Archanex Jotham
02-11-11, 03:32 AM
~I~
After recent events in his life, Archanex Jotham, overmage, went into hiding. Under the watchful eye of the Hedge Magi circle in Underwood, Archanex found a new place to educate himself in the ways of sorcery. Reverting to a more ritualistic way of life, Archanex rarely surfaced from the secret library of the Hedge Magi. Many types of sorcerers worked in secret underneath the unblinking eyes of the watch. The local noble-folk turned a blind eye to the secret dealings of the Hedge Magi so long as those secret fellows protected the very same ilk from the creatures of the night.
It was an arrangement forged in the shadows. The Hedge Magi could continue to practice their paganistic rituals, so long as they obeyed the laws of the land. They did. They were a tax-paying, hard working lot that oft took initiates from the adventuring folk that came from Underwood, Scara Brae and even Radasanth herself. The Hedge Magi were an indiscriminate lot by the very nature of their trade. The secrets in their possessions could change the course of history! It took years of study for an initiate to become a ranking member of the Hedge Magi. Archanex was working on achieving just that specific goal.
Within the Hedge Magi's headquarters, an edifice located within Concordia Forest and not in the jurisdiction of The Watch, hundreds of men and women studied and worked. Together, the secret society formed the elite minds of Corone's greatest asset. Magi of all orders were welcome, and all were allowed to prosper within the design of the group. Archanex knew this because he had recently become an Initiate of the Hedge Magi of Underwood. The headquarters of the Hedge Magi was little more than a small fort that was located to the East of Underwood in Concordia Forest.
Certain aspects of the fort were open to public scrutiny. Of course, with such sensitive powers at their disposal, the Hedge Magi had the authority to block off whole areas of the fort to the public eye. This authority cast the heart of superstition and fear into some of the members of the surrounding communities. It was a dark world after all. Filled with mystery and secrets. Members of the Hedge Magi affected all aspects of Corone life, ranking members were rumoured to be embedded within the Corone's new Empire. Carefully whispering to the viceroys' ears with manipulative silver tongues. But those rumours were urban legends at best.
The turbulence within Corone's general populace had become quite evident. Youth from all races risked certain death to attempt to protest against the Corone Empire. Propagandists were everywhere. Groups of anarchists and other anti-regime militants were popping up faster than one could turn around. The axe of the executioner oft found itself at the neck of many of these young activists. Memories of the Gissela Massacre fresh on the minds of many of these rebellious men and women. Even outside of the Hedge Magi's headquarters, propagandist graffiti was evident. Try as the Magi might to remove it and remain neutral, the propagandists found new and increasingly clever methods to attempt to trick the befuddled Hedge Magi.
Swearing an oath of neutrality was a serious matter for the Hedge Magi. Though they could defend themselves and their interests, they carefully opted out of government matters. Wisely so. People caught siding with the anarchist movement would suffer extreme punishment. So to keep a fog of neutrality against the tide of war, the Hedge Magi stopped attempting to remove the anarchist propaganda and allowed anarchists to openly protest on their ground. At the same time, members of social elites that supported the Empire were allowed on grounds to state their peace and arrest those upstarts who proved too dangerous for their own good. Which was more oft than not.
The propagandists of either side were allowed neutral grounds to state the precepts of their specific cause. In exchange, the Hedge Magi practiced without much scrutiny. It was rumoured that some Hedge Magi were even highly skilled Umbramancers and Necromancers! Those secrets were also rumours.
***
Mother-
So I study.
Endlessly do I search for the key to unlock the secrets of my power. The hidden teachings of the Overmage. I know now that my people herald from another star, not native to Althanas. The world of Althanas has become a haven for the dark, no longer a sanctuary for the followers of the light. I try to struggle against the changing times, against the angst of a generation. In my attempt to struggle, I try to understand the rage of that same generation. Freedom was robbed by their own leaders.
I have seen that all too oft on many worlds. The collapses of whole societies, governments greedy for power who use military tactics on their own people. I saw two towers felled by the rage of a leader so corrupt, his heart was as black as the oil he greedily fought whole wars for. I have seen the fall of Radasanth. Once, Radasanth was hailed as the birth-place of the Hero. No longer. Now, the city has become dark and lost, the birth-place of the Villain. Vile, full of hate, an entire generation's loss became my pain.
I have seen much in my day.
Mother. I am writing to you not as your son, Archanex Jotham, but as Jotham the White. A Magus of the new order. I am writing to tell you to bring more of our people to Althanas. They can be a great people, these Althanians. They only need a light to guide them through the darkness that is coming. They need Heroes to show them the way back to the light. Mother. I am writing to you for that purpose. Bring our people to Althanas. I implore thee. An age of enlightenment must be had by these people once more if they are to survive the coming darkness...
The darkness of their own design.
***
Son-
After hearing your plea, I have converged with the forces of our leadership body. We understand your plight and your reasoning. Our resources are quite limited at this time, please understand. But it has been agreed and decreed that we shall be the light that you can call upon. I have studied the secret markings that you have placed within your last parcel and have returned to you markings of my own. Study them well, learn your craft well. Though we cannot send you the numbers you have requested, my son, we can send you some numbers. A small platoon of our people will come to join you on the day of midsummer's eve the following year this letter reaches you. They shall come to the Concordia Forest you speak so fondly of.
I am sorry that I cannot come to you myself. Matters are going on in our star which needs attending. Matters which cannot be ignored. If they are ignored they shall affect your star of Althanas. You, my son, was chosen to become the defender of Althanas. We have sacrificed much to bring you to Althanas. Our son. The son of the Overmage.
Use your resources well against the coming darkness. Help is coming. Write me again when you have received the help that you require...
I love you always.
Your Mother.
XXXX (Secret)
After the last letter was received, Archanex exhaled powerfully. The room he was seated in was deep within the fort of the Hedge Magi. It was a secret ritual that allowed Archanex to communicate with his people in a distant star. Help is coming, and I do-not have to face these challenges alone. Archanex thought. After his deep meditation session was over, he stood up from the fancy rug he sat on. His room was a simplistically decorated one. A casual oak table sat in one corner of the chamber, various documents visible upon the surface of the table.
A single door was the only way in, the windows and curtains completely open. Calls from the birds and animals of Concordia Forest could be heard even at his position in the fort of the Hedge Magi. Archanex was a tall specimen for the usually short Magus. He ran his hand through his long dreadlocks for a moment and walked over to a candle. He blew it out, wax dripped from the top of the candle sliding down to the small container. A powerful scent of smoke filled the air for a few moment, the wick of the candle streaming the substance into the air. Archanex took a deep inhalation of the smoke.
As a pyromancer, Archanex liked fire and heat. Though he was, by no means, a psychotic individual, the pyromantic powers made him hot-blooded. Taking a small blunt filled with the cannibus herbs, Archanex lit it with his finger tips. He summoned a quick pull of his Dynamic Explosion power, and felt the fire ripple from his very soul.
He was an overmage. Not native to the world of Althanas he had become so fond of, Archanex was a orphan. His homeworld was a thing of the past despite the fact that he communed with his parents quite oft. He needed help. Currently, he stood in the chamber skyclad (Naked), and he decided it was high time to dress. He wrapped himself in the Hedge Magi robes, the outfit bearing the marks of one of Underwood's many groups and guilds. Once Archanex dressed, he took a deep pull of the sweet smoke of the cannibus blunt. It tasted sweet against his lungs. He put the fire embers of the blunt out against the palm of his right hand. Feeling the pain, he smiled briefly, closing his eyes at the same time.
Once the task was done, he pocketed the cannibus blunt, along with a steady supply of cannibus herbs kept in a basic pouch. Many of the youth of Corone smoked, it was a pleasant pastime. Archanex had a goal that day. He wanted to discover a certain secret, a secret that would forever changed Jotham the White into the man he would become for the rest of his days. Archanex gathered his belongings and prepared to seek out the head of the Magi order...
....his current Master.
After recent events in his life, Archanex Jotham, overmage, went into hiding. Under the watchful eye of the Hedge Magi circle in Underwood, Archanex found a new place to educate himself in the ways of sorcery. Reverting to a more ritualistic way of life, Archanex rarely surfaced from the secret library of the Hedge Magi. Many types of sorcerers worked in secret underneath the unblinking eyes of the watch. The local noble-folk turned a blind eye to the secret dealings of the Hedge Magi so long as those secret fellows protected the very same ilk from the creatures of the night.
It was an arrangement forged in the shadows. The Hedge Magi could continue to practice their paganistic rituals, so long as they obeyed the laws of the land. They did. They were a tax-paying, hard working lot that oft took initiates from the adventuring folk that came from Underwood, Scara Brae and even Radasanth herself. The Hedge Magi were an indiscriminate lot by the very nature of their trade. The secrets in their possessions could change the course of history! It took years of study for an initiate to become a ranking member of the Hedge Magi. Archanex was working on achieving just that specific goal.
Within the Hedge Magi's headquarters, an edifice located within Concordia Forest and not in the jurisdiction of The Watch, hundreds of men and women studied and worked. Together, the secret society formed the elite minds of Corone's greatest asset. Magi of all orders were welcome, and all were allowed to prosper within the design of the group. Archanex knew this because he had recently become an Initiate of the Hedge Magi of Underwood. The headquarters of the Hedge Magi was little more than a small fort that was located to the East of Underwood in Concordia Forest.
Certain aspects of the fort were open to public scrutiny. Of course, with such sensitive powers at their disposal, the Hedge Magi had the authority to block off whole areas of the fort to the public eye. This authority cast the heart of superstition and fear into some of the members of the surrounding communities. It was a dark world after all. Filled with mystery and secrets. Members of the Hedge Magi affected all aspects of Corone life, ranking members were rumoured to be embedded within the Corone's new Empire. Carefully whispering to the viceroys' ears with manipulative silver tongues. But those rumours were urban legends at best.
The turbulence within Corone's general populace had become quite evident. Youth from all races risked certain death to attempt to protest against the Corone Empire. Propagandists were everywhere. Groups of anarchists and other anti-regime militants were popping up faster than one could turn around. The axe of the executioner oft found itself at the neck of many of these young activists. Memories of the Gissela Massacre fresh on the minds of many of these rebellious men and women. Even outside of the Hedge Magi's headquarters, propagandist graffiti was evident. Try as the Magi might to remove it and remain neutral, the propagandists found new and increasingly clever methods to attempt to trick the befuddled Hedge Magi.
Swearing an oath of neutrality was a serious matter for the Hedge Magi. Though they could defend themselves and their interests, they carefully opted out of government matters. Wisely so. People caught siding with the anarchist movement would suffer extreme punishment. So to keep a fog of neutrality against the tide of war, the Hedge Magi stopped attempting to remove the anarchist propaganda and allowed anarchists to openly protest on their ground. At the same time, members of social elites that supported the Empire were allowed on grounds to state their peace and arrest those upstarts who proved too dangerous for their own good. Which was more oft than not.
The propagandists of either side were allowed neutral grounds to state the precepts of their specific cause. In exchange, the Hedge Magi practiced without much scrutiny. It was rumoured that some Hedge Magi were even highly skilled Umbramancers and Necromancers! Those secrets were also rumours.
***
Mother-
So I study.
Endlessly do I search for the key to unlock the secrets of my power. The hidden teachings of the Overmage. I know now that my people herald from another star, not native to Althanas. The world of Althanas has become a haven for the dark, no longer a sanctuary for the followers of the light. I try to struggle against the changing times, against the angst of a generation. In my attempt to struggle, I try to understand the rage of that same generation. Freedom was robbed by their own leaders.
I have seen that all too oft on many worlds. The collapses of whole societies, governments greedy for power who use military tactics on their own people. I saw two towers felled by the rage of a leader so corrupt, his heart was as black as the oil he greedily fought whole wars for. I have seen the fall of Radasanth. Once, Radasanth was hailed as the birth-place of the Hero. No longer. Now, the city has become dark and lost, the birth-place of the Villain. Vile, full of hate, an entire generation's loss became my pain.
I have seen much in my day.
Mother. I am writing to you not as your son, Archanex Jotham, but as Jotham the White. A Magus of the new order. I am writing to tell you to bring more of our people to Althanas. They can be a great people, these Althanians. They only need a light to guide them through the darkness that is coming. They need Heroes to show them the way back to the light. Mother. I am writing to you for that purpose. Bring our people to Althanas. I implore thee. An age of enlightenment must be had by these people once more if they are to survive the coming darkness...
The darkness of their own design.
***
Son-
After hearing your plea, I have converged with the forces of our leadership body. We understand your plight and your reasoning. Our resources are quite limited at this time, please understand. But it has been agreed and decreed that we shall be the light that you can call upon. I have studied the secret markings that you have placed within your last parcel and have returned to you markings of my own. Study them well, learn your craft well. Though we cannot send you the numbers you have requested, my son, we can send you some numbers. A small platoon of our people will come to join you on the day of midsummer's eve the following year this letter reaches you. They shall come to the Concordia Forest you speak so fondly of.
I am sorry that I cannot come to you myself. Matters are going on in our star which needs attending. Matters which cannot be ignored. If they are ignored they shall affect your star of Althanas. You, my son, was chosen to become the defender of Althanas. We have sacrificed much to bring you to Althanas. Our son. The son of the Overmage.
Use your resources well against the coming darkness. Help is coming. Write me again when you have received the help that you require...
I love you always.
Your Mother.
XXXX (Secret)
After the last letter was received, Archanex exhaled powerfully. The room he was seated in was deep within the fort of the Hedge Magi. It was a secret ritual that allowed Archanex to communicate with his people in a distant star. Help is coming, and I do-not have to face these challenges alone. Archanex thought. After his deep meditation session was over, he stood up from the fancy rug he sat on. His room was a simplistically decorated one. A casual oak table sat in one corner of the chamber, various documents visible upon the surface of the table.
A single door was the only way in, the windows and curtains completely open. Calls from the birds and animals of Concordia Forest could be heard even at his position in the fort of the Hedge Magi. Archanex was a tall specimen for the usually short Magus. He ran his hand through his long dreadlocks for a moment and walked over to a candle. He blew it out, wax dripped from the top of the candle sliding down to the small container. A powerful scent of smoke filled the air for a few moment, the wick of the candle streaming the substance into the air. Archanex took a deep inhalation of the smoke.
As a pyromancer, Archanex liked fire and heat. Though he was, by no means, a psychotic individual, the pyromantic powers made him hot-blooded. Taking a small blunt filled with the cannibus herbs, Archanex lit it with his finger tips. He summoned a quick pull of his Dynamic Explosion power, and felt the fire ripple from his very soul.
He was an overmage. Not native to the world of Althanas he had become so fond of, Archanex was a orphan. His homeworld was a thing of the past despite the fact that he communed with his parents quite oft. He needed help. Currently, he stood in the chamber skyclad (Naked), and he decided it was high time to dress. He wrapped himself in the Hedge Magi robes, the outfit bearing the marks of one of Underwood's many groups and guilds. Once Archanex dressed, he took a deep pull of the sweet smoke of the cannibus blunt. It tasted sweet against his lungs. He put the fire embers of the blunt out against the palm of his right hand. Feeling the pain, he smiled briefly, closing his eyes at the same time.
Once the task was done, he pocketed the cannibus blunt, along with a steady supply of cannibus herbs kept in a basic pouch. Many of the youth of Corone smoked, it was a pleasant pastime. Archanex had a goal that day. He wanted to discover a certain secret, a secret that would forever changed Jotham the White into the man he would become for the rest of his days. Archanex gathered his belongings and prepared to seek out the head of the Magi order...
....his current Master.