banes, there must be a comment on the providing Naztherak's MA which details the boons/banes the player possesses. These may be updated by the ST when necessary. - Although knowledge of boons and banes is magically conferred to the Prince, the TA-holder who is teaching them should also guide a student through the process in roleplay. - To receive boons/banes the player character must have a soul to feed from. This means various constructs such as Sorvians may not receive boons/banes. Refer to the CA’s lore and ask the ST. - An Azdrazi’s inner flame purges the striith blood from the tattoo/marking, thus preventing them from receiving boons/banes. - Boons/Banes may be removed by Paladin purging, or similar abilities from other Holy magics. - Alternatively the destroying of the tattoo/marking, such as cutting it out, will effectively remove it. - If the boon is destroyed, the bane still produces its effect. If the bane is destroyed however, the boon ceases to function. - One may not use banes to remove senses, literacy, or ability to imagine which a character did not already posses. For example, a blind person may not have "Taken Sense" remove the sight they don't have and so on. - Boons/banes have no expiration and may be used indefinitely. - The ST are entirely within reason to blacklist players who repeatedly abuse boons/banes, use them for poor-quality villainy such as roadside banditry(including meme/troll RP), or use them as a means to OOCly harass or bully other players. 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. Redlines ⛧ Ascension Playable [CA] “A Prince becomes a King” All the powers of a Naztherak are created to fulfil numerous goals, from the conjuring of felfire to spread chaos amongst mortals, the sowing of suffering through curses, the trappings of pacts - these all serve the insidious purpose of luring the Prince further into the infernal, expending the slivers of their soul until there is but a final shred of mortality left within them. Small, weak and tainted. It is all which separates the False Prince from the same Inferi which they bind and summon to do their bidding. For those who have already delved deep into demonology and have taken three pacts, there is one step left to take in their pursuit of power, zealous service to the Pentacle, or other blinkered searching for promised forbidden knowledge. Through the performing of a dark and unnatural rite, a Naztherak may surrender the last of their soul to the powers of Moz Strimoza and in so doing, become fully infernalised. Upon achieving this, they take up the mantle of the Twisted King, Zar’akal, and serve their patron Zar’rokul as a harbinger upon the mortal plane. The ‘akal walks amidst mortalkind as a wolf amongst sheep, luring potential Princes from the flock, and preparing the rest for slaughter. A Naztherak who has dedicated four slots to their devilish arts, may take the final leap to dedicate their last to become a Zar’akal. Like all prior pacts, this cannot be reversed and is typically only undertaken by those Princes who have truly lost themselves to the powers of the Pentacle. They are often distinguished above even other Inferi as a commander or templar is over footmen, wreathed in embers and ash, crowned with horns and even some cloaked with vestigial, broken wings. Zar’rovuth - The Twisted Forge The ritual begins not dissimilar to Naz’kuthun, in which a large basin such as a bath or pool is filled with blood and gore. A hopeful Prince then steps into it and must be submerged up to the waist in the grizzly baptism, whereupon they open their Grimoire and speak aloud a prepared incantation. Feeding their entire store of maleus into the bloodbath, the presence of three other Naztherak is required, and for them to also infuse no less than [50] of their own maleus into the pool. The total of four Naztherak leaves the hopeful’s Zar’rokul as a symbolic fifth, thereby representing the Pentacle. As the incantation finishes, the Prince must submerge themselves entirely, which will force their mind, body and soul into becoming totally infernal. This process takes a full IRL day, leaving the character unable to be played during this time. Screenshots of the ritual may be given to an ST for confirmation, and the appropriate Creature Application made on the forums e.g. “[CA] Zar’akal” Mechanics: - Acquiring Zar’akal needs a T5 Naztherak to possess Malflame, Demonology, Curses and Pacting; meaning four of their magic slots must be dedicated to Naztherak. - The ritual above is fairly freeform, but requires a minimum of 4 multi-line emotes of decent quality, and 3 other Naztherak to each offer [50] maleus to complete. - Upon acquiring Zar’akal, the player’s fifth and final slot is consumed, and any other magic which prior occupied that slot is removed. If this is the case, it should be stated in the Creature Application. - The transformation into the CA Zar’akal is irreversible. - If all existing TAs become inactive, the ST is able to connect new Naztherak through eventlines and/or event characters, to encourage the healthy longevity of the magic. This requires managerial approval. - A Zar’akal is considered a ‘category D’ CA. Physicality Zar’akal are no longer Descendants, or even true mortals, and their physical appearance reflects the truly monstrous nature of their beings sufficiently. Mutated even more grotesquely than that of a Naztherak, they resemble large abominable beasts the likes are heard of only in nightmarish fairytales. Twisted Kings are unable to disguise their surrendering to the infernal any longer and all mutations they had prior acquired are not only always manifest, but considerably more hideous and outright offensive. When stepping out from their dark baptism, the Zar’akal may stand taller and broader than before, their prior physical weakness purged to make way for whatever machinations their patron may have for them. Although by no means giants among their kin, a Zar’akal occupies a comfortably balanced position between strength, cunning and sorcery. As part of their transformation, their capacity to create mana is diminished entirely and replaced with a deeper pool of maleus. It will be of no surprise then, that such godless creatures are despised by the Light and those who wield it. No longer capable of ‘innocence,’ a Zar’akal will find themselves vulnerable to Holy magics, such as those of Paladins. Not only will these magics prove more effective against a Twisted King, even burning upon mere contact, but standing within the presence of Holy artifacts or practitioners will offend and discomfort the demon, unable to tolerate such righteousness. Inferi Diet Like other Inferi, Zar'akal are required to adhere to the same diet. They will discover that their vile and warped body is almost exclusively carnivorous, with very little sustenance gained from plant-based foods. Were a Zar'akal forced to survive only upon vegetation, their muscle mass and strength would wane, but they could survive in this diminished state. Like other Inferi, they may consume the flesh, blood and bone of Descendant races without any negative side-effects, and indeed many a Twisted King revels in devouring their foes after playing with their food first. Mechanics: Strengths: - Zar’akal are immune to Malflame. - They may reach peak physical strength for their pre-transformation race. - A larger pool of Maleus means a Twisted King is capable of longer bouts of Naztherak sorcery. - They are functionally immortal. - Do not require a Grimoire to cast. Weaknesses: - Abilities such as Holy Affinity from Paladinism are substantially more painful to a Zar’akal. Even mere contact with Xannic Mist or Tahariaean Light etc. will cause a burning sensation. - A Paladin’s passive aura and similar holy auras, will illicit discomfort in a Zar’akal, akin to instinctual disgust. - For the purposes of Holy magics, a Zar’akal is always considered a ‘revealed dark creature.’ - Zar’akal can also be poisoned in the same fashion as any Descendant might be, such as by Azhl. - This includes thanhium and thanic steel toxicity. - Unable to disguise demonic appearance. Redlines: - Zar’akal are Inferi by definition, but cannot be bound by Naztherak. - They do not need sleep, but must eat, drink and breathe. - If a Twisted King is forced to subsist upon plant-based foods, such as while captured, they may not maintain their peak physical strength. Their appearance may deterioriate to connote this. - Zar'akal are totally sterile and forbidden from sexual FTB. - A Zar’akal may still be knocked out by sufficient force. - Mutations they possessed, including their Brand, carry over from the Naztherak to the Zar’akal. Existing mutations become more severe or grotesque. - If I see a single uwu horned eboy/egirl ‘akal I will strangle you IRL. - One may not use the height boost to go beyond 7ft. Yes I’m talking to you, Toodles. - The character’s prior race informs the peak strength of a Zar’akal. - Zar’akal cannot produce mana and may not use abilities from other magics/feats which require it. - Should thanhium or thanhic steel weaponry be used against them however, it will still have the frostbite/poisonous effects, but cannot corrupt the akal’s mana pool, for it has none. - Zar’akal cannot be harmed by Malflame itself, but may still be effected by any Malice used. - They may also be successfully cursed by Naztherak curses, or those of other magics. - Holy magics are more effective against the Zar’akal, causing a burning sensation upon mere contact and additional pain and burns when struck with spells. - Holy objects, artefacts and auras additionally elicit spiteful scorn from an ‘akal. Mentality With their last vestiges of mortal mundanity wrenched away from them, a Zar’akal is consumed almost entirely by their Malice. Some of their former preoccupations and behaviours may remain out of routine habit, but they are the hollow exterior of an insidious undoing long in the making. Concepts such as kindness or self-sacrifice are far beyond their grasp now, supplanted by nefarious thoughts of self-gain. Any offer from a Zar’akal is certain to have a grave price, so it is that they have devolved to a state not unlike their Zar’rokul patron. All drives of virtue are snuffed out, and the demand of their Malice replaces any zeal for life the Prince had left within them. The whispers and nightmares bestowed upon them by their patron do not fade, and the Twisted King may find that they hear their Zar’rokul more readily now, or are at least merely broken and warped enough to believe they do. In any case, the akal’s mastery of their dark powers culminates with the ability to cast their abilities without the need for a Grimoire, their demonic mind able to comprehend, remember and recall Ilzakarn, and speak incantations without aid. Mechanics: Redlines: - A Zar’akal may not be kind and genuine. They are spiteful, evil creatures. They may ‘feign’ niceties to manipulate others, but not out of genuine goodness. - One will keep their memories in tact, along with all learned skills and so on, but whatever sentimental/emotional attachment they had will be distorted at best and usually totally severed. - A Grimoire is no longer required to use Naztherak abilities, but one may choose to keep one etc. - The emote counts for combat casting remain the same. Abilities As harbingers of the High Hells, it is the Zar’akal who is charged to bring forth a foothold in which the Pentacle may creep into the mortal realm. The Inferi Incursion of Arcas was all too sudden and overt, innately rallying many to oppose it, and learning from this the Zar’rokul have instead opted to weaken the mortal world- not as an invasion, but as an infection. Ra’Ilkgarokk - The Infernal Sickness This infection manifests as taint or corruption which seeks to blot out all that is good and pure. At sites of this despoiling trees are charred, grass rendered ash and the sky is filled with swirls of dark cloud and smoke. Pools of fire and smog can be found throughout this accursed region, the land plagued with sulphur and hailing brimstone. Any flora has been burnt to ash or charred, completely barren of any beauty they may have had within or about them. Animals are either slain or warped into monstrous beasts which roam these forsaken plains, attacking and consuming anything which wanders unwittingly into this scar in the world. Rocks become jagged, waters dried out, and the land becomes scorched or covered in ash which rains from dark clouds in the sky. Mechanics: Redlines: - Players may not create Ilkgarokk upon land they do not own, without RO consent. - Although players may create Ilkgarokk within charters, one may not block access to the corrupted land to prevent players from potentially removing it. For instance, players cannot simply close the gates and lock doors at all times so their corruption can’t be destroyed, there should always be some reasonable avenue to access the blighted ground to allow healthy roleplay. - If it is cultivated underground, the land above will reflect this and become hellish. - Players may not use pools of lava, mouths etc. to attack other characters etc. - The Ilkgarokk cannot be commanded or manipulated, even if it is flesh and sinew with faces etc. It is functionally still terrain. - Imps and beasts may be described in region text, signs etc. to make the corruption more flavourful, but cannot be used to remotely attack players without being actively roleplayed. - By the same token, players may not presume the plot is perfectly safe to traverse, simply because there is no mechanical/player representation of Inferi, or other dangers. Characters would still reasonably have reservations about tromping through a hellscape. Kehrlagashk - The Ritual of Adulteration To despoil the world in such a vile and unholy manner, a Zar’akal requires a fittingly sacrilegious ritual. It begins with a Zar’akal restraining an unwilling mortal victim with chains of Malflame, and while not normally possible the victim will be bound to the ground which is sought to be corrupted. The Twisted King, and any Naztherak or inferi present, must then pour their Malice into the victim. As a host for such dark and profane magics, this victim endures excruciating physical, mental and spiritual anguish, resulting in their soul being ripped from their body. In doing so, the corpse is rapidly consumed by the ground and begins to spread corruption outward, like a godless seed planted in a fetid garden. All nearby Attuned Druids will feel nature wail and scream in turmoil, as it is assailed by the completion of the ritual. To experience this pain through Communion would be deeply unsettling. Other deity users considered 'Holy', such as Paladins or Clerics, would feel a disturbing sensation of dread wash over them. Mechanics: Redlines: - Although the ritual has some flexibility for flavour purposes, it requires one [1] unwilling player-character victim with a soul, one [1] Zar’akal and either five [5] Naztherak or three [3] CA player Zezimar to perform. - The victim need not PK to complete the ritual. - If players are found to be creating throw-away personas, or friends do so, to achieve the ritual, it will be considered an abuse of the CA and grounds for a blacklist. - Similarly if players are found to be providing poor quality conflict RP, such as roadside banditry, to fulfil the requirements for this ritual, it will also be considered an abuse of the CA and grounds for a blacklist. - One may not begin the ritual in a combat encounter. Combat should be settled prior to its initiation. - Players need not do casting or ‘feeding’ emotes to fuel the Ilkgarokk. It will be removed from their Maleus pool passively if it is not actively roleplayed. - Equally however, one may not go inactive for a week and return to a fully-developed plot. Should a player not be active on the Zar’akal persona for more than 72 hours during the Ilkgarokk’s growth, its timer will pause and will develop no further. - When the player is able to roleplay more consistently, such as a few hours a day for 2 consecutive days, the timer will resume. Note that logging in every three days and doing minimal roleplay to avoid the plot's timer pausing is not permitted. - If the Zar’akal does not have the required Maleus to feed the development of the Ilkgarokk, such as when its Maleus is frozen post-revival, the plot's timer is paused. - Again, the corrupted region must have some reasonable access so players may attempt to destroy/cleanse it. Revival With their spirit sundered by the infernal forces of Moz Strimoza, ripped of any remaining virtue, goodness and purity, the warped soul of a Zar’akal is unsalvageable. Too fetid and mutated to reach the touch of healing hands, and often too spiteful and discordant than to even consider seeking Monks, Twisted Kings must reconstitute themselves through their own dark powers. So it is that an ‘akal may fuel the regeneration of their body by gorging upon their pool of maleus, exhausting it for a considerable length of time. This triggers a slow agonising process, which takes place over the space of weeks. Even once complete, it leaves the Zar’akal in a weakened state, their soul incapable of reproducing maleus for the first few months after their body is remade. During this time, the ‘akal will likely lurk and seeth within whatever lair they’ve carved out for themselves, offering its slayers or servants of the Light some time to recover and regroup. Mechanics: Redlines: - Players must still roleplay the fear of death, and may not make references to their revival as a means to shrug off the consequences of being slain. Being destroyed should always be avoided by the character. - Revival should not be used as a means to continuously harass players with poor villainy. This is considered an abuse of the CA and will be grounds for a blacklist. - Zar’akal are not invulnerable and are able to be slain like any other member of their prior race. - Poisons and toxins affect the Zar’akal as they would any other member of their prior race. - Upon death in RP, the Zar’akal takes 24 IRL hours to reconstitute its body, during which they may not be roleplayed. - For the next 5 IRL days, the player’s maleus is frozen at [0]. Upon the expiration of this cooldown, their maleus will be immediately refreshed to their full maximum pool. - Non-raid PVP deaths are exempt from cooldowns. For instance if knights raid a lair and slay the ‘akal, the player must undergo the cooldown; if the ‘akal is subjected to ‘minas or die’ banditry they do not. - If the Zar’akal is slain again during the cooldown on their maleus, it does not restart. - All other resurrection rules apply. ⛧ Tier 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 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 with a Hzakhadlu (Tier 5 Naztherak posessing a TA) 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 will their touch to give an aesthetic of ash, ember and smoke to whatever they hold. 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 seem to sink 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. ⛧ Purpose The purpose of Naztherak is to fill the niche of Warlockry, demonology and the ‘highway to hell’ sort of theme for characters to pursue. In prior iterations the magic introduced many interesting concepts, some of which have been fleshed out more fully and redistributed across magic slots. Players are now able to take only the ‘basics’ of Naztherak if they want, but those invested in the theme can delve deeper and explore concepts like curses and explore themes of a demonic patron. Malflame has been appropriately redlined and its mechanics reinforced, as it was abused as an ‘instant-kill’ previously, and the purpose of the magic(at least this time) is more to spread long-term misery and despair than straight up combat. Curses is a subtype which offers a character the ability to imbue their Malflame with their Malice for some combative applications, but hopefully more interesting are the hexes one can apply to mundane objects. This might fulfil themes of a shop which sells occult objects, and the Naztherak owner has under-the-counter services for specific clients, or a Prince who just readily sows torment by gifting cursed jewellery to unsuspecting people. These curses take time to reach their full effect, which are often pretty grim, but will not outright kill a target. Pacting was previously almost a ‘must have’ for any really flavourful facets of Naztherak. As a subtype like Curses, Pacting is meant to groom the character toward making pacts of their own, the theme runs throughout in fact given the player must discover their patron and then pact with them to learn the subtype. The Prince receives a familiar and knowledge of boons and banes, which together offer them tools to draw up agreements with mortals to get what they want, in return for some flavourful housemagery-like abilities to the pactee. This also fulfils a tasty non-Faeish niche of “deal with the devil” roleplay, as no boon can be used without a bane. Yes fear not, cursed children are back~ Lastly acquiring Zar’akal no longer requires self-masturbatory ST events of eating demonic souls and heads, but is instead a ‘finalisation’ of the progressive mutations Naztherak experience throughout their study of the magic. This is described as an ‘ascension,’ but really it’s a damnation of the Prince’s last vestiges of mortality for power. The Zar’akal loses the noodle-mage physique of a Naztherak, and the need for a Grimoire, whilst gaining a larger maleus pool and pseudo-immortality, but with punishing revival mechanics. As Inferi, Zar’akal are also weak to Holy magics, because you’re a demon- what did you expect? The Dark and Light should conflict. Oh and uwu demon eboys have been forbidden. We’d like to push for an MA and TA wipe of Naztherak with this submission, because we believe it needs a fresh start. With the Inferi Incursion eventline recently, it presents a good opportunity for a new generation of Naztherak to emerge. Citations Credits Archipelego - Consultation Auric_Saint – Feedback & Balancing Frott - Consultation Jelonny - Consultation Luci/Nivndil - Writing Mordu - Consultation Sorcerio - Writing Sykogenic – Consultation Zacho – Feedback & Proof Reading Zarsies - Consultation Changelong

While I agree that there should be rules for NVL situations, at least to better guide players and encourage RPing the fear of death, I do think it has to be implemented very carefully. You say that won’t suddenly kill the server, but imagine the current mentality of players should this kind of concept be implemented overnight, with maybe a week of discussion beforehand- We’d still have bandits who gut everyone they see for pixels or shits and grins, leading to a lot of PK’s, while when a guard force rally to put down bandits, the bandits are PK’d but make identical personas the next day. This is just an example, but it influences numerous other facets of lotc. This kind of thing requires a fundamental change to our approach to roleplaying death and consequences on the server, and I really don’t think the playerbase is in a position to do that anytime soon.

[ The Druidic Order would like to know your location.. ]

Gruesome Greetings Arcas Your freaky friends at the Druidic Order will be celebrating Hallow’s Eve’ this year with ghastly games and creepy competitions. All are welcome to join us this Summer, to participate in the season of all things spooky. Trick or Treat Last Elven Year, we shambled our way to haunts near you, spreading the frightening festivities, but you all ran and hid- except the Halflings and Haense, we got on like a housefire! This year boos and ghouls of all ages are invited to trick or treat at our Gruesome Grove, which we’ve decorated devilishly for the occasion. Stitch and sew yourself a costume, then join in. Pumpkin Carving Showcase your gorgeous gourds, in a contest of who can slice, scoop and stuff the best. It’s just pumpkins, fret not! There are several categories to be won, from the most grievous of grins to the more pleasant of pumpkins, and prizes for all. Batty Brewing Practice your potions and ready your retorts, because Batty Brewing is back! It’s time to go up against other aspiring alchemists and masters of mixtures, in a game of continuously challenging concoctions, designed to put your brewing to the test. Beware my wily witches, one wrong move can lead to disaster. At the end of the fiendish festivities, we’ll join the rest of Firewatch in Korvassa for the blood-curdling climax of the season by putting down as many Inferi as possible. Find us wading our way through the infernal invaders, and join us in our celebrations. Sleep tight.

Lulubelle reads through the tome, her amber eyes flicking slowly across the script as golden lamplight flashes and flickers over the paper. She’s silent as she reads of the Kinstrife her cousin and King so frequently refers to, her dark brows knitted together and a troubled wrinkle spread across her forehead. Soon however she turns a page and her apparent dismay fades to an inspired smile as she reads of the Starbreakers being welcomed into the Confederation, and the unity and camaraderie which followed. The lass could place many names to faces, but as many were unknown to her, lost to history now. Nevertheless as the oil of her lamp began to burn low, she closed the heavy tome with a soft thump and sat back in her chair within the library. A moment of quiet thought followed, as the beardling now better understood the wounds of the past.

Man, building’s come a bit further since this huh?

Tox’s effects are fine and reasonable. They create the same desire to prevent heavily-armoured Mages, whilst not also making them a wet noodle.

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What does this even mean?

I can see my house from here

This is a weird mix of Mysticism and Shade, with a bit of Malflame..

- What makes “high quality” & “low quality” RP? High quality RP to me usually consists of a slower pace, with detailed emotes. It doesn’t have to be three paragraphs for a few simple actions, but emotes which bring sensory information are good. You’re making tea, but does the kettle bubble, do the cups clink together, what does the tea smell like? You’re smithing, but describe folding the steel back on itself, is the character just starting for the day and thus straight-backed and ready to go, or is it the end of the day and their posture is weary and exhausted? How cluttered is the room? What’s the atmosphere like? These things just make for RP that’s more enjoyable for me, and that’s not to say I don’t also enjoy more fast-paced scenarios like combat, but I like to see similar things in that case. Think about rain making a sound when it falls on plate mail, or how swords flash in the sunlight when swung. - How can low quality RP impact the server? I think it turns off a lot of potential players, but equally being hit with a massive paragraph emote can turn off other players who are looking for a less intense RP experience. Low effort or excessive meme RP can be really jarring to try an interact with, because you sometimes don’t know whether to ignore it or not. - What makes RP engaging? Different people will look for different hooks in their RP. Wood Elven RP has a lot of culture which is interesting, magic RP has the nice teacher-student dynamic and all the flavour that goes with various fantasy themes. Military RP can give you very interesting character development, and helps to fill out a character who doesn’t have much of a backstory. I guess the hook is something with a strong theme. - Your favorite niche of RP? Probably teaching RP, whether it’s a lecture about Elven language, or a one-on-one with a Dedicant about the Balance. It’s calm and quiet, and it builds a relationship between characters and helps to fill in characters’ understanding of the world. I enjoy the reverse too, of taking basic classes at Pogwarts on my Helf. Healing RP can be good too, with the right patient. - Is there a storyline or long-term RP scenario that you thoroughly enjoyed at one point? I did some smithing RP on my Dwarf a few months back. Her cousins came into the forge, hearing her at work, and she had several conversations over probably about five IRL hours of smithing emotes. This included a very heartfelt moment with her Clan Father.

Within the Talus Grove, Nivndil receives the letter and passes it over to Archdruids Dwyn and Harold. Her usually peaceful countenance bears a notable warmth, remaining with her as she returns to unloading and reloading supplies onto a cart, “Fire to warm the hearth.. steel to put down the enemy..” @FloralHedgehog @OhDeerLord

“Teh fock yea will, yea ugleh cun’!” roars a Starbreaker

Why’s the Necronomicon full of infernal knowledge, and not necromantic arts?