Choosing the way

Into the Ways

The Crossroads

Ashar recounts the story of Tharizden's creation - as whispered by Balance servants down through the centuries.

"One day, I overheard a story - a story being told by a twisted hunchback. I gave credance to the story because I knew that the source of it sprang from beyond our World just like Law and Chaos.

Over the years I kept the story in my mind and slowly pieced together tiny clues and pieces of information by looking in a lot of out of the way places.

This is what I learned...

The Hunchback’s Tale

As told by the Crooked Dwarf – Servant of the Balance, ANU.
 

One day, outside of Time as we perceive it, the Lord’s of Law and Lord’s of Chaos gathered together to decide what to do about the Cosmic Balance. You see for as long as any of them could remember, the Balance had meddled in their affairs and upset their plans. Instead of being the Cosmic Balance to all things, it had become the Cosmic Nuisance.

So it came to pass that the Lord’s of Law and Lord’s of Chaos sat down together for the very first and last time, allowing the whole lifetime of a World to pass in heated debate.

Finally they made a decision to set about an act of joint Creation by combining powers and working together.

If the Cosmic Balance wasn’t living up to its title, then they, The Lord’s of Law and Lord’s of Chaos would make a new Cosmic Balance, a fair power – a power that wouldn’t meddle.

And it was done. The new Balance arose and spread into the Multiverse. And for a moment the powers that be were content and proud of their child.

But the new Balance had a different way of seeing things to the old. To it, the best way to achieve a perfect Balance was to balance everything in the Multiverse against its absolute opposite, thereby negating it, resulting zero. One minus One equals Zero. In this way, the new Balance could ensure that with the complete negation of everything, its type of Balance endured forever.

The Lord’s of Law and Lord’s of Chaos were horrified. When they saw their child begin negating matter they knew what had gone wrong. But by their very laws, nothing made by their hand could be unmade.

And the new Balance began to grow. It gathered a name and that name was Tharizden.

Eventually the powers that be managed to imprison Tharizden and for a time the Multiverse felt safe again. But a thousand years is nothing but a single breath in the life of the Multiverse and Tharizden escaped.

To this day, Tharizden roams unchecked and the Lord’s of Law and the Lord’s of Chaos are powerless to stop him. His servants manifest themselves as creatures of negative energy and they are spread far and wide across a multitude of Worlds. They are the harbinger’s of Tharizden’s doom – the heralds of his arrival until one day his darkness appears in the sky and swallows the Sun. Thus does he, the greatest Foe of all, drain whole Worlds.

Ashar transports Syrene and Ragnek through the Ways inside one of his expanded Scion spheres. After speeding along for around 5 minutes, the Spirit Master slows to a stop and walks off the path into some grey undergrowth, gesturing for his companions to follow him.

At the very edge of the path where only darkness remains and the ground falls away into oblivion, Ashar points down and away into the distance. Ragnek and Syrene stare into the darkness and are amazed by what they see, for perhaps a mile away, floating in space, is 3 mile across piece of terrain; the terrain holds an encamped army of Alfar, complete with weapons and engines of war. As Ragnek focuses on the army he sees Golems and black, thin-limbed creatures resembling aliens, moving between giant carriages and wheeled containers.

"This is just one army that I know of," says Ashar. "There are no doubt more, many more. The Alfar wait here for orders to advance - advance and invade our World. See those telescopic sections of wood," he points. "They are a bridge which can expand across this darkness linking the island they are on to our path. They are not immune to the Leche wind but as long as they are isolated, it cannot touch them."

Fragments of Reality

During their travels in the Ways, Ragnek and his companions, onboard the Foundling (a living tree-like ship) "dock" with various strange and alien World fragments.

Ragnek enters the portal and finds himself surrounded by a soft white light. He stands on a narrow glass walkway that heads towards a cloud of nebulous white energy some thirty feet ahead. As he stands and looks around the energy coalesces - strands of light (like tentacles) shrink and take shape, becoming a perfect, naked young woman. The woman approaches Ragnek without speaking and puts her arms around him. She then tries kissing him but suddenly frowns. Unable to sense or effect Ragnek with her abilities the being retreats, disappointed. The loud commanding voice declares "You may leave. The Child has not Chosen you."

Ragnek, Ashar and Syrene continue their journey by travelling with the Judge of Renewal, an ancient being created for one purpose, to Erase all of Creation. The Judge knows where the Lost City of Genesis is but admits it has a problem – The Spiradon which have overrun the city.

Ragnek and the Judge, standing on the black sand.

Ashar has a throbbing vein on his head.

The judge whirls around when Ashar materialises.

Ragnek gets Syrene to look after the people in the bottle.

Time is relative to ones coordinates, these do not matter, so why should time.

Syrene smoothes things over with the crew.

The judge carries on walking.
“I wonder which puss fuck was responsible for making it,” says Ragnek, meaning the Judge.
The Judge, hearing Ragneks words, restates its purpose; “My purpose is to erase all life-forms and end Creation.”
When pressed by Ragnek to explain where they are walking, the Judge answers - “We are following the course of natural progression – Genesis lies along this path.”
“Fuck that shit”says Ragnek.

After about an hour of walking across the sand, the Judge comes across a large sand armadillo and erases it with his sword.
"How many of these things are there?" Ragnek enquires.
"Unknown," the Judge replies, continuing on his way.
"This is going to take forever," says Syrene.
"Time is irrelevant," the Judge responds.

The Judge continues to be as cryptic as ever. "We will travel through the Eye of the Reality when It blinks before closing. When all lifeforms have been erased on this reality, we will journey and arrive in the Elsewhere."

Ragnek and his companions are stumped over what to do until Ashar suggests leaving the reality and then returning again at a later stage, once the judge has erased everything. After all, Time in the Nothing moves at varying rates. "The alternative is years of following this thing around."

“If we leave this reality, how do we make it back to exactly the same one?” asks Syrene.
But Ashar has an answer already. They need to leave a marker behind, (like an anchor to come back to) so Ashar volunteers another of his Highgard. The Highgard is given the Planal Bottle by Syrene, as they do not know how long he will be stranded on the Desert reality until they come back. "It could be hours, it could be years."

Back in the Nothing, floating on the Foundling, Ragnek once again turns his attention to the 3 strange rings he and Syrene share.
“These rings are the weakest link," says Ragnek. "I am sure they were meant to do something more than conjure up a big mouthed loutish dwarf. They're about as useful as a clitoris on a bat” says Ragnek.

Ashar gives the order to re-enter the Reality and check up on his Highgard and the Judge. A few seconds in the Nothing turns out to be a lot of Time for the Desert plane.

As the Foundling pierces the Planal veil, they find themselves in the midst of a savage electrical storm. The ships new shields spring into life just in time, but they are still buffeted by nearby explosions and spectacular lightning forks. The black sand, as far as the eye can see, has been turned to glass and shattered in a thousand places forming a moon-like surface of crators and jagged crevices.

"It would appear we have been gone some time," Ashar muses, cloak flapping in the wind.
"No shit," Ragnek mutters. "Where are they then?"

Ashar does the honors and begins tracking his Highgard. What he doesn't say immediately is that the Highgard isnt exactly making himself easy to find. Also, the lightning throws off Ashar's detection. In the end though, Ashar homes in on the Planal bottle and Foundling is soon hovering high above a crator where the bottle is being being bounced and blasted by lightning stroke after lightning stroke - acting almost like a lightning rod.

The Bottle has been expanded inside.

It is now known as the Citadel.

The Ungru live there.

The Highgard found various lesser magical parasites living clustered around the Source of Magic in the bottle – called the Ungru,

Hour before shield depletes itself due to energy blasts from atmosphere.

The Judge dramatically reappears on the bow of the ship.

Foundling locates the bottle, being struck by multiple lightning blasts.

Ragnek is angry that the Highgard is nowhere to be found and contemplates going into the bottle without the ring (as the Highgard has it). He swears “Bastard! It’s just one mess after another” he mutters and then very seriously says “There are very few items in this universe that I have found useful, but this bottle is one of them.”

But Ashar saves Ragnek's mood from deteriating further. "When inside the bottle, energy does permeate its shell - for instance, light. Let me channel my spirit through and contact my Highgard. If he is in there, I will summon him out."

After a few moments, the Highgard appears from within the bottle. But this Highgard has undergone a few physical changes since they last left him. Dressed in a long golden robe, with golden hair and an unmasked face, the Ashar clone appears regal and quite commanding.

"What is going on here?" Ashar asks the clone.
"Master, I have done as you asked and more. Come inside with me and see."

The new Ashar says "The bottle was a much more fascinating prospect to turn my attention to."

Second Ashar has golden hair and a golden robe.

Second Ashar leads them into Centennial – The Citadel of His people, the Ungru.

Ashar explains how after exploring 2100 levels of bottle (many of which were compressed and nothing more than thin inter-planal spaces) he came across the Source of the Bottles magic – much like the Heart of a Plane. To his surprise, a large number of Energy absorbing parasites had already taken up residence and after some analysis, he decided to experiment with their spiritual make-up.

Engineered by Ashar, the Ungru have been taught how to assume perfect human form. There are 874 of them inside the bottle with more than half capable of intelligent speech and a few capable of spiritual abilities.

6 Generations of them. Leader is Ghaan and Ashar’s mate, Sasha.

Also, Ashnu, Karnash,

Two Ashars face off against one another.
“Get rid of her,” says the First Ashar.
“Why? There is no need. These beings may be of great use in the Conflict back on Eldahar. Why should your decision be the right one?”

Second Ashar is absorbed into Sasha after refusing to open his mind to the original Ashar.

He called it the Dreamweaver. Ragnek talks about crew going into the bottle.

Syrene takes the Foundling into the bottle. Ragnek then puts the bottle into his imagination. The judge then collapses the reality dragging Ragnek with him.

Rabbit is created and then stuck with The Judge's blade.

The Judge takes them through a collapsed reality (which he calls the Eye of Reality) to a jungle plane. On that plane, Ragnek opens the Crown of Night to become Lord of the Reality. As Lord, Ragnek conjures the Vortex of Sherok, allowing everyone to pass through it.

They arrive on Gain – a fragment of Ring World, “broken” by the inter-planal forces of a damaged World Gate. Thousands of Samir mist serpents slither around their feet as they traverse a piece of swampland.

The Judge leads them to an area of unstable reality.

“The Vortex will take us to the Gain.The Gain will lead to the Corridor, which will in turn lead to the Room. The Room will then lead to the City of Genesis. There is a need for only one judge,” says the Judge.

Awaiting the arrival of the Vortex.

15 by 15 miles in size.

5 different Vortexes touch downs, ranging from every 100 years to every 6 days.

Reality of the Gain is at least 1 mile by 20 miles in length and ring shaped with Ragnek and the others travelling through the inside of the ring.

The Ring World reality is broken, torn asunder by the destruction of a Red World Gate (Red obelisks with clear crystal tops.)

The GHENT
The Ghent manages to trap Ragnek in one of its Cubes. 42 against Ragnek – Ragnek’s cloak cannot resist the Cube. The Judge was trapped in the Cube but Ragnek got him out. The Ghent’s fifth Cube manages to trap Ragnek

Syrene and Ashar are inside.

The Gate-keeper Ghent takes Ragnek’s Cube and stores him in a Zoo of strange creatures, including a Metal Alfar and a Bright Star – like entity.

The Ghent then goes on its way, leaving Ragnek alone.
Sasha makes it out of the cube by draining all of its power. This leaves her glowing.

Ragnek and his companions re-enter the Gate Room, but a bit more wary than before.

Quick FAQ
Teleport is not possible in Genesis. Also, all forms of Magic are nullified by The Carbok.
The Spiradon have overrun the city.
The Spiradon appear to be made of the same metal as the city – Carbok.
The Spiradon are gradually eating the city and all of its secrets. But elements of Carbok remain, manifesting in their physical forms. After eating the metal for too long, the Spiradon become like statues.
The city is one massive construct over 3 miles high and nearly 50 miles deep.
The walls and buildings are all grey and plain, sharp edged and square.
The Spiradon are inter-dimensional, phase spiders. There are nearly 2 million of them.
The Broken Man is called Psi – he knows the City of Genesis as well as anyone. He was made by A Creator but damaged after falling down a deep chasm. His head is cracked and his memory far from complete. He does have a few Creator items at his disposal - a Keglium Sphere and the Nuo Esarn.
Genesis was created long ago by the Creators. The Creators used Genesis to create new planets.
Beneath Genesis is a huge resevoir of energy, as powerful as a Sun (which it actually is - a harnessed star).
After tiring of Genesis and its limited creative abilities, the Creators supposedly left the city through portals and gate rings.
According to Psi - they have never returned.

Other artefacts
NuoN Esarn – A box that alters matter into Pseudo matter by rearranging flesh into anything the person / being thinks off. The Nuo Esarn looks like a large metal coffin.
Nuo Esarn - A pair of rings that clone anything passing through them.
Nuon Annori – A coffin-like box that is larger on the inside than on the outside.
Phara Pentel – A portal ring to a plane of pure energy.
Genedian Diek – A long scythe like energy weapon (approx 8 feet in length) that can age objects a 1000 years at a time.

MATERIALS
Celdoniar Glaze, looks like glass
Geldon Glazar, jade appearance
Carbok Plasteel, dk gray to blk metal
Jugel Glaza, yellowy metal
Lokk, silver and blue
Quinnik, dark red and smoky
Restitune, Golden with red veins
Celdonnian Byrate – glass, energy resistant, frictionless.

"I wonder if there is a way of laying a minefield for this Titan. We could scatter across the room thousands and thousands of particle sized bits of spirit," Ragnek contemplates.
"What about possessing it?" asks Syrene.

Travel down back door of imagination and mind to portal of Genesis suggests Ragnek.

Ashar suggests not even letting Ghent into the chamber, by destabilising portals even before he enters.

The plan has faults.

“If I open my Crown, I know everything there is to know about this World (even if it is just one room), will I know the two cubes in here as well?”

Ashar analyses the Gateway. And deduces that it exists in 2 states.

Ragnek and Syrene keep an eye out for Ghent.

Claw sheared off – 5 foot across.

The Ghent does not appear.

Liquid annex between portals – pass through 6 of them and then a lot more.

"This is the Bridging," the Judge announces.

Its quite big.

"This is Genesis. You may erase the Spiradon now," says the Judge.

Ashar contemplates whether the Gate here belongs to a completely different gate system.

The Judge leads them across the City. They walk for many hours, seeing many huge things.

Ring does not allow access to the planal bottle.

Despite the Carbok draining Ashar’s spiritual point, Ashar has an idea how to drop down into the chasm and land safely at the bottom. Without a moment’s pause he throws himself over the edge, calling back – “Just use your spirit at the last possible moment !” Ragnek and Syrene stare in surprise as the Spiritualist plummets towards imminent death, but suddenly, scarcely 10 feet from a metal roof, he abruptly slows and lands safely.

*Note – Ashar only pushes his spirit point out at the last possible instant, before impact. Before the point can be drained away into the Carbok, he uses it to freeze the distance between the point and his falling body, thereby slowing and then completely stopped the body’s momentum.*

Ragnek follows Ashar down, stopping himself with his own spiritual point at the very last moment. Syrene makes it easy on herself by becoming a Kestri (winged elf), by using her Wisdom stat.

After Syrene's display, Ashar turns into a Crow, making it easier for Ragnek and Syrene to carry him.
*Note - Ashar's POW does not regenerate so he has to be careful what he does.*

Building partly eaten.
Pyramid of Glass – approximately 6000 feet wide, 5000 height, placed between the two obelisks.
Glass pyramid – opaque, can only see a few feet into it.
The Spiradon attack.
Pulls out Nynsagul’s Eye ball.
Manarven
Tries using the 3 rings to negate the effects of Carbok.
42 – Crown comes back in.
The Spiradon track via vibration.
Ashar’s eye ball eye-dea.
Ragnek goes for it and puts the eye in his own socket.
“My eye is not an fashion accessory !”
Why the Eye.

“I’ll be seeing you !” says Nyn.

“If this goes ok for us,  maybe we can work together again,” says Ragnek, provoking a wild eye-dance from Nynsagul. *Note - Nyn is laughing inside. No one enjoys working with him - no one.*

Ragnek shuffles away in Nynsagul's awkward form. But when he passes through the next black curtain he comes face to face with a tall and impressively armoured Elf. The Elf lunges for him, grabbing Nyn's black robe. "Now, Trickster, where are my companions. Tell me or I will pluck those eyes from your hood like weeds from a flower bed."

A little taken aback, Ragnek attempts to explain.... "I am not Nynsagul. My name is Ragnek and I am possessing this body..... and who might you be?"

Furious at yet another deception and delaying tactic, the wide-eyed Elf barely manages to answer. "You know my name well poisonous snake. My name is Iriad, The Returning Star ! Now, my Companions or my sword point !"

Ok, lets find ur companions

Squid man,

Cross between a newt and a toad

Iriad

Celeste – Seeking passage to Urth, but sent to Je

Body brief

Trickster, Gate Keeper,

Celeste

More Nynsaguls

Offers Ragnek medication

Nynsagul – Deneflim, Lord of Gheros

Quinn, Plane travelor,

Ragnek returns to his own body, back in Genesis,

But he is only partially there – he needs to have the eye pulled out of his head.

Which Syrene does. Ragnek returns.

Why take us back to the original

Syrene – “I’m not sure I like the idea of having doubles. I like being an original, one and only.”

Down into the bowels of the city.

Sea of light. 5 miles down. Energy sinks like tuning forks descending down into it.

Vast resevoir of energy.

Conversation about being used and being puppets. Argument – is anyone truly free.

Hello, I am Ragnek and this Ashar mk 2 and my wife Syrene, ingratiated and pleased to meet u.

Red grass, hedgerows, Spiradon watching. Flat roofed building with metal flowers in flower beds.

2 hrs later.

"I was one, and could not make 2. The Spiradon was one, but it was in pain."

Ashar draws a titan sphere on Psi’s table. Psi says that he has not seen any of these, but there are large areas of the City that are locked. He says that he recognises the shape, but cannot remember anything.

Psi draws a complex, highly detailed topographical diagram of the city surface within 1 minute, especially the area around the Great Pyramid and Obelisks.

Ragnek reminds Ashar and Syrene of Nynsagul’s clues; “We must first fix the broken man. Then we’ll get the Titan Sphere.”

Psi’s silvery metal sphere can shrink to the size of a marble and expand to just over 50’ in diameter, whilst remaining virtually weightless in any size. It responds to a complex series of ultrasonic commands (similar to Machine code).

After Ragnek and Ashar both attempt and fail to activate and command the sphere using their knowledge of auras and spiritual energy, Ashar tries another tact and swallows the marble sized sphere. By having it inside his spirit, Ashar knows how it is effecting him to the most miniscule degree. From this information, Ashar adjusts his aura so that he manages to shrink and expand the sphere (but not control its movement). Seeing this work, Ragnek does the same, pronouncing the object as a “Real Magic Item. Not some child’s toy like back on Eldahar.”

Ashar suggests using Planal Fire on the front of the Pyramid. Even though the whole process is extremely dangerous and could very well result in Ashar ceasing to exist, Ashar thinks the situation warrents the risk. "Just stand back. Give me room," he says. "If this goes wrong, you don't want to be beside me."

The fire he conjures is conducted into the pyramid with very little chance of damaging it – but as Ashar says, “I’m just curious to see what happens.”

Appearing behind Ashar, the Judge swings his blade down. In a flash, Ashar is uncreated by the Judge's unweaving blade.

Furious at what the Judge has just done, Ragnek spits - "I cant wait to see our master and tell him what a twat you are ! I cannot fulfill our Master's mission without my servants. You must return him !"

Judge goes off uncreating the Spiradon. The Spiradon swarm towards the Judge, ready to be sent to a better place.
Back to the pyramid.

"Welcome, I am the Creator. I am Remus, astound me with your creations, and imaginings. It has been a long time since I have heard from Genesis. Speak my children, speak of wonders."

Faced with no other choice, Ragnek once again summons Nynsagul of the Balance.
Nynsagul almost immediately appears, levitating himself out of a nearby chasm.
"That was quick," Ragnek comments, noting that the black dwarf didn't step out of a crack like he did before.
"I never left," Nyn offers as explaination - implying that he knew Ragnek would call him - it was just a matter of time.
"So, you need my help," says Nyn. "Certainly, but there will be a price."
"Fine," Ragnek sighs. There's always a price.

Nynsagul, Ragnek and Syrene leave Ashar behind, sat at a table with a single bowl of fruit.
After a brief walk along Nyn's bridges of light they stop at a black curtain.
"Beyond here lies what I seek. Get me one pint of its blood and then return. Only then will I guide you back to your World."
"Come on then, lets get on with it," Ragnek mutters, pushing the curtain aside.

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