King of Kings

Between here and then, in a timeless sea,
Beyond there and whence, what came to be,
Behind what closed and will close again,
Behold the Dragon, King of men.
Nevermore the World the same,
Forevermore the World aflame.

Cullyn was born in the Village of Umberlee in southern Daydark as the second son of Mulnar and Emilin. His older brother was called Thorin and he had two younger sisters, Circea and Bria.

During his early childhood, Cullyn received a vivid dream that would forever change his destiny. In this dream a voice spoke to him and said "You shall be King." When he awoke, he felt so sure of those words that they stayed in his mind, driving him on for the rest of his life.

He then led an uneventful life up to the age of fourteen, when whilst visiting the Citadel of Bryndy he encountered a group of soldiers and decided to join up. A few months into his service the soldiers were stationed at an outlying keep when a hunting party of Orn attacked. Most of Cullyn's fellows were slain in the first wave, but before the Orn could attack again, Cullyn led an evacuation over the back wall. With a head start, Cullyn ran up into the mountains, trying to elude the Orn. His remaining friends were butchered one by one, but he always managed to escape.

Not the sort to ever give up a chase, the Orn continued hunting him for many days until he had to seek shelter from the Winter in some caves. The caves were large and went deep into the mountains; before he knew it, he was exploring.

Quite by accident he stumbled upon a secret giant cave, filled with a strange pool that ran with cold-fire. Then suddenly the giants arrived and he knew he was dead if he didn't hide. The pool was his only option, so he dived through the blue flames and into the water.

He had to hide there all night while the giants drank and celebrated at the pool's edge. After a while the strange fire that didn't burn, still became very uncomfortable. He felt himself beginning to pass out and clung onto the pool's edge in case he slipped and drown.

The next morning, the giants left and Cullyn crawled out of the water. The blue flames were gone and he thought for a moment he had imagined them.

Leaving the caves, to his horror he felt hot even in the freezing wind and depth of Winter. He removed all his furs and began making his way down the mountain, only to come face to face with Orn.

The Orn had waited, like only Orn would and fell upon him one at a time. They considered him a challenge, refusing to share the honor of killing him with each other. He went into a rage and stood his ground, grabbing each Orn and hurling them too and fro. He broke one's back and threw another so hard that the creature's skull smashed against a rock. It wasn't long before all the Orn lay dead and Cullyn realized just how strong he had suddenly become.

He returned to Bryndy and told his Lord about the Orn; a day later one hundred men were dispatched to the keep, Cullyn included. When they got there, they found a large number of Orn readying to raid Bryndy.

Haken the Black rallied the men to face the Orn, promising them the aid of his magic. However, no sooner had they committed themselves to the fight, than a terrible creature reared above the Orn and roared. It was a demon from Evermore, sent to kill the Wise.

Haken had to act and act fast. He used his volatile "Banishment" spell on the demonic creature, but misjudged how close Cullyn was. The young man, who with his new strength, felt confident enough to fight the creature, was swept up with it and vanished.

When Cullyn awoke, it was to find himself in a strange new land. The people spoke a different tongue, dressing and acting unlike those of Daydark. It took him many months to find his feet, but the Lands of Esium became his new home.
 

My Note

This is one NPC (Non-player character) that refused to die. Originally put in at a whim, North managed to resist several attempts to kill him. It became almost impossible to stop him, as every time I knew he was going to die, I'd roll some ridiculous roll and he'd survive. Everyone saw the rolls - It must've been fate, but North became the symbol of how a character could grow from a Nobody into perhaps the most important NPC in the Campaign.

Rearing Parry 34%
Attack vs Parry 54%
Reverse strike 26%
Dragon strike 8%

The Frost fire has made him immune to all but the most potent magical poisons and gasses.

The 22 Lord's of Law are universal beings that exist in direct opposition to the Lord's of Chaos. They embody the Power of Law. Only 7 Lords of Law reside within their Inner Circle.

Their Principles are eternal and cannot be broken. Though physically they can be defeated and driven from particular worlds, their power cannot be driven from the Universe entirely.

Their bodies can be slain (more easily than those of Chaos who tend to inhabit body parts,) but their souls simply transplant into new vessels / hosts - often prepared for their coming since birth or chosen from among their most exalted Servants. Some Lords of Law have extended their lifespans indefinitely through use of Science. This can be through preservation of organs, transplantation of minds / brains into everlasting or replaceable bodies, or even through the genetic engineering of exact minded clones. Their only limitation on immortality is that of science. Contrary to popular belief, Lords of Law come and go. Those Lords of Law at the beginning of Time are different than those half way through and different again than those at the end - in fact, like normal mortals, every Lord of Law has a lifespan - albeit a usually vastly extended one. But just because a Lord of Law might die, doesn't mean that its knowledge does.

They exist throughout Time, from the beginning to the end of the Universe but uphold the Laws of Time and Space, unlike the Lords of Chaos that seek to bend these rules at every opportunity and bend the very Laws of the Lords of Law against their makers.

At some point, in a scientific future, Time travel becomes possible. Cloning is commonplace and knowledge becomes so great that whole planets are used to store information. A single being cannot hold that much information and this is where another fundamental difference becomes apparent between the Lords of Law and those of Chaos. In one Time, the Lords of Law are simply custodians of planetary archives, in another Time, they are the archives themselves. Their names do not necessarily relate to individuals, but to Principles of Learning and Disciplines of the Mind. In another Time, they are able to split themselves into thousands of facets and travel at will throughout Time and Space - but because of Universal Law, are forbidden to interfere or make themselves known. They simply observe and increase their knowledge. They are Observers, Students, Watchers.

They never interfere directly with events, only through their followers, if the natural Order of Time or the Multiverse is threatened in some Chaotic way. The only time they act directly and physically is if a Lord of Chaos does so first and again, only within their own remit, which might mean, not at all.

As a whole, the Lord's of Law have a democratic structure with every Lord and Lady carrying equal power. However, on individual Worlds, only one Lord or Lady may have absolute power as clear Order must be maintained.

They uphold the principles of Organization, Law, Structure, Thought, Stability and Lack of Change leading to Sterility and eventual Stagnation. They are the custodians of science and rigid truths. They are inflexible, unbendable and resolute. They are the Lord's of Universal Law.

Savants of Law are peaceful representatives of the power of Law - instruments for gradual Lawful change.
Paladins of Law are more aggressive and hard-line, enforcing the Laws through war and destruction.
Paladin Savants are figure-head heroes / heroines from monumental moments in Law's battle vs Universal Chaos. These individuals, always 12 in number, are called upon to perform duties in their normal lifetimes that transport their essences across the Worlds. (See below)

The power they represent is eternal and cannot be destroyed. Though they can be defeated and driven from particular worlds, they cannot be driven from the Universe entirely.

They exist throughout Time, from the beginning to the end of the Universe and are omniscient in their knowledge of events (but sometimes a little slow to remember).

They are able to split themselves into thousands of facets and travel at will throughout Time and Space, constantly meddling and letting slip titbits of the future. For many of the LOC, the Multiverse is a playground and humanity its most versitile toy.

They can interfere directly with events, but only through their followers. The only time they can act directly and physically is if a Lord of Law or other Lord of Chaos has done so first. Whereas the Lord's of Law all work together for a common goal, the Lord's of Chaos hate one another and are always backstabbing each other to gain standing in the Chaos Court.

As a whole, the Lord's of Chaos have a hierarchical structure with every Lord and Lady vying for power and position. On individual Worlds, any number of Lords or Ladies may hold power, all trying to shaft the next. They hate each other just as much as Law and the Balance.

The Lord's of Chaos uphold the Principles of Chaos - creation, free will, originality and that of the ever changing Universe. They adopt different forms, like impressing people by being colorful, rare and loud; they are often mistaken for Demons. A few are seen as evil but most are just out to take Chaos to it's extreme.

Again, contrary to popular belief, LOC's can be slain, but the fact that many meddle with Time makes such slayings a moot point. Just because you've slain an LOC doesn't mean you're never going to meet the fellow again or end up killed by him / her yourself at a later date. There's a nice headache for you.

Also, LOC's change. You get new ones all the time and old ones disappearing. A few remain fairly constant, but by being constant, actually risk having all the other LOC's turn against them. It's a tough life. Only a few of the LOC's have access to Time Travel, the other hundreds are just powerful entities living within their own timelines.

A civilisation grows, expands, reaches out across the stars.
The civilisation meets and joins with other races, gaining knowledge - embracing science, becoming One.
The collective seeks to understand all that there is. It cannot know peace until it does.
Planets are made to hold vast amounts of information.
A Universal Library is created. Science unlocks Time Travel, Matter Manipulation, Immortality. All diseases are cured. Bodies become timeless.
All knowledge in the Universe is catalogued, quantified, stored.
There is no longer any need to seek or strive. There are no answers to find. The collective dwindles, stagnates and loses its will.
Serenity... Peace.... Silence...

Boredom! Some of those existing in this society decide to travel backwards and forwards in Time for entertainment. When you know everything and there are no surprises, what do you do? You decide to throw pebbles in the pond - you decide to go a little crazy. You start to meddle... why? Because you can. In a future where your every wish is instantly fulfilled by energy generators the size of planets, it's a thrill to mess with stuff that you can't completely control.

The Instruments of the Balance are a few select individuals, chosen to reincarnate throughout Time and Champion the Balance's cause. They are plane travelers, moving from World to world, pitting Law vs Chaos and siding with either in Universal conflict. They are heroes and heroines, odd balls and weirdo's.

They are vastly outnumbered by Servants of Law and Servants of Chaos.

Generally, servants of the Balance aren't immortal and can be slain, but will reincarnate somewhere else. They may not have immediate knowledge of their past lives, but Fate will reveal everything to them as Time goes on. 

Occasionally incarnations of the Champion combine their powers and spirits to invoke a more powerful gestalt Warrior known as the Eternal Champion.

At times, those descended from the Eternal Champion can invoke his power. See Han and Victor - Children of Dawn and Nathaniel of Mordark.