squakhawk

  

 

Hello critters and creatures.

It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these quarterly updates. 

 

In this update we’ll be talking about updates all over the team, from Event Team, Lore Team, and even management as well. We’ve got a lot to talk about, so feel free to navigate through the sections of this post and see the changes we’re making and upcoming. As always, feel free to ask any questions here or in the Story Team Discord.

 

Lore Team

 

Introducing Anthroparion Shelf

Anthroparions have been a lore that, since its inception, somewhat struggled. While for some time it did restore the Homunculus aesthetic/archetype which it reinvented in a cool way, it never took off or really, took off at all. This is somewhat due to the initial playerbase for it, but not long after its release did Tawkin return, and bring back Homunculi from the days of old. This proved much more popular, especially in the last year, while Anthroparions despite some efforts to spread it both player and ST-side have been mostly unfruitful. With this, we are going to be shelving Anthroparion lore and merging it with Tawkin (see changes below in the “Tawkin” section), and offering those with Anthroparion Tawkin FAs as compensation. Anthroparions will be changed to Homunculi for purposes of tracking, and mini-homunculi will be added to make up for the niche that Anthroparion added. With this, were you a fan of the lore, we recommend you make additions for mutations or other parts of Anthroparion that could be added to the Tawkin Lore, in case you feel we missed anything.

 

 

Thanhium Changes

Since arriving on Aevos, Thanhium has seen practically zero use. While the metallurgy rebalance we implemented was highly successful in removing its monopoly as the “Best Material”, we still see Thanhium very scarcely used despite how much was actually brought over from the last map. In particular, the only Thanhic SReqs we have received pertained to item re-descriptions - NO NEW ITEMS. A solution proposed was to reduce the creation cost given the steep requirements for a Thanhic Forge, and thus we are going to introduce an alternative method for forging Thanhium. While a Thanhic Forge may be worthwhile for prolonged crafting, a new and noded alchemical regent, Gelunite, will enable any forge to become a temporary Thanhic Forge with the proper quantities. In short, by sacrificing ten Gelunite to a forge, the forge’s temperature shall drop considerably so that a smith may be able to refine one chunk’s worth of Thanhium or Thanhic-Steel. We hope to see more Thanhic items come into circulation without the worry of a risky and steep investment cost. Expect Gelunite to be implemented (should our implementation into the plugin permit) within the next week. It's lorepage will be posted by the end of the day.

 

 

Mysticism Changes

Mysticism has been a lore which has steadily come and gone in waves of activity over the last couple years. When new leaders rise, the magic thrives and does exceedingly well in providing a spooky niche and different type of villainy to the server which has led to some extremely memorable conflicts. When community heads are absent, the magic falters and becomes negligible in presence on the server- if having any presence at all. The last rewrite a few years back by Gammabyte, saint_swag, and Pundimonium was extremely well done and still has been somewhat bulletproof to this day, spare for some flavor additions done by a few shining star members of the community. A common complaint we’ve heard from Mysticism activity is that it’s heavily reliant on Wights. While Wights are something not too uncommonly made (though certainly an occasion), we’re going to see how this community feedback is done and remove the mechanical barrier Wights add but keep their cultural and lore significance to the piece. With this, the following changes will be made (check full lore for non-summarized changes)

 

-Amputation now requires one Wight OR two mystics to perform.

-Connection (Truesight) stated in text it had required a Wight, which has now been removed.

 

 

Tawkin Changes

Tawkin has been something of a personal frustration of mine, and I’m sure others for some time. While it’s a great piece of lore and alchemy, it is a little bit of a catch-all with very little for any form of drawback or downside- leading to a huge explosion of apps this year. With this, we are going to implement some changes that are aimed at improving trackability, aesthetic, and reading, while taking little from what makes the lore so popular while we address problems the lore has had. These changes mostly affect Klone reincarnation, Homonculi, and Mutations. The full list is rather extensive, see the spoiler below. These changes will be finished implementing by the end of the day.

 

Mutation Changes Summary

 

Homunculi Changes Summary

 

Reincarnation (Kloning) Changes Summary

 

Exact Changes

 

 

Un-legacy’ing Hou-Zi

As a part of determining whether beast CAs have a negative effect on player retention for the server, we are going to reimplement the shelved Hou-Zi lore from 2020 and return it to full acceptance from Legacy Lore. Given that 3-4 years have passed since its shelving, LT Management will make efforts to clean its formatting and content so that it is palatable for modern standards. At this time however, pending admin approval, Hou-Zi may not be applied for until approved. When approved an announcement will be made in the Story Team Discord. We will monitor and trial the CA to how people play Hou-Zi, how they are interacted with, and what they offer the server, as well as how often they are meme'd or taken to failrp.  

 

Though Wonks may be popular culturally, LT Management fears that they would underperform given prior statistics and thus will not be re-implemented at this time, though the option is not off the table should Hou-Zi perform well. In addition, we remain hesitant on approving new beast-type CAs and we maintain the motivation to deny them outright. It is an interest of the LT management to explore a general Beastman CA in the future, though this is not a guarantee nor promise.

 

 

 

 

Event Team

 

Hey guys, BobBox here to give my thoughts on the current state of the event team.

 

Following the end of the antag hiatus some months ago, the event team underwent a small recruiting drive as we bolstered our numbers. After this drive was complete, we were incredibly happy to see unprecedented numbers of events being run, oftentimes hitting 2-4 events logged per day for multiple weeks on end. These events have largely been focused on singular nations or smaller groups, and while the number of events occurring is something I strive to keep at its current level, I believe that many great stories occur when nations work together towards a common goal. 

 

With that being said, I plan to take a more hands-on role in creating regional or map-wide eventlines. Just like squakhawk utilized map lore during the Naga storyline many of you encountered, expect to see similar-sized events based around another piece of map lore in the not-so-far future (hopefully beginning in February if all goes well). Furthermore, while myself and Kujo will continue to support the current ET in any type of events they wish to run, we will also be striving to accelerate their growth so that they may continually hone their skills and event styles throughout the entirety of the year. 

 

The last thing I’d like to touch on is the material distribution system. With the scrapping of material nodes and the withholding of materials at the beginning of this map, I had expected to see some of the world’s reserves burned, though it is only recently that a reasonable number of these resources have begun to be used. Following this recent uptick in smelting was a rise in the distribution of materials, something I’ve been closely keeping my eye on. Over the next year, I plan to work with ET to increase the number of ST materials flowing into the hands of players, whether by giving out chunks of ore or event-specific items made from various materials (think the evil boss’s azhl sword, etc). 

 

If you have questions or concerns about events, applying to the team, or material distribution please do not hesitate to reach out to me or Kujo.

 

 

 

Management POVs

 

 

Bloodmagic, Templars, Runesmithing, and Lore Overlap

 

This is a big bundle of topics, so I wanna address them in an order that I think will be most digestible and easy to read and understand, at least from my point of view. 

 

Lore Overlap is something which is touched briefly on in various pieces of lore criteria, the most mention it gets is under “Explanation: Lore Variants” but doesn’t really go into the detail it requires. It’s likely something I’ll be making a new lore criteria explanation about in the next couple weeks. 

 

Lore Overlap is something we have seen with a few different pieces, and an attempted few new pieces which have attempted submission, rewrite, amendment, or addition. Lore Overlap is something I will define as writing that borrows from, accomplishes, or extends it’s capabilities with justification or similarities to other lorepieces. 

 

This is why we practically auto-deny lorepieces which start out far too big and all encompassing, and why we seem to be running into fewer original ideas for new magics and CAs which aren’t immediately and directly compared to currently existing ones. Often, when I see people writing lore and talking about it, they say “Oh, let’s take this ability from this lore- since it’s accepted it should be fine”. 

 

Now, this issue comes into play in a lot of ways. One, is that “power” or “strength” comes into ways a lot more indirect than direct. One should take into account the full lore; does it make sense for the lore to have this? Does it fit in with the rest of the lore’s theme and place? Does it unnecessarily extend a lorepiece’s capabilities to overtake the niche of others?

 

I’ll give two examples from recent memory and proposals I’ve heard.

One, is that I overheard some people talking about a Templar addition where they add a healing spell to the magic. This is something that immediately just sounded jarring to me- this doesn’t really fit into Malchediael’s aesthetic, does it? Even if you reskinned it appropriately, isn’t it more beneficial to perhaps put healing in the hands of another person to generate roleplay? A similar stance for a recent suggestion to add ranged spells to the lore; Is that truly within the spirit of Malchediael’s Templars to be casting spells and ranged attacks against his foes? Is the lore which is wholly themed around dueling, fighting to the last breath, and crusaders, fully realized by spellcasters and marksmen?

 

Another is during the last Cleric submission. Before it had finished running its course through admin approval, there had already been a proposed lore submission to take away a decent section of Paladinism to sort of justify clericism’s existence further, and give it a point. At the time, this seemed ridiculous, though now as I look onto other magics; such as Bloodmagic, I can see the reasoning.

 

An issue Bloodmagic has been facing is that the community surrounding it has fundamentally changed. Older, more veteran bloodmages and players may recall it as something much more practical, ritual based, with less of a focus on item creation. However, ever since Pale Bloodmagic, it seems that it attracted a new audience who had enjoyed it strictly for item creation. In a recent submission, the piece was torn both in comments and by ST because there was a fundamental disagreement on what bloodmagic should be. Rather than encompass everything, the write focused on one aspect of the magic, it’s core themes, and attempted to stick to those over parts less iconic and thematic of bloodmagic. 

 

Lore Overlap is a relatively new dilemma, and one I see harming a lot of potential lorepieces. An example of one is Runesmithing, and while there is work being done to enable a better and easier power source and justification for runesmithing, it faces the fundamental issue that it’s niche had sort of been swallowed up in the 6-7 years that it’s really been gone from the server. While this is a problem very few of the “original” magics face, and to be honest, some may be better suited for, it is an issue that Runesmithing will always be compared to something like bloodmagic, despite there being a distinct difference between the two.

 

This is something that’s not easy to retroactively patch, and something that’s hard to determine how we fix what has already been broken. Who is to deny the new generation of bloodmages all they know and like of the magic in favour of a magic which has been gone for the better part of a decade? Who is to say we should chop off 1/3rd of Paladinism’s thematic with Vestals in favour of a write which may or may not ever come? 

 

One thing is exceptionally clear however. A magic should not focus on a goal of self reliance in roleplay, save perhaps in the case of a darkmagic in a different context. Were Templars to be given a healing spell, even if not “true” healing, what would the point be should the combat end and wounds no longer really matter? Were they to receive ranged spells and attacks, does the gap simply not close between becoming another Paladin lore? Do paladins need anyone, or anything, else to support them when they sort of have a piece of everything to work with? Could bloodmagic expand further into it’s original themes with rites, rituals, and spells, while also keeping an extensive item creation that dominates over any other magic? 

 

The treatment hereon should be one more proactive, while we address the retroactive. Communities should take more insight to look over what their magic, CA, or lorepiece otherwise offers to the server. Does it need this or that, or could perhaps we find an avenue to mitigate that lapse in strength or scope of ability with roleplay? Could we utilize other pieces of lore with other groups to cooperate and better stand together against our enemies in roleplay? 

 

As management begins to figure out a way to address this issue as it exists, we will as well be implementing policies to proactively look at this going forward. That lorepieces should stick to their direct “Core” theme, and not stray from that tenet which stands as the heart of the lore. That a member of that community or beyond could look at a proposed addition or amendment and definitively say “That belongs in the lorepiece” rather than “That would be nice to have” or “This sticks out compared to the rest of the lorepiece.”. As we finalize a solution to address current issues, which would be a public announcement should there be changes coming forward, we will begin enforcing our proactive policy and drafting a new Explanation Criteria on Lore Overlap, targeted at encouraging lorepieces with their additions, amendments, or rewrites, to stick to their core themes and resist the temptation of stacking more and more parts to the magic until it’s ideal image or theme is stretched into a blur. 

 

As a quick note to touch again on runesmithing is we are working tentatively on something that would function as a proper power source or explanation using existing lore concepts without retconning in or out various parts of history to fit the narrative. This will be available for reading when it is finished and not until then, so please do not ask for a sneak peak or to discuss it before it’s even got a draft. These changes should not interfere with any writes being submitted or in draft.

 

---

 

The Shamanism Deepfreeze

 

I wanted to as well address Shamanism, and some problems faced by players, lore team, management, and administration regarding the current direction.

 

Under the lore criteria topic “Bad Lore” I very briefly touch on the idea that many lore submissions are written out of boredom, or thoughts of an idea without intent to carry it out. Unfortunately over the past year or two, we have seen a nonstop stream of submissions for Shamanism which has proved extremely difficult for players and the team to keep up with them (let alone, actually applying the changes once the lore hits pending), and harmful to the lore which is constantly being overwritten by different groups and people with different ideas that contradict one another.

 

With this, I am going to be employing a “deep freeze” embargo on shamanism as a whole, and will disallow any further rewrites and submissions indefinitely. The magic has had, in the past year, 18 different rewrites, amendments, and new submissions under its class. Beyond this in 2022, there are even more. With this in mind, I already foresee (and see) an issue in which the lore is excessively confusing with how often it is being changed, or attempted to be changed, and is actively discouraging members of the lore to read it, interact with it, or teach others. Even with this in mind, under my explanation in lore criteria topic “Story Team Oversight” and “The Lore Web”, it details how lore which is frequently changed is often requiring more and more changes. 

 

I got into this a bit above with the lore overlap paragraph, but lore that faces constant changes and rewrites will only beget more changes. It’s why personally I advocate very strongly against any form of rewrite unless a lore is completely unsalvageable, as it in every case I’ve personally witnessed only has been significantly detrimental to the magic in more than just the immediate short term. 

 

In general, we will address any critical amendments that may be needed (such as loopholes, errors, misplaced parts between lore/guide, etc.) but will disallow any further changes to Shamanism until further notice. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General Announcements, Ongoing/Upcoming Projects

 

Lore Team Recruitment

The Lore Team is not a fun team. It is hardly a gratifying team. Yet still, it is perhaps the most crucial team on the server, second to Mods. The reason LT exists is to ensure that the Lore the players use on a day-to-day basis remains balanced and RP’d correctly. LT handles enforcement of lore violations, the approval of lore items (and structures) and, most importantly, the approval or denial of lore proposals. It is a lot of janitorial paperwork - THERE IS NO WRITING. That said, the LT is rewarding for people who can put in the work and who desire a say at the table. We are currently looking for applicants who can handle a decently sized workload and who can analytically and competently review Lore without bias in a timely fashion. If you want to earn your chops as a professional nerd-poster, the LT calls for your help!

 

Event Team Recruitment

We will be specifically hunting for new ET who are driven, independent, and interested in creating larger-scale eventlines for nations and big groups. If you desire to run your own self-operating event line stories, please don’t hesitate to apply. 

 

Build Team Recruitment

As for builders, we are looking to pick back up our event activity, which is directly correlated to our builders. Working on Build Team is a very casual project which includes mina payment for every build built. This includes commissions from the team, as well as passive build projects such as event sets, monsters, and so on which you can do in your freetime or whenever you get that creative urge. If you have a skill for building and are looking for a little mina side hustle, or a greater calling to make some great event playsets, feel free to submit an application. 

 

https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forms/54-story-team-application/

 

Pantheon Project

Pantheon project has taken a bit of a halt as I go through a lot of personal hardship in these last few months, other writers occupied with work, travel, and the holidays. However, Zarsies has for the most part returned (do not ask him to read your lore, I will auto deny it, he will be unbothered!) and this puts the team back at full strength again. In the coming months we expect a handful more Aengudaemonica pieces to be released, as well as a few other ideas we have had cooking to clarify and publish old/vague lore to allow for the development and expansion of new lore, so I hope it is something we can all look forward to seeing!

 

Starting Locations 

Starting Locations was a project we’d touted to be done within the first couple months of Aevos. However, this plan never quite came to fruition. With this however, and getting back into my groove, I’m going to be resuming plans for the project and starting to stage the phases of development for the starting locations project. With this, we hope to revamp, reinvent, and clarify current and new starting locations aimed to give new players alternative backgrounds to develop their own story, and give older players new ideas with more solid lore foundations to write up. We do plan to, very cautiously, include Aeldin in this write, and will be reaching out to its creators and keepers to make sure we stay truthful to the writing, and spirit, of the lore to make sure it is solidly written. This project may take some time however, so anticipate that it may be some time before it's effects truly are visible within the playerbase.

 

 

 

Hope you guys enjoyed the reads and are happy with the changes done, and to be done. I'm still impressed with the general impression that has changed about and with lore over the past couple years of my tenure and i'm elated to see lore continue to develop, grow, thrive, and make it's way into every facet of the server.

non-reflective opinion of administration but i agree with most if not all your points here. while im coming from the point of view that for 6 years before I joined LOTC i only ever roleplayed on servers with 1 city-state kingdoms and found it jarring (BUT COOL!!!) that there were multiple on LOTC, I don't think i am alone in saying that too many realms harms not only the playerbase at large, but server culture and new players arriving.

 

I think vassalage has been something that is so strangely shunned, maybe maly is right about possessive PROs/ROs (but im unsure how to really solve that, other than maybe saying NLs can't eminent-domain their vassals, but im pretty sure they already can't?) being the root cause of the issue, but it is so frustrating to me how isolative communities are and immediately hostile to anything but the hugbox. I'll bully them because they are short but Halflings are an example, with functioning vassals last map, and getting a settlement right at fuckin cloud temple which was still mostly empty after being told by Llir they'd get an exception where they couldn't expand and could just exist, to now this map them owning a ton of tiles despite still being that same settlement (and were they to be conquested, i'm sure they'd just get another settlement, similar to how Nevaehlen has gotten one)

I think its silly that the ideas of conquest we'd worked out during Itdontmatta's tenure being that we wouldn't allow people to just make new settlements elsewhere was completely forgotten about as soon as it started happening again, what is the point other than to cause animosity between playerbases?

 

There is so much cool availability between playing in a nation rather than playing a gimped map painter game outside it. I don't know how to solve it myself because I think there are greater root issues than just easy allowance by admins (despite during mapdev my policy was that moderation team would design and implement their own standards and acceptance policy for new realms, but somehow that got absorbed to just being one person who decides y/n - but thats a different set of gripes I have). I know my argument is imperfect and my opinion isn't correct by any means, nor is it close to it, it's simply a different style of roleplay for a different style of person. Maybe war should be easier, maybe there should be a different vetting process, maybe activity should return (it was planned and agreed upon during Mapdev that we'd maintain a 1% activity check, but i have no idea why that never happened), but it's frustrating nontheless because I think isolationism/tribalism in nations just serves to further divide and harm the server and its playerbases than it does to provide any form of cozy small group roleplay.

 

Something too that frustrates me about the signatures is that it isn't really double-checked at all. An example of one of the realms you mentioned doesn't even have players on it's region from it's signatures. 

 

Unfortunately I don't think there will be change anytime soon because it's not just my decision to make. maybe i'm wrong though, we'll see. 

 

SYMBOL: The Horse

DOMAINS: Courage, Resolve, Determination

STATUS: Alive

 

 

ORIGIN

 Steelen Heart of The First War 

 

Though written record of this time in history is long gone and mythical tales by word of mouth serve as only proof of it’s existence, none bore witness to bloodshed more than Courage. When Iblees, the Archdaemon, waged his war against the four brothers in The First War, Aeriel sent four angels to the mortal plane in order to side the brothers and their kin in battle. Perpatiael, Gavrael, Jophiael, and Malchediael, all took the physical forms of weapons as they fully descended to the mortal plane permanently. Considered exceptionally risky, each Aengul knew that doing so meant certain death, were their forms to be broken; and yet Courage himself felt strength with his heart steeled. Aerial herself delivered these four weapons to the four brothers; a falchion for Malin, a sword for Horen, a hammer for Urguan, and an axe for Krug. This axe would come to be known as the Axe of Krug; a symbol of Orcs’ forefather’s strength and valour.

 

It was Krug, ancestor of the Orcs, who first resisted Iblees’s false promises and defied him openly. And so it was that Malchadiael in the form of an axe was granted to Krug, where the latter was unknowingly granted the Angel of Courage’s own strength to persevere against the corrupting influence of Iblees. Malchadiael’s assistance, alongside the assistance of his fellow angels, aided the Four Brothers in holding off the forces of the Archdemon long enough for the joint forces of the deities to shatter Iblees’s army. With the First War over and Iblees’ curse fully enacting itself upon the Four Brothers and their children, Aeriel believed it was time for all Aenguls to return to the heavens. However, The Golden Weapons had sealed their fates forevermore. Each artefact was left within the hands of their respective brother onward, Malchediael firmly within the grasp of Krug for millenia. 

 

II

The Second Descent, The Stonebreaker

 

Once more the presence of the four weapons were required together upon the mortal plane as Iblees made his return in the realm of Aegis. Malchediael’s Axe and was safeguarded to the Ascended long ago, alongside the other three weapons. In an attempt to return the axe to a descendent of Krug and Warlord of all orcs, Mogroka’Gorkil, a company of ascended had left the safety of their keep to San’jezal to deliver so.  However, in an ambush which had decimated the company and sent them in flee, the weapon was lost to Iblees’ undead, who had returned it to an abandoned fortress near Kal’urguan, beginning an occult communion to return the angelic weapon to their dark master. 

 

It was then that Urir Ireheart, Clanfather to Clan Ireheart, had heard report from dwarven patrols of undead sightings near the old fort. Blessed by Dungrimm, and witnessing the destruction that Ruin had brought to the lands of Aegis, Urir Ireheart lead an expedition of dwarves; sworn to return or to die in glory; to the fortress. 

 

It was a battle where many died, and many broken; yet Urir displayed bravery unbound, that even in the face of death itself, he fought without hesitation or second thought. In this witness of true, undeterred courage, Malchediael lent himself to the hand of Urir Ireheart; who slaughtered the remaining undead with mighty ease. His axe and his men bloodied, the dwarf accrued a title that day, one which would be sun even to this day; Bane of The Undead. 

 

In the waning hours of Aegis when all would seem lost, when the continent was overrun and all cities ashen fields, that whilst many chose to board ships which would flee to now what is known as Asulon, few would accept an insult so grave upon their people. 

 

Urir Ireheart, alongside Kjell Ireheart and Valen Grandaxe, ventured into the nether to take the fight to Iblees himself at The Nexus in order to stave off the invasion. Though it is unknown what had happened after the portal to The Nether had shut, and Kjell Ireheart speaking little of conquest from which he was the only one to return living; it is sure that they had failed in killing Iblees or destroying The Nexus, but succeeded in giving descendants the time they had needed to escape extinction.

 

It was in Athera where the undead would return again after centuries of chase given to descendants, and the axe returned- in the arm of an undead Urir Ireheart. Tainted by untold time within the Archdaemon’s realm, the weapon was corrupted and Malchediael shielded only by his strength alone; doubts eating away at the edges of his mind as the will to survive stood greater than the influence Iblees had expended to see him further tormented. Falling into a deep slumber within the axe, the weapon was wielded as a weapon amongst the undead armies until the Final Siege of Fi’andria.

 

As Nemiisae’s burrowing sons and daughters, The Mori’Quessir, thwart his conquests and inadvertently kill hordes of undead, Iblees prepared a strike to slaughter the aspect in a single swing for her audacity, and cut off Aspect support to the descendants.. Though the siege of The Grove was bloody, it was by proxy as Iblees raised his arm, and mirroring through realms, the undead raised their arms as well. Executing a swing, the axe of Krug, Malchediael, was slammed into the aspect stone of Nemiisae.

 

It was in a show of awe that the stars themselves moved to get a glimpse; the axe broke upon the stone, and in an explosion of golden light, Malchediael had awoken from his sleep, and freed himself from the axe which had ensnared him for centuries. Seeing the stunning confusion  of the servants of Balance, Order, Purity, and further which would soon come to witness this re-birthing of an Aengul, Iblees had taken flight with the weakened Aengul and disappeared offward. Seeing his retreat, the undead fled in return to Drauchreich, where what few would make it would share tale of what they’d seen, and their slaughter at the hands of descendants as they fled from the continent. 

 

 

HISTORY

The Moon Knight

 

As Descendants and aenguls alike breathed relief as Fi’andria was spared by coincidence of Malchediael’s rebirth, Courage would find himself treading a dark path as Ruin found a new vessel to manipulate and mould. Given time to restore power and find strength again, Courage was left in a state of amnesia. From his great slumber he entered in the hands of the undead as the Axe of Krug, he remembered nothing of the time before; and even little of the time after. For all he’d recalled, he was a soldier of the undead; of Iblees, a weapon of destruction and a tool to dismantle the weak and craven. 

 

It was in this time, under tutelage of Ruin himself, where Malchediael became the right hand of The Archdaemon. In a time of great planar conquest, Iblees shunned even his favoured son Azdromoth in the pure destructive power and sheer unbreakable will of Malchediael. In the decades that followed, universal planes host to thousands of creatures, troves of resources, and even continents upon Aos, were left a gray ashen waste in the wake of Malchediael and his forces. An inept general, but among the greatest fighters who had ever lived; even in half-descent was he able to tread into cities, razing them alone within a night. His mind still a fog, his thoughts still plagued with the whispers of Ruin’s lies and deceit; some cultures even sharing to this day tale of a Knight who Cometh at Moon which brought ruin to everything they had once had. A lone rider upon a horse which brought pox upon men, salt upon fields, fire upon cities, and bloodshed to armies. 

 

Still, in this fog, Courage had felt nothing but blistering might from the surge that darkness itself granted him. Iblees had bestowed upon him an enemy; that which from all evil could come from. The Aengul of New Beginnings, Gazardiel, whom would act as the greatest rival for Malchediael as his enigmatic mission and sparing presence brought worry to Courage.

 

It was upon Vailor in which the Drakaar Gudour, still given some semblance of self-reflection by The Sword of Horen which he had been entrusted with, battled anything he could. In a rampage, Malchediael appeared before the shattered Drakaar, the blackened knight and right hand of Iblees, who had wished to fight the suicidal Night Terror. Though Malchediael may have been better skilled as descendants lay in bloodied mess between the throes of Drakaar and Aengul, Gudour had wielded one of the Golden Weapons; Jophiael; Malchediael’s favoured sister. And although Courage understood the weapon wielded by Gudour was of great power, his fog prevented him from understanding what it had truly meant for him; that is, until Gudour had slashed it upside the Aengul.

 

As Gudour’s blade Jophiael rended Malchediael from heel to head, the Aengul of Enlightenment within The Sword of Horen granted him clarity; the fog of Iblees broken, as the bloodied and broken knight was left to bleed out in the dirt. As Gudour stormed offward, Malchediael was not only left with a lingering clarity from his awoken brother, but stunned as revelations of all came to his mind. The true extent of Iblees’ betrayal, the destruction and death Malchediael had caused needlessly, the true craven he had become as a puppet of Ruin unknowingly. Lain in the mud in a pool of deific blood, Malchediael had much time to think upon the brink of death; the only rest he would get for what would come next.

 

III

The Sun Knight

 

It was in a complete, thought-obscuring rage which Malchediael had entered after his enlightenment. Fueled by shame, regret, and betrayal, Courage had sought to destroy whatever of Ruin he could find. Though Iblees’ blessings had faltered from him, years later as he half-healed, Malchediael still remained mighty enough to take on Inferic forces in half-descent with ease, bloodlust cursing him as did his former wielder to cause Ruin as much pain as he could deliver. 

 

Despite this, Malchediael never had forgotten the boon which was bestowed upon him- willingly or not- from Jophiael. Knowing he was still within the hands of the self-destructive Drakaar Gudour, it became his mission to liberate his blade-sister; no matter however long it may have taken to do so. He’d as well try and make amends to descendants from which he would fight alongside; reading from them what true courage had meant to a mortal. 

 

It was through varied nations which Malchediael under guise of a hedge-knight served within; From Haense and Oren, to Krugmar and The Aeldinic Empire, to study what it meant to be truly brave. As they all had fought against evil and tyranny of their own, both Daemonic in nature and not, how could Courage call himself so if he had godly powers against ungodly foes?

 

As he served alongside descendants of Krug, of Horen, of Urguan and of Malin, doubts continued to plague his mind as he saw even against the greatest of odds, descendants continued to struggle against the infinite dark. 

 

It was under the study of Gereon “Christ” de Savoie where he saw the spark of Krug in every descendant. He watched as untrained levymen stood their ground against an overwhelming host of knights and undead; paupers stood up to their overbearing lieges, bastards rising their banners against kings. He watched as the Orcs fought to rise in society, from the weakest clanless orc climb his way through raw and potent strength to Rex, from dwarves which stubbornly refused to stop digging deeper as more and more creatures of the dark infiltrated their mines. Elves which, despite dwindling numbers, always held their ground to the last man; killing a dozen for each son and daughter of malin slain. He saw a spark of the very same defiance, courage, and determination that Krug had shown him millenia ago. It burned brighter than he could ever imagine, a fact of daily life as descendants fought against adversity everywhere, everyday.

 

It was under Gereon in which The King who Never Was, Azdromoth, burnt villages and caravans along the roads of Vailor. Causing terror from peasant to king with black dragonfire, Azdromoth brought once again the face of ruin to Malchediael’s mind; requiring him every ounce of strength to not descend in full and destroy Iblees’ favourite son. 

 

And yet he did not have to; as descendants fought against Azdromoth, so too did Malchediael join them; The Archdrakaar faltering and fleeing as ballista and arrow broke upon and through his scales, as blades rended at his wings and Malchediael’s very presence burning at his soul from utter hatred. Courage had witnessed his embodiment within the denizens of Vailor which struggled against Azdromoth’s raids, and though his wings were large enough to swallow cities, they continued to fight against him undeterred.

 

It was only to Gereon which he made his true identity known; granting him his blessing of courage, vitality, and strength, to always fight against agents of Ruin; and perhaps even still, Gazardiel. 

 

IV

Brotherkeeper

 

It was in a return to Athera once more where Malchediael’s redemption would take place. As Descendants meddled about Arcas, squabbling over petty wars and small magicks, few decided to venture back to Athera oncemore to plunder the ruins of empires old, and visit places their ancestors had once walked. Deep beneath the earth near Kal’Karaad did The Night Terror, Gudour, lay in restless sleep upon the border of corruption. Jophiael in hand, Malchediael sought to at any cost, liberate his sister from the hands of a maddened son of Dragur. Despite his speed at the first hearing of the news, it seemed revenge would never come to satisfy Malchediael as he’d come moments too late.

 

As descendant forces stood over the dying body of Gudour, Malchediael appeared upon horseback; The Sword of Horen, Jophiael, had called to him in a way only another Aengul may have. Taking her in hand, and unallowing of wounded and beaten challengers to approach forth, Malchediael held his sister high; the first of three in his goals.

 

Gavrael, The Falchion of Malin, was held tightly within the hand of one of Malin’s sons; Kairn Ithelanen, whom had been granted the blade from Aenor Calithil- one of the eldest elven fighters, and chief of many armies. In respect to both his strength and courage which had led Kairn to forge both Kingdoms and Armies by his will alone, that a disguised Malchediael had challenged him for the right to bear the blade which entrapped his brother. Despite the thought of fighting an illusive stranger in one-on-one combat for the artefact of his race, Kairn easily accepted- something that Courage had deeply respected for showing so boldly against him.

 

The two fought, and though Kairn was well experienced, he stood little chance against an Aengul whom had seen millenia of battle, both as weapon and wielder of it; even if holding back his deific strength and prowess, and suppressing the premonition Jophiael had granted him. In the midst of battle in a single swing did Malchediael cleave the sword-arm of Kairn which had held the Falchion, Malchediael calling an end to the duel even if Kairn had wished to continue the fight. Despite this, Evar’tir Oranor, a clan member of Kairn, had wished to continue the fight; or at least challenge Malchediael. Bearing the divine right of a son of Malin to wield his blade  against an Aengul whom claimed it as his brother. The following duel was as curt as the last; the would-be Prince of Elvenesse lain upon the stone by Courage itself, as it pointed The Sword of Horen at his very throat. 

 

In acceptance of the terms, The Falchion of Malin, and Gavrael within it, was granted to Malchediael; the blade of peace aligning his swelling lust for vengeance within, at least mildly. Only one of his brothers remained; Perpetiael, within The Hammer of Urguan.

 

V

The End of New Beginnings

 

Although Malchediael was still weakened from his abrupt awakening upon The Aspect stone of Nemiisae and wounded from the rending slash of Jophiael and Gudour, Courage did not spare a moment to heal as he’d still rode across the planes to avenge what honor Iblees had besmirched of him. As a bleeding star flew over Arcas, with Metzli’s corpse falling from the sky, Courage summoned himself to the battle that was sure to come. The invasion of the Inferi had begun as descendants began to fight against the forces of Moz’Strimoza and The Nether once again. Although Iblees’ strings upon him were cut long ago, one enemy still remained; Gazardiel; whom had hidden himself for centuries from The Aengul. Malchediael was troubled, as he could not remember; even given the clarity of Jophiael; if he had truly sought to end Gazardiel, or if Iblees’ insidious manipulation continued to give poisonous thoughts to him. With the battle that was to come, Malchediael began to grant his blessings again; an order of the most courageous fighters of Humanity, Elves, Orcs, and Dwarfkind to struggle against the darkness with the imbuements of Courage. With knights by his side, other deities began to take notice to the unchained hound that Malchediael was; wishing one way or another, to have him upon their side.

 

As Descendants struggled to initially mount a fighting force against the demonic hordes, Malchediael felt a pang of agony; one which he did not understand the origin of. Perhaps Iblees had sensed his presence once more alongside descendants? Maybe even Jophiael trying to convey some message to him. Despite foresight, it was only a day later when he had heard the news; Perpetiael, The Hammer of Urguan, was stolen from the strong Grandmarshal Dimlin Irongut. His last brother which he’d wished to reclaim above anything else was in the hands of his greatest enemy, and that whom he’d deemed the greatest coward of all; Iblees.

 

It was through the cautious and careful whisperings of Tayl, one of the few Aengudaemons not seen as part of some establishment or order, where he’d been told a half-truth; one which had all he needed to hear; or perhaps, wanted. Gazardiel was at cause for this all; and Gazardiel would appear soon, in the hour of twilight for all descendantkind. Malchediael conveyed this to his knights, and prepared for the worst as the battle would eventually commence, The Final Battle of Arcas.

 

Standing high above the armies of Oren, Urguan, and Aegrothond, with Aeriel, Xan, Tahariae, and Eshtael at his side in an unlikely and uncomfortable alliance did Malchediael only seek one enemy of the thousands they would face ahead of them. One goal he shared in common among the rest of the present Aenguls, who fought for order, balance, purity and the common good; the death of Gazardiel, a craven and a betrayer. Imbueing their blades with golden flame, steeling their hearts with courage, and ensuring them with vitality unbound, Malchediael and his host flew forward to break upon the camp and battle with demons and horrors from beyond this realm and the next. 

 

Another pang of pain was felt; and a scream which bloodied the ears of any Aengudaemon, causing them to chill with fear if for but a moment; even Malchediael had been stunned by it. Eshtael, in her half-descent, had been struck by a Zar’akal in flight with The Hammer of Urguan. Perpetiael awoke within the weapon, the entrapped Aengul beckoning for side as Eshtael slammed into the earth, bleeding starlight. Malchediael’s efforts focused as he’d chased the demon-bat-backed imp, abandoning his former fight as he’d flown deep behind enemy lines to retrieve so. The mount in an instant slashed in half, and diced to pieces as the imp was left to plummet to it’s true death, Malchediael retrieved his brother who called not to be with him; but in the hands of the rightful dwarf Jorvin once more. In respect of the dwarven Grand King who had lost popularity beyond his control for losing the weapon, Malchediael bestowed it upon him in the midst of battle; Gazardiel stood before the hatchling egg of Iblees, with Courage surging forth without fear. Despite The Spear of Brev, and artefact which could kill him with ease, by his side in the hands of Murdok’Lak, and The Hammer of Urguan in the hands of Jorvin Starbreaker; the four golden weapons and god-killer spear would stand against Gazardiel who stood alone.

 

The Aengul of New Beginnings, obsessed with restarting the Age of Mathic once again, had began to prepare the end of all as even the furthest Aengudaemons sensed what was about to become. In the flash of a moment, The Spear of Brev was thrown directly into the chest of Gazardiel; pinning him against the egg which would once again awake Iblees. Perpetiael, The Hammer of Urguan in hand, Grand King Jorvin Starbreaker heroically crashed the mighty awakened hammer into the skull of Gazardiel; crushing it as the Aengulic weapon brought the millenias of might upon it. In an act of albeit too swift vengeance, Malchediael finished the assault with a single slice of Jophiael; The Sword of Horen separating Gazardiel’s head from his shoulders. As the great spell which would begin the cycle of existence anew tore asunder, Arcas began to shred apart as a bright light exploded outward from Gazardiel’s corpse. His mantle consumed by Iblees who would once again awaken, retreating to The Nether as the battle was won. As all forces were shoved backwards, Perpetiael seen melted away as The Hammer of Urguan was likely destroyed; Gavrael perhaps too with it, The Falchion of Malin exploding to pieces which would fall thousands of miles from where they’d once stood together upon Malchediael’s side. Although most clearly was Jophiael seen, the sword-aengul melting to Courage’s form for a brief moment before appearing again at his side. The wash of demons would be cleaned up in a heroic second wind by descendants, what was left unslaughtered fled in the shock and awe of an Aengulic death; not to mention, the most powerful of them all. Malchediael felt the surge of victory as he joined with them, noticing all too easily how Eshtael and Aeriel had merely stood and watched in petrifying terror as he and descendants cleaned up what would spell their end.

 

 

FOLLOWING

The Templars

 

The Templars of Malchediael are warriors, fighters, leaders and courageous descendants who bear the blessing of Malchediael. A bit of his strength in each of them, The Templars serve to show courage by never backing down from a challenge which may present to themselves, or whomever else they fight alongside. Destroyers of evil, of the craven who cheat death, manipulators and liars, and even one another should they display even an inkling of fear. They mirror their blessing father who would continue to wage an unending war against Iblees and his servants, fighting in his image in an unending battle that descendants must always fight. 

 

Malchediael, in a somewhat lofty goal, seeks to re-make the world in an image of bravery, and might- the strong defending the weak, without room for deceivers or those who may quiver in fear at death or darkspawn. The blessing first given to Gereon de Savoie, and once again to Evar’tir Oranor, they work independently of The Aengul to fight alongside him and with his goals in mind; an order which he made in the image of descendants to bring out their truest bravery and determination to keep fighting. Unrelying on him to function, Templars serve as a reminder that courage is found within themselves inherently; it is not a gift, nor is it a toy. Courage is a weapon which should be used by all descendants to drive evil from one another; it is not an Aengudaemon’s duty to do so for them. 

 

Present Day

The Brothers Separated, Inseparable 

 

Current, Malchediael’s whereabouts are somewhat unknown; though sparing glimpses of him are still heard of, Jophiael continues to cloud his mind. Unknowing if Malchediael’s goals and missions are his own or of his blade which has been kept at his side for centuries, The Aengul of Courage travels from plane to plane, destroying any sense or sight of Iblees and his presence upon them with demonic invasions from Moz’Strimoza. As well, in flight throughout the infinite dark, taking courage to the outermost bounds of the mortal plane and destroying any who would dare slip past The Veil.

 

It is as well considerable his desire to establish himself as a proper Aengudaemon; not possessing a realm himself, it seemed even the most unworthy such as Yeu Rthulu had borne a realm to themselves at one point. It is not recognition he seeks; but respect he demands; from his counterparts which view him directly as a tool. And although he and his following are in good graces with Paladins and Clerics of the modern day, he seeks to prove to their respective Aenguls that he is no unchained weapon, broken free by mistake; but the greatest, and most true to his purpose, of them all. It is through sheer manipulation that Xan and Tahariae keep him oriented, giving him clarity of Jophiael whom he is clueless to truly understand with her enigmatic purpose.

 

PURPOSE

Explanation

 

Malchediael is one of our most popular and well known deities, and is well deserving of a write that properly respects his status and history. Although it is extensive, this comprehensive history does cover almost entirely in-game events and goals known to both players and staff in control of the Aengul. Malchediael is quite different from the rest of the Aenguls, where some may be viewed as more timid, The Aengul of Courage is exceptionally violent and destructive, yet more productive than many others with these tendencies. 

 

Although Malchediael is likely out of commission for some time due to his extensive time in the spotlight to make room for other stories to develop, his legacy endures in both player lore and history where he impacts stories of characters and more, and will continue to likely forever onward.

 

Credit:

Riftblade/Ulmo - Inspiration, Consultation, Resource, Basis of Writing

Mordu - Black Books of Drauchreim, References

ScreamingDingo - Consultation

Werew0lf - Formatting

SquakHawk - Writing