Generated by All in One SEO Pro v5.0.1.1, this is an llms-full.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site. # Aetolia, the Midnight Age A Free Dark Fantasy MUD World ## Posts ### [Class Viability](https://www.aetolia.com/news/class-viability-2/) **Published:** September 9, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks! It’s been a while since we last saw this form, however I think it is a great time to dig into the mind of the populace and see the shared feelings on how viable each class is. The data that you give on this form helps me determine which classes might have problem areas that need addressing going into the future, and in return, it means that those classes can potentially see changes within the game. I’m taking a bit more of a specific interest in team combat this time around, if you’re interested in writing a long form answer. Dueling viability strikes me as fairly robust, but don’t let that stop you from telling me your thoughts if you think there’s still problems to be addressed there. You will need a Google sign-in to answer the form, but we don’t collect it or tie it to your response in any method: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeMUu7beJXPWL14VuQNpkDtkZNyrCIJKxIaSwMcATn5kTUyTA/viewform?usp=dialog I will close the form once it goes 24 hours without a new submission. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 7th of Chakros, in the year 21 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [September promotion - Draconic relics!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/september-promotion-draconic-relics/) **Published:** September 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** September's promotion is the Draconic Coffer, a Cryptic Chest-style box that can drop credits, Iron Coins, minipets, technique scrolls and pieces of the seven-relic Draconic set, which fuse into draconic_combined. **Content:** ![Aetolia September 2026 promotion card: Draconic Coffers with the seven-piece Draconic relic set, from draconic_envy to draconic_wrath](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/aetolia-announce-draconic-coffers-20260901-v3-16x9-1.jpg)Hi folks! September is here, and with it comes a new promotion: a coffer of Draconic tributes! Draconic Coffers are based on the familiar Cryptic Chest format and can be obtained from the Artifact Packages section of the Aetolia website at [www.aetolia.com/credits](https://www.aetolia.com/credits), priced at $4.99 each. Each coffer is guaranteed to contain at least 17 credits of value, with the average return coming in considerably higher. Crack one open and primordial radiance might reveal: - Credit prizes ranging from 23 to 250. - 15 Iron Coins. - Small bags of chocolates, globes of elemental energy, silver chalices, firework displays, customisation certificates, morphic metal, and more. - Technique scrolls for the tundral, drunken, elegant, stiff, gory, and phasic styles, with a small chance to receive a style point instead. - A selection of six minipets: an ice wyrmling, a lava-wreathed wyrmling, a fledgling air beast, an indolent baby sloth, a tiny, rock-ribbed snakelet, and an overly-affectionate mink. - Compendium pages for the Bonro Sands, The Skythrone, the Teshen Caldera, (NEW!) the Crimson Coast, The Forgotten Mausoleum, and Beggar’s Barrow. - Ephemeral relic coffers, containing certain temporary relics such as resplendence, dissonance, dreamscape, sangchoker, sunspear, keeneye and repair. - There are also rare chances to obtain antiquated artifact salvage and ambience tokens! - Talon-bound relic reliquaries, containing pieces from our brand new (NEW!) Draconic relic set: draconic\_sloth, draconic\_lust, draconic\_greed, draconic\_pride, draconic\_gluttony, draconic\_envy, and draconic\_wrath. Each piece is valued at 30 credits. The new Draconic relics offer the following powers: - draconic\_envy – Covet another player and, if they magically travel while beside you, potentially pursue them through a short-lived rift left behind. - draconic\_gluttony – Groundwatch: While flying, watch the ground below for the movement of players and denizens entering or leaving your room. - draconic\_greed – Once per Howling, pay a gold bribe when rerolling a relic piece to guarantee another relic piece instead of bound credits. - draconic\_lust – Keep track of your twenty most recent successful Persuasions and whether they remain active, while also allowing Adoration to affect most animals. - draconic\_pride – Predict that you will personally kill another player and build a streak of successful predictions to unlock powers. - draconic\_sloth – Slumber with the egg to periodically heal allies around you, with an explosive fiery reprisal if another player wakes you. - draconic\_wrath – Encase a mutual ally in restorative ice for five seconds, shielding them completely from several damage types while they recover health. And for those ambitious enough to collect the whole set: draconic\_combined – Obtained by fusing all seven other Draconic relics together, this inherits their powers and allows the bearer to devour and later exhale certain temporary environmental phenomena (e.g. walls). You can refer to RELIC LIST PROMO FULL for the full details of the Draconic relics and their effects. A new month also means the Trading Post’s stock has rotated! For September it has: - a hazelnut chocolate - a fudge chocolate - a patriotic firework display - an “Ere’s Unsupervised Explosive Extravaganza” firework display - a preserved, yellowed eye - a scroll of instructions - a random style scroll As always, Draconic Coffers can be purchased for $4.99 each from the Artifact Packages section of the Aetolia website at [www.aetolia.com/credits](https://www.aetolia.com/credits)! You’ll also find a coffer for purchase in the milestone shop too. Enjoy! **Categories:** News --- ### [Promo tweaks](https://www.aetolia.com/news/promo-tweaks/) **Published:** September 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** The Draconic coffer minimum rises from 17 to 21 credits, and a pity system guarantees a relic piece within eight coffers. Everyone who bought coffers on the website has extras. **Content:** ![Aetolia update card: Draconic coffer minimum raised from 17 to 21 credits and a relic piece guaranteed within eight coffers](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/aetolia-announce-coffer-tweaks-20260901-v2-16x9-1.jpg)Hi folks, Based on feedback received, I’ve made some tweaks to the Draconic coffer payouts. Notably, the minimum value has been increased slightly from 17cr to 21cr, and draconic relics now have a pity attached to them so you’re always guaranteed to get a piece within 8 coffers. Everyone who’s purchased coffers so far through the website has been given extra coffers in their inventory, based on their purchases to date. Enjoy! **Categories:** News --- ### [Iron Carnival Arena](https://www.aetolia.com/news/iron-carnival-arena/) **Published:** August 30, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** The Iron Carnival Arena is open to look inside ahead of tomorrow's main event, with no safety inside. The Staging Grounds sit near the Carnival entrance. **Content:** ![Aetolia announce card: the Iron Carnival Arena is open to look inside, with no safety within](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/aetolia-announce-carnival-arena-20260830-16x9-1.jpg)Hi all, The Iron Carnival Arena is now open for you to look inside, experience the thrill of no safety, and then plan accordingly for the main event tomorrow. You can find the Staging Grounds for the arena just near the entrance to the Iron Carnival itself. Enjoy! **Categories:** News --- ### [Carnival's Duel](https://www.aetolia.com/news/carnivals-duel/) **Published:** August 25, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Percivale hosts a special version of the Duel inside the Iron Carnival this weekend, in a temporary arena with tricks and traps to use on your opponent. **Content:** ![Aetolia event card: the Carnival's Duel, a trapped arena hosted by Percivale inside the Iron Carnival](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/aetolia-announce-carnivals-duel-20260825-v2-16x9-1.jpg)Hello folks! The Duel has come to town this weekend, but this time making its home within the Iron Carnival for a special version hosted by Percivale! This version will be hosted within a new, temporary arena within the Carnival grounds, with a variety of tricks and traps at your disposal to utilise against your opponent. You can read public newspost #7763 for Percivale’s announcement. ### What is the Carnival’s Duel? It is the Duel but with a twist. Within the arena are a variety of traps you can potentially use against your opponent. It needs to be a show after all! ### What are the prizes? First place obtains 100 credits, a unique fame outside of the usual, the Rapier of the Master Duelist, and a special prize to the winner’s city of choice: an enchantment from Percivale that will bestow 5% damage resistance to all types for a temporary amount of time. There’s also a random prize that can be earned simply for entering! The raffle will be drawn at the end like usual. And don’t forget, there will be a figurine too! This one will be the Bloodborn class. Check out EVENTS INFO 1677 for the exact time. You can use CONFIG TIMEZONE to see it in your local time. That’s all, see you there! **Categories:** News --- ### [Hunting Trees - Bard](https://www.aetolia.com/news/hunting-trees-bard/) **Published:** August 16, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** The Bard class hunting tree is live. Rhythm, Cadence, Ridicule, Unheard and Doom all work against denizens, and Tearing adds 50 bleeding to them. **Content:** ![Aetolia Bard hunting tree card: Rhythm, Cadence, Ridicule, Unheard and Doom now work against denizens](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/aetolia-announce-bard-hunting-tree-20260816-16x9-1.jpg)Hey all, After a bit of break, we’re back with the next hunting tree update! The Bard class is now available for you to play around and check out. Once you’ve had some time to mess about, please give us any feedback you might have on our official Discord in the Bard hunting tree thread under #bashing. If you need a refresher on the hunting tree system and how to turn it on, please read HELP HUNTING TREE. General changes alongside this: ### Performance - Rhythm now works again against denizens under certain conditions. - Cadence now works against denizens. - Ridicule now works against denizens. ### Weaving - Tearing now additionally causes 50 bleeding to denizens. ### Songcalling - Audience can now target denizens in the same location as you. - Note that only specific songs will have an effect on denizens. - Unheard now works against denizens. - Doom now works against denizens. **Categories:** News --- ### [August promotion - the Iron Carnival is in town!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/august-promotion-the-iron-carnival-is-in-town/) **Published:** August 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Iron reveller's lockboxes arrive for August from $6.99, each holding a Bag of Tricks and a carnival dart for the new Pop the Bubbles attraction at the Midway. **Content:** ![Aetolia August promotion: Iron reveller's lockboxes, Bags of Tricks, and the Pop the Bubbles carnival attraction](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/aetolia-announce-revellers-lockboxes-20260801-16x9-1.jpg)Hi folks! The Iron Carnival has rolled into town! The tents are raised, the midway is roaring, and the revellers have brought an entirely new promotion with them: Iron reveller’s lockboxes! Iron reveller’s lockboxes will be available from the Artifact Packages section of the Aetolia website, starting at $6.99. Every lockbox is guaranteed to award at least 26 credits of value, but will average higher than that. Purchases will also award one organisation credit per lockbox. Each lockbox contains one or more prizes drawn from the following: - Unbound credit prizes ranging from 26 – 500. - Abyssal relic coffers containing pieces from the Planar Relics set: air, chaos, death, earth, fire, life, Prime, shadow, spirit, and water. You can refer to RELIC LIST PROMO FULL for the full details of these relics and their powers. - Artifacts ranging in value from 50 – 2000 credits. - Batches of 25 or 50 Iron Coins. - Small bags of chocolates, patriotic firework displays, globes of elemental energy, transmute beetle vouchers, silver chalices, and more rarely: morphic metal, and antiquated artifact salvage. - Steed whistles for a thick-furred albino tiger. - (NEW!) carnival-themed relic cosmetics: the reveller vox and pieces of the showstopper flair. - Technique scrolls for the underhanded, venomous, gourmandic, forceful, bombastic, and starry styles, along with a smaller chance to receive a style point. - Compendium pages for Asper, Maestral’s Barrier Reef, the Welto Trench, a volcano, a dimly lit subterranean river, and the Itzatl Morass. - A selection of six minipets: a sideways goldfish; an Imp-in-a-box; a quizzical jackalope; (NEW!) a crowned carnival lion cub; (NEW!) a jaunty performance mouse; and (NEW!) a painted, bubble-blowing elephant calf. A special thank-you goes to our ambitious Celani team for helping bring the three new carnival minipets to life! The jaunty performance mouse also has a special trick of its own. Two mice can be combined into a brand new minipet: a mischief of two performance mice. You can then add further mice to the mischief one at a time, or combine two mischiefs to add their totals together. Make sure the minipets are housed, then use: MINIPET COMBINE \[AND \] As a note, to avoid confusion with the minipet exchange command, the bonded gorilla pair minipets will also use this new minipet combine syntax. ### Bags of Tricks Every Iron reveller’s lockbox also contains a Bag of Tricks in place of the usual consolation roll. Use BREAK BAG to claim the surprise hidden inside! The Bag of Tricks contains the complete selection of familiar bonus care-package items, but every one of them has been dressed up for the Carnival with a new appearance and appropriately theatrical messages. You might find a fire eater’s torch in place of an immolation bomb, crimson candy floss instead of a grimstim pill, a fried wyvern heart on a stick, a roasted basilisk eye on a stick, a warped mirror shard, a seer’s dark crystal, a midway noisemaker, a ringmaster’s coaching script, dazzling carnival confetti, golden miracle toffee, or one of several other midway curiosities. These disguises are for fun: each prize retains the mechanics of its familiar care-package counterpart. PROBE the item and you will find a hint explaining what it really is and how its carnival-themed syntax works, so nobody needs to guess whether the candy floss is safe to eat. (It probably isn’t, but that has never stopped anyone before!) Every Bag of Tricks will also award one carnival dart, with a chance to find additional darts on top of that as its main prize. ### Pop the Bubbles Those darts are for another new attraction at the Iron Carnival: Pop the Bubbles! Seek out the excitable Grook aquamancer at the Midway (v84375), where he conjures a shared display of 200 prize-filled bubbles. The prizes currently hidden across the raft include batches of 2,500 and 7,500 gold, credit prizes of 5 and 25 credits, experience chalices, ephemeral relic coffers for temporary relics\*, and a single 250 credit grand prize. Everyone is choosing from the same display, so once a bubble has been burst it is gone until the display refreshes. Bursting the grand-prize bubble immediately replaces the entire display for everyone. \*The temporary relics are the usual: resplendence, dissonance, dreamscape, sangchoker, sunspear, keeneye, repair. The useful syntaxes are: - BUBBLES – look over the raft and its remaining bubbles. - BUBBLES PRIZES – see which prizes are still floating somewhere on the raft. - DART – throw at a bubble, for example DART B7. - BUBBLES DARTS – check your available bonus darts and daily throw. Everyone receives one free throw every day after playing for at least 60 minutes. Darts obtained from Bags of Tricks give you extra throws beyond that daily free attempt. You will also find a single Iron reveller’s lockbox for sale in the milestone shop for a golden keystone. As always, Iron reveller’s lockboxes can be purchased from the Artifact Packages section of the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits! The Iron Carnival will not be in town forever, so step right up, try your luck, and enjoy the show! Finally, for August, the trading post’s stock has rotated to: - a mint chocolate - a strawberry chocolate - an emblazoned firework - a “Catiana Wheel” firework display - a globe of elemental energy - a pill of omnipotence - a random page from the Compendium (turns into a random area) - a red bull’s eye Enjoy! **Categories:** News --- ### [The Iron Carnival is in town!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-iron-carnival-is-in-town/) **Published:** August 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** The Iron Carnival has arrived off the Prelatorian Highway. Help Grimbeard and Percivale restore the grounds, and every five days the attraction with the most contributions opens. **Content:** ![Aetolia Iron Carnival: Grimbeard and Percivale's fairground arrives off the Prelatorian Highway](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/aetolia-announce-iron-carnival-20260801-16x9-1.jpg)Hi folks! Following the success of our cross-game event back in December, I’m pleased to announce the Iron Carnival! Run by the irascible Grimbeard and the foppish Percivale, the Iron Carnival was once a star-studded celebration that travelled otherworldly lands, putting on a dazzling show full of games, fairground amusements, and tasty treats. In the modern day, the Carnival has fallen into disrepair and the troupe needs your help to restore it to its former glory! Pay a visit to v129 just off the Prelatorian Highway, northwest of where you’ll find the carnival grounds and a task board awaiting your help. As you assist with construction, gathering resources, or helping to ensure workers don’t wander too far, the Carnival will gradually expand as everyone in Sapience pitches in to do their part. How you choose to assist will influence where the Carnival’s resources go, effectively allowing the whole of the Iron Realms to collectively decide what attraction opens next. Every five days, the unopened area with the most contributions will be opened and will remain open for exploration for the duration of the event. Once an area is open, you’ll need to bring in the crowds and occasionally calm down the ringmaster. Full details can be found under HELP IRON CARNIVAL, but attendants can expect a variety of attractions and games, including fortune telling, pie-eating contests, a sideshow and menagerie, paint-pelting clowns, face painting, chain-letter prophecies that go from game to game, and more! Win tickets from your contributions or high scores and obtain one of a large selection of rewards and trinkets for your effort. Oh, and while exploring, you may even notice phantasmal spectres of visitors from another world across the Iron Realms. Greet them and your emotes will echo across worlds… The entire Iron Realms team has been working on this cross-game event for the last several months and it’s our pleasure to finally unleash it upon the world! I hope you enjoy it as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it together, and please ensure to read over HELP IRON CARNIVAL as there’s a lot to take in! **Categories:** News --- ### [Downtime](https://www.aetolia.com/news/downtime/) **Published:** July 23, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Aetolia's ISP scheduled emergency server maintenance starting at 10:00 PM PST, with no duration estimate given. Watch the Aetolia Discord for the all-clear. **Content:** ![Aetolia server maintenance notice: emergency ISP work took the game offline briefly](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aetolia-announce-downtime-20260723-16x9-1.jpg)Hi folks, This is extremely short notice, sorry, but we’ve just been informed by our ISP that they will be doing server maintenance starting 10:00pm PST / 1am EST – which is roughly 3.5 hours after the time of this post. The game will likely be unavailable after this time. Unsure what the duration is just yet, but we’ll keep you updated on Discord when the game is back. **Categories:** News --- ### [Year 20 game addition](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-20-game-addition/) **Published:** July 15, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** A surprise addition to Aetolia's Year 20 games list: a best-of-3, double-elimination tournament of Stone-Cloth-Sword, the game's take on Rock-Paper-Scissors. Check EVENTS in-game for the timing. **Content:** ![Aetolia Year 20 Stone-Cloth-Sword tournament announcement: best-of-3, double-elimination bracket](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aetolia-announce-stone-cloth-sword-20260715-16x9-1.jpg)Hello lovelies! I have a surprise entry to the Year 20 games list, a brand new addition: the Year 20 Stone-Cloth-Sword tournament! If you’re unfamiliar, Stone-Cloth-Sword is Aetolia’s version of Rock-Paper-Scissors and you can initiate a game anywhere by typing in STONECLOTHSWORD. The tournament itself will be a best-of-3, double-elimination bracket tournament. Check EVENTS for the timing – see you there! **Categories:** News --- ### [Dark Reflections of the Seventh](https://www.aetolia.com/news/dark-reflections-of-the-seventh/) **Published:** July 11, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Seven mirrors delivered in a dead man's name became gateways for the Seventh World. Dhar battled a false Underking while Rashemi's Siderealists collapsed the invasion and sealed the breach. **Content:** ![Aetolia Dark Reflections of the Seventh event: seven mirrors opened gateways for the Seventh World until Dhar and Rashemi's Siderealists sealed the breach](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aetolia-announce-dark-reflections-20260711-16x9-2.jpg)It began, as so many calamities do, with something unassuming. Throughout the closing weeks of spring, the itinerant ‘deliverymen’ known as Mr. Veid and Mr. Isomann trundled their cart across the breadth of Sapience, depositing seven towering mirrors in locales both mundane and remote: a storage room in Saluria, an abandoned aerie above Yuzurai, a smoking patio in Kald, a chiselled storeroom in Nuunva, the Needle of Balance in Huanazedha, the living quarters of the Pleianes Temple, and a hilltop before the mansion of the Atlatl Plantation. Each mirror, framed in elder wood and crawling with circuitous inscriptions, was placed to face one of the unnamed constellations of the Empyreal Vault. The pair claimed to be employed by one Voruzhak “Stareater” Tolance, a Kaldan Troll and Siderealist who had allegedly won the set at an estate auction – a curious claim indeed, given that Esterporean records held the Stareater dead for nigh on a full year, with whispers of foul play besides. Those few who recalled the deliverymen’s previous appearances in Sapience regarded the whole affair with well-earned suspicion, though none could yet say what purpose the mirrors served, nor whose will truly directed them. The answer to this mystery arrived with a sudden, sharp crack that echoed from the Underhalls, a fracture felt and heard beyond the thin curtains separating Life, Prime, and Death. Long-suffering in its damage, the Soul Mirror – the Simulacrum left behind by fled Varyan Celestine, wounded by the massacre of the Curator’s captured realms and worn thin by thousands of years of ceaseless use – strained beneath its accumulated harm, and its extant cracks began to cast a bloody light that pierced the pale ambience of the Underking’s domain. That crimson radiance found a twin deep within the Azdun dungeon, where the sprawling tunnels’ mysterious mirrors awakened as one. There, upon those tricksome planes, a procession of monstrous souls slavered and sneered from the other side of the reflective surface: spirits of the Seventh World, that twisted planet the learned call the Dark Mirror, each possessed of the same vicious, murderous hunger – to depart their warped world at the far end of the Empyreal Vault and supplant all that exists here, in the original world of the Eschaton’s design. Chill authority rolled through the Underhalls as Dhar, Lord of the Grave, manifested in full at the heart of His domain. Under the scrutiny of its true Master, the Simulacrum’s extensive damage lay outlined in ghostly mist: the riven scars that damned Sapience’s accursed ‘blind spots’, the hairline fractures left by the crowds of the Curator’s victims, and fresher wounds besides, delivered in secret by unnamed hands. Icy essence spilt from the Underking’s grasp as He set to His labours, knitting glass together even as other sections shivered and splintered in turn. To the realm entire, Inevitable Death’s voice then rang out to warn Sapience’s mortal adventurers: invaders made plans to breach the world, and the interlopers were to be culled, lest they wreak havoc. Sapience answered as its many disparate peoples do: with violence. Shades, phantoms, and revenants trickled from the Azdun mirrors and, soon after, from the Stareater’s placements in Saluria and Kald, and vigils were mounted across the realm. Duiran heeded the Underking’s call to hunt, its councillors keeping cold watch over the glass as they put any would-be invader to the sword, claw, or spell. Enorian patrolled in force, cataloguing each mirror’s stirrings and putting down all that came through with zealous precision. The Theocracy of Spinesreach, ever pragmatic, reactivated its Soul Containment Protocols, repurposing Chaos-resonance devices into traps that snapped shut upon the invading spirits for future study and usage to more nefarious ends. In Huanazedha, matters proved thornier still: the Nazetu eusuchians there took up arms in defence of the emerging shades, forcing bloodier work upon those who held the line. Soon, however, the trickle became a tide. As the week wore on, the invaders came in greater numbers and greater strength, with elite warriors striding through the glass where once only half-formed wraiths had staggered forth. Faced with a siege that outpaced His mending, the Underking lived up to one of His most ancient monikers: the Bringer of Ends. Reaching into the depths of His domain, the God of Death compelled the unruly souls of the damned – perished necromancers and practitioners of dark, defiant rites, one and all earmarked for crushing punishment for their crimes against the Cycle – into focused ranks, their flagging existence unspooled thread by thread to hold the metaphysical line. Even Ewis Bhaq’dal, cast in tomb-forged chains, stepped forth to give Death His due, bemoaning her fate until the final dreg of her being gave way to true naught. Alongside these blackguards laboured souls more virtuous: counselled by heroic mystics such as Ondromikios Ijandrimali, the Underking ushered forth His cherished champions from the Glade of Heroes – renowned mages and brave warriors long past, headed up by the late Sir Everet, so brave for one fallen in battle at so young an age. Each heroic soul, shielded from dissolution by the blessing of the King in Death, gave unto Him all they could spare, uniting under His authority to further mend His ancient charge. The enemy’s true face revealed itself soon after, however. Beneath Death’s convalescent rime lurked a twisted figure: the unholy reflection of Dhar Himself, a regal Usurper wielding vast flows of profane power, Who brought the hammer of His judgement against the other side of the Soul Mirror and undid much of the True God’s labours in short order. Wielding the might of a landmark within the Seventh World, False Death forged a vast bridge of souls to enable the world’s encroachment, his determined fury enhanced by the essence of an awakened site of power. All throughout Sapience, common mirrors in shops, homes, and boutiques became as jagged portals unto the breach between worlds, and the Stareater’s seven mirrors yawned wide, throwing open the gates for the distant Seventh World to heighten its bitter siege. With hoarfrost spiralling from a single darklight digit, the Underking turned aside His imposter’s greatest efforts – for the time being – and, with a singular nod, dispatched the soul of Sir Everet into the unknown, tasked with delivering an important message to Someone. When the little knight returned, saluting smartly and whispering his answer into the unfathomable darkness beneath his Liege’s hood, the Underking wasted no further moment on half-measures. Plunging His ghostly hand through the broken Simulacrum as if it were air, Immortal Death seized His imposter’s robe and locked the two of Them in a duel of warring essence, played out across every cracked shard of the Soul Mirror in a war of white and black mist. With every twisted soul thrown His way, the Aetolian Dhar grew in strength, unravelling each spirit into shimmering gossamer and compressing it, link by link, into a gelid chain dragged behind Him – a testament to the inevitability of True Death. With the Bringer of Ends thus occupied, the Seventh World brought forth its furious dead. Twisted souls poured from the seven mirrors in an endless tide of violence, desperate to assume life once more, and the adventurers of Sapience met them blade to blade, bolstered by rallying cries from the Underhalls – brave Sir Everet lifted the spirits of Enorian’s Faithful, and resolute Segiae unleashed an ancestral ululation for the Heartwood. Even as Sapience struggled against this far-flung foe from beyond the stars, however, other forces toiled in defence of Aetolia entire: Heiress Rashemi of the Guiding Light Council unveiled her sorcerous might in full from her place within the Vashnars, the staff of Averroes held aloft. The Wise One’s chosen sorceress stirred the Pool of Stars into a raging whirlpool, tearing power from the crystalline caverns beneath ravaged Tasur’ke until the leylines between the two points flared like a second sun, carving an iridescent swathe across the continent. It was then that her voice rang out to the beleaguered realm: the Council would not abandon Sapience – the gates would be closed, but only if the realm could buy her the time needed to do so. It became evident, however, that the Seventh World would not allow Sapience such time freely. One by one, the warped visages upon six of the seven accursed mirrors left by Mr. Veid and Mr. Isomann distended and flickered out, leaving dark voids behind. The final mirror, set there before the Atlatl Plantation’s mansion, answered the Heiress’s interference with apocalyptic spite. A pair of cobalt eyes, possessed of vast, immeasurable hatred, flickered to life within the mirror’s magical depths, and an incandescent essence exploded outward in a fusillade of pyroclastic vengeance. The plantation became as cinders upon the wind; the mansion collapsed into smoking rubble; and its fires leapt forth in a strangely organised path, carving a seven-pointed star into the rainforest earth, to which the remaining six mirrors were summoned by the warp and weft of unknown magics. Desperate to deter interference with its final ingress, the Dark Mirror mustered one last agent to the field: Hamalis, the Tidebearer – a twisted reflection of a familiar face long defeated, powerful yet expendable. The adventurers of Sapience proved the latter quality true, and the doppelganger fell, though not without a struggle. Believing that he could use the ensuing chaos of the mirrors, the invasion, and the Tidebearer’s arrival to fulfil his vendetta against the Underking, Edhain de Verdigris, once the Knight of Death, leapt into the fray to waylay Sapience’s defenders. The interference proved an obstacle unto itself, forcing the city-state’s most dogged warriors to peel off and attempt to do battle with him. Heedless of the accusations of treachery and wrathful outcry, the renegade Sylvan let his fists fly in a show of martial zeal that would later earn him the scorn of Accordant Righteousness. What followed was a feat of sorcery on a scale seldom witnessed. Fifteen points of light flickered to life across Sapience as Rashemi’s trusted Siderealists, wielding the relics of the blessed Mejevsavelnel, united across the realm to lend their aid. Vast aurorae of prismatic sidereal energy exploded across the horizon, and a haunting hymn echoed from the depths of the Fractal Bloom as vast tracts of crystalline matter shifted beneath the earth, racing toward the Itzatl. Thundering downward like a violent tsunami, the brilliant wave of starlight collided with the seven mirrors, forcing space and matter to furl and overlap thousandfold until each was condensed into a lodestone of baleful magic and twinkling crystalline matter. Howls of outrage and screams of despair drifted from one end of the Empyreal Vault to the other – a dirge mourning the denied ambitions of an entire world – as the seven once-mirrors, now no more than compressed gemstone discs, clattered to the earth, sealing shut the way between worlds. Where once a mansion burned, a celestial serenade sang a new structure into being: a tremendous tower wrought from Astronomia’s deepest secrets, its jagged crystal facets scraping the sky above the Itzatl. The crystalline discs now rest in the custody of the Guiding Light Council, which intends in time to entrust one seal to each of the great city-states, so that the barriers between worlds remain intact. Denied by the pluck and bravery of Sapience’s finest, the Dark Mirror once again retreated into its dark corner of the cosmos to lick its collective wounds, hellbent yet still upon supplanting the Eschaton’s first world. In the Underhalls, the Underking strode forward to meet His cornered imposter and was joined by an Immortal of peculiar provenance: Varo, Keeper of the Close, Elder Death of a world long ended, manifesting shoulder to shoulder with the Underking as an august complement to His ineffable regality. “It seems We are just in time,” Elder Death remarked through a myriad of discordant voices, and set to work upon the Simulacrum with vast wellsprings of Elder magic, braiding excess spiritual threads into ropes that bound the relic’s superficial wounds while His host dispensed with the falseness before Him. Cast in chains that strangled essence and smothered will, False Death of the Seventh World knelt beneath the authority of a true ruler. “A spirit, powered by faith. A begging pauper, playacting as a King,” was all the Lord of the Grave, the true Dhar of Aetolia proper, had to say as He examined His defeated doppelganger before unravelling the imposter in a show of supremacy, His tone frigid with disappointment. Together, Dhar and Varo mended the final fractures, decorating the Soul Mirror with a new spiderweb of argent seams, as if molten anaxagorite had run through the damage and cooled, preserving the relic’s integrity. Moments before the work truly concluded, however, the Elder God’s mask began to slip, and the Indelible’s mauve features peeked out from behind Her mythical guise. Soon, She departed to the unknown on the heels of a laugh as cold as the grave, leaving only Her parting words to linger where once Immortal Memory did stand: “I have already taken the liberty of collecting My payment. I am sure it shall prove interesting in the times to come.” --- Summary: Seven mirrors delivered by Veid and Isomann on behalf of the allegedly deceased Voruzhak “Stareater” Tolance became invasion gateways for the Seventh World, the Dark Mirror, just as the damaged Soul Mirror catastrophically strained. While Sapience culled the invading souls, Dhar conscripted the damned and the Heroes of the Glade to hold the line against a false Underking intent on undoing His repairs. Heiress Rashemi and her Siderealists collapsed the gateways, compressing the mirrors into crystalline seals and raising a crystal tower where the Atlatl Plantation burned, while Dhar – aided by Lexadhra in the guise of Varo, Elder Death – destroyed His imposter and mended the Soul Mirror. The Indelible departed with an undisclosed payment: a price woven into the mirror’s magic itself. **Categories:** News --- ### [Celani roster update & applications](https://www.aetolia.com/news/celani-roster-update-applications/) **Published:** July 10, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Aetolia trimmed its Celani volunteer roster for a smaller, more active crew and opened new slots. Interested in building, writing, or running events? See HELP CELANI to apply. **Content:** ![Aetolia Celani volunteer recruitment applications open for building writing and events](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aetolia-announce-celani-applications-20260710-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia Celani Volunteer Applications July 2026 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, Just an update from behind the curtain: we’ve recently done some housekeeping on the volunteer roster and parted ways with a number of Celani, most of whom weren’t really active anymore, while a couple of others left for personal reasons. Nothing dramatic and no hard feelings involved – some people just drift away over time, and that’s fine. But we’d rather the Pools be made up of people who are actually around, working on things, and interacting with you all as players, rather than names on a list. That’s the direction we want to take things going forward: a smaller, more active crew that’s visibly making the game better. You should hopefully feel the results of that over time. The flipside of trimming the roster is that we now have open slots, and would of course love to fill them. If you’ve ever thought about volunteering – whether that’s building, writing, running events, or just making Aetolia a more interesting place to be – now is a genuinely good time to apply. See HELP CELANI for details on how. And as a general reminder: applications are always open, not just when we post about it. If you’re on the fence or have questions about what being a Celani actually involves, keep an eye on the Celani Q&A thread on Discord – you may see one or two of them popping back in soon, so you can get answers straight from the horse’s mouth! **Categories:** News --- ### [Year 20](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-20/) **Published:** July 5, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Aetolia marks Year 20 with nine days of games and activities from July 11 to 19, plus credit prizes and expanded placement rankings. Full schedule and times inside. **Content:** ![Aetolia Year 20 celebration nine days of games and prizes July 11 to 19 2026](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aetolia-announce-year-20-20260705-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia Year 20 Celebration 2026 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")It’s year 20 in Aetolia, and that means some games and activities! We’re doing a much shorter schedule this time around due to our 25th birthday being in October as well, and that will have a larger selection of games and events. Like previous celebrations, there is a point system alongside the credit prizes for ranking wherein you’ll receive credits for reaching certain thresholds of points. **Since we have a shorter schedule this time around, the events will have more placement rankings instead of top 3, with higher credits and ranking points than normal awarded to those placements to compensate.** Schedule is as follows, all times/dates are in **USA PDT** time. Please double check your CONFIG TIMEZONE setting is accurate (especially if you live somewhere that changes due to daylight savings), and you can consult the EVENTS INFO listings for a conversion. The EVENTS listing will be filled out shortly after this post! - **Saturday 11th July:** 4pm: Inquisition - **Sunday 12th July:** 5pm: The Duel - **Monday 13th July:** 3pm: Freezetag - **Tuesday 14th July:** 4pm: Resonance - **Wednesday 15th July:** 5pm: Survivor - **Thursday 16th July:** 3pm: Hide n Seek - **Friday 17th July:** 11am: Frog Bait - **Saturday 18th July:** 3pm: Iron Epicurean - **Sunday 19th July:** 4pm: Starfall For the barge: we’re doing something a little different this year that involves all of IRE, stay tuned for that in August. **Categories:** News --- ### [July Promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/july-promotion-3/) **Published:** July 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Spoils of Creation returns for July with cosmic minipets, the rare COSMIC style, artifacts, and a build-your-own floating world. Every Tuesday this month has Double XP. **Content:** ![Aetolia Spoils of Creation promotion July 2026 cosmic minipets COSMIC style scrolls and artifacts](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aetolia-announce-spoils-of-creation-20260701-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia Spoils of Creation July 2026 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks! It’s July which means the first half of the year is over, and to celebrate we’re welcoming back **Spoils of Creation** as our promotion for this month! Spoils can be obtained from the Aetolia website under artifact packages and opened for a variety of prizes, many of which are themed around the cosmic phenomena! Spoils are valued somewhat higher than cryptic chests (as always, we aim for a minimum of 30% bonus over buying straight credits, the average return is higher than this), and contain one or more prizes, including: - Credit prizes ranging from **23 – 500**. - Iron Coins in batches of **15**, **25**, or **50**. - Various artifacts ranging in value from **50 – 2000** credits. - Chocolate bags, elemental globes, chalices, style points, and customisation certificates. - Ambience tokens! - Antiquated salvage! - Compendium pages for the following areas: **(NEW!)** **Huanazedha**, a volcanic island, a deep underground cavern, Luzith’s Lair, Sunwash Ascent, the Festering Wastes. - A selection of stellar minipets: **(NEW!)** **a celestial-speckled platypus**; **(NEW!)** **a dawn-smudged quoll**; **(NEW!)** **a Vusemusian sea bunny**; a sublimely scaled, sidereal serpent; a meteoric minigolem; and a strange, celestial winged avian. Also, just a reminder you can use the new collection system to look at all these new minipets beforehand! - Style scrolls for the rare COSMIC style that can only be obtained through Spoils. - Additional style scrolls available are: **(NEW!)** **corsair**, flippant, defensive, confident, and warcry. There is also a lower chance at getting style points to spend at the style shop. - Meteoric shrapnel that contains pieces for several cosmic-themed aesthetics: cosmic\_shield, chrys\_cosmic, phyl\_cosmic, flair\_cosmic, vox\_cosmic, transmute\_cosmic\_wings, veil\_cosmic and a **(NEW!)** **cage\_world relic minipet** (see below)\*. - Relic coffers containing pieces for: hunters\_knife, racialslot1, racialslot2, dowsingrod, acidbreath, gorget, scorpiontail and spire. You can refer to **RELIC LIST PROMO FULL** to see the full selection of relics and all their different effects. \*The cage\_world relic will obtain you the ‘a floating world in miniature’ minipet! This minipet is a little bit special and comes with its own civ-building minigame! It’s a little basic and intended just for fun – but prove yourself a better Creator of your microcosm than Varian was! The collection entry will be updated with a bit of extra information on this minigame: COLLECTIONS MINIPETS WORLD (the info there will go live in a short while after this post). In addition to all these amazing prizes, Spoils of Creation also award organisation credits, and every 500 Spoils will trigger a global prize of 500 credits in one of the next 50 to be opened. There is also a Spoil in the milestone wares for one golden key! As always, Spoils can purchased from the Artifact Packages section on the Aetolia website at **www.aetolia.com/credits**! A new month also means the the Trading Post’s stock rotates. For July it has: - a cherry chocolate - a white chocolate - a “Katshkele’s Glory” firework display - a grimstim pill - a beating phoenix heart - a silver chalice - a weathered potsherd - a torch of the Underhalls And last but not least, every Tuesday this month will have Double Experience turned on! Enjoy! **Categories:** News --- ### [Combat Credit Milestones](https://www.aetolia.com/news/combat-credit-milestones/) **Published:** July 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Aetolia's combat credit milestones are shifting value out of the Sect of Blades and into open-world PK, with updated key rewards for duels, foci kills, bounties, and war. **Content:** ![Aetolia combat credit milestones update value shifts from the Sect of Blades to open world PK](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aetolia-announce-combat-credit-milestones-20260701-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia Combat Credit Milestones July 2026 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")I’m adjusting some of the credit milestones around the Sect of Blade and shifting some of the value into Open World PK. I also want to encourage a bit more group battles as I think opportunities have fallen off a little bit over time, and maybe there’s too much focus around the Sect of Blades right now. I’ll keep an eye on it to try and make sure encouragement between the two sits somewhere between. - Participate in three sect duels: From 4 to 3 keys - Participate in six sect duels: From 6 to 4 keys - Win three sect duels: From 6 to 3 keys - Assist in a kill at a lesser focus: From 2 to 3 keys - Assist in a kill at twin foci: From 2 to 3 keys - Assist in a kill at a major foci: From 3 to 4 keys - Complete a bounty: From 3 to 5 keys - Participate in the Orrery: From 2 to 3 keys - Slay an opposing militia member while at war: New at 2 keys Any other credit milestones not listed here remain unchanged. **Categories:** News --- ### [Calling Mortal Builders](https://www.aetolia.com/news/calling-mortal-builders-3/) **Published:** June 27, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Aetolia is recruiting mortal builders. Write rooms and NPCs, earn credits as payment, and leave a lasting mark on the world while still playing your own character. **Content:** ![Aetolia mortal builder recruitment write room and NPC descriptions earn credits contribute to the game world](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aetolia-announce-mortal-builders-20260627-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia Mortal Builder Recruitment Writers Wanted - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi everyone! Aetolia is once again looking for enthusiastic and skilled writers to contribute to the game’s development as a mortal builder! We’re inviting anyone who has a creative streak, an interest in helping Aetolia grow, and the ability to both work to a goal and to deadlines to apply for the builder role. Building projects come with credits as payment for work completed and don’t require you to give up playing your character(s). This can be an excellent and fulfilling opportunity to contribute to the game and leave behind a permanent mark on the world. It is also an excellent way to gain experience for future Celani applications. To apply, please be sure to read HELP STYLE GUIDELINES in full and then send a plain text email to builders@aetolia.com with the following included: - Five flawless room descriptions, each a different environment. - Two NPC descriptions, such as an animal or a person, and two possible attack lines these NPCs might have. Show off your creativity with these! - How many hours per week you expect to be able to contribute towards building projects. - Any experience with building or writing that you have had before. - An original project idea that you would like to work on. This can be as small or elaborate as you like, be it a band of NPCs or a sprawling ruined temple to your favourite God. This is an opportunity to showcase your imagination and give us an idea of what work you may be best suited for, so make it as interesting as you can! Please keep in mind though that this is purely a chance for us to see your mind at work rather than a project that is likely to come to fruition. The vast majority of projects will be decided already or form part of a larger plan we have in mind for Aetolia as a whole. As a disclaimer, we currently have a preference for anybody **comfortable with writing a lot of rooms in one area**. These projects will usually involve multiple weeks or months before a deadline. We have a lot of upcoming content that will require anywhere between **50** and **200** room descriptions to complete any given area, which could be quite the windfall for those who are willing to handle an entire project themselves! Please include your character name in the application as well, so we know who to contact! We will post again to tell you when the application process is closed, but will reach out to prospects until that moment. Feel free to message or e-mail me if you have any questions! **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads June 2026 - part 2 (end)](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-june-2026-part-2-end/) **Published:** June 27, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** The closing June classlead round reworks Tekura, Battlefury, Predation, and Crystalism, adds four Savagery Mastery talents, and retunes Panda stance balance recovery. **Content:** ![Aetolia June 2026 classleads part 2 Tekura Battlefury Predation Crystalism and Savagery talent changes](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aetolia-announce-classleads-june-2026-p2-20260627-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia June 2026 Classleads Part 2 Combat Changes - Aetolia the Midnight Age")### Battlefury / Riving - \[3910\] The Conservation talent can now be used by one-hand and two-hand weapons. - \[3910\] The Poise talent can now be used by one-hand and two-hand weapons. - \[3910\] Overdriving now passes any empowered / actuated effects through Burst / Atele, while still adding to it. - \[3910\] Whirling now gives you 50% immunity to tripping attacks while using Zeal / Harrow. - \[3910\] Serration can now affect blunt weapons. - \[3910\] Serration bleed per a hit lowered to 20, down from 25. - \[3910\] Removed Aerodynamics talent from Mastery. ### Beastmastery - \[3884\] Redeyes cooldown increased to 12 seconds, up from 8. - \[3884\] Strands chance to break increased to 40%, up from 33%. ### Crystalism - \[3915\] Tremors will now knock people fallen if they have a broken leg. - \[3915\] Adduction now periodically strips density if you are in the same location as vibration. ### Gravitation / Sporulation - \[3904\] Grip / Ensnare now as a 5 second cooldown where it cannot increase gravity / culture stacks. You can still use the ability for its other effects during this cooldown. ### Manipulation - \[3922\] Dome now requires at least three people to have attacked you. ### Miscellaenous - \[3885\] Organization and mortality-state hating berserk denizens are calmed when in foci zones. ### Predation - \[3884\] Threadtrap balance recovery increased to 4 seconds, up from 3. - \[3884\] Threadtrap now has a mana drain of 60 mana while active. - \[3902\] You can now target the Triad ability if you have an Apex of 3 or more. ### Savagery / Warding - \[Keroc\] Added Shredder talent to Mastery. - \[Keroc\] Added Lopper talent to Mastery. - \[Keroc\] Added Powerful talent to Mastery. - \[Keroc\] Added Overhand talent to Mastery. ### Songcalling - \[3906\] One half of Heatbeat now speeds up PLAY, while other affects SING. ### Tekura - \[3928\] Jumpkick can now be parried, unless you are fleeing. - \[3918\] Jab no longer works alongside Targeting from Weaponry. - \[3914\] Using a kick in Panda stance will stabilise the balance recovery of follow-up punches, making them match the roll you got on the kick. - \[3914\] Balance recovery roll for kicks in Panda stance decreased to -1.25 to +1.25 seconds, shrunk from -1.5 to +1.5. - \[3914\] Balance recovery roll for punches in Panda stance increased to -1.25 to +1.25 seconds, widened from -1 to +1. ### Vision - \[3892\] Wounds display has changed with a bit of extra information. - \[Keroc\] You can now use TRAUMA in place of WOUNDS if you like. **Categories:** News --- ### [Hunting Trees - Luminary / Earthcaller](https://www.aetolia.com/news/hunting-trees-luminary-earthcaller/) **Published:** June 22, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Luminary and Earthcaller are the first mirrored pair added to Aetolia's hunting tree system. Several skills now hit denizens, two unused chaos skills are gone. **Content:** ![Aetolia adds Luminary and Earthcaller as the first mirrored pair in the hunting tree system](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aetolia-announce-luminary-earthcaller-20260622-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia Hunting Trees Luminary Earthcaller 2026 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hey all, Our first mirrored class for the hunting tree system, both Luminary and Earthcaller are now available to check out. Please give me any feedback you might have into our Discord! If you need a refresher on how to turn on the hunting tree system, please read ANNOUNCE #3865. General changes alongside this: ### Spirituality / Subjugation - Removed Skill: Ward / Puncture - This is a chaos entity hate skill which I don’t think anyone really uses. - Strike / Strike now works on denizens for a little bit of damage. ### Devotion / Apocalyptia - Removed Skill: Chaoscalm / Proscription - Also a chaos entity hate skill which no one really uses. - Peace / Lull now works on denizens and mollifies them for 6 seconds. ### Illumination / Tectonics - Enflame / Lavacoat now works on denizens, but only with Smite / Quash at a 50% chance to ignite them. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads June 2026 - part 1](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-june-2026-part-1/) **Published:** June 20, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Part 1 of Aetolia's June 2026 classleads: changes to afflictions, Beastmastery, Knifeplay, Predation, Shamanism, and more across ten skillsets. **Content:** ![Aetolia June 2026 classlead changes across ten skillsets](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aetolia-announce-classleads-june-2026-p1-20260620-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia Classleads June 2026 Part 1 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")**Afflictions** - \[3888\] Queues are now checked after stun, asleep, and unconsciousness expire. - \[3888\] Stun resistance from multiple stunning attacks has been removed. **Beastmastery** - \[3900\] Roar will now cause people to flee even if they’re off balance or equilibrium. **Bladefire / Chirography** - \[3931\] Hemorrhage / Wilave damage has been split between the amount of bleeding and bruises you have, rather then solely being based upon how much bleeding you have. **Dhuriv / Shadowdancing** - \[3927\] Blind / Ploy balance recovery time lowered to 1.2 seconds, down from 1.6. **Ferality** - \[3882\] Rips now fade upon the giver’s death. **Hypnosis** - \[3887\] Sleights Pall will no longer wake up sleeping opponents. **Knifeplay** - \[3893\] Spinslash trauma dealt lowered to 3% total, down from 4%. **Predation** - \[3901\] Daggerthrow now requires the courage defence to PULL a dagger from your body. **Battlefury / Riving** - \[3932\] Impale / Transpierce with a two-handed weapon now needs the extravasation affliction as well as shock to bypass the prone requirement. **Shamanism / Experimentation** - \[3921\] Omen / Causality no longer causes a stun unless it has full potency. **Categories:** News --- ### [Father's Day!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/fathers-day-4/) **Published:** June 21, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** It's Father's Day. Enter DADSRULE in Aetolia for 25 bound credits, free for the next few days. **Content:** ![Aetolia Father's Day promotion: enter DADSRULE for 25 bound credits](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aetolia-announce-fathers-day-20260621-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia Fathers Day 25 Credits 2026 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, Don’t forget that today (Sunday) is Father’s Day! If you did, you still have time to give him a call! To celebrate, we’re giving away 25 bound credits simply for entering DADSRULE within the next few days. Enjoy! **Categories:** News --- ### [Shaman oaths/Alchemist disciplines](https://www.aetolia.com/news/shaman-oaths-alchemist-disciplines/) **Published:** June 17, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Shamans and Alchemists can now earn their oaths and disciplines outside their home cities. Baskets and totems for Shamans, Taron the Fence for Alchemists. **Content:** ![Aetolia Shaman oaths and Alchemist disciplines obtainable outside home cities](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aetolia-announce-shaman-oaths-alchemist-disciplines-20260617-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia Shaman Oaths and Alchemist Disciplines 2026 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, We’re pleased to announce that there’s finally a solution for Shamans and Alchemists to obtain their oaths and disciplines separate from those classes’ home cities. For Shamans, the process is: 1. Obtain a basket of offerings for 1000gp from the shop at v71902 in Abelaas. One basket per oath. 2. Find a totem of the respective guardian you need the oath for in the Ithmias. 3. Drop the basket, slit your palms, and touch the totem. 4. You’ll need to repeat this at each totem for the oaths you need, or at the new slumbering chonk of a durdalis in the Aureliana for the durdalis oath. For Alchemists, the process is a little simpler: Simply visit Taron the Fence at v53435 in Esterport and ASK TARON FOR DISCIPLINE. He’ll charge you 1000gp for each one and send you on your way with your new dubiously-acquired qualification. **Categories:** News --- ### [Collections system!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/collections-system/) **Published:** June 18, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Aetolia's new COLLECTIONS system gives you one place to browse and track minipets, mounts, fish, styles, figurines and more, plus a preview of unobtained minipets. **Content:** ![Aetolia COLLECTIONS system tracking minipets mounts fish and styles](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aetolia-announce-collections-system-20260618-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia COLLECTIONS System 2026 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, We’ve added a brand new COLLECTIONS system, intended to give you a central place to browse and track many of Aetolia’s collectable systems. You can access it with: - COLLECTIONS This will show your overall collection progress, along with a total across all collection types. From there, you can click into individual collections if your client supports MXP, or use commands such as: - COLLECTIONS MINIPETS - COLLECTIONS FISH - COLLECTIONS STYLES - COLLECTIONS COMPENDIUM - COLLECTIONS FISHING HOLES You can also view individual entries with: - COLLECTIONS For example: - COLLECTIONS MINIPETS 1 - COLLECTIONS FISH 12 - COLLECTIONS FIGURINES DRAMLAI\_SIEGE Of particular note here: this allows you to at last preview what minipets and mounts will look like in advance of obtaining them, by looking up their individual entry. Another important note for the physical items in particular (minipets, etc) is that they might tell you how or where you can obtain that particular thing, if there’s a source such a shop, etc. Some collections are based on things you own, such as minipets, mounts, and minipet clothing. Others are based on things you have discovered or unlocked, such as fish, fishing holes, minigames, Compendium pages, styles, figurines, Triptycha tiles, transmute beetles, vox, and ocean curiosities. Most things will be retroactive except minigames notably: you’ll have to go around and rediscover those again. For most minigames, playing until a game-ending condition will unlock them in your discoveries. Some entries may be hidden until discovered, while others may appear as unknown entries until you find them. We’ve also added: - RANKINGS COLLECTION This completely replaces the older unique minipets, unique mounts, total styles, and total figurines rankings with one overall collection ranking (and satifies REPORT 3779 from October last year!). See HELP COLLECTIONS for full syntax and details. (p.s. sorry about that patch of lag as I loading in the rankings) **Categories:** News --- ### [Guard Complacency System](https://www.aetolia.com/news/guard-complacency-system/) **Published:** June 12, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Aetolia retires the guard complacency system. The Security Ministry now controls the dome field, which repels city enemies for up to seven days at a ylem cost. **Content:** ![Aetolia dome field defence replaces the guard complacency system CITY DOMEFIELD commands for the Security Ministry](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aetolia-announce-guard-complacency-system-20260612-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia Dome Field Guard Complacency 2026 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi all, With the bashing changes under way, one of the big potential issues is going to be guards and how effects stack together once Eidolurgy is around. I don’t really imagine it as too impossible that some method of stacking stats/abilities might allow you to easily deal with guards under the current complacency system, no matter how tough/tanky they might be, so we’ve decided that a new system is probably needed in its place. With that in mind, the Security Ministry and its aides now have access to the dome field defence. **CITY DOMEFIELD STATUS** - Use this to see the status of the dome field, whether it’s active or charging. **CITY DOMEFIELD FORM** - Costs 50,000 ylem, then 10,000 ylem an IRL day. - Must be standing at your pylon. - Begin the process of forming a dome field across the city. It will take 2 hours to fully form and become active after using this command. Once active, any city enemy who enters the city will be repelled and magically transported back to the original location they came from. - The dome field will last for a maximum of 7 IRL days, or until you end it if you so choose. - You cannot use this command unless 15 guards have been slain that day per WARSTATUS. **CITY DOMEFIELD FALL** - End a formed dome field early, removing the daily cost. - Only the Minister of Security may do this. Please note that the guard complacency system is now completely removed as well. That’s all for now! **Categories:** News --- ### [Submissions Closed](https://www.aetolia.com/news/submissions-closed-11/) **Published:** June 15, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Classlead submission is now closed. Two days remain for late comments and votes before decisions start posting. Voting stays open on undecided reports. **Content:** ![Aetolia classlead voting ends in 2 days Classlead submissions are closed](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aetolia-announce-submissions-closed-20260615-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia Classlead Submissions Closed 2026 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Submission for new classleads is now closed. You can use REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find reports you haven’t left a comment on, and REPORTS ABSTAINED for reports you haven’t voted on. After TWO days to gather late comments and votes, we will start to post decisions. You can continue to vote beyond this point on reports that don’t have decisions yet. NOTE: It’s not enough to just talk about it on the Discord threads, you absolutely need to vote or comment as well, as this is what I will be looking at mostly. This informs me of what your final thoughts are, which is important if you spend your time debating in those threads and end up with a change of mind. Thanks! **Categories:** News --- ### [Hunting Trees - Shapeshifter](https://www.aetolia.com/news/hunting-trees-shapeshifter/) **Published:** June 8, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** The Shapeshifter hunting tree is now live in Aetolia. The update adds a new Ferality skill, Jawsnap, lets Spinalrip and Jugular hit denizens, and raises denizen bleeding limits. **Content:** ![Aetolia Shapeshifter hunting tree update new Ferality skill Jawsnap and denizen bleeding changes](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aetolia-announce-shapeshifter-hunting-tree-20260608-16x9-2.jpg "Aetolia Shapeshifter Hunting Tree 2026 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hey all, It’s time for Shapeshifters to shine! The hunting tree for Shapeshifters is now available, feel free to check them out and place any feedback about it that you have into the Discord. Again, if you need a refresher on how to turn on the hunting tree system, please read ANNOUNCE #3865. General changes alongside this: ### Ferality - New Skill: Jawsnap. - Slashing now deals 20 bleeding to denizens. - Jugular can now be used on denizens, but with lower bleeding values. - Bite attacks in Ferality are now subject to dodging and missing, except for the rips. - Rips excluded because you’re already jawlocking them. - Spinalrip can now be used on denizens. - Spinalrip no longer self-cures itself on adventurers after 10 seconds. - Tweaked some Ferality messages and back end things. - The connect message for claw attacks is probably the big one. - Added Jugular, Spinalrip, and Jawsnap into the details system. ### Shapeshifting - Salivate now additionally removes any ability to dodge or miss on bite attacks. - The intent is to document this behaviour by adding it to an ability. - Fixed a bunch of cases where Salivate was proc’ing on non-bite attacks and such. - I’m just basing this on the message itself, not its place in the Ferality skill headers. - Messy, I know, but Shapeshifters are quite old and probably need some further organising. ### Miscellaneous - Raised the bleeding maximum on denizens to 2500, up from 400. - Denizens now have slightly different messages based on how much they’re bleeding. **Categories:** News --- ### [Keep up to date with our newsletter, get prizes!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/keep-up-to-date-with-our-newsletter-get-prizes/) **Published:** June 2, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Subscribe to the Iron Realms newsletter for Aetolia news and event previews. Select issues will carry in-game promo codes for customizations and exclusive gear. **Content:** ![Aetolia newsletter promo codes in select issues devblogs and event previews from the Midnight Age](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aetolia-hero-newsletter-promo-codes-20260529-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia newsletter - promo codes and prizes for subscribers - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, sharing this on behalf of Jeremy/Iron Realms: Stay on top of all the news and happenings in Aetolia (and the Iron Realms) with a newsletter sent directly to your inbox. Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know about new promotions, event previews, devblog updates and more! Our goal is to provide an easy to digest snapshot, and we promise not to spam you with constant chatter. Plus, you can opt out at any time. In case the power of being the most informed player in the realms isn’t enough to entice you… **Starting soon, we will be including unique promo codes in select newsletters that you can redeem in-game to get perks such as character customizations, exclusive gear, or other fun surprises.** Subscribing will not grant you an in-game advantage, but it may get you something fun and shiny. Get in on the fun at and subscribe for free today! **Categories:** News --- ### [June Promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/june-promotion-4/) **Published:** June 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Aetolia's June promotion is live: antiquated salvage on every 100 credits, the artifact cart at 30-40% off, a lesson bonus sale, and fresh Trading Post wares. **Content:** ![Aetolia June promotion antiquated salvage artifact cart at 40 percent off and lesson sale](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aetolia-announce-june-promotion-20260601-16x9-2.jpg "Aetolia June promotion - salvage sale and artifact cart deals - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hello, Aetolians! It’s now June which means we’re welcoming back the trifecta of: **a salvage sale**, **the artifact cart**, and **a direct lesson sale**! Every **100** credits purchased from the website will come with a piece of antiquated salvage, which is typically valued at **200** credits. These pieces may be traded to other players and used without bearing your mark, EXCEPT for purchasing the Antiquated Artifacts themselves. Once you obtain the first level, you can use any salvage you like to upgrade it. HELP ANTIQUATED ARTIFACTS will be of interest to those who aren’t familiar with how salvage works, as well as HELP ANTIQUATED \[RING/GOGGLES/GAUNTLET/CROP/SCEPTRE\] for a specific breakdown of what each item does. In brief: - The **Crop** is built around mounts, granting your active mount a suite of powers ranging from emotes and long-distance galloping to mobile shops and enemy tracking. **If you didn’t catch it, the Crop was overhauled last year – see ANNOUNCE #3760!** - The **Gauntlet** revolves around ylem and the Manipulation skillset, boosting your ylem absorption, your power over elds and foci, and granting free transmute charges. - The **Ring** is attuned to a single ally and shares cooperative powers between the two of you, such as guarding, resurrecting, stat-sharing, and experience boosts. - The **Goggles** are all about sight, replicating mist-seeing goggles while layering on a huge range of perception-enhancing abilities. - The **Sceptre** is themed around roleplay and dramatic flair, conjuring illusory props, directional and area-wide emotes, pseudonyms, and other theatrical flourishes. As for the Artifact Cart, all artifacts purchased directly through the cart have a **30%** discount applied; this stacks with Iron Elite Membership for a total discount of **40%**! In addition to the large discounts, there are a number of exclusives available only through the artifact cart, including: - Chocolates - House deeds (these come with FIVE rooms in total and can be redeemed by e-mailing me as per HELP CASTLES) - Fireworks - Upgrade tokens - Several other artifacts Last up is the lesson sale! For the month of June, lessons can be purchased directly from the website at a significant bonus. Those with Iron Elite Memberships will also receive **10%** bonus lessons on any lesson purchase they make! As always, the cart, credits, and lessons can be found on the Aetolia website at [www.aetolia.com/credits](https://www.aetolia.com/credits)! Finally, the Trading Post’s stock has refreshed for June! This month’s wares are: - a hazelnut chocolate - a fudge chocolate - a patriotic firework display - an “Ere’s Unsupervised Explosive Extravaganza” - a preserved, yellowed eye - a scroll of instructions - a random style scroll Enjoy! **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads June 2026](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-june-2026/) **Published:** June 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** June classleads are open: two weeks to submit three anonymous reports, then two days to vote. Bashing 2.0 work may slow decisions this cycle. **Content:** ![Aetolia June 2026 classleads open two weeks to submit three reports](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/aetolia-announce-classleads-june-20260601-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia June 2026 classleads - submission rules and dates - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, Our second classleads of the year is here, however please read the below notes as there will be a few things different. Information for this classlead cycle: Submissions will be open for TWO WEEKS in which you can submit THREE reports in for consideration which will be left anonymous. Once this time frame is up, there will be TWO DAYS to vote before we will start posting decisions. You can still vote early as per normal, but the extra two days will be there to avoid the feeling of late reports purposefully being submitted to be snuck through near the end. **As I’m currently in the middle of Bashing 2.0, classlead decisions and implementations may happen much more slowly than usual and particularly large or complex reports might end up being subjected to time restraints if they’re not necessarily adding a large amount of value to do. Please keep this in mind!** If you’re new, continue on below for more information on classleads. If you’re old, please read HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES at the very least. What are classleads: Classleads are a two week period that allows players to submit reports about their class (or other classes) for review by the administration. Do you believe that Siderealist should be able to collapse the cosmic universe with a thought? Then this is what you’ve been waiting for! Make sure to read through HELP CLASSLEADS to learn the commands needed to make and submit your reports, and I also highly recommend HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES to help avoid common potholes when creating your submissions. If you want to keep track of submissions and results, have a look at CONFIG CLASSLEADS and consider turning it on. Also consider joining the Discord! On top of being a great place for report feedback before submission, each report will have a thread created about it so you can discuss it with others. See HELP DISCORD for information. Details on submission: - Newly created reports will be marked as anonymous, your name as a submitter will not be revealed to others. - You may submit up to a total of three reports across the skillsets of the game to suggest combat balance adjustments, new features, or quality of life upgrades. Please note that this limit is based across all characters you own. - Reports that are based on skills you do not possess will be much more heavily scrutinized, so make sure they are top-notch before submission. - While you must provide reasonable solutions to your report’s problem, we may opt for a fourth solution instead based upon feedback. - Once a report is submitted, -anyone- may vote upon its merit using the CLASSLEAD SUPPORT/REJECT commands. If you wish to support/reject a report, please provide your reasoning and make sure to point out any shortcomings or additions you feel might be necessary. You may also simply leave a comment using CLASSLEAD COMMENT, if you wish for a more neutral approach. - Any commentary which basically boils down to ‘I agree with my bud’ or ‘This is a terrible idea’ will automatically be discarded, and will you hurt your chances at passing through reports in future rounds, perhaps even resulting in loss of ability to submit at all. If you can consistently provide level-headed thought and in depth knowledge then your opinions will be valued more highly over others, and could result in extra submissions. - You can use REPORTS ABSTAINED and REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find submitted reports you have not voted upon or commented. **Categories:** News --- ### [Auctions final day reminder](https://www.aetolia.com/news/auctions-final-day-reminder/) **Published:** May 29, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Less than 24 hours remain on all current Aetolia auctions. Get your final bids in before they close. **Content:** ![Aetolia auctions final day reminder every auction closes within 24 hours](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-announce-auctions-final-day-20260529-16x9-3.jpg "Aetolia Auctions Final Day 2026 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")This is just your friendly reminder notice that there is less than 24 hours remaining on all the auctions. Good luck! **Categories:** News --- ### [Hunting Trees - Monk](https://www.aetolia.com/news/hunting-trees-monk/) **Published:** May 24, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** The Monk hunting tree is live after Infiltrator wrapped cleanly. Roundhouse uses more static damage now, and Tekura balance has been rewritten on the backend. **Content:** ![Aetolia Monk class hunting tree live Tekura Roundhouse damage formula and balance rewritten](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-announce-monk-hunting-tree-20260524-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia Monk Hunting Tree Live - Tekura Roundhouse and Balance Updates - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hey all, Infiltrator went through pretty smoothly, so we’re moving onto Monks now! Feel free to check out their hunting tree and give me any feedback that you might have about it on the Discord. If you need a refresher on how to turn on the hunting tree system, please read ANNOUNCE #3865. General changes alongside this: ### Tekura - Adjusted the damage formula on Roundhouse to use more static damage. - Rewritten on the backend how balance is used for a Tekura attack, please let me know if anything seems weird. ### Bug Fixes - Fixed stunned denizens sometimes forgetting to attack all together. - Channelling from the prompt is now in GMCP. **Categories:** News --- ### [Hunting Trees - Infiltrator](https://www.aetolia.com/news/hunting-trees-infiltrator/) **Published:** May 17, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Aetolia's first hunt tree is live for testing with the Infiltrator class. Use CONFIG HUNTREE ON to opt in and spend unlock points across 8 nodes. **Content:** ![Aetolia infiltrator hunt tree announcement card](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-announce-hunt-tree-infiltrator-card-20260521-16x9-1.jpg "aetolia-announce-hunt-tree-infiltrator-card-20260521-16x9-1 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hello folks, Today, I am releasing the first of the hunt trees, starting with the Infiltrator class. We will be rolling these out slowly, class by class, so that each tree has some time in the game for bug testing and feedback before the next one is released. First of all though, some disclaimers: - The numbers I’m using for the hunt trees are not finalised and don’t reflect what the final release will look like. - Tree nodes are subject to change, it is best not to get too attached to them during this period. - This is mainly to test things out and the full extent won’t be visible without Eidolurgy. If you are interested in trying out the hunt tree for Infiltrator, then follow the below steps. 1. Use `CONFIG HUNTREE ON` to switch your hunting stats to new version. - This will lower the effect of Hunting Might and remove critical hits higher than x2. - It will also affect some class specific things. - This is a temporary measure to not affect normal hunting in the meantime. 2. Look at the `HUNTING` syntax. 3. Use `HUNTING TREE` to review the tree. 4. Use `HUNTING NODE ` to view a node. 5. Use `HUNTING NODE UNLOCK ` to unlock a node. Everyone will get one unlock point every 10 levels, starting at level 20 and finishing at level 90, for a total of 8. You can then spend the points on your hunting tree, providing that you unlock the node before it. You can also spread your unlocks out however you want — you’re not committed to one side or the other. Other than that, reading what each node does should explain what they will do for the Infiltrator class. Alongside this, there are a few general changes to the Infiltrator class: ### Hunt Tree Config - Camus turns into a damage over time effect on denizens. ### Assassination - Yank now works on denizens. - Marking now works on denizens. ### Bug Fixes - Fixed denizens not always seeking out players from ranged attacks. - Fixed some cases where you could spawn free arrows from bows. - Fixed some issues with slain and critical hit messages not showing from ranged attacks. - Camus damage over time on adventurers is now enhanced by the ‘corrosion’ artifact. - Fixed Stalking not hiding movement. I will be collecting any feedback either through our official Discord, or if you prefer not to join that, you can leave me a message. Thanks! **Categories:** News --- ### [Dummy for purchase, inquire within](https://www.aetolia.com/news/dummy-for-purchase-inquire-within/) **Published:** May 15, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Combat training dummies are now available for purchase. Use BUILDING MAKE DUMMY to add one to your house or org building. No fighting pit required. **Content:** ![Aetolia combat training dummy announcement card](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-announce-dummy-for-purchase-card-20260521-16x9-1.jpg "aetolia-announce-dummy-for-purchase-card-20260521-16x9-1 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, We’re happy with the state of dummies now (HELP DUMMY) and we are ready to release it to the public! Dummies can be purchased for houses or org buildings with the command: `BUILDING MAKE DUMMY` - For houses, this carries a cost of 600/900/1200 credits. - For orgs, this carries a cost of 10,000,000 gold. As a final note, dummies do not need to be placed in a room with a fighting pit. They cannot kill you. **Categories:** News --- ### [May Auctions](https://www.aetolia.com/news/may-auctions/) **Published:** May 20, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Nineteen lots live across credits, iron coins, and gold. New: a humanoid follower artifact, a Dragon supertattoo, and lessons now counting toward credit bids at 6:1. **Content:** ![Aetolia May 2026 auctions 19 lots across credits iron coins and gold](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-announce-auctions-20260520-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia May Auctions 2026 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")It’s time for our auction! Shortly after this post, a round of auctions will be going live. There are 9 credit auctions, 5 iron coin auctions, and 5 gold auctions. Some notes: - The auctions will run for 10 real days. - Any artifacts bought through auctions (including gold items) cannot be traded in or have their powers transferred. - Credit and iron coin auctions do not require you to have the credits/iron coins on hand to bid. - Gold auctions do require you to have the gold on hand to bid. - We allow a week to gather the winning bid amount when auctions end. Failure to meet the bid amount after this time will result in the loss of your character until the cost is settled. - Bound credits and bound iron coins CAN be used to pay for auctions. - HELP AUCTIONS and HELP AUCTIONHOUSE both have additional details. - Bids are final, and we will generally not reverse mistakes. Please be absolutely sure before placing a bid. We are trialing something different for this auction: You can count your lessons towards credit auctions at a ratio of 6:1 (6 lessons = 1 credit). We’ve added a new AUCTION CREDITS command that tells you how many credits you have available combining your credits and lessons. You can still bid beyond the number AUCTION CREDITS says. Without further ado, here are the listings going live. Once they’re up, use AUCTION INFO for details. ### Credits Auctions (NEW!) A humanoid follower — a Sapience-only humanoid race pet with the intrinsic ability to attack players, customisable attacks (up to 5), and a special enrage on your death. (PVP only, 5-minute respawn) (NEW!) A Dragon tattoo — a supertattoo with the effects of boar, moon, and moss combined. Artifact tattoo, never fades. Dragonscale armour, A beastmaster’s whip, Power orb: super\_polymath, Hunter’s Quintessence, Boots of Divine Celerity, A box of winter’s embrace, A set of tattoo stamps ### Iron Coin Auctions (NEW!) A wayside book-hutch — your own personal portable library with no upkeep fees. Custom cloak of obscurity, Minipet claim token, The Intaglio of Artos, A pack of the void ### Gold Auctions An archer’s bundle, A class unlock token, A relic piece token, Skull token bundle, A slightly-used Top Rock’s barrel of incendiary delight **Categories:** News --- ### [The Duel](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-duel-12/) **Published:** May 20, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** The Duel is back. Compete in a double elimination one-on-one PvP tournament for credits, the Rapier of the Master Duelist, and a Sentinel class figurine. **Content:** ![Aetolia Duel PvP tournament double elimination one on one](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-announce-duel-20260520-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia The Duel PvP Tournament May 2026 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Another day, another month, another Duel! I hope you’ve gotten your practice in because it’s time to test what you’ve learned. Enter and see how you fare in a double elimination one-on-one tournament where only the best can succeed. Will you be the newest Champion of the realm? If you’ve never joined one before, HELP THE DUEL will tell you what you need to know. Prizes include: - Fame - Credits - The Rapier of the Master Duelist! - Bragging rights (!!!) This time around, we have Razmael’s favourite class pick as the figurine to earn for participating: Sentinel! We’ll also have a raffle where one random entrant will win a prize. Don’t forget milestones! The specific time can be found in EVENTS INFO 1601. Don’t forget to set your timezone (CONFIG TIMEZONE) if you haven’t already. See you there! **Categories:** News --- ### [Artisanal submissions closed](https://www.aetolia.com/news/artisanal-submissions-closed/) **Published:** March 16, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Submissions for the Favourite NPC Artisanal are closed. Sixteen entries received. Submitters should have a confirmation email. **Content:** Submissions are now closed for the Artisanal contest. We had a huge turnout of amazing entries, so big thanks to all of you that got involved! There was tremendous talent and hardwork on display, with 16 entries total. If you submitted an entry, you should have received a reply email from me at some point confirming your submission. If you have not received this, please let me know ASAP so we can make sure your entry is found for judging. Judging might take us a while, so please bear with us until then! **Categories:** News --- ### [Leveling lessons, and Discord verify credits](https://www.aetolia.com/news/leveling-lessons-and-discord-verify-credits/) **Published:** March 17, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Lessons earned while leveling have been increased so new players can max out class skills without needing large credit purchases. **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/lessons-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg "lessons-16x9 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks! As we continue to explore ways of improving the new player experience and in particular new player retention, a long-standing concern that is often raised is the subject of lessons earned while levelling and the inability, even with no-brainer lessons, to max out your class skills without the much larger investment into credit packages or similar. Well, as of today, that changes! Lessons earned from levelling have been significantly increased at certain thresholds, granting an additional 2000 lessons by level 80 The specific breakdown can be found in HELP LEVELS, but the bonus starts small at 50 lessons when reaching level 10, up to 250 additional at level 80. Additionally, you no longer lose lessons if you go down a level – you just won’t get any lessons for reaching that level again. This change is retroactive and all characters of appropriate levels have been awarded lessons they would have earned while levelling. In addition to this, you will now also earn 10 bound credits when you verify on the Aetolia Discord! This has also been handed out retroactively. Enjoy! **Categories:** News --- ### [Iron Realms Question of the Week Contest](https://www.aetolia.com/news/iron-realms-question-of-the-week-contest/) **Published:** March 20, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Iron Realms is running a 4-week Question of the Week contest. Answer on social channels each Friday for a chance to win 100 credits. **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/question-of-the-week-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg "question-of-the-week-16x9 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Iron Realms is kicking off a new Question of the Week contest starting today that runs through the next 4 weeks! You’ll have a chance to win just by sharing your best stories, memories, and opinions from across your time in the Iron Realms! Every Friday, a new question will be asked on our social channels. Before the next question is posted, 3 winning responses will be chosen with each winner receiving 100 credits! At the end of Week 4, one grand prize winner will receive a 3-month Elite Membership. If you already have Iron Elite, it will be extended by 3 months! If you’ve got a favorite moment, an unforgettable story, or something to say about what makes Iron Realms special, this is your time. Full details and rules: https://www.ironrealms.com/2026/03/20/question-of-the-week-contest/ The first question is already up – come share your favorite moment from any Iron Realms game! **Categories:** News --- ### [Hunting Revamp](https://www.aetolia.com/news/hunting-revamp/) **Published:** March 21, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** The Aetolia hunting revamp is rolling out in stages to reduce disruption. Passive skills are among the first changes to land. **Content:** Hi folks, This is just a notice that I will probably be rolling out small parts of the hunting revamp to come. We decided that it might be a bit more wise to add some things bit by bit rather then everything at once, just so there isn’t a billion questions and a dozen things breaking. And some things will probably break, since a lot of our PvE system doesn’t assume certain aspects, like say passive damage to denizens (See: The many fixes that have happened over time because of the Sciomancer Collision skill). So keep an eye out on the Changelog section for extra things here and there. **Categories:** News --- ### [Artisanal results - Favourite NPC!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/artisanal-results-favourite-npc/) **Published:** March 25, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Results of the Favourite NPC Artisanal contest. Winners include Aolin, Mahar, and Akarn. Full runner-up list on the website. **Content:** ![Aetolia Logo](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/aetolia-1024x576.jpg "Aetolia Logo - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hello folks! I’m pleased to announce the results of our Favourite NPC Artisanal contest: WINNERS Tala Mossflower, Old Witch of the Woods (Aolin) Kayalenki fio Kelsys (Mahar) Wraithlord Gruxmal Beneath the Houndswood Tree (Akarn) RUNNER-UPS Thane (Bhadjur) Heiress Rashemi (Astriah) Easy Katy (Vinson) Minotaur Fisher of Kisaut (Mikau) Esterport’s messenger boy (Pietre) Telnari of the Shady Boughs (Morraine) Underdog (Edhain) Kayalenki fio Kelsys (Devereux) Diantha, Princess of the Dreaming Moon (Galilei) Tanjos and the Sea (Inthirath) MERIT Mr Frisky (Wjoltyr) Luzith (Aren) Durdalis (Aneriam) All entries can found on our website at: https://www.aetolia.com/artisanal-march-2026/ Competition was fierce for this Artisanal, and we received far more entries than we anticipated, which is of course a wonderful problem to have! As such, we were generous with the placings and allowed more than one winner. I also increased the amount of Artisanal faction points you get from placements slightly, since that system was originally designed when the contests were more frequent. Once again, a huge thank you to Orlayth for organising all of this and helping make the return of the Artisanal contest happen! **Categories:** News --- ### [Descriptions 2.1](https://www.aetolia.com/news/descriptions-2-1/) **Published:** March 26, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** The new characteristics system lets players define physical traits like eye colour, hair, build, and height that show when others look at them. **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/aetolia_twitter_x-1024x576.jpg "aetolia_twitter_x - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks! Following up on a conversation from our Discord a few weeks ago, we’re excited to release a brand new system and overhaul to character descriptions in the form of the characteristics system! This system lets you define and display physical traits about your character – things like eye colour, hair, build, height, and more – that will show up when others look at you or glance your way. Think of it as an extension of your description that gives a quick snapshot of your character’s most notable features at a glance. Here’s a brief rundown on how it works: ## THE BASICS Type CHARACTER by itself to see all available fields you can set, and what you have currently set them to. The list of fields will be determined based on your race – but when you achieve one of the endgame races (e.g. Azudim/Idreth/Yeleni), all fields become available to you. Almost all of these fields are entirely freeform, so you can write what you want. But we have populated a list of suggestions under CHARACTER OPTIONS (e.g. CHARACTER OPTIONS SKIN) that would make sense for your race or heritage. Again, it’ll just list all of them if you’re endgame. There are some extra hidden fields, such as ‘scent’ and ‘pelt’ which you cannot set but are derived from other systems. e.g. applying perfume/cologne will display the scent field. Being mutated as a shapeshifter will display the pelt field. There might also be a couple more hidden fields that will be tying into a new trade skill releasing very soon…….. ## SETTING CHARACTERISTICS \* CHARACTER SET to set a characteristic. e.g. CHARACTER SET EYES sparkling blue eyes \* CHARACTER SET HEIGHT to set your height. e.g. CHARACTER SET HEIGHT 170 cm e.g. CHARACTER SET HEIGHT 5 ft 8 in \* CHARACTER CLEAR to remove one. Height is a little special: it’s validated against your race’s natural range, and when someone looks at you, they’ll see a relative comparison based on their own height (e.g. “She is noticeably taller than you.”) rather than a raw number. You’ll need to set your own height to see these comparisons on others! You can see CHARACTER OPTIONS HEIGHT for the range you can set. ## VERBOSE DESCRIPTIONS Want to add a bit more flavour to a trait? You can set a verbose description that others can examine more closely: \* CHARACTER SET VERBOSE \* CHARACTER CLEAR VERBOSE When you LOOK at someone, you’ll see a hint if they have verbose descriptions available, and you can LOOK to take a closer look, e.g. LOOK RAZMAEL EYES. ## OTHER NOTES Ascended/Endgame Races: Those of you who have ascended can display up to six of the pickable characteristics on your look. Use CHARACTER SHOW and CHARACTER HIDE to choose which ones are visible. Quicklook: The QL command will now show a quick summary of someone’s race and visible characteristics without needing a full LOOK, handy for getting a read on someone at a passing glance. Description appearance tweaks: The way descriptions appear on LOOK has been adjusted (credit to Lin whose design we roughly copied) to fit this new system. Notably, the ‘He is a ‘ line is separate from the actual description, and things like blessings/other description appends will now show up at the very end after your clothing. Descriptions are now also entirely freeform! As mentioned, the ‘He is a ‘ part of your description is now divorced from the description, so you can open your description however you please. Do note that as part of this, I’ve automatically added the ‘He is a ‘ into your existing descriptions so that people aren’t running around with sentence fragments for their descriptions until they update. Note: This is only for your active description. You’ll have to update any stored descriptions yourselves. Handmirror: Has been updated to show both the new characteristics field (if the target has them set) as well as the ability to look more closely at specific fields if verboses are set if your handmirror is level 2. If you want an example of this new system in action, take a look through your handmirrors at Arvelis. Have fun fleshing out your characters! We will, as always, keep an eye on things and make adjustments as needed. **Categories:** News --- ### [Empty Hunger](https://www.aetolia.com/news/empty-hunger/) **Published:** March 26, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** A lore post on the Void in Aetolia: the lightless empty between planes, a cosmic crevasse running along the edges of intersecting realms. **Content:** ![Aetolia Empty Hunger Event](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/empty-hunger-overlay-v5-1024x576.jpg "Aetolia Empty Hunger Event - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Colourless. Timeless. Empty. All who reside with Aetolia reside within the unfelt grasp of the Void, its toothless jaws dug deep into the dimensional interstitium, where emptiness manifests upon the edges and corners of intersecting realms upon the Planar Spiral. Not a plane unto itself, the Void abides instead as the lightless empty between those places, a cosmic crevasse from which there is little to no chance of return upon being consigned to its unfeeling stretch. Simultaneously leagues wide and thin as a shadow, it runs through the manifold of Creation and presses against every realm sunk within it, an unspoken promise of endless, enigmatic endings of space and time. Though planar scholars agree upon this, there is one collective that disputes these assertions as mere mechanics of a greater structure: the Sentaari. Within their quiet monastery, laden with the heavy airs of occult pursuits and the shameless rejection of the legacy of their forebears, the Sentaari instead posture that the Void gives meaning to existence, and tranquil perfection can be found in the embrace and emulation of the Void’s extensive nothingness. Masters of their old-yet-new philosophies maintain that walking this Path requires an unflinching approach to that boundary, even as the abyss of nothingness leaves the mortal mind with little to occupy itself – a fact that often results in the invention of concept, sensation, and phantom where none truly exist. It was with this understanding at the front of their minds that the foremost occultists and ritualists of that nullifying not-space gathered together in their hallowed halls and enacted an esoteric ritual known as the Narrowing. Driven by recent visions glimpsed within that terrible, maddening place, the Sentaari sought to illuminate the Dark beyond Dark and delve into the mysteries of those things consigned to its otherwise unreached crannies, fixated in particular upon the caverns and mirrored grottoes that continued to manifest as collective symbols in their viewings. Led by Preceptor Morraine Rook, the fated band conducted their ritual business before the monastery’s meditation pond, with Dhani the Inured, a practised Voidseer in her own right, casting patterns into the waters to lure the gaze of an unseen eye. Even as she worked, her compatriots stood by with chains of darkened steel, driven by raw force of will and the solemn belief that physical bindings still held some sway over that which drifts within the vast cosmic empty of the Void. Eventually, the pond tightened into unnatural stillness. A single dim eye formed upon its reflective surface – and then another, and then more yet still. Soon, pairs of unblinking eyes gathered upon the surface in a deliberate formation, watching with neither ripple nor sound. The Sentaari did not flee. Instead, they cast their chains into the basin and held strong. Link after link fed downward into impossible depth as the water darkened around them, and the metallic coils trembled, then drew taut, the runes along their length beginning to glow with an unsettling light. A quiet pull settled behind the sternum of those gathered as Void attunement streamed outward. What began as probing sharpened into purpose, a wise spear thrust into the unknown, a bid to tear aside the veil of mystery. The chains snapped taut, and the light intensified. The pond dimpled inward as metal hummed under immense strain, stretched between the monastery and an Unseen Elsewhere. Silence gathered, attentive rather than empty. Distance compressed. Shadows faltered and withdrew. Leylines hummed out of alignment. The darkness between places thinned, and something vast drew near without form or outline. Recognition passed through space. Temperature evened into unnatural neutrality. Reality tightened in hesitant increments that never fully settled. The pressure stabilised into a held tension, as though an absence had gained weight and chosen to remain. Then came the fracture. A scream split the air as Brother Thich Yuril bolted from the bell tower and hurled himself into the trees below. Even as Morraine urged vigilance and focus, space contracted around an unseen threshold. Angles felt wrong. Distances refused to settle. Stillness returned, but it was no longer clean. Without further warning, space collapsed inward, splicing itself into a pocket realm. The Heartwood shuddered as portions of the monastery fell to the Void, stone and sanctum vanishing soundlessly – a fitting funeral for a legacy abandoned in pursuit of deeper, more esoteric truths. At the ritual’s centre, the pond twisted, and paths folded even as trees froze mid-sway. The meadow buckled into fractured ground, and the bell tower – once a crowning achievement of the now fractured monastery – was replaced by naught but bare space, leaving neither ruin nor echo. The Sentaari, united in purpose, pressed into the beyond, for they had forced the Void betwixt planes to answer – and answer it had. In the wake of the Narrowing, the Sentaari monks found that the meditation pond no longer reflected as it once had. Its surface lay dark and inert, a blank stretch of enigmatic nonexistence – as if Creation itself had fled, leaving the ruin of unrealised space in its wake. Through that unresponsive ‘water’, however, a passage into a smaller cavern revealed itself, its dimensions intimate and exacting, with a low and gently arched ceiling. At its centre, a ring of inscribed stone sat partially submerged in dark, motionless water, covered in subtle yet impossibly precise markings. The pooled waters reflected no light beyond a faint inner glow, and even sound seemed reluctant to travel near its surface. Faint currents stirred beneath without breaking it, as though something immense churned underfoot. Throughout the chamber, the temperature remained perfectly even, and dust refused to settle on any surface. Here, the former monks began to understand that their path had shifted. At this pool, they learned to deepen their connection with the Void through a more sensory approach. Unlike Voidgazing, which casts structured patterns outward in overt evocation of the Void’s nothingness, this new practice required surrender, demanding the stillness of stone. Perception, no longer projected outward, instead thinned and widened, allowing them to receive impressions that pressed inward from the boundless nothing betwixt planes. In that mirroring of emptiness, they changed. No longer mere postulants at the water’s proverbial edge, they instead cast their consciousness and senses adrift within the vastness of those lightless reaches, taking proverbial steps along the seams of the Planar Spiral. With the new focal point of this mysterious pool, the Sentaari beheld the ruins of an ancient, unrecorded civilisation, cast adrift there amid the silent graveyard of cosmic nothingness. Psychic impressions, seared into a land upturned from Primal bindings and flung into the Void, came to some of them, allowing them glimpses of the civilisation’s strange peoples in eras uncharted – their prosperity, their toil, and their ruin all the same moments of disastrous nullwork. Those dead memories, frozen in the stasis of horrifying cataclysm, were as real as visions and visitations, the ashes of recollection consigned to the doom of hubris. In those fleeting flashes, the Sentaari gleaned the history of this unknown empire’s downfall: tampering with the Void through grand ritual, and all the hostile mania that had gripped the terrified populace in their final moments. Though some claimed intent and sentience lurked there in the Void, the Grand Library instead posits that only psychic traces remained, vivid and strong enough to seem intentional or responsive. In the weeks to follow, the Sentaari, blood-daubed with mystic sigils and clear-eyed with purpose, gathered once more by the pond of their sundered Monastery. Warded and bearing three scrying stones, they passed through the silent threshold and descended into the grotto within the Void. There, within still waters that reflected no light but their own faint inner glow, they laid to rest tablets inscribed with three names gleaned from their extrasensory practices. Each name was then invoked in turn, woven through Cultivation, Telepathy, and Oneiromancy to expand their sight beyond mortal seam: S’zaarukh, Arl’shom, and Xal’draxen. Within the Void pool, darkness tightened and sensation slipped sideways. Attunement, familiar and earned, swiftly fled like fine strands that rapidly formed a silhouette that should not exist. Though the Grand Library classifies it as an occult hallucination, reports indicate that the silhouette resembled a humanoid salamander, its dimensions paradoxically forged from a raw understanding of nothingness. To further support our rebuke of this preposterous account, present claims detail communion with disembodied voices within the null chamber, bidding the Sentaari to act against the silhouette with cryptic hints. Despite the improbability of the above events, disturbance reports throughout the Ashen Grove were later filed with our geographical experts, as well as rumours and gossip regarding a bracelet sealed to the earth by incomprehensible magics – a relic initially discovered by the Inured herself. Though the Grand Library expresses immense incredulity regarding the events recorded throughout the latter half of this account, it endeavours to record it for posterity’s sake alone. Witnesses detail an unholy resurrection through stray energies at the impossible edges of the Void and the mental acuity of the involved ritualists, driving them to lay to rest the abomination welcomed by their unwise practises as a price for their delving into things that should not be. Upon tapping into the bracelet’s magic, the Sentaari crossed into the greater ruins of Drax’endra and found further evidence of the catastrophe that had spelt its dire end. Frozen in stasis and held forever as an exhibit of horror and hubris, those people caught up in whatever mysterious, Voidtouched end had met their people stood as still as statues, preserved in a place beyond space, in a moment forever beyond the reach of time and decay. Restored to motion but clearly maddened by captive torment, some of these people emerged from torpor with violent intent, forcing the occultists of the fallen monastery to put them down with swift and unfeeling brutality. There at the heart of that twisted ruin beyond Primal space, they confronted the tormented echo of S’zaarukh, who supposedly wore the mangled flesh of Thich Yuril. Unable to harm him initially, the nullworkers joined forces to unravel the mad seer’s wards and then vanquished him with their collective prowess, leaving no corpse beyond to treat in the ways savage Duirani oft do. Silence followed, not empty but attentive. A subtle undercurrent moved through Xal’draxen. What had been a hostile depth now settled into equilibrium, and the wordless impressions of a dead empire brushed against those present as the final ebb of a people long extinguished. Much was uncovered in the depths of Drax’endra in the wake of the Sentaari’s outlandish victory, yet far more remains veiled beneath its patient dark. Xal’draxen did not seal them within it in a tomb beyond stars and light – instead, it yielded in acceptance, granting them a sanctum somewhere on the border of Primal space and the empty Void, an abyssal enclave that answered to none but the Sentaari. \~~~~~ Summary: Through a Void-manipulating rite, the Sentaari delved into the deeper mysteries of their empty fascination. In the expanse of darkness, they uncovered the fate of a lost people and their ruined empire, and laid to rest the psychic echoes of their dying torment. With those memories vanquished, the remaining land has become the new Sentaari guildhall.Let’s make the edges of the letters a little more white. Let’s move the subtitle up and put the logo underneath the subtitle. **Categories:** News --- ### [Cosmetics - our new trade skill!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/cosmetics-our-new-trade-skill/) **Published:** March 28, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Cosmetics is now live as a new Aetolia trade skill covering pigments, foundations, fake nails, eyelashes, wigs, and more. **Content:** ![Aetolia Cosmetics Tradeskill](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cosmetics-tradeskill-1024x576.jpg "Aetolia Cosmetics Tradeskill - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Complementing the updated descriptions and characteristics system, we’re releasing a new trade skill: Cosmetics! Whether you want to enhance your appearance or make others look fabulous, Cosmetics has something for you. The skill covers a wide range of preparations – from pigments and foundations to fake nails, eyelashes, wigs, and more. While it does launch with fewer base designs than others, the depth of the Cosmetics mechanics, its large number of craftable cosmetics, and our plans to evolve it with your ideas felt deserving of the full trade skill treatment. Make sure to check AB COSMETICS to see what’s available and how each product works. To become a licensed cosmetist, head to Velvyi‘s shop, Sable and Smoulder, in Hatshero (v84307) and BUY COSMETICS PERMIT. This carries a fee of 100 credits and does not expire. You will also find designs and new crafting materials required for Cosmetics at her shop. Like other trade skills, the initial permit is enough to get you started. Investing lessons up to Expert rank will allow you to create and submit custom designs to the crafters’ guild, while Transcendent rank unlocks the Specialist ability – letting you apply and remove cosmetics on other players – as well as the option to mark up to ten designs as exempt from decay. The higher your skill rank, the longer your applied cosmetics will last, too. One thing to note for non-cosmetists: anybody can use cosmetics products once they have obtained them – you don’t need the skill to wear a wig or dab on some lipstick. Only to create them in the first place or apply them to others. Refer to HELP COSMETICS for a full overview of the skill, and AB COSMETICS for details on individual products and their interactions. Releasing alongside Cosmetics are a few new artifacts to enhance your experience: cosmetics\_case – a blocky cosmetics storage case – Cost: 400cr ————————————————————– The storage case acts as an all-in-one container for almost all of your Cosmetic needs. Craft pigments and other cosmetic items directly into the case without the need to have a bunch of jars or containers, and then apply them directly from the case. Use CASE LIST to see what the case is holding. You can also CASE STORE or CASE STORE ALL to empty out all of your existing containers into the case. To apply from the case, you can simply APPLY \[\] , e.g. APPLY PINK LIPSTICK. cosmetics\_boon – a venantium-handled brushset – Cost: 400cr ———————————————————– On top of being a permanent brushset, this artifact will also double the number of Cosmetic items produced from the same number of commodities. It will also double the length of time Cosmetics you apply will last for, stacking with the bonus provided by the Specialist skill for applying to others. cosmetics\_mask – a facial mask of venantium-infused mud – Cost: 150cr ——————————————————————— This mask provides a permanent effect of AB COSMETICS FACEMASK, allowing you to always have up to eight facial cosmetics applied at once. And finally, a huge thanks to Vekralai, who took a concept that had been floating around in various draft states for years and fully brought it to life – from the skill design all the way through to the writing you see here today!Let’s make the edges of the letters a little more white. Let’s move the subtitle up and put the logo underneath the subtitle. **Categories:** News --- ### [Artisanal correction](https://www.aetolia.com/news/artisanal-correction/) **Published:** March 30, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** An Artisanal entry was mistakenly scored on a WIP image. After rescoring, it has been elevated to the Runner Up section. **Content:** ![Aetolia Logo](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/aetolia-1024x576.jpg "Aetolia Logo - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, Due to confusion on my end, I accidentally used one of Aren’s WIP images for judging in the Artisanals, which unfortunately impacted its score. After we reviewed and had everybody score it again, it’s now elevated to sit firmly in the Runners Up section. Be sure to check out the updated image on our website! https://www.aetolia.com/artisanal-march-2026/Let’s go back to the old font style. Let’s raise the subtitle off the bottom a little bit and move the Achaea logo underneath it, and make the Achaea logo about 50% bigger. **Categories:** News --- ### [April promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/april-promotion-3/) **Published:** April 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Aetolia's April promotion offers elemental shadow and spirit coffers. Purchase credits at aetolia.com/credits to claim yours. **Content:** ![April Promotions Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/april-promotions-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg "April Promotions Aetolia - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks! Hope you have all been enjoying prettying up your descriptions and making yourselves look fabulous with Cosmetics. For April, we’re pleased to offer you coffers of elemental shadow and elemental spirit! Both versions can be obtained on the website via www.aetolia.com/credits and opened for a slew of prizes! Due to popular request, you’ll also now find packages containing a mixture of shadow and spirit coffers alongside the individual offerings. Without further ado, let’s take a look at what you can find inside: All Coffers ———– – Credit prizes ranging from 28 to 500 – Iron Coin prizes in batches of 25 or 50 – Artifacts ranging in value from 50 – 2000 credits – Chocolate bags, elemental globes, silver chalices, morphic metal, patriotic fireworks, and a low chance at antiquated salvage. – Technique scrolls for cowardly, gambler, ritualistic, insane, musical, and (NEW) ravenous styles! – Compendium pages for: the town of Masilia, Qor Qogol, Clawhook Range, Spiral of the Corrupt, a memory of Relovec Mansion, and the shattered remnants of the Nazedha fleet. – Transmute beetle vouchers\* These vouchers can be exchanged at the shop in Esterport (v80871) for transmute beetles (see HELP TRANSMUTE) of all armour types themed for shadow and spirit, as well as other options previously made available! The vouchers can also be traded in for 10 credits using PROMO TRADEIN. Shadow Coffers ————— In addition to all of the standard prizes, the shadow coffers also include: – Five minipets: a vampire batling, an undead wolf pup, a ravenous little gargoyle, a puny shadow elemental and a dark-furred gorilla juvenile\*\*! – Steed whistles for a shackled shadow-corrupted orgyuk! – Iterators for the BLEAK vox. – Caches of shadowy crystal relic pieces which include: \* 1 piece from the crystal relic set (HELP CRYSTAL RELICS) AND \* 1 piece from these shadow-themed relics: shadow\_shield, shadowshroud, veil\_darkness, phyl\_shadow, flair\_shadow, and transmute\_shadow\_culling Spirit Coffers ————– In addition to all the standard prizes, the spirit coffers also include: – Five minipets: an ethereal sparrow, a wandering spirit pup, a misty feline apparition, a miniature spirit elemental and a silvery-white gorilla juvenile\*\*! – Steed whistles for a prowling symayda! – Iterators for the ZEALOUS vox. – Caches of glowing crystal relic pieces which include: \* 1 piece from the crystal relic set (HELP CRYSTAL RELICS) AND \* 1 piece from these spirit-themed relics: spirit\_shield, spiritshroud, veil\_light, phyl\_spirit, flair\_light, and transmute\_spirit\_culling \*\* Collect both gorilla juveniles and you can MINIPET EXCHANGE to receive a combined ‘a pair of bonded gorilla juveniles’ minipet at no cost beyond the two gorillas themselves! As always, you can RELIC LIST PROMO FULL to see the full details of all these relics. — All coffers will also award one or more consumables that do not count against your value, including: – an immolation bomb – a crude siphoning device – a set of obsidian scales – a pill of omnipotence – a preserved, yellowed eye There is a global prize of 500 credits for every 500 coffers opened, and coffers award full organisational credits! There are also coffers up for sale in the milestone wares, one of each, for a gold key each!increase the size of Shadow and Spirit and run it across the center of the image just below the bat. **Categories:** News --- ### [Razmael's rogue PVE updates](https://www.aetolia.com/news/razmaels-rogue-pve-updates/) **Published:** April 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Razmael's April 1st PVE updates add NPC targeting to Reave, Sacrifice, Penance, Lurk, and other abilities across several skill sets. **Content:** ![Aetolia April Fools](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/april-fools-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg "Aetolia April Fools - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Razmael has gone rogue! After seeing how much fun Keroc has been having updating abilities to work in PvE, I decided to ignore his protests and try my hand at my own. **CHANGELOG:** Do note that most of these changes will not work on superior denizens. (HELP SUPERIOR DENIZENS) **Deathlore/Ancestry** \* Reave/Sacrifice can now target NPCs. **Bladefire/Chirography** \* Penance/Lurk can now target NPCs. – This works differently to the PVP version – it will kill the NPC when it drops below 50% max health. **Corpus/Ascendance/Extirpation** \* Fling/Crusade/Ragdoll can now target NPCs. **Geometrics/Cultivation** \* Pattern/Recrudescence can now target NPCs, allowing Crux/Sadness afterimages to trigger on them afterwards. **Astranomia** \* Superbolide now damages NPCs. **Gravitation/Runecarving** \* Collapse/Omophagia now damages NPCs. **Woodlore/Artifice** \* Thornspray/Gloam now damages NPCs. **Spirituality/Subjugation** \* Judgement/Execution can now target NPCs. **Terramancy/Wavebreaking** \* Chasm/Drown can now target NPCs. **Shamanism/Experimentation** \* Omen/Causality can now target NPCs, with stack count randomised on detonation. **Tekura** \* Roundhouse kick now strikes NPCs. \* I decided Panda Stance wasn’t performing enough. There’s now a critical hit chance bonus that scales with how drunk you are. **Tenacity** \* Dropstrike can now target NPCs. **Predation** \* Hostage can now be taken on NPCs, and they can be moved, released or executed as normal. **Subterfuge** \* Abduct can now target NPCs. **Arcanism/Esoterica** \* River/Alluvion now pushes NPCs caught in the current. **Domination/Contracts** \* Pit/Maw now pulls in NPCs. **Purification/Ravaging** \* Purgatory/Perdition now pulls in fighting NPCs. **Songcalling** \* Song of Oblivion now affects NPCs.Honestly, I have not had a good response to this. I’ve always played it off that we make really old-school, strange, beginning-of-the-internet text games. I need to come up with a better strategy for this and present them in a more positive way, something along the lines of that we provide highly interactive, text-based role-playing games played with other people all around the world, offering very intense PvP and in-depth role-playing experiences. **Categories:** News --- ### [Undoing rogue changes](https://www.aetolia.com/news/undoing-rogue-changes/) **Published:** April 2, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Razmael's April 1st rogue PVE changes have been reverted due to balancing concerns. **Content:** Due to some balancing concerns, I’ve gone ahead and reverted my rogue PVE changes. Perhaps I should’ve listened to Keroc after all? Not sure what came over me… must’ve been something to do with the time of year. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 22nd of Severin, in the year 18 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Forge Cipher](https://www.aetolia.com/news/forge-cipher/) **Published:** April 3, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** The forge cipher artifact is now available in the Aetolia shop. Inspect any weapon to determine its effectiveness and tune your forging. **Content:** ![Forge Cypher](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Forge-Cypher-1024x576.jpg "Forge Cypher - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Enjoyed your visit so much with Professor Sipher that you just wish you had a portable version of him in your pocket? Grab yourself a forging cipher from the artifact shop! It will also remember whatever you set so you can more finely tune it. forge\_cipher 100 iron coins ————————————— A special decoding device that lets you determine the effectiveness of weapons: Syntax: INSPECT \[\] TWIST SET TWIST SETAS TWIST MODS LIMIT TWIST MODS DAMAGE TWIST MODS TRAUMA TWIST CLEAR MODIFIERS This will let you determine exact values such as how much damage a certain stat spread will deal, among other things.Forge Cypher **Categories:** News --- ### [Matters of Harassment](https://www.aetolia.com/news/matters-of-harassment/) **Published:** April 8, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Player leadership should not handle sexual harassment cases. All such matters must be reported directly to administrators as OOC issues. **Content:** Going forward, in addition to Announce #2945, it is our expectation as administrators that player leadership DO NOT handle any cases of sexual harassment or other associated concerns. This is far too delicate and uncomfortable a burden to place on our players who lead guilds, cities, and other organisations, and matters of harassment of this nature should be considered OOC problems for us to arbitrate. Do not report these situations to your guild leaders. Instead, if you experience this treatment, you should report it to us via the Issue system. If a citizen or guild member brings these concerns to you, do not pursue them In Character – instead, urge them to file an issue so that we as administrators can handle these situations. Not only does this new policy prevent leaders from facing the unfortunate circumstance of navigating these situations, it also further protects people from unwarranted accusations and baseless rumours, both of which can be severely damaging to one’s livelihood as a player if the situation is misconstrued or misunderstood. Thank you. **Categories:** News --- ### [PVP training dummies](https://www.aetolia.com/news/pvp-training-dummies/) **Published:** April 9, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Aetolia now has PVP training dummies: configurable simulated opponents for testing combat. Set class, firstaid settings, and affliction reporting. **Content:** ![Training dummy](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/training-dummy-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg "Training dummy - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, As part of a recent game engine update, we have the ability now to introduce a much-requested feature: PVP training dummies! These are special target dummies that you can create a simulated player opponent from to test your PVP abilities on. There’s a wide range of things you can configure, including class, firstaid settings, and optional reporting of afflictions/damage, making it a great tool for testing out offensive strategies without needing to ask a sparring partner to AFK for you. If you set it to the Templar or Revenant class, you can even make it fight you and it’ll attempt to do a basic retribution/cull route against you. One thing to note is the DUMMY FORCE command. This forces the dummy to do something, but it is still subject to usual force checks. If you can’t make someone do something through the PERFORM FORCE skill for example, the dummy force command will also not work. When you use the dummy force command, whatever 1P messages the dummy sees will also be outputted to you, making it a great tool for testing how things work in other classes. This force command is largely intended to let you test class abilities (though other things will work), and you should report anything you can force the dummy to do that you think shouldn’t be intended. Currently, this is only available in Sect of Blade’s Hall at v84268. We know many of you will be requesting to get one added elsewhere, but for now, this will be the only copy available until further notice as we want to ensure we get any potential issues worked out. Consider this an early beta release and treat it accordingly! See HELP DUMMIES for full information. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Duel](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-duel-11/) **Published:** April 10, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** The Duel returns to Aetolia — a double elimination one-on-one tournament. Use HELP THE DUEL to register and check the schedule. **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/the-duel-1024x576.jpg "the-duel - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Prepare thy armour and thine sword! The Duel has wormed its way into the hearts of Sapience once more, and there’s no medicine around to deal with it! Test your progress in a double elimination one-on-one tournament where only the best and most brightest can succeed! Will you be the Champion this time around? If you’ve never joined one before or haven’t heard of it before now, HELP THE DUEL will tell you what you need to know. Prizes include: – Fame – Credits – The Rapier of the Master Duelist! – Bragging rights (!!!) Figurines are back, and this time we will be handing out a figurine of the Wayfarer to everyone who participates! We’ll also have a raffle where one random entrant will win a prize too! Don’t forget milestones! The specific time can be found in EVENTS INFO 1511. Don’t forget to set your timezone (CONFIG TIMEZONE) if you didn’t know. See you there!It will probably be good to have the skill ask questions to figure out a little bit about what I want on a particular image before creating the Gemini prompt to add the font to the image. Ask me any more questions you need in order to make sure you know exactly what I want before adding this to the skill. **Categories:** News --- ### [A Handful of Chaos](https://www.aetolia.com/news/a-handful-of-chaos/) **Published:** April 16, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** A shard of the Chaos plane has taken root in Sapience, establishing a new realm at the end of Chakros in year 18 AC. **Content:** ![A burning portal of chaos in the text RPG game Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/handful-of-chaos-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg "A burning portal of chaos in the text RPG game Aetolia - Aetolia the Midnight Age")In the last days of Chakros, in the 18th year following the Creators’ Monomachy, a chaotic change manifested within Sapience’s landscape. Cosmic roots of a cast-off shard of the Chaos plane found a full grip upon the land, establishing itself as yet another Sapient realm of that mysterious, varied plane. While little changed on the physical face of the continent, a shift in the rocky remains of Tarissa’s once-digsite unveiled a portal limned in fire, shaped as if a giant hand had wrenched the fabric of the Prime Material Plane asunder. The Grand Library has received conflicting reports on the realm’s hierarchy; rather than being ruled by a singular entity, the tiny realm appears to house varied entities of Chaotic design, each as different as the last, all of whom vie for control and dominance. Scholars and explorers have confirmed that the physical portion of the realm itself was once the digsite beneath the Siroccian mountains, now returned warped and set askew due to the immense power unleashed by an ascendant ritual. At the moment of the ritual’s conclusion, the landmass had unmoored itself from the Prime Material, casting it adrift amidst the riotous depths of primordial Chaos. Information beyond these few key elements is sparse; the possibilities of Chaos prove once more that almost anything can become reality with the right manipulations and sufficiently unbreakable will. Left to speculate on the nature of the shard’s emergence, much of Sapience turns its eye(s) now to its mysterious depths. Though some argue that the natural forces of Chaos guided the fragment’s full formation, others wondered at the fortune of these circumstances – and also which faction or organisation might benefit from this new, forbidden place beyond the bounds of the Prime Material. **Categories:** News --- ### [Dath artifact powers](https://www.aetolia.com/news/dath-artifact-powers/) **Published:** April 17, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Artifact powers previously on dath have been moved to orbs of power in inventory. Transfer them to another item at no cost before they expire. **Content:** ![A magical tome from a MUD game resting on a desk](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/game-notes-1024x576.jpg "A magical tome from a MUD game resting on a desk - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, Following up on dath no longer being able to accept artifact powers, we have a few more changes to complete that transition: (1) Anybody who had artifact powers on their dath will now find those powers on an orb of power in their inventory. Powers are dormant while on an orb of power, and there’s no cost to transfer them from an orb to another item – so make sure you do, as those powers won’t work again until you move them off the orb. (2) You can now CUSTOMISE DATH WITH PERMANENCE for 25 iron coins or 1 customisation certificate to remove its decay, instead of adding a cheap artifact power. This isn’t necessary for those of you that previously had an artifact power on your dath – they will remain permanent. This is a necessary change because adding powers to dath (and other items you cannot normally remove) was bypassing intended combat mechanics, such as being forced to remove your artifacts. Thanks for your understanding! **Categories:** News --- ### [Advance Notice](https://www.aetolia.com/news/advance-notice/) **Published:** April 25, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Upcoming Hunting Revamp changes will reduce some existing PvE power sources to make room for Eidolurgy and hunt trees in the balance curve. **Content:** ![The storm is coming advance notice of the Aetolia Hunting Revamp](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aetolia-12-Advance-Notice-WEB.jpg "Aetolia Hunting Revamp Advance Notice of PvE Changes - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Alright folks, a heads-up about eventual upcoming Hunting Revamp changes. At some point, well be reducing a few existing PvE power sources so that Eidolurgy and the hunting trees have room to fit into the overall balance curve. Without doing this, the power scale would likely get pushed much too high. These are: - Removal of the damage bonus to weapons dependant on having more Damage stat over Speed stat. - Removal of critical hits higher then x2. - Removal of Hunting Might, which means base damage will probably be something like half of what you see right now. This does not mean you will simply lose all of that power permanently. Some, or even most, of it should be recoverable through the new systems, but it will not be identical or as direct as the current bonuses. This is not happening immediately, but we wanted to give everyone early notice so it does not come as a surprise. **Categories:** News --- ### [Persuasion updates](https://www.aetolia.com/news/persuasion-updates/) **Published:** April 27, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Major Persuasion overhaul based on player feedback. New abilities include Disperse for Protest, Distract, and Condemn. Full details in the ability files. **Content:** ![The art of persuasion new abilities and reworked systems in Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aetolia-11-Persuasion-Updates-WEB.jpg "Aetolia Persuasion System Overhaul New Abilities and NPC Improvements - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, We’ve gone through and made some changes to Persuasion based on player feedback. Apologies it took so long to get here! Please read the ability files for the full details on anything new or reworked, and file a bug report if you notice anything behaving oddly. NEW FEATURES - The Protest persuasion has a new subability: Disperse - This will reveal the name of the instigator and return the NPC home on success. - There is a new persuasion type: Advice - This gives you extra experience on a successful persuasion. - New ability: Expression - When toggled on, Persuasion abilities will use balance instead of equilibrium. - New ability: Addendum - Essentially Overkill for Persuasion. - Worship has been updated with 34 more targets of worship. It’s up to you to figure them out! - These worship targets don’t give essence or any benefit, so it’s purely for RP. - The persuaded NPC will still travel to a location associated with that worship target. - \[EXPERIMENTAL\] New ability: Deliberation - For those that prefer a slower approach, this turns Persuasion semi-turn-based. - As noted, this is experimental and may not stay. - New ability: Peroration - Doubles the amount of time certain persuasions will last for a gold cost. - Compendium has two new unlocks for Persuasion: Acumen (increases max acumen) and RegenAcumen (acumen regeneration in the area). - The display for appeals has been overhauled and has a card-like display. CHANGES / IMPROVEMENTS - Rhetoric has been reworked: it is now a passive effect. Completing a chain of three same-category appeals grants a stacking mastery in that category for the rest of the persuasion attempt. - Ethos mastery reduces the acumen cost of your appeals. - Logos mastery increases your hand size. - Pathos mastery increases your chance to score compelling points. - The duration of many lingering persuasion effects (Informant, Snitch, Adoration, Rumour, Promote, Pickpocket, Markup) has been extended to 5 hours, and now runs on its own timer. - The NPC can be re-persuaded onto something else before their effect ends, which will overwrite it. - There is still a hard block on re-persuading an NPC for an hour after its last persuasion (this is the ‘convinced’ flag that shows up on IH). - Protesters will now arrive in batches every 10 minutes instead of as soon as they’re convinced. - Promoters will now mail back any leftover flyers with a written account of who received one. - PERSUADE now picks a smarter target when there are multiple matching NPCs in the room, preferring one that is actually persuadable. - The refusal message on PERSUADE now states remaining seconds: “You are currently dissuaded from persuading others for another X seconds.” - Your appeal options will be re-sent when an NPC forces you to discard one. - Reasoned Reassurance now also cures one of your persuasion afflictions. - Max acumen calculations are now slightly more granular. You should always gain a bit of acumen for increasing one of the calculated stats now. - Cogency’s formula has changed and now scales with both your level and your skill rank. - NPC’s maximum resolve formula now takes into account how much acumen damage they’ll do. - Made adjustments to the experience gain formula for Persuasion, increasing it overall. We’ll be keeping an eye on it and making further adjustments as needed. - Provocation will now reset the NPC’s attack timer on their retort, meaning they’ll wait the full 4 seconds before their next attack. - Reasoned Provocation will restore 75% of the acumen lost, up from 25%. - Children sent to protest will now run most of the slogans through a child-ify filter. - Interrupting a tirade will now restore a small amount of your acumen. CLASS HOOKS - Hypnosis Umbrix now has an extra passive effect in Persuasion: Doubles the duration of the informant persuasion on a persuaded NPC. Does not stack with Perorate. - Predation Mask now has an extra passive effect in Persuasion: It will prevent Snitch and Protest-Disperse from showing your name, and instead show something like ‘a masked person’. - The check is based on whether you were wearing the mask at the time of the original action (e.g. the kill), not whether you’re wearing it when Snitch is later used against you. - i.e. you have to be wearing the mask when you kill the NPC. - Performance Charisma now has an extra passive effect in Persuasion: All Pathos appeals cost 15% less Acumen. - Ostension Izu-Ari’s fortune ability now works on the charity persuasion. BUG FIXES - Fixed Reasoned Authority not lasting the correct 12 seconds. - You should be able to properly scrutinise unique NPCs now. **Categories:** News --- ### [Siderealist Changes](https://www.aetolia.com/news/siderealist-changes/) **Published:** April 27, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Tones have been removed from the Siderealist class. Replicate is now a core mechanic and several abilities have been reworked around constellation powers. **Content:** ![The Siderealist class rebuilt and reimagined in Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aetolia-10-Siderealist-Changes-WEB.jpg "Aetolia Siderealist Class Overhaul Tones Removed Replicate Core - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, We’ve had Siderealist out for a while now, however it never quite lived up to the game play that I envisioned. In particular, Tones encouraged just using normal forged weaponry for most attacks to push its routes, which made it feel like just another weapon class rather than standing out as its own thing with its own themes. As such, I’ve now removed Tones and moved some of it into Ostension as active abilities. Under the old game play with Tones, you didn’t really need to use Replicate that much, but the intention originally was to make it a core ability for the class, so if you find yourself struggling make sure you’re using it as that is where the focus will be going forward. That said the changes can be found below, along with a few other tweaks for other classes here and there. **Afflictions** - The ‘recklessness’ affliction now obscures how much you’re bleeding. - The ‘blackout’ affliction no longer obscures how much you’re bleeding. - You can no longer use any skill with a cooldown while affected by ‘blackout’. - Does not affect items with cooldowns. - The ‘indifference’ affliction no longer stops you from moving parry. **Astranomia** - Ekpyrosis now gives you immunity to instant kills, but not damage. - Only instant kills from adventurers count. - Alteration no longer requires cosmic balance. - Replicate no longer requires cosmic balance. **Ostension** - New Skill: Edamil. - Has the powers Trickster, Pinch, Gravitas. - New Skill: Melot. - Has the powers Axe, Merciless, Undercut. - New Power: Loskiou Hymn. - New Power: Vayua Starlit. - New Power: Gulbedim Murk. - New Power: Averroes Tap. - New Power: EjaKodosa Pain. - Renamed Power: Gulbedim Hex to Hextouch. - Hextouch now causes two hidden afflictions at random. - Can cause confusion, weariness, superstition, vomiting, recklessness, epilepsy, paresis, anorexia. - Artos Diagnose now has no equilibrium cost when used on others. - Artos Wounds now has no equilibrium cost when used on others. - Drobia Unleash now destroys magical shields and prismatic barriers when used. **Crystalism** - Removed Skill: Tones. - Removed Skill: Synchronise. - Palpitate now doubles its damage if the target has paralysis. **Bladefire / Chirography** - Crescent / Lawid damage penalty for one-handed weapons increased to 25%, up from 20%. - Hemorrhage no longer adds 15 bleeding by default. - Hemorrhage now adds 5 bleeding per bruise the target has. **Psionics / Egotism** - Deprival / Boast now gives claustrophobia and agoraphobia instead. **Tenacity** - Punish is now a single axe attack. **Categories:** News --- ### [May Promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/may-promotion-2/) **Published:** May 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Aetolia's May promotion offers Racetrack tickets and Wheel of Fates spins with every 25 credits purchased. Gamble for bonus credits at the Vakmut Racetrack. **Content:** ![Spin your fortune on the Wheel of Fates in Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aetolia-9-May-Promotion-WEB.jpg "Aetolia May 2026 Promotion Wheel of Fates and Racetrack Tickets - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hello, Aetolians! Throughout the month of May, we have two promotional offerings for you: Racetrack tickets and the Wheel of Fates! Every 25 credits purchased this month will net you a racetrack ticket that you can use for gambling at the Vakmut Racetrack in Esterport for a chance at winning credits. If you play your odds right, you’ll earn even more credits! Refer to HELP RACETRACK for full details on how this system works. For those unfamiliar with the Wheel of Fates, HELP WHEEL OF FATES now has all of the up to date information! Purchases of tokens also reward Guild and City credits, there’s also a global 500 credit prize for every 300th spin! You can also find a skull token in the milestone wares for May! Logging in for at least an hour each day earns a free spin and premium skull tokens with higher value prizes can be obtained from the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits! Those who obtain skull tokens can SPIN WHEEL OUTER SKULL up to three times to determine their prize category followed by SPIN WHEEL INNER SKULL to win prizes from the following: **Outer Wheel – Credits:** Unbound credit prizes ranging from 33–250! **Outer Wheel – Iron Coins:** Unbound Iron Coins ranging from 20–100! **Outer Wheel – Lessons:** Lesson prizes ranging from 250–500! **Outer Wheel – Artifact:** Artifacts ranging from 50 all the way up to 2000 credits in value! **Outer Wheel – Items:** Chocolate bags, elemental globes, fireworks, customisation certificates, discount vouchers, compendium pages\*, minipets\*\*, style scrolls\*\*\*, steed whistles\*\*\*\*, artifact tattoo tokens, and low chances at morphic metal and antiquated salvage! **Outer Wheel – Relic:** Relic pieces for the following relics: goldtranslocator, starchart, hunters\_horn, fakeid, diplomacy, lifesense, sharkteeth, and claws. Additionally, all relic rolls will include a BONUS ephemeral relic coffer, containing pieces for the temporary consumable relics of resplendence, dissonance, dreamscape, sangchoker, sunspear, keeneye and repair. Remember you can use RELIC LIST PROMO FULL to see the full details for all these pieces! \*: Pages this month include: (NEW!) the ruins of Salma, (NEW!) the Severed Grasp, (NEW!) a direant hill, Dovan Hollow, the Liruma Crater, and Xaanhal. \*\*: Minipets this month include: a bright-eyed baby quokka, an animated foxglove plant, a snowy, big-eared rabbit, a large spider cricket, a sprightly adolescent emu, and a blue and black hairstreak butterfly. \*\*\*: Styles available this month are: (NEW!) inexorable, airborne, blazing, lazy, straightforward, and loud. There is also a chance to obtain style point currency for the shop at v76367. Note that the inexorable style is a brand new style as of this month, courtesy of our fantastic Mortal Builders team! Be sure to check out STYLE PREVIEW INEXORABLE to see all the fantastic messages available in this style! \*\*\*\*: Mounts available by steed whistles are: a war-painted orel (can fly), a three-headed direwolf and a crystalline arachnid. Finally, keep an eye out for the first auction of the year running later in this month. It’s also Critical Thursday this month! Every Thursday this month, you’ll find your chance at critical hits increased! Enjoy! p.s: Remember that there’s multiple wheels out there, so you don’t have to all crowd at the same one! They can found at: - v1180 Before the bridge to Esterport - v1299 North of Trees - v56509 The Landward Gate (Enorian) - v9194 A shadowy cavern (Bloodloch) - v43846 Stone bridge over a spring (Duiran) - v11687 Inside the outer gate (Spinesreach) **Categories:** News --- ### [Introducing the Trading Post](https://www.aetolia.com/news/introducing-the-trading-post/) **Published:** May 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** The Aetolia Trading Post is now open at aetolia.com/credits — a permanent storefront for consumable items previously only available during promotions. **Content:** ![The Aetolia Trading Post always open rotating monthly stock](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aetolia-8-Trading-Post-WEB.jpg "Aetolia Trading Post New Permanent Shop Now Open - Aetolia the Midnight Age")We’re excited to introduce a brand new corner of our website: the Trading Post! The consumables section of the artifact cart has always been popular, and we’ve heard your desires for those wares to be more permanently available. The Trading Post is the bridge that crosses that gap! Unlike our monthly promotions, the Trading Post is always open, but that doesn’t mean everything will be available all the time. We’ll have a rotating stock of wares that changes each month, so be sure to check in regularly to see what’s caught the eye of our merchants. You can find it over at www.aetolia.com/credits. For May, the available goods are: - a mint chocolate - a strawberry chocolate - an emblazoned firework - a “Catiana Wheel” firework display - a globe of elemental energy - a pill of omnipotence - a random page from the Compendium (turns into a random area) - a red bull’s eye Enjoy! **Categories:** News --- ### [Newbies & Level 30](https://www.aetolia.com/news/newbies-level-30/) **Published:** May 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Newbies can no longer progress beyond level 30 until they choose to move on, giving them more time to explore newbie perks. See HELP LEAVING NEWBIEHOOD. **Content:** ![A new player stands at the gates of Aetolia taking their time](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aetolia-7-Newbies-Level-30-WEB.jpg "Aetolia Newbie System Level 30 Cap for New Players - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Newbies can no longer progress beyond level 30 until they decide it is time to move forward, so they can make the most of their perks. Reading HELP LEAVING NEWBIEHOOD will tell you more about it. **Categories:** News --- ### [Level Up & Experience Totals](https://www.aetolia.com/news/level-up-experience-totals/) **Published:** May 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Experience totals needed for leveling have been rebalanced so lower levels take longer, giving new players more time to explore content. **Content:** ![The climb through Aetolia's levels means more now](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Aetolia-6-Level-Up-Experience-Totals-WEB.jpg "Aetolia Experience Totals Rebalanced Leveling Update 2026 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, Based on feedback we’ve gotten on the newbie experience and some of my own plans for the bashing revamp, I’ve implemented an update to experience totals needed for leveling up. To preface this, we are making this change as currently a common sentiment is that the lower levels rush by incredibly quickly and don’t really give you too much room to explore the content around those levels. Some of that is going to be exacerbated by experience bonuses and/or power bashing, and some of that will be addressed later on, but for now we’re just focusing on experience totals. Foremost, the total amount of experience to reach level 100 is exactly the same as previously. However, what we have done is changed it so that the front end of leveling up requires more experience, while the back end requires less. This creates less of a spike around 75-100 and shifts a small amount of it towards the front. The long and short of it is something like this: - Level 30 takes roughly x3 the experience. - Level 50 takes roughly x9 the experience. - Level 80 takes roughly x2 the experience. - After level 80, it is overall less experience to gain levels. - The mid-point of level 100 ends up around 91, compared to 93 before. These numbers LOOK like a big change, but realistically remember that early levels don’t really have large experience totals. A small number multiplied by nine is still a somewhat small number, especially compared to later levels. That’s all for now, if you have any concerns or questions you are welcome to leave me a message. **Categories:** News --- ### [Aegis PK](https://www.aetolia.com/news/aegis-pk/) **Published:** May 6, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** A reminder that only the aegis owner may defend an aegis outside a city's limits. This includes aegises placed in villages. See HELP AEGISPK. **Content:** ![A glowing six faceted crystal aegis spinning above a gothic village square at night with a cloaked figure standing guard beside it](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-aegis-pk.jpg "The Aegis - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hello, As a general reminder prompted by recently noted player behaviour, please ensure you familiarise yourself with HELP AEGISPK. Nobody should be defending an aegis outside of a city’s actual limits aside from the owner of the aegis itself. This also means that an aegis placed in a village must only be defended by the aegis owner. This policy has been in place since Announce 3326, which was four years ago, so this is not new policy. There are no exceptions. Thanks! **Categories:** News --- ### [Mother's Day](https://www.aetolia.com/news/mothers-day-4/) **Published:** May 9, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** Type MOTHERSROCK in-game to claim 25 free bound credits in celebration of Mother's Day. One per character, available for a limited time. **Content:** ![Aetolia Mother's Day 2026 gothic garden with Happy Mother's Day text overlay – claim 25 free credits with MOTHERSROCK](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-announce-mothers-day-20260509-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia Mothers Day 2026 Free Credits MOTHERSROCK - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, Just a quick reminder that it’s Mother’s Day this Sunday – don’t forget! To help you remember, and to celebrate mothers everywhere, the MOTHERSROCK command has returned again! Simply type in MOTHERSROCK and you’ll receive an instant 25 bound credits. You can only do it once per character, and the command will be disabled in a few days time. **Categories:** News --- ### [AREAS threat update](https://www.aetolia.com/news/areas-threat-update/) **Published:** May 10, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Excerpt:** The AREAS command now shows a personalized threat level for each hunting area based on your stats. NEWAREAS has been retired. **Content:** ![Aetolia AREAS command threat level update an armored hunter with a lantern assesses danger in a dark shadowed forest with predatory creatures lurking](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-announce-areas-threat-update-20260510-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia AREAS Command Personalized Threat Levels 2026 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, We’ve been trialing a new version of the areas command on our Discord to gather feedback, and now that we’ve ironed out the rough edges, we’re cutting it over into the standard AREAS command. The existing AREAS command has been updated to include this new functionality, and NEWAREAS has been retired. In addition to the recommended minimum level, AREAS will now show you a personalized threat level for each area, calculated from your resistances and healing versus the area’s damage output. From least to most dangerous, the threat levels are: Safe, Moderate, Challenging, Dangerous, and Lethal. A few assumptions are made when working this out: - Your healing is based on just health elixir (accounting for artifacts) + boar tattoo. - If you are level 90+, it also assumes you’re using anabiotic pills. The threat level will be increased by one rank in either of these situations (and by two ranks if both apply): - The area’s population is 20% or higher aggressive denizens that roam. - The area contains denizens that can deal more than 50% of your HP in a single hit. - Some areas may be manually elevated in threat due to special mechanics found in the area or on the denizens. If you want to see how a particular area’s threat level was calculated, you can dig into the details with AREAS DETAILS , e.g. AREAS DETAILS THE UNDERBELLY. You’ll find some additional notes on the details also that do not currently contribute to threat level, such as if the area has writhe or blackout afflictions present, or if we’ve manually elevated the threat level due to special mechanics. See HELP AREAS for full information. **Categories:** News --- ### [Chess](https://www.aetolia.com/news/chess-update/) **Published:** March 13, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/chess-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg "chess-16x9 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Here’s something you probably didn’t expect. Our chess system has been updated and can now do the following: - Detects checkmate. - Detects threefold repetition. - Detects stalemate. - Detects insufficient material for checkmate. - Now supports clickable MXP. - Notates moves in the game by using CHESSLOG. - Notation on the board is now reversed correctly for dark pieces. - Square colour on the board is no longer incorrect for dark pieces. - Can show you legal moves by using MOVE . - The TAKEBACK command now requires you to AGREE. - Retains old games so you can review them. Check out HELP CHESS for commands and where/how to play. **Categories:** News --- ### [A Direant Hill Discovered in the Siroccians](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/a-direant-hill-discovered-in-the-siroccians/) **Published:** March 10, 2026 **Author:** Razmael, the Synthesist **Content:** A recent disturbance in the Siroccian mountains has led adventurers to an unsettling discovery: a fully established direant hill, the first of its kind found outside the usual mines they delve. The hill’s deceptive summit has already claimed more than a few unwary explorers, depositing them directly into the tunnels below. Those who have made it back report an elaborate colony stretching deep beneath the hillside, complete with nursing chambers and a queen at its heart. A Gnome miner by the name of Galert waits outside the base of the hill for adventurers to help him find his lost friends within. ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/aetolia-direants.png "aetolia direants - Aetolia the Midnight Age") So grab your pickaxe, stock up on torches and fusebombs, and venture into the swarming depths! **Categories:** New Feature --- ### [MSSP Support](https://www.aetolia.com/news/mssp-support/) **Published:** February 21, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![Aetolia Logo](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/aetolia-1024x576.jpg "Aetolia Logo - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Just a quick note letting everyone know we now support MSSP! Hurrah! Likely not relevant to you unless you own a MUD listing website, but maybe you have a use for it otherwise. **Categories:** News --- ### [Artisanal reminder](https://www.aetolia.com/news/artisanal-reminder/) **Published:** March 9, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![Aetolia Logo](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/aetolia-1024x576.jpg "Aetolia Logo - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hey folks, Just a friendly reminder that submissions for the Artisanal contest are due on the 15th – so just under a week away! If you have already submitted an entry, you should have a reply e-mail from me confirming the submission. If you didn’t receive a reply e-mail, let me know so I can look into it. Thanks! **Categories:** News --- ### [Artisanal contest: Favourite NPC!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/artisanal-contest-favourite-npc/) **Published:** February 9, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![Aetolia Logo](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/aetolia-1024x576.jpg "Aetolia Logo - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Calling all Aetolian artists! After much discussion with staff and players, we are thrilled to announce the return of the Artisanal contest! In recent years, the rise of AI-generated art led us to discontinue the contest due to not having a way to preserve the integrity and fairness of the competition. After much deliberation and consultation with Aetolia’s talented artist population, we’ve decided it is time to revive it! To uphold the spirit of the competition, AI-generated works will NOT be permitted. We will require 3-5 screenshots or photos of your in-progress artwork to be submitted alongside your final art. These progress images should clearly demonstrate your art’s development, including visible layers with your forming masterpiece. For our mobile artists, screenshots showing your layers with a thumbnail of your piece in progress is acceptable. You will find examples of these screenshots in the Aetolia Official Discord under announcements. (Examples provided by Pietre and Mikau) For our artists showcasing their artistic talent on paper, progress pictures are recommended but not required. For more details, HELP ARTISANALS contains useful information regarding the contest rules and submission guidelines. Entries should be submitted via e-mail to support@aetolia.com with a clear subject line. Please include the name of your character when making a submission. The closing date for submissions is 15th March 2026. Limit: One entry per player registration. The theme this year is: Favourite NPC! 1st place: 500 credits, 4 points 2nd place: 350 credits, 2 points 3rd place: 200 credits, 1 point The points go towards the Artisanal Fellowship as outlined in the help file. COPYRIGHT NOTICE: All submitted works become the sole property of Iron Realms Entertainment, with all copyright assigned to Iron Realms Entertainment. This ensures that we remain free to display winning entries on our website and to showcase our community’s artwork via email, social media, and other promotional channels for current, returning, and future players to enjoy. P.S. Special thanks to Orlayth for taking the lead on this and organising everything! **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads February 2026 - Part 2 (end)](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2026-part-2-end/) **Published:** February 27, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/classlead_wide-1024x576.jpg "classlead_wide - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Part 1 can be found here >> [Classleads February 2026 – Part 1](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2026-part-1/ "Classleads February 2026 - Part 1") There will likely be some more changes to come as things settle, but for now this ends the bulk of classlead changes. Artifacts - \[3851\] The ‘pantheon\_ethne’ relic now gives you a perfect roll on the last temper, instead of the first. Avoidance - \[3834\] Dodge and divert chances are now calculated down to two decimals. Battlefury / Riving - \[3844\] Rapture / Hemoclysm can now deliver empowered strikes. Crystalism - \[3838\] Removed Skill: Refraction. - \[3818\] Retrogradation no longer affects basic curing commands and basic combat actions. Elemancy / Bloodborn - \[3828\] Ashenfeet / Twist can now trigger on non-natural healing of mana. - \[3867\] You are now notified when phenomena / emanations expire. Forging - \[3834\] Armour no longer has a divert bonus or a dodge penalty. Illumination / Tectonics - \[3846\] New Skill: Solace / Scoria. Ostension - \[3834\] Removed Skill: Lightfeet. - \[3811\] Illgrasp now has 6 stacks on cast, up from 4. Psionics / Egotism - \[3833\] Bending / Untouchable now affects all damage sources. - \[3833\] Bending / Untouchable makes mind locks take an extra 10 seconds to succeed. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads February 2026 - part 1](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2026-part-1/) **Published:** February 22, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/classlead_wide-1024x576.jpg "classlead_wide - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Part 2 can be found here >> [Classleads February 2026 – Part 2](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2026-part-2-end/ "Classleads February 2026 - Part 2") Artifacts - \[3813\] The reflection wand now takes 2.5 seconds of equilibrium, up from 2. Battlefury / Riving - \[3850\] Battlecry / Anguish can now be used during Zeal / Harrow without interrupting it. Devotion / Apocayptia - \[3830\] Rites / Verses are now under their own heading in the AB list. Elemancy / Humourism - \[3847\] Shatter / Fragment now deals half trauma to broken limbs, instead of none. Level 200 - \[3827\] Chaos Shock (and mirrors) can now target denizens, but only when specifying SHIELD. Ostension - \[3807\] Upsurge cooldown lowered to 25 seconds, down from 45. Performance - \[3821\] Sock balance recovery time lowered to 2.5 seconds, down from 3. Purification / Ravaging - \[3810\] Purgatory / Immurement now allows you to act during it, providing it does not use balance or equilibrium. Sciomancy / Malediction - \[3861\] Shadowprice / Spiritpact is no longer prevented by ‘weariness’. Tekura - \[3842\] Jab trauma lowered to 4.5%, down from 5%. Telepathy - \[3829\] Telepathy can longer be used if you are currently ‘frozen’. Miscellaneous - \[Keroc\] You can now see when you are channelling an action in your prompt. - This will show up as ‘f’ for focus, ‘c’ would’ve been preferred but it’s taken by the cloak tattoo already. **Categories:** News --- ### [Preview: Hunting Revamp](https://www.aetolia.com/devblog/preview-hunting-revamp/) **Published:** March 3, 2026 **Author:** Keroc, the Starborn **Content:** Hey folks, So hopefully as some of you might know, for some time now I’ve been planning a large hunting revamp of Aetolia. I’ve been sharing bits and pieces of it on occasion into the main Discord, however I wanted to put together the things I’ve shared into one post and explain the new system a bit more in detail to get everyone prepared for its eventual release. And of course, get you excited about it! Please note the usual disclaimers apply; it’s still a work in progress and these displays, abilities, and/or names aren’t final. They may change between now and release. ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/hunting-revamp-1024x576.jpg "hunting-revamp - Aetolia the Midnight Age") ### **The Goal** The goal of this hunting revamp is to escape the current one-button wonder of our current PvE experience and expand it out to have a bit more variety and choice. A problem we often encounter is that newer players to the game often start quite excited to play, but once they found out the vast majority of our skills only work in PvP, it can be a bit disheartening. With hunting being the first solo experience most of our players will attempt, it’s been on my mind for some time that we need to improve it and move toward a more advanced PvE system. ### **Hunting Trees: Unlock new hunting abilities** The first of these changes is going to be the introduction of Hunting Trees. Each class will have its own tree with 16 nodes that they can potentially unlock, but only a total of 8 points to invest into it, with the first being free. That’s 304 unlockables across all classes, whew! ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/hunttree-infiltrator-1.png "hunttree-infiltrator - Aetolia the Midnight Age") ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/skilltree-3.png "skilltree - Aetolia the Midnight Age") Hunt Tree Draft: left – Original Draft: right Beginning with your basic bashing ability being the first node, each side of the tree will offer two different styles of hunting with a mix of major and minor skill nodes. Major nodes often require a skill to be learned within your classes skillsets before you can unlock it for use in PvE, while the minor nodes usually give numbers-based benefits, but sometimes they can also further alter how an ability works, especially in the high end nodes. For example, for Bards, one side will focus on Tempo, Rhythm, and other Performance attacks, allowing you to get multiple hits against denizens from one Tempo attack. The other side focuses on a more supportive role, allowing you to utilise Songcalling for debuffs on denizens and encouraging the Tempo/Tearing attack cycle. ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/hunttree-rhythm1.png "hunttree-rhythm1 - Aetolia the Midnight Age") Major skill node for Bards![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/hunttree-rhythm.png "hunttree-rhythm - Aetolia the Midnight Age") Minor skill node for BardsIt is not necessarily a requirement to remain fully within one side of a tree. About half way through, there is a linking node that will let you invest into the other side of your hunting tree at the cost of one investment point for no benefits. This gives you the opportunity to build a hybrid style of hunting depending on what you like or see synergy for, but it will limit your access to high end nodes. ### **Eidolurgy: A new Mercantile skill** Our soon to be newest addition to the list of Mercantile skillsets; Eidolurgy will help you further personalise your hunting build into something that appeals to you – and I’m sure will be a favourite with anyone who loves loot! By obtaining the help of an Eidolurgist, the core of this skill is to manifest your very own armillary at will, a physical representation of your soul, that will allow you to make modifications to your stats in PvE by defeating denizens of the realm and collecting animus. *Note: You don’t have to be a Eidolurgist to use this system much like a weapon user doesn’t need to possess Forging, you can simply request their services.* Ember animus will often provide you with passive number benefits, such as increasing your damage output or resisting damage from denizens, while Axiom animus (this name might change) will give you unique abilities that can heavily influence how you might want to approach a given build. Some Axioms will have more stringent requirements, like being in a certain class. ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/hunttree-armillary.png "hunttree-armillary - Aetolia the Midnight Age") Inspecting an armillary – Display draftBeyond helping you manifest an armillary and upgrade it, Eidolurgy also largely has a number of abilities that will help you alter the values on your animus stats, although it does come with risks and a bit of praying to the RNG gods. It will mostly take a good amount of time to get the perfect build, if you do manage to get there. P.S. In case you were curious, Eidolurgy is the evolution of Trinkets originally hinted at. ### **Conclusion** That mostly sums up the general overview of the hunting revamp. There are some greater detail things that I am not talking about at the moment on purpose, such as new PvE mechanic keywords or afflictions that can be given to denizens, but they’ll be talked about closer to release. That’s all I have to share for now! Enjoy! **Categories:** DevBlog --- ### [The Duel](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-duel-10/) **Published:** February 17, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/the-duel-1024x576.jpg "the-duel - Aetolia the Midnight Age")It’s back! The first Duel of the year will begin this weekend, starting with its most classic format! Test yourself in a gauntlet of one-on-one battles to prove yourself as the baddest, toughest, big-muscled fighter the realm has ever seen! Held as a double elimination tournament of the best, only the bravest will rise and claim the mantle of Champion! If you’ve never joined one before or haven’t heard of it before now, HELP THE DUEL will tell you what you need to know. Prizes include: - Fame - Credits - The Rapier of the Master Duelist! - Bragging rights (!!!) Figurines, figurines, figurines. Oh yes, they’re always plentiful! Your choice this time will be a figurine of the Shaman class – the wilds personal battery generator! We’ll also have a raffle where one random entrant will win a prize too! Don’t forget milestones! The specific time can be found in EVENTS INFO 1494. Don’t forget to set your timezone (CONFIG TIMEZONE) if you didn’t know. See you there! **Categories:** News --- ### [Lover's Carnival & Valentine's Day flash sale](https://www.aetolia.com/news/lovers-carnival-valentines-day-flash-sale/) **Published:** February 14, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/feb_promo_wide-1024x576.jpg "feb_promo_wide - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Easy Katy’s Lover’s Carnival has returned! The carnival shop has been restocked with a few new goodies alongside the usual assortment of transmutes, minipets, and other items from past years. As always, the shop uses ‘a wilted flower’ currency. Be sure to swing by and see what’s new! As a reminder for those of you that own the challenge horn relic: you can ATTUNE HORN KATY throughout February to have the realm’s most infamous Imp serve as your herald when demanding duels! Build-A-Gift Flash Sale For the next 48 hours only, we are offering a brand new Build-A-Gift package for $20.99! The Build-A-Gift lets you handpick prizes from a curated selection and assemble them into a personalized gift box for another player\*. You’ll have 120 points to spend across a wide variety of prizes including artifacts, credits, iron coins, minipets, and more – choosing exactly what your recipient will love. Include a personal message and Easy Katy herself will track them down and deliver it on your behalf! These are sent anonymously, so if you want your recipient to know it’s from you, be sure to sign your name in the message! Delivery will occur within 5 minutes if they’re online. \*Note, you cannot send it to yourself or an alt. This package can only be purchased once per character and is not available to newly created characters. To pick one up, visit www.aetolia.com/credits and look for the ‘Valentine’s Day Package’. This package is incredible value for its price! Use BUILDAGIFT PREVIEW to see what’s available, BUILDAGIFT ADD/REMOVE to fill your gift, and BUILDAGIFT SEND to dispatch it! BUILDAGIFT by itself will show you the syntax help. Oh, and keep your eyes peeled – Easy Katy hinted she might have a couple more little surprises for you before the month is out. **Categories:** News --- ### [March promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/march-promotion-2/) **Published:** March 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/march_promotion-1024x576.jpg "march_promotion - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks! March has arrived and pots of gold are making a return! These glittering pots of goodies can be obtained from the Aetolia website (www.aetolia.com/credits) and opened for a variety of prizes. These are very similar to Cryptic Chests but with a higher minimum guaranteed value (around 21 credits vs the typical 17) and a much higher ceiling. Within, you might find: - Credit prizes from 21 – 500 - Ironcoin prizes from 21 – 100 - Globes of elemental energy - Chocolate bags - Minipet cages that open for a (NEW) tipsy, green-eyed sprite, (NEW) a delicate snake of living coral, (NEW) a minuscule, mirage-painted moth, a pudgy ball python, a capricious Liruma paksivale, or a small brown salamander - Style scrolls for crafters, friendly, telekinetic, clumsy, fiery, and the new (NEW) predatory style with a chance at style points! Shoutout to our fantastic mortal builders for the new predatory style! - Relic coffers with pieces for cage\_goldarm, quills, fangs, membranous, angled, everburning, heraldhorn, sensemirror, exploremirror; these all trade in for 10 credits per piece! There is also a very rare chance that pieces for the ambience token will drop, which trade in for 100 credits each. - Monomachy relic set coffers; these all trade in for 30 credits per piece! - Compendium pages for the feral caves, the Endless Battlefield, the Offspring, (NEW) a bandit encampment in the Bonro Sands, (NEW) Dun Fortress, and (NEW) Djeir. - Rainbow vox iterator - Artifact discount vouchers - Shapeshifter pelts - Chalices of knowledge - Artifacts valued between 50 and 2000 credits - House deeds - Hunting boon tokens - Tokens of passage - Ambience tokens - Antiquated salvage As always you can check RELIC LIST PROMO FULL to check what the collection of available relics does. Each pot of gold will also award some actual gold and consumables, which includes a chance at four-leaf clovers. These clovers can have leaves ripped from them up to four times (RIP LEAF FROM CLOVER) and provide a 2% bonus critical hit chance for 6 hours! Every 500 pots of gold opened will trigger a global bonus prize where one of the next 50 will award the lucky owner 500 bound credits! Lastly, throughout March, logging in for one hour daily will allow you to complete a bronze milestone to find a rainbow! Once it appears, you may SEARCH FOR RAINBOW every 10 seconds to get a clue as to how close you are. Finding the rainbow will grant you a double XP bonus for one hour (note that this does not stack with chalices). There’s also a pot of gold in the milestone wares for March! Enjoy! **Categories:** News --- ### [Submissions closed](https://www.aetolia.com/news/submissions-closed-10/) **Published:** February 15, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/classlead_wide-1024x576.jpg "classlead_wide - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Submission for new classleads is now closed. You can use REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find reports you haven’t left a comment on, and REPORTS ABSTAINED for reports you haven’t voted on. After TWO days to gather late comments and votes, we will start to post decisions. You can continue to vote beyond this point on reports that don’t have decisions yet. NOTE: It’s not enough to just talk about it on the Discord threads, you absolutely need to vote or comment as well, as this is what I will be looking at mostly. This informs me of what your final thoughts are, which is important if you spend your time debating in those threads and end up with a change of mind. Thanks! **Categories:** News --- ### [Tribulations of Wrath, part V: Imperial Tenacity](https://www.aetolia.com/news/tribulations-of-wrath-part-v-imperial-tenacity/) **Published:** February 28, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/tribulations-1024x576.jpg "tribulations - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Wrath’s Fervent Talon wasted no time; taking off with their cult in tow, the great Yemali Asura took position upon a cliff overlooking the Festering Wastes and Bloodloch’s holdings within Kornar. It was there that Kshetraghan summoned their captive Sorcerer-King of Azvosh from a ritual of black fire and sacrificed Sholayu, then subjugated it through raw will and domineering strength. Though it resisted and mustered terrifying magical feats, the great Asura asserted their supremacy upon it and physically commandeered its skeletal digits, breaking one in an overwhelming show of their own power. Wielding the dread, eldritch strength weeping from their subjugated horror, the zealous war-priest brought untold destruction to the surrounding area before empowering themself so they could personally cull Kornar down to the last man. In a bellicose, frenzied assault, the Asura waded through the bloodied streets of Kornar without a single troop at their back, and they cut down the township to the last life. Even those undead who sought to resist them found themselves shorn of their bindings to the earth, forced to live out their last day and their inevitable death through exotic soul magic. Seeing a moment of hopeful egress from the violent takeover, Zhuvren Ripjaw’s ship hurriedly made its way to safer waters – that of Tcanna. After weeks of war preparation, the forces of the Empire’s enemy slip free of Kornar to infest the Festering Wastes, seeking to further their Vorostran hold. Following the destructive power of Kshetraghan’s triune sacrifice-wrought attack bequeathed by the captive Sorcerer-King, and their subsequent, unchallenged conquering of the Bloodlochian village of Kornar, the Empire was left bereft of its port contact as all encompassing citizens were single-handedly destroyed at the behest of the foe appointed by Wrath Most Holy. With the ritualism of blood, bone, and soul at its hands, the Sanguine Fist was able to summon the attention of Lord Ivoln from His sacred duty, bidding Him to heed a historic covenant by sending the Earthen warbands of Azvosh to assist His charges and empowering Warmonger Yettave Arcan with a sceptre of rapturous power. So, too, did the harried citizens of Bloodloch pray to Lady Chakrasul, seeking Her aid in their battles against the Sholayu of the enemy, which She granted generously – the first time. After riotously making their way through the battlefield of the Festering Wastes, the Fist sought purchase amongst the embattled streets of Kornar, working their way through the ruinous village in an effort to bring the conflict to a head against Kshetraghan and their captive Sorcerer-King. The battle that ensued was saturated with viscera and tactical engagement on both sides, with the use of Sholayu weaponry; the Vorostran showed no mercy to their foes. Inevitably, the Asura split betwixt the two souls of their very construction, raining chaos and decimation upon the forces of Bloodloch. Coordinating under the command of the Bloody Tyrant, Akarn Enati Yaslana, the imperial citizenry turned the enemy’s own weapons against them, as Irra de Verdigris, and Yettave Arcan, alongside Sumie Ke’Lolawid, took to dictating the direction of the city in a renewed onslaught against the separated souls. Whilst Kshetraghan drew upon the captive might of their shackled Sorcerer-King, so, too, did Lady Corruption bestow the ability to drain the power source of their foe to Her favoured Empire, though at Her own price. With new might at hand, the Empire of Bloodloch found itself possessed of the ability to assault the twin-souled Asura directly, bringing the tribulation to its conclusion under the discerning eye of the Vorostran in charge of the Empire’s brutal task. As a final token to their worthy foes, Kshetraghan left in their possession the drained shell of the Sorcerer-King, its might still palpable, if weakened. \~~~~~ Summary: Kshetraghan single-handedly razed Kornar, wielding a captive Sorcerer-King to devastate Bloodloch’s holdings before waging weeks of war throughout the Festering Wastes. Drawing upon the favour of both Ivoln and Chakrasul, the Sanguine Empire rallied Earthen warbands and fought their way back into Kornar’s streets, ultimately defeating the Asura in a final confrontation. As Kshetraghan withdrew, they left behind the drained shell of the Sorcerer-King as a parting token to their worthy foes. **Categories:** News --- ### [Tribulations of Wrath, part IV: Twofold Queries](https://www.aetolia.com/news/tribulations-of-wrath-part-iv-twofold-queries/) **Published:** February 28, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/tribulations-1024x576.jpg "tribulations - Aetolia the Midnight Age")As Sapience scrambled to prepare, individual mortal forces sought to secure advantages for their respective homes. Driven by their age-old calling to defy darkness and ensure the prosperity of the Light, the Illuminai gathered the Hammer’s faithful for a solemn prayer ceremony and consecration of two elemental glyphs. Aspected to Rahiela and Rewh’va, respectively, the two massive runes held great power but remained otherwise inert, a gleaming promise of intercession should the circumstances align. Meanwhile, Presiding Voice Gyrinno sought information about the mysterious ‘Sholayu’, who used the identifier ‘714’ rather than a typical name. Though she searched high and low, her quest for information proved fruitless in those areas close to the council and Sapience. As she expanded her search, however, she found potential treasure in an unlikely place: the Dia’varr Manufactory, where the infamous Cogger known as ‘Copperhead’ now resides after a fateful moment of Aechrian intervention during the Monomachy. Though the Cogger seemed jovial in its response to the Voice’s prying, it declined to answer her questions, citing a lack of the proper security clearance. When questioned about who would possess such clearance, the Cogger clarified that ‘Asset’ class or higher would be necessary to access anything in its records related to Vorostra. Left to wonder how anybody could achieve that classification, Gyrinno eventually uncovered the names of two fellow adventurers, and of those two, she chose Legyn, then-Regent of the Theocracy, to approach. Immediately intrigued by the prospect of information on a foe, Corruption’s Ghost met with the Voice, after which the two resolved to visit the Cogger posthaste. After providing the proper credentials, the two leaders were allowed exactly two questions. Without hesitation, Gyrinno asked the Cogger for any information on ‘Sholayu 714’. Copperhead’s mechanisms and complex chassis began to whir and hum as it communicated directly with the Kalchos Centrifuge, accessing its data through some foreign process that defied conventional separations betwixt magic and technology. After a moment to collect itself, the Cogger began to communicate: “Moniker: ‘Sholayu’. Numerical Identifier: 714,” Copperhead began. Soon, the mechanical being explained the Sholayu race’s origins: biological constructs perpetually spawned by a ‘Manifold influence network’ established by a long-deceased Vorostran ritualist. Copperhead explained that the race used numbers to identify and differentiate themselves during social interactions, since they all shared the same biology and appearance, and that the numerical identifiers were never reused because of the race’s low life expectancy. Viewed as exceptionally expendable by most Vorostrans, Kalchos records seemed to indicate that they were originally created to mitigate the cost of war against the Rakshasa. The Cogger went on to list insane census details gathered by the First Spoke, hinting that the recently born Sholayu would possess at least a six-digit identifier and that ‘714’ was from an ancient spawning group. Due to circumstances ‘incapable of replication’, this specific Sholayu had managed to gain a magical aspect unto itself by assassinating an enemy sorcerer ‘in the middle of their Manifold manipulation activities’. The resultant magical energy had helped ‘714’ ascend, marking it as special enough to become a personal servant of Primordial Wrath. After this brief overview of the Asura’s history, Copperhead cited recent observational records from other Spokes. It indicated that ‘714’ was highly resilient to ‘causality, contingency, and atrophy-class Manifold manipulation’, otherwise classified as ‘fleshsack curse magic’. It went on to note that ‘714’ was a figure of considerable fame, a singularly strange thing for Sholayu, and that it had proven instrumental in defeating Ohlsana’s forces when Vorostra experienced incursions during the second War of Night. The Cogger described the Sholayu’s capacity for destruction as similar to ‘a whole artillery unit’, and that ‘714’ was capable of acting as a ‘lightning rod for countless mages’. Its report on ‘714’ concluded, Copperhead warned the two leaders that the next question would be the last, and that it would institute ‘flash erasure’ to ensure no cited records remained in Copperhead’s possession. Confused by this term, the two leaders exchanged uneasy glances before Spinesreach’s Regent requested a similar bevy of information regarding Vek-Dansh-Who-Wears-Tuwri. “Moniker: ‘Vek-Dansh’, classification: parasitic organism,” the Kalchos Cogger began. Copperhead claimed that the Spoke’s sentience assessment indicated undeniable signs of higher thought in the race, and that Vek-Dansh was somehow a cut above the rest of them. It explained that members of the Chitravin race possess no suitable bodies of their own as a biological default and that they must instead infest a host and commandeer their body after hatching, or else they perish. Only one hatchling usually survives the ordeal, it told Legyn, which meant that the race embodied the same singular ideal found throughout Vorostra: ‘a food chain-designated hierarchy where strength and intelligence set one apart through survival’. Upon infesting their host, Copperhead continued, a Chitravin then takes control of their spine and brain, where they begin to consume the host from within their very skull, thus allowing the Chitravin to protrude from the cranial region. The Cogger indicated that ‘Vek-Dansh’ was the survivor of a clutch infesting the Gajatman hero known as Tuwri, and that the parasitic being would go on to employ his host’s affinity for ‘Manifold manipulation’ in combination with his own prodigious talents. After consulting its records, Copperhead told the two that Vek-Dansh specialises in the distribution of plagues, famines, and pestilence via ‘ritual and sorcery-class Manifold activity’; as a general, it seemed that the Asura historically favoured strategic approaches that allowed him to starve out his enemy through extended sieges, ensuring he claimed victory via attrition that he actively interfered with and encouraged. After this, Copperhead went on to detail Vek-Dansh’s greatest feats and the hallmarks of the Asura’s extensive craft. Apparently inclined towards ‘grandiose ritual apparatuses with well-guarded vulnerabilities’, the Kalchos emissary explained that the scale of these ‘Manifold interference activities’ was often known to encompass entire cities. According to the Spoke directives, Vek-Dansh was instrumental in the collapse of a rebel empire that refused to pay its tithes to Winter’s Vengeant Eye, creating a tremendous power vacuum that sparked economic turmoil among neighbouring city-states. As part of the final push to ensure victory, the Chitravin poisoned an entire stream with a ‘toxic-class causality manipulation’ that spanned ‘131400 cycles’, resulting in a permanent degradation of the potability and safety of that water source. As a parting thought, Copperhead warned Legyn that Vek-Dansh possessed not only his own specialties, but that of Tuwri’s own ‘exceptional Manifold manipulation activity’ and will use these techniques to supplement or even replace his own; without expressing sorrow or disappointment, the Cogger informed the Regent that all records of these activities contain conflicting data points, and that further explanation could be found when accessing query ‘Tuwri, Gajatman hero’… and query never to be, of course, for the Cogger promptly made good on its prior promise, erasing its memory banks in a flash of cobalt energies that soon saw the Cogger power down, leaving both leaders confused in new, different ways. As the two leaders returned from the Red Quarter, the Asura began to make their moves… \~~~~~ Summary: The Illuminai consecrated two elemental glyphs aspected to Celezor and Slyphe in preparation for the coming tribulations. Gyrinno and Legyn secured intelligence from Copperhead on both Sholayu 714 and Vek-Dansh, gleaning details on their histories, capabilities, and tactical tendencies before the Cogger wiped its own memory banks. **Categories:** News --- ### [Tribulations of Wrath, part IX: The Fall of the Aerie](https://www.aetolia.com/news/tribulations-of-wrath-part-ix-the-fall-of-the-aerie/) **Published:** February 28, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/tribulations-1024x576.jpg "tribulations - Aetolia the Midnight Age")For many winters, the Atavians of the Aerie had endured the tightening noose from the Empire of Bloodloch, a campaign of attrition spearheaded by the former resident, Aren Yaslana. Once a place of refuge for the descendants of the Atav, sheltered by the high Vashnarian peaks, the village had become a grim landscape of iron and atrocity. Imperial raids systematically harvested civilians to slake the Empire’s unending thirst for an enslaved workforce. Even shorn Atavian wings were placed on display to further demoralise the people, in an attempt to force the Satrap to abdicate his position. Yet, as the fifteenth year following the Creators’ Monomachy drew to a close and the winter snows sealed the mountain passes, the biting winds carried not the scent of surrender, but that of resistance. The catalyst came from an unlikely quarter: as the Vorostran Asura Kshetraghan ravaged the village of Kornar and made quick, brutal work of its defenders, the twin-souled warrior-priest had lifted their voice to the realm entire, offering clemency to any land terrorised by the Sanguine Empire – to forsake the weak and kneel instead to a greater power, to know fair and just rule under the law of a Divine Dragon. Though the offer was made for the ears of el’Jazira and Vilimo, it found fertile ground in the high Vashnarian peaks as well. Taking advantage of the isolation of the seasonal freeze, the Atavians of the Aerie took their first violent step toward asserting their sovereignty. With a chorus of aeromantic chants, the Atavian priestesses conjured an unnatural gale in the name of their God, so called the Great Dau. This summoned gale scoured the passes and focused its fury on the estate of Aren, whom the Aerie denounced as a false Satrap. The winds shrieked, their strength enough to rip the house from its very foundations within the Aerie, hurling the splintered debris into the wastes of the Mhojave. Unity within the Aerie proved brittle, however, as a shadow stirred within their own ranks. Zihfer, the Harpy ambassador, harboured a deep-seated loathing for the ruling council born of decades of Atavian suspicion. She quickly dispatched a fledgling harpy named Kriix to the Empire, who delivered a chilling report to Sumie, Naivara and Aren: Aamiran and his ruling council had retreated into the mountain’s depths. Under the cover of the winter blockade, the Satrap was fortifying the Aerie and raising a fledgling army of Atavian soldiers, with the intention of seeking sanctuary within the SWEEP alliance once the spring thaws arrived. Time, ever unyielding, saw the winter yield to spring and the mountain passes reopen. Observing the escalating military presence within the Aerie, Bloodloch accelerated their plans to take the Aerie under their heel before the Atavian forces could mobilise, fearing a preemptive strike while the Empire was occupied with the tribulations of the Vorastrans. Yet, unbeknownst to the Empire, Aamiran sought only to blockade his village against further aggression. Aware that the Aerie would fall when autumn came, he penned a petition to the leaders of SWEEP, seeking the protection of the three collective sovereignties. As Bloodlochian troops began their ascent, Aerian scouts alerted the Satrap, who immediately dispatched a smaller division towards the Ophidian Empire. Their intention was simple: to deliver the missive to the Empress in the desperate hope that they would be admitted membership before the armies of the Empire came to roost at their doorstep. Hopes for a peaceful transition were soon eclipsed by the fog of war. The Empire of Bloodloch rallied around Aren, sending their own division of troops to march towards the Aerie, narrowly missing the Atavian envoys by a stroke of fortune. Meanwhile, a contingent of defenders, composed of citizens of the city-states that had formed to defend the Aerie’s interests, escorted the soldiers bearing the petition. In the ensuing clash, only a hollow victory was achieved: Aamiran’s petition was safely delivered, but his defending soldiers within the Aerie were destroyed, down to the last Atavian; their defence spent on a single gamble for diplomatic sanctuary. With the Vorastran threat looming at the time, Bloodloch secured the Aerian passes with their remaining horrors. In retaliation, under the leadership of Edhain de Verdigris, a Duirani Speaker, a raiment of Duirani Centaurs marched to the Bloodlochian horrors holding the pass and dispatched them without interference. The citizens of the Aerie might have felt relief at the time, as the Duirani swiftly arrived in numbers to proselytise the Hope of the holy Cathres of Lleis – but once more, the beleaguered Atavians found that the Hope that the Duirani offered was the embrace of Death and the return to the Cycle of Dia’ruis. Concurrently, the Tyrant of Bloodloch, Akarn Yaslana, no stranger to political intrigue, moved to ensure the Aerie’s isolation. In a summit with Empress Malieh Garilicci of Djeir, the Empire successfully argued that the Aerie was a strategic void – a backwater capable only of draining the alliance’s resources. Yielding to the Tyrant’s logic, the collective sovereignties of the Ophidian Empire, the Holy Impire of Sehal, and Djeir formally declined the petition. The precedent was set: the shield of SWEEP would not be extended to those who offered neither martial strength nor economic might in return. Abandoned by the world, Satrap Aamiran’s pride curdled into lethal defiance. In a public denunciation of Sapience at large, he decried his distrust of the four great city-states and that the only safety one might attain in such a world was to grasp and wield it with their own strength of arms. So it was that the Aerians chose the storm, as the Satrap and his priestesses began a desperate ritual of aeromancy. The end came not with a triumph, but with a sickening, wet, squelch. As the Satrap and the priestesses sang their melodies to the Great Dau, the crescendo of power that crested around Aamiran failed spectacularly with terrible results. The leylines beneath the Vashnars rumbled in complaint to the force of the summoned aeromancy, as the gathering winds – instead of forming a shield – collapsed inwards with the force of a tectonic shift. A deafening boom trumpeted from the peaks as Aamiran, caught in the eye of his own creation, underwent a gruesome apotheosis. The winds became a torturous vice, swirling and tightening around the Satrap as bone snapped and flesh scoured away. Realising too late that he had been forsaken, Aamiran devolved into a monstrous entity of gale and grief, lashing out at all interlopers within the Aerie with indiscriminate rage. Though Bloodloch responded first, adventurers across the continent came to subdue the fallen Satrap, and blood was shed once more within the Aerie as the Empire contended with the combined forces of Duiran and Enorian, with a few from Spinesreach joining the fray. Under the combined might of the citizens of the city-states, Aamiran was finally slain after a protracted fight, with the Grand Crusader Benedicto landing the final blow and securing Aamiran’s corpse. Together, the temporary allies found themselves holding the gruesome centerpoint of the Aerians’ ritual against the citizens of the Empire, and building a pyre to purify the broken Satrap’s body. Aamiran’s long rule of the Aerie was finally over, in an abrupt, brutal clash. The aftermath saw the Aerie a ghost of its former self. With the citizens of the Aerie having already evacuated into the depths of their mines, a permanent schism fractured the survivors as many took in the destruction that had so arrived like a sudden tempest to their home. Some, finding themselves at the knife’s edge of the lash’s end, opted to leave the Aerie. Yet, others – led by Adilla, sister to the fallen Satrap and under the advice of Zihfer, the Harpy ambassador, opted to stay in the ruins of their ancestral home. \~~~~~ Summary: Following years of Bloodlochian aggression and a failed bid for sovereignty, the Aerie’s Satrap attempted a catastrophic ritual, in the name of their God, Dau, to empower himself and his priestesses with disastrous results – the death of Aamiran and his priestesses. In the wake of the disaster, an exodus occurred, with many Atavians opting to leave the Aerie and others choosing to remain with Aamiran’s sister, who would lead the few remaining survivors in the ruins. **Categories:** News --- ### [Tribulations of Wrath, part VII: Talgruv](https://www.aetolia.com/news/tribulations-of-wrath-part-vii-talgruv/) **Published:** February 28, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/tribulations-1024x576.jpg "tribulations - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Disinterested in chasing the elusive Sholayu, Talgruv – once-prisoner of the Demon Blade’s Infernal Durance – paid little heed as two faithful agents of a scheming god closed in on them, a lurking threat yet to stake their claim. Instead, the goliath of a Golban priest examined their freshly claimed prize with keen eyes, its burning emanations casting the glow of raw, compressed arcana upon the Prelate of the Helm’s sacred mask. Basking in the mute wonder of their Triune Masters, the ancient servant wondered at the thing’s power – and how it would be useful for the three tasks set before them. As they did so, a crowd began to gather – and that crowd of adventurers did as they are wont to do, peppering the mysterious figure with all manner of questions. Stingy with their words, the Prelate preferred to communicate through fantastical tapestries of illusory images and vividly evocative music; those familiar with Chaos magic felt the unmistakable signs of that plane’s deepest secrets at every turn of these cosmic miracles, to the point that they perturbed even the most gifted in those esoteric realms. Questioning the towering figure yielded little clue to their intentions regarding the Eye, though many theories shared a commonality: that it would be used in work for the Helm, and after that, the relic’s fate was uncertain. When adventurers attempted to glean more details about this work, the Prelate was characteristically silent; their communications became more esoteric and abstract, revealing the vast weight of what the acolyte would now need to undertake… and little else, aside from vividly imaginal imagery that came in threes. This led some to believe that the Prelate sought to free the Helm, while others contended that Talgruv would instead perform duties on Their behalf. Ultimately, none could agree on a proper and clear interpretation – something that openly amused the mysterious holyman. Throughout the interaction, it became clear to those present that Talgruv was very old, dating back to a truly ancient Albedi age, and that they were some kind of priest who worked on behalf of the Helm – either for war or peace. The Golban figure was a worker of myriad miracles, even of the casual variety, weaving shadow and light to enhance all their answers with startling clarity and fidelity, as if contracting planar power were as natural to them as breathing. Other lines of inquiry failed with the Stone Prophet, or were otherwise interrupted by colossal bouts of violence betwixt Duirani protecting the Ithmias and Theocratic spies seeking to understand the machinations of a servant of Odravh. Those clashes that erupted around them seemed to comfort them rather than concern them, bringing palpable amusement despite the giant figure’s silent demeanour. Those who drew too close to Talgruv during these scuffles found themselves obliterated by the sorcerous relic in the Prelate’s possession, leaving little doubt about the Prelate’s safety during their travels throughout Sapience. After another brief showing of their seeming mastery of all elemental magics in which they forged a sword through magic alone, the Prelate of the Helm departed for parts unknown, leaving the realm with questions as to this new presence wandering the lands. The Prelate went missing for several weeks, leaving half of Sapience to prepare for a storm whilst the other half recovered… \~~~~~ Summary: An ancient figure known as Talgruv, a Prelate of the enigmatic Helm and former Demon Blade prisoner, appeared in Sapience bearing the Eye of Primordial Lust, claimed forcefully from Sholayu 714. Uncommunicative by nature, the Prelate offered only cryptic visions and music in place of answers, hinting at tasks they had to perform on the Helm’s behalf before departing for parts unknown. **Categories:** News --- ### [Tribulations of Wrath, part VIII: Repent or Burn](https://www.aetolia.com/news/tribulations-of-wrath-part-viii-repent-or-burn/) **Published:** February 28, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/tribulations-1024x576.jpg "tribulations - Aetolia the Midnight Age")It was the Hammer of Dawn that scored first blood against the Asura, for Drowned Woe was the first to begin her assault. Realising the Light’s faithful would suffer the brunt of Vorostran wrath, Celezor and Slyphe – the Hammer’s twin radiant benefactors – imbued some of Their essence into the three glyphs established by Illuminai ritual and the studious scrawlings of Devereux, a budding Ascendril aquamancer. Conducting a prayer there by the harbour, Enorian’s defenders discovered that new, powerful magic kindled in their grasp, granting them an anointed edge against the tides of darkness crashing against their proverbial shores. Deeming the first raid a failure, Shvatahi cursed Enorian in her native tongue and performed another foul rite the following night, daubing new powers upon some of the Gajatman dead she deployed against the city guard. In the ensuing raids throughout the weeks of their tribulation, Enorian laid countless Vorostran dead to rest. Realising she would need to shift her tactics, Drowned Woe sought new pawns. During a particularly bloody raid, the Naga Asura deployed crews of reanimated sailors; waterlogged, bruised, uniformed in the tatters of Enorian’s drowned ‘Hydra’, these new threats fought with unholy skill. Casting defenders aside, flailing ghostly chains, and calling down ghastly forces alongside the Naga commanders, the presence of these desecrated dead incensed the Hammer’s avengers to great heights of fury. The city called for the Sea Witch’s head as the price for her necromancy, deeming her unfit for any justice aside from that of cleansing fire. Even as her hordes ravaged the docks and surrounding streets, the Templars detected a mysterious presence – a saboteur of some kind attempting to interfere with the magic of the glyphs, to no avail. Attempts at approaching this presence proved fruitless, though one particular knight of the Vigil felt a degree of horrified familiarity when looking upon that secretive agent: Benedicto Silverain. Though the elusive silhouette managed to stay a step ahead of the Templar, their pursuit kept his nefarious plans at bay, buying more time for Enorian to enact a defensive plan. As the city fended off the hordes of briny dead, its citizens sought disparate answers. Worried that the invaders would eventually overrun the harbour, the Ascendril called an impromptu meeting of the minds and rapidly implemented a new plan to protect the city: a vast defensive matrix of explosive skylanterns hanging over the bay. Under the keen eye of Rhulin Glintspear, once more forced to come out of retirement for the sake of civic safety, the magi imbued more than two-thousand skylanterns with barely-stable elemental magics, primed and ready to detonate with the proper trigger. The engineer personally departed for the harbour shortly after, retooling several ballistae for proper stability for firing harpoons and winding large chains with air magic. These new defensive measures came not a moment too soon, for the Tide Witch soon mustered forces far more eldritch – those horrible things lurking in the sea and her dark, seductive depths, to places fearful and fantastic. From that place of trembling sanity and heavy trenches came writhing, tentacular protrusions of some distant beast, laying siege to the harbour from a distance. Employing their new preparations, the Dawn’s warriors beat back countless incursions by their horrifying entity throughout the ensuing weeks, reducing tentacle after tentacle to bitter ash on the wind. Hoping to put a stop to the madness, Captain Tredin wrote a request for a ceasefire and submitted it of his own accord. Though the attempt remained a secret for a few days, Drowned Woe ensured her reply sharply contrasted that subtlety. Employing foul curse magic, she sent explosive skylanterns swarming into the Hammer’s streets, inflicting structural damage and slaying defenceless citizens amidst profane detonations. Through quick thinking and nimble fingers, Enorian’s finest managed to disarm a great many of these dangerous payloads, and Shvatahi soon sent them into the city during her harshest raids. Later that season, the Tide Witch made an attempt to capture land from the Hammer of Dawn – she dispatched the bulk of her risen ‘Hydra’ crewmen towards Jaru, led by the reanimated revenant of Maelo Silverain, Grand Crusader Benedicto Silverain’s fallen son. Wielding sacred miracles and sanctified steel, Enorian turned the Naga Asura’s forces back and laid to rest the last of their zombified comrades. When it came time to vanquish Maelo, the city stepped aside to allow a father to bury his slain child, and the Akkari hero delivered the Light’s peace one final time to his wayward descendant – a mercy that he would not show Shvatahi in the coming days. As ‘the Hydra’ set sail on her final voyage, the Dauntless and Accordant Righteousness saw to cleansing her of the evil indignities she suffered at the accursed hands of Drowned Woe; purged of profanity by the Lord’s golden fires and taken into the loving embrace of the Beryl’s Raging Queen, the ship sank below the depths, never to be seen again. Howling to the wind and storm, Shvatahi promised ruin to the Hammer at large, swearing that she would engage them directly and that the hour of tribulation’s greatest horror was nigh. The very next week, Drowned Woe made good on her promise. Commanding the bulk of her forces into the fray, Shvatahi expended what remained of the Drowned Dead and the raging tentacles of her captured horror in an all-out assault on Enorian’s port and streets. Though blood slicked the cobbles and profane explosions fouled the air with dark magic’s noxious fumes, the Promised Dawn’s defenders fought her to the bitter end. Utilising chains and harpoons in their modified ballistae, the city dragged the tentacles down and built a bridge to engage the Sea Witch and the colossal horror wreaking havoc at the centre of the bay. The Naga brought to bear all she could with her enchanted palms and accursed hands, casting Enorian into magical storms and manifesting poisonous novae to deter their assault. When one of the Light’s crusaders managed to cut free both of Shvatahi’s hands, however, she exerted a burst of magical energy to disorient her assailants as she recovered. Hoping to convince them to spare her life, the Naga explained that all the tribulations were of two purposes: justice by brutal vengeance, and a means to find and judge proper allies against a much greater foe. When this truth did not stay the Light’s retribution, Drowned Woe spoke once more. Desperate to survive, she made several enticing offers in hopes of buying safe passage out of the city’s harbour. Deaf to Shavtahi’s pleas, the Hammer demanded the Naga’s head for her crimes against the crew of the ‘Hydra’. Denouncing her as a heretic and a necromancer, the Light’s avengers closed in and culled her once and for all, casting her remains into the fire. With the Tide Witch slain, Kshetraghan and Sholayu ‘714’ declared the end of the Hammer of Dawn’s tribulation, and congratulated them upon their ruthlessness. Though neither Asura seemed concerned with this turn of events, the former did make mention that their Goddess would need to select a new Asura, so as to keep their appointed number of thirty-three. With three tribulations brought to an end, the realm looked at last to the north, where rests a Theocracy now promised obliteration as the remaining subject of Vorostran tribulation. \~~~~~ Summary: Shvatahi launched weeks of escalating raids upon Enorian’s harbour, deploying the drowned dead of Vorostra’s coastline – including the reanimated crew of the city’s own lost ship, the Hydra – alongside a colossal horror dragged from the deep. The Hammer of Dawn, bolstered by blessings from Celezor and Slyphe, fought back every assault and laid the Drowned Dead to rest before confronting the Sea Witch directly in the harbour. Deaf to her offers of alliance, Enorian slew Shvatahi outright, and the remaining Asura declared the city’s tribulation ended. **Categories:** News --- ### [Tribulations of Wrath, part VI: Ecological Collapse](https://www.aetolia.com/news/tribulations-of-wrath-part-vi-ecological-collapse/) **Published:** February 28, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/tribulations-1024x576.jpg "tribulations - Aetolia the Midnight Age")As Kshetraghan struck out against Kornar, ‘714’ did its own scouting within the Heartwood. Utilising subterfuge magic, the mysterious creature ventured throughout the council for several weeks, observing its foes and planning a method of attack. Though it remained undetected for a large degree of its surveillance, it eventually found itself tracked down by Lin the Knife, who had caught it observing her after an exchange of shouted insults. Attempting to corner it alongside Aisling, the two Duirani ultimately failed to lay their hands on the Sholayu, whose form betrayed misty, ethereal magics that rendered it immaterial, much like an Infiltrator’s own stealthy techniques. Citing a need for more appropriate tools, the Asura departed in a rapid scramble, promising to return in the coming weeks. Two weeks later, ‘714’ revealed itself once more. Raising its voice to the realm entire, it enacted several of its ‘bondlinks’, working Vorostran magic upon Sapient soil. Through the combined efforts of ‘the Green Sorceress’ and ‘the Lord of Hours’, the Sholayu Asura established a spawning pool for its kind, consigning a swathe of the Oaken Grove to Duiran’s enemies. Built as a stable environment to grow life through elemental forces much the same way an Ascendril’s fulcrum contained a closed loop of planar energies, the pool began to rapidly generate more of the Asura’s kind. Infused with spells from a third sorcerer known as ‘the Bringer of Foxfire’, the newly born Sholayu gathered into a crowd that began to siege the nearby Heartwood; short-lived, each slain Sholayu became a magical detonation of acid and fire, killing the council’s standing guard and adventurer defenders in droves. Under the cover of murderous chaos, ‘714’ infiltrated its enemy’s territory and fled underground into the council’s aquifer with the aid of foreign geomancy, disappearing into Duiran’s bedrock as they fought back the Asura’s loyal comrades. Working out a battle strategy, the council’s protectors held the Sholayu swarm off long enough to awaken their durdalis defenders from their slumber in the hollow. Soon, the lumbering warriors of Dendara took the place of the councillors, breaking the Sholayu siege in short order, allowing for Duiran to assess the damage and plan their next move. After inspecting the spawning pool, Duiran’s councillors were disquieted by its eerie resemblance to their own life magics and rituals. Further inspection proved that the spawning pool was elementally stable and self-sustaining, and that though its hastening magics had depleted, a new clutch of thirteen Sholayu grew in the heart of the nutrient-rich waters. Braving the waters, Watcher Lin descended into its depths and killed one of the thirteen nascent Sholayu, and then promptly utilised its remains to divine Duiran’s future in the battles to come. Though foreign spirits joined her communion, the Watcher found viable signs and symbols in the entrails. The council began to discuss amongst themselves what to do with the remaining twelve Sholayu, concerned as they were that new foes were incubating in their midst. Resolving to use the pool as a scrying focus to attack one of ‘714’s sorcerous benefactors, or at least cut it off from her assumed control, the council continued their observations in the coming weeks. Later that season, ‘714’ once more announced its plans to the world; it evoked new sorcerers and wizards in the second stage of its plan, creating another temporary spawning pool within Duiran’s very foundation. From warrens and holes in the Ithmia crawled new, glowing copies of itself, and they staggered about as if drunk, imbued with magics that attracted hordes of overgrown planthoppers desperate to feed unto bursting. Deployed to instrument an ecological collapse and further split Duiran’s attention, the Sholayu continued to emerge for multiple weeks, forcing the council to beseech the Swarm, a communal guardian spirit that patronises colony insects. Using this new union with insect clouds, the council waged war upon the Sholayu agents and their planthopper foes, ensuring that their pillaging did not tear down the Ithmia. During these assaults, the Watcher of the Old World resolved to beseech higher powers and thus prayed to dark forces to secure safety for her home. Entreating Chakrasul Herself, Lin bargained for a mere drop of Immortal Corruption’s power, and utilised that gift to destroy the pool before any further harm could manifest from its reaches. The moment that droplet of Divine murk touched the pool, it ignited by jade fire and swirled into a sickening, corrupted slop, slaying the Sholayu clutch therein – an act that sparked outcry through the council throughout the next few weeks. During the ensuing unrest, Ritualist Lhoden discovered tracks that indicated a survivor of the spawning pool’s clutch, prompting the Sentinel Pride to begin a realmwide search for the newly spawned clone. Throughout the council’s debate, Dhar’s Fatalists insisted that beseeching Corruption was a dangerous mistake that posed a dire threat to the wood, and many of the Pride soon joined their protestations. The discussions swiftly turned towards how best to reverse what many perceived as ‘damage’ to the grove that had housed the spawning pool, a perception that the Goddess of Corruption took exception to and sent Her servants to correct without delay. When the Pride consulted the ancestors in a bid for answers, a spirit of the Black Ravens admitted that gods of fire were beseeched in their time for Their cleansing power – something the Sentinels immediately began to cite as proof that Duiran should entreat Celezor, Lord of Light and Accordant Fire, for His aid. Willing to respect the wishes of the ancestors, the council built a fire in an abandoned cabin and prayed to the Morninglord, Who manifested before them in a towering pyre. Though He agreed to drive corruption from the spawning pool, Celezor made clear that He held no sense of charity towards the Duirani and thus named a price: they would have to declare Him a member of their advisory in the same way they had Arvelis in times past, granting Him equal treatment to His opposing force. The moment this topic joined common discussion, however, Chakrasul expressed Her displeasure: She bid Her power to creep forth from the grove and twist the surrounding forest, corrupting it in truth so as to teach the council a lesson in respect and gratitude – an act that only inflamed the ensuing debates, arguments, and furious scribings. Eventually, Voice Gyrinno declared that enough had been said and done. She lifted her voice to the heavens and invited the pantheon entire to join in the converging catastrophe within the council’s political landscape, thus ushering in a new era faithful to the council’s modern faith: Dia’ruis the Green Mother as a regal hawk undeniable in Her predatory flight, and all the Gods as mere sparrows welcome to share Her sky. True to His word after accepting His place in the Heartwood, Accordant Righteousness gifted a sliver of His power to Bhalwyn, a recent addition to His following. Swiftly, that power took the unmistakable shape of His greatsword, Daybreak, and it quivered with the promised cleansing to come. Wielding that fleeting gift with heliacal authority, the Astral Sylvan thrust the burning blade into the corrupted spawning pool, setting the grove ablaze amidst the fiery tides of Celezor’s power. Alabaster flame burrowed into the earth and drove out Chakrasul’s corruption, though not without price: much of the grove suffered the rigours of a brief wildfire, leaving heaps of ash and soot all throughout the wood as proof of its recovery – a labour meant to instill wisdom in those Duirani who would come to help the grove regrow all its lush greenery. Though unrest continued to simmer in the wake of these revelations, the council turned its attentions toward tracking down ‘714’ for an inevitable confrontation. The Sentaari employed methods of scrying and psychic projection to better seek the Sholayu Asura out, to little avail – until Dhani the Inured sought the guidance of the Dauntless. Though it took much to convince Slyphe of Dhani’s intentions, the Goddess eventually deigned to answer the Monk’s prayer, gifting the council with a scrying dish filled with the sea’s shifting powers. Warning Dhani that it would take much focus and effort to utilise properly, the Goddess dispersed into tidal mist, leaving the mortal woman to guide her fellows through the tidesieve’s unique rituals and uses. The clues they divined in the ensuing weeks proved instrumental as they began seeking places around the realm that came to them in scrying visions, though at first they proved fruitless. Eventually, the visions narrowed, and they glimpsed the Sholayu’s hideout: the wet bedrock beneath the council itself. Narrowing their search, they questioned local residents and nearby inhabitants until they discovered that priests in a nearby temple had heard sloshing water and other wet sounds, leading Voice Gyrinno to beseech Gonhon, a durdalis earth spirit, to help dig a way into the aquifer itself. Mustering four of his fellow durdalis, Gonhon promised they would aid the Duirani in their quest, though he suggested they help his comrades as best they could. Several weeks later, the digging durdalis crews breached the aquifer at several points, allowing the council to stream through in a unified assault. Blessed by the Swarm Itself, Duiran’s warriors searched the aquifers top to bottom and found no sign of their Asura foe – only a dreaded planthopper queen surrounded by clouds of her spawn. Exultant in violent pack tactics, the council eventually quelled the magically mutated queen, allowing ‘714’ to escape by way of one of its mysterious bondlinks. The moment it reached the Ithmian outskirts, however, a lance of cold light pinned it to the earth, holding it still long enough for an enigmatic figure to engage it in battle. After a brief scuffle, ‘714’ managed to break free and flee – at the cost of the Eye of Primordial Lust, held now in the clutches of their assailant. It swiftly employed its magics once more and fled to the Vorostran flagship, where it announced the end of the Heartwood’s tribulation – and then mentioned an appreciation for mail correspondence. \~~~~~ Summary: Sholayu 714 established magical spawning pools within the Heartwood to siege the council with waves of explosive clone-soldiers, while driving the Ithmia’s planthoppers into a destructive frenzy. After weeks of battle and fierce internal debate over a bargain struck with Chakrasul, Duiran traced 714 into the aquifers beneath the Heartwood and slew a monstrous planthopper queen in its stead. The Asura escaped, though not before losing the Eye of Primordial Lust to a mysterious assailant, and declared the Heartwood’s tribulation concluded. **Categories:** News --- ### [Tribulations of Wrath, part X: Colossal Clash](https://www.aetolia.com/news/tribulations-of-wrath-part-x-colossal-clash/) **Published:** February 28, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/tribulations-1024x576.jpg "tribulations - Aetolia the Midnight Age")It was said that Vek-Dansh would wreak havoc upon the Theocracy, and so he did. His first step was to offer tribute, from Wrath unto Pride, as the ancient custom of the Dragons had once demanded. Entering into the Dragon’s city under the Star of Midwinter’s laws of Hospitality, he offered riches of ancient hoards: depthlace sapphires from the Bitterdeep, the Grey Dusts of incinerated sorcery from Kushravar, and the final, cyphered journals of the explorer Sankhur. Amidst the presentation of these offerings, a pouch of salt was also spilt – a calculated clumsiness that did not go unnoticed. Recognising the provocation for what it was, the Sun-Drinker offered an amused warning, reminding Her guest just how perilously close he had come to broach the law of Hospitality. But it was not until the Asura revealed his tribute of Bhalasthum – a gift of magic jealously guarded by Wrath Himself, and offered to Pride that Tanixalthas agreed to allow Vek-Dansh to bestow his tribulations upon Her city without the shadow of Her wings to shield them. With his promise secured, Vek-Dansh’s second step was to enact the first of his tribulations upon the city of Spinesreach. Unlike his Asuran peers, there were no great proclamations; no grand sacrifices; no aggrandising prayers. Instead, quiet preparations were made, including the purchase of all the salt stores across Sapience and the infiltration of seven of his Sholayu into the city. Moving to a corner of the tundral wastes north of the Dragon without any fanfare, the Chitravin upended pouch after pouch – each identical to the one that he had spilt before Pride Incarnate. From the leather poured a seemingly unending cascade of salt that gathered around his very feet – encrusting and rising into a pile that would quickly rival the tallest spires of Spinesreach. Only then did the Asura proclaim a verse, and it was short, efficient, and expedient: “We begin.” Just as the tidal wave that crashed onto Vorastra’s shore once did, a veritable tide of salt crashed onto the Theocracy’s walls. Crushing in its weight, it smothered every street, climbed every wall and filled every crack and pothole. As the magical salt both subsided and spread, it snaked like a wild river through the lower streets, following the parasitic Asura’s will to cover every inch of the city – save for Sky Dreaming’s holy places and Her personal spire – a favour and show of respect owed to a Primordial Dragon. The Theocracy’s granaries and warehouses soon burst asunder, their stores ruined by the cold and wet salt. Such was the sheer volume of the deluge that it could not be contained, breaching the Dragon’s walls and spilling into the scoured terrain beyond, choking the landscape into a desolate salt waste. Satisfied, the Asura vanished, leaving the Spireans to face not only the catastrophe that filled their home, but also their stomachs – for now, any food or drink would taste of nothing but the sharp, bitter bite of salt. In the weeks that followed, the Theocracy had to come to grips with the famine that struck. With the Temple of Sky Dreaming’s stores unharmed, the city organised a limited daily food distribution for all citizens who were not rellyw. Undaunted, the ruling council of the Dragon swiftly enacted measures to assuage the symptoms plaguing their city. First, a ritual was conducted, culminating in a curse upon themselves from their Divine Patron, Tanixalthas. Its result was mildly successful, removing the physical salt that choked their streets, yet it revealed that the lingering affliction was a potent illusion that faded and returned in strength, one that affected only Spireans – citizens and rellyw alike. Refusing to bow to this phantom starvation, the Theocracy struck a second time. Under the leadership of Corruption’s Ghost, a complex Numerological ritual was woven to pinpoint and sever the arcane anchor of Vek-Dansh’s magic at the site of the Empty Throne of their Ard-Dhasani – finding none other than the Chitravin, entirely unbothered by their arrival. Vek-Dansh clinically noted that the Theocracy was ahead of his calculated schedule – yet, their triumph was agonisingly brief. As the illusion began to falter, the Asura simply sacrificed one of his waiting Sholayu, restoring the bitter illusion of the salt in full force. Despite their efforts, it was not long before the population of Spinesreach starved, feeling the worst of the famine. Though the citizenry was better looked after, with the Regent Pietre Marcelli and his Viceroys frequently offering their allotment of meals to the guards, the rellyw grew desperate as they grew hungry. They gathered in anger, and their simmering fury was soon stoked into protests, fanned by none other than the rebels of the Underspire. Faced with another trial to contain, citizens took to persuading some to pray at temples instead of congregating for riot, while others dispatched those driven mad by starvation with brutal efficiency. In the wake of the unrest, it was the Conclave of Sustenance who rose to the occasion, led by their Dhasan Frank, who claimed a miraculous solution to the city’s hunger. This was, of course, as we now know, a trick employed by the Asura in the aftermath of the memetic virus to instill the memory of the false Conclave and its spire into the minds of the Spirean citizens. Though some of the citizenry regarded Dhasan Frank’s legitimacy with scepticism in their efforts to reconcile their memories, it was the rellyw who nonetheless rallied under the newfound Conclave’s solution to their woes. Thanks to the efforts of Her Ghost, formerly known as Legyn, it was revealed that the false Dhasan’s solution was simply bales of barley laced with the essence of Chaos – essence that was stolen from the realm of Umbral Chaos. Enraged, the Empress Xa’azamit (may she live forever) demanded recompense from the Viceroy – a payment that the ruling council of the Theocracy would gladly pay. A plan was soon hatched and set in motion, as a ritual for Sustenance was planned – one that would gather the entirety of the Conclave of Sustenance, along with its Dhasan, and all the rellyw who had gathered under its banner for the hope of salvation, one that would purge the curse that infects the Dragon. The truth, however, of what the Theocracy’s plan manifested with a sudden, bone-chilling dread that paralysed the gathered rellyw, who realised far too late that it was not the curse of hunger that they sought to excise, but the rioting masses of the rellyw themselves. Above the Spire of Sustenance, the Empress Xa’azamit (may she live forever) snapped a clawed finger, transmuting the grounds surrounding the ritual into writhing tendrils, flapping tongues and snapping maws. A giant Pit of Xa’azamit had opened – a gaping flesh wound appearing as though it was torn into the marrow of Creation itself. Within the Golgothan maze, the panicked rellyw, weakened by famine and unable to flee, were subjected to a macabre carnival of blood. They died in droves amidst bloody geysers and diseased swamps, their desperate cries swallowed by the snapping mandibles of giant centipedes and the surges of lava wyrms. So too did Dhasan Frank meet his end, at the hands of the demons that stalk the landscape of the depths of Chaos – finally revealing to the Spireans that this Dhasan was none other than one of Vek-Dansh’s Sholayu, disguised as the rebel Conclavist. With this macabre event concluded, the Empress Xa’azamit (may she live forever) considered the Theocracy’s debt settled, as order reasserted itself with the Pit snapping shut – leaving behind a towering pile of salt where a spire never did. Yet, the Dragon has ever been a creature of relentless progress, endlessly striving towards their grander machinations. Even as the city starved and the rellyw rioted, the Spireans continued their cultivation of the nascent realm of Labyrinthine Chaos. Long had the essence of a new Noble stirred within the Labyrinthine Court – a formless presence borne from Dr. Marcelli’s memories that had brushed against Spirean affairs on more than one occasion. It was, however, during the shadow of Frank’s false conclave that the Dragon gathered and offered their hearts in ritual, to coax the unformed mage into taking shape and form as Xaeletre, the Exigent Magus. Realising that much of the curse that ailed their city was rooted in illusion, the Dragon, not to be outdone, enacted one of their own. With the newly formed Labyrinthine Noble’s assistance in weaving Umbrael, they cloaked Spinesreach in an artifice of their own. The citizenry was masked entirely as feral gremlins, leaving only Viceroy Csethiro Cerredi to draw Vek-Dansh’s attention as a means of misdirection. To all but the Spireans at the time, it appeared as though they had simply left the city, leaving behind gremlins to rule the roost. In reality, this was a plan to conceal their operations, as they believed that Vek-Dansh could spy on the city and waylay their carefully laid plans. Tapping once more into the nascent power of Labyrinthine Chaos, the Theocracy summoned minions of Vox the Silvertongue, Herald of Chaos, to emit discordant pulses throughout their city. It was the resulting disruption in the illusion that allowed the Spireans to triangulate the location of the hidden Sholayu, channelling obediently to maintain Vek-Dansh’s cursed ritual. With their prey finally found, the Theocracy laid a trap for the ensorceled slaves, designing and placing canisters of various plagues and ailments that would specifically target the Sholayu’s biology. Though the plague based on the Aalen Bloom was ineffective, the multitude of plagues from multiple canisters eventually proved effective in consuming the Sholayu spellslaves, leaving their corpses piling in shallow mounds as they attempted to maintain their control over the curse over the city. As the Sholayu failed, so too did the illusion they maintained – revealing that beneath the stone, webs of obsidian-veined rot had been gnawing at the city’s bedrock. Desperate to excise the rot, the Spireans sought and confronted Vek-Dansh when they found him studying the construct by the orrery in their catacombs. To their fortune, they discovered that the Asura had not yet triggered the subterranean cataclysm; the mandate of his tribulation was delayed by a fascination with the construct buried beneath the Theocracy. Lamenting his lack of time, he offered the assembled Spireans a trade: If they allowed him to finish his research, he would share his breakthroughs. The Spirean response was swift and deadly. Allowing only a brief exchange of words, Corruption’s Ghost hurled a ylem-charged leystone at Vek-Dansh, set to explode as an array of ylemnic monuments activated above the city. He was equally swift – the Asura making a sharp, sudden gesture towards the nearby orrery’s mysterious mechanisms. Wisps of shadowy tendrils extended with another sweep of his arm, connecting and jerking the leystone into an opening portal – revealed to be none other than the swirling vortices of Denan Arloi by the glittering light of the passing explosive. Before it could pass through the portal, however, the leystone detonated – bathing the Asura in the white-hot heat of catalysed ylem. With half his body grievously wounded, the body of the Gajatma fell over with a sickening slap of roasted, melting meata only for the Cogger buried beneath the Dragon to stir as Vek-Dansh migrated his soul into the mechanical creature. Detecting a threat to his home, the bronzework sentinel – a gift from Varach Scolrys to his allied city from so long ago – awakened to meet the challenge. To empower the massive defender, the citizenry of the Dragon was forced to take turns in piloting the sentinel at the expense of their own lifeforce. Rotating their time in the sentinel lest it overwhelm the pilot, they proved victorious as the collective might of the Dragon proved greater than that of Vek-Dansh piloting his Cogger. Ever pragmatic, the Asura recognised his impending defeat and swiftly retreated. The parasite drifted from its ruined mechanical shell in a dark mist to settle upon a snow hare, then jumped to a cat in Tasur’ke, and finally, seizing a dragonfly that swiftly flew through the forest eaves towards Esterport, alighting on the deck of the Vorostran flagship. Unable to speak for himself, it was Sholayu ‘714’ who announced for the Vorastran entourage: the Theocracy had survived Wrath’s tribulation. \~~~~~ Summary: After securing Tanixalthas’s neutrality through ancient tribute, Vek-Dansh salted Spinesreach into famine and concealed a secondary rot gnawing at the city’s foundations beneath layers of illusion maintained by hidden Sholayu anchors. The Theocracy responded with engineered plagues to collapse the anchors and a ylem-charged bomb to strike the exposed Asura, only for Vek-Dansh to survive by migrating his soul into the ancient Aechrian construct buried beneath the catacombs. Piloting the bronzework sentinel against the awakened colossus, Spinesreach drove Vek-Dansh to defeat, and 714 announced the Theocracy had endured Wrath’s tribulation. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads February 2026](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2026/) **Published:** February 2, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/classlead_wide-1024x576.jpg "classlead_wide - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, The starting classlead round of the year is officially here. Get those reports together and start your submissions! --- Information for this classlead cycle: Submissions will be open for TWO WEEKS in which you can submit THREE reports in for consideration which will be left anonymous. Once this time frame is up, there will be TWO DAYS to vote before we will start posting decisions. You can still vote early as per normal, but the extra two days will be there to avoid the feeling of late reports purposefully being submitted to be snuck through near the end. All classes are open to classleads, no restrictions! If you’re new, continue on below for more information on classleads. If you’re old, please read HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES at the very least. --- What are classleads: Classleads are a two week period that allows players to submit reports about their class (or other classes) for review by the administration. Do you believe that Siderealist should be able to collapse the cosmic universe with a thought? Then this is what you’ve been waiting for! Make sure to read through HELP CLASSLEADS to learn the commands needed to make and submit your reports, and I also highly recommend HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES to help avoid common potholes when creating your submissions. If you want to keep track of submissions and results, have a look at CONFIG CLASSLEADS and consider turning it on. Also consider joining the Discord! On top of being a great place for report feedback before submission, each report will have a thread created about it so you can discuss it with others. See HELP DISCORD for information. Details on submission: - Newly created reports will be marked as anonymous, your name as a submitter will not be revealed to others. - You may submit up to a total of three reports across the skillsets of the game to suggest combat balance adjustments, new features, or quality of life upgrades. Please note that this limit is based across all characters you own. - Reports that are based on skills you do not possess will be much more heavily scrutinized, so make sure they are top-notch before submission. - While you must provide reasonable solutions to your report’s problem, we may opt for a fourth solution instead based upon feedback. - Once a report is submitted, -anyone- may vote upon its merit using the CLASSLEAD SUPPORT/REJECT commands. If you wish to support/reject a report, please provide your reasoning and make sure to point out any shortcomings or additions you feel might be necessary. You may also simply leave a comment using CLASSLEAD COMMENT , if you wish for a more neutral approach. - Any commentary which basically boils down to ‘I agree with my bud’ or ‘This is a terrible idea’ will automatically be discarded, and will you hurt your chances at passing through reports in future rounds, perhaps even resulting in loss of ability to submit at all. If you can consistently provide level-headed thought and in depth knowledge then your opinions will be valued more highly over others, and could result in extra submissions. - You can use REPORTS ABSTAINED and REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find submitted reports you have not voted upon or commented. **Categories:** News --- ### [Purses purchase direct](https://www.aetolia.com/news/purses-purchase-direct/) **Published:** February 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/feb_promo_wide-1024x576.jpg "feb_promo_wide - Aetolia the Midnight Age")As an addendum to the previous post, I’ve also just added the purses to the website for direct purchase if you want to bypass the arrow-shooting mechanics entirely. **Categories:** News --- ### [February promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/february-promotion-2/) **Published:** February 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/feb_promo_wide-1024x576.jpg "feb_promo_wide - Aetolia the Midnight Age")February has arrived alongside the end of the Tribulations of Wrath – though those Vorostrans might still be around for a little while yet. We welcome back an older promotion that hasn’t been run in a few years: Easy Katy’s arrows and purses! To celebrate its return, we’ve lowered the price of arrows from 9.99 to 7.99. Arrows can be purchased from the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits and can be fired at others using a Heartstring Bow (see below for all the syntaxes). Being shot will get Easy Katy’s attention! She will find those that have been hit with arrows and pass out a bag of prizes for them (limited to once per Howling). In addition, the person who shoots the most targets before the Howling, and the person who has been shot the most times will both receive 25 credits. In the event of a tie, these are split. At the end of each real day, Katy will start looking for people who have been shooting her arrows and will begin passing out gifts: – 1 arrow rewards a bronze purse – 5 reward a silver purse – 25 arrows nets a golden purse If you’ve shot a lot of arrows and the totals don’t divide evenly, you’ll receive a mix of purses in descending order of value from gold > silver > bronze respectively. This count resets at the Howling, so you’ll want to avoid spreading out the shots too much if you want to target a gold purse! The PROMO command has all of the syntaxes, but for clarity: – CALLFORTH HEARTSTRING to summon your bow – SHOOT to shoot an arrow at someone in your room or in LoS (some combat restrictions apply) – PROMO STATUS to display arrows owned, arrows shot, prizes rewarded and so on – PROMO HURRYUP to call Easy Katy early and receive your rewards without waiting for the Howling With that out of the way, let’s look at prizes. Remember that the minimum value stated is the absolute minimum you will receive from a purse – and multiple prizes may be selected to make up the value. Arrows are quite a simple promotion in terms of reward structure, but are one of the best for raw value. Bronze purse, minimum value: 30 credits Relic coffers for the Hlugnic Treasures set, credit prizes ranging from 17-100, iron coins, bags of chocolates, flowery sachets\*, seductive flair pieces, perfection phylactery pieces, conjoined globes of twin elemental energies\*\*. Silver purse, minimum value: 150 credits Relic coffers for the Hlugnic Treasures set, credit prizes ranging from 75-500, iron coins, xp chalices, sachets, bronze purses, lovebird minipets, reflection wands, wormhole sticks, nocontactemote and handmirror artifacts. Every silver purses is guaranteed at least 1 relic coffer! Gold purse, minimum value: 650 credits Relic coffers for the Hlugnic Treasures set, credit prizes ranging from 125-3000, tokens of passage, level 2 wormhole\_warp\*\*\*, and a low chance at ambience tokens! Every gold purse is guaranteed at least 6 relic coffers! \* Flowery sachets are Valentine’s shop currencies that can be traded in for 12 credits. The shop will open later in the month with the return of the Lover’s Carnival! \*\* For those unfamiliar, conjoined globes of twin elemental energies are a type of globe themed around group hunting! \*\*\* Level 2 wormhole\_warp additionally confers the WORM SOURCES ability. – DRAIN GLOBE to share it with someone else: \* This will give both of you the \_infused defence for half the timer of normal globes. \* As with normal globes, there is a maximum of four drains. – SUMMON ELEMENTAL \* Will summon an elemental for both you and your partner, draining the timer from both of you, with some differences from normal globe elementals: \* One elemental can only be damaged by the person that summons, and the other by your partner. \* To make this easier to coordinate, the first elemental will always be damageable by the summoner, and the second by the partner. (e.g. target elemental.2) \* You and your partner, and only you two, will gain experience from both elementals, at a 40% bonus to standard group xp. Finally, there’s an arrow for purchase in the milestone wares shop for 1 gold keystone! Enjoy! **Categories:** News --- ### [Refer a friend! Referral system overhaul](https://www.aetolia.com/news/refer-a-friend-referral-system-overhaul/) **Published:** January 23, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Iron Realms has just released an overhaul to our referral system! Got a friend you think would enjoy playing Aetolia, or an older veteran of Aetolia that you’ve been trying to lure back? We just made it easier to bring them in, and you both get rewarded for sticking with it as they play! Read **[HELP REFERRALS](https://www.aetolia.com/game-help/?what=referring-a-friend)** for all specifics and exact rules. ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/referrals_wide-1024x576.jpg "referrals_wide - Aetolia the Midnight Age")## WHAT’S NEW - There are two referral types: New Player and Returning Player. - Both the new/returning player and the referring player receive rewards when certain thresholds are reached. - A personal referral link plus in-game tracking for referrals and rewards. ## HOW IT WORKS - Generate a personal link with REFER LINK, then share it. - New Players: they sign up using your link and confirm you as referrer during their first character creation. If they forgot the link, they can still confirm with REFER CONFIRM within 25 hours of total playtime. - Returning Players: If they log in using your link, you’re automatically confirmed as referrer. They can also confirm with REFER CONFIRM during their first login session after 90+ days of inactivity, and have not been referred in the last year. - No self-referrals to alt accounts. - Do not troll newbies to earn bonuses, this can result in a permanent ban on referring. - Abuse can revoke rewards and add penalties. - Referrer must be in good standing. - Returning invites are limited to one per registration per real-life year. ## REWARDS AND ELIGIBILITY - Rewards are based on certain thresholds tied to referral type. - Easier thresholds award Unbound Credits, harder thresholds award Ironforged Bonds which may be used in an exclusive shop for: - Bags you can open for credits or iron coins. - Exclusive minipets and mounts. - A package of elemental globes. - Exclusive phylactery and flair. - A minipet accessory (collar) that can be socketed with gems. - An ‘Ironforged Locket’ transmute beetle that will customise the ‘paired locked’ artifact with brand new messages! - New player referrals require the new player to not already have an account for the game. - Returning referrals require the player to be fully inactive for 90+ days, have no active characters, and have not been referred in the last year. Read **[HELP REFERRALS](https://www.aetolia.com/game-help/?what=referring-a-friend)** for all the specifics and exact rules. **Categories:** News --- ### [New Artifacts](https://www.aetolia.com/news/new-artifacts-2/) **Published:** January 13, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/NewArtifactsWide-1024x576.png "NewArtifactsWide - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi all, The artifact store now has a new item for both Ascendril and Bloodborn classes. **elemental\_fury Cost: 500cr** - Increases the defence duration of Fireburst, Afterburn, and Capacitance by 50% when worn. **bodily\_fury Cost: 500cr** - Increases the defence duration of Retch, Roil, and Impediment by 50% when worn. --- I’m also making a small tweak the Siderealist class for balancing purposes. Ideally to make them a little less strong versus affliction classes and to offset some of their hinder. **Astranomia** - Removed skill: Eventide. That’s it for now. **Categories:** News --- ### [ABEDIT system](https://www.aetolia.com/news/abedit-system/) **Published:** January 9, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello! ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ABEdit_wide-1024x576.png "ABEdit_wide - Aetolia the Midnight Age")I’m going to throw down some incentives to utilise ABEDIT so we can get our abhelp files into a better state. First of all, I’ve added credit milestones for submitting an ABEDIT and getting an ABEDIT approved. Very cool! The credit milestone for ABEDIT approvals will also stack. So if you get a bunch approved in one day, you can claim each of them toward your daily limit. Lastly, like we once offered our in game mappers as a reward, those of you who go above and beyond will receive a fame line and perhaps a small utility artifact for your help. I don’t really want people to treat this as a cash grab though, so make sure your edits are actually useful for the game as a whole. Things I’m looking for: - Better wording or clarity in AB files. - Removal & addition of keywords like affliction names i.e. dizziness instead of dizzy. - It will help with the MXP parser to pick them up. - Rephrasing of keywords that trip the MXP parser in the wrong place that might be confusing. - Don’t forget mirror abilites. Things I don’t want: - Numbers, the details system will handle that in time. I know there’s a number of you out there who have bemoaned the state of our AB help files, so now is your chance. Thanks! **Categories:** News --- ### [Happy New Year! January promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/happy-new-year-january-promotion/) **Published:** January 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/background-3-1024x574.png "background - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Happy New Year from everybody here at the Pools and Iron Realms! It’s now January which means we’re saying goodbye to stockings (your platinums should now be full – enjoy!), and welcoming back the trifecta of: a salvage sale, the artifact cart, and a direct lesson sale! Every 100 credits purchased from the website will come with a piece of antiquated salvage, which is typically valued at 200 credits. These pieces may be traded to other players and used without bearing your mark, EXCEPT for purchasing the Antiquated Artifacts themselves. Once you obtain the first level, you can use any salvage you like to upgrade it. HELP ANTIQUATED ARTIFACTS will be of interest to those who aren’t familiar with how salvage works, as well as HELP ANTIQUATED \[RING/GOGGLES/GAUNTLET/CROP/SCEPTER\] for a specific breakdown of what each item does. As for the Artifact Cart, all artifacts purchased directly through the cart have a 30% discount applied; this stacks with Iron Elite Membership for a total discount of 40%! In addition to the large discounts, there are a number of exclusives available only through the artifact cart, including: – Chocolates – House deeds (these come with FIVE rooms in total and can be redeemed by e-mailing me as per HELP CASTLES) – Fireworks – Upgrade tokens – Several other artifacts Last up is the lesson sale! For the month of January, lessons can be purchased directly from the website at a significant bonus. Those with Iron Elite Memberships will also receive 10% bonus lessons on any lesson purchase they make! As always, the cart, credits, and lessons can be found on the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits **Categories:** News --- ### [Lottery and raffle winners!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/lottery-and-raffle-winners/) **Published:** January 1, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/avasyu_detailed_fantasy_storybook_illustration_style_bold_hea_da6a6edb-3759-4487-abc9-afaa0bfca9db_1-1024x574.png "avasyu_detailed_fantasy_storybook_illustration_style_bold_hea_da6a6edb-3759-4487-abc9-afaa0bfca9db_1 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Here are the winners of the Celesmas credit lottery and the raffle! For the credit lottery: 1st place: Csethiro for 1000 credits. 2nd place: Azherani for 500 credits. 3rd place: Dhani for 250 credits. And for the raffle item winners: A ring of conversion: Lutheo. The class unlock token: Velic. An orb of nullification: Eaku. An ambiance token: Pietre. A ward of the ankyri: Aginna. A level 3 stat artifact: Endran. A prayer mat: Edhain. Custom wings: Eaku. Congratulations to all the winners! **Categories:** News --- ### [Ability help files & ABEDIT](https://www.aetolia.com/news/ability-help-files-abedit/) **Published:** January 7, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/background-2-1024x574.png "background - Aetolia the Midnight Age")You may have noticed already, but ability help files now create MXP links for affliction and defence names. You can click on them (or hover over them) for further information. Please let me know if you find anything weird going on. Additionally, I have also now implemented the ABEDIT system so that players can submit ability help file edits for better readability and clarity. Looking at HELP ABEDIT will tell you more. BUT ONE IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE: Make sure you also consider mirrored abilities as well if you wish to engage with the system. You will need to update them alongside your favourite class, otherwise they will fall out of parity. Thanks! **Categories:** News --- ### [Siderealist Tweaks](https://www.aetolia.com/news/siderealist-tweaks/) **Published:** January 2, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi all, ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/background-1-1024x574.png "background - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Siderealist has been performing above expectations, so I’m doing some tweaks to bring them a little more into line. This affects a few extra things outside of just them, so be aware. Afflictions ============================= – New Affliction: Crosswiring. \* Cured with epidermal to the head. \* Deals 50% of the trauma you receive to the last limb that received trauma beforehand. \* Does not reduce the trauma dealt by the primary hit. \* Cannot break limbs. – The ‘indifference’ affliction no longer affects Survival Regenerate. – The ‘indifference’ affliction now additionally boosts limb damage received by 15%. – The ‘indifference’ affliction is now cured with caloric to the head. – Updated the descriptions on ‘crushed\_elbows’ and ‘crushed\_kneecaps’. Astranomia ============================= – Alteration now takes 2.4 seconds to transform an affliction into another. \* If the chosen affliction is cured in this time, then it fails. – Alteration mana cost increased to 300 mana, up from 250. – Alteration willpower cost increased to 100, up from 50. – Replicate now has 2 charges to use, after which the stolen ability is stripped. – Replicate mana cost increased to 300 mana, up from 100. – Replicate willpower cost increased to 100, up from 20. – The ‘mindfog’ affliction in Gleam is now replaced with ‘shivering’. \* This is not a freeze effect and cannot cause further freeze levels. – The ‘recklessness’ affliction in Gleam is now replaced with ‘crosswiring’. Ostension ============================= – New Averroes Ability: Upsurge. \* Providing a limb is irradiated by Bolt, it will deal 30% limb trauma to that limb. \* Cannot break limbs, cannot be parried. \* Has a cooldown of 45 seconds. – Illgrasp now gives ‘indifference’ instead of ‘shyness’. **Categories:** News --- ### [Player Survey](https://www.aetolia.com/news/player-survey/) **Published:** January 2, 2026 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Please see below for a message from Jeremy Saunders: ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/background-1024x574.png "background - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Happy New Year, everyone! As we kick off 2026, we’d love your help shaping what comes next for Iron Realms and helping us bring more new adventurers into the realms. If you have a few minutes, please take our short player survey and share your thoughts. Your feedback helps us prioritize updates, events, and improvements, and it also helps us understand how to better introduce the games to new players. Survey link: Thanks for being part of the community and for helping us make the worlds even stronger this year! **Categories:** News --- ### [NYE and raffle reminder](https://www.aetolia.com/news/nye-and-raffle-reminder/) **Published:** December 30, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, Not doing anything for NYE tomorrow? Come hang out with us instead! About two hours after the Howling tomorrow, some of the team will be hosting a casual hangout. You’ll find us IN from North of Trees so you can come and go as you please. So come along and chat or just listen! We’ll also answer questions but don’t expect anything as formal as a townhall. We’ll also do the drawing of the December stocking raffle and IRE Celesmas lottery near the start. This is also your reminder to make sure any gift vouchers you have are used up before then. Happy New Year whether or not we see you there! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 17th of Dharos, in the year 16 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Ironbeard returns!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/ironbeard-returns/) **Published:** December 15, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Ironbeard-Returns-169-1024x576.png "Ironbeard Returns 169 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hey folks, All three dungeons of our Celesmas holiday dungeons – Flintbeard’s Lair (normal), Flintbeard’s Lair (Flintmas version), and Flintbeard’s Backyard – have returned and can be found around v18093. Completing any of the dungeons will award you giftbags (one per Howling per dungeon completion), fame if you don’t have it yet, and autographs which can be spent at Gilbert’s shop. Ironbeard has also returned to town! Holly trees and mistletoe bushes will spawn randomly across the land, their locations changing every so often. You’ll need to SNAP (tree) to get a branch of holly, and PULL (bush) to obtain a sprig of mistletoe. Once you’ve obtained one of each, head down to your favourite pub or tavern so you can DECK THE HALLS and HANG MISTLETOE to decorate it in a bit of Celesmas cheer. Once done, the tavern owner will give you a platter of sausages and beer. Do note that this won’t work at all pubs and taverns, you should receive a hint upon entering one if you have the quest. Throughout the day, Ironbeard will pick out people who have platters to visit. The more platters you have, the higher the chance of him visiting you is! When he chooses you to visit, he’ll hand over one of his coveted giftbags and gobble up ALL the platters you have (he’s a hungry fellow). NOTE: The platter quest can only be done once per real day! Good luck! **Categories:** News --- ### [Celesmas collections](https://www.aetolia.com/news/celesmas-collections/) **Published:** December 16, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/avasyu_mysterious_high_fantasy_treasure_chamber_with_a_christma_8eef120b-986e-498a-a460-f73068a6916f-1024x574.png "avasyu_mysterious_high_fantasy_treasure_chamber_with_a_christma_8eef120b-986e-498a-a460-f73068a6916f - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, As some of you are finishing your Celesmas collections, it’s a good time to note a couple of things: 1\) You get a title and minipet clothing (holiday sweater) from completing the collection! 2\) Be sure to send at least one present before December 25th, and you’ll receive a little gift from Iron Realms. HELP CELESMAS to learn how to do so if you haven’t done it already! 3\) Speaking of collections, Gilbert’s shop (for the Flintbeard dungeons) has been updated with a set of Flintmas chrysalis, flair and phylactery relics. 4\) Completing the Celesmas dungeons also now awards credit milestones. **Categories:** News --- ### [Events & Communications: Part II](https://www.aetolia.com/news/events-communications-part-ii/) **Published:** December 12, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/background-1024x574.png "background - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi folks, Much like Announce #3342, this is just a quick PSA that if you’re present at an event or in a room with an animated NPC, there is an extremely high chance that your tells and other communications are going to be overheard by the Gods or Admins running things. With that in mind I would like to politely request that you put your explicit RP in tells on hold if you’re in attendance at one of these. This includes events where there is no visible NPC, but there’s obviously something going on narratively for your city or the entire game, as there is always someone running these things. Thanks! **Categories:** News --- ### [The Grand Duel arrives!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-grand-duel-arrives/) **Published:** December 10, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Ahoy lovers of a good fight! ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/grand-duel-2025-169-1024x572.jpg "grand duel 2025 169 - Aetolia the Midnight Age") The Grand Duel of 2025 is now upon us and a date has been selected by the masses. Are you ready to learn who our Grand Champion is of the biggest, wildest Duel event of the year? It’s anyone’s guess! Much like our previous Duels of the year, this is a double-elimination tournament where fighters will be pitted against each other in one-on-one battles, however the stakes are much higher with a ton of prizes up for grabs if you can manage to get your sticky fingers upon them. There’s also big prizes for those of you who are simply participants too! You better not miss it! Oh! And we’re making a small change this year. The Grand Duel will be hosted in the Niron Fields this time to deal with overcrowding. Make sure to learn its layout! Now it’s time for the delicious, delicious prizes. Here’s what you can earn if you place in the top three: 1st place prizes: – The Rapier of the Grand Duelist! \* Comes with extra charges! – A custom-made artifact that will boost the class you win the Grand Duel as! \* The artifact will be retained until the next Grand Duel. – A very enthusiastic fan of your achievements that will linger in Esterport! \* For as long as you are the Grand Champion. – A unique fame line and title, customised to show off your exploits in the Grand Duel! – A gold star that you can TOUCH! Very shiny! – A grand stocking – 500 credits 2nd place prizes: – An occasional free drink at the Shining Trident! \* The bonus will be retained until the next Grand Duel – A unique ‘2nd best’ custom made artifact vial – A silver star that you can TOUCH! Sparkly! – A grand stocking – 300 credits 3rd place prizes: – A bronze star that you can TOUCH! Nice! – A unique ‘fan of Keroc’ artifact keyring – A grand stocking – 200 credits Not everyone can reach the heights of the placement podium, so for those who do not, there will be THREE raffles for anyone who joins the Grand Duel and competes in the tournament! No requirements are necessary beyond giving it your best! You can potentially win: – Prize one: Any one artifact valued at 800 credits or less, your choice! – Prize two: A piece of morphic metal (x2) – Prize three: Artifact vials, pipes, bandages, and/or rags (x5) – Prize four: A demon’s wish! Ask Keroc for anything, but if you’re too greedy, you get a single artifact vial. Even if you don’t qualify for any of the above, just being there and participating will net you some very cool goodies! We’ll have a special, unique minipet unobtainable through any other means this year, and there will also be the usual class figurine up for grabs! Plus a few other things… Participating will get you: – A unique Vorostra-themed minipet! – A figurine of the Infiltrator class! – The Duel participation credit milestone! \* Doesn’t count towards your daily limit. And like before, for those of you who love a bet, I will open up TWO bookies just before the Duel begins and pool in 100,000 gold for each. You can bet on both who the winner might be, and who the runner up will be. Each bet will cost 5,000 gold and give you a chance at taking home a juicy bag of gold. The command AB GAMING BOOKMAKER has details on this if you want to be prepared beforehand. The exact date for the Grand Duel can be found in EVENTS INFO 1399, per POLL 895. Use CONFIG TIMEZONE to see when it starts in your local time. Be ready! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 17th of Slyphian, in the year 15 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [It's an Iron Realms Celesmas](https://www.aetolia.com/news/its-an-iron-realms-celesmas/) **Published:** December 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/16x9-1024x576.png "16x9 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The fabric of reality between universes has thinned thanks to Varian tearing it open, and presents from other Iron Realms are unexpectedly finding their way into Aetolia! This has left Ironbeard in a state of consternation, because obviously if you’re receiving presents, you have to give presents in return. And between being drunk, filling stockings, being kidnapped by his brother, and yelling at Junior, our poor gift-giving Dwarf already has his hands full! That’s where you come in to give him assistance! Throughout the month of December, the Iron Realms Celesmas event will let you send anonymous gifts and custom festive messages to players not only here in our own realms, but across all participating Iron Realms games. Wrap up something generous, or slip in something a little more nefarious – yes, you can send monsters – and help spread chaos or kindness! Presents are delivered in waves roughly once every hour, so keep an eye out, you never know when something strange (or suspiciously well-wrapped) might land in your hands. As you all send gifts, you will fill a global cheer meter. Every present nudges it higher, and when it finally hits 100 percent, Flintbeard will stir from his lair to quash out the celebrations. Show him the true measure of a festive spirit and you’ll have a chance to find some special Flintbeard-only prizes! Present senders will also earn special milestone rewards as they help Ironbeard with his deliveries, receiving special prizes when they reach 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 presents sent. There’s also a collection system to catalogue the unique Celesmas items you encounter, and earn bound credits for each new discovery! Every present you send also grants you a ticket in a special Celesmas lottery. At the end of the event, three lucky winners will receive credit prizes: – 1st prize: 1000 credits – 2nd prize: 500 credits – 3rd prize: 250 credits Everyone who sends a gift becomes eligible to receive gifts as well, so the more people who take part, the more Celesmas cheer will be flying around the worlds. This post is just a quick summary, and there’s actually a lot to cover, so make sure you read HELP CELESMAS for full details on how to get involved and the commands you will need. Enjoy! **Categories:** News --- ### [December promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/december-promotion/) **Published:** December 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/avasyu_tons_of_christmas_stockings_piled_and_hanging_in_layers__9385f363-a425-4519-8b11-c0e4c7753b84-1024x574.png "avasyu_tons_of_christmas_stockings_piled_and_hanging_in_layers__9385f363-a425-4519-8b11-c0e4c7753b84 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hey folks! The Tribulation of the Hobgobbler has been endured, and that means it’s once again time to head into December for everybody’s favourite promotion: stockings! For those unfamiliar, stockings are available from the website in celebration of Celesmas. Ironbeard will fill them up a short while after they are hung, and the owner can then open them and collect their contents! As always, they can be obtained from the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits under ‘artifact packages’. See HELP STOCKINGS for all stocking-related commands and for a complete breakdown of prizes! I’ve included a short summary below: Festive or Trick Stocking, minimum value: 16 credits Fancy Stocking, minimum value: 45 credits, guaranteed at least 1 relic coffer Grand Stocking, minimum value: 200 credits, guaranteed at least 2 relic coffers Extravagant Stocking, minimum value: 600 credits, guaranteed at least 5 relic coffers This year the relic coffers have the following selection available in them: grapnelobservereyesilmenitebracer hunters\_bookvigilantwhispering everfullmistjarsensebacklash In addition, there’s a couple of new relics: (NEW)procurement (a writ of requisition) When crafting, if you lack specific commodities but have the gold in your inventory, this writ automatically purchases the necessary materials from Esterport’s market to complete the design instantly. Only works for items found in Esterport’s NPC markets or crafting offices, and only if they’re not already sold out. (NEW)ambience (an ambience token) - Ever had extremely terrible luck obtaining an ambience token? This might be a better option for you. - Pieces for this can be traded in for 100 cr, and are still extremely rare – though less rare than the full token itself! - The ambience token lets you redeem for a line/emote that periodically fires around your character. This is a single sentence, roughly no longer than 200 characters. Subject to admin approval, but some basic rules are: needs to fit the game lore; can’t be too silly; if magic is involved you should have access to that particular magic; if God stuff is involved you need permission from that God. It also can only affect you and not other people/the environment, etc. In addition to the relic coffers, you’ll also encounter racial relic coffers. And since it’s been a long while since we’ve created new racial relics, you’ll find these new ones inside: (NEW)spring\_wings – verdant gossamer wings (NEW)summer\_wings – blistering gossamer wings (NEW)autumn\_wings – russet gossamer wings (NEW)winter\_wings – rimed gossamer wings These racial relics confer a different seasonal-based flair (vernal flair for spring, estival flair for summer, autumnal for autumn and wintry for winter). Additionally, should you have that flair enabled during their corresponding season, you will leave behind lingering traces (e.g. icy footprints, scattered leaves) in rooms that you walk through that fade after a few seconds. (NEW)plowtusks – heavy plow tusks The large tusks of a Gajatma can be used in place of a hoe for tilling your fields in Farming, as well as a shovel for digging. This does not confer the advantages of an artifact hoe or shovel BUT will take advantage of those if you own them. (NEW)trunk – a leathery trunk The trunk of a Gajatma can be filled at a water source for you to later spray someone with it. Simply FILL TRUNK and then SPRAY . The target will take minor blunt damage and if they’re stinky, it’ll remove their stench. You have to fill your trunk again after spraying. You can also choose to DOUSE with it: AB DOUSING. (NEW)carrion\_eye – a scavenger’s glass eye Confers the Sanguis PERVADE ability. (NEW)lizardtongue – a long, flickering tongue The lizard tongue is a mirror of the tentacle racial relic: it confers the YANK ability with its own messages, as well as letting you TONGUEGRAB items in place of GET. As a reminder, you can check RELIC LIST PROMO FULL for the full details of all these relics. Some extra highlights include: - There is also a steed whistle found in Grand and Extravagant stockings: (NEW) an enormous, flat-billed pelican! - The minipet selection is: (NEW) a brash pelican chick, (NEW) a miniature buffalo, (NEW) a clicking clockwork squirrel, a fuzzy camel calf, a playful snow leopard kitten, a bhfaol pup, a miniature hermit crab, a dimimutive yellow-spotted lizard, a goggle-bearing hound, an armored viper, and a buzzing honey bee! - Thanks to a couple of inspired new Celani, the new minipets have some small interactions: - The pelican and its chick can be fed fish, and also will interact with each other. - The buffalo has a response to being greeted and a small chance at reacting to someone entering the room. - The squirrel has a response to being greeted and can be fed certain types of nuts. - Style scrolls for: elegant, stiff, gory, phasic, frosty, and leaping, with a chance at receiving a style point to spend at the shop. - Cracked scroll cases, which contain three random Compendium Pages from the existing selection of pages. Each stocking tier below extravagant also has a very small chance of rolling a big prize in the form of a 400-2000 credit artifact! Every 150 stockings opened will trigger a global prize where one of the next 50 stockings opened will contain a bonus of 500 credits on top of the other prizes it contains. Additionally, for every 5 stockings of each type you purchase, you’ll receive either a gold or platinum stocking of that tier! So if you purchase 5 fancy stockings, you’ll get a gold (or platinum) fancy stocking. Gold and platinum stockings are special and fill up only on Christmas and New Year’s Day, respectively! These are tracked cumulatively, so you can safely split up purchases without losing out. Opening one of these stockings acts as if you had opened two of that tier, giving you double the prizes! There’s no difference in prizes between gold and platinum beyond what day they fill on. You’ll also find a festive stocking to purchase for a gold keystone in the milestone wares shop. Stocking Raffle - All stocking purchases through the website will automatically enter you into a raffle drawn on January 1st for some rare prizes! - All stocking purchases additionally award “a decorative gift voucher” – these can only be redeemed (LOTTERY EXCHANGE VOUCHER) by someone other than the owner, and provide 1 raffle entry to whomever you gift them to. - See HELP STOCKING RAFFLE or LOTTERY 46 for info! Grand Duel Don’t forget December is also the month of the Grand Duel, so expect to see Keroc announcing that in the coming days! Celesmas Calendar You’ll find a large Celesmas Calendar floating just outside Esterport at v1422. - Once per real life day, you can OPEN CALENDAR to claim a random prize. - To be eligible for opening the calendar, you must have claimed 5 credit milestones for that day so far. - Prizes include gold, chocolates, credits, lessons, blessings, stockings and more! Misc happenings - As usual, Ironbeard, the Tsinkin villages, and the Flintbeard dungeons will all open up this month. - There’s an Iron Realms-wide Celesmas event happening, details will be shared sometime later today. - The Asura will make their move beginning sometime this week… good luck! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 12th of Ivolnos, in the year 15 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Auctions 24 hour reminder](https://www.aetolia.com/news/auctions-24-hour-reminder/) **Published:** November 29, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/avasyu_dark_gothic_auction_hall_shadowy_auctioneer_slamming_a_g_588a11ca-4758-4c83-992e-aca4d2ab670d-1024x574.png "avasyu_dark_gothic_auction_hall_shadowy_auctioneer_slamming_a_g_588a11ca-4758-4c83-992e-aca4d2ab670d - Aetolia the Midnight Age")This is just your friendly reminder notice that there is roughly around 24 hours remaining on all the auctions. Good luck! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 1st of Ivolnos, in the year 15 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Tribulations of Wrath, part III: The Heavenly Demons](https://www.aetolia.com/news/tribulations-of-wrath-part-iii-the-heavenly-demons/) **Published:** November 27, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Tribulations-169-1024x576.png "Tribulations 169 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")When clarity finally returned, it did so with the violence of a dam giving way. Memories cascaded back in overwhelming torrents: sounds first, a cacophonous symphony of every conversation and voice racing through recollection; then smells and tastes, every sip of wine and glass of whiskey and childhood juice all at once upon tongue and nose; finally, sights and touch, beloved moments and hated ones alike, the feel of weapon and quill in hand. Two and a half months had passed in the interim. Late spring gave way to the height of summer, and those who regained their faculties found themselves with no recollection of the intervening time whatsoever. Yet curiously, many discovered their coin purses heavier and their skills sharper from activities conducted during that void period, having continued the routines of daily life throughout. Scholars of the Grand Library have since surmised that the countercurse functioned by trapping the memetic virus at the forefront of active memory, creating a prison of shallow, day-to-day experiences upon which it could only feast. Starved from the rich banquet of lifelong recollection, the entity weakened week by week until it finally perished. With minds restored to coherence, the four strangers revealed themselves anew. Gone were the vague impressions of misshapen Sapience races that virus-addled minds perceived; in their place stood beings of truly alien aspect. They named themselves Asura, four of the thirty-three heavenly demons sworn to the service of Winter’s Vengeant Eye, the primordial Dragon of Wrath who rules distant Vorostra. Kshetraghan, the twin-souled Yemali warrior-priest, spoke with two voices that echoed as one, their appearance, in many ways, similar to that of a Rakshasa. Salt-sowing Vek-Dansh-Who-Wears-Tuwri loomed as a Chitravin parasite inhabiting the hulking form of a deceased Gajatma, his insectoid head protruding where elephantine features should have been. Shvatahi, the six-armed Naga sea witch whose necromancy commanded the drowned dead, was the ‘Ophidian’ responsible for the countercurse. Lastly, Sholayu 714, the clone-soldier, bore the roiling, bloody eye of the primordial Dragon of Desire. The Grand Library notes with some consternation that a full accounting of the ritual materials gathered for the countercurse cannot be produced. The considerable surplus of gems that Shvatahi requested, far exceeding what any reasonable ritual would require, vanished entirely. It is presumed she claimed them for herself as payment rendered during the void months. The purpose of their arrival was declared with the absolute certainty of those who believe themselves instruments of cosmic justice. Kshetraghan announced the debt owed: retribution for the tidal wave that Slyphe deflected from Sapience’s shores during the Echoes of Power. That redirected catastrophe had claimed twelve coastal villages, three seaside towns, and countless fishing fleets upon Vorostran shores. Children drowned. By Vorostran law, absolute and unyielding, a price was owed and would be collected. Shvatahi elaborated upon the terms with the cold precision of a merchant tallying accounts. They came not for conquest, nor did they harbour particular animosity towards the continent as a whole. By their reckoning, the loss of life was equal in the population of one of Sapience’s great city-states, thus one city would fall as payment, and thereafter the ledger would be settled in the eyes of the Vorostran justice. The Sea Witch even spoke of a potential alliance against the Dreikathi once debts were paid. Which city would fall, however, was not for the Asura to determine arbitrarily. Each heavenly demon would deliver a tribulation to test Sapience’s mettle: Shvatahi would bring ruin to the Hammer of Dawn, Vek-Dansh would wreak havoc upon the Theocracy, Sholayu 714 would undo the Heartwood, and Kshetraghan would crush the Sanguine Fist. Whichever city proved too weak to endure its trial would fall, and the debt would be satisfied. The strong would survive, as was the way of their harsh homeland. Sapience responded with characteristic defiance and belligerence. Threats were issued and bravado displayed in abundance. Yet for all their bold words, the defenders of Sapience found themselves already outmanoeuvred. During the void months of amnesiac darkness, the Asura were not idle. Every major port lay in ruins, too damaged to be used, and ships capable of battle were sabotaged or sunk. Furthermore, the Orrery of the Spheres unlocked during the incapacitation, and the Asura claimed its empowering attunement seemingly unopposed – though none can say for sure if any city actually tried to contest them. Before departing, the four Asura noted, with some amusement, the hobgobbler invasion that erupted during the populace’s incapacitation, wondering aloud whether Sapience would even survive this fowl menace long enough to face their tribulations in the coming weeks. Their formal proclamation would follow in due time; the trials, they promised, would begin soon. With the hobgobbler menace closing in and foreign invaders preparing for a campaign of didactic justice, Sapience prepared for a long struggle to survive… \~~~~~ Summary: Approximately two and a half months passed during the countercurse’s effects, with mortals retaining no memory of the intervening time. The four strangers revealed themselves as Asura in service to Winter’s Vengeant Eye, the primordial Dragon of Wrath from the continent of Vorostra. They declared their purpose: to collect a blood debt owed for the tidal wave redirected to Vorostran shores. One Sapient city must fall; which one would be determined by tribulations testing each city’s strength in the coming weeks. During the void period, the Asura sabotaged every major port, ensuring Sapience cannot take the fight to the seas. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 14th of Lleian, in the year 15 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Tribulations of Wrath, part II: Countermeasures](https://www.aetolia.com/news/tribulations-of-wrath-part-ii-countermeasures/) **Published:** November 26, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Tribulations-169-1024x576.png "Tribulations 169 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")A strange foreign ship docked at Esterport’s harbour, its appearance matching the description in Esterport’s naval warrant, which had now only become clear that this ship had mistakenly been attributed to sightings of Tynara pirate ship. Its occupants, four figures of strange and unfamiliar aspect, summoned what remained of Sapience’s coherent population to the docks. Those who answered the call could only perceive the strangers vaguely: a huge, weird Horkval whose carapace seemed somehow wrong; a strangely unfamiliar Ophidian with too many arms; a hunched-over Menedu of inscrutable demeanour; and an odd-looking Rajamalan with four unsettling eyes. The virus-addled minds of the present adventurers could not retain the true nature of these beings, their foreign appearances slipping from active memory as soon as they looked upon them. The odd foreigners watched with mounting frustration as their gathered audience repeatedly forgot their declarations of intent that marked the purpose of their arrival. Three times they had explained their purpose; three times their words had slipped from minds like a fleeting wind. The odd-looking Rajamala grew particularly incensed, chiding Lin for losing herself in distant stares and demanding to know whether any present could recall what had last been discussed. None did. Yet the strangers revealed themselves to possess knowledge of the virus’s nature, for its creator had been of their homeland before falling under the Shadow Mother’s thrall. As their annoyance at Sapience’s incapacity grew evident, they offered to enact a countercurse, though it was not an offer borne of altruism. They wished their victims to possess the full faculty of their minds when the strangers’ true purpose in these distant shores was revealed. The ritual demanded much: thirty-six buckets of fresh blood, conduit materials of spirit and shadow elemental energy, herbs for incense, gems by the chestful, and something of significance from each of the four great city-states. As materials poured in from across Sapience, the strangely unfamiliar Ophidian sorted through them with the discerning eye of a merchant examining a disappointing shipment. From the offerings of spirit and shadow, she retained only onyx, qufar, kagamine, a glistening black opal, and an iridescent pearl. The rest she dismissed with haughty flicks of her tail, splashing several buckets of excess blood into the harbour to clear room for her work. The most crucial component proved also the most grim: the bones of one of Sapience’s strongest were required, for bone and memory were tied together in ways fundamental to curse-work. After some debate about suitable targets, Viceroy Sheryni of Spinesreach volunteered herself, and the six-armed stranger set about the task of carving bone from the Spirean’s corpse with all the dispassion of cleaning the day’s catch of fish. Each bone extracted was scraped clean, submerged in blood, turned thrice and laid in patterns only understood by the foreign Sea Witch. With the bones arranged to her satisfaction, she turned to the remaining buckets of blood, tracing expanding concentric circles outward from the skeletal arrangement, each ring connected by angular script and looping glyphs. For the tokens of significance, each city contributed what little it could, their failing memories still permitting it to gather bits and pieces. Morraine and Lin of Duiran contributed rare chunks of magewood to the ritual, the latter carefully aligning sinewy material to the leylines as she placed them within the ritual diagram. Pietre of Spinesreach contributed a clipping of alchemical blight, carefully aligning it within the northern quadrant of the prepared ritual space. Akarn of Bloodloch delivered a piece of veined bloodglass to the southern quadrant. Jhura of Enorian positioned a small model of the Ascendril Lighthouse in the remaining spot, lighting a flame to its candlewick. As the ritual neared completion and the remaining reagents were placed, the odd Horkval stepped forward at the Ophidian’s request, sprinkling salt from his massive fist into a smoking mixture of myrrh, lobelia and hawthorn. She bade all present to breathe deep of the fumes, declaring that they shall starve this virus out. What followed was ancient sorcery of a calibre rarely witnessed upon Sapient shores. The Ophidian’s voice rose from murmur to chant to something else entirely: a keening, haunting shriek, a vast and deep-dwelling thing pouring from her throat in abyssal tones. The bloodied perimeter of the ritual circle illuminated from within, cold light racing along its geometric patterns as the bones hungrily drank in the gathered power. Darkling light glittered upon mountaintops and across the surfaces of ponds, lakes and rivers as the enchantment seeped throughout the continent’s existential fabric. Shadow and spirit ground together in service of this high magic, and past, present and future entwined as mortal memory unravelled into chaos before respooling into orderly procession. Little by little, memories and logic reasserted themselves, allowing mortals to experience budding clarity once more. … and then all went black as the countercurse settled in its entirety. \~~~~~ Summary: Odd-looking individuals, not unlike Sapience races viewed through a smudged lens, spoke with many adventurers, having to continually repeat themselves with the addlepated state of their audience. A ritual was conducted to end this curse, heralded by the Ophidian with too many arms, and members of Sapience provided a hoard’s worth of plants, gems, keepsakes, and blood. As the ritual’s effects began to take hold, conscious memory of what was occurring began to slip by. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 9th of Lleian, in the year 15 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Tribulations of Wrath, part I: Of Sea and Shadow](https://www.aetolia.com/news/tribulations-of-wrath-part-i-of-sea-and-shadow/) **Published:** November 26, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Tribulations-169-1024x576.png "Tribulations 169 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The third week of Ios saw a flurry of activity in the city of Esterport as Admiral Toilan issued a warrant for a notorious corsair: Tynar Osury, the Emerald Tyrant of a past age, released from the Demon Blade to terrorise the seas once again. His most infamous deeds in the modern age include the grand heist of twenty million gold from Esterport’s coffers some ten years prior during the Hammerhead incident, as well as the commandeering of the naval vessel used in his escape. Though the effects of his freedom were not readily apparent, the Esterporean naval ranks reported an ever-increasing rise in incidents of piracy throughout the intervening decade. A tip from Saluria swiftly followed, alerting Esterport – and adventurers – to the existence of the Crimson Coast: a smuggler’s haven and pirate den long hidden within a sheltered cove along the southern Itzatl coastline. When the Esterporean warship Minter’s Vigilance cornered the pirates within their cove, wave after wave of bombardment rained down upon their hideout. Tynar executed a brazen escape on his ship: Initially setting a collision course with the Minter’s Vigilance, he, in a daring club haul manoeuvre, dropped his anchor at the last moment to swing his vessel around the warship in a desperate gamble before surging into open waters. The Minter’s Vigilance quickly gave chase, both ships disappearing over the horizon. Neither would return, as both vessels were ultimately claimed by a wrathful force upon the waves whose identity would soon become clear. The Grand Library wishes to note that our initial attempt to document these events was regrettably compromised by the amnesia that would soon grip the continent. An early draft erroneously attributed the heist to the coffers of Duiran and misidentified the stolen ship as belonging to Enorian. Some weeks after these maritime disasters, the Theocracy of Spinesreach advanced its ambitious endeavour to weaponise the memetic entity imprisoned in a past age within the Revenant’s Roost. This shadow-spawned horror, a creation of the deceased Shadow General Saglozol, could spread through cognition and devour memory itself. Word of Spinesreach’s intentions and grander plans involving this memetic entity was previously leaked to the Council of Duiran by a now-former citizen of the Theocracy, and the Heartwood acted swiftly to intervene and thwart their unchecked ambitions. Unwilling to allow one of their Divine benefactors to remain under Spirean threat, the council’s greatest ritualists gathered to plot and scheme. Inspired by prior interactions with Astral Chaos, they decided to anoint an effigy with Dia’ruian power, intent upon creating a focal point for greater efforts against the dreaded ‘Blade of Amnesia’ they had been informed of. Dhasan Csethiro devised operational protocols for the extraction, working alongside Regent Legyn and chief scientist Litrix to implement them. When the extraction team arrived at the Revenant’s Roost to prepare the site, the She-Wolf Idol let loose wild howls and screeches to attract the council’s attention, warning them of impending danger far off in another corner of the continent. As Spinesreach commenced the delicate procedure, the idol’s warnings only grew more frantic, and Duirani scouts noticed the conspicuous Spirean gathering. Edhain and Orenthis of the Heartwood acted immediately to disrupt whatever the Theocracy intended, and in the violence that followed, Litrix was slain. The chaos of the brief scuffle and temporary loss of their scientist distracted the Spirean operatives long enough that a portion of the memetic virus slipped free from its prison, immediately infecting those present before the breach in the wall could be resealed. Regent Legyn was among the first afflicted, losing all memory of abort protocols as the catastrophe unfolded. Only Kagura Tsuchimiya managed to focus their will long enough to seal the breach, preventing any more of the entity from escaping, but the worst had already come to pass. What followed was nothing short of continental disaster. The virus spread across Sapience with terrifying swiftness, transmitted through the haphazard, panicked telepathic communication of adventurers. Factional channels and simple tells alike became vectors for its unstoppable spread. Within days, the entirety of the populace found itself in the grip of an amnesiac nightmare. Travellers forgot their destinations mid-stride, while others lost recognition of familiar faces, and warriors found their hard-won skills slipping through their fingers like mud. Some even regressed entirely to lives lived decades or centuries earlier, assuming old roles and forgotten affiliations as their present selves crumbled. A fortnight into this addlepated existence, a ship docked at Esterport’s harbour, though few could recall the event with any clarity… \~~~~~ Summary: The Crimson Coast came into greater prominence along Sapience’s southern coastline, a region filled with pirates and smugglers. Esterport’s flagship naval vessel sank alongside a commandeered vessel helmed by Tynar Osury under the force of a Vorostran fleet. Spinesreach tapped into the memetic virus sealed away by the original Revenants, but was interrupted by Duiran’s forces mid-extraction, which allowed part of the entity to slip free and claim the minds of mortals across the continent. The Vorostran fleet arrived at Esterport’s docks, though none could recognise them in their addlepated haze. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 9th of Lleian, in the year 15 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Tribulation of the Hobgobbler King](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-tribulation-of-the-hobgobbler-king/) **Published:** November 25, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Hobgobbler-169-2-1024x576.png "Hobgobbler 169 2 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The annual invasion begins anew as hordes of hobgobblers once again rampage across Sapience! Help cull the invasion of this fowl spawn, and you may find the hobgobblers will drop either stuffing or – more rarely – a drumstick when they die. Eat them to gain a temporary buff! The stuffing will grant you double experience (stacking with other sources) for an hour, and the drumstick will set all your stats to 21 for the next five minutes. Like previous years, the fearsome hobgobbler king will appear once enough of his subjects have been culled for the dinner table! The king will manifest at the site of the most recent hobgobbler death, ready to enact his vengeance upon those who would feast upon his flock. The hobgobbler king will drop a hobgobbler king figurine as well as a hobgobbler minipet, alongside the usual bounty of stuffing and drumsticks. They won’t be around for long, so don’t miss out! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 4th of Lleian, in the year 15 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Untitled](https://www.aetolia.com/news/event-untitled/) **Published:** November 23, 2025 **Author:** Razmael, the Synthesist **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/16x9-1024x576.png "16x9 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")*\[Initially comprised of the immaculate calligraphy typical of the Grand Library’s studious scribes, the post’s legibility soon declines into the erratic and shaky, its ink smudged over and over.\]* The week commenced with a flurry of activity in the city of Enorian – or perhaps Esterport? – as Admiral Toilan issued a warrant for a notorious corsair: Tynar Osury, the Emerald Tyrant of a past age, released from the Demon Blade to terrorise the seas once again. His most infamous deeds so far in the modern age include the grand heist of twenty million gold from the coffers of Duiran, and commandeering Enorian’s flagship, the Windbreaker. *\[A large blot of ink obscures the next few words, as if the quill rested there for a long time.\]* What followed these events is the revelation of the Crimson Coast, a den of smugglers and pirates that had hitherto gone unnoticed by the general population. Attention then turned northward, where the Theocracy of Spinesreach initiated a grand experiment involving…*\[the sentence trails off, and the rest of the paragraph seems to be illegible – as if redacted by amnesia and manic scribbling\]* As the extraction neared its completion, a sudden assault by unknown forces interrupted the delicate protocol. Though the Grand Library regrettably lost all record or report of the finer details, several scholars are fairly certain that the assailants were Duirani. This untimely interference created a lapse in containment protocol, allowing a sliver of the terrifying entity to slip free and infect all present with a mysterious mental condition that left their thoughts foggy and their memories mothbitten. The virus propagated with terrifying speed throughout the entire continent, transmitting itself through telepathic communications… we think, anyways? Ugh, this is hopeless. None of the Althasai disciplines are helping me! Scribe, do not post this. We’ll try again later… Why are you still writing that down?! Stop! Stop writing. Seriously, stop, you’re wasting ink and you know what Herolt does to those who waste his supplies – he *\[another large blot of ink obscures whatever terrible fate lies in store for any scholars that dares waste ink\].* Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 5th of Chakros, in the year 15 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Crimson Coast](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-crimson-coast/) **Published:** November 20, 2025 **Author:** Razmael, the Synthesist **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/crimsoncoast2-1024x572.png "crimsoncoast2 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")A naval battle between Esterport and the notorious pirate Tynar Osury just revealed the Crimson Coast – a pirate haven hidden in the southern coast! There’s quests to discover, pirates to kill, and rare booty to buy from the shops, so be sure to come check it out! **Categories:** News --- ### [The Duel](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-duel-9/) **Published:** November 20, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! The second last Duel of the year is here, your last chance to hone your skills before the Grand Duel of December strikes! Get your strategies streamlined and ready because time is running out quick! What is the Duel? The Duel is a one-on-one double elimination combat tournament hosted in Esterport where you will battle for the chance to become the Champion! There’s plenty of prizes to be earned, even if you’re not the best! Everyone who joins: A class figurine Milestone rewards One person at random: A mystery prize 1st place prizes: 100 credits Rapier of the Master Duelist Fame Please look at EVENT INFO 1374 for the exact time the Duel takes place. If you set CONFIG TIMEZONE, you can see what time it is local to you. See you there! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 12th of Dharos, in the year 15 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [November 2025 auctions](https://www.aetolia.com/news/november-2025-auctions/) **Published:** November 20, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/coins-1024x539.jpg "coins - Aetolia the Midnight Age") It’s time for our November auction! Shortly after this post, a round of auctions will be going live! There are 10 credit auctions, 5 iron coin auctions, and 6 gold auctions. Some notes: - The auctions will run for 10 real days. - Any artifacts bought through auctions (including gold items) cannot be traded in or have their powers transferred. - Credit and iron coin auctions do not require you to have the credits/iron coins on hand to bid. - Gold auctions do require you to have the gold on hand to bid. - We allow a week to gather the winning bid amount when auctions end. Failure to meet the bid amount after this time will result in the loss of your character until the cost is settled. - Bound credits and bound iron coins CAN be used to pay for auctions. - HELP AUCTIONS and HELP AUCTIONHOUSE both have additional details. - Bids are final, and we will generally not reverse mistakes. If something needs to be clarified about an item, you are welcome to ask me for more details before bidding. Please be absolutely sure before placing a bid. Without further ado, here are the listings that are going live. Once they’re up, you will see information on the lots using AUCTION INFO . ## CREDIT AUCTIONS (NEW) A Herd-blessed vinestalk bean You can PLANT this bean anywhere outdoors and it’ll grow into a giant beanstalk after four seconds. The beanstalk allows you to SWING UP if there weren’t already trees in the location, and SWING UP again from trees elevation to reach the flying elevation without flying. The beanstalk has health and can be attacked from the ground to destroy it, which places the item on cooldown for 10 minutes, and topples everybody to the ground. Additionally, the beanstalk comes with a single house room you can enter from the flying elevation with ENTER HOUSE, and can be expanded at wilderness housing costs. If the beanstalk is destroyed or moved while you’re in the house, you’ll fall out of it. (NEW) Wind-kissed prayer beads of the Speaker You can ATTUNE the beads to another player, allowing you to send and receive tells from that player across planes and continents. Each tell sent or received uses up a charge, and your maximum number of charges is based on the total number of languages you have learned. Charges reset at Howling. (NEW) a weathered grail of Shehalesha You can sip from this chalice to permanently (i.e. incurable) set yourself on fire with the ablaze affliction for ten seconds. During this time, your resistance against shadow-type damage is also increased by 10%, and you are immune to lava and firewalls. Ice on the ground and icewalls in the room will also have their expiry timers tick down 60x faster while you are present with this effect. Has 3 sips that refill at Howling. You cannot be forced to drink this. (NEW) House token – A house designed by us! - We’ll work with you to design a house of up to 10 rooms as outlined in HELP CASTLES. - The twist: we’ll do the writing for you! Work with the design team to have your house idea actualised. - Includes a custom house entrance plus up to 4 extra add-ons as listed under HELP CASTLE COMMANDS. - We’ll additionally throw in some custom features of our choosing (i.e. custom prog work, think secret passages, special exits, interactive room features, etc). - You can still use all the normal housing commands to expand the house later, the cost depending on where you choose to have this placed. A bevy of bees in a bottle - EMPTY BOTTLE to summon a swarm of bees, has a cooldown of 3 hours and a limited lifespan (15 mins). - They are loyal to you and can be ordered to attack players. - Low poison damage with a low (10%) chance of delivering paresis or a limb break. There is no 3P message for this you can see. - Can be bashed to kill. A portable leyspike - Once per howling, spawns a lesser focus in the area where it is used. Can only be used in locations that a focus can normally spawn in. Tomor’s quiver of versatility - While worn, it allows you to shoot any arrows from it without consuming the arrow itself. - Yes, any arrow type, including all the arrows sold in the sect shop. - You must have at least one of that arrow in your quiver. A quicksilver mirror - Once per Aetolian day (4 hours) you can PEER MIRROR to view them as if peering into a yellow eye. - For the next 30 seconds, you can keep PEERing into the mirror to view the same target again each time you recover balance. Agnostic weapon token - The winner of this auction will gain the ability to use a different weapon in a single class of their choice, subject to Keroc’s approval. - For example, a bastard instead of a polearm for Carnifex, or a shortsword instead of a dagger for Syssin. - If the class uses two weapons, we’ll allow this to double up but both weapons will have to be the same. - The winner can choose both the class and the weapon. - The weapon will inherit the stats of your current (at the time of purchase/setup) best weapon in that class. This cannot be updated or changed. - The weapon does not necessarily need to already exist (e.g. you may want to use a butter knife for your assassinations, a broken bottle, or even a plank of wood with a nail in it!), but it does have to make mechanical sense (i.e. damage type, two hand vs one), be setting appropriate, and at least loosely fit the class theme. - If you have an exotic combo in mind, I recommend asking us before bidding. A lasso of binding Allows a player to use the Assassination BIND ability. ## IRON COIN AUCTIONS (NEW) A chromatic accolade token - We’ll set your honours fame title (the <<< title >>> under your name you get from fame lines) to a colour(s) of your choosing! (NEW) A whirring celestial alignment verification tablet - Allows you to STARGAZE no matter the time of day, weather conditions, or if you’re indoors. - Also upgrades stargaze to provide more information such as how much longer the celestial object will be in the sky for, and what benefits it provides if any. A reforming immolation bomb - This special bomb works exactly like the consumable immolation bombs, but will reform and can be reused after one hour. Custom vox - The winner of this auction will be able to work with the admin team to design a custom vox iterator for themselves. - Subject to approval and must be setting/lore appropriate, and include your name. A token of death - This token can be submitted through the customisation system to choose a custom deathsight for your character. ## GOLD AUCTIONS Fermian’s flagon - This flagon holds an unlimited amount of alcohol, the choice of which will be given to the owner (so long as it’s commonly available). Elemental globes bundle - The winner of this auction will receive 10 globes of elemental energy. - These can be sold to other players or used yourself. - These globes will have an extended decay time of 100 real days. Pet token - Entitles the owner to a customised pet package as outlined in HELP PETS, with a twist! - The twist: we’ll do the writing for you! Work with the design team to have your pet idea written by us, including its reactions. - This includes add-ons 1-4, and 10 reactions. - We’ll also include some bonus features of our choosing… see our past entries for an example: Mahar’s beetle, Whirran’s snail or Inthirath’s sea serpent. Relic piece token - Redeem this token for any relic piece. - Artifact moulds or any relic that only has a single piece to it are not included as options. Room credits bundle - The winner of this auction will receive 600 room credits. Boots of the spiderslayer - A pair of boots of the spider…slayer! - Contains both the web\_evasion power, and the barbra\_collar power from a past event. - The barbra\_collar power provides 35% bonus experience when slaying spiders and 3% resistance against poison damage when worn. **Categories:** News --- ### [Social Contest Winners](https://www.aetolia.com/news/social-contest-winners/) **Published:** November 19, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, We’re delighted to announce the winners of our social media giveaway: Shaul (Achaea), Kyrista (Achaea), and Rinata (Aetolia). Thank you to everyone who participated by spreading the word and joining in. Your support keeps our games thriving! Winners will receive their prizes shortly. And we will also run another community contest soon, so keep an eye on in-game news and our sites for details. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 5th of Dharos, in the year 15 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Naval Warrant EST-0515-TO](https://www.aetolia.com/news/naval-warrant-est-0515-to/) **Published:** November 15, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The following naval warrant has been issued by Admiral Toilan of Esterport and remains in effect while the subject is at large. Warrant Number: EST-0515-TO Subject Name: Tynar Osury Approximate Age: Multiple mortal ages due to extraplanar imprisonment Profession: Corsair Eye-witness accounts and historical records have allowed us to provide the following hand-drawn likeness: \[A Xorani depicted with a roguish grin stares outwards from the posting, a tricorn hat sloped rakishly across his head. Multiple buckle-clasped straps loop around his waist, bearing evidence of numerous weapons both familiar and not.\] This heinous individual’s list of crimes includes but is far from limited to: – Piracy (99+ counts) – Disturbance of maritime peace (99+ counts) – Unlawful boarding (18 counts on record, investigations remain open) – Unlawful assembly (18 counts) – Manslaughter (47 counts) – Theft, petty (65 counts) – Theft, grand (20 counts, 1 each per million gold stolen from Esterport) – Unlawful commandeering (1 count, vessel description below) – Failure to disperse (19 counts) – Malicious bedlam (4 counts) – Vandalism (12 counts) – Destruction of property (4 counts, exhibit f: explosions within Esterport) – Reckless endangerment of civilians (38 counts) – Resisting arrest (99+ counts) – Failure to appear before magistrate summons (99+ counts) – Animal cruelty (1 count, exhibit g: a rum-soused rat) Bounty hunters and justices of the peace should be advised that the subject is extremely dangerous and likely armed. Approach only with extreme caution. Recent reports further indicate sightings of his current vessel, and the small fleet of ships that escort it within the southern waters of Sapience, with the following hand-drawn likeness of the main ship: \[A pale-hued vessel carrying unusual sail configurations that bear eye-like markings. Makeshift armour applied to the exterior in preparation for naval combat, headed by what appears to be a leviathan with writhing tentacles at its prow.\] Apprehension of this individual carries a bounty of two million gold. Return of the vessel to the custody of the Esterport navy carries a reward of twenty million gold. Penned by my hand on Closday, the 11th of Ios, in the year 15 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [It's Time for a Giveaway!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/its-time-for-a-giveaway/) **Published:** November 13, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Feeling social? We’re giving 3 lucky winners 100 credits just for following us on social media! Head on over to the IRE account on any social platform to learn more and enter to win: Facebook: Iron Realms Entertainment Twitter/X: @IronRealms Bluesky: @IronRealms.bsky.social Contest closes Sunday 11/16, so head on over today for your chance to take home the gold. Good luck! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 22nd of Severin, in the year 15 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Hunting Area Adjustments](https://www.aetolia.com/news/hunting-area-adjustments/) **Published:** November 4, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/aetolia_hunting_9x16-576x1024.jpg "aetolia_hunting_9x16 - Aetolia the Midnight Age") After receiving feedback about a number of higher-end PvE areas that weren’t utilised as often by players, we’ve made some changes that should alleviate many of the pain points brought up. This is the first set of changes, with our eyes still locked on a few other areas that may need a bit more time to get just right. **a Volcano:** - Smoke elementals have had their chance to dodge attacks cut in half. - Smoke elementals have had their delay before shielding increased by 1.5 seconds, which allows them to be slain more consistently before the effect happens. - Fire elementals that explode on death now cause prone and burnt\_skin instead of knockback. - Lava daemons will now become martyrs for each other less often. - Earth elementals will now create rubble 20% less often. - Earth elementals will be berserk less often when repopulating the area. **The Feral Caves:** - We found a critical bug with the blobs when they split apart, which kept them at maximum strength regardless of splitting! They now appropriately split apart in size and strength. - Gigantic green blobs (max size) are now worth more experience. - Blobs split apart into more blobs than before to make up for the much lower strength. - When blobs split apart, there is a chance they will fly off into an adjacent room instead of staying in room. Note that they will still be aggressive towards whomever split them apart, but will be staggered in attacking. **Tak-re:** - Increased the count of woodpeckers, deer, and squirrels each by 15. - Some attacks of the above creatures have had basic pill or salve afflictions added. - The southeastern part of Tak-re now connects fully within the island’s map, and is no longer its own area or map. **Kkirrrr’shi Hive:** - Feral Hokkali soldiers are no longer berserk by default, but will have a chance to become berserk upon reset. This is a separate chance from below. - Feral Hokkali soldiers are no longer martyrs who defend each other by default, but will have a chance to become martyrs upon reset. This is a separate chance from above. - Twisted Hokkali hunters are no longer berserk by default, but will have a chance to become berserk upon reset. - Twisted Hokkali hunters can no longer use one of their attacks through a magical shield. - Twisted Hokkali hunters and rabid Hokkali drones no longer give deep bleeding, instead giving rend and haemophilia. - Rabid Hokkali drones now respawn much faster as their God-Queen demands interlopers be kept out at all costs. - Rabid Hokkali drones are no longer martyrs, but they will attack slightly faster. **A deep underground cavern:** - Chaos-warped egg-laying spiders have had their strongest attack lowered in damage, but now do attack slightly faster. - Chaos-warped gargantuan carrier centipedes have had all of their attacks adjusted in power or lowered in damage. - The chance for Chaos-warped denizens to become berserk has been cut in half overall, which should lead to much less groups of angry mobiles clumbed together. **Categories:** News --- ### [Famous denizens](https://www.aetolia.com/news/famous-denizens/) **Published:** November 3, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello! We’ve recently updated HELP FAMOUS DENIZENS with fresh new names because the previous file was woefully outdated and still mentioned NPCs that were only relevant 20+ years ago! Do note that this file is only intended to cover NPCs that are still alive. We’ll probably make the old file available in the future after some edits (e.g. as a ‘historical denizens’ file that covers dead NPCs) so don’t worry about history being deleted if that’s a concern for you. Penned by my hand on Closday, the 14th of Haernos, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [November promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/november-promotion-2/) **Published:** November 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! October has come to a close and November is upon us! For the entire month, \[0;1;33mCryptic Chests\[0m are making their return to the website (\[0;1;36mwww.aetolia.com/credits\[0m) under ‘artifact packages’! Additionally, we are also offering a \[0;1;33mSalvage Sale\[0m as a bonus for any direct credits purchased. Every 100 credits purchased from the website will come with a piece of antiquated salvage, which is typically valued at 200 credits. These pieces may be traded to other players and used without bearing your mark, EXCEPT for purchasing the Antiquated Artifacts themselves. Once you obtain the first level, you can use any salvage you like to upgrade it. Every 500 Cryptic Chests opened will trigger a global prize where one of the next 50 to be opened will contain a bonus of 500 credits on top of the other prizes within, which are outlined below: \* Chocolate bags, elemental globes, silver chalices, fireworks, customisation certificates, iron coins, morphic metal, ambience tokens, styles and a low chance at salvage. \* Style selection for this month includes gourmandic, tundral, forceful, starry, drunken and bombastic, with a chance at receiving a style point to spend at the shop. \* Credit prizes ranging from \[0;1;32m18\[0m – \[0;1;32m250\[0m. \* Various artifacts valued between \[0;1;32m50\[0m and \[0;1;32m2000\[0m credits. \* Minipets from a selection of: a large fire ant, a frumpy koala cub, a fragile glass frog, a bright-eyed sylskin, a miniature dreg behemoth, and a wandering spirit pup. \* Relic coffers containing a piece from the following relics: rubble, chocobag, raceidol, shrubbing, stormhorn, compass, super\_ear and star. Check \[0;1;37mRELIC LIST PROMO FULL\[0m to see the details. \* Ephemeral relic coffers containing a piece for one of: sunspear, sangchoker, keeneye, dreamscape, repair, dissonance, and resplendence. These relics are all consumed on use or are temporary and will eventually decay. Pieces for them trade in for 30 credits each. \* Compendium pages for: the forgotten depths of Mount Helba, Tak-re, the Ia’shal Barrow, the Tarblack Marshes, Tcanna Island, and a basilisk lair. In addition to these, you will always receive a filler prize (grimstim pills, various consumables, omnipotence pills, herbal jars, broken chest pieces, etc). These do not count towards your chest’s value. You can also find a chest in the milestone shop for November – 1 gold key as always! Finally, keep an eye out later this month for details on our regular auction! Penned by my hand on Closday, the 21st of Slyphian, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads October 2025 - part 2 (end)](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-october-2025-part-2-end/) **Published:** October 27, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Miscellanaeous =========================== – \[3790\] Mania’s effect no longer acts like a command input. Purification / Ravaging =========================== – \[3791\] Exudation / Shear now lets you choose an affliction rather than being random. Tracking / Subversion =========================== – \[3744\] Hurling / Splatter will now reset ignited resins, allowing you to start over. \* Resins / toxins getting applied now has a third person message as well. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 17th of Lexadian, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads October 2025 - part 1](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-october-2025-part-1/) **Published:** October 24, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Apothecary =========================== – \[3769\] You now get two snake oil from snakes, up from one. Artifacts =========================== – \[3748\] The ‘deathknell’ relic now requires you to be corporeal in order for it to deal damage when a death occurs. – \[3748\] The damage from the ‘deathknell’ relic now has no sourcing type, changed from arcane sourced. – \[3749\] The ‘reflections’ wand now only has two charges, down from three. – \[3750\] The ‘prismatic\_barrier’ lyre is now a restricted item (see HELP RESTRICTED SKILLS). – \[3753\] The ‘expulsion’ flute is no longer effective if the room has rubble. Assassination =========================== – \[3794\] Marking balance recovery time lowered to 3 seconds, down from 4. Corpus / Ascendance / Extirpation =========================== – \[3797\] Base Clawing / Bloodlet / Wound bleeding lowered to 100, down from 150. \* The amount of bleeding caused when you have rend affliction remains the same. Dhuriv / Shadowdancing =========================== – \[3743\] Spinecut / Terminate now requires feeble arms and legs instead of crippled legs. Ferality =========================== – \[3785\] Faceslash balance recovery time lowered to 2.7 seconds, down from 3.7. – \[3785\] Faceslash trauma lowered to 5.2%, down from 7.5%. – \[3785\] Faceslash damage lowered a bit as well. Miscellanaeous =========================== – \[3756\] The darkness over the Mhojave now only blocks sun damage and no longer affects vision. – \[3747\] The alias ‘body’ now works for all adventurer bodies. Necromancy / Oneiromancy =========================== – \[3773\] Gravehands / Inevitability no longer has any chance to prevent movement if the caster is not present. Purification / Ravaging =========================== – \[3792\] Cascade / Begrudge now heals a random affliction on every bounce. Sanguis / Discipline / Glamours =========================== – \[3764\] Susurro / Verity / Skulduggery no longer hides seduction or temptation. – \[3786\] Spew / Attend / Winnow now always strips the fangbarrier defence. Shamanism / Experimentation =========================== – \[3787\] Omen / Causality damage scaling changed to benefit having more stacks over less stacks. \* Was 17% per stack, now 13% per stack, plus 2 raised to your stack count. – \[3787\] Omen / Casuality stun lowered to 1.25 seconds per stack, down from 1.5 per stack. Spirituality / Subjugation =========================== – \[3767\] Mace and shield attacks now check if the arm wielding is crippled, instead of either. \* Does not apply to Overwhelm / Deface and Crush as they use both shield and mace. Tarot / Hyalincuru =========================== – \[3766\] The bleeding from ripping Adder / Diamond has been reduced to 3% of max health, down from 2% + 120. Tenacity =========================== – \[3770\] Punish now boosts melee axe trauma by +2% for its duration. – \[3771\] Assault bonus trauma duration is now refreshed on proc if the target is blind. – \[3783\] Bash now stuns the target after 1.5 seconds if they were deaf when hit. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 24th of Ivolnos, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Haunted House](https://www.aetolia.com/news/haunted-house-2/) **Published:** October 24, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The Haunted House has once again returned, found at v33166! There’s a new fame line to obtain, Geroby’s lucky dip (with new items) and other new stock. Go check it out, if you dare…… Penned by my hand on Closday, the 23rd of Ivolnos, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Stat Changes](https://www.aetolia.com/news/stat-changes/) **Published:** October 22, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** I’m tweaking what stats do a bit and rolling it together with report 3780. In particular, just making some of the less powerful stats a bit better so there’s a more even spread of usefulness. – Diversion chance is now based on wisdom instead of dexterity. – Your maximum endurance is now based on strength instead of constitution. – Blackout bonus/malus reduced to 3% per point of wisdom over/under 14, down from 4%. – The statpack (dis)advantange Clotting has been renamed to Bleeding. \* Now provides 7% bonus/malus to the bleeding you receive. \* Does not include deep bleeding. \* This works against adventurers and denizens. – The racial skill Hemostatic now only gives 3% bleeding resistance, down from 5%. \* Still only works against denizens, like before. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 12th of Ivolnos, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Burt's Martial Arts Tournament](https://www.aetolia.com/news/burts-martial-arts-tournament/) **Published:** October 16, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** You might be wondering what the upcoming Burt’s Martial Arts Tournament is… well today you find out! We’ve had a system sitting around in the code in a partial state of completion for a few years now, that was never released for various reasons. We thought it might be fun to dust it off for the celebration games as a sort of preview, and to also see what people think about it for a potential full release in the future. So for the next few days, I’ve turned on the Brawling system! Everybody has access to it at Transcendent rank. What is Brawling? Brawling is a tactical fighting minigame that’s all about reading your opponent and timing your moves perfectly. Think of it as a high-stakes game of rock-paper-scissors meets a fighting game – every attack can be countered, every defense can be baited out, and the key to victory is making your opponent guess wrong. It’s a little complex to explain, so you’ll have to play with it a bit to understand how it works. But here’s some quick notes: – Use BRAWL CHALLENGE to challenge other players. – Visit Burt’s Brawling Hall at v83633 to challenge the brawler NPCs there to a match. Make sure to specify a difficulty: BRAWL CHALLENGE EASY – Brawls take place in instanced arenas with Vigour (health) and Fatigue (stamina). The numbers for these are deliberately obscured. – Attacks have a telegraph window (think like a channeled) attack – most telegraphs are 3 seconds with lariat and throw being the exceptions. – Defences need to be done in the last second of an attack. So if Keroc attacks me with an uppercut, his telegraph is 3 seconds long. I’ll want to enter my defence command in the 2-3 second period. – You can cancel your attack mid-telegraph to start a different one (feinting!). – This creates a sort of mind-game where your opponent has to determine if you’re going to commit to the current telegraphed attack, or start another attack. If they choose to use their defend on the first attack’s window, they’ll be off balance for too long to defend against the next attack. – Your stats don’t matter for this – everybody is on equal footing! – You don’t lose (or gain) experience, lose your defences, or anything like that for losing. You’ll want to read through all the files in AB BRAWLING and either learn with another player, or head over to Burt’s Brawling Hall and challenge some NPC’s on easy difficulty. I do recommend getting some practice in against another player before the tournament, because fighting against a human is a completely different experience to the NPCs. As for Burt’s Martial Arts Tournament, it will be a double elimination bracket of 1v1 bouts, so even if you lose once, you’ll have a chance to fight your way back through the loser’s bracket! And for a final note: We strongly encourage everyone to embrace playing the system manually without the aid of triggers. In my opinion, automating it would suck the joy out of it! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 4th of Lleian, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Downtime reminder](https://www.aetolia.com/news/downtime-reminder/) **Published:** October 14, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, Just a quick reminder about the scheduled downtime tomorrow, roughly 24 hours from the time of this post on 14th Tuesday, 10PM USA Central Time. It is expected to last up to 8 hours, but will hopefully be a lot shorter than that. It is recommended as the time approaches, you either log out beforehand, or don’t engage in any activities that might have your character at risk (e.g. bashing). We’ll ping Discord when the game is back up, so keep an eye out there! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 15th of Celes, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Submissions Closed](https://www.aetolia.com/news/submissions-closed-9/) **Published:** October 14, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Submission for new classleads is now closed. You can use REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find reports you haven’t left a comment on, and REPORTS ABSTAINED for reports you haven’t voted on. After TWO days to gather late comments and votes, we will start to post decisions. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 14th of Celes, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Survivor reschedule](https://www.aetolia.com/news/survivor-reschedule/) **Published:** October 13, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello lovelies! Since the monsters in the Survivor event today were unusually docile, I’ve gone ahead and scheduled two more Survivor events for the celebrations! Survivor 1 is Saturday 18th at 8pm GMT. Survivor 2 is Tuesday 21st at 12am GMT. Once again, all times/dates are given in GMT so use EVENTS for precise timers. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 8th of Celes, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Planned downtime: 14th October, 22:00 CST](https://www.aetolia.com/news/planned-downtime-14th-october-2200-cst/) **Published:** October 11, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, Just a warning that our ISP has scheduled some downtime for us for a window of \[0;1;33mup to 8 hours\[0m on Tuesday, October 14th, beginning at 10 PM Central Time. It’ll hopefully end up being shorter than that, but that’s the timeframe we were given from them. Apologies in advance for the inconvenience this will cause! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 24th of Omeian, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Birthday shop open!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/birthday-shop-open/) **Published:** October 7, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Today is officially Aetolia’s 24rd birthday! Make sure you enter the CELEBRATE command to get yourself 24 bound credits if you haven’t already done so! Olleo’s shop in the Harpy’s Head Tavern (v66737) is now open! You’ll find both old and new stock there, including new mounts, new minipets, a new figurine set, and a new ‘Sehali’ style scroll! Hethia, the Harpy’s Head Mistress (v66731) now also has \[0;1;33ma daily quest\[0m for you to complete throughout the rest of the month! Complete fifteen days of the quest, and you’ll receive a special minipet as a prize. Simply greet her to begin! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 22nd of Chakros, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Denizens](https://www.aetolia.com/news/denizens/) **Published:** October 6, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Here’s some help files you may want to read. Updated: HELP DENIZENS New: HELP HUNTING DENIZENS and HELP SUPERIOR DENIZENS That’s all for now! Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 20th of Chakros, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [City Riddles Finished!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/city-riddles-finished/) **Published:** October 5, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Well done to all of the cities for their attempts in the city riddles competition! First place: Enorian – 10/10 Second place: Duiran – 9/10 Third place: Spinesreach – 8/10 Fourth place: Bloodloch – 7/10 Below you will find all of the riddles and their answers: \[0;1;37m”Where a Cogger and a Thinking Engine performed Matrix Alignment, bringing both truth and uncertainty to members of Sapience.”\[0m Copperhead’s antics at the Kalchos Thinking Engine deep within the Manufactory of Dia’varr happened here, when he connected directly to the Kalchos centrifuge – \[0;1;31mAt a complex terminal\[0m (\[0;33mv77222\[0m). Don’t get mixed up with a certain numerologist’s nickname being ‘Cogger’, that’s an unintentional misdirection! \[0;1;37m”The guardhouse where it all began for a pair of Impish warriors – watch your head!”\[0m Anyone familiar with training the Impire’s warriors would know this one, the place where it all began for Dadi and Sulu of Sehal – \[0;1;31mA cramped guardhouse beside the palace\[0m (\[0;33mv80536\[0m). \[0;1;37m”Yggdrasil’s remains served as potent soil for these two arboreal behemoths; one has died while another bonds with the land.”\[0m During the Creator’s Monomachy, two gargantuan trees grew at the site of Yggdrasil – one of Varian which is dead or dying, one of the Eschaton which lives – \[0;1;31mThe centre of Yggdrasils’ hollow\[0m (\[0;33mv2898)\[0m). \[0;1;37m”A mountaintop’s court shall never be the same, for two thrones lie in pieces and many of the rest lack their Immortal counterparts.”\[0m Though seldom used in the Midnight Age by the Gods, this place is now a shadow of what it once was – \[0;1;31mThe Court of the Gods\[0m (\[0;33mv73549\[0m). \[0;1;37m”A now-slimy-hatchery of destruction wrought, where the Theocracy and a Chaos-ascendant called out to Fundamental Chaos.”\[0m Though there is much destruction to be found in Mournhold, which played home to Spinesreach and Varach Scolrys’ workings with Chaos, only one location plays host to a rather slimy, foul egg of dubious lineage – \[0;1;31mWhere chaos wrought destruction\[0m (\[0;33mv46346\[0m). \[0;1;37m”A Hunter and His Council came together here to salvage what was destroyed, broken, bombed; a verdant child flourished under the guidance of guardians and offerings of mortals until it was an elder of red and silver.”\[0m The Bloodwood, the site of destruction and carnage by a number of forces, now lies mostly empty save for one vast redwood at its very center – \[0;1;31mBefore a colossal tree\[0m (\[0;33mv57583\[0m). \[0;1;37m”Upon a cliff below where a Twin sobbed in anguish, flanked by the Hammer’s Akkari as He struck a massive bell; when dawn rose in the east, it did so with a rosy glow and dozens upon dozens of lidless cobalt eyes.”\[0m Perhaps the most difficult of all of the riddles, this of course referred to Damariel’s pleas as He struck the massive bell in the Siroccians that Ethne had crafted to call forth Dejaani. While the bell was large enough to span many rooms, only a few were actual cliffs and I was looking for the cliffs just outside of Ethne’s Forge – \[0;1;31mSouthern cliff edge\[0m (\[0;33mv3009\[0m). \[0;1;37m”Before a maw of gaping darkness, a Progenitor and His disciples looked on; decay, rot, and spoiled festering possessed no true consciousness, yet still divinity inside a new creation did reside.”\[0m The creation of Zyrialith was a work done within the Lich Scriptorium, the maw of gaping darkness residing at – \[0;1;31mThe Abyssal Crucible\[0m (\[0;33mv77001\[0m). \[0;1;37m”Sentenced to pay for his crimes in ages past and present by an Old Witch of the Wood, his prison now abides ‘neath the gaze of Renewal’s stony form.”\[0m Morvaethe’s prison, arrested forevermore in static sorcery, resides within Vimuna beneath a statue of Lleis at – \[0;1;31mThe end of a charm-laden pathway\[0m (\[0;33mv81761\[0m). \[0;1;37m”Amid tides and scrubland a table doth rise, where war-bound participants negotiated tenuous peace that lasts even to this day.”\[0m The proverbial ‘neutral ground’ for the warring factions of the Ophidian Empire and the Mitrine, this island bearing a literal stone table served as the place for the negotiations – \[0;1;31mA tabled island\[0m (\[0;33mv65504\[0m). Penned by my hand on Closday, the 15th of Chakros, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Twins Tournament](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-twins-tournament/) **Published:** October 3, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In the interest of expedience on the day of the event, I’ve put Itensu the Stalwart in charge of registration a few days ahead to smooth everything out! You can use the oathstone at v24496 to register your team – this will require the presence of your future partner for the event to come! PROBE the stone to see how it works. I hope to see all of you there! Penned by my hand on Closday, the 3rd of Chakros, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Event points](https://www.aetolia.com/news/event-points/) **Published:** October 3, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As mentioned previously, participating and placing in our various event gain you points towards a ranking that will earn you credits. \[0;1;33mIf you’re familiar with this from past events, it’s safe to skip the rest of this post if you want – nothing has changed since last time!\[0m But if you’re not familiar, then here’s a quick explanation of the points system used for the upcoming birthday events: Every qualifying event that you participate in will give you a single participation point, and winners receive extra points. Some of the events do not award points as the formats are slightly different than normal. However, points for MOST events are as follows: 1st: 5 points 2nd: 4 points 3rd: 3 points 4th: 2 points 5th: 1 point Participation: 1 point You can check EVENTS INFO on a specific event to confirm if it follows that format. Some notes: – Winners gain participation points as well as their winning points, e.g coming 2nd in most games will give the 4 points for placing, and the 1 participation point. – Twins award points according to the top teams with the same breakdown: 5/4/3/2/1 points, with participation on top. e.g., if Keroc and I come 1st, we’d both get 6 points. Below are the thresholds for points: Total Points Credits ———— ——- 6 10 9 15 18 25 19 25 20 25 22 25 26 25 31 25 36 25 40 50 50 75 60 100 These are cumulative, so if you finish the month with 30 points, you’d gain: 10+15+25+25+25+25 = 125 credits, as well as any credits you win from placing in the events! Once the games have begun, you’ll be able to use EVENT RANKINGS to see the cumulative scores! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 1st of Chakros, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Vox dust, Vox shop, Vox expressiveness, Vox mania!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/vox-dust-vox-shop-vox-expressiveness-vox-mania/) **Published:** October 2, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** You’ll now find a new shop within Esterport at \[0;1;37mv83495\[0m (next to The Style Syndicate) that sells a majority of the voxes available through past promotions. The voxes are sold for a new currency – \[0;38;5;126mvox dust\[0m! The main way to procure vox dust is by trading in vox iterators that bear your mark – you \[0;1;37mstill get 3 credits as before\[0m, and now you also receive \[0;1;37m1\[0m \[0;38;5;126mvox dust\[0m. Within the vox shop, aptly named The Auditory Emporium, you’ll also find a selection of new, simpler voxes that may appeal to your character. These are all basic voxes that merely describe different sounds of voices, and do not contain the usual arcane, divine, or otherwise magical inflections that the vast majority of voxes typically do. Prices are simple: \* Basic voxes are sold for \[0;1;37m1\[0m \[0;38;5;126mvox dust\[0m \* Magical voxes are sold for \[0;1;37m5\[0m \[0;38;5;126mvox dust\[0m Additionally, you’ll also find a \[0;1;37m\*new\*\[0m \[0;1;33mlevel two artifact power\[0m for \[0;1;37mvocal\_fob\[0m within the artifact shop for \[0;1;37m30 iron coins\[0m. After acquiring it, you’ll be able to use the expressiveness commands (HELP 3.21) when communicating telepathically. – Every vox currently available is included! – All new voxes will be added as they’re introduced to the game. – Players with custom voxes will be able to decide where the expressive text will be placed. – Please file a bug if any of your tells act unexpectedly, and include the vox being utilised. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 19th of Dharos, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads October 2025](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-october-2025/) **Published:** October 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, Final classlead of the year is here! Snipe in all your concerns and worries! ——————————— Information for this classlead cycle: Submissions will be open for TWO WEEKS in which you can submit THREE reports in for consideration which will be left anonymous. Once this time frame is up, there will be TWO DAYS to vote before we will start posting decisions. You can still vote early as per normal, but the extra two days will be there to avoid the feeling of late reports purposefully being submitted to be snuck through near the end. All classes are open to classleads, no restrictions! If you’re new, continue on below for more information on classleads. If you’re old, please read HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES at the very least. ——————————— What are classleads: Classleads are a two week period that allows players to submit reports about their class (or other classes) for review by the administration. Do you believe that Siderealist should be able to collapse the cosmic universe with a thought? Then this is what you’ve been waiting for! Make sure to read through HELP CLASSLEADS to learn the commands needed to make and submit your reports, and I also highly recommend HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES to help avoid common potholes when creating your submissions. If you want to keep track of submissions and results, have a look at CONFIG CLASSLEADS and consider turning it on. Also consider joining the Discord! On top of being a great place for report feedback before submission, each report will have a thread created about it so you can discuss it with others. See HELP DISCORD for information. Details on submission: \* Newly created reports will be marked as anonymous, your name as a submitter will not be revealed to others. \* You may submit up to a total of three reports across the skillsets of the game to suggest combat balance adjustments, new features, or quality of life upgrades. Please note that this limit is based across all characters you own. \* Reports that are based on skills you do not possess will be much more heavily scrutinized, so make sure they are top-notch before submission. \* While you must provide reasonable solutions to your report’s problem, we may opt for a fourth solution instead based upon feedback. \* Once a report is submitted, -anyone- may vote upon its merit using the CLASSLEAD SUPPORT/REJECT commands. If you wish to support/reject a report, please provide your reasoning and make sure to point out any shortcomings or additions you feel might be necessary. You may also simply leave a comment using CLASSLEAD COMMENT , if you wish for a more neutral approach. \* Any commentary which basically boils down to ‘I agree with my bud’ or ‘This is a terrible idea’ will automatically be discarded, and will you hurt your chances at passing through reports in future rounds, perhaps even resulting in loss of ability to submit at all. If you can consistently provide level-headed thought and in depth knowledge then your opinions will be valued more highly over others, and could result in extra submissions. \* You can use REPORTS ABSTAINED and REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find submitted reports you have not voted upon or commented. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 11th of Dharos, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [October promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/october-promotion/) **Published:** October 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! As part of our 24th birthday celebrations this month, we’re introducing something brand new for our promotion: \[0;1;33mBirthday Giftboxes\[0m! There are two methods for obtaining a birthday giftbox: 1\) Every 25 credits purchased from the website (\[0;1;36mwww.aetolia.com/credits\[0m) rewards a birthday giftbox! The first 100 credits purchased comes with an extra giftbox for every 10 credits. This means that your first 100 credit purchase awards 14 giftboxes right away! In addition to that, every 500 credit threshold you reach will award an additional 5 giftboxes! That means if you buy 500 credits, you’ll receive 35 giftboxes, and every 500 credits after that will award 25 boxes instead of the standard 20! 2\) Birthday giftboxes are also available for direct purchase on the website! Birthday Giftbox Prizes ———————– Each birthday giftbox contains a curated selection of prizes to help celebrate another year of Aetolia! Inside you’ll find: \* Credit prizes in batches of \[0;1;32m5\[0m to \[0;1;32m30\[0m credits (with a chance to roll multiple times!). \* Iron Coins in batches of \[0;1;32m5\[0m, and \[0;1;32m10\[0m, with a lower chance at much larger amounts from \[0;1;32m20\[0m to \[0;1;32m100\[0m coins! \* Six minipets: an arrogant lemming, an orel hatchling, a grey-brown whippoorwill, \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37ma candlelit jackalope\[0m, \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37ma slime hosting a celebratory cake\[0m, and \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37man enchanted and giftbox\[0m. \+ The minipet giftbox’s colours can be dyed, and it also has unique messages for delivering items. \* Six steed whistles: a ferocious icewyrm, a rune-painted moose, a white-crested panther, a large-horned battleram, \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37ma candletusk boar\[0m, and a fiercely majestic eagle owl (flying!). \* Style scrolls: underhanded, flippant, venomous, ghostly, confident, and spooky techniques, with a chance at a style point to spend at the shop. \* Compendium pages for: the Ayhesa Cliffs, the Underbelly, Zenith’s Vigil, the Maestral Shoals, the Nal’jin Depths, and the Den of Shadows. \* Iterators for six different voxes: neural, reflective, arcane, cooling, knockoff, and bewitching. \* Chocolates, Divine oils, elemental globes, customisation certificates, silver chalices, 25cr artifact discount vouchers, and ilmenite puzzle boxes. \* Coffers containing pantheon relic pieces! \+ Refer to \[0;1;37mRELIC LIST PROMO FULL\[0m for details on the pantheon set if you’re unfamiliar. Additionally, all giftboxes always award either a city experience buff, an iron coin, or a consumable (e.g. yellow eye) alongside the other prizes! Birthday Party Bonus ——————– Celebrate with friends! Every time 10 giftboxes are opened in the same room\*, the 10th giftbox opened will trigger a special bonus: up to 10 people present in the room will each receive a bonus giftbox as if they had opened one themselves! Gather your friends and open your giftboxes together to maximize your rewards! \* Note that this counter will expire after 30 minutes if not fulfilled. There is also a global prize that’s triggered after every 500th giftbox opened, where one of the next 50 after that will give a bonus 500 credits! New Character Bonus ——————- \* Any new character created during October is eligible for an extra 100 bound credits for reaching level 100. \* You’ll receive 25 extra credits at level 80, and remaining 75 at level 100. \* You must reach level 100 before the end of the month to be eligible. — Since it’s our birthday, you’ll also find two birthday giftboxes available for a golden keystone each in the milestone shop, instead of the usual one! You can find birthday giftboxes available for purchase on the website at \[0;1;36mwww.aetolia.com/credits\[0m! All the daily login bonuses will be in effect throughout all weekdays in October for our birthday: – Mondays: Double milestones! – Tuesdays: Denizens respawn twice as fast after being slain! – Wednesdays: Double XP! – Thursdays: Increased critical hits! – Fridays: Favours for everyone! There might also be a daily quest showing up in the next couple of days, details to come later. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 11th of Dharos, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [City Riddles](https://www.aetolia.com/news/city-riddles/) **Published:** September 30, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The City Riddles contest will be starting on Sunday the 5th at 21:00 GMT and I wanted to share the details / rules as they’re a little different compared to previous years. I’ve also copied this info into the HELP RIDDLE CONTEST file. Each riddle will describe a place where an event happened using public information (EVENTS posts) and information found in the room – that might be items, graffiti, room descriptions, or a combination of all three. All of the rooms are publicly available, and while the riddles are meant to be puzzled out, the answers are not hidden rooms or hard to access. – Once the contest opens, each city will have two (2) hours to solve a total of ten (10) riddles. – To begin receiving clues and solving riddles as a city, go to your city’s pylon and ask the NPC there for their tablet when the event starts. \* Bloodloch: Zik’tral \* Duiran: Beymak \* Enorian: Braytal \* Spinesreach: Rasiyah – With the tablet in hand, \[0;1;31mTOUCH\[0m it to receive the first clue, which will lead you to a specific location. – Your official time starts when you \[0;1;31mTOUCH\[0m the tablet the first time and get your first riddle. – When you think you’ve found the right room, \[0;1;31mPUSH\[0m the tablet to lock in your answer. – This is intended to be a 4-way competition – sharing answers between orgs isn’t allowed. You will not receive any notice on whether or not you’ve chosen the correct room until we post the results with the answers. As you have a maximum of two hours, you are encouraged to use as much of this time as you need to be certain of your answers, with one caveat: \* \[0;1;31mTiebreaks are decided by the fastest time to completion, plan accordingly\[0m! NOTE: Only one tablet exists per city; you’ll need to coordinate and communicate if you want to work together. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 11th of Dharos, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [24th Birthday Schedule](https://www.aetolia.com/news/24th-birthday-schedule/) **Published:** September 30, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, October is our birthday month, which means our 24th birthday celebration games are just a few days away, so here’s the full schedule we have planned! Like previous celebrations, there is a point system alongside the credit prizes for ranking wherein you’ll receive credits for reaching certain thresholds of points. I’ll post the specifics on that in the coming days. All dates and times below are listed in \[0;1;33mGMT time\[0m. Please double check your CONFIG TIMEZONE setting is accurate (especially if you live somewhere that changes due to daylight savings), and you can consult the EVENTS INFO listings for a conversion. The EVENTS listing will be filled out shortly after this post! Saturday 4th October: 00:00: Starfall 21:00: Freezetag 23:00: Quiz Sunday 5th October: 21:00: City Riddles\* Monday 6th October: 00:00: The Brawl Monday 7th October: 00:00: Birthday shop opens 01:00: Keg Race 22:00: Bloodbath Thursday 9th October: 00:00: Hide n Seek Friday 10th October: 00:00: Fishing Derby 20:00: Resonance Saturday 11th October: 21:00: Iron Epicurean Sunday 12th October: 00:00: Twins Tournament\*\* 20:00: Survivor 22:00: Poker Tournament Tuesday 14th October: 01:00: Inquisition 23:00: Frog bait Wednesday 15th October: 23:00: City vs City Territory Thursday 16th October: 21:00: Ale Run Saturday 18th October: 00:00: Egg Hunt 22:00: Abdication Tournament Sunday 19th October: 00:00: Burt’s Martial Arts Tournament\*\*\* 20:00: Farkle Monday 20th October: 00:00: The Duel Friday 24th October: 00:00: Haunted House opens \*Further details on City Riddles will be provided in the coming days. \*\*The same as previous years, the Twins Tournament is a 2v2 double elimination PK tournament similar to The Duel, but with teams of two. \*\*\*Further details on Burt’s Martial Arts Tournament will be provided in the coming days. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 5th of Dharos, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [30 Years of Adventure](https://www.aetolia.com/news/30-years-of-adventure/) **Published:** September 29, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** I want to begin by thanking Matt. His creativity, vision, and persistence are the reason these worlds exist at all, and we are all in his debt. His legacy is everywhere in Iron Realms, and we are grateful for everything he has built. It is astonishing to think that our games have been running for nearly 30 years. Few online communities in the world can boast that kind of history, and the fact that MUDs remain alive and thriving today is a testament to you, the players who breathe life into them every single day. It is also the result of the hard work and creativity of current and past staff who have poured their passion into building and maintaining these worlds. Today, it is the staff who continue to drive our games forward with their dedication and imagination. They create the experiences and stories that keep our worlds vibrant. But none of that would be possible without the support of you, the players, whose presence and commitment allow us to sustain well-staffed games and push the boundaries of what a text games can be. My commitment is simple: to honor what makes these worlds special while ensuring they grow. That means finding new ways to introduce people to MUDs, making it easier for fresh faces to discover our games, and giving both new and veteran players reasons to keep coming back. Iron Realms has always been about collaboration between staff, volunteers, and most of all, our community. I am excited to keep building the next chapter with you, and to make sure the next 30 years are as full of adventure as the first. Thank you for being part of this wonderful adventure. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 5th of Dharos, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Transition](https://www.aetolia.com/news/transition/) **Published:** September 29, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi everyone, Some of you know me, and for others I was before your time, but I’m Matt Mihaly, the founder & CEO of Iron Realms. I started working on Achaea in 1995, 30 years ago, and we launched Achaea over 28 years ago. Back then, there was no Iron Realms – the company was just called Achaea LLC because I had never envisioned there being more than one game. Four years later we launched Aetolia, and then in 2003 Imperian and in 2004 Lusternia. Starmourn, of course, came much later, and in the meantime we also launched and later shutdown Midkemia Online. Starting Iron Realms is probably the best decision of my life – up there with marrying my wife. It’s given me an incredible creative outlet and a livelihood doing something I love. But, 30 years is a long time. I was 23 when I started work on Achaea. I’m 53 now, and its time for a new phase of my life. So, I’m stepping down as CEO of Iron Realms and promoting Jeremy Saunders, IRE’s long-time President, to CEO. Jeremy’s been running Iron Realms day to day for a long time as it is, and there’s nobody who is more steeped in Iron Realms than Jeremy. He started his involvement playing Achaea a couple years after we launched, and became Sartan, the God of Evil. He then started Imperian and was the initial producer of the game, eventually getting promoted to President many years ago. Jeremy’s been involved with Iron Realms longer than anyone else (other than me) that’s active either as a staff member, volunteer or an even semi-regular player and if anyone can keep a commercial MUD developer-publisher thriving in 2025 and onwards, it’s him. I won’t be disappearing completely – I’ll still be available to Jeremy as an advisor and I continue to own most of the company – but I’m excited that he’s going to be running the show fully and of course, the producers of the individual games will continue running their own fantastical circuses. Thank you all for being the beating heart of our worlds. It’s been a pleasure (occasionally a pain too, not gonna lie, but what are ups without some downs?) and an honor co-creating these worlds with all staff, volunteers, and players that have contributed. If you want to reach me for whatever, I’m at matt@mattmihaly.com or matt@ironrealms.com. I won’t be able to assist you with any issues with the games or company you’re having, but I try to always reply. Jeremy can always be reached at jeremy@ironrealms.com. Thank you for everything and I sincerely hope you continue to enjoy the worlds we’ve all built together. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 5th of Dharos, in the year 14 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Language Policy](https://www.aetolia.com/news/language-policy/) **Published:** September 12, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello everyone, Over the past year, we’ve seen an influx of utilizing words from real-life languages other than the primary language used to engage in Aetolia – english. While we appreciate that english in general has borrowed words from other languages during its existence and growth, what we’re speaking of here are direct, non-translated words from other languages plopped straight into the game in either designs, written speech or emotes in public, in events, and similar places. We welcome everyone, from all walks of life, but very simply ask that you help us make Aetolia the best and most consistent it can be by keeping all in character communication, items, posts, emotes, etc, to the official language supported by the game. This ensures that the only time you’ll need a translator is when Emellan has decided to bust out his ten sovereign words! Of course, this does not apply to private clans or webs where all participants may be speaking otherwise in an out of character fashion. It also does not apply to any of the in game languages that have written versions, such as Kalsu or Esmari. Thank you! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 22nd of Slyphian, in the year 13 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Ironman Duel](https://www.aetolia.com/news/ironman-duel-3/) **Published:** September 9, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, We’re doing a themed Duel this time around, with the Ironman Duel making its return! If you don’t know what the Ironman Duel is, it is the Duel as normal but where all artifacts and promotional items are disabled during the event. The curated list is somewhat long, but HELP IRONMAN will list them off for you, if you wish to know the specifics. Additionally, to keep things fair for equilibrium classes, there will be an addition thrown in: – Everyone will have the level 1 equilibrium recovery artifact effects by default. Everyone loves prizes! This time around we’re offering for first place: – 100 credits – A special replacement for the Rapier of the Master Duelist (different from normal) – A unique fame line (different from normal) I’ll do a small prize for second place this time around as well: – 50 credits There will also be a raffle for every entrant for a prize, win or lose, just show up! And of course, everyone will have a class figurine to obtain just from entering. This time around it will be the Templar class, everyone’s favourite top pick when simplicity is the goal! The specific time and date for the event can be found via EVENT INFO 1281 (don’t forget CONFIG TIMEZONE), and how the tournament is run can be read in HELP THE DUEL. See you there! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 4th of Slyphian, in the year 13 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Weaponry](https://www.aetolia.com/news/weaponry/) **Published:** September 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** I forgot one more thing. There’s no longer a scaling component associated with weapon damage on adventurers. Once you have the skill, it is the same as being Transcendent in that skill. Weaponry does have one slight caveat as you do get weapon attacks straight away: Weaponry ==================== – Attack and Throwing have had their base damage modifier reduced to 80%. – New Skill: Armsmaster. \* Learning this skill raises it back to 100%. This replicates the old scaling method. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 8th of Ivolnos, in the year 13 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Skillpoint Modifiers](https://www.aetolia.com/news/skillpoint-modifiers/) **Published:** September 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, As part of our efforts to stream line the newbie experience, I’ve gone through and removed a lot of skillpoint modifiers where they don’t necessarily make a lot of sense. Ideally once you get the skill through lessons, you should get what is on the tin. Most classes already work quite fine without skillpoint modifiers, so it’s probably reasonable to just simply make it the same for everyone. On this note though, after these changes get a proper run in without too much issue, I will likely introduce some kind of scaling component to damage vs. other players based upon your level. Some aspects don’t scale nicely with low health pools, so we’ll need a little bit of scaling still. There is still scaling vs. denizens through Hunting Might when it comes to bashing, so just keep that in mind when reading below. Corpus / Ascendance / Extirpation ====================================== – Frenzy / Denounce / Trash damage no longer scales with skillpoints. – Frenzy / Denounce / Trash now gets 30% stronger if the target has the ‘effused\_blood’ affliction. – Warding / Resolve / Persist no longer scales with skillpoints, the bonus resistance is just added on. Crystalism ====================================== – Vibration duration is now just set to 1200 seconds, and no longer scales with skillpoints. \* Except for Retrogradation which remains hard set at 30 seconds. Devotion / Apocalyptia ====================================== – Hands / Reinforce no longer scales with skillrank, the bonus healing is now just added on. – Rite / Verse duration is now just set to 1000 seconds, and no longer scales with skillpoints. \* Except for Well-Being / Resolute which remains hard set at 3000 seconds. Ferality ====================================== – Ferality attacks no longer scale with skillpoints, the bonus damage is now just added on. \* This may affect some trauma damage values slightly, I had to input the values in manually and perhaps made an error. \* So make sure to double check so that your trackers are working correctly. Geometrics / Cultivation ====================================== – Crux / Sadness no longer scales with skillpoints, the bonus damage is now just added on. – The same is true for Afterimage / Intrusion damage from Crux / Sadness. Illumination / Tectonics ====================================== – Spark / Impurities resource maximum now scales with your constitution, instead of skillpoints. – Infusion / Mould no longer scales with skillrank, the bonus healing is now just added on. Necromancy / Oneiromancy ====================================== – Decay / Starlight damage no longer scales with skillpoints, the bonus damage is now just added on. Sanguis / Discipline / Glamours ====================================== – The minion level from Raise / Recruit / Beguile no longer scales with skillpoints. – Instead it is now equal to your level, with a minimum of 30 and a max of 90. Sciomancy / Malediction ====================================== – Blast / Maledict no longer scales with skillpoints, the bonus damge is now just added on. Sorcery / Runecarving ====================================== – Blurring / Ironbark no longer scales with skillpoints, the bonus resistance is now just added on. Spirituality / Subjugation ====================================== – Angel power / Swarm fragment is now set to a max of 5000, and no longer scales to skillpoints. Tarot / Hyalincuru ====================================== – Priestess / Flower no longer scales with skillrank when healing denizens, the bonus healing is just added on. – Magician / Cube no longer scales with skillrank when healing denizens, the bonus healing is just added on. Tekura ====================================== – Tekura attacks no longer scale with skillpoints, the bonus damage is now just added on. \* Not every value multipled nicely, so some damage may be slightly more or less. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 7th of Ivolnos, in the year 13 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [September promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/september-promotion/) **Published:** September 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! We’re seeing a lot of fresh faces around lately, so for September we’re bringing back a \[0;1;33mLesson Sale\[0m! Whether you’re a new player or long established, this is a fantastic opportunity to flesh out your skills! Secondly, we also see the return of \[0;1;33mEarth and Air Coffers\[0m! Similar in nature to a cryptic chest, these elemental coffers contain myriad prizes, including some prizes themed after their respective element. You’ll find both lesson packages and coffers of elemental earth and elemental air on our website at \[0;1;36mwww.aetolia.com/credits\[0m! Let’s take a look at what you can find inside each of the coffers: All Coffers ———– Credit prizes ranging from \[0;1;32m28\[0m to \[0;1;32m500\[0m credits. Iron Coin prizes in batches of \[0;1;32m25\[0m or \[0;1;32m50\[0m coins. Artifacts ranging in value from \[0;1;32m50\[0m to \[0;1;32m2000\[0m credits. Chocolate bags, elemental globes, silver chalices, morphic metal, patriotic fireworks, and a low chance at antiquated salvage. Style scrolls for stormy, bedrock, defensive and warcry! Plus a rarer chance at a style point to redeem at the shop. Compendium pages for: Drakuum, Raugol Fissure, a snake pit, the Dramedo Warrens, the Forgotten Dome, the Torturers’ Caverns, and the Fractal Bloom. Transmute beetle vouchers\*. \*These vouchers can be exchanged at the shop at before the bridge to Esterport (v80871) for transmute beetles (see HELP TRANSMUTE) of all armour types themed for air and earth, as well as other options previously made available! The vouchers can also be traded in for 10 credits using PROMO TRADEIN. Air Coffers ———– In addition to all of the standard prizes, the air coffers also include: – Six minipets: a fledgling air beast, a crackling storm cloud, a fluffy tiger spun from cloudstuff, a skysilver steed impelled by elemental air, a tempestuous vulture chick, and a squall python hatchling. – Steed whistles for \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37ma stormwinged roc\[0m. – Iterators for the \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37mZEPHYR\[0m vox. – Caches of relic pieces for: \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37mtransmute\_air\_wings\[0m\*, stormbinder, airshroud, hunters\_horn, hunters\_knife, racialslot1, racialslot2, goldtranslocator. \*This new relic creates a transmute beetle that can be applied to your existing artifact wings of the eagle, customising them with unique activation messages. Earth Coffers ————- In additional to all of the standard prizes, the earth coffers also include: – Six minipets: a squat earth elemental, a naked mole-rat, a fat puppy covered in mud, a little golem of earth and unrefined ore, a flinty baby roc, and a tiny, rock-ribbed snakelet. – Steed whistles for \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37ma steely ironhorn bull\[0m! – Iterators for the \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37mLITHIC\[0m vox. – Caches of relic pieces for: \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37mtransmute\_earth\_amulet\[0m\*, stonebinder, earthshroud, hunters\_horn, hunters\_knife, racialslot1, racialslot2, goldtranslocator. \*This new relic creates a transmute beetle that can be applied to your existing artifact amulet of the underrealms, customising them with unique activation messages. — As always, you can check \[0;1;37mRELIC LIST PROMO FULL\[0m for the full details of all these relics. All coffers will also award one or more consumables that do not count against your value, including: – an immolation bomb – a pill of omnipotence – a preserved, yellowed eye – and more! There is also a global prize of 500 credits for every 300 coffers opened! Additionally, we have put coffers for sale in the milestone wares (one of each) for a gold keystone each! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 6th of Ivolnos, in the year 13 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [War System Fixes](https://www.aetolia.com/news/war-system-fixes/) **Published:** August 27, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey folks, First of all, a small fix to the archers to make them better work with the current mechanics where attacking other troops doesn’t instigate war. They get two new orders that you can give them: Archers Only ———— ORDER FIRE AT WILL – This will order your division to fire their arrows at will at any non-friendly approaching force. This means any division that is neither bound by treaties like peace or an alliance. If you can feasibly attack them, they are fair game. – Usually archers will only fire at divisions you are at war with, so be warned, if you are not vigilant you could cause a political incident. ORDER FIRE AT WAR – This will return the division to its original orders, where it will only fire at enemy divisions you are at war with. Additionally, I have some changes that I’ve been sitting on for a bit that I decided to hold back on as there wasn’t much enthusiasm for the war system. However, since there’s no real stakes any more to worry about, I don’t mind pushing these changes out rather then letting them go to waste. They specifically relate to one of the new units introduced previously, the support division, and will now allow them to construct some minor war fortifications: Support Only ———— ORDER CONSTRUCT – Order the division to begin construction of a specific fortification relevant to division battle. This will take them 5 minutes to finish construction. – You can choose from: Tower, Abatis, Palisade, or Mines. – A tower will inform you when foreign forces enter the area the tower is constructed in, however you must reside within your city to see the notice. You may only have 3 towers at a time. – An abatis will rob any division of their marching range upon entry until they recover, including your own. You may only have 4 at a time. – A palisade will provide the fortified status and its effects to any division that resides in its location, including enemies if they take it over. You may only have 2 at a time. – Mines will harm divisions when they order to march into them except for Support divisions. This will also detonate on your own divisions marching into them. Detonation will remove them. You may only have 6 at a time. ORDER DEMOLISH – Demolish constructed war fortifications. This will take 5 minutes in order to complete and will leave behind wreckage that prevents a new fortification being built there until the debris decays. – Demolishing mines does not leave behind wreckage, it will just remove them completely. You can then construct there. Lastly, I’ve added the new divisions of elites and supports into the Ashtan Colosseum so you can perform mock battles with them. You can find all this information in HELP DIVISIONS if you need to re-reference it later. Finally, I did once upon time talk about the introduction of a ‘War Action’ system for the war system. However, it is basically now on indefinite freeze until we can be little more certain it’ll be worth the effort to finish up. That’s all for now! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 3rd of Lleian, in the year 13 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [War victory removal](https://www.aetolia.com/news/war-victory-removal/) **Published:** August 26, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, We’ve a change to the war system today – victory conditions have been removed entirely. This effectively reverts war back to how it functioned before the victory conditions were introduced in 2022. While we’ve seen some engaging conflicts over the past few years, we’ve also observed that the victory condition system has created more problems than it solved. Too many wars have turned into negative experiences that have stigmatized the entire system, and it’s also become clear that the vast majority of players simply don’t enjoy war when these mechanical win/loss conditions are attached. The reality is that the number of people genuinely interested in and excited about war victory mechanics is quite small. Rather than continue iterating on a system that most of our playerbase finds unenjoyable, we’ve decided our development efforts are better focused elsewhere for now. What this means going forward: – War and military divisions are returning to their role as primarily roleplay and conflict tools. You can still capture territories if you want, and the mechanics remain in place, but there’s no automated victory state that comes from doing so. – Militia members remain flagged for open PK during wartime, so if you’re not interested in that level of conflict friction, you should leave the militia. War is still war, after all. – We’ve also removed the automatic war declaration that occurred when attacking enemy troops. Wars will now only begin when someone explicitly uses the DECLARE WAR command. – Diplomacy and treaties remain the only method to formally end wars. – The surrender command still works, but as a reminder you can also just make a blank ceasefire treaty to end a war quickly too. That’s about it for now. The war system remains available for those who want to use it for roleplay and political conflict, just without the mechanical endgame that was causing so many issues. We will, of course, continue to monitor and keep an eye on things as always. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 22nd of Celes, in the year 13 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [More Website Skills](https://www.aetolia.com/news/more-website-skills/) **Published:** August 23, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi everyone, I’ve also got all the general skills onto the website now, if you want to view those. You can find links to them from here: https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/ Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 4th of Celes, in the year 13 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Combat Council / Liaisons](https://www.aetolia.com/news/combat-council-liaisons-3/) **Published:** August 21, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, We’re looking for some new faces to add into the combat council/liaisons, so we’re interested in new applicants who want to get involved. If you’re uncertain of what that means, a combat council is essentially a group of players that we’ll discuss issues surrounding PvP and conflict systems with, and discuss possible ideas we want to explore that might not be ready for wider consideration. The combat council is also responsible for bringing up any potential issues to the team, as their boots-on-the-ground approach helps to give us a different perspective. To that end, we’re looking for applicants to join the combat council. While this is a volunteer role without compensation, it’s a unique opportunity to help shape the combat scene. Please message me if you wish to apply. Expectations: 1\) Candidates should be mature, level-headed players. 2\) A relatively firm grasp of the Aetolian PvP Scene and actively involved in it. 3\) Able to provide feedback & potentially testing when asked. As this is a position that puts you in a place of contact with the administrative team, we’re looking for people who exhibit positive attitudes that are open to criticism. Please keep that in mind when applying, as well as understand that we have high standards for this specific ask. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 15th of Omeian, in the year 13 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Website Skills](https://www.aetolia.com/news/website-skills/) **Published:** August 19, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello everyone! You can now view class skills on the website, just click on a class from the hub and it will take you to the class page where it’ll list our skills: https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/ It also comes with a filter, so you can search for a skill by name, or search skill contents for specific words like ‘asthma’. Please let me know if you see anything weird! Enjoy! (P.S: I’ve also cleaned up the website a bit on the back end, so it should run a little more smoothly in general.) Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 4th of Omeian, in the year 13 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Duel](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-duel-8/) **Published:** August 12, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, Ah yes, the Duel is back in town for another chance to rumble it up with your greatest pals in the Esterport arena! Pop around this weekend and reach the top while covered in the blood of… well you get the point! WHAT IS THE DUEL —————- The Duel is a one on one double-elimination tournament hosted in Esterport, in which you can obtain prizes! See HELP THE DUEL for more details! WHAT ARE THE PRIZES ——————- First place obtains 100 credits, fame, and the Rapier of the Master Duelist. A plethora of goodies! There is also a random participant prize that you can potentially obtain, all you need to do is be there! And lastly, this figurine will be the Sylvan class in accordance with its release! Woo! WHEN IS IT ———- Check out EVENTS INFO 1249 for the exact time. Use CONFIG TIMEZONE to see it in your local time! That’s all, see you there! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 17th of Dharos, in the year 13 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [An Oath of Vengeance](https://www.aetolia.com/news/an-oath-of-vengeance/) **Published:** August 11, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As winter neared its dying days and spring’s green glory grew ‘neath the ice and snow, the plane of Life issued a curious summons to the wild children of its ancient reaches: the Fae and their High Courts. The first to arrive was Mor’vaeg the Moonborn Anathema, the wolfine lord of the hunting courts – those Fae who hunted undead and threats to nature, primarily consisting of the wolfine and barghests. The tremendous Fae warrior was pleased to meet the representatives of the Heartwood who came to inspect the noise of his arrival within the Garden of the Dryads, and he was more than happy to spin tales of the elder days of Fae mischief and wild battles. When told that a prophecy had informed them of his impending arrival, the hulking noble seemed unsurprised, though he mourned the lack of sylvans – Fae warrior servants that attended to all the High Courts – in this day and age, sorrowfully informing curious parties that such Fae were now extinct after terrible struggles against the forces of Fundamental Dark. Before departing to hunt undead terrors within the realm, Mor’vaeg informed present Duirani that other nobles would arrive in the following weeks, and that each had been granted visions of threats and crimes against Dia’ruis. When questioned on the vision he had received, the wolfine Fae recounted premonitions of a poisoned land, leading many to conclude that the Imperial spellplague wrought by Bloodloch in recent years had incurred Dia’ruis’ ire. Next to arrive was Myssurea, an ancient undine noble who possessed memories of the Age of Despair and the final stand of the sylvans. Talkative and easy-going, the Fae lady took her time entertaining questions from gathered Duirani, including questions about the vision sent to her by Dia’ruis. When pressed, the undine finally revealed that she had beheld visions of engineered blight and the hubris of mortal science, affronts to her court that would defile rivers, streams, and wild places sacred to Dia’ruis. Even as the conversation continued, several observant Duirani noted that these crimes rest at the feet of the Theocracy, renewing their fervour against such profanity. Two weeks later, the Lord of the Soliads – Cirravax, Sovereign of the Scorching Feast – arrived upon the Prime with similar news and insisted that Dia’ruis had arranged for his arrival for a convocation of the High Courts. Though less talkative than the undine Lady, this regent of the Fae was shockingly transparent about the premonition he had received with his summons, spinning tales of a God of Death whose design did not feed the plane from which the Fae hailed. Condemning this god as a threat to the plane of Life, he impressed upon any in earshot the necessity of ensuring that the Cycle be strengthened, propagated, and held in the highest regard for the good of the realm. When questioned about the sylvans of old, the Soliad Lord had little else to add aside from explaining the nature of their extinction and birth, insisting that Dia’ruis did not possess the necessary archetypes to fashion new sylvan children – a state of affairs that put the High Courts in a poor position to continue their work. Late to arrive was the newly-crowned Stag King, Thyrrus Oakmaul of the Crimson Rut, a satyr Fae who had recently endured the trials of Kaarn, the stag Guardian healed by Duiran’s work with the Living Totem of the Aureliana. Having triumphed in showings of strength, wit, and abundant consumption of alcohol, the Fae noble entertained questions about the Guardian, his own life, the autumnal courts who tended to wounded and endangered fauna throughout Aetolia, and even the distant places of the world connected to Dia’ruis. Like all the others, the regal Fae was open about the ominous visions sent alongside his summons and whispered of those who rejected the Cycle and the sting of their refusal, insisting that those who eluded death stole food from the proverbial plate of Life Herself. Unlike the other revelations, this was accepted as a common truth amongst the Duirani gathered, for it was old news to them and nothing epiphanic in nature. After sharing several celebratory drinks with their new friend, the Duirani retreated to their homes to await the arrival of the asrai seer known as Branwen, the Fae who had helped Duiran find a way to release Akkari from their evangelised state. As spring reigned true and pure, the appointed hour arrived, and Branwen stepped through a gateway to traverse the vast distance between the Morgun and Titania’s court in a single step with Mor’vaeg at her side. The High Courts aligned as was customary, with the Daybreak Court and their allied Fae separated from the Lunar Courts by Titania and her Twilight Queensguard. The nobles joined together in spiritual communion to grant Duiran a glimpse of the eternal dreams that held Dia’ruis in fretful slumber, weaving an ethereal hum that swept throughout the Hall of the Dryad Queen. Multifarious shades of green blossomed between the Fae collective, coalescing together as a seething mass of vernal energy that rippled like a pond captured, the phantom essence of an ancient-yet-new Lifegiver whorling within the invisible boundaries of their ensorceled gathering. The Fae din soon split apart like fruit torn by jagged claws, revealing the pit of its epiphany: an explosion of imagery and the hauntingly beautiful song spun within the heart of Dia’ruis. As if cut from the whole cloth of Her dreams, the images wove together as an orderly procession per the terms of Her tranquil song and the new beginnings of spring threaded through as a guiding needle to grant Duiran and the Fae Nobles a glimpse of Her ineffable truth. Dream soon ceded to nightmares terrible and furious, however, at once heavy with the omen of Her need. Those gathered within the hall of the Dryad Queen beheld dreams of foul murklight roiling within a nebulous space enclosed by stone, soil, and the writhing limitations of the ley, its profanity racing serpentine throughout the bones of the land like the rot of a long-enduring infection. Terrible illness manifest in the wake of all they saw, though there was naught there to suffer its ravages, leaving the very notion of disease behind as a poisoned feast for the unknowable potential within Sapience’s worldveins, giving birth to pestilent nightmares without sense or reason – only hunger and fury. So too did they glimpse wicked, sickening blight that bloomed like a sour carpet throughout a forest unnamed and unknown, steeping Her nightmares in the poison of science and mortal hubris; each mortal present felt Her toss and turn in Her furious dreaming, railing against those that would imitate Her, ape Her purpose and beauty, and tamper in forces that only She could guide without disaster. Crashing waves of fury soon impressed themselves upon those present, the edict of Dia’ruis writ true in the hammer of their raging veins: obliteration was Her immediate mandate and judgement for these two crimes, and the pleasure of the decree coloured Her dreams with the vibrance of endless splendour; even slumbering eternal, the Mother of All That Lives felt palpable satisfaction in the old truth of hunted shadow and excised filth. These visions of rot gave way to something more sombre, more macabre, granting Duirani a glimpse of a beast of countless eyes and skeletal features, its slavering hunger evident even to those truly insensate. Though none spoke, they knew this to be the god of death spoken of by Cirravax, a lord of the grave who did not owe fealty to Dia’ruis and thus held no obligation to feed Her. A drive to survive was the prime sensation that followed this revelation, for this bestial thing represented a grave danger to Her that could stir Her from Her dreams and put an end to all that the plane was meant to do; this world, influenced by Her every restive moment in ways incomprehensible, would embrace the Cycle by will alone and enjoin themselves to that which feeds Her – an act that would vanquish this many-eyed terror of bone and darkened appetites, bereft of worship and adherent faith as it would be. Though this epiphany wove disquiet throughout the gathered Primals of Duiran, there was no resistance nor denial of the truth of things: to serve Dia’ruis would be to serve and propagate the Cycle, for nothing else would feed Her and inspire Her growth. Numb to the horror and shock of previous imagery, the last two visions were a blessed and familiar relief to the gathered crowd. Those held in the throes of the vision experienced the displeasure, sorrow, and sting in the heart of their goddess-and-plane, knew now in truth that every person beyond the Cycle was a wound as might be experienced by a mother who lost a child. Though She called for vengeance and redress, even the most twisted of Her nightmares bid them to attempt a peaceful return to the world’s natural order, urging violence and destruction only as a last resort as proof of Her love for all spun from the cloth of Her being. When Duiran unveiled its bloodlust in response to such portents, the Fae Nobility urged caution and diplomacy where possible, bidding the council to heed the will of Dia’ruis before all others. The final piece of the puzzle soon fell into place a breath later, revealing the deepest source of the lirathyar’s ire: the stolen years of ancient and powerful empires such as Drakkenmont itself. Furious that a mortal institution would dare to outlive a lirathyar, the plane’s semi-conscious dreams decreed such things to be destined for a ruinous and bloody end as a warning against the hubris of those who would defile and pillage the land’s sacred bounties. And so it was that the spiritual communion ended and the High Courts hastened to bind Duiran’s loyal warriors to the newly-wrought geas of the Fae: a vow to honour and live the legacy of the sylvans of yore in service to the Fae and Dia’ruis, shouldering the burden of the plane’s limitless fury at all the wounds inflicted upon Her and Her predecessor. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 6th of Dharos, in the year 13 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Dia'ruian Sylvans](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-diaruian-sylvans/) **Published:** August 11, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Following a summit of the Dia’ruian High Courts and a declaration of an ongoing wildhunt, the Sylvan class is now available to the Shamans guild! Sylvan is a mirror of the Praenomen class and, for the most part, follows all the same conventional choices as the Akkari class. As said by Ictinus during the Akkari class release back in 2022, it does bear repeating that Vampires are one of the core parts of Aetolian lore and have some of the most intricate mechanics. While we have worked hard to come up with suitably thematic mirror equivalents for all of the various different aspects of vampire gameplay, there are some minor changes that were necessary in order to preserve the theme and protect Enorian’s own interpretation. This will be reflected as you go through the AB files and start figuring the class out. With that in mind: – The mirror of the vampire subrace is a sylvan. – The Sylvan class is part of the Praadi guild, which was renamed from the Shamans guild as part of this release event. – Styles are already available for the Extirpation skill of Thrash – be sure to check out STYLE PREVIEW THRASH! – There is no equivalent of undeath or duamvi; you are either a sylvan or you are not. – The Sylvan equivalent of nightstalkers/aspirants are COURTIERS and Aaranu is able to make someone into a Courtier. (ASK AARANU BECOME COURTIER) – Sylvans, like vampires and Akkari, do have to still manage and spend blood (to clarify a lore point, blood and spirit are heavily intertwined); use of the SLAKE and SAVAGE abilities will be of interest here. – Upon death, instead of assuming a mistform or ascending as an unbound consciousness, sylvans instead release their soul to the wild world and can choose to face the Mirror (in a different way) at any time. \* Instead of earthmelding or inhuming, they must return to life by regrowing their corpse within a seedbed, though only after proper obeisance to Dhar. \* DIFFUSE MIST and APPEAL TO SANCTUARY become FACE DEATH for sworn sylvans. – In place of bloodlines or chain of command, Sylvans have courts; these mechanically obey the same rules and ability access as bloodlines. \* This hierarchy only dictates Primal authority; the High Courts – those true Fae from Dia’ruis – possess unilateral authority over any Primal Sylvan and can thus force them to do their bidding without question. – In place of a Primus or Grand Crusader, the head of the Sylvan courts is known as the Oathkeeper. \* This is a separately elected guild position within the Praadi. \* To elect the first Oathkeeper, CONTEST VACANCY AS OATHKEEPER OF PRAADI. Subsequent contests can be done using the current position holder’s name. \* Only sylvans can hold this position. – Sires become Oathbearers, and Childer become Vassals. – Direct Oathbearers or direct Vassals are always the next ‘link’ in the court’s chain. – Oathbearers and Vassals may also be used to refer to anyone in that chain. – For Sylvans, blood rituals and prayers are now SACRAMENTS, and can be carried out before the Drum of Life and Death at v43843. – Like Akkari, Sylvans suffer physical pain and maladies from the dark stars, and only at night. \* Like vampires and Akkari, this is negated if your blood level is high enough. \* The Illumination Blaze and Subterfuge Light skills can also negate this, as well as the Light artifact power. – Where Akkari use the twin-bladed manta, Sylvans gain an automatic proficiency in scythes like Praenomen. – In place of coffins or holy icons, Sylvans use seedbeds invested with life magic. These are made by woodcrafters. – Sylvans do not raise minions from the dead or enlist living sentient beings, but instead bewitch villagers as pawns in the Dia’ruian quest for vengeance. \* This is only possible in certain areas, details of which can be found in AB GLAMOURS BEGUILE. – Similar to how Praenomen and Akkari work, if you are not a sylvan while holding the class, your skill ranks will be capped at Skilled for Extirpation/Caprice and Inept for Glamours. You are effectively considered a Courtier again. Some lore points: – Yes, sylvans are still mortal; their contract with the Dia’ruian courts allows their soul more freedom to wander for the archaic purpose of mischief and survival for their purpose. When a sylvan is ready to return to a physical form, they face the Mirror through a sequence mechanically equivalent to earthmelding. This process then allows their soul the freedom to join with a body regrown by the land or their seedbed. – Sylvans are considered honourary Fae and successors to a legacy left behind by ancient times. They are not true Fae, but exist in a liminal space between normal Primals and actual Fae. Any creature claiming Fae heritage not from Dendara or Dia’ruis are not considered actual Fae by scholarly standards; the race (and its many subtypes) originates from the two known planes of Life in Aetolian history. – A Sylvan’s oath is the source of their power; it operates as a form of archaic spirit magic, using the spirit found inherit in a living being’s blood to empower a constant enchantment that holds them to the terms of an oath in exchange for patronage. This means that the shadowy influence of the dark stars can abrade and damage their oath, explaining the harm they experience at night and how they access their powers. Other details can be found in HELP EXTIRPATION, HELP CAPRICE, HELP GLAMOURS, HELP SYLVAN COURTS and HELP SYLVANRP. \*\* New characters selecting Sylvan as their class upon creation will be made into Courtiers. Much like vampires and Akkari, you will need to be properly pactbound (embraced/evangelised) in order to become a sylvan in full. \*\* Lastly before I move on, is this: THERE IS CURRENTLY NO ‘CURE’ FOR BEING A SYLVAN. THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE CHOOSING TO BECOME ONE SINCE BECOMING A SYLVAN CAN HAVE ROLEPLAY IMPLICATIONS DUE TO THEIR LINK TO DIA’RUIS AND THE UNILATERAL CONTROL OF THE FAE COURTS. — With the skills of Extirpation, Caprice, and Glamours, Sylvans are the sworn avengers of scorned Dia’ruis, serving as vessels for the undying rage inherent in Her wrathful dreams and blood-soaked nightmares. Armed with ancient Fae magic and a predatory aspect, they roam the land on sacred wildhunts as outlets for Life’s ceaseless desire for blood, brutality, and redress against the undead and undying. The skills translate in the following ways: Extirpation – Corpus/Ascendance Caprice – Mentis/Dictum Glamours – Sanguis/Discipline Mor’vaeg at v43843 is currently the only denizen tutor available for Sylvan skills. Learning from players is unrestricted. While some abilities are directly shared between the native classes and this mirror, most (particularly in Extirpation and Glamours) are entirely distinct and a significant departure from the original theme. I’d encourage reading all the helps and the AB files in order to get a full grasp of what we’re aiming for with it! Sharing the class, particularly with veteran players, can be done via the PACTBIND ability in Glamours. This will make someone into a sylvan and grant them the class in the process. There are no limits on how many people you can pactbind. Artifacts for Sylvan will be available in the next few minutes for your enjoyment: – a banner of the High Courts (hunt\_sylvan1-3); for hunting – a Vimunan seedbed (artifact\_seedbed); mirror of artifact\_coffin/artifact\_holyicon – a bewitched talisman of fury (extra\_sorcery); mirror of blood thin/spirit\_bind (NOTE: this power and its mirrors will work mechanically with any class, the difference is purely flavour.) – a Titanian lock (swift\_court1-3); mirror of quick\_path/swift\_sect – an amulet of the dawn (nightbane) – we did not mirror this, it will work just fine for Sylvans! – a long string of dangling vials (life\_preserve\*\*); it is a mirror of a holy ciborium (spirit\_preserve), which (sort of) works like corpse\_store \*\* The life\_preserve power has some different functionality to reflect the differences in how minions (pawns) are raised (beguiled), much like how squires are recruited. See the AP INFO for details! As always, while we’ve done a lot of testing behind the scenes, please report any bugs or typos right away through BUG or TYPO respectively. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 5th of Dharos, in the year 13 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [August promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/august-promotion-2/) **Published:** August 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! August welcomes back \[0;1;33mSpoils of Creation\[0m as our promotion for this month – with a \[0;1;33mbrand new relic set\[0m! Spoils can be obtained from the Aetolia website under artifact packages and opened for a variety of prizes, many of which are themed around the cosmic phenomena! Spoils are valued somewhat higher than cryptic chests (as always, we aim for a minimum of 30% bonus over buying straight credits, the average return is higher than this), and contain one or more prizes, including: \* Credit prizes ranging from \[0;1;32m23 – 500\[0m. \* Iron Coins in batches of \[0;1;32m15\[0m, \[0;1;32m25\[0m, or \[0;1;32m50\[0m. \* Various artifacts ranging in value from \[0;1;32m50 – 2000\[0m credits. \* Chocolate bags, elemental globes, chalices, style points, and customisation certificates. \* Ambience tokens! \* Antiquated salvage! \* Compendium pages for the following areas: the Fengard Keep, the Teshen Undercroft, Tiyen Esityi, the Maul, Kkirrrr’shi Hive, and the Ruins of Farsai. \* A selection of stellar minipets: a luminous lunar moth, plus \[0;1;33mfive new minipets\[0m: a moonkissed umbral frog, a nebula-woven seagull, a noctilucent pincher, a starforged beetle, and an aetherchime planthopper! \* Style scrolls for the rare COSMIC style! \* Meteoric shrapnel that contains pieces for several cosmic-themed cosmetics: cosmic\_shield, chrys\_cosmic, phyl\_cosmic, flair\_cosmic, vox\_cosmic, transmute\_cosmic\_wings, and veil\_cosmic. \* Relic coffers containing pieces for the \[0;1;33mBRAND NEW\[0m ‘curios’ series of relics! These nine unique curiosities were once part of Morvaethe’s collection and possess exciting and novel features that once captured the ancient Curator’s attention, such as: – the ability to observe a fight from afar – persuasion of animals – clockwork mechanisms – …and more! You can refer to \[0;1;31mRELIC LIST CURIOS FULL\[0m to see the full selection of curios and all their different effects. In addition to all these amazing prizes, Spoils of Creation also award organisation credits, and every 500 Spoils will trigger a global prize of 500 credits in one of the next 50 to be opened. There is also a Spoil in the milestone wares for one golden key! As always, Spoils can purchased from the Artifact Packages section on the Aetolia website at \[0;1;36mwww.aetolia.com/credits\[0m! And last but not least, every Tuesday this month will have Double Experience turned on! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 20th of Sapiarch, in the year 13 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [A few Crafting notes! OH MY!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/a-few-crafting-notes-oh-my/) **Published:** July 27, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, Aetolians! Regarding a recent ruling made considering some race-specific capitalization, we would like to take a moment to reiterate those rules and expectations here. – Races must be capitalized. Examples: Orc, Kelki, Dragon, Fae, et cetera. – Subraces are lowercase. Examples: vampire, duamvi, soliad, undine, et cetera. \* Specifically, Fae is the capitalized race, with subraces being lowercase. \* Akkari is capitalized as a proper noun (a member of the Akkari Host). \* Consanguine is not capitalized unless at the beginning of a sentence as it is not a proper noun. – Official demonyms can be found in HELP DEMONYMS. A few other notes of interest: – HELP IMPORTANT CRAFTING RULINGS has seen an update and is easier to parse now. For the crafters amongst you, it would be an excellent idea to review it for any new rulings. – When crafting with alloys, please remember you MUST include all of the alloy components. For example, if you’re making a black gold band, while a gold bar is the initial component, you must still include a gold bar and elemental ashes to account for your alloy. This can be found under ‘Commodity Rulings’ in HELP IMPORTANT CRAFTING RULINGS. – Weapons are not meant to be referenced outside of their exclusion identities. For example, while ‘a massive halberd’ (design 5134) has the identities ‘halberd’ and ‘polearm’, it MUST use ‘halberd’ as the primary noun throughout the appearance, dropped, and examined – it cannot use polearm. You can, however, use polearm to interact with it in your inventory, such as when wielding. If you create designs and have not yet joined the craft guild, you may JOIN CRAFT GUILD to do so. This will give you access to the CRAFTS news section where I, your absolute most favourite Gnome, post crafting changes and important ruling decisions. As always, your feedback is welcome! Please email Emellan at emellan@aetolia.com with any concerns or questions about these rulings. They look forward to hearing from you!! -B Penned by my hand on Closday, the 20th of Haernos, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Another artifact cart addition](https://www.aetolia.com/news/another-artifact-cart-addition/) **Published:** July 20, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, We’ve added one more artifact to the exclusive section of the Artifact Cart that used to be a reserved artifact: a venantium sigil of ascension, containing the hunt\_ascended\_race power. Just in case you haven’t had enough of bashing once you’ve reached level 200, this artifact provides a bonus of 5%, 10%, or 15% to the damage done by Level 200 ascended classes (e.g. Chaos Lord, Titan, etc) attacks on mobiles! Available until the end of the month through the Artifact Cart! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 24th of Lexadian, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Artifact cart additions](https://www.aetolia.com/news/artifact-cart-additions/) **Published:** July 14, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, Lessons not quite cutting it? Already have your inventories chock-full of our more mundane artifacts? You’re in luck, because we’ve decided to bring some exclusive items to the website’s artifact cart! These items are a mixture of past exclusives available in the artifact cart, as well as a couple of new offerings! You’ll find these under the ‘Exclusive’ section of the artifact cart at www.aetolia.com/credits A Torc of Vitality (3000cr) ————————— The Torc of Vitality grants the use of the Vitality ability (AB VITALITY). This artifact can only be used by its owner. A reinforced collapsible shelf (1600cr) ————————————— Contains level 4 of the stockroom\_expand artifact power, increasing your stockroom’s max size to 600! An Erect-a-Shelf carpentry kit (1000cr) ————————————– This is level 2 of the extra\_shelves artifact power, increasing the maximum number of shelves your shop can have from 20 to 30! A venantium stud finder (2000cr) ——————————– What’s that? You have an insatiable lust for… more shelves? Alright, here’s a level 3 version of the extra\_shelves power then, giving you up to 40 shelves to organize your goods on. An Arionic Chalice (9999cr) ————————— This chalice is a ‘permanent’ version of the consumable double XP chalice. Unlike the regular consumable which provides 3 sips lasting 8 hours each, this chalice contains a single sip of that delicious liquid that grants double experience for a full 24 hours. The sip refills daily, making this a truly permanent upgrade. A cosmetic coffer (40cr) ———————— This coffer contains a single full cosmetic relic that you are yet to acquire. See HELP ARTIFACT CART for the full list of what’s possible to get from it. Not really an exclusive, but added to the Consumables section all the same: A bonus care package (2cr) ————————– Open it to receive one of the bonus items you’d normally get from opening giftbags/chests/etc (i.e., grimstims, yellow eyes, immolation bombs, etc). See HELP ARTIFACT CART for the full list of what’s possible to get from it. Remember, these items are only available through the website cart and will not appear in the in-game artifact shop! Penned by my hand on Closday, the 17th of Ivolnos, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [July Promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/july-promotion-2/) **Published:** July 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! For the month of July we have the following on offer for you: a \[0;1;33msalvage sale\[0m, the return of the \[0;1;33martifact cart\[0m, and a \[0;1;33mdirect lesson sale\[0m! Every 100 credits purchased from the website will come with a piece of antiquated salvage, which is typically valued at \[0;1;32m200 credits\[0m. These pieces may be traded to other players and used without bearing your mark, EXCEPT for purchasing the Antiquated Artifacts themselves. Once you obtain the first level, you can use any salvage you like to upgrade it. HELP ANTIQUATED ARTIFACTS will be of interest to those who aren’t familiar with how salvage works, as well as HELP ANTIQUATED \[RING/GOGGLES/GAUNTLET/CROP/SCEPTER\] for a specific breakdown of what each item does. \[0;1;37mNow is the perfect opportunity to pick up the recently revamped antiquated crop!\[0m As for the Artifact Cart, all artifacts purchased directly through the cart have a \[0;1;32m30% discount\[0m applied; this stacks with Iron Elite Membership for a total discount of \[0;1;32m40%\[0m! In addition to the large discounts, there are a number of exclusives available only through the artifact cart, including: Chocolates House deeds (these come with FIVE rooms in total and can be redeemed by e-mailing me as per HELP CASTLES) Fireworks Upgrade tokens Several other artifacts Silver chalices can also be found under the ‘artifact packages’ section of the website, with an option for one chalice or a pack of five at comparable discounts to the cart. Last up is the lesson sale! For the month of July, lessons can be purchased directly from the website at a significant bonus. Those with Iron Elite Memberships will also receive \[0;1;32m10% bonus lessons\[0m on any lesson purchase they make! As always, the cart, credits, and lessons can be found on the Aetolia website at \[0;1;36mwww.aetolia.com/credits\[0m! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 9th of Omeian, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part XIX: The Curse](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-xix-the-curse/) **Published:** June 28, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As Morvaethe set loose some of his prized locales in a bid to recapture some of his raw power, Tala Mossflower did not sit idly by. Instead, the witch performed numerous scrying spells and curses to prepare for the confrontation she had been alerted to, her archaic sorcery employed in myriad ways. After sacrificing a serpent, totem spirit of those patient planners who opened wide their jaws at the right moment, the elderly Seyda scrawled runes of elder magic across the table left to her by Edhain de Verdigris and the Sentinel Pride and uttered incomprehensible incantations that sealed the glyphwork into the table’s surface with the help of her claws. Those adventurers who came to investigate the process found themselves held as audience – enraptured, unnerved, concerned, or otherwise – to her mysterious work, her body slack as she communed with unknown forces and used the table’s surface in lieu of a scroll to bear her complex enchantments. Ignoring the questions and even brutal violence going on around her, Granny Mossflower worked with a pace that matched her long years – slow, methodical, utterly confident in her grasp of forces occult and savage. She fashioned the beginnings of a wax effigy depicting the Curator and claimed a powerful curse now rested within it, leading many to believe that the witch intended to destroy the ancient arcanist herself. As she took a break to doze ‘neath the watchful eye of Eaku Redwood, the witch’s final thoughts were of her people, safekept in the shelter of her vengeful claws. Later that week, Dadi and Sulu, the Impish ascendants in Itensu’s employ, were seen exiting the witch’s abode with the table hoisted over their heads, and their eager noise drew curious adventurers to the Bloodwood, where the table was left facing the barely visible fissure that once lead into Morvaethe’s sanctum. Those perceptive and patient enough to remain in the furniture’s presence noticed tendrils of green light seeping forth from its sanguine runes, and those protrusions were swift to take up the infinitude of arms left behind to honour the fallen Dwarves of Kazhuram. Soon, the city-states of Sapience called for warriors and smiths alike to band together and leave more gifts for the table’s enigmatic purpose, though many were sceptical until they happened to behold its magics with their own eyes. Dirks, spears, glaives, swords, axes, maces – all were given unto the furniture as if it were a nascent god of war yearning for honour and offerings both, its divine soul made a vessel for the realm’s hatred of the Curator they now sought to thwart. Meanwhile, Old Witch Mossflower was nowhere to be found, leading many to wonder how she would exact revenge upon the old sorcerer if she did not arrive at the appointed hour. As the morning turned to afternoon, however, Sapience discovered the trail of her exploits: alongside the sun’s passage did she make mortal sacrifices in exchange for power to prepare some unknown spell, and many ascendants took her silence as an omen of her fury. When the world had gathered together to stand beside the enchanted furniture in solidarity, Tala Mossflower arrived through a verdant gateway, flush with power and determined to set things right. Soon, the Monochromatic Sphinx and the Indomitable Burt swooped down from high in the skies and took a moment to rally the troops, with the Living Landmark insisting that the hour was nigh. As if reality took her words as a spoken decree, the realm felt the final death rattle of the Tree of Stasis, the ancient once-Dryad that had served as the focal point for profane rites and savage miracles for thousands of years. The wild things of the world mourned the tree’s passage, the woodlands and dales adopting a solemn hush as if in honour of her beloved memory, and what remained of the landmark’s power became as so much dust upon the winds of time. As if encouraged by the wailing misery Morvaethe soon issued to Sapience entire, Old Witch Tala commanded her enchanted table to get to work. In a frenzy of motion, the table’s spectral protrusions multiplied unto infinity and seized upon every weapon bestowed upon it with all the zeal of a true believer. Revealing itself to be anything but a mundane piece of furniture, the enchanted object began to batter away at the shields barricading the Curator’s sanctum from the outside world as if it were an army laying siege to the front gates of an enemy keep. Thudding clamour echoed across the realm as the table threw itself into its grim work, desperate to please its maker and serve the purpose invested within it. Though Morvaethe’s protections proved vexatious at first, the Old Witch steadied herself with a hand upon the Monochromatic Sphinx’s flanks – an innocuous thing that nonetheless drew alarm from the Living Landmark – and began to concentrate on aiding her temporary familiar, her superior magics laying bare the pathway leading into the sorcerer’s crumbling pocket realm. Unwilling to let Sapience’s finest raid his museum and sully its beauty, Morvaethe cried out for his conjured guardians to dispatch the invaders. Though he made loud demands of the shade shaped like a durdalis, the magical construct remained true to its lazy nature and did little more than block the way across the bridge to the deepest parts of the Curator’s sanctum. Enchantress Mossflower asked those ascendants who had come to help her put a stop to Morvaethe to direct their efforts instead towards holding off his defenders. She informed those gathered that she would work on waking the durdalis up – a task she resorted to very mundane, elderly means, such as calling the creature lazy and demanding that it move its lazy bones or else suffer swats from her walking stick, to achieve. As adventurers vanquished Morvaethe’s most prized menagerie subjects, the durdalis would stir in its sleep and roll over, allowing further passage as the battle’s commotion roused it from its slumber. The first to fall was a colossal cetacean’s shade, its Kal Kelerii nature covering the field in roaring storms and hurricane-force winds. Upon defeat, the shade’s captive energies rebounded into the original beast’s exhibit, freeing the true cetacean to Sapience’s open skies upon the back of a torrential downpour. Without warning, the Shekoo’s shade sprang into action and began to unleash a rain of brutal, shadowy blows upon those who stood before it, even going so far as to drag Jakarn Aresti out of the Curator’s sanctum to isolate him and end his life – a plan that did not succeed, for the rest of the raiding party soon leapt to his aid and vanquished the shadowy fiend. As the original Shekoo, shadowbound and terrible, broke free of its confines to seek a true rematch, however, the Monochromatic Sphinx cried out and charged headlong at the strange Albedi creature woven into Seydan folklore and bodyslammed it through a portal she conjured, sending it elsewhere for the sake of the realm’s safety. Upon arrival at a new battlefield, the forgotten brute of Ohlsana delivered torment upon unsuspecting Vorostran armies and the berserk rakshasa that now stood before it. Inexhaustible, inexorable, the raging creature reduced all challengers to a pulp with its unstoppable strength. The beastman rendered them little more than gory offerings to Fundamental Dark and set forth on a rampage across the Saviranda Badlands until it met the edge of the Demon Blade, revealing Varach Scolrys’ current location to all who beheld the vision of the Shekoo’s demise. Hot on the Shekoo’s heels, the shady simulacrum of Effulgent Minirima surged forward, leaving no time to grapple with those developments surrounding the shadowbound Shekoo. Blazing walls of fire and burning swathes of land could do nothing to hold Sapience’s finest at bay, and soon the Djinn’s shade was extinguished, allowing the true Minirima to break free. Incandescent in her sanctified fury, the legendary pyromancer laid waste to large swathes of the Curator’s demesne with her heretofore unseen mastery of fire magic, its sheer intensity obliterating the enchantments holding the domain’s exhibits together. Though Morvaethe deployed his precious Menedu to turn the tide, Minirima obliterated their shades without a care, her pitiless gaze a mirror of Fundamental Light and Her Accordant champion. As she departed, the Djinn liberated the Menedu from the sorcerer’s grasp, setting the wild people free into the realm as she stepped through a gateway bound for Paimri fio Oihia, ready to conduct the Light’s cleansing vengeance once more. Dumbfounded by the cataclysmic damage inflicted by the freed Djinn, the Curator issued a command to his loyal guardwyrm shade, who proved itself equally incapable of holding the angered crowd of ascendants at bay. As the true guardwyrm of Kazhuram broke free of its exhibit and escaped into greater Sapience, Morvaethe made it clear he would not be bested again. Spiralling into the depths of manic terror, the man set loose a shade of his precious kraken, who swept the raiding party into the pocket realm that served as its habitat. At first, the adventurers caught in its tidal wrath became naught but pitiful morsels to stuff within its endless maw, and its clever ruses spelt the doom of those brave enough to engage it at the heart of its realm, calling for different tactics to instrument its downfall. Soon, Sapience’s gathered forces united and adjusted to the ebb and flow of battle, ensuring the downfall of Morvaethe’s penultimate guardian after a pitched battle upon the raging waters of a captured lake. Cajoled by Morvaethe and Tala alike, the colossal durdalis shade awoke to a sodden army ready to destroy it and, rather than do battle, lumbered away to the tune of the old wizard’s fury, its sheer defiance coming to the fore as the Curator’s power waned. Desperate for any chance at victory, the villainous collector unmade the stubborn shade and reclaimed the power that made it real before retreating deeper into his domain. With the way clear, Old Witch Mossflower and the Sphinx led the way to Morvaethe’s last refuge, where the cowardly wizard had constructed a shield to hold the angry mob at bay. From behind his rapidly failing protections, the Curator spat curses, insults, and desperate pleas for mercy even as he positioned himself nearer to the Living Landmark, who looked ready to swallow the man whole as a show of her burgeoning impatience. Several adventurers took a position closer to the Sphinx in preparation to stop the sorcerer’s final gambit, though the Seydan witch staring him down looked unconcerned with whatever it was the man planned. True to the guess of many, the Curator soon leapt forward to sink his knife into the Monochromatic Sphinx’s hide, drawing her magical blood in a desperate bid to reclaim his might. As he turned to the crowd with triumph in his eyes, however, his desperate gambit went awry. The Monochromatic Sphinx, once sepian, adopted a verdant hue as the power of her blood wept forth, its potential already claimed via a casual touch by Tala Mossflower hours prior. Seizing upon her opportunity, the elderly Seyda began her vengeful work in earnest, her raw fury compelling Morvaethe to issue a scream of terror heard throughout the realm – his final act before his signature stasis sorcery swept through his body. Holding her waxen effigy on high, Tala adjusted its features and then compressed it into a cube, sealing the man’s frozen fate in a mysterious display of her ancient magics. Horrible witchlight blossomed between her claws as the elderly enchantress explained her motives, its arcane heat bidding the accursed puppet to begin melting in her grasp, its ravages a mirror to her rage. “But we are not yet done, o Curator. You have wronged Kazhuram and Snowcloak! Ixetal! The last Menedu! Vospolek! Kithzrek! They shall all have revenge, for there is no justice in a world where you ever gained power,” the old witch declared, the very weight of her pronouncement bidding the air to quiver with sorcerous power. The light in her hands intensified, and the colours of the figurine sloughed away like warped rivers. “My people are husks, traumatised by you – and that suffering must be undone!” It was then that amber light flared to life within the despondent village of Vimuna – first one, then another, then countless more as some unknown force swept their collective psyche into its embrace. As one, these points of brilliance aligned to create a solid stream that flowed towards the southeastern Bloodwood, through the portal torn open within its vast breadth, and then to a wax figurine held in the old witch’s claws. “They shall shed these memories to soak the earth of your mind as would the gift of all seasons bless a realm. They belong there now in the soil of your thoughts, where they shall weave their unseen meanings,” the enchantress pronounced, her voice low as she commanded the ritual powers of the Monochromatic Sphinx. “Countless tragedies to keep you company as you behold a world you cannot touch… a mountain of misery that only the winds of time can erode.” As Tala Mossflower worked her magic, phantom imagery played out betwixt her and the captive wizard in her clutches – the contents of countless Seydan minds, extracted to relieve them of their pain and transferred to Morvaethe’s recollection in recompense. Adventurers present caught glimpses of their thousandfold terrors and aeonic anxiety, the madness of their captivity distilled until it was but a wretched stream of negativity that burrowed within Morvaethe’s skull without mercy. The ancient Seydan enchantress strode through the Curator’s mindscape as if a giant, its barren lands distant below her as she left the misery of her people in her wake. Like greedy little seeds, each memory took root in the fertile soil of the wizard’s captive mind, eager to burgeon as a spiteful harvest. Countless years, countless moments, one and all captured like crystalline hail that battered the fortress that was Morvaethe’s mind. As the witch compressed the glob of wax in her claws one more time, she summarised his fate in plainer terms for the befuddled collector: “You are the lodestone to their suffering now, Morvaethe. Pay your dues.” With that, the enchantress banished the man to Vimuna, where her people awoke from their catatonic state, convinced they had simply endured a short, confusing nightmare. Those stolen by Morvaethe tumbled away to settle where they had once been, freeing the Aerie and Lord Sammonword’s party barge and restoring order to the world once more. Thus were the Echoes of Power brought to quietude, leaving the world to dwell upon what secrets yet remained in those fraught chapters of history long left unstudied as the Sphinx took wing to parts unknown… \~~~~~ Summary: After a raid upon Morvaethe’s sanctum, the mad wizard was brought to justice by Tala Mossflower, Old Witch of the Wood. Sentenced to experience the Seydan people’s mental torment in their place, the Curator is now nothing more than an ugly decoration in the village of Vimuna, his mind the lodestone to their thousand-year madness. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 17th of Chakros, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Duel](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-duel-7/) **Published:** June 26, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, Yes, your favourite occasion is back, it’s time to Duel! Will the champion be Sheryni? Will it be not Sheryni? Time to find out! WHAT IS THE DUEL —————- The Duel is a one on one double-elimination tournament hosted in Esterport, in which you can obtain prizes! See HELP THE DUEL for more details! WHAT ARE THE PRIZES ——————- First place obtains 100 credits, fame, and the Rapier of the Master Duelist. A plethora of goodies! There is also a random participant prize that you can potentially obtain, all you need to do is be there! And lastly, this figurine will be the Predator class time around. Ooh shiny! WHEN IS IT ———- Check out EVENTS INFO 1210 for the exact time. Use CONFIG TIMEZONE to see it in your local time! That’s all, see you there! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 5th of Chakros, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part XVIII: Tumultuous Times](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-xviii-tumultuous-times/) **Published:** June 24, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As Bloodloch’s dreaded spellplague gnawed through the Tree of Stasis and the rest of the realm’s landmarks fell into quietude once more, trouble stirred within Morvaethe’s horrifying menagerie. With the Curator’s powers dwindling day by day, his grip upon his oldest exhibits visibly faltered. At first, this manifested in the mysterious deaths of a distant Horkvali society, of which Sapience held no recollection. Confused at first and in desperate search of answers, the continent’s adventurers searched high and low for evidence of Kithzrek’s appearance in the world, even as its people steadily expired in the minds of all who held communion with Dhar’s vaunted Underhalls. It was only in Hive Kithzrek’s final moments that Sapience’s brightest ascendants came to realise the horrifying truth: those who perished did so at the hands of those adventurers who had lashed out at Morvaethe with physical violence. Soon, every city-state came to realise that their strikes and sorcery were being dispersed into the wizard’s kidnapped exhibits, laying bare how the twisted collector achieved his cherished invulnerability. As one, the realm mourned the death of the hive’s queen and her many drones, even as the Curator swore vengeance and panicked within his sequestered sanctum. Meanwhile, the energies awakened by the Sanguine Fist’s dreaded disease coursed throughout the ley in a desperate, eternal battle, the vital force of Dia’ruian protection clashing against the profane sorcery of high humourism. These brilliant forces came to a head in the following days, forcing the continental ley into a state of unprecedented upheaval. As city-states battled to control the overflowing ylemnic tides, they caught glimpses of a verdant colossal eld imbued with life-aspected will and the fury of the wilds – a tantalising glimpse of future foes for all but the Theocracy, who claimed victory against all comers and vanquished the first of many colossal life elds to come. The very next week, the plague-aspected sorcery still roiling throughout the ley forced another catastrophic foci event, resulting in another struggle for control of its evergiving bounty. Though fewer forces waged war to capture the opportunity to glimpse a vile plague eld, the Dragon of the North proved its prowess for the second week in a row by not only securing a gateway within the ley, but also defeating the spellplague-imbued colossal eld mere moments before the worldvein network collapsed around them, granting them the sweet release of death in place of the wasting rot the eld had cursed each of them with as its final counterstroke. Sorcerers and arcanists across the realm were quick to note that the spellplague’s essence seeped back into the ley shortly after its defeat, leading many ley theorists to speculate that the aspect would remain to manufacture more diseased eld. This theory later proved itself true as new hazards coalesced within each city-state’s ylem mines over the following days, and reports soon circulated of other city-states encountering the colossal plague eld during other major foci. Throughout the days following these unprecedented eld sightings, the unrest within Morvaethe’s exhibits continued apace. Soon, the Dwarves of Kazhuram began to perish before the strikes of adventurers throughout the ages, each blow once intended for the Curator instead spelling the doom of some innocent artisan, scholar, lordling, or even innocent children. Then, the dawn of Kazhuram’s final day arrived – swift and terrible, utterly bereft of mercy in all its goldglow glory. Originally meant as a catastrophic gambit against the Curator, Lin the Knife had lured the unwitting wizard into her grove and unleashed an annihilating nova of sunlight at the cost of the wild place’s lifespan. In typical cowardly fashion, the wizard shunted the harm aside into the maze of his protections, though at significant cost and concern to the man. Now let loose and unable to be contained, the blast swept throughout the fabled marble keep of Kazhuram, sanctum of the Muse and Her many innovators, sparing none the cataclysmic beauty of its destruction. Once more, Morvaethe raged against the interference of modern adventurers. Unhinged, crazed, he spat venomous tirades and swore vengeance as he scrambled to stymie the damages to no avail, the fabled Pixies of Ixetal and the Yetis of Snowswell perishing in tandem in the following days. Each loss drove the elderly sorcerer into the depths of depressive rage, his mania unravelling even the twisted logic and sense that he once held close to his cold heart. On those days when he felt the loss of another of his beautiful exhibits, he wept for all the realm to hear and made maddened pleas to his Menedu servants, imploring them to seek the Sphinx at all costs. It was only when the final Pixie died that the Living Landmark and her rider, the Indomitable Burt, made themselves evident to the world. Landing within an Esterporean beer garden in search of refreshments, the famous Ogre brawler announced his presence with a flying elbow drop that crushed a Menedu shade where it stood – an act that drew most of the realm to gawk at his glory and the mysterious monochromatic aspect of the long-sought Sphinx. Convinced that the Tree of Stasis was not long for the living world, the Monochromatic Sphinx insisted that she would be the perfect bait to lure the Curator out, but refused to do so until she was sure he could not capture her with one last burst of the power pilfered from the dying tree. Even as Morvaethe released the final two villages in his grasp in preparation for a final confrontation, an old Seyda witch began the preparations for a terrible curse… \~~~~~~ Summary: The fallout of Bloodloch’s massive spellplague continued, bringing ruin to many of Morvaethe’s exhibits and imbuing the ley with an insidious new aspect: disease. Convinced of her increased safety, the Monochromatic Sphinx arrived in Esterport with the Indomitable Burt astride her back, ready to make a move against the crazed sorcerer seeking her blood. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 18th of Dharos, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Seyda race!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/seyda-race/) **Published:** June 24, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** With the defeat of Morvaethe, the Curator, the town of Vimuna is freed from its millenia-long stasis, and with it comes the return of the Seyda race! These vulpine folk, long thought nearly extinct, now walk freely upon Sapience once more! Old Witch Tala’s intervention has spared the Seyda from the madness of their imprisonment, though at a cost: their memories of the ancient past are fragmented, and their ages have been adapted to the modern era. A Seyda who lived thousands of years ago now celebrates a birthday mere decades past, their minds accepting this temporal truth as natural. – You can either create a new character with the Seyda race, or reincarnate into it. – Endgame race players may switch their heritage to Seyda for the next two weeks if they wish. The newly restored village of Vimuna can be found where the Aureliana Forest meets the Liruma Scrubland. You can find full details about the race and more lore notes under HELP SEYDA. Default statpack: Limber Racial Skills: Level 1: Digging Level 31: Bodyheat Level 61: Renewal (NEW) RACIAL HELP has more information on these! The Seyda language can also be learned through linguistics now from Farl in Vimuna! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 17th of Dharos, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Antiquated Crop](https://www.aetolia.com/news/antiquated-crop/) **Published:** June 23, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, Per report 3658, we’ve given the antiquated crop a little bit of a small update. Some levels have been combined, while others got either tweaks or brand new powers. You can read below if you want to see. Enjoy! Level 1 (NEW): Your mount is immune to fearing abilities, will escape from the room when attacked, and will alert you if you’re online upon being harmed. Level 2: You can now ORDER or ORDER EMOTE . Level 3 (NEW): You can now GALLOP and choose how far you gallop. Cannot travel further than ten rooms. Level 4 (NEW): Your mount will take 50% less damage from attacks. Level 5: Riding your mount gives you 1 extra point of celerity. Level 6 (NEW): If your mount dies and does not have a bit or other way of resurrecting, it will respawn after 48 hours. Level 7: Using LEAP over someone blocking an exit while on your mount will cause your mount to kick them to the ground as they pass by, dealing blunt damage, stunning them for 0.75 seconds, and knocking them to the ground. Level 8 (NEW): When you gallop, others will be able to follow you even if they don’t have pacing or a similar effect. Level 9: Your mount has a 15% chance to intercept denizen attacks upon you, blocking it. This can only proc once every 5 minutes. Level 10: You can now utilise your mount to create a popup shop anywhere you like. First, place the items into your mount’s saddlebags and then price them. You can then begin trading, and others will be able to ask about your wares and buy goods from you. Should you move or use STOP, you will stop trading. Syntax: PRICE MOUNT BEGIN TRADE ASK WARES BUY FROM STOP This additionally increases the amount of items that can be held in saddlebags to 15 items. Saddlebags are created by those with the Barding talent. This does not support most of the features an actual shop has and is a simplistic one item at a time system. Things like kegs, shelves, price policies, cache, etc are non-existent. Items will also still decay. Level 11: You can now MOUNT TRACK to any outdoors player on same continent/plane instantly. Only works once every four hours. Does not bring any following players with you. Level 12 (NEW): You can WHIP CROP to gain a cube effect for 10 minutes. Only works once per Howling. Level 13: You can CRACK CROP to gain a monolith effect for 10 minutes. Only works once per Howling. Level 14: Your Track ability now works once per an hour instead. Level 15 (NEW): Any slain mount of yours will now respawn after four hours instead. Level 16 (NEW); Saddlebags can now hold 30 items. Level 17: Your mount’s chance to intercept a denizen attack is increased to 30% and has a 2 minute cooldown. Level 18 (NEW): Any slain mount of yours will now respawn instantly to the stables. Level 19: Saddlebags can now hold 50 items. Level 20 (NEW): Your Track ability now stomps over your target on arrival if they are an enemy, dealing blunt damage, blacking them out for 4 seconds, and knocking them to the ground. This is considered a charging attack and requires you to remain mounted after arrival. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 17th of Dharos, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads June 2025 - part 5 (end)](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-june-2025-part-5-end/) **Published:** June 21, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Battlefury / Riving ============================== – \[3684\] Charge / Initiate now only works with blunt weapons. – \[3684\] Charge / Initiate now additionally causes bruising on the torso, and if the torso is damaged, it will increase the bruising by another level. Bombcrafting ============================== – \[3699\] New Skill: Sootbomb. Forging ============================== – \[3719\] Smelting newly-made items now returns 100% of the commodities used. Geometrics / Cultivation ============================== – \[3737\] Invert / Cordon now allows your token / lotus to remain in the sky. Miscellaneous ============================== – \[3699\] You can no longer take items in stockrooms that are priced if you don’t have shopkeeper privileges. \* Gold in stockrooms remains unaffected by this. Purification / Ravaging ============================== – \[3704\] Intensity / Suffering no longer costs equilibrium. – \[3704\] Intensity / Suffering now costs 100 health, up from 5. Shapeshifting ============================== – \[3664\] Berserk now only allows you to resist being stunned three times, or knocked unconscious one time. – \[3664\] Berserk now has a 30 second cooldown once the defence triggers and fades. – \[3664\] Berserk no longer has a timer before it fades. – \[3664\] Berserk no longer obscures your vitals as though you have recklessness. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 25th of Ios, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads June 2025 - part 4](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-june-2025-part-4/) **Published:** June 20, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi all, Just a small list of changes here revolving around the blackout affliction from report 3679. I’ll keep an open ear if anyone feels it should be further expanded, but I’m choosing to just keep it basic to start with. Afflictions ============================== – The ‘blackout’ affliction no longer hides target (2p) messages nor afflictions by default. \* Remaining default effects: hides health/mana/acumen, witness (3p) messages, room-based messages, and movement. – The ‘blackout’ affliction now additionally hides how much you are bleeding as a default effect. – The ‘blackout’ affliction now additionally hides the ‘shock’ and ‘burnout’ affliction and its message as a default effect. Telepathy ============================== – Telepathy actions on a target are now hidden if they have the ‘blackout’ affliction. \* Excludes friendly telepathic actions, Blackout, Command, Clamp, and Batter. – Blackout cooldown lowered to 25 seconds, down from 45. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 21st of Ios, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads June 2025 - part 3](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-june-2025-part-3/) **Published:** June 19, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Arcanism / Esoterica ============================== – \[3735\] Arcaneskin / Panoply no longer scales to your skillrank in the skill. \* The resistance values are now set at the max of 16%. Elemancy / Humourism ============================== – \[3662\] Iceray / Flense equilibrium recovery time lowered to 3 seconds, down from 4. – \[3662\] Iceray / Flense damage reduced to compensate for the new equilibrium time. – \[3663\] The balance upset from Iceray / Flense if shivering now affects all enemies in the location. – \[3662\] The balance upset from Iceray / Flense reduced to 1.1 seconds, down from 1.5. – \[3689\] Coldsnap / Frostwrack can now take an optional target, which it will hit regardless if they are an enemy or not. – \[3694\] Aeroblast / Synaptopathy can now have the delay specified with either FAST or SLOW. \* Fast is the old delay of 4 seconds, while slow is set to 8 seconds. Miscellaenous ============================== – \[3657\] You can now use AGGRESSION or AGGRO to see your aggression timer. Tarot / Hyalincuru ============================== – \[3721\] The balance recovery time on FLING / UNFURL has been increased to 3.2 seconds, up from 3. \* This does not affect Star / Arrow as they have their own unique balance time. Tattoos ============================== – \[3671\] Removed Skill: Armour. \* Anyone with the tattoo has also had it removed. Wayfaring ============================== – \[3720\] Reduced the accuracy bonus from Blindsense to 8%, down from 10%. Woodlore / Artifice ============================== – \[3678\] Weasel / Wardpeeler will now only strip defences that persist through class change, i.e. general defences. – \[3678\] Weasel / Wardpeeler attack speed increased to 13 seconds, up from 15. Zeal / Ravaging ============================== – \[3705\] New Skill: Dropkick / Headstomp. – \[3705\] New Skill: Trammel / Lop. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 14th of Ios, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part XVII: A Pestilent Awakening](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-xvii-a-pestilent-awakening/) **Published:** June 19, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hot on the heels of the Theocracy’s toil and the Light’s triumph, the Sanguine Fist sought to leverage their uncontested grasp upon the Bloodflower Falls. Throughout the weeks leading to this moment, the Empire’s brightest minds had sequestered themselves to consider the matter of the ritual site’s true power. Convinced that it could be used for an act of grand sorcery, the citizenry was initially split on the purposes to which these energies could be directed. Eventually, however, a good enough use coalesced amongst them: Stopping the Curator. It was Primus Myrnma Ladoran themself who proposed that Bloodloch should employ the landmark in a ritual involving the four humours, and their vision defined the basis for the sorcery to come. The Thronekeeper of Blood sought the perfect vessels for the three unrepresented humours and settled upon Naivara for fiery yellow bile, Zethrie Da’Saison for the chilling phlegmatic humour, and Tyrant Akarn for the black bile of insanity and whistling air. As the leader of the ritual magics, the Primus appointed themself to the most crucial of humours: blood, the humour of spirit, life, and absolute ritual power. Having long since ordered the empire to begin anew its slave-driving practice, the Thronekeepers assigned taskmasters to move large crowds of captive villagers to Bloodflower Falls in preparation for the ritual to come. Into the crimson maw of power were each of these hapless lives thrust for many days and nights, with one final procession prepared for the day of despair now nigh. The final arrival at the ritual site before its beginning was a curious one: a slave covered in pestilent, writhing flesh, his back inscribed with a forbidden incantation by some metal quill. Scabbed over and weeping pus, the unfortunate attendee hardly seemed present, his gaze long since wiped clean of any recognition. With the empire assembled to defend their claim, the humourists began their work. Slaves were fed to the landmark at an alarming rate as the four sorcerers manipulated their respective humours in a specific sequence, awakening a dark and mysterious intelligence within the previously incoherent falls. At the climax of the ritual, the Tyrant commanded Thronekeeper Iadora to cast a penultimate offering into the landmark’s sanguine waters: a potent mixture of Ithmian soil, blood willingly given, a Scriptorium illness sample, and other assorted sundries unknown to the Grand Library. With the landmark primed for manipulation, the Tyrant gave the order to cast the despondent, fleshgrafted slave into its dark waters. A low, ominous gurgle then rumbled throughout the Bloodflower Falls, its crimson mysteries brought to the forefront by the beginnings of the empire’s high magic. Waves of darkling power emanated from the Dun Valley as the Bloodflower Falls stirred, cajoled now to heed the call of its imperial masters. A low, long, rasping hiss echoed from the landmark, like the triumphant ululation of a demon once imprisoned, before a single scream of agony cut through the ominous silence, drawn out far beyond mortal length. Baleful jade light soon wept from the Bloodflower Falls, its sanguine depths parting to reveal a glittering eye wrought from the tormented sorcery birthed by their bloody profanity. Sickly smoke arose from the landmark’s crimson bounty, as if it had come to a vile boil, and its surface clouded over with pestilent froth. Profane murklight soon slithered forth into the vast leyline network beneath the ancient ritual site, the world’s hearty veins laid bare for an infusion of wretched magic that darted out of sight like a snake on the hunt. As if it were a shark’s silhouette coursing through bloodied waters, the plague-riddled spellcraft coursed serpentine through the land, sowing disease and death in its wake. The inhabitants of recently resettled Xoral and the Mitrine village suffered untold illnesses and losses to their communities as the unknown contagion continued ever further from its once-host – toward its target. Riding a veritable river of prismatic ylem, the visible twining of raw power and terrible spellcraft surged forth into the southwestern edge of the Liruma Crater. Irradiated corpses succumbed to a horrific arcane fleshrot, obliterating them where they stood. The path of the pestilent strike spanned the full length of the ylem rapids, disappearing into the northeastern edge of the Liruma Crater to delve once more beneath the earth. It was then that a nauseating glow awakened upon the northern roads beyond the Morgun, its insidious light creeping along the western Ithmia’s border like a madbeast lurking at a pasture’s edge. The pestilent wrath swept throughout the woodland like a rough wave upon an inhabited shore, sending panicked animals lunging through the underbrush to take cover even as a strange patina of virid energy sheathed the forest in a protective embrace. Sickly, slimy flesh swathed the forest floor in patches that grew in density as they approached the Tree of Stasis, the woodland’s leylines wailing in contempt for all the contamination thrust upon them. Writhing pustules sprouted from the earth like twisted flora and burst into explosive novae of sickening fluids and acidic bile that showered the surrounding area in tormented magic. Briefly exposed by the terrible sorcerous assault, the leyline nexus, twisted throughout the Tree of Stasis’s roots, briefly glimmered into sight, its multifaceted hues quelled by the all-encompassing grasp of vile chartreuse. A terrible jade light roiled upon every sickly surface, every pus-drenched root, every humour-soaked blade of grass, its horrifying potential seeping into the earth to multiply the force unleashed upon the wellspring held in the Curator’s implacable grasp. A long, glowing crack soon coursed across the landmark’s impenetrable protections. Deep beneath the frigid aegis of Morvaethe’s magic, the Tree of Stasis splintered, its remains contained by the slowly deteriorating shell of enchanted stasis. For the first time since its unfortunate aspecting, the Tree of Stasis shifted, its branches bowing beneath the portentous weight of high ritualism and a virulent poison wrought to consume ordered magics. Wriggling tendrils of flesh pressed themselves up against the glass-like confines of Morvaethe’s thwarted sorcery, one and all ravenous to feast upon the wretched pulp of the dying landmark before their fated terminus. The Tree of Stasis, struck hard by a diseased hammerblow from another, equal landmark, buckled and began to descend into an inevitable end. The Bloodflower Falls, having spent all its cosmic power, issued one last, sickening gurgle before its obscure enchantments slipped into indeterminate slumber. Terrified and furious, Morvaethe soon ordered countless tribes of Menedan shades to travel the realm in search of a new source of power: the missing Sphinx, last of the Eschatonically empowered landmarks. Determined to buy time, he commanded the lurking guardwyrm shade to assume a defensive position around the Tree of Stasis, its glowing bulk coiled around it as if it were a mother shielding a child. Even as Morvaethe scrambled to protect his holdings, however, the bindings of the arcane began to buck and strain… \~~~~~ Summary: the city of Bloodloch performed an arcane ritual to direct their landmark’s power into a dangerous, magical plague that struck the Curator’s source of power. Furious at their interference, Morvaethe commanded his conjured servants to seek out and capture the Sphinx on his behalf. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 13th of Ios, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part XVI: The Onset of Revolution](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-xvi-the-onset-of-revolution/) **Published:** June 19, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** With the vast majority of their preparations already accomplished, there yet lay before the Theocracy a handful of loose ends to tie together for the maximum chance at success. Foremost before them was the formation of the newest Chaos Lord to find a place among the Labyrinthine Court, a task that would be crucial during their planned ritual to ascend a mortal briefly toward Divinity’s glass ceiling. The melded minds of the Spireans worked together, forming a collective will that saw the shard of Chaos they had claimed grow in size and power until it was fit to burst with the many manies and individuals that fattened it like a holiday roast pig. Utilising this gathered power as a resource to further empower Labyrinthine’s Court, memories were offered toward finding and growing a magically adept Lord. There is little information available to the Grand Library to describe how this newest member of the court would take shape at this time, or which memory was selected. Even as last-minute preparations were made, checklists were checked, and furious rewrites of planned questions were made to ensure the best possible outcome, a quiet murmuring began to take shape within the myriad villages of Sapience. Whispers carried from one member to the next of a name – a new name, a new god – and it swiftly found the hearts of some who were looking for a change in their life’s course. Across Craneskull and the streets of Rimewatch, within Moghedu’s tunnels and Salma’s ruins, and even among those betrayed within the Impire, a singular thread spread: revolution. Those who felt most strongly about this ideal found themselves herded towards the Labyrinth’s Grasp, amassing in throngs before the fivefold sabledark pillars. A commonality was shared between them as they began to worship this idea, and the name whispered into their ear as the source of its truest meaning. By the dozens did they arrive, filling an already cramped space further and further as they stood shoulder to shoulder to acknowledge this greater purpose than the mundane task they had been completing previously. When at the height of this worship, more than two hundred individuals were in attendance as the barest nugget of mortal faith. Joining the great mass of extremely varied worshippers offering their presence and momentary faith was a procession of Theocrats, each prepared to enact a ritual planned and prepared for weeks on end by the ruling council. Prisoners from the Ironmaw were likewise brought forth, sentenced to sacrificial death for a purpose far beyond the meagre magics they’d been imprisoned for. Dhasan Csethiro laid the stage, setting down a sigil of a crown and a labyrinth of elemental ice to catch the offered blood and direct it toward the centre of the landmark and its waiting recipient. Hearts plucked from Duirani chests and kept whole and hale by the Hunter’s bidding were passed out to those who would partake. Ready for a bout of comeuppance for a long-unpaid debt in the form of violent assault, the Warlord strode into the archaeological dig site with a faint rumble, the storm of His virtue charging the air around Him with a yearning desire for a fight. Wordless was the Son of Autumn, His gaze that of a soldier’s trained outlook – ever searching for signs of an enemy sure to come – how could She not, He thought to Himself, for it was Her domain that these Divine usurpers dared to trespass within. As dusk claimed the land and the sun began to set, Regent Legyn delivered a sermon about the Theocracy’s purpose. It spoke at length of revolts, barriers, boundaries, and the demand for a solution that presented itself here and now. Corruption’s Adherent grazed one of the pillars as it spoke, its very surface rumbling faintly in response at the barest touch with promises of untold waiting power, ready to be utilised. Continuing, the aptly named Prophet of Ascension laid bare the five pillars of the revolution – Discontent, Vision, Propaganda, Sacrifice, and Reformation. All of its words culminated in the naming of this new virtue, of this manufactured God: Iredryn, the Unbidden Ascendant. The words of the Ghost of Chakrasul’s sermon echoed strangely before the empowered landmark of the Labyrinth’s Grasp, as each word resonated within the quintet pillars that clutched at the air. What followed the opening sermon was a procession of death. One by one, a shackled mage was brought forth and slain, and over this body was a heart crushed. The offerings congealed together within the prepared arrangements, flowing downward to the centre. Legyn laid low a wizened Arborean treesinger and crushed the heart of Duiran’s Killing Voice, Yesufa Button. Csethiro slit the throat of an ancient Satyr ritualist of Vintal’s Glade and crushed the heart of Edhain. Sanei took out a prodigious Human planar physicist of Arbothia and crushed the heart of Sekeres. Oridez snapped the neck of a prodigious Arqeshi elemancer of Jaru and crushed the heart of Haleth. Pietre snuffed the life from a seasoned Djeirani battlemage of El’Jazira and crushed the heart of Lin. Wulei executed a wizened Dwarf runesmith of Tainhelm and crushed the heart of Mayah. Sepyhie plucked the heart from a prodigious Rajamala shadowbinder of Kornar and crushed the heart of Cadet. Ulo choked the life out of a venerable Arqeshi planar physicist of Jaru and crushed the heart of Robyn. Tina beheaded a venerable faerie shaman of Vintal’s Glade and crushed the heart of Dellingr. Barimoth brought Perdition’s flames to wipe out a learned Human blood mage of the Vilimo Estate and crushed the heart of Draeven. Bazias slit the throat of a seasoned Dwarf mage of Tainhelm and crushed the heart of Ashyn. Solen electrocuted a prodigious Arborean shaman of Cantor’s Copse and crushed the heart of Arista. Each of these offerings, each of these sacrifices, found a response in kind from one singular individual – the focus of the ritual, the centrepiece upon which the entire process hinged its success or failure. At the centre of everything stood Sheryni Nebre’seir, answering the dramatically proffered questions relating to the revolution and how it might be enacted. It was at her pace that the others ran, always awaiting her acknowledgement before moving forward with the next offering. It once more returned to the Regent of the Spires; it that had given the first would also now offer the last. Utilising a ritual athame, the Adherent slew the last mage brought forth, a seasoned Arborean green mage of Cantor’s Copse, and crushed the heart of Rihara. It was the end of thirteen hearts and thirteen passages; it was the last defiant offering and the force that ignited the ritual to a frenzy. Spilt blood hissed against the enchanted ice below, carving steaming, crimson rivulets that raced eagerly towards the destined centre, leaving glowing trails of ritualistic power in their wake. The Warlord seethed nearby – where was His foe? The citadel of Spinesreach, His once and ancient home, had drawn Him to this place with the promise of a fight. The storm of His fury escalated as He waited, seconds drawing into minutes, without a word from the Mauve Mistress of Memory. Raising her fist high, Sheryni declared that they would rise in their revolt and reform the world together. Turning that fist to command the blood pooled in offering before her, the thrice-skilled hematurgist supped upon the sacrifices with a gleaming hunger in her eyes. A singular thought shone within her mind in the moment: I am Iredryn. We are Iredryn. We are Revolution Incarnate. It was then that a blinding vortex of raw chaos, constellar energy, and sacrificial power erupted around the Viceroy’s form. The five fingers that comprised the Labyrinth’s Grasp flared to life, intricate patterns upon their surfaces which shone with extraplanar brilliance, all while a sonorous groan escaped the earth below, and the dig site trembled visibly. Reality parted above the Siroccian mountains, the very fabric of the Prime Material Plane’s skein ripped asunder by the forces of the Theocracy’s shard of Chaos, jagged icemetal towers and nightshard alleyways visible to the naked eye beyond the borders. Phantom limbs escaped its boundaries, questing along the mountain chain and into the skies, before turning downward and out of sight. Each of these ghoulish arms twisted to overlay with the landmark of power, imbuing it again and again with the connection that would be necessary to channel the wellspring found within. It was mere seconds before Viceroy Nebre’seir was plucked into the air, suspended without visible support, and made a lightshow of terrible chaos energy that irradiated her mortal shell. Each heartbeat that passed brought with it a new unravelling before the gathered masses’ eyes, the layers of mortality sloughing away to reveal skin, muscle, and bone, until there was nothing left but bare essence within a cradling grip of chaotic radiance. Though as of yet fully formed, the presence of the newly-formed mage Lord of Labyrinthine asserted itself then to work as an effable hand playacting as Creator; though surgically precise, the work done by this being was that of Chaos entity, not Divinity. Even still it toiled, folding boundless cosmic power into the parts of the soul meant for far more graceful hands, each weaving of supernal power only bringing about ceaseless and unimaginable agony for the Glacian. The gathered members of the Theocracy looked on with anticipation, glee, hopea and with an unearthly scream that broke the hushed silence, brilliant cosmic energy flooded forth from the Labyrinth’s Grasp to clutch Sheryni’s very soul within its ghastly grip. Compressing and crushing her, the cavern flooded with brightfire ephemera for but a single moment before fading as a stream of raw Chaos surged forth to obliterate her… …and a moment later there arose a new Virtue of the age, Revolution’s Unbidden Ascendant appearing amidst a cindercloud of riotous ash and a broken crown of topaz and ice. The very presence within the land stirred hearts to motion, workers and artisans alike choosing in the moment to revolt against those who kept them downtrodden. Unwilling to lose the fleeting opportunity to bask in the brilliance that must be felt by such deities lavishing in the experiential offerings of mortals embracing Their aspects, Iredryn disappeared within the leylines upon a long-planned heist. Only mere seconds passed between Their ascension, disappearance into the ley, and subsequent reappearance. What transpired in these few seconds is unknown to the Grand Library at this time, though we can only presume it was spent scouring the Source of Knowledge for the designation ‘M’ previously selected. When They did surface once more, it was clear that They could not continue to hold this false form of Godhood. Limping as They strode back towards Tarissa’s Dig Site, the bounty of cosmic power that had fueled Their brief sojourn into the ranks of the Divine visibly dwindled with each passing second. It is unknown just how They finally ended, and what knowledge, if any, was retained from this experience. One final act, a brief encore the likes of which could only be brought about by such an outpouring of energy and chaotic instability, was claimed by the landmark that day. Seizing what it could of the surroundings by choice or otherwise, the landmark sundered the area wholesale. Grand Library scholars versed in the workings of Chaos theorise that the physical connections to the Prime were broken, and what was the dig site now lies somewhere in the depths of the Sea of Chaos. As a chunk of the Prime sank into formless primordium, a sharp quill dragged along the flesh of someone’s back… \~~~ Summary: Spinesreach created a mage for their Chaos court, spread word of Iredryn and Revolution through persuasion, sacrificed mages and crushed magically-kept hearts in a ritual to empower Sheryni to Godhood for an unknown mission within the leylines and the Source of Knowledge. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 13th of Ios, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part XV: Preparations](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-xv-preparations/) **Published:** June 19, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the Labyrinth’s Grasp neared the zenith of its power, the Theocracy of Spinesreach turned its formidable attention toward final preparations for their most audacious goal yet: breaching the Source of Knowledge itself. Deep within the guild’s shadowed halls, Sneak the Numerologist presented her findings to the assembled Archivists. The legendary occultist had spent weeks analysing the resonance patterns captured during the sevenfold elicitation of the Immortal Number, poring over data that had cost seven lives to obtain and created numerous disasters. Where once it was thought Lord Severn’s memories might have resided in a singular location within the Source, Lexadhra’s cunning had scattered them like stars across Her domain into countless fragments dispersed throughout that timeless repository. From this vast constellation of knowledge, Sneak had isolated twenty-one distinct coordinates she deemed most likely to contain the departed God’s memories relevant to divine nature. Each point resonated with varying intensities across the seven Spheres of numerological study, although all showed pronounced interaction with Yi – a correlation that the numerologist claimed indicated strong ties to the mysteries of godhood. Sneak constructed a resonance prism echoing the results of the twenty-one designated coordinates within the Source, and the Archivists scrutinised the results with fevered intensity, debating the merits of each resonance pattern. They knew that the time the Theocracy’s daring plan would allow access to the Source would be fleeting at best, making the selection of the target coordinates paramount to success. One particular point, designated ‘M’, drew special attention due to its strong resonances from Yuef, Ef’tig, and Jhako. Most telling was its notably weak response from Jherza – the Sphere of physicality. Given the Lord Manipulator’s previous distinction between Gods as conceptual rather than physical entities, this absence of material resonance marked it as an ideal candidate for memories concerning the fundamental nature of divinity itself. With their target selected, the Conclave of Magic, under Dhasan Csethiro’s guiding hand, began the arduous task of preparing the ritual framework that would grant mortal flesh temporary ascension. Criminal mages continued to disappear from villages all across Sapience into Ironmaw cells, awaiting the uncertain fate that would soon befall them. Meanwhile, Spinesreach’s Season of Strife to honour Lord Bamathis reached its bloody conclusion. Week after week, the Theocracy hosted brutal tournaments in the Warlord’s name across the continent, each producing a champion who would serve as a willing sacrifice in the culminating ritual. The Boar’s mask went to Sepyhie, the Atavian’s to Sheryni, the Haatun’s to Llancarfan, the Abomination’s to Legyn, and the Scorpion’s to Oridez – five warriors, five sacrifices, five components for the monstrous offering they would create. Under the careful orchestration of Dr. Pietre Marcelli and the ritual preparations of Dhasan Csethiro, the Theocracy had assembled all the necessary components for their grand working: a creature stitched together from the beasts of two continents, awaiting animation through the collective will of Spirean sacrifice. The culmination ritual took place within Yggdrasil’s hollow in a spectacle of frenzied brutality worthy of Strife Himself. As the five masked champions fell, their organs were harvested with surgical precision – lungs from the Atavian to grant the creature breath unhindered by any blight, a tongue from the Abomination to provoke with endless threat, bones from the Haatun to weather any march, liver from the Scorpion to purge its poisons, and finally the heart from the Boar to beat with unflinching charge. Each component was lovingly integrated into the vessel by Pietre’s skilled hands, the work accompanied by the rhythmic drumming of Ulo and the harmonious Kalsu chanting of the assembled Theocrats. When forces from Duiran attempted to disrupt the ritual, drawn by their revulsion at such dark workings, they brought with them a fierce determination to reclaim the bloodshed for Life’s purposes. Wildings and northerners clashed briefly under the stony eye of Immortal Strife before the Duirani found themselves beaten back by the sheer weight of Theocratic will. Nonetheless, the Warders of Dia’ruis returned with heads held high back to their Heartwood, proud to have slaked their charge’s thirst with bloodshed and defiance. At the ritual’s crescendo, as Pietre placed his bloodied palm upon the creature’s brow and commanded it to rise alongside the joint exclamations of his compatriots, the combined will of Spinesreach forced unholy life into dead flesh in an act most profane. Alongside this abomination, the Theocracy presented a second offering in a bastard sword of imposing size, hoping the Warlord might wield it in battle against the very beast they had created. The Warlord accepted both creature and blade with evident satisfaction, His approval manifest as He agreed to Regent Legyn’s bold request: to stand against Lexadhra while they breached Her Source of Knowledge in the coming weeks. After all, He had scores of His own yet to settle with the Mauve Goddess. While the Theocracy still celebrated their success from the Season of Strife, the Syssin’s vigilant eyes bore unexpected fruit in the south. For several weeks, they had been maintaining a diligent network of informants through persuasive methods in order to track down the suspect responsible for several missing Spireans, and their patience was finally rewarded. They discovered one of those very missing citizens in a disturbing state, eyes glazed in hypnotic compulsion, fervently offering prayers up to the Labyrinth’s Grasp in an attempt to sway its allegiance. The prayers spoke of the Inheritor’s glory, exploiting the landmark’s connection to Spirean citizens with subversive purpose. The suspect soon revealed himself to extract the entranced citizen, pulling them into phase with him, but the Syssin were all too familiar with such tricks. An eye sigil swiftly thrown forced both figures back into corporeal reality, revealing the infiltrator to be Semiastin, a rogue Syssin of Rebel’s Ridge and now false Dhasan of the Underspire. A brief but vicious struggle ensued before Semiastin managed to slip away even as Spirean reinforcements arrived. The hypnotised citizen was carefully transported to Hought Memorial Hospital, where days of care slowly lifted the fog from their mind. Under Pietre’s questioning, and aided by his mastery of hypnotic techniques, fragments of memory emerged. These precious clues led the Syssin to a concealed location: ruins upon a beach where the remaining missing citizens huddled in enchanted captivity, a mere wormhole away from the dig site. Under the advice of Thuneron, Captain of the Spinesreach Guard, the Syssin extracted half of the prisoners quietly, replacing them with their operatives disguised in civilian clothing. Days passed in tense anticipation before Semiastin finally returned to tend his captives, unaware of the snakes now hiding amidst his flock. A warning was sent through the Syssin telepathic network as he approached, and shadows throughout the northern city stirred with purpose. At the Labyrinth’s Grasp, the trap snapped shut with lethal precision. Semiastin led the compliant captives directly into a web of waiting blades, and this time, there would be no escape. The combined might of the Syssin fell upon him like an avalanche of darkness, rendering their traitorous member unconscious after a decisive scuffle. In the aftermath, his limp form was dragged to a location known only to the guild’s innermost circle, to have answers extracted from him in a manner best left to one’s imagination. With divine protection secured, their coordinates selected and interference from the Underspire subdued, there remained little preparation left for Spinesreach’s machinations with the Labyrinth’s Grasp. Soon they would attempt their most dangerous gambit yet… \~~~ Summary: Spinesreach pinpointed key coordinates within the Source of Knowledge, choosing a point from which to recover a portion of Severn’s divine memories. They conducted a bloody ritual, crafting a monstrous creature that earned the favour and aid of Lord Bamathis against Lexadhra. Meanwhile, the Syssin thwarted sabotage by capturing the traitor Semiastin, ensuring no disruptions as the city prepared its dangerous final gambit. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 13th of Ios, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part XIV: A Second Sun](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-xiv-a-second-sun/) **Published:** June 19, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the Curator toiled to recapture his exhibit’s souls and the Heartwood hastened to restore the Aureliana, the Hammer of Dawn wasted no time fulfilling their own agenda. Shortly after recovering the Dawn’s Promise, the city turned to Captain Jebediah and his witchhunters to ensure that the landmark was guarded correctly and refurbished. Led by the trio of mages known as Tweak, Grain, and Lint, the soldiers formulated a plan to drain the artefact’s bulbs of corruptive sea silt and oceanic grime, as well as restore its mysterious magics through prayer and hefty infusions of elemental essence. Carried out over several months, the Hammer’s preparations involved a curious combination of manual labour, pilgrimage, and the utilisation of esoteric sorcery diagrams provided by the on-duty pyromancer guiding their every step. As Tweak directed the city’s efforts with the landmark, Vanguard Inthirath Karthi and his trusted council joined together to devise a ritual to beseech the object’s vast powers in the name of the sun. According to those Ascendril who had examined the Dawn’s Promise, the horologe possessed an enigmatic strain of magic capable of controlling time. However, the enchantment’s very foundations made direct manipulation or travel virtually impossible, limiting its influence to a local area or other phenomena that would not risk destabilising Aetolia’s meticulously wrought timeline and its constituent fabric. Settling upon a grand ritual, the Hammer of Dawn prepared a complex series of stances and interpretative poses representative of the sun’s passage throughout the sky and set about practising their performance to ensure absolute perfection. When the fateful day arrived, the Light’s chosen assembled in Arurer Haven – where the Dawn’s Promise had been covertly transported by Prowl, Pebble, and several other burly witchhunters. Throughout the rest of the day, Enorian’s faithful performed a highly complex ritual to beseech the sun for its blessings and notice. Form by form, step by step, the landmark began to respond to their grand work and exultant prayers. Its brilliant, pristine sands shone with an aureate glow akin to the sun’s majestic rays, and the evocation of dawnlight and noon’s effulgent rays mustered holy light within the artefact’s chambers. As one, the entwined forces of fire and spirit joined with this pious belief, creating an enchanted amalgam that pulsed and roiled in anticipation as the city’s ceremony neared its climax. A swirling ember coalesced within the landmark long before they reached the interpretative forms for dawn, mid-morning, or noon, its size and shape defined by every spoken word and shifted stance. It swiftly moulded itself into the shape of a nascent sun, burning with all the promised glory of Sol Eos, and its silhouette seemed to shimmer for every Esmari syllable uttered in its presence. As Enorian issued one final cry, their golden child burst free upon a column of burning, aureate energy, eager to illuminate the world with its sanctified rays. Streaks of golden fire erupted across the Vashnar Mountains, its highest peaks buckling as the Hammer’s grand pyromancy took the region into its fiery grasp. Gilded whorls swirled throughout the air over Arurer Haven, their ceaseless contortions transfiguring them into an endless, archaic script that laid the groundwork for an unfathomable incantation woven into the sky as if it were a thread through welkin silk. Light soon chased the dark into an endless spiral that compressed upon itself, dragging the township’s position on the timeline through a rapid, pulsating flux of myriad dawns, high noons, and fiery sunsets that became a smear of heliacal hues dragged across time’s fraught canvas. A shaft of gilded brilliance pierced through the scintillating din, its core housing the darkened silhouette of a towering hourglass, and the subtle sigh of falling sand whispered throughout the realm as the Dawn’s Promise exerted its cosmic wellspring. Soon, the landmark’s chronomacy was as a knife, its faith-honed edge excising night’s reach from that single mountain within the Vashnars. Noontide’s fury and Rahielan’s purifying incandescence entwined together, ordered by a vast influx of Rewh’van energies drawn from some ancient place unknown. An anointed inferno swept across the mountainside, rendering it pristine, polished marble, even as the blazing might surged inward, toward the town itself. Consecrated by a collective plea to the sun and anointed by the unfettered power of Fire and Spirit, the land soon awakened to holy brilliance eternal, its rays as unyielding and majestic as the Age Promised by sacred books and the suffering of true believers. A single spark, that which was nurtured by the loving hand of eternal daylight and the Hammer’s prayers, swiftly roared to life. It devoured the air and conscripted it to the purposes of expansion until it towered as an inferno foretold in ominous scripture, its furious breadth lit as a blazing beacon decrying injustice and tyranny. Wheresoever that nascent giant’s light fell, its heat now served as an implacable aegis, staving off blackest night and driving away those evils that lurked behind its dark veil. Fervent praise and zealous battle-hymns arose from Arurer Haven as the priesthoods celebrated the coming of the Daystar’s child: a flame to one day rival Enorian’s beloved Grand Flame, stoked to roaring fires by faith. Bereft of its sustaining energies, the Dawn’s Promise bequeathed its constituent light to the burning beacon that now dominated the tiny prayer garden and then dimmed in turn. Its grains paused mid-flow, enraptured by the final enchantment that now wreathed Arurer Haven within eternal light. The landmark’s magic drained away, its purpose complete… for now. As holy light washed over Arurer Haven, the darkling hexlight of theocratic purpose illuminated an oft-overlooked dig site… \~~~~~ Summary: After carefully restoring the Dawn’s Promise to working order, Enorian transported it to Arurer Haven and conducted a prayer ceremony to enact grand pyromancy and chronomancy. The landmark’s energies surged outwards to empower the ritual, forging a new flame that now permanently illuminates the area with consecrated sunlight. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 12th of Ios, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part XIII: Death and Renewal](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-xiii-death-and-renewal/) **Published:** June 19, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Even as the souls of Morvaethe’s captives wandered the lands, the ancient arcanist hatched a plan to restore his sanctum to working order. After weeks of silence, the Curator emerged from a gateway conjured outside the Pleianes Complex and set about examining the amassed Seydan souls. This act attracted adventurers from every city-state spanning the continent, who arrived in time to hold a tense conversation with the elderly madman. Throughout the chat, Morvaethe made it clear that he sought to recover the souls of his captive exhibit, as their lack thereof made them ‘ugly to look upon’, and that it was no different from owning an expressionless painting or a statue without fine detail. Disgusted by this assertion, those amongst the Duirani immediately set about trying to find a way to deter the arcanist, who simply laughed and promised he would return in due time with the necessary tools to ‘reclaim his possessions’. Discouraged and defeated but not yet ready to concede, Sapience’s finest departed from the tiny corner of the Liruma with all haste in hopes of warning the realm at large of what was to come. Two weeks later, the sorcerer returned with something that vaguely resembled a necromancer’s soul gem. Morvaethe took the time to converse with those gathered as he set about utilising his newly wrought invention, his questions and responses barely audible above the din of screaming Seydan souls. Disturbed and furious by this desecration of their sanctity, Carotenuto Iron departed from the gathering and sought out a group of Duirani soldiers willing to join him in enacting a truly unthinkable plan. As he and a hundred wolfine marched ever closer to the temple of fallen Lleis, the adventurers who had stayed behind mourned their helplessness even as they spat venom towards this hated foe of the elder ages, who simply shrugged and laughed at the futility of their rage. With only a few hundred Seydan souls left to recapture, the old wizard took more time to taunt and gloat – an act that would later be his undoing. His back turned, Morvaethe had no warning aside from the wild ululations of a Heartwood battlecry before a crowd of lupine swordsmen rushed towards him… and then beyond him, towards the remaining souls who stood in mournful helplessness. With fury to guide them, the warriors mounted an all-out charge that dispersed what remained of the wispy spirits, putting them firmly outside of Morvaethe’s reach. Furious with this interference, the Curator’s face darkened like a swollen thundercloud. He swiftly made to depart back to his sanctum to restore what he could, though not before expressing his rage in a series of violent tantrums. Deeming some of the captive Vimunans as wasted eyesores due to a lack of soul, Morvaethe obliterated their physical forms to disperse them from the perfectly manicured beauty of his museum and screamed to the heavens in manic grief. Though the man culled dozens of Seyda from his exhibit, those adventurers attuned to the Underhalls felt the demise of three: a nameless reveller never again to experience a springtime festival, an anointed warrior-priest known as So’tel, the Autumn’s Tempest, and an elderly witch by the name of Tala Mossflower. Claiming that it was Sapience’s fault for their careless interference, the ancient nobleman informed the realm that the souls had been destroyed in their totality. He swiftly sequestered himself in his sanctum for several weeks and fussed ceaselessly over the soulbound gem in his clutches, the whole of his time and attention devoted to the restoration of Vimuna’s captured souls. A week later, still shaken by what they had done, the Heartwood gathered to mourn the destruction of hundreds of souls, convinced that Morvaethe’s expertise on the matter was ironclad. Hours after the Heartwood had dispersed to sit in quiet gloom, the light of hope broke through their sorrow – or, more specifically, the griping of an old Seydan witch looking for her hut. Flabbergasted by this turn of events, the Duirani mobilised posthaste and swept throughout the Aureliana in search of the old witch, unwilling to believe their ears until their eyes could agree on something thought impossible. It was Edhain de Verdigris who first found the little enchantress ambling about the southern end of the Aureliana’s new lake, and, in his excitement, he swept the ancient woman up into his embrace for sheer joy and relief. Confused but unwilling to anger a stranger who was clearly happy to see her, the elderly witch only managed to escape the hug when the rest of the Heartwood – and many other Sapient adventurers – had gathered to look upon her. A veritable avalanche of questions soon buried Tala Mossflower, who seemed to be gaining her bearings at an alarmingly fast pace. The witch claimed that she had undergone a spirit journey – a separation of the body and soul, wherein she looked upon a Sapience changed in so many ways as to be nearly unrecognisable to her. According to her narrations, Tala had looked upon the temples of a new age: vast cities of stone where iron and pain ruled as tyrants, or else where fire and fury held as the eternal monarchs. She whispered of desecrated altars of steel, wherein praise was given to no god but the self, and of battlefields upon fields where none of nature’s beauty yet remained. The Seyda, awe in her hushed tone, went on to explain that she had beheld new, green places of ‘utmost life’, something that drew murmurs from the living amongst her growing audience. When the vision quest had ceased, Tala had sought to join the rest of her people before the temple of their beloved Goddess, where they could finally be together and free from their captor and from the terrible passage of time without decay. Eventually, the wolfine had dispersed her – not killed her or destroyed her soul, as Sapience had feared, but simply sent her to stand before the Mirror as was the way of things. The witch seemed confused at this moment, as if she did not know the Soul Mirror, and had insisted that it might be some new landmark capable of subverting death, though her newfound companions were swift to explain the Mirror’s truths to her. Disquieted by this revelation and all the newness of the world, she admitted that she had not seen any of her fellow Seyda on her way through a Mirror that had initially refused to process her – and then, after gazing upon its silver-seamed sights, she had woken up in a ‘very uncomfortable cave that needs more furnishing’. The old enchantress mourned the state of the world, and she seemed convinced that the Wars of Power yet raged to this day. She explained to the crowd that she had been a protector of Vimuna, a powerful deterrent to Yetrent and the Dark Empire. Tala even went so far as to insist upon the fantastic and mysterious sights she had beheld throughout the workings of sorcery through the fabled landmarks, leaving many to wonder what she could teach in the days to come. When pressed about the state of things within Morvaethe’s stasis, the elderly witch admitted that those captured were capable of perceiving the passage of time – a maddening thing that her mind had been inoculated against ages ago when she took up the practice of ritual magic. However, she admitted that many of her people would not possess such a gift and thus none of its protections, leaving Sapience’s finest to worry for the health and sanity of those still held in Morvaethe’s clutches. As the elderly witch sat down in her new hut built by the hands of overjoyed Sentinels, an unlikely duo took wing once more after investigating a slumbering landmark… \~~~~~ Summary: Morvaethe partially succeeded in reclaiming the souls of Seyda that had gathered outside fallen Lleis’ temple. Of those he could not regain, dispersed by a wolfine military gambit as they were, an elder Seydan witch known as Tala Mossflower found herself once more whole in body where she settled into the recently transformed Aureliana. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 12th of Ios, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads June 2025 - part 2](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-june-2025-part-2/) **Published:** June 18, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, Per report 3655, I’ve gone through and changed up the Praenomen path / Akkari sect skill pools. Although the changelog looks long, it hasn’t changed too much from their original versions. The endgame for each path / sect is still more or less the same, except for Phreneses / Dosan, they’re a bit different. Enjoy! Afflictions ============================== – The ‘psychosis’ affliction is now a mental affliction. – The ‘psychosis’ affliction no longer makes whispers / dictations hidden. – The ‘psychosis’ affliction is now resisted by the ‘clarity’ defence. Corpus / Ascendance ============================== – Claw / Bloodlet now have slightly different messages. Mentis / Dictum ============================== – New Skill: Psychosis / Kuinrahakal. Sanguis / Discipline ============================== – Renamed the Wisp skill to Rituals. – Raise / Recruit can no longer pick the mental option, it is by default physical only. – The effect for craze / strife in Pulse / Repent now knocks you to the ground and strips courage. – Added skills in the path / host selection below are removed from the general Sanguis skill pool. Insidiae / Il’ahji ============================== – Added Skill: Mutation / Doctrine. \* Now lets you use it again to change the type. – Added Skill: Blur / Suppress. Phreneses / Dosan ============================== – New Skill: Ravish / Adjudicate. \* When using the Claw / Bloodlet attack, it will make your next single whisper faster. – Added Skill: Trepidation / Light. – Renamed the Enrage skill to Craven. – Reworked Skill: Craven / Transcend. \* Now lets you Feed / Deliver upon a player whom has at least one physical affliction. \* Upon a successful Feed / Deliver, lets you recover balance and equilibrium more quickly for a short period. – Spew / Attend can now cause blisters, vomiting, and impairment. – Using Spew / Attend will disable your ability to whisper / dictate more than one affliction for its cooldown. – Spew / Attend changed to require balance and costs 4.25 seconds of balance. – Spew / Attend cooldown increased to 25 seconds, up from 15. Rituos / Naarak ============================== – Removed Skill: Curse / Anathema. – Added Skill: Wisp / Exaction. \* Will now cause enemies in your location to passively bleed. – Added Skill: Shadowblow / Retaliation. \* Now deals mana damage instead of unblockable damage. – New Skill: Susurro / Fiat. \* Grants a 25% chance to make a whisper / dictation hidden. – Renamed the Seize skill to Thrombus. – Thrombus / Inquisition now deals three instances of reduced mana damage every 3 seconds, with the final instance stunning the opponent. – Thrombus / Inquisition cooldown increased to 30 seconds, up from 20. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 10th of Ios, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads June 2025 - part 1](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-june-2025-part-1/) **Published:** June 18, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Afflictions ============================== – \[3660\] Added ‘unconsciousness’ into our affliction database. – \[3663\] The ‘immobility’ affliction is now cured when the caster of it moves. \* This only affects the player version, and not if it is given by a denizen. – \[3683\] You now get ‘feeble\_legs’ from etherflux when hit with cold damage, instead of ‘impairment’. – \[3677\] The aura of rebounding is no longer concealed by ‘blackout’. Artifacts ============================== – \[3659\] The miniature holocausts from the ‘planar\_fire’ relic can now be stacked. – \[3717\] The ‘infused’ defences from elemental globes now persist through death. – \[3717\] The ‘infused’ defences now only provide 5% resistance to their corresponding element, down from 10%. – \[3733\] Using FLY through the ‘flight’ artifact now has a balance time of 3.25 seconds, up from 2. Dominion / Contracts ============================== – \[3667\] Pathfinder / Tegalid max health reduced to 500, down from 1000. Elemancy / Humourism ============================== – \[3683\] Increased the DoT damage from Disintegrate / Obliteration. – \[3692\] Feedback / Traumatise scaling for missing max mana is now measured in csecs, instead of seconds. Fury ============================== – \[3712\] Consume can no longer raise you above 15% of your maximum fury. Gravitation / Sporulation ============================== – \[3702\] Recall / Transplant now instantly creates darkness if Absorb / Stormstem is turned on. Primality / Alchemy ============================== – \[3726\] Stormbolt / Fulmination now uses its boosted effect as the default effect. – \[3726\] Stormbolt / Fulmination now has a new boosted effect, where any non-passive electric damage will trigger ‘thunderstorm’. \* This will still only trigger upon damage from the caster of ‘thunderstorm’. – \[3727\] Infest / Infiltrative boosted effect now has a delay of 4 seconds, up from 2. – \[3727\] Spines / Pathogen boosted effect now has a delay of 4 seconds, up from 2. Savagery / Warding ============================== – \[3732\] Mastery no longer grants a 5% damage bonus to attacks with that weapon. – \[3732\] Spinning / Lacerate damage in PvE roughly increased by 5%. – \[3732\] Doublebash / Maul damage in PvE roughly increased by 5%. – \[3732\] Razehack / Bypass damage in PvE roughly increased by 5%. Songcalling ============================== – \[3698\] Charity now gives the peace affliction, instead of magnanimity. Performance ============================== – \[3698\] Guilt now gives shivering as one of its options, instead of peace. Telepathy ============================== – \[3722\] Decreased the equilibrium recovery time on Push to 2.5 seconds, down from 3. Weaving ============================== – \[3673\] New Skill: Threads. – \[3700\] Skills that had a hard requirement either Globes, Runeband, or Boundary to be present no longer require them. \* Those skills will still activate their bonus effects however, if they are present. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 8th of Ios, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Father's day](https://www.aetolia.com/news/fathers-day-3/) **Published:** June 15, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Don’t forget that it’s Father’s Day today (Sunday) in America and other places in the world! Make sure to call your dad! To celebrate, we’re giving away 25 bound credits simply for entering DADSRULE within the next few days. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 16th of Severin, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Submissions Closed](https://www.aetolia.com/news/submissions-closed-8/) **Published:** June 15, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Submission for new classleads is now closed. You can use REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find reports you haven’t left a comment on, and REPORTS ABSTAINED for reports you haven’t voted on. After TWO days to gather late comments and votes, we will start to post decisions. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 14th of Severin, in the year 12 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads June 2025](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-june-2025/) **Published:** June 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, The time has come for our second round of classleads of the year! Get those reports in mind and read on! ——————————— Information for this classlead cycle: Submissions will be open for TWO WEEKS in which you can submit THREE reports in for consideration which will be left anonymous. Once this time frame is up, there will be TWO DAYS to vote before we will start posting decisions. You can still vote early as per normal, but the extra two days will be there to avoid the feeling of late reports purposefully being submitted to be snuck through near the end. All classes are open to classleads, no restrictions! If you’re new, continue on below for more information on classleads. If you’re old, please read HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES at the very least. ——————————— What are classleads: Classleads are a two week period that allows players to submit reports about their class (or other classes) for review by the administration. Do you believe that Siderealist should be able to collapse the cosmic universe with a thought? Then this is what you’ve been waiting for! Make sure to read through HELP CLASSLEADS to learn the commands needed to make and submit your reports, and I also highly recommend HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES to help avoid common potholes when creating your submissions. If you want to keep track of submissions and results, have a look at CONFIG CLASSLEADS and consider turning it on. Also consider joining the Discord! On top of being a great place for report feedback before submission, each report will have a thread created about it so you can discuss it with others. See HELP DISCORD for information. Details on submission: \* Newly created reports will be marked as anonymous, your name as a submitter will not be revealed to others. \* You may submit up to a total of three reports across the skillsets of the game to suggest combat balance adjustments, new features, or quality of life upgrades. Please note that this limit is based across all characters you own. \* Reports that are based on skills you do not possess will be much more heavily scrutinized, so make sure they are top-notch before submission. \* While you must provide reasonable solutions to your report’s problem, we may opt for a fourth solution instead based upon feedback. \* Once a report is submitted, -anyone- may vote upon its merit using the CLASSLEAD SUPPORT/REJECT commands. If you wish to support/reject a report, please provide your reasoning and make sure to point out any shortcomings or additions you feel might be necessary. You may also simply leave a comment using CLASSLEAD COMMENT , if you wish for a more neutral approach. \* Any commentary which basically boils down to ‘I agree with my bud’ or ‘This is a terrible idea’ will automatically be discarded, and will you hurt your chances at passing through reports in future rounds, perhaps even resulting in loss of ability to submit at all. If you can consistently provide level-headed thought and in depth knowledge then your opinions will be valued more highly over others, and could result in extra submissions. \* You can use REPORTS ABSTAINED and REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find submitted reports you have not voted upon or commented. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 5th of Slyphian, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [June Promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/june-promotion-3/) **Published:** June 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, Aetolians! Throughout the month of June, we have two promotional offerings for you: \[0;1;37mRacetrack tickets\[0m and \[0;1;37mthe Wheel of Fates\[0m! Every \[0;1;31m25\[0m credits purchased this month will net you a racetrack ticket that you can use for gambling at the \[0;1;37mVakmut Racetrack\[0m in Esterport for a chance at winning credits. If you play your odds right, you’ll earn even more credits! Refer to \[0;1;37mHELP RACETRACK\[0m for full details on how this system works. For those unfamiliar with the Wheel of Fates, \[0;1;37mHELP WHEEL OF FATES\[0m now has all of the up to date information! Purchases of tokens also reward Guild and City credits, there’s also a global \[0;1;31m500\[0m credit prize for every \[0;1;31m300th\[0m spin! You can also find a skull token in the milestone wares for June! Logging in for at least an hour each day earns a free spin and premium skull tokens with higher value prizes can be obtained from the Aetolia website at \[0;1;37mwww.aetolia.com/credits\[0m! Those who obtain skull tokens can \[0;1;37mSPIN WHEEL OUTER SKULL\[0m up to three times to determine their prize category followed by \[0;1;37mSPIN WHEEL INNER SKULL\[0m to win prizes from the following: Outer Wheel – Credits: Unbound credit prizes ranging from \[0;1;31m33\[0m-\[0;1;31m250\[0m! Outer Wheel – Iron Coins: Unbound Iron Coins ranging from \[0;1;31m20\[0m-\[0;1;31m100\[0m! Outer Wheel – Lessons: Lesson prizes ranging from \[0;1;31m250\[0m-\[0;1;31m500\[0m! Outer Wheel – Artifact: Artifacts ranging from \[0;1;31m50\[0m all the way up to \[0;1;31m2000\[0m credits in value! Outer Wheel – Items: Chocolate bags, elemental globes, fireworks, customisation certificates, discount vouchers, compendium pages\[0;33m\*\[0m, minipets\[0;33m\*\*\[0m, style scrolls\[0;33m\*\*\*\[0m, artifact tattoo tokens, and low chances at morphic metal and antiquated salvage! Outer Wheel – Relic: Relic pieces for the following relics: caudum, coldblooded, flair\_searching, pouch, camouflage, fakeid, starchart. Remember you can use \[0;1;37mRELIC LIST PROMO FULL\[0m to see the full details for all these pieces! \[0;33m\*\[0m: Pages this month include: an abandoned hideout of the Red Hand, the Shastaan Warrens, the Squal, Eftehl Island, the Vault of Domor and Yuzurai village. \[0;33m\*\*\[0m: Minipets this month include: a blood drop sprite; a time-locked, glasswing butterfly; a charm-decorated fawn spirit; a bloodied hand of sabledark marble; and a pristine sandling. You’ll notice that all five of these minipets are \[0;1;37mbrand new\[0m and are themed after some of the landmarks from our ongoing event! \[0;33m\*\*\*\[0m: Styles available this month are: musical \[0;1;31m(NEW!)\[0m, ritualistic, insane, lazy, straightforward and loud. There is also a chance to obtain style point currency for the shop at v76367. Note that the musical style is a brand new style as of this month, courtesy of our fantastic Mortal Builders team! Be sure to check out \[0;1;37mSTYLE PREVIEW MUSICAL\[0m to see all the fantastic messages available in this style! Finally, it’s \[0;1;37mCritical Thursday\[0m this month! Every \[0;1;37mThursday\[0m this month, you’ll find your chance at critical hits increased! Enjoy! p.s: Remember that there’s multiple wheels out there, so you don’t have to all crowd at the same one! They can found at: -v1180 Before the bridge to Esterport -v1299 North of Trees -v56509 The Landward Gate (Enorian) -v9194 A shadowy cavern (Bloodloch) -v43846 Stone bridge over a spring (Duiran) -v11687 Inside the outer gate (Spinesreach) Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 4th of Slyphian, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [June Promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/june-promotion-2/) **Published:** June 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, Aetolians! Throughout the month of June, we have two promotional offerings for you: \[0;1;37mRacetrack tickets\[0m and \[0;1;37mthe Wheel of Fates\[0m! Every \[0;1;31m25\[0m credits purchased this month will net you a racetrack ticket that you can use for gambling at the \[0;1;37mVakmut Racetrack\[0m in Esterport for a chance at winning credits. If you play your odds right, you’ll earn even more credits! Refer to \[0;1;37mHELP RACETRACK\[0m for full details on how this system works. For those unfamiliar with the Wheel of Fates, \[0;1;37mHELP WHEEL OF FATES\[0m now has all of the up to date information! Purchases of tokens also reward Guild and City credits, there’s also a global \[0;1;31m500\[0m credit prize for every \[0;1;31m300th\[0m spin! You can also find a skull token in the milestone wares for June! Logging in for at least an hour each day earns a free spin and premium skull tokens with higher value prizes can be obtained from the Aetolia website at \[0;1;37mwww.aetolia.com/credits\[0m! Those who obtain skull tokens can \[0;1;37mSPIN WHEEL OUTER SKULL\[0m up to three times to determine their prize category followed by \[0;1;37mSPIN WHEEL INNER SKULL\[0m to win prizes from the following: Outer Wheel – Credits: Unbound credit prizes ranging from \[0;1;31m33\[0m-\[0;1;31m250\[0m! Outer Wheel – Iron Coins: Unbound Iron Coins ranging from \[0;1;31m20\[0m-\[0;1;31m100\[0m! Outer Wheel – Lessons: Lesson prizes ranging from \[0;1;31m250\[0m-\[0;1;31m500\[0m! Outer Wheel – Artifact: Artifacts ranging from \[0;1;31m50\[0m all the way up to \[0;1;31m2000\[0m credits in value! Outer Wheel – Items: Chocolate bags, elemental globes, fireworks, customisation certificates, discount vouchers, compendium pages\[0;33m\*\[0m, minipets\[0;33m\*\*\[0m, style scrolls\[0;33m\*\*\*\[0m, artifact tattoo tokens, and low chances at morphic metal and antiquated salvage! Outer Wheel – Relic: Relic pieces for the following relics: vines, coldblooded, flair\_searching, pouch, camouflage, exploremirror, starchart. Remember you can use \[0;1;37mRELIC LIST PROMO FULL\[0m to see the full details for all these pieces! \[0;33m\*\[0m: Pages this month include: an abandoned hideout of the Red Hand, the Shastaan Warrens, the Squal, Eftehl Island, the Vault of Domor and Yuzurai village. \[0;33m\*\*\[0m: Minipets this month include: a blood drop sprite; a time-locked, glasswing butterfly; a charm-decorated fawn spirit; a bloodied hand of sabledark marble; and a pristine sandling. You’ll notice that all five of these minipets are \[0;1;37mbrand new\[0m and are themed after some of the landmarks from our ongoing event! \[0;33m\*\*\*\[0m: Styles available this month are: musical \[0;1;31m(NEW!)\[0m, ritualistic, insane, lazy, straightforward and loud. There is also a chance to obtain style point currency for the shop at v76367. Note that the musical style is a brand new style as of this month, courtesy of our fantastic Mortal Builders team! Be sure to check out \[0;1;37mSTYLE PREVIEW MUSICAL\[0m to see all the fantastic messages available in this style! Finally, it’s \[0;1;37mCritical Thursday\[0m this month! Every \[0;1;37mThursday\[0m this month, you’ll find your chance at critical hits increased! Enjoy! p.s: Remember that there’s multiple wheels out there, so you don’t have to all crowd at the same one! They can found at: -v1180 Before the bridge to Esterport -v1299 North of Trees -v56509 The Landward Gate (Enorian) -v9194 A shadowy cavern (Bloodloch) -v43846 Stone bridge over a spring (Duiran) -v11687 Inside the outer gate (Spinesreach) Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 4th of Slyphian, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part XII: Forbidden Arithmetic](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-xii-forbidden-arithmetic/) **Published:** May 23, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As summer heat pelted the rest of the continent, the Theocracy of Spinesreach once more forced eyes upon them from their seat in the frozen north, where chaotic and calculated matters alike demanded attention. The realm of Labyrinthine Chaos stirred from a long slumber as Vox the Silvertongue, Herald of Discord, emerged from the offered memories of Spinesreach’s own Prophet of Ascension and Regent, Legyn. Born of Legyn’s recollection regarding manipulation (specifically, supplying the gangs of Delve’s Underbelly during the civil unrest of the Monomachy), this new Chaos Lord brought renewed vitality to the burgeoning realm, prompting the Theocracy to action. Melding their minds with the writhing expanse of their growing shard, the collective Spirean will propelled Labyrinthine Chaos deep into the Sea of Chaos, tracking and exterminating several monstrous entities that threatened their realm’s stability. Each fallen creature strengthened Labyrinthine’s Chaos hold upon the Labyrinth’s Grasp, securing the landmark for the Theocracy’s ambitious designs yet to come. Meanwhile, within the Citadel’s Ironmaw prison, Captain Thuneron of the City Guard brought troubling news to Viceroy Pietre Marcelli. While missing citizens were hardly unusual, especially in a city as dangerous as the North, the Captain noted the disappearances had exceeded statistical norms to an alarming degree. In his dual capacity as Director of the Syssin, the Viceroy mobilised a network of informants and Syssin agents to investigate. Through careful questioning and persuasion of the common folk, the clues started to emerge: witnesses spoke of a man bearing scars around his neck, possessed of a strangely hypnotic voice, who claimed to be a Spirean official escorting criminal mages. Many of these prisoners he led matched descriptions of missing citizens. Despite the Syssin’s best efforts, the suspect remains at large, his purpose and motivations still unknown. Yet these concerns paled before the audacious experiment that followed early on the 2nd of Lleian, year 11 AC. Sneak, the legendary numerologist and founder of the Archivists joined with the current Architect of Progress, Legyn, to orchestrate an unprecedented feat of numerology for sake of their goals with the Labyrinth’s Grasp. Seven numerologists were gathered and briefed on the harrowing, and fatal, task ahead: a sevenfold simultaneous elicitation of the Immortal Number through each Sphere of numerological study. The purpose: to create a resonance within the Source of Knowledge that the Archivium and Theocracy could measure. Once gathered, Sneak explained in her characteristic detachment that the Immortal Number, oft-misunderstood due to its naming, was not restricted to Divine insofar as numerological contemplation went. However, because its scope exceeds what any mortal mind could contain, it is almost assuredly a catastrophic pursuit even in large cabals, and the numerologist speculated aloud that even all mortal minds combined could not successfully elicit anything without a terrible price. She soon made clear to the group of seven that she did not anticipate conventional success, but instead hoped for the least damaging outcomes. The daring occultist went on to explain that they would most assuredly meet horrible ends – she claimed that was ‘the best-case scenario’, for there was a significant possibility the participants could instead wipe themselves from existence. Failure, she noted, was the designed outcome of this plan. The seven conclavists dispersed to their assigned locations across Sapience: Csethiro claimed Yggdrasil for Yuef; Legyn took position at Tiyen Indoron for Ef’tig; Sheryni stationed herself at the Court of the Consortium for Rafic; Elene went to coastal Mournhold for Jherza; Linne begrudgingly arrived at the Soul Index for Yi; Solen travelled to Qor Qogol for Jhako; and Ulo remained within Spinesreach before the Empty Throne for Lgakt. Following Sneak’s precise instructions and under Legyn’s coordination, each numerologist began numerological contemplation in unison. At once, reality itself began to shudder. Seven beacons of power manifested across the continent, their combined resonance sending ontological tremors through existence. A single attempt might have escaped higher notice. Instead, such a profound, sevenfold elicitation caused such a tremendous disturbance that ancient Odravh once more roused from the mysterious confines of Helmspace. Already overtaxed and loathe to allow more damage to Its charge, the crowned monarch of the ley turned Its attention toward this septenary disruption, and Its mere recognition accelerated the inevitable. Where the process might have taken precious moments more and caused untold damage to reality’s fabric, the Abyssal’s intervention instead compressed their dissolutions into points of overwhelming intensity. Seven deaths came in terrible, rapid succession. At Yggdrasil, Csethiro’s consciousness stretched across the existential fabric, like the world tree’s roots seeking infinite purchase, and her body sought to follow suit until both reached a fatal terminus. Tiyen Indoron witnessed a grotesque multiplication as Legyn’s form split exponentially before the throne of its Dark Lady, each division spawning two more identical copies of their own until physical space could contain no more. Adventurers reported sensing hundreds of Legyn duplicates for several confusing moments before each converged into a crushing implosion of flesh and bone that surely delighted its Divine Matron. At the Court of the Consortium, Sheryni aged and regressed rapidly, drowning beneath the weight of past, present and future as her body failed to reconcile its contradictory temporal states. Yet more disturbing fates awaited those contemplating infinity through the higher Spheres that followed. In Mournhold, something ancient stirred beneath Elene’s demise – something that even the Abyssal acted wary of when It turned Its gaze upon her. Vile fluids misted the air as her abdomen burst open with explosive pressure, spilling forth writhing masses of tumorous flesh from her already dying body. An abominable, massive, slime-slicked egg remains at the site, proof of the demise brought forth from this unholy birth. The Soul Index bore witness to Linne’s dissolution into pure arcane energy, every question she had ever asked and will ask crystallising into a concentrated sphere of magical potential. It captured not only her physical essence, but the very concept of a failed pursuit – an infinite question frozen at the moment of asking that yet hovers before the ancient Ankyrean relic, a recursive inquiry with no terminus, a ceaseless spiral of questions without answers that soon drove her into anxious mania. At Qor Qogol, Jhako’s scales ceded to the Abyssal’s influence, and Solen’s skeleton turned traitor as it tore free from its prison of flesh. The renegade bones fled into the depths of Qor Qogol, but not before it crushed the flaccid sack of skin that was once Solen under its foot. Within the Citadel itself, Ulo’s contemplation of Lgakt resulted in complete dissolution, each particle of their being spawning a diminutive chaos entity. Hundreds of these mini-Ulos rampaged through Spinesreach’s streets, their rage-fueled cries announcing violent assault upon guards and citizens alike until the last was put down. With the meddlesome mortals dispatched, Odravh’s presence receded to Helmspace, leaving a bewildered continent to grapple with the consequences. Beyond the immediate carnage, stranger effects lingered. Though physically recovered through her passage through the Mirror, Linne spent days in the grips of raving madness to the concern of her peers, and her infinite question still awaits its answer, suspended before the Soul Index. The egg spawned from Elene’s demise pulses with unholy life in the street of Mournhold, and the Grand Library has received myriad reports of a lumbering Ogre seen henning it. Solen’s animated skeleton remains at large, its purpose unknown. What lingering effects the other sites of this disaster might produce are yet to be seen. However, theologians and experts of sorcerous byproducts attest that the Theocracy’s last numerological tampering – that of employed ylemfire in the Liruma – was at least partially responsible for the Monomachy, leading many to adopt a pessimistic outlook. The Archivists now await the results of their efforts, as Sneak spends the days locked away in her study to analyse the resonance patterns captured during the elicitation… \~~~ Summary: The Theocracy strengthened Labyrinthine Chaos while investigating mysterious disappearances linked to a scarred man claiming official authority. Most dramatically, the Archivists orchestrated a sevenfold elicitation of the Immortal Number that drew divine intervention and resulted in seven uniquely horrifying deaths, leaving behind chaos entities, mysterious eggs, rogue skeletons, and other anomalies whose full implications remain unknown. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 1st of Ivolnos, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part XI: Cosmic Renewal](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-xi-cosmic-renewal/) **Published:** May 23, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** For more than eight months, the Council of Duiran had toiled in the name of the Verdant Totem; its desires made known to them previously to call the Aureliana its home, where it belonged. Week in and week out were the memories of the island of Ulangi pulled free from the soil, its wellspring of grief an unending font that they tapped with unrelenting fervour. Over three thousand charms dangled from the Verdant Totem, each carved with care like the thick pelt of a prodigious beast. Thrumming with memories of old, the trinkets empowered the magic of a journeying songline. Each charm, etched with care by the solemn hand of a councillor, was soon settled to decorate the landmark’s prodigious bulk, their combined investment empowering the magic of Shamanic songlines – a spell promising a journey yet to come. It was upon the early morning of the 13th of Lleian that Runemaster Olto called the council of Duiran to join him upon Ulangi, having communed with the spirits of Dia’ruis during this time in efforts to find how best to set the far end of the Verdant Totem’s songline journey from the petrified forest of Ulangi to its desired resting place, the heart of the Aureliana. Here, the Runemaster explained what was to come: an outpouring of memory and struggle to connect the two locations, building the songline’s terminus in tandem. Explaining with gestures as he went, he told the councillors to grab a piece of petrified deadfall from the nearby land and bring it with them on their journey toward the Aureliana. Once under the eaves of the distant forest, they would carve into this deadfall and build a totem to serve, embedding within it a simple charm that contained a memory to bind the two disparate pieces of land together. Like buzzing bees set loose to conquer spring’s bounty, the nearly two dozen individuals filtered out, following the words of the Runemaster and making their way toward the Aureliana to implant their carved totems at the heart of the wood, where the totem would hopefully come to reside. Bound in their purpose by Shamanic magic and memory’s insight, each of the Council’s planted totems became a veritable swarm unto themselves, powerfully abuzz with the potential to call out to the Verdant Totem through song. Unique, they likewise contained the work of but a single individual – none would be enough to build that desired ending point on the songline’s journey, but as one they could do anything. With the final totem planted, the council appointed several watchmen and gathered together at the forest’s heart to conclude the Shamanic spell. Runemaster Olto and the rest of the council looked on in anticipation when the appointed hour was nigh as he enacted the ancient ritual’s magic, serenading the Aureliana with an ethereal song. The deadfall totems trembled in unison as the songline found its tentative connection, the complex network of woven memory and souldeep song grown taut as its magic intensified. A song with no end looped into a song without beginning, began to circle seamlessly throughout the sandy heart of the Aureliana wood, all backed by a macabre clattering as the totems rattled in and out of sync. What followed was not quite an image but not quite merely sound; the works of Dia’ruian magic are never quite so simply categorised as researchers and librarians might so desire. Each totem sang its verse within this unceasing song, adding layer by layer to the call of the Verdant Totem on the far-distant isle. The last totem contained but a floating elderflower afloat on silken dark water, its placidity gently broken by something that stirred deep within. What began as an unceasing song now claimed more members to its choir, the savage wailing of tribal Grook and chitter of elder Horkval both joining as a silhouette of the totem began to take shape within the space, erupting from beneath the fallow earth and wretched sand that had claimed the heart of the Aureliana. Prismatic cracks ran serpentine along the ground, up the towering arboreal titans and into their very boughs, a veritable network made visible to the mortal gaze, and likewise did it run deep into the soil, expanding as a predator’s hungry maw. ‘Ia! Ia! Ia!’ screeched the long-gone Grookish bonecasters. ‘Tkreee! Tkree!’ chittered the dead Horkvali shamans. The storm of power and song converged upon a singular individual: Sitai the Wanderer. Whisked away the power of a guardian’s manifest might and ancient prowess, the mortal tumbled through the thin veil betwixt Prime and Life, summoned to meet some unknown demand ‘neath Dia’ruian eaves. The Grand Library has not been able to verify the facts of what transpired upon the plane at this time, though rumour has it that the Shaman acted as a focal point for the Verdant Totem’s connection to become one with the land – and then Dia’ruis soon after. When he returned to the Prime Material, Sitai had become one of the sacred Tiarna an-Kiar, an ascendant sworn forevermore to Aetolia’s lirathyar. With the newly anointed ascendant came a brilliant eruption of cosmic brilliance, erupting from within the sacred heart of the Aureliana. Trembling like a blossom straining to unfurl, the silhouette of the totem spewed sidereal fire across the firmament to celebrate its terrestrial binding. Held to the earth in truth and woven within the Aurelianan ley, the Verdant Totem eschewed its ethereality in favour of a physical form. Inch by inch, rune by rune, the cylindrical structure manifested in full as the land groaned and keened, its twin song echoing from Ulangi’s shores and Aureliana’s heart alike. Croaking, chittering madness cavorted as the Totem’s triumphant rhythm, the whistling kiss of the breeze against tree its exultant woodwinds. The Council erupted with cheers and excitement here, for they knew they had accomplished their goal: the Verdant Totem stood tall within the Aureliana, its journey at a triumphant end. Seconds later, that brilliant network flared to life once more. A rumbling coursed through the ley as the landmark exerted its willful influence, its immense power filtering through the forest like a flood dappled by myriad stars. This newfound connection facilitated communion betwixt the landmark and the growing plane of Dia’ruis, allowing the sum of the totem’s amassed energy from the planetary conjunction to trickle into the lirathyar itself as nourishment. Dia’ruis drank deep of the cosmic bounty and hastened to express Her will. What would have taken decades, centuries, ages to grow, die and be reborn happened then in passing seconds, as the will of Dia’ruis and the Verdant Totem saw to renewal in the auspicious month of Lleian there in the Aureliana. Hastened by fecund hypergenesis, new greenery and growth sprouted where none had previously, and those barren places found the wellspring of life’s cycle finally turn from the long cold of winter to the newfound beginning of spring in all forms. Soil and hill contorted under the outpouring of power, the land’s topography reimagined as if by a singular breath of Life. The woodlands of the revitalized area came to be as one with the surrounding landscape, the soil renewed, boughs tall and full, and its expanse pulled as far as the surrounding grasslands would rightfully allow. Elsewhere, as the rumbling in the Aureliana ceased and all within it began to explore its new trails, the Satyr of Dia’ruis cheered with wild exultation. A long-imprisoned guardian known as Kaarn, corrupted in centuries past by the actions of selfish an-Kiar, experienced an unprecedented resurgence by some related providence. The Grand Library’s theologians speculate that the cosmic energies running through the Prime Material seeped through to the plane of Dia’ruis, allowing the growing plane of Life to direct the essence as necessary. Though many Dia’ruian cultists remain tightlipped about the proceedings, sources attest to an ever-increasing certainty of the guardian’s health and distance both as the stag spirit sought seclusion moments after his release from his bindings. With one landmark depleted of its cosmic bounty, curious onlookers turned their attention toward the remaining six, wondering what great and mighty acts those who had claimed them planned to enacta \~~~~~ Summary: Durian worked a powerful ritual within the Aureliana, bringing the Verdant Totem to its new home. The entirety of the cosmic power bequeathed to the landmark drained out into the forest, revitalising the surrounding area and bringing it new life and growth, as well as wiping clean the slate for an ancient guardian migrated from forsaken Dendara. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 25th of Lleian, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Promo adjustments](https://www.aetolia.com/news/promo-adjustments/) **Published:** May 22, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, Just to action on some promo feedback we’ve gotten, I’ve made these changes to cryptic chests: – Slighty reduced the chance of globes, chalices, fireworks and pets. – Ephemeral relic coffers have just been added directly to the chests, and fill in that chance void subtracted from the above, instead of requiring you to exchange normal relic coffers to obtain them. – The chance of all other prizes remains intact. – Broken chest pieces have also been added to the list of possible bonus drops (i.e. alongside things like grimstims, yellow eyes, etc). Additionally, one of the Celani had inspiration for a new minipet which I added to the list of choices: – a lava-wreathed wyrmling Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 20th of Lleian, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [OOC conflicts](https://www.aetolia.com/news/ooc-conflicts/) **Published:** May 21, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, We’ve recently observed an unacceptable escalation of OOC conflicts spilling into game channels, city clans, mass messages, and private tells surrounding a specific interpersonal situation. If you’re involved, you know exactly what I’m talking about, and this post is to address all of you since the situation is spreading too wide for us to cast a full net over. This needs to stop. Now. While passionate debate and IC rivalry are parts of the game, certain patterns of behaviour have emerged surrounding this situation that are detrimental to the overall health of our community and the enjoyment of the game for many. What we’ve seen over the past week includes: weaponized issues; OOC posts designed to assassinate someone’s character; dragging uninvolved players into the drama through mass messages or otherwise bringing their name up; ignore cirvumvention; sharing around of private content (e.g. posts, messages) through the game community; treating admin like your personal mediation service; and more. This behavior is consuming excessive administrative time and creating a toxic environment for everyone involved, including bystanders who just want to play the game. Effective immediately: – Any further retaliatory or frivolous issues regarding this situation will result in loss of issue privileges. – Continued use of OOC channels to prosecute personal grievances will result in temporary game suspensions. – Players who persist in dragging others into this drama will face escalating consequences. Anything that otherwise remains a violation of actual game rules is still safe to issue about. This is the final warning for all parties to drop these issues and move on. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 19th of Lleian, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Duel](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-duel-6/) **Published:** May 19, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks! The big time has come again to pit your skills against the world as participants of the Duel! Hosted this weekend, who will stand at the top this time around? Will it be you? WHAT IS THE DUEL The Duel is a one on one double-elimination tournament hosted in Esterport, in which you can obtain prizes! See HELP THE DUEL for more details! WHAT ARE THE PRIZES First place obtains 100 credits, fame, and the Rapier of the Master Duelist. A plethora of goodies! There is also a random participant prize that you can potentially obtain, all you need to do is be there! And lastly, there will be the figurine of the Runecarver class for those on the hunt to complete their collection. WHEN IS IT Check out EVENTS INFO 1177 for the exact time. Use CONFIG TIMEZONE to see it in your local time! That’s all, see you there! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 2nd of Lleian, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part X: Sea and Soul](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-x-sea-and-soul/) **Published:** May 12, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the Curator toiled to some unknown end, secluded from all of Sapience, the realm continued to suffer the consequences of his hubris. Released by some unknown means, the souls of some of his exhibit subjects began breaking away from their mortal shells. Tormented as a majority, the spirits wandered Sapience as geists and confused spirits, for the most resentful of other mortals who yet still walk free from Morvaethe’s machinations. At first, adventurers did not even recognise the turmoil, leaving naught but the wind to hear the cries of these lost souls. These hauntings grew so frequent as to be commonplace over the coming weeks, giving rise to concerns and plots regarding these new byproducts of Morvaethe’s horrific ‘preservation’. Among the first of such soul sightings to be found upon a broader scale was that of a pair of Menedu spirits wandering the Ayhesa cliffs, the shouting from Spellshapers drawing those curious to spectate these entities and those intent on culling them from existence. Calling out to the living, these ghostly raiders demanded to know where their homes had gone, for their domiciles were built into geography just the same as they had found here, just a stone’s throw from Tasur’ke and the oceans beyond. Even as some adventurers cast these spirits to death anew, it wouldn’t be long before they emerged once more some paces away. This repetitious process led nowhere but to confusion and a brief dustup betwixt nations vying for what information could be gleaned from the distraught, hopeless souls. Then, in the opening days of Dharos, an oily fog crept across the Soul Mirror’s surface. A large, ever-growing throng of souls began gathering before it, and distorted imagery soon played out behind the gloomy film that now covered it. Adventurers intimately linked with the Mirror’s purpose realised a change in its sensations, adding to the alarm already rippling throughout the Underking’s following and even those adjacent to His teachings. Observant adventurers noticed, too, that the crowd possessed the souls of all races in the Curator’s captivity aside from the Seyda. Theories raced across the realm like wildfire as every city-state learned of this new development, prompting some to wonder how they might turn such a thing to new, beneficial ends. The Sanguine Fist swiftly attempted to capture one of the souls, intent upon studying or utilising it, and rumours of a lone Pixie soul taken into their possession soon spread throughout the realm in the days following the beginning of this spectral phenomenon. Later that next week, another spectral disturbance drew Sapience’s attention – this time to the Liruma, where a growing gathering of Seydan spirits stood vigil before the abandoned Temple of Renewal. Silent and patient, the spectral silhouettes awaited something unknown, and their mere presence brought sorrow to the few remaining within the Pleianes Complex. Though the Heartwood were the first to respond, representatives of all other city-states passed through to investigate the quiet spectacle. Those protective of Lleis’ sacred ground violently ejected at least one adventurer deemed unworthy of accessing the temple and warned the realm to show respect, escalating interstate tensions during an already tumultuous time. The Hammer of Dawn set off on a naval expedition as spring calmed the oceans, intent upon recovering the Dawn’s Promise. Fourteen of the city’s adventurers joined Captain Keldyr, Lint the Praexi, and Grain the Kelki aboard the Dawnbreaker and swiftly divided themselves along the ship to help man the helm and crow’s nest, adjust the sail rigging, and even aid in complex aquamancy and aeromancy to speed the boat along and out of the city’s harbour. Upon the open Beryl, the vessel hastened yet again by their efforts, cutting a clear course up the coast so they could drop anchor off the coast of Mournhold in all haste. Once more, Ayastia, Eaku, Benedicto, Xavin, Inthirath, Sryaen, Jhura, Eoros, Saidenn, Lysaira, Arabella, Gael, Saiyasit, and Grull split themselves into two teams: divers who would immerse themselves in the dark depths of once-Shastaan, and deckhands who would remain on the ship and haul the divers back up, as well as protect the Dawnbreaker from any threats that could arrive. Organised and thoroughly prepared, half the ship’s crew dived underwater with the help of protective shielding magic and set about unearthing the landmark from the seafloor – an act that attracted parasitic thrimspawn bound to waterlogged corpses and spare bits of nightmarish flesh. Beset by ravenous hordes of brine-rotten raiders and parasitic spawn, the diving team fought for their lives with effulgent prayers and pyromancy so sanctified as to be unquenchable. Meanwhile, the deckhands were assailed by a similar threat: gigantic masses of lost appendages woven together by more parasitic thrim, creating flailing tentacles that slammed against the ship and disrupted the dive team’s work safety. Calling for covering fire from Grain and Lint, the other half of the crew moved from point to point on the deck, battling raiders and marauding tentacles with the aid of the city’s attached witchhunter mages. A hectic high seas battle ensued soon after as Enorian warded off the eldritch threats that emerged from their ruined warrens and shattered coves, allowing those divers who focused on excavation to steadily free the Dawn’s Promise from the sea’s mired clutches. Even as their fellows fell and only four divers remained, the crew triumphed over a final wave of foes and coordinated the final hauling effort to bring the landmark aboard. Exhausted and triumphant, they set sail for home and discussed the following steps to utilise their excavated prize on the voyage. Unbeknownst to the Dawnbreaker’s crew, an ancient runemaster finally made a breakthrough… Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 15th of Omeian, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, appendix b](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-appendix-b/) **Published:** May 12, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** \[The following report has been given to the Grand Library by the Council of Delve, in the interest of dissemination to all city-states of Sapience, to maintain awareness of significant geopolitical developments.\] To the Leaders and Citizens of Sapience, In accordance with our commitment to sharing critical intelligence, the Council of Five presents this analysis of the celestial and maritime disturbances witnessed across the world on 22nd Chakros, year 11 AC \[date converted to the Sapience calendar by the Grand Library\]. Reports that we have received from the southern coastline of our continent have confirmed what many witnessed firsthand: a catastrophic confrontation between Winter’s Vengeant Eye, the Primordial Dragon of Wrath, and a Dreikathi aerial battlecraft. This clash marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Primordial Wrath, who controls Vorostra, and the Drakkenmont Empire. The confrontation appears to have been precipitated by the recent cosmic conjunction, which divided its power under the blessed Abyssal’s guidance between the triune continents of our planet. Based on our intelligence network’s reports, Winter’s Vengeant Eye and the Dreikathi military command immediately redirected this cosmic energy toward their long-standing conflict. The resulting energy clash between the two forces was bright enough to briefly act as a second sun, illuminating even the far side of the world on Sapience where night reigned. The light projected the shadows of Primordial Wrath and the Dreikathi vessel many leagues from where the fight took place, allowing even those in distant Sapience to observe some flashes of the battle between them. So unprecedented was the potency of their exchange that the resulting shockwave from it travelled around the world twice, causing significant structural damage to many settlements. Greater House Vakiria, which maintains the Drakkenmont Empire’s largest standing army due to its strategic position on the Twin Peninsulas, appears to have led this assault with full authorisation from the Autarch. However, despite their military might and technological advantages, Vakiria’s forces were ultimately forced to retreat from their foothold position on Vorostra. Their heavily fortified position across the Strait of Separation, which has stood for generations as a symbol of the Dreikathi’s ambitions and designs for Vorostra, now stands severely compromised, with much of their military infrastructure destroyed. Preliminary reports from the conflict’s epicentre upon Vorostra indicate the formation of a new crater lake spanning nearly two miles across, filled with meltwater from Winter’s Vengeant Eye’s attacks. The tsunami redirected from Sapience’s shores struck the northern shoreline of Vorostra with devastating force, obliterating at least five settlements under Drakkenmont control and another seven that pay tribute to Primordial Wrath. Casualty estimates reach into the thousands. Delve remains unharmed, protected from the worst by the great eld’akathi of Twilight. The Council advises vigilance across all of Sapience. With Drakkenmont forces in retreat from Vorostra, Winter’s Vengeant Eye may turn her fury towards your continent in the coming years. While her fierce protective nature has historically been confined to her Vorostran subjects, we cannot predict the cosmic conjunction’s influence on her domain and temperament. We remain, The Council of Five. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 9th of Omeian, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Mother's Day](https://www.aetolia.com/news/mothers-day-3/) **Published:** May 11, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Don’t forget that it’s Mother’s Day today! To help you remember, and to celebrate mothers everywhere, the MOTHERSROCK command has returned again! Simply type in MOTHERSROCK and you’ll receive an instant 25 bound credits. You can only do it once per character, and the command will be disabled next week. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 9th of Omeian, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part IX: Blood, Belief, Beguile](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-ix-blood-belief-beguile/) **Published:** May 9, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As adventurers travelled the realm in search of the Curator’s weakness, Duiran’s ritualists flocked to desecrated Ulangi. Called to rites and communion by Runemaster Olto, the council’s foremost shamans and seers delved into the land’s terror and anguish to soothe its many pains. Assailed by ancestral memories of what once was for thousands of years, the Heartwood toiled away for the sake of their grim work. It encased each moment witnessed in a physical form, sealing away the lost might of the Horkvali and Grook tribes into wooden charms that they then strung around the Verdant Totem in celebration of its upcoming journey. Though many rushed to document what was lost, those Duirani who sifted through these tormented recollections found themselves awestruck and mournful by the end of their saddening toil, the dire implications of their viewings weighing heavily upon their minds in a manner that drove some to seek the bottom of bottles and mugs both to wash away those phantom pains. As the Heartwood worked to ease Ulangi’s pains, the Sanguine Fist mobilised their scholars and mages in hopes of finding a weakness in the Tree of Stasis. Though most visits were mere investigations and treading ground already pursued by the other three city-states, it was the Apostles who finally set out to attack Morvaethe’s landmark in a new, if pointedly familiar, way: digging into the earth. Positing that the Tree could be attacked at its roots, Linyive, the Architect of Blood and Bone, commanded her fellows to begin digging within the Ithmian woods, though a day’s worth of effort found them no closer to success than when they started. Reasoning that magic or a beast of burden would be necessary, the Empire turned an eye toward another manner: the Bloodflower Falls. Determined to tap the landmark for their own gain, the Sanguine Fist’s ritualists gathered before the Bloodflower Falls and utilised a mixture of mortal humours and Immortal blood to coerce the landmark to bend to their will. Through the power of brutal sacrifice and dark magic, Myrnma managed to divine a shred of purpose from the ancient magical site and soon realised that it had a nigh-insatiable thirst for carnage and gore. Thoroughly convinced that the landmark’s power could be purchased by sating its hunger, the Thronekeeper advised the rest of their fellow imperials that they would need to amass a truly spectacular offering. The uppermost nobility of the city swiftly convened as a secretive cabal might, plotting something even the Grand Library could not divine the fullest extent of. It was not until the afternoon of Severin’s first day in the eleventh year past the Monomachy that Morvaethe once more made his presence known to the continent at large, proclaiming his latest exhibit on public display: Amitivis, the Fang of Vengeance. Adventurers slowly trickled into the Curator’s halls, with Viceroy Sheryni Nebre’seir the first to arrive and subsequently noticed the psychic energy that seemed to radiate from the display itself, even as she publicly noted her approval of the beast’s confinement in a place where a known enemy of the Theocracy could not harm it. When more members of Spinesreach filtered in, however, they began speaking aloud or offering private thoughts directed to the jailed serpent to aid its struggle, which resonated in the air as escalating psychic backlash. As the other cities likewise began to find a place in the viewing gallery around the central construct hosting a singular georama on display, cries of passion, fury, and revenge each rang throughout the halls and the continent both. A lone member of the Hammer, Knight-Artillerist Xavin Taziyah, surveyed the scene without interfering for or against any faction, Enorian’s principles firmly adhered to – the unrepentant deserved no mercy, and this snake was no different. Myriad support from all other cities swelled in favour of lending whatever power might be within grasp to Amitivis, with members of the Sentaari attempting to lock minds with and provide telepathic force to him. Other councillors of Duiran, along with a smattering of Spireans and Bloodlochians, chanted a warcry christened years prior in the blood of Sterion’s Minotaurs: Strike! Kill! Consume! When the cries reached a fever pitch, and the crystal of Amitivis’ temporary containment device had finally cracked under the psychic strain, the gargantuan creature broke free from its stasis amid a calamitous outpouring of combined energy. The few cheers that erupted from the gathering were swiftly drowned out by the Curator’s shouts that rang across the land: “GUARDS! SEIZE THE SERPENT! DISPERSE THE RABBLE!” Immediately, a flurry of arcane azure swelled into the halls, bringing with it the shades of Menedu war parties set to march for their conqueror’s cause. Waves of these brutish simulacrums assaulted those gathered, more and more answering their captor’s pleas to wipe free his Curatorial Sanctum of the presence of impudent mortals. Shortly after an overwhelming number of these warriors won a swift victory, the portal allowing entry into the pocket realm’s halls closed off, securing the confines from further disturbances for the time being. Amitivis, the Fang of Vengeance, was last seen burrowing deep into the nearby mountain chain, with the fading sounds of the Curator’s angry tirade likewise disappearing as he raised his defences to buy time to reconsider his plans. Hardly a few hours later, early in the morning of Severin’s second day, a group of Spireans gathered just inside the Theocracy’s outer gate. A few slow blinks broke the shadows around Regent Legyn as eyes peered outwards towards those nearby, and subsequent investigation revealed the form of a Tricolour-armoured Theocratic gremlin who chose to report for duty. Soon, a plan formed as the Chaos entity adopted an all-too-familiar appearance. Those gathered quickly dubbed the dutiful yet excitedly aggressive spy named ‘Oube’ and offered a new uniform. Designed by Viceroy Pietre, the clothing adhered to the most stringent of ‘Top Rock’ traditions, which he swore by based upon his private studies. After a bit of back and forth, during which dirt and grime were inexplicably found and used to sully the new uniform, the Chaos entity haphazardly donned his new outfit and rolled around on the ground before boldly declaring: “OUBE READY FOR SPY MISSION! DISGUISE PERFECT! NO ONE SUSPECT!” Soon after, the conclavists subjected Oube to a series of rigorous conditioning activities to prepare him for immersion as a deep cover agent. Of foremost importance was his manner of speech, and the gremlin-Kobold went through an obstreperous series of yaps, yawps, yups, and yeeps as he attempted to perfect a Kobold’s classical ‘yip’. When the time seemed right, or perhaps just when young Oube of Chaos finally remembered, he shared a mission-critical objective given to him by General Aredra, Who Sees All Moves, a powerful commander of Labyrinthine Chaos: “GENERAL AREDRA SAY BEFORE OUBE LEAVE THAT OUBE MUST MASTER COMBAT ROLL!” Recognising that there were no Kobolds present with which to teach the ancient tradition to young Oube, the Spireans present herded the excitable ‘Kobold’ gremlin toward Chief Trinketeer Hoube, currently the foreperson of the Spirean Steelworks and an associate of TRASH, as well as a ‘Top Rock truther’. The Kobold Foreman briefly attempted to discern if Oube was an Ophidian in disguise, having been previously counselled by Supreme Viceroy Noube about such tricks that the crafty enemies might play upon them. Viceroy Pietre Marcelli’s quick thinking swiftly supplied an explanation that washed away any doubt of Oube’s visibly noticeable differences, leading Hoube to believe the gremlin was merely a Kobold from Siha Dilys who wished to learn the ‘true ways’. Accepting this without question, the actual Kobold pulled his new friend aside, and they began to discuss the differences between Top Rock and Siha Dylis traditions in detail. Those ears most keen heard the Chief Trinketeer speaking at length while Oube, its first deceptive mission a rousing success, practised its yips as short, risk-avoidant responses. Meanwhile, as the Theocracy, Heartwood, and Sanguine Fist toiled towards individual goals, a burly ship crew made its last preparations… \~~~~~~ Summary: Duiran toiled on Ulangi amid the memory of lives long dead to empower the Verdant Totem. Bloodloch conducted a ritual with the Bloodflower Falls. With support from a diverse array of Sapient adventurers, Amitivis broke free of its stasis. Spinesreach garbed a Chaos gremlin in fake Kobold attire to carry out a plan to fool the Curator with their offering. Penned by my hand on Closday, the 21st of Chakros, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Double XP](https://www.aetolia.com/news/double-xp/) **Published:** May 6, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, We had a few hours of downtime today due to some networking issues beyond our control. I’ve turned on double experience for the next 24 hours as compensation. Sorry about the inconvenience! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 4th of Chakros, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Relic piece name fix](https://www.aetolia.com/news/relic-piece-name-fix/) **Published:** May 3, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, I’ve just fixed an issue where the relic piece names for planar\_life and planar\_chaos were accidentally swapped around. All existing owned pieces have been automatically updated to reflect the correct names. No action is required from you – your pieces remain valid for their intended relics (i.e. if you had a planar\_life piece before, you still have a planar\_life piece, just with the correct name now). If you were looking to build these relics however, you’ll want to double check their RELIC INFO entries to know the correct piece names you should be looking for now. Sorry about the confusion! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 6th of Dharos, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [May promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/may-promotion/) **Published:** May 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! For the entirety of May, Cryptic Chests are returning to the website (www.aetolia.com/credits) under ‘artifact packages’! Every \[0;1;33m500\[0m Cryptic Chests opened will trigger a global prize where one of the next 50 to be opened will contain a bonus of 500 credits on top of the other prizes within, which are outlined below: \* Chocolate bags, elemental globes, fireworks, customisation certificates, iron coins, morphic metal, ambience tokens, styles and a low chance at salvage. \* Style selection for this month includes \[0;1;33mblazing\[0m, \[0;1;33mcowardly\[0m, \[0;1;33mairborne\[0m, and \[0;1;33mgambler\[0m, with a chance at receiving \[0;1;33ma style point\[0m to spend at the shop. \* Credit prizes ranging from \[0;1;33m18\[0m – \[0;1;33m250\[0m. \* Various artifacts valued between \[0;1;33m50\[0m and \[0;1;33m2000\[0m credits. \* Minipets from a selection of: \[0;1;33ma fluffy gosling\[0m, \[0;1;33ma writhing amphisbaena\[0m, \[0;1;33ma spiky echidna puggle\[0m, \[0;1;33ma skeletal puppy\[0m, \[0;1;33ma soggy kelpie foal\[0m, and \[0;1;33ma winged tengu\[0m. \* The planar relic set makes a return with coffers containing a single piece found inside the chests. Each planar relic piece trades in for 30 credits. Check \[0;1;37mRELIC LIST PLANAR FULL\[0m to see the details. Two new relics have joined this set this month: \+ \[0;1;33mplanar\_life\[0m – a gnarled Dia’ruian charm – While in your inventory, this relic confers a new passive effect upon your crystal tattoo: if five or more people have attacked you recently, the cooldown is only \[0;1;33m600\[0m seconds on use. \+ \[0;1;33mplanar\_chaos\[0m – a bottled storm of lurid force – Carrying this bottle of chaotic force will imbue your meteor arrows with extra power, allowing them to strike your target even if they flee indoors. They must still be outdoors when you initially shoot the arrow, and this effect only applies to actual meteor arrows, not similar effects such as star tarot. – Already have all the planar relics, or just not interested? You can \[0;1;33mPROMO EXCHANGE COFFER\[0m this month only to swap it to an \[0;1;33mephemeral relic coffer\[0m\* instead, containing a piece for one of: \[0;1;33msunspear\[0m, \[0;1;33msangchoker\[0m, \[0;1;33mkeeneye\[0m, \[0;1;33mdreamscape\[0m, \[0;1;33mrepair\[0m, \[0;1;33mdissonance\[0m, and \[0;1;33mresplendence\[0m. \* NOTE: These relics are all consumed on use or are temporary and will eventually decay. Pieces for them now trade in for 30 credits each. – Compendium pages for: \[0;1;33mSkythrone\[0m, \[0;1;33mthe Isle of Ollin\[0m, \[0;1;33mthe Teshen Caldera\[0m, \[0;1;33mthe Forgotten Mausoleum\[0m, \[0;1;33mMannaseh Swamp\[0m and \[0;1;33mthe Bakal Chasm\[0m. In addition to these, you will always receive a filler prize (grimstim pills, various consumables, omnipotence pills, herbal jars, etc). These \[0;1;37mdo not\[0m count towards your chest’s value. You can also find a chest in the milestone shop for May – \[0;1;33m1 gold key\[0m as always! Finally, every Friday this month is Favoured Friday! During that time, you will have a divine favour with all the benefits that a favour normally conveys. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 18th of Ios, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Auctions 24hr reminder](https://www.aetolia.com/news/auctions-24hr-reminder/) **Published:** April 29, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** This is just your friendly reminder notice that there is roughly around 24 hours remaining on all the auctions. Good luck! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 6th of Ios, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Morvaethe's Duel](https://www.aetolia.com/news/morvaethes-duel/) **Published:** April 22, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, The Duel marks its return for this weekend, however this time it is being hosted by none other than Morvaethe, the Curator! Unlike previous iterations, this version of the Duel will be hosted within a special, temporary arena – the town of Vimuna – however the rules remain the same. You can read public news post #7605 for Morvaethe’s announcement. Read on to learn more about this particular instance of the Duel. What is Morvaethe’s Duel? It is the Duel as usual, a one on one double-elimination tournament, however it is hosted in the town of Vimuna instead of Esterport and is related to the current ongoing event. What are the prizes? First place obtains 100 credits, a unique fame outside of the usual, and a unique prize from Morvaethe: an original bag of stasis. This bag can hold items within it permanently much like a stockroom, but portable! There is also a random participant prize that you can potentially obtain, all you need to is be there! And lastly, there will be figurine of the Archivist class for those on the hunt to complete their collection. When is it? Check out EVENTS INFO 1146 for the exact time. Use CONFIG TIMEZONE to see it in your local time! That’s all, see you there! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 14th of Sapiarch, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Auction time](https://www.aetolia.com/news/auction-time/) **Published:** April 20, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** It’s auction time! We’re not running anything new this time around and moving forward you’ll likely see us run auctions containing new items in the list less frequently, probably once a year! Shortly after this post, a round of auctions will be going live! There are 7 credit auctions, 4 iron coin auctions, and 6 gold auctions. Some notes: – The auctions will run for 10 real days. – Any artifacts bought through auctions (including gold items) cannot be traded in or have their powers transferred. – Credit and iron coin auctions do not require you to have the credits/iron coins on hand to bid. – Gold auctions do require you to have the gold on hand to bid. – We allow a week to gather the winning bid amount when auctions end. Failure to meet the bid amount after this time will result in the loss of your character until the cost is settled. – Bound credits and bound iron coins CAN be used to pay for auctions. – HELP AUCTIONS and HELP AUCTIONHOUSE both have additional details. – \[0;1;37mBids are final, and we will generally not reverse mistakes.\[0m If something needs to be clarified about an item, you are welcome to ask me for more details before bidding. Please be absolutely sure before placing a bid. Without further ado, here are the listings that are going live. Once they’re up, you will see information on the lots using AUCTION INFO . CREDIT AUCTIONS ————— \[0;1;37mA venom rag\[0m – This especially absorbent rag has been soaked through with various venoms, and will allow the user to apply an unlimited number of applications of any venom that can normally be envenomed to their weapons. \[0;1;37mPower orb: tumble\_follow\[0m – While in your inventory, this will allow denizens of any type (mounts, woodland creatures, pets, entities, and so on) to follow you after using TUMBLE. – This comes on a power orb, so you’ll need to transfer it to a valid item on winning to activate the power. \[0;1;37mA mote of Yvalamon’s flame\[0m – With this item in their inventory, the owner will be able to FOMENT MOTE to create a firewall across every exit. – This does not have a cooldown but will incur a 4.5 second equilibrium penalty. \[0;1;37mA critter taxidermy kit\[0m – If you have the corpse of a small critter (10 oz or less weight), you can transform it with the syntax of ADOPT GUISE OF . This grants you the same benefits and mechanics of the Bard Mundane ability, and is prevented by all the same things. \[0;1;37mMarket stall\[0m – The return of an old favourite, the market stall construction kit is a portable shopfront from which the owner can sell their wares without limitation. – The shopfront can only be set up in those rooms where an IN exit is available. \[0;1;37mA staff of portents\[0m – When raised towards the heavens, this staff will call down a meteor upon everybody in the area who is outdoors, excluding the caster. – Cannot be used indoors, and can only be used once every 10 seconds. \[0;1;37mAn eldritch mask\[0m – When worn, this mask allows the user to SCREECH and contort themselves into terrifying shapes. – This effect lasts ten minutes and while active, enemies will have a chance to flee your location in terror. – This is not the compose type of fear, but a random chance to force a move, in the same manner as when fear itself actually procs. IRON COIN AUCTIONS —————— \[0;1;37mA relic token\[0m – Redeem this token and claim any fully completed relic of your choosing. – Retired relics such as venom rags are not available! – It cannot be used for the full ilmenite bracer / hunters combo relics. – Ask in advance if you aren’t sure. \[0;1;37mA pack of the void\[0m – This very special pack can hold an infinite number of items inside. – These cannot have the linked\_container power added to them. \[0;1;37mA routine manual\[0m – Allows you to create your own custom predefined emote. – You can also choose who is allowed to use it (e.g. yourself only, allies, a certain race, a certain org). – Subject to approval and must be setting / lore appropriate. – We can help you write it! \[0;1;37mA custom wings token\[0m – A custom set of wings (or alternative worn item) with a custom command word, and a custom portal room. – The item and the portal room must be appropriate to Aetolia’s lore and setting. – Room exits are subject to approval and generally must be in normal locations, and cannot be in cities. – Same restrictions on use as the wings or caves artifacts. – Exits must all lead to Sapience mainland continent. GOLD AUCTIONS ————- \[0;1;37mA relic piece token\[0m – Redeem this token for any relic piece – Artifact moulds or any relic that has a single piece to it are not included as options. \[0;1;37mA class unlock token\[0m – Fully unlocks a chosen class of your choosing. – You’ll get the class at tri-trans, and the class slot required for it if needed. – Classes are still locked to tethers, so unlocking an opposite tether class won’t allow you to play it on your tether. – No you can’t use it to obtain a level 200 class… \[0;1;37mA coffer bundle\[0m – The winner of this auction will receive 10 elemental coffers with their element of choice. \[0;1;37mA compendium page bundle\[0m – The winner of this item can exchange it for 5 compendium pages for the area of their choice. – Must already be an area with existing compendium pages. \[0;1;37mA pair of Atavian’s wings of the eagle\[0m – The standard level 2 wings artifact. – You can choose to swap it to a level 2 amulet instead if you want on winning. \[0;1;37mA masterwork tool\[0m – The masterwork tool provides the effects of all of the trade skill boon artifact powers in one item. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 2nd of Sapiarch, in the year 11 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part VIII: Dire Consequences](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-viii-dire-consequences/) **Published:** April 16, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** “WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG!” Such was the lone cry that rang out from New Sehal later into the season, even as Morvaethe captured more and more of the realm as exhibits for his twisted sanctum. Having gained a soul, a lone Pixie servant raised his voice in shock and horror as fleeting sentience took hold. Once more aware of himself and the wrongful union of a foreign soul and a similar body that made such consciousness possible, the Pixie descended into madness. It proclaimed his horror to the realm entire, a loud, keening wail of abhorrence mourning a body lost. As adventurers gathered around to examine the maddened Pixie, he continued to gibber and profess some strange wrongness that only became evident as some eavesdropped on his thoughts and erratic mental state. Though some ascendants asserted that the Pixie had escaped Morvaethe’s twisted captivity, such theorems were immediately dismissed as the Pixie fell over, and his soul fled to find another vessel. Upon taking a new body, however, the soul once more declared it wrong and not their own body, not their face – a fact that drove them to claw at their own eyes. While some of Sapience’s finest stepped in to keep the Pixie from self-enucleation, others sought to reason with the poor creature to calm its nerves and gain more insight into the situation within the bounds of the Curator’s terrible magic. Though few questions managed to penetrate the maddened Pixie’s psyche, he did remark that he had been celebrating a flower festival, with banners and music, before a blue light took it all away – and that he remembered little else, an admission accompanied by another parting of soul and body. This process continued for several vessels until the soul managed to sit the throne that was the imprisoned prince of the Pixie people. Upon its settling, the soul proclaimed this royal body no better than any other and made an obscure demand for release, either from his wooden cage or the bone one that entrapped his soul once more. Huntress Sylara stepped forth to provide the former, causing the nearby Impish guards to close in with sharp spears and sharper reprimands, and the Jackal’s Hammer – Whirran the Ogre – quickly became a giant distraction for the tiny troops. In the commotion, the prince collapsed into a slack-jawed pile of flesh – a signal that the Pixie soul had fled to parts unknown. Late into autumn, flickers of azure light alerted Sapience to Morvaethe’s movements, drawing a crowd of ascendants to the Northern Ithmia, where the Curator laid siege to Amitivis’ den. Already captured in the throes of stasis magic, the tremendous serpent was moments from imprisonment in a crystalline georama before adventurers from every city-state rushed to distract the ancient wizard. Determined to capture his prize, the old collector held his focus on the serpent and managed to compress it into captivity. However, his frayed mental state made it clear to those gathered that he had struggled to capture such a dangerous magical beast. As further proof of such speculation, a vicious psychic backlash swept through the den as the Fang of Vengeance sought freedom from its newly-wrought captivity, temporarily tearing through the Curator’s defences. Sounding a battlecry, Sapience mounted a hasty assault on the avaricious sorcerer, prompting him to panic and reassert his wards. As more creatures in Morvaethe’s care began perishing, the man wove a gateway and departed the scene without a word, his dark rage rendering him uncharacteristically silent. In the weeks following Amitivis’ capture, adventurers inspected the Curator’s sanctum daily, desperate to find vulnerabilities in his magic. Though several individuals attempted to stir Kivra Mossflower to further defiance or yield more information, the Curator’s assistant was similarly silent, her interactions stripped to her barest functions, and the sanctum seemed curiously empty of its typical primitive guards. Awaiting word from Olto the Runemaster, the Heartwood set out to conduct rituals of scrying and baleful curses to seal Morvaethe’s fate, and the Hammer’s sailing crews began loading the Dawnbreaker for a dangerous diving mission. Even as the now-divorced forces of ancient Life pushed their respective agenda, the Theocracy’s terrible and secretive plans proceeded apace, the blood of unauthorised mages given unto the Labyrinth’s Grasp at all hours of the day, leading the realm’s minor spellcasters and hedgewizards to fear for their lives. Itensu the Stalwart, feeling the call of duty, made it known to Sapience that Moghedu was under his protection and that he would turn aside Morvaethe’s predations if the sorcerer were to advance upon the settlement. When adventurers confronted the Ankyrean on the matter and asked why he would not simply end the threat, the Twice Adherent laughed and explained that the modern era’s trials were for modern warriors to handle, and that he was content to watch. Whilst the nations of Sapience set forth to forge a new destiny for their landmarks, another edifice of power takes to the skies with a rider upon its back… \~~~~~ Summary: Morvaethe’s sanctum is not as perfect as it seems, and a Pixie’s soul escaped captivity. He struggled to capture Amitivis, the colossal serpent pactbound to Duiran, and the giant beast managed to weaken his magics long enough to allow adventurers to attack him. Itensu declared Moghedu under his protection. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 4th of Haernos, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, appendix a](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-appendix-a/) **Published:** April 16, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The Grand Library, in its efforts to compile all information available to its archives, employs practitioners of various arts to perform specialised duties in the pursuit of knowledge. One such librarian, a practitioner of Oneiromancy, brings forth a recent experience where a wandering soul briefly connected with her in its journey. The sensations and feelings that this wanderer experienced were conveyed through our medium’s connection. —– It is unclear how the soul found itself in this state, for it conveyed outright panic from the first moment of our connection. Each moment in which I could sense it, the notion that something was incontrovertibly wrong took hold of its thoughts and utterances. Attempts to commune with it or calm it were rebuffed. Through our connection, I could witness its most recent memories – each a visceral flash from its viewpoint, staring out into an unfamiliar world. I could see it trying to make sense of the ethereal state of its being, amorphous features that didn’t – couldn’t – resemble who they were. It moved from place to place, and I caught glimpses of vast forests and never-ending roads as it got turned around in unfamiliarity. I could feel its panic rise, bubbling over, each movement to subsequent locations upon its trek faster than the last. The spirit was determined to find where it belonged, somewhere it barely realised it could not reach. I felt it flee through the forest. Time after time in these fleeting minutes, it tried to make sense of where once-familiar trails started, only to find sprawling growth that beckoned forth only more doubts. It screamed wordlessly in my psyche, piercing the tenuous bond it had unknowingly allowed me to create. I do not know what happened in the interim, as it was not until a few minutes later that I could rebuild my connection with the wandering soul. It ran without effort, for what is exertion to a soul? It walked without moving, for what are steps to the limbless? Every action was a memory of a time gone by, every moment spent in an ever-higher creeping notion of the wrongness of its state. I could feel that it had concluded on something to cope with its forlorn state: it must be dreaming. Nothing made sense in the world of dreams, and nothing made sense here in this bodiless form – they were one and the same, clearly. This process of losing connection to it only to re-establish the link moments later became commonplace as time passed. Flashes of newly-made, in-the-moment memories would accompany each of these reconnections. This soul’s panic only grew with each it revealed unwittingly to me. The first was the strongest: everything changed from one moment to the next, the world itself gaining new hues – familiar colors of life and vibrancy – that had been naught but a memory for so long. The first inhalation of breath was a sensation not felt in days, months, years, or longer. Next, I sensed the despair set in: a vision of a Pixie lifting its hands to stare at the unfamiliar skin tone, the places where scars should be and weren’t, where scars shouldn’t be and were! Then came a different memory, but no less desperate: an unfamiliar Pixie’s voice yelled, hoarse and deranged, as eyes the wrong shade stared into a puddle. “NOT ME NOT ME NOT ME NOT ME NOT ME,” it echoed in my thoughts, threatening to overwhelm me. I remember the thought that resonated upon connecting the final time we made such contact: the plight of the wandering soul, of the wandering dead as of yet unwelcomed to the Underking’s halls. IT WAS WRONG. WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 4th of Haernos, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part VII: Four Visits](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-vii-four-visits/) **Published:** April 10, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** With his sanctum opened to the world, the Curator spent the following weeks meeting with the major city-states of Sapience. Starting first with Duiran, Morvaethe emerged from a magical gateway and began inspecting the ritual altar upon which Raest’s remains had rested for more than a decade after the birth of Dia’ruis, and upon which Holbrook Hought’s blood ran true after being obliterated by Dendaric ritual. Offended by his very presence, the Heartwood council gathered to question his methods and ideology. However, every answer the arcanist supplied only solidified their hatred of everything he stood for – the antithesis to what Dia’ruis was built upon in Her Cycle of Life and Death. Oblivious to this malcontent, the Curator insisted upon learning more about Duiran’s culture, and he showed a keen interest in the date of their next ritual, leading many to conclude that he sought to acquire it like he had Lord Sorrelion’s party barge. Those who attempted to harm the sorcerer were soon deterred by his protective magics, rendering them unpleasant company for the man who claimed his sole interest was preserving beauty and wonder. The wildlings gave Morvaethe nothing but scorn as the conversation continued, driving the scandalised noble to depart in a huff – something that brought the rattled council no small measure of joy. The following week, the Curator visited the Dragon of the North. Obsessed with the sheer awe emanating from the throne of the Ard-Dhasani, the curious aristocrat peppered the gathering theocrats with questions about its origin, its material, its purpose, and so many other things – one and all related to the modern Spirean lifestyle and ideals. Contrasting Duiran’s methods, the Dragon’s citizens approached Morvaethe with nothing but flattery and easy, superfluous answers that only increased the wizard’s hunger for a more thorough conversation. He pressed them about their plans and possession of two Top Rock Kobolds, making clear his desperation to acquire an acolyte from the mythical Kobold holy site. Though the Theocracy did not outright decline the Curator’s request to hand over either Viceroy Noube or Chief Trinketeer Hoube, who enjoys employment as the esteemed foreperson for the Spirean steelworks, they made clear that they would not do so for free. They remained evasive about why they felt they had yet to reach their pinnacle, leaving the old mage to doubt the soundness of the city’s judgment openly. Convinced he had made headway with the Theocracy, Morvaethe asked the Theocracy to prepare the Kobolds for his next visit and then departed with nary a whisper of a threat. Days later, the elderly arcanist found his way into the Sanguine Fist’s foundry and, as a disgruntled crowd gathered, marveled at the city’s hilunite crucible. Impressed by the craftsmanship and material, he pressed the imperial leadership to answer his questions regarding their designs. When he heard their arguments against his purpose and methods, he cast myriad aspersions upon the budding empire and insisted again that they were not so different. Once more convinced that he was dealing with hypocrites, he outright dismissed the notion of unnatural methods or a disrespect for free will, and he pushed them again to discuss the matter of their preservation. Convinced that Bloodloch had reached its peak, Morvaethe urged the recently-proclaimed Tyrant Akarn to consider the matter of stoic poses to best convey his empire’s tenacity and brutality, utterly blind to the outrage his attitude had sparked in yet another city-state. Unconcerned with the poor reception thus far, the Curator made his way to the Hammer’s temple not even a week later. Enthralled by the murals left behind by the late Imago, he barely noticed the crowd of Enorian citizens who soon came to press him on his amoral approach to existence. Though they declared him hollow and vain, Morvaethe refused to yield his enthusiasm to such crass insults and insisted once again upon the matter of heroic poses that would capture the city’s faith and fury, ignoring a single knight’s attempt to bring steely justice upon him. Throughout the ordeal, he elaborated upon the nature of his powers, leading some to believe that thrusting him from the Prime Material might result in divorcing him from the Tree of Stasis. Some adventurers, concerned more with an accumulation of lore than any tactical advantage, pressed the ancient sorcerer for information about his era and origins, prompting him to elaborate on the forces he had toppled to take control of the Tree of Renewal during the Wars of Power, including the defeat of a Djinn pyromancer he now kept as an exhibit in his menagerie. Rebuked and rebuffed by the city of the gold dawn, the Curator departed their company as he had from almost every other nation: empty-handed and irritated with ‘artless ingrates’. Throughout the next few weeks, ascendants from all city-states began inspecting his sanctum for signs of weakness – though to no avail. The Curator visited a few less populated locales following his four major outings, including the Augerweald Forest, where he claimed he had found a new exhibit to immortalise. This statement enraged a crowd of adventurers who had gathered to stop his work. Unwilling to give primitive, tasteless individuals any more of his time, the mage summoned a tribe of Menedu shades that slaughtered those gathered, allowing the man to depart easily. Primarily concerned with the sanctity of the woods, Duiran discussed all manner of ominous rituals and spiritual curses, with some beseeching their patrons for aid in these disparate endeavours. This eventually culminated in a chilling, mysterious rite deep within the Tarean mountains. United in purpose, Gyrinno of Nothing, Voidspeaker Morraine, Tulle ‘Driftwood’, Prideleader Sekeres, Lin the Knife, and Jackalmasked Iko assembled before the dark spring of elemental shadow within the foundations of once-Sterion. Through methods largely unknown, the group utilised the Void to transfer some of the spring’s terrible essence to the Ithmias, where it tumbled down upon the Tree of Stasis as a silent, obliterating avalanche. Unable to stop the torrent once it began, three Duirani acted as conduits, their lives given over to see their efforts bloom into something terrible and destructive. Those present on the hilltop found themselves eaten alive by the fundamental force, leaving naught behind but shadow-scoured bones. Still, the landmark resisted all efforts to assail it, its magical nature freezing the element in place as it had the mundane and cosmic fire of prior spells. In the afternoon of the 11th of Lexadian, Morvaethe’s presence became known to the greater whole of Sapience as a gateway opened to allow the Curator ingress into the Western Ithmia and his wellspring of power, the Tree of Stasis. Already there were a cluster of reverentially-working Duirani councilors, most of whom were tending to a mushroom ring that had been grown from naught some years before, another councilor toiling away at the nearby greenery in communion with the space as her Shamanic grove, and a Spirean Harpy calling upon forces of Chaos that so few have the confidence to do in public. The appearance of the sallow-faced noble aroused immediate suspicion, and the continent flocked in to inquire, inspect, insult, and insist on a cessation of his efforts. With absolute dismissal did he scoff at the benign questions and ridiculing statements, sneering aristocratically at the notion that he had not preserved himself from harm, which many had already found to be true in their attempts to strike out violently at him previously. As the hilltop grew clustered with the presence of each major city’s representatives and curious onlookers alike, the Council of Duiran silently prepared to attack should any opportunity arise. A voice from Spinesreach piped up at one point, Viceroy Pietre Marcelli suggesting that Morvaethe work his magics to cleanse the landmark from the stains and debris where others had unsuccessfully tried to assail it. Enthusing that an idea worth its words had finally been found, the Curator began to enchant small gusts to disperse the constellar flames and shadowed detritus that had frozen around the massive arboreal titan into dust that dispersed on the winds among the nearby surroundings. A notion was raised meanwhile about the prospect of this particular landmark having other aspects it might take, which the Curator neutrally suggested could be countless depending on who or what was involved in its aspected pact. Lin the Knife, one of many awaiting an opportunity to strike at the antiquarian, took this moment to unleash an annihilating strike that exposed the surroundings to massive amounts of spirit, destroying her link to her grove and the lives of over twenty-five adventurers simultaneously. The dust settled with two forces remaining upon the hilltop: Morvaethe the Collector and Lin the Knife. Her gambit had done as much as any other attack upon him: nothing. Frustrated by the meddlesome mortals attempting to stymie his efforts, Morvaethe began coalescing azurine threads into something anew, even as Sapience’s warriors dutifully – hurriedly – filtered back in to take stock of the situation. Not accounting for how this new power distribution would change the status quo, the enchantments and preservations that kept him safe flickered into nonexistence, leading to innumerable attacks upon his form from those nearest. Seconds ticked by as he physically began to show signs of pain, but the few moments of opportunity were not enough to entirely cut through his vitality. Like a weaver at the loom, Morvaethe the Curator drew his hands to pull at those countless threads of azurine, working his art into an existential tapestry as he toiled with the Tree of Stasis cosmic wellspring fueling his every arcane manipulation. A shape began to form as the Curator mentally noted he would need a distraction while he worked out a flaw in his plan, a safeguard against further meddling with his magic’s source. Coiling smoke and harsh light twined itself among this power as he finished with a snap of his wrists, the complete form of his replication now visible to all gathered: a lava-wreathed wyrm conjured as a shade of its proper form held away in the Curator’s sanctum. Without so much as even a glance back at any of those nearby, Morvaethe left this new legend-made-shade to safeguard the landmark and departed elsewhere through an arcane gateway. As the agents of gods and the adherents of bygone lore sought a way to fell the crafty Curator, a man and a beast reached an accord… \~~~~~ Summary: The Curator visited each of Sapience’s four major cities and expressed a desire to preserve them during cultural festivals and rituals, a universally declined offer. Desperate to interfere with his power, several Duirani performed a shadow ritual hoping to destroy Morvaethe’s magic, though their efforts bore little fruit. The Curator made a guardwyrm shade to protect the Tree of Stasis. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 17th of Lexadian, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Artifacts](https://www.aetolia.com/news/artifacts/) **Published:** April 9, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey all, Some new artifacts are now for sale, including one updated one. fast\_haven (250cr) ———————– Halves the time it takes for you to return to your Haven. threadlock (600cr) ———————– Preserves disguises used by the Bard’s Mundane ability by making them non-decay while held within the bag. Holds up to 20 disguises. rune\_remove (600cr) ———————– (Updated) Now allows you to remove two runes before the full cooldown is incurred, but -only- if they are attached to one-handed weapons. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 12th of Lexadian, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Double XP weekend](https://www.aetolia.com/news/double-xp-weekend/) **Published:** April 5, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, everybody! As a sincere apology for the extended downtime today, we’ll be enabling a double experience bonus throughout this weekend. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 12th of Ivolnos, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part VI: The Curator](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-vi-the-curator/) **Published:** April 2, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Early in the days of Lleian, as Lord Sorrelion Sammonward’s famed barge began to prepare for its departure, a crowd of adventurers gathered upon its decks for a momentous occasion. Drawn together with the promise of the past’s riches, individuals from Sapience’s four city-states lined up to watch as the incorrigible Grookish wastrel pried open a venantium remembrance pod buried during the Year 500 celebrations predating the Creator’s Monomachy. Lord Sorrelion swiftly set about rummaging in the pod. He produced several items, including a rotten Dendaric acorn, icons of dead or dying gods, a delicious preserved fruit from the Great Oak, a worn falconry glove that apparently didn’t include a falcon as part of a package deal, and a gem-studded dhurive that he appropriated for his collection in short order. The gathered ascendants laughed as the lovable Grook put on a tremendous show, though rumours circulated before the proceedings that the Lord of the Barge had arranged for an unprecedented amount of opulence in hopes of covering up the bad press that plagued him and his employees over the last few weeks in the wake of Morvaethe’s departure from his curio shop. As the opening proceeded and Lord Sorrelion did his best to entertain the large gathering, a lone man ascended the gangway to the party barge. “Never in all my weeks upon this vessel did it contain such exuberance and excitement! The height of its many years afloat, here before my eyes… ’tis perfect!” the new arrival declared from somewhere else on the barge, revealing his identity as the same curio merchant that had garnered the Barge Lord so much trouble in the last few weeks. In an instant, an arresting wave of sorcery swept along the vessel’s gathered occupants, wreathing them in azure energy that tightened like a constricting noose. Sound quailed and died as a wordless buzz dominated their hearing, and their thoughts began to circulate through those gathered as if the enchantment had combined their wills into a single amalgam. Onlookers across the realm only noted that grand magic flickered from the ship’s deck, leaving those few adventurers beyond its borders to carry on without a care for the terrors unfolding upon the Pachacacha until the Curator raised his voice to the realm once more as he collected his prize: “Long have I waited for this moment, Sapience! For too long have you suffered the loss of beauty, of joy! For too long have this world’s most incredible sights suffered the ravages of decay! No more!” Morvaethe cried as he used his magic to shrink the frozen ship and take it into his possession, his vast powers soon conveying him away from the crime scene. Adventurers captured alongside Lord Sorrelion Sammonward’s prized vessel were given only darkness to dwell in and the sense of momentum that bespoke travel. When light dawned upon them again, it was dim and azure like the manic artist’s magic, and their size relative to his made it clear they rested in his palm as if he were a hill giant. He examined them with utmost glee and waxed poetic about their beauty and value, exclaimed as a man vindicated that he knew he could triumph once more when given the opportunity. Eager to begin his work anew, the Curator set down the newly made georama containing the barge and began to use his magic to tamper with its contents. He used rudimentary elemancy to polish and repair the ship’s deck and brush away blemishes from the people held within, eliciting panic, revulsion, and anger from the minds gathered within the georamic prison. Morvaethe spared no detail or corner of his newly stolen trophy and employed crude sciomancy to destroy the Dendaric acorn’s remains after declaring it ugly, as well other minor magics that removed rust and seafaring rot from the outer edges of the barge, his passion writ clear on his face as he motioned to find a new place for it in his collection. However, as the Curator continued his work, Sapience’s ascendants plotted their defiance. Distracted and busy, Morvaethe paid little heed as Lin the Knife declared a point of order amongst the mental din. She theorised that adventurers acting in unison might be able to influence the Curator’s imprisoning magic or else influence reality itself due to the power locked within each mortal’s complex mind. Pietre Marcelli, quick to catch on to the plan, offered up the word of power that soon became the miniature realm’s rallying cry: “BREAK!” Banding together behind the two el’Jazirans, every adventurer present began to shout the word in their mind. Sapience’s efforts began to bear fruit either by coincidence or authentic influence, for the Curator’s hand and eye both quivered as he beheld mistakes and imperfections within the georama. Shrieking in annoyance, he declared that the ascendants trapped on the barge were destabilising the aspect of his magics and reached within to brush them away, scattering them into the darkness from whence they had all come. In a rush of momentum, every captive was displaced onto the banks of the Pachacacha, waterlogged but ultimately unharmed by the terrible stasis that had only so recently held them within its implacable clutches. As Sapience entire screamed their vows of vengeance, a silver lining revealed itself in the day’s darkness: the Indomitable Burt, who had departed the proceedings before Morvaethe’s arrival, turned up on the river’s opposite shore, none the wiser of his employer’s grim imprisonment. Later that day, many of the realm’s greatest Siderealists joined upon an Ithmian hilltop, desperate to destabilise Morvaethe’s assumed power source. Led by Bhalwyn the Bleak Chanter, a circle consisting of Sekeres, Valtessa, Dellingr, Emhyra, and Haleth attempted to exert celestial forces upon the Tree of Stasis, calling forth crystalline vibrations and even cataclysmic starfalls down upon the forest in defiant but ultimately vain gestures. Edhain and Gyrinno motioned to the Heartwood council their desire to burn the tree down, reasoning that the Curator would not expect the council to do something so drastic. However, attempts to set the Tree ablaze met similar ends as Morvaethe’s enchanted wards swallowed the flames and froze them as crystalline accessories to the landmark’s already arcane appearance. Discouraged but unwilling to admit defeat, the gathered sorcerers dispersed after vowing to seek other ends to interfere with the mana network underneath the hill. Azurine flickers drew Sapience’s attention to the southeastern corner of the scoured Bloodwood the following week. Carotenuto, first to locate the source of the disturbance, discovered the Curator toiling away – and swiftly sounded the alarm, resulting in a crowd of curious ascendants amassing before the sallow-faced man. Morvaethe brushed off a veritable onslaught of assaults as if they had not even happened, and he wove cobalt strands of powerful magic into the air around him. He tore open a doorway into his sanctum and, after exchanging witty barbs and commentary with those outraged by his actions in the previous week, strode forward to lead the way to his promised wonders. In his foyer, the Curator explained his creed: utmost dedication to preserving beauty and a discerning taste of curious and rare people and places. He engaged his new guests in philosophical exchanges about city-states’ values, accusing each of hypocrisy and claiming that even the pantheon would rob mortals of all the magnificent sights of the realm. Though several adventurers took great pains to inform him of flaws they saw in his directive, Morvaethe dismissed them all as ‘artless clods’ and ‘small-minded individuals’ incapable of grasping his vision. When met with more force, the ancient sorcerer shrugged it off as if it were nothing and labelled it ‘barbarism’ before summoning a Seyda’s shade to speak in his place and dispersing to naught. Meanwhile, a famed Ogre wrestler, now unemployed, seeks answers… \~~~~~ Summary: The sallow-faced merchant Morvaethe ambushed a celebration on Lord Sorrelion Sammonward’s party barge and shrank it down to keep as one of his georama, but adventurers managed to break free and return to Sapience. The following week, he opened his sanctum to the public, putting his many exotic exhibits on display. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 20th of Lleian, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [April promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/april-promotion-2/) **Published:** April 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! April is here, which means the barge will be sadly leaving us not too long after this post. So if you have tickets to redeem or last minute purchases to make, you better go make them now! However, our current event surrounding the landmarks will be continuing throughout the month, so look forward to that! Before I get into the promo details, let me first congratulate Sinclair on being the lucky winner of Iron Lottery to win \[0;1;33m1000\[0m credits! For April, we’re pleased to bring back coffers of elemental fire and elemental water! Both versions can be obtained on the website via www.aetolia.com/credits and opened for a slew of prizes! Without further ado, let’s take a look at what you can find inside: All Coffers ———– Credit prizes ranging from \[0;1;33m28\[0m to \[0;1;33m500\[0m Iron Coin prizes in batches of \[0;1;33m25\[0m or \[0;1;33m50\[0m Artifacts ranging in value from \[0;1;33m50-2000\[0m credits Chocolate bags, elemental globes, silver chalices, morphic metal, patriotic fireworks, and a low chance at antiquated salvage. Style scrolls for \[0;1;33mstormy\[0m, \[0;1;33mfiery\[0m, \[0;1;33mtelekinetic\[0m and \[0;1;33mclumsy\[0m! Plus a rarer chance at a style point to redeem at the shop. Compendium pages for: \[0;1;33mthe Bonro Sands\[0m, \[0;1;33mBeggar’s Barrow\[0m, \[0;1;33mthe Itzatl Morass\[0m, \[0;1;33ma dimly lit subterranean river\[0m, \[0;1;33ma volcano\[0m, \[0;1;33mSunwash Ascent\[0m, and \[0;1;33mthe Welto Trench\[0m! Transmute beetle vouchers\* \*These vouchers can be exchanged at the shop at before the bridge to Esterport (v80871) for transmute beetles (see HELP TRANSMUTE) of all armour types themed for shadow and spirit, as well as other options previously made available! The vouchers can also be traded in for 10 credits using PROMO TRADEIN. \[0;1;37mFire Coffers\[0m ————— In addition to all of the standard prizes, the fire coffers also include: – Five minipets: \[0;1;33ma phoenix hatchling\[0m, \[0;1;33ma diminutive fire elemental\[0m, \[0;1;33ma lava-loving gastropod\[0m, \[0;1;33ma smoldering flameling\[0m, \[0;1;33ma tiny hyriamah hatchling\[0m, and a \[0;1;37m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;33mmarble sphinx\*\[0m. – Steed whistles for \[0;1;37m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;33ma colossal, smoke-encased opefi\[0m! – Iterators for the \[0;1;33mINCANDESCENT\[0m vox. – Caches of relic pieces for: \[0;1;33mflair\_fire\[0m, \[0;1;33mveil\_flames\[0m, \[0;1;33mfireshroud\[0m, \[0;1;33mfire\_shield\[0m, \[0;1;33mexploremirror\[0m, \[0;1;33mvines\[0m, \[0;1;33msensemirror\[0m, \[0;1;33mheraldhorn\[0m, \[0;1;33mdowsingrod\[0m. \[0;1;37mWater Coffers\[0m ————– In additional to all the standard prizes, the water coffers also include: – Five minipets: \[0;1;33ma hungry crocodile hatchling\[0m, \[0;1;33ma squat penguin\[0m, \[0;1;33man adorable baby leviathan\[0m, \[0;1;33ma pink-skinned axolotl\[0m, \[0;1;33ma cranky dragon turtle hatchling\[0m, and a \[0;1;37m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;33mmarble sphinx\*\[0m. – Steed whistles for \[0;1;37m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;33ma battle-scarred crustacean\[0m! – Iterators for the \[0;1;33mSTORMY\[0m vox. – Caches of relic pieces for: \[0;1;33mflair\_water\[0m, \[0;1;33mveil\_steam\[0m, \[0;1;33mwatershroud\[0m, \[0;1;33mwater\_shield\[0m, \[0;1;33mexploremirror\[0m, \[0;1;33mvines\[0m, \[0;1;33msensemirror\[0m, \[0;1;33mheraldhorn\[0m, \[0;1;33mdowsingrod\[0m. \*The sphinx minipet has a couple of special features…! Firstly, its SPEAK will give you one of several riddles to solve. And secondly, you can give it a ruby, sapphire, diamond, obsidian, emerald, or a piece of marble to ‘aspect’ the sphinx, slightly changing its appearance. — All coffers will also award one or more consumables that do not count against your value: an immolation bomb a crude siphoning device a set of obsidian scales a pill of omnipotence a preserved, yellowed eye There is also a global prize of \[0;1;33m500\[0m credits for every \[0;1;33m300\[0m coffers opened! Additionally, we have put coffers for sale in the milestone wares (one of each) for a gold keystone each! Finally, since it’s April, you’ll have to keep an eye out later in the month for details on our regular auction! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 13th of Lleian, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Glossary](https://www.aetolia.com/news/glossary/) **Published:** March 31, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, In order to address concerns raised about the unfamiliarity of certain terms, phrases, or titles in event posts, I’ve added a new tool: GLOSSARY. This relies on MXP, so make sure you’re using an MXP-capable client (such as Nexus or Mudlet) and have turned on MXP (both in the client and using CONFIG MXP ON). There are some commands for manual interface available under GLOSSARY, but using MXP makes it a far more useful tool. With MXP on, you can read an events post through the lens of the glossary by doing: GLOSSARY READ EVENTS This will attempt to create MXP links for each of the terms we currently have in our glossary. You can click these links if you want, but perhaps more useful is to simply hover your mouse over a term to get a tooltip of its definition. We probably won’t be backdating this feature to older posts, but I’ve gone through and added entries for all posts since the start of this ongoing landmarks event. You can check it out by doing: GLOSSARY READ EVENTS 497 …and onwards for more recent posts. Hope this helps! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 9th of Lleian, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [testing](https://www.aetolia.com/news/testing/) **Published:** March 31, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Blah blah blah the Dark King did this thing and also the Dark King did this other thing. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 9th of Lleian, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part V: Dark Depths](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-v-dark-depths/) **Published:** March 30, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Stirred to wakefulness by celestial power, another landmark flared to life off the coast of Mournhold. Manifesting as naught but a flickering within the water, the landmark’s energies created a narrow, brilliant shaft of light that stretched from the vast skies above to the eldritch depths below. Already gathered to await the potential resurgence, several adventurers exclaimed their surprise and wonder before discussing amongst themselves how best to access the ancient artifact mired within the seafloor. Those ascendants who possessed knowledge of magic, especially aquamancy or sorcery relative to day or night, could sense the raw power emanating from the giant hourglass adrift beneath the waves. Adventurers that focused upon its energies managed to catch a glimpse of its current state: pushed upon its side and filled with mundane sand, the landmark’s energies were as inert as they were massive, making it little more than a pretty prize in its current state. Adventurers caught glimpses of the horologe’s condition several times as its latent power manifested illusory images within the column of light, leaving all of them to piece together the details from their landbound vantage point. However, disaster struck as the Hammer and Heartwood investigated the light together. Put on high alert by the violence throughout the month of Celes, Duiran and Enorian immediately employed force to deter the first arrivals from the Sanguine Fist and the Theocracy of the North. What ensued was a bloody battle that stretched on for most of the afternoon as the two sides once more relived the terrible brutality of elder days in the streets of Mournhold. Employing religious shrines, crystal aegises, and terrible magics, adventurers traded control of the coast multiple times before a stray spell struck some of the town’s resident jellies. Hungry for magic and highly unstable upon the Prime, the Kal Keleru natives rapidly transformed into raging ctenophores that executed unspeakable, indiscriminate violence upon both sides of the conflict, causing Mournhold’s citizens to run for cover as the creatures tore a warpath throughout the general vicinity. Several ascendants recognised that the landmark was physically trapped within a knot of strong ocean currents throughout the raging battle and investigations, prompting some to theorise about its eventual recovery. Jhura and Yesufa, attuned to the seas through vocation and religion both, reached out into the waters with their magic as their fellows guarded their backs, prompting Xavin, Benedicto to channel magic through their Divine-anointed armaments. At the same time, Urim and Inthirath lent their aid through the power of their Slyphian astrolabes, intensifying the aquamancy with their added faith. Intent on manipulating the currents to bring the landmark to the surface, they found the work slow going – and repeatedly interrupted. Though the spellcasting circle broke apart several times amidst the rigours of warfare, they inevitably closed back in like unto inexorable tides, converging their wills upon Mournhold’s waters every time they occupied the coast and could spare a thought. Eventually, the gathered Slyphians met their match in the form of a betentacled creature that had grown fond of the landmark. Unwilling to let it float to the surface, the beast curled its tendrils around the submerged relic and tugged downward, keeping it beneath the waves at the expense of wrapping itself around the landmark to weigh it down. Despite the creature’s determination, the hourglass awakened in full. Set on its base now so that its grains could run through it and activate its new celestial nature, the Solar Horologe underwent a glittering transformation. Aspected now as the Dawn’s Promise, the newly-transfigured sandglass pulsed in time with the Hammer’s will, its aureate frame awaiting recovery and the providence of new, pristine sand. This transformation marked a significant turning point in the battle, leaving the Lightsworn and the Heartwood satisfied with their triumph as they parted ways after one last celebratory ululation, leaving Enorian to plan the logistics of nautical hauling. As Enorian’s influence crept through the Solar Horologe and bestowed upon it new purpose, a majestic beast took flight upon monochrome wings… \~~~~~ Summary: The Solar Horologe awoke off the coast of Mournhold, prompting adventurers to investigate. After several bloody battles alongside Duiran and multiple ctenophore rampages, Enorian managed to aspect the landmark as the Dawn’s Promise and resolved to retrieve it from the clutches of an eldritch monster that had appropriated it for their hoard via nautical expedition. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 2nd of Lleian, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part IV: New Purpose](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-iv-new-purpose/) **Published:** March 29, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Throughout the middle of Celes, the landmarks imbued with celestial power continued to prove themselves as enduringly fascinating. After the dire happenings in the Starlight Cavern, the Theocracy of Spinesreach swiftly redirected their resources towards examining the landmarks yet to adopt new aspects. Beginning first with the Fist of Dameron, the conclavists in attendance managed to contact the magics within the five dark pillars – or at least the first whispers of such burgeoning energy. Though the Fist refused to adopt a new aspect or offer even a taste of its power in a way that previous landmarks had in prior weeks, those gathered did glean enough of its state to realise that it would awaken in two weeks. Later that week, as Prideleader Sekeres stood guard over the Living Totem and conversed with Meleah, Strolgrum, and Lin about its state, the landmark made its nigh-sentient will known at the mention of ‘healing’. Though it took time and understanding, those lingering by the totem managed to delve into its depths and commune with the wild forces within. Receiving visions of a coming autumn and the harvest it promised, the four reasoned that the Living Totem would soon awaken within a day. Unwilling to be caught by surprise, Lin sought to forge alliances early to ensure the landmark’s safety and that its aspect would align with Duiran’s agenda. She warned those gathered that Bloodloch and Spinesreach would seek to capture the Totem much as they had the Bloodflower Falls, putting Duiran and Enorian alike on edge. As the hours dwindled and adventurers examined other sites of power, Strolgrum, Meleah, Serara, Benedicto, and Jhura noticed a new addition to the glittering brilliance miles off Mournhold’s coast: a tremendous pillar of light reaching up from the depths. Reasoning that the light was too distant to examine from the shore, the Hammer’s faithful theorised that a ship’s voyage would be necessary to explore whatever lay hidden beneath the waves thoroughly. The Grand Crusader spoke in low tones regarding once-Shastaan’s history and the hourglass the village once housed. However, these details initially seemed lost on the younger ascendants in his company, stirring them only when the mention of controlling day’s length or the forces of time came into the picture. As one, the cadre concluded that they would need to watch for any further disturbances, and Herald Jhura expressed worries that whatever lurked in the Shastaan Warrens had now taken the lost landmark in its eldritch clutches. The Living Totem awoke in truth as the sun reached its apex the next day. Adventurers rushed to desecrated Ulangi in hopes of examining the commotion, and those who set hands upon the landmark’s writhing runes soon felt a primal visitation upon their souls. This visitation tested their bravery in the face of ethereal, predatory spirits, sending some feeble hearts screaming away from the Totem’s presence. Some ascendants even found themselves destroyed where they stood upon contact with the totem, whereas others felt a yearning to journey the world like a vagrant or nomad. The speculation soon ceased, however, for the arrival of Sanguine Fist’s nobility prompted one of Duiran’s warriors to act with extreme prejudice. Soon, the island obliterated by the Effulgent Shout bore witness to yet more terrible violence, soaking the soil with the blood of light and dark alike as war raged to secure the Living Totem’s immediate vicinity. In a hurry to secure answers, Esrytesh Sibatti, Watcher of the Old World and chosen witch of Memory Immortal, left the bloody business to his fellow councilors and their temporary allies and instead rushed to confer with Titania, Queen of the Dryads. As the Heir of the an-Kiar fanned the regal Dryad, Titania outlined her hazy understanding of the Living Totem and the complex magics that governed its aspect. The Dryad claimed that the Totem had once been in the care of a primeval Dendaric fae known as the King Stag or the Stag King, a trickster and warrior spirit sworn to Kaarn, the now-corrupted Stag Guardian imprisoned within Dia’ruis. As the guardian spirit’s health waned, so too did the King Stag’s – as well as his power. Known for his battles with an ancient lich known as Melkhiour, the King Stag – a satyr in truth who oft adopted the guise of a stag in honour of his patron guardian – kept the Living Totem in its sunny, natural aspect with stag horn, or else used the material to ritually reverse the Totem’s state when forced into its Stygian aspect. Grateful for her aid, Sibatti finished his duty as a temporary attendant of the Dryad Queen and made haste back to Ulangi, where the wildlings and their Lightsworn allies held the line against a new, temporary Dark Empire. After one final, bloody charge, the crowd joined together to make offerings of stag horn and booze, as well as oaths to guide the Living Totem on a new spirit quest to the shores of mainland Sapience. Pleased with this development, the sentient landmark ceded its aspect to the Heartwood and blazed to life as the Verdant Totem, though not before adding new solar runes to its length and breadth in honour of the Hammer’s sacrifice on behalf of Duiran. The ambitious Theocracy of Spinesreach mobilised the following week, their sights set upon the newly reformed Fist of Dameron within Tarissa’s dig site. Early and formidably prepared, Spirean forces secured the cavern ahead of time, establishing enchanted defenses and awaiting the appointed hour under the direction of the Dhasan of Magic, Csethiro. As dusk settled, eerie, lurid ripples of light dappled late Tarissa’s archaeological dig site in a fivefold assembly of dread radiance that heralded the awakening of the Fist of Dameron. Initial contact with the Fist proved agonising for many, resulting in the demise of several ascendants untrained to delve Chaos or celestial magics. Led by the Dhasan, the gathered Spireans lifted their voices in a haunting hymn dedicated to Labyrinthine Chaos, focusing their combined will upon claiming the ancient landmark through prayer in accordance with the old ways. As the Theocratic hymn swelled towards its climax, the recently appointed Prophet of Ascension, Legyn, alongside Regent Sheryni, executed a captured El’Jaziran ossomancer, offering the sacrifice in a manner befitting the landmark’s dark origins. Further communion with the Fist revealed a crucial missing element: the landmark yearned for coordinates beyond the Prime, the input of a realm of Chaos, to complete its aspecting. Director Pietre soon ventured into the nascent realm of Labyrinthine Chaos and sought an audience with Tor’geyah, the Threshold to request assistance. The skeletal Chaos Lord demanded sacrifice, a price Pietre willingly paid by consuming a fatal godstongue fruit, his demise paving the way for the Gatekeeper’s aid and opening a portal through the planes directly to the landmark site. As the chaotic aperture began to tear reality open within the center of the quintet pillars, a beam of prismatic light delivered the combined forces of Duiran and Enorian into the cavern. Determined to contest Spinesreach’s claim to a site of considerable power, the wildlings and the Light’s armies made a bold statement to their shared foes through blood and steel in a gesture equal parts heroic and futile. The dig site promptly became a slaughterhouse, blood slaking the already unholy ground as ancient rivalries flared anew for the third time since the Conjunction. Eventually emerging victorious from the bloody fray through their decisive preparations, the Theocracy moved to complete their work. A sudden vision crackled through the mind of the Prophet of Ascension, Legyn: the Pillars had developed a sudden taste for the hearts of those who had contested Spinesreach’s claim, a blood offering to seal the pact as is the way of Chaos. Following the Prophet’s directive, Sepyhie and Llancarfan swiftly harvested the hearts of their fallen foes and distributed them to their fellow theocrats with all the haste they could muster. The Regent Sheryni led the gathered Spireans to take up the gruesome offerings, smashing the hearts against the dark pillars in a visceral, sanguine tribute. Bound by blood, by sacrifice, by Chaotic frequency, the Fist of Dameron shuddered. Empyreal light shone from its dark pillars as they bent and twisted into a new, unprecedented shape. Akin to a furled manus, the monument’s pillars now bore the appearance of a hand clawing for the Divinity shrined in the sky, aspected as the Labyrinth’s Grasp. Even as the Wars of Power tormented Sapience with echoes of their atrocities, something stirred beneath wet silt and darkened waves… \~~~~~ Summary: Following communion with the awakened Living Totem and learning ancient lore from the Dryad Queen Titania, Duiran repelled dark forces to claim the site with Enorian’s help. Through offerings of stag horn and oaths, they secured the landmark and transformed it into the Verdant Totem. Meanwhile, Spinesreach enacted a dark ritual at the Fist of Dameron involving song, sacrifice and planar intervention to bind it to Labyrinthine Chaos. Victorious after a bloody clash with the forces of Life and Light, they sealed their pact with the landmark with harvested enemy hearts, transforming it into the Labyrinth’s Grasp. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 22nd of Celes, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part III: Dark Designs](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-iii-dark-designs/) **Published:** March 27, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In the aftermath of the cosmic conjunction, another of Sapience’s ancient landmarks stirred beneath the quiet coastal town of Tasur’ke. The Crystal Caverns, long dormant after a cave-in, echoed with the alluring song of celestial magic, filling its faceted passages with a curious melody that drew inquisitive and ambitious adventurers alike. Heiress Rashemi, accompanied by her conclave of vigilant Siderealists, was first to venture into the dazzling depths, her eyes aglow with cosmic energy. Already present when Sapience’s ascendants turned up, the Heiress had uncovered the centralmost mineral vein within the cove for all to examine. She wasted no time channeling her powers into the crystalline surroundings and soon announced that she sensed overwhelming potential locked within each gemstone. However, she cautioned that something tragic and wrong lurked underneath, explaining that this particular landmark had a sad history. As others arrived, the Caverns hummed softly with ethereal sorrow: the manifest remnants of experiments conducted long ago by the Dark Empire and ancient forces of Light. While the adventurers and Heiress conversed, a Grook Siderealist set apart from its fellows arrived late to the gathering, adding another cunning mind to the assembly. Legyn, Lin, Whirran, Sepyhie, Pietre, and Jhura were among those who braved closer examination, each encountering echoes of the past etched deep into the crystal. Whirran, ever pragmatic and ambitious, boldly attempted to wrest control by striking the crystals directly with his dagger – only to be instantly repelled by the site’s overwhelming force. Not to be outdone, Lin and Legyn both attempted the same, and the latter received naught but a faceful of sparks for a reward as it sank bare fangs into the cavern’s walls. Oridez’s attempts to interface with the landmark resulted in a fatal catastrophe, its hidden powers and truths driving the Spirean mad as the energy within the crystals unravelled his entire being. Ambition’s Hammer and Knife chose a more direct route as the adventurers pondered the cavern’s mysteries, stunning onlookers as they executed what seemed a sound plan to them. Reasoning that a sacrifice might aspect the caverns or affect its powers somehow, the two promptly ended their lives in dedication to their Dark King, adding a spark to the powderkeg of memory and power all around. In a flicker of celestial power, an unexpected figure wrested herself free from a crystalline prison within the cave: a girl, clutching an eerie dagger and wearing little more than a ragged shift. Jhura quickly recognised her as the remnant of a tragedy, a living echo embodying the rage and sorrow of countless orphans sacrificed to ancient rituals and lost to the Wars of Power – an interpretation further confirmed by the manic thoughts racing through the creature’s mind. The girl, empty of all emotion and cold as ice, made her intentions clear in five words: “I have to kill you.” Whirran, clearly unfamiliar with Sapience’s more dire chapters of folklore, mistook the vengeful creature as naught more than a child and reached out to try and disarm her, prompting the girl to unleash a flurry of terrible knifeblows that dispatched the Ogre faster than any Esterporean duelist could dream of. As dread settled over those present, the girl made an unexpected plea for aid: her own sinister doppelganger, a mirrored version trapped in the Dark Mirror realm, posed an existential threat to her. She directed the crowd’s attention with a simple gesture of her knife, drawing the eye to a gathered horde of doppelgangers dwelling within and beyond the landmark’s magical facets. Left with no choice, the gathered warriors resolved to aid the knife-wielding girl in her bid for freedom. In recompense, she showed her loyalty to the First World by stepping beyond Aetolia’s boundaries through the very same bridge that now threatened its safety and executed a trio of assassinations as a distraction, eliminating Lin, Emhyra, and Pietre’s doppelgangers in a wrathful flurry. Meanwhile, the girl’s doppelganger – the other girl with the knife – crossed into Aetolia simultaneously, once more showcasing the eerie, fateful connection between the two realms set so far apart in the Eschaton’s cosmos. In a bloodied confrontation that painted the cave in a thin film of red, Sapience’s adventurers triumphed over the spiteful intruder and began to deliberate on how to seal the way. Heiress Rashemi, supported by her Siderealist students, hastily began channeling cosmic energy to seal the cavern from further intrusion. In so doing, the nebula of Siderealists managed to shift the landmark’s aspect, claiming it for the Guiding Light Council – Rashemi’s independent cadre of students and associates. A flicker of power filled the cave as the way snapped shut, allowing the knife-wielding girl to slip back home to Aetolia – and then, in another flash, she dispersed, freed from her prison and released to the world as the worshipped spirit she always was. A momentary lull allowed adventurers to recover, even as uneasy laughter and debate lingered among them regarding the threat beyond their world – an enemy that dwelled just beyond the cave’s mirror-polished crystals, ever scheming to invade and replace us all at the centre of the Prime Material. The Crystal Cave’s transformation soon ended, rendering its previously translucent crystals dark enough to resemble night’s blackened canvas. The energy within the landmark became glittering pinpricks, evocative of the stars from which its new guardians derive all their precious power. As the Crystal Cave shed its terrible past and became the Starlight Cavern, other landmarks stirred from centuries of disuse… \~~~~~ Summary: Heiress Rashemi and her Siderealists investigated Tasur’ke’s Crystal Caverns, uncovering painful histories and confronting dangerous doubles from the Dark Mirror realm. After defeating the doppelgangers and narrowly preventing further disaster, the caverns were aspected to Rashemi and her students, transforming them into a constellation-filled wonder that betrays nothing of the grim threat it could pose. Penned by my hand on Closday, the 13th of Celes, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part II: Awakened Potential](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-ii-awakened-potential/) **Published:** March 26, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The first landmark fully reawakened in the dying days of Omeian, its power restored in the aftermath of the Eschaton’s portentous conjunction. Painting the sky above the Western Ithmia with astral brilliance and celestial whorls, the Tree of Renewal began to sway amidst an enchanted breeze, its foliage singing summer songs of arboreal majesty. As adventurers amassed to observe the landmark’s ancient powers return in full, many failed to disguise their shock as the old tree underwent a startling transformation. The tree abruptly froze in time and space as a protective shell of orderly magic manifested around it, its boughs and fruit resisting any attempt to tamper or shift them. Subtle magical runes awakened beneath the tree’s sorcerous patina, removing the natural wonder from the rigours of decay and decomposition and rendering it instead as the Tree of Stasis. Outraged by this new revelation, gathered Duirani made the first attempts at divining the reason for the landmark’s abrupt transfiguration, with many of Sapience’s ascendants rushing to lay hands upon the tree to follow suit. Adventurers who lacked the critical understanding of magical networks, planar forces, or the supernatural arrangement of energy found themselves pushed back by showers of sparks, and even those who claimed expertise in the aforementioned fields found it challenging to delve into the tree’s secrets. Many who attempted such an investigation reported that the tree’s enchantments rejected their attempts to examine the finer details involved in the spell’s construction, obscuring the method and identity of the one who had managed to influence the Tree’s state. It was Jhura Gallant who first managed to glimpse beyond these obstructions, and she eventually relayed to those gathered that she could sense the Tree of Stasis being accessed via a personal channel beyond her means to track. Edhain de Verdigris and Bhalwyn were both swift to cast doubt upon the missing man, Morvaethe, who they claimed had far too intimate a knowledge of these sites to be anything less than an involved party or co-conspirator. As Edhain made a fatal attempt at forcing the Tree of Stasis to yield its secrets, Heiress Rashemi of the Guiding Light Council arrived and examined the landmark. Claiming that the magic that had established these sites was of a rougher, more archaic variety comparable to the grand sorcery to rival or even dwarf Mournhold and Rock Bottom’s tragedies, the Heiress admitted that the Tree’s sudden shift to a previously unknown or undocumented form was nothing less than unprecedented. Upon delving into the site’s mana network, the Heiress confirmed Jhura’s claims and began to explain the finer points of what her research had yielded in recent days. She mentioned that the Tree of Stasis was directing its power to someone or something beyond the Ithmia’s borders, filling many gathered with alarm and speculation anew. As the crowds dispersed and most of Sapience occupied itself with endless theorising and schemes to secure these powers for themselves, many were left to wonder who could have managed to subvert the landmark’s power so effortlessly and precisely. The early days of Celes claimed a sanguine shade hardly seen in recent times as the Blood Falls fully awakened, the second of such storied landmarks to do so. Inthirath, the first to arrive, found a burbling spring of winedark vitae and a Trollish cultist chanting and offering his blood to the veritable font before him, his attention undivided from his mysterious work. Unknowingly setting in motion a battle that evoked memories of decades and ages past, this brutish occultist reached a hand in to sup upon the flowing lifeforce and – for a moment – knew the celestial tinge of power awaiting those daring enough to claim it. As that moment passed, however, so too did his life: where once a Troll stood, chunks of his gory end exploded outward, spelling the end of his life – and the end of cleanliness for those nearby. Eager adventurers and ascendant mortals stepped forward, and each ran a hand through the flowing Falls one by one to sense any newfound powers or properties. Those brave or desperate enough leaned down to gulp greedy mouthfuls at a time, eliciting immediate disgust and nausea from most that dared drink from the accursed waterfall. As time passed and bloodstains claimed more hands and lips, the gathered group swelled in size like a fattened tick primed to burst. Momentarily breaking the attention spans of those who stood at the red river’s edge, a very confused raccoon attempted to clean its latest meal within to no avail, showcasing the way the Dark Empire’s depravity yet still stained the land in this long forgotten echo of their power. Those who had found their way to the grouping of mingled individuals – each showing signs of suspicion toward the others as they poked and prodded – came up short in their attempts to learn more, until Myrnma Ladoran strode forth to offer that which none other had thus far: blood influenced by the Divine. Its addition to the churning Blood Falls called forth immediate recognition from the magic power within its stones and tumbling liquid, a call of blood for blood and the yearning of Conquest resounding inside mortal and landmark alike. Before any such ovations could go further, however, the voice of Yesufa Wisteria Button rang out in warning to all blood-drinkers. Attempting to sway them from their gluttonous ways, Durian’s Voice made a plaintive plea in the name of the Dun Valley, urging adventurers to find a way to turn the landmark back to its pristine state. In response, the soulmaster of Sepyhie struck forth to force Duiran’s Voice to partake in the very act she condemned, sparking unrest amongst the crowd. What followed was a back-and-forth of light and dark conjurations, each dispelled by mages as tempers flared and hostility arose. The first attack against another mortal begat another, and another, until temporary – if familiar – alliances formed and the ground nearest the Blood Falls became as sodden with war’s crimson harvest as the landmark itself. All the while, the Blood Falls teetered upon the brink of transformation as they awaited a hand to claim their bounty in full, its state subtly influenced by the violence at hand. When the smoke finally cleared and Bloodloch and Spinesreach’s united forces beat back the forces of Light and the Wilds, Myrnma strode forward once more to make a final attempt at claiming the Blood Falls underneath the noses of the Sanguine Fist’s temporary allies. As befits a Reaver of the Hegemonist, ’twas their hand that negotiated the pull and peel of each death-defining spray of blood about the area into a neatly-wrapped gift, and they soon thrust it into the depths of the Falls as offering and demand both. A wild surge of sorcery emerged in response, seizing upon the very consciousness of its momentary claimant and leaving an imprint of some dread force lingering at the back of their head – a force in wait, to be called upon in time. Transformed, the Bloodflower Falls sprouted crimson flowers at its edges, only held at bay from further repercussions by the actions and efforts of the Light’s Chosen and the Warders of Dia’ruis. Elsewhere, gossip carried through the streets as individuals struggled to find the path through the snowy pass to the Aerie, with reports of a strange azure light momentarily seen…. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 6th of Celes, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Echoes of Power, Part I: Minor Conjunction](https://www.aetolia.com/news/echoes-of-power-part-i-minor-conjunction/) **Published:** March 24, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As festivities raged throughout the realm and adventurers found joy upon Lord Sorrelion’s storied party barge, the Eschaton’s newly forged cosmos neared a portentous moment. It was Heiress Rashemi and her conclave of daring siderealists that sensed the first shifts throughout the stars, their keen senses and keener intellects turned to the task of divining the motions of each distant world beyond Aetolia. Eager to share her circle’s findings, Rashemi penned a missive to Sapience, foretelling a coming conjunction – a moment of alignment between multiple planets. The Averroes-blessed sorceress failed to contain her excitement, resorting to sensationalist writing that stoked the curiosity of several city-state’s citizens. Speculating on how the conjunction could manifest, some pragmatic and shrewd cities formed elaborate plans and urged their citizens to look upon the stars with renewed vigilance. Every week blazed with discussion among hopefuls and doomsayers alike until the moment the conjunction was completed in truth. Then, as Omeiian’s first evening shrouded the land, two of the Prime Material’s seven worlds began to shift in the skies. Fully evident to the naked eye, the Nascent Cradle and the Untamed World, second and third of the Eschaton’s handcrafted planets, began to emit a fascinating amount of light. Held together by a new arcane gravity, the two realms became constant sights in the sky in the following days, filling Aetolia’s midnight hours with beautiful aurorae the colour of gold and precious emeralds. The following week, as night swallowed the land, the third planet became prominent: the Dark Mirror, home to ruthless doppelgangers that had expressed untold animosity for their originators in our world. Upon its emergence, the distant celestial object tainted the light emanating from all three with a new, bruise-like hue. It fell into the same course, prompting many adventurers to await the perfect moment of alignment that the Heiress had promised in her writing. Unease gripped many leaders of Sapience’s nations as they considered anew the idea of coming danger, leading some to prepare for the worst with endless planning. As evening approached in the middle of Omeiian, the planets neared Aetolia’s celestial meridian – a dividing line from north to south used by astronomers, astrologians, and siderealists to chart the position of stars and heavenly bodies, often viewed as the centre of the sky. At first, the Nascent Cradle and the Untamed World aligned at the world’s apex, filling the skies with awe-inspiring colours and a sense of foreboding power. Energy began to trickle down from the duo in the form of ghostly light, offering Aetolia a fleeting taste of what was to come: tremendous power, raw and primal, enough to flood a world and empower acts of genesis and destruction alike. Promising to intensify upon the arrival of the Dark Mirror, the celestial force wove ripples into the sky and set the heavens ablaze with the fury of a thousand stars. Despite this glorious display, the aforementioned realm journeyed at its spiteful, plodding march, threatening the alignment in its entirety due to another planet’s faster pace. It was then that the Eschaton, the Starforger, True Creator of all the worlds of the Prime Material, manifested in full view of those mortals that walked the length and breadth of Its perfectly arranged Creation. Unwilling to let Its plans be spoiled and eager to see Its worlds suffused with a surge of potential that would surely hasten Its Creation’s flight from an unknown Other, the almighty deity reached out. It steadied the errant world for long enough to complete the conjunction in truth, holding it in place so that a perfect planetary array could come to pass. Uncaring for the force It exerted, ill-adjusted to the notion of restraint that It had so often left in the responsibility of Endless Aechros, the Architect of All Existence rendered the alignment too perfect an arrangement, multiplying a thousandfold the force brought on by the astral assembly. In response to a potential threat to Its charge, the Abyssal awoke and began distributing the energy that started to pour into the First Realm, also known as Aetolia. Once more drawing upon the mana of every living being, the Albedi God of the Arcane wove a complex skein of deific energy that captured the onrushing tide and distributed it into seven equal parts meant to empower each world equally. Pleased with Its contributions to Its Creator’s toil, the ancient arcane entity dissolved from mortal perception and left the rest to its lunar overseer, proving yet again that It was ever bound to the subtleties of Divine machination. Upon Its flight across the planes, Abyssal Odravh streaked through the perception of those mortal minds sensitive to planar energies, leaving the acolytes of elemental gods, practitioners of elemental or planar channels, and even the fervent priests of Avzosh and Rahiela stunned in the wake of the Helm’s ineffable strength. Not far behind Its arcane subordinate, the Eschaton scattered to selenic light, gone from view with the satisfaction of a design furthered. In the wake of the True Creator’s disappearance, Its ordained conjunction began in truth. With the cosmic power divided into seven pieces, Aetolia’s leylines drank deep of its share and split it into three streams: one bound for ancient Albedos, another for exotic Vorostra, and the final for Sapience. The energy fragmented into seven more streams in our familiar territory, and each then lanced through the continent’s worldveins like serpents desperate to make a new den. Arcane might soon saturated a network long forgotten and unprepared for it, sending a cobalt inferno tumbling throughout the ley that illuminated the earth from shore to shore. One by one, ancient sites associated with the dreaded War of Power began to stir from centuries of slumber. A triumphant roar echoed from the Mhojave as a statue awakened amidst the dunes. In short order, a leonine silhouette took wing upon the desert’s hot winds and vanished from sight, its enigmatic form hidden by flashes of wild magic. Soon after, a beacon ablaze with verdant fire awakened upon desecrated Ulangi, sending ripples of rejuvenating power from shore to shore like a distress signal. Stirred to primal sentience, an ancient ritual totem at a dirt crossroad exuded fell green light, awaiting a new purpose and communion with spiritual forces. Deep in the Western Ithmia, the sacred Tree of Renewal’s lightning-hewn bark began to mend, its vitality refreshed by the conjunction’s astral bounty. The storied titan soon settled its repaired roots into its surroundings and began to sprout fruit, its once-barren boughs seemingly rejuvenated by Eschatonic providence. Meanwhile, tragedy struck in the Dun Valley as Oloo, beloved environmentalist and the Grook behind the campaign to keep the ancient waterfall of the valley clean of blood sacrifice, tumbled to his death amidst the earthly tremours brought on by the leyline disturbances. In a cruel twist, the Grook’s head splattered open upon a rock at the waterfall’s crest, undoing his life’s work as his sanguine vitae seeped into the falls – tainting it anew with innocent, kind-hearted blood. Newly christened, the beloved site ran as red as Vilimisean wine, twisted again into an instrument for vile sorcery to echo elder ages and dark wars of spellcraft. As the world mourned, ancient potsherds and enchanted rubble strewn across the Siroccian Mountains began to shudder as the old ways awakened in other places, and the unfamiliar guidance of cosmic force drew these together through a dire arcane gravity. Though the leylines had shifted in small ways since the landmark’s birth, the Fist of Dameron soon reformed within the dig site beneath its original location, filling a dead-end cavern with the ominous dark pillars once described as the baleful fist of a Prince of Chaos. Having re-established its Far Realm frequencies after centuries of obliteration, the enchanted monument exerted its foul influence and defiled the ground around it, blackening the earth for all to see. Even as this subterranean emergence unfolded, a cosmic symphony arose from the caverns beneath sleepy Tasur’ke. It filled the surrounding area with clear, crystalline chimes that sang of cataclysmic power renewed once more by empyreal brilliance from beyond the stars, setting each crystalline facet to a frightful tremble. The seventh and penultimate site to attempt awakening was the fabled garden in lost and scoured Aalen, a place scholars purport was Tsol’aan holy ground. Though an ethereal echo of that garden bloomed amidst the celestial convergence, it almost immediately withered and died, eliciting alarm from the Heartwood even as the energy dispersed back into the leylines. It thundered from the western shore to the eastern ocean in a tumultuous upheaval of primal power, rattling Mournhold’s cobblestones with its force as it desperately burrowed into the silt and sand off the devastated town’s coast. There, it seeped into an unknown object near the wreckage of once-Shastaan, its identity veiled by the eldritch horrors that lurk there in that dark ocean. Driven by fear or passion, the curiosity merchant on Lord Sammonward’s barge hurriedly packed his things into a caravan drawn by misty equine simulacrums and promptly took up its reins. With a loud crack of leather and bridle, the mysterious man and his odd burden-beasts thundered away into the horizon, destined for parts unknown… Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 19th of Omeian, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads February 2025 - part 6 (end)](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2025-part-6-end/) **Published:** March 21, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, This the last set of reports for the classlead round and brings an end to all the crazy changes. They were quite a bit, huh! I’ll continue to tweak things for balance purposes as it comes, but you can work on your systems without worrying about more to come. Enjoy! Discipline ============================== – \[3324\] You can now ASK FOR PROMISE as part of Recruit, which will form a mote of spiritual light. \* You can then use SPIRIT RECRUIT on the mote per normal. Tenacity ============================== – \[3534\] You can now replace AXE with AXELEFT or AXERIGHT, if you wish to use the axe from that specific hand. \* This will only work with Tenacity abilities that utilise one axe to attack with. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Chakros, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads February 2025 - part 5](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2025-part-5/) **Published:** March 19, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, The affliction audit does indeed continue, this time with salve afflictions. This reintroduces blindness and deafness as actual afflictions, something I know that has been a pet peeve of many for the longest time, changes up epteth/epseth a bit, and a variety of other things. This’ll have some pretty hefty changes to various classes, so I’ll be keeping an eye on the changes and tweaking things until it feels just right. That’s all for now! Pills ============================ – New Pill: Pluck. \* Gives you the ‘courage’ defence when consumed. – Euphorant pill no longer cures ‘insomnia’. – Kawhe pill now only gives ‘insomnia’ for 5 minutes. \* The Survival version continues to give it indefinitely. Afflictions ============================ – Removed Affliction: Burnt eyes. \* Effects from the affliction have been rolled into blindness. – New Affliction: Feeble legs. \* Cured by applying epidermal to legs. \* Standing up now costs 0.6 balance to do so. – New Affliction: Feeble arms. \* Cured by applying epidermal to arms. \* Lowers dexterity by 3. – If both ‘feeble\_arms’ and ‘feeble\_legs’ are present, you will be considered prone. – The ‘blindness’ defence is now instead an affliction. – The ‘deafness’ defence is now instead an affliction. – The ‘blindness’ and ‘deafness’ afflictions retain the usual effects of their counterparts. – The ‘blindness’ affliction additionally gives you 0% base accuracy for 1 second, every 8 seconds. – The ‘deafness’ affliction will improve the accuracy of attacks made upon you by 15%. – In most cases going forward, ‘sensitivity’ will now occur after you have had ‘ringing\_ears’ for a period of 4 seconds. \* For clarity, it works very similiar to the paresis/paralysis mechanics. – The ‘sensitivity’ affliction now just grants the full 30% damage increase bonus. – The ‘ringing\_ears’ affliction now increases damage by 5% overall, instead of the old effect. – Like above, ‘blurry\_vision’ is now a transformation of ‘watery\_eyes’ that occurs after 4 seconds. \* Most abilities that delivered ‘blurry\_vision’, now cause ‘watery\_eyes’, with exceptions below. – The ‘blurry\_vision’ affliction now applies a 40% miss chance, up from 30%. – The new ‘watery\_eyes’ affliction applies a 15% miss chance. – The ‘torso\_broken’ affliction now only increases bleeding by 20%. – The ‘torso\_mangled’ affliction now only increases bleeding by 80%. – The ‘collapsed\_lung’ affliction now only prevents the formation of the aura of rebounding. – The ‘indifference’ affliction now prevents you from moving parry, and no longer makes you prone. – The ‘shivering’ affliction no longer reduces your dexterity by 1. – The ‘gloom’ affliction now strips ‘courage’ when applying epidermal to cure it. – The ‘mindseye’ defence now provides a one time protection against blindness and deafness. Toxicology ============================ – New Venom: Araceae. \* It will strip the density defence. – Reworked Venom: Epseth. \* Gives the ‘feeble\_legs’ affliction instead of crippling legs. – Reworked Venom: Epteth. \* Gives the ‘feeble\_arms’ affliction instead of crippling arms. – Prefarar now gives ‘ringing\_ears’, instead of stripping ‘deafness’ into ‘sensitivity’. – Oculus now gives ‘watery\_eyes’, instead of stripping ‘blindness’ into ‘blurry\_vision’. – Epteth and Epseth can be applied to weapons once again. Skills ============================ – New Kaido Skill: Courage. – Removed Kaido Skills: Sight, Blind, Deaf, Hearing. – Mindseye tattoo now consumes 3 seconds of equilibrium on use. – Allsight enchantment now consumes 3 seconds of equilibrium on use. – You can no longer GOGGLE TOGGLE for ‘mindseye’ with the salvage goggles. – The ‘antennae’ relic no longer lets you hear while deaf. – The ‘blindsight’ artifact now lets you use WHO HERE and INFO HERE while blind. – Mesmerize / Exhort now uses balance, instead of equilibrium. – Mesmerize / Exhort now only transfixes the target if they don’t have the ‘courage’ defence. – Spew / Attend now strips the ‘courage’ defence and gives ‘ringing\_ears’. – Arcanism Transfix / Esoterica Enthrall now only transfixes the target if they don’t have the ‘courage’ defence. – Sorcery Transfix / Runecarving Transfix now only transfixes the target if they don’t have the ‘courage’ defence. – Sciomancy Voidgaze / Malediction Mystify now requires your target to not have the ‘courage’ defence. – Sciomancy Voidgaze Shadowprice / Malediction Mystify Spiritpack now strips ‘courage’. – Spirituality Brilliance / Subjugation Horrification now strip the ‘courage’ defence. – Spirituality Facesmash / Subjugation Facesmash now strip the ‘courage’ defence. – Illumination / Tectonics Transfixion now only transfixes the target if they don’t have the ‘courage’ defence. – Illumination Blindness / Tectonics Spray now only gives ‘blindness’. – Necromancy Screech / Oneiromancy Bells is now prevented by the ‘courage’ defence, and strips it. – Beastmastery Swipe now strips the ‘courage’ defence, instead of ‘density’. – Beastmastery Roar is now blocked by the ‘courage’ defence. – Ember arrows now strip the ‘courage’ defence, instead of ‘density’. – Shapeshifting Swipe now strips the ‘courage’ defence, instead of ‘deafness’. – Vocalizing effects that relied on ‘deafness’, now instead rely on ‘courage’. \* This includes things like Boneshaking, and that by default howls did not penetrate ‘deafness’ without it. – Weaving Soundblast now causes ‘clumsiness’ instead of stripping ‘deafness’. – Songcalling Unheard now relies on ‘ringing\_ears’ or ‘sensitivity’ to be present, otherwise it has no effect. – Songcalling Unheard no longer has an innate damage boost from ‘ringing\_ears’. – Tenacity Bash now gives ‘dizziness’ and ‘confusion’ if the target is prone. – Fury Warcry now gives ‘deafness’ instead of stripping it. – Primality Effusion / Alchemy Rousing now gives ‘ringing\_ears’ and strips ‘courage’ by default. – Primality Effusion / Alchemy Rousing if boosted, will give ‘sensitivity’ instead of ‘ringing\_ears’, and stun the target. – Elemancy Conflagrate / Humourism Disgorge now strips ‘courage’ instead of ‘deafness’. – Elemancy Thunderclap / Humourism Stupor now gives ‘confusion’ if they don’t have the ‘courage’ defence. – Domination Chimera Roar / Contracts Quetzal Croon will now strip ‘courage’ instead of ‘deafness’. – Domination Chimera Roar / Contracts Quetzal Croon will stun the target if they don’t the ‘courage’ defence. – Crystalism Striduation Tone now strips ‘courage’, then gives ‘ringing\_ears’. – Crystalism Striduation now relies on the target not having ‘courage’ to cause ‘disruption’. – Battlefury Battlecry / Riving Anguish now needs ‘ringing\_ears’ or ‘sensitivity’ to be successful. – Bladefire Blastwave / Chirography Owinta (two-handed) now causes ‘ringing\_ears’, replacing the ‘deafness’ strip. – Removed the bonus damage from Woodlore Daunt / Artifice Accost if you don’t have ‘deafness’. – New Ostension Power: Ontesme Occlusion. \* Fun fact: Ostension Ontesme Occlusion obstructs oleander. – Removed ‘blurry\_vision’ from Astranomia Superbolide. – Astranomia Superbolide can now additionally cause ‘blindness’ and/or ‘deafness’. – Dhuriv Blind / Shadowdancing Ploy now causes ‘blindness’ instead of ‘blurry\_vision’. – Ferality Faceslash now causes ‘blindness’ instead of ‘blurry\_vision’. – Ferality Facemaul now relies on ‘blindness’ instead of ‘blurry\_vision’. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 11th of Chakros, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The return of the party barge](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-return-of-the-party-barge/) **Published:** March 17, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The Year 10 games are concluded, and Lord Sammonward’s party barge is now moored in the Pachacacha at v1044. On board you’ll find a variety of games to play, food and drink to sample. As with every year, we’ve added new crafting ingredients, minipets, mounts, and a host of other trinkets for sale. My personal favourite addition is the runefall board – be sure to check it out! Be sure to also check out the brand new murder mystery mansion! Some of the goods will need tickets to purchase, which you can get by playing the various barge games. The barge will be available until the end of the end of the month, so plenty of time to win tickets and get all the prizes! The final top ten standings for Year 10 were: Rank Name Points 1 Sheryni 56 2 Edhain 46 3 Whirran 32 4 Inthirath 30 5 Naivara 28 5 Oridez 28 6 Csethiro 27 7 Iadora 25 8 Asani 24 9 Kagura 23 9 Xavin 23 10 Legyn 22 10 Teeh 22 Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 23rd of Dharos, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Culling of Mor](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-culling-of-mor/) **Published:** March 16, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Early in Lexadian of year 7 AC, a terrible rumbling echoed through the streets of Enorian, followed by a party of raiding undead storming the Landward Gate. Skeletal warriors, ghasts, ghouls, and vampiric sentries descended upon guards and knights alike, their purpose shrouded in mystery. Driven back to the Caverns of Mor, the undead vanished behind a thick veil of sanguineous magic, leaving the Hammer of Dawn unable to pursue into the corrupted depths. Later that very week, Asheara Silverain intercepted a corrupter within the Temple of the Gods bearing an ominous warning: the vile servants were gathering to assist the undead infesting the Caverns of Mor, and barely had the warning been spoken when a siege descended upon Enorian’s gates. In the following months, terrible tremors shook the Peshwar delta, its echo felt through Enorian’s walls. Undead legions surged forth, seeking to lay waste to the Hammer of Dawn, only to be cut down by Enoriana faithful. From the murky depths of his impenetrable lair, Yegrit of the Deep Shadow mockingly taunted the warriors of the Dawn, revealing himself as the lich responsible for the raids. After this revelation, Yegrit unleashed a grotesque abomination flanked by skeletal warriors – an amalgamation of flesh crudely stitched together by dark sorcery. The monstrosity rampaged through the Peshwar Delta, searing warriors with burning brands, exuding noxious fumes, and emanating a deadly chill. Worst of all, it turned their own fallen against them, reanimating the Hammera slain allies to fight against their brethren. Despite its monstrous power, the Light prevailed, ripping the abomination apart stitch by stitch until all that remained was tattered flesh and wasted sorcery. The battle between Enorian and Mor’s forces raged on for more than a year until Captain Jebediah ‘Smiley’ O’Lyryus discovered a narrow breach within the thick veil barricading the mouth of the caverns and slipped through undetected. Upon his return, he alerted Enorian, prompting a swift mobilisation. While the Witchhunters infiltrated the fog-choked tunnels, the Hammera warriors remained outside, guiding them with enchanted amulets and their inner spark. Each Witchhunter had a role to play, working in unison to survive the cursed depths. Some raised shields to ward off the undeada relentless assaults, others mended wounds with sacred restoratives, and the rest ruthlessly carved a path through the hoard, hacking enemies to pieces. Together, they whittled down undead forces, banishing necrotic altars and unravelling the darkness within. On 13 Dharos, 10 AC, the Hammer of Dawn launched their final campaign against the undead of Mor and the lich Yegrit, determined to end his dark reign once and for all. Spike, the Witchhunter companion of Vanguard Inthirath Karthi stumbled upon a gruesome sight: a blood-drenched pentagram scrawled across the floor, its centre occupied by a lifeless, sacrificial body. A black candle burned eerily at each of the five points, casting unsettling shadows. Recognising its purpose in powering the barrier, Spike unleashed his sapping power, unravelling the sinister energy that bound the unholy relic together. With a final surge, the pentagram exploded in a violent source of dispelled sorcery, making the once impenetrable wall vulnerable to attack. With the barrier now weakened and vulnerable to attack, Enorian divided its forces to execute a two-pronged assault. The ground team, led by Knight Marshal Sryaen Kavoros, prepared to strike from land while the sea team, captained by Grand Crusader Benedicto Silverain readied their offensive from the water. As each team assembled, Captain Jebediah ‘Smiley’ O’Lyryus delivered the news that Jhura Gallant’s Witchhunter companion Twig, a Kelki sapper was emerging from the caverns and would aid in bringing down the wall. Meanwhile, Keldyr, a Kelki sailor, confirmed that the Dawnbreaker stood ready to launch the naval assault. Under Twig’s watchful eye and guidance, Sryaen, Xavin, Asheara, Eliadon, Jhura, Eaku, Vrazel, Shara, Sine, Lysaira, and Kalevi worked meticulously, carefully assembling volatile alchemical bombs. With utmost care, they wedged explosives into every crack and crevice they could find along the wall. With every available space packed with explosives, Sryaen struck the fuse and stepped back, bracing for detonation. The blast erupted with a deafening roar, only for an unseen force to smother most of the explosion. A muted shockwave rippled outward, reducing the sound to a fading echo that rumbled throughout the delta. Yet the wall shuddered. The coagulated mist that clung to it unravelled, and tendrils of crimson vapour peeled away as the structure groaned under the strain. As the debris settled, a second barrier was revealed – solid, unyielding, its surface etched with glyphs pulsing with defiant energy. Each glyph pulsed in three shifting colours, casting an eerie glow upon the rubble. The ground team stood before the unyielding barrier, uncertainty gripping them as questions swirled. Aboard the Dawnbreaker, Keldyr informed the sea team that the forge below deck was hot and ready, and its fires were stoked for the task ahead. He said his duty was to keep the ship afloat amidst the chaos ahead and that the rest was up to them. With nothing more to say, he turned and headed to the ship’s wheel, lowering the masts and steering the boat out of Enoriana harbour toward the battle ahead. Below deck, Benedicto, Meleah, Inthirath, Natliya, Zarranik, Strolgrum, Ayastia, and Urim gathered around the roaring forge and quickly realised their task: crafting explosive payloads to be fired from the ship’s Dwarven bombthrowers. Wasting no time, they formed an assembly line, each taking on a crucial step in the forging process. Molten metal was poured, shaped, hardened, and ammunition rolled out rapidly, though not all attempts made anything more than liquid slag. Upon arrival, with a single unified cry, the crew scrambled to drop anchor to help hold the Dawnbreaker’s position upon the delta. In short order, other brawny sailors leapt to prepare the Dwarven bombthrowers, transforming the voyaging vessel into an aquatic war platform. With the explosives hefted to each bombthrower, two teams formed at each of the four siege weapons – one loading, one aiming and firing. As tension thickened in the salty air, Benedicto hefted his voice to yell against the wind, issuing the order. In unison, all four weapons fired, unleashing a barrage of spirit-infused shots streaking through the sky and hurtling towards the mouth of Mor. The spirit-infused munitions struck the wall with a resonant boom, their sacred energy unravelling upon impact. Radiant light surged outward, tendrils of luminous force lashing against the barrier. Cracks splintered through its surface, purging corruption in their wake. Some of the wall’s glowing glyphs flickered and shattered, their energy drained – but many remained. From the ground team, Sryaen quickly relayed the situation to Benedicto, who altered the Hammer’s seaborne attack plans accordingly. With their work unfinished, the sea team rushed back below deck, ready to forge another volley of blessed ammunition. The sea team launched two more volleys, and each strike drove deeper into the barriera defences. First came the fire-infused barrage, one and all packed with molten fury. Upon impact, they ruptured in searing explosions, unleashing torrents of flame that surged outward. Heat fractures raced across the wall, and fire licked hungrily at the weakened structure, forcing it to buckle beneath the relentless inferno. This was followed by the final barrage: arcane-infused spheres that slammed into the wall, detonating in a blinding explosion. Cobalt brilliance erupted from their cores, rippling outward in shimmering waves that tore away at the wall’s sorcerous bindings. Each pulse carved fractures deeper into the surface, stripping away layers of darkness until the glyph-ridden barrier trembled on the brink of collapse. The final rune flickered, its glow sputtering into nothingness. Then for a breathless moment, all was still – for but a moment. A deafening crack shattered the silence. The wall buckled, its fractures spiderwebbing outward as it groaned beneath its failing weight. Suddenly, the barrier collapsed, bringing down an avalanche of ruin that kicked up a choking storm of dust and debris. A path gaped open when the grit finally settled, leading into the darkness beyond. From the darkened depths of torturous Mor emerged a horde of ghouls, Yegrit’s proverbial dogs of war let slip to battle the forces of the Light. In short order, the lich himself joined the fray. He cast terrible volleys of necromantic energy and shadowy bolts that tore into the crusaders, driving them back and forcing them to strategise before the colossal army aligned against them. With a new plan and the blessing of Accordant Righteousness, the Hammer strode forward to meet Yegrit with renewed confidence and brought the Light’s justice to bear against his undead ilk. Though he mustered vicious bone prisons and summoned soilbound ghouls that dragged Enorian’s soldiers beneath the dirt, Yegrit’s ancient necromancy availed him naught. After a grisly battle, the lich scattered to dark mist, his phylactery destroyed the moment the witchhunters had destabilised the caverns’ vile pentagram. Empowered by their patrons, the sworn avengers of Righteousness and Heroism strode forth into the caverns of Mor and tore it down with all the fury of the Light’s merciless gaze. As the Dauntless Heroine’s acolytes drowned the cavern in Denan Arloi’s waters, Lightsworn Fire’s inquisitors seized the craven vampire commanders in Mor’s cellar. This fiery prayer obliterated those forces of darkness with sacred pyromancy, filling Sapience with the agonised screech of final judgment. This act abraded their essence, diffusing them across the cosmos for all eternity as punishment for their crimes – an end even those beyond the Cycle cannot deny. In the aftermath, Captain Jebediah and the witchhunters retreated to rest, and the Hammer of Dawn returned home – victorious, exhausted, and confident in the finality of this bloodied crusade. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 19th of Dharos, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Crafting competition winners](https://www.aetolia.com/news/crafting-competition-winners/) **Published:** March 13, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello! Our judges have come to a decision on the placements of our Year 10 design contest with the theme of ‘geography’! 1st: Inthirath with ‘a creative’s armillary trinket’ 2nd: Edhain with ‘an exhibit of ancient war in the Ithmias’ 3rd: Ivonia with ‘a kinetic sculpture of the planispheres’ 4th: Mahar with ‘a lush basin of the Offspring caught in miniature’ 5th: Wjoltyr with ‘a burnished brass theodolite’ Honourable Mentions: Naivara, Sryaen?\*, Iadora, Teeh, Merek, Nimme All items can be found stocked within Esterport so you can marvel at their work! \*: Submitter’s identity unclear. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 25th of Ios, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads February 2025 - part 4](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2025-part-4/) **Published:** March 10, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Primality / Alchemy ============================== – \[3617\] Staticburst / Currents now has a curated list of afflictions it gives. \* Refer to the AB help file for the list, since it’s fairly long. Battlefury / Riving ============================== – \[3654\] New Skill: Irongrip – \[3572\] Rending / Gouge can now be used with a morningstar. Sanguis / Discipline ============================== – \[3597\] Minions / recruits are now properly wiped on logout. \* Recruits also have a unique message about them returning home, instead of dying. – \[3595\] Seize / Inquisition now additionally gives the target the ‘loneliness’ affliction. Elemancy / Humourism ============================== – \[3612\] Fireburst / Retch now lasts for 120 seconds, up from 90. – \[3612\] Afterburn / Roil now lasts for 60 seconds, up from 40. – \[3612\] Capacitance / Impediment now lasts for 80 seconds, up from 60. Artifacts ============================== – \[3610\] Transmutation charges used with the antiquated gauntlet now use GAUNTLET instead of TRANSMUTE. \* Example: MANIPULATE PYLON FOR GAUNTLET \* This prevents you from accidently spendind gold, if you wanted a charge instead. \* Still requires the Transmutation city research ability to be unlocked to do so. Performance ============================== – \[3579\] Tempo will no longer proc Rhythm in PvE. – \[3579\] The damage of Tempo has been increased in PvE. Savagery / Warding ============================== – \[3580\] Crush / Pummel on knees or elbows now lasts for 4 procs, or until 90 seconds have passed. Spirituality / Subjugation ============================== – \[3634\] Overwhelm / Deface bleeding amount increased with small shields to 325, up from 300. – \[3634\] Overwhelm / Deface bleeding amount decreased with large shields to 200, down from 225. Tenacity ============================== – \[3582\] Lacerate now scales the bleeding from crippled limbs, instead of broken limbs. – \[3582\] Lacerate base amount of bleeding increased to 80, up from 75. – \[3582\] Lacerate scaling bleeding per crippled limb increased to 60, up from 50. Vision ============================== – \[3614\] Tunnelvision will now hide cures being consumed by everyone else. \* Only works if you use Tunnelvision on someone not yourself. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 8th of Ios, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads February 2025 - part 3](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2025-part-3/) **Published:** March 10, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey folks, Following up on the affliction audit, per report 3585: As warned on our Discord, we’re going to be doing a renaming of a bunch of afflictions to improve the consistency of grammar in certain messages, and just to fit them in a little better with our class skills and themes. This also includes generalising some names a bit so they can be used more widely, and reducing a bit of naming overlap with existing afflictions. Other then that, please let me know if you run into any bugs! Skills ============================ – Vocalizing Berserking is now renamed to Enraging. – Mentis Berserking is now renamed to Mania. – Mentis Lovers is now renamed to Infatuation. – Hypnosis Berserking is now renamed to Mania. – Spirituality Battle / Subjugation Spur syntax has been changed: \* It is now ANGEL BATTLE \[target\] for Spirituality. \* And OSSO SPUR \[target\] for Subjugation. Afflictions ============================ – Renamed ‘blood\_curse’ into ‘psychosis’. – Renamed ‘blood\_poison’ into ‘sepsis’. – Renamed ‘self-pity’ into ‘self\_pity’. – Renamed ‘blighted’ into ‘blight’. – Renamed ‘infested’ into ‘infestation’. – Renamed ‘merciful’ into ‘mercy’. – Renamed ‘egocentric’ into ‘egocentrism’. – Renamed ‘berserking’ into ‘mania’. – Renamed ‘exhausted’ into ‘exhaustion’. – Renamed ‘thin\_blood’ into ‘dyscrasia’. – Renamed ‘mental\_disruption’ into ‘delirium’. – Renamed ‘physical\_disruption’ into ‘extravasation’. – Renamed ‘limp\_veins’ into ‘hypotension’. – Renamed ‘lovers\_effect’ into ‘infatuation’. – Renamed ‘perplexed’ into ‘perplexity’. – Renamed ‘heartflutter’ into ‘arrhythmia’. Changes ============================ – The following afflictions have new cure messages: \* Psychosis, sepsis, dyscrasia, delirium, extravasation, and hypotension. – The following afflictions have new diagnose messages: \* Psychosis, dyscrasia, self pity, delirium, extravasation, and hypotension. – Fixed ‘blight’ from Boosted Spines / Pathogen not crediting the caster. – Fixed ‘infestation’ from Boosted Infest / Infiltrative not crediting the caster. – The ‘psychosis’ affliction is now longer considered a physical affliction. – Added ‘vertigo’ firstaid discovery to a few symptom messages. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 7th of Ios, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Bad luck protection for pots](https://www.aetolia.com/news/bad-luck-protection-for-pots/) **Published:** March 8, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, Based on some feedback received, I’ve taken some steps to combat the effect of RNG swing on pots of gold for obtaining relic coffers. Essentially, you’ll be guaranteed to receive a relic coffer if you go several pots without getting one. The chances of all other prizes remain intact as they were outside of this guaranteed chance scenario. Essentially, this is just bad luck protection for obtaining relic coffers. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 20th of Severin, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Twin Tournament, Twin Announcement](https://www.aetolia.com/news/twin-tournament-twin-announcement/) **Published:** March 6, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, everybody! Based on some feedback from interested parties, and to allow Felix to conscript some of you to wash dishes from the Iron Epicurean earlier that day, we’re going to delay the Twins Tournament this weekend by an hour. This means it will start at 01:00 GMT rather than directly at Howling that day. The \[0;1;37mEVENTS\[0m listing has already been edited to reflect this, as has the Discord’s Event listing. Remember to register your team through the oathstone near Tanjos! Its location was mentioned in my previous post. Hope to see you there, lovelies! Penned by my hand on Closday, the 12th of Severin, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Twins Tournament Registration](https://www.aetolia.com/news/twins-tournament-registration/) **Published:** March 6, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In the interest of expedience on the day of the event, I’ve put Tanjos, Champion of Craneskull in charge of registration a few days ahead to smooth everything out! You can use the oathstone at v73726 to register your team – this will require the presence of your future partner for the event to come! PROBE the stone to see how it works. I hope to see all of you there! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 7th of Severin, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads February 2025 - part 2](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2025-part-2/) **Published:** March 3, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey folks, I’ve started a bit of an affliction audit per report 3585, and this is the first pass of it as I trim things down a little and make some effects a little more straight forward. There is some more to go at some point, I’m sure of it! Having said that, I’ll keep an eye on things and see how it impacts everything overall. Skills ============================ – Removed Hypnosis skill: Pacifism. – Removed Hypnosis skill: Generosity. – Trepidation / Light reworked: \* Now gives hubris, self-pity, sadness, and merciful. – Gloom / Despair can no longer give ‘commitment\_fear’. – Falter / Anathemise now gives ‘crippled’ instead of ‘exhausted’. – Irritation is now renamed to Vainglory, and gives the ‘hubris’ affliction. – Halt now gives ‘immobility’ for 5 seconds instead of ‘halted’. – Exhaust now has a boosted effect, giving 1 stack of ‘hobbled’ for 20 seconds. – Induce (Fear) now gives ‘hopelessness’ instead of ‘worrywart’. – Charity now gives ‘magnanimity’ instead of ‘generosity’. – Guilt now gives ‘peace’ instead of ‘pacifism’. – Empowered Chargeheart / Impel (ally) now gives ‘lovers\_effect’ instead of ‘pacifism’. – Pestilence ring now gives ‘claustrophobia’ instead of ‘generosity’. Afflictions ============================ – Removed the anxiety typing pool of afflictions, along with the following anxieties: \* Baldness, commitment\_fear, body\_odor, worrywart. – Removed the following afflictions from HELP CURE ORDER: Pacifism, generosity, itchy, halted. – Sadness has a new effect: Reduces celerity by 2. – Self-pity has a new effect: Reduces mana sip by half. – Hubris has a new effect: Always cured first when touching tree. – Dementia is now more subtle with its effects, only having a 25% chance to cause an alteration. \* Chance to alter what name you say in communications remains the same. – Removed the celerity negative from dementia. – Stupidity can now only trigger if a command has been input in the last second. – Cleaned up some of the messages from stupidity so that it might feel more like a continuation of the last action performed. – Increased the chance of falling over from stupidity to 15%, up from 10%. – Dizziness fall over chance expanded to affect basic movement such as fly, burrow, swim, or dash. – Dizziness chance to make you fall over decreased to 30%, down from 40%. – Impatience no longer halves mana sip. – Asthma no longer causes you to breathe heavily when moving. – Impairment no longer disables racial abilities. – Exhausted no longer causes a delay in movement. – Exhausted now halves your divert chance as well. – Exhausted can now make you breathe heavily when moving. – Haemophilia no longer increases inflicted blood reserve loss by 10%. – Hopelessness no longer has any effect on WRITHE. – Loneliness is now cured with eucrasia instead of depressant. – Deadening is now just an extra 15% added to the shock/burnout threshold, instead of setting it to a flat 40%. – Transfix writhe time changed to 3 – 5, was 2.7 – 5.4. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 17th of Sapiarch, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Year 10 Crafting Competition - begins!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-10-crafting-competition-begins/) **Published:** March 3, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The Year 10 Design Contest is now officially open! Until the 11th of March we’ll be accepting your design submissions for the theme of \[0;1;37mGEOGRAPHY\[0m. These submissions aren’t tied to any one particular archetype and can be from any of Aetolia’s crafting skills. Submissions can be made by sending a clear letter to Ere with all of the details. Please sign these and make it absolutely clear who they are from! We’ll be judging these based on a variety of factors, including spelling and grammar, creativity, adherence to the theme, and whether it is distinctly Aetolian in nature. Prizes are as follows: 1st place: 250 credits & the winner’s choice of any crafting related artifact (nothing limited like an auction arti) 2nd place: 200 credits 3rd place: 150 credits Event points as usual for all entries and top five! Some rules: – One submission per player – This must be a new design and not one that already exists in the game – You do not need to actually have the skill you’re designing for – The design should be complete with any additional fields filled in as appropriate (e.g taste messages for drinks, eaten messages for foods and such) Make sure you read \[0;1;33mHELP CRAFTING COMPETITION\[0m in full for all the details not covered here! Good luck! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 15th of Sapiarch, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Tale of Cragfoot](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-tale-of-cragfoot/) **Published:** March 3, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In the early days of a scorching season within the Bonro region, the long-forgotten outpost of Cragfoot stirred with renewed life. Once held by the Dreikathi and left to rot in the wake of their occupation, the settlement had become a faint memory, slipping into obscurity as the desert sands reclaimed its streets. Desperate for relief, the townsfolk cried out to anyone who might answer, their wells all but dry and their meagre supplies plundered by opportunistic bandits. A response came from an unlikely quarter when the Order of Euthymius chanced upon the plight of Cragfoot. At first, the arrival of these outsiders caused a stir among locals, many recalling harsher days under more hostile forces. Yet rather than impose further hardship, the Order took stock of the ravaged settlement and immediately began aiding its people. They repaired the broken well with surprising efficiency, digging deep into the stubborn red clay until water flowed in abundance, rekindling a spark of hope among the parched inhabitants. While the scorching midday sun continued to beat down on the dusty landscape, the Order steadily arrived with food, clothing, and extra hands to help carry out repairs. Their efforts did not stop at the village’s basic needs: they oversaw the restoration of the dilapidated buildings and the construction of new ones where old walls had collapsed. Notable among these were Shijanyi’s inn, which soon became a hub for weary travellers, and Obrino’s general store, once emptied by relentless thieves, now stocked with goods unique to Cragfoot’s desert environs. Over nearly two years, the transformation was profound. Where bandits once roamed unchecked, a small but resolute militia of local villagers- trained in handling shields and simple weapons- now patrol the outskirts and keep a vigilant watch. Each day, the settlement grew stronger; its people were no longer starved and fearful but steady on their feet and proud of the progress they’d achieved. Word of Cragfoot’s rebirth spread cautiously through the Bonro region and beyond. Some whispered that the Order of Euthymius must have come for hidden reasons. In contrast, others praised them for their generosity. Regardless of rumour, the village stood as proof of their kindness: buildings repaired, bellies fed, and spirits lifted under an unforgiving sun. Where once there was a crumbling outpost, there now lies a thriving desert settlement, its people looking to the future with guarded optimism, thanks in no small part to those who answered their pleas. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 15th of Sapiarch, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Welcoming a new staff member!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/welcoming-a-new-staff-member/) **Published:** March 2, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Behind the scenes over the last week, Emellan and I have been in discussion with Iron Realms Entertainment’s decision-makers in hopes of preparing a surprise for the community. Today, I am writing to reveal that surprise by announcing Aetolia’s newest addition to the staff team: Watson! For those unfamiliar with Watson, he’s been a volunteer with us for several years and has been responsible for a lot of content behind the scenes that you’ll be familiar with, including the Royal Vaults of Glandor, Oblivion’s Portent, and Bonro. He’s also been a deft hand helping us out greatly during major events such as the Monomachy and Qor Qogol! Watson will be taking up the role of Assistant Producer alongside Keroc and Emellan. He will primarily be working on content creation alongside Emellan, with a focus on quest and event support, building projects, and all the fancy bells and whistles his personal events are known for. This is a very exciting time for Aetolia and a testament to the continually strong support we’ve received from all of you throughout this past year. We’re eternally grateful for your optimism and love of the game world and we’re very excited to be working with Watson in this increased capacity. You can expect our commitment to consistent content, story events, and overall development of the game to continue on at a strong pace. Once again, welcome Watson and thank you to everybody who made this decision possible! Penned by my hand on Closday, the 13th of Sapiarch, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Year 10 points](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-10-points/) **Published:** March 2, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! For those unfamiliar, the Year 10 games use the point system found in previous celebrations. Most events that you participate in will give you a single participation point, and winners receive extra points. Some of the events do not award points as the formats are slightly different than normal. However, points are typically as follows: 1st: 5 points 2nd: 4 points 3rd: 3 points 4th: 2 points 5th: 1 point Participation: 1 point You can check EVENTS INFO to check what precisely an event will reward, in case it doesn’t follow the typical pattern. Some notes: – Winners gain participation points as well as their winning points, e.g coming 2nd in most games will give the 4 points for placing, and the 1 participation point. – Twins Tournament awards points according to the top teams with the same breakdown: 5/4/3/2/1 points, with participation on top, e.g if Razmael and I come 1st, we’d both get 6 points. You can use \[0;1;37mEVENT POINTS\[0m see the reward thresholds and your current points. These are cumulative, so if you finish Year 10 with 30 points, you’d gain: 10+15+25+25+25+25+25 = 150 credits, as well as any credits you win from placing in the events! You’ll also be able to use EVENT RANKINGS to see everybody’s score! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 9th of Sapiarch, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [March promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/march-promotion/) **Published:** March 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! March has arrived and pots of gold are making a return! These glittering pots of goodies can be obtained from the Aetolia website (www.aetolia.com/credits) and opened for a variety of prizes. These are very similar to Cryptic Chests but with a higher minimum guaranteed value (around 21 credits vs the typical 17) and a much higher ceiling. Within, you might find: – Credit prizes from 21 – 500 – Ironcoin prizes from 20 – 100 – Globes of elemental energy – Chocolate bags – Minipet cages that open for a sideways goldfish, a mischievous golden lion tamarin, a heavy wooden chest/mimic\*, an animated hemlock shrub, a coin-carrying magpie \[0;1;33m(NEW)\[0m\*\*, or a lucky clover sprite \[0;1;33m(NEW)\[0m\*\*\* – Style scrolls for leaping, crafters, phasic, and friendly styles, with a chance at style points! – Relic coffers with pieces for bloodyfang, cage\_goldbug, gold\_shield, glow, sharkteeth, trapgold, and hunters\_book relics; these all trade in for 10 credits per piece! – Crystal relic coffers (see HELP CRYSTAL RELICS); these all trade in for 30 credits per piece! – Compendium pages for the abandoned remnants of Xaanhal, Asper, Tak-re, Maestral’s Barrier Reef, Luzith’s Lair, the Welto Trench – Rainbow vox iterator – Artifact discount vouchers – Shapeshifter pelts – Chalices of knowledge – Artifacts valued between 50 and 2000 credits – House deeds – Hunting boon tokens – Tokens of passage – Ambience tokens – Antiquated salvage \*The mimic has a unique interaction where you can open and close it to swap its description between ‘a ravenous mimic chest’ and its concealed form, ‘a heavy wooden chest’. \*\*The coin-carrying magpie is a bit talkative and loves to flip its prized possession! \*\*\*The lucky clover sprite also has a slightly special interaction on its speak. Each pot of gold will also award some actual gold and consumables, which includes a chance at four-leaf clovers. These clovers can have leaves ripped from them up to four times (RIP LEAF FROM CLOVER) and provide a 2% bonus critical hit chance for 6 hours! Every 500 pots of gold opened will trigger a global bonus prize where one of the next 50 will award the lucky owner 500 bound credits! Lastly, throughout March, logging in for one hour daily will allow you to complete a bronze milestone to find a rainbow! Once it appears, you may SEARCH FOR RAINBOW every 10 seconds to get a clue as to how close you are. Finding the rainbow will grant you a double XP bonus for one hour (note that this does not stack with chalices). There’s also a pot of gold in the milestone wares for March! === Don’t forget Year 10 games start tomorrow! Be sure to check EVENTS listing. A quick note on the quiz: This will be geography focused this time rather than history focused. Study accordingly! === And finally, there’s a new daily quest to be found at Windchaser at v16428. Simply ask him about the Cartographer’s Chronicle! Complete all 21 days worth of clues and return the Chronicle to Windchaser. He’ll update your Chronicle, giving it the following effect: When you FARSEE or check LEYLINES and see a ‘Scoured Terrain’ location, you will be informed of its exact coordinate. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 2nd of Sapiarch, in the year 10 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads 2025 February - part 1](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-2025-february-part-1/) **Published:** February 23, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Animation / Synthesis ============================== – \[3618\] Grapple / Clutch now has a 14 second cooldown when it is used. Astranomia ============================== – \[3625\] Chromaflare no longer removes the defence and applies a cooldown, instead it will consume all stars for 20 seconds. Bladefire / Chirography ============================== – \[3573\] Blaze / Wasi now has a failure message when the opponent does not have rebounding aura. Crystalism ============================== – \[3613\] Reverberation now only protects vibrations if the owner is in the room and no longer has a cooldown. Enchantment ============================== – \[3643\] You can now do batch enchantments for scrollracks, via ENCHANT \[#\] STORE SCROLLRACK. Firstaid ============================== – \[3619\] There now exists ‘firstaid\_predict\_effusion’ as a special affliction, which will apply epidermal to torso for Firstaid purposes. Manipulation ============================== – \[3574\] Dome now has a 10 second cooldown upon use. – \[3574\] Dome is no longer hindered from use when both arms are crippled. Miscellaenous ============================== – \[3583\] Class change aggresssion timer has been lowered to 5 minutes, down from 10. Predation ============================== – \[3637\] Windwalk now only applies to skills/artifacts that detect movement in and out of areas. – \[3640\] Deaths in PvE now only reduce Apex by one, instead of resetting it entirely. Primality / Alchemy ============================== – \[3603\] Vinelash / Virulent can now use the epteth and epseth venoms. Racials ============================== – \[3618\] Scent can no longer reach into adjacent areas. – \[3618\] Scent no longer reveals room locations. Shapeshifting ============================== – \[3618\] Scent has been renamed into Scenttrails. Terramancy / Wavebreaking ============================== – \[3645\] Steady / Lowtide can now choose between targeting a rite or a verse. Tracking / Subversion ============================== – \[3618\] Scent has been renamed into Scenttrails. Wayfaring ============================== – \[3575\] Greenheart now only reduces Tree tattoo cooldown by 2 seconds, down from 3. – \[3581\] Mastery cooldown is now 24 hours, instead of clearing on season change. Woodlore / Artifice ============================== – \[3577\] Summoning a Nightingale / Lightdrinker is no longer considered aggressive. Zeal / Brutality ============================== – \[3615\] Jawcrack / Slug now gives ‘blurry vision’ instead of ‘stuttering’. – \[3615\] Edgekick / Windpipe now additionally gives the ‘stuttering’ affliction. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 18th of Slyphian, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Silver-Tongued Fence](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-silver-tongued-fence/) **Published:** February 18, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In the early hours of a seemingly ordinary Tisday in Ivolnos, a trio of peculiar disturbances sent consequences rippling throughout Sapience. The first of these happened upon the streets of Esterport, where city guards apprehended a young pickpocket who, upon questioning, spoke of a mysterious thin man with curly hair who had convinced him to attempt the theft. Though the constable processing the child initially seemed reluctant to hear the child’s story, his heart eventually thawed after hearing strange details that lined up with other odd happenings in recent memory. Escaping with little more than a warning, the young lad fled back to the waiting arms of his mother, solemnly swearing to avoid getting up to no good – at least until next Falsday, anyways. As morning wore on, the peaceful village of Attica erupted into chaos as a simple worker began a violent rampage through its streets, declaring that the same mysterious figure had awakened him to the injustice of his position. Driven to blind rage by his own discontent, the man stopped only when restrained by several brave adventurers who thought to bind him until his fury passed like a fleeting storm. As the once-berserk labourer elaborated on his conversation with this ‘encouraging individual’, Sapience’s inquisitive champions searched high and low for someone matching this enigmatic person’s description. Leaving no stone unturned, ascendents from all walks of life scoured every tavern and seedy establishment in hopes of lead, though all ultimately proved fruitless. Then, the final disruption rang out from the Lover’s Carnival, where the infamous Easy Katy found herself forced to disperse a crowd of swooning, heartsick commoners with a comically large broom. Amidst her frustration at the chaos disrupting her business, she revealed that this same mysterious man – “a tall, skinny man in tacky clothes” – had attempted to ask her for drinks at the cheapest establishment in Esterport. As she issued copious amounts of gossip and slander alike, the buxom Imp let slip several details that narrowed the search and allowed for a few industrious individuals to finally discover a clue at ‘the Bazaar’, an out of the way pub in Esterport. When finally confronted within the dive bar’s smoky interior, the man known as Taron the Fence attempted to flee but swiftly found himself surrounded by an alert gathering of curious, concerned or otherwise frustrated adventurers. Under careful questioning, Taron’s extraordinary gift for manipulation became apparent. Little by little, he managed to deflect much of the blame for his antics and stir the crowd into argument and doubt. Despite this, several individuals called his bluff and demanded he cease attempting to shirk responsibility for the day’s chaos. Though he continued claiming that “people’s choices’re their own,” the fence eventually saw an opportunity to save his own hide and make some coin on the side; in short order, he acquiesced to teaching his talents of persuasive speech and cunning social manipulation. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 12th of Lexadian, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Year 10 Itinerary!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-10-itinerary/) **Published:** February 18, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In less than two weeks, it will be Aetolia’s first decennial celebration of the new age! As always, a decennial celebration brings with it tons of games, contests and surprises! There’ll be a proper post with all the details about points and specific events nearer to the time but for now in order to give everyone advance notice, the itinerary for Year 10 is posted below. Everything listed here will also be posted on the EVENTS listings shortly after this post goes up. All times are listed in GMT but with CONFIG TIMEZONE, the list will show an accurate time for your part of the world. \[0;1;37mYou should take this a reminder to review your CONFIG TIMEZONE setting in case it has drifted due to daylight savings!\[0m There will be thousands of credits and prizes on offer throughout the celebrations and hopefully we’ve curated an exciting schedule with something for everyone to enjoy. \[0;1;37mSaturday 1st March:\[0m – Year 10’s festivities will open with a Starfall soon after the new year arrives. – A daily quest will go live until the end of March. – We’ll be opening a themed design/crafting contest until the 11th of March, details to be posted at the time. – Due to the rise of AI-produced content, we will not be running an Artisanal or Bardic competition. – Days of the week promotions will be active for all of Year 10: \* Monday: Double milestone cap \* Tuesday: Double XP \* Wednesday: Favours for everyone \* Thursday: Denizens will respawn twice as fast after being killed \* Friday: Increased critical hits 21:00: Starfall 23:00: Storytelling \[0;1;37mSunday 2nd:\[0m 22:00: A Quiz on Aetolian Geography and History \[0;1;37mMonday 3rd:\[0m 00:00: The Duel 23:00: Champion’s Core \[0;1;37mWednesday 5th:\[0m 01:00: Free For All \[0;1;37mThursday 6th:\[0m 00:00: Bait the Frog \[0;1;37mFriday 7th:\[0m 01:00: Bloodbath 21:00: Walker’s Tongue \[0;1;37mSaturday 8th:\[0m 00:00: City v City Territories 19:00: Resonance 21:00: Iron Epicurean \[0;1;37mSunday 9th:\[0m 00:00: Y10 Twins Tournament 21:00: Y10 Poker Tournament \[0;1;37mMonday 10th:\[0m 00:00: The Brawl 01:00: Keg Race \[0;1;37mTuesday 11th:\[0m 02:00: Inquisition 23:00: Egg Hunt \[0;1;37mWednesday 12th:\[0m 00:01: An Iron Lottery will open for the rest of the month 21:00: Freeze Tag \[0;1;37mThursday 13th:\[0m 21:00: Survivor \[0;1;37mFriday 14th:\[0m 22:00: Hide and Seek \[0;1;37mSaturday 15th:\[0m 00:00: Ale Run 22:00: Treasure Hunt \[0;1;37mSunday 16th:\[0m 00:00: City vs. City CTF 21:00: Y10 Farkle Tournament \[0;1;37mMonday 17th:\[0m 00:00: Fishing Derby 01:00: Arrival of the Lord Sorrelion Sammonward’s Party Barge! Dohohohoho! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 12th of Lexadian, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Combat Council](https://www.aetolia.com/news/combat-council-2/) **Published:** February 17, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, We’re looking for some new faces to add into the combat council/liaisons, so we’re interested in new applicants who want to get involved. If you’re uncertain of what that means, a combat council is essentially a group of players that we’ll discuss issues surrounding PvP and conflict systems with, and discuss possible ideas we want to explore that might not be ready for wider consideration. The combat council is also responsible for bringing up any potential issues to the team, as their boots-on-the-ground approach helps to give us a different perspective. To that end, we’re looking for applicants to join the combat council. While this is a volunteer role without compensation, it’s a unique opportunity to help shape the combat scene. Please message me if you wish to apply. Expectations: 1\) Candidates should be mature, level-headed players. 2\) A relatively firm grasp of the Aetolian PvP Scene and actively involved in it. 3\) Able to provide feedback & potentially testing when asked. As this is a position that puts you in a place of contact with the administrative team, we’re looking for people who exhibit positive attitudes that are open to criticism. Please keep that in mind when applying, as well as understand that we have high standards for this specific ask. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 7th of Lexadian, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Persuasion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/persuasion/) **Published:** February 15, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi everyone! I’m excited to announce that our hotly anticipated Persuasion system is now live! This is a new General skill, so it is immediately available to everybody! WHAT IS PERSUASION? ================== Persuasion is a General skill that allows you to engage in social combat with NPCs through careful argument and rhetoric. Using a combination of logical, emotional, and ethical appeals, you’ll work to convince denizens to perform various actions – from simple favours to more complex tasks. The system uses a new resource called acumen, which represents your mental energy and capacity for rhetorical combat. Acumen can be restored through the new prudence elixir or the sphinx tattoo (newly available in the Tattoos skill). Please note that anabiotic will NOT restore acumen. WHERE TO LEARN & GETTING STARTED ================================ The Persuasion skill can only be learned from Taron the Fence at v53435 in Esterport or from another player. Each Appeal category scales with different attributes (Wisdom, Intelligence, and Strength), and your maximum Acumen will be based on your level and an average of these three stats. All three Appeal categories will get heavily used throughout your Persuasion attempts, so you’ll want to invest in all three stats. HOW PERSUASION WORKS ==================== Persuasion attempts function vaguely like a card game. When you begin, you’ll draw three appeals from your repertoire (your deck) into your active thoughts (your hand). Each time you use an appeal from your active thoughts, it moves to the back of your mind (discard pile) and you’ll draw a new appeal to replace it. Once your repertoire is empty, everything in the back of your mind goes back into it. The key to success lies in strategically choosing which appeals to use and when. Some appeals create special effects when used in sequence, and different personality types among denizens will be more or less susceptible to different categories of appeals. Be aware that Persuasion attempts typically take significantly longer than normal bashing – this is intentional. You’ll also want to review AFFLICT LIST PERSUASION to understand the unique afflictions that can affect you during persuasion attempts. Failing a Persuasion attempt will result in experience loss and also the ‘dissuaded’ affliction for five minutes, which prevents any further Persuasion attempts until it fades. Persuasion is a solo activity, you can’t ‘team’ NPCs in persuasion combat. IMPORTANT NOTES =============== – For the first week, there will be NO XP LOSS from failed persuasion attempts while everyone gets used to the system. – NPC’s persuasion strength is at the same level as their regular PvE level. – A feedback thread will be opened in the new Discord feedback section in two days – we want to give everyone time to experience the system before collecting structured feedback. – Class skills currently do not affect Persuasion in any way. We’ll be looking at adding minor class interactions in the future, but these will be carefully balanced to avoid any class becoming dominant in Persuasion. – This is very much a first iteration – expect frequent adjustments as we see how everything works in practice. – We’ll be closely monitoring the numbers and making regular balance adjustments. – System builders will find new GMCP Char.Vitals for ‘acu’ and ‘maxacu’. – Custom prompts now also have the following tags: @acumen, @%acumen, @maxacumen, and ^U (colour tag). I strongly recommend reading through the AB PERSUASION files in particular, as there’s far more detail there than I can cover in this announcement. We’re really excited to see how you all use this new system. Please report any bugs you encounter, and remember that the feedback thread will be opening in two days! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 24th of Ivolnos, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Submissions Closed](https://www.aetolia.com/news/submissions-closed-7/) **Published:** February 15, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Submission for new classleads is now closed. You can use REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find reports you haven’t left a comment on, and REPORTS ABSTAINED for reports you haven’t voted on. After TWO days to gather comments and votes, we will start to post decisions. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 18th of Ivolnos, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Eschaton's Toil, Part IV: The Monomyth's Prison](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-eschatons-toil-part-iv-the-monomyths-prison/) **Published:** February 14, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Armed with the gifts of the constellations – Umbrael’s concealing cloak and Ulgar’s hammer and chisel – the adventurers set to work. Using the chisel, they carved paths through the crystalline walls of their prison in adherence to instinct and heroic pluck. Those who could not find a foe to rally against or friend to join with found themselves nudged along by the measure of Peripleko’s exacting eye, ensuring every advantage for Sapience’s original champions. The prison, though formidable, yielded to the persistent strikes of Ulgar’s tools, allowing Sapience’s defenders to gather in one place after proving triumphant against the ominous doppelgangers on the other edge of the cosmos. The Mejevsavelnel once more intervened, and with a final surge of stellar power, the constellation of Averroes shattered the remaining bonds of the prison, freeing the adventurers from their confinement – and casting them once more into the monomyth’s destructive path. The monomyth, weakened but not defeated, remained. It lashed out, crystallising the remaining entranced denizens who had survived the initial catastrophe to heal itself. Tendrils of starlight lanced outward, drawing luminous threads of energy from the imprisoned, their crystalline prisons flaring with borrowed radiance. Understanding the source of the monomyth’s restorative power, adventurers swiftly freed the remaining captives, depriving the entity of its sustenance. Determined to unravel its myths once and for all, Sapience struck once more with blinding, concerted fury. Brilliant starlight returned to the Empyreal Vault as the entity dispersed underneath an avalanche of heroic strikes, its stories untangled, its borrowed power returned to the cosmos. In the aftermath of the battle, one last, crucial development made itself clear. A familiar voice spoke then, noting “there remained one last matter.” Effervescent starlight coalesced as a shining staff that hovered into the grip of one of the previously entranced individuals – a young woman named Rashemi. Initially slack and vacant, her expression slowly eased until humane expressiveness returned, allowing her to control her actions again. Confusion and enlightenment warred upon her face as she came to her senses, her fingers curling around the sidereal implement entrusted into her care. Rashemi, a distant relative of the famed wizard Hycanthus, explained that she had been sorting through his estate when she was drawn into the sidereal trance. She did not know the magic that now surged through her or of the events that had transpired, though she exhibited mastery over those forces all the same. As she spoke, it became clear that Averroes had bestowed upon her the wisdom to understand and control these newfound powers as a parting gift to mortals with the capacity for similar sorcery. “It is the will of Wise Averroes that I propagate a better understanding of the Mejevsavelnel as the price for their aid,” she declared. “The myths must blaze anew – and the world needs guidance with… whatever it is that makes my eyes feel so damnably itchy!” Rashemi, now the Heiress of Averroes’s wisdom, announced her intention to establish an order of scholars dedicated to teaching the ways of the stars and guiding others in the safe use of this new cosmic magic. She invited those who felt an affinity to the cosmos to join her, promising to share the knowledge she had been granted. Thus, from the chaos of the Eschaton’s Creation and the near-catastrophe at the Fractal Bloom, the Siderealists were born. The ancient art of Crystalism, once lost to the ages, was reborn, fueled by the celestial energies that now permeated existence. Astranomia, the manipulation of cosmic power, became a tangible discipline guided by the wisdom of Averroes and the teachings of Rashemi. Once a mere scholarly pursuit, Ostension gained new strength as a collective understanding of the myths and legends of the Mejevsavelnel gained new definitions. The future, once uncertain, now held the promise of exploration, discovery, and the boundless potential of the stars. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 12th of Ivolnos, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Eschaton's Toil, Part III: Vanishing Into Night](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-eschatons-toil-part-iii-vanishing-into-night/) **Published:** February 14, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In the following weeks, strange occurrences began to disturb Sapience’s newly won peace. Seemingly at random, mortals were observed walking off in the middle of the night, their eyes glowing like blazing moons, moving like shambling puppets enraptured in a trance-like state. Reports of a strange chiming sound drifting in on the wind accompanied these unsettling events, leaving many to wonder what could generate such a perfectly crystalline noise. As the incidents increased in intensity, a growing unease settled upon the cities of Sapience, as some of their trained guards abandoned their posts, their minds seemingly captivated by some of the same unseen forces that had swept through the outlying villages. These would later be ascribed as the first stirrings of Siderealists: those with a natural affinity to the cosmic arts. Awakened to their raw talent by the Eschaton’s grand act of Creation, their minds joined together in a cosmic consciousness that the world at large did not yet detect. It was upon the twenty-eighth of Chakros, of the year 8 AC, that the world experienced yet another terrible disturbance. A loud thud resounded from the Fractal Bloom, followed by a crystalline note that spread cobalt radiance along the horizon, drawing a colossal crowd of adventurers to its mysterious reaches. As one, Sapience converged upon the Bloom and found a scene of unsettling stillness. Villagers and city guards alike stood transfixed, their eyes mirroring the radiance of a tremendous resonating crystal at the heart of the chamber. Their hands moved in graceful, unconscious patterns, oblivious to the growing crowd of onlookers who unknowingly beheld an act of grand cosmic sorcery. As another, louder chime tolled, scintillating shafts of iridescence and ethereal music filled the air. The ground groaned as celestial energy swarmed underfoot, forcing the crystalline floor to yield and crack. The magical energy heightened to a glare before dispersing, leaving behind a sculpted staircase – a path seemingly created by the entranced individuals, though by what power, none could say. Driven by a reckless curiosity or desire to intervene, some adventurers joined forces and shattered the resonant crystal. This proved a grave error, for a pillar of celestial energy erupted from the remains, forging a beacon of stellar force that pierced the overhanging crystal and reached the sky. In a blink, this terrible surge of magic awakened Sapience’s asterisms to a haunting radiance, filling the Fractal Bloom with the chill of dire power. The consequences were immediate and catastrophic. The entranced individuals, their precarious focus shattered, fell to their knees and wailed in agony or howled in rage. An ominous light seeped from their veins, distorting their features. Screaming, pleading, they looked upon the adventurers with nebulae and cosmic dust in their gaze – a wordless plea for aid that came too late. The starfire in their veins unravelled their mortal forms, reducing them to twinkling dust and ekpyrotic ash, sidereal cinders, or brutal smears of light that impressed their twisted shadows upon the crystal floor. Each had sought to fill their meagre frames with the night sky’s newfound might but had neither the will nor wisdom to wield it and thus paid the ultimate price: a demise so utter as to scatter them across a freshly forged cosmos. Drawn by the surfeit of empyreal essence, an invisible presence descended upon the scene. Gazing out from behind Sapience’s starswept legendarium, this entity, hungry for belief and power, began to feast upon the aetherial energies present. As it fed, it gained definition and physicality – a hideous amalgam of all that mortals offered unto constellar phenomena, a confused blurring of myth and reality. It loomed as a beast realised by fraught tales and heroic deeds alike, its boundaries rapidly expanding as it processed the energy bestowed upon it. This creature declared itself the monomyth, a crystalline manifestation born of the Mejevsavelnelian legends and the uncontrolled power of the nascent Siderealists. Initially, the battle assumed a blistering pace. Adventurers found themselves struck down in the heat of battle, their energies constituting a feast for a greedy incarnation of myth and power, its newly formed body turning aside sword blows and raging incantations. One by one, Sapience’s constellations began to infuse the terrible beast, lending all the accumulated power of thousand-year tales to the foe that now faced down countless ascendants. As the fight raged on, it became evident how outmatched the realm’s finest were. Drawing strength from the glimmering night, the monomyth asserted its will upon the cosmic power saturating the Fractal Bloom and began to instrument terrible, all-encompassing spellcraft. An aurulent aurora emanated from its crystalline shell as it trapped its present foes within a prison of rigid facets, casting them within a crystal’s polished reflection. Reality fractured around them as cosmic forces coalesced into crystalline walls, their terrible surfaces refracting starlight in impossible patterns. Within this prison, the adventurers’ perceptions blurred and shifted. Cosmic energies refracted through the crystalline walls, creating mesmerising patterns. They were granted visions of the newly created worlds – the Nascent Cradle with its striving empire and gruesome rituals; the Jungle World, teeming with untamed life and unseen predators; the Ocean World, dominated by turbulent seas and fierce naval battles; the Empty Canvas, a void of potential; the Gas Giant, a realm of floating islands and perpetual storms; and finally, the Mirror World, a haunting reflection of Aetolia, where they locked eyes with their malevolent doppelgangers. These doppelgangers, driven by a desire to escape their world and replace their Aetolian counterparts, reached out through the cosmic connection forged by supernal bonds. Reality shivered as this forbidden convergence threatened to unravel the fabric of Creation, and wisps of cosmic energy instrumented the genesis of threatening simulacra. Soon, the doppelgangers materialised within the prison, crackling with malevolent stellar energy and prepared to visit doom upon their originators. Awakened now to protect the sanctity of original Aetolia, the stellar patterns of Mejevsavelnel soon transcended the boundaries of the physical world. They reached into mortal minds to bestow their might upon those trapped in battle with their doppelgangers and the monomyth, eager to ignite bravery like unto mythical heroes of eld. A spiral of twelve stars swirled into existence – the constellation of Averroes, the Wise. Ancient starborn wisdom flowed into the adventurers’ minds, granting them insight into their twisted foes and the nature of their prison. Averroes explained that the doppelgangers could not be banished by their originators and that others would have to intervene – a strategy that would eventually defeat all but a few of the twisted copies that sought to infiltrate Aetolian society. On the heels of this wise counsel, a square of four stars materialised. Within this simple sample, darkness pooled, leaving no doubt about the constellation’s identity: Umbrael, veiled upon the back of a starlit Minotaur. The ethereal Minotaur unfastened the stellar cloak and offered a shred of its legendary properties to those gathered, lending them a deceptive shield that hid them from their doubles long enough to enact their resistance plan. Finally, five pale, greenish stars arranged themselves and unfurled to reveal the starry visage of Ulgar, the first Troll. Where Ulgar’s stars intersected, motes of cosmic light gathered into his famed hammer and chisel: tools of practical purpose, even in their sidereal form. These drifted towards the adventurers, accompanied by Averroes’s final words: “Use these gifts to carve your way through your crystal prison and gather the adventurers trapped alongside you. When you all stand within one place, the Mejevsavelnel shall once more lend its aid to break you free…” Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 12th of Ivolnos, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Eschaton's Toil, Part II: To Forge Worlds](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-eschatons-toil-part-ii-to-forge-worlds/) **Published:** February 14, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** This state of affairs would remain unchanged until the sixteenth of Chakros that same year. As night’s shroud draped the realm in secrecy, Creation once more halted to behold the indisputable glory of its true Creator. All that which thrived ‘neath the heavens merged into existential synchrony as the sidereal Eschaton lifted a hand from Its astral toil and reached out into the blackened expanse of Its freshly expanded canvas. This act tethered the Prime Material’s perception to an ethereal sojourn, plunging mortal minds into the cosmos once more. The Monomachy’s billowing detritus churned as the unknowable Architect of All Things orchestrated it into innumerable shining channels, its gleaming mass surrounding It in an eternal halo of limitless possibility. As if bid by wordless command, those brilliant lines weaved through the nocturnal empty like an infinite spool of thread led by one nebulaic needle, stitching a narrow point into the etheric sprawl far beyond Aetolia. A ripple expanded outward from the space beyond the world’s wounded stars, bending Creation around the planetary profile as rapidly as the shape itself expanded to settle into the place always meant for it within the Eschaton’s design. The nascent world trembled as the Albedi Creator looked on, its vast reaches swathed in dazzling streams of essence forged from the infinite will of its Maker. With contours engraved with detail adherent to divine providence, the planet soon teemed with life and experience altogether separate from what happened upon Aetolia’s triune continents. Auroral effulgence spilt across the sky, banishing the night’s darkness in a fleeting rush of glory. Gilded supernovae exploded along the horizon as reality’s unchallenged Ruler continued Its effortless labour, Its focus held upon the freshly forged globe even as Its silhouette continued to sizzle away at the Prime Material’s meagre canvas. Content to observe the result of Its work before proceeding any further, the Eschaton leaned forward to examine Its new fabrication with rapid interest and, in so doing, released the rest of Its purview from simultaneity’s geas. Free now from the shackles of the Being’s labours, individuality and autonomy seeped back through the souls of all who witnessed this – but the distant planetary body and Its attentive Maker remained in place, a constant fixture and blazing beacon. Then, on the fourteenth of Celes, the Eschaton’s work resumed. Streamers of pastel energy squirmed across the sky like snakes stirred to unrest, leaving behind nebulaic trails that stained its dark canvas in vivid hues. Bundling into gyres and twisting into knots, the enraptured essence danced to a tune unheard, its every note orchestrated by the ancient Creator toiling to expand Its purview. Once more, the Eschaton’s Creation stirred around It. The world shuddered in synchronous awe as the mysterious Albedi Creator set into motion the construction of new aspects within Its grand design, Its mere attention enough to spark existential fires within Its reality. The light shed by shining planar stars swirled into confusing spirals that burst into catastrophic supernovae, laying the beginnings for new arrivals within the dark empty. Five distinct planetary outlines coalesced upon a stage swept clear, one and all opening up like flowers straining for dawn’s first light. Whilst the Architect of All Things gazed on in statued serenity, each of Its new realms rapidly gained light and personality that rendered them equally unique ‘neath the eye of their curious Creator. When the Eschaton called upon all that constituted Its vast domain, the Spiral trembled as it surrendered control of the elemental forces occupying its wounded breadth. The energy necessary to lay the foundations for each planet’s charge through nascency pierced the Prime Material like a flood of glittering needles, dappling the desolate expanse with newborn stars. A flood of inexplicable musical harmony awakened the minds of those present to movements detached from spatial boundaries and temporal constraint, bidding their imaginations to extraplanar heights. Hazy images superimposed upon the perception of the Unquestionable Maker’s work, allowing a jumbled glimpse of an abyssal deity’s tandem toil. Once more called to action to ensure the preservation of Its charge, Odravh raced throughout the Spiral in a rippling wave of prismatic arcana. A Being of raw mana and magic, the Abyssal hurried to mitigate the damage caused by Its Master’s cosmic masonry and plied Its essence to fuel the act. With each new planet created, numerological experts swore in unison that the Song of the Spheres had altered to accommodate the possibilities of new worlds, throwing the occult practice into minor disarray. Growing like a stalk that yearns for sunlight, the third of seven worlds draped itself in the unmitigated savagery of towering trees and humid jungles. Rendered a titan of awesome size, the solitary globe sprouted thick, black forests and jagged mountains that accentuated the deep, turbulent oceans that slaked its endless thirst. Satisfied with this new child’s explosive growth, the Eschaton released it from the spell of Its attention and looked toward its nascent siblings. Trenches doomed to never sup upon the light of Sol Eos ran untamed across the face of the fourth world, carving a complex network of alien designs that soon filled with crashing tides and oceanic force. A sparse ring of land encircled the newborn realm like a belt cinched at the waist, its drowned face playing host to myriad tiny points of solid sanctuary. Pleased with the fourth world’s fathomless depths, the Maker of Worlds released the waterlogged realm from Its inspection and gazed upon the rest of Its work. Bequeathed nothingness, the fifth world remained an empty canvas that could tempt any ambitious artist of suitable omnipotence. Bereft of civilisation, shorn of geological features and diverse biome, it remained a flat, vacant realm awaiting outside intervention. Unconcerned with this cosmic poverty, unmoved by the unfairness of its bald potential, the Eschaton dismissed Its fifth child and turned to gaze upon the final pair of freshly birthed domains. Perilous peaks and monstrous mountains bulged across the sixth world’s newly wrought surface, rendering its physical form a swollen lump that infested the cosmos with its unwieldy size. Crackling lightning cascaded across the clouds that shrouded much of its surface from view, lighting its hidden valleys and gorges with flickers of etheric violet. The final world in the Eschaton’s septenary array locked into place just as it ceased its rapid genesis. Possessed of eerily familiar faces and architecture, it hosted three landmasses that bred an eidetic itch within the psyche of observers as it strained to make sense of the new world’s strangely native shape. New stellar formations flared to life upon an expanded canvas, and old, familiar aetherial arrangements now embraced distant shapes that glowed with all the promise of life, existence, and potential growth. Crowded with new arrivals, the starswept vault of legendarium strained to contain constellations new and old, exerting influence anew upon a realm no longer unique in its lonesome existence. What little remained of the Eschaton’s celestial ink spilt across the sky in a glittering wave that conquered liminal space, subjugating it in the name of astral perfection. Gaseous nebulae blossomed into vain attempts at emulating the grace of their almighty Creator, and trembling asteroid belts and cometary clouds swarmed throughout the endless dark in an infinite race whose only point was to paint Creation aplenty with untold beauty. Satisfied for now with this new arrangement of trophies captured at the end of a nigh-catastrophic triumph, Idaltu turned Its featureless visage toward Its beloved moon and reached – physically, visually – towards it. With one simple adjustment, the true Creator of Aetolia once more vanished from sight in a flash of starfire that streaked across the sky, Its form hidden behind Creation’s unknowable tapestry. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 12th of Ivolnos, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Eschaton's Toil, Part I: A Cosmos Reborn](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-eschatons-toil-part-i-a-cosmos-reborn/) **Published:** February 14, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In the seventh year after the Creator’s Monomachy, a year still scarred by the memory of that celestial conflict, the fabric of the cosmos transformed in a way that defied mortal minds. The empyreal metamorphosis began subtly, causing the night sky to shift in strange manners that some took for portents of a coming cataclysm. Tiny flickers, trembles and ripples in the dark, and panoplies of brilliant light all served as aspects of these mysterious moments, mystifying adventurers observant enough to notice the way Creation’s fabric burgeoned beneath unknowable force. As Ios progressed, it became clear that a breaking point rapidly approached, for even the least perceptive ascendant noticed the fleeting escalations of starry brilliance that painted the sky in pastel wonder. Later that month, as night ebbed away in favour of the coming dawn, its fleeting final rays of starlight flared to midnight brilliance. Even the afternoon sun found an unlikely fellow in the curious crimson effulgence that stained the sky before the month’s final nightfalls, intensifying alarm all as far as the Free City of Delve. The scholars of the Grand Library, poring over ancient texts and astronomical charts, noted that the energy of Creation, left lingering in the empyreal vault after the Triomachy, had begun to drift towards Aetolia proper. That night, as Aetolia entered the dark embrace of the witching hour, ancient crimson light bled along the horizon like a cosmic vein pierced through and laid bare to stain the world’s starry canopy. No longer occupying just the space around the stars, the strange energy suffused the sky entire, irradiating the world with untold amounts of energy. Bloodied chromatic force swirled throughout the cosmos, leaving behind nebulaic clouds that roiled and seethed with all the potential of the Monomachy’s duality. Creation and destruction danced upon a knife’s edge at the heart of the astral phenomena, causing the air to buckle beneath the manifestation of raw power. The sky itself bent and contorted, twisting into knots that should not be. The stars screeched as the mysterious planes beyond their wounded bodies poured trickles of elemental power into the land, mingling with this emergent primordium until comets and meteorites took shape within the volatile crucible. As one, they began to rain down upon Sapience, wreaking havoc untold and spelling doom for any unfortunate enough to reside at the end of their blazing trajectory. Buried beneath a deluge of morbid visions, those attuned to the Underking’s hollowed Halls sensed countless scenes of demise unfold worldwide, allowing some a rare glimpse at Aetolia’s most mysterious regions and far-flung cultures. Adventurers sought cover or stood in abject awe as the raw essence of entwined catastrophe and creation swarmed the horizon, bidding forth the weeping of villagers and the terror of those in whom the Monomachy’s wounds still ached. A hand profiled in smoky nebulae emerged from beyond the depths of the cloud’s limitless potency, its every finger wrought from shimmering supernovae captured at the height of their terrifying crescendo. Thrust aside like a curtain, the refuse of an Immortal battle like no other crashed through the heavens like a wave dispersed, making room for the star-forged Being that coalesced in the space newly created. Without expression, without emotion or relatable features, the Being nonetheless carved Itself into the psyche of all present with eidetic precision born of auroric fire, leaving no doubt as to Its identity: Idaltu. All existence yielded for one shining, endless moment. Then, the Eschaton – the one true Creator of Aetolia and Architect of All That Is, Was, and Shall Ever Be – intervened, Its ineffable will parting the veil betwixt Prime and enigmatic Helmspace. Transcending time, physicality, and existential limitations, the true Creator – a Creator no longer harried by an omnipotent imposter who had fled forevermore – reached out towards the world held within Its incontrovertible purview and began Its ineffable toil. Serenity exuded from the unknowable Eschaton as It seized the colossal cosmic bounty that invaded Its sky with one ethereal hand, Its reach facilitated by a shifting of space and meaning rather than any visibly perceptible motion. Light and dark cavorted throughout eternity as It spun the terrible cataclysm into thin threads that seeped into Creation’s tapestry, expanding the borders of an unknowable cosmos to breathtaking new dimensions. The sky shrank rapidly, expanding its starry canopy into gaping holes of elemental excess that began to rush backwards in a blur that defied the mind’s conventional understanding of distance. Distance and size became impossible as its upper level spun into a chaotic frenzy. The night’s sidereal brilliance wheeled about in a blur that brightened and dimmed like the steady beat of a heart, the breath of Creation itself holding all of mortality in synchrony as the Maker of All Things arranged a new expansion of Its design. Further and further did the stars race away as the Eschaton continued to exert Its will, creating incomprehensible degrees of space as the sky unfurled like a dark flower bidden to bloom. Its empyreal canvas widened, the Divine artist and architect began Its work in earnest. Its will acted as a channel through which the violent Immortal detritus started to find new purpose as the foundation of something fantastic, bestowing renewed glory upon a sky so recently blemished by the echoes of violence of seven years past. With the Eschaton’s focus now directed towards Its inviolable purpose, the world heaved a sigh of relief. It returned to motion – this time, with the planet’s ancient Creator labouring in full view upon a stage beyond reach. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 12th of Ivolnos, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [A survey on your satisfaction with Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/news/a-survey-on-your-satisfaction-with-aetolia/) **Published:** February 12, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi all! I’m the owner of Iron Realms and original creator/producer of Achaea, from which Aetolia sprung. (I’m Sarapis there.) Could you help me out by filling out this survey on your happiness with Aetolia? The producers here will never see your individual responses, just the averages and means of all of them, so please be honest and think about your response. Thanks! https://forms.gle/o5AoPbwMaX4JExHi6 Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 25th of Lleian, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Lover's Carnival!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-lovers-carnival/) **Published:** February 9, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Easy Katy’s Lover’s Carnival has returned to Aetolia! Located at v63108, you’ll find the area stocked with various goods from past years of Valentine’s Day events including transmutes, minipets, and other items. This shop uses ‘a wilted flower’ currency which you can currently get through the milestone shop. You can purchase up to two per day with bronze keystones, and also trade them to other players if you so wish! The shop in the carnival itself will also allow you trade previous Valentine’s currencies into wilted flowers. Additionally, you’ll also find a chapel in the area attended by Amias, a slightly disreputable officiant that will allow you to elope with the love of your life\*. It will cost you 10,000 gold to ELOPE WITH and does not require any waiting period like a normal engagement/marriage. While the shops provide plenty already, we’ve added a few new goodies – and more might pop in as the month progresses! We have a special surprise for those of you that own our challenge horn relic, as well: the option for Easy Katy to be your herald! Only available this month, the realm’s most infamous Imp is sure to make quite the ruckus when you want to demand someone face you in a duel! Be sure to \[0;1;31mATTUNE HORN KATY\[0m if you’d like to partake in this temporary treat! The Lover’s Carnival will remain around until the end of February. Happy eloping! \*By eloping you accept that the magnificent Amias Ahava Edric Yasir bears no responsibility in the success of the union or conduct of partners thereafter.\* Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 13th of Lleian, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Orrery Updates, part 2](https://www.aetolia.com/news/orrery-updates-part-2/) **Published:** February 8, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, A few more updates for the Orrery: Orrery Changes ————– – Assimiliation contention is now back, see HELP ASSIMILATION for details. – The Orrery will now pick between Scattering or Assimilation when it becomes active. Orrery Dates ———— – For both contention types, the active dates are now the following: \* Open for contest on 10th, 14th, 15th, 20th, 21st, 25th of the month. \* This means both types can only have a maximum of six attunement points. \* This also places the Orrery around more active times for the playerbase. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 2nd of Lleian, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Orrery Updates](https://www.aetolia.com/news/orrery-updates/) **Published:** February 2, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, The Orrery has been updated with the following changes: Scattering Contention ——————— – It is now only active on the 10th, 13th, 16th, 22nd, and 25th. \* This provides a total of six opportunities to gain attunement points. – Multiple organizations can gain attunement points, and it doesn’t deduct points from others. \* That is, if you win an active day, that attunement point is yours to keep. Orrery Bonuses ————– – Level 1 bonus (increase gold drop) has been swapped with Level 2 (increased crit). – Level 2 bonus (increased crit) has been lowered to 3%, down from 5%. – If you are part of two organizations with levels in the Orrery, the highest of the two takes precedence. Check out HELP ORRERY and HELP SCATTERING for further details. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 16th of Omeian, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [February promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/february-promotion/) **Published:** February 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! For the month of February we have the following on offer for you: a salvage sale, the return of the artifact cart, and a direct lesson sale! Every 100 credits purchased from the website will come with a piece of antiquated salvage, which is typically valued at 200 credits. These pieces may be traded to other players and used without bearing your mark, EXCEPT for purchasing the Antiquated Artifacts themselves. Once you obtain the first level, you can use any salvage you like to upgrade it. HELP ANTIQUATED ARTIFACTS will be of interest to those who aren’t familiar with how salvage works, as well as HELP ANTIQUATED \[RING/GOGGLES/GAUNTLET/CROP/SCEPTER\] for a specific breakdown of what each item does. As for the Artifact Cart, all artifacts purchased directly through the cart have a 30% discount applied; this stacks with Iron Elite Membership for a total discount of 40%! In addition to the large discounts, there are a number of exclusives available only through the artifact cart, including: – Chocolates – House deeds (these come with FIVE rooms in total and can be redeemed by e-mailing me as per HELP CASTLES) – Fireworks – Upgrade tokens – Several other artifacts Silver chalices can also be found under the ‘artifact packages’ section of the website, with an option for one chalice or a pack of five at comparable discounts to the cart. Last up is the lesson sale! For the month of February, lessons can be purchased directly from the website at a significant bonus. Those with Iron Elite Memberships will also receive 10% bonus lessons on any lesson purchase they make! As always, the cart, credits, and lessons can be found on the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 9th of Omeian, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads February 2025](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2025/) **Published:** January 31, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, That’s right! It’s time for the first classlead round of year! Put together all that theorycrafting into report format and brave public opinion! ——————————— Information for this classlead cycle: Submissions will be open for TWO WEEKS in which you can submit THREE reports in for consideration which will be left anonymous. Once this time frame is up, there will be TWO DAYS to vote before we will start posting decisions. You can still vote early as per normal, but the extra two days will be there to avoid the feeling of late reports purposefully being submitted to be snuck through near the end. All classes are open to classleads, no restrictions! If you’re new, continue on below for more information on classleads. If you’re old, please read HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES at the very least. ——————————— What are classleads: Classleads are a two week period that allows players to submit reports about their class (or other classes) for review by the administration. Do you believe that Siderealist should be able to collapse the cosmic universe with a thought? Then this is what you’ve been waiting for! Make sure to read through HELP CLASSLEADS to learn the commands needed to make and submit your reports, and I also highly recommend HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES to help avoid common potholes when creating your submissions. If you want to keep track of submissions and results, have a look at CONFIG CLASSLEADS and consider turning it on. Also consider joining the Discord! On top of being a great place for report feedback before submission, each report will have a thread created about it so you can discuss it with others. See HELP DISCORD for information. Details on submission: \* Newly created reports will be marked as anonymous, your name as a submitter will not be revealed to others. \* You may submit up to a total of three reports across the skillsets of the game to suggest combat balance adjustments, new features, or quality of life upgrades. Please note that this limit is based across all characters you own. \* Reports that are based on skills you do not possess will be much more heavily scrutinized, so make sure they are top-notch before submission. \* While you must provide reasonable solutions to your report’s problem, we may opt for a fourth solution instead based upon feedback. \* Once a report is submitted, -anyone- may vote upon its merit using the CLASSLEAD SUPPORT/REJECT commands. If you wish to support/reject a report, please provide your reasoning and make sure to point out any shortcomings or additions you feel might be necessary. You may also simply leave a comment using CLASSLEAD COMMENT , if you wish for a more neutral approach. \* Any commentary which basically boils down to ‘I agree with my bud’ or ‘This is a terrible idea’ will automatically be discarded, and will you hurt your chances at passing through reports in future rounds, perhaps even resulting in loss of ability to submit at all. If you can consistently provide level-headed thought and in depth knowledge then your opinions will be valued more highly over others, and could result in extra submissions. \* You can use REPORTS ABSTAINED and REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find submitted reports you have not voted upon or commented. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 9th of Omeian, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [War Proposals](https://www.aetolia.com/news/war-proposals/) **Published:** January 30, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, The War Ministry now has access to a variety of proposals that can be offered during a war. These proposals are not tied to the treaty system to keep things a little more simple, as their outcomes are fairly uniform. It is entirely up to you and the opposing faction whether you find the terms agreeable or not. Proposals During War ——————– CITY PROPOSE TRUCE FOR HOURS – Propose a truce to all linked parties within the current war. Each party will need to agree to the truce and will have 3 minutes to respond. Only the War Minister or city leader may do this, and it must be done from the War Room. – Once in a truce, it will last for amount of IRL hours. All division orders will be unavailable during this time and territory timers will be frozen until the truce ends. – If another party declares war on any organization linked in the war, then the truce will be immediately nullified. – Truces cannot be otherwise broken until it expires. CITY PROPOSE ACCEPT TRUCE – If you have been offered a truce, this is how you accept it. Only the War Minister or city leader may do this. CITY PROPOSE ARMISTICE DURING AND – This will propose an armistice to all linked parties within the current war. Each party will need to agree to the armistice and will have 3 minutes to respond. Only the War Minister or city leader may do this, and it must be done from the War Room. – Once an armistice is agreed upon, it will remain in effect until the end of the war. During the given hours, all division orders will be unavailable and all territory timers will become frozen until the current armistice period ends. – Times are given in 24 hour clock as GMT, for example 1400 would be 14:00 GMT. The armistice period will repeat every IRL day. – If another party declares war on any organization linked in the war, then the armistice will be immediately nullified. – An armistice cannot be otherwise broken, so ensure that you understand the consequences of agreement before doing so. CITY PROPOSE ACCEPT ARMISTICE – If you have been offered an armistice, this is how you accept it. Only the War Minister or city leader may do this. You can find these commands at an time under HELP WAR if you need to refer to them again later. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Chakros, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Nexus desktop client](https://www.aetolia.com/news/nexus-desktop-client/) **Published:** January 24, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** We’re happy to announce that the desktop version of the Nexus client is now up and running – and better than ever! We’ve been hard at work addressing some of the issues that may have previously caused the client to not work as expected. Thanks to your feedback, we’ve resolved these problems to ensure a smoother and more reliable experience. You can download the updated desktop client here: https://nexus.ironrealms.com/Client\_Download. As always, your input is invaluable in helping us refine the client. If you encounter any bugs, issues, or have suggestions, please send them to us at nexus@ironrealms.com. Penned by my hand on Closday, the 16th of Dharos, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [First Duel of the Year!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/first-duel-of-the-year/) **Published:** January 23, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks! The first Duel of the year is now in motion for this weekend, and ready for you to raise yourself to new heights and obtain the title of Champion! Don’t miss out! What is the Duel? The Duel is a one on one double-elimination tournament hosted in Esterport, in which you can obtain prizes! See HELP THE DUEL for more details! What are the prizes? First place obtains 100 credits, fame, and the Rapier of the Master Duelist. A random participant will also receive a prize simply for participating! What’s this about a figurine? You heard well! This time around, the figurine is of the Alchemist class. Anyone who participates will get one! When is it? Check out EVENTS INFO 1020 for the exact time. Use CONFIG TIMEZONE to see it in your local time! That’s all, see you there! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 8th of Dharos, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [A New Version of the Nexus Client Is Here!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/a-new-version-of-the-nexus-client-is-here/) **Published:** January 13, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** We’re thrilled to announce the release of an updated version of the Nexus client. This new version features a cleaner, more streamlined interface and enhanced functionality for character creation and management. You can access the new client at play.ironrealms.com or from your favorite Iron Realms game website. We invite all players to try out the improved client and help us refine it further. Your feedback is invaluable in making Nexus the best it can be. Please share any bugs, issues, or suggestions with us at nexus@ironrealms.com. Thank you for helping us make Nexus even better. We can’t wait to hear what you think! Penned by my hand on Closday, the 25th of Sapiarch, in the year 9 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Open battlefields](https://www.aetolia.com/news/open-battlefields/) **Published:** January 9, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, There’s a new addition to the Battlefield (HELP BATTLEFIELD) system we’re trialling: open battlefields. Battlefields are normally closed participation (i.e. only the invited parties can participate), but an open battlefield allows you to create a battlefield somewhere and just allow anybody to show up and contest you. And I mean anyone! You can’t trust it to particular orgs – you will have to continue using closed battlefields for that. This essentially allows you to grandstand in an area and invite people to come fight you while making use of battlefield’s other mechanics (terms of engagements, e.g. restrictions and lockouts). When you create your draft battlefield, simply do BATTLEFIELD OPEN CHALLENGE, set the start time and any terms of engagement you want and then commit it. The battlefield will start when the appointed time comes! There is no need for people that want to contend the battlefield to enlist, simply show up and enter the battlefield! HELP BATTLEFIELD has been updated with the full information. Once gain, we’re trialling this to see how it gets used so expect changes depending on what we observe. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 23rd of Haernos, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [2024 Retrospective and our 2025 Plans](https://www.aetolia.com/news/2024-retrospective-and-our-2025-plans/) **Published:** January 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, everybody! It’s hard to believe that 2024 is over, especially considering all the wild hijinks we have all gotten up to! Before we talk about all the exciting things on the horizon for 2025, we felt it would be best to discuss all the fantastic achievements from this year: \[0;1;33mStory Events, Player Agency, and Consequences\[0m After the Monomachy, we felt it would be difficult to top the scale of significant story events and had a lot of internal discussions about how best to approach this. We also worried that players would experience ‘doomsday burnout’, as the content is complex and challenging to take seriously if it happens every six months. Razmael and I agreed that the best way to move forward was to hit the reset button on the scale: we would try to avoid ‘cosmic threats’, world-ending arrangements, and dire apocalypse scenarios for a little while. Even when we wrote last year’s review, we had already determined that this was the best way forward and intended to have Varach Scolrys return to the game’s story. While we envisioned a much different event at the outset, Spinesreach had other plans. Rather than deny the sentiment brewing within that city’s community, we took the opportunity to make good on our commitment and let every city take the reins with how they would respond to the event. Though it had some rough spots and its subject matter defied some of our new threat-level guidelines, we count it as a rousing success that convinced every city to move the needle and take more control of their destiny. After the Ire of Scolrys, we decided to take a break from ‘world events’ for the rest of the year and focus instead on empowering every city to embrace the mindset detailed above. It seems as if every single city has had something unique happen throughout the second half of the year: Spinesreach attempted to war three minor city-states and wreaked havoc in the process, Duiran ousted the would-be Salmati Empire from the Ithmian reaches, Enorian began the long process of purging Mor as the first stop on their enduring fiery crusade, and Bloodloch continues to toil away in the name of Abhorash’s grand vision. These events have allowed every city to grow accustomed to being in control of an event’s direction. However, we understand that some of these are works in progress rather than ‘done deals’ and intend to pick these loose threads back up in 2025. Ultimately, this year proves that this mindset is helping Aetolia thrive, and we don’t see that changing. Instead, we want to focus on better empowering this approach and making it less stressful for each of you. After all, world events are a much-beloved aspect of the Iron Realms and provide an experience impossible to find in other, more prominent mediums. I have spent a lot of time thinking about how to improve this year’s narrative progression. We hope to weave several individual narratives into a larger story that clarifies where we’re ‘going’ in Aetolia’s narrative. A familiar undercurrent in player feedback is that they miss some of the guidance/direction the prior chapter provided. \[0;1;33mGods and Gravitas\[0m In addition to the above, we had hoped that the Monomachy would uplift the gods and get them out of the ‘main character’ spotlight, as we firmly believe this position belongs to players. At the end of the Monomachy, we made it clear that the gods had recaptured most (if not all) of their lost power. However, we realised that this increase in power needed to come with an increase in aloofness; if the gods continued to meddle in every event personally, nothing would ever possess risk or danger from an In Character perspective. Understanding that this would take some time to bear fruit, we started laying the groundwork for this as soon as possible. Instead of doing things themselves, we began steering gods toward indirect intervention by using their orders and congregations as proxies/agents. This ensured that most of the ‘heroism’ directly translated to player activity that lets all of you feel like the badasses you are, and this has started showing its merit in the last six months. Throughout this year, we have also pushed for increased visibility of every played role. As a result of this, I am sure many of you have seen far more of Arvelis, Abhorash, Slyphe, Tanixalthas, Haern, Dhar, Euthymius, Lexadhra, Bamathis, and Celezor than you might have in previous years. We hope to continue this trend and refine each role’s place in Aetolia so that we can tell personal stories that help you further refine your characters into figures that rival fantasy’s most significant examples. This specific goal aims to answer a constant request from players: more involvement of the gods, more meddling and direction, etc. We will continue to calibrate aspects of this to perfection in the new year. \[0;1;33mSkill Lore and Messages\[0m One of Aetolia’s greatest triumphs is how much effort it has put into being a separate world with its narrative and unique characteristics, despite its humble beginnings as a mirror of Achaea’s world. In continuing with this vision, we elected to give our oldest skill messages a much-needed facelift that would grant better insight into Aetolia’s tone and themes. We initially identified three (yes, three!) skillsets that sorely needed this treatment and set to work, making a note to find a way to work these into the Varach Scolrys narrative. Though mentioned in both posts, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank Brax and Orlayth again, who worked alongside me to define new aesthetics for Necromancy and Devotion, respectively. These projects would have been of lower quality without their contributions, and I am excited for you to see what we did with Spirituality when the time comes to unleash that upon the world. Alongside these reimagined class messages, 2024 also saw the release of Morale’s Adherent and an incredibly flavourful rewrite of the Tiarna an-Kiar to better suit Duiran’s Dia’ruian duty. Though I would like to uplift the flavour of older 200 classes like Chaos Lord, this is of a lesser priority when compared to our outstanding goals for 2024 and our upcoming 2025 roadmap. \[0;1;33mNew Classes, Racial Revamps, and Ambitious Redesigns\[0m While Aetolia’s oldest classes experienced aesthetic transformations, Keroc was toiling away at everything he is fantastic at! This year saw the release of a reimagining of the Ascendril class and its associated mirror. Made more cohesive and streamlined, the kit was adopted by plenty of players, including new combatants who have since made a name for themselves through their mastery of the elements! Of course, these adjustments came with new messages that pointed Bloodborn in a slightly different direction, making it more accessible (and a bit less gross) in terms of themes and messages. Since the release of this ambitious project, the class has experienced a renaissance in terms of engagement and adoption rate, proving to us that a redesign was time well spent. Though just a class revamp would be fine, Keroc promptly outdid himself by developing a new class kit: the Siderealist! Drawing upon one of Aetolia’s most mysterious branches of lore and new fields of magic, the Siderealist has already exploded onto the scene and is already one of our most popular classes. We are incredibly excited to see how it changes Aetolia’s combat landscape in the coming months, and we eagerly await an enthusiast to arise and show the world what this new class is capable of! In addition, the Racial Skill system was completely redesigned, which presented meaningful decisions and opportunity costs to players everywhere! \[0;1;33mWar Changes\[0m Though a hot topic, the war system continues evolving under Keroc’s watchful eye. As the year’s second half began, we adjusted the pace at which war progressed. In hopes of increasing the weight and gravitas of the war system, we instituted a condemnation system that serves as a stepping stone to outright war, emulating the political tension of geopolitics and military manoeuvring. Though this reduced the frequency of war, we interpret this as a success, as a declaration of war is a far more meaningful decision now rather than something done on impulse. Those who frequent the Combat channel on our Discord will likely recall that Keroc hinted at coming system changes. These continue to be his priority, and they will coalesce when ready. However, we want to be confident that any addition answers your feedback while enriching the system, so we have committed to taking all the time we need on the matter. \[0;1;33mPK Attitudes\[0m Combat enthusiasm feels as if it is at an all-time high! Most of the Duels held this year had high participation rates, culminating in the Grand Duel featuring a staggering 60 participants! We’re delighted to see this, as we view PK as an essential aspect of RP in a conflict-oriented world. We view it as an enriching option that lends itself well to the competitive elements of organisation themes and character creeds, and we’re thrilled to see more and more players regard it as a normalised part of the game rather than something to be shamed, avoided, or shut down. \[0;1;33mContent Accessibility\[0m Though all of the above constitute broad, sweeping changes, we have not forgotten all the little things that make Aetolian an exceptional world in which to participate. As the world’s movers and shakers shattered the geopolitical gridlock, artisans embraced Bonro’s beloved art of Ceramics! We also reassessed the costs and difficulties of seeking opportunities in a new city. We mirrored the Vampirism Cure, allowing Akkari characters to finally step away from their Lightbound duty if they saw fit. To go along with this, we also lessened multiclassing penalties via guild-granted class slots. Last but certainly not least, we provided a way to convert your class to the other tether’s mirror to lessen associated losses in lessons or credits. In the past, we had displayed a bad habit of creating content for specific moments and then abandoning that content to the sands of time. This year, we decided to turn that on its head and release some of this content in re-imagined scenarios that allow future players to taste those glory days. For example, look no further than the Relovec Mansion and Unending Night scenarios now enshrined within the Memoryscape, as well as introducing new options for milestone bosses such as the Scourge of Mannaseh. In addition to the above, we focused more on player feedback and player-submitted ideas. Last week, we went through the Idea Queue and implemented a staggering amount of feature requests as a gift to each of you. We hope to continue seeing your passionate feedback and brilliant ideas in 2025! \[0;1;33m2025 and Beyond\[0m Speaking of 2025, here is what you can expect… 1\. Airships are our top priority. We indicated this was a 2024 promise, but the sheer scope will dwarf any content release we have ever undertaken in Aetolia’s history, and we thus needed to secure more time to make it the best product we can. We promise it will be well worth the wait! I’d like to thank our Mortal Builders, who are already toiling away at the areas you might visit once you can sail the glorious Aetolian skies! 2\. Persuasion’s release: though initially slated for December, we felt it would be better to hold off and let people enjoy the holidays and grow accustomed to Siderealist before we launched into Persuasion. We’re incredibly excited to see what you do with this, and we’re ready to accept feedback and feature requests shortly after its release! 3\. The return of world events; we haven’t forgotten about these! Before returning to global storytelling, we want to wrap up some pending business with cities. However, we want these global events to be more structured to facilitate a better, smoother experience for you and an easier time for us as the ‘showrunners’. The Demon Blade’s prisoners remain at large, Idaltu’s newly architected planets pose new and unique mysteries to unravel, and new trouble looms upon the horizon – what will the endgame of our next significant moment look like, I wonder? 4\. Continued God presence; we are not yet done with the Monomachy’s aftereffects and other loose threads left dangling in its wake. Many of those stories will require the presence of our gods. 5\. A Wisdom-focused player class! Let the speculation begin! Remember that Wisdom fuels the ‘knowledge’ damage type, i.e. familiarity with processes, devices, and tools as opposed to Intelligence’s magical powers. 6\. The third agricultural skill: though we prioritise the release of Piloting and Persuasion, we have a vision for Agri3 and its position in portions of the game’s economy. We know exactly what we want it to do, we just have more significant priorities. Happy New Year from all of us here in the Pools! We hope you’re looking forward to everything just as much as we are in 2025! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 24th of Lexadian, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Happy New Year! January's promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/happy-new-year-januarys-promotion/) **Published:** January 1, 2025 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** From everybody at the Pools, we’d like to wish you all a Happy New Year! It’s now January which means we’re saying goodbye to stockings (your platinums should now be full – enjoy!), and welcoming back the Wheel of Fates! Logging in for at least an hour each day earns a free spin and premium skull tokens with higher value prizes can be obtained from the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits! We’ve lowered the price point on skull tokens this year to bring them more line with the price of other promos. You can now get a skull token for $7.99 – down from $9.99! Additionally, I’ve tweaked the wheel spin so you’ll get your prizes instantly on spinning instead of having to wait a few seconds for the spin to resolve. Those who obtain skull tokens can SPIN WHEEL OUTER SKULL up to three times to determine their prize category followed by SPIN WHEEL INNER SKULL to win prizes from the following: Outer Wheel – Credits: Credit prizes (unbound) ranging from 33-250. Outer Wheel – Iron Coins: Iron Coins (unbound) ranging from 20-100. Outer Wheel – Lessons: Lesson prizes ranging from 250-500. Outer Wheel – Artifact: Artifacts ranging from 50 credits in value up to 2000 credits in value. Outer Wheel – Items: Chocolate bags, elemental globes, fireworks, customisation certificates, discount vouchers, compendium pages\*, minipets\*\*, style scrolls\*\*\* artifact tattoo tokens, a low chance at morphic metal and antiquated salvage. Outer Wheel – Relic: Relic pieces for the following relics: diplomacy, everburning, stalking, spire, tusks, flames, angled, lifesense, ilmenitebracer and horns. \[0;1;37mI’ve also added a new filter to RELIC LIST:\[0m ‘promo’, which will let you filter down the list by those relics currently available in the promo. This stacks with other filters, allowing you to do something like RELIC LIST PROMO FULL to see the details of all the relics available, or RELIC LIST PROMO UNOWNED to see which ones you don’t yet own! \* Pages this month include: the Festering Wastes, Dovan Hollow, a volcanic island, the Liruma Crater, the Endless Battlefield and a deep underground cavern. \*\* Minipets this month include: a baby mako shark, a tiny jerboa, a brown-furred capybara, a juvenile meerkat, an enchanted white paper crane, a pyrotechnic fire elemental, a woodland cuckoo, and a luminous lantern spirit. \*\* Special note: the paper crane minipet is dyeable! \*\*\* Styles available this month are: stiff, drunken, bedrock, elegant, gory and bombastic. There is also a chance to obtain style point currency for the shop at v76367. HELP WHEEL OF FATES now has all of the up to date information! Purchases of tokens also reward Guild and City credits, there’s a 500 credit bonus on every 500th spin! You can also find a skull token in the milestone wares for January! Enjoy! p.s. remember that there’s multiple wheels out there, so you don’t have to all crowd at the same one! They can found at: – v1180 Before the bridge to Esterport – v1299 North of Trees – v56509 The Landward Gate (Enorian) – v9194 A shadowy cavern (Bloodloch) – v43846 Stone bridge over a spring (Duiran) – v11687 Inside the outer gate (Spinesreach) Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 23rd of Lexadian, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Raffle reminder, NYE/NYD Q&A](https://www.aetolia.com/news/raffle-reminder-nye-nyd-qa/) **Published:** December 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, Shortly after the howling on the 1st GMT Time (so NYE for Americans!), the Pools will be hosting an informal New Year’s Q & A in-game. Refreshment goblins will be in attendance so come have a drink and hang out! Also don’t forget with the end of December approaching to hang up any leftover platinum stockings you have, or they’ll be sitting around for a whole year unfilled! The stocking raffle will also be drawn shortly after the Howling on the 1st (we might do it during the Q & A) so be sure to do something with any leftover gift vouchers you have. You will need to either gift them (if they have your mark) or exchange them (use LOTTERY EXCHANGE VOUCHER, if they were given to you by someone else) in order to enter them into the raffle. Any vouchers not exchanged by 1st January will disappear, take note! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 6th of Lexadian, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Flintbeard and Ironbeard](https://www.aetolia.com/news/flintbeard-and-ironbeard/) **Published:** December 15, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey folks, It’s that time of year again when Flintbeard declares the season of Flintmas upon us, bringing with it the return of our three holiday dungeons! All three dungeons – Flintbeard’s Lair (normal), Flintbeard’s Lair (Flintmas version), and Flintbeard’s Backyard can be found in the rooms around v18093. Completing any of the dungeons will award you giftbags (one per Howling per dungeon completion), fame if you don’t have it yet, and autographs which can be spent at Gilbert’s shop. Speaking of festivities, Ironbeard has returned to town! Holly trees and mistletoe bushes will spawn randomly across the land, their locations changing every so often. You’ll need to SNAP (tree) to get a branch of holly, and PULL (bush) to obtain a sprig of mistletoe. Once you’ve obtained one of each, head down to your favourite pub or tavern so you can DECK THE HALLS and HANG MISTLETOE to decorate it in a bit of Celesmas cheer. Once done, the tavern owner will give you a platter of sausages and beer. Do note that this won’t work at all pubs and taverns, you should receive a hint upon entering one if you have the quest. Throughout the day, Ironbeard will pick out people who have platters to visit. The more platters you have, the higher the chance of him visiting you is! When he chooses you to visit, he’ll hand over one of his coveted giftbags and gobble up ALL the platters you have (he’s a hungry fellow). NOTE: The platter quest can only be done once per real day! Remember, with the recent speedrun reset, this is your perfect chance to claim those top spots before all three dungeons close again at the end of December! Additionally, the two Tsinkin villages will also be opening soon after, with new wares for you to nab from their shops. Big thanks to Watson for maintaining these wonderful holiday traditions! Good luck! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 21st of Omeian, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Grand Duel!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-grand-duel-2/) **Published:** December 11, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Glory seekers across the realm! The final stretch is here and along with it comes your chance to be crowned the champion of the biggest, most explosive duel of the year – the Grand Duel! In this extravagant double-elimination tournament, the stakes are increased with mighty prizes up for grabs, with the Grand Champion receiving a unique artifact tailored to the class that they succeed in, and several prizes for both runner-ups and random participants who take the plunge! But of course, I know you want to know the details, so without further ado, the prizes for placement this year! 1st place prizes: – The Rapier of the Master Duelist! – A custom-made artifact that will boost the class you win the Grand Duel as! \* The artifact will be retained until the next Grand Duel. – A very enthusiastic fan of your achievements that will linger in Esterport! \* For as long as you are the Grand Champion. – A unique fame line and title, customised to show off your exploits in the Grand Duel! – A gold star that you can TOUCH! Very shiny! – A grand stocking – 500 credits 2nd place prizes: – An occasional free drink at the Shining Trident! \* The bonus will be retained until the next Grand Duel – A silver star that you can TOUCH! Sparkly! – A grand stocking – 300 credits 3rd place prizes: – A bronze star that you can TOUCH! Nice! – A grand stocking – 200 credits Not everyone can reach the heights of the placement podium, so for those who do not, there will be THREE raffles for anyone who joins the Grand Duel and competes in its duels! No requirements are necessary beyond giving it your best! You can potentially win: – Prize one: Any one artifact valued at 800 credits or less, your choice! – Prize two: A piece of morphic metal (x2) – Prize three: Artifact vials, pipes, bandages, and/or rags (x5) Even if you don’t qualify for any of the above, just being there and participating will net you some very cool goodies! We’ll have a special, unique minipet unobtainable through any other means this year, and there will also be the usual class figurine up for grabs! Plus a few other things… Participating will get you: – A unique Grand Duel-themed minipet! – A figurine of the Siderealist class! – The Duel participation credit milestone! \* Doesn’t count towards your daily limit. And like before, for those of you who love a bet, I will open up a bookie just before the Duel begins and pool in 100,000 gold. You can bet on who you think the winner will be of the Grand Duel for 5,000 gold and have a chance at taking home a juicy bag of gold. The command AB GAMING BOOKMAKER has details on this if you want to be prepared beforehand. The exact date for the Grand Duel can be found in EVENTS INFO 976, as decided by a poll we ran on our Discord. Use CONFIG TIMEZONE to see when it starts in your local time. Note: The Siderealist class will be a banned choice for the Grand Duel, as it’ll be relatively new and I want to keep things competitive. See you there! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Chakros, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Siderealist Artifacts](https://www.aetolia.com/news/siderealist-artifacts/) **Published:** December 11, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** We’re introducing two artifacts for Siderealist if you’re interested! Power: crystal\_refine (a dominion crystal) 300cr —————————————————- Syntax: REFINE INTO Let’s you refine a stack of crystals that you possess into a different shape of your choosing. Cooldown: 5 hours Power: cosmic\_hew () 100cr —————————————————- This artifact will increase the amount of crystals you can HEW from the Pool of Stars to three at a time, instead of one. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 22nd of Chakros, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Siderealist](https://www.aetolia.com/news/siderealist/) **Published:** December 9, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Just two important things of note: – You cannot attach artifact weapon runes (or crests) to Ostension regalia. – Astranomnia Ekpyrosis is on HELP RESTRICTED SKILLS for now. That’s all! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 10th of Chakros, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Siderealist Class](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-siderealist-class/) **Published:** December 9, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Cosmic forces have awakened across the realm, bringing brand new forms of magic to Aetolia that have never been seen or felt in its entire history. Even in the face of these unknown forces and their risks, a newly minted group of arcanists stands ready to bend these cosmic powers into weapons and tools… Introducing our newest class, the Siderealist! The Siderealist class is a new neutral-tether class available to anyone who seeks to control and wield the arts of the cosmos and the forces it hides within. Not only do they wield their own brand of luminescent magic, marking them as our first neutral mage class in the game, they can also don the regalia of constellar legend – including clothing, weapons, shields, and various trinkets associated with their mythos. If you want to learn the Siderealist class, you can do so by visiting Heiress Rashemi in the Vashnar Mountains at v4342, who now resides next to the Pool of Stars where once Hycanthus called home. Once there, you can LEARN SIDEREALIST FROM RASHEMI to obtain the class at a cost of 40 credits, much like our other guildless classes. For the first few weeks, this will be the only way to acquire the class, as apprenticeship through players will not be available until the teachings proliferate through the realm. Here’s a quick list of information about the Siderealist! – The three skills of the Siderealist are Ostension, Astranomia, and Crystalism. – For the time being, lessons in these skills can only be learned from Rashemi or another player. – The skill of Crystalism is very similiar to the Crystalism of the now-past Magi. – Siderealists make use of FIELDPLATE armour. – Siderealists summon forth constellar REGALIA with various abilities. – Siderealists do NOT have a home guild they are part of. – Siderealists CAN be selected through creation with the same limitations as other unguilded classes. Stats & PvE =========== As a mage class, Siderealists primarily rely on the INTELLIGENCE stat to deal the vast majority of their damage, however they obtain some benefit from STRENGTH through the use of their regalia’s weaponry in player combat. Astranomia and Crystalism rely mostly on equilibrium in order to dish out their abilities, however Ostension often uses balance for their regalia’s active abilities. Faster equilibrium is generally favoured though. PvP Routes ========== For those of you familiar with Ascendril and Sciomancer before they were properly given unique skillsets separate from each other, you’ll find the kill routes of Siderealist to be rather familiar. Those older classes were favourites of mine, so what I have done is taken a lot of their original concept and brought it up to speed with the current state of Aetolia. That means that this class relies heavily on afflictions as their chosen kill route into a damage finisher. However, keep in mind the class may struggle a little bit to do this solely on its own – the design of this class relies on the returning Replicate skill in order to copy your opponents abilities and use them against them to gain an advantage. You can think of it as a ‘blue mage’ theme in some manner. If you’ve used Replicate before it was removed from Ascendril and Sciomancer, you’ll find it’s been greatly improved to allow access to a larger pool of abilities from all classes, both old and new. And lastly, there is now also a limb route that you can take up against limb classes, which it didn’t have before. Lore ==== For the lore hungry, we have created HELP SIDEREALIST RP so that you can roleplay the class to its fullest extent, along with help files for its three skills. Artifacts ========= The class also comes with the standard ‘hunt\_siderealist(1-3)’ artifact if you are looking for such. They also benefit from the ‘magic\_potence’ artifact to boost the damage output of Ray, their main bashing attack. Final Notes =========== Lastly, a final note just to set expectations. There are a lot of passive components to this class, which is especially true if you have heard of and used Crystalism before. For some, they might like the more simple style offered from passive abilities, while others might prefer a more active class. Make sure you decide that the class is for you! I’ll be keeping an eye on them over the coming days and likely tweaking them after seeing how they perform in the live game. Feel free to let me know how you feel about it as it is put through it’s paces. P.S. Siderealist will be banned for the upcoming Grand Duel to keep things competitive. Don’t dive into it if you’re expecting to use it for the Grand Duel! Thanks ====== A whole class can take quite a bit of effort! I want to give thanks to both Razmael, who helped with the lore side of the class, and Emellan, who did a lot of the writing for the skills of class. Send them some thanks their way! I also want to thank the beta testers who helped out with the class, but I’ll leave it up to them if they want to reveal their help in its balancing. That’s all for now, enjoy! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 10th of Chakros, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Speedruns](https://www.aetolia.com/news/speedruns/) **Published:** December 4, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Oh, and one more thing! It’s been a while and lot’s of things have changed. So we’re archiving all the current speedruns across the board and starting a new season. Good luck! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 6th of Dharos, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [A Night Unending](https://www.aetolia.com/news/a-night-unending/) **Published:** December 4, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks! Within the Dyisen-Ashtan Memoryscape, you can now find an instance called A Night Unending. Within you’ll find perhaps one of the hardest PvE experiences within Aetolia; a boss rush involving all the Shadow Lieutenants and Majors from the Second War of Night. While they have been nerfed somewhat since they were originally designed as beatsticks to deal with 30-person groups during one of our biggest events ever, I feel it’d be a little bit of a shame to leave the mechanics and code behind them out in the cold instead of letting you square up with them again, if you feel like doing so. In order to add a level of intensity to the challenge that matches the atmosphere of the event, the following rules are in place: – You may only take five people into the instance. – You only have three lives each, until you are locked out of re-entering the instance. – There are 5 Shadow Lieutenants, and 2 Shadow Majors to fight through. – You can fight the Shadow officers in any order, except the Majors. I have a really hard time believing anyone can just stand there and straight bash these monsters, so you will need to really levy what you know about PvE and abuse all the defensive buffs / cheese strategies that you can, if you want to reach the end. I really mean it when I think it’s going to be hard, as I didn’t want to nerf them to point they weren’t like their original selves anymore. So, with fair warning, it’s \[0;1;31mextreme endgame content\[0m for diehard PvE’ers / dungeoners. It won’t be easy. (Unless you somehow prove me wrong…) If you manage to succeed, there is a fame line and title up for grabs, and of course a speedrun is setup if you enjoy that sort of thing! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 6th of Dharos, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [New homeowner artifact](https://www.aetolia.com/news/new-homeowner-artifact/) **Published:** December 3, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** A new artifact has been added to the shop: housebind a homeowner’s security glyph 300cr This artifact grants access to the HOUSE BIND and HOUSE UNBIND command for homeowners. Using it on an item will, as the name implies, bind it to your house, preventing it from being picked up. You can later unbind it to move it again. \* Only the owner of this artifact can use the item, and only in their own house. \* Only certain items can be bound: – Figurines. – Anything crafted. – Any furniture. – Anything decaying. \* Anything that is an artifact, resets, and certain other special items can’t be bound. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 1st of Dharos, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Cyber Monday promo - 24 hours only!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/cyber-monday-promo-24-hours-only/) **Published:** December 2, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey folks! For the next 24 hours we are once again offering a special, one-off package of 6 elemental coffers for $20.99 for Cyber Monday! The package contains one of each elemental coffer – fire, water, earth, air, shadow, and spirit! This is quite a deep discount for six coffers and can only be purchased once per character. Within these coffers you will find the usual things like credits, artifacts, compendium pages, iron coins, consumables, and other goodies – including the respective minipets, voxes, and relic caches usually found within those coffers! For reference, each coffer has a chance at pieces for the following relics: AIR === starchart, diplomacy, observereyes, super\_ear, plumage, tempestuous\_shield, and compass. EARTH === chocobag, exploremirror, gorget, lifesense, seeds, tectonic\_shield, and ilmenitebracer. FIRE === everburning, hunters\_horn, hunters\_knife, compass, vigilant, grapnel, fire\_shield, and chrys\_embers. WATER === everfull, hunters\_horn, hunters\_knife, compass, vigilant, grapnel, water\_shield, and chrys\_fountain. SHADOW === shadow\_shield, shadowshroud, veil\_darkness, phyl\_shadow, flair\_shadow, transmute\_shadow\_culling, grapnel, compass, observereyes, and planar\_shadow. SPIRIT === spirit\_shield, spiritshroud, veil\_light, phyl\_spirit, flair\_light, transmute\_spirit\_culling, grapnel, compass, observereyes, and planar\_spirit. To take advantage, visit www.aetolia.com/credits! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 18th of Ios, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [December promotion - stockings!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/december-promotion-stockings/) **Published:** December 1, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey folks! Gobbler season is over, and that means it’s once again time for everybody’s favourite: \[0;1;31mst\[0m\[0;1;37mock\[0m\[0;1;31min\[0m\[0;1;37mgs!\[0m For those unfamiliar, stockings are available from the website in celebration of Celesmas! Ironbeard will fill them up a short while after they are hung, and the owner can then open them and collect their contents! As always, they can be obtained from the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits under ‘artifact packages’. See HELP STOCKINGS for all stocking-related commands and for a complete breakdown of prizes! I’ve included a short summary below: Festive or Trick Stocking, minimum value: 16 credits Fancy Stocking, minimum value: 45 credits, guaranteed at least 1 relic coffer Grand Stocking, minimum value: 200 credits, guaranteed at least 2 relic coffers Extravagant Stocking, minimum value: 600 credits, guaranteed at least 5 relic coffers This year we have a new relic collection available themed around the treasures of the Hlugnic Empire. See HELP HLUGNIC TREASURES for all the details, but the items include the following: – a Runeguard’s geomancy badge (hlugnic\_badge) – a brooch of the High Houses (hlugnic\_brooch) – an ancient, cane-sheathed sword (hlugnic\_canesword) – a gavel of finality (hlugnic\_gavel) – a pair of Hlugnic miner’s goggles (hlugnic\_goggles) – a brumal Scornshield insignia (hlugnic\_insignia) – a Scolrysian resonator (hlugnic\_resonator) – an Endorone necrologist’s talisman (hlugnic\_talisman) – a Fabricator’s runic tongs (hlugnic\_tongs) – a High Judge’s restraining writ (hlugnic\_writ) All relic pieces from the Hlugnic set trade in for 30 credits! Some extra highlights include: – There is also a steed whistle found in Grand and Extravagant stockings: a garland-draped bull ox! – Three new minipets are also joining the collection alongside a host of returnees: an enchanted holiday greeting card, a mischievous mistletoe-bearing fairy, and an animated holly bush! – A new ‘winter’ vox available only in festive/trick stockings! – And don’t miss out on the brand new style scroll: apologetic! Speaking of style scrolls, don’t miss the fact that all style scrolls have been updated now to support Ascendril and Bloodborn, and ALSO have additionally been updated to support our upcoming new class, Siderealist, ahead of its release! Each stocking tier below extravagant also has a very small chance of rolling a big prize in the form of a 400-2000 credit artifact! Every 150 stockings opened will trigger a global prize where one of the next 50 stockings opened will contain a bonus of 500 credits on top of the other prizes it contains. Additionally, for every 5 stockings of each type you purchase, you’ll receive either a gold or platinum stocking of that tier! So if you purchase 5 fancy stockings, you’ll get a gold (or platinum) fancy stocking. Gold and platinum stockings are special and fill up only on Christmas and New Year’s Day, respectively! These are tracked cumulatively, so you can safely split up purchases without losing out. Opening one of these stockings acts as if you had opened two of that tier, giving you double the prizes! There’s no difference in prizes between gold and platinum beyond what day they fill on. You’ll also find a festive stocking to purchase for a gold keystone in the milestone wares shop. \[0;1;37mStocking Raffle\[0m – All stocking purchases through the website will automatically enter you into a raffle drawn on January 1st for some rare prizes! – All stocking purchases additionally award “a decorative gift voucher” – these can only be redeemed (LOTTERY EXCHANGE VOUCHER) by someone other than the owner, and provide 1 raffle entry to whoever you gift them to. – See HELP STOCKING RAFFLE or LOTTERY 43 for info! \[0;1;37mIron Lottery\[0m – We haven’t run an Iron Lottery at all this year, so it’s time to run one in the final month! – Iron Lottery is a prize of 1000 credits for the winner, with tickets available in-game through various means. – See HELP IRON LOTTERY for full information. \[0;1;37mGrand Duel\[0m Don’t forget December is also the month of the Grand Duel, so expect to see Keroc announcing that in the coming days! \[0;1;37mCelemas Calendar\[0m You’ll find a large Celesmas Calendar floating just outside Esterport at v1422. – Once per real life day, you can OPEN CALENDAR to claim a random prize. – To be eligible for opening the calendar, you must have claimed 5 credit milestones for that day so far. – Prizes include gold, chocolates, credits, lessons, blessings, stockings and more! \[0;1;37mMisc happenings\[0m – There might be other impromptu winter games happening throughout the month. – As usual, Ironbeard, the Tsinkin villages, and the Flintbeard dungeons will return later in the month. – The rumours lately have something weird happening people and glowing eyes. Huh. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 12th of Ios, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Aetolian Secret Santa III: The Giftening](https://www.aetolia.com/news/aetolian-secret-santa-iii-the-giftening/) **Published:** November 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** It’s that time again – Brax is back to host our third Aetolian Secret Santa! This is entirely voluntary with no pressure to participate unless you want to, and is open to anyone who plays Aetolia – volunteers and staff included! For those unfamiliar, Secret Santa is a gift exchange between anonymously-matched players that have agreed to participate in the activity. If interested, or if you’re looking to learn more, you can sign up/read more on this form: https://forms.gle/AXeBkGo24e4ZiMaE7 You can also find an FAQ on the #announcements channel of our official Discord. Signups will be accepted until December 6th with assignments to be made that weekend! Feel free to message Brax on Discord (tlhornbe) or in-game (may be a bit slower of a response) if you have any questions. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 4th of Ios, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Holiday Perks](https://www.aetolia.com/news/holiday-perks/) **Published:** November 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** From now until the end of December, you have a chance to snag 5% to 10% off two random artifacts that get featured on AP LIST. This’ll change every RL day, so check in on it now and then. You might find that one artifact you’ve had your eye on coming rolling around. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 1st of Ios, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [New Artifacts](https://www.aetolia.com/news/new-artifacts/) **Published:** November 28, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello! Three new artifacts in the shop for you to look at. musical\_feet (500cr) ———————– The Songward skill will also add a 5% dodge bonus to your Avoidance chance. deep\_pockets (400cr) ———————– This will allow you to quickly weave together the required item when you make use of the Needle and Crackshot abilities. No commodities or fashioning needed! siege\_grease (200cr) ———————– Lowers the balance cost of PUSHing siege weaponry by half. They’ve been sitting around for a while because I keep forgetting to release them, better late then never! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 22nd of Severin, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Lullaby box auction](https://www.aetolia.com/news/lullaby-box-auction/) **Published:** November 26, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, just a quick fyi: The lullaby box has been relisted for another 24 hours with its bids reset due to a player error on bidding. All other auctions have ended, congrats to the winners! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 13th of Severin, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Auctions ending reminder](https://www.aetolia.com/news/auctions-ending-reminder-2/) **Published:** November 25, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** This is just your usual friendly 24-hours-remaining reminder notice for the auctions! Good luck! Penned by my hand on Closday, the 6th of Severin, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Hobgobbler IX: Return of the Hobgobbler King](https://www.aetolia.com/news/hobgobbler-ix-return-of-the-hobgobbler-king/) **Published:** November 24, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The annual invasion begins anew as hordes of hobgobblers once again rampage across Sapience! Help cull the invasion of this fowl spawn, and you may find the hobgobblers will drop either stuffing or – more rarely – a drumstick when they die. Eat them to gain a temporary buff! The stuffing will grant you double experience (stacking with other sources) for an hour, and the drumstick will set all your stats to 21 for the next five minutes. Like last year, the fearsome hobgobbler king will appear once enough of his subjects have been culled for the dinner table! The king will manifest at the site of the most recent hobgobbler death, ready to enact his vengeance upon those who would feast upon his flock. This year, the hobgobbler king drops a brand new hobgobbler king figurine, as well as last year’s hobgobbler minipet if you missed out then, alongside the usual bounty of stuffing and drumsticks to go around. They won’t be around for long, so don’t miss out! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 21st of Sapiarch, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Staff of the Naldareth clarification](https://www.aetolia.com/news/staff-of-the-naldareth-clarification/) **Published:** November 23, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, It’s come to my attention that one iteration of the Staffcast ability once gave an elemental weakness affliction. To be clear, the staff of the Naldareth auction artifact is damage only, no affliction. Since this wasn’t very clear, and bids might’ve been placed with the assumption otherwise, I’m wiping all the bids on the staff and letting it start from 0 again. Sorry about that! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 15th of Sapiarch, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Sweeping the Trash, Part IV: Chaos](https://www.aetolia.com/news/sweeping-the-trash-part-iv-chaos/) **Published:** November 22, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the war between Spinesreach and a staunch alliance of Kobold, Ophidian, Djeirani, and Imp proceeded apace, the Theocracy began to realise they did not possess the troops to keep their hold on the Sanguine Fist and subjugate S.W.E.E.P simultaneously. The middle days of the war saw their occupying forces rallied and ordered to march across the realm to intervene in S.W.E.E.P’s attempt to capture Spinesreach’s primary trio of holdings. Brutal battles held the line for the first few weeks, ensuring time for Spinesreach to recover and formulate a long-term strategy. Still, several days of strategic combat had allowed the Undercity sellswords to properly acclimate to coordination with their employer’s military movements, allowing them to grant S.W.E.E.P’s specialised forces a rest as the hired adventurers took sole control of the front line. Driven to set aside all but their vision of victory, Spinesreach entreated their budding Chaos realm to provide the forces they needed to strike out. Speaking on behalf of the city, Whirran asked General Aredra, one of Labyrinthine Chaos’ Lords, to marshal all that could be spared. The General pledged to gather what they could and began to cajole Theocratic gremlins into gathering into large vexations, though he informed those gathered that not only would they require a catalyst for the summoning, similar to their work in Mournhold, but that the General was unsure what could be provided. The conclaves agreed that anything gained would be a boon and began to deploy agents to create a ritual circle within Rock Bottom, hoping to make a gate for the gremlins to rush through. With any luck, the Dragon’s military officers theorised, the gremlins would tear the town asunder, kicking a leg out from under their foes and buying time for the city to strike down one of their rivals. Relying on prior experience with magic on this scale, Spinesreach once more employed canisters of fae blood pressurised by elemental air, allowing their operatives to spray portions of the circle in a clandestine manner. When the day arrived, the Conclave of Magic checked the circle’s integrity. It informed the city that the operation was ready to begin, prompting Spinesreach to prepare to take advantage of the chaos. An ominous sanguine glow then mingled with the coruscating colours in the sky above the western Liruma Scrubland, and a complex ritual symbol began to manifest above the Ophidian Empire’s sovereign territory. The dreaded radiance flared to brilliance, creating a labyrinthine depth that unfolded to the mortal eye like a flower in infinite bloom, carving a road through the Prime Material’s delicate fabric. Transformed into a window through which Labyrinthine Chaos could be glimpsed, the sky bulged and twisted as it strained to contain a multitude of crazed Theocratic gremlins that lingered upon its twisted horizon. As one, the little demons pushed at the final layer of Primal integrity, their tiny claws eager for the blood of civilians and soldiers alike. It was then that one Kobold’s curiosity threw another wrench into the Theocracy’s grand design. “OOO, IS THIS JAM?!” the youngster wondered aloud to the entire realm. Oblivious to the great danger that roiled overhead, the effervescent Kobold youngster dipped one eager finger into the gory foundation of the Chaos ritual, smudging its painstakingly precise arrangement – an act that left an opening in the once-closed shape laid by Spirean schemes. The little Kobold child lifted his finger to his greedy lips and sampled the taste before promptly spitting it out and blaming his Impish friends for tricking him again. No longer a closed circuit, the wild ritual energies tumbled into Rock Bottom to serve as a terrifying example of cause and effect. The milling demons upon the horizon wheeled and smeared together into one long, distended stream that evacuated the boundaries of Labyrinthine Chaos in a frenzied surge, forming a hideous amalgam of gremlin bodies. Countless gleeful ululations filled Rock Bottom’s streets as the horrifying monster took its first step upon the Prime, together in lockstep in every sense of the word. Sewn together by sorcerous mishap and a Kobold’s curiosity, the towering pile of individuals became one misshapen Lord that loomed over the Ophidian Empire, its architecture captured in a flurried infinitude of swirling, tricolour eyes. The nightmarish fusion of screaming gremlins lurched forward to begin wreaking havoc. Ophidian warriors fell in the line of duty, throwing themselves between it and their beloved Empress Agra. In tandem, others leapt to protect Emperor Pa’akth in kind, paying the ultimate price for their sovereign. Ophidian bystanders slithered out of the way in panicked, serpentine trails, their strong arms grabbing up short-legged Kobold citizens in a patriotic bid to seek safety as one united nation, defying the crazed conspiracy theories that had brought this war to fruit. Those guards who still stood gathered into disciplined units and pressed forward, weapons bare and ready to hold the beast back until the Empress and her people could be evacuated. “PROTECT THE ROYAL FAMILY! GUARD THE SURVIVORS!” called out the captain of the guard, his serpentine syllables cutting through the battle din. It was then that countless adventurers from across the realm flooded into Rock Bottom’s borders, intent on taking the Spirean monstrosity to task if only for self-preservation. Though countless warriors from every city-state fell in defence or assault of the vile being, it continued without a care, its wailing and gnashing bringing woe aplenty to the Ophidian Empire. Soon, a brilliant line of burnished energy scythed through the air at the heart of the insidious catastrophe, its luminous glory parting like a curtain to allow the Stalwart Adherent and a pair of soldiers ingress. “FORM UP! STRIKE AS ONE!” Itensu ordered. Rallied by the presence of the Oathsworn Peacekeeper, Rock Bottom’s defenders leapt to obey his orders. Though they sallied forth from guardposts and buildings now abandoned by civilians, they managed little more than superficial strikes that tore Chaotic biomass from the colossal monstrosity, creating new threats that held their attention away from the main threat. Flailing with limbs wrought from screaming, writhing gremlins, the giant mass of Chaos levelled entire structures. In its rage, it hammered away at the Great Rock’s southern face, creating handholds that allowed it to begin scaling the colossal landmark. After ordering the guards to evacuate the civilians, Itensu departed with his two proteges – Dadi and Sulu of New Sehal – in tow. Conjuring a glimmering stairway from adherent magic, the Stalwart rushed towards Top Rock, eager to vanquish the abomination terrorising the settlement. The twisted horror of the Labyrinth scaled the Great Rock by way of countless grubby gremlin hands, allowing for a disturbingly fluid ascent that far outpaced the trio of heroes. At the top of the Great Rock, the monstrosity sensed a well of power untapped: a portion of Astral Chaos unknowingly bound to a Kobold religious site, its bounty left behind by the Goddess Omei and ripe for the taking. Their boots pounding against the stone in a furious march, stalwart Itensu and his Impish comrades closed the distance with their quarry minutes later. The adherent, familiar with the fallen Virtue and the distinct signature of Her essence, threw his arm out to stop the Azudim and Tekal from overtaking him. It only took a moment’s realisation for momentary horror to visit the ancient warrior’s timeless visage – and then he mustered his usual confidence and took a knee to confer with his cohort. Desperate to reach the maddening core of power just beyond reach, the Theocracy’s terrible monster began to hammer away at Top Rock’s floors, smearing lurid gremlin paste across the stone that refused to yield to its force. An eerie effulgence breached the rock underneath the horror’s thousandfold feet, suffusing the horrifying miscreant with an indigotic glow that spurred it to grow. Before it could turn these newfound proportions upon Rock Bottom and Sapience, however, triune battle cries rang out from Top Rock as Dadi, Sulu, and Itensu made their move. Whirling like a deadly top, Dadi soared through the air in a twanging flurry of yo-yo string, its glowing length wrapped around weapons wrought from adherent magic. Running underneath was Sulu, the Imp’s partner in crime, his Impish longsword aglow with the same shining light. As the two made impact, the Ankyrean who remained behind thrust one hand forward – an act that intensified the brilliance wreathing every weapon around the heroic duo. Phlegmy screeches rolled down the sides of the Great Rock as the trio smote the gremlin colossus in tandem, and flares of Divine magic glimmered across a sky already riddled with chromatic wonder. Indigotic energy entwined monster and slayers alike, casting the murderous scene in eventide tones that obscure the terrible work the two Imps conduct. Itensu, Dadi, and Sulu vanished from Top Rock’s damaged peak in a swirl of bronze effulgence after one last look at the devastation at the foot of the Great Rock, their expressions hardened by tragedy – and grim determination. Those bound to the Astral spheres felt a disturbance despite the monstrosity’s demise, inspiring panic amongst the Unforgotten Court. Even as many adventurers sought to help the wounded Ophidian Empire sort through the wreckage, a clandestine gathering of Oneiromancers conducted a ritual to divine the state of Omei’s indigotic anchor. Discovering that the gremlin amalgam had damaged the sphere’s bindings to the Prime, the Court hastened to reaffirm the chain. Though their knowledge covered an extensive breadth of ritual power, the oneironauts could not reforge the link on their own, driving them to temporary despair. Desperate for a solution, Lin beseeched the Jackal for aid, and it was only by His timely intervention that the sphere was safely re-anchored. The ambitious King of Darkness wore away the damages with raw shadow, ensuring the continued stability of the Nightmare’s forgotten stratagem. The Ophidian Empire remained a force in the days to come, though at a severely weakened capacity for fielding troops. Wielding its riches as a bludgeon, the undercity of Djeir hired Sysaa on as additional muscle, ensuring that the mercenaries commanded enough might to dominate the field in the war’s twilight hours. Judging a defeat to be likely – and with two of their territories captured – the Theocracy opted to preserve the lives of their people and soon entered into a surrender agreement with the nations of S.W.E.E.P., bringing an end to hostilities – for now. As mortal drama unfolded upon Sapience’s grand stage, an ineffable force stirred behind the curtain… Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 9th of Sapiarch, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Sweeping the Trash, Part III: Sellswords](https://www.aetolia.com/news/sweeping-the-trash-part-iii-sellswords/) **Published:** November 21, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In response to grave acts of terrorism in New Sehal and Djeir, the nations of S.W.E.E.P committed to war. Assuring the world that the Undercity’s vast treasuries would open to those willing to sign on as sellsword specialists, Empress Malieh Garilicci broke her silence to condemn the Theocracy’s inhumane usage of hypnotic suggestion for military advantages, as well as their recent attacks on Djeir’s military agents. Based on rumours throughout taverns and the halls of noble houses, the Grand Library has determined that the Prince General’s staff received a truly staggering number of applicants, with several individuals from every major city-state having jockeyed for employment as a sellsword on S.W.E.E.P’s behalf. Promising troves of rare ore, the construction of religious sites, donations to charities, and even meetings with the Stalwart himself, Djeir spared no expense in their quest to even the odds in their upcoming campaign against the Theocracy. Without missing a beat, the Prince General’s advisors swiftly made their initial choices. They sent all necessary paperwork posthaste, ensuring that the first days of the war would be with no less than six sellswords serving as shock troops against the Dragon’s military schemes: Knight-Artillerist Xavin Taziyah Knight Shara Taziyah Thronekeeper Paxe Visara Lord Marshal Sryaen Kavoros Knight Ayastia Qizzeke Tulle of the Heartwood Though the first day of the war looked to be a promising one for the Theocracy, difficult road conditions and violent intervention saw the tables turned upon them, allowing the Impire to rally a division despite the soul-numbing trauma of recent days. Though the Imps could not mobilise their specialists, the Theatre of Shadows dispatched assassins and spies to plague the battlefield with Oblivion’s haunting refrain and the graceful sweep of Djeiri falchions, clearing the way for the bravery of wayfaring Kobold Advanced Range & Melee Soldier masters and the stolid perseverance of Ophidian earthcallers to win the day by supporting a gruelling march. By the end of the first two days, thousands of corpses littered the highways around New Sehal and the infamous spot north of the Morgun, prompting carrion scavengers to feast with impunity. Surprised by the ferocity of the alliance’s tactics, the Theocracy split their efforts between violent suppression of the mercenary forces, waylaying S.W.E.E.P’s military movements, and searching for additional recruits to field in their military campaign. Even as the Undercity took Preceptor Aisling into their employ, Whirran sought to secure volunteers to join the Spirean military. Though he failed to find any able-bodied warriors on his own, he managed to convince Earl Bravestarr to part with a small herd of buffalo that was soon equipped for cavalry battles. However, the rancher stressed that he hoped the animals could be returned in one piece, lest the farmer incur the wrath of Tanixalthas. Unbeknownst to Spinesreach’s agents, the undercity of Djeir hurried to send out yet another contract – this time to Harbinger Benedicto Silverain. Later that week, Spinesreach met with one of the elders of the Mitrine, who informed the Viceroys that the village did not wish to cast their lot in with the Theocracy, but that a band of upstart outriders – descendants of those lost in the Liruma War – sought vengeance and wished to ride alongside the Dragon’s forces. Pleased to offer these hot-blooded youngsters a chance at revenge, the Theocracy welcomed them with open arms, ensuring they could continue their campaign with a paltry renewal of their reserves. Dissatisfied with this negligible increase in military might, Whirran continued his search and, in a legendary act of desperation, conferred with Vellis, the kindly lepidopterist known for offering work to adventurers just starting their stories. Though Vellis had no military background to speak of, the old man did aid the Ogre in wrangling a cloud of butterflies that somehow managed to claim the lives of three S.W.E.E.P troops before perishing in their first and only full frontal assault. Faced with walls closing in on all sides, Spinesreach sought to execute one last gambit in hopes of gravely wounding S.W.E.E.P’s united front… Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 8th of Sapiarch, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Sweeping the Trash, Part II: Protocol](https://www.aetolia.com/news/sweeping-the-trash-part-ii-protocol/) **Published:** November 21, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** For weeks upon weeks, the adventurers of Sapience rallied to the cause of training Sehali warriors. Sceptical at first, the realm at large watched as Spinesreach heavily involved itself in Impish training protocol, with a vast majority of volunteer work coming solely from their people. Initially interpreting this as an attempt to improve relations, the Impire dismissed any suspicions of foul play and simply urged the rest of the realm to lend its efforts in hopes of fostering more avenues of diplomacy. At first, adventuring mentors found the training tasks quick and effective, though none of the would-be soldiers exhibited any potential as ascendants. The training left student and master exhausted, honing each Impish recruit into a deadly force that could one day wreak havoc upon the battlefield. Each recruit adopted a specialisation for weaponry, including bare-knuckle brawling, tricksome bladed yo-yos, and Impish bastardswords that adhered to the dimensions of a common Templar longsword, ensuring a diverse force. Though many Spireans conducted exhaustive classes and left indelible marks upon the Impire’s roster, it was Jondyrr and Tor that managed to foster two Impish Tekal, their tortured hollowing offered unto the realm as proof of their mettle. As the days dragged on and the campaign against Bloodloch ended, the Theocracy began to plot its next move. Unbeknownst to the realm, select Spireans had entered into a conspiracy to brainwash as many Impish recruits under the Dragon’s collective care as possible, their minds subtly altered to accept a hypnotic suggestion so deeply embedded in their psyche as to go entirely undetected. Overseen by the Jackal, the process proceeded without a peep – until the defection of a Spirean agent known as Tor, who had come to reject the ideology that had prevailed within the city’s top minds. Bartering for peace and safe passage, the turncloak warned the Hammer of Dawn, who subsequently sounded the alarm to the Impish Queen and her allies. Faced with the potential unravelling of their plan due to this security breach, the Viceroys swiftly convened and decided to enact their plan to salvage whatever they could regarding military advantages. Without delay, Viceroy Whirran bellowed the activating phrase to the realm at large, rousing confusion and suspicion in equal parts. As the infamous Ogre’s voice rippled across the firmament, nowhere did it strike more soundly than the heart of New Sehal. The eyes of over two hundred and fifty Impire warriors glazed over from one syllable to the next, their attention turning towards other Imps nearby as the Impire blundered into the clutches of violent tension. An eerie silence brought stillness to the Queendom for nary a few seconds before a shrill scream erupted from deep within its heart, heralding a spray of gore that misted the air with the telltale scarlet of friendly fire. The sounds of battle erupted from the Holy Impire of Sehal as hostilities broke out, prompting Queen Dami, Chief-Commander Nido, and Lord Kemo to begin shouting orders to Imperial personnel, each trying to assess who may be compromised. As the trio’s voices cut above the din, they handed down orders with a degree of nigh-instinctual preparedness – a hint that they had received Tor’s news and had formulated a plan in response. Breaking ranks from the onslaught of hypnotised agents, those unaffected swiftly aligned into new formations under the command of their notable leaders and took up arms to mitigate the damage. A brutish party of unarmed Imps, one and all sharing a monastic tutor, swiftly executed an interpretation of Tekura to rob their brainwashed compatriots of armaments, further stymying the damage dealt by hypnotic warfare. From among the Impire’s warriors arose two standout combatants who hardly suffered wounds in their melee breaking out within Khepri’s hallowed Impire: Dadi and Sulu, the two Tekal trained by Tor and Jondyrr – each upon the razor’s edge of ascension within a bloodied crucible, each delivering gory strikes with their weapons. Moving as a lethal, efficient pair, the two became a crimson whirlwind, consigning their fellows to tragic demises that made a bloody, tattered trail of their unfortunate remains. Like demons possessed, the pair faced down entire divisions on their own, decimating them in a flurry of treacherous violence. Finding opportune angles, Dadi waylaid countless loyal Impish warriors in a hissing tangle of ragged strings, sending them toppling into the dirt. In a series of callous, practised strikes, Sulu closed in and finished his partner’s work, gutting the unfortunate souls without a second thought. As Sulu turned to select his next target, however, a lone Imp closed in and hurled their warhammer at his head, leaving a near-fatal crack in the hypnotised killer’s skull. The impact rang throughout Sehali streets, coaxing violence’s fevered song to a sickening crescendo. Subdued for now, Sulu collapsed into a bloodied heap, his ascension delayed by the bravery of one nameless Imp soldier. Caught by surprise at the sound, Dadi gave himself over to rage when he beheld the sight of his partner’s limp body lying haphazardly on the bloody ground. Turning his gaze skyward, he lifted both arms aloft and beseeched a higher power that promptly flooded his ascendant frame with familiar charnel energy. The skies darkened momentarily as tendrils of shadow crept across the firmament to form the terrible visage of the Azudim, Dadi, heralding a sharp rise in his violent prowess. Returning to the fight under the darkened heavens above the Holy Impire, the freshly-instilled Azudim carved a bellicose path towards his objective. Picking up his fallen comrade’s weapon on the way, the violent dervish of Impish fury dispensed with all rivals throughout Impish history, his legacy writ in swathes of dead comrades. As the murderous Azudim closed in upon a Queen he no longer recognised, a thin line of burnished energy sliced the air beside the imperilled monarch. In a rush of heat and light, the vivid fracture tore open to allow Itensu the Stalwart to take the field in defence of Sehal’s rightful ruler. Dispensing with heroic theatrics, the warrior moved with all the grace of his lost people, the hilt of his venantium broadsword lashing out in a calculated strike that sent Dadi’s eyes rolling into the back of his skull. Unwilling to take any chances, Itensu delivered a follow-up blow with his opposite fist, filling the palace grounds with a sickening crack as he broke the operative’s jaw beneath his unwavering might. Leaving Queen Dadi to assess the disaster gripping her holy Impire, Itensu turned to the nearest messenger and sent word to Djeir, setting in motion the next war to plunge Sapience into chaos… Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 8th of Sapiarch, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Sweeping the Trash, Part I: Conspiracy](https://www.aetolia.com/news/sweeping-the-trash-part-i-conspiracy/) **Published:** November 21, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Meanwhile, as the Heartwood painted Salma’s streets with blood and gore, the realm’s most troublesome Kobold sought to fashion mountains from molehills. For years, Noube of Top Rock had expounded upon the dangers of Ophidian society to anybody and everybody willing to listen. Though most tactfully navigated around the subject in their day-to-day socialising with the volatile Kobold, those unfortunate enough to engage in discourse with him had discovered the truly confounding depths of this so-called ‘conspiracy’. Citing unverified claims of oppressive violence, maddening schemes of economic and judicial disparity and other terrible infringements upon the Kobolds of Rock Bottom, Noube proudly sought to bring his personal truth to light in any slanderous, libellous manner he could conceive of – a course of action that eventually drew the sceptical eye of outspoken theocrats who offered counterclaims of historically positive diplomacy and diagnoses of absolute psychosis. Unwilling to accept what he labelled ‘propaganda’, the Kobold eventually escalated his rhetoric and took to troublemaking in Rock Bottom’s streets, including but not limited to physical assault of Ophidian guards and soldiers. Upon hearing reports of violence within her territory, Empress Agra – a Kobold herself – rushed to resolve the situation by authorising the town guard to utilise lethal force while ejecting Noube and his cohort of conspiracy-minded theocrats from its limits. Tensions violently escalated from there as Rock Bottom sought to resolve the situation, with the Northern Dragon initially refusing to cede any ground or assume any accountability on the matter of Noube’s outbursts. Left with no choice, Empress Agra censured the Theocracy and declared a state of emergency within Rock Bottom, citing strained relations with their once allies. She swiftly dispatched messengers to other settlements too small to rival the realm’s four city-states on their own, including the town of Mitrine, the Holy Impire of Sehal, and the beautiful undercity of Djeir. In addition, the Empress began preparations for war, including deploying at least one hundred Kobold rockthrowers and one hundred Ophidian warriors that secured Rock Bottom’s borders and assumed a defensive posture. Concerned with the effect this could have upon their campaign against the Sanguine Fist, Spinesreach reviewed several political manoeuvres and eventually concluded upon the inevitable: Rock Bottom’s interference must be stymied peacefully. After several discussions between the Empress, Regent Elene Arcan-Tetzauh and Dr. Pietre Marcelli, the two nations struck a deal to bring one loudmouthed Kobold to justice and end the political tension. What ensued was a riot within the conclaves. Whirran Arcan-Tetzauh and much of the city’s militiamen declared they would renounce their citizenship and abandon the cause if Noube were held to account for his actions. Left with no choice if she was to preserve Spinesreach’s winning position in their war upon Bloodloch, the Regent absolved the young Kobold of all wrong-doing and began attempts to answer the will of her people: bring Rock Bottom to heel for their impudent demands. While Spinesreach once more fell victim to democracy’s insidious trap, Empress Agra ensured she was never idle. Toiling away behind the scenes, the clever Kobold monarch secured the Undercity’s agreement to ally against the predatory designs of larger city-states. Founded upon the common ground of Spirean betrayal, the two nations invited the Holy Impire of Sehal into their covenant, creating a united front dedicated to sweeping away the Spirean trash that littered their collective doorstep. Citing a need for increased awareness and unity in the face of Spirean expansionism, the three leaders publicised their political pact to deter any future violent overtures. In mere days, a champion emerged from the dark to pledge his sword to their cause as a general and peacekeeper, securing Itensu, the final Adherent of Valour, as a valuable ally against what he declared was ‘the rot of the conclaves’. Hoping to bolster S.W.E.E.P’s military might, the Holy Impire of Sehal began the construction of new barracks for soldiers and guards – an event that many curious adventurers soon rushed to investigate, burdening a lively Impish foreman with their ceaseless probing and questioning. Unflappably cheerful, the foreman alternated between chastising his workers and answering any question he could. However, he remained cagey about why or when such a thing had been ordered, prompting Spirean onlookers to theorise endlessly on the need for such measures. In a stunning act of subterfuge, the now-infamous alto known as Yesufa Wisteria Button managed to fool the foreman into believing she was a Djeiri diplomat and infiltrated the Sehali bureaucratic apparatus well enough that she eventually stood face-to-face with an unimpressed Queen Dami. The Impish monarch banished Yesufa and her entourage from the throneroom and berated the foreman well into the night, filling Sehal’s borders with curses and derisive statements about his clear lack of intelligence. Later that season, the Impire opened their borders to any adventurers seeking employment as mentors to newly recruited Sehali soldiers. This act would nurture a new generation of brave Impish warriors and adventurers, ushering in a revival of their culture’s tenacious trickery and brave antics. Unbeknownst to the three regal matriarchs of S.W.E.E.P, Spinesreach set their own schemes in motion… Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 8th of Sapiarch, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The fall of an empire](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-fall-of-an-empire/) **Published:** November 21, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In the early days of the sixth spring following Varian’s absconsion from Aetolia, as the ice melted and winter released its grasp upon the world, the Heartwood council toiled towards ends as yet unknown to their fellow city-states. Disgruntled with the repeated trespasses of Salmati lumberers and the other arrogant activities of the budding ’empire’, Duiran’s finest hatched a plan to occupy the settlement and oust those who would refuse to live in harmony with the sacred Ithmian forests. Beginning first with bloody raids and mass slaughter, the wardens of Dia’ruis decried Salma’s disregard for the natural world, prompting the township’s villagers to flee for cover to protect their necks. Unwilling to offer even an ounce of mercy, the Heartwood’s military minds mobilised a division of soldiers. In short order, they marched upon the settlement, prompting Kyros, its great leader, to take umbrage with what he called ‘the screeching desperation of unlearned savages’. Soon, tensions boiled over, and Dia’ruis and Her Guardian spirits once more made their thirst known to the Duirani. Driven by visions and omens, the cult of Life and Death turned to the traditional method of appeasement, knowing well that freshly spilt blood would nurture the soil and land for generations to come. With unwavering conviction, they began to conduct their sacrificial rites, kidnapping seemingly random villagers from Salma’s limits and making them suitable offerings to the Guardians and Gods of the Heartwood. Unwilling to allow these violent overtures to go unchallenged, Kyros employed the services of a high jurismancer, a mage capable of rendering magically binding agreements and preserving them from tampering via closely-guarded enchantments, and sought aid from the other city-states of Sapience. Salma’s leader made boastful claims of incredible pay rates and benefits to the continent at large, prompting several interested parties to investigate for their reasons. Records recovered from the wreckage reveal an applicant pool largely populated by northern theocrats seeking violence, with then-Viceroy Whirran chosen as the first mercenary to protect Salma’s streets. Though the notorious Ogre made a valiant effort, he could not stop the raiding parties on his own, prompting Kyros to search for others to hire. Not a week later, Thronekeeper Myrnma was offered a contract that they happily signed after negotiating a higher prevailing rate for themself and, if only by accident, their Ogre co-worker. As violence intensified and Kyros nervously awaited a response from a third prospect hailing from Enorian, the Heartwood escalated their assaults. No longer restraining themselves to single kidnappings, Duiran’s finest warriors organised regular raids and strikes to cull the guards and spill the blood of greedy mercenaries, loudly proclaiming to all who would listen that any blood spilt was a victory for the plane they sought to steward and tend. Fearful effigies and totems soon littered Salmati streets, prompting innocent civilians to barricade their doors and hide in their simple homes for fear of getting snatched up by ‘rabid savages’. Unwilling to allow this travesty to continue, Kyros ‘secured’ the services of Grand Duelist Sheryni Nebre’seir, if only to spare the town the trouble of her tandem terrorisation in the event of a rejected offer – a choice that would soon prove itself wise, for the mercenaries soon began to score fleeting victories that ensured the safety of at least one villager whose heart would otherwise have been given unto Griash in obeisance to His even-keeled guidance. The Heartwood’s inexorable slaughter carried on for weeks, creating a gluttonous crimson river to slake endless Dia’ruian hunger. This act began to take a heavy toll upon the sworn cultists, who had no desire to indulge in cruelty for cruelty’s sake or slaughter motivated by malice and instead longed for resolution. Seeking to end the violence and ensure a decisive victory for their campaign, Watcher Sibatti held a closely guarded conference with Senvet, the foreign Aslinn mystic staying with her and the rest of the Praadi. Though the contents of this conversation are unknown to the Grand Library, our informants assure recordkeepers that the mystic soon ventured into the wilderness to lay the foundations for Duiran’s final strike, including communion with the sunny soliad fae. When the final day arrived, Duiran’s hopeful cultists gathered in their sacred places and, at Senvet’s urging, conducted rites and ceremonies to implore their patron spirits to give them a sign – a sign that arrived as swiftly as they requested it. It was raging Nivios who cried out for the blood of hubristic trespassers. It was festering Z’krell, who longed for death, that told them to render it unto the land. It was patient Vo’acha who bid them to strike, kill, and consume. Confident in this mandate, Duiran converged upon Salma like a pack of bloodthirsty wolves, howling their startling battle cries and shrieking their shrill ululations. With knives in hand and hearts encased in the stone of mad devotion, the Heartwood dragged every last man, woman, and child from Salma’s limits and bled them dry before the sacred totems, giving unto Dia’ruis every last drop of life ensconced within their opened veins. Though brief outcry roiled through the council when the first youngling met their end, Dia’ruis’ devoted servants embraced their duty and stayed the course, claiming that the guardians had called for every life in Salma – not just the mature ones. As the Duirani strangled every last breath from the fallen ’empire’, so too did they ensure that the remains of the fallen found a respectful place – dragged across the flowers and roots of the Ithmia in a bloodied trail, each corpse returned to the village and became curse-laden effigies by the hands of hungry fae, covering the settlement in a legion of chilling warnings against Ithmian defilement. Picked clean, bereft of a single occupant, the cultists of Ruin left once-Salma as a grim reminder of Duiran’s purpose – and a source of salvage for now unemployed, unpaid mercenaries. Penned by my hand on Closday, the 7th of Sapiarch, in the year 8 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Quality of shouts](https://www.aetolia.com/news/quality-of-shouts/) **Published:** November 17, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, Just a friendly reminder that you should be maintaining quality of roleplay when interacting with the game. Especially on a global stage such as shouts. This especially means you should NOT be shouting things that are pop culture references or OOC meme references, even if you twist them somehow to fit into the game. You can expect to be punished for this if we see it happening. Thank you. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 9th of Haernos, in the year 7 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [It's auction time](https://www.aetolia.com/news/its-auction-time/) **Published:** November 16, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for! Shortly after this post, a round of auctions will be going live! There are 11 credit auctions, 5 iron coin auctions, and 6 gold auctions. Some notes: – The auctions will run for 10 real days. – Any artifacts bought through auctions (including gold items) cannot be traded in or have their powers transferred. – Credit and iron coin auctions do not require you to have the credits/iron coins on hand to bid. – Gold auctions do require you to have the gold on hand to bid. – We allow a week to gather the winning bid amount when auctions end. Failure to meet the bid amount after this time will result in the loss of your character until the cost is settled. – Bound credits and bound iron coins CAN be used to pay for auctions. – HELP AUCTIONS and HELP AUCTIONHOUSE both have additional details. – Bids are final, and we will generally not reverse mistakes. If something needs to be clarified about an item, you are welcome to ask me for more details before bidding. Please be absolutely sure before placing a bid. Without further ado, here are the listings that are going live. Once they’re up, you will see information on the lots using AUCTION INFO . CREDIT AUCTIONS ————— \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37mA staff of the Naldareth\[0m – Use staffcast commands like the Magi of old. Works on PvP and PvE, must be wielded. – Costs both balance and equilibrium to use. – Syntax: STAFFCAST AT – Spells are: \* Lightning (electric damage) \* Dissolution (magic damage) \* Scintilla (fire damage) \* Horripilation (cold damage) \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37mA bevy of bees in a bottle\[0m – EMPTY BOTTLE to summon a swarm of bees, has a cooldown of 3 hours and a limited life span (15 mins). – They are loyal to you and can be ordered to attack players. – Low poison damage with a low chance at delivering paresis or a limb break. – Can be bashed to kill. \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37mA clockwork lullaby box\[0m – You can WIND this Delvian device to place it in the room, where it will attempt to put enemies to sleep on a ten second timer. – It cannot be retrieved or wound again until its song completes (three minutes). \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37mA Gehennan token / an arthropodic idol\[0m – Gain access to the Pathfinder entity pact regardless of your current class. Don’t need to have Indorani/Oneiromancer! – This item has two forms, you can pick which one you want on winning. One grants Pathfinder, the other grants its Astral mirror of Tegalid. – Can of course be attacked and orb sigiled since it has no minion to protect it! \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37mA foreboding talisman of ruin\[0m – This item will boost all of your unblockable and/or non-modded sourced damage by 10% while worn. \[0;1;37mA set of tattoo stamps\[0m – The holder of this artifact will find that any tattoo they ink upon themselves or another person will be instantly finished. \[0;1;37mSupreme Celestine Bracers of Devastation (power: critical\_chance(4))\[0m – This is a level 4 version of critical hit bracers, increasing your chance to critically strike by 8%. Doesn’t stack with its lower leveled normal versions. \[0;1;37mA venom rag\[0m – Yes, it’s real. This especially absorbent rag has been soaked through with various venoms, and will allow the user to apply an unlimited number of applications of any venom that can normally be envenomed to their weapons. \[0;1;37mIzu-Ari’s Dice\[0m – Once per Howling, the owner may roll Izu-Ari’s dice and receive a bonus of +1 to one or two of their stats, and/or a health or mana bonus of 5%. \[0;1;37mPower orb: tumble\_follow\[0m – While in your inventory, this will allow denizens of any type (mounts, woodland creatures, pets, entities, and so on) to follow you after using TUMBLE. – This comes on a power orb, so you’ll need to transfer it to a valid item on winning to activate the power. \[0;1;37mA portable leyspike\[0m – Once per howling, spawns a lesser focus in the area where it is used. Can only be used in locations that a focus can normally spawn in. IRON COIN AUCTIONS —————— \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37mA razor-edged orichalcum shield\[0m – This shield has a bladed edge, allowing it to be envenomed and thrown at someone when wielded. – Confers 22/22 armour stats and never decays! – Works with returning! \[0;1;37mThe Intaglio of Artos\[0m – Allows you to set a custom enter and exit messages. – Subject to approval. \[0;1;37mCustom style token\[0m – The winner of this auction will be able to work with the admin team to design a custom style scroll for themselves. – You will be able to print copies of this scroll for others for 25 credits with the STYLE SPAWN command. – These are subject to approval and must be setting / lore appropriate. \[0;1;37mMinipet claim token\[0m – Redeem this token and claim any minipet that has previously been available via promotions. \[0;1;37mA pack of the void \[0m – This very special pack can hold an infinite number of items inside. – These cannot have the linked\_container power added to them. GOLD AUCTIONS ————- \[0;1;37mPet token\[0m – Entitles the owner to a customised pet package as outlined in HELP PETS, with a twist! – The twist: we’ll do the writing for you! Work with the design team to have your pet idea written by us, including its reactions. – This includes add-ons 1-4, and 10 reactions. – We’ll also include some bonus features of our choosing… see Mahar’s beetle or Whirran’s snail for an example! \[0;1;37mRelic piece token\[0m – Redeem this token for any relic piece – Artifact moulds or any relic that has a single piece to it are not included as options. \[0;1;37mA ring of Dwarven fortitude\[0m – While worn, this ring makes you immune to most of the effects of drunkeness. Strangely, it doesn’t seem to work in the arena, during special events, or in the Panda stance. \[0;1;37mAn archer’s bundle\[0m – The winner of this auction will receive a level 1 artifact bow of the Hunt, with the aiming power included, an artifact quiver, and a serration rune. \[0;1;37mElemental globes bundle\[0m – The winner of this auction will receive 10 globes of elemental energy. – These can be sold to other players or used yourself. – These globes will have an extended decay time of 100 real days. \[0;1;37mCoffer bundle\[0m – The winner of this auction will receive 5 spirit coffers and 5 shadow coffers. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Slyphian, in the year 7 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The memory of Relovec Mansion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-memory-of-relovec-mansion/) **Published:** November 5, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Relovec Mansion and Marcello are back in memory form within the Dyisen-Ashtan Memoryscape! Things may not be quite as you remember them, as their memory has been painted by their final moments of being put to the pyre by Enorian, so prepare for new challenges within… For those of you that had Arbothia compendium pages, we understand those pages were likely bought with the intention of using them for the mansion part of Arbothia. As such, we’ve prepared a command to let you swap your Arbothia pages over to the new memoryscape Relovec Mansion area: COMPENDIUM EXCHANGE ARBOTHIA This command can \[0;1;31mONLY BE DONE ONCE\[0m. So be sure to carefully consider the amount of pages you want to swap over when you do it. Any powers you had unlocked for Arbothia will be disabled and you’ll need to enable them again with your remaining pages. Remember to give Marcello’s memory a solid beating! Good luck! P.S. Special thanks to Watson for putting this together! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 6th of Ivolnos, in the year 7 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [November Promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/november-promotion/) **Published:** November 1, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! October’s festivities are done and November has arrived in a flash! We hope you had a blast celebrating Aetolia’s 23rd birthday with us, because we certainly did! For November, we’re pleased to offer you coffers of elemental shadow and elemental spirit! Both versions can be obtained on the website via www.aetolia.com/credits and opened for a slew of prizes! Without further ado, let’s take a look at what you can find inside: All Coffers ———– Credit prizes ranging from 28 to 500 Iron Coin prizes in batches of 25 or 50 Artifacts ranging in value from 50-2000 credits Chocolate bags, elemental globes, silver chalices, morphic metal, patriotic fireworks, and a low chance at antiquated salvage. Technique scrolls for the ghostly, starry, forceful, and clumsy styles! Compendium pages for: the Festering Wastes, Clawhook, Dovan Hollow, a volcanic island, the Liruma Crater, the Endless Battlefield, and Spiral of the Corrupt. Transmute beetle vouchers\[0;1;37m\*\[0m These vouchers can be exchanged at the shop at before the bridge to Esterport (v1180) for transmute beetles (see HELP TRANSMUTE) of all armour types themed for shadow and spirit, as well as other options previously made available! The vouchers can also be traded in for 10 credits using \[0;1;37mPROMO TRADEIN\[0m. Shadow Coffers ————— In addition to all of the standard prizes, the shadow coffers also include: Five minipets: a shadow-touched butterfly, a shadowed grey badger, a puny shadow elemental, a miniature potted blight, and a \[0;1;37mnew\[0m dark-furred gorilla juvenile\[0;1;37m\*\*\[0m! Steed whistles for a shackled shadow-corrupted orgyuk! Iterators for the \[0;1;37mBLEAK\[0m vox. Caches of relic pieces for: shadow\_shield, shadowshroud, veil\_darkness, phyl\_shadow, flair\_shadow, grapnel, compass, observereyes, planar\_shadow, and a new transmute beetle for a shadowy curse-themed culling blade\[0;1;37m\*\*\*\[0m. Spirit Coffers ————– In additional to all the standard prizes, the spirit coffers also include: Five new minipets: an ethereal butterfly, a white-speckled pheasant, an ivory swan cygnet, a miniature spirit elemental, and a \[0;1;37mnew\[0m silvery-white gorilla juvenile\[0;1;37m\*\*\[0m! Steed whistles for a prowling symayda! Iterators for the \[0;1;37mZEALOUS\[0m vox. Caches of relic pieces for: spirit\_shield, spiritshroud, veil\_light, phyl\_spirit, flair\_light, grapnel, compass, observereyes, planar\_shadow, and a new transmute beetle for a brilliant judgement-themed culling blade\[0;1;37m\*\*\*\[0m. \*\* These two gorillas juveniles are from the same lineage as the bonded silverback pair that once terrorised the Tcannan jungles! Collect both and you can MINIPET EXCHANGE to exchange them for a combined ‘a pair of bonded gorilla juveniles’ minipet! Unlike normal exchanges, there’s no cost to this one other than the two gorillas themselves. \*\*\* These include \[0;1;31mnew\[0m coloured trigger messages to match their theme! Only have the culling power and not the blade itself? Don’t worry, we’ve made it so you can apply this transmute directly to the power: TRANSMUTE CULLING POWER WITH — All coffers will also award one or more consumables that do not count against your value: an immolation bomb a crude siphoning device a set of obsidian scales a pill of omnipotence a preserved, yellowed eye Relic caches will open for either one or two pieces depending on the piece value. There is also now a global prize of 500 credits for every 500 coffers opened, and coffers now award full organisational credits! There are also coffers up for sale in the milestone wares, one of each, for a gold key each! Finally, since it’s November, you’ll have to keep an eye out later in the month for details on our regular auction! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 7th of Lleian, in the year 7 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads October 2024 - part 3 (end)](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-october-2024-part-3-end/) **Published:** October 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Afflictions ============================== – \[3511\] When the ‘hellsight’ affliction gives ‘slickness’, it now has a third person message. Ascended Classes ============================== – \[3548\] Chaos Mend (and mirrors) now has a 10 second cooldown on it curing an affliction. \* You can still use it for the heal while it is on cooldown. \* The cooldown doesn’t apply if it is used on someone not yourself. – \[3548\] Chaos Retreat Store (and mirrors) now has a 10 minute cooldown after it revives you. – \[3548\] Chaos Retreat Store (and mirrors) can now be used anywhere. – \[3548\] Chaos Retreat Store (and mirrors) equilibrium recovery time increased to 6 seconds, up from 4. Deathlore / Ancestry ============================== – \[3550\] Your soulstone / renown totals are now accessible in GMCP. – \[3550\] Your soulstone / renown totals can now be added into your prompt. \* For custom prompts, see HELP CUSTOM PROMPT for tokens. Devotion / Apocalyptia ============================== – \[3511\] Hellsight / Reckoning no longer shows you the first affliction it gives when you use it. Dhuriv / Shadowdancing ============================== – \[3497\] Expertise / Poise parry bypass affliction requirement changed to ‘heartflutter’, instead of ‘confusion’. Elemancy / Humourism ============================== – \[3547\] Blazewhirl / Brimstone will now only fade if it travels further than three locations away from its origin of creation. \* This means it can move around multiple times as long as its within the three room radius of its origin. Knifeplay ============================== – \[3498\] New Skill: Closecombat. Sect of Blades ============================== – \[3566\] The Crown of Omens now prevents you from being detected by skills that would alert upon movement. \* This acts identical to the Talisman woven by Bards for now. – \[3568\] The handwraps now bind you to a one-room radius in which you cannot escape for 3 minutes. – \[3518\] The effect of the handwraps now lasts through second life revival abilities. Primality / Alchemy ============================== – \[3527\] Overload willpower cost lowered to 60, down from 100. – \[3527\] Boosting willpower cost lowered to 10, down from 25. Shamanism / Experimentation ============================== – \[3519\] Claw / Anticoagulant now triggers on bleeding gain and loss, instead of when you bleed health. Songcalling ============================== – \[3509\] Songward now also grants 10% accuracy in hitting your target. Tracking / Artifice ============================== – \[3504\] Glauxe / Choking cold burn reverted to increasing ‘allergies’ stacks by an extra 1 when it ticks. \* This only occurs during the first stages of ‘allergies’. – \[3553\] You are now unable to LAY a trap immediately after fleeing combat. \* You will be unable to do so for around roughly one second. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 16th of Celes, in the year 7 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Duel Figurine](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-duel-figurine/) **Published:** October 25, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hiya folks, With the next Duel coming up this weekend, I just thought you might want to know what the figurine will be this time around! For this Duel, the figurine will be of the Bard. All you need to do is join up to claim one for your own! See you there! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 17th of Omeian, in the year 7 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads October 2024 - part 2](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-october-2024-part-2/) **Published:** October 24, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Assassination ============================== – \[3570\] Marking now only activates when you or an ally hits the target. Devotion / Apocalyptia ============================== – \[3556\] Enlightenment / Fervour now has information on resource recovery from a new dawn. Ferality ============================== – \[3541\] Quarter now also requires both legs to be free and not to be afflicted with paresis. – \[3541\] Quarter now requires that you must be considered mutual allies with the Shapeshifter jawlocking them. – \[3541\] Quarter endurance cost increased to 500, up from 60. – \[3541\] Quarter now generates a unique corpse, and has had the messages slightly tweaked to fit better with the skill. \* Also, the corpse is now marked as defiled and you can no longer decapitate it for a second head. – \[3541\] Quarter no longer gives you limbs or a head unless it is a full death. Illumination / Tectonics ============================== – \[3552\] Transfixion spark / impurity cost increased to 100, up from 20. Mentis / Dictum ============================== – \[3515\] Lure / Dejemashai no longer leaves mounts and entities behind when it moves you. Miscellaenous ============================== – \[3495\] CLOT has been removed from the banned forceable commands list. Predation ============================== – \[3506\] Using your Mask will allow you to temporarily avoid the detection of guards. \* However, lingering in front of them for too long will result in them getting suspicious. \* If you linger for long enough, the guards will begin to attack you. \* Suspicion will naturally wear off on its own, providing you avoid guards in the meantime. \* Being around other enemies will decrease the chances of the guard noticing you, as they’ll focus on them first. \* Performing aggressive actions on players in front of enemy guards will greatly increase your suspicion, no matter what. \* There is no way to tell how much suspicion you have generated, other then how guards act towards you. \* This does not make you immune to aegis defences, you will need to make use of Aversion. Sanguis / Discipline ============================== – \[3558\] Spew / Attend equilibrium cost reduced to 3.85 seconds, down from 4. Songcalling ============================== – \[3513\] Induce cooldown lowered to 10 seconds (7 seconds if played), down from 18 (14 played). Spirituality / Subjugation ============================== – \[3515\] Beckon / Lurch no longer leaves mounts and entities behind when it moves you. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 12th of Omeian, in the year 7 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads October 2024 - part 1](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-october-2024-part-1/) **Published:** October 22, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Afflictions ============================== – \[3569\] The ‘squelched’ affliction is now cured by the infusion elixir. Arcanism / Esoterica ============================== – \[3492\] River / Alluvion effects are now delayed for 4 seconds. – \[3492\] River / Alluvion now has a 10 second cooldown. Elemancy / Humourism ============================== – \[3503\] Stormwrath / Catastrophe now has an elevation independant message on cast. – \[3508\] Fireburst / Retch defence now lasts for 90 seconds, up from 60. – \[3540\] Disintegrate / Obliteration now lowers your fire audit to a maximum of 20% while you smoulder. Ferality ============================== – \[3502\] Pant is now a passive skill that triggers upon gaining the Fury buff. – \[3502\] Pant no longer gives you extra endurance or cures the ‘exhausted’ affliction. Hunting ============================== – \[3532\] Curing ‘asthma’ with Fitness no longer gives you the ‘exhausted’ affliction. Purification / Ravaging ============================== – \[3525\] Zenith / Delirium now cures a random affliction once more. – \[3525\] When speeding up Zenith / Delirium through movement, the restriction is now having not fled combat recently, instead of 1 or less afflictions. Tarot / Hyalincuru ============================== – \[3516\] Devil / Faerie defence now lasts for 60 seconds, up from 30. Tattoos ============================== – \[3531\] The Armour tattoo can now be used while you have 95% or higher health/mana, down from 100%. Woodlore / Artifice ============================== – \[3559\] Gyrfalcon / Throatripper now gives disfigurement every 12 seconds, up from 9. Zeal / Brutality ============================== – \[3526\] Heelrush / Overpower third hit now happens 1.5 seconds after the second, down from 2. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 1st of Omeian, in the year 7 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Submissions closed](https://www.aetolia.com/news/submissions-closed-6/) **Published:** October 14, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Submission for new classleads is now closed. You can use REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find reports you haven’t left a comment on, and REPORTS ABSTAINED for reports you haven’t voted on. After two days (not three this time) to gather comments and votes, we will start to post decisions. Just a reminder: Make sure to vote on the reports themselves. This makes me firmly aware of your final opinion, as opposed to the ongoing discussion / change of mind that happens on the Discord threads. Not voting through the in-game commands is likely just wasting your time. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 25th of Ios, in the year 7 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Birthday shop open, CELEBRATE!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/birthday-shop-open-celebrate/) **Published:** October 7, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Today is officially Aetolia’s 23rd birthday! Make sure you enter the CELEBRATE command to get yourself 23 bound credits! Olleo’s shop in the Harpy’s Head Tavern (v66737) is now open! You’ll find both old and new stock there, including new mounts, new minipets, a new figurine set, and a new ‘celebratory’ style scroll! Finally, an explanation of the points system used for the upcoming birthday events: Every qualifying event that you participate in will give you a single participation point, and winners receive extra points. Some of the events do not award points as the formats are slightly different than normal. Howver, points for MOST events are as follows: 1st: 5 points 2nd: 4 points 3rd: 3 points 4th: 2 points 5th: 1 point Participation: 1 point You can check EVENTS INFO on a specific event to confirm if it follows that format. Some notes: – Winners gain participation points as well as their winning points, e.g coming 2nd in most games will give the 4 points for placing, and the 1 participation point. – Twins awards points according to the top teams with the same breakdown: 5/4/3/2/1 points, with participation on top, e.g if Keroc and I come 1st, we’d both get 6 points. Below are the thresholds for points: Total Points Credits ———— ——- 6 10 9 15 18 25 20 25 22 25 26 25 31 25 36 25 40 50 50 75 60 100 These are cumulative, so if you finish the month with 30 points, you’d gain: 10+15+25+25+25+25 = 125 credits, as well as any credits you win from placing in the events! Once the games have begun, you’ll be able to use EVENT RANKINGS to see the cumulative scores! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 7th of Severin, in the year 7 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [23rd Birthday celebrations schedule](https://www.aetolia.com/news/23rd-birthday-celebrations-schedule/) **Published:** October 4, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, Our 23rd birthday celebration games are just a few days away so here’s the full schedule we have planned! Like previous celebrations, there is a point system alongside the credit prizes for ranking wherein you’ll receive credits for reaching certain thresholds of points. I’ll post the specifics on that in the coming days. All dates and times listed below here are listed in \[0;1;31mGMT time\[0m. Please double check your \[0;1;31mCONFIG TIMEZONE\[0m setting is accurate (especially if you live somewhere that changes due to daylight savings), and you can consult the EVENTS INFO listings for a conversion. The EVENTS listing will be posted shortly after this post! Saturday 12th October: 00:00: Starfall 21:00: Freezetag 23:00: Quiz Monday 14th October: 00:00: The Brawl Tuesday 15th October: 01:00: Keg Race 22:00: Bloodbath Thursday 17th October: 00:00: Hide n Seek Friday 18th October: 00:00: Fishing Derby 20:00: Resonance Saturday 19th October: 21:00: Iron Epicurean Sunday 20th October: 00:00: Twins Tournament\* 20:00: Survivor 22:00: Poker Tournament Tuesday 22nd October: 01:00: Inquisition 23:00: Frog bait Wednesday 23rd October: 23:00: City vs City Territory Thursday 24th October: 21:00: Ale Run Saturday 26th October: 00:00: Egg Hunt 22:00: Abdication Tournament Sunday 27th October: 00:00: City vs City Capture-the-Flag 20:00: Farkle Monday 28th October: 00:00: The Duel \*The same as previous years, the Twins Tournament is a 2v2 double elimination PK tournament similar to The Duel, but with teams of two. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 14th of Sapiarch, in the year 7 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads October 2024](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-october-2024/) **Published:** October 1, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, Like promised, the final classlead cycle of the year has now arrived! Get those reports in! ——————————— Information for this classlead cycle: Submissions will be open for TWO WEEKS in which you can submit THREE reports in for consideration which will be left anonymous. Once this time frame is up, there will be TWO DAYS to vote before we will start posting decisions. You can still vote early as per normal, but the extra two days will be there to avoid the feeling of late reports purposefully being submitted to be snuck through near the end. All classes are open to classleads this time around, have at! If you’re new, continue on below for more information on classleads. If you’re old, please read HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES at the very least. IMPORTANT: At the end of this cycle, I’m going to delete all unsubmitted reports to clean them out. If you have any drafted reports that you didn’t get to submit, consider saving them to a notepad file if you want to keep it. ——————————— What are classleads: Classleads are a two week period that allows players to submit reports about their class (or other classes) for review by the administration. Do you believe that Teradrim should be able to fling dirt in someone’s eyes? Then this is what you’ve been waiting for! Make sure to read through HELP CLASSLEADS to learn the commands needed to make and submit your reports, and I also highly recommend HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES to help avoid common potholes when creating your submissions. If you want to keep track of submissions and results, have a look at CONFIG CLASSLEADS and consider turning it on. Also consider joining the Discord! On top of being a great place for report feedback before submission, each report will have a thread created about it so you can discuss it with others. See HELP DISCORD for information. Details on submission: \* Newly created reports will be marked as anonymous, your name as a submitter will not be revealed to others. \* You may submit up to a total of three reports across the skillsets of the game to suggest combat balance adjustments, new features, or quality of life upgrades. Please note that this limit is based across all characters you own. \* Reports that are based on skills you do not possess will be much more heavily scrutinized, so make sure they are top-notch before submission. \* While you must provide reasonable solutions to your report’s problem, we may opt for a fourth solution instead based upon feedback. \* Once a report is submitted, -anyone- may vote upon its merit using the CLASSLEAD SUPPORT/REJECT commands. If you wish to support/reject a report, please provide your reasoning and make sure to point out any shortcomings or additions you feel might be necessary. You may also simply leave a comment using CLASSLEAD COMMENT , if you wish for a more neutral approach. \* Any commentary which basically boils down to ‘I agree with my bud’ or ‘This is a terrible idea’ will automatically be discarded, and will you hurt your chances at passing through reports in future rounds, perhaps even resulting in loss of ability to submit at all. If you can consistently provide level-headed thought and in depth knowledge then your opinions will be valued more highly over others, and could result in extra submissions. \* You can use REPORTS ABSTAINED and REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find submitted reports you have not voted upon or commented. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 22nd of Haernos, in the year 6 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [October - Aetolia's Birthday!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/october-aetolias-birthday/) **Published:** October 1, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, October is here, which means it’s Aetolia’s 23rd birthday! We’ll have some exciting events happening, which I’ll cover in the second half of this post. But first, let’s talk about the promotional offerings for this month. \[0;1;37mOctober’s Promotion\[0m This month sees the return of the salvage sale, the artifact cart, and a direct lesson sale! As always, these can be found on our website at www.aetolia.com/credits \[0;1;37mSalvage Sale\[0m – Every 100 credits purchased from the website will come with a piece of antiquated salvage, typically valued at 200 credits. – These pieces may be traded to other players and used without bearing your mark, EXCEPT for purchasing the Antiquated Artifacts themselves. – Once you obtain the first level, you can use any salvage you like to upgrade it. – For those unfamiliar with how salvage works, check out HELP ANTIQUATED ARTIFACTS. – For specific breakdowns of each item, see HELP ANTIQUATED \[RING/GOGGLES/GAUNTLET/CROP/SCEPTER\]. – Perfect opportunity to pick up your first Scepter piece if you missed out last time! \[0;1;37mArtifact Cart\[0m – All artifacts purchased directly through the cart have a 30% discount applied. – This stacks with Iron Elite Membership for a total discount of 40%! – You can find also find exclusive items not normally available for direct purchase, including: – Chocolates – House deeds – Fireworks – Upgrade tokens – And more! \[0;1;37mLesson Sale\[0m – For the month of October, lessons can be purchased directly from the website at a significant bonus. – Those with Iron Elite Memberships will also receive 10% bonus lessons on any lesson purchase they make! \[0;1;37mBirthday Celebrations\[0m 1\. Official Birthday – October 7th – You can use the CELEBRATE command after this date to receive a one-off prize of 23 bound credits! 2\. Daily Quest – There’s a new daily quest! Talk to Richard Tallow in Esterport (v53357) to get started. – Receive a candle of remembrance from Richard each day and light twenty-three different remembrance candles throughout the month to complete. – You’ll be awarded with a prize upon completing all twenty-three: your own candle smushed together from the melted wax of all the candles you lit this month. – This prize candle has a special effect while in your inventory: you’ll be told how many times you have died to your killer upon death. – If you miss a day (or days!) fret not, you can pay Richard 1,000 gold for each day missed to reset your cooldown and catch-up! 3\. Birthday Shop – The birthday shop at Harpy’s Head Tavern will be reopened on the 7th with some new goodies to buy. Keep an eye out! 4\. New Character Bonus – Any new character created during October is eligible for an extra 100 bound credits for reaching level 100. – You’ll receive 25 extra credits at level 80, and remaining 75 at level 100. – You must reach level 100 before the end of the month to be eligible. 5\. Birthday Games – As always, we’ll have birthday games and events later in the month to celebrate, including a quiz and an Iron Epicurean. Keep an eye out for the schedule being posted in the coming days! 6\. Finally, all the daily login bonuses will be in effect throughout all weekdays in October: – Mondays: Double milestones! – Tuesdays: Denizens respawn twice as fast after being slain! – Wednesdays: Double XP! – Thursdays: Increased critical hits! – Fridays: Favours for everyone! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 21st of Haernos, in the year 6 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Duel](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-duel-5/) **Published:** September 23, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks! This coming weekend, the Duel strikes again! Join the bloodshed in a vicious one-on-one double elimination tournament in the Esterport arena, where only one will be crowned Champion! Will it be Sheryni yet again? It’s probably going to be Sheryni. (Do I need to make a bounty?) If you’ve never joined one before or haven’t heard of it before now, HELP THE DUEL will tell you what you need to know. Prizes include: – Fame – Credits – The Rapier of the Master Duelist! – Bragging rights (!!!) We’ll also have a raffle for one lucky contestant picked at random, who’ll receive a prize – regardless if you win or don’t! And yes, the next figurine of the classes series will be given out to anyone who joins! This time around, we’ll be giving out a figurine for the Luminary class because.. uh.. well I don’t have a reason this time. It’s just a random pick! You can find the exact time of the Duel in EVENT INFO 878, don’t forget to CONFIG TIMEZONE! See you guys there! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 25th of Lexadian, in the year 6 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Sect Tokens of Death & Beheading](https://www.aetolia.com/news/sect-tokens-of-death-beheading/) **Published:** September 10, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Just a quick clarification, There’s been a little bit of a slip on our end where we’ve allowed people to redo their token of death deathsight if their character went through a different story beat (like say, leaving an order) and their deathsight no longer matched. The original intention of these tokens is that they were a one and done deal, with no redos. Changing it required obtaining a new token. No one is really at fault here, but just be aware, this will be the rule going forward. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 24th of Celes, in the year 6 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Limb Trauma](https://www.aetolia.com/news/limb-trauma/) **Published:** September 7, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, I’ve made some changes in the background so that limb max health are now equal to your constitution x 1500. Previously it used to be your max health x 2. Using a bigger number to determine your limb max health, it should help keep trauma damage dealt to limbs from being rounded poorly (like seeing 4.99%). For the most part, most abilities at this point use percentages in order to determine how much trauma they deal, so I don’t imagine any balancing problems from this change (aside from perhaps some missed skill that might still calculate trauma using an old method). If you see anything crazy, please let me know! In addition, I’ve tweaked the following two skills so they can maintain some intentional effects: – Mind Clamp now additionally reduces limb max health by 20%. – Dwindle / Bedlam now additionally reduces limb max health by 50%. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 4th of Celes, in the year 6 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Esterport update](https://www.aetolia.com/news/esterport-update/) **Published:** September 6, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Following Hammerhead’s attack on Esterport that left much of its infrastructure damaged, the city has spent a considerable amount of coin (yet still a tiny fraction of the city’s total gold!) upon repairs and renovations. You’ll find that the Esterport map has expanded as a result and been given a facelift to make it less cramped/blocky and more city-like. Previous vnums should have remained intact through the change, so you shouldn’t have to worry about updating anything there. As a result of this change, any Esterport house has been disconnected. You can leave me a message to arrange having it reconnected somewhere in the city. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 22nd of Omeian, in the year 6 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Unmourned King](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-unmourned-king/) **Published:** September 5, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the scorching days and summer nights of the fifth year of a new age passed by, the roadways of Sapience found themselves host to a dizzying gamut of criminal activity. Ruthless outlaws took to the land’s highways in a resurgence of banditry and skulduggery, threatening the lives of those unfortunate enough to cross their path, prompting many bold adventurers to choose violence as proof of their superior skill and moral fibre. As these bandits grew increasingly desperate in the face of ascendant violence and the stubborn spirit of adventuring warriors, they increased the fervour and pitch of their aggression by banding together and approaching notable city-states in an attempt to secure sanctions, allies, and customers willing to pay them off to deter their persistent violence. Calling themselves ‘the Mourners’, they chose to approach Enorian and Duiran first with their bloody offer: safety from their banditry in exchange for extorted coin. Both city-states summarily denied the racketeering attempt, and shortly after a massive Kelki named ‘Hammerhead’ made himself known as the de-facto leader of this unsavoury band. The self-proclaimed king of thieves took up quill and parchment to address the public soon after to extend a second chance to at his crew’s magnanimous offer: gold for protection, gold to spare the realm’s peoples from his predation. Though most leaders initially sneered at this ‘generous’ offer, it did not take long for enterprising individuals in these city-states to try bargaining with the arrogant bandit under the table. Rumours circulated of agents from every city aside from the Hammer of Dawn throughout the realm, alleging that each tried to contact Hammerhead with utmost secrecy that spared even their peers from the truth of shady propositions. Throughout these exchanges, it came to be known by the general public that this self-styled noble and ‘master thief’ was one of the myriad escapees of the Infernal Durance, the realm that had once housed the Demon Blade’s countless victims before Varach Scolrys’ ejected its prisoners in a bid to repair the weapon to full function. Though many adventurers failed to uncover information regarding this antiquated individual, the Grand Library soon released sparse notes found within the dustiest archives and tomes held within their possession, granting scant few hints about his history and the veracity of his claims, including his former identity as Hamalis, the Kindler. Armed with this knowledge and determined to put a stop to his mayhem, Sapience’s champions gathered together to seek out the clever bandit and put him to the sword, though they were met with countless difficulties and setbacks when attempting to pinpoint his location, and found that he possessed the ability to depart through infernal gateways to elude capture if need be. Hammerhead continued to stay one step ahead of his pursuers throughout the next several weeks as he laid the foundations for a historic criminal act: the bombing of Esterport and the raiding of its plentiful vaults, as well as the kidnapping of Magistrate Zhamakela amidst the chaos. The Mourners devastated the city’s streets with magic and explosives to create distractions and clear a way through the bank’s security measures, leaving the populace of the coast city reeling in the aftermath, leaving Ambassador Aaranu to negotiate for the leader’s life. All was quiet as the bandit considered the Esterporean diplomat’s request, leaving the realm to speculate endlessly about the reason for the theft and kidnapping. As hushed rumour and insane conspiracy surged through every city-state, mysterious crystalline weapons appeared in Bloodloch, Duiran, Enorian and Spinesreach, which adventurers took to experimenting on vigorously. The weapons displayed unusual characteristics; researchers were able to glean that they appeared vacant of life and sentience, yet they simultaneously felt hollow and once full of memory. The Grand Library suspects these weapons were likely forged from the latent energy of legends within the Demon Blade, though the benefactor who gifted them remains a mystery. Eventually, Hammerhead issued a reply to Aaranu, allowing the two to strike a deal: in exchange for a ship for him and his men, Hammerhead would facilitate the Magistrate’s safe return. In spite of Esterport’s willingness to accept this deal, adventurers took justice into their own hands. Utilising the enigmatic weapons left to them, each city-state deployed a group of warriors that rallied together to battle Hammerhead and his cohort upon the bridge leading to the city. Magistrate Zhamakela managed to flee into the custody of the Esterporean City Watch, allowing the gathered champions to employ indiscriminate violence that added a coat of bellicose paint to the bridge’s walkway and railings Eventually, Hammerhead found himself outmatched, his vitality and strength whittled away by too many bows from too many assailants. Unable to conjure his infernal portals to escape due to the magic-negating presence of the assembled weapons and hidden behind a protective barrier, the unsavoury legend attempted to strike a deal with his captors. The defeated King made his case: he would be a reliable source of information regarding other escapees of the Durance should any decide to wreak similar havoc, and he warned that many of them were ‘far worse’ than others thought of him. Even as Hammerhead cried out for mercy, the four adventurers entrusted with the city’s special weapons knew they were confronted with a choice: use the weapons to pierce the shield guarding the King of Thieves, or cast aside the weapons and see him spared. Without a second thought, Eliadon of Enorian called for Hammerhead’s execution before turning the hammer on the bandit’s magical barrier. Aelir of Duiran followed suit in short order, his practiced Red Serpent style driving the spear’s tip through the shield in short order. Tyrant Maeve asked several cursory questions before she, too, cast her vote in favour of execution, the gleaming edge of her enchanted scythe shearing yet another layer from that which guarded their collective quarry. Viceroy Legyn, in contrast, weighed its options as surely as it weighed the dirk in its hands, and it inquired of many things from Hammerhead before time – and the magic constituting the weapons – began to dwindle away. With disgust and disappointment, the Architect of Progress added its vote with a killing thrust – an act that sealed the decision as unanimous. As if brought about by absolute consensus, the force within the weapons converged upon Hammerhead and unraveled the brutish Kelki into a pile of gore as his shield collapsed, leaving nothing but the memory of him and his dying scream behind. The Mourners scattered without their leader without yielding the twenty million stolen from various Esterporean financial institutions, leaving its location a loose thread in a saga otherwise ended… Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 21st of Omeian, in the year 6 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [September Promo](https://www.aetolia.com/news/september-promo/) **Published:** September 1, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! For September, we’re celebrating the anniversary of the Worldeater Saga with the return of Spoils of Creation! Spoils can be obtained from the Aetolia website under artifact packages and opened for a variety of prizes, many of which are themed around the cosmic phenomena that was prevalent throughout the current Worldeater event. Spoils are valued somewhat higher than cryptic chests (as always, we aim for a minimum of 30% bonus over buying straight credits, the average return is higher than this), and contain one or more prizes, including: \* Credit prizes ranging from 23 – 500. \* Iron Coins in batches of 15, 25, or 50. \* Various artifacts ranging in value from 50 – 2000 credits. \* Chocolate bags, elemental globes, chalices, style points, customisation certificates. \* Ambience tokens! \* Antiquated salvage! \* Compendium pages for the follow areas: Qor Qogol, Ia’shal Barrow, Ayhesa Cliffs, Tarblack, basilisk lair, and the Offspring. \* A selection of stellar minipets: a starry-eyed coyote pup; a floating meteorite; a sublimely scaled, sidereal serpent; and three new minipets: a luminous lunar moth; a star-speckled constellation turtle; and a radiant corona peacock! \* Style scrolls for the rare COSMIC style! \* Meteoric shrapnel that can be OPENed to obtain pieces for several cosmic-themed cosmetics: cosmic\_shield, chrys\_cosmic, phyl\_cosmic, flair\_cosmic, vox\_cosmic. In addition, we have added two more cosmetic relics to this selection – transmute\_cosmic\_wings and veil\_cosmic! Transmute\_cosmic\_wings will form a transmute beetle that can be applied to artifact eagle wings – not only will this change its appearance, but also its the activation messages! Meanwhile, veil\_cosmic is a cosmic-themed veil relics that will make your appearance \[0;1;37m’a figure obscured by constellar wonder'\[0m. \* Relic coffers containing pieces for the ‘monomachy’ series of relics. I’ve also thrown starchart pieces into these coffers, since we’ve seen your requests for them! For those of you who aspire to make a fortune as bounty hunters, we have also added a \[0;1;31mBRAND NEW\[0m relic to the Monomachy relic set: monomachy\_scale! This preserved scale of Azaregenoth will empower your prism tattoo once an hour, allowing it to bind to a target when you have registered for a bounty on their heads. Should the target move from the room after the prism begins, its effect will continue, allowing you to teleport to even the stickiest marks! Of course, even this relic has its limits – the target must still be in the area by the end of the channel. If you need a refresher on the rest of the relics in this set, you can refer \[0;1;31mRELIC LIST MONOMACHY FULL\[0m! In addition to all these amazing prizes, Spoils of Creation also award organisation credits and every 500 Spoils will trigger a global prize of 500 credits in one of the next 50 to be opened. Last but certainly not least, there is also a Spoil in the milestone wares for one golden key! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 17th of Chakros, in the year 6 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Combat Tweaks](https://www.aetolia.com/news/combat-tweaks/) **Published:** August 28, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, Here are some tweaks to classes based upon feedback I’ve gotten of late. We’re about one month away from classleads, so keep in mind any changes you might want to see going forward! Ascendril / Bloodborn ============================== – Shift / Immerge cooldown increased to 25 seconds, up from 20. Templar / Revenant ============================== – Contort / Discord equilibrium recovery time increased to 2.4 seconds, up from 2. – Rend / Gouge balance recovery time increased by a flat 0.4 seconds. – Accuracy / Influence accuracy bonus from the aura / phantasm lowered to 20%, down from 25%. Praenomen / Akkari ============================== – Purify / Succour cooldown lowered to 10 seconds, down from 20. – Purify / Succour blood cost lowered to 250, down from 500. – Reconstruct / Rekindle limb trauma restored lowered to 6%, down from 15%. Monk ============================== – Evadeblock now acts as a source of evasion instead of an accuracy malus. \* Evasion is seperate from accuracy and dodging and isn’t modified by those sources. Shaman / Alchemist ============================== – Thorncoat / Quills now also has a 33% chance to deliver the loki venom to anyone who hits the target. \* While it is loki, the venom it delivers is not hidden from detection. Shapeshifter ============================== – New Skill: Pant. \* This skill requires you to have proc’d the Fury skill in order to use. \* Reduces your Fitness cooldown by 5 seconds, cures ‘exhausted’ if you have it, and restores some endurance. – Fury has been lowered in the Ferality skillset so that it is learned earlier. – The ‘fury’ defence from Fury now lasts for 4 seconds, up from 2. Indorani / Oneiromancer ============================== – When Devil / Faerie fades from the target having too many afflictions, it will also give the ‘misery’ affliction to them. – The ‘misery’ affliction from Bubonis / Mocker has been replaced with the ‘slickness’ affliction. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 19th of Dharos, in the year 6 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Duel](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-duel-4/) **Published:** August 20, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** \* Oh ho! \* \* Why yes! \* \* It is time! \* \* The Duel is on! \* Starring this weekend, the Duel marks its return in its classic format! Test yourself in a gauntlet of one-on-one battles to prove yourself as the baddest, toughest, big-muscled fighter the realm has ever seen! Held as a double elimination tournament of the best, only the bravest will rise and claim the mantle of Champion! If you’ve never joined one before or haven’t heard of it before now, HELP THE DUEL will tell you what you need to know. Prizes include: – Fame – Credits – The Rapier of the Master Duelist! – Bragging rights (!!!) And of course, the figurine collection of classes grows! This time, there will be one of the Revenant class – the people’s choice for toughest class in the realm right now! We’ll also have a raffle where one random entrant will win a prize too! And milestones for everyone! The specific time can be found in EVENTS INFO 843. Don’t forget to set your timezone (CONFIG TIMEZONE) if you didn’t know. See you there! Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 23rd of Severin, in the year 6 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Spying policies](https://www.aetolia.com/news/spying-policies/) **Published:** August 1, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, After careful consideration and discussion amongst the team, we have decided to implement a change to our policies in regards to spy roleplay. From now on, it is prohibited to join a city with the intent to spy on that city or otherwise sabotage their efforts in any way. If you are joining a city, you must be joining in good faith. There’s several reasons for this change, but largely the existence of this style of spying breeds distrust in cities, creates a toxic environment, and encourages people to exclude well-intended citizens in favour of a trusted clique. You may still engage in normal espionage methods (e.g. eavesdropping), and the rules surrounding these are unchanged. You may find this in the Spying section under HELP POLICIES for future reference. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 7th of Lexadian, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [August Promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/august-promotion/) **Published:** August 1, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! Returning in August for the first time in a while are giftbags! Every 25 credits purchased from the website (www.aetolia.com/credits) rewards a giftbag! The first 100 credits purchased comes with an extra bag for every 10 credits. This means that your first 100 credit purchase awards 14 bags right away! In addition to that, every 500 credit threshold you reach will award an additional 5 giftbags! That means if you buy 500 credits, you’ll receive 35 giftbags, and every 500 credits after that will award 25 bags instead of the standard 20! GIFTBAG EXCHANGE ———————————————- Single bags can be exchanged for either a red, orange, yellow, green, blue, or violet bag. Almost everything in the coloured bags can also be found in the standard bag, but at a lower rate. Coloured bags contain many of the same prizes as standard bags but allow you to more easily target a specific item. Five unopened bags can be exchanged for either a gold giftbag or a monochrome giftbag. Gold giftbags have a higher minimum value than five separate bags added up. Monochrome bags have the same prizes as a standard giftbag, but when opened, up to ten people in the room with you also get prizes as if they had opened one too! You may have noticed the addition of RANDOM to the exchange syntax! You can now append RANDOM when exchanging a basic giftbag to swap it for a completely random colour, with around a 10% chance to roll it straight into a gold bag! You can also optionally specify a number of bags to exchange, or ALL to do all of them. In the case of golds, ALL will leave the remainder after converting every multiple of five. Regular & Monochrome Giftbag —————————– Chocolates, Divine oils (including new oils for ZYRIALITH, EUTHYMIUS, CELEZOR, and ARVELIS), elemental globes, customisation certificates, chalices, discount vouchers, Iron Coins, minipets, ilmenite puzzle boxes, voxes, compendium pages, style scrolls, consumables, relic coffers\*, steed whistles\*\*, and a chance at various artifacts in the 50-2000 credit range. Note: All of the minipets, styles, and compendium pages in this bag are drawn from the individual ones in the coloured bags below. Red Giftbag ———— Minipet: a red-hued, winged lizard, Page: Underbelly, Style: Fiery, Vox: Loud, Chocolate: Strawberry. This bag has a much higher chance at giftbag consumables. Orange Giftbag ————– Minipet: a soot-covered canary, Page: Zenith’s Vigil, Style: Gourmandic, Vox: Blaring, Chocolate: Fudge. Standard misc artifacts swapped out for crafting and trade artifacts. Yellow Giftbag ————— Minipet: a little leopard cub, Page: Maestral Shoals, Style: Stormy, Vox: Sibilant, Chocolate: Cherry. This bag has a much higher chance to award elemental globes. Green Giftbag ————- Minipet: a stained glass frog, Page: Fractal Bloom, Style: Venomous, Vox: Penetrative, Chocolate: Mint. This bag has a much higher chance to award silver chalices. Blue Giftbag ————- Minipet: a luminescent beetle, Page: Nal’jin, Style: Tundral, Vox: Amplifying, Chocolate: White. This bag has a much higher chance at relic coffers. Violet Giftbag ————– Minipet: a brightly plumed peacock, Page: Torturer’s Caverns, Style: Underhanded, Vox: Simplistic, Chocolate: Hazelnut. This bag has a much higher chance at Divine oils. Gold Giftbag ———— Minipets, voxes, and compendium pages are removed. Single chocolates are now bags of 3. Divine phylacteries (including new phylacteries for ABHORASH, LEXADHRA, EUTHYMIUS, CELEZOR and ARVELIS; dead Gods removed from drops) and gold translocator pieces added. Higher chance at relic coffers and a very low chance at salvage. All giftbags always award either a city experience buff or an iron coin alongside other prizes. For gold bags, this is a tether-wide or global buff! \* Relics in the coffers this month are: super\_ear, trapgold, sensebacklash, hunters\_knife, hunters\_horn, veil\_silhouette, and horns\*\*\*. These coffers will have 1 piece to be commensurate with giftbag values! \*\* Steeds available are: an enormous feathered goose, a mud-coated hippo, a war-painted orel, a black rhinoceros, an oversized, mountable ant, and a quill-necked arrex (flying!). \*\*\* Horns relic can now be relic attired! There is also a global prize that’s triggered after every 500th giftbag opened, where one of the next 50 after that will give a bonus 500 credits! Giftbag city experience buffs no longer show a global message each time it gets applied. The global message will nowonly show up if one of the affected cities didn’t already have the experience buff, otherwise it will just refresh the timer silently. You can still take advantage of the anonymous option ( OPEN GIFTBAG ANONYMOUS ) to hide your name from the exp buff announcement. Additionally, every Thursday in August will confer a bonus to critical hits! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 6th of Lexadian, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [War & Condemnment](https://www.aetolia.com/news/war-condemnment/) **Published:** July 18, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** There is now a new command for the war system: CITY DECLARE CONDEMNATION OF – Publicly condemn another city for their recent actions. This is the first step towards declaring war, placing your relations with the organization into a ‘strained’ state. This status will expire after 7 IRL days. Only the city leader may do this, and it must be done from the city’s council room. Along with this addition are a few important changes you should be aware of: – You can no longer start a war until 2 IRL days of ‘strained’ relations has passed. – You can only declare your surrender while relations are ‘strained’ and not once war is declared. \* Once war is declared, you will have to use the treaty system to negotiate your surrender. This should give everyone ample time to prepare and gauge interest if it looks as though war is going to begin knocking at your door, as well as solve some issues with old method of surrender. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 25th of Omeian, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Ironman Duel](https://www.aetolia.com/news/ironman-duel-2/) **Published:** July 13, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** After thinking about it for a bit, the items in HELP IRONMAN that only apply during Great Hunts will -not- apply during the Ironman Duel. The most important considerations from this is that enhancements (like bal/eq recovery) and racial skill unlocks will be available during the event. And of course, everyone will have an inbuilt ‘equilibrium\_recovery’ artifact during it as well. This should keep options wide-open as possible while maintaining the spirit of the event, which is basically a no-artifact Duel. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 19th of Chakros, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Iron Epicurean](https://www.aetolia.com/news/iron-epicurean/) **Published:** July 10, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In case you missed it, Aetolia’s premiere culinary showdown, the Iron Epicurean, has been scheduled for 7pm on Saturday 20th (ET) / 11pm Saturday 20th (GMT). One hour before the howling. You can check EVENTS if you are unsure. If you don’t know how an Epicurean works, be sure to read HELP EPICUREAN ahead of time. You don’t need to own the Cooking skill to participate! First place will receive 200 credits, second place 100 and third place 50. See you there! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 25th of Dharos, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Ironman Duel](https://www.aetolia.com/news/ironman-duel/) **Published:** July 9, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, The Duel is back to kick some tail, but with a new twist! We will be doing an Ironman version this time, where all artifacts and promotional items are disabled during the event. The curated list is somewhat long, but HELP IRONMAN will list them off for you, if you wish to know the specifics. Additionally, to keep things fair for equilibrium classes, there will be some changes to the format: – Everyone will have level 1 equilibrium recovery. Prizes will be the usual affair, with credits and the Rapier of the Master Duelist, however we will be offering a unique fame line to whomever ends up the Champion for this event! DON’T FORGET: This event will also have another class figurine to collect, this time of the Monk, our most humble class who fights using nothing but their body and mind – a perfect fit for the Ironman event! And of course, all entrants will be added into a raffle for a prize at the event’s conclusion! The specific time and date for the event can be found via EVENT INFO 808 (don’t forget CONFIG TIMEZONE), and how the tournament is run can be read in HELP THE DUEL. See you there! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 19th of Dharos, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Ceramics and Glasswork!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/ceramics-and-glasswork/) **Published:** July 9, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** A new trade skill has arrived in Aetolia: Ceramics! Covering both clay work and glass work, Ceramics offers up 40 starting designs to craft with – many of them having functional interactions! You can check AB CERAMICS to see which designs have interactions, and what precisely those interactions are. Generally, unless otherwise noted, these interactions are usable by anybody so be sure to take a look even if you don’t plan on picking up the skill. To become a professional ceramicist, you must be trained by Branpola of Hatshero. Go to the pottery shop in Hatshero (v31923) and BUY CERAMICS PERMIT. This carries a fee of 100 credits for the permit, which does not expire. Like other trade skills, just the initial permit is enough to get you started on creating the basic designs. Investing lessons up to Expert rank will allow you to create custom designs to submit to the crafters’ guild, while Transcendent allows you to mark up to ten designs as exempt from decay. The higher your skill rank, the longer the decay time on crafted items too. Ceramics needs certain tools present in order to craft their items: – Glasswork requires a furance and lehr in the room, and a gaffer’s pipe in your inventory. – Claywork requires both a potter’s wheel and a kiln in the room. Branpola has a publically available version of the furnace and lehr, potter’s wheel and kiln that anybody may use. These items can additionally be crafted by someone (they’re expensive!) to be placed somewhere with the Forging skill, Woodcraft skill, and Ceramics skill respectively. A gaffer’s pipe can be obtained from someone with the Jewelcraft skill. Make sure to refer to HELP CERAMICS for more information! Ceramics was originally concepted by a Celani back in 2016, and was intended for a release attached to Bonro. Though we missed that, we’re all happy to finally get this out to you! Hope you enjoy it! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 19th of Dharos, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Epilogue](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-epilogue/) **Published:** July 8, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** On the first of Dharos, in the fifth year of the new age following the Creator’s Monomachy and the first year free of warfare betwixt six nations, a commotion overtook the decrepit antiquity of silent Qor Qogol. Tasked with exploring and understanding the lost culture of the Hlugna, a group of researchers from the Grand Library made their way into the city. The entirety of the city experienced the discerning scrutiny of scholarly fervour, its myriad stones turned and shuffled aside as the researchers plumbed the depths of forgotten tenements, temples, and shops. Though the group’s findings would be satisfactory to any independent scholar, the Grand Library’s stringent demand for quality ensured that these theologians, archaeologists, and anthropologists put no small amount of effort into uncovering anything the Threefold Alliance had not. The researchers eventually reached the royal palace situated upon the uppermost tier of the city, where their expedition took a frightful turn for the worse. After uncovering an ancient relic that emanated forboding sorcery, one of the reckless scholars tampered with its pieces – an act that would then trigger its defensive enchantments without any further warning. The rampaging magic swiftly visited catastrophe upon those gathered, slaying all but one of them in a cataclysmic nova of chaotic power. Not yet done with its purpose, the relic’s energies blanketed Qor Qogol with a powerful spell that seeped into the lost bones and withered remains of the city’s ancient occupants. Empowered by this wild energy, the bones began to rise, the memories of their last days fueling them in place of common sentience. As adventurers arrived to investigate the catastrophic result of brazen exploration, the Indelible manifested beside the relic and warned off any mortal foolish enough to tamper further with its invested power. Lexadhra elaborated that the manner of the Hlugna’s return had been a byproduct of Varach’s far-reaching plans, and that the relic was the heart of his scheme to restore is people to their fullest extent. To ensure his success, so said Immortal Memory, the ancient necromancer had left a contingency spell within the relic’s depths – a spell that would summon Lanu Du back to the Prime Material if its purpose were to be interfered with in an overt manner. She went on to explain to those astute mortals who remained in Her presence that the Hlugna who now shambled through the city’s dark streets were trapped in another place and time, and that they yet still feared the arrival of the enemy that had obliterated them in truth hundreds of years ago: the Indoron Empire. Satisfied with the delivery of Her warning, Lexadhra dispersed Herself into gelid mist and vanished for parts unknown, leaving the bounty of Qor Qogol’s true history open to those brave enough to experience it firsthand. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 13th of Dharos, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XXXVII: The Infernal Durance](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xxxvii-the-infernal-durance/) **Published:** July 8, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the Threefold Alliance sought a way through his barrier, Varach Scolrys reached out to the Theocracy in hopes of acquiring yet more aid and interference. The necromancer admitted to his deception and begged the Dragon for forgiveness on the matter, his bitterness unmasked as he described the fate and downfall of his storied people. He explained to those citizens that gathered in his workshop by way of an arcane gateway that he sought to restore the Hlugna and their vast, sweeping empire to their rightful place as a force in the world and made mention that Spinesreach had been the only city to see the worth of such a gamble. The citizens of the North offered sympathy and support that was only redoubled when Varach explained that he sought to fix a fatal flaw in the Demon Blade – a flaw that had allowed Ruin’s escape in the modern era. The necromancer explained that he sought to use the Blade against their enemies, but to fix it would require unmaking it and, thus, freeing all of its prisoners. With his plan outlined and support secured, the necromancer insisted they begin immediately before one of the gods aligned against them interfered and put a stop to their efforts before they even began. Spinesreach swiftly assembled as an honour guard and fortified the heart of his workshop, ensuring they were prepared for the worst – and then they stood by to watch an act of stunningly powerful Endorone sorcery unfold before their eyes. Varach Scolrys gestured with one hand, his decrepit fingers tracing an esoteric glyph upon the empty air. Cobalt sparks emerged with his every motion, aligned to hold these shapes as billowing smoke. The six wells lining the chamber’s edges burst to life, lending their vast energies to this grand work. Varach’s features twisted into an expression of utmost concentration, his lips moving in a silent recitation of otherwise forgotten spellcraft. One by one, these immense wells of elemental energy aligned together to aid the disassembly and reparation of the Demon Blade – an act that included setting loose and then recapturing the Infernal Realm locked within. A chilling screech ripped through the realm, birthed by this act of esoteric magic and Endorone ritualism. Stirred to alertness by the cosmic outcry of a realm reawakened, the Threefold Alliance swiftly assembled outside the barrier barring their way. Esoteric incantations and metal hammering upon metal drifted out beyond the barrier, hinting to those gathered what was sure to come. A tortured cry sheared through Sapience’s peace, its torment carrying it from one corner of the continent to another. It echoed throughout the Hlugnic Labyrinth and into the valley beyond, emulating the wounded cry of fallen prey. A long shadow stretched out from the depths of the Hlugnic Labyrinth, dusting the entirety of Dun Valley in the phantom ashes of a forgotten era. Ghastly images stretched towards the skies above the valley as one of the Infernal Realms began to settle within the Prime Material. Whirling clouds of ash and flesh-laden smoke manifested upon a humid wind as the Infernal Durance unfurled and superimposed itself upon Dun Valley, its impossible space slowly escaping into the Prime Material. Spinning vortices of smoke and soot manifested within the overlay of a long-lost landscape, one and all allowing egress from the depths of millennial imprisonment. Soon, a billowing cloud of ancient ash spawned at the heart of the Dun Valley, spewed forth by the emergence of one prisoner of that fated Infernal Realm. Feral silhouettes spawned within its churning depths, forming the beginnings of a tremendous throng of Rakshasa berserkers. The realm trembled in terror as Dhiranaksha emerged at the head of his subjects, his shattered chains rattling with every motion. Bent and twisted by thousands of years within a realm wrought by Immortal violence, the Rakshasa monarch sported a sneer lit by a desperate hunger for pillaging and mayhem. The King once in Shackles bellowed commands in a foreign tongue as he cast his gaze towards his demonic fellows and, as one, the Rakshasa rallied around him and unhinged their maws to unleash a hellacious roar to challenge Sapience entire. “I will not let another Full-Caqai come to pass – this time, demons, you will gain no ground,” Varach Scolrys exclaimed, before whispering a venomous incantation that made his bottom lip curl in bitter revulsion. Gouts of magma broke free from the confines of the earth and spilt forth, creating a ring of fire, smoke, and molten rock that trapped the growing mass of Rakshasa into a burning prison. Each fallen Rakshasa issued naught but a hiss of pain as the lava took them, their forms reassembling from the ashes in the next breath. This endless cycle of defeat and reformation continued ad nauseam, forcing the Vorostran invaders into a stalemate that neutralised the threat they posed if they had been able to rampage unchecked. From another swirling mass of ash and demonic heat stepped a withered Golban, their face concealed by a bronze mask of triplicate faces and their form otherwise clad in a tattered priest’s vestment. The Three-Faced Champion gazed across Sapience’s unfamiliar surroundings before peering up at the sky, their clast-riddled fists clutched together like an impoverished supplicant. A cosmic wind scattered the gritty portal at Talgruv’s back before sweeping through their stolid form, their physical presence conveyed to parts unknown in a flicker of argent moonlight. Yet another churning mass of flesh-riddled fire and lustrous smoke blossomed in the depths of Dun Valley, allowing a way through for yet another prisoner of the Demon Blade: Itensu, the Bloody-Handed Stalwart. Dazed and confused, the once-imprisoned Ankyrean looked around his surroundings as if in disbelief. He bowed his head and closed his eyes as he sank to his knees, his scarred visage shot through with shock and horror as some terrible realisation crashed down upon him. After rising to his feet, Itensu unsheathed a venantium blade and thrust it into the air before him. With a jerky motion, he carved through reality and opened an Adherent’s gateway that snapped shut not a breath after he stepped through. This rogue’s gallery of forgotten heroes, wretched criminals, and ancient forces seemed to continue to expand, with new figures stepping forth with every breath. Innumerable archways of smoke and ash, portals of heat and raging darkness, and glimmering gateways of cosmic power wrenched open and snapped shut as more myths and monsters of forgotten eras escaped the confines of the Demon Blade and raced off into the unknown of Sapience’s modernity. Impatient to bring a damned soul to justice, Lord Celezor of the Accordant Fires made His will known. “The pyre awaits, Varach Scolrys! My Justiciars shall ensure you meet your end,” He announced, before gracing Lord Marshal Sryaen Kavoros with a sliver of His golden might. As the fraction of fiery essence began to take hold, the Infernal Durance continued to weave itself into Sapience’s existential tapestry – as if its unthinking reaches sought purchase upon the Prime and elude Varach’s purpose. Acting with the utmost haste, the necromancer turned his gaze to the ancient weapon upon the forge’s surface and launched into a long string of chanted syllables that sent a chill down the spines of those present. Little by little, blemishes upon the Demon Blade began to repair themselves as if the metal were flesh knit closed by supernatural regeneration. Each wound closed shut left behind the familiar shine of venantium and hilunite, banishing the darkness that had so recently sheathed the blade. Even as this reparation continued on, however, a flash of aureate light illuminated the entirety of Qor Qogol, revealing degradation brought by ancient age. It gnawed through the profane magic guarding Varach’s sanctum, filling the Deepest City with an incendiary melange. As the Threefold Alliance charged forth and laid siege to the workshop’s heart, however, catastrophe struck. Whorls of arcane essence spilt forth from the heart of Varach Scolrys’ ritual, ensnaring each adventurer present in the twisted web of ancient Endorone magic. Pain lanced through their chest as if to mark the passage of an invisible blade, drawing them into the depths of the Demon Blade’s twisted realm. Split apart and battling for dominance now, the Threefold Alliance clashed with Varach’s guardians. Each battle resulted in the reclamation or liberation of a section of the Infernal Realm that had once remained in the Demon Blade still settled upon the forge’s surface. Though both sides fought on with the utmost bravery and ferocity, with some warriors staking their claim multiple times in bloodied bouts, the Dragon ultimately claimed victory. Varach Scolrys, his mystical chant unceasing, began to direct the reclaimed shards of the Infernal Durance back within the Demon Blade. Streams of overwhelming energy poured forth from the six wells lining his workshop’s walls, sealing the cracks within the weapon and realm alike. The captive world let loose a sorrowful cry as it receded from the Prime’s fabric. Sadness and torment sang throughout Sapience as the horrifying demiplane retreated into the Demon Blade’s depths, the tension of profane arcana easing as the ritual reached its final moments. Varach seized upon the hilt of the Demon Blade and lifted it on high, its reforged depths gleaming with magic restored. He scanned the forces aligned before him, desperation lighting the cold eyes settled within his sockets. Instead of lashing out to strike at those who had defied him, however, he appealed to sympathy and sense one last time: “I am the last of my people and, until my fall, the Hlugna live on through me! I shall restore them – and the Deepest City shall once again stand as a pinnacle of greatness and arcane power!” he proclaimed, sorrow adding a quiver to his voice. “Though the city is lost now, I shall return and I shall reclaim it in full! Full-Caqai and Gul’gorath yearn for freedom, Sapience, and I shall see it done – no matter how long it takes!” Recognising the clear danger he now faced, Varach swiftly retreated after a final glance at his northern allies. With a single swipe of the Hlugna’s most terrifying artefact, the Court Mage of the Deepest City opened a way through the primordial depths of Chaos and departed the Prime Material. Thus ended the War of the Six Nations, its fevered flames leaving naught behind but the ashen enmity of Varach Scolrys and the terrors of myth reawakened. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 13th of Dharos, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XXXVI: The Siege of Qor Qogol](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xxxvi-the-siege-of-qor-qogol/) **Published:** July 8, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the Threefold Alliance mustered their forces and once more aligned their focus, their generals set sights upon the Deepest City’s nigh impenetrable gates as their next conquest. Led by the Heralds of the Light, the Hammer’s forces enacted a grand plan with the aid of Rhulin Glintspear and the Dauntless Herself. Inspired by myriad ideas passed back and forth by budding, impressionable Ascendril, the city transported several large enchanted tridents by portal and old-fashioned team lifting. With these tridents empowered, blessed, and set into proper position, the forces of spirit and water combined to create an overwhelming assault that blasted through the enchanted doors – allowing the forces of the Light to set forth into the city. Hot on their heels were four hundred of the Amethyst avengers that had taken up post outside the Deepest City for the last several months, their drakir whipped into a wrothing rage that could only be sated by the snap of enemy necks. The second prong of the assault, headed by the generals of the Sanguine Fist, made its way into the city from the opposite direction. Utilising shil’tok detained from the city’s campaign to recapture Helba, the Empire navigated a colossal network of tunnels found beneath their city in an earlier portion of the war. Bereft of the usual lava that covered this network up, Bloodloch found the trail navigable – if slightly treacherous. Though they managed to arrive at the bottom level of the city, they found their progress barred by a colossal legion of skeletal warriors that had amassed in the city throughout the earliest days of the War of the Six Nations. Unable to press forward any further, the city reached a stalemate broken only by the timely arrival of Haratos, master of the Theatre of Shadows. Haratos had not come alone, either. With the Theatre’s ranks replenished by years of recruitment in the wake of Nalibhtavi’s destructive outburst, a mass of understudies followed the man to the front lines. After a brief comment about the Undercity of Djeir receiving word of attempted diplomacy and allied arrangements, he said, the Empress had seen fit to request that the entirety of the Theatre assemble to aid the Sanguine Fist’s strike. With such introductions out of the way, Haratos turned to the new generation of apprentices and began to conduct an ominous, eerily familiar tune: the Song of Oblivion. As the final note rang out into the black, Djeir’s sworn vengeance took root. A wild wave of songcalled sorcery crashed through the bottom of the Deepest City, reverberating off of stone walls and setting its still lake to countless ripples. Skeletal soldiers and sworn defenders alike crumbled before the overwhelming power of Haratos’ opus, its lethal procession stripping the magical patina from reanimated bone and laying to rest the masses that hold the city’s docks and residential district. The destruction’s aftermath rattled throughout the realm entire, earning a respectful cheer from Empress Malieh Garilicci herself, may she live forever. With Varach Scolrys’ forces caught between two sizable forces and the Heartwood’s interfere still stubbornly gnawing at the roots of his demesne, the Hlugnic Chaos Lord saw little other option aside from retreat. The Dragon of the North fought on with unmatched ferocity, buying enough time for a thin sheen of arcane energy to be formed that swept across the third tier of Qor Qogol, focused upon a lone doorway leading into a forbidden workshop. The energy soon sealed off the way inside the necromancer’s abode, allowing his mysterious work to continue on without interference. Even as the Threefold Alliance captured the rest of the city and took control of the canal system, the ancient necromancer plotted his next move – albeit slightly panicked. A solitary wind swept through the whole of the Deepest City as the Alliance surveyed their conquest, sending a lonesome whistle through its empty streets. Bereft of its makeshift fabrications and cleared of its skeletal legions, nothing remained within the city of empty antiquity aside from their own occupying forces… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 13th of Dharos, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, appendix a](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-appendix-a/) **Published:** July 8, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m \[0;38;5;123mT\[0m \[0;38;5;117mE\[0m \[0;38;5;111mR\[0m \[0;38;5;105mZ\[0m \[0;38;5;099mE\[0m \[0;38;5;196mT\[0m \[0;38;5;160mT\[0m \[0;38;5;124mO\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239m\[\[0m\[0;38;5;237mo\[0m\[0;38;5;239m)\[0m\[0;38;5;237mxxx\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\[\[0m\[0;38;5;099m===\[0m\[0;38;5;105m===\[0m\[0;38;5;111m==\[0m\[0;38;5;117m=\[0m\[0;38;5;123m=\[0m\[0;38;5;052m=\[0m\[0;38;5;088m=\[0m\[0;31m=\[0m\[0;38;5;124m=\[0m\[0;38;5;160m=\[0m\[0;38;5;196m-\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m \[0;38;5;196m-\[0m\[0;38;5;160m=\[0m\[0;38;5;124m=\[0m\[0;31m=\[0m\[0;38;5;088m=\[0m\[0;38;5;052m=\[0m\[0;38;5;123m=\[0m\[0;38;5;117m=\[0m\[0;38;5;111m==\[0m\[0;38;5;105m===\[0m\[0;38;5;099m===\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\]\[0m\[0;38;5;237mxxx\[0m\[0;38;5;239m(\[0m\[0;38;5;237mo\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\]\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;1;37mAn Opera in Three Acts\[0m \[0;1;37mby Paxe Visara\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m Season Premiere – To be Announced \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m The production of Terzetto was made possible by an errant remark from \[0;1;37mLord Tetchta V. Mesis.\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239m\[\[0m\[0;38;5;237mo\[0m\[0;38;5;239m)\[0m\[0;38;5;237mxxx\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\[\[0m\[0;38;5;099m===\[0m\[0;38;5;105m===\[0m\[0;38;5;111m==\[0m\[0;38;5;117m=\[0m\[0;38;5;123m=\[0m\[0;38;5;052m=\[0m\[0;38;5;088m=\[0m\[0;31m=\[0m\[0;38;5;124m=\[0m\[0;38;5;160m=\[0m\[0;38;5;196m-\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m \[0;38;5;196m-\[0m\[0;38;5;160m=\[0m\[0;38;5;124m=\[0m\[0;31m=\[0m\[0;38;5;088m=\[0m\[0;38;5;052m=\[0m\[0;38;5;123m=\[0m\[0;38;5;117m=\[0m\[0;38;5;111m==\[0m\[0;38;5;105m===\[0m\[0;38;5;099m===\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\]\[0m\[0;38;5;237mxxx\[0m\[0;38;5;239m(\[0m\[0;38;5;237mo\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\]\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m Dramaturg: Paxe Visara Librettist: Maeve Visara Costume Designer: Maeve Visara Choreographer: Taj Cardinalis Set Designers: Abhorash Nehekhara Ivoln, the Earthen Lord Guest of Honor: Lexadhra, the Indelible With Special Thanks To: \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m \[0;1;37mMy Libretto,\[0m \[0;1;37mThen, as now, yours is the only music\[0m \[0;1;37mthat has ever moved me.\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239m\[\[0m\[0;38;5;237mo\[0m\[0;38;5;239m)\[0m\[0;38;5;237mxxx\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\[\[0m\[0;38;5;099m===\[0m\[0;38;5;105m===\[0m\[0;38;5;111m==\[0m\[0;38;5;117m=\[0m\[0;38;5;123m=\[0m\[0;38;5;052m=\[0m\[0;38;5;088m=\[0m\[0;31m=\[0m\[0;38;5;124m=\[0m\[0;38;5;160m=\[0m\[0;38;5;196m-\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m \[0;38;5;196m-\[0m\[0;38;5;160m=\[0m\[0;38;5;124m=\[0m\[0;31m=\[0m\[0;38;5;088m=\[0m\[0;38;5;052m=\[0m\[0;38;5;123m=\[0m\[0;38;5;117m=\[0m\[0;38;5;111m==\[0m\[0;38;5;105m===\[0m\[0;38;5;099m===\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\]\[0m\[0;38;5;237mxxx\[0m\[0;38;5;239m(\[0m\[0;38;5;237mo\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\]\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m IN ORDER OF VOCAL APPEARANCE \[0;1;37mThe Apostles – Act I\[0m \[0;1;37mThe Undercity of Djeir – Act 2\[0m \[0;1;37mOur Sunless Empire – Act 3\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239m\[\[0m\[0;38;5;237mo\[0m\[0;38;5;239m)\[0m\[0;38;5;237mxxx\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\[\[0m\[0;38;5;099m===\[0m\[0;38;5;105m===\[0m\[0;38;5;111m==\[0m\[0;38;5;117m=\[0m\[0;38;5;123m=\[0m\[0;38;5;052m=\[0m\[0;38;5;088m=\[0m\[0;31m=\[0m\[0;38;5;124m=\[0m\[0;38;5;160m=\[0m\[0;38;5;196m-\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m \[0;38;5;196m-\[0m\[0;38;5;160m=\[0m\[0;38;5;124m=\[0m\[0;31m=\[0m\[0;38;5;088m=\[0m\[0;38;5;052m=\[0m\[0;38;5;123m=\[0m\[0;38;5;117m=\[0m\[0;38;5;111m==\[0m\[0;38;5;105m===\[0m\[0;38;5;099m===\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\]\[0m\[0;38;5;237mxxx\[0m\[0;38;5;239m(\[0m\[0;38;5;237mo\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\]\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m ACT I \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;1;37mSharpen or Break\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m \[0;1;37mOverture:\[0m \[0;38;5;239man instrumental piece that establishes the\[0m \[0;38;5;239mmood and themes, serving as prelude to the\[0m \[0;38;5;239mevent.\[0m \[0;1;37mSetting:\[0m \[0;38;5;239mthe Mhojave Desert\[0m \[0;38;5;239mChaos Wards, Monoliths of the Apocalyptia,\[0m \[0;38;5;239mScrem, Sand Wyrms,\[0m \[0;1;37mTHE APOSTLES\[0m\[0;38;5;239m.\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m It rang in the black before time was time, resonant silence wrought as a promise of purpose unyielding and duty without end. It was murmured in the fathomless depths of the yawning abyss, where the bones of the world rest upon shoulders of ancient stone. Its words were turned loose upon those with ears to listen and minds to comprehend. And it was a song. ‘You shall learn to sing it’ spake the voice. \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m \[0;1;37m(We call this foreshadowing)\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m Following a recitation from the Apocalyptia, the Apostles meet the Fabricators of the Deepest City on the shifting dunes of the Mhojave desert. Here, they dance the Dance of Sword and Spear, in accordance to the ways of old. \[0;1;31mBlood and bronzework steep the sands.\[0m \[0;1;31mThe sand wyrms are called upon to devour.\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m Recommendations for our Audience: Remain clear of the Mhojave whenever possible. Shows of solidarity in the form of \[0;31mMay we never know peace\[0m or \[0;31mKneel or be knelt\[0m are encouraged and appreciated. \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239m\[\[0m\[0;38;5;237mo\[0m\[0;38;5;239m)\[0m\[0;38;5;237mxxx\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\[\[0m\[0;38;5;099m===\[0m\[0;38;5;105m===\[0m\[0;38;5;111m==\[0m\[0;38;5;117m=\[0m\[0;38;5;123m=\[0m\[0;38;5;052m=\[0m\[0;38;5;088m=\[0m\[0;31m=\[0m\[0;38;5;124m=\[0m\[0;38;5;160m=\[0m\[0;38;5;196m-\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m \[0;38;5;196m-\[0m\[0;38;5;160m=\[0m\[0;38;5;124m=\[0m\[0;31m=\[0m\[0;38;5;088m=\[0m\[0;38;5;052m=\[0m\[0;38;5;123m=\[0m\[0;38;5;117m=\[0m\[0;38;5;111m==\[0m\[0;38;5;105m===\[0m\[0;38;5;099m===\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\]\[0m\[0;38;5;237mxxx\[0m\[0;38;5;239m(\[0m\[0;38;5;237mo\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\]\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;1;37mINTERLUDE\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239m\[\[0m\[0;38;5;237mo\[0m\[0;38;5;239m)\[0m\[0;38;5;237mxxx\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\[\[0m\[0;38;5;099m===\[0m\[0;38;5;105m===\[0m\[0;38;5;111m==\[0m\[0;38;5;117m=\[0m\[0;38;5;123m=\[0m\[0;38;5;052m=\[0m\[0;38;5;088m=\[0m\[0;31m=\[0m\[0;38;5;124m=\[0m\[0;38;5;160m=\[0m\[0;38;5;196m-\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m \[0;38;5;196m-\[0m\[0;38;5;160m=\[0m\[0;38;5;124m=\[0m\[0;31m=\[0m\[0;38;5;088m=\[0m\[0;38;5;052m=\[0m\[0;38;5;123m=\[0m\[0;38;5;117m=\[0m\[0;38;5;111m==\[0m\[0;38;5;105m===\[0m\[0;38;5;099m===\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\]\[0m\[0;38;5;237mxxx\[0m\[0;38;5;239m(\[0m\[0;38;5;237mo\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\]\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m ACT II \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;1;37mCrown Jewel of the Dark\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m \[0;1;37mAria:\[0m \[0;38;5;239ma solo song for a singer in an opera,\[0m \[0;38;5;239musually accompanied by an orchestra.\[0m \[0;1;37mSetting:\[0m \[0;38;5;239mthe Lava tunnels beneath Bloodloch\[0m \[0;38;5;239mLava Daemons, not our stolen lava, Rocks,\[0m \[0;38;5;239ma conductor from the\[0m \[0;1;37mTHEATRE OF SHADOWS\[0m, \[0;38;5;239mas many Bards as we can muster.\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m In deference to the Theatre of Shadows, the Bards of the Empire meet with their presumed conductor in clandestine fashion, entering first the lava tunnels beneath the city and then the labryinthine network through which the Hlugna absconded with our lava. Utilising the tunnels as a natural amplifier, the unlikely Chorus commences the Song of Oblivion such that it echoes down, down, down into the dark. This threnody for the damned cuts the threads of everyone and everything within that hears it, inclusive of Qor Qogol’s gate guard, the Chorus itself, and quite possible subsections of Azdun. \[0;1;31mIt is a requiem for the damned,\[0m \[0;1;31mslaughter so sublime.\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m Recommendations for our Audience: Riotous applause. The extolling of \[0;31mBravo\[0m or \[0;31mBrava\[0m as appropriate. \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239m\[\[0m\[0;38;5;237mo\[0m\[0;38;5;239m)\[0m\[0;38;5;237mxxx\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\[\[0m\[0;38;5;099m===\[0m\[0;38;5;105m===\[0m\[0;38;5;111m==\[0m\[0;38;5;117m=\[0m\[0;38;5;123m=\[0m\[0;38;5;052m=\[0m\[0;38;5;088m=\[0m\[0;31m=\[0m\[0;38;5;124m=\[0m\[0;38;5;160m=\[0m\[0;38;5;196m-\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m \[0;38;5;196m-\[0m\[0;38;5;160m=\[0m\[0;38;5;124m=\[0m\[0;31m=\[0m\[0;38;5;088m=\[0m\[0;38;5;052m=\[0m\[0;38;5;123m=\[0m\[0;38;5;117m=\[0m\[0;38;5;111m==\[0m\[0;38;5;105m===\[0m\[0;38;5;099m===\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\]\[0m\[0;38;5;237mxxx\[0m\[0;38;5;239m(\[0m\[0;38;5;237mo\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\]\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m ACT III \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;1;37mThe Sun Never Rises\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m \[0;1;37mFinale:\[0m \[0;38;5;239mthe last part of a piece of music, a\[0m \[0;38;5;239mperformance, or public event, especially\[0m \[0;38;5;239mwhen particularly dramatic or exciting.\[0m \[0;1;37mSetting:\[0m \[0;38;5;239mQor Qogol, the Deepest City\[0m \[0;38;5;239mShil’tok,\[0m \[0;1;37mTHE BLOODLOCHIAN IMPERIAL ARMY\[0m, \[0;38;5;239mthe Amethyst Avengers.\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m The Shil’tok are released into the tunnels. Bloodloch marches upon the Deepest City in force. \[0;1;31mWe Conquer.\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m Recommendations for our Audience: Gratuitous shows of violence. Acclaim of \[0;31mStrength in Slaughter\[0m or \[0;31mThe Sun never\[0m \[0;31mrises on His Empire.\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m \[0;38;5;239m\[\[0m\[0;38;5;237mo\[0m\[0;38;5;239m)\[0m\[0;38;5;237mxxx\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\[\[0m\[0;38;5;099m===\[0m\[0;38;5;105m===\[0m\[0;38;5;111m==\[0m\[0;38;5;117m=\[0m\[0;38;5;123m=\[0m\[0;38;5;052m=\[0m\[0;38;5;088m=\[0m\[0;31m=\[0m\[0;38;5;124m=\[0m\[0;38;5;160m=\[0m\[0;38;5;196m-\[0m \[0;38;5;196m\*\[0m \[0;38;5;196m-\[0m\[0;38;5;160m=\[0m\[0;38;5;124m=\[0m\[0;31m=\[0m\[0;38;5;088m=\[0m\[0;38;5;052m=\[0m\[0;38;5;123m=\[0m\[0;38;5;117m=\[0m\[0;38;5;111m==\[0m\[0;38;5;105m===\[0m\[0;38;5;099m===\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\]\[0m\[0;38;5;237mxxx\[0m\[0;38;5;239m(\[0m\[0;38;5;237mo\[0m\[0;38;5;239m\]\[0m \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m FIN \[0;38;5;239mO\[0m Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 13th of Dharos, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XXXV: Apostolic Fervour](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xxxv-apostolic-fervour/) **Published:** July 8, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Even as war raged across the continent and stole the time of every leader of every society, the Architect of Blood and Bone – Paxe Visara, chosen of the Jackal – sought to further her guild’s purpose. For weeks, she and the rest of her apostolic fellowship prepared a grand display in honour of – and for the entertainment of – Lexadhra, the Indelible Goddess of Memory. Beginning first with formal invitations and playwright’s bills, the Apostles piqued Her attention with their formality and brazen challenges to the Fabricators of the Deepest City. Though the city made no attempt to acknowledge the overtures of the Sanguine Fist’s religious arm, the guild continued their preparations and rituals without a care for acceptance or denial. When the day came, an obstreperous din rang out from the Mhojave as the Apostles mustered their might, awaiting the arrival of their challenged foe. Streams of icy mist converged upon the skies over the lightless desert, allowing Lady Lexadhra, guest of honour and eternally fascinated witness to a new age’s unfolding drama, to emerge from their swirling depths. The shadows demarcating the Sunless Empire’s territory swiftly contorted and distended, opening the way for Arvelis to step through, His keen eyes intent upon observing the ambitious pursuits of His Apostles. Swift to join Her compatriots, Lady Chakrasul arrived through a gateway of jade mist and seething shadow, and Abhorash, Progenitor of the Empire followed in kind soon after. As the mortals awaited their battle, so too did the Immortals await Their promised entertainment. The silence of a one-sided battlefield hung upon the air, stretching out across endless grit… “The Apostles have promised Me a good show, Fabricators of the Deepest City. Do not make the mistake of disappointing Me – it never goes well for those that do,” Lexadhra announced after Her patience had ebbed away in its entirety. All that rang out in answer, however, was the clamour of a fired magma-forge as Qor Qogol ignored the summons of the Imperial Apostles, their collective and mysterious labour put before all other needs. “So be it,” the Goddess of Memory then sneered, the haughty expression of the Full One overlapping Her mauve features for but a breath. She lifted one hand as She settled Herself down upon a chaise of gelid fog, Her wrist twitching. A stream of shimmering vapour coursed across the sky and delved deep within the cracks of the Vashnars. Rumbles echoed from the Hlugnic Labyrinth, followed swiftly by the screech of metal dragging against stone. “I will not be denied, Qor Qogol. Prove your might, or else remain in your crypts, buried ‘neath the dust of ages,” Immortal Memory declared. The shining fog then tore itself loose of the mountain range, its billowing body hosting a colossal contraption and other myriad components. It streaked off to the south, where it alighted as an overlapping space that threaded itself through the Mhojave’s bones. “You are called to war, Apostles. My mandate stands for each of you as well – prove yourselves worthy of memory,” the Indelible remarked before making Herself comfortable for the coming delights of bloodshed, glory, and warfare. The Apostles swiftly set themselves to the task of earning Her approval and moved out as a singular warband. Smoke and fire raged across the Mhojave as they joined battle with the colossal contraptions of the Fabricators and their Hlugnic tenders, resulting in the obliteration of both sides as they engaged in combat that raged on for nearly an entire afternoon. Utilising earth magic and the loyal service of Azvosh’s powerful wyrms, the Sanguine Fist’s exacting priests laid low their foes and smote them upon Bloodloch’s dunes, christening the land with blood, shaved iron, and soot. As the final sentinel contraption fell and engaged its self-destruction mechanism, a massive wyrm coiled around its bulk and dragged it into the mist-riddled sands, a metallic groan echoing through its cool depth. Sapience’s southern reaches trembled as Qor Qogol’s war-hulk detonated in a vengeful act of spite, robbing would-be excavators of an opportunity to delve into the titanic machine’s secrets. With the Indelible favoured mists mantling them, the Apostles turned their eyes back to the Vashnars – where awaited the rest of the foes bent upon their home’s destruction… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 13th of Dharos, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XXXIV: Fungal Warfare](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xxxiv-fungal-warfare/) **Published:** July 8, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the six nations continue to war across Sapience, the Heartwood looked towards new avenues of attack. Born of a discussion betwixt Gyrinno, Tulle, Varshatesh, and Senvet, the council employed its newfound understanding of the Greensong and the leftover ring of new fungal life to create a lurking army of nascent myconids. Nourished by flowers, tended by the loving hands of the Cycle’s wardens, and watered with the blood of entirely willing sacrifices, the patch yielded spores that Duiran set upon a secretive journey upon the currents of mountain streams. Riding upon the consciousness of these shambling fungal creatures, the council explored the depths of the Deepest City and enacted a covert mission of sabotage even as their allies warred beyond the enemy’s borders. Met with mysterious lifeless threats, necrotic runes, and nigh impassable walls, the council put their heads together in a desperate gambit to quell the army growing within Varach Scolrys’ abode. Though they did not yet know it, the council felt the disturbance of vast shifts in magma and fire, the screech of shifting stone, and the toil of ancient magic – one and all, these foreign sensations brought discomfort and disquiet to Duiran’s fungal proxies, bringing them closer to symbiosis with the mysterious myconids they had helped bring into existence. Dangerous dungeon defences and esoteric puzzles barred their path, but they each proved ineffective at deterring the Heartwood’s relentless crawl through Qor Qogol’s depths. After numerous scouting missions and many weeks traversing the distant darkness by way of fungal command, the council discovered an entryway into the Hlugnic necromancer’s personal workshop. There, they sensed the crucibles that the Alliance would later lay eyes upon in the final moments before Scolrys’ abrupt departure into the realms of Chaos, and recognised that their elemental energies were a source of nourishment and transformation for their loyal mushroom soldiers. Utilising the latent power of these elemental wellsprings, Durian shredded through the Chaos Lord’s final layers of protection – walls of fire, shadow, spirit, and chaos energy – and laid siege to the convergent crucible at the workshop’s heart, where they met resistance in the form of a dangerous guardian wrought from elemental power. For a full week, the Heartwood’s myconids did relentless battle with this twisted amalgam of shadow, fire, and air. Utilising the power of earth and water, the myconids dismantled the creature’s shields and showered the creature in the relentless might of the wilds. With each fallen soldier came a renewed burst of energy from the guardian, ensuring that Duiran suffered heavy losses even as they sought to claim victory. Embracing the cycle of life and death, the council agreed that every demise was but another turn of the wheel and pressed forward with stubborn determination. Once they grasped the creature’s deeper nature, however, they swiftly saw to its end – only to find themselves beaten back and blockaded from Varach’s sanctum by the sorcerer’s own personal attention. When the dust settled and the myconids found no other way forward, Duiran returned to the world aboveground and rejoined their allies, confident that Varach’s minions would not overwhelm the coming assault. As the three allied nations pressed forward, one group of zealous apostles planned for a more direct, theatrical confrontation… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 13th of Dharos, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XXXII: Magic and Iron](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xxxii-magic-and-iron/) **Published:** July 8, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the war betwixt six nations grew cold, the embattled Immortals within Chaos revealed Their warfare to mortalkind once more. The sky trembled as the outer realms exerted their collective influence upon its welkin canvas, its fabric shorn to allow a glimpse at Lanu Du and the seven deities holding It away from the Prime Material. Even as this spectacle took its place in the sky, however, a discordant chorus of screeches echoed from the North as mauve lightning lanced across the heavens and slammed down into the Theocracy’s borders, its wicked tines spearing through the hearts of over one thousand gremlins. Without anything to justify their constituency or guide their definition, the pitiful minions crumbled into lurid motes – individuals ripe for the influencing, a fickle morass of potential and energy susceptible to a domineering will. They became a shining haze that rose from the streets of Spinesreach as Immortal Memory unspooled the tenacious vexation of gremlins, its shimmering depths serving as the final remains of Fundamental Chaos’ servants. The amassed Chaos essence wound itself into a tight spiral that unfurled into a lunge, carrying it upon a trajectory towards the Memoryscape. It plunged into the Indelible’s domain and vanished within its frigid mists with one last flare of pale light. Innumerable arcane formulae then coalesced within the raw primordium of Chaos visible to Sapience, each shimmering rune and twisting complexity stitching together to form a vaguely humanoid shape. Raw mana blossomed at the heart of the unknown silhouette, creating a complex network of veins and sinew that rapidly defined the figure of a powerful being. Cyanic light coursed along the pointless borders of Immortal essence and raw sorcery, leaving in its wake the dispassionate visage of Irathael, the Magician. Elder Magic lifted a wand wrought of greensung elderwood, its surface polished by the blood of the faithful and littered with dawn-kissed runes lit by chromatic light. Spirit’s yearning for order united with the Dia’ruian energy emanating from the implement in Irathael’s hand, the collective energies bound within its confines joining together as one supreme will that exerted itself upon the raw mass of Chaos energy at the battle’s border. As if it were as simple as breathing, the Elder God – a guise in truth, a mask hiding the face of a Goddess – conducted the churning possibility into a nascent realm. Viridian energy trailed along cosmic space as if vines upon a sidereal trellis, its pathway strengthened by prismatic radiance that guided growth and demanded disciplined arrangements. The clamour of industry and the screech of bending iron rang throughout the realm as Irathael’s machinations continued apace, His gaze held upon some unknown point. A shining protrusion briefly sprouted from one of His shoulders as a new realm joined the Thousandfold within Him, its lumpy intrusion quelled and dispersed with a simple shake of His head. Exerting His dominance as the master of magics past, present and future, the Arcane Elder plied the newborn school of ferromancy to command countless chunks of ore and whole objects to free themselves from gravity’s oppressive confines. Their many flights began from all corners of Sapience, one and all bound for the same destination: the grisly spectacle on high. A booming incantation in an exotic language left Irathael’s lips as He jabbed His wand through the air, His foreign command demanding obedience from the metal snared within His influence. Pyromancy stoked by deific fire bent and twisted the entire mass into slim, sleek shapes, the manic scheme of the half-mad Lord of Azhoan Sorcery fastening it all together into a jarringly hideous amalgam. When His labour reached its final moment, the Arcane spared one final moment to scrutinise the esoteric instrumentation. The design, dizzying in its myriad twists and intricate gears, confounded the mortal mind, bespeaking the insanity that gnawed hungrily at the edges of Irathael’s genius. The Magician tapped one ring of the endlessly concentric contraption with the tip of His wand, setting it to a whirring start. Realm and device alike departed from the confines of Irathael’s attention, the newly forged shard of the Chaos Plane cast adrift upon currents heaving in the wake of Fundamental exertion. A pulse of raw magic emanated from the mysterious machine, its endless motion lending itself to rapid repetitions of the same phenomenon. Over and over, the shard emitted cobalt flickers that bathed worlds and demi-planes ensconced within Lanu Du’s domain in enigmatic enchantment. Each realm disturbed quivered as alien magic touched upon its equally alien surface. Every sphere bound by mortal bargain and stolen concept whirled to fixate the gravity of its understanding upon the source of the sorcerous disturbance. The Chaos Plane spasmed as the Faceless One struggled to split Its attention, Its clarity withering in the face of so many concepts and spectacles. Pale primordial fire lapped at the edges of every twisted reality, the borders of several shards wavering as the maddened Fundament tried to turn Its gaze back to the Prime. Satisfied with Its grasp upon the Prime, Lanu Du burdened Irathael with the demented gravity of Its gaze. Finished now with the guise of Elder Magic, Lexadhra discarded the adopted persona with a flick of Her wrist. Irathael’s features sloughed away from Her and spilt into the cosmic winds, gone then like an interrupted reminiscence. The Indelible then gestured with the wand still clutched within Her slender fingers, bidding the misty essence emanating from Her profile to rally to Her command. Colourless conflagration bloomed in the empty void of unformed Chaos, its sudden ignition bidden by the plane’s deranged will. It That Dreamt emitted a psychic screech that rolled throughout the Spiral like trembling thunder, shaking loose ideas and bartered memories that coagulated into a dizzyingly diverse assault against the Goddess. Putrid lightning and wretched fire coalesced within the vast sea of potential, joined by a phalanx of shining spears and swirling clouds of acidic rot cast out upon the tides of power now realised and actuated. Flights of fancy wheeled and spiralled before cruel purpose clipped their wings, transfiguring them one and all into horrifying nightmares that converged upon lone Lexadhra. Unconcerned with the mounting threat bearing down upon Her, the Goddess lifted Her wand and traced a full circle over Her head. A colossal braid of Elder Time’s ephemeral mist rose from Immortal Memory’s silhouette, bristling with innumerable tendrils that inspired competition in the Fundament set before Her. Each protrusion lashed out with a life and will of its own, seizing upon Her assailants and gorging them with a deluge of memories, images, thoughts, and will that reduced each to useless dust scattered within the Spiral’s liminal darkness. The convergence of Chaos and Memory filled Sapience’s skyscape with eerie flashes of light that seared temporary images of myth and legend upon the horizon. Countless champions, criminals and historical figures of two timelines threaded through Prime’s fabric like a watchful pantheon, each brought to partial, fleeting life by the latent power of a fantastic plane and unerring virtue. As these two forces pushed and pulled one another in a ceaseless struggle of creation and destruction reminiscent of Light and Dark at the existential loom, Lexadhra reached out with Her free hand – towards the ever-distant shard wrought so recently by Her hand. The Goddess barely held Her own in the face of Lanu Du’s clarified wrath, Her split concentration keeping Her from launching on the offensive. As if in response to its creator’s gesture, the distant shard and its precious payload emitted another pulse of raw arcana that seeped into every world the miniature realm passed on its journey into the far-flung reaches of an endless plane. It That Woke devoted another sliver of Its fragmented attention to Its battle with Lexadhra, Its native mastery supplanting Her tricksome spellcraft in a flourish of stretched sinew, steaming blood, and twisted physicality. Distilled down to only specific memories now, the raging power surrounding the Indelible found definition as an army of twisted abominations that closed in upon Her. Four tremendous protrusions loomed behind the endless ranks of Lanu Du’s servants, their long lengths covered in chip-toothed maws and corrosive sores seething with pestilent potential. They slithered through and around the shambling legs of their profane compatriots, coursing serpentine towards Incarnate Memory. As if in response to this threat, seven colossal columns of roaring essence carved across the endless warfare, Their combined brutality cutting a way through towards Lexadhra. Fiendish minions expired in the face of Divine strength, their remains scattered to the winds as excess energy for the next blistering assault loosed by Their manifest will. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 13th of Dharos, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XXXIII: The Grasp of Madness](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xxxiii-the-grasp-of-madness/) **Published:** July 8, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Lanu Du’s paranoid insanity hastily directed Its assault in a new direction, a manic palpitation of planar power crashing down upon the nine gods warring within Chaos. Four huge portals carved through cosmic space, looping Prime to Chaos to Prime in a dizzying distortion of three-dimensional space. Each portal gazed upon a significant city-state of Sapience, allowing a breathtaking view of each location as if snatched from an eagle’s eye. Fundamental Chaos reached into the Prime for a third time with the four tentacles that had once threatened Lexadhra, Its insidious attention coiling tight around the realm entire. As Lanu Du drew the whole of Sapience into Its eldritch embrace, a keening symphony of frenzied woodwinds seeped into the hearts and minds of all mortalkind. Alien, disjointed notes served as a charming piper that led consciousness far beyond the troublesome constraints of physicality, its insidious music driving most mortals into the darkened pit of madness. Close as the continent’s adventurers were to It, with nowhere to go and nobody to rescue them from Its slithering clutches, they could do naught but tremble as Its power forced the riddle of time to yield to Its insistence. It compelled the stars to align, building a pathway for It to plunge into the realm’s fragile psyche. What took root within Sapience’s mind was a foul flower, a glimpse of all the universe has to hold of horror and abominable profanity – a terror so true, so pure as to render the skies of spring and the blossoms of summer as poison forevermore. Each city-state beheld madness tailored to them and their ends, their agendas and creeds warped and twisted by the insidious touch of Lanu Du. Ambition, faith, expansion, duty, and even the planes themselves quailed before the Faceless One’s touch, one and all turned bitter upon the tongue of those that clung to their sovereignty. As Sapience’s finest clawed control back into their purview, they rallied to defend their homes. Employing siege weaponry, savage strikes, and clever tactics, the major cities of the realm carved through Lanu Du’s final attempt at an invasion even as the gods manoeuvered to guard the Indelible. United in purpose, Six of the warring Seven reached Her side. Light, Water, Life, Morale, Tyranny, and Corruption assembled in a defensive formation with Memory at its centre, Their collective might unleashed to annihilate the endless spawn of Chaos. Still held in the throes of mania, Bamathis rejected His position at the side of His fellow Immortals. He cleaved through foe after foe, earning liberation from Loss with every brutal blow. An ephemeral twister arose from the middle of the gathered gods, its other end shooting off into the infinite empty of a primordial plane. A brilliant shockwave raced out from the twister’s heart, its outer edges bristling with an infusion of Immortal sorcery. As it passed over countless shards, worlds, demiplanes, spheres, and other mysterious pockets of Chaos, each let loose an answering cry that combined into a disorienting cacophony. The dark clouds of madness receded, allowing clarity to shine through. Lanu Du stilled, enraptured by the jarring clamour. Its endless tentacles and tendrils ceased writhing. The agonised cries of abominable maws and the wet squelches of eldritch appendages died away. Strife’s victims stood motionless before His blade, but only He fought on – all Others watched as the plane cried out to its ancient Ruler. Seizing the opportunity of a lucid thought, the Faceless One exerted Its unfettered, indomitable will upon Its domain. Exotic woodwinds once more drowned out all other auditory perception, their first notes shearing away mortalkind’s connection to the world around them. The Chaos Plane lurched as it underwent a fundamental shift, all its paradoxical laws called into question for one unnerving moment. Though the instruments sounded eerily familiar, the specific arrangement yet still eludes the Grand Library’s attempt to recreate it or place its odd familiarity and our experts have yet to come to a consensus on what exactly this tune did – or what dramatic shift it forced the plane to undergo. Satisfied now and distracted by something in the far distance of Its realm rearranged, Lanu Du daydreamed Itself and Its spawn into non-existence without so much as a whisper. In the unsettling calm following the Fundament’s departure, the eight deities cast Their collective gaze towards the rippling aperture in planar space. As One, They took a single step that brought Them back to the Prime, leaving the madness of Chaos at Their backs. Immediately, Bamathis whirled around to level His gaze upon Lexadhra. He pointed Caelestis toward Her, its blade still dripping Immortal gore, His wild eyes flashing with barely contained rage. “Your interference robs Me of enjoyment, Lexadhra. I will not forget this slight,” Strife snarled, His words setting the heavens to a tremble. Indifferent to the threat against Her, Lexadhra smirked and took Her leave upon a gust of chilled mist. The remaining Six turned to look back at the shattered stretch of unformed Chaos and the colourless fires feasting upon the viscera of Immortal battle. Vague unease emanated from Them, staining the sky with an ugly bruise that only dissipated when the rent knit itself shut beneath the urging of Their collective will. One by One, the Gods dispersed into motes that scattered throughout the continent – each of Them now gone to recover and plan Their next moves. As Lanu Du turned away from the Prime, Qor Qogol’s magma-forges rang out in the unsettling silence of warfare’s aftermath… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 13th of Dharos, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Salvage sale ended](https://www.aetolia.com/news/salvage-sale-ended/) **Published:** July 7, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, As previously mentioned, the extended salvage sale has now ended. Cryptic chests still remain available for purchase on the website until the end of the month. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 9th of Dharos, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Qor Qogol, the Deepest City](https://www.aetolia.com/news/qor-qogol-the-deepest-city/) **Published:** July 6, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** An anthropological expedition from the Grand Library went awry after the team accidentally triggered an arcane trap left behind in the city’s palace, presumably by Varach Scolrys. Activating a relic of Chaos, its energies brought a swift end to the Grand Library’s party, and its energies spilled out into the city streets, drawing forth memories from the ancient bones to animate the lost Hlugnic people. Only Rysim, an anthropological librarian survived from the party, and can be found near the entrance to the city, faithfully carrying out his duties. With around nineteen quests to complete, two fame lines, a new milestone boss, unique weapons, and a shop filled with things such as beetles, flairs and loads more, there’s a significant amount of content to discover within the deepest depths of Qor Qogol! Big thanks go to Watson in particular for managing this project and doing almost all of the quests, and a huge thanks is also owed to our fabulous mortal builder team that created all the rooms, NPCs, and items you’ll find throughout the area! Hope you enjoy exploring the new content! P.S. To get you started, there is one particularly long quest that will gate access to most of the other quests. Good luck! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 1st of Dharos, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [July Promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/july-promotion/) **Published:** July 1, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! As a reminder, the salvage sale has been extended until 7th July – every 100 credits purchase on the website will get you a piece of salvage. Perfect time to buy in for the new antiquated sceptre! For the entirety of July, Cryptic Chests are returning to the website (www.aetolia.com/credits) under ‘artifact packages’! Opening a chest will award one or more prizes from a wide selection as outlined below. Every 500 Cryptic Chests opened will trigger a global prize where one of the next 50 to be opened will contain a bonus of 500 credits on top of the other prizes! Here’s what you might find inside: – Chocolate bags, elemental globes, fireworks, customisation certificates, iron coins, morphic metal, ambience tokens, styles and a low chance at salvage. – Style selection for this month includes leaping, crafters, phasic and friendly, with a chance at receiving a style point to spend at the shop. \[0;1;37m\* Note\[0m that in addition to this, we’ve completed updating styles for Indorani Decay/Oneiromancer Starlight thanks to our fabulous builders, and there’s a wide selection available. – Credit prizes ranging from 18 – 250. – Various artifacts valued between 50 and 2000 credits. – Minipets from a selection of: a brown-furred capybara, a fluffy gosling, a speckled locust, an animated hemlock shrub, a writhing amphisbaena, and \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m a spiky echidna puggle, – The pantheon relics make a return with coffers containing their pieces found inside the chests. Each pantheon relic piece trades in for 30 credits. \[0;1;37mThere are three new relics added to the pantheon collection this month:\[0m \[0;1;37mpantheon\_celezor: a castigating eye of the Righteous Accord\[0m When you SEARCH and reveal an adventurer, the balance cost of using search is halved, and the revealed person is knocked off balance for a second. \[0;1;37mpantheon\_arvelis: a shadowed coin bearing a jackal’s head\[0m When you flip this coin, you have a chance to recover your endurance and willpower. Each successful flip recovers a small amount of endurance and willpower, increasing with consecutive successful flips (500 \* success streak). However, losing a flip subtracts the total amount recovered thus far, and resets the streak. \[0;1;37mpantheon\_euthymius: a banner of resolute challenge\[0m You can PLANT the BANNER in certain areas that have elite spawns (Tcanna, Torturer’s Caverns, Drakuum and Bonro Sands). Whenever a NPC from that area that the banner is planted in dies, the banner will very slowly gain charge. When the banner is fully charged, you can RAISE it to rally the spirits of the denizens in the area, summoning forth an elite. – Compendium pages for: Drakuum, the Dramedo Warrens, the Forgotten Dome, a dimly lit subterranean river, a volcano, and the Den of Shadows. In addition to these, you will always receive a filler prize (grimstim pills, various consumables, omnipotence pills, herbal jars, etc). These do not count towards your chest’s value. You can also find a chest in the milestone shop for July – 1 gold key as always! Lastly, it’s been a while since the last one, so keep your eyes out later this month for the return of the \[0;1;37mIron Epicurean\[0m contest! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 20th of Severin, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Great Hunt results](https://www.aetolia.com/news/great-hunt-results-2/) **Published:** July 1, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** After a gruelling 48 hours, the Great Hunt is now over and the results are as follows: Sub-99 Tier: Rank Name Count True Rank 1 Kead 20000 19 2 Kato 18969 22 3 Melegaunt 13460 25 4 Senleas 7206 38 5 Ilira 680 63 6 Dedraiaken 507 66 7 Zinna 373 69 8 Valys 302 75 9 Odus 256 77 10 Nisari 165 81 99+ Tier: Rank Name Count True Rank 1 Bhalwyn 100000 1 2 Irra 78468 2 3 Jondyrr 73562 3 4 Teeh 62626 4 5 Tanthilos 58007 5 6 Bazias 55455 6 7 Aisling 43482 7 8 Aelir 40851 8 9 Arnu 39636 9 10 Sitai 34966 10 Ironman Tier: Rank Name Count True Rank 1 Elene 28100 14 2 Xavin 26219 16 3 Konoka 25041 17 4 Jhura 13459 26 5 Whirran 9759 34 6 Isia 8175 36 7 Tulle 7500 37 8 Wjoltyr 2502 51 9 Sylara 1000 61 10 Somni 456 67 I see some of you flexing by ending on those nice round numbers! Prizes will be handed out shortly after this post. Well done to everyone who placed, and to everyone who participated! I hope it was a fun weekend! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 20th of Severin, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Ascendril and Bloodborn Rework!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-ascendril-and-bloodborn-rework/) **Published:** June 28, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks! The big time is finally here after a long wait, the mechanical rework of both Ascendril and Bloodborn! The first thing I want to state is that this is a MECHANICAL rework. So if you’re particularly fond of their current themes, rest assured, they still maintain them in plentiful spades. Secondly, I don’t really think our wonderful two mage classes need too much introduction, so let’s jump straight into what you might be able to expect with the rework. Some quick things to know! – Each skillset is still named the same, nothing new to remember there. – Only Elemancy / Humourism and Thaumaturgy / Hematurgy got a full rework. – Arcanism / Esoterica got some slight additions and changes. – In particular, Resonance / Aspects mechanics got a very large workover and act more like gates to bigger spells. – It is now somewhat more heavily focused on securing kills through damage like you perhaps would imagine a mage might. – Still based around the INTELLIGENCE stat, so no need to consider alternatives. – Overall, it is a more simple design to understand and get into. For those of you who enjoy hunting (or perhaps informing others), you will find the first spell that you learn will now be Missiles in Arcanism and Victimise in Esoterica. After that, as you increase your ranks in Elemancy / Humourism, you will unlock three spells that you can utilise in PvE that correlate to each of the elemental types they are under. HUNTING SKILLS will show you in full which ones will work in PvE. Other then that, I feel the class is best learned through reading it’s AB files then me going into depth here! Lastly, a big thanks to the classlead council for their help in testing the class and seeing what they could break. And a thank you to Emellan for his help in writing the new / updated skill messages for the class, and Razmael for helping out with final polish where needed. Read on to see the change log that affects everyone: Afflictions =========================== – New Affliction: Etherflux. \* It is cured by drinking the infusion elixir. \* Taking elemental damage from any source while afflicted will cause a bonus effect: \* Fire – Causes blurry vision. \* Cold – Causes impairment. \* Electric – Causes epilepsy. – The ‘dissonance’ affliction now strips a random defence every 9 seconds. – The ‘dissonance’ affliction is now classed as a physical affliction. Arcanism / Esoterica =========================== – Removed skill: Replicate. – Removed skill: Prism / Triplicate. – Missiles / Victimise reworked: \* Now works as a bashing attack you obtain early on. \* Shifted down in the skillset to near the beginning. – Arcaneskin / Panoply cutting and blunt resistance lowered to 16%, down from 24%. – Countercurrent / Forestall chance to proc increases to 20% when channeling. – MirrorMastery / Sozedeti replaced with MirrorDelay / Sozedeti (reused). – Sagacity / Acumen replaced with Vivacity / Acumen (reused). – Transfix / Enthrall replaced with Colourspray / Shadebind. Sorcery / Runecarving =========================== – Removed skill: Replicate. – Removed skill: Spellguard / Sanctuary. Curing =========================== – The type of elixir you are sipping is now visible to others. Elemancy / Humourism =========================== – Completely reworked, you’ll have to read the AB files. Thaumaturgy / Hematurgy =========================== – Completely reworked, you’ll have to read the AB files. Kaido =========================== – Consciousness now gives you 2 wisdom, instead of unconsciousness immunity. Gravitation / Sporulation =========================== – Attunement / Ravencap no longer interacts with dissonance. Miscellaenous =========================== – Divorced arm balance from the @eqbal token for custom prompts. – Added the @armbal token to custom prompts for arm balance so you can set it up how you like. – Added CONFIG PROMPT SECONDARYBALANCE for default prompts. You may also noticed that I have mysteriously peeled out some skills from our other set of mages as well… Not to worry! They will make a return at a later date. Ominous. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Closday, the 6th of Severin, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Salvage sale extension](https://www.aetolia.com/news/salvage-sale-extension/) **Published:** June 25, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Just a quick update: since the sceptre was released so late in the month (not intentional on our part, just the way the workflow ended), we’ll be extending the salvage sale for an extra week into July, ending on Sunday the 7th. I’ll post again when it’s over. A new promo will still arrive on the 1st as normal, and the lesson/articart will disappear at that time. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 15th of Sapiarch, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Antiquated Sceptre](https://www.aetolia.com/news/antiquated-sceptre/) **Published:** June 25, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, We have a brand new antiquated salvage artifact to release today: the sceptre of histrionics! The antiquated sceptre is themed around roleplay, and is host to a variety of powers that can be used to enhance a scene or grant your character some dramatic flair. There are 14 levels of power to this artifact, including: – Illusory props to set a scene. – Change your news post signatures. – Pseudonyms for published books and news posts alike. – Project emotes across distances. – Customise your mail delivery message. And a lot more! You can read HELP ANTIQUATED SCEPTRE for the full list of powers. New to antiquated artifacts? Check out HELP ANTIQUATED also for a full overview of the system. Its features are easily expandable, so if you have a hot prop idea you’d like to see added to it, more fruit choices, new signoffs, or whatever else, make sure to file an idea! Composed at my desk on Tisday, the 14th of Sapiarch, in the year 5 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classlead June 2024 - part 3 (end)](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classlead-june-2024-part-3-end/) **Published:** June 22, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Afflictions ============================== – \[3439\] Aeon reworked, will now freeze cooldowns in place while afflicted. Battlefury / Riving ============================== – \[3445\] Removed Skill: Gripping. – \[3445\] Disembowel no longer adds an extra ‘bowelgore’ stack if you use a two-handed weapon. Deathlore / Ancestry ============================== – \[3447\] Hound / Manifest now has full access to traits and max level in fighting pits. Enchantment ============================== – \[3423\] You can now refresh your enchantment uses/decay time by re-enchanting it. Miscellaneous ============================== – \[3427\] Vampires and ascended Akkari can now use EMBRACED / EVANGELISED to see whom they have brought into their ranks. Performance ============================== – \[3462\] Rhythm can now proc on denizens for an extra attack. \* Damage has been divided into two-thirds on the first hit, and one-third on the second hit. Subterfuge ============================== – \[3473\] The Signs ability can be used while not in the Infiltrator class, as long as you own it. – \[3473\] Added SIGN CODE ` as a way to encode your messages, if you'd like to.` Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 18th of Haernos, in the year 4 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads June 2024 - part 2](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-june-2024-part-2/) **Published:** June 21, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Artifacts ============================== – \[3446\] FULLDEFEND now costs 3 charges, up from 1. Corpus / Ascendance ============================== – \[3457\] Feed / Deliver will instead be successful on an opponent with paresis, instead of any physical affliction. Ferality ============================== – \[3483\] Rupture now causes bleeding equal to one-third the amount of missing health the target has. \* This is calculated before Rupture deals damage. Miscellaenous ============================== – \[3454\] FC FILL and FC CONSUME now have the same actionable requirements as PUT and GET. Naturalism / Botany ============================== – \[3464\] Panacea / Subversion now has a timeout of 35 seconds that prevents a second affliction being cured. \* This isn’t setup as cooldown to keep it immune from skills that interact with cooldowns. Savagery / Warding ============================== – \[3485\] Crush / Pummel can now be used on a frozen opponent. – \[3485\] Pulverize / Decimate can now be used on a frozen opponent. Shamanism / Experimentation ============================== – \[3464\] Feather / Galvanic no longer count towards your fetish / compound limit. Spirituality / Subjugation ============================== – \[3480\] Slam / Slam has been turned into Lambaste / Beset, a mace skill instead of a shield skill. \* Compared to the old skill, it can no longer be dodged / rebounded and doesn’t require both arms to be free. Tarot / Hyalincuru ============================== – \[3467\] Star / Arrow balance time increased to 4 seconds, up from 3. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 12th of Haernos, in the year 4 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XXXI: Devotees at War and Morale's Adherent](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xxxi-devotees-at-war-and-morales-adherent/) **Published:** June 21, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** With Its heart assailed, amidst a gurgle of burning ichor the screeching Fundament shifted into deeper depths of Chaos. Thought, fancy, madness, and dread conspired together, weighing heavily upon mortal psyches as Chaos and Divine essence flooded the Prime. The breach through the heart, through Chaos itself, yawned open – an invitation to the devotees of the Seven at war. The invitation was swiftly accepted as the faithful entered Chaos, flung to the four corners of the battlefield; scattered, each was forced to rally alongside unlikely allies. Manipulating Chaos’ infinite possibilities to manifest armies in homage to their respective Gods, these faithful steadily warred to the objective at the centre, where the Hegemonist remained locked in titanic combat with the Withered Lord. Four Chaos Lords barred the path to Lahkencai, and one by one they fell to the faithful of the Pantheons. The first to fall was the Whispering Orb, destroyed by the combined might of Akarn of Abhorash; Legyn and Tina of Chakrasul; Whirran of Bamathis; Sekeres of Haern; and Xavin of Slyphe. Pietre of Euthymius; Sysaa of Bamathis; Maeve and Gael of Abhorash; Gyrinno of Haern; Benedicto of Slyphe; Esani of Celezor; and Azarae of Chakrasul joined in conflict against the Formless Fear; what they faced was tenacious, but they too felled their foe. Amidst ephemeral turtles, sirens, and Kelki, Sryaen of Celezor; Meleah of Slyphe; Boube of Euthymius; Minataro of Haern; Amyie of Chakrasul; Elene of Abhorash; and Sheryni of Bamathis joined in successfully melee against the Glimmering Horror. In tandem with the other forces, Azvameth and Khane of Abhorash; Kiershu of Chakrasul; Tredin of Slyphe; Emhyra of Celezor; and Tzarentesh of Bamathis made brutal work of the Echoing Emptiness. As the last of his twisted creations fell, Lahkencai’s attention abandoned the God of Tyranny and surveyed the battlefield. With a contemptuous flick of his wrist he pooled together the entirety of the realm’s spilled essence, their whole coalescing upon his palm. It sat there but a moment before the Withered Lord sucked it through his parched lips, countless possibilities and futures ending in a flippant instant. The essence flowed inward and raw willpower surged outward, washing over the realm. Its tidal roar swept over the battlefield, an iron grasp that crushed all present into submission; but a speck of dust in the face of Lahkencai’s manifest might, they were rendered unable to muster even movement away from their shattered psyches. Lahkencai turned first toward the flickering avatar of his once-mentor’s essence, this private pocket of Chaos bending to the laws of his will. A smile curved his desiccated lips as he cast a thin hand outwards, a net of malicious intent thrown with it, disintegrating all of Abhorash’s chosen into mere essence. Slowly did the Withered Lord move, the Scion almost lazy in victory. Just as before, the flick of his wrist was contemptuous when it sent the essence of Tyranny’s fallen crashing into the God, casting away His adopted visage, leaving Him desperate with intent upon staving off the annihilation of His chosen. Utmost focus twisted His carved features as Abhorash mustered the full bearing of His blood, His Divinity, and His will. His clawed hand outstretched to reclaim the unspooled beings of His faithful, yet the motion died under the gravity of Lahkencai’s command; the unravelled mortals floated unhindered toward the Withered Lord. A faint sound drifted down from the heavens, monosyllabic and muted: “Yip!”. More frenzied yipping echoed from on high, each excited utterance filling the realm with the obstreperous Morale of the one Kobold beyond the Prime. The Kobold’s cries built steadily in volume until each “Yip!” was a booming thunderclap that strained across the plane. Wild yapping served as the answer to Boube’s heroic calls. From Top Rock to Siha Dylis and beyond, the howls of a thousand Kobolds arose in answer to a hero, adding to the Apprentice’s inspirational clamour. The noise erupted as blooms of bursting energy – to the firmament and within all present’s hearts. A soldier’s second wind coursed through the combatants, invigorating them with the strength to push through all obstacles and odds. Crackling streamers of gentle light manifested upon the horizon to frame the scene of battle-torn Chaos, celebrating the ascension of Boube to Adherent of Morale. Euthymius flitted away from confrontation with Lanu Du, drawn toward Their yipping Adherent. Morale’s resilient intervention bathed the Tyrant God’s bindings in mystic fire, freeing the Progenitor’s hand to complete the reclamation of what was His as the Sacred Heart’s Adherent spread Their virtue throughout the war-torn shard. It suffuses Light, Water, Strife, and Life with a faint glimmer of implacable bronze, granting Them the strength to rally and obliterate the forces before Them. The unspooled Reavers hovered in the Hegemonist’s palm for but a blink before he flung it outward, expelling the burning torrent from Chaos into Prime. Like flaming meteors Tyranny’s chosen cleaved across the sky, ascending beyond the pale of mortal influence. Born upon a veritable nebula of Divine essence unlocked in this new Age, their combined essence shone like stars as they scribed the tale of the Prime’s defiance against Fundamental Chaos in a blazing script; tales of dominion took form in the burgeoning starlight, reliving the last moments of the Chaos Lords conquered by Abhorash’s Chosen. As each conquest illuminated the sky, deliberate order took form amidst the blinding luminescence. Blazing orbs scrawled the outline of a pentagon, its distinguishable shape taking form – save the northern star. Though each Reaver’s tale found immortality in the heavens’ depths, Elene Arcan’s story burned brightest at the apex of the formation; certainly Tyranny manifest, once-Strategy’s Virtue still served as the fuel of His ascension. The revelation of the God’s gambit set long ago at the beginning of this tale, unfolded amidst dazzling orbs. The emerging constellation regaled the world below with images and narratives: a God and an Aetherial, sequestered deep within Abyssal Chaos, submerged in clandestine plotting; a path mandated, a path swiftly accepted. A withered crone deceived and consigned to an ignoble end; an Aetherial, guiding the Chaos Lord to her doom. A touch, hidden from all others; a conduit opened, unbeknownst to all. A heretical ritual of the High Endorone: a being of Chaos set ablaze, her heart torn from a malformed body. An entity’s essence was consumed, and a contaminant was implanted as a result. Tyranny’s essence gibbered with insanity as Strategy’s climax was unveiled: Heretical perversion, essence without pact, profane corruption; the seething mixture of Abyssal and Fundamental Chaos, each vying for dominance as starlight’s luminescence bubbled through with unholy veins. Sacrilegious aberration served as the crucible that reformed Tyranny’s Reavers amidst the illumination of their collective legend, its twists and thrills carved into the sky. Elene Arcan faded from the fore, the celestial reverie that shrouded her dimming to naught as Ontesme departed from a profaned vessel. Sudden like a warhammer’s collision, it reignited into thousandfold concussive explosions, a nascent constellation fully birthed amidst raging supernovae. These celestial anomalies baptised Lahkencai in apocalyptic acrimony as the Withered Lord suffered the full force of Tyranny – a force bolstered alike by Morale’s ascension and Fundamental Chaos’ stolen essence. On and on flares the stellar lance, pulsating waves of genocidal destruction that crash down upon Chaos’ Scion. From the catastrophe’s heart descended the reborn Aetherial of Oidhre, racing the cataclysmic beam back into the depths of Chaos as the Hegemonist’s fold entered the fray once more. When the last destructive nova flickered out, what remained was the husk of the Chaos Lord. Though the indomitable core of will sustaining the Scion remained unbroken, its lacerated layers sagged and sloughed, shorn nearly to naught. Even as Lanu Du’s essence surged in to revitalise the battered Scion, he rose to his feet; formidable, undefeated, vulnerable. Mirroring the struggle against Fundamental Chaos raging above them, the combined faithful of Abhorash, Bamathis, Celezor, Chakrasul, Euthymius, Haern, and Slyphe cast down Lahkencai’s husk, forcing the Withered Lord to flee back into the depths of Chaos. Without Lahkencai’s influence and with the Chaos hordes severely thinned, all seven Gods beset upon Lanu Du without distraction. Haern scattered the last of His prey with an ursine roar, His wargauntlets scattering countless faceless minions to cosmic winds as He took up His place beside Siblings. Brilliant fire and spirit manifested into the towering imposition of Lord Celezor, His greatsword lifted on high to gesture at Faceless Chaos. Dauntless Slyphe rode an arching tidespout towards Her compatriot, her aqueous form splashing into position beside the Accordant Lord. Brilliant Euthymius bloomed into existence at Haern’s side, Their raw virtue extending to all but one of Their fellows. Consumed still by bloodlust, Bamathis strode forward to gain a step upon His fellows. He tightened His grip upon Caelestis, a wordless snarl ringing out across realms near and far. Abhorash emerged through gouts of celestial blood in a series of graceful steps, His hilunite sword held ready. Cruel Chakrasul set Herself apart from the rest, Her indomitable might rendering Her a jade beacon in no need of Morale’s gift. As One, the Seven stepped forward. Wheresoever They walked, Chaos quivered and quailed; It retreated and receded, the maddened flesh and spiralling dissociation of Incarnate Insanity burnt away and beaten back by the unstoppable fury of seven Gods. Silver and alabaster fire carved a way through the heart of Lanu Du’s remaining forces, Its myriad masks and renegade lords brought to heel by screaming arcs of Dia’ruian lightning. Tidal walls enforced distance and space, creating opportune moments and tactical advantages for Sapience’s embattled pantheon. Reality soon scabbed over, obscuring the advance of the Deific collective. The celestial vault snapped shut to assert Primal order, breathing all the livelier in celebration of Morale’s Adherent. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 12th of Haernos, in the year 4 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XXX: The Scion of Incarnate Madness](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xxx-the-scion-of-incarnate-madness/) **Published:** June 21, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As Sapience’s Pantheon battled Lanu Du, the demarcation between Prime and Chaos thinned, spawning eldritch monstrosities in the sky that threatened to bleed into Sapience. Drawing upon the pact granted to them by Abhorash as His stewards of Abyssal Chaos, the Hegemonist’s Chosen waged war against these forces for over a season, ascending into these breaches time and time again. Beset by the infinite spawn of Chaos, Abhorash’s Reavers manifested armies of their own will to engage in battle, carving through the hostile forces of Lahkencai, the Withered Lord, in support of God and Pantheon. Each campaign saw the Hegemony cast down one of the Withered Lord’s twisted creations: as a collective, the Order shut the Gaping Maw and dismantled the Clockwork Horror. With the war progressing, however, each Reaver was individually beset, isolated from their peers as each faced down and ultimately conquered their own abominations. The Whispering Mist was the first to perish thus, its essence stripped clean to nourish Khane’s Abyssal brood. Made unrecognisable from a barrage of chaos powered arrows, the Eyeless Whisperer was transformed into nothing but a bloodied mass of hole-filled pulp. Shredded by Akarn’s chaotic soul-wrought blast, the Shifting Limbs were reduced to little more than a bloody, bone-filled mist. A pitiful whimper accompanied the subjugation of the Infinite Coil as it was broken ‘neath the painful perfection of Maeve’s magnificent hilunite heel. Gael watched on as his will made manifest sheared the Silent Herald from reality. The Screaming Abyss’ innards burst out from its ribcage in wings of gore as it was reduced to an insignificant smudge under the imperious pressure of Azvameth’s colossal thumb. Proclaiming that the Writhing Shadows be naught, Elene’s manifest disregard unmade its fundamental essence, erasing it utterly from Creation’s ineffable weave. This thinning of Lahkencai’s creations set the scene for a confrontation with the Scion of Fundamental Chaos, Lahkencai himself; when that day came, it was ushered in by twin slashes piercing through the increasingly thin veneer betwixt planes, threads shredded with the tremendous momentum of titanic strikes thrown awry. The blood-soaked edge of Caelestis screamed through the sky as the Warlord plummeted across the firmament, slowly regaining His bearings amidst some monumental strike. Smouldering Odasto carved its path across the heavens as the Hegemonist was likewise cleft through the barrier between planes, stabilising His descent beside the Divine Commander. The crackling tension of Strife lanced alongside the ravenous aura of Tyranny as the slender pair, each as much a weapon as the blades They wielded, steadied Themselves side by side. Harrowed were the lines that created sculpted brawn and alabaster flesh alike; raging was the bloodlust that seared through eyes of glacier blue and mercurial silver. Strife and Tyranny shared no glance or nod, for none was necessitated. They flew as one onto the breach once more. Abhorash sketched unseen patterns through the atmosphere as He flourished His hilunite sword in intricate, whirling manoeuvres, increasing the lethality of His advance. Whorls of domineering strength rippled along the weapon, staining His surroundings crimson. Unconcerned with such theatrics, Bamathis released a raging roar, joined by His domain in this wordless warcry; the thunderclap of countless cavalry, the blast of trumpets, the clash of arms and armour, and the screams of the dying echoed beneath the shattering invocation. Neither deity spared a glance backward at the now-alien respite of the Prime. They entered the fray once more, and the war upon Chaos was laid bare to witness in Their wake. Though thinned by the campaign of the Progenitor’s Reavers, the Faceless One’s horde still sprawled unendingly. Infinitude and possibility formed the imaginations of Chaos, stirring the plane into a stirring morass of willpower made reality. There was no truer example of this than the Withered Lord, mere Nazetu once, now bending Chaos to his whims with a skill that far eclipsed even empowered Divinity: Haern the Hunter, submerged in battle, put this inequality to the test. Haern leaped into battle with a feral roar of His own, His wargauntlet-clad fists bashing through legions of twisted daydreams. Ripples of Dia’ruian force resounded with every blow, obliterating those minions foolish enough to try and catch Him unawares. With the rabble dispatched, the Lord of the Hunt bounded forward and unhinged His jaw, transforming mere teeth into brutal leonine incisors. Surging toward the eldritch Fundament, the maw snapped forward and began to close, hungry for a chunk of Lanu Du. Lahkencai intervened before He could close in upon His prey; Haern’s teeth blunted and shrank as His body shed mass and bulk, bending into the diminutive form of a chattering chipmunk. The Faceless One’s countless protrusions sprayed forward, batting the Wild God’s vulnerable form aside. Next, the Withered Lord turned His sights toward two disparate Deities upon the opposite end of the field, crooking one decrepit finger. Jade and orange light smeared across the horizon of the riotous Chaos realm, chaining Chakrasul and Euthymius together within an incoherent mass of unbound energy. Corruption let loose a scream of frustration and unleashed a churning tide of acidic essence upon Her bindings, though it availed Her naught. The Sacred Heart flickered in a rare display of uncertainty and panic, Their inspiring light smothered by Their shackles. With sorrow directed toward the dismal state of Morale and Corruption, the Dauntless Goddess flicked Her wrist in a fluid motion, beckoning forth shining tides that crashed down against the shrunken Haern. Cascading liquid engulfed the Hunter, thoroughly drenching Him as the price of His salvation from Slyphe. The Dauntless turned Her attention toward the grotesque appendages of the Faceless One, each tentacle yet poised to wound the poly-morphed Hunter. She raised Her hands in a gesture of denial, the motion compelling the vastness of elemental excess to obey Her, and so it did. Bound to Silafi’s will, a colossal wave emerged from the ether, carving through the liminal space of the chaotic battlefield. It enclosed Haern in a protective, hydrous embrace, thus shielding Him from the maddened Fundament’s relentless assaults. Pleased with these distractions, Lahkencai turned his gaze to the bloodied slaughter unfolding further along the Faceless One’s wriggling mass. Bamathis carved through the endless ranks of the Mad God with Caelestis’ burning edge, His martial forms discarded in favour of sheer brutality. He moved like a bellicose whirlwind, His free hand employed only to shove aside the rabble or unleash His Immortal might in tandem with butchery. Undeterred by the brutality on display, the Withered Lord lifted both his hands, conducting the horrors of chaotic possibility; a tremendous wall of bone sprang up to impede Strife’s progress, inspiring a frustrated roar to tear from the Warlord’s chest. He hammered into the wall with all His might, its deceptively dense material chipping away into an ivory mist with every titanic strike of His weapon. Lost in rage, engulfed in His need for brutal physicality, Bamathis continued to hammer at the wall, His endless assault sending shudders through Chaos. Crackling streams of gilded lightning and aurulent fire scythed through the battlefield as Celezor incinerated a path forward toward Lanu Du’s horrific heart. Even a single spark of the Accordant Lord’s fury cauterised the tentacles, tendrils, and maws in His wake, stymying their endless recuperation. Celezor’s conflagrant frame twisted into being beside Morale, His cobalt gaze taking stock of Euthymius’ predicament. One burning hand reached out to His compatriot’s bonds, His expression darkening when He identified Chakrasul at the chain’s opposite end. Alabaster fire raced down the links, gnawing away at the jade light imbued within them. The Dark Lady hissed in agony as the chalky blaze consumed Her and Morale’s bindings in tandem, pure venom reflected in the warning glance She shot toward Celezor. The equal and opposite energies clashed for but a moment before the chains faded to naught, the essence-wrought stalemate broken by the intervention of Light Incarnate. As Incarnate Madness’ foremost servant continually thwarted Sapience’s advance upon the Fundament, Tyranny manifested His usurped Chaos about Himself. The God’s form bubbled and writhed as the conquered spoils of Abyssal Chaos poured forth, bestowing upon the Progenitor the mantle of a Chaos Lord twice devoured. Marble flesh sloughed away to reveal ebon edifices boiling with masses of tentacles; slick with slime and seething with multitudes of mouths, their pulsating, ever-shifting colours were a thing beyond mortal comprehension. Phosphorescent dots and splotches shined from fungal entities that infected the morphing God’s figure, lights and movement ever-visible across His petrified flesh and the grinning rictus of His maw. Wearing the visage of Hansekkaramnis, the Usurper of Abyssal Chaos stomped into the heart of conjoined bedlam, myriad tentacles flaring out at Lahkencai in challenge. “At last you reveal your true self, Hansekkaramnis,” Lahkencai shouted across the field, absconding his imposition upon the field of Chaos, eagerly falling to meet the challenge of his once-mentor. With the way clear, the remaining six Gods rallied and pressed forward. Shining strands of jade, alabaster, cerulean, viridian, argent, and orange wove into an impenetrable aegis that guarded Their backs, Their collective might carving the way forward into the Faceless One’s heart. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 12th of Haernos, in the year 4 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads June 2024 - part 1](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-june-2024-part-1/) **Published:** June 18, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Devotion / Apocalyptia ============================== – \[3431\] Rites / Verses will no longer be destroyed until you suffer a full death. – \[3424\] Pilgrimage / Earthcall can now travel to a destination with a monolith. \* It is still blocked if there is a monolith in your own location. – \[3424\] Pilgrimage / Earthcall now restores a small amount of health and mana to your allies upon arrival. Corpus / Ascendance ============================== – \[3481\] Purify / Succour now only cures one random affliction. Deathlore / Ancestry ============================== – \[3475\] Harvest / Victory now grants additional souls based upon the strength of the denizen. Domination / Contracts ============================== – \[3451\] Gremlin / Faunapod will now upset equilibrium instead of balance. – \[3442\] Bubonis / Mocker has had its maximum health tripled. Geometrics / Cultivation ============================== – \[3428\] Lemniscate / Sonder now gains 3 stacks if the caster is not in the same room per Afterimage proc. Mentis / Dictum ============================== – \[3426\] You can on longer whisper or dictate afflictions while off balance if you are fallen. \* This includes all forms of whispering, such as Forkedtongue, Trill, etc. – \[3436\] Peace / Kunirait will now be automatically cured after 7 seconds when delivered by Mentis / Dictum. Tarot / Hyalincuru ============================== – \[3425\] Temperance / Chalice now forceably clots all bleeding for 4 mana per 1 point of bleeding. – \[3429\] Tower / Confetti can now only make one set of rubble at a time. – \[3429\] Tower / Confetti summoned rubble has been set to a 2 minute lifespan, instead of variable. – \[3430\] Death / Raven now requires 5 rubs / adjustments to use, instead of 7. – \[3430\] Death / Raven no longer gains additional rubs / adjustments from Leech / Unspool. – \[3430\] Death / Raven channel time has been swapped to a more precise timer, so it should be 7 seconds more consistently. – \[3430\] When channeling Death / Raven, you can no longer dodge or divert attacks. Vocalizing ============================== – \[3465\] Packhowl no longer needs the same Shapeshifter type to make use of it, instead it now requires you to have mutual Shapeshifter allies with you. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 19th of Slyphian, in the year 4 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Father's Day](https://www.aetolia.com/news/fathers-day-2/) **Published:** June 16, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Don’t forget that it’s Father’s Day tomorrow (Sunday) in America and other places in the world! Make sure to call your dad! To celebrate, we’re giving away 25 bound credits simply for entering DADSRULE within the next few days. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 6th of Slyphian, in the year 4 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Submissions closed](https://www.aetolia.com/news/submissions-closed-5/) **Published:** June 15, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Submission for new classleads is now closed. You can use REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find reports you haven’t left a comment on, and REPORTS ABSTAINED for reports you haven’t voted on. After three days to gather comments and votes, we will start to post decisions. Thanks! \[0;1;31mIMPORTANT:\[0m I know a lot of you have been discussing the reports heavily on the Discord, however you should still vote if you have not done so. Voting gives me a very clear understanding of what players want and what your \[0;1;37mfinal opinion\[0m is on a report. Not voting through the in-game commands is likely just wasting your time. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 25th of Lexadian, in the year 4 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Upcoming Great Hunt](https://www.aetolia.com/news/upcoming-great-hunt/) **Published:** June 14, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** It’s been a hot minute since the last Great Hunt! So sharpen your blades, crack your fists, top off your mana, or polish whatever method you use for hunting – because a Hunt is just around the corner! The Great Hunt will happen on the final weekend of this month, starting from \[0;1;37mJune 29th\[0m at the Howling and lasting 48 hours. Refer to the EVENTS listing for timings. This is a 48 hour hunting contest with credit prizes at certain points thresholds and larger credit prizes for the winners! Ironman Mode will also be returning as a Tier for this Great Hunt too! \[0;1;37mNote: orrery bonuses will not be active for this event\[0m HELP GREAT HUNT has lots of useful information on the commands and scores and effects that are in play, and the prizes are as follows: 1st: 400cr 2nd: 350cr 3rd: 300cr 4th: 250cr 5th: 200cr 6th: 150cr 7th: 100cr 8th: 100cr 9th: 50cr 10th: 50cr NOTE: The level 1-98 tier will receive bound credits, the 99+ tier and the Ironman tier will receive unbound credits. There are also credit prizes for meeting certain point thresholds: 100 Points = 5 Bound Credits 1000 Points = 10 Bound Credits 2500 Points = 15 Bound Credits Happy hunting! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 19th of Lexadian, in the year 4 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Duel - plus something new!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-duel-plus-something-new/) **Published:** June 6, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Drums thunder, trumpets sound, The Duel awaits, bold hearts rise Glory calls aloud. The Duel is a double elimination tournament to be held in Esterport this weekend, the perfect opportunity to show off your hard work and theory crafting to the spectators of Sapience! Will you be crowned the Champion? If you’ve never joined one before or haven’t heard of it before now, HELP THE DUEL will tell you what you need to know. Prizes include fame, credits, and the Rapier of the Master Duelist per normal, however… NEW: All participants will receive a class figurine, a new line of figurines that will only be obtainable by participating in the Duel. Collect them all over time and show them off to your friends! The first one will be the Ascendril class – chosen due to its impending rework. In addition, all entrants will be added into a raffle to win a prize at the conclusion of the event, win or lose! The specific time and date for the event can be found via EVENT INFO 780. Make sure you have set up CONFIG TIMEZONE for your local time. See you there! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 21st of Lleian, in the year 4 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads June 2024](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-june-2024/) **Published:** June 1, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, The time is here! The second classlead cycle of the year! ——————————— Information for this classlead cycle: Submissions will be open for TWO WEEKS in which you can submit THREE reports in for consideration which will be left anonymous. Once this time frame is up, there will be THREE DAYS to vote before we will start posting decisions. You can still vote early as per normal, but the extra three days will be there to avoid the feeling of late reports purposefully being submitted to be snuck through near the end. Yes, we’re still not accepting Ascendril / Bloodborn classleads. But it is most definitely the last round before the redesign is finally here. Juicy! If you’re new, continue on below for more information on classleads. If you’re old, please read HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES at the very least. ——————————— What are classleads: Classleads are a two week period that allows players to submit reports about their class (or other classes) for review by the administration. Do you believe that Teradrim should be able to fling dirt in someone’s eyes? Then this is what you’ve been waiting for! Make sure to read through HELP CLASSLEADS to learn the commands needed to make and submit your reports, and I also highly recommend HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES to help avoid common potholes when creating your submissions. If you want to keep track of submissions and results, have a look at CONFIG CLASSLEADS and consider turning it on. Also consider joining the Discord! On top of being a great place for report feedback before submission, each report will have a thread created about it so you can discuss it with others. See HELP DISCORD for information. Details on submission: \* Newly created reports will be marked as anonymous, your name as a submitter will not be revealed to others. \* You may submit up to a total of three reports across the skillsets of the game to suggest combat balance adjustments, new features, or quality of life upgrades. Please note that this limit is based across all characters you own. \* Reports that are based on skills you do not possess will be much more heavily scrutinized, so make sure they are top-notch before submission. \* While you must provide reasonable solutions to your report’s problem, we may opt for a fourth solution instead based upon feedback. \* Once a report is submitted, -anyone- may vote upon its merit using the CLASSLEAD SUPPORT/REJECT commands. If you wish to support/reject a report, please provide your reasoning and make sure to point out any shortcomings or additions you feel might be necessary. You may also simply leave a comment using CLASSLEAD COMMENT , if you wish for a more neutral approach. \* Any commentary which basically boils down to ‘I agree with my bud’ or ‘This is a terrible idea’ will automatically be discarded, and will you hurt your chances at passing through reports in future rounds, perhaps even resulting in loss of ability to submit at all. If you can consistently provide level-headed thought and in depth knowledge then your opinions will be valued more highly over others, and could result in extra submissions. \* You can use REPORTS ABSTAINED and REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find submitted reports you have not voted upon or commented. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 16th of Celes, in the year 4 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [June promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/june-promotion/) **Published:** June 1, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, All eyes are on Qor Qogol for this weekend for the climax of ongoing event – be sure to check EVENTS for the timings! Also as a reminder we have three Esterport shops up for sale on the auction house – they will be closing in a little over 48 hours from now. For the month of June, we’re offering: a salvage sale, the return of the artifact cart, and a direct lesson sale! Every 100 credits purchased from the website will come with a piece of antiquated salvage, which is typically valued at 200 credits. These pieces may be traded to other players and used without bearing your mark, EXCEPT for purchasing the Antiquated Artifacts themselves. Once you obtain the first level, you can use any salvage you like to upgrade it. HELP ANTIQUATED ARTIFACTS will be of interest to those who aren’t familiar with how salvage works, as well as HELP ANTIQUATED \[RING/GOGGLES/GAUNTLET/CROP\] for a specific breakdown of what each item does. As for the Artifact Cart, all artifacts purchased directly through the cart have a 30% discount applied; this stacks with Iron Elite Membership for a total discount of 40%! In addition to the large discounts, there are a number of exclusives available only through the artifact cart, including: – Chocolates – House deeds (these come with FIVE rooms in total and can be redeemed by e-mailing me as per HELP CASTLES) – Fireworks – Upgrade tokens – Several other artifacts Silver chalices can also be found under the ‘artifact packages’ section of the website, with an option for one chalice or a pack of five at comparable discounts to the cart. Last up is the lesson sale! For the month of June, lessons can be purchased directly from the website at a significant bonus. Those with Iron Elite Memberships will also receive 10% bonus lessons on any lesson purchase they make! As always, the cart, credits, and lessons can be found on the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits! Finally, every Monday in June will have double milestones – happy keystone hunting! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 15th of Celes, in the year 4 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Calling Mortal Builders!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/calling-mortal-builders-2/) **Published:** May 27, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi everyone! Aetolia is once again looking for enthusiastic and skilled writers to contribute to the game’s development as a mortal builder! We’re inviting anyone who has a creative streak, an interest in helping Aetolia grow, and the ability to both work to a goal and to deadlines to apply for the builder role. Building projects come with credits as payment for work completed and don’t require you to give up playing your character(s). This can be an excellent and fulfilling opportunity to contribute to the game and leave behind a permanent mark on the world. It is also an excellent way to gain experience for future Celani applications. To apply, please be sure to read HELP STYLE GUIDELINES in full and then send a plain text email to emellan@aetolia.com with the following included: \[x\] Five flawless room descriptions, each a different environment. \[x\] Two NPC descriptions, such as an animal or a person, and two possible attack lines these NPCs might have. Show off your creativity with these! \[x\] How many hours per week you expect to be able to contribute towards building projects. \[x\] Any experience with building or writing that you have had before. \[x\] An original project idea that you would like to work on. This can be as small or elaborate as you like, be it a band of NPCs or a sprawling ruined temple to your favourite God. This is an opportunity to showcase your imagination and give us an idea of what work you may be best suited for, so make it as interesting as you can! Please keep in mind though that this is purely a chance for us to see your mind at work rather than a project that is likely to come to fruition. The vast majority of projects will be decided already or form part of a larger plan we have in mind for Aetolia as a whole. As a disclaimer, we currently have a preference for anybody \[0;1;37mcomfortable with writing a lot of rooms in one area\[0m. These projects will usual involve multiple weeks or months before a deadline. We have a lot of upcoming content that will require anywhere between \[0;1;37m50\[0m and \[0;1;37m200\[0m room descriptions to complete any given area, which could be quite the windfall for those who are willing to handle an entire project themselves! Please include your character name in the application as well, so we know who to contact! We will post again to tell you when the application process is closed, but will reach out to prospects until that moment. Feel free to message or e-mail me if you have any questions! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 16th of Omeian, in the year 4 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Mother's Day](https://www.aetolia.com/news/mothers-day-2/) **Published:** May 12, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** It’s Mother’s Day today/tomorrow in many parts of the world – don’t forget! But to help you remember, and to celebrate mothers everywhere, the MOTHERSROCK command has returned again! Simply type in MOTHERSROCK and you’ll receive an instant 25 bound credits. You can only do it once per character, and the command will be disabled next week. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 20th of Severin, in the year 4 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [HELP SECONDS clarification](https://www.aetolia.com/news/help-seconds-clarification/) **Published:** May 7, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, I just want to bring some clarification towards the ruling outlined in HELP SECONDS that you cannot play multiple characters across cities that are at war with each other. This extends beyond mechanical war, and includes situations in which two cities have come into conflict over an issue, such as this current event. Or, of course, any conflict between two orgs (not just cities) that you have characters in. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 16th of Sapiarch, in the year 4 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [May 2024 promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/may-2024-promotion/) **Published:** May 1, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, The year is already chugging along fast as we’re already entering into May and saying goodbye to cryptic chests. Replacing them for this month, coffers make a return with two new varieties: chaos and chthonic! Much like our other themed coffers, you will find options for choosing either of these coffers over at www.aetolia.com/credits. All Coffers ———– – Credit prizes ranging from 33 to 500 – Iron Coin prizes in batches of 25 or 50 – Artifacts ranging in value from 50-2000 credits – Chocolate bags, elemental globes, silver chalices, morphic metal, patriotic firework displays, and a low chance at antiquated salvage. – Compendium pages for: Bonro Sands, the Itzatl Morass, the Fengard Keep, the Teshen Undercroft, Tiyen Esityi, Kkirrrr’shi Hive, and the Maul. – Styles for bedrock, confident, spooky and warcry, with a chance at style points to acquire most any style your heart desires. Chaos Coffers ————- – Minipets: a fire imp, a runty horn demon, and a worm-like Chaos scout. – Iterators for the \[0;1;37mnew\[0m CHAOTIC vox. – Caches of relic pieces for: heraldhorn \[0;1;37m(NEW)\[0m, racialslot1 \[0;1;37m(NEW)\[0m, stormbinder \[0;1;37m(NEW)\[0m, observereyes, acidbreath, bloodyfang, sensebacklash, and flair\_crazed. Chthonic Coffers —————- – Minipets: a squat earth elemental, a restless spectre, and a bone-wrought cat. – Iterators for the new CHTHONIC vox. – Caches of relic pieces for: stonebinder \[0;1;37m(NEW)\[0m, racialslot2 \[0;1;37m(NEW)\[0m, stormbinder \[0;1;37m(NEW)\[0m, observereyes, acidbreath, bloodyfang, sensebacklash, and flair\_decay. All coffers will also award one or more consumables that do not count against your value. These include, among other things, immolation bombs, siphoning devices, sets of obsidian scales, pills of omnipotence, preserved, yellowed eyes, and a \[0;1;37mnew item:\[0m a weathered potsherd! You can \[0;1;31mCRACK\[0m the \[0;1;31mpotsherd\[0m to respawn the area you’re in, as a one-time use version of the hunter’s knife. There is also a global prize of 500 credits for every 500 coffers opened. There are also coffers up for sale in the milestone wares: one of each, for a gold key each! Lastly, every Thursday this month will be a blessing day! Explanation of new relics are: —————————— \[0;1;37mheraldhorn:\[0m – Once per hour, you can challenge another player to a duel. – You can \[0;1;31mBLOW HORN CHALLENGING \[0m, and a Chaos herald will announce your challenge globally. – The challenged party can \[0;1;31mCHALLENGE ACCEPT\[0m or \[0;1;31mCHALLENGE DECLINE\[0m. – Accepting will put the two of you into a small arena to duke it out, while declining will have the Chaos herald viciously mock you. \[0;1;37mracialslot1 & racialslot2:\[0m – Grants you an extra racial skill slot. – If you own both, you can FUSE them into racialslot\_combined to upgrade their power to level 2, granting you two slots instead. \* As a bonus, you’ll gain an instant one-time +1 racial skill point for doing this. – Note: Owning both won’t grant you two slots until you fuse them together. – No, you cannot stack them! \[0;1;37mstormbinder:\[0m – Lets you \[0;1;31mRAISE SHOCKWALL \[0m. – Shockwalls drain mana from anybody that walks through them. Your electric audit will decrease the amount of drain you take. – If you run out of mana passing through a shockwall, you’ll be stunned. – Since it’s a wall, cannot be placed on an exit already containing another wall type. \[0;1;37mstonebinder:\[0m – Unburrows a specific target in your room. – Slightly slower than an arti shovel (3.0 neutral bal), but the target is afflicted with writhe\_ropes when unburrowed. – Syntax: \[0;1;31mSTONEBIND \[0m. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 4th of Haernos, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XXVIV: The Brightest Sword](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xxviv-the-brightest-sword/) **Published:** April 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Lexadhra lifted a hand and pinched the air with Her thumb and index finger, the view of foreign land expanding and contracting in a rapid flux of historical imagery. “Alengarth was like your Hammer, in some ways: fiercely devout and equally independent – a monument to zeal and prayer. It held no belief like your Light, however… no, instead, Alengarth was a city of cults and priesthoods,” the Indelible Lady orated, Her gaze locked to the mural ‘neath Her command. “A tapestry of competition and faith, held together by the thread of community. All religions and Elders were welcome.” The mural continued to shift and change as its view affixed to a specific point in time and space long gone and never seen: a colossal city upon a coastal cliff just at the edge of that unknown desolation. Soon, the quicksilver hurried to obey Lady Lexadhra, becoming a vivid tableau of merchants, priests, warriors and rulers upon cobbled streets ‘neath scorching suns and glistening moons. Her tone soft as silk, Lexadhra pressed on: “A beautiful place, Alengarth – host to cults and priesthoods and covens dedicated to Elder power. They competed amongst themselves to prove their devotion and gain influence in the city.” As Incarnate Memory proceeded to speak, She did so over the cries of hawkers and missionaries. “Alengarth’s ruling council consisted of the high priests of as many Elders as it had cults. Its temple district spanned half the city and worship could be found at all hours,” She narrated, a fond smile tugging at Her lips. “The Harbingers of the Close. The Jackals of the Silver Chalice. The Grasping Fist of Starless Nights…” Golden light pulsed from the depths of the mural, warm and crisp like summer sunlight. Its emergence momentarily staved off story’s continuance, leaving Incarnate Memory to gather Her breath and dwell upon lost glories known only to Her. “Foremost for ages of Alengarth’s history, stood one cult: the Brightswords,” Lexadhra finally murmured when She opted to continue. “The Brightswords of Elder Valour,” She elaborated as She gestured towards one of the temples evident within the moving mural. As if bid to open by Her gesture, the temple’s double doors flew open to reveal a tremendous hall more similar to a martial academy than any holy place. “A storied cult that behaved as if they were a military company, their general the Elder God of Valour. They were renowned for bravery in battle, facing down twice their number without a care in the world so long as they all witnessed the courage inherent in such an act. For countless ages did they stand as thorns in the side of many opposing priesthoods: Darkness, Strife, Chaos, Love… one and all did they find themselves at the end of flaming golden blades, castigated by the burning gaze of priests and cadre mages. Lexadhra turned Her back to the crowd and gestured wide with both hands as if She were peeling back a curtain. Light flared from the mural, dragging the scenery to disparate locales steeped in blood and carnage: the steppes before Helecrucia, the plains that unfurled outside great Glandor, the sea of Silver Swords – these names came to Her mortal witnesses as if epiphanic recollection, each place the site of a gruesome battle in a world never known. Here, Lexadhra heaved a heavy sigh. The expression stirred the gelid mists of Her domain, smearing fog across the mural – fog that swiftly dissipates in the face of golden-hued clarity. “The Brightswords survived until the very end of Azhoa, when the Worldeater plucked it up into His jaws and fled His eternal foe – a feat unto itself, for faith was a strange thing in that world. Orders and priesthoods were not so monolithic there, after all – not like here,” Immortal Memory explained. “On the eve of their return to Alengarth, after striking down yet another upstart cult dedicated to Elder Darkness, they arrived to find the city besieged by otherworldly forces,” continued the Goddess. Aghast visages took up their place upon the mural then, shock and horror warring in their once-stoic expressions. Countless soldiers sworn to a brave Elder looked upon the distant ruin of a home under assault, its walls gnawed through by the terrifying dissolution of Oblivion Itself. “Unwilling to let the people fend for themselves, the Brightswords did what had always been espoused by their God,” She drawled, the predictability evidently driving Her to spare a wry grin for the thrilling theatrics of a world fallen and dispersed to naught. “They challenged insurmountable odds to prove their bravery,” Lexadhra laughed. The once shocked soldiers mustered together into two groups as if by Her own command – one marched forward to wade into gory battle with horrors only ever glimpsed within Incarnate Memory’s misty domain, even as the other gathered together into a ritual circle. One by one, the mages extinguish their own lives, their final breaths expelled as aurulent fog that settled upon the ruined city as a protective enchantment. “The mages gave their lives to buy time for their fellows to charge through the fray…” More commanders and armoured warriors broke away within the quicksilver mural, one by one diminishing the numbers of the brave Brightswords. Each issued a solitary challenge that drew the ire of countless void elementals and eldritch abominations, allowing their comrades to charge through into the city amidst a trail of blood and tattered flesh. “Regardless of religion, of cult, of Elder, of belief, they saved as many lives as they could…” A long shadow loomed across the mural at that moment, snuffing out the imagery and quelling quicksilver’s ceaseless depiction of abominable horror. “… but of course,” Lexadhra reminded Her enraptured audience, “It mattered not. They all died. All cities fell. Nations, peoples, religions, the very Gods of the world. All were dust upon the silvered tongue of the Worldeater.” Golden light breached the mural, bathing the audience of Enorian’s faithful in the warmth of courage and fiery devotion. It seeped into their flesh, suffusing them with the grace of an Elder never glimpsed nor met. The longer they stood in the glorious presence of this unknown light, the more understanding began to blossom amongst them – what they saw mere moments ago looked easy enough to replicate. For three weeks following this moment, the Hammer of Dawn rallied together and laid siege to the grim enchantment holding the dead places of memory and interment, their imperial and savage allies banding together to ward off the North as the Dawn’s faithful cleansed each graveyard with singleminded fervour. When the dust settled and the final, bloody dawn touched the land, the Hammer stood triumphant, their militant faith resulting in a fundamental renaissance of understanding for prayer and worship – an understanding that sharpened the anointed blade of Divine retribution. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Slyphian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XXVIII: The Fury of the Dawn](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xxviii-the-fury-of-the-dawn/) **Published:** April 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** A gyre of celestial mist arose from the depths of the Memoryscape, the stirring of the Indelible inciting the veil of time to effervescent agitation. Drawn to solemn memories of the fallen, Lexadhra’s circuitous mists manifested within the Alcove of the Shepherd. The chronal fog whirled together into a frantic spiral that parted as would a stage’s curtain, allowing the Goddess to pass through into the Hammer of Dawn’s reaches. “It is time,” Lexadhra informed those within earshot. The shining mists that oft clung to Her billowed and unfurled upon one of the plain wooden benches of the alcove, offering a place for their mauve Mistress to perch comfortably. She settled down and planted one slender elbow upon a delicate knee, allowing Her to prop up Her chin in a lazy manner irreverent of Her deific station. “Time charts a course ever forward, its fierce currents preventing most travel upstream. A moon ago or more now, I had spoken to your Vanguard,” Incarnate Memory began, Her voidblack eyes shifting to regard Inthirath as She mentioned his name. She lifted Her free hand and stirred a single digit through the air as if She were a witch toiling away at a potent brew, thin threads of gossamer essence spooling there around Her finger. “Even then, warriors of the Light, I had grown bored of this show. The Faceless One’s cult carries on with a rather one note performance,” Lexadhra continued, Her features adopting a dark frown that rendered what beauty She possesses into a darkling reflection of alluring terror. “A sorry state of affairs that necessitates My interference.” “I am loathe to employ My own essence in its entirety to achieve this, for it would merely draw Me into what looks an eternal conflict. Those seven that battle Lanu Du hold Their own rather well, but to slay the God would be to try and vanquish the plane itself – foolhardy, nigh impossible and potentially catastrophic,” the Goddess explained, Her head shaking slightly as if to deny the very prospect. “No,” She added, Her expression easing slightly as She straightened up. Teclah Neri’s grace shined through as the Goddess fluidly rose from Her place upon the bench, the essence at Her finger unwinding into a shining tapestry that overlayed the alcove’s mural with a thin patina of hazy memory. “The God needs turning away, Its gaze directed to other vistas. To this end did I employ the Heartwood to produce a tool for Me. It is this tool that your Vanguard has agreed to aid Me in empowering.” The Goddess soon went on to explain that She had need for a vast quantity of energy aspected to spirit, with Her tone hinting that She had a supply in mind. Lexadhra outlined the state of affairs in Sapience then, mentioning that She sensed the defilement of eighteen graveyards – a defilement upheld by powerful enchantments that could be undone. She assured Enorian that Varach’s soldiers would stop at nothing to defend those places – and that the North would surely follow not soon after. Lexadhra predicted that the Court Mage would fortify his own servants to survive conventional magic and assault, before going on to outline the possibility of alternate magics he could not anticipate – a possibility She could loan them for a time. The alcove’s mural began to shift and waver, the sleeping quicksilver of a dismantled empire rousing from its restful state. Imbued with shreds of memory granted by She Who is Yi, the abstract found surreal harmony as it writhed and wriggled to marshal itself into a new formation. “Mine is magic that works in tale and song, in myth and legend, in song and deed. The bard is worthless without the knight – and yet the bard is the one who weaves enchantment when it is all over, no? To befuddle and amaze the masses, to stir the hearts of countless denizens of the realm…” She murmured, Her wistful gaze directed then to the quicksilver in motion. As the mural ceased moving, a new landscape sprawled out within its reflective depths – as if it were a window into somewhere, somewhen. A desolate plain stretches out into a hazy horizon, the geography unfamiliar. “Once, in the world of Azhoa, there was a city known as Alengarth,” Lexadhra began. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Slyphian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XXVII: The Ire of Endorone](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xxvii-the-ire-of-endorone/) **Published:** April 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the Threefold Alliance worked towards many ends and the war reached a lull, the High Mage of Qor Qogol emerged from his lair. Nefarious outbursts of riotous hues wisped free the confines of the Deepest City, momentarily bathing the sediment above Qor Qogol and its long-locked gates in shades of ghastly fire and black-swirled clouds. At the center of the calamitous whorl resided Varach Scolrys, the veritable might of a Chaos Lord writhing within and about his stout Hlugnic frame. The ancient necromancer drank deep of the neverending chalice of twin powers at His command, his dark will weaving High Endorone and Faceless Chaos together into a profane net of enchanted strands. “I tire of your resistance, Threefold Alliance. You stymie us, but for what purpose? To defend a foe once hated for most of the Midnight Age?” Varach questioned to the realm at large. The whirlwind aura of whispered madness and ancient magic that surrounded Varach Scolrys grew tenfold in size as his voice boomed across the land. An arcane gesture drew more of his burgeoning might into the conjuration budding at his behest, until he clutched a baleful network of dark lines within his gnarled grasp. “Have you grown to love these tyrants you were sworn to hate?” he asked. “Have you grown enamoured with the zealots who would cut down your homes and burn your kin for not believing the same way?” As if covering a corpse with a burial shroud, Qor Qogol’s Court Mage dragged the ominous magic across thin air – an act that dispersed it into fumes that spiralled off and away beyond his vicinity. “Overwhelming force is clearly necessary,” Varach concluded. All at once, those corkscrew streams of maddening sorcery streaked forth to do the ancient necromancer’s bidding, burdening previously untouched portions of the continent with the necromancer’s foul gaze. Taking this time to reach out to his allies, the High Endorone entered into a brief conference with Regent Elene. As these talks proceeded, Varach found himself beset upon by haranguing from Tyrant Maeve – an act that inspired the powerful sorcerer to summon cadres of skeletons within the Mhojave. Pleased with the dying screams and bloody struggles, the necromancer concluded his business and retreated back to the safety of the Deepest City after making it clear to the world entire that his magic would ensure hordes of new skeletal soldiers. Even as dark magic stole throughout the land, a new dawn approached… Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Slyphian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XXVI: The Greensong](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xxvi-the-greensong/) **Published:** April 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Left to ponder the notion of a Divine bargain, the Speakers of the Heartwood turned to each and every councilor to plan out their next move. The council pondered over the course of several weeks how best to satisfy the request of the Divine Memory, leading to several conversations about the last time they had settled eyes upon Elder Life and thought upon the lifegiving song She had spoken of so many times before. Though many members of Duiran had different interpretations, the council came to some consensus on the broad details of the ritual and left to their guilds the matter of organising each aspect that would then link together in a proper manner. Throughout the next two weeks, each group charted the course for their individual contributions. The Prideleader and her fellow tribefolk came to the conclusion that the Rhythm’s beating heart must once more present, as it had been during the bringing of Lunar Turmoil and sacramental beseechment of the three Ithmian tribes. To this end, they surmised, they would need to provide primitive percussion through drums and other clamour. The Shamans of the Praadi decided that the use of leylines – and thus the songs of life’s memory – would be the best manner of contribution for their sacred collective and inquired with sources and ancient texts to find the best manner to do so. Seeing the risk of so many dangerous techniques piled up into one ritual, the Sentaari Monastery decided to take it upon themselves the task of seeing the way through via telepathy and guiding the energy – a metaphysical threading of the needle that would require their mental prowess to properly instrument. As the time rapidly approached, the council prepared their totems and drums, undertook their intense meditations and composed their sacred lyricisms. Satisfied with their diviniations and acting upon instinct alone, the council converged upon a hilltop in the western Ithmia and began to perform their own version of the Songs of the Evergiving Earth – a spectacle that drew the Indelible’s notice. With their voices rising and falling, the Shamans sang of ruin, renewal, life and death, their individual experiencing weaving together myriad memories via songlines – an act that created a dangerous convergence that began to combine the psyches of all ritualists present. True to their word, the Sentaari monastery asserted clarity that untangled these twisted lines, stymying the fatal forces at work just enough to ensure the ceremony’s success. Satisfied, Lexadhra made Her move. Through lyricism, impression and rhythmic commemoration moved Immortal Memory, Her void-dark eyes twin obsidian mirrors upon which the ritual vortex reflected all its vital glow. Lexadhra warped and wove within it all, a needle working through and around the fabric of time and life’s experiences to stitch together a trail into the future. Her silhouette outlined in the pellucid mists of Her domain, the Goddess of Memory reached forth into the centre of the oscillating songline vortex with one slender arm. Myriad phantasms superimposed themselves where Lexadhra stood as She toiled away at the greensong’s heart, making of Her frame a stationary tableau of divergent timelines and deific figures. Her lips parted to let loose a wordless harmonisation that steadied the churning force before Her, Her normal melody and tone transfigured to resemble one left unheard for more than a decade. The dissimilar personae blended and merged until but one face now gazed upon the convergence of songlines: Yanai, the Evergiving Earth. Vibrant sunlight roiled from the Elder Invoked, its radiance breaking away into diffused mists that alluded to the true actor behind that Immortal mask. Chanting beauteous verses of the Eternal Song, Elder Life – or what remained of Her within the nexus of Lexadhra’s virtue – renewed Her efforts within the ritual’s resultant power. Shadow and light’s interplay dappled the hilltop in wavering penumbras and shimmering coronae both, the intersection of Azhoan myth and Aetolian reality giving life to something otherwise mere inches beyond cosmic reach. Nascent growth blossomed into being amidst the raging storm, setting new seeds and spores to the Ithmian winds – a sowing of potential previously withheld or else not yet dreamed of by the prevailing Source of Life. As Her voice reached a crescendo and life flourished underfoot in heretoforth unseen quantities, Yanai – Lexadhra, Immortal Memory, Life Remembered – began to draw Her hand away from the songline vortex. A long, rugged length of unknown wood followed in the wake of Her hand, its rough emergence casting emerald sparks all about. The vortex calmed – as if to birth the beginnings of this implement, this simple sample of arboreal life, was to soothe its savage heart. Brought to unity and harmony by the hand of the Indelible, the ritual’s energies dispersed – and with it, the remains of Her assumed guise as Elder Life. One final nova of vital light sloughed away from Her, bathing the gathered Duirani in the maternal warmth of an Elder Goddess never truly known. In the aftermath, the Indelible explained why it was that She had needed Duiran’s cooperation for the beginnings of this task. Dia’ruis, much like Dendara before it, was a place of life and sentience – a complex consciousness unto itself, the plane had its own idea of will and natural order that was strong enough to order entire swathes of Chaos if left at the lirathyar’s mercy. Citing Haern’s destructive potential when facing down Lanu Du’s legions, the Goddess assured the council that She would use the procured material to instrument and guide a vast quantity of energy. Noting the new fungal life underfoot, Lexadhra theorised that such specimens would do no harm to the Ithmia before fading away into a curtain of mist to see to the next leg of Her schemes… Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Slyphian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XXIV: Strife Everlasting](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xxiv-strife-everlasting/) **Published:** April 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the final days of Omeian came to a close, Strife’s fervent warriors assembled to give unto Him an offering of their belief and power captured by their hands. Called to Sibre by the Warlord’s chosen, the Theocracy of Spinesreach swiftly assembled upon the parade ground at the heart of the fortress. Beginning first with ceremonial bloodshed and combat, Strife’s devotees made of these sanctified battles an offering to Bamathis. Blood misted the tundral air as lives ended at the points of blades and the seething bite of spellcraft, giving the essential element of life and belief to begin the ritual in earnest. With the opening proceedings handled, officers and congregants joined together to deliver their prayers to their Lord – and, in the process, the ears of the rest of the realm. Kagura, Tzarentesh, Sysaa, Sheryni and Herald Whirran each bellowed aloud their devotions to Lord Bamathis, their lives one and all extinguished again at the end of argent spears as a show of their willingness to die beneath His banner. Cult-like fervour overtook the crowd as they looked to Ulo, the supposed Oracle of Madness, to speak their part – words that swiftly transfigured into a potent deathrite that smothered not only the mad Harpy’s life, but obliterated the captive vexation of over a thousand Chaos gremlins. Invisible force seized the skies overlooking the Western Tundra, its unseen hand twisting cloud and welkin clarity alike into a knotted braid of ritual tension. A polychromatic helix lanced up towards the firmament from the Sibre’s parade ground, the unleashed essence of a thousand Chaos gremlins staining the sky with the murkiness of their collective individuality. The churning power ascended in a filigreed spiral that set reality aquiver, its varying shades casting auroral brilliance and wavering shadows across the Western Tundra – and soon, Sapience at large. As the helix achieved its apex, its unyielding energies strained ever further. Like a knife working through flimsy fabric, the accumulated power slashed into the borders of Material Prime before undergoing a rapid expansion that wrenched open the celestial vault. The endless expanse of far-flung Chaos yawned open in place of the sky’s lofty ethereality, beckoning the eye to budding terror. Countless shards – worlds unto themselves, entire realms woven from the remains of an ancient place established before light glimmered and shadow seethed – gleamed within the colourless fires of raw cosmic primordium. Regions beyond Umbral and Astral inclination burned and shimmered there within Creation’s abandoned crucible, one and all shining beacons of dissolution, salvation and bountiful possibility – a promise of infinity beyond imagination. An eldritch symphony drifted out from the writhing chasm wrought by ritually bound essence, filling Sapience with the distant woodwinds so familiar now to those forced to face the Faceless and Its endlessly profane designs. It That Woke extended Its tentacular grasp into the Prime for the third time of this unnamed age, a writhing appendage lined with wheeling eyes, rasping suckers, and fanged maws that gaped open to bellow sanity’s funeral dirge. The wicked, ichor-stained edge of Caelestis glimmered into view at the window’s border, its blade sawing through the Faceless One’s bold incursion. The Fiend of a Thousand Featureless Faces wept and gnashed Its non-existent teeth, Its agony roiling through the outer realms. Its pained cries were as psychic torment to the Prime Material, forcing the searing lance of twisted empathy into the centre of every mortal mind. Bamathis, Strife Incarnate and once-enforcer of a now fled Creator, charged into view within the gaping aperture affixed to the sky. Bellowing aloud an ancient battlecry only heard in mythical tales whispered around soldier’s cookfires and heroic stories of militant slaughter, the Forgotten Son plunged forward in pursuit of an enemy blessedly elusive of mortal perception. Sensing the intended recipient of its vast possibility, the multifarious helix breached planar space to meet Him. As the energy crossed over into the maddened vista of Chaos, it underwent a profound transfiguration; no longer a haphazard, crackling column of chromatic wonder, it became harsh pewter light that bathed Bamathis in empowering radiance, knitting closed His countless wounds and suffusing Him with vigour renewed. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Slyphian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XXV: Battle Eternal](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xxv-battle-eternal/) **Published:** April 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Maddened gibbering and discordant clicks arose from the flaming crucible of unformed Chaos as the Mad God sculpted new servants to waylay Its newly-empowered assailant. Distorted silhouettes emerged in that conflagration of no hue, lining up together shoulder to shoulder as if in mockery of Bamathis’ disciplined domain of military might. Pale as corpses and eerily humanoid, the creatures took one collective step forward and lifted their countlessly jointed limbs in primitive challenge. Immortal Strife sneered as He looks upon His opponents, finding each of them equally wanting. Drunk on power and its latent violence, the Lord of Battle lunged forward like argentate lightning. Before these makeshift soldiers could do aught but march forth, Bamathis cleared the distance and hewed through several as if they were wheat before the keen edge of a scythe. Working brilliant, bloodied butchery with His savage strikes, the Lost Lord cut down all who opposed Him, callous laughter spilling forth from His throat as lurid blood wept from the wounds He inflicted. Alive now with the thrill of power and conflict, Strife Immortal unleashed the silver fire of His domain. Seething novae of argent essence burst forth with Bamathis at its center, every swing of His bloodied blade summoning countless crashing waves of pure rage and battleborn mania. Alien appendages and quadruple-jointed arms sizzled to ash upon cosmic winds as they reached out for Him, one and all too feeble to make more than a futile, token effort in the name of Fundamental Chaos. With all of Sapience as His witness, mighty Bamathis carved through countless legions of Faceless Madness. A mask of steaming, glimmering blood dappled the Immortal’s face as He tore His puny foes to burning shreds, His anguish and frustration let loose as howls that rang throughout the outer realms in a wordless demand for His quarry’s presence. Gentle light blossomed at Bamathis’ side, its soft brilliance twisting to yield to the presence of Euthymius, the Heart of Sapience. Sensing Their fellow’s fervour, Immortal Morale bestowed yet another gleaming boon upon Bamathis and turned Their mask-face to look upon the bleak vista that lay ahead – and the legions of foes barring Their way forward. Subverting the Mad God’s domain for a brief moment of epiphanic violence, Bamathis plunged His chaotic surroundings into the harsh crucible of His virtue. Manic rage burned in Strife’s eyes, the uncontrollable power weeping from His vision like lustrous mist. With Euthymius not far behind, the berserk Immortal employed brutal strength and traumatic tides of effulgent essence to carve a path through gibbering madness and profane flesh, leaving a river of twisted gore in Their wake that seeped through cosmic space. Severed limbs flew. Eldritch screeches of utmost agony rang out as a symphony to deific butchery. Blood slaked earth without solidity, quenched fire without colour or heat, tainted unformed winds lacking sound and sensation, creating for scant moments a new shard of Chaos sanctified by Divine combat and its unquestionable Lord. With the twisted rabble thoroughly dispatched, Strife and Morale closed in upon the towering impossibility of crazed Lanu Du. Lashing tentacles and tendrilous protrusions emerged to stymie the virtuous warpath, but withered and quailed before the crushing force of two unleashed domains. In an echo of purpose lost, Bamathis gouged into the Mad God’s eldritch proportions with His sword, its length burning with Immortal fire. Using both hands, He tore through pulsating flesh and throbbing organs, the argent brilliance of Strife made manifest searing through it all to carve a path of dead, retreating sinew and twisted muscle. The outer realms trembled and shook loose countless feeble shards that dissolved to salve this grisly wound upon Fundamental Chaos, Its heart shifting and swelling to relocate somewhere else within Its body-made-demesne. As Their mad Foe retreated, Bamathis and Euthymius rushed forward in dogged pursuit. Each step through floods of steaming ichor echoed throughout Sapience as nauseating sloshes, Their pace fashioning a putrid rhythm that finally trailed off as They crossed immeasurable planar distance and disappeared into the waiting dark. Five Immortal silhouettes emerged into view then, Their collective essence casting a shroud too brilliant to allow discernment of detail. After a brief conference, They strode forth as one in hopes of catching up to the bold pair. The window snapped shut with a sickening screech that rattled within all mortal skulls soon after, the natural order of planar separation asserting itself as the Spiral reaffirms the precision of its arrangement and boundaries. With their first experiment a success, the Theocracy turned their eyes towards other applications for their captured gremlins… Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Slyphian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XXIII: Chaos-adjacent Dissolution](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xxiii-chaos-adjacent-dissolution/) **Published:** April 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the first days of Omeian unfolded, so too did the many schemes of the Six Nations. Growing tired of the repetitive antics brought on by Faceless Madness’s followers and the realm at large’s response, Lexadhra made Her will known to three of Sapience’s four major city-states. Consulting first with Presiding Voice Bhalwyn, the Indelible offered him a chance to involve the council in Her budding plan to end Fundamental Chaos’ hyperfixated attention. Immortal Memory explained to Duiran’s leader that She required an implement of sufficient strength to guide massive amounts of Chaos energy, and that its largest component must come from the very earth and land itself. She evoked the rituals of old Azhoa in Her conversation, hinting that the council’s contribution would be best constructed in a manner pleasing to Yanai, one of Lexadhra’s Elder guises immortalised within Her mysterious virtue. Furthermore, the Goddess hinted that such participation would prove beneficial to Duiran’s aims and left the finer points of their participation to his planning. Though Lexadhra made no deal nor handed down any instruction, She next spoke with Vanguard Inthirath. The Indelible explained that She would soon call upon the Hammer to sanctify the implement fashioned by the Duiran council and urged the Arqeshi Templar to consider matters of faith and devotion in the meantime. The Vanguard expressed eagerness to begin the work and swore that the city would aid the Goddess in the name of the greater good, adding on soon after that the threat of Lanu Du surpassed anything else the realm currently faced. Pleased with his response, Lexadhra moved on. It was through Docent Linne, dubbed with the designation of ‘Cogger’ within the Lexadhra’s rogue’s gallery of an order, that the Indelible made Her will known to the Theocracy of the North. The Archivist engaged in dogged discourse on the topic of necessity and proclaimed that her Goddess required a vexation of gremlins no smaller than a thousand heads – and in no later than two weeks time, to the chagrin of Strategos Sheryni, Dhasan Ulo, and many other citizens. The logic-adjacent follower of Lexadhra further elaborated that her Lady had arranged a situation within which there was no unfavourable outcome for Her. To be denied was to invite Her ire and the scorn of the realm, which She would derive plentiful entertainment from in lieu of a solution to the problem threatening Aetolia. Calling this behaviour ‘vexing’, Linne worked tirelessly to convince the rest of Spinesreach of the necessity of Lexadhra’s demand. What ensued afterward was a heated debate betwixt the Viceroys and leaders of the five conclaves, for many members of that vaunted arrangement possessed disparate opinions on the matter of cooperation. Ulo, Dhasan of Devotion, was the first to provide resistance to the plan. Claiming that they would not assist in the effort and thus deprive the city of the necessary gremlins, the Harpy insisted that the city was not the plaything of the errant Virtue. The obstinacy stumped the Dragon’s leaders for a quarter of a day before the Dhasan was convinced to reluctantly relent, though they made it clear they were doing so only due to being outnumbered. The city swiftly threw itself into the task of appeasing the Indelible’s command at this point, under the impression as they were that the Lady required these gremlins posthaste. Through chanted devotion and solemn prayer, Ulo made themself a shining beacon to draw Lanu Du’s attention to the Prime, with word after word fixating Its non-existent eye upon the prison cell within which the Dhasan was confined. What ensued was a terrible convergence of Chaotic power unlike anything before it in this age, its manifestation breaking Ulo’s sanity nigh irrevocably. Hallucinations, grim visions, and blessed epiphanies raced through their mind as they carried out their duty with a cultist’s fervour, their fragile psyche sacrificed upon the altar of Spirean progress again and again. At the very last summoning, drawn by artful smears of blood upon a cell wall, It That Woke commanded the gaze of the entire world. Forced to look upon the Horror of Horrors, the realm screeched in terror and Ulo’s mind snapped like a twig in Midsummer’s heat. Rumour has it that the Dhasan sang songs that defied all sense as medical professionals tended to their needs in the aftermath, with Doctor Pietre Marcelli declaring that the Dhasan’s mental state was growing dangerously untenable. Adventurers and commonfolk across Sapience began to report happenstance developing malicious or eerie properties, with spilled liquids and shattered objects forming into eldritch patterns and vague shapes of faces and magical symbols. As the frayed ends of sanity come undone, Strife’s zealous followers laid the groundwork for a desperate gambit… Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Slyphian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XXII: A Giant Awakened](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xxii-a-giant-awakened/) **Published:** April 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As if stoked by an invisible hand, the sentinel’s furnace-heart roared to life. Embers and sparks scattered from the slitted grate guarding its burning lifeforce, granting it the energy to rise and turn its filigreed head towards the source of violence. The masterful network of runes scrawled upon its body began to light up and shift through varying hues before settling upon a burning, bloody glow. “Intruders detected,” the sentinel intoned to its Spirean masters. “Engaging defensive protocols. All combat restrictions withdrawn. Lethality allowance: unfettered. Allocating all force to territorial defense.” Set to a rushed pace, the sentinel worked through an ambulatory frenzy as it charged through the Theocracy’s streets in search of its foes. It paused at the end of one street, its burning eyes settling upon Agranoth and Amitivis, the tattered remains of researchers, farmers, and common cityfolk scattered between them. Without so much as a hiss, the Fang of Vengeance departed the scene of their collective crime, his thirst for conclavist blood not yet sated. With little fanfare, Agranoth wove webs and shining, sable strands that flooded the Theocracy’s streets with impediments that it navigated with natural, predatory ease. Restricted by these sticky obstructions, the sentinel meandered into the heart of Agranoth’s demesne and assumed a defensive stance. Wheresoever the spider lashed out, the bronzework giant responded in kind, its massive fists hammering hilunute armour so hard that the shock reverbated down to the massive spider’s appendages. Utilising the massive furnace at its heart, the sentinel scattered embers and sparks that set Agranoth’s web aflame. Acrid fumes wafted up from the heart of battle’s crucible as the spider lunged forward and jammed some of its sharp limbs into the sentinel’s points of articulation, intent upon tearing away an arm or leg. Unwilling to be bested, the sentinel grabbed Agranoth up in its metallic hands and spun in a circle so perfect as to intrigue the Archivium were they not preoccupied, its grasp releasing as it completed a full revolution. Agranoth sailed through the air and deployed more darkened filaments to bring its velocity to a shuddering halt, its many legs writhing ceaselessly in an expression of frustration. It launched itself from the side of a building, intent upon engaging with the sentinel once more. Locked now in a deathly struggle, sentinel and spider grappled in a tangle of metal and chitin. Shadowy webs and firelit fumes entwine, obscuring the battle from mortal eye. As Agranoth battled the sentinel, the citizens of Spinesreach gathered together to ward away Amitivis. Doing frightful battle with the colossal serpent with the aid of their dragonling scouts, the conclavists proved their tenacity after finding their footing amidst this battle of breathtakingly large beasts. Unwilling to sacrifice too much time, the Fang of Vengeance eluded the Theocracy’s defenders long enough to instead come to Agranoth’s aid. Matched equally with the bronzework sentinel, Agranoth danced away from the titanic golem’s grasp and spun strands of acrobatic escape. The sticky expulsion carried the massive attack spider up and over the walls towards the Sanguine Fist’s forces, intent upon fulfilling imperial need and recuperating. Taking the spider’s place, the Fang of Vengeance lunged forward to engage the bronze beast, his rune-dappled scales gleaming with the crimson fervour of undying hatred. Eager to bring the battle to her prideful enemies, Lisha tensed her hindlegs and launched herself forward – up and over the walls of the Theocracy. With a savage roar, the lioness threw herself into the path of the Dragon’s adventurers, intent upon waylaying their forces to buy Amitivis enough time to battle the city’s metallic defender. The conclave’s warriors quickly adapted to this change of foe, though not fast enough to prevent the loss of several lives before finding their new footing. Meanwhile, Amitivis issued a warding hiss as he gazed upon the sentinel, his fangs bare. The tremendous serpent lunged forward and sank his bite into the titan’s arm, a psychic grunt emanating from his unveiled thoughts as the golem’s other fist thudded into his bulk with the force of a hill giant enraged. The Dia’ruian glyphs upon the serpent flared to brilliant beryl light, casting fae impressions upon the city’s streets as snake and sentinel clashed. Jagged tooth met bronze fist and scaled bulk slammed against smoke-spewing legs, the two colossal warriors sending shudders throughout the city’s foundations with each blow. Eventually tiring of this inhuman warrior, Amitivis threw the whole of his strength into a sudden slam against its metallic bulk. The sentinel collapsed to the street, giving the serpent enough time to depart from the brawl as he resumed his quest for vengeance. Even as the Fang burst forth upon the Dry Plains, Agranoth manifested another complex bridge of webwork that took him over the walls once more to engage in a fierce scrap with Spinereach’s adventurers. Once more, the Theocracy found themselves beset by a new foe – one that held them in place with webs and shadowy fire, ensuring the demise of several unprepared defenders. Freed from her obligation to hold off the city’s protectors, Lisha turned her ochred gaze towards the sentinel now struggling to rise. A challenging roar escaped her throat, its resonance setting her tribal tattoos to a brilliant golden glow. She pounced forward, intent upon tearing to shreds this affront to the natural world. Swift and sure, the Accord’s champion lashed out with her sabre-like claws and scything fangs, scoring myriad blows upon the bulkier, slower sentinel. She looped in and out between the golem’s metallic legs, her assault coming from innumerable angles that set a dizzying pace. Tiring of the Ascendant Huntress and her racing antics, the sentinel thrusted one hand out and seized upon her tail. The colossal defender of the Spires whirled the animal over its head and slammed her against the cobbled street, eliciting a yelp of pain from Gereghond’s great champion. In a flurry of blows, the lioness writhed free of the sentinel’s grasp and launched herself at its chest. The force of her charge toppled the giant construct, sending them both soaring to the ground in a frenzied tangle of metal and flesh. Stony spears thrust forth from the street to lance through the sentinel’s arms and legs, but this superficial damage did naught to slow down the bronze dreadnought. Flames spewed from its open wounds as it lashed out with its hammer-like fists, its autonomous runes glowing as if to emulate a berserker’s rage. Having met her match, Lisha edged away and bristled, another snarl escaping her throat as she began to prepare another assault that never came, for a keening sound pierced the air and drowned out her predatory anthem. Flattening back her ears, the majestic feline warrior bound away from the fight and launched herself over the Theocracy’s walls in one last impressive display of her stunning acrobatics. His bloodlust tempered by imperial training, Agranoth took note of Lisha’s departure and spun out an escape route by way of arachnid grace and immense magical investiture. Upon strands of umbral night did the spider take his leave, the city walls no obstacle for one such as he. The Theocracy’s pylon began to spin and whirl at frightening speeds, its revolutionary pace spurred on by a tremendous influx of energy. Screeching metal and normally stable ylemcrystal collided as the pylon’s power rapidly spun out of control. Arcs of ylemfire and violet lightning spewed forth from its splintering cracks, searing shadowy silhouettes of its bulky form into the nearby cobble. As the hideous chain reaction began to grow out of mortal control, a sickly squelch echoed through Spirean streets. Bursting forth from the containment chamber housing the wrecked airship core, a horde of Kal Kelerii jellies swarmed through the streets towards the city’s pylon. Even as ylemnic fission spiralled far beyond the grasp of even Delve’s engineers, the jellies feasted upon the devastating energies like famished beggars. The pylon unleashed one final, colossal groan as its spinning subsided, the catastrophic detonation averted by the sudden emergence of extraplanar force. Thusly saved, the Theocracy existed to see another day, albeit bereft of a fully operational pylon. As the Alliance and their allied beasts departed the Dry Plains, the Theocracy called upon Fridhild to inspect the pylon – only to find that their familiar pylon engineer was nowhere to be found. Concerned with the ramifications of a broken pylon, Researcher Litrix arrived upon the scene and inspected the pylon’s inner machinery. After a cursory examination, the Xorali scientist concluded that the damage was highly precise and could be repaired – either alone or with the Free City’s aid, though he admitted that Delve’s help would hasten the process immensely. The learned scholar went on to explain that the only reason the city was not a crater at this very moment was due to the Kal Keleru inhabitants now swarming the streets, for he observed that the jellies feast upon ylem as happily as magical energy, ensuring that the surrounding area was not given over to highly lethal radiation. The realm grew quiet once more aside from the buzz of gossiping commonfolk in taverns far and wide and the scratch of myriad bardic quills already committing this moment to the annals of history and imagination both… Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Slyphian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XXI: The Battle of the Dry Plains](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xxi-the-battle-of-the-dry-plains/) **Published:** April 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the Theocracy continued to capture and contain their gremlin interlopers for unknown reasons, the Alliance took the opportunity to organise a brutal siege at their very doorstep. Bearing banners of azure and gold, the Hammer of Dawn assembled upon the Dry Plains with weapons bare and prayer still upon their lips. Waving standards and flags, the Sanguine Fist marched out to join the Hammer of Dawn in preparation for a grand assault. Thunderous tribal drums boomed out from the Dry Plains as the Heartwood joined their unlikely allies. Uniting once more as a single force, the Threefold Alliance turned their collective gaze towards the Theocracy’s distant walls and moved forward in lockstep. A primal roar set the scoured stage to a tremble. Not long after, Gereghond’s ascendant lioness leapt forward to stride at the Threefold Alliance’s side. Every fall of her massive paws carved through lifeless soil, her sabre-like claws tilling scoured land as if it were fresh, fertile earth. Cracks rived through the land preceding the Alliance’s approach, forcing its elementally-robbed surface to yield before the mighty beast that soon breached it from underneath. The sibilant sound of serpentine celebration roiled throughout the realm as Amitivis burst forth from the newly forged hole. Dappled in Dia’ruian runes sealed by the blood of Her stewards, the serpent’s eyes blazed with an eagerness for Spirean flesh. A complex network of shadow and sanguine developed in the air to the Alliance’s other side, forming a web upon which sorcerous malice skittered. The magical energy yawned wide, allowing the arrival of Agranoth, the terrible gift of Djeir. Clad now in Bloodloch’s recently forged hilnute armour and fed a steady diet of slaves throughout his training, the horrifying spider’s pincers and legs jittered about in an excited frenzy held back only by the Fist’s domineering conditioning. As one, these threats joined the marching approach. Recognising the approaching danger, Captain Thuneron called for the outer – and only – gate to close in preparation for the assault. The clamour of winch, chain, and creaking gate resounded throughout the Tundra as the Dragon shutters its point of southern ingress and assumed a defensive posture per the Captain of the Guard’s mandate. “SECURE THE NORTHERN GATE! I WANT ARCHIVIUM EXPERTS WORKING DOUBLETIME!” cried the commanding officer. Reality’s normal solidity melted away as numerological warp and weft seized hold of the local space upon Spinesreach’s northern front. Grafting together their individual wills, a group of jherzan Archivists swiftly employed their cosmic occultism towards the Dragon’s imminent needs. Whorls of prismatic force marshalled themselves to the symphony of the Spheres, orchestrated then into a masterful bulwark through which no living being could hope to pass through. A thought steeped in blood and fury penetrated the realm’s mind as the Fang of Vengeance exerted some of his newfound power, his psychic presence rolling throughout Sapience to impress but one thought upon victim, ally, and audience alike: “STRIKE! KILL! CONSUME!” Like torturous lightning bottled for far too long, Amitivis launched himself back into his tunnel and surged forth upon a course charted ‘neath the earth. A horde of dragonlings took flight from the Spires at the First Dragon’s behest, one and all converging upon the streets in search of their temporary handlers. Claiming that this matter would be a decent test for Her city’s prodigious strength, Tanixalthas declined to provide personal aid and instead insisted that Her dragonlings would serve well enough. The Theocracy was not left without allies, however. Multifarious shrieks arose from the depths of Qor Qogol as Varach Scolrys awakened to the plight of his companion city-state. Borne upon an atramentous wind, the Prophet of Lanu Du sailed across Sapience’s skies on a swift course towards the Dragon. Wasting little time, the necromancer descended into the streets of the allied nation and reformed amidst a dark cloud lit through by lurid fires. He traversed the streets and muttered dark incantations as he went, his confident stride carrying him to the city’s catacombs. Bloodied runes of chaotic power littered the streets in the High Endorone’s wake, forging a ritual’s crucible through complex arcane formulae. “The Deepest City shall not forget their promise, theocrats,” the Court Mage swore betwixt murmured invocation of forbidden powers. “How convenient that you possess plentiful reserves within your catacombs. The Ankyreans of old shall defend your streets once more.” Unwilling to allow this bold claim to go unchallenged, Commander Yettave Arcan reminded Varach Scolrys that the Sanguine Fist possessed an Ankyrean of their own. To this, the High Endorone scoffed and implored his enemies to witness true power. It was then that a string of alien syllables passed beyond Varach Scolrys’ lips as he sealed his profane enchantment with one final gesture. He lifted his hands as if he were a puppetmaster enacting his craft upon a grand scale, bidding the skeletal remains within the catacombs to rise at his behest. Spectral light flooded through the Theocracy’s streets and burrowed down through stone and packed soil, flooding the ancient catacombs beneath Spinesreach with the Court Mage’s necromantic prowess. The rattle of bones bounced off the walls of dark Spirean crypts and filled the street with the macabre music of the awakened dead. Hefting weapons interred alongside them, donning tattered tabards of conclaves fallen, the Ankyrean fallen rose to defend the citadel after countless centuries of dormancy. Moving in practised ranks and marching to a tune only they could hear, the Ankyrean dead reached Spinesreach’s walls and, with horrifying alacrity, began to ascend in a twisted reflection of the city’s modern creed. Spilling over the walls like a bony tide, cadres of Ankyrean soldiers and disparate commanders aligned to meet the Threefold Alliance’s assault. Masses of ritually awakened dead surged forward amidst the osseous clatter of pale, preserved remains, their venantium arms as dull and lifeless as the soldiers wielding them. The combined might of three cities met the defensive phalanx head on amidst shouted battlecries, slaking the lifeless Dry Plains with the blood of countless Alliance warriors and dusting it all in the chipped remains of twice-slain Ankyreans. Shrieks of terror and the groan of ravaged stone echoed throughout the Theocracy’s streets as Amitivis breached the surface of his tunnel network, his serpentine bulk filling the streets as surely as did the cries of his victims. Taking advantage of the chaos, the massive beast slaughtered countless commonfolk and guards, a butcher’s glee gleaming in his ochre eyes. Unwilling to allow the carnage to proceed without his arachnid prowess, Agranoth spun a complex web of seething shadow that elevated him beyond the reach of Spinesreach’s skeletal aegis. Soaring along the skyline as if flying upon strands of barely perceptible darkness, the armoured attack spider swiftly cleared the walls and skittered through the streets to join the Fang of Vengeance’s crimson carnage. Left now to guard the Alliance’s fighting force, the Ascendant Huntress bounded forward to meet the undead defenders of City of Pride. She wreaked havoc amongst their clattering cadres with the aid of the Hammer, her tremendous might put on full display as she felled droves of skeletal warriors as if they were but shreds of grass caught in a hurricane’s tempestuous passage. Earthen tumult emanated from the Accord’s feline champion, soilbound upheaval sending cadres and commanders flying through the air as Lisha’s scything claws and vicious teeth broke the enemies before her. A low hum cut through the din of ensuing battle and terrorised civilian cries as the bronzework sentinel awakened to the threat faced by its new home… Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Slyphian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XX: Chaos Realignment](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xx-chaos-realignment/) **Published:** April 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Lanu Du’s gaze became more oppressive with each passing day, the ravages of Nazedhan raiders and cultists reaching far and wide across Sapience. Priests of Fundamental Chaos cried out wild exultations and brazenly erected shrines within city territories and public spaces, and Its bloodthirsty warriors marched the land in search of places to pillage and faces to strip from corpses as proof of their zeal. Even as the Theocracy plotted how to contain this problem and turn it to their advantage, Huanazedha’s fervent marauders sieged the gates and streets, putting citizens and commonfolk to the sword in hopes of spilling more blood to empower the Mad God. As the worship of Faceless Madness intensified, so too did Its touch upon the Prime Material. It began to answer the calls of certain devout adventurers with no preference between shouted exaltations or whispered prayers. Each word passing their lips was as an incantation of summoning, pulling Its touch and Its minions to this world and filling the realm with vexations of Chaos gremlins that ran riotous across the North’s streets. Made now into an epicenter of Chaos worship, the city took measures against these interlopers by way of cunning plot and genius science. Several citizens of the Theocracy employed enterprising thought processes in hopes of capitalising upon the terrors of It That Woke, including devices meant to secure, contain, and profit from the presence of these rapacious entities. Despite the clear safety hazards of their protocol measures, the North soon found a rhythm that allowed them to bind and contain the gremlins that attacked, though for what reason remained a mystery to the realm at large. With every gremlin incursion came startlingly powerful visions that captured Sapience entire in their chilling gravity, and the Fiend of a Thousand Featureless Faces assumed many guises in an attempt to capture the trust and worship of adventurers the world over. As the Dragon of the North ventured forth towards ascension and prosperity amidst the tumult, the Sanguine Fist continued the labours of training Agranoth in preparation for the Threefold Alliance’s war plans. After several imperial officers raised concerns for the spider’s safety, the city swiftly enacted a joint effort to forge hilunite armour to fit the arachnid in a protective embrace. Though they possessed little time, the Empire proved their efficiency and determination by forging enough scales and links in a breathtakingly swift campaign, ensuring that their loyal war-spider would have ample protection when the time came to strike out against the city’s Northern enemies. With all the pieces arrayed, the Alliance made their final preparations and agreed that the hour drew near… Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Slyphian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XVIII: The Coming of the Bull](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xviii-the-coming-of-the-bull/) **Published:** April 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Gereghond – the Bull, Lord of Fertility, Protector of the Herd, Accordant Earth – thundered forth from the eastern seaboard. With a deafening blast of His colossal trunk, the rugged primordial trampled forth upon a naturalising tide of deific energy. Each roar of Gereghond’s mighty trumpet sent spurts of oceanic water to the skies, blessing all of Sapience with the lifegiving rains of His glorious sojourn. Rainstorms manifested across the realm in defiance of weather patterns, nourishing the land with the essentials of life. Drawn to the call of a herd never heard, Gereghond’s charge took Him through Sapience – towards the Mamashi Grassland. Inexorably attracted to a memory never before memorised, the Lord of Fertility’s massive tusks cleaved through the destitute soil of a once glorious place in a frenzied search for followers never glimpsed. Blessed by a parade never celebrated, Accordant Earth harrowed the elementally starved reaches of the Mamashi with every booming step and fecund blast of His trunk. As once He did upon the islet of Tcanna and the wide world of Aetolia in ancient times, Gereghond surged forward to share His gifts of freedom, fertility, and virility. Where the brutish claws of the Hunter might grasp the world and exert His brawn like an apex predator, the Elephant God simply existed upon the cosmic stage. Unconcerned with any animal aspect aside from one essentially elephantine, the Albedi deity evoked no guardians, no Dia’ruian power – merely that of pure earth, His power and potential bound to the land’s yearning heart. The Bull raced a course defined by sanguine lines, the blood of mortals serving as a pungent guide upon the air. Life swelled and sang rapturously with every colossal completion of His circuit, and the sowing of Divine power flooded the land with the flushed influence of the fertile god. Verdant beauty sprang forth from the vital seed the primal deity planted, rendering freshly sown fields of mid-spring into lush, bountiful sprawls burgeoning with the fruit of labour yet to pass and soil yet to be truly nurtured by mortal hand. Sodden with the fructuous potential of the Bull’s endless essence, the Mamashi Grassland’s once-lifeless visage sloughed away in a tide of primordial providence. Swollen now with the gift of new life, the land yielded to Him, allowing lush growth to breach its no longer scoured surface like a carpet unfurled for primitive royalty. Made into a stage for agrestal wonder, the Mamashi trembled with each booming burst of Accordant Earth’s prodigious trunk. The wordless, soundless ecstasy of the land bid the Grassland to twist and writhe in the throes of rapid regeneration, its modest hills and curving bends once more rife with nature’s wonders. Dazzles of zebras, prides of lions, packs of coyotes, and clouds of buzzing insects converged upon a home taken by the horrors of mortal folly. Set to frolic now, the animals leapt and bounded through a domain once picked clean by the tumultuous travails of Fundamental violence, staking their claims for new dens, hives, and burrows. Given a second chance to bear fruit, to nurture life, the Mamashi drank deep of Gereghond’s potent power. Shadowrot’s scouring crumbled away from its final reaches, leaving the environment stronger than it ever was throughout the Midnight Age. Lush, thriving growth flourished at its borders, nurtured by the blood of rutting ritualists and the rampant virility of an ancient being. The animal kingdom cried out in primal loyalty to the Accordant King of Birth and Green Growth, showering Him with the respect and praise He so deserved. Mammals settled upon their haunches and bowed their heads, birds alighted upon branches and chirped serenades of honour, and reptiles slithered royal tapestries in the soft soil, clearing the way for the trampling procession of the potent Bull. Drawn to a rite born of devout honour and carnal interpretation, Dejaani’s Childe of Earth paused before an empty network of caves and dens once held by the Grassland’s apex predators – the same one Enorian currently occupied. As the Elephant God peered into the cavernous den, a lone lioness padded forward to stand at His side. The Lord of Plentiful Earth turned His majestic head to regard the sleek cat, His tusks steaming prolific mists. A shower of turquoise sparks scattered away from the billowing cloud of His latent essence, gifting the graceful huntress with the kiss of vitality and plenty. Subsumed in the spumy gyre of the Bull’s generative favour, the lioness let loose a roar laden with life’s stubborn primacy. As profound metamorphosis took hold of her mundane frame, her silhouette elongated, her stature unfurling to achieve gigantic proportions. The raw energy of Accordant Earth burned as ochre fire in the eyes of this prideful animal, her fangs extending downward as scythes to reap the flesh of prey. Her claws became as sabres, her noble pelt dappled with complex tribal tattoos that mark her as an ascendant of Gereghond’s plentiful domain. The Bull, His eyes burning with the need to protect, to propagate, to proliferate, looked upon the lioness. Some unspoken force passed between them before the tremendous deity began to turn away, His attention drawn away from this place of nascent faith. A final, savage serenade rose from the Mamashi – equal parts gratitude, fealty, and carnal recognition, the cries heralding a return to the natural order. An elephant herd lifted their lengthy proboscises in solemn homage, their untamed music – a pale echo of Gereghond Himself, but an echo nonetheless – acting as glorious trumpets to see their Immortal counterpart off. With one final blast of His gigantic trunk, Gereghond reared His head back towards the east. The land parted as if gates to His primal palace, the grasses giving way to a path unseen that He thundered along into the distant reaches of the Albedi ether. Unseen by any others in departure’s din, Enorian sensed the lioness bound away to await the moment of ambush against an enemy wrought by pride and hubris – their third beast of war for an assault yet to occur. Even as they celebrated the return of the Mamashi’s wild lifeforce, the Heartwood knew there was work yet to be done… Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 22nd of Slyphian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XIX: Blood Runs Red](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xix-blood-runs-red/) **Published:** April 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Satisfied now with the conclusion of the Hammer of Dawn’s ritual, Duiran turned their attention towards their own. Preparing over seven weeks, the Heartwood secured willing sacrifices and planned out an elaborate ritual to beseech Vo’acha’s empowerment of Amitivis. When the ceremony drew nigh, the Speakers fed Amitivis vast quantities of flesh, blood, and bone to bolster him for the energies and efforts to come. This act almost spoiled the planning outright when one of the councillors fell to the grim experiments lurking within the serpent’s den, alerting the North to the suspicious activity. Though most of the Theocracy did not concern themselves with the revelation, Doctor Pietre Marcelli endeavoured to stand guard – a fact that hampered Duiran’s preparation in small ways, requiring them to find a new route into the Den of Shadows so as not to rouse further suspicion. When the moon revealed itself, Duiran’s ritualists cleansed themselves in the Moonglade, dressed in honour of the Shadow, and ate meals that would fall in line with rites constructed to show the proper respect to a Guardian spirit. After eluding the Syssin’s lone sentry, the council urged the Den’s experiments in one final offering to Vo’acha before delving deeper to find Amitivis within his deep abode. Invoking darkness and fervent cries to the serpent spirit, seven of the Heartwood severed flesh from bone and divorced blood from veins for the powerful magic to come. When prompted for his own sacrifice, Amitivis shattered one of his fangs upon his den’s wall and claimed he would give power for power, strength for strength, and blood for blood – a unification not unlike the Sentinel Pride’s bloodsworn oath. The council soon set about scrawling glyphs of blood upon Amitivis’ hide. Each scrawled rune shined like emeraldic fire in lightless voids, dappling the colossal serpent in the manifest fury of an ominous avenger. Daubed in Dia’ruis, tattooed in tribal frenzy and shamanistic protection, the serpent lifted his head to look upon something unseen. Blessed and cursed with the ability to project his powerful thoughts, Amitivis’ vision rippled outward along the serpent’s psychic pressure: a spirit, slithering serpentine, shadow-shrouded and painstakingly patient. “Strike,” the serpent intoned in his mind. “Kill. Consume!” Amitivis’ lipless maw split into an eager grin when he heard these words bequeathed to a council before the horrors of Night. The effulgent essence of a lirathyar renewed swept down the serpent’s coiling body, digging into his silver scales and peeling them back like the hand of a god sworn to tend a living garden. Noting the beginnings of this metamorphosis, Speaker Gyrinno called for the ritual to proceed to its penultimate step. Five of the council’s eldest gave gifts of life unto the serpent in honour of the other Guardians of the Valley, and one by one did they fall to great Amitivis. The colossal serpent lunged forward to consume each one who stepped forth, his jaws gleaming with blood, his scales awash with misty Dia’ruian energy. As his jaws snapped shut, yet another layer of scale would peel away, the profound transfiguration continuing from moment to moment. As the sacrifices began, Legionnaires Tzarentesh, Sheryni, and Sepyhie had set into motion an attempt to interrupt the proceedings. Covering for their Strategos, the two Spireans attempted to fend off hordes of snakes whilst Sheryni strummed the first notes of the fell Song of Oblivion – a performance cut too short, for Valorie and Valeria departed the ritual with weapons drawn, intent upon preserving Duiran’s efforts at the cost of their own lives. While violence raged in the Den of Shadows, Amitivis exulted in his newfound power. Sanctified in truth upon a bloodied altar, the massive serpent reared his head back and tasted the air with his forked tongue. Made now into the eye of a Dia’ruian storm, the tremendous serpent gathered into a tightly bound coil and trembled amidst the thrill of newly conferred power. A dry rasp cut through the air as the serpent began to exuviate. The ritual tension heightened and pressed in further, and Amitivis’s silhouette vanished within the surging tempest of emerald power. The weight of a Guardian’s gaze hovered there in a place of serpentine darkness, assessing avenger and offerings both in one final pass of She Who is Life’s fastidious regard. Judged and found worthy, the Shadow sealed the last bloody rune with His guile and strength. Faint flickers of Dia’ruian energy surged forth from the depths of the Den of Shadows, each sheet of wild power glowing like the distant light of an approaching thunderstorm. Multitudinous hisses filled the realm’s hearing as Vo’acha, the archetypal serpent spirit, turned His heavy gaze to the Prime to consider something handcrafted to resemble every shard of His myriad kin. Deeming this monument to arrogance worthy of His aid, the ancient Guardian accepted the Heartwood’s bloodied offerings and made of them a flurry of transformative force that washed over the Den’s depths. The Dia’ruian power sloughed away, falling like scales moulted, flesh shorn, and blood sloshed down upon stone altars. Brought now into the wild world and given the gift of life, Amitivis burst through the mists to reveal a body made whole by the ritual’s magic. Psychic power roiled from him still, but his every shared thought was of freedom, of vengeance, of appreciation for a world’s beauty never once revealed to him until this moment. Transformed by Duiran, the serpent now possessed red scales in honour of the Ithmian tribes, his gaze burning with the power of a lirathyar’s blessing of Life and a guardian’s approval. “We strike imminently,” the serpent declared to the Duirani. “And then I shall return home with you.” Like the crack of a giant’s whip, the sinuous motions of rune-daubed Amitivis thudded through Den and Tundra both, filling the realm with the tectonic rumbling of a now burrowing serpent. Soon, the Theocracy felt the terrible tremble of earth and stone as something shifted beneath their streets – a latent threat of an enemy come to collect his pound of flesh for vengeance unleashed. As Amitivis tore through the Tundra’s subterranean levels, Faceless Madness continued to threaten the Prime Material… Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Slyphian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XVI: Ritual Fury](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xvi-ritual-fury/) **Published:** April 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Left with its Pantheon embroiled in the grasp of Madness Incarnate, the Empire of Bloodloch revisited the site of Godly genesis to empower its Sovereigns of Corruption and Tyranny. At the iron command of the Red Tyrant Maeve, the entirety of the Empire mustered at the Lich Scriptorium’s Abyssal Crucible in a show of unity without exception; as inspiring as it is rare, one and all gathered around the bloodstone altar established at Crucible’s heart. Leading the proceedings was Akarn, Reaver of the Hegemonist; symbolism and worship alike set the scene as the Thronekeeper of Souls united Abhorash’s shrine with an encaged duskywing butterfly so favoured by Chakrasul. Joining the Sanguine Fist’s sovereigns were the unwilling, the enslaved, the damned; captured Hlugna under armed guard were forced to their knees at the periphery of the ritual gathering. Addressing an Empire assembled, Akarn promised an offering of its enemies before ceding the charge to Paxe, Thronekeeper of Bloodloch’s Apostles. Midnight danced with dusk as the Nocturn let her curse flow free, black vitae spilling unto divine oil of Corruption to baptise the duskywing’s enclosure. Not far behind was Akarn, hilunite claws dragging furrows into his arm as Tyranny’s granted Blood met with its extracted oil, securing the Thronekeeper’s crozier as a conduit to Abhorash. Then did Akarn call upon the present Empire to invoke the rites of Bone, Blood, and Soul in offering to Progenitor and Lady Corruption. Amidst the growing murmur of Myrnma’s stirring tambourine, the path was laid bare: to stride forward and commit to making the ultimate sacrifice, or to stray backward and escape the ritual’s grasp. Unified was Bloodloch in gathering here; unified was Bloodloch in its march forward, each and every citizen committed to the abyss without reservation. Blood is the Empire’s Legacy, and Blood was the first offering to be made; thus did a city bleed for its Divine, led by the Dominion. Next came offerings of Soul, given freely, led by the Carnifex. Finally did the Apostles share the gift of Bone, offerings presented of self and prey alike. As the willing completed their tributes, attention shifted to the lot of the unwilling scores of enslaved Hlugna ushered forward and consigned to the abyss with unabated violence; lives forfeit for imperial purpose, Dwarf after Dwarf perished in ritual submission. The gates of sacrifice thrown open, Akarn and Paxe passed among the gathered now, anointing each with a mixture of blood and Divine oil alike. Marking complete, the climax of the Empire’s ritual came at the point of Akarn’s athame, turned inward as the Reaver plunged it towards his own chest; the instrument burst with a rushing crimson tide that blasted outwards to encompass the entirety of the Lich Scriptorium in glorious purpose and Divine writ. Eldritch energy consumed all present in columns of spectral flame as the offering of their essence marked the completion of ritual sacrifice, scouring the Scriptorium clear; the sudden absence of mortal sound cast a blanket of silence over the area, interrupted only by the weeping of the very fabric of reality. Then did twin helixes of essence sprout from the depths of the Lich Scriptorium, columns’ base founded upon bone laid bare. As these monstrous pillars stretched towards the sky, pulsing veins of blood perverted pristine white, enclosing each column in a cocoon that thrummed with the steady heartbeat of ritualistic sacrifice. The crackling wail of bound souls spurred each terrible creation upward, their apexes piercing the heavens themselves; where contact was made, reality itself was rent asunder, jagged wounds torn in the increasingly violated membrane that separates Prime from the infinite entropy of Chaos. Through these festering rips did two Gods become visible, ritual creations now bridging an Empire’s heresy with its faith. The very embodiments of Tyranny and Corruption were They, each an awe-inspiring avatar of Their manifest domains as They carved through seemingly endless waves of Chaos. Duskywings took fleeting flight around Chakrasul’s flittering form, their funereal wings unfurling like sinister petals as they eagerly devoured the pillar of essence offered up in profane ritual. The ephemeral emerald of these tainted creatures writhed with sickly inner radiances of white, crimson, and smaragdine. Each duskywing burst like a pustule as it gorged, only to have its foulness absorbed back into the Dark Lady’s smouldering corona. The jade flames that wreathed Her figure-frown blazed with blinding tenebrous intensity, Corruption’s insatiable depths drinking deep of the offering’s despoiled essence. Empowered, the Dark Lady’s laughter echoed like rusted knives across shattered stained glass. Abhorash’s enforced dominion over what stretched towards Him was entirely less elegant. Borne upon tendriled wings of woven Blood, the vampiric Deity wasted no time alighting onto the sacrificial beacon presented to Him. Pearly whites broke through His ivory maw, preceding the ravenous descent of fangs that plunged with a greed untempered unto the sanctified pillar; its essence was eagerly siphoned into the God through long, voracious draws. No glow manifested about Tyranny as He was empowered; instead, the unquenchable aura of night that shrouded Him expanded its remit, a scion of annihilation that consigned all in its reach to the finality of oblivion. As Bloodloch’s strengthened Divine plunged into the fray anew, the sky stitched itself back together, restoring the frontier of demarcation against the screaming insanity of Chaos. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 22nd of Slyphian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XVII: Faith and Fecundity](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xvii-faith-and-fecundity/) **Published:** April 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** For weeks, the Hammer of Dawn anxiously prepared for an unorthodox rite to honour the great Gereghond, God of Fertility and Plenty across myriad Albedi cultures. To ensure the security of the city’s aims, the Heralds restricted all knowledge of the ritual until just days prior, with several citizens questioning the legitimacy of such an approach once the council presented the plan in its entirety. Despite individual misgivings, Enorian dutifully divided their responsibilities and prepared for the moment to arrive. Though the city initially thought to handle interpretation of the ritual steps themselves, the Heralds ultimately turned to their Duirani allies for assistance. Sibatti and Aolin were foremost among them, helping to ensure the ritual’s sanctity and potency while also nurturing the blossoming of new ties and common ground between the two cities. When the city assembled in the scoured Mamashi, Vanguard Inthirath led Enorian in ritual bloodletting – an activity not foreign to the Hammer, for their own Akkari Host engaged in such ritualism in observance of the latent spirit in all blood. After outlining the once-plain’s borders in their precious sanguine, the city assembled within what was once a lion’s den and spoke aloud devout prayers to the Bull and their other Gods. Offerings of wheat and perfume were given freely, filling the cavernous dwelling with the musk of earthen fragrances meant to please the Bull and attract His attention. As the Hammer of Dawn engaged in boisterous, hopeful song and ritual war-dance to observe this foreign deity born of Dejaani’s eternal enmity for Ohlsana, villagers from near and far began to stream in and join with the festivities. The devout sang of hope, joy, duty, faith and love to satisfy the specification of a priest’s teachings, the music of their devotion spilling out into the plains at large. Stirred to greater heights of faith and oneness by this display, the villagers began to engage in more physical and carnal methods of worship – an activity that several citizens of the Hammer threw themselves into with full faith that it was necessary for true reverence of Gereghond. As the ritual reached its climax, a shimmering haze of dusty turquoise manifested upon the eastern horizon, a billowing cloud of mystic smoke within which feral impressions lurk. Like unto a second sunrise, the lush anomaly elevated like an impassable wall, its manifestation setting the entire wild world to deafening song. Symphonic in its natural union, the animal kingdom banded together to unleash fierce ululations, snarling rejoicements, bellowed praise, hissed deferrals, and twittering celebrations. Zebras let loose equine whinnies that mingled with prideful lion roars. Together, predator and prey bound across empty, scoured land, united in purpose for one glorious moment instrumented by ritual power. Cracks sundered the earth in the wake of this stampede, shattering the lifeless plane of once-plains into destitute dust and rocky chunks begging for the touch of a virile lifebringer. Sensing the impending emergence of a fecund force, avians, mammals and reptiles one and all set the earth to a tremble and the air to a quiver… The living breathed – and the world breathed with them. Each inhalation suffused their bodies with the land’s bone-deep vitality, each exhalation a sacrifice given unto its bountiful reaches. Held to synchrony and unity with the burgeoning herd of life, their heartbeats shifted to match the thudding rumble of tectonic activity and the groaned roar of ancient mountains. Those who had rejected life instead felt their chest heave as if labouring to join the land’s sudden unification. An emptiness flooded through them like a gulp of gelid water, leaving behind a cold longing for what once was, what could be, what must be passed down and propagated for generations to come. It was then that a colossal silhouette began to breach the haze. A pair of tusks thrust forth from the turquoise fog, carving through the spiritual mists as if they were untamed fields in dire need of ploughing and tilling. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 22nd of Slyphian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XV: Questions and Answers](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xv-questions-and-answers/) **Published:** April 29, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As Ios proceeded apace, the Heartwood sought the guidance of their ancient guardian spirits. Turning once more to great Vo’acha, Presiding Voice Bhalwyn instructed Duirani councillors to band together and sacrifice the bones of fallen skeletal soldiers at the totem of the great serpent spirit. The council toiled together for weeks to offer a suitable pile to the Shadow, eager as they were to seek his wisdom, patience, and calculating cunning. Each offered soldier scattered into motes of energy that suffused the forest with wild potential that built into ritual tension, promising an eventual answer in the form of a hiss and rasp guiding them to the Den of Shadows. It was there, only days later, that the Voice and several Speakers met Amitivis, the tremendous serpent wrought by Ankyrean hubris. Expressing a continued distaste for the Theocracy and a desire for vengeance after being freed of his oath to the late Zenith, the giant snake bargained with the council in hopes of seeking the power to enact his long-awaited moment of wrath. Seizing upon the opportunity to secure a new ally in their war against the Dragon of the North, the council agreed under the condition that the serpent would join them in the times to come and offered a nest somewhere within the Ithmia as his new residence. Eager to obtain freedom from the yoke of conclavist coercion, Amitivis accepted and sealed the deal. As the Heartwood set about planning a ritual meant to beseech Dia’ruis and Vo’acha for strength, the Sanguine Fist tended to their own designs. Following the signing of a treaty of alliance with Bloodloch, the undercity of Djeir sent one of their loyal beastmasters to assist with the training of a spider gifted unto the Empire during a different era. Utilising slaves as fodder, the Hegemonist’s Fist trained the spider (named Agranoth, according to the Grand Library’s informants) to discriminate between friend and foe, as well as other various aspects of discipline necessary to render the arachnid a terrifying asset upon the fields of war. In an effort to replenish their ranks of slaves, imperial servants swiftly set themselves to the task of capturing fresh meat from the Hlugnic Labyrinth – an activity that the Hammer of Dawn turned a blind eye to, once more reaffirming that only the faithful of the Light were worthy of their efforts and that these enemies had chosen their fate accordingly. Later in the month, the Threefold Alliance met to plan out the beginnings of an aggressive campaign against the Dragon of the North. Intent upon striking a blow that could not be easily recovered from, the individual leaders put their heads together to form a multi-pronged assault plan that would allow them to enter the city and inflict terrible damages upon property and assets alike. Intent upon sieging their walls and gates with beasts of war as the initial step, Duiran and Bloodloch elected to offer Amitivis and Agranoth as their beasts of war. Although Enorian was initially at a loss for contributions, the city soon acquired information regarding tribal rites of the Raging Herd, a cult dedicated to Accordant Earth – commonly known across Albedos as Gereghond, the Bull. While the Threefold Alliance outlined a roadmap to Spirean demise, the Theocracy experienced an increase in frequency and intensity of Chaos-adjacent hallucinations. Manifesting first as madness, paranoia, and anxiety, many conclavists reported unsettling presences and the feeling of being watched from the shadows and all corners of the realm. As time went on, the city at large began to share mass illusory experiences that allowed them a collective glimpse into the far-flung reaches of Lanu Du’s myriad realms, culminating in a sharp increase in intrusive thoughts and terrifying revelations. Eventually, this collective insanity reached such a horrible height that Whirran and several other cities began to suspect Spinesreach’s Inner Gate of spying on them and plotting maliciously against the city’s goals. Left with no other sensible choice, the agitated citizens set about to the task of blowing up the gate with a measure of explosives – an act that brought civil unrest and unease that multiplied ‘neath the eye of Faceless Madness. As scopaesthesia bored into the back of every Spirean skull, the Hammer prepared to take another leap of faith… Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 22nd of Slyphian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Auctions ending reminder](https://www.aetolia.com/news/auctions-ending-reminder/) **Published:** April 27, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Just a quick reminder that auctions have less than 24 hours before they end! Also be warned that I’ve brought their ending time forward to be an hour earlier to avoid a potential overlap of them ending during the Duel. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 11th of Slyphian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Duel](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-duel-3/) **Published:** April 25, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** With one month passed, it’s time to spark your bloodlust – The Duel is back! The Duel is a double elimination tournament held in Esterport, the perfect time to test your capabilities and see if you have made improvements in your strategies! Only one person will be crowned Champion! If you’ve never joined one before or haven’t heard of it before now, HELP THE DUEL will tell you what you need to know. Prizes include fame, credits, and the Rapier of the Master Duelist. Additionally every entrant, win or lose, has a chance at a raffle at the conclusion of the event. The specific time and date for the event can be found via EVENT INFO 735. Make sure you have setup CONFIG TIMEZONE for your local time. See you there! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 19th of Lexadian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [A Memory of Light](https://www.aetolia.com/news/a-memory-of-light/) **Published:** April 23, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello! With the Hammer of Dawn’s rituals of cleansing complete, the forces of faith and prayer have undergone a profound renaissance! To signify this new understanding, we have loaded in a complete rewrite of the Devotion skill’s messages. We have more of this type of change in store, though the opportunities to unveil it in this event have come to an end – keep an eye out for moments in between now and our next event for more on that! We’re incredibly excited to introduce this refresh, as Devotion is one of the oldest skills in the game alongside the recently updated Necromancy. As a note of assurance, none of the combatmessages have changed throughout this revamp and thus you should have minimal trouble transitioning things in your combat systems. As part of this release, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Orlayth, who worked alongside me to plan out and write this update. Be sure to send some love her way, because this was something she threw herself into when she was just a Celani-in-training and I’m sure that was a very daunting task for her! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 7th of Lexadian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Esterport shops](https://www.aetolia.com/news/esterport-shops/) **Published:** April 20, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, Esterport shops now have a dormancy / low activity check to see if a shop owner is still actively playing the game. If they don’t meet the requirements, the shop will either suffer a higher tax rate or be closed until you either sell it off or become active again. If you fall into such a state, the game will message you warnings about it before repossession. In addition, Esterport now charges a 50,000 gold transfer fee when a shop is sold to another person. You don’t need the gold immediately on hand; it is simply added to the taxes the shop owes. This has been put in place to make it more difficult to pass off shops to someone else to hold in your name. Cities can also implement this tax rate if they feel it necessary to do so. Accessible to the Chancellor, the command is CITY TAXRATE TRANSFER . Lastly, it is no longer possible to purchase another Esterport shop if you already own one or don’t meet the activity requirements. You won’t be able to receive the offer. Quick note: We understand that some of you keep shops to store your keepsakes that decay, but they are a limited resource in the world, and this is not their intended function. If you need a place to store items, we recommend either treasure chests that can be bought in player houses (HELP CASTLE COMMANDS) or using the bank vaults (HELP VAULT). Thanks! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 15th of Ivolnos, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Combat Council](https://www.aetolia.com/news/combat-council/) **Published:** April 19, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, With the combat council looking a bit thin, we’re going to be opening up applications for the role again: The combat council is a chance to voice concerns or pitch ideas that will help improve the combat scene, and will occasionally be asked to provide feedback on upcoming changes from the administrative team. Keep in mind it is a volunteer role without compensation, we’re mostly looking for people who are diehard fans of Aetolian game mechanics with plenty of self knowledge to lean on. If you’re interested, message me with: 1\) Classes you have deep familiarity with. 2\) One change that you would make to one of those classes. 3\) One change that you would make to a class you didn’t list in 1. 4\) One change that you would make to one of the myriad conflict systems we have in the game. Candidates should be mature, level-headed players with a strong understanding of the Aetolian PVP scene. You do not have to be a top combatant, but you do have to be actively involved in the scene, whether that be sect, group combat, or otherwise. As this is a position that puts you in a place of contact with the administrative team, we’ll only be accepting those people we have positive relations with. If you have been toxic or otherwise disparaging towards members of the team, whether that happened in private or otherwise, you need not apply. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 10th of Ivolnos, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Reincarnations](https://www.aetolia.com/news/reincarnations/) **Published:** April 19, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As talked about earlier, free reincarnations have ended! I’ve given everyone one free reincarnation to use how you please going forward. Just note, it doesn’t stack and give you two if you had one before. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 8th of Ivolnos, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [April 2024 auctions](https://www.aetolia.com/news/april-2024-auctions/) **Published:** April 18, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! Shortly after this post, a round of auctions will be going live! There are 9 credit auctions, 5 iron coin auctions, and 7 gold auctions. Some notes: – The auctions will run for 10 real days. – Any artifacts bought through auctions (including gold items) cannot be traded in or have their powers transferred. – Credit and iron coin auctions do not require you to have the credits/iron coins on hand to bid. – Gold auctions do require you to have the gold on hand to bid. – We allow a week to gather the winning bid amount when auctions end. Failure to meet the bid amount after this time will result in the loss of your character until the cost is settled. – Bound credits and bound iron coins CAN be used to pay for auctions. – HELP AUCTIONS and HELP AUCTIONHOUSE both have additional details. – \[0;1;37mBids are final, and we will generally not reverse mistakes.\[0m If something needs to be clarified about an item, you are welcome to ask me for more details before bidding. Please be absolutely sure before placing a bid. Without further ado, here are the listings that are going live. Once they’re up, you will see information on the lots using AUCTION INFO . CREDIT AUCTIONS ————— \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37mA critter taxidermy kit\[0m – If you have the corpse of a small critter (10 oz or less weight), you can transform it with the syntax of ADOPT GUISE OF . This grants you the same benefits and mechanics of the Bard Mundane ability, which is prevented by all the same things. \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37mA coral shield of Denan Arloi\[0m – You can RAISE SHIELD, and after a 3-second channel, you’ll enter a second channelled state where the first person that hits you in-room causes the shield to wash everybody else away, leaving only you and your attacker behind. – Those that get washed away will be sent into a random adjacent room. – The effect only fires on an attack that directly targets you, AoE skills won’t trigger it. – Needs to be wielded to use and confers 20/20 armour stats. – We will let you select the shield type it is at the point of purchase (buckler, tower, etc). \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37mA galvanising claw of the Ascendant Huntress\[0m – Recovered after the raid upon Spinesreach, this discarded claw from Lisha, the Ascendant Huntress, will double your current hitpoints when you BRANDISH CLAW, bypassing your maximum. – Your health must be at 95% or higher to use. – Has 3 charges of use. Will replenish 1 charge every hour. \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37mA Glandor Magician’s wand\[0m – POINTing the wand at someone will place a debuff on them for 30 seconds. Upon leaving the room with this debuff, they will be afflicted by writhe\_stasis after 5 seconds have passed. – Takes 4 seconds bal/eq to use. \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37mTomor’s quiver of versatility\[0m – While worn, it allows you to shoot any arrows from it without consuming the arrow itself. – Yes, any arrow type, including all the arrows sold in the sect shop. – You must have at least one of that arrow in your quiver. \[0;1;37mVillage shop token\[0m – Open a shop in an NPC village of your choice, subject to RP and administrative approval. Check with us before bidding if you need more clarification. – Esterport is not a viable location. – Your taxes will be set to the village in question, and the shop will be repossessed if you default on your bills, though you can reopen it should you settle your debts. – It also requires you to remain in good standing with the village where it’s located. \[0;1;37mA neverending anabiotic pill\[0m – As the name suggests, this anabiotic pill will never deplete, no matter how many times you eat it. \[0;1;37mInking tools\[0m – Allows you to ink tattoos twice as fast. – Tattoos with ‘charges’ will have double uses (not including starburst). – Removes the need for inks, including obsidian ink. \[0;1;37mAn oddly-sloping shield of absorption\[0m – When wielded, it gives you a 15% chance to completely negate the damage from a blunt/cutting attack. – Provides 6/6 armour stats. – The owner of this shield can select the shield type at the point of purchase (buckler, tower, etc.). – This is once only and won’t affect its armour stats. IRON COIN AUCTIONS —————— \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37mCustom skill message\[0m – This will grant you the right to personalise any single skill message in the game, for you and you alone. If it’s a channelled skill, we’ll let you personalise all messages of the channel, too. – Subject to RP and administrative approval. – The skill will still need to make sense for all the mechanics affecting it. A magic attack will still need to be a magic attack. An attack stopped by a broken arm can’t be using your legs instead, etc. – The skill still needs to adhere to the lore of the class. – If you have a skill you want customised but want some help, the Pools will gladly assist! – If the skill is changed or deleted, you will be contacted to do any necessary rewrites or to pick a new skill. \[0;1;37mA recursive dollhouse\[0m – This dollhouse sits within your house and allows you to manipulate anybody that stands within your house. – PROBE it to reveal everybody currently in your house. – SHAKE it, and it will violently expel all visitors in your castle. – TOUCHing anyone in the house will teleport you to them. – PLUCK someone, and it will teleport them to you instead. \[0;1;37mA relic token\[0m – Redeem this token and claim any fully completed relic of your choosing. – Retired relics such as venom rags are not available! – It cannot be used for the full ilmenite bracer combo relic. – Ask in advance if you aren’t sure. \[0;1;37mA link of the ethereal\[0m – This relic artifact allows you to create a portal between your haven and another’s. – The owner of the other haven must agree to the portal being placed. – Refer to RELIC INFO HAVENLINK for more information. \[0;1;37mPower: icepocket\[0m – An upgraded version of the coldpocket power; this can be added to any container. It will slow food decay within that container by a factor of 14. GOLD AUCTIONS ————- \[0;1;33m(NEW!)\[0m \[0;1;37mA Top Rock’s barrel of incendiary delight\[0m – Created by the mythical Kobolds of Top Rock, this barrel packs a punch! – Unfortunately, being Kobolds, they forgot to put in a fuse so it cannot explode on its own. – PLACE this item in the room. The next Bombcrafting explosive to go off will trigger it, dealing heavy room-wide damage. Base damage is roughly equal to the old Holocaust skill. – The barrel can be attacked and destroyed after it is placed to prevent this. It has 2000 health. – Damage type is half fire/half blunt, and damage source is knowledge (wisdom). – The item will reset back to its owner 30 minutes after use (effectively a cooldown). \[0;1;37mRelic piece token\[0m – Redeem this token for any relic piece – Artifact moulds are not included as an option. \[0;1;37mBoots of the spider\[0m – A pair of boots of the spider, allowing you to dodge web tattoos! \[0;1;37mCompendium page bundle\[0m – The winner of this item can exchange it for 5 compendium pages for the area of their choice. – Must already be an area with existing compendium pages. \[0;1;37mA pet token\[0m – Entitles the owner to a customised pet package as outlined in HELP PETS, with a twist! – The twist: we’ll do the writing for you! Work with the design team to have your pet idea written by us, including its reactions. – This includes add-ons 1-4, and 10 reactions. – We’ll also include some bonus features of our choosing… see Whirran’s snail for an example! \[0;1;37mAntiquated salvage bundle\[0m – The winner of this auction will receive 5 pieces of antiquated artifact salvage (see HELP ANTIQUATED ARTIFACTS). \[0;1;37mBow of the Hunt package\[0m – The winner of this auction will receive a level 1 artifact bow of the Hunt, with the aiming power included, an artifact quiver, and a serration rune. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 7th of Ivolnos, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Free Reincarnations](https://www.aetolia.com/news/free-reincarnations/) **Published:** April 12, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, Unlimited reincarnations will end in one IRL week’s time and will return to normal. Everyone will receive their one free reincarnation again once the unlimited period is over as a bonus. Please make sure you’re in your chosen statpack and race when the period ends, otherwise you’ll be left in what you have, which may not be what you want. That’s all! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 16th of Celes, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XIV: Justice and Ascension](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xiv-justice-and-ascension/) **Published:** April 5, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the first hours of Ios arrived in the third year of the new age, so too did a terrible threat to the Hammer of Dawn. Pounding drums and wild, phlegm-laden ululations arose from broken Huanazedha as the cultists of Incarnate Insanity carried out a dark rite. Led by Leira, the self-proclaimed champion of the Faceless One, the Nazetu opened their veins and cried out in the name of their profane deity. Blood and belief entwined into a sickening admixture, the resultant concoction slaking the thirst of a cracked eld core claimed only weeks prior. “LANU DU! LANU DU! LANU DU!” cried each of Its faithful, every chanted syllable imbuing the core with yet more power. Soon, a dark shadow struggled up from the center of a ritual circle before the preserved remains of Midnight’s Oracle, the tension of oppositional Chaos setting the air to a burning crackle. The sundering of a metaphysical chain screeched throughout the realm, the clamour of disrupted machinery ringing out across two planes. Oneiromancers and once-oneironauts of the Unforgotten Court alike felt something amiss in the mechanical sphere of Astral Orange as the rite reached its conclusion, a terrible severance stabbing away at them. Even as this horror proceeded apace, the dark shadow flowed out of Huanazedha. Like a river of putrid insanity, it sloshed and crashed, its eldritch momentum carrying it along the roads on a swift course towards the Hammer of Dawn. “PRAISE BE!” roared one of the outspoken cultists of Lanu Du. “GLORY TO THE FACELESS ONE!” Swelling upward as a solid wall of defiled water, an aberrant eld crashed down upon the road outside the Landward Gate. A discordant tune filled the air around it, bestowing the twisted blessing of the Mad God upon any who dared draw near. “YOUR BLOOD SHALL SLAKE HIS THIRST! YOUR FLESH SHALL SATE HIS HUNGER!” promised the cultists. Unwilling to let this threat stand without response, Sryaen Kavoros, Xavin Taziyah, and Eliadon Ecceliant stepped forth to do battle with the terrifying monstrosity set loose against the city’s gates. Though many of the threefold alliance sought to lend aid, they found their strikes too weak to do aught but annoy Lanu Du’s twisted servant, but they nonetheless stood guard to ensure that the Dragon and Qor Qogol could not interfere in this struggle for the city’s safety. Utilising twisted portals into lightless places of Chaos nearest Denan Arloi, the aberrant eld summoned tentacles and tendrils laden with rasping suckers and gnawing mouths, assaulting the three ascendants with the full might birthed by dark rite. Wielding the judgemental light of the Triad, the brute strength of callous heroes, and the cataclysmic magic of an expert sorcerer, the three champions carved through the eld. Whensoever it felt threatened, the aberration girded itself with pure waves of madness and summoned thrashing tentacles to do its bidding – tentacles that swiftly found themselves quelled by might, burnt by light, and shattered by high elemancy. It was Eliadon who finally stepped forth to stymie the tide of horror and insanity. Utilising his mastery of magic, the Docent unravelled the portals projected by the being’s core. Despite his natural aptitude with spellcraft, however, the thaumaturge found his entire being scattered across the cosmos, his myriad modicums disparate and separated from his vast consciousness. In a nigh-unprecedented act of sheer willpower, the Ascendril’s docent managed to understand a scrap of Creation’s underpinnings and utilised this newfound knowledge to put his form back together bit by bit. With raw mental fortitude used in place of spirit and shadow’s fundamental schematic, Eliadon returned to the Prime whole and healthy as Sapience’s second Sagani. Xavin was the next to make a brave sacrifice for the sake of the Hammer. As the aberration reared back one massive tentacle in an attempt to break the gates and open the city to hordes of rampaging Chaos spawn, the Provost threw himself into the appendage’s path. Though it crushed him to do so, the knight managed to deter the tentacular assault at the cost of his mortal form. The defiled eld soon consumed Sir Taziyah, sending him plummeting through the same lightless depths that had birthed the core’s maddening powers. As his final moments bubbled away, however, Xavin felt himself rescued by the providence of the Triad. Beneath Their inscrutable gaze, the warrior swore to uphold Their threefold expectations and found himself reforged in the crucible of holy conflagration, rendering him the first Seraph of the new age and the fourth in recent history. Unwilling to concede the fight, the aberrant eld enacted one last desperate gambit. With its tendrils and tentacles writhing into the earth, the terrifying creature tore open a path to the very ley beneath the Hammer, an act that could send the entire city toppling into the recondite depths. Recognising the danger this posed, Pentarch Sryaen launched himself forward and dragged his foe down into that crevasse, his weapon clutched tight. As he and the foul eld tumbled down through infinite space and the mysterious veins of the world, they continued their mortal struggle. Proving himself the better warrior between the two, Sryaen thrust his hand into the flowing foulness and wrenched out the eld core that granted it its watery powers by raw might alone. Triumphant and exhausted, the man utilised the core’s latent powers to ascend to the state of Titan and clambered out of the crevasse, allowing it to seal behind him. Even as Enorian’s triumvirate champions triumphed over the aberrant assailant, the thunder of Nazedhan drums continued into the early morning, heedless of the eld’s fall. The following week, the Illuminai managed to rouse Freydha from her captive slumber. She was slow to rise, throwing her arms up and screaming to be left alone. Meleah Silverain spoke calmly to Freydha, assuring the Arqeshi woman that she was safe, drawing her back to reality. She apologised profusely, expressing that the nightmares had seemed so real, while revealing that she knew her son’s plan. Freydha went on to detail that when Qepim came to visit her before she was attacked, he’d been speaking with Minax Shadowend, the daughter of Baelaka trusted strategist, Klaas Shadowend. Qepim was convinced that Minax could help him break free from the shadows of their family’s past and forge a new path. He spoke of their shared desire to shape their own destinies and fulfill the elusive dreams of their fathers. He revealed that he is more than just a scion of a fallen ruler; he is the vessel of prophecy, the chosen one destined to walk in his fathera footsteps and empower the ancient god… the Faceless One. In plain words, she spelled out his intent to rebuild the fleet within the Beryl Sea and to once more attempt to conquer everyone and everything in the name of the Faceless One. Just as she finished her explanation, smoke billowed and roiled in the distance over the sea, the smell of burning wood and remnants of decayed wreckage mingling in the salty sea breeze. Grand Crusader Benedicto Silverain led the charge, being the first to touch down amidst the wreckage of the Nazedha Fleet, confronting both Qepim Shipbreaker and Minax Shadowend head-on. As the forces of Enorian swiftly followed, a colossal battle erupted. In the heat of the confrontation, Minax took a brutal blow, causing her to collapse unconscious at the feet of the elite warriors of the Hammer, while Qepim seized an opportune moment and vanished beyond the wreckage, fleeing into the open sea. Members of the battle party spread out over the wreckage to investigate while Vanguard Inthirath Karthi and Pentarch Sryaen Kavoros discussed what to do with the still unresponsive Minax Shadowend. As the two discussed, a Nazetu woman garbed in Urmoc battle armour approached the group. Filled with suspicion, the Pentarch demanded the unknown Nazetu to identify herself; she introduced herself as Laxmi Acacus of the Urmoc tribe. She explained that she had heard whispers of Minax and Qepima plans circulating through the isles, and came to find out if there was truth to it as well as to warn this place she knew as Enorian. A swift dialogue unfolded between Laxmi and Inthirath, culminating in an agreement: Laxmi would stay behind at the wreckage to vigilantly monitor and notify the Hammer of Dawn should Qepim reappear. Meanwhile, Inthirath and Sryaen deliberated further and ultimately concluded that bringing Minax to Enorian as a captive would jeopardise the city’s safety. With resolve, Vanguard Inthirath drew a blade from his belt, kneeling to swiftly and decisively sever Minax’s throat from end to end. Even as Minax bled out upon the shattered remnants of a conqueror’s fleet, the Heartwood sought answers… Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 4th of Omeian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XIII: Xaanhal and Xoral](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xiii-xaanhal-and-xoral/) **Published:** April 5, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the War of Six Nations ebbed and flowed, the deaths of five Xorani spellcasters announced the arrival of a new player onto the field. Following a ritual empowered by the irrevocable offering of life, crackling potential raged from within the Shamtota hills, its esoteric power a terrifying union of mastery and sacrifice alike. Lost to the broader world was Xaanhal, its caverns obscured by an elemental vortex that forbade any incursion. The position thus secured, the High Mage Krisiina announced the territory’s interest in Qor Qogol’s war, awaiting Varach’s delegate. Negotiations carried on for weeks, the Shamtota Hills eerily silent for that time. Then agreement was reached, announced by the deathrattles of both the willing and unwilling as scores of Xaanhal’s inhabitants were sundered as fuel for abominable magics. As the final gurgles of the sacrifices were silenced, the earth beneath the Shamtota Hills trembled with a massive surge of power unleashed. Something monumental tunnelled west as violent tremours wracked the land from hills to desert. Declaring her disdain for the village that once cast her out, Krisiina guided the workings of Xaanhal and Varach alike. Screams ripped through the realm as a titanic surge of elemental energy erupted out from beneath the Mhojave, its crackling sheath pulsating with veins of necromantic empowerment. Silence reigned then, as energy shaped into a dome that severed the village of Xoral from the outside world; undulating spiderwebs of necromancy that occasionally lanced down from the dome to settle below offered the only hint at the atrocities harboured within. Its western outpost secured, Xaanhal imposed upon the conflict at hand, declaring war upon Bloodloch, the Empire that had once enslaved the High Mage, and Enorian, the city that had once failed to stop the twisted experiments conducted upon the Raim Vale. Amidst the clamour, the dark, foreboding smog that diffused out of Xaanhal went nigh unnoticed, returning to the depths of Qor Qogol. As Bloodloch and Enorian mustered their forces in preparation for this new development, the shroud persisted over Xoral for a week. Then the dome of elemental energy flickered wildly as its energies were drawn downwards, necromantic veins peeling away to feast upon the village below. Footfalls thundered across the realm as the armies of Bloodloch and Enorian alike mobilised in response. Angling from the north were the forces of Dawn, marching with unshakeable discipline and grim resolve alike; in its train was a massive bell, carving through the desert with haste and the merciful lack of ‘accidents.’ Descending upon the south were the forces of midnight, bloodlust driving each ravaging soldier. In the vanguard strode the fiercest warriors, each equipped with a glowing caduceus of chaos. The first clarion peal of the great bell rang glorious throughout the realm. As if in response, sizzles of chaotic energy cut through the sound, discordant, accentuating. Opposing yet harmonious forces clashed against the barrier of abomination with uninhibited force; caught between Hammer and Fist, the dome shattered, revealing the horrors that awaited within. Genocide stalked the grounds where once a vibrant village of life stood, thousands of bodies basking the desert sands. Yet even that sight paled beneath what came next as the last vestiges of necromancy screamed through the village. Bask no longer did the slain – as one they rose, a reanimated army ready to meet its onrushing foe. The din of war washed out all else as each force hurriedly established their base of operations. Fierce was the battle, the leaders and armies of both Bloodloch and Enorian assailing the undead horde in an effective pincer attack. As wroth spells of fire, earth, and lightning rained down on them, and as necromantic heresy replenished undead Xorani even as they fell, the two military allies made slow, bloody – yet steady – progress. The forces of Bloodloch marshalled under the banners of Akarn, Aren, Azvameth, Irra, Kiershu, Knigi, Lysaira, Maeve, Mazzion, Melpo, Myrnma, Neoma, and Paxe. The soldiers of Enorian marched at the command of Aisling, Ayastia, Benedicto, Eaku, Eoros, Esani, Ilea, Jhura, Mahar, Sryaen, Xavin, and Zinna. Though without armies of their own, the warriors of Duiran supported the assault upon Xoral; Bhalwyn, Gyrinno, Samiya, Sekeres, Tulle, and Valeria lent their aid. Left without armies nor home, Boube and Nawan took to the field as well, overcoming initial distrust to assist in the war efforts. Thousands of soldiers clashed and slew and died; barricades were dismantled; powerful sorcerers were engaged in fierce combat. When the clamour of war died down at last, the village of Xoral was conquered and/or liberated by Fist and Hammer, all opposing forces wiped out. As the smoke cleared, the drums of Huanazedha continued to boom alongside chanted praise of Faceless Madness… Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 4th of Omeian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XII: The Ravages of Chaos](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xii-the-ravages-of-chaos/) **Published:** April 5, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Towards the middle of Severin, the Hammer of Dawn began to hear troubling rumours of cloaked figures and arguments held in kitchens within guildhalls. Though they initially found no evidence to support either, the city elevated their security measures to a critical state and barred access to the halls and sensitive places, as well as posted guards in high-traffic areas. Immensely suspicious of any that could harm the Hammer’s many citizens, the Light’s sworn adventurers scoured the city and interrogated every individual who could be responsible for the gossip and rumours. As the gossip continued to spread, one particular note struck with Vanguard Inthirath Karthi: an argument that loudly took place between Freydha Shipbreaker and her son, Qepim Shipbreaker. No one knew the exact details, and Freydha refused any comment, opting to cry into the food she prepared for the Illuminai. A guard stationed to protect the woman spoke to the Vanguard and revealed hea heard the argument, but not enough to speak to the exact details. He reported seeing Qepim running from the guildhall carrying a bag of personal belongings and running from the city as fast as his legs could carry him. That same week, the cultists of Lanu Du staked their claim. A lone cultist snuck through the city’s streets and ascended the steps of Enorian’s beloved temple before erecting a shrine to his maddened deity. Crying out in praise for the Faceless One, the cultist opened his veins and sanctified the altar with his life’s blood, his existence extinguished as a show of his dark devotion. The city swiftly gathered before the Grand Flame and instrumented the destruction of the shrine even as Grand Crusader Silverain questioned the guards as to how they could allow something so brazen to occur right beneath their noses. The sheepish protectors admitted to believing the cultist was merely a hooded pilgrim and had not thought to stop him until it was too late, further incensing not only the Akkari’s trusted leader but many other citizens gathered. Their anger, however, was not to be. Soon, a scream rang out from the Illuminai’s halls, followed by a gibbering message from a guard who had seen Freydha collapse into a suddenly catatonic state. Unwilling to leave her on the floor of the kitchen, the guard swiftly carried her to the city’s infirmary, where the Illuminai began to enact ancient healing magic gifted to them by the Triad during the tumultuous times of Delve’s plagues, famines, and warfare. At the very same moment, Nianvi and Iernos spoke to the Templar and Ascendril respectively and outlined plans to employ similar spellcraft to protect the city from the incursions of Chaos and insanity. United as one, the city formulated a plan for the city’s protection – and that plan settled into place not a moment too soon, for the Hammer soon found itself beset by wave upon wave of terrifying Chaos spawn. Though brave adventurers struck them down in droves, they arose each time and reformed as threats anew, their lives only quelled in truth by the eradicating strikes of the Templar Knights and the arcane networks of Ascendril crystalism. Even as the city toiled away for sake of Freydha and the free peoples of the Dawn, a previously oppressed society sought vengeance… Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 4th of Omeian, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [April promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/april-promotion/) **Published:** April 1, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! We will be running one of our two yearly auctions in the later half of this month, so look forward to that! But for now, Cryptic Chests are returning to the website (www.aetolia.com/credits) under ‘artifact packages’ for April! Opening a chest will award one or more prizes from a wide selection as outlined below. Every 500 Cryptic Chests opened will trigger a global prize where one of the next 50 to be opened will contain a bonus of 500 credits on top of the other prizes! Here’s what you might find inside: – Chocolate bags, elemental globes, fireworks, customisation certificates, iron coins, morphic metal, ambience tokens, styles and a low chance at salvage. – Style selection for this month includes telekinetic, ghostly, loud and confident, with a chance at receiving a style point to spend at the shop. – Credit prizes ranging from 18 – 250. – Various artifacts valued between 50 and 2000 credits. – Minipets from a selection of: an obsidian chaos hound, a fluffy jambaali, a wide-eyed sugar glider, an orange-beaked puffin, an oversized jumping spider, and a juvenile wolverine. – Coffers with pieces for the following relics: spikes\*, veil\_nightmare, raptor\*, shrubbing, antennae\*, goldtranslocator, raceidol. \* These marked relics have been updated to support the new relic attire command that was added last month. – Compendium pages for: Vault of Domor, Raugol Fissure, Yuzurai village, the Fengard Keep, the Teshen Undercroft and a snake pit. In addition to these, you will always receive a filler prize (grimstim pills, various consumables, omnipotence pills, etc). These do not count towards your chest’s value. There’s a brand new filler prize added to the line-up this month: a herbal jar, which you can APPLY to give you a defence that masks you from scent for one hour. You can also find a chest in the milestone shop for April – 1 gold key as always! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 24th of Dharos, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part XI: Messengers and Sentinels](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-xi-messengers-and-sentinels/) **Published:** March 28, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Early in the month of Severin, the Deepest City sent another messenger out into the world. Once more bound for the Dragon of the North, the rune-scribed golem trekked through Dun and Praelatorian in a dogged attempt to reach its destination, but found itself swiftly waylaid by the forces of the Threefold Alliance. With the automaton’s remains taken into their care and its message decoded, the three cities swiftly set about preparing a counter-offensive to disrupt the plans they gleaned from the golem’s message. Unwilling to betray the allies who had already gained so much for him, Varach Scolrys personally set out to communicate with the Sheryni, the Dragon’s Strategos. After explaining that Qor Qogol intended to make good on its promise of Fabricator technology, the necromantic noble informed her that he would be deploying a sentinel golem to the North as a gift to be explored after the cessation of all hostilities. Informed now of the coming operation, Sheryni swiftly roused the Spirean militia into action and handed down orders to prepare for the inevitable conflict to come. The violence of a war past only continued to intensify in response to the North’s preparations. Each dusk, the four cities brawled within graveyards and chasms in an attempt to hinder or help the skeletal soldiers raised from their graves. A complex back and forth developed as the Dragon’s soldiers sought to secure the line of passage betwixt the Hlugnic Labyrinth and Spinesreach’s gates, including the binding of myriad arcane aegis and the sanctification of new shrines. Not to be outdone, the Alliance deployed experienced warriors in hopes of tearing these defensive structures down before the battles began in earnest – an operation that found mixed success. In the middle of Severin, as the hour drew nigh, battle came early to the doors of Qor Qogol. The Alliance and the Dragon clashed repeatedly, felling one another in droves through spell, sword, and ensorcelled pacts with Xa’azamit and the Calliope alike. The screams of the dying serenaded the Dun Valley, breaking its usual silence with the cacophony of marching armies and heated warfare. When the Fabricators deployed the promised sentinel for transport, however, the combat reached new heights. Utilising coal to stoke its furnace, the Dragon kept the sentinel alive long enough for safe transport despite the Alliance’s attempts to destroy it. Taken now into the city’s safekeeping, the North swiftly began to research the being’s body and make, though they achieved no scientific breakthroughs at that immediate moment. As the six nations grappled in the throes of geopolitical discord, the servants of Lanu Du toiled away for sake of Insanity’s dark designs… Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 6th of Dharos, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part X: Faith's Awakening](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-x-faiths-awakening/) **Published:** March 28, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In early Sapiarch, Lanu Du’s influence upon the realm intensified. After felling her final victim within the halls of Tiyen Esityi, the Tekal cutter known as Leira finally achieved the vaunted state of Azudim. Upon her ascension, the baleful warrior renounced her faith in the Dark Mother and swore herself to the Faceless One – a declaration she made to the realm at large. After slaying several of her comrades as a display of her martial skill and proof of her claim as the champion of Madness, Leira departed to find Varach Scolrys, who she called ‘the Prophet of Lanu Du’. In response to the murder of a beloved vassal, Xa’azamit, Empress of Chaos (may she live forever!) made her presence known upon the Prime. Speaking through a myriad-mouthed herald, she decreed that the North – worms, by her approximation – would be held to account for the death of Akna. Though she kept her visitation brief, she promised the realm that Spinesreach would pay for their crimes in some manner before rendering Boube lifeless as warning to the depths of her ire. Later in the month, the time for restitution arrived. Summoned to Umbral Chaos by demand of the Empress, may she live forever, the Dragon of the North swiftly mobilised before her. It was there that the city put themselves through an increasingly embarrassing array of tasks to amuse and please the Empress, may she live forever, including brutality against one’s own comrades, cuddling, singing, and even the promise of Boube as a permanent court jester. When the reigning monarch detected the invasion of Lanu Du’s servants, however, she grew grave. She dispatched Aki to deal with the nuisance even as she set her sights upon extorting the city for all it could offer for her troubles. What ensued was a battle for the honour of the Empress, may she live forever. Utilising his ascendant might, Aki engaged in pitched battle with Vorthrax, a devouring Chaos Lord sent to maraud Umbral Chaos and do further damage to Xa’azamit’s court. Not to be outdone, the experienced adventurer tore shreds from the invading Lord and utilised these fragments in myriad ways that increased his mastery of Chaos energies. As this bloodied duel proceeded apace, Architect Legyn continued to increase the Spirean debt counter with a promise of ten million gold – something that caused his fellow citizens to balk and blanch even as the Empress, may she live forever, leaned forward with greed in her beautiful eyes. Though a great deal of haggling ensued, the Empress – in her infinite magnanimity – instead settled for seven million gold and one hundred beating hearts. With these hearts, she declared, she could elevate a new vassal in place of the Malformed Maiden. It was only after his fellows departed that Aki returned with the flickering remains of Vorthrax. Though he was initially unwilling to hand over the being’s remains, Xa’azamit offered to elevate him to the status of Umbral Nobility for his troubles if he would turn them over to her care. With the matter settled, she bathed him in the immense power of a true Chaos Lord, transforming him into something new, raw, and strong as the ultimate reward for his service. In the final weeks of Sapiarch, the realm felt a disturbance from the Iernian Fracture as Leira, Lanu Du’s self-proclaimed champion, laid low one of the colossal eld lurking within the depths. Though she spoke nothing more to the world, many adventurers set about gossiping about the potential meaning of this disturbance and others attempted to investigate the surrounding area for clues – an activity that yielded naught for answers. As the world grappled with the ripples of Chaos upturned, however, Varach Scolrys continued to advance his schemes… Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 6th of Dharos, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part IX: LANU DU!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-ix-lanu-du/) **Published:** March 28, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Interrupting the clash of Abhorash and Chakrasul against Lahkencai, a gargantuan tentacle abruptly punctured the realm, crashing in with the doom of inevitability. It sank straight through the ground in its path, ripping open a window to Prime as a new set of Combatants took the field. The heavens bled once more as something bulged against its membrane, thousands of grotesque tumours undulating across the skyscape. The first abscess ruptured in a spray of fetid clouds, opening a sore into Chaos once more; a writhing tentacle protruded from the opening rift, scribing its horrifying domain upon the sky. Hundreds like it burst forth soon after, forging a forced bridge between Prime and the cacophony of Madness and, through the jagged contours eviscerating reality, the theatre of Divine warfare found itself laid bare for all of Sapience to witness. The screaming impossibility that is Lanu Du dominated the bellicose performance; in Its realm, It was at once disparate and whole, Its remit absolute over the very fabric of existence upon which Fire, Water, Life, Strife, and Morale now flanked Tyranny and Corruption. Seven faced down One, the tension of a breath held racing across the land. Bamathis was the first forward, indifferent to the movements of His companions. Gone was the Tactician, His charge unburdened of caution and stratagem; all that remained was the Soldier – nay, the Berserker and Butcher. Raw emotion suffused His unending mania, its harsh, uninhibited peal every bit the match of Insanity Incarnate before Him. Caelestis sundered the battlefield with the reckless abandon of the Lost, His argent essence barreling forward through the maelstrom of tentacles that lashed out from unfathomable dimensions. Each notch claimed by the once-Warlord exacted a heavy price in turn, lacerations and blisters sullying His sculpted flesh with the sting of eldritch torment. Despite the catastrophic damage delivered unto Him, Bamathis made no move to parry. Impetuous temerity raged in His every strike, the whole of His being given over to a demand for carnage absolute – be it upon the enemy or Himself. Fervent chimes hastened the path of the blade of Sapience as Morale found Themself inexorably drawn to the singleminded purpose that claimed Strife. Raindrops wept upon the chaotic battlefield, the purity of Water cleansing eldritch Insanity where they fell. Though the initial sight evoked tranquil serenity, the resultant puddles rapidly rose, each joining its like in rapid osmosis that carved through the essence of Chaos itself with an undersea trench’s dangerous pressure. A tsunami formed, its grasp defying Chaos’ tenuous, half-imagined spatial limits as it expanded to submerge the battleground. At its apex surfed Slyphe in a Dauntless charge, Audacity a blurred vortex that stabbed and sheared at all in Her wake. Spores drifted through the air where Immortal Water assaulted Unending Madness, borne upon the breath of insanity itself; these motes of Chaos marshalled together at impossible speed, climbing atop another to condense into a ravenous abyss of tooth and claw – a pit towards which Slyphe was too late to halt Her charge. Corruption intervened in a show equal parts magnanimous and pragmatic, Her insidious domain unleashed to clear the way. Cloaked in a tumultuous mantle of jade fire, Chakrasul plunged into the tsunami, scant heartbeats before the abyss could claim it. Intricate lacework spiderwebbed across the wave in response, its waters sent sizzling with the acidic intensity of pure Malice. Bereft of any support from Morale, Whose chimes fell silent whenever the dreaded Chakrasul took the front, Corrupted Might yet still held Her own. She wove vindictive spite into Her path, Her fury made manifest as thousands of withered spectres coalesced within the wave. Homage and vengeance entwined in unholy union when these simulacrums of the Umbral Crone stolen from Her surged forward, and they screamed their ear-splitting displeasure as they filled the abyssal maw with rancorous hate. The gaping chasm heaved as its entirety melted from existence, smote by acidic distaste. Across the battlefield, Life and Tyranny found Themselves side by side, each having moved to assault the same flank of the eldritch monstrosity that threatened the Divine of Sapience. Examined side by side, these Gods could not be more different: one a hulking beast, the other slender marble; one scarcely covered by a simple loincloth, the other attired to the nines; one flush with the vitality of life, the other pale as snow in its absence; one a grave warden, the other a grave robber. Within the bloody din of violence, however, the unlikely pair found common ground. Haern barreled forward, His wargauntlets pounding together in time with Life’s ineffable rhythm. The thrill of Divine hunt writ clear across the Hunter’s mien, He cut a brutish, predatory figure eager for the brawl to come. Matching Hunter stride for stride, Abhorash slithered forward in the silent stalk of midnight grace, His hilunite sword tempered with the buzzing swarm of Virulence. The plane of Chaos itself yawned wide in response, this vast swathe of the outer realm tearing apart as lips that once held reality together ripped free of their stitching. From its cacophonic depths echoed a deluge alive with alien voices, its terrifying clangour a sonic wave that halted the advancing Gods. It transfigured the air about Them into a discordant slop of molasses that birthed razor-sharp tongues, one and all winding hungrily towards Hunter and Hegemonist. The Lord of the Hunt bellowed a chelonian evocation and turned His back to the onrushing tide of gelatinous paralysis, His homage to a long reclusive Guardian manifesting as a titanic tortoise’s shell that spanned from shoulders to thighs. Acting as a bestial phalanx, Haern shunted aside wave after wave of Chaotic hindrance, rendering its endless torrent naught but ineffective spittle. Once more leaping into the fray, the Heart of Sapience glimmered into view behind Haern’s aegis and bathed Him in the resilient radiance of Their domain, straightening His hunched back and imbuing Him with strength beyond even His prodigious brawn. Using the precious seconds bought, Zyrialith peeled back from the edge of Its Captor’s sword like a noxious wave in recession. The pestiferous swarm rose above Its fortified position and then sharply descended but a heartbeat later, drowning every sharpened articulator in thousands of eviscerating stings and pernicious, gnawing bites. In a flash, the Righteous Fist of Judgement descended like an inquisitor’s anointed warhammer. Eschewing Daybreak’s burning edge, Lightsworn Fire invoked the incendiary devastation of His domain. He streaked forward like a lance wrought from aureate morningtide, spreading cleansing flame and sanctified wrath in His wake. In a contrasting flash of low-lit brilliance, Morale emerged at Celezor’s side, the uplifting power of pure virtue suffusing His every motion to magnify thousandfold the searing judgement delivered unto the abominations of the Mad God’s realm. Gibbering insanity became ashen serenity. Anarchic, infinite Chaos found cessation at the hands of Sapient Spirit’s burning Order, freeing Hunter and Progenitor alike from Madness Incarnate’s gelatinous grasp. Gathered now, the Divine sovereigns of Bloodloch, Enorian, and Duiran banded together and surged forth in one unbreakable rank. In a rare reflection of an equally unlikely mortal alliance, the Godly trio closed in upon the thickest tentacle protruding from It That Woke’s hyperbolic silhouette. Together, this triumvirate of Tyranny, Righteousness, and Savagery proved a nigh-unstoppable force. Their actions blended into a whirlwind of Divine fire and martial brutality that reaped through anything unfortunate enough to be caught within the gravity of Their awe-inspiring violence. Faced now with Seven where once was Five, Lanu Du reeled back. Its tentacular infinitude swirled and writhed in the wordless expression of a faceless Immortal’s agony, Its city-obliterating might matched by a pantheon suffused with power to rival ancient Elders never known. Here within the outer realms of Chaos, however, the Faceless One existed as a Fundamental truth that could not be so easily subverted or overridden. A haunting groan rumbled throughout the boundless expanse of a plane constrained only by imagination and willpower, flooding its infinite landscapes with a call from the ancient force that is both the birth and death of every twisted shard of countless possibilities. Innumerable unknown realms of Chaos dissolved to sate the hunger of ravenous madness, empowering Lanu Du yet further. Each tentacle that fell burst into dozens of its like, facsimiles rapidly regenerating in unholy genesis; when they swelled back to grotesque proportions, each converged upon the fray once more, threatening to overwhelm this conjoining of realms with a veritable flood of writhing flagella. As the situation hastily escalated far beyond mortal intervention, Abhorash and Chakrasul found a scant moment to spare. With mirrored flicks of Their wrists, They sent Their followers soaring out of Chaos, ejecting them back onto Prime like a swarm of jade and sanguine comets. Before the gaping wound in the sky knit shut once more, one final glimpse of Sapience’s seven defenders crowded the swiftly closing aperture. Shining as one beacon of multifarious power, They strode forward to engage a Fundament catching Its second wind. A sickly squelch rang throughout the realm in the extraplanar vacuum of an aperture shut, leaving in its wake an ominous uncertainty. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 6th of Dharos, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part VIII: Chaos](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-viii-chaos/) **Published:** March 28, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As Prime and Chaos became increasingly entwined with the attention of Primordial Chaos, profane whispers perverted the tranquillity of Prime, heralding an abominably eldritch tendril that split the sky, carving a steadily widening abyss across the heavens. The empyreal wound festered and expanded with the deafening sizzle of marinating rot. Pustulent greens and bleeding reds oozed out of Chaos’ ingress, the gap slowly widening to offer a glimpse of a tumultuous conjoining of Chaos splinters. Through the window, the unmistakable forms of Tyranny and Corruption, both radiant beacons of Divine fire, were immediately recognizable. All manner of eldritch monstrosities pressed in upon them from all sides at the behest of a Chaos Lord comfortable within his domain, showcasing the ironclad mastery of his influence. Lahkencai scarcely resembled the sunken form that had intervened upon Prime; his profile was bolstered by the activity of the ancient embodiment of Chaos. The Withered Lord sprouted appendages innumerable from his crackling form, shrouded in a miasmic aura writhing with the malleable tentacles of his god. Abhorash was the first to notice the widening breach into Prime. A quick touch to Chakrasul’s elbow drew Her attention as well; the Divine shared a glance and then a quick nod. Corruption’s elegant hand rose alongside Tyranny’s clawed grasp, both stretching towards the rift. Then, with violent haste, both brought them back in tugging motions. The faithful of both Divine tumbled through the air in a reversal of gravity, with little dignity to be found in their meteoric ascent into and then through the rift. From the Reavers of the Hegemonist came Akarn, Aren, Azvameth, Elene, Gael, and the fashionably late Maeve; they were accompanied by Neoma, not yet ascended into Abhorash’s fold but a Chaos Lady in her own right. Among the faithful of Corruption came Azarae, Kiershu, Legyn, and Tina. When the last travelled through, the breach snapped shut, leaving what was to come shrouded by uncertainty. They arrived upon a turbulent conjoining of splinters of Chaos; the forced connections of the Nazedhan, Umbral, Astral, and Abyssal realms birthed this battlefield, a surreal landscape entwined in a fierce war for dominion and survival alike. The moment to summon them was all the Stewards of Umbral and Abyssal could spare, the pair of Gods foregoing greetings as They returned attention to Lahkencai in a renewed assault. Arrayed against the Withered Lord, Abhorash sprouted wings of skeletal Blood that claimed dominion upon all they touched, their flickering threads pulsing with His sanguine legacy. The God was carried forward atop these summoned appendages, each vein striking autonomously as everything in His reach was impaled upon a crimson spear. Lahkencai was His target, and the Hegemonist’s advance was swift and merciless. Even in the face of a God, however, the Withered Lord showed no fear; powerful as the Divine were, Their experiences within Chaos were but a flickering flame against the inferno of the once-Nazetu’s mastery. This disparity was made abundantly clear when Abhorash reached him. As the God’s wings planted into the shifting ground, a click of Lahkencai’s fingers rewrote the laws of the realm; up suddenly became down, and now the Progenitor God fell upwards, dangling vulnerably. The Withered Lord’s next strike was entirely less elegant; he balled a fist, swiftly striking the God with a titanic blow that sent Him crashing into a corner of the realm, where He was swiftly set upon by the hostile hordes of Chaos. The faithful of Hegemonist and Corruption alike took the field now. Ground apart by faceless entities of rippling teeth, swallowed whole by bipedal mouths slick with manifold tongues, and infested by vermiform masses of fungal atrocities, the faithful found themselves hard-pressed by abominations. Inch by bloody inch they progressed, ultimately reaching and freeing Abhorash from His predicament. As the Abyssal recovered, Umbral’s Steward took His place, whorls of jade fire encasing both Her hands. Yet, before the Dark Lady could fully assert Her power, Lahkencai descended upon Her like a tempest of darkness. His movements became a flurry of callous blows, each strike draining Her of strength as She struggled to withstand the onslaught. Despite Her best efforts, Chakrasul found Herself overwhelmed by the relentless assault of Her ancient adversary, Her Divine form battered and broken beneath Lahkencai’s implacable fury. Summoning the last shreds of Her resolve, Chakrasul attempted to recover, gathering Her strength to charge towards Lahkencai with ferocious determination. Before She could fully close the distance, however, Lahkencai’s immense power swatted Her aside with contemptuous ease, casting Her away like a mere nuisance in the face of His overwhelming might. It was time yet again for the mortal faithful to shine, as now they carved bloody paths to come to Chakrasul’s aid. Each individually bested by Lahkencai, the Gods came to an unspoken coordination agreement. Abhorash flared out to the right, His makeshift wings a blender of death as they sliced through countless entities of Chaos. When His course charted to Lahkencai, bolts of heaving Chaos were there to greet Him – Until they were met by the ephemeral flight of a duskywing butterfly, its form manifesting from jade fire. The temporary shield bought the Hegemonist just enough time to burst apart into mist form, thousands of glowing particles evading the Withered Lord’s counterstrike. Just before they reached Lahkencai, however, the Chaos Lord closed a fist, forcing the mist to condense into a sphere that he casually batted aside. This distraction provided an ample opening for Corruption. Chakrasul seized the opportunity, emerging undetected upon Lahkencai’s left flank. With swift and calculated precision, She delivered a devastating strike, channelling the full force of Her power into a single, concentrated blow aimed directly at the Withered Lord’s core. The landed blow was the first sign of vulnerability for the Withered Lord, sending him into a fury not yet seen. Immense eldritch energy gathered about his fist, ready to strike. Amidst the cacophony of the unfathomable, a rupture in the fabric of existence suddenly yawned wide. Unleashing a torrent of eldritch energy that reshaped the battlefield, it twisted reality into a kaleidoscope of nightmares as both realm and combatants were consumed in an indescribable maelstrom of otherworldly destruction. Wrath unfettered, Lahkencai adapted quickly to the coordination of Gods. He closed his eyes for a moment, raw will flowing from him in abhorrent waves. Horror overcame the Gods’ mortal followers as dozens of sores suddenly appeared on their bodies, each a painful slit upon their skin. When the Withered Lord’s eyes opened, hundreds more opened alongside them – the nature of the trespass upon the faithful’s beings was revealed to be eyes themselves, granting the Chaos Lord unrestricted vantage of the battlefield through every angle. This vantage was seized not a moment too soon, for the assaulting Gods had taken the opportunity granted to unleash a two-pronged assault on the temporarily vulnerable emanator of Chaos. Sighting every detail of the planned assault through his newly birthed eyes, an almost lazy flick of Lahkencai’s wrist sprouted strings of Chaotic essence from each finger that bound both Gods with incredible dexterity. Control so established, the puppeteer was almost gleeful as he sent both enemies flying apart with the spread of his arms, and then brought Them violently crashing together in a mirror of his clapping hands. Wading through abominations and titanic attacks by Lahkencai himself, the Gods’ followers eventually reached Them, helping each recover from the latest strike. Though relative newcomers to Chaos, not for nothing did these Gods claim dominion on the plane. Annoyance writ across Her features, Chakrasul cast a hand outwards, Her fingers sent aflutter in a spiralling twist of a caress. Corruption’s touch slithered across the mortals’ skin, almost gentle – until the moment it contacted a trespassing eye. Then it was wrath, unseen fingers gouging directly into the iris as fingernails sank into each pulpy offence. Mercifully quick was Chakrasul’s work, conducted with surgical precision married to sizzling haste. Each eye was carved out of each faithful’s body, its offending essence thrown into the air to seethe impotently about the atmosphere. The follow-up was Tyranny’s to claim; His defining smirk absent, the God’s brows were knit in a thundercloud as His aura bled into the atmosphere to claim the wayward strands of freed essence. His work was equally quick as Corruption’s, the Hegemonist exerting His indomitable will; the strands streaked towards Lahkencai, elongating as they approached. Snakes they became, hissing serpents that speared towards the Withered Lord. It was not him who proved the direct target, ultimately; each abruptly veered off on its own trajectory, finding a tentacle upon the Chaos Lord’s writhing shroud to devour. The Withered Lord’s scream of primal fury echoed throughout this splinter of Chaos. His will so fragmented, Lahkencai struggled to regain his feet – until a single, all-encompassing heartbeat suddenly wracked the realm. “IT COMES!” Lahkencai declared as something massive pressed against the contours of the battlefield. Cracked lips split into a smile, manic pleasure gleaming in his eyes, the Withered Lord gestured for all to behold. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 6th of Dharos, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Duel](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-duel-2/) **Published:** March 27, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The first Duel of the year is here! This weekend the Duel will make its mark in the Esterport arena – a double elimination tournament of skill where only one person will be crowned the champion! If you’ve never joined one before or haven’t heard of it before now, HELP THE DUEL will tell you what you need to know. Prizes include fame, credits, the Rapier of the Master Duelist, and every entrant, win or lose, has a chance at a raffle at the conclusion of the event. The specific time and date for the event can be found via EVENT INFO 716. Make sure you have setup CONFIG TIMEZONE for your local time. See you there! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 20th of Ios, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Racial Abilities](https://www.aetolia.com/news/racial-abilities/) **Published:** March 26, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, The next part of this phase, racial abilities! RACES ===== This is fairly more straightforward. Each race now has three abilities instead of four, and the milestones for unlocking each racial ability is at level 1, 31, and 61. The races have also been refreshed with new abilities in some places! Nice! The reason why we’ve cropped it down to 3 is to cut out some of the chaff within racial abilities that are just pre-existing abilities in generic skillsets. ENDGAME ======= The fun part! Once you reach endgame, you can now use the RACESKILL system to unlock -any- racial skill available, including a small selection of racial abilities that can only be obtained through this system. If you’ve invested points into the system in the past, all those points have been returned to you as haven points. You can then reconvert them back and spend them how you wish. Unlike before however, there is now a limit on how many racial skills you can have active at once. While you can unlock all of them, you will need to select up to a max of 6 abilities to be active, and only 1 racial regeneration ability (excluding willpower and endurance regen). Swapping them out as you desire is a fairly straight forward task though, the only requirement is that you are within your Haven to do so. AUGMETICS ========= Despairing at the new racial limit? Well fear not. You can unlock more racial slots for more active abilities by investing augmetic enhancement points into them. You can do this a max of 10 times, which is a lot of racial skills! CHANGE LOG ========== That’s all the main changes! If you’re hunting for more details about how racial skills might have changed, feel free to read on below: Racials ================== – A bunch of new racial skills, but I won’t list them all out in detail here, just those that changed! \* If you recall the survey I did, you’ll find many of those have been added in. – Renamed Skill: Improved Sleep to Deep Sleeper. – Renamed Skill: Improved Meditation to Meditator. – Renamed Skill: Alcohol Resistance to Alcohol Tolerance. – Reworked Skill: Tinkering. \* Now increases knowledge sourced damage by 1%. – Rock Harvesting now gives you an extra rock in locations that are marked as fertile. – Rock Crushing and Rock Harvesting has been combined into one new skill: Ink Harvesting. – Antivenin no longer provides a defence, it is passive. – Clicking has been updated a bit so that it uses GMCP and hides your name if you are obscured. – Digging has new messages about using your hands rather then claws. – Forage is now 100% successful and restores more nutrition in locations that are marked as fertile. – Headbash no longer stuns, and instead drains both yourself and the target of 1 intelligence. – Headbash can now be started from an adjacent room. – Deep Sleeper now improves your endurance regeneration, wakefulness, and your health regeneration when asleep. – Trawling is now 100% successful and restores more nutrition in locations that are marked as fertile. – Tremor Sense now has a new message. – Health Regeneration has been increased to 3% per tick, up from 2%. – Mana Regeneration has been increased to 3% per tick, up from 2%. – Fur Coat and Cold Blooded no longer affect your dress level, they still affect your warmth though. Artifacts ================== – The ‘sleeping\_bag’ artifact should now actually work and do what it says it does. – The ‘regeneration’ artifact will now stack with the racial regeneration abilities. – The ‘regeneration’ artifact has been reduced to 4% per a tick, down from 5%. – The ‘mana\_regeneration’ artifact will now stack with the racial regeneration abilities. – The ‘mana\_regeneration’ artifact has been reduced to 4% per a tick, down from 5%. Cultivation ================== – Fixed holding your lotus bud not providing a small amount of willpower regeneration. Enchantment ================== – The Dreamcatcher item should now actually work and will improve the following when asleep: \* Endurance regeneration, health regeneration, and blood regeneration. Miscellaenous ================== – Freshly cut trunks from Farming can be wielded as a heavy weapon. – There’s now a goose mount in Goreshire that is a small mount. – There’s also a goat in Tainhelm that is a small mount. Survival ================== – Survey will now show if your location is a fertile place for skills that require it. Terramancy / Wavebreaking ================== – Removed Skill: Tremorsense / Currents. – New Skill: Footfeel / Currents. \* This will allow you to passively sense when someone is forced or goes underground in the same area as you. \* Does not detect someone moving underground, just when they initially go underground. \* Must not be flying or in the trees to sense the movement. Weaponry ================== – New Skill: Technique. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 16th of Ios, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Bounties and War](https://www.aetolia.com/news/bounties-and-war/) **Published:** March 17, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, There is a recent surge in inappropriate bounties regarding wartime actions. At this time, we would like to issue a clarification: It is not acceptable to file a bounty upon someone for simply being a participant in a war that is already over. The exception to this would be a major crime or betrayal, such as leaving the city after being an effective spy. These things, like everything else to do with roleplay-based PK cause, are a matter of common sense and this ruling is not one size fits all. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 10th of Sapiarch, in the year 3 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part VII: Bloodlust](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-vii-bloodlust/) **Published:** March 15, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** A thin line of silver essence slashed downward beside the protective dome, its brilliance soon stretching out into that of an ethereal portcullis. The rattle of a winch and chain filled the air as the gate rose, revealing the manic visage of Bamathis, the Lost. “Our ends come as they will. If I fall here, it will not be because I am bound by some meaningless creed; there is only Strife and it shall stand as the only truth that can endure oblivion,” declared the former enforcer of a fled Creator’s will. Drunk upon suicidal glee and the glimmer of purpose returned, the once-Warlord barrelled out from His hidden demesne with Caelestis held at the ready. Crazed laughter escaped His throat as He summoned the whole of His essence, the unnerving tension of Strife clashing against the pure, unadulterated insanity of a Fundamental Being. Seizing upon the distraction, Slyphe and Celezor emerged from Their shimmering dome and joined the Forsaken Son’s assault without reservation. Standing shoulder to shoulder, the trio made a renewed assault upon the countless tentacles rooting about through Mournhold’s bedrock, Their combined powers meeting Lanu Du’s machinations blow for blow. As if on cue, a hunter’s horn rang out from the heart of the Ithmian Forest as Immortal Life emerged from His wanderings within Dia’ruis. Emerald fires ignited beside Bamathis, their sacred conflagration weaving into the form of an Immortal gateway. As soon as it opened wide enough to allow His muscular bulk to lunge through, Haern pounced onto the battlefield and batted away a legion of shrieking minions intent upon flanking His younger Brother. With an ursine roar, the Lord of the Hunt smashed His fists down upon one of the vile tentacles – an act that reduced it to naught but festering, squelching pulp. Dia’ruian energy blossomed in the wake of the Wild God’s rage, imposing natural order so vast and unquestionable as to obliterate rank upon rank of manifested chaos servants. The thrill of purpose awakened swept throughout the entirety of the land as the Heart of Sapience rose to meet a threat born of despair and madness, signalling the arrival of a fifth deity to repel the Faceless One’s ravages. Cries of relief echoed from Jaru’s Arqeshi as Euthymius emerged, their despair and worry soothed by the virtue’s purest expression. The dim light of celebratory lanterns bloomed at the heart of the deific formation, its precious brilliance bespeaking the presence of Virtuous Morale. Young and new, the Immortal flitted betwixt Their compatriots in fulfillment of Their resilient essence, elevating the four gods to greater heights of power by way of Their glowing presence. Though Celezor, Slyphe, and Haern took this bolstering in stride and pressed on without change, Bamathis’ mania only intensified in the face of Euthymius’ blessed aid. His laughter boomed throughout the realm like unto unnerving thunder, His martial perfection morphing into brutal butchery as He plumbed the depths of depraved bloodlust and traumatic loss. Despite Its ritual empowerment, the Faceless One’s might flagged before the resolute strength of the five deities that assailed It. Knowing It had little time now, It hastened in Its unknown work. Seizing upon something within the depths beneath Mournhold, Chaos Incarnate hissed out a whisper of triumph from unseen lips. That hiss, however, tapered off – into something closer to agony and revulsion. The Prime Material’s fabric twisted for a moment as Lanu Du’s legion of tentacles retreated from the earth, the corded muscles and geometrically defiant sinew riddled with tumourous growths. Life and energy and an empty vessel’s torment all converged with the Mad God’s power. Growth without boundaries leaped to its own rapid origination, severing tentacle from host in an explosion of extraplanar gore and sickening ichor that threw Sapience’s five defenders back in a stunning series of filthy detonations. Its grisly appendages spurting lurid essence, It That Woke turned away from Its window into the Prime and fled deep into Its realm to nurse Its wounds. The Forsaken Son was the first to give chase, a lust for endings and victories burning in His haunted gaze. He ascended to the rent and passed through in a surge of argent vengeance, His sword clutched tight in His bloodied grasp. Light, Water, Life, and Morale followed suit after exchanging glances and words lost to mortality’s screams of panic, Their collective essence forming a shining shield to deter the ravages of Chaos that They would surely face. A slash of multifarious light knit closed the rent into the outer realms, sparing Sapience the sight of eldritch expanse and maddening machination. The Withered Lord seemed supremely unconcerned with his eldritch God’s predicament; instead, the ancient being of Chaos feverishly scanned the horizon in a single minded hunt for specific prey. Finally did his oscillating orbs of jade flame find a pair of Gods observing hitherto unnoticed from atop the Sanguine Fist. The smile that stretched his thin lips was as ravenous as it is terrifying, the once-Nazetu pointing a finger skyward. “I have found you at last, Hansekkaramnis,” Lahkencai declared. “It matters not that you appear wearing new skin – I will flay this one from your bones all the same.” Abhorash’s glowing stare cut through the paltry veneer of distance, illuminating the challenger. He raised a hand then, a smirk carved into the God’s marble visage as He invited Lahkencai’s provocation with a smug beckon. Chakrasul’s fury transcended the mere smugness of the God by Her side, however, manifesting as a chilling force that eclipsed the Hegemonist’s wrath. Each affront etched a line of malice across Her features, immortalising the theft of Her Umbral charge, the dilution of Her dominion by the summoning of Lanu Du, and the abandonment of faith by the ascended hunter of Tiyen Esityi. The threat posed by the Withered Lord, seeking to consume the splinters of Sapience’s Chaos, added fuel to the inferno of Her rage. The gauntlet thrown, Chaos enveloped Gods and Lord alike, and the trio departed to the theatre of war upon another plane – the domain within which history claims Lahkencai wields unmatched mastery. Varach Scolrys, newly ascended Chaos Lord of the Faceless One’s vast court, turned the remainder of his ritual might to an arcane focus produced from his cloak. A seething vortex formed from the heart of what remained, its every glimmering mote pouring into the crystal set within the trinket clutched in his clawed grasp. Satisfied with this empowered token, the Chaos Lord gestured with his free hand. A wave of might rippled outward from the triskaidecagon, bathing all of Sapience in the uncertain energies of a mad god. Some fundamental undercurrent underneath reality shifts and swells, empowered by the Court Mage’s bequest. The ritual fires guttered out; bone, blood, flesh – all vanished, consumed by the crescendo of Varach’s efforts. The triskaidecagon dispersed to the wind, scattering ash across the Prelatorian Highway. “You have done well, my allies. We have all we need to move forward with our plan,” Varach declared. Treading cobblestones shattered by Immortal might and madness, Varach Scolrys delved the wreckage of the Dreikathi airship. He turned the empowered focus towards the Demon Blade and drew near as its sorcery clashed against the artefact’s maddened sentience, his taloned digits settling around its hilt. With a mighty heave, Qor Qogol’s High Endorone drew the Demon Blade from the hissing airship core and held it aloft, triumph glittering in his eyes. He regarded the damaged engine for a long moment as numerous jellies were expelled from its interior by the Blade’s withdrawal. Then, bending his newfound mastery over Chaos into a colossal gate, he displaced the wreck to somewhere else for safekeeping. “We shall convene in the coming days, my compatriots. Qor Qogol will not abandon you,” the freshly ascended Chaos Lord promised. With that, Lanu Du’s newest Noble fashioned a gateway and steps through it to parts unknown. Even as warfare recommenced and the alliance pushed into Rimewatch, they heard Huanazedha’s exultations from everywhere in the realma “LANU! DU! LANU! DU! LANU! DU!” Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 24th of Haernos, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part VI: Insanity](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-vi-insanity/) **Published:** March 15, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** “YOUR RUNNING AND TRICKERY BORES ME,” thundered the Star of Midwinter. With a clap of Her mighty wings, the Dragon turned about and charted a course for Her perch within Spinesreach, content with Her contribution. The sky above Mournhold distended in a vain attempt at resistance before it gave way to the quantum impossibility of Chaos, its canvas twisted toward profane ends. A yawning chasm of kaleidoscopic colours and alien geometries unfurled where once was welkin glory, revealing the endless array of cyclopean realms born from the imagination of a mad god. Unknown stars flared out and died, their cold dissolution yielding space to yet more realms in a rapid hypergenesis of unthinkable horror. Cries of despair arose from the town of Jaru as the Arqeshi beheld the coming of that which should not be. Villagers young and old raced throughout Jaruvian ricefields and strung up superstitious warding charms in hopes of turning aside the oncoming tide of terror. Satisfied with the result of His gambit, Arvelis dissolved into an oily smear of smoke before Celezor’s next swing connected. The shadows rushed forward to embrace what remained of their ambitious prince, conveying Him to safety amidst the startling crack of midnight ice. With Tanixalthas lost to boredom, Slyphe crashed back down near the ritual’s center within view of Lightsworn Fire and tilted Her head to look up at the clouds. The breath of madness rattled forth from the twisted skies above Mournhold, suffusing the realm entire with the fractious insanity of a truly deranged mind. Eldritch cacophony roared from the chaotic canyon in the sky, making all other sounds mundane, purposeless noise. The heart of reality quivered like that of prey as the Dominus of All Unreality pierced the veil of worlds and turned Its featureless face, eyeless gaze and all, towards Sapience. Countless rasping suckers and fanged maws gaped open in a display of ravenous hunger for that which holds the Prime Material together, a ceaseless desire to consume emanating from the forbidden presence on high. Impossible angles and chilling contortions served as Its eldritch limbs, Its tendrilous fingers seizing upon the edges of Its new point of ingress and tearing it further open to better allow the impossible proportions of Its ancient mass to pass through. Unable to withstand the horror of the Faceless One’s emergence, the psyches of lesser adventurers unlaced into a string of gibbering thoughts that ultimately yielded to dissolution. Pain lanced through the minds of all who beheld That Which Slept, Its very visage and silhouette gnawing away at everyone’s thoughts until they became naught but panic and jumbled terror. Thrusting one twisted arm through the ritually wrought rent, That Which Now Wakes seized upon a section of Mournhold’s earth and yanked upward. Reality squirmed in an impotent effort to elude the gravity of a determined Fundament, its resistance quelled by the sudden imposition of innumerable tentacles burrowing deep into the bedrock beneath the town. Forged from nothing, made material from immaterial parts, countless slavering hordes of warped Chaos hounds amassed as a pack and surged forth to terrorise the town and defend Lanu Du’s burrowed tendrils. Though many experienced terror throughout the profane proceedings, one soul experienced utmost enlightenment: the lithe Tekal cutter of Tiyen Esityi. Declaring the Dark Lady unworthy of her worship, the ascendant warrior cried out her devotion to Lanu Du and gave wild praise to Varach Scolrys, naming him the Prophet of Madness. As adventurers watched on in horror, Chaos-attuned mages and ascendants experienced similar disturbances throughout the ritual. Unbeknownst to most, the Unforgotten Court toiled away beyond the Prime to secure Astral’s sovereignty. Aided by Ecdysia’s enchanted lantern and the myriad creativity of a disenfranchised court, Bhalwyn and his ragtag crew of once-oneironauts saw to the invocation of the mythical sphere of white to serve as a protective barrier against chaotic interference. Blazing fury flooded through Celezor’s incandescent silhouette as He witnessed the unleashed horror of Immortal Chaos. Cobalt castigation glimmered in His pitiless gaze, His indistinct jaw clenched as He resigned Himself to a duty of equal need. A rigid gesture from Accordant Righteousness manifested a fiery fusillade of lightborn bolts that sizzled through the thick knot of tentacular terror, allowing Him all the time He needed to close the distance and hew through many more invaders with Daybreak’s flaming edge. Not one to be outdone, Slyphe raised Audacity on high and transfigured into a raging tide that looped and whirled through the air to elude the defenses of the Faceless One. The unthinkable pressure of lightless trenches crushed any puny minion who stood before Her, reducing them to ichorous pulp or else shattering them into thousands of icy crystals left in Her wake. The Queen of the Tides solidified at Celezor’s side with a whooping laugh, Her rakish glee evident as She sheared through countless cords of chaotic muscle with the gleaming edge of a cutlass forged by a fallen Sister. Casual ease lightened the mood of the swashbuckling goddess, bespeaking the effortless simplicity of Her conviction. Together, Lightsworn Fire and Immortal Water held the line with an ease born of power elevated by the Monomachy’s travails – but wheresoever They felled Their foes, myriad more sprang forth from endless insanity. Soon after, a jagged gateway of cobalt fire scythed through the center of the ritual site, allowing a new figure to stand at Varach Scolrys’ side: Lahkencai, the Withered Lord of Nazedhan Chaos. Drawn by the emergence of his unspeakable deity, the Withered Lord beckoned forth Immortal Chaos’ loyal hounds and unthinkable terrors. With a wave of one thin limb, the sovereign of foreign Chaos commanded his dread hordes to fan out through the township and commence slaughter of all stragglers. Countless Chaos minions of varying shapes, sizes, colours, and anatomical dissonances manifested by the will of insanity’s soul. Barking and screeching alongside the coalesced hounds, these terrible aberrations engaged the trapped troops of Theocracy, Fist, and Hammer alike in a bloodied massacre. Swordsmen, warmages, unspeakable horrors, and darkbow archers banded together amidst the tumult of awakened Chaos, battling in vain to escape the sacrificial fate that now awaited them. One by one, these brave soldiers found themselves cast down before the hungry tendrils of Lanu Du, all that they are, were, and could ever be distilled down in a futile attempt to stymie aeonic insatiability. Some soldiers fell to hounds or minions, whereas others chose to take their own lives rather than be subjected to their final moments in the presence of a terrifying eldritch deity, their deaths nevertheless serving to empower the Faceless God. Suffused with offerings of stripped bone, fresh blood, and hundreds of souls newly liberated from corporeal binding, Lanu Du extended another arm into the Prime Material. Dazzling barrages of chaotic rays ruptured the earth, making of Mournhold a smouldering battlefield that forced the Hammer’s deities to go on the defensive. Celezor and Slyphe swiftly bound together Their domains, fashioning a dome that deterred the destructive shower of essence at the expense of Their mobility. It was then that the clarion call of herald’s horn slices through Immortal Insanity’s eldritch symphony, bringing clarity for all of a breath. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 24th of Haernos, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part V: High Endorone](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-v-high-endorone/) **Published:** March 15, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Writhing streamers of utmost shadow swarmed towards coastal Mournhold and began to align together as a curtain at its borders. After a long moment of work guided by unseen hands and Divine will, the curtain then fell, cutting Mournhold off from the world after a flurry of brutality to control its streets. A wicked slash then carved through Mournhold’s Primal fabric, allowing egress from the outer realms of Chaos for an honoured guest: Akna, the Malformed Maiden. Brought to Mournhold through base trickery, the Umbral Lady called out for her husband even as she settled upon a makeshift pyre of sorcerous bone. Borne upon a foul wind, Varach Scolrys reconstituted into corporeality beside his wartime compatriots and summoned the presence of his reanimated honour guard. The shambling warriors bent and contorted at his profane command, their bodies conjoining into shackles to hold this unknowing sacrifice helpless to his power. Without further fanfare, the Court Mage offered a nod to the gathered Theocrats and set to work. A filigreed triskaidecagon, wrought from the blood of Dia’ruian fae and placed by the hands of the Archivium, then flared to life across the streets of dreary Mournhold. Murky light emanated from the eldritch symbol, casting wavering shadows across buildings and cobbles. Swelling like tides ‘neath a raging moon, the ritual linework sizzled and boiled at the necromancer’s foul command. The acrid stench of burning blood wafted throughout the coastal town upon noxious fumes lit by ethereal light, clouding the settlement with the thick smog of eldritch potentiality. Starting first from the outer edges and working in, the lurid flames engulfed the town’s streets in an unending conflagration nurtured by the dark machinations of a fell arcanist. Screams of terror rang out from the burning hamlet as its natives evacuated as best they could. Those unfortunate enough to stumble into the sorcerous fires found their flesh stripped from bone and their bones broken down into myriad modicums that soon enjoined themselves to the greater whole of catastrophic arcana, catalysing the ritual’s immense power to greater heights. As the flames closed in upon the triskaidecagon’s center, the Umbral Lady held captive at its heart began to panic in earnest. Akna cried out for salvation in a twisted mockery of a sinner’s burning, each plaintive cry entreating her Minotaur husband to rescue her from her predicament – a plea he stood by and bluntly ignored. It was then that Varach Scolrys, high Hlugnic incantations still upon his lips, plunged one hand into the Malformed Maiden’s chest and tore free the power within her. Ancient sorcery eased the passage of his brutal movement, allowing the Deepest City’s Court Mage to extract a shining collection of motes from the now lifeless Umbral Lady. In an act of utmost depravity, the Hlugnic necromancer lifted these existential embers to his lips and consumed them as surely as a commoner of his craft might devour the extracted heart of a victim. Jade essence rolled down his chin as he feasted upon the heart of a vassal sworn to a hated Goddess, exultant glee kindling a cold fire in his gaze. A column of fire soon erupted from the top of the Hammer of Dawn’s beloved temple, signalling the awakened wrath of Accordant Righteousness. “This profanity cannot be allowed to continue. I shall dispense with this horror Myself,” declared burning Celezor. Racing across the sky like a livid comet forged from order and outrage, Lightsworn Fire descended upon Mournhold amidst sanctified calescence and blessed ash. The ritual’s roiling heat and acrid smoke did naught to impede incensed Celezor, His aureate aura forcing foul magic to yield before Him as He marched toward the triskaidecagon’s heart. Before He reached the profanity at the symbol’s center, however, the Unwavering Fist of Righteous Justice found Himself waylaid. Mournhold’s wavering shadows lengthened as if to act as a carpet rolled out for cherished royalty, their atramentous murk yielding to the emergence of Immortal Ambition. Mantled in gelid shade and armed with a kagamine gladius and icemetal dagger, Arvelis whirled into action against an Opposite both new and timeless. Susurrous chanting echoed from the lightless impossibility that seeped from Incarnate Darkness, His very will shaping it into a tide of insidious usurpation that stole ground from Celezor’s effulgence. Light and dark met as hated foes and equal partners of a primordial dance, the unveiled essence of two newly wrought gods clashing in an echo of fundamental violence. Time and space balanced upon the razor’s edge of warring domains as unstoppable hunger raged against implacable order, a calamitous convergence that threatened to once more set the loom of all eternity to a creative thrum. Looking on with an air of dispassion, Lord Bamathis offered but one comment as He exulted in the brilliant violence: “Two sides of the same tarnished coin tumbling towards a singular, inevitable end… I once saw as You did. Unable to see anything beyond the line set before Me.” Varach Scolrys turned away from the fundamental violence of dueling deities and, still flush with the power of slaughtered Akna, raised his arms and spoke a fell incantation lost to the roaring fires of Endorone ritual. A shiver rippled throughout the realm, its profundity reminiscent of a sevenfold gambit undertaken during the tumultuous Monomachy. The boundaries of colour and shape broke apart before the yawning possibility of a distant realm, warping the foundations of Sapience’s natural order. The Emerald Ocean churned into a frothing rage as Immortal Water emerged from Her domain, intent upon quelling the threat of the profane alongside Lord Celezor. Borne upon a raging tidal spout, Slyphe thundered across Mournhold’s shores and crashed into place beside Lightsworn Fire, Her trusty cutlass clutched in one hand. With a wild flourish, She closed the distance and swung low against Arvelis where Celezor aimed high. Beset now by two Opponents, Incarnate Shadow extended His shivering shade all across the streets of Mournhold to obscure His movements. He shifted stances and enacted His will with a killer’s cutthroat efficiency, His calculating gaze on the lookout for any opening in this losing battle. A Dragon’s roar boomed out across the realm then as Sky Dreaming awakened to the sounds of Immortal violence and ritual sorcery. Tanixalthas extended Her wings to their fullest span, sheltering Her besieged Theocracy in the shade born of such a motion. With a sudden lunge, She took to the skies and set off for Mournhold like an errant thunderbolt, every thunderous clap of flight setting trees and mountains to a tremble. Wheeling in a circle around the smoking town, the mighty Dragon set Her sights upon Slyphe and unleashed a cascade of azurine devastation from Her gaping maw. It burnt the air as it travelled, leaving curls of smoke in its wake as it crashed down upon the Dauntless in a column of electrical wrath. Unwilling to suffer such direct force, the Dauntless metamorphed Her spry form into a rolling tide that flooded through the streets of Mournhold, leading the Dragon on a merry chase even as She abandoned Celezor to His stalemate with an apologetic wave of Her cutlass. Another vile incantation erupted from Varach’s mouth as he beckoned the outer realms to gaze upon the mundanity of Prime, his hands burning with chaotic energy so recently pilfered. The High Endorone of Qor Qogol looked toward the skies with unveiled expectation, his eyes widening as he beheld something with his sorcerous senses. As the influence of far realms and the least predictable of planes fixated upon him, Varach’s incantation gave way to a cry of bliss and triumph. A shimmering column of energy consumed him as he worked in earnest, its arcane gravity transforming him into something altogether beyond the glory of his Hlugnic frame. Those who stood beside him at this moment felt their corporeal forms unwind, becoming yet more fuel for the ancient ritual at the necromancer’s masterful command. The Deepest City’s Court Mage wove the tides of energy born from this profane Chaos ritual with newfound familiarity as he came to grips with the might of his nascent Nobility. Spectral light raced across the sky, its manifestation both beacon and scalpel for the coming convergence. It was then that triumphant exultations and phlegm-laden ululations rang forth from broken Huanezedha, for the Nazetu sensed the coming of their savior and god. As one, their trembling chants rolled across the realm, their drums echoing the thunderous anticipation in their hearts. “LANU! DU! LANU! DU! LANU! DU!” Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 24th of Haernos, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolris, Part IV: The War of Six Nations](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolris-part-iv-the-war-of-six-nations/) **Published:** March 15, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Just days after the negotiations betwixt Qor Qogol and the Theocracy, the Undercity of Djeir deployed their Amethyst Avengers to deter the raging hordes of skeletal marauders just outside the bounds of their home. Though they made swift work of the Risen menace, the Avengers noted that their numbers had diminished significantly, sowing renewed concern amongst the court of the Empress as they sought to account for nearly one-hundred skeletal troops. As Djeir defended their sovereignty, the city-states of the surface world watered the earth in unwitting homage to the Earthen Lord. Led by the military strategy of Sryaen Kavoros and Benedicto Silverain and held upright by the determined resilience of Commander Yettave Arcan, Tyrant Maeve, Presiding Voice Bhalwyn, and Daegan Greenbark, the threefold alliance pressed on to capture the Bravestarr Homestead from the Theocracy’s grasp. In a daring maneuver, the clever strategists of Spinesreach nearly captured Duiran with a small elite force of hoplites before their plans were thwarted by the vigilance of Valeria and harried command of Bloodhunter Daegan. As the situation grew more dire for Qor Qogol’s allies, the Deepest City directed their skeletal legions to apply pressure upon Enorian’s position in Mournhold – an attempt foiled by the prowess of their disciplined warmages. Even as Spinesreach fought a war on four sides, they discussed amongst themselves how best to capitalise on the alliance they had so recently fostered. In the middle of Haernos, the Regent found herself visited by a runescribed delivery golem bearing not only a letter from the Court Mage of Qor Qogol, but also the promised arcane formulae necessary to enact the ritual mentioned at their negotiations. The ritual of High Endorone called for an offering of Chaos, a massive amount of elementally pure blood, a dizzying amount of memory-laden bones, and a prodigious sacrifice of flesh – as well as suggestion to attempt deriving any or all of these from the enemy forces. Regent Virelen and the Viceroys immediately formulated a plan posthaste and put their faith in Strategos Sheryni to buy the time needed for the Theocracy to enact their preparations. Deciding amongst themselves that the ritual must be held at Mournhold to ensure the proper amount of sacrificial power, the Regent distributed the necessary work to her fellow leaders and hid the finer details of this plot from most of her fellow conclavists as matter of operational security. Determined to ensure that Chakrasul’s holdings remained intact during this terrifying ritual, Architect Legyn took it upon itself to command the Archivium to accompany it on an excursion into Umbral Chaos. Aided by a Lgakt-affine coin acquired from the Indelible, the Archivists set about weaving complex protective wards around each Umbral Noble to anchor them to the plane and protect them against a coming danger that Legyn refused to elaborate upon. During this clandestine mission, Chaos-aspected ascendants, Indorani, and Oneiromancers all felt disturbances within the outer realms, sending ripples of fresh concern throughout all of Sapience. As the wards settled upon the Empress herself, may she live forever, Voice Bhalwyn and Singer Aolin took to the Astral Realm to uncover any evidence that would lead to further revelations. Questioning Ecdysia the Illuminator, Bhalwyn’s liege-lady of Astral, yielded a torrent of concern and half-formed information. Trembling with her every answer, Ecdysia implored Bhalwyn and his companions to settle protective charms around the entirety of Astral’s nobility in hopes of weathering the storm from an unknown invader beyond this particular realm’s reach. Though Spinesreach arrived to put a stop to this plot, the Illuminator had already put an enchanted lantern in her vassal’s hands, ensuring the furtherance of her desperate gambit. With the Unforgotten Court occupied planning their next month, a brief lull in the bloodshed came to pass. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to strike, Djeir deployed a cadre of assassins to chase down the Theocracy’s leaders, starting first with the disgraced ex-noble known as Elene Arcan. Though a rakish Theatre of Shadows assassin managed to strike down his mark, he failed to escape the city in the aftermath and thus paid the ultimate price for his loyalty to the Amethyst Throne. Later in the week, both Legyn and Virelen received visits, with the latter falling prey to a troubadour named Espin. Despite Boube’s dogged attempts to stop the criminal, he met the same fate, his guts splattered across Spirean cobble as an expression of Djeir’s distaste. Even as the alliance pressed in upon Stormcaller Crag, Strategos Sheryni refused any thought of surrender. When all eyes were turned elsewhere amidst the carnage, she and two loyal troops snuck into the Crag and swiftly rallied reinforcements to stymie Duiran’s grasp upon the territory – an action that purchased much needed time to enact the rest of her homeland’s scheme. With fresh wolfine blood steaming upon the dark rocks of the crag, Virelen breathed a sigh of relief and published the final outline for the ritual before sitting back to put her full faith in the rest of her compatriots. Several days later, Viceroy Legyn collaborated with Docent Vara to establish a delivery method for the elementally pure blood. Utilising their trusted alchemical workbench and a tiny dose of elemental air, the two perfected a method to pressurise the blood into iron canisters for ease application to the streets of Mournhold. Not to be outdone, Viceroy Elene and her husband Whirran scoured the realms of Chaos in search of a suitable offering before eventually concluding upon Akna, the Malformed Maiden for reasons utterly incomprehensible to the Grand Library. As the Theocracy scrambled to arrange the bones and blood, however, the alliance marched troops into the territory of Rimewatch in an effort to force Spinesreach to stand down – an act that would, unfortunately, be too late by a mere day… Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 24th of Haernos, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part III: Negotiation](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-iii-negotiation/) **Published:** March 15, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Early in the month of Haernos, as the city-states of Sapience bloodied the earth with their warfare, Varach Scolrys emerged from the Deepest City once more. Manifesting again as a foul wind, the ancient necromancer set a course for the Dragon of the North with negotiation and diplomacy in mind. After converging upon the outer gate, the stout sorcerer swiftly set about business after delighting in the torment of Legyn, one of Lady Chakrasul’s representatives. The Regent and Viceroys led Qor Qogol’s delegate to a clandestine meeting room, where they established the details of a wartime alliance throughout a lengthy conversation regarding Scolrys and Qor Qogol’s goals. Though he began by explaining that the Deepest City recognised the predicament Spinesreach now found itself in, Varach Scolrys went on to promise some degree of repayment for the Dragon’s aid. In exchange for repossession of the Demon Blade, the necromancer promised that his magic could transport the dangerous wreck back into Spinesreach’s custody for further research and understanding. The two city-states found common ground with regards to the threat posed by the demon known as Ruin and Scolrys assured the gathered Viceroys that the secrets of the Fabricators would provide a fascinating new field of study for them. With the promise of lost knowledge on the horizon and a mutual arrangement to further individual interests together, Spinesreach’s leaders discussed amongst themselves the benefits even as they questioned Qor Qogol’s representative further. Varach Scolrys revealed that when the Hlugna forged the Demon Blade, they ensured their civilisation’s safety even should it fall into the wrong hands. By implementing a vulnerability into its design, the master craftsmen of eld left behind a way to quell the ravenous sorcery within the artefact. The necromancer admitted then that tremendous power would be necessary to nullify the weapon’s protective properties and soothe the infernal sentience within, which would necessitate a ritual of High Endorone. In exchange for the city’s aid in this, he assured them that they were welcome to retain the arcane formulae for future use. Though Spinesreach showed casual agreement to this fact, Varach pressed them again to be sure. When the Regent inquired regarding the nature of this ritual, the Court Mage of Qor Qogol bluntly admitted that its magic would involve beckoning the gaze of the Faceless One known alternatively as Lanu Du. Though this knowledge gave Regent Virelen cause to reconsider, the rest of the gathered leaders commented on their agreement without a moment of hesitation. Scolrys welcomed several mundane questions after plotting the logistics of war and making promises of support in the coming battles, though none of them managed to hold his attention for long before he dispersed into noxious fumes. Later in the week, the Amethyst Throne issued a war declaration of their own after witnessing what they believed to be a betrayal of relations betwixt Spinesreach and Djeir. In addition to this declaration of hostility for Deeps and Dragon alike, the Empress Malieh Garilicci decreed that Elene Arcan would henceforth be considered naught but a commoner and ordered the burning of her estate. In addition to the conflagration outside the Noble Quarter, imperial vassals set fire to three additional homes titled to the Viceroy’s Spirean compatriots. After exacting their vengeance, the Undercity set about preparing to defend their rightful claim to their home and weather the storm of Qor Qogol’s hostilities. As the Court Mage prepared for an act of grand sorcery, his minions toiled ceaselessly in the name of the Hlugna… Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 24th of Haernos, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Varach's Necromancy](https://www.aetolia.com/news/varachs-necromancy/) **Published:** March 15, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey, everybody! With Varach Scolrys’ ritual of High Endorone complete, the forces of chaos and necromancy have transformed into something truly terrifying! To signify this increase in power, we have just loaded in a complete rewrite of Necromancy’s skill messages. We have more of this type of change in store throughout this event should the opportunity present itself, so don’t worry if you don’t possess the Indorani class – your time shall come! As a note of assurance, none of the combatmessages have changed throughout this revamp and thus you should have minimal trouble transitioning things in your systems. As part of this release, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Brax, who was the mastermind behind writing the entirety of this revamp with very little editing or direction from myself. Gush to him and send all esteems his way, because he definitely deserves them! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 23rd of Haernos, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Multiclass updates](https://www.aetolia.com/news/multiclass-updates/) **Published:** March 14, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, We have some changes today to address specific aspects of the multiclass system, making things more manageable for newbies and those looking to swap sides. \[0;1;37mNewbies and joining guilds:\[0m These first two changes are intended to solve the issue of certain guildless classes (Wayfarer, Bard, Indorani, etc.) being a roadblock for newbies looking to join a guild since they would previously have been blocked by those multiclass requirements: 1\) One of your guild’s classes will no longer count towards class slot usage. 2\) You can now join a guild without needing all your classes ‘mastered’ or having an available class slot. When you join a guild, you will obtain one of its classes automatically without any of the previously required normal multiclass restrictions. Standard multiclass requirements still apply if you want to pick up the guild’s second class. The requirements to obtain ‘permanent’ class status (i.e., you keep the class when leaving the guild) have also changed. Besides reaching GR2, you must ensure that the class will fulfill multiclass requirements if you leave the guild. i.e. you must have a free class slot for it and have your other classes mastered. In addition to these changes, there has been an update to swap your guild class with the guild’s other class, should you find the need. To do this, you can CLASS SELECT QUITTING . For example: CLASS SELECT REVENANT QUITTING SCIOMANCER. This will still result in the normal loss of lessons. \[0;1;37mSide swapping:\[0m For those looking to swap sides, we’ve made the following changes: – You can now CLASS MIRROR for 1200 lessons to transfer your skill ranks to that class’ mirror. \* This only works if the class mirror is unlocked and the normal apprenticeship fee/multiclass requirements remain there. \* If you have investments in the class and its mirror, it will combine them in the class you’re transferring to. \* If that puts you over Transcendent, any leftover investment will remain in the original class, and you will need to FORGET its skills to get its lessons back at the standard rate. \* Since you cannot class switch to Praenomen while being a duamvi and to Akkari while being undead/vampiric, this command will not work on those classes in the same circumstances. \* This represents a significant discount over the lesson loss of just quitting the class to get your lessons back. – If you already have a class unlocked, you can pick up its mirror without requiring/consuming a class slot. For example, if I have Revenant, I can pick up Templar without needing a new slot. \* Please note that, as mentioned above, this will not apply if you own a mirror of your guild’s class and that class is using your free guild class slot. – Cityless people can now CLASS SWAP TETHER for 50 lessons to change their mechanical tether without joining a city. This can only be done once per game year. That’s all for now! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 17th of Haernos, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Wisdom Stat!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-wisdom-stat/) **Published:** March 11, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, it’s me again! Today, we’re adding a pretty big new core mechanic into Aetolia to fill a somewhat lacking void – the wisdom stat! THE WISDOM STAT =============== The wisdom stat brings with it the power of knowledge, deduction, and application – street smarts, if you will. It will be responsible for scaling the damage used by tech and gadgets for new classes to come and will also affect some currently existing skills. Anyone up for some Bombcrafting? Like the dexterity stat, wisdom will also offer some benefits, kind of like dodging, should you choose to maximise this stat. Wisdom will help you resist being stunned, reducing its effectiveness, and will help you recover from blackout sooner. Be warned that having a low wisdom stat will do the opposite – you will be stunned and left in blackout for longer. For these two scenarios, each point over 14 wisdom will reduce stun by 2% and blackout by 3%. The opposite applies for each point below 14 wisdom. \*\*\* As I’m relatively sure it will come up, here is a loose guide to the differences of intelligence and wisdom in Aetolia: Intelligence governs your ability to learn and comprehend something, including magical casting, which requires some amount of natural talent and affinity. A high intelligence score means you will have an easier time reading a book on math and understanding its concepts. Wisdom governs your ability to apply what you know to the best of your ability, to gain advantages only understood by those who have taken what they learned and used it in real scenarios. To build upon the book of math metaphor, this is your ability to take what you learned from the book and figure out the most effective time and place to use it – something the book wouldn’t necessarily tell you. You can also consider it as book smarts (intelligence) vs. street smarts (wisdom). STATPACKS ========= Along with the new wisdom stat, we are also going to have brand new statpacks to choose from. Yes, each statpack has been reviewed and considered and should offer many more varied choices in which areas you might want to excel. I’ve had these up and open to our Combat Council to nitpick at for a while, and almost everyone I’ve shown the initial draft to has been excited to see how it plays out once it goes live. Hopefully, you will also feel like there’s more variety on offer now. On top of these, we’ve also relaxed some rules regarding enhancement (HELP ENHANCEMENT). You can now invest into a stat of choice twice, providing the base stat value of that stat via your statpack is 10 or less, and you can now stack resistance-based enhancements on top of statpack bonuses. To give everyone time to find what they genuinely like, reincarnations will be free for a while, allowing you to swap around as you want. As I’m not specifying a timeline for now when the free reincarnations will end, I’ll give you some advance notice before we decide to end them. You will be initiatially be set to whichever statpack is roughly close to what you had before. NPC DAMAGE ========== The new statpacks offer a little bit less constitution then the previous versions did. So for these changes, we’re going to be reducing NPC damage across the board by 8% while we evaluate how they play out. This shouldn’t affect class-based loyal creatures, for the record. ARTIFACTS ========= Yes, we’re tackling artifacts in this series of changes too! We all know how important the equilibrium recovery artifact (otherwise known as the crown) is to our equilibrium classes and how it provides a somewhat frustrating gate to get the most out of them. So, with this change, we are going to reduce the price of the crown in the shop to 100 credits, and eventually, we plan to remove it altogether. Those of you who have bought the crown will receive the wisdom artifact level 2 in its place as the choice of refund. This turns an 850 credit artifact into 1250 credits, pretty nice! However, if you just want the credits, feel free to trade in the wisdom artifact, and you’ll get 832 credits for doing so to use how you like. Note after this, any existing crowns will no longer have any trade-in value. In addition, we are removing the ‘clarity’ artifact levels 2 and 3 and refunding credits, and we will reduce the ‘resolve’ artifact stun resistance to 15%, down from 35%. CHANGE LOG ========== That sums up all our changes (for now!). Below, you’ll find a change log to show off the details of things we’re tweaking, along with the introduction of the wisdom stat. Feel free to read through, and if you have any questions, send them my way! Artifacts ============================== – The ‘equilibrium\_recovery’ artifact cost price reduced to 100cr. – The ‘resolve’ artifact reduced to 15% stun reduction, down from 35%. – The ‘clarity’ artifact has had level 2 and 3 removed. Avoidance ============================== – Dexterity ceases to provide a dodge / divert chance bonus past a stat value of 21. – Strength ceases to provide a divert block bonus past a stat value of 21. Bombcrafting ============================== – Bombcrafting damage is now knowledge sourced, changed from no source. Cities ============================== – Siege engine damage is now knowledge sourced, changed from no source. Hunting ============================== – All NPC damage globally reduced by 8%. \* This shouldn’t affect class-based loyal creatures. – You now gain an additional enhancement point at level 100. – It is now possible to enhance your stats one extra time for a total of three. – You can now enhance a stat twice if that base stat value is less than 11. – Protection, resistance, and resilience enhancements can now stack with your statpack bonuses. Miscellaneous ============================== – New Stat: Wisdom. \* Adds the new damage source, knowledge. \* Each point over/under 14 reduces/increases stun duration by 2%. \* Each point over/under 14 reduces/increases blackout duration by 3%. – Stat cap raised to 25, up from 21. – Maximum health gained past 21 constitution is only a third of normal. – Maximum mana gained past 21 intelligence is only a third of normal. – Removed the bonus constitution point added to endgame races. – Removed the diminishing returns on magical sourced damage, it now gains the full benefit from your intelligence stat. \* This will let intelligence based classes fulfill their role as damage dealers a bit better. \* It will also affect PvE for those with a high intelligence stat. Tracking / Subversion ============================== – Spike, Catapult, and Noose damage is now knowledge sourced, changed from no source. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 25th of Slyphian, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part II: Emergence](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-ii-emergence/) **Published:** March 11, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In the final days of Slyphian, a ghastly sigh rattled out from the bones of the Vashnar Mountains as something stirred behind the gates of subterranean Qor Qogol. A susurrous symphony arose from the depths of the Hlugnic Labyrinth as atramentous vapour pushed out from beneath the door situated within its depths. The pestilent cloud ravaged the very air it travelled, sowing the macabre perfume of rot and death as it sailed out into the world at large. Leaving a ghastly trail of sable smoke in its wake, this dark Hlugnic wind set an unerring course towards the dreary town of Mournhold. Like an arrow loosed from a taut bowstring, the foul haze darted downward in a tight spiral that touched the sandy earth outside the irradiated airship wreck. Particle by particle, the gaseous profanity swiftly solidified into the short, stout, and angular form of Varach Scolrys. Paying no heed to the gathering crowd of adventurers, the infamous necromancer’s expression darkened as he drew upon his ancient sorcery, the sheer force of his invocation dimming the light around him as he imprinted his will upon the recently slain hoplites still rotting within the coarse-grassed dunes. As one, they sprung up to obey his will, serving now as his honour guard. Finally, he turned to address the waiting crowd. The Dragon of the North swiftly set themselves at the forefront of the conversation, with Dr. Pietre Marcelli steering the conversation towards the necromancer and Qor Qogol’s intentions with the Demon Blade mere steps away from his place of emergence. Forthcoming in demeanour, Varach revealed that the weapon was of Hlugnic make and was thus an artefact of cultural significance. He explained that its very existence was proof of the Hlugna’s master craftsmanship and magical talents, as it was a sentient weapon with an infamous legacy to rival that of even the most legendary adventurers. As several members of the crowd pushed forward and made nuisances of themselves, Scolrys revealed that his temper yet remained hot even after the terrors of Night and Monomachy both, with his dark arcana turned upon them without so much as a warning. Though Varach humoured many requests for information, he expressed shock and dread when told that Ruin, the most infamous prisoner of the ancient weapon, had managed to escape its depths. He admitted that the Hlugna intended to use this weapon to imprison threats aligned with the Sanguine Fist, going so far as to claim it could imprison even the Goddess of Corruption and that She deserved such a fate for Her crimes against Varach’s people. The ancient sorcerer remained firm on seeing the Demon Blade returned to the hands of his people and took great pains to examine it for any damage or changes since last he had set hands upon it. As he did so, he told the Dragon that he would be willing to entertain an alliance on Qor Qogol’s behalf if they would forsake any claim to this prized piece of Hlugnic heritage – something that many citizens initially seemed quite willing to do. Rejecting any notion of communication with Chakrasul’s representatives, the necromancer instead concerned himself with discussing the treaty terms with Elene and made the demand that no follower of Hers be present for any proceedings. Turning next to the present Vanguard of Enorian, Varach once more intimated that his people hoped to work alongside the Hammer in pursuit of the Sanguine Fist’s destruction and even went so far as to say that their previous actions could be forgiven if so. Though Vanguard Inthirath Karthi took time to consider his words, he made clear his suspicions on the matter: that the Blade was a dangerous artefact that required attention and safekeeping to ensure it did not bring further ruin to the land. The necromancer then turned to the Spirean delegation and told them he would allow them two weeks to decide on a course of action before dispersing into a foul wind that whisked itself back to Qor Qogol to prepare another assault upon their sworn enemy. As the city-states of Sapience scramble to assemble plans to further their aims, the Court Mage’s plans continue to unfurl… Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 25th of Slyphian, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Enmity of Scolrys, Part I: Assembly](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-enmity-of-scolrys-part-i-assembly/) **Published:** March 11, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Throughout the month of Lexadian in the second year of the new era, commonfolk and villagers alike began to exchange gossip regarding strange happenings in the distant graveyards of Sapience. Though it began only as shreds of rumour regarding shambling soldiers walking the road at night and odd sounds in places of the dead, it did not take long before adventurers stumbled upon evidence verifying these disturbing claims. Noting a trio of burial sites to be desecrated by dark magic and haphazard digging, several citizens of Enorian took it upon themselves to patrol the countryside and look for the ones responsible for such a dire atrocity. These keen-eyed scouts swiftly caught on that this desecration had begun the process of awakening the dead and hastened to end this new threat without any thought aside from the safety of the land. It took two additional weeks for Sapience’s finest to discover the destination of these skeletal shamblers: the Hlugnic Labyrinth. The Hammer of Dawn was the first to discover this growing legion of terror and moved to take action without further delay. Herald Sryaen Kavoros swiftly commanded several full groups of mounted knights to trample the risen threat and succeeded in thinning their numbers at the cost of a full hundred lives. After reinforcing his position, the Pentarch managed to lay the rest of the mysterious battalion low before quickly moving to take control of the area and rally the city to quell the threat struggling forth from gravebound loam. From that moment on, Enorian’s faithful searched high and low for defiled graveyards, assembling each dusk to quell the walking dead that crawled forth from disturbed burial mounds. After another week of hostility against this unknown force, its master made itself known. Declaring these skeletal servants as their plan against the Sanguine Fist, Qor Qogol spoke unto Sapience for the first time in centuries. Llsya Falsehead swiftly demanded recompense from the Hammer for their unknowing interference in the Hlugnic city’s foreign policy, asking that the lightsworn city bleed on their behalf after robbing them of their newly risen military might. Though Enorian was swift to deny this attempt at coercion, the Vanguard took the opportunity to beseech the city to give up their practices of necromancy – a request that fell on deaf ears. Amongst the many political developments to follow this debacle was the Dragon of the North’s attempt to seek an alliance with Qor Qogol. Though the lost city made no public response to this overture, the High Judges motioned to send a missive to Regent Virelen to begin the process of establishing diplomatic ties. Stating that they did not want to tie the Silvertongue’s time up with this process, they elected instead to send Varach Scolrys, Court Mage of Qor Qogol and infamous necromancer of the Age of Despair. What followed after this was a dizzying chain of decisions from adventurers acting as the realm had come to expect of them – in individual capacities both serious and dramatic, with copious amounts of bloodshed. Though renowned duelist and commander Sheryni offered her services in a personal manner, she swiftly found herself upstaged by Whirran’s declaration that Immortal Strife’s faithful would be interfering on behalf of the Hlugna. The Priest of Loss cited a mutual distaste for Bloodloch as one of the prime reasons for this temporary show of support and he was firm in his renewed fervour that bloodshed itself was the sacrament most appropriate to exalt Lord Bamathis. As the middle of Slyphian arrived, skeletal legions began to gather in other parts of the realm. The Hlugna made a concentrated effort to harry Bloodloch’s seat of power through a preliminary raid, as well as making attempts at seizing the Demon Blade yet still ensconced within Mournhold. Attempts at jostling the weapon summoned several denizens from the elemental plane of Air, revealing a link betwixt Kel Keleru and the broken airship engine poisoning Mournhold’s southern beaches with ylemnic radiation. Though neither proved successful, the city made clear its conviction and its limitless supply of fighting forces, for they remained stoic in the face of accumulated failure. With the die cast and all players but one situated at the table, the game began… Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 25th of Slyphian, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Class Refresh & Changes, part 2!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/class-refresh-changes-part-2/) **Published:** March 6, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks! As promised, here is the next part of the aforementioned changes aimed at tweaking some older & less popular classes and improving their viability. This also includes some of the bigger background things I’ve been looking at a while regarding some of our default elixirs, defences, and enhancements. Enjoy! CLASSES Bard ============================== – Renamed ‘harmony’ defence to ‘song\_harmony’. – Renamed ‘foundation’ defence to ‘song\_foundation’. – Renamed ‘hero’ defence to ‘song\_hero’. – Renamed ‘destiny’ defence to ‘song\_destiny’. Monk ============================== – Removed Skill: Ripple. – Tekura damage in PvE has been increased. – Removed Skill: Cometkick. – Removed Skill: Dodging. – New Skill: Spinkick. \* Aiming for the torso, it deals less trauma then Sidekick but more health damage. \* This is also true for PvE, it will beat out Sidekick for damage. – New Skill: Backfist. \* Aiming for the head, it will give the ‘turmoil’ affliction and a small amount of head trauma. – New Skill: Thunderkick. \* If both arms are broken, this rolling kick aimed at the head will knock your opponent unconscious for 4 seconds. \* It will otherwise miss if the arms aren’t both broken. – New Skill: Tripblock. \* If someone whom you do not have aggression on attacks you and you haven’t recently fled, you will have a chance to trip them. \* Requires both legs to be free, along with the usual requirements to activate a block. – Evadeblock reworked: \* Now instead grants a 3% accuracy malus against those trying to target you. \* Unable to proc if you are prone in any form. – Throatstrike now additionally causes blurry vision. – Palmstrike reworked, now targets the torso and causes a small amount of trauma then strips levitation. – Bladehand reworked, now causes a small amount of trauma to the arms and tries to disarm. – Sidekick will now upset balance and equilibrium for 0.75 seconds when hitting or causing a broken torso. – Whirlwind will now give a 1.2 second stun when hitting or causing a broken head. – Snapkick will now give the ‘hobbled’ affliction when hitting or causing a broken leg. – Moonkick will now give the ‘weak\_grip’ affliction when hitting or causing a broken arm. – Jumpkick no longer gains bonus stun off of the ‘collapsed\_lung’ affliction, instead it does if the opponent has recently fled. – Crush reworked: \* When used on a mind locked target, its reach expands to allies of the target in the same location. \* No longer scales proportionally to missing endurance and willpower on the target. – Divine can now be used as part of Clairvoyance. Templar / Revenant ============================== – You can now unwield while Gripping, and if it is a weapon, the gripping defence is stripped. – RELAX GRIP no longer costs balance to do. – Blastwave / Owinta reworked: \* Now works in room on your target and sets them ablaze. \* Two handed weapons will have Blastwave strip deafness as well and deal double damage. – Burst / Atele reworked: \* Now lasts for 30 seconds before triggering. \* Can be triggered early by making your target fall. \* Adding powers to Burst / Atele no longer resets its timer. – Engage / Circle can now generate weapon charge when it strikes. – Engage / Circle now has a 50% chance to stop someone leaving if the weapon is two handed. Ascendril / Bloodborn ============================== – Direfrost / Frostbite now requires the target to be shivering, changed from no insulation. Sciomancer / Runecarver ============================== – Shadowprice Chill / Spiritpact Numb now only chill for two levels if the target is not shivering, changed from having insulation. GENERAL Afflictions ============================== – New Affliction: Frigid. \* Sits in between shivering and frozen on the caloric cure order. \* Causes delayed movement between locations. \* Slightly improves the RNG chance for shivering to proc to 1/4, down from 1/6. – Frozen no longer causes delayed movement between locations or lengthens balance recovery time. – Frozen now instead stops you from moving completely. – You can no longer TOUCH things if you are frozen. – Hypersomnia and addiction have had their places swapped in the cure order. – Broken head effects reworked, it now lengthens equilibrium recovery time by 0.6 seconds. Cures ============================== – The ‘insulation’ defence no longer provides resistance to cold damage. – The ‘antivenin’ defence now only provides 2% resistance to poison damage. – The frost elixir has been replaced with the arcane elixir. \* This grants 8% resistance to fire, cold, and electric damage. – The antivenin elixir has been replaced with the harmony elixir. \* This allows you see your target eat/drink/apply curatives, providing you are not in the same room. \* You must have recently attacked the target in order to see. \* This lasts for 6 seconds after its sipped. \* This uses a full elixir balance when sipped. – Reverted waterbreathing defence back to having a timer and fades when out of water. \* This has no real combat implications, I just think it made exploration more fun like this. – The caloric poultice no longer gives you the ‘insulation’ defence. Hunting ============================== – Added the Resilience group as a selection choice for Enhancements. \* This allows you to choose from poison, psychic, or asphyxiation resistances. – You now gain an additional enhancement point at level 90. Miscellaneous ============================== – Being marked as fleeing now shows on DIAGNOSE. – Irongrip now has a 3 second balance cost to it, since it resists the ‘weak\_grip’ affliction. Survival ============================== – Clarity no longer provides resistance to psychic damage. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 20th of Lexadian, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [March in Aetolia!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/march-in-aetolia-2/) **Published:** March 1, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! March has arrived, and we might find some ominous things happening in-game throughout the month, but there’s no need to worry about that when we have pots of gold making a return for our March promotion! Pots of Gold can be obtained from the Aetolia website (www.aetolia.com/credits) and opened for a variety of prizes. These are very similar to Cryptic Chests but with a higher minimum guaranteed value (around 21 credits vs the typical 17) and a much higher ceiling. Within, you might find: – Credit prizes from 21 – 500 – Ironcoin prizes from 20 – 100 – Globes of elemental energy – Chocolate bags – Minipet cages that open for a golden scarab beetle, a polar bear cub, a curious owlet, a flaming skull, a mischievous golden lion tamarin (NEW), or a heavy wooden chest/mimic (NEW)\* – Style scrolls for bedrock, straightforward, bombastic or defensive with a chance at style points – Relic coffers with pieces for tentacle\*\*, scorpiontail\*\*, flair\_drunken, sensemirror, fakeid, hunters\_book or star; these all trade in for 10 credits per piece – Crystal relic coffers (see HELP CRYSTAL RELICS); these all trade in for 30 credits per piece – Compendium pages for Sunwash Ascent, Bakal Chasm, the Forgotten Mausoleum, the Squal, Mannaseh, or Eftehl – Rainbow vox iterator – Artifact discount vouchers – Shapeshifter pelts – Chalices of knowledge – Artifacts valued between 50 and 2000 credits – House deeds – Hunting boon tokens – Tokens of passage – Ambience tokens – Antiquated salvage \*The mimic has a unique interaction where you can open and close it to swap its description between ‘a ravenous mimic chest’ and its concealed form, ‘a heavy wooden chest’. \*\*To refresh these very old relics, I’ve introduced a new relic command that will let you choose to display relic skills on your attire, as relic skills otherwise have no physical item: RELIC ATTIRE . Set blank to remove it again. This currently only works for tentacle and scorpiontail relics available in this promo. Each pot of gold will also award some actual gold and consumables, which includes a chance at four-leaf clovers. These clovers can have leaves ripped from them up to four times (RIP LEAF FROM CLOVER) and provide a 2% bonus critical hit chance for 6 hours! Every 500 pots of gold opened will trigger a global bonus prize where one of the next 50 will award the lucky owner 500 bound credits! Lastly, throughout March, logging in for one hour daily will allow you to complete a bronze milestone to find a rainbow! Once it appears, you may SEARCH FOR RAINBOW every 10 seconds to get a clue as to how close you are. Finding the rainbow will grant you a double XP bonus for one hour (note that this does not stack with chalices). There’s also a pot of gold in the milestone wares for March! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 13th of Ivolnos, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Class Refresh & Changes!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/class-refresh-changes/) **Published:** February 28, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks! Today I have a variety of changes aimed at trying to close the gap between several classes to try and make the field a little more balanced. In specific, I feel like a few classes probably take a bit too long to achieve their kills so there is a mix of buffs aimed at making killing others a little more achievable by increasing lethality through mostly buffs, but also some nerfs where needed. I plan to touch on some of the other classes too, so you can think of this as one half for now. Enjoy! CLASSES Archivist / Voidseer ============================== – Ameliorate / Vitalise tick timer increased to 12 seconds, up from 10. – Link / Synergism now transfers three quarters of damage reduced into mana damage, rather then cutting it in half. Bard ============================== – Tempo damage has been increased in PvE. – Tearing damage has been increased in both PvE and PvP. – Removed the off pipe balance restriction from Thurible. – When Boundary is charged by a skill, it now lasts for 8 seconds, up from 5. – Bladestorm damage has been increased a bit and now causes a small amount of bleeding. – Unheard damage has been increased in strength. Carnifex / Warden ============================== – Purge / Annul now grants a 3% balance time recovery bonus for 5 seconds. – Purge / Annul bonus speed is also increased by a further 1% for each affliction that remains after use. Indorani / Oneiromancer ============================== – Deathaura / Intoxication no longer needs the leeched affliction to cause afflictions. – New Skill: Twofold / Tandem. – New Skill: Temperance / Chalice. \* This skill will drain mana, scaling with the amount the target is bleeding. \* It can be used alongside Twofold. – Reworked Devil / Faerie: \* Gives you a defence that speeds up your flings targeted at a player by 1 second. \* For each affliction the target has, the speed increase is -reduced- by 0.2 seconds. \* If the speed up is checked and you gain no bonus speed, the defence is then stripped. – Chariot / Crane no longer provides any speed up to your tarot cards. – Empress / Top can now summon those with lover’s effect, if it was given by you. Luminary / Earthcaller ============================== – Removed Skill: Shadow / Aftershock. – Shine / Seismicity now delivers the afflictions from Shadow / Aftershock without needing it to be applied. – Overwhelm / Deface no longer has any Shadow / Aftershock requirements. – Overwhelm / Deface only gains half of the bonus damage from afflictions that don’t originate from you. \* If you reach the affliction cap of 10, then afflictions sourced from you will be counted first. Predator ============================== – Lateral damage in PvE has been increased. – Vertical damage in PvE has been increased. – Crescentcut damage in PvE has been increased. Sciomancer / Runecarver ============================== – When becoming voidtrapped / mystified again, the timer is now refreshed. Shaman / Alchemist ============================== – Haemophilia is no longer curable when you have three thorns / fragments or more. – Stone fetish / Inhibiting compound now triggers when casting Omen and will give the ‘stoneheld’ / ‘inhibiting\_aroma’ affliction. \* Provides a 40% chance to make movement fail, much like it did before. \* The affliction will last for 12 seconds, or until you manage to leave the location. Zealot / Ravager ============================== – Purification / Ravaging skills that cost mana will now cost health instead. GENERAL Afflictions ============================== – Vomiting no longer wakes up opponents forced into sleeping. – Masochism can now trigger while stunned, paralysed, and/or bound. \* It won’t trigger while sleeping or unconscious. \* There’s a new message that triggers to reflect the change and swaps it to cutting damage. – Justice will now also reflect mana damage as well. Elixirs ============================== – The speed elixir now requires and uses elixir balance. Enchantment ============================== – Time sphere enchantment now applies the ‘timewarped’ affliction to affected targets. \* Effect remains the same and is attached to the affliction instead of the room. Enhancements ============================== – Body Damage enhancement increased to 12% bonus damage, up from 10%. Hunting ============================== – Fitness continues to cure asthma, but it will give you the exhausted affliction in its place. \* This change is a little tough to understand how effective it might be, so let’s just consider it open to reversion if it doesn’t work out. Miscellaenous ============================== – Forcefully being put to sleep now regenerates health at a lower rate. Survival ============================== – Clarity can no longer be put up if you possess any affliction from the antipsychotic tree. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 3rd of Ivolnos, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads February 2024 - part 3 (end)](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2024-part-3-end/) **Published:** February 22, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Beastmastery =============================== – \[3370\] New Skill: Flank. Forging =============================== – \[3389\] You can now FORGINGINSPECT to see how it was made. \* This will only work on newly forged items going forward. Tracking / Subversion =============================== – \[3368\] Lysirine / Paralytic hot burn now gives paresis, impatience, confusion, but if they have that affliction, then it is heartflutter, hallucinations, stupidity. \* This is checked for each individual affliction, and respects the above order. \* E.g., if you have paresis already, it gives heartflutter, if you have impatience already, it gives hallucinations, and so on. – \[3368\] Glauxe / Choking cold burn will give allergies each tick, and if they have allergies, it will increase allergies stacks by 1. – \[3368\] Harimel / Adhesive cold burn will reveal which limb the target switches their parry to. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 18th of Celes, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads February 2024 - part 2](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2024-part-2/) **Published:** February 20, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Battlefury / Riving =============================== – \[3405\] In order to use Battlefury / Riving weapon attacks, it now requires you to GRIP your weapons. – \[3405\] Gripping and relaxing your grip now has a slight balance cost to it. – \[3405\] Gripping is no longer strippable. – \[3405\] You can no longer unwield, secure, drop, etc, when you GRIP your weapons. – \[3405\] Battlecry / Anguish will now disperse a forming aura of rebounding. – \[3405\] Stun time on Battlecry / Anguish has been increased to 2.25 seconds, up from 1.75. Firstaid =============================== – \[3366\] The CLOT AT setting will now only clot down to the threshold specified then stop. Gravitation / Sporulation =============================== – \[3378\] Removed Skill: Tether / Clutchgill. Mining =============================== – \[3374\] You can now MINING WRITELOG at the foreman’s office to add something to the log. – \[3374\] When a damp catches alight and explodes, it is now added to the log. Racials =============================== – \[3405\] Gripping has been renamed to Irongrip. Savagery / Warding =============================== – \[3405\] Gripping has been renamed to Irongrip. Sciomancy / Malediction =============================== – \[3378\] Leech / Renewal have had their shadowprice / spiritpact functionality removed. – \[3378\] Repay / Obeisance cooldown increased to 12 seconds, up from 10. – \[3378\] Voidtrapped from Voidgaze / Mystify now lasts for 7 seconds, up from 6. – \[3378\] When voidtrapped is applied from Voidgaze / Mystify, it will cancel any tumbling in process. Songcalling =============================== – \[3418\] Song of the Unheard can now reach your audience from area-wide. Tarot / Hyalincuru =============================== – \[3394\] Wheel / Cardinal will now reveal the affliction it cures if the target has the justice affliction. Terramancy / Wavebreaking =============================== – \[3367\] Earthenwill / Engulf can no longer be used nor will proc if you are disfigured. – \[3367\] You can now override Earthenwill / Engulf with a new command. – \[3362\] When using EMERGE / RISE from Merge / Aquifier, the balance recovery time has been lowered to 2 seconds, down from 5. – \[3362\] EMERGE / RISE from Merge / Aquifier now deals blunt damage to all enemies in the room when leaving the ground and upsets their balance. Tracking / Subversion =============================== – \[3402\] Badulem / Septic hot burn now informs you of what venoms are delivered to the target. Penned by my hand on Closday, the 7th of Celes, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads February 2024 - part 1](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2024-part-1/) **Published:** February 19, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Afflictions =============================== – \[3386\] Patterns is now classed as a mental affliction. – \[3383\] Bulimia will now inflict hunger loss if you have the vomiting affliction when it triggers. – \[3404\] Goad is now cured by moving from your current location. Artifacts =============================== – \[3365\] The ‘sense\_backlash’ artifact no longer triggers if you are in the same room as the target. Assassination =============================== – \[3397\] The first warning message for Noose has been removed. Desiccation / Inundation =============================== – \[3375\] Whip / Gnash will now report what affliction it gives to the target. Domination / Contracts =============================== – \[3382\] Hound / Cerberus will now attempt to destroy magical shields on the target every 2 seconds. \* It will also break the shield and deal damage at the same time now. – \[3382\] Hound / Cerberus attack speed (the damage part) slowed down to 6 seconds, up from 5. Ferality =============================== – \[3416\] Spinalrip no longer requires paralysis on your target in order to use. – \[3416\] Spinalrip now has a timer of 10 seconds before it self-cures itself. \* You can still apply restoration to cure it earlier, or you can wait out the timer. Firstaid =============================== – \[3393\] Firstaid will now also precache reishi, willow, and yarrow for your pipes. Geometrics / Cultivation =============================== – \[3361\] Impressed Leminscate / fostered Sonder no longer trigger if the enemy is not also afflicted by patterns. – \[3400\] Patterns can no longer be cast through magical shield. Knifeplay =============================== – \[Bug fix\] Fixed Tidalslash being a little strange and buggy when used in a series. Miscellaneous =============================== – \[3387\] A full death now clears any aggression timers that have been placed upon you. \* This means everyone can class swap after a full death, so be prepared! Numerology / Enlightenment =============================== – \[3403\] Unravel is now blocked by the usual requirements (no fallen, no paralysis, etc). – \[3403\] Unravel mana cost has been increased to 1000 mana, up from 500. – \[3403\] Unravel willpower cost has been inreased to 100 willpower, up from 50. – \[3403\] Unravel equilibrium recovery time has been increased to 7.5 seconds, up from 6. Necromancy / Oneiromancy =============================== – \[3415\] You can now dissect whole organs from the bodies of dead denizens. \* You can then turn those organs into slices with DISSECT INTO SLICES. Predation =============================== – \[3369\] Ferocity can now be used within a knifeplay series. Subterfuge =============================== – \[3410\] Abduct is no longer blocked by magical shields. Tenacity =============================== – \[3413\] Dropstrike no longer bounces off of magical shields. \* It is still blocked by magical shield however. – \[3413\] Dropstrike will now strike through the aura of rebounding. Tracking / Subversion =============================== – \[3401\] Corsin / Coagulating cold burn effect now additionally provides a 10% accuracy boost against the target. Warhounds / Communion =============================== – \[3411\] Removed Trait: Piercing. – \[3411\] New Trait: Cerebral. \* This trait boosts the psychic damage of your warhound / simulacrum by 50%. \* If you had Piercing previously, it will be replaced with the new trait. Woodlore / Artifice =============================== – \[3369\] Swoop / Pester with the nightingale / lightdrinker will now knock the target off equilibrium. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 25th of Omeian, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [To Honour the Zenith](https://www.aetolia.com/news/to-honour-the-zenith/) **Published:** February 16, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** It was on the mid-autumn’s eve of the 6th of Lexadian, year 1 AC, that those of Sapience first came to know of the plans drawn up by the Dragon of the North, with Lirou at the forefront, in regards to Mejev Nider Nesve wo Ti, Matati wo Eja sota Aran wo Aransa. Regent Virelen proclaimed to all the intent of not only seizure and reclamation of the statue on behalf of her city but also the refurbishment and unveiling of it as a monument, tribute, and commitment to the legacy of Severn, the Zenith. Hoplites and archers lined the area near the stony behemoth’s base, daring those of the rest of the continent to pass them in their dutiful watch and protection. Some weeks passed as plans were drawn up, the harsh weather of winter’s bite nothing to those stoic divisions, and basic measurements were taken as engineers of Spinesreach worked through what would be required to ensure this plan was seen to a success – and without the whole thing tumbling into the Mhojave, too. It came to pass that two items would be of utmost importance and required by those of Spinesreach in order to see this plot through: a plan to handle demolition of the head and singular arm, as well as schematics of how the newly-added head would be laid out. So it was that the 2nd of Severin, year 2 AC, saw these requests transferred to the Regent of Spinesreach and the Chief Engineer, Dr. Pietre Marcelli. Handling this operation and overseeing much of the labour and objectives to come, Assistant Engineer Burkhart Straton also had vital information to pass off at this meeting that could very well see to the plan’s undoing if left untouched. Though hard to see in a day’s travel and due to the sheer scope, the Assistant Engineer informed this duo of the slight lean that the immense guardian of rock and marble had taken up. Perhaps as an effect of the events of the Creators’ Monomachy, that particular point remained unclear, but what was clear was that stabilisation of the entire structure would be necessary. As the final preparations were checked off and the protesters grew in size and volume, the 1st of Ios, year 2 AC saw the true might of the Theocratic state brought to bear. Swarms of Spirean citizens converged upon a planning area at the feet of the fled Creator’s effigy and began in earnest to provide their various capabilities in support of their goal. Those of the Conclave of Magic took to stabilising the statue one hairsbreadth at a time, their varied magical professions all serving to work at ensuring it was righted. The Grand Library is unable to confirm that their efforts were successful, though they proved not to further endanger the structure’s overall level. Those of the Conclave of Devotion saw to the armed divisions of Spirean military might, keeping individuals within them prepared, aware, and focused. Those of the Conclave of Seers saw to the more menial task of gathering specific dimensional measurements at and within the neck and head of the statue, both of which were necessary for the upcoming demolition and eventual rebuild. Those of the Conclave of Science and Nature were stuck preparing the bombs and ensuring that the engineers were well-stocked. The Conclave of Arts, rather than have work around the statue itself, saw to the designs and schematics of and within the new head. More generalised tasks found able hands, including constructing defensive fortifications in the form of fences that held back protesters and made their marching much less successful. Patrols were conducted in and throughout the many-floored nooks and crannies as protesters and avian predators alike were flushed out. Groups of angry, sign-wielding, anti-divine individuals were dispersed in short order by violent means, a stern presence, or the offer of recruitment for a better purpose. Those who declined or were unlucky enough found themselves slain, and their heads piked in warning to other protesters. Food and drink were brought by the armful, supplying the men and women of Spinesreach’s military with some simple comforts of home, even if they had weeks yet to go for the overall success of their mission. Meanwhile, the Regent supplied the plans for demolition, which contained invaluable insights provided by her explosives expert Mharduz. Outlining a strategic approach to modifying the monument of the Creator, her aim was to ensure precision and minimal damage to the structure. Given the potency of the explosives required, there existed a considerable risk of collateral damage to the monument, which was beyond acceptable for the Spirean leader’s plans. Thus, she outlined an approach consisting of the Archivists’ mastery over Rafic temporarily enhancing the stone’s resilience while simultaneously having Sciomancers on hand to manipulate gravity and increase the structure’s malleability. Too far in either direction could lead to catastrophe, but failure was never an option. The 18th of Dharos, year 2 AC, saw the groups of mages(?different word?) align at the monument’s base, where they showcased their mastery over each of their domains. Finding a rhythm to their enhancement of structural integrity, what began as a slow pendulum of back-and-forth soon swelled with success as they married insight with control. When the moment was right, the signal was given, and Assistant Engineer Straton lit the fuse that wound high up, up, up. Silence seemed to claim even the protesters in the moments between its ignition and the ringing clamour that boomed forth next. All but one of the gathered Spireans survived the trio of blasts, with Karune instead witnessing the immense collection of strategically placed fusebombs and sonicbombs up close. The first to fall was the right arm, its stony bulk smashing into the ground and subsequently shattering into thousands of pieces. Nary a moment later, the head of Varian Celestine likewise slid free of the only space it had ever known, tumbling forth until it, too, was obliterated into marble nothingness amid a clouded dust storm. When the dust cleared, the efforts of Spinesreach were made clear for all of Sapience to see, but they weren’t done yet. Wasting little time, once materials were brought forth and stations set up, the 5th of Chakros, year 2 AC, saw the good Doctor be the first to chisel into material meant to occupy the statue’s newly-vacated headspace. Then another joined, and another, as citizen after citizen slowly filtered in to provide their assistance with working through the plans devised by the Conclave of Arts. Hundreds of blocks were shaped, assembled, put in place, and settled forevermore during the next few weeks until Bazias made the final strike of chisel against stone, and the venture was declared finished on the 23rd of Chakros, year 2 AC. In total, fourty-two individuals gave their support to the efforts that resulted in the newly cristened Zenith’s Vigil. This undertaking was never something that a single individual could take on, nor would that be the Spirean way – for it was only through the unity of their conclaves that such a monumental design could bear fruit. Their efforts will remain for all of Sapience to see, and for the gaze of the divine Minotaur to forevermore cast forth unto the land that He died for. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 9th of Omeian, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Submissions Closed](https://www.aetolia.com/news/submissions-closed-4/) **Published:** February 15, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Submission for new classleads is now closed. You can use REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find reports you haven’t left a comment on, and REPORTS ABSTAINED for reports you haven’t voted on. After three days to gather comments and votes, we will start to post decisions. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 24th of Chakros, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Lover's Carnival](https://www.aetolia.com/news/lovers-carnival/) **Published:** February 13, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Easy Katy’s Lover’s Carnival has returned to Aetolia! Located at v63108, you’ll find the area stocked with various goods from past years of Valentine’s Day events including transmutes, minipets, and other items. This shop uses ‘a wilted flower’ currency which you can currently get through the milestone shop. You can purchase up to two per day with bronze keystones, and also trade them to other players if you so wish! The shop in the carnival itself will also allow you trade previous Valentine’s currencies into wilted flowers. Additionally, you’ll also find a chapel in the area attended by Amias, a slightly disreputable officiant that will allow you to elope with the love of your life\*. It will cost you 10,000 gold to ELOPE WITH and does not require any waiting period like a normal engagement/marriage. The Lover’s Carnival will remain around until the end of February. Happy eloping! \*By eloping you accept that the magnificent Amias Ahava Edric Yasir bears no responsibility in the success of the union or conduct of partners thereafter.\* Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 13th of Chakros, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Combat Slow Down - Test Run](https://www.aetolia.com/news/combat-slow-down-test-run/) **Published:** February 12, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, Something that has been asked for a long time is a slow down in the pace of combat. Within the Niron arena, I have tweaked balance and equilibrium to run slower and cure balances to run slower to give this concept a bit of a test run. Feel free to go to the arena and try duelling with a friend to see how you might feel about it. If people like it, we’ll push it to the game as a whole. All I ask is that you don’t focus too much on the balance of it, and more on how it feels and if you appreciate the slower scrolling / more time to think and react. Once you’ve had a go, throw me any feedback in a message that you have! Thanks! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 6th of Chakros, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Heart of Sapience](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-heart-of-sapience/) **Published:** February 11, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the Creator gave a single look back at His creation, so too did Sapience look towards Him. The single utterance from the God of Strife mirrored the feelings of the land as it heaved under the weight of its new burden: forsaken, bereft of its Creator. As the portal shut behind Varyan Celestine, a terrible shudder heaved throughout the realm, and His abandoned Creation’s despair began to manifest subtly. The loss of its Originator drove the realm itself into mourning, instilling within Sapience a deep depression. The effects manifested nigh immediately, and those connected more intimately with the land began to experience odd dreams. Centaurs within the Duiran Council demanded immediate attention from Esrytesh Sibatti, recounting to her their abnormal dreams that started benign before a sweeping wave stole the colour and life from everything they witnessed before terror and loss jostled them awake. Far in the northern tundra, the loyal guards of Spinesreach experienced similar dreams. One in particular found herself in the office of Doctor Pietre Marcelli, complaining of a lack of passion and joy that had developed into an intense, palpable apathy. After some prompting about her sleep, she admitted that she had been experiencing odd dreams where all the colour and joy bled away wheresoever she looked. In their carved sanctuary next to Enorian, the Arqeshi of Jaru went through a similar tumult. Typically haunted by Chakrasul, the Mother they had spurned, the once-Nazetu were no strangers to these nocturnal disturbances. Despite this, the people of Jaru reached out to Enorian to express concern over this newly formed topic of their nightly terrors. Dhurik, the High Priest of Jaru spoke to once-Brute Eaku Redwood and all those gathered at his behest, noting his people’s worries with some small agitation and communicating the odd dreams that they suddenly found themselves enduring. Soon, the slaves and guards within Bloodloch began to show the initial signs of a similar depression. A lack of motivation and thirst for existential experience spread like a mental plague, and the denizens – both within the Cycle and beyond it – began to wistfully sigh or slump, drawing ire from citizens unaware of the initial wave of melancholic dreams. The joyless wave rippled throughout Sapience quickly as the land itself succumbed to the despair of abandonment. The loss of vibrant dreams and motivation was now noticeable by everyone, and many wondered what other troubles awaited them. The answer would soon reveal itself as food and drink began to lose all taste, though this initial anomaly was so slight as to be missed by most of Sapience’s ascended adventurers. Still, as the weeks passed, it became unmistakable that even the most spiced dishes tasted akin to grey mush: bland and bereft of all texture. Throughout all this, mortal hearts grew heavy, their tones muted by the weight of Sapience’s bone-deep mourning. Only Whirran, the High Priest of Loss, accepted what was happening as a foundational truth and embraced this new existence as the sign of his Lord’s virtue achieving true dominance. Preaching from the highest point of the Sibre, the once-legionnaire and loyal voice of Loss and Strife confirmed the death of joy and the expiration of amusement, his words ringing throughout Sapience with the grim weight of unbearable veracity. He went on to tell the realm entire that there was no purpose in existence, for Varian’s departure proved them all irrevocably flawed, unworthy of paradise, and ultimately replaceable. As if in response to this doomsaying, the land wept torrents of rain that mirrored the sorrowful tears of one inconsolable. Earthquakes, like sobs wracking from a grieving body, shook the very foundations of Sapience and set the commonfolk of the realm to concerned muttering and panicked gossip. At the same time, rivers surged and threatened to engulf Esterport in a watery grave – a fact that sparked terror and confusion amongst its people. The ceaseless deluge only added to the river’s flooding, threatening Esterporean businesses and humble homes with destructive erosion. Boube, an exuberant Kobold hailing from Spinesreach, could no longer bear the collective despair of everyone around him. Determined to lift the spirits of Sapience, he summoned the entire realm to North of Trees with cheerful yipping. He invited each soul attending to share their tales and joys in hopes of rekindling the spark of hope. As voices mingled and stories intertwined, a minor miracle occurred: the clouds above relented, parting to reveal the mid-morning sky where all other sections of the land suffered ‘neath dreary, perpetual overcast. The rain ceased to fall and the pervasive despair that burdened the land evanesced in response to this sudden, improvised sanctification in the name of resilient morale. Inspired by Boube’s courageous initiative, an Arqeshi man from Jaru felt a stirring within his soul. Emboldened by the prospect of kindling hope amidst the darkness, he resolved to create a miracle of his own. Seeking counsel from Nawan, another Jaruvian Arqeshi now settled within Spinesreach, he sought support to bring his ideas back to his conservative hometown, seeking to buoy the spirits of the realm and its many people. Nawan initially refused the idea, suggesting instead that he might find better luck bringing his ideas to his brother, Inthirath the Vanguard of Enorian instead. Disappointed but undeterred, the Arqeshi man persisted in his quest. Vurseng, the Arqeshi man, returned to Jaru the following day to present his grand vision to the Chieftain and High Priest. After many hours of heated debates and fervent pleas, the Arqeshi man rallied support from kindred spirits who shared his belief in the power of unity and renewal. Slowly but surely, the tide turned, and Sorkan, the Jaru Chieftain and Dhurik the Arqeshi High Priest, swayed by the collective conviction, relented. With their blessing secured, the Arqeshi man set plans for a festival at the end of Chakros. He shared his blueprints of a paper lantern, asking those who made one to inscribe a message or whisper a prayer within each they made. On the day of the plan, the murmur of Jaru’s Arqeshi drifted forth from the heart of Sapience, their quiet rumble just above the steady sound of pouring rain. As everyone gathered under the midnight stars hidden by the storm clouds, a nervous tension clung to the air. Despite the raging storm that pounded down upon the continent, the rainfall still failed to encroach upon the land north of the Morgun. Demarcating this miraculous fixture was a large tear in the clouds, providing a glimpse into the dark wonder of Sapience’s midnight sky. An opportunistic merchant called aloud above the low murmuring, ensuring he caught the chance to make a bit of spare coin while passing out simple lanterns from his vendor stall. Vurseng, the Arqeshi man responsible for organising the gathering, stood just outside the rest of the gathered Arqeshi, catching a few of their eyes as he glanced upwards at the tear created within the sky from some weeks before. He held his lantern tightly between his own hands, back momentarily turned away from the crowd of his fellow kinsfolk. At the sound of the Howling, Vurseng exhaled deeply and turned around to face the gathered crowd with a shaky smile. “Thank you, everyone, for gathering with me,” he started with a nervous lick of his lips. “The end of Chakros was symbolic for all Arqeshi as it ushered in our new year. Though the standard calendar new year ends on Haernos for most who walk Sapience, we Arqeshi view the end of Chakros as an opportunity to be cleansed and ward ourselves against corruption in the coming months.” Vurseng gave one more glance up towards the tear in the clouds before holding his lantern up high for everyone to see. “This, though, is not completely about my people and Chakros,” he explained, “It is the opportunity to show our resilience and cheer. It is the chance to prove our steadfastness and determination. Just as a young Kobold stood here and changed the world with his belief, so can we expand on that.” The storm continued to rage on around the gathered, the pouring rain challenging the Arqeshi and threatening to drown his words in the roaring deluge of a continent’s sorrow. “So lift your lanterns high. Pray to the land that steadies our feet. To the air that gives us life. The water that sustains the world,” Vurseng cried out as he raised his voice to match the raging storm. “Let us pray to Sapience, and help it find its way without the Creator! Let us lift the Land’s spirits!” Those gathered prayed to Sapience itself, closing their eyes and bowing their heads. Quietly whispering a prayer to his lantern, Vurseng looked to the gathered once more and prepared his lantern. “As one, Sapience.” After the whispering of prayers concluded, the Arqeshi man lit his lantern and placed it on the ground. The curious papercraft slowly began to drift upwards into the sky, its course meant to join the stars upon the night’s atramentous canvas. “Please. Join me.” As the collective of lanterns burgeoned into a glittering beacon within the night sky, the prayers and hopes of mortals resonated throughout the land. With every additional lantern, Sapience’s sobbing slowly subsided and the rain tapered off into a soft drizzle before halting entirely. The wretched quaking of the land steadied and the flooding rapids began to recede all at once. Responding to the prayers and hopes carried aloft to the heavens, each lantern dissolved before their eyes. One and all, their physical forms sloughed away to reveal celestial motes of silver and gold that danced through the air, each coruscating speck adding to the energetic nebula cloud that chased away the storm clouds. Blinding radiance erupted betwixt the stars without so much as a warning, forging a glorious panoply of light that momentarily transfigured night to day for a few precious seconds. In the aftermath of this dazzling salvo, the Heart of Sapience beat anew, born by the will of its many denizens. Brought into being by the collective will of the realm’s people, the Caretaker declared that Sapience was restored by Their efforts and went to tend to the land, seeing Sapience’s despair pushed away with the power invested within Them. So it was that Euthymius came into being, ushering in a new era for Khepri’s long-forgotten virtue of Morale. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 25th of Dharos, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [AFK, Automation, and Accountability](https://www.aetolia.com/news/afk-automation-and-accountability/) **Published:** February 9, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi, It has come to my attention that players have been taking it upon themselves to handle individuals they suspect of automation while AFK. Please take this as your one and only reminder that it is not your responsibility to put a stop to automation of quests, vermin, or bashing when you suspect someone is utilising scripts to do so while away from their keyboard or are otherwise unresponsive. It is not considered valid cause for player killing. Your duty to putting a stop to these actions starts and ends at reporting it to us via an Issue. Please allow us to handle the rest. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 18th of Dharos, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads February 2024](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2024/) **Published:** February 1, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, hello! The first classlead cycle for the year is now upon us! Time to rustle up your report writing prowess! ——————————— Information for this classlead cycle: Submissions will be open for TWO WEEKS in which you can submit THREE reports in for consideration which will be left anonymous. Once this time frame is up, there will be THREE DAYS to vote before we will start posting decisions. You can still vote early as per normal, but the extra three days will be there to avoid the feeling of late reports purposefully being submitted to be snuck through near the end. Like before, we won’t be accepting classleads on Ascendril / Bloodborn as they’re still going through a redesign of sorts. You can submit classleads for any other class though! If you’re new, continue on below for more information on classleads. If you’re old, please read HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES at the very least. ——————————— What are classleads: Classleads are a two week period that allows players to submit reports about their class (or other classes) for review by the administration. Do you believe that Teradrim should be able to fling dirt in someone’s eyes? Then this is what you’ve been waiting for! Make sure to read through HELP CLASSLEADS to learn the commands needed to make and submit your reports, and I also highly recommend HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES to help avoid common potholes when creating your submissions. If you want to keep track of submissions and results, have a look at CONFIG CLASSLEADS and consider turning it on. Also consider joining the Discord! On top of being a great place for report feedback before submission, each report will have a thread created about it so you can discuss it with others. See HELP DISCORD for information. Details on submission: \* Newly created reports will be marked as anonymous, your name as a submitter will not be revealed to others. \* You may submit up to a total of three reports across the skillsets of the game to suggest combat balance adjustments, new features, or quality of life upgrades. Please note that this limit is based across all characters you own. \* Reports that are based on skills you do not possess will be much more heavily scrutinized, so make sure they are top-notch before submission. \* While you must provide reasonable solutions to your report’s problem, we may opt for a fourth solution instead based upon feedback. \* Once a report is submitted, -anyone- may vote upon its merit using the CLASSLEAD SUPPORT/REJECT commands. If you wish to support/reject a report, please provide your reasoning and make sure to point out any shortcomings or additions you feel might be necessary. You may also simply leave a comment using CLASSLEAD COMMENT , if you wish for a more neutral approach. \* Any commentary which basically boils down to ‘I agree with my bud’ or ‘This is a terrible idea’ will automatically be discarded, and will you hurt your chances at passing through reports in future rounds, perhaps even resulting in loss of ability to submit at all. If you can consistently provide level-headed thought and in depth knowledge then your opinions will be valued more highly over others, and could result in extra submissions. \* You can use REPORTS ABSTAINED and REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find submitted reports you have not voted upon or commented. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 15th of Severin, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [February in Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/news/february-in-aetolia-2/) **Published:** February 1, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! We have a few offerings for you for the month of February: a salvage sale, the return of the artifact cart, and a direct lesson sale! Every 100 credits purchased from the website will come with a piece of antiquated salvage, which is typically valued at 200 credits. These pieces may be traded to other players and used without bearing your mark, EXCEPT for purchasing the Antiquated Artifacts themselves. Once you obtain the first level, you can use any salvage you like to upgrade it. HELP ANTIQUATED ARTIFACTS will be of interest to those who aren’t familiar with how salvage works, as well as HELP ANTIQUATED \[RING/GOGGLES/GAUNTLET/CROP\] for a specific breakdown of what each item does. As for the Artifact Cart, all artifacts purchased directly through the cart have a 30% discount applied; this stacks with Iron Elite Membership for a total discount of 40%! In addition to the large discounts, there are a number of exclusives available only through the artifact cart, including: – Chocolates – House deeds (these come with FIVE rooms in total and can be redeemed by e-mailing me as per HELP CASTLES) – Fireworks – Upgrade tokens – Several other artifacts Silver chalices can also be found under the ‘artifact packages’ section of the website, with an option for one chalice or a pack of five at comparable discounts to the cart. Last up is the lesson sale! For the month of February, lessons can be purchased directly from the website at a significant bonus. Those with Iron Elite Memberships will also receive 10% bonus lessons on any lesson purchase they make! As always, the cart, credits, and lessons can be found on the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 14th of Severin, in the year 2 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Twin foci surge](https://www.aetolia.com/news/twin-foci-surge/) **Published:** January 23, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello! We’ll be trialing a new system for our foci conflict system known as foci surges. During a foci surge, a specific type of foci (minor, lesser, major, twin) will appear with higher frequency while the other types appear less frequently. Right now, for the forseeable future, there will be a surge of twin foci, where the frequency of twin foci is increased, and all others are decreased. You can view the current surge (if any) with AB REFINING FLUXATIONS. Feel free to let us know how you feel about this in our combat channel on the Official Discord or via message to your friendly liaisons or Keroc as you get more experience with it in the coming weeks! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 12th of Haernos, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Cleansing of Arbothia](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-cleansing-of-arbothia/) **Published:** January 22, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In the first year of the new age, as the realm recovered from the rigours of horrific Monomachy, Lightsworn Fire made His first move. Calling upon the Hammer of Dawn to act as His proxy, Lord Celezor entreated the Heralds of Enorian to organise efforts to strike out against the corruption that had for so long plagued the fair village of Arbothia: that of Marcello Relovec, one of Sapience’s self-styled gods. Working in solemn secrecy, the city prepared for the duties ahead by drawing up a plan involving their newly wrought patron’s gifted powers, with special attention paid towards ensuring the safety of any innocent lives still trapped within the dungeons of Relovec’s twisted manor. The Hammer put forth their plan to the Lord of Justice and awaited His next orders, though the excitement of doing the Light’s work once more swept through the streets like a buzz of eager tension. As the close of Sapiarch swiftly approached, the Hammer of Dawn took up sword and spell with conviction burning in their hearts and marched upon Arbothia with grim intent, their sights set upon purifying this portion of the continent before all others. The first to enter were the Templars and the other martial adepts of the city, who swiftly put an end to the deranged servants that sought to impede the consecrated work to come. With a path cut clear, many of the city’s humanitarian experts set forth to free captured villagers and other prisoners held within the depths of the manor’s basement cells while their compatriots set to work with the next stage of the city’s plan. Amidst the bloody din of crusade, Enorian’s dedicated aid ensured that the Relovec family’s retainer and the sickly Cotelle managed to escape unharmed with a portion of their fabled fortune, ensuring the privacy necessary for true convalesence. Armed with magic empowered by the Lord Himself, the Ascendril and Illuminai joined together and swiftly scrawled special symbology across the entirety of Marcello Relovec’s abode, priming the entire building for a catastrophic unveiling of Rahielan and Rewh’van magic in the near future. In a showing of triumvirate cooperation, the Templar knights sanctified these glyphs with their own blood and the essence of fallen elements as their fellow citizens put down any maddened defender that came forth to tamper with the arcane network established by the guilds of the Light. Though it was a grueling, bloody battle, the city succeeded in exorcising the mansion of its latent evil, ensuring that they could move forward with the next stage of their ambitious plan. As one final wave of crazed servants emerged to deter the Hammer’s holy work, the army of the Light responded with fire and fury. Enorian’s faithful castigated these evil-doers with the full force of Celezor’s gifted blessing and dragged them into the village square, where they pronounced them sinners far beyond redemption. Utilising their zeal as kindling, the righteous crusaders burnt each and every survivor of Marcello’s cohort at the stake, filling the streets of Arbothia with the parched screams of the damned. It was then and only then that the city set off the cataclysmic chain reaction of fire, faith, and fastidious sorcery, its raw heat and holy power combining to cleanse the very land that had absorbed so much of the mansion’s defiled magics. The captured elemental energies within the glyphs seethed and swelled, awaiting one final trigger – an intonation from a true god, Who emerged to stand beside the city He now patroned in truth. Scouring Creation with the sweltering fervour of righteous indignation, Celezor intoned with manifest authority: “There is only the Light, Marcello Relovec, and no other path forward. I pronounce you guilty of heresy and profane magic. There is naught but the pyre left for you, its kindling arranged by the hands of the faithful.” “Dumavai,” spoke the Lord of Light and Fire. Then, the air itself caught flame. The realm shuddered in rapture as Lightsworn Fire uttered the sacred word of utmost condemnation, a groan arising from the land as the Hammer of Dawn’s sacred work reached a fever pitch. An obliterating wave of scouring radiance manifested as Enorian’s magic lurched into motion, taking the shape of towering walls of pearlescent conflagration that loomed tall over the village and crashed down like unto catastrophic waves, each impact converging upon the lone point of Marcello Relovec’s mansion. Sloshing upward like liquid indignation, the crashing tides of Rahielan and Rewh’van fury ascended to the skies akin to a helix of divine fury, allowing consecrated devastation to mete out a judgement long since deserved and so recently pronounced, reducing the opulent ruin of Relovec’s abode to naught but anointed ash and smouldering wreckage. Now exorcised of its foul energies, Marcello’s mansion failed to serve as the basis for yet another unholy rebirth. As his domain crumbled into smoking detritus, its master’s screeches of agony served as the symphony of justice’s demand. Embodying rage and determination incarnate, Marcello Relovec struggled to rise from the flames. The occult energy of his countless ascensions clung to him like a wretched robe, holding his form together for long enough to spit curses and maddened threats that echoed throughout the streets of fair Arbothia. The silhouette of the would-be god limped from the wreckage, intent upon eluding justice owed for years beyond count. Tiring of this criminal’s resistance, the Bringer of Justice coalesced within the righteous pyre with Lanos’ beloved greatsword held high. “You are guilty,” Celezor pronounced even as His killing stroke surged downward. One brutal swing sent the wretched mortal toppling back into the burning heart of his once-demesne, consigning the wicked nobleman to the fiery condemnation that awaited all sinners that dared to stand before the Lord of the Sun. “There is naught but the pyre for you, sinner.” Thus ended Marcello Relovec’s reign of terror – in fire and flame, daubed in the pale ash of an incinerated domain. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 5th of Haernos, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Retirement adjustments](https://www.aetolia.com/news/retirement-adjustments/) **Published:** January 11, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, This is just a quick update to let you know there have been some internal adjustments made to the retirement formula. Some of you might notice a positive increase to your value as a result of this. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 14th of Ivolnos, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Identity Systems](https://www.aetolia.com/news/identity-systems/) **Published:** January 4, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey, folks! As discussed thoroughly on our Official Discord, we have decided to retire the current iteration of the identity systems. While we sort out the transition to the new overarching design, we have made the decision to disable all existing versions – wargolems, shrines and crusades, and sacrifices – until this can be implemented. We have a fairly stable vision for the future of these mechanics, but we felt it would be burdensome to the community to leave them running in their current state. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to myself or Razmael. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 2nd of Lleian, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Enhancements](https://www.aetolia.com/news/enhancements/) **Published:** January 4, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, The speed enhancement now has an extra option that you can choose from. Instead of enhancing your balance or equilibrium, you can now choose to enhance you damage. This will boost all damage you deal in both PvP and PvE by 10%. Selecting this choice will still reduce your maximum health and mana by 6%. In addition, I have renamed the syntax from ENHANCE SPEED to ENHANCE BODY to reflect the change. You can review HELP ENHANCEMENTS for further details. Rest assured, I’ll be keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t swing things too largely. Feel free to message me or ask a liaison if you have any questions. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Closday, the 25th of Celes, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [New Elixir / Artifact Tweaks](https://www.aetolia.com/news/new-elixir-artifact-tweaks/) **Published:** January 2, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, There is now a new skill within Apothecary called Infusion, which will allow you to create an elixir of infusion. It currently has no effect, but it will in the future, so this gives you some time to stock up on it in preparation. Do note that the elixir balance time on it matches that of the health and mana elixirs. Secondly, I have lowered the damage boost on the ‘handtohand\_damage’ artifact to 10% / 15% / 20% per a level (down from 15% / 25% / 35%) to match that of ‘magic\_potence’. Monks however still have the old values as their damage is split between kicks and punches. We’ve done this because it was making Frenzy / Zeal punches do too much damage in PvP/PvE at the top end and these high value choices are mostly a problem carried over from when knuckles only affected Monks. I’ve also updated the description on ‘handtohand\_damage’ to show which skills in specific it affects. Along this same vein, I’ve increased the values on ‘beast\_claws’ for Shapeshifters. They now sit at 10% / 15% / 20% per a level (up from 5% / 12% / 19%), so they now also match ‘magic\_potence’ numbers. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 11th of Celes, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Celani wanted!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/celani-wanted/) **Published:** January 2, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Aetolia is once again accepting applications for new Celani in the Pools of Creation. If you’ve ever felt the urge to take on more of a dungeonmaster role, or enjoy the idea of creating new quests, getting involved with events, and telling interactive stories, this could be the perfect role for you! Celani is a volunteer position where you help shape the world of Aetolia in various ways, including (if you want to of course) eventually taking on a roleplay position as one of our Gods. It’s a heavily team-oriented role, whereby you will be expected to support other members of the team in various projects and/or events, as well as working through a series of your own projects and tasks aimed at teaching you the ropes of how to work autonomously in the Pools environment, including how to use our scripting language. To be a great Celani you need to be self motivated, enthusiastic, creative, willing to embrace a challenge, and above all, have a deep love for Aetolia and a strong desire to contribute to the world. Strong writing skills are a must (see below), and the ability to take constructive feedback is essential — many ideas get rejected in the search for the perfect suggestion, and everyone’s work is scrutinised in order to ensure a high standard of writing quality. Equally important is a willingness and ability to collaborate with a team. The Pools is an extremely collaborative environment and “lone wolves” don’t tend to do well. In order to apply, you must meet the following criteria: – You must be 18 years or older IRL. – You must have, at absolute minimum, at least 500 hours of playing time. – Be willing to sign an NDA and give up your character for the duration of your tenure. Applications should be sent to celani@aetolia.com with the following information: 1\. Your real name. 2\. Your real age. 3\. Your occupation (or course of study if you’re a student). 4\. Your character(s) in Aetolia. 5\. Why you think we should make you a Celani, and perhaps eventually a God. 6\. Why you want to be a Celani, knowing that you will need to cut ties with other players. The above point is perhaps the most important of all when considering becoming Celani. Potential applicants should seriously consider their ability to detach from existing social networks and establish new ones in a different environment. Specifically, this involves leaving any Aetolia-based Discord servers, or Discord servers where Aetolia is a frequent subject of discussion. While it can be difficult, this level of separation is essential to a good transition into the team and is something we take very very seriously. 7\. Any special experience you have outside of Aetolia that you feel may be useful in a Celani postion. 8\. Two flawless room or denizen descriptions of 80+ words each. Please be sure to have read HELP STYLE GUIDELINES before submitting these. Do not skip this! 9\. A brief outline for two original and interesting quests. These can be situated in an existing area or a hypothetical new area. I’m looking for more than simple fetch or killing quests here. 10\. A brief outline for an RP event, roughly 100 to 200 words in length. This should be smaller in scope than an events post, more something that makes a single city have a fun few days and talk about inside their orgs. Applications will remain open until Monday 15th January. Feel free to message me with any questions you may have about Celanihood or the application process! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 10th of Celes, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Happy New Year! January in Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/news/happy-new-year-january-in-aetolia-2/) **Published:** January 1, 2024 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! Depending on where you live, it should be 2024 or will be very soon – so Happy New Year to you all! It’s now January which means we’re saying goodbye to stockings (your platinums should now be full – enjoy!), and welcoming back the Wheel of Fates! The Pantheon relic set also sees a return as one of the possible prizes from the Wheel. Logging in for at least an hour each day earns a free spin and premium skull tokens with higher value prizes can be obtained from the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits! Those who obtain skull tokens can SPIN WHEEL OUTER SKULL up to three times to determine their prize category followed by SPIN WHEEL INNER SKULL to win prizes from the following: Outer Wheel – Credits: Credit prizes (unbound) ranging from 33-250. Outer Wheel – Iron Coins: Iron Coins (unbound) ranging from 20-100. Outer Wheel – Lessons: Lesson prizes ranging from 250-500. Outer Wheel – Artifact: Artifacts ranging from 50 credits in value up to 2000 credits in value. Outer Wheel – Items: Chocolate bags, elemental globes, fireworks, customisation certificates, discount vouchers, compendium pages\*, minipets\*\*, style scrolls\*\*\* artifact tattoo tokens, a low chance at morphic metal and antiquated salvage. Outer Wheel – Relic: Coffers containing a piece from the Pantheon relic set, refer to HELP PANTHEON RELICS for more information. \* Pages this month include: Maestral’s Barrier Reef, the Welto Trench, the Isle of Ollin, Luzith’s Lair, a deep underground cavern and Tak-re. \*\* Minipets this month include: a miniature bladespider, a flaming skull, an iron-clawed crab, a grey-furred opossum, an enchanted white paper crane \[0;1;37m(NEW)\[0m, a pyrotechnic fire elemental \[0;1;37m(NEW)\[0m, a woodland cuckoo \[0;1;37m(NEW)\[0m, and a luminous lantern spirit \[0;1;37m(NEW)\[0m. \*\* \[0;1;37mSpecial note: the paper crane minipet is dyeable!\[0m \*\*\* Styles available this month are: stiff, ghostly, starry, elegant, gory, loud. There is also a chance to obtain style point currency for the shop at v76367. HELP WHEEL OF FATES now has all of the up to date information! Purchases of tokens also reward Guild and City credits, there’s a 500 credit bonus on every 500th spin! You can also find a skull token in the milestone wares for January! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 4th of Celes, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [End of month reminders](https://www.aetolia.com/news/end-of-month-reminders/) **Published:** December 31, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, just some quick reminders 24 hours out from the end of the month: 1\) The stocking raffle lottery (lottery 42) will be drawn shortly after tomorrow’s howling. If you have decorative gift vouchers, you will need to either gift them (if they have your mark) or exchange them (use LOTTERY EXCHANGE VOUCHER if they were given to you by someone else) in order to enter them into the raffle. Any vouchers not exchanged before then will disappear, take note! 2\) Platinum stockings will also be filled at tomorrow’s howling. Ensure you have them hung before then! 3\) The Flint dungeons will both be closing at the Howling, so this is your final chance to try them if you haven’t yet. Ironbeard will also be disappearing again until next December. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 23rd of Omeian, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Disfavours and Documentation](https://www.aetolia.com/news/disfavours-and-documentation/) **Published:** December 30, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, Going forward, it is the administration’s request that you keep any documentation of disfavours or similar logged punishments serious and factual. In addition, we would ask that you follow the same guiding principle when documenting reasons for a filed bounty. In the interest of continued transparency, it is our desire for these records to remain serious so that we can utilise them to verify exchanges related to harassment issues or other disputes. If you show a pattern of unwillingness to follow along with this guideline, please know that we will take appropriate actions that could include traditional punishments or the loss of guild and/or city disfavour privileges. Thank you! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 21st of Omeian, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Enlightenment of the Voidseers](https://www.aetolia.com/news/enlightenment-of-the-voidseers/) **Published:** December 28, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In the first summer of a new age, the Heartwood council found themselves the unlikely hosts of three strange visitors: a trio of Tsol’aa intent upon finding special medical attention or spiritual healers. Carrying a stretcher between them, two villagers had hauled the comatose body of their community’s sage all the way across the continent in search of aid after this tribal elder had experienced a horrifying revelation in the penultimate moment of the Creators’ Monomachy. Explaining that she had screamed and then gone completely slack, the villagers pleaded with Voice Sysaa and Visage Sarkis in an effort to find some sort of aid that could heal her now completely vacant mind. Unwilling to abandon the woman to her terrible fate, the Sentaari Monastery agreed to take her in as a patient in their infirmary. Upon settling her down in a bed, the Monastery quickly got to work trying to delve the Tsol’aa’s mind to discover what psychic damage had befallen her fragile psyche. Though it took several accomplished telepaths joined in mental union, the Visage soon managed to pry through the treacherous tunnels of the patient’s recollection. In so doing, Sarkis experienced a sliver of the frightful visions that the sage could no longer cease dwelling upon, alongside all the manifest terror of that moment. So terrible was her emotional turmoil that the entire monastery experienced inveterate backlash, bringing disarray and horror to all those that dwelt within its usually tranquil reaches. Concluding that the woman was trapped in a neverending loop of remembering some terrifying moment, the Visage requested that the guild devise a plan to assist her. It was Brother Bast that eventually met with the Visage and outlined a possibility: pioneering a new branch of Telepathy not as well tested or understood than others, that would allow the mental masters to influence their patient’s mental state. Though Sarkis did not immediately approve of the plan, he and the rest of the guild ruminated upon it and eventually concluded that there was no better option if they wished to keep their word and see to the Tsol’aa’s recovery. All was quiet then for two weeks as the gathered experts of the Sentaari considered how best to push forward with this newly charted course, though this peace was soon shattered by renewed shrieks of agony and Voidborn terror as the sage’s mental state plumbed deeper depths. Deciding that they had little time to spare, the Visage organised a circle of telepaths that Brother Bast soon assumed control of, allowing the rest of the gathered adventurers to delve the mind of their poor patient. Arriving within the mindscape of the Tsol’aa sage, those gathered Duirani and Sentaari alike feasted their eyes upon a scene of the once-Aalen’s ruination, its majestic foliage withering in symbolic tribute to her uncontrollable sorrow. Though many tried individual attempts at disarming this incredible depression, it took the combined forces and reasoning of all those assembled to eventually convince the woman to let go of her all-consuming sorrow. Upon doing so, a wave of serenity rippled through her psyche and touched upon her mental visitors, leaving a bridge deeper into her mind in its wake. Though many were reluctant to press forward on account of the strange hallucinations and sinking feelings that struck some of the youngest amongst their number, the Sentaari and their allies soon agreed there was naught to do but proceed apace. Deeper within the sage’s mind, the adventurers discovered a scene of beloved heritage and cultural celebration tinged with near-maddening levels of joy. This, too, was a feeling that required tempering from the party’s collective. Some spoke on their duty to Dia’ruis and its sobering necessity, while some remarked upon the ancestors and the pride they would feel if someone remembered to revere their culture in more sombre manners. Ultimately, these efforts once more yielded fruit, ensuring that tranquility once more reigned in this section of the Tsol’aa woman’s mind – and in so doing, they found that the path once more led deeper into her psyche. Unwilling to linger here lest they risk being caught up in the frenzy of unabating joy, the adventurers ventured deeper yet still and happened upon more concerning signs of madness. Setting foot now into a hall of mirrors cut to cast all images in unflattering manners of self-disgust, the council set about offering encouragement and inspiriting dialogue that the woman initially resisted hearing out. Small creatures born of the Void’s terror bubbled up from the murk of her imagination, necessitating violent force as a brief interlude between more gentle solutions. Eventually, the adventurers again managed to convince the woman to let go of her self-hatred and found a way deeper into the heart of what madness remained. Next was the sage’s terrible anger – an anger pointed outward towards a world that had failed the Aalen, the Bloodwood, the scoured reach that once was an ancestral homeland of her people. Unable to cure its blight, unable to lay its spirits to permanent rest, unable to prevent Ohlsana’s ravaging predations, the woman felt only rage towards everyone too selfish or concerned with their own machinations to see to the healing of a wounded land. Though the council’s Monks understood her frustration, they urged her to let go of this burdensome wrath and embrace tranquility so she could return to the world make the difference she asked of others around her. Duiran’s councilors were forced to execute more miniature Void terrors, their dispersal bringing about yet more cultivated calm – and a yawning darkness that beckoned the adventurers for one final time. As the councilors assembled in the deepest, darkest places of the sagacious Tsol’aa’s mind, they glimpsed the true nature of the memory that had sent her into terrified catatonia: a peek deep into the abyssal Void itself. As Duiran stared into the Void, the Void stared back. Countless tendrils of darkness sprouted from the landscape of the sage’s mind then, conspiring as one into a legion of tiny terrors and one tremendous being of Voidborn hysteria. Rather than attempt to reason with this primal manifestation of fear, the council swiftly took up arms and joined battle with a nebulous memory of a space without substance. Though several warriors fell in the attempt and had to be ushered back into the Tsol’aan woman’s mind by a barely conscious Brother Bast, the council eventually succeeded in quelling this final representation of overwhelming emotion and departed from their intrusive journey within their patient’s psyche. When the final councilor managed to find Primal physicality once more, they one and all realised that the sage now slept peacefully – the first sign of a convalesence begun. In the aftermath, Brother Bast admitted to the Visage that his own vantage point leading the mental link had allowed him to glimpse these memories in a different way. Confessing that he thought they would be useful for the monastery as a whole, he promised to impart what he had learned and congratulated the entirety of the monastery on pioneering a brand new form of psionic manipulation: emotional Cultivation. So it came to pass that the way of the Voidseer became a formalised practice within the Sentaari monastery. Employing the occult esoterica gained by their delving of the Void and the tranquil mastery brought about by sagacious enlightenment, they unified these disparate schools into a fierce new way of life emblematic of abyssal madness. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 7th of Omeian, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [2023 recap, and looking ahead to 2024!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/2023-recap-and-looking-ahead-to-2024/) **Published:** December 28, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Wow, what a spectacularly busy year we’ve had! I daresay it was probably one of the biggest years we’ve ever had. So, let’s review everything that happened in 2023 before discussing what to expect in the coming year. It was a massive year for classes, with five classes released throughout the year. The first two, released in March, were the Bloodborn and Runecaver classes, mirroring Ascendril and Sciomancer, respectively. Later in the year, we released the Predator class, followed shortly by Executor and Voidseer which mirrored Sentinel and Archivist respectively. Additionally, we introduced two new Adherent class types: Tyranny and Instinct! The releases of those last four mirrors also marked the conclusion of the extensive mirror class project, first announced in January 2020. This project spawned 12 new classes into the game, introduced lots of new lore and helped to flesh out guild identities. It has allowed unparalleled access to class mechanics on all sides of the game that previously didn’t exist, and the game has certainly become healthier for it. Speaking of big projects coming to an end – the Worldeater Saga! This was the biggest event in Aetolia’s history, surpassing even the Second War of Night from last year and concluded a storyline that began roughly 15 years ago. It created a huge shake up in the Aetolian world and even ushered in the end of the Midnight Age after 513 years! The amount of work that went into this event over multiple years behind the scenes to bring us to that point cannot be understated. It also saw a pivotal final showdown with Polemarch Andalso and Marzpawn Zorusthi – two of Aetolia’s oldest villains responsible for the destruction of Ashtan a long long time ago. It was truly a one-of-a-kind event! The Worldeater Saga brought with it another huge project to completion – the Bonro Sands! This Albedos region release brought with it 18 areas, over 1200 rooms, 70 new quests and countless new hunting opportunities! Not to mention all the new Albedos lore it helped bring about. This project, first conceived years ago, finally came to fruition this year through the extensive support of our fantastic volunteer team. In May, we celebrated the year 510, keeping you all engaged with a multitude of events throughout the month, with plenty of activities and new goods to be found upon the party barge. During these celebrations, we introduced the new Twins tournament – a knockout event where teams of two compete against each other – replacing the previous City Champions tournament. This was a huge success, and you expect this to be a standard in the future. Speaking of tournaments, this year’s Grand Duel also had a massive turnout with a whopping 44 people! I think that’s probably the largest Duel we’ve ever had! We also saw plenty more Duels throughout the year, alongside changes to the war system, bounties, combat tweaks, and our usual classlead rounds. Our work on fleshing out city themes progressed in a big way with the introduction of the identity systems. While by no means a perfect system, they’ve definitely helped sell the core identity of each city, and we look forward to iterating on them further in the coming year. We saw some big additions to the PvE scene this year as well with the addition of elite threat NPCs that has been very popular so far! This replaced previous ‘hunting overhaul’ NPCs with rarer, stronger foes possessing several abilities to make your approach to dealing with different, and often require a team! We’ve been taking advantage of this system whenever we can, such as using them as minibosses for a story event, to world bosses during holiday events such as the Hobgobbler King or Headless Horseman. There was also loads of new bashing areas introduced, and also a brand new seasonal story dungeon in the form of Flintmas, not to mention heaps of other smaller additions and tweaks such as updates to audit, the new HUNTING SKILLS command, and so on! There was plenty of smaller changes throughout the year to break all this up too, such as the very recent addition of the new expressiveness system (that we’ve already found a way to incoporate into an event!), to improvements on the auction system, NPC attire, new tattoos, crafting updates, RPLOG improvements, and much more! Looking forward to 2024, here’s a preview of what you can expect: – More story events as always. We already have one being drafted featuring an older villain some of you will be familiar with, and plenty more open story hooks to explore! – The final agriculture skill. – Updates to the war system. – Our usual three classlead rounds. – Plenty of Duels and the final Grand Duel. – Big changes to the identity system. – Airships! This was announced at the town hall and is a big focus for us in 2024. – Improvements to the newbie experience, especially in the form of a main story quest to keep new players engaged as they progress through levels. – Two new tradeskills and one new hobby. – And plenty more updates! From all of us here on the Aetolia team, we wish you good holidays and a pleasant new year. We look forward to continuing our work with you on amazing stories and systems throughout 2024! Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4689/2023-recap-and-looking-ahead-to-2024 Or in our Discord: https://discord.gg/x2s7fY6 Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 7th of Omeian, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Spirean Legacy, Part IV: Executors](https://www.aetolia.com/news/spirean-legacy-part-iv-executors/) **Published:** December 26, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** It was on the stormy night of the 20th of Lleian, year 0 AC, that Lemaen, the Exiled, found himself roused from his slumber, a recurring disturbance in recent times. Yet, it wasn’t the howling tempest outside that disrupted the ancient Syssin’s rest, but rather the torment of relentless nightmares. Wearied and sleep-deprived, he voiced his frustrations over the guild’s aether, imploring the late Manipulator for even one night of free from the God’s haunting intrusions into his dreams. Alerted by his distress, the rest of the Syssin swiftly convened around their elderly mentor, bringing with them the comforts of kawhe to ease his fatigue. As Lemaen sought solace in the soothing beverage, he began to unravel the narrative of his recurring dream, sharing the vivid details of the vision that had been causing so many restless nights. The dream that haunted Lemaen each night since the revelation of the Inheritance was always the same: ever and always, he found himself navigating the intricate corridors of the Spire of Artifice, each step driven by an unyielding purpose. Each time, he would arrive at the heart of the armoury where the imposing figure of the Lord Manipulator stood, as if untouched by death. In the dream, a wave of paralysing fear engulfed Lemaen as the God turned an implacable gaze upon him, issuing a command in just two words: “Show them.” Yet, as soon as the words were spoken, the dream always shattered, abruptly returning Lemaen to wakefulness. The clarity and purpose that so vividly guided him in the dream dissipated the moment his eyes opened, leaving behind only a profound sense of loss and unfulfilled destiny. He had been relentlessly pursuing that dream since the first night, desperate to cling to any fragment that might further unravel its mystery. Hearing the tale, the Syssin grew increasingly convinced that the dream was intricately linked to the final orders of Severn the Manipulator – the revival of the ancient Executors. They suggested that Lemaen should venture to the very heart of his visions, the Spire of Artifice itself, to see if they might unearth further insights or clues in the waking world. Upon entering the armoury of the Spire of Artifice, the group of Syssin, led by their mentor Lemaen, encountered an inexplicable phenomenon. Their vision began to blur, unfocused and erratic when attempting to look upon a specific area within the room. The more intently they tried to pierce through the haze, the more intense the visual distortion became – as if their very gazes were being deflected by an unseen, metaphysical barrier. As Lemaen endeavoured to push past the invisible obstruction, a sharp pain suddenly seized him, forcing him to his knees in agony. Rather than continuing to force the issue, the Syssin opted for a more subtle approach: delving into the depths of the mind through hypnosis. Trusting in the expertise of Seurimas, the guild’s Director, Lemaen surrendered himself to the hypnotic process, hoping to unlock the elusive secrets of his dreams. Seurimas carefully guided Lemaen into a trance, then strategically echoed the Manipulator’s command: “Show them.” Under the spell of hypnosis, Lemaen’s body began to tremble uncontrollably, foam appearing at the corners of his mouth. Struggling against an invisible force, he managed to utter three disjointed words: “Qeddwyn – Ankyreans – EXECUTORS!” The Syssin left Lemaen to recover from the ordeal and journeyed to Esterport to question Qeddwyn, the sole survivor of the Ankyreans. The encounter with Qeddwyn was fraught with tension; the Ankyrean was wary of the Syssin’s presence from the start. When they inquired about the Executors, Qeddwyn reacted with outrage, recalling the horrors of the past and expelling the Syssin from his shop. They left with only one clue – the unfamiliar term ‘ringblade.’ Back at the Spire, Lemaen alerted the guild that the armoury had changed, as if merely learning that new word was a trigger. The Artifice in the armoury dissolved, revealing an annular weapon in the previously unobservable spot a”the ringblade itself. Etched onto its surface was a riddle, providing the next vital clue in the labyrinthine mystery left by the Minotaur God: ‘In a place where truth and valour intertwine, where two noble brothers’ memories shine. Offer coins with a heart so bright, and secrets of shadow will come to light.’ Urlanti Virelen was the first to unravel the riddle after the Syssin dispersed worldwide in search of answers. She summoned her compatriots to the quaint village of Attica, notable for its longstanding church dedicated to the God of Truth, Lanos, and the God of Valour, Arion. The church was managed and founded by two brothers, Ruat and Onim, whose amalgamated names spelled ‘minotaur’ – their fake names a not-so-subtle hint at their true nature. As Virelen and the other Syssin offered a generous tithe into the church’s donation box, the brothers wordlessly guided them to a concealed area beneath the church. Later revisits to the site revealed the church abandoned, the brothers vanished, and the secret passage nowhere to be found. Beneath the church lay a vast, intricate labyrinth, fitting for the Minotaur God. The Syssin – Pietre, Aeryx, Jineva, Seurimas, Virelen, Inkh, Aliyah, Ehgat, Saea, Rizarith, and Fiwa – ventured into its convoluted pathways. It was Seurimas who solved the labyrinth with an alacrity befitting his station as the Syssin’s Director. His arrival at its exit triggered a transformation within the labyrinth, straightening its twisting paths into a singular route for his subordinates to follow after him. At the labyrinth’s end, the Syssin discovered an ancient, abandoned temple dedicated to Severn, dominated by an imposing throne suspended over a vast window peering into the Shadow plane. Guarding the throne were two elite Minotaur guards, expressionless yet alert, each wielding a formidable ringblade with a deadly grace that belied their brutish forms. A fierce battle ensued, with the Syssin ultimately overcoming the guards and moving to investigate the throne. Inscribed upon the throne was another cryptic riddle: ‘Where shadows loom and whispers bend, A journey’s start is oft its end. In depths unseen, a secret lies, Cloaked in the void beneath the skies. Trust in the path less clearly known, For through the window, the way is shown.’ This time the riddle was solved surprisingly fast after Saea took a sudden leap of faith from the suspended platform, disappearing into the smothering darkness below. Though initially caught by surprise at the young Syssin’s unexpected manoeuvre, the rest of the guild soon followed suit after confirming her safety. Emerging from the void, they found themselves not within Czjetija, but instead in a more ancient and partially ruined temple of Severn. Working together, the Syssin cleared a path through the fallen debris to the inner sanctum, uncovering an age-old stone tablet bearing the words of Executor Adev Yae. The tablet revealed Adev’s contemplations on his life serving Severn as an assassin during the Ankyrean civil war and his quest for a new purpose amongst the people of Nuunva now that his duty to Severn was fulfilled. With a new lead, the Syssin exited the temple, shocked to find themselves standing in the middle of the city of Bloodloch – a place hostile to many of them. Making a hasty departure, they journeyed to the frozen north into the quaint tundral village of Nuunva to seek out Adev Yae. When initial questioning of the local villagers turned up nothing, the Syssin surmised that their memories were likely altered by the Grand Artifice and began painstakingly hypnotising each villager one by one until, at last, they found the man. Broken from his trance, his memories now reactivated, Adev Yae addressed the Syssin with an air of timeless confidence. Without preamble, he inquired what orders Severn had for him now that he was called back to service. While initially doubtful of Severn’s demise, Lamaen’s familiar presence convinced him of the truth. He expressed unwavering faith in Severn’s plans, believing in a grand scheme that would herald the God’s return. Though uncertain of their role in a greatly changed world, Adev Yae committed to teaching the Syssin the ways of the Executors. Accompanying the Syssin to Spinesreach, Adev Yae commenced rigorous training sessions within their hall, imparting the ancient skills and knowledge of the Executors. Penned by my hand on Closday, the 21st of Chakros, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Spirean Legacy, Part III: Shadowbringers](https://www.aetolia.com/news/spirean-legacy-part-iii-shadowbringers/) **Published:** December 26, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** It was just part midnight upon the 10th of Celes, year 0 AC that the Sciomancers convened under the glass dome of their guildhall – a time most befitting their solemn assembly, for they were gathered to contemplate the final steps of restoring shadow to the realm. Nevithor, the Shadow Tutor, addressed his guild, revealing that while they had successfully bound a substantial amount of shadow essence within the lattice of their Master Crystal, this was merely the portion that was scattered across the Prime Material Plane. To achieve full restoration, their gaze had to extend beyond the familiar confines of their world, into Czjetija, the Plane of Shadow itself. Uniquely attuned to the Crystal, Nevithor could sense the rest of the essence in Czjetija, straining against the planar barriers as if desperate to return to wholeness. This next endeavour would be their most dangerous, the Shadow Tutor warned, but progress must continue unabated by the restraint shown by those too afraid to venture into the darkness – such is the way of the Sciomancers. And thus, they would throw wide the gates. In the guild’s courtyard, under the vigilant gaze of night, the mages – Kagura, Sheryni, Boube, and Wjoltyr – forged a circle of potent wills. Their efforts were further supported by Evlentesh’s power, standing sentinel outside the circle. Arrayed in a protective cordon were the Revenants and other valiant warriors: Haleth, Llancarfan, Nebula, Oridez, Whirran, Virelen, Lirou, Bosphor, Tina, Pietre, Tekias, Mileta, and Aliyah. They were the bulwark against the unknown, prepared to shield the world from incursions or, if fate so decreed, to confront the very mages they protected. With Kagura, the Shadow Warden, at the helm, the Sciomancers channeled their collective might, weaving a tapestry of magic to rend the veil into Czjetija. The initial breach was but a hairline fracture in the continuum of space and time, yet through unwavering collaboration, it grew, expanding its maw into the unknown. Shattered horizons dappled the landscape on the other side of the planar portal wrought by joined wills, offering a myriad of cracked mirror viewings into a realm ruined by ylemnic devastation. Czjetija resembled nothing more than elemental ruin forced apart at seams hastily defined by the backlash of primordial force tamed by ambitious hands. Pinpricks of violet manifested in the broken gloam, signaling the notice of lesser beings bound to the fallen Empire Ever Dark; their knowledge traveled across indeterminate distances, a hushed whisper of locals witnessing foreign faces from unimaginable distances. It didn’t take long for them to begin to swarm through the rift onto Prime. At first it was only small monsters, but as the gateway continued to widen, deadlier and larger creatures strode through. One and all they were cut down by assembled fighters. The circle of mages, aware of their growing fatigue, adeptly passed control among themselves to sustain their arduous task. Each individual took their turn at the helm, guiding the group’s collective power to maintain the intricate spatial manipulations. Amidst this concerted effort, Nevithor issued a warning: he sensed the approach of something large and urged the gathered to prepare themselves, poised for the possibility that this might be the long-anticipated essence they sought. A hand thrust through the ancient dark of shadow’s planar demesne, its amorphous constituency forced to adherence by the indomitable will at its heart. It pried and tugged, widening the border with every desperate, destructive motion. The timeless, buzzing static of alien interference filled minds as the unknown entity drew nearer towards this newly wrought rent, the edges bordered with lurid frost. A single, nebulous eye – violet, imperious, hateful, and cunning – peered into the surroundings from the other side of the gate. Ozeroth, Firstborn of Ohlsana’s Endless Spawn, Bringer of Tragedy, Perpetrator of Planar Atrocity, stared out from the abyss. With the ease of one borne from darkness, the Firstborn seized immutable control of the circle of joined mages for himself, the mages helpless to resist his superior will. Ozeroth, satisfied with his hold upon those gathered, thrust his hand through the boundaries – into Primal reality – in an effort to begin anew the desolate conquest of Czjetijan mandate. Bound to his will, the four mages were helpless to resist as Ozeroth drained their reserves to aid in his planar crossing. Within the horrifying depths behind this magical window of shadebound spellcasting and concentrated mana, Ozeroth looked out upon the Prime Material, his insubstantial being writhing in sickly anticipation. The unfolding horror swiftly shattered Nevithor’s typically stern and composed demeanor, propelling him into a state of panicked urgency. His commanding shouts pierced the air, directing the gathered Revenants to perform their ultimate duty: the immediate termination of the mages. It was Whirran, the High Priest of Loss, who first acted, cutting through the thick shroud of disbelief that had enveloped the onlookers. With decisive, solemn resolve, he purged all shadow from Regent Sheryni in one swift, merciful strike. His actions set a grim precedent, and one by one, the other mages met a similar fate, each released from Ozeroth’s insidious grip through the somber finality of death. Skulking about as if a thief in the night, an ephemeral haze of shadowy essence seeped from the portal and touched down upon the tundra. Its creeping river of utterdark slithered serpentine towards the gates of Spinesreach. Straining against the boundaries of the Master Crystal’s imprisonment, the essence ensconced within its faceted depths battered against the physical limits of the arcane edifice. Employing cunning rather than force, the inert Immortality suddenly leapt to life and seeped out of its containment through the shade cast by the crystal’s enchanting glow. Gathering into a churning vortex of immaculate, dark deism, the essence seeped then through the glass roof and departed elsewhere. Shadowy streams of godhood coursed through the cold streets of Spinesreach, eliciting screams of shock and astonishment as the population witnessed raw Immortal essence rampage across its streets in an inky flood of utmost potential. Rising akin to a wave large enough to dash a village upon seaswept rocks, the ancient power manifest in the city’s streets crashed down upon a lone, exotic figure only so recently acquainted with the Theocracy’s views and lifestyle – Tepevra, a Caentoi from Bonro displaced onto Sapience during the Monomachy. A sleek, masculine figure arose upon the swell of manifest shadow, his self-assured confidence present even in the throes of impending ascension. Cosmic murk and Immortal power suffused his dark pelage, creating a midnight canvas upon which only oceanic eyes peered out. Royal purple, commanding sable, and glimmering silver entwined as a cocoon meant to spur on Divine metamorphosis, ensnaring the lone Caentoi within a morass of exalted power and ancient prowess. Ravenous and unforgiving, the shadow-spun shell of primordial power collapsed in upon the Albedi native, rendering him naught but elements and ideas to sculpt and reform as befits the whim of Immortal necessity. Dark and light clashed, the glut of spirit upon the Prime seething indignantly at the trespass of shadow so recently severed from the Prime. In a display of fundamental violence, the darkling essence lashed out and distended, warped, seeking to foster the growth of its new shell even as it warred with its equal and utter opposite. Reality yielded to the passage of warring forces, dusk and dawn blossoming in the sky in a union never meant to occur. Raw power exuded from their brutal enjoinment, the interminable loom of Creation’s first elements spinning wildly in the face of such constant, baleful friction. Order asserted itself. Balance reigned. The rancour of mindless, essential forces found cessation, though the brilliant light wrought by regional imbalance soon ebbed away to a normalcy not seen since before the Midnight Age’s final saga. Ribbons of atramentous murk streamed across the sky as the fragile shell of nascent power sloughed away, its opaque gloam dispersed to reveal the product of desperate, needful convergence. Arvelis, the Jackal’s features gazed down upon the realm of Sapience, His eyes alike to twin voids that devoured every detail, each gambit, all ploys, any intent, the goals of the ambitious and the determined stride of those who longed for greater heights, ever and always measured ‘neath His cunning eye. He cast that gaze towards the shadowbound gateway looming over the Theocracy, its size now casting the gloom of impending apocalypse across a Tundra not yet recovered from its first brush with rotten dissolution. Arvelis’ lips moved, though His words were not for all to hear – they manifested as a static hum in the mind, a gnawing tooth digging into the psyche alike to Czjetijan tongue. “You have done well,” the Jackal remarked. “I shall sort out the rest of this, as befits the warden of Shadow.” Striding upon an unfurling carpet of witching hour’s black, the newly born God drew nearer to the worrying threshold and seized upon the intrusive murk leaking from its other end. As if Ozeroth were but a child and He a firm paternal figure, Arvelis denied the hideous, horrifying Firstborn ingress into the Prime. By will, by hand, by sheer Immortal might, Incarnate Shadow firmly thrust the ancient Firstborn back into the seething embrace of Czjetijan dark as if moving a chess piece from one part of the board to another. Betraying shock for this trespass upon his dread dignity, Ozeroth made an attempt to seep through the portal once more. Inky smoke sizzled upon the empyreal vault as he made his second attempt, his power turned to the single purpose of escape – to terrorise the Prime, to consume and devour and begin anew a conquest abandoned. Arvelis jabbed a finger forward, lancing the amorphous, eldritch horror upon one of His shining claws – a firm, effortless reprimand to a Being lesser than He. Immortal Ambition laughed at this, a clever smirk peeling at His Caentoi shell’s lips. The Firstborn shrank back from the offending digit as if further contact would ensure the visitation of grievous suffering, astonishment and fear in equal parts setting his liqueous constituency to an uneasy calm. Seizing upon this shock, Arvelis grasped one side of the portal in the skies and simply folded it as if it were a scrap of parchment. His hands moved at a dizzying, dexterous pace, the existential tapestry knit by His every motion as He closed the gate to a realm now under His purview. The God of Sapient Shadow and utmost Ambition turned His head to examine the realm at large before His eyes fixated upon the Theocracy. He stepped forward towards His own shadow, making of it a gateway that conveyed His Immortal form unto the city below. To those gathered, the Jackal confirmed His retention of the memories of the man whom He had chosen as His vessel, a figure many knew personally and fondly. Simultaneously, He held no recollection of His predecessor, Severn, except through the experiences of His vessel. Arvelis, with a hint of amusement in His tone, offered to entertain three questions from the assembly, cautioning them with a sly remark not to let Boube squander this opportunity. Kani, quick like a rabbit, managed to restrain the ever-eager Kobold before he could blurt out anything rash. Meanwhile, Regent Sheryni, stepped forward to pose two of the three questions to the newly ascended deity, receiving His answers in turn. In an unfortunate turn of events, Whirran, who arrived late and unaware of the three-question limit, inadvertently squandered the final query by speaking out of turn, eliciting a wave of frustration and disbelief among his peers. The tension of this misstep was quickly overshadowed by another unexpected development: the entrance of Grand Crusader Benedicto Silverain. Having traversed across the continent from Enorian, the Templar’s presence immediately brought a tense air to the gathering. With a blend of determination and righteousness, Benedicto confronted Arvelis regarding a transgression committed by His vessel, Tepvara. Amidst a crowd of wary Spireans, many of whom viewed him with enmity, he boldly demanded the return of Yanda’s cloak, a relic which Tepvara had absconded with during a sojourn to the southern city. The Jackal expressed a fleeting admiration for the Templar’s audacity and ambition, yet nonchalantly dismissed the demand, bidding him to return home empty-handed save for the tale of his valour. Following the Templar’s departure, Arvelis addressed the city one final time, promising they would know more of Him in time, and left, striding through His own shadow. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 18th of Chakros, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Combat Council / Liaisons](https://www.aetolia.com/news/combat-council-liaisons/) **Published:** December 13, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, As brought up in the recent town hall, we’ve been considering a return of a combat council/liaisons system and I’m pleased to announce that we are going forward with this. If you’re uncertain of what that means, a combat council is essentially a group of players that we’ll regularly discuss issues surrounding PVP and conflict systems with, and discuss possible ideas we want to explore that might not be ready for wider consideration. The combat council is also responsible for bringing up any potential issues to the team, as their boots-on-the-ground approach helps to give us a different perspective. In essence, they are something similar to alpha/beta testers with a focus on feedback. To that end, we’re looking for applicants to join the combat council. While this is a volunteer role without compensation, it’s a unique opportunity to help shape the combat scene. Please message me if you wish to apply, and when you do include these details: 1\) Classes you have deep familiarity with. 2\) One change that you would make to one of those classes. 3\) One change that you would make to a class you didn’t list in 1. 4\) One change that you would make to one of the myriad conflict systems we have in the game. Candidates should be mature, level-headed players with a strong understanding of the Aetolian PVP scene. You do not have to be a top combatant, but you do have to be actively involved in the scene, whether that be sect, group combat, or otherwise. As this is a position that puts you in a place of contact with the administrative team, we’ll only be accepting those people we have positive relations with. If you have been toxic or otherwise disparaging towards members of the team, whether that happened in private or otherwise, you need not apply. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 17th of Severin, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Flintbeard's Backyard, and Ironbeard](https://www.aetolia.com/news/flintbeards-backyard-and-ironbeard/) **Published:** December 16, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi everybody, Flintbeard’s Backyard is now open for the rest of the month, and the normal version of Flintbeard’s Lair is now closed. The entrance is at v18093 where the entrance to the Lair was, and you can enter with the command ENTER BACKYARD. Good luck with the Backyard and stay safe from snowballs! Ironbeard is back in town and ready to deliver his giftbags! Holly trees and mistletoe bushes will spawn randomly across the land, their locations changing every so often. You’ll need to SNAP (tree) to get a branch of holly, and PULL (bush) to obtain a sprig of mistletoe. Once you’ve obtained one of each, head down to your favourite pub or tavern so you can DECK THE HALLS and HANG MISTLETOE to decorate it in a bit of Celesmas cheer. Once done, the tavern owner will give you a platter of sausages and beer. \[0;1;37mDo note that this won’t work at all pubs and taverns, you should receive a hint upon entering one if you have the quest.\[0m Throughout the day, Ironbeard will pick out people who have platters to visit. The more platters you have, the higher the chance of him visiting you is! When he chooses you to visit, he’ll hand over one of his coveted giftbags and gobbble up ALL the platters you have (he’s a hungry fellow). \[0;1;37mNOTE: The platter quest can only be done once per real day!\[0m Finally, for the rest of the month, the daily login bonuses will be in effect for all weekdays: – Mondays: Double milestones! – Tuesdays: Denizens will respawn twice as fast after being slain! – Wednesdays: Double XP! – Thursdays: Increased critical hits! – Fridays: Favours for everyone! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 8th of Ios, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Combat Council / Liaisons](https://www.aetolia.com/news/combat-council-liaisons-2/) **Published:** December 18, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks! Our initial batch of combat council / liaison members have been picked. You can find their names under CLASSLEAD COUNCIL. Feel free to talk to them if you’d like to about any problems or issues that you feel might be worth them bringing up with us. Having said that though, you can still message me directly if you feel like doing so. You just have extra options now if you like. Penned by my hand on Closday, the 23rd of Ios, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Spirean Legacy, Part II: Fundamental Demands](https://www.aetolia.com/news/spirean-legacy-part-ii-fundamental-demands/) **Published:** December 12, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the Eschaton’s momentous creation of Lightsworn Fire concluded, Sapience abruptly transitioned into a period of stark illumination. This newfound light cast everything in an unforgiving sharpness, stripping away the softness and mystery that shadows once provided. The sun’s glare became relentless in the following days, and the night sky lost its ability to shield the world from the brightness of morning and noontide. This relentless glow stemmed from the downfall of Severn, the Manipulator, whose demise disrupted the essential link between the realm and Czjetija, the Fundamental Plane of Shadow. Without its counterpart to maintain equilibrium, the element of spirit surged in unchecked abundance, leading to a significant elemental imbalance that concerned arcane theorists and learned planar scholars from corner to corner of the continent. The populace began to experience a cascade of unsettling changes the longer the phenomena continued. Initially, it was the challenge of sleepless nights, with the unusual brightness turning rest into an elusive pursuit. As the influence of unchecked spirit grew, however, more bizarre events surfaced. The element imposed its intrinsic order upon the world, causing vegetation to start sprouting in unnervingly precise patterns, while collapsing structures crumbled into neatly arranged cubic ruins. Soon, reports of even more alarming changes came in from the local healers: a noticeable rise in individuals with peculiar growths and protrusions on their skin emerged, leading many to believe that spirit had begun making visceral changes to the populace Not all beings found themselves at odds with the new order, however, for the Akkari and Sapient Duamvi thrived under conditions such as these. The intense light that unsettled many instead granted vitality and strength to these lightbound folk, their symbiotes protecting them from ill effects in quite the same manner that they claimed they would survive the glory of their promised Age of Dawn. Behind the frozen walls of Spinesreach’s citadel, the Sciomancers found themselves bereft of power, unable to channel Shadow for their magic. While they could still access this font from Albedos – and indeed, all of this phenomena was localised to Sapience itself – the connection immediately severed upon crossing the continental threshold. The sole exception to this predicament was the Shadow Warden Kagura, whose Shadow Mark – the emblem of Sciomancer leadership – retained a constant link to Czjetija. Seeking to find a way to use her solitary priviledge to assist her fellow sorcerers, the guildmaster sought the wisdom of Priestess Kuona and Nevithor, the Shadow Tutor to the Sciomancers. Through their collaboration, Kagura harnessed the Shadow Mark to awaken the lesser marks bestowed upon mages for their mastery of shadow magic, granting them access to their powers once more. This method, Nevithor warned, was both dangerous and transient, and the Sciomancers would need to discover a more permanent solution to the inaccessibility of Shadow. Soon thereafter did the Sciomancers gather to awaken Severn’s Inheritance and receive His final orders to search for, enable, and advise the successor to His mantle as the conduit of darkness for the realm – as detailed in the previous posting. Their scholars delved deep into historical archives, seeking precedents of Divine elemental succession and transformations. Others traversed the length and breadth of Sapience, exploring locales steeped in shadow lore and engaging with local legends and myths. The Revenants, ever-watchful, fortified their vigil over their sacred charge in the tundra, poised to respond should the weakening shroud of darkness threaten its integrity. It was Lady Lexadhra, the Indelible, Whom granted the Sciomancers an insight, responding to prayers spoken in Her name to impart some of infinite wisdom She held solely within Her control. A successor has the potential to outstrip the One Who came before, the Goddess explained to the gathered Sciomancers, and nothing would please Memory more than to see Her Father Severn consigned to the forgetful dregs of time. With these words, the Indelible unveiled to the mages a vision of the recent past, a pivotal moment overshadowed by the awe of a Creator engaging in the utmost glory of Its purpose. For every Light shone, Shadow must be cast, Lexadhra reminded them, and thusly expounded upon the fundamental nature of Eschatonic intent. They witnessed the memory of Sapient Shadow, its final shreds fleeing in fragments to the darkest corners of the continent, concealed beneath the grandeur of Celezor’s divine genesis. The essence of shadow was fragmented and troubled, but yet still survived. It was at the suggestion of Boube the Great-To-Be that the Goddess imparted only hints to the Sciomancers, leaving the rest for them to solve in hopes of deriving the spectacle She eternally craved. Stirred by the Goddess of Memory’s enigmatic visit, Nevithor, their ancient tutor, found inspiration to recall a long-forgotten sorcery: the art of seeking and binding elemental essence. He shared this knowledge of shadowbinding with his guild, cautioning them about the arduous and perilous journey ahead. Under the vigilant protection of their Revenant wards, the mages embarked on a meticulous task across the breadth of the continent. They scryed the myriad locations of the fragmented essence, carefully guiding these elusive shadows back to their Master Crystal, there to be bound until a time when they could be fully integrated once again. As Nevithor had forewarned, the endeavor proved to be a marathon of patience and determination, consuming the better part of a week until they succeeded in gathering the last vestiges of the essence scattered across Sapience. With their mission momentarily at a pause, the guild members convened once again before the Shadow Tutor, eager to learn the next phase of their critical undertaking… Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 13th of Severin, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Identity System, Bounties, etc](https://www.aetolia.com/news/identity-system-bounties-etc/) **Published:** December 10, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, Going forward, please do not file any bounties with regards to the identity systems. Simply put, our policy is now ‘use it or lose it’ regarding identity system PK. If you don’t fight then and there at that moment, you don’t get to go around ganking people over this stuff later and you definitely do not have reasonable cause to bounty. This extends to the destruction of property, i.e trees, kidnappings, shrine destruction, and spore destruction. Please be aware that bad faith usage of this ruling as a shield (i.e trying to hide behind it when your character said or did something else antagonistic) will be heavily frowned upon. Please understand that this is experimental and we very well might reverse this ruling, but we want to see how this works and how it influences the system going forward. These are fluid systems and we should always be willing to make adjustments accordingly to ensure players have fun – that is, after all, the point of the game! Thanks! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 1st of Severin, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads October - part 3 (end)](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-october-part-3-end/) **Published:** December 10, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** After a new class and mirrors, there’s some time to catch up! There will be a few things left over, but they will be addressed in time. Enjoy the last of the classleads from October! Afflictions ========================= – \[3308\] The affliction ‘spirit\_rot’ when given by a Runecarver now deals spirit damage, instead of shadow damage. Mentis / Dictum ========================= – \[3325\] Strengthen / Bolster now makes ‘effused\_blood’ incurable if you have masochism. Sciomancy / Malediction ========================= – \[3308\] Malediction Tenebrosity has been renamed to Rancour and will cause spirit damage, instead of shadow damage. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 23rd of Sapiarch, in the year 1 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Grand Duel!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-grand-duel/) **Published:** December 5, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Glory seekers across the realm! The Grand Duel now has an official date and will roar into action this coming weekend! Test your might, skill, and strategy against the titans of the dueling realm in this double-elimination face off where only one can be crowned the Dueling Champion in the final tournament of the year! And perhaps score yourself a unique artifact… But that’s not all, this event is packing some serious rewards for those who take the plunge! 1st place prizes: – A unique artifact geared to the class you win as! \* This will last until the next Grand Duel – A very ethusiastic fan that lingers in Esterport… \* For as long as you are the Champion – Special fame for being the Grand Duel champion – A gold star! Very shiny! – A grand stocking – 500 credits 2nd place prizes: – An occasional free drink at the Shining Trident! \* Lasts until the next Grand Duel – A silver star! Sparkly! – A grand stocking – 300 credits 3rd place prizes: – A bronze star! Nice! – A grand stocking – 200 credits Additionally, for those of you who may not feel like you can reach the heights of the placement podium, we have a raffle for anyone who is willing to participate in the Grand Duel! All you need to do is join up and try your best! Three raffle prizes will be drawn: – Prize one: A wand of portals – Prize two: A piece of morphic metal (x2) – Prize three: Artifact vials, pipes, bandages, and/or rags (x5) AND Anyone who joins will get a special minipet themed after the Grand Duel! What will it look like? You’ll just have to join and get one to see! And lastly, I will be opening up a bookie just before the Duel begins and pooling in 100,000 gold. You can bet on who you think the winner will be of the Grand Duel for 5,000 gold and have a chance at taking home a swindle of gold. The command AB GAMING BOOKMAKER has details on this. The exact date for the Grand Duel can be found in EVENTS INFO 642, per POLL 750. Make sure you use CONFIG TIMEZONE so you can see when it starts in your local time. See you there! Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 19th of Haernos, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Big cognition updates!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/big-cognition-updates/) **Published:** December 4, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! Thanks to the team at IRE, we’ve got some big updates to the Cognition system to help broaden its usability and enrich your NPCs even more! What’s New? NPC Speech Capabilities: Your sentient NPCs can now talk back! Engage in more dynamic conversations as they respond to you with their unique voices. This only works on NPCs that are considered ‘sentient’. Knowledge Pages (KPages): Equip your NPCs with specialised knowledge about the world or specific topics through KPages. This feature deepens their understanding and responses related to the game’s lore and environment. See HELP CONGNITION KPAGES. House Mobs/Shopkeeper support: These two NPC types are now supported by the Cognition system. Take advantage of the new speech capability and knowledge pages to really flesh them out! You could, for example, set up your shopkeeper with knowledge on goods your shop sells so they can talk about them dynamically with potential customers. Player-Specific Conversation History: NPCs can be set to remember past interactions with specific players, adding a personalised touch to every encounter. NPC’s will also remember if they have been attacked or killed by a player in the past, which will modify their responses. NPC-to-Player Interactions: Set your NPCs to interact with other players. You can also allocate a budget for these interactions, giving you control over the amount of chars you will spend on this. Room-Entry Responses: Make your NPC denizens more lifelike! Set them to greet or react to players entering a room – perfect for NPC shopkeepers and other interactive NPCs, or even just to have a minipet welcome you home! Why You’ll Love These Updates: – Experience richer, more immersive interactions with NPCs who can now converse and remember past dialogues. – Customize your NPCs with KPages to make them more knowledgeable and integrated into the game’s world. – Enjoy a more dynamic and interactive game environment with NPCs responding to player movements and actions. – Personalize your gameplay with NPCs that can engage differently with each player, adding a unique layer to your gaming experience. Get started with the new features by reading HELP COGNITION. Furthermore, we’ve set up a public NPC for you to see this in action: go and talk to the local drunk at v53394 in Esterport’s tavern! We can’t wait for you to dive into these new features and see how they transform your experience in Aetolia. As always, we’re committed to enhancing your adventures while upholding responsible AI practices. Happy gaming, and here’s to creating even more incredible stories in Aetolia! – IRE and the Aetolia team. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 16th of Haernos, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Group miss chance](https://www.aetolia.com/news/group-miss-chance/) **Published:** December 4, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Players will now have a miss chance there are more then 5 people attacking one target. This miss chance is 4% for every target beyond the 5th, up to a maximum of 32%. This will only affect abilities that can naturally miss, since usually they are ‘bread & butter’ attacks that mostly just cause damage and afflictions. Skills without a natural miss chance I’ve intentionally ignored as they tend to be more utilitarian and/or strategic in nature, and just do damage, an affliction, or some other effect and ~usually~ not a combination. It’s probably not going to solve all your woes, but I figure it might be worth a try for a bit and see how it feels. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 13th of Haernos, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Flintmas dungeon!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/flintmas-dungeon/) **Published:** December 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey folks, Flintbeard has declared it’s now the period of Flintmas (at least for this season), and who am I to argue with him? I’m pleased to announce a new 3-player holiday dungeon: Flintbeard’s Lair (Flintmas version). This is a dramatic twist on the original Flintbeard’s Lair, in which the story is told from the Malignant Dwarf’s point-of-view and Ironbeard is the wicked villain. Is this the real truth behind Ironbeard…? Probably not, but you be the judge! The entrance can be found at v74620, but note: You will need to have completed Flintbeard’s Lair to be able to enter! Luckily, Flintbeard’s Lair (normal) is also back until the 15th of December, so make sure you complete it before then. The normal version can be entered from v18093. From the 16th onwards, Flintbeard’s Lair (normal) will be replaced by Flintbeard’s Backyard. The Backyard also requires you to have completed the normal Lair, so there’s even more reason to not miss out completing it! Completing the Flintmas version of the Lair will award you a giftbag each (you can only get this reward once per Howling, but you can do both this and the normal Lair to get two per howling), a new fame, and autographs which can be spent at Gilbert’s shop. Additionally, Gilbert Ratsmoke’s shop has been updated with some new wares that can only be purchased by those who complete the new Flintmas dungeon. This new version of Flintbeard’s Lair will be open for the entire month. Big thanks to Watson for putting it together! In short, dungeon availability schedule is: 1st-31st Flintbeard’s Lair (Flintmas version)\* 1st-15th Flintbeard’s Lair (normal) 16th-31st Flintbeard’s Backyard\* \*Requires Flintbeard’s Lair (normal) completion to access. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 18th of Slyphian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [December 2023 Stockings!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/december-2023-stockings/) **Published:** December 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey folks! December has arrived and that means it’s time for stockings! As always, they can be obtained from the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits under ‘artifact packages’. See HELP STOCKINGS for all stocking-related commands and for a complete breakdown of prizes! I’ve included a short summary below: Festive or Trick Stocking, minimum value: 16 credits Fancy Stocking, minimum value: 45 credits, guaranteed at least 1 relic coffer Grand Stocking, minimum value: 200 credits, guaranteed at least 2 relic coffers Extravagant Stocking, minimum value: 600 credits, guaranteed at least 5 relic coffers This year we have a new relic collection available themed around the planes of Aetolia. See HELP PLANAR RELICS for all the details, but the items include the following: – a Kal Kelerii warhorn (planar\_air) – a jagged shard of Azvosh (planar\_earth) – a sceptre of ancient aquamancy (planar\_water) – a Rahielan illuminator’s kit (planar\_fire) – a penumbral gemstone (planar\_shadow) – a breviary of Amlesh (planar\_spirit) – a Delvian translocator (planar\_prime) – a Deathbound cameo (planar\_death) All relic pieces from the Planar set trade in for 30 credits! Each stocking tier below extravagant also has a very small chance of rolling a big prize in the form of a 400-2000 credit artifact! Every 150 stockings opened will trigger a global prize where one of the next 50 stockings opened will contain a bonus of 500 credits on top of the other prizes it contains. Additionally, for every 5 stockings of each type you purchase, you’ll receive either a gold or platinum stocking of that tier! So if you purchase 5 fancy stockings, you’ll get a gold (or platinum) fancy stocking. Gold and platinum stockings are special and fill up only on Christmas and New Year’s Day, respectively! These are tracked cumulatively, so you can safely split up purchases without losing out. Opening one of these stockings acts as if you had opened two of that tier, giving you double the prizes! You’ll also find a festive stocking to purchase for a gold keystone in the milestone wares shop. Finally, stocking purchases automatically enter you into a raffle drawn on January 1st, and all stocking purchases award “a decorative gift voucher” – these can only be redeemed (LOTTERY EXCHANGE VOUCHER) by someone other than the owner, and provide 1 raffle entry to whoever you gift them to. See HELP STOCKING RAFFLE or LOTTERY 42 for info! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 18th of Slyphian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Aetolia Secret Santa courtesy of Brax!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/aetolia-secret-santa-courtesy-of-brax/) **Published:** November 28, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey folks! Similar to last year, Brax is arranging our Aetolian Secret Santa! This is totally voluntary with no pressure at all to participate unless you want to. Participation is open to anyone who plays Aetolia, volunteers and staff included! This was a much beloved practice and brought the community together for the holidays, so we’re all quite excited to see it return once more. For those unaware of how these work, every participant will be matched anonymously with somebody else that has opted in to participate. From there, you purchase and/or create a gift for the recipient you’ve been assigned! Brax updated the survey form to include a new question or two this year. To take part, please fill out the survey here: https://forms.gle/Dtgpvj1H65YsgUqd6 Responses will be accepted until December 9th with assignments to follow that weekend! Feel free to message Brax on Discord (tlhornbe) if you have any questions. Penned by my hand on Closday, the 3rd of Slyphian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Cyber Monday special](https://www.aetolia.com/news/cyber-monday-special/) **Published:** November 27, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey folks! For the next 24 hours we are offering a special, one-off package of 6 elemental coffers for $20.99! The package contains one of each elemental coffer – fire, water, earth, air, shadow, and spirit! This is quite a deep discount for six offers and can only be purchased once per character. Within these coffers you will find the usual things like credits, artifacts, compendium pages, iron coins, consumables, and other goodies – including the respective minipets, voxes, and relic caches usually found within those coffers! For reference, that means you have a chance at pieces for the following relics: AIR === starchart, diplomacy, observereyes, super\_ear, plumage, tempestuous\_shield, and compass. EARTH === chocobag, exploremirror, gorget, lifesense, seeds, tectonic\_shield, and ilmenitebracer. FIRE === everburning, hunters\_horn, hunters\_knife, compass, vigilant, grapnel, fire\_shield, and chrys\_embers. WATER === everfull, hunters\_horn, hunters\_knife, compass, vigilant, grapnel, water\_shield, and chrys\_fountain. SHADOW === shadow\_shield, shadowshroud, veil\_darkness, phyl\_shadow, flair\_shadow, hunters\_horn, hunters\_knife, super\_ear, and diplomacy SPIRIT === spirit\_shield, spiritshroud, veil\_light, phyl\_spirit, flair\_light, hunters\_horn, hunters\_knife, super\_ear, and diplomacy. To take advantage, visit www.aetolia.com/credits! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 19th of Lexadian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Upcoming Town Hall](https://www.aetolia.com/news/upcoming-town-hall/) **Published:** November 25, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, As promised when I took over from Ictinus as Producer, there will be a town hall in early December. This is an opportunity for you to ask the team questions and get our answers. This will be taking placed on the Saturday 2nd December, 23:00 GMT. For the US folks, this is an hour before the Howling on the Saturday. An EVENTS listing has been posted so you can see the exact time, and if you have CONFIG TIMEZONE set, checking EVENTS INFO will also list what date/time it is for your timezone. Be sure to update your CONFIG TIMEZONE setting, however, as daylight savings wasn’t too long ago for some of you. Hope to see you there! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 7th of Lexadian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Auction reminder](https://www.aetolia.com/news/auction-reminder/) **Published:** November 24, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey folks, Just a friendly reminder that auctions are due to end a little over 24 hours from now. Don’t be caught unaware! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 1st of Lexadian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Hobgobbler VIII: The Rise of the Hobgobbler King](https://www.aetolia.com/news/hobgobbler-viii-the-rise-of-the-hobgobbler-king/) **Published:** November 22, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Once more, it seems that a mysterious horde of hobgobblers rampages across Sapience! Help cull the invasion of this fowl spawn, and you may find the hobgobblers will drop either stuffing or – more rarely – a drumstick when they die. Eat them to gain a temporary buff! The stuffing will grant you double experience (stacking with other sources) for an hour, and the drumstick will set all your stats to 21 for the next five minutes. Furthermore, a new elite enemy might show up: the hobgobbler king! Once enough of his subjects have been culled for the dinner table, the hobgobbler king will show up at the site of the most recent hobgobbler death, ready to enact his vengeance! The hobgobbler king drops a minipet version of a hobgobbler, and plenty of stuffing and drumsticks to go around. They won’t be around for long, so don’t miss out! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 20th of Ivolnos, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Beneath instance is back!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/beneath-instance-is-back/) **Published:** November 21, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The instance of Beneath is once more available by virtue of memory given form! You will find it within the Dyisen-Ashtan Memoryscape from a ferry at v71389 – the same location you take a ferry to get to the Portent instance. Simply BUY PASSAGE TO BENEATH once there. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 13th of Ivolnos, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Spirean Legacy, part I: Final Orders](https://www.aetolia.com/news/spirean-legacy-part-i-final-orders/) **Published:** November 21, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In the wake of Lord Severn’s fall, the air within the Theocracy of Spinesreach was rife with disquiet. Citizens moved through the streets burdened by a heavy silence, their thoughts dwelling on their home’s uncertain future. The death of their Ard-Dhasani was inconceivable to most, igniting fears that the dreadfully inefficient days of democracy might claw their way back to haunt the city and dismantle the celebrated order that their divine Manipulator had forged. Some stood in quiet reverence at altars, while others cursed the heavens for their sudden bereftness, and some fewer still cursed Severn Himself for failing them. A week past Severn’s unforeseen demise, Litrix, a Xorali scientist within the city’s ranks, announced a change in the enigmatic pedestal left months prior by the Minotaur God (refer to the events covered in appendix a of the Worldeater Saga, post #372). This object, bequeathed to Spinesreach as their “Inheritance,” began to shed its obscurant shroud. Litrix calculated, with a certainty befitting his station, that its full revelation was mere weeks away. It was just before dawn of the 11th of Omeian, Year 0 AC that the last of the shadows concealing the pedestal’s contents began to fail. Quickly spreading word to her compatriots as she witnessed it, Evlentesh called the rest of the Spireans to observe its unmasking. Though initially probed by trial and attempts to hasten the process, patience prevailed as the relentless light of a shadowless sun – a stark reminder of Severn’s absence – dissolved the final remnants of obscurity to unveil a spherical device, embossed with labyrinthine grooves with a beckoning aperture at their terminus. Evlentesh was also the first to discern that the artifact responded to the touch of elemental shadow, yet her personal endeavours failed to stimulate the object’s dormant mechanisms. Shadow Warden Kagura rallied the Sciomancers as an entirety, whose collective channelling soon poured into the aperture in an attempt to succeed where one mage failed. After several botched attempts, Inkh facilitated a proper countdown that allowed Boube, Sheryni, Evlentesh, and Kagura to finally channel a congruent stream of shadow into the device, activating it to project forth a spectral image of the Manipulator. The projection began to intone in a monotonous voice, requesting that a sequence of calibration queries be answered in order to align the simulacrum to the current state of affairs. Replies to the inquiry upon the nature of Severn’s demise were met with impassive acknowledgment by His image, which considered His death as nothing more than an inconvenience. When the topic of a new class A conceptual entity – terminology referring to the city’s goal of ascension – arose, the city confirmed the absence of such a divine presence within Spinesreach’s walls. Regent Sheryni continued to lead the way on satisfying the simulacrum’s inquiries, confirming the activation of the Syssin Protocol and informing Reason’s construct that a ‘successor’ to Severn’s role as Sapience’s tether to elemental Shadow had yet to manifest. The simulacrum then poised a final calibration question concerning the identity of the reigning class S conceptual entity – the Creator who had won the recent Monomacy. Contemplating the answers received, the image of the Manipulator, a mere echo of the deity, paused, its substance wavering as it assimilated this new knowledge. The sphere projecting it gyrated subtly in tandem with its contemplation, its dizzying pattern rearranging itself as it aligned to its present reality. As calibration completed, the artificial image of the Manipulator shifted to resonate with more depth of tone, proclaiming Severn’s secondary goal had failed, yet His primary objective was successful, and thus His contingency was in place. It emphasised its identity as a mere shadow of the god, a simulacrum with a limited purview of cognition and knowledge. It then announced its function to endure a mandatory questioning period, during which it would attend to the inquiries of Spirean inhabitants prior to delivering Severn’s final edicts. Unfortunately, only a handful of such inquiries found answers. Primary among the clarified points was Severn’s utmost aim to avert a calamitous worldeating catastrophe at the hands of His Father through execution of the Syssin Protocol – a gambit that created a realm bereft of essence that would have made them otherwise attractive to consume. It was amidst this exchange that Boube, a Kobold of unrivalled ebullience and donned fittingly in a playful Ard-Dhasani costume, interrupted with a volley of eclectic questions. Though his actions were met with chagrin and mirth in equal measure by those acquainted with his characteristic fervour, the simulacrum invoked a lockout due to the barrage, curtly terminating the question phase to proceed with final instructions. Boube eventually made a sincere, if not pitiable, apology upon the Spirean news for his actions. With a deliberate swirl of its internal mechanisms, the sphere once again altered its own intricate maze as the simulacrum transitioned into its phase of instruction. It commenced with reassuring the anxious populace that the Theocracy’s structure would persist. In the absence of the city achieving its goal of ascension, it declared that the metaphorical throne of the Ard-Dhasani would remain vacant, reserved for the first among them to seize it. The simulacrum then detailed an arrangement Severn crafted in anticipation of His own demise – a new pact with Tanixalthas, the namesake patron of the Dragon of the North, denoted by Reason’s image as a ‘class A conceptual-physical hybrid errant entity’. This deal supplanted the prior accord the two Gods shared, now rendered void with Severn’s death. The simulacrum distilled the core elements of Severn’s final deal, ensuring the city’s continued stability with its provisions. Central to these terms was a safeguard for the Theocracy’s continued endurance: their draconic benefactor was empowered to devour any undeserving claimant to the Ard-Dhasani’s throne, thereby preserving the city’s hierarchy until a worthy ascendant arose. Finally, the simulacrum conveyed distinct mandates to the city’s trio of guilds. The Syssin were designated as stewards of the Inheritance, its full potential left untapped until the rightful Ard-Dhasani emerged. They were charged not only with custody of this enigmatic device but also with the vital task of resurrecting Severn’s Executors. Within their orders was also a veiled riddle: that the Syssin Protocol held a clue to the rise of a class A entity, and they must look to techniques pioneered by the fallen Albedi city of Basrai – and then not only replicate them, but perfect them to avoid the catastrophe that laid ruin to the city. “Restoration of His Executors” was emphasised as their immediate priority, though further elaboration of what exactly that meant remained shrouded in secrecy as the simulacrum simply declared an end to the Syssin’s directives. With the Syssin’s injunctions dispensed, the simulacrum’s address shifted focus to the Archivists, bestowing upon them a charge of paramount importance: to delve into the Source of Knowledge. This repository held His own expansive memories up to the moment of His death, granting access to His understanding of divinity’s ascent, along with the exhaustive annals of the continent and the ancient world preceding it. The custodian identified for this trove of wisdom was named as Lexadhra, the Indelible, the daughter of Severn Himself. While retaining Lexadhra as the Archivists’ patron was suggested, it was imparted as counsel rather than command, with an addendum foreshadowing Her foreseeable meddling in their scholarly pursuits. The Manipulator’s echo imparted a sardonic ‘good luck’ to the Archivists, noting that the Goddess of Memory would likely interfere due to the plans deriving from Him. Attention then turned to the Sciomancers, whose mission was laced with the most urgency. The simulacrum’s calibration signalled a glaring absence, one that defied the ordained rules set upon Sapience by its departed Creator – no successor had yet stepped forth to anchor Shadow. It was unparalleled, a deviation from the historical cycle of elemental successors, and such an anomaly must be addressed immediately by the Sciomancers. Driving the urgent nature of the situation home, they were reminded of a chilling prospect: should Shadow’s presence continue to wane, the release of a devastating class B conceptual entity, the memetic virus guarded by the Revenants, seemed inevitable. Despite the absence of the successor, the simulacrum instructed that vigilance be paramount upon Their eventual emergence. This new God would possess a distinct identity from Severn, necessitating that They be encouraged towards allegiance with Spinesreach. Above all, the Sciomancers were tasked with ensuring this nascent power avoided becoming ensnared by Ohlsana, the malevolent fundamental of Czjetija. Thus concluded the Sciomancers’ directives. With Severn’s final orders conveyed, the simulacrum declared the fulfilment of its purpose and imminent cessation. In a parting message, it bequeathed a singular reminder, the last words from a divine Manipulator to His subjects: ‘Your goal, and My contingency, is still to surpass Me. Achieving this will make bringing Me back become a triviality for you’. With these closing words lingering upon the chill Spirean air, the image unravelled into tendrils of darkness, the final vestige of the Manipulator dispersing into quietude. The Inheritance, now dormant, stood silent, awaiting its next chapter in Spinesreach’s destiny. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 13th of Ivolnos, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Duel: Gateway to Greatness](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-duel-gateway-to-greatness/) **Published:** November 21, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, The Duel sparks up to throw out one final gauntlet before the showdown in the Grand Duel next month! Polish your weapons – you’ll need the practice this weekend if you’re wanting to climb to the greatest in the grand yearly finale! What is the Duel you say? The Duel is a double elimination tournament in which participants will duke it out against each other in a one-on-one duel to the death. Only one can be Champion! And the prizes? First place will receive 100 credits, fame for their accomplishments, and a temporary artifact called the Rapier of the Master Duelist! There will also be a random participant prize! All you have to do is enter the competition to have a chance at winning it! When is it? Check out EVENTS INFO 633 for the specific date and time of the event! Make sure you’ve setup CONFIG TIMEZONE if you want to know when it is in your time zone. Ok, but what is the Grand Duel? The Grand Duel is the final Duel of the year. It’ll be happening next month, in which the winner gets to take home all the marbles and, perhaps most tantalisingly, a unique artifact that is customised to the class they win as. Plus a ton of extra prizes for placements beyond first and extras for participants! That’s all, see you there! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 9th of Ivolnos, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Executors!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-executors/) **Published:** November 19, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Following an adventure to uncover the ancient secrets hidden within Severn’s numerous temples scattered across the lands, the Syssin have achieved a breakthrough: the reactivation of the long-forgotten Executors, lethal hunters once tasked by Severn to hunt down any Ankyreans that survived the genocidal civil war He orchestrated. The Executor class, available within the Syssin Guild, is a mirror of the Sentinel class, boasting the skillsets of Shadowdancing, Artifice, and Subversion. These skills are direct mirrors of the Sentinel’s Dhuriv, Woodlore, and Tracking abilities, respectively. In an effort to preserve the unique flavor and tradition of the Sentinel class, the Executors do not assemble their weapons in the same manner. Instead, Executors wield ringblades, which can be forged under AB FORGING TOOLS. Do note that like dhurives, these have fixed stats and cannot be tempered. HELP EXECUTOR, HELP SHADOWDANCING, HELP ARTIFICE, HELP SUBVERSION, and HELP EXECUTOR RP are now accessible for all interested parties, complete with comprehensive HELP files for each skill and intriguing learning messages. It’s important to note that, while the abilities are mechanically mirrored from Sentinel, the majority of thematic elements and execution are distinctly different. Shadowdancing and Artifice for example have entirely unique themes that set them apart from their Sentinel counterparts. You will note, however, that Subversion shares a lot of its skills with Tracking. Our reasoning here, in particular for traps, is that we didn’t think it would be healthy for the combat scene to have an entirely different set of traps in addition to the Sentinel ones. For the archery skills, we also decided it would particularly superfluous and rather forced to come up with mirrors for them. Syssin members can CLASS SELECT EXECUTOR to pick up the class, assuming the prerequisites for multiclass have been be met. The Executor class will also soon be available for selection during new character creation. For the next two weeks, guilded Syssin will not face a limit on the total number of apprentices they can take per season. Executor artifacts, mirroring those of the Sentinel, will be available shortly after this post: hunt\_executor: a hexagonal charm of dark, smoky quartz ink\_swell: a favoured grimoire bound in blood-spattered (mirroring animal\_treats) trap\_components (Note: This artifact is not mirrored and is applicable to both Executor and Sentinel classes) As with any new class introduction, we’ve conducted extensive testing, but we encourage players to report any bugs or typos immediately through BUG or TYPO. Once again, big thanks to Emellan for all the writing and design, and Keroc for all the code work. We hope you enjoy the new challenges that await with the Executor class! P.S. Someone check in and make sure Bulrok is ok. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 21st of Lleian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Presenting: Voidseer!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/presenting-voidseer/) **Published:** November 19, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In a profound journey, the Sentaari Guild has ventured into the depths of a mind tormented by the horrors of the Void as a result of the Monomachy. Through this perilous delving of the psyche, they have achieved a spiritual enlightenment, harmonising the madness of the Void with inner tranquility, leading to the birth of the Voidseer class – a mirror of the Archivist class! Part of the Sentaari Guild, the Voidseer wields the skills of Enlightenment, Cultivation, and Voidgazing. These are direct mirrors of the Archivist’s Numerology, Geometrics, and Bioessence, respectively. These skills represent the culmination of centuries of philosophical introspection, telepathic prowess, and occult practices, forging a path through the nothingness of the Void in search of Creation’s deepest mysteries. HELP VOIDSEER, HELP ENLIGHTENMENT, HELP CULTIVATION, HELP VOIDGAZING and HELP VOIDSEER RP are now available, offering detailed insights into each skill and their unique lore. It’s important to note that while the abilities of the Voidseer align mechanically with those of the Archivist, their thematic elements and execution are profoundly distinct. Sentaari members who wish to embrace this new path can CLASS SELECT VOIDSEER, provided they meet the prerequisites for multiclass. The Voidseer class will also be introduced to new character creation options shortly. For the next two weeks, guilded Sentaari will also enjoy the privilege of giving out unlimited apprenticeships for the class. Voidseer artifacts, mirroring those of the Archivist, will be made available soon: hunt\_voidseer: a withered curio fast\_bloom: mirroring fast\_trace steeled\_psyche: mirroring bio\_recover As with any new class introduction, we’ve conducted extensive testing, but we encourage players to report any bugs or typos immediately through BUG or TYPO. A special shoutout goes to Emellan in particular for the extensive work he did on designing this mirror and writing the messages for it, as well as Keroc for putting all the code together. Enjoy, and remember these words of caution, if you stare into the Void, the Void stares back! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 21st of Lleian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Dragonscale armour stats](https://www.aetolia.com/news/dragonscale-armour-stats/) **Published:** November 15, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, The armour stats on the dragonscale armour have been updated to 14/14 for leather armour classes (it was originally 10/10), with an additional 10/10 stats per armour class thereafter. So for example, being in a fieldplate-wearing class would give you 64/64 on it. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 22nd of Celes, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [November 2023 auctions](https://www.aetolia.com/news/november-2023-auctions/) **Published:** November 15, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! Shortly after this post, a round of auctions will be going live! In total there are 8 credit auctions, 6 iron coin auctions and 6 gold auctions. Some notes: – The auctions will run for 10 real days. – Any artifacts bought through auctions (including gold items) cannot be traded in or have their powers transferred. – Credit and iron coin auctions do not require you to have the credits/iron coins on hand to bid. – Gold auctions do require you to have the gold on hand to bid. – When auctions end, we allow a week to gather the winning bid amount. Failure to meet the bid amount after this time will result in loss of character until the cost is settled. – Bound credits and bound iron coins CAN be used to pay for auctions. – HELP AUCTIONS and HELP AUCTIONHOUSE both have additional details. – Bids are final, and we will generally not reverse mistakes. If something is not clear about an item, you are welcome to ask me for more details prior to bidding. Please be absolutely sure before placing a bid. Without further ado, here are the listings that are going alive. You will also now be able to see information on the lots using AUCTION INFO once they’re up. CREDIT AUCTIONS ————— A prayer mat \* With the prayer mat, using the BESEECH ability (AB RESEARCH DIVINITY) will give you a 3 day blessing, instead of a 1 day blessing. Only works for the owner. A libation goblin contract \* This contract will provide you with a Goblin servant to bring you a drink at regular intervals (once per hour). \* Will also sell a variety of drinks that anyone can purchase, in addition to the free drink he brings you. \* The Goblin may also be summoned early for a cost of 1000 gold at any time using ENFORCE CONTRACT. \* Has an abrasive attitude, probably the fault of its previous master. A suit of silver dragonscale armour \* This armour will never decay and can be worn by any class. \* Its stats will adjust automatically based on the class wearing it. \* It comes with 10 armour resistance in the element of the owner’s choice (chosen at the point of purchase). Albedi housing plot \* Grants a house somewhere in Albedos, which is normally not allowed. \* Includes the initial room, plus four additional rooms. \* Pricing of extra additions to the house works per normal commands (HELP CASTLE COMMANDS). Delve will count as city prices. Helba town, Cragfoot village and Hatshero village will be village prices. Anything else wilderness. \* These are still subject to normal lore considerations for a house and its placement and certain places like Dramlai Fort, the Pious Wards, and so on will remain off limits. Inquire if you’re unsure about your location! Prayer book \* Will allow you to resurrect someone once per Aetolian day (4 hours), as long as you are in the same area as they died. Only works upon mutual allies as this is an instant revive without an agreement from the victim. Does not require the victim’s corpse, and will work on undead, living or vampires/akkari. \* Does not work on hardcore characters. \* Syntax is READ PRAYERS TO so be sure you’re literate. A quicksilver mirror (NEW) \* Once per Aetolian day (4 hours) you can PEER MIRROR to view them as if peering into a yellow eye. \* For the next 30 seconds, you can keep PEERing into the mirror to view the same target again each time you recover balance. A stony statuette of Incarnate Earth (NEW) \* Raising this statue will create a destroyable pillar in the room with you for a balance cost. \* Five seconds later, chains will snake forth from the pillar and bind any unprotected player (except yourself) in the room, preventing almost all movement until the pillar is destroyed. \* Usage of this artifact has a two hour cooldown. A box of winter’s embrace (NEW) \* OPEN this box to release a destroyable snowball in the room with you for a balance cost. \* Five seconds later, the snowball will roll away in a random unblocked direction for up to ten rooms, carrying any unprotected player (except yourself) from its starting room with it and depositing them in the final location. \* Destroying the snowball will prevent this from happening if done soon enough. \* Usage of this artifact has a two hour cooldown. \* Note: Those bound by the Ivoln statue pillar chains cannot be moved by this either. IRON COIN AUCTIONS —————— Relic token \* Redeem this token and claim any fully completed relic of your choosing. \* Retired relics such as venom rags are not available! \* Ask in advance if you aren’t sure. Custom wings token \* A custom set of wings (or alternative worn item) with a custom command word, and a custom portal room. \* The item and the portal room must be appropriate to Aetolia’s lore and setting. \* Room exits are subject to approval and generally must be in normal locations, and cannot be in cities. \* Same restrictions on use as the wings or caves artifacts. Customisable banner of dominance \* Works just like the normal banner of dominance, but you can customise the corpse it leaves behind. \* Corpse still needs to involve mention of a banner. Compendium page bundle \* The winner of this token can exchange it for 5 compendium pages for the area of their choice. \* Area must already be part of available compendium options. Custom vox \* The winner of this auction will be able to work with the admin team to design a custom vox iterator for themselves. \* Subject to approval and must be setting / lore appropriate, and include your name. Routine manual \* Allows you to create your own custom predefined emote. \* You can also choose who is allowed to use it (e.g. yourself only, allies, a certain race, a certain org). \* Subject to approval and must be setting / lore appropriate. GOLD AUCTIONS ————- A class unlock token \* Fully unlocks a chosen class of your choosing. \* You’ll get the class at tri-trans, and the class slot required for it if needed. \* Classes are still locked to tethers, so unlocking an opposite tether class won’t allow you to play it on your tether. \* No you can’t use it to obtain a level 200 class… Salvage bundle \* The winner of this auction will receive 5 pieces of antiquated artifact salvage (see HELP ANTIQUATED ARTIFACTS). \* These pieces will bear your mark and thus can be exchanged for the initial artifact. Artifact pet token \* Entitles the owner to a customised pet package as outlined in HELP PETS, with a twist! \* The twist is: we’ll do the writing for you! Work with the design team to have your pet idea written by us, including its reactions. \* This includes add-ons 1-4, and 10 reactions. Relic piece token \* Redeem this token for any relic piece \* Artifact moulds are not included in this as an option anymore. Hunter’s bundle \* The winner of this bundle will receive a level 3 hunting artifact for a class of their choice, and a level 3 stat artifact of their choice. \* Level 200 classes are not available for this. Esterport shop \* An auction for the shop location at v3683. \* This is a more permanent shop, not a lease-shop. \* However it is subject to Esterport taxes and failure to pay the taxes will result in the shop being seized for resale. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 22nd of Celes, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [Otherworld Refugees](https://www.aetolia.com/news/otherworld-refugees/) **Published:** November 14, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Only a day had passed since the fantastical conclusion of the Creators’ Monomachy that marked the ending of the Midnight Age before a new mystery revealed itself to the people of Sapience. Those adventurers attuned to the Plane of Death first started perceiving a string of strange killings, the nature of the victim’s demise foreign to common martial styles in Aetolia. The first occurred deep within the heartland of Albedos, under the dominion of Drakkenmont Empire, near Paddlecreek Village – a place known to Sapients through the spatial dislocation anomalies prevalent during the final days of the Worldeater Saga. Here, a Vierkathi officer from Drakkenmont’s army met an untimely demise, a victim of a lethal pommel strike to the skull by an unknown assailant. More deaths followed soon after, the second of which was a Wayfarer traversing the salt plains of the Vakimal Waste, who collapsed after taking an acrobatic kick to the chin. Another day later saw the third victim, this time a would-be poacher, bleed out from wounds suffered while fleeing from their masked assailant. This third death occurred at a trail in the Dramedo Crags, in the liberated lands of Albedos that adventurers could safely traverse and reach for further investigation. It did not take long for curious people to converge at the scene shortly after to investigate, and several key details were observed: throwing daggers protruded from the corpse’s back, each one hurled with lethal accuracy; the attacker’s trail went cold only a short distance from the site, suggesting wilderness expertise; and a nearby mountain lynx corpse had several prominent bones extracted from it. Whatever conclusions were taken away from these clues, there could be no doubt the strange killers were drawing ever closer to Sapience with each kill. As expected, the mysterious deaths soon reached Sapience upon the next day, where an errant knight met his end on the Praelatorian Highway. Investigations quickly revealed the method: ambush with darts used to deliver a potent venom. Merely two days later, another life was lost in the Three Widows region. A hapless adventurer, daring to confront a masked assailant, was swiftly overpowered and met their end with a slit throat from ear to ear. At this latest scene, investigators uncovered another diverse array of clues still different from the past deaths, underscoring the assailants’ myriad techniques. A broken bone knife was callously discarded nearby, and more chilling yet was the discovery that a rib bone had been extracted from the corpse – likely to become its grim replacement for the discarded murder weapon. The body also bore deep lacerations, presumably from the original weapon, and an animal bite mark on the leg, adding another layer of complexity to the enigmatic circumstances surrounding these continued incidents. On the 24th of Chakros 513 MA, an auspicious date marked by the Grand Library as the final day of the Midnight Age, the series of strange deaths took an unexpected turn. Under the frigid boughs of the Augerweald, one of the assailants themselves met an unexpected end, succumbing to the ferocity of a local direwolf in a shocking reversal of forture. This development swiftly attracted adventurers to the scene, where an unusual auditory clue piqued their curiosity: the distinct sound of bone being whittled. Near the site, they discovered a small, newly erected hut. Here, they encountered a group of foreign figures who were seemingly indifferent to the death of one of their own. Some bore a passing resemblance to known races of Aetolia, while others were entirely alien in their appearance. Among them were Sigurd Brynja and Seravan of the Blue Sitara, who exchanged quick words with each other in a harsh, unfamiliar tongue, incomprehensible even to the most knowledgeable polyglots among the Sapient onlookers. If the all too familiar chaos of a multitude of adventurers converged in one spot didn’t confuse the exotic strangers, their attempts at communication certainly did. The linguists among the adventurers tried various languages in a bid to find a common tongue, but to no avail. Amidst the growing speculation that these individuals might be otherworlders possibly drawn into Aetolia through Varian Celestine’s multiversal rift, Sigurd Brynja closely observed the conversations happening around him, watching lips with a fierce, unerring focus. Breakthrough finally came in the form of Esani, a young Templar Knight. Demonstrating a simple yet effective approach, she pointed to herself and her companion Meleah Bravewish, announcing their names, and then gestured towards Sigurd, posing the question, “You?”. With a strained effort marked by the roughness of his outlandish accent, Siguard repeated aloud what had been said, testing the unfamiliar names on his tongue before finally, blessedly, offering up his own in return. With progress now made, other adventurers eagerly introduced themselves, each offering their names. Sigurd, with caution and curiosity, tried to articulate some of these new names. His primary focus, however, remained on observing and listening intently to the interactions around him. Seravan in turn also spoke aloud his name, snarling the words through his wolfish snout which drew some attention between the similarity of his appearance and the more familiar shapeshifter lycanthropes. Esani, with her intuitive approach, once again made the next step in finding out more about these strangers. She employed basic gestures and simple words, pointing towards the sky, attempting to inquire if they were drawn into this realm during the final moments of the Monomachy. Despite some initial confusion, her efforts eventually led to a moment of clarity for Sigurd, who nodded in understanding and agreement. This gesture affirmed the adventurers’ growing suspicion: Sigurd and his companions were indeed beings from a world far removed from their own. A conjured illusion from Voidwalker Evlentesh of the shattered moons witnessed by all mortals during Varian’s flight sent the hutbound survivalists reeling back and drawing their weapons at the sight of the magic, though a longing for an ephemeral home glowed in their eyes. The exchange of words continued and Sigurd offered a term from his own language – he held up the bone knife he had been crafting, calling it a ‘sitara’. Latching onto this, Taj was unexpectedly first in naming the sitara a weapon and Sigurd mimicked the sentence back to him awkwardly. The adventurers continued teahcing Sigurd various words and concepts, with the young Illumine zealot called Sine performing an impressive hundred pushups on the spot – a vivid demonstration of the concept of strength, assuredly, and one that his comrades soon latched on to and expounded upon. Sir Pugsly Corey of the Templars aptly demonstrated the opposite concept, pointing to his own biceps proudly and remarking “Weak!”. Both exchanges were rewarded by growing joy and laughter from Sigurd. Dialogue eventually reached an impasse as the gathered individuals found themselves at a loss for how to further evolve the exchange, despite Sigurd’s insistent gestures for them to keep talking. It was Ealric Cerlova, an elemancer of the Ascendril, who then proposed that Herolt, the famed decipherer known for his particularly lethal quizzes, should be persuaded to vacate his warm office for a trip to the frozen north. Someone reached out to the scholar, and he made the journey with an alacrity unexpected for a man more accustomed to the pen than the field. Herolt’s initial irritation at being summoned swiftly turned to enthusiasm once he understood the situation. He quickly adapted to his role as a scholar in his element, intrigued by the unique challenge before him. Upon introducing himself to Sigurd, Herolt observed the latter’s keen focus on the way others spoke. He speculated that Sigurd must be a skilled linguist in his own right, and was rapidly assimilating the language at an impressive rate. Herolt further suggested that engaging in natural conversation would be the most effective way to aid Sigurd in mastering the common tongue of Sapience. The group then embarked on this task with varying degrees of comfort. Some dove into the conversation with the ease of seasoned extroverts, while others approached it with the awkwardness of shy teenagers at a solstice dance. Grand Crusader Benedicto Silverain, embracing the opportunity, launched into an elaborate sermon about the Light. His passionate lecture continued unabated, even as Herolt tried to gently steer him towards more casual dialogue, pointing out the importance of natural, everyday conversation for language learning. Sigurd Brynja remained an attentive observer throughout the unfolding conversations, his attention intent upon every movement of the lips and every shift in cadence. Mimicking the Sapients, he silently rehearsed their words, syncing his lips to theirs and quietly repeating the sounds. Then, in a moment that caught everyone off guard, he responded to a question about his origins with a halting but understandable, “Not know home.” This surprising revelation abruptly drew everyone’s attention back to him. He further informed the gathered crowd, “Know some,” in response to a query about his understanding of their language. The discourse rapidly evolved soon after, with Sigurd engaging more actively and responding to questions. He expressed his bewilderment at the unfamiliarity of Sapience’s sun, yet intriguingly, he had no recollection of his own sun or homeland. Addressing this puzzling amnesia, Herolt theorised that the trauma of transference across universes might be the cause. He pointed out that even the comprehensive Grand Library lacked any references to such phenomena, suggesting that this might be a first-of-its-kind interaction with living beings from another universe, except for the noted case of Varian, the disgraced Creator and Invader. Recognising the needs of his people in this unfamiliar world, Sigurd proposed a barter. In exchange for the necessary tools and provisions to establish a new home, he offered to impart the knowledge of wielding a sitara, a skill deeply ingrained in him through years of practice that shined through even when all else was consumed by the cloud of his amnesia. The adventurers readily accepted this offer, generously providing an abundance of commodities, a substantial sum of gold, and ample food supplies. True to his promise, Sigurd began instructing them in the martial arts of his people, who came to be known as the Predators. The adventurers eagerly absorbed this new knowledge, matching the rapid pace at which Sigurd was learning their language. Opting to stay in the chilly environs of the Augerweald, a climate that seemed to suit them well, the Predators started adapting to their new surroundings. With this burgeoning settlement, the extent of their future influence on the world of Sapience in this new Age remains an intriguing uncertainty. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 21st of Celes, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part LVI: Liberation](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-lvi-liberation/) **Published:** November 10, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Satisfied with this single, exceedingly rare act of Divinely-inspired providence, the Eschaton’s clinical analysis landed then upon those Gods yet still bound in earth and soil and snow and sand, weighing the necessity of Their detainment in a flash of accelerated judgement. Its ethereal grace carried It forward to relieve Sapience’s landscape of a burden long since hidden from mortal eyes, Its newly wrought bond with an adopted realm guiding Its every motion. Sheets of ice cracked throughout the reaches of the Tundra with the unmaking of ancient seals, rolling dunes of snow exploding upwards to form a churning blizzard. From this icy maelstrom uncoiled the inconceivable immensity of the Leviathan, a thunderous roar the portentous knell of its imminent freedom. Miles-long and magnificent in its terrible enormity, Jox writhed through the air even as the shattered ground below seamlessly reformed. To the silvery moon did the Tumult Water issue a seething glare of hatred before lunging forward – and no sooner did its sinuous form undulate in search of never-forgotten vengeance than Eschatonic will imposed a command over all reality, forcing the God away. Like unto a spiralling vortex cast adrift from land and banished from sky, Jox plunged into the eastern ocean, towering waves crashing against continental shores with Its return to the depths. Satisfied with the mended Tundra and the liberation of Tumultuous Water, the Eschaton’s gaze passed beyond the Material Prime to examine a realm – and a Being – beyond the mortal eye and even most of Immortal ken. Eldritch cacophony formed on invisible lips and spoke with a grating timbre of countless voices, all and one, one and none. Invoking the ancient, forgotten syllables of a true name lost to time and living memory, the Eschaton willed that which slumbered to now awaken. A shiver coursed along the length and breadth of the Chaos realms, piercing the heart of reality and unreality both, seizing at potential and possibility and clasping nightmare and will within its grasp. A yawn followed in a gaping rattle of breath drawn into an empty mouth upon an empty visage, its subsequent exhalation unleashing the wind of madness and soul of insanity into a world long bereft of Its direct influence. Though languid and lethargic, the Faceless One soon apprised Itself of circumstance and catastrophe. Writhing tentacles hearkened to life upon Its sudden awakening, the esoteria of countless limbs and rasping suckers heralding none-know-what before Lanu Du faded from sight, disappearing to non-being without so much as a murmur of acknowledgement to Its celestial liberator. Already turning Its inscrutable attention elsewhere, the Eschaton gazed to the west and exhaled a breath of constellar wonder across the sky, daubing the dome of the heavens in a multifarious streak of starlit inspiration. Lupine howls and serpentine hisses arose in conjunction with ursine roars and corvid shrieks. The music of the wilds entwined countless voices – that of bird, and bug, and beast, and fowl – into one sensational anthem which drummed across the Isle of Tcanna in steady, rhythmic beats. Amidst and throughout this uproarious, animalistic chorus, the islet’s earth rived open, cracks in its surface swiftly becoming fissures becoming newly formed caverns in the deep to allow the egress of some unseen but indubitably mighty beast. Then, as stone and soil lurched upwards in a pressurised geyser of earthen domination, a deafening, booming, vigorous blast of elephantine trumpets resounded across all of Aetolia. Warcry, anthem, and paean all, the overwhelming clamour gave rise to Gereghond, the Bull, Lord of Fertility and Accord of the Earth. The Great Bull lifted His own trunk to join the Tcannan cantors, its volume greater and more sonorous than anything preceding it. Roused and restless from His eons-long detainment, Gereghond teemed with a vast well of vitality and purpose, charging across the Isle in a celebratory riot of freedom, fertility, and pronounced fecundity at long last unleashed. Wheresoever His mighty feet trampled, the earth healed in sodden paroxysm and bloomed fresh growth. Riotous was His rampage and prolific was the fruit of His potent seed. Life rejoiced in harmony with the Bull’s triumphant stampede, flora and fauna now flushed with the nurturing touch of fertility’s rampant hand. All across the Isle it bounded – in the skies, in the earth, in the grass, and in all the beasts that roam and stalk. Satisfied with the first of His prodigious cultivations, the Elephant God quieted the world with yet another potent blast of His enormous trunk and charged away to parts unknown, yet revelling in newfound freedom and yearning to slake the instinctual need to grow infinite gardens and gift the land with His remaining seeds. Again the unknowable Eschaton turned away from Its child to fixate upon an unseen point far in the deep reaches of the heavens. Piercing a pocket of reality reserved typically for the machinations of Helm-space, the silence dominating Aetolia found itself momentarily swallowed beneath a persistent tick-tick-tick-ticking. With that cosmic patience which makes a moment feel as though a lifetime, the Eschaton carefully, critically examined the ephemeral trap sundering Endless Time – and then simply moved on, the incessant clockwork falling quiet. Life was the next subject of Origin’s fathomless examination, and, as It again delved into the demesne of Helm-space, It found neither the order of Odravh nor the persistent reliability of the Endless. Maddening convulsions strained against bonds unthinkable, tumorous growths almost collapsing upon themselves in even that tiny glimpse of the Rampant’s unstoppable, cancerous growth. Shedding a single tear akin to a mote of new-born starlight, the Eschaton allowed Itself a moment of sombre mourning for the fate of Its Life-Bringer. That moment rushed over us all with the force of a crashing wave, impressing upon us an incomprehensible sorrow that gnawed at our very bones and souls with sadness. As rapidly as it came, however, the time of grieving passed in a blink, and the Eschaton reached Its final destination. Indifferent to the pleas of the Earthen rising up from the bones of Azvosh Rakar, an outstretched hand brushed the space between Earth and Prime, dissolving the bonds of Earthen Tumult without obstacle or impediment. Deep in the chthonic reaches of the empty void, the Pillars of the Earth unleashed a rumbling scream of protest. Fulfilling ancient prophecies, so it was that ancient bonds were shaken; something stirred from sleep dreamless; and in the darkness, the distant darkness, the cold darkness, the deep, enveloping darkness, wakened. Vast was Balgraug’s abyssal maw and vaster still was the void of His ravening hunger. Bound mind and forgotten body reunited in accordance with Eschatonic mandate, and so snapped shut the jaws of Tumult Earth as the Devourer, bringer of ends, feasted. Stone and flesh crunched beneath His gnashing frenzy, the dust of ages – the bones of the betrayers ground down to slake the endless thirst – whirling like a sandstorm in that primordial empty-space. Crumbling to nothing in the cataclysmic horror that was Balgraug’s escape, the Pillars of the Earth cracked and splintered, lending yet more fractious dust to the gathering storm of destroyed hope and destructive portent. Penetrating its psychic limitations with the sheer force of desperation, the Earthen Dirge rolled over mortal thoughts, the songs of war and sanguine strife etching their anguished notes into the depths of consciousness in a desperate plea. Shorn of the planar interstitia dividing Earth and Prime, the twin planes shifted in place, the grinding of stone audible and palpable in both the endless Dirge and in reality’s sundered screams. A roar pierced the entirety of the Spiral and sounded out across Creation as Tumult Earth’s voracious feast concluded, and Balgraug burrowed into the spaces beyond, heedless of the destruction left behind. Prime’s imminent collision with Earth sent tremors snaking through the ground below. Mountains trembled, stone heaved, and vast deserts wept their golden sands in impossible recognition of the devastation to come. The friction of dangerous planar conjunction sent renewed waves of ylemnic energy throughout the Prime’s leylines, resulting in innumerable new foci points that adventurers eventually raced to claim for their city-states. As one, all the Earthen – the people of War and masters of Azvosh – gathered atop the bones of a great wyrm to sing their song of ages. In the time before time was time it rang in the black, and so too did it ring then. “Earth calls earth, earth feeds earth, and from the earth, eternal life.” Inexplicably the voices of the Earthen Dirge fell silent, quelled by an unseen and unheard command. Even as stone grinded against stone and the fabric of reality continued to threaten an imminent collision, the enforced silence of the Earthen held. Bestriding the brink of finality in a chilling tribute to the ancient song, a Hlugnic figure emerged within the darkness, His features as unreadable and emotionless as the very stone under His command. Bending the earth to His will as He did in the founding days, the Earthen Father exerted every ounce of His newly ascended might. No longer the defeated remnant, secondary pantheon of Varian Celestine but instead something more, something greater, something akin to elder – Ivoln worked the space between planes with the skill, dexterity, and unwavering determination of a master smith. Earth and Prime halted their advance. Ivoln’s cold stoicism somehow deepened even further. The mute awe of the Earthen continued on. It was the Father Himself who at last deigned to free the world from the spell of enforced silence: “Purpose unyielding and duty without end. So it was, so it will be,” intoned Incarnate Earth. Sonorous chants burst free from the lips of countless Earthen faithful as the Great Father, the Master of War, the Lord of the Earth, the Conqueror of Azvosh, took up His new, eternal vigil. Power and might flowed forth from the Hlugnic God as He accepted the burden that rests even now quite literally upon His stony shoulders. Far beyond Azvosh, beyond even the keen sight of most of the Gods, the robed figure of Dhar observed this unfolding spectacle until the very end. As the Eschaton moved on again from Its assessment of Creation, leaving Ivoln to His duty evermore, the Underking bequeathed a simple nod of acknowledgement for Earth’s incredible sacrifice. “It was ever within You to do what is right,” He murmured with the cold breath of an icy wind, and then was gone. Then, as the dust settled within the Planar Spiral and the twinfold lands below the eye of heaven began to heal from the damage inflicted by potential, raw possibility, and the reality-sundering conflict of the Monomachy, that breath held by all of Creation relaxed. Idaltu, the Eschaton, the true Creator of Aetolia, then raised an omnipotent hand and made a barely discernible adjustment to the position of the silver-forged moon before turning away and fading into the brightfire ephemera and starforged arms of the celestial cosmos, gone from sight but never again forgotten. With the Gods’ withdrawal from the field and the Eschaton’s departure from mortal sight, Lady Memory’s mournful dirge came to a sudden end. The Djeiri Goddess set aside Her harp before She too effervesced into violet smoke. Thus ended the final chapter of the Worldeater Saga, heralding a new, unnamed age for the realm of Sapience. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 23rd of Omeian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part LIII: Creation Unfettered and Unrivalled](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-liii-creation-unfettered-and-unrivalled/) **Published:** November 10, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Sprawling out upon that shattered vista was not the mundane sky of Aetolia, but the abstract planar space where resided one of the Eschaton’s trusted hands. It shifted in time to the wordless will of Its Maker, Its incorporeal form bleeding brilliant arcana throughout Sapience in place of its still absent sun. The Abyssal reached toward the newborn plane of Life as if to examine it or else adjust its metaphysical position at the very heart of the Eschaton’s cosmos, but stayed Its shimmering hand when a spiral of effulgent starfire swept across voidspace in signal of the Being’s approval. Bound as they are to their beloved Dia’ruis, the Heartwood council sensed the nearness of the Eschaton’s planar steward. The raw, electrical crackle of Its manifest potency prickled at their necks as it were a predator’s breath and they were Its prey, Its forbearance commanded by the ancient will that served as Its architect. An eidetic sliver of understanding bloomed within their mind’s theatre, planting a seed of approval within the fertile garden of their thoughts. Both Eschaton and Abyssal alike acknowledged then the craftsmanship and purpose of Aetolia’s recently wrought lirathyar, allowing the plane to remain as the cosmic creche of all life Albedi, Sapient, and Vorostran. The consideration of a bored and curious Creator bloomed in all mortal thoughts then, engraved there by the auroral essence of a Supreme Maker; the craftsmanship of the newborn plane was suitable to the Eschaton’s purposes, it seemed, regardless of the hand that served as Its Immortal cultivator. All sentience perceived that It could not risk destroying such a place, after all, lest It call down the Other that must surely have sensed the recent combat as is. It idly wondered then what Muadi, the Fundamental Being of Death might make of such a plane and its Cycle, but dismissed it as a musing beneath Its design – what might die shall die, after all, and Death would make the necessary arrangements. Dwelling upon endings and death drew Its thoughts, conjoined to all mortal thoughts now – towards one of the now-deceased beings birthed by fundamental sundering: Seelis. Such an imbalance worried It, or so all sentience sensed, for Its omnipotent gaze – their omnipotent gaze, for all eyes were Its eyes and Its eyes were the sharing of an eternity – spied the rampage of Tumultuous Fire far in the distance of Its original Creation. It suppressed the brief urge to simply do away with things It did not account for nor intend to bring into being – what was, was. What is, is. What shall be, must be, lest It invite further catastrophe. The Eschaton gazed out over the darkened realm abandoned by its Maker one last time, the consideration of the ages carrying Sapience and Aetolia alike through a procession of seasons that lasted one moment and an eternity. Its enigmatic musings retreated from mortalkind’s understanding as It considered what to do with the parasitic realm tethered to Its blessed Creation. Once more, It passed beyond the fabric of reality to achieve unity with the greater whole of Its world. Through the indeterminate nebula of Its own limitless essence did the ancient Albedi Creator delve, enjoining mortalkind’s paltry consciousness to the glory of Its inner sojourn as It went. In a showing of confidence only an omniscient maker could possess, It threaded Its will through and around every scrap of essence bequeathed to It in the final moments of the Monomachy. A simple exertion of Its prodigious power was all It needed to tear free the burning hearts of those deceased beings It now knew were once called Mebrene and Lanos. Burnished bronze and refulgent gold streamed across the skies like roaring rivers of fire and light, expelled from their brief union with the Eschaton’s nebulaic existence. Superimposed upon the sky hosting these disparate parts, the Eschaton’s composite stars blazed and wheeled as It beheld the extensive history It had not bore witness to in a personal capacity. A constellar gust swirled and stirred the helpless expanse of burning power into one beatific whole per a sudden whim of Its immaculate design, and coruscating vortices of galactic effulgence alighted upon the astral canvas that was the ageless Eschaton as if in silent urging to some outside force. Roused from the plodding work of Its abyssal stewardship, ancient Odravh’s attention had no choice but to fixate upon the wordless command of Its maker. In a blurred streak of raw, burning mana, It traversed the vast empty of the Spiral and reached first within the glorious furnace that is Rahiela, extracting an incandescent skein of conflagrant potential. Satisfied with what It had acquired for the Eschaton, It moved on to Its next destination with the otherworldly grace of a being entirely at home within Its domain. With a far more delicate motion, It stretched one wavering limb past the boundaries of orderly, fervent Rewh’va and extracted an aureate spool of solar essence. Decorated by geometrically perfect symbology writ in raw cobalt light, this gathering of uttermost spirit and conviction exuded all the fundamental brilliance necessary to align core elements into glorious, zealous purpose. Unwilling to depart from the borders of Its cosmic charge, the Abyssal simply guided these flows of raw power out into the Prime Material to await the Eschaton’s unknowable intent. As scalding energy filtered through the convalescent fabric of reality, a tumult of myriad emotions rampaged throughout the landscape of Prime’s fragile souls. Faced with the brilliant presence of a truly omnipotent being, the world’s hearts strained against their limitations as they overflowed with exultant joy and fundamental ecstasy. Limitless happiness yielded to the smouldering embers of sorrow, which in turn found themselves succeeded by torrid rage that clashed against placid tranquillity and stomach-churning revulsion that marched to war with utmost desire in a confusing snarl of mortal heartstrings. Blessed order then weaved its way through the histrionic din, bringing relief that yielded to discipline… Abrupt and alien, the sudden arrival of Rewh’van essence imparted sorely needed fundamental guidance to the emotional inferno kindled by overwhelming flows of Rahielan fire. Fervent zeal took the place of the riotous confluence that so recently sat the throne of all mortals hearts, engendering a desire for justice delivered by righteous hands. Heedless to the unstoppable eruptions of emotion welling up within the hearts of all beings exposed to this raw elemental influence, the Eschaton lifted a hand towards the border demarcating Sapience from the rest of Aetolia. As Its starswept digits hooked into the sacred sun hanging over its original Creation, the Eschaton gently extracted molten gold from the planar aperture’s very outline as if It were a sculptor drawing clay from the earth itself. The sky sang in rapturous acceptance as it witnessed the passage of its Maker, the wind whistling in celebratory support of Its impending labours. Aurulent fire impressed itself upon the skies in the wake of the hand the Eschaton drew back from the vaunted Daystar hanging over Its world, showering Sapience, Albedos, and even distant and forbidding Vorostra with heliacal awe. Bathed in the warmth of errant Immortal essence, Sapience watched on in mute wonder as the interminable architect of all that was, is, and shall ever be worked the fundamental loom of deific genesis. With all the necessary components gathered, the Eschaton’s starswept silhouette exuded a pearlescent aurora that pushed back the midnight squalor Sapience dwelled within. Scintillating stars and mysterious planetary bodies spread along Its eternal profile flared to life as the divergent elements gathered by Its will began to align within the welkin dark. As Rahiela and Rewh’va’s raw brilliance converged with the inert essence of fallen Lanos and murdered Mebrene, the Eschaton rippled into view upon the horizon and reached out to cup the primeval admixture within Its sidereal clasp. Aetolia’s one and only Creator gently coaxed the primal constituents of reality into joyous union with the remains of two fallen Gods, eliciting yet another euphoric surge of ascendant emotion within every heart. A gentle swirl of the Eschaton’s smoky nebulae quelled these sudden outbursts within all mortal life, however, Its simple denial commanded tranquility to occupy those hearts as if they were otherwise empty vessels in the face of Its eternal dominion. So stilled by a simple urging from this paradoxically foreign and familiar Creator, mortalkind lost themselves to the enthralling witness of molten glory that streamed around the Eschaton’s shimmering hands. Though It presented no eyes, no face, some deep instinct alluded to a focus mitigated by Its ceaseless omniscience. A javelin of stellar fire lanced across Sapience’s atramentous firmament and alighted within the Eschaton’s waiting hands, its alabaster grandeur soon grafted to the vaguely androgynous silhouette that rose to stand within the Creator’s cupped palms. Eschatonic Creation and the adopted realm of Sapience fell into mutual quiescence as that ageless composer of reality’s exquisite harmony paused to consider something for what might have been centuries or seconds, the passage of an age wrought by this brilliant wait. Regardless of the confused procession of time’s relentless march, some unseen force held the world’s collective attention to It even as It contemplated the arcane minutiae of Its design. Reality cavorted to the tune of the Eschaton’s demands as if they were orgiastic music, Its will impressed upon newly indentured existential fabric. Sol Eos soon blazed back into existence within the bounds of Sapience, a Divine torch coaxed to ignition by the birth of a newly wrought God of Accordant Fire. The radiant return of the Star of the Divine Fire that Protects stirred the Eschaton from Its endless reverie, freeing mortals from the temporal torpor within which Its cosmic cogitation seemingly ensnared them. The mysterious Creator extended one hand out to the Prime Material and released the freshly forged Deity into Sapience as if freeing a bird to spread its wings and take to the skies. The land sang in joy as the bringer of its interminable radiance took His first steps within a realm yearning for His purifying fires, bringing solar glory and the dawn of a new era free of the Worldeater’s callous influence. “Nowhere can shelter you from the Light’s wrath,” came the scouring condemnation of newly wrought Celezor’s booming voice. “Nothing can rescue you from the judgement that comes. There is no corner too dark as to deny the coming dawn.” A flicker of lightbound fire then speared downward from the firmament above the twin trees of the ended Monomachy, bestowing newfound life upon a wreath of flowers decorating the boughs of the Eschaton’s cosmic edifice. Coaxed back into vibrant vitality, the vine that once represented Passion Most Divine’s existence now heralded the coming of Accordant Righteousness and Lightsworn Fire, their beautiful petals straining towards the rekindled sun. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 21st of Omeian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part LII: The Flight of the Worldeater](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-lii-the-flight-of-the-worldeater/) **Published:** November 10, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Bamathis struggled to His feet and reached out towards Truth’s fading essence – a gesture made in vain, for the Eschaton soon consumed the Unbound Lord’s final offering even as It pressed the assault against His Father. The Celestine’s elusive movements slowed as the Eschaton’s imposition of reality’s constraints bound Him, ripping away chunks of silvery might and denying Him command of Creation’s fabric. He turned to look upon His Foe, His Counterpart, straining in vain for some solution. The realisation of impending defeat struck at Varyan Celestine like a hammer and, in a sudden vulnerable moment of artifice unveiled, all His unfathomable serenity, His timeless grace, and His unflappable countenance shattered in a crumbling facade of craven self-preservation writ in silver and blood. No more the elegant Creator, Varyan clawed at the fabric of reality with the desperate ferality of a wounded animal. No more the aloof Father, Varian tore shreds in the membrane of existence with the hopeless hunger of a starving beast. No more an equal to the Creator at home in His own Creation, Varyuch motioned to flee, tearing open a rent in the multiversal canvas and laying bare a vision of an ancient world beyond. Superimposed upon the rolling landscape of this unfamiliar sanctuary beyond Aetolia’s shores, an ancient tree of ethereal magnificence bathed all beneath it in a sweeping canopy of gold and silver light. Ephemeral branches unfurled across the distant world’s land and skyscapes, touching its sun and moon and sea and stars to permeate planes and planets plenty. Flaxen thread and argent filament conspired to weave an etheric web across all the wild dominion of a Creator’s true Creation, a legacy Varyan Celestine, accursed Worldeater, long ago forsook. Fear carried Varyan across this barrier that should not be, the light of Yggdrasian splendour casting the full cowardice of His features in full display as He spared a final pitious glance at ailing Sapience below, and moved to flee. Crisp and impossibly clear in the resonant clarity of its voice, a lucent chime of crystal sounded out across the foreign Creation’s skyscape and penetrated the worlds beyond. Caught in a rapturous spell by this note of perfect order, Varyan’s expression of fear deepened to sudden dread as a force unseen effervesced in the space between. Reality itself held a breath. Brooking neither refusal nor rejection of an Empress’ edict, the imperious decree of Elder Divinity rang out in symphonic notes of commanding, indelible authority: “No.” What remained of Varyan’s resolve crumbled under the force of this alien divinity’s decree as jade light drowned the World’s Tree boughs of infinity in a storm of crystalline incandescence. Having effortlessly repelled the would-be interloper, the Jade Empress of the Kx’khrah exerted a sliver of Her will to re-knit the barriers between worlds, mending the skein of Creation before She and Her crystal entourage vanished from sight. Varian cast another look towards the looming form of His dominant Counterpart, His fear kindled to greater heights in the face of dissolution. Panic then guided the forsaken Worldeater’s hand as He carved open another pathway through the essential tapestry of the multiverse, another ragged glimpse of an otherworld blossoming beneath His trembling hand. A broken realm greeted His efforts, His gateway revealing a shattered continent bereft of evident Divinity and wracked by tectonic upheaval brought about by the exposure of the world’s mystical core. Milky braids of latent Immortal power decorated the skyscape of that quaternary existence, their ethereal shimmers casting mysterious illumination along the ruins of a city situated at the continent’s heart. A befouled spring sat as the tarnished jewel of this once majestic civilisation, its defiled depths bespeaking some calamitous moment in the world’s bleak timeline. Smoke and ruin spiralled upward as wisps of defiant ink upon a night sky crowned by three shattered moons, their supernatural gravity exerting visible change upon the landscape moment to moment. The drums of war echoed from somewhere in the distance, joined by the roar of a rapacious horde beyond mundane sight. Through this wavering window that spanned a distance beyond mortal comprehension, living detritus spilled forth – as if inhabitants of the world beyond its unstable threshold eagerly sought egress from its boundaries. Varyan Celestine cast one last look towards His beloved Creation, as if committing to memory every curve and contour of a realm handcrafted to serve as a pale testament to what He had lost to the all-consuming maw of Oblivion Itself at the end of one ruinous timeline. Confusion reigned upon the anguished visage of Bamathis the Silver Son, Autumn’s progeny losing composure amid the unfolding grief of the wounded world and His Father’s callous disregard. Choking back emotion in a moment more mortal, eternally-loyal Lobyl than divine, confident Bamathis, Strife merely asked one question: “Why?” Without sparing a word for His despairing Son, Varyan motioned to leave. Megalomaniacal triumph asserted itself upon His expression as He abandoned Sapience, His silver eyes already reflecting the radiance of the threefold moons hanging above His new realm. As the Celestine retreated to the next realm unfortunate enough to dwell in His care, the Eschaton simply watched and waited. When the Silver Usurper vanished into the depths of His new reality, It exuded palpable satisfaction that warmed the spines of all who bore witness, all mortal existence enraptured by the ineffable wonder of a Creator unconcerned. Exerting the might that now set it above an interloper recently departed, the Cosmic Entity shifted one ethereal limb, kindling a shower of bright sparks that welded shut the aperture into a forgotten world. Space twisted and writhed in ecstasy at this omnipotent guidance, its exultant joy expressed as glorious beams of light that pierced through Sapience’s quiet gloom. The Eschaton then turned Its regard toward the Celestine’s abandoned realm, Its myriad stars flaring and dying in an otherworldly expression of Its continued curiosity. It submersed Itself within a realm inherited, surveying each inch of a continent grafted indelibly to Its own Creation. In a singular moment of impossible clarity, all that was hearkened to the will of its omnipotent Genesis, the currents of time and life, magic and memory, element and experiential fundament passing beneath the appraising eye of the Creator and weighed upon the fathomless Eschatonic scale. As each mortal stood frozen, powerless, rapturous in that fleeting eon of centuries and seconds in which time was aught but meaningless dust, all of Creation imprinted itself upon a mind primordial Whose will was birth and death and light fantastic all. The world shivered as its myriad secrets yielded to that incontrovertible presence, the bones of reality and the soul of existence measured, examined, and carefully accounted for before the Eschaton released the multiverse from Its spellbound enrapturement and even the stars gasped in a thralled state of celestial wonder for a prodigal Creator at last returned home amongst the awaiting cosmos. Bathed in blood and broken by betrayal, Bamathis reeled from this moment of Eschatonic appraisal with a howl of despondent grief and a rasping snarl of anger. Bereft now of His duty and even the illusion of a callous Father’s tender care, Strife succumbed to the embrace of His own self-made domain, hysteria and confusion taking root in the hollow pits that were His eyes. No more the gallant soldier infused with unwavering confidence, Bamathis wore instead a visage of ash, the gaunt pallour of profound loss dominating His once handsome, striking features. Unconcerned by any of Varyan’s forgotten children, the Eschaton turned away to look to the bleak horizon of Its recovering world… Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 18th of Omeian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part LI: Fratricide](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-li-fratricide/) **Published:** November 10, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Rage asserted itself upon Varian’s countenance as He beheld yet another depraved usurpation carried out by His manipulative Son. His eyes tracked the shimmering trails of stolen essence ripped free from countless mortals, vivid outrage setting His argent silhouette to an agitated bristle. Adopting Its Opponent’s serenity, the ethereal Eschaton paused once more to observe the Zenith’s catastrophic rise in power. In spite of the glimmering omnipotence suffusing Severn’s brutish frame, the Albedi Creator’s constituent stars neither dim nor flare, representative of a detached disregard for a new, chilling development. Damariel mot Lanosaryon looked on from His place within the Court of the Gods, His outrage a mirror to His estranged Father’s fury. Tearing His storm-grey gaze away from the betrayal unfolding in the skies, Immortal Truth’s eyes settled upon an unlikely sight wedged within the marble: expired Instinct’s wicked spear. Amidst the ‘click-click-click’ of starmetal against stone, Damariel paced nearer to the fell weapon, leaving behind Bamathis Who yet still stared on in hopes of His Father’s victory. The Unbound Lord closed one hand around its magewood haft and lifted it from the court’s shattered grasp, then looked back towards His Twin. Duty and certainty conspired upon His weathered visage, hinting at the consideration that dwelled within Truth’s mind. Light equal parts brilliant and terrible suffused Severn’s frame as He enacted the final moments of a scheme spanning centuries, His silhouette swelling to an ethereal enormity to match the greatness of His Father. Damariel firmed His grip upon the once-abandoned weapon and exerted a mere shred of His now overwhelming power – a power bolstered by a fallen Sibling, by the castoffs of a filicidal Father, by the echo of a virtuous Sister lost and the prison fashioned by Her hand. In spite of an absent sun, a spear of aureate morningtide lanced upward towards the heavens, casting flaxen illumination across the realm entire. With one final tap of His starmetal prosthetic, Damariel strode into the conjured column of solar majesty and ascended to the firmament to join His Father, His Brother, and the rightful Creator of Aetolia. Meanwhile, the Zenith strained yet still to contain the breadth of His usurpation, the roiling manifestation of a truly ascended Creator crashing outward to demand the respect of His omnipotent fellows. Unbeknownst to His Brother, Damariel alighted in the heavens upon a carpet of heliacal effulgence. The Lord of Light and Truth clutched His Sister’s spear in both hands as He stumped forward past apocalyptic clouds and seething scars carved by starfire and cosmic quintessence. Without preamble, without warcry, without righteous declaration of crimes committed and peoples wronged, Damariel – Truth Incarnate, Lord of Valor, Righteous Hand of the Dawn – hefted Midnight one final time before sinking its eldritch point into the exposed back of His Brother, Oldest Companion, and Twin. The chitinous tip of the glaive ripped through the Zenith as if He were naught but threadbare cloth, the deleterious influence of a mad god’s child ravaging once-Reason’s prodigious essence as if it were a flame devouring kindling dried by a sweltering, eternal sun. The Manipulator gasped and turned His head to behold the face of His undoing; shock and anguish war upon His face and He struggled to speak as He drowned in tides of kerrithrim-wrought devastation. Sable blood blossomed at the corner of His mouth with each strangled syllable, words lost to all but Truth’s ears – words meant only for Him, words meant to pass betwixt Brothers estranged and mournful. In spite of a choice made, a choice with no other outcome, Damariel mot Lanosaryon emitted a ragged sob and sank down, His Brother’s remains clutched in His arms. He howled out a raw, inarticulate sermon of fraternal loss as He mourned the twilight of His Twin, the despair of a lost Brother warring against resignation to a duty upheld. The bountiful, boundless darkness of a struggling realm seethed and swirled as it mourned the death of its short-lived king of misery, all the world’s gelid shade throwing themselves before their briefly abandoned queen in a plea for mercy. The empyreal brilliance holding the Lord of Truth upright faded, carrying Him and His Brother’s remains back down to the Court of the Gods. Even as Damariel grappled with tearful sorrow, however, He looked back up towards the ensuing Monomachy. After imploring the Hammer to pray one final time for the victory of the Eschaton, the Unbound Lord’s own lips moved in silent prayer as He clutched Severn’s remains to His chest. Innumerable threads of prismatic essence dispersed from the Minotaur God’s impaled chest, wavering in the air as a promise of unlimited power and unquestionable, omnipotent authority. Callous calm remained affixed to Varian’s features as He looked down upon His Twin Sons. He stretched out His remaining hand towards Mount Memonaransa as if to beckon Severn’s broken essence – and all the boundless potential pilfered from His other Children – back to Him in another attempted repossession of gifts given at the first dawn of Sapience. As if possessed of an implacable will of their own, however, the strands did not heed their Maker. What remained of Severn, of Sevren, of once-Reason, once-Manipulator, once-Zenith, spiralled around His living Brother in a cocoon of pearlescent radiance. It clung to Him in utter defiance of a Father’s authoritative command, eliciting a groan of refusal from the heart of the Celestine’s realm. Damariel’s head tilted in one nod of permission, sending the shining threads upward towards the heavens. Inch by inch, the countless filaments of omnipotent puissance ascended to heavenspace, forming a cloud of lustrous brilliance that cast the light of a fallen Son upon the entirety of a realm He sought to save by His own standards. When those threads neared the Celestine, however, they diverted – and drifted into the mysterious gravity of the Eschaton, Who drank of the offered might without a word, without a flicker of ethereal light. The Albedi Creator waxed in strength, exceeding even Its limitless potential as the Zenith’s erstwhile essence suffused Its galactic profile. Varyan Celestine bellowed a curse that set Sapience to a baleful shudder, His attention upon the evanescing remains still clutched in Damariel’s arms. Torn from His observant reverie by this new betrayal from one of His elder Brothers, Bamathis whirled around to level His gaze upon the Lord of Truth. Seething, incomprehensible rage ruled His visage, emblemizing the hysterical violence of His essence. He drew Caelestis as He strode nearer, barbarous designs radiating from Him in smothering waves. Setting aside His Brother’s remains and taking up Daybreak once more, Damariel rose to parry Bamathis’ first strike, His sorrow wiped away by the pressing needs of a valorous duty. The Monomachy resumed then; almost immediately, the Eschaton made unfathomable use of Its newly acquired strength by exerting Its will upon both Its own Creation and that of Its Foe – a fact that incensed Varian, pushing Him further away from His emblematic tranquillity. Sapience soughed in unrivalled rapture as its time, space, and energy heeded the call of a masterful Creator far beyond the calibre of its Originator. Universal laws, writ into ordered existence by the Cosmic Being, imposed themselves upon the Celestine, narrowing His power and influence further and further. As the Eschaton began to overpower Varian, Bamathis and Damariel battled to a frustrating stalemate. Fervent zeal lent a burning glow to the silhouettes of Favoured and Firstborn Sons both, each thunderous union of Caelestis and Daybreak setting the Mountain of the Gods to renewed tremors. Truth’s unyielding tides spilled across the court’s marble akin to the blinding brilliance of an oncoming dawn, defying the lightless doom of a world robbed of its solar influence. Where He met Bamathis’ brutality in physical space, His essence extended outward to war with Strife’s silvery aura, searing esoteric designs of Divine struggle into the bloodied surface underfoot. Disciplined, regimented, and determined, the Warlord pressed the assault, His smaller blade darting and lunging to score wounds upon His Brother’s shell with the titanic might invested within Him by the Father on High. For each strike suffered and for each cut scored, however, Damariel delivered vengeful wrath in turn, the edge of Daybreak shearing into Strife’s arms and legs with a soldier’s stolid butchery. Each wide arc of His greatsword commanded distance that forced Bamathis back, aurulent devastation blooming in its wake like sunlight peeking out upon the eastern horizon. Hysteria and bloodlust reigned supreme as Two Brothers battled for the fate of a ruined realm, in the name of callous Creators yet still struggling overhead. Bamathis roared as He lifted His sword up and brought it crashing down, His overwhelming might in the heat of battle dragging the weapon down through shoulder, through sternum, right to the gleaming Immortal power within Damariel. Truth exhibited no admittance of pain, no sign of stopping an assault whose consequence He has already embraced. Though He stepped into a fatal blow, His greatsword thundered into Strife’s side, casting Him to the marble with an almighty thud that coursed deep into the very bones of the mountain. Having chosen to suffer a mortal blow in exchange for casting aside His opponent with one final, mighty swing, the Lord of Truth staggered back. Gasping for breath, Damariel propped Himself upright with Daybreak as He gazed down upon His bloodied Brother. Acceptance brought peace to His rugged mien, the tracks of recently shed tears outlined by the grit and grime of pitched battle. In a mirror of Aryon’s brave sacrifice, Damariel mot Lanosaryon embraced dissolution amidst a solemn pledge of faith in the Eschaton, surrendering in hope of one promise: the dawn that must come. As His life ebbed away and zeal’s empyreal flame guttered out, the Lord of Truth and Valor murmured one last word beneath His final breath and then He dispersed into resplendent motes that drift upwards… Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 18th of Omeian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part L: Syssin Protocol](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-l-syssin-protocol/) **Published:** November 10, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Gnawing, rampant pain stole away then at Varian’s attempt to regain His fabled composure. He once more looked to His wounded palm, His omniscient attention narrowed by the screaming agony of that pustulent mark. He seized the harmed hand’s wrist with silvery digits still splattered by Lurli’s lurid, diseased blood and twisted, orchestrating a noiseless severance of the wounded appendage. Varyuch the Allfather turned the detached hand about by a simple nudge of His will, His omniscient inspection delving the argent essence comprising the now ruined manus. What He spied served as a phantom of the alarm He felt a breath before: His own essence eaten away not only by eldritch cancer, but a virulent disease beyond His familiarity. The Celestine cast aside the inert remains, this simple act dissolving the sickened limb into pure essence that rained down upon Mount Memonaransa. Pearlescent light bathed the Court of the Gods in the unmitigated essence of the Creator, suffusing each of Varyan Celestine’s children with power unheard of since the close of the Second Immortal Epoch. No longer a mere torch of incandescence in the dark of a doomed realm, Memonaransa flared like unto a second sun, beckoning the eyes of terrified mortals to witness the final act of the Triomachy. Then, in a startling repetition of a moment at the open of this fell saga, a flood of inexplicable musical harmony awakened every mind to movements detached from spatial boundary and temporal constraint. Heard above the anguished cries of an imperilled Creation, the chiming symphony bid mortal imagination to extraplanar heights as one incorporeal collective. Hazy images superimposed themselves upon the sight of all beings until the Prime melted away from their vision, allowing them one and all a long glimpse at the hurried labour of an abyssal being wrought from brilliant arcana. Those experienced in the mysterious art of Numerology felt an altogether different sensation, their unity with the sacred spheres granting them a unique glimpse at the inner workings of this being of planar arcana. For the barest moment, the septenary foundations of Creation revealed their mysteries to these eldritch scholars in the spasms of Odravh’s effortless traversal. Sevenfold were these sights and manifold were the anchors of reality glimpsed: mooring the shores of existence around gentle lapping eddies of was, is, could be, never shall, potentiality and possibility and certainty and causality collided along invisible axes amidst a serenade of numerologically-flawless enlightenment. Roused to action by the Prime Material’s fraught nearness to absolute extinction, the ancient deity toiled at the nexus of all worlds, Its every laboured motion an expression of purpose manifest. Quintessence of multifarious hues emanated from Its silhouette as It raced through Its abstract realm, sealing Creation’s deepest fractures and stemming the obliterating tide of rampant Divine power. Once more defying precedent, It hastened to hold the realm of all realms together as per the mandate of Its enigmatic Creator. Ailing Aetolia then breathed a sigh of relief as abyssal convalescence took root within its torn fabric, reality’s rents sealed shut by the will of a Being unburdened by chronology or physicality. With the chaos below brought to awestruck cessation, the Triomachy served as the last remaining light in a realm held together by the hands of an abyssal benefactor. Dismissing the Zenith as beneath Their notice, the two elder Creator Gods resume Their own battle. Wheresoever Severn attempted to interject, He found Himself beaten back by the combined puissance of two Beings far exceeding His age and experience – a fact that visibly rankled Him. Bereft of a sun’s light, time’s nebulous boundaries became mutable enough to serve as yet another stage to display the Eschaton’s struggle with Varyan Celestine. Light and dark danced to a timeless tune played by omnipotent hands, each violent clash of unstoppable power dappling Aetolian skies with blinding supernovas and chromatic aurorae. Within the raw effulgence of inimically converged power resided a limitless slew of worlds and planes and planetary bodies, shining realms of untouched possibility and hushed wonder. One by One, Varyan’s pantheon retreated from Their shattered court, save for Two: Damariel and Bamathis. Through with subtlety and closely guarded wells of omnipotent might, Severn cast His lone arm outward and spoke one harsh, sibilant syllable. Ethereal tendrils tore across an empyreal vault robbed of celestial brilliance from all directions, converging as one within the waiting palm of the ambitious Zenith. Blazing like Sapience’s missing sun, the accumulated luminosity suffused Severn with yet more power. Rendered into pieces in His ceaseless game for boundless power, each mortal Syssin felt their power and essence wane, its depletion serving to bolster the Zenith’s own escalating might. Oblivious or otherwise indifferent to the unfolding consequence of Severn’s gambit, Varian and the Eschaton continued Their ceaseless clashes. Newly wrought planetary bodies trembled as Their architects grappled within the travail of eternal acrimony. Esoteric elements beyond fundament and core function bloomed upon the cosmic vine and withered in short order, never to be wielded by mortal hands or bound to reality’s inner workings. Shimmering coronae enfolded those worlds fortunate enough to avoid the obliterating backlash of two Creators awash in the spiralling energy of Their influence and newborn planes collapsed for lack of a place upon the Eschaton’s exalted Spiral, bathing those remaining planetoids in multifarious illumination. Time jerked and juddered as Eschatonic intervention and Varyanic intrusion strained against its limits, the enormity of Their manifold contact enkindling erratic arrhythmia in the heartbeat of the world. In acknowledgement of a need to reach greater heights, Severn lifted His hand overhead and snapped His fingers, the crisp ‘click’ cutting through the world’s deafening silence. Suddenly, each Syssin lost contact with their own senses. Blacked out and commandeered by the colossal will of a burgeoning Creator, they never witnessed a moment the rest of Sapience beheld in horror and revulsion. Syssin of all walks of life and citizenships flit from place to place amidst wormholes and shadows unfurled by their callous tyrant of a master, rapidly subduing and hypnotising the entire realm into lending their support – and essence – to the radiant Zenith known as Severn. As the entirety of Sapience wailed in despair at their sudden frailty, the Minotaur God struggled against the ineffable tides of power raging through him. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 18th of Omeian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XLIX: Unforgotten](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xlix-unforgotten/) **Published:** November 10, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** A shimmering bridge of brilliant hues carved through the starfire and cosmic annihilation, a feline silhouette traversing the impossible space spanning the gulf ‘twixt terrestrial and celestial. Clutching a godslaying weapon in Her claws, Omei’s implacable journey drew Her ever nearer to a Father who finally noticed Her. In that notice was yet another moment that signalled the departure of the Celestine’s calm, reprehension etching stormy darkness upon His glowing visage. Eager for relief in a battle against timeless experience, Severn called upon His pilfered power once more to gird Himself from the onrushing waves of devastation that exuded from the Eschaton. A moment of consideration breached through the Zenith’s interminable focus as He looked upon His approaching Sister. Realisation dawned then as darkling light upon His face – and He turned away, once more fixated upon finding His footing against an ageless fixture of eternity. Bent upon patricide, Omei surged forward and leveraged Her waning essence as a shield to withstand the devastation all around Her, lurid light limning Her like a multifarious mantle of chromatic protection. Reality heaved as Chaos visited the Prime once more. Countless Astral denizens gave themselves over to dissolution, their lives unwound to serve as fuel for Instinct’s campaign of vengeance. Shining light poured from Her spear, its majesty sweeping underfoot to become rainbow-limned stairs She soon ascended to get ever nearer to Varyan Celestine. The Allfather found His centre again. Astonishment melted away, replaced by the cold tranquillity that came with resignation to one course – or another. He lifted His hand towards His approaching Daughter, as if this simple gesture could stem the tides of Her millennia-long displeasure. Omei lunged forward with a snarl that echoed throughout the realm entire, a wild exultation of vengeance realised and wrath visited, a celebration of cessation and success that sated Her lust for the argent blood of Her hated Father. Before killing light could manifest to stop Her, the rebellious Goddess of Instinct finally acted upon the unsettling hatred She had harboured for Her Father for countless ages lost to mortal recollection. She thrust Her spear into His very palm, its chitinous point breaching His glowing flesh as if He were a mere mortal. Varyan Celestine’s serenity once more vanished akin to so much smoke upon whipping winds. Even the glorious, enigmatic Eschaton gave pause then, the nebulaic patch of haze that served as Its head tilting in an inquisitive swirl of space, time, light, and dark. Distant, forbidding stars stared on as It observed this unfolding familial betrayal, unending curiosity stoking Its component galaxies to supernal brilliance. Wordless agony roiled from Varian’s omnipotent frame, His suffering distributed to His Creation in manner evocative of His bond with it. The land bled its lushness for Him. The skies howled to mourn the betrayal in His paternal heart. The oceans churned and wept for what He must do. Even as the eldritch essence coating Omei’s spear did its gruesome work, Varian lifted His other hand towards Her. In defiance of size, His fingers seized upon Her and lifted Her up so He could meet the plague-withered eyes that glowed within Instinct’s rotting skull. Instinct’s spear tumbled away through the skies – down towards the Court of the Gods. “More disappointing disobedience. More thankless betrayal,” boomed the authoritative voice of the Celestine. “Would that You had suffered Ilimos’ touch, Lurli, rather than Jakrasul. I shall not spare You this time.” A discordant keening dominated the air then, smothering the percussive rumble of battling Gods and the shrieking dissolution of twin Creations. Even as Omei’s frame began to unravel thread by painful thread, even as the light of Her virtuous essence waned to nearly naught, She refused to give voice to a pain that might satisfy Her dispassionate Maker. Instead, the Nightmare’s fanged maw scythed into one last triumphant grin. “You shall die,” Instinct hissed, droplets of rainbow ichor spattering Varian’s face. Her violet eyes twitched, Her attention upon the wound inflicted so recently upon a palm that had once held worlds and planes within its grasp. “Even if You unmake Me, You cannot unmake what I have done.” Varyan Celestine lifted His scathed hand and looked upon the ruination inflicted by His Daughter’s spear. Malignant potential gnawed away at His boundless essence, His observation doing naught to stop the process of an obliterating cancer wrought by a mad god yet still chained away upon Sapience. The wounded Creator reached out with that harmed hand and extracted what little light remained in Omei’s violet eyes, the gravity of His overwhelming influence accelerating Her unmaking. He unravelled Her shred by shred, tearing away what remained of the disease-riddled shell housing Her defiant essence so that He might reclaim what He had given to Her at the dawn of His precious Creation. Cruel laughter akin to a raspy deathrattle spilled out from the Court of the Gods as Chakrasul beheld the end of Her Sister, Her lips pulled back into a sneer that did not match the unnerved terror glowing in Her jade eyes. “It seems I was the only one worth sparing, Lurli,” Corruption taunted, Her unctuous tone ringing out across the rasping corpse that is Creation. Rather than waste Her final moments hurling more insults, the Goddess looked inward – toward Her Court. Upon them did She spend Her last breath, speaking but one word to them all in private: “Unforgotten.” Violet light smeared against the roof of the empyreal vault as Instinct died within the palm of Her hated Father, the last of Her wild power scattered to the winds of an era’s close. Riddled with disease and consumed by inevitable rot, the Imago gasped Her last virulent breath, unwoven from existence by the Celestine in a final act of callous desperation. All the colours of the Astral Realm waned and dimmed as they mourned the loss of their beloved Empress. Riotous hues died as they embraced the monochromatic misery of a realm undone, the horror of an impending succession war casting the kingdom’s alien Nobility into panic and disarray. Bereft of the Nightmare’s will, Sythro’s arson once more began its ravenous consumption of Tecpatl’s Cradle. Gone was the dreamborn dam that stood as a bulwark against time’s inexorable rapids, a trickle of seconds that became a brook of minutes and then a roaring rapid of hours and days experienced in a single breath of chilling cataclysm that saw to the unwinding demise of the holy land of Omeiian prosperity. Ziggurats and floating islands and the weathered remains of Ka-la-kai all deliquesced into quicksilver that dried up underneath the harsh reality of Omei’s demise. As the Dreamworld withered in the absence of its wild mistress, so too did the places anchored by its all-encompassing fabric. The multichromatic foliage of the Seer’s Wood desiccated and scattered upon one of Creation’s shuddering deathrattles, its structures and spheres and sacred places one and all desecrated by the Celestine’s callous felicide. Even the Dreamer’s blessed tattoos and secrets of enlightened oneironautics withered upon the vine, the sudden loss of Her commanding will spelling the demise of all who possessed such gifts. With His rebellious Daughter finally undone, the Celestine returned to the pressing matter of the Triomachy, shreds of Her essence serving as renewed, recaptured might. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 18th of Omeian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XLVIII: Terminal Virulence](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xlviii-terminal-virulence/) **Published:** November 10, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Howling out a bloodcurdling groan of anguish, both at Its very unwilling existence and the frightful pestilence chained within Its enslaved essence, Zyrialith engulfed Omei in the maelstrom of virulent rot and withering, wasting disease that is Its purpose. The sickening stench of a bloated killing field left too long in the sun emanated from the very heart of the noxious power that spilled out of Immortal Illness’ sickened frame, clouds of diseased mists issuing from Its pallid pores. On and on did Its nauseating effluvium continue, exposing Instinct Incarnate to the fullest extent of Its plagues. Colours inverted within the killing wave and disjointed geometric patterns impressed themselves upon a tenuous canvas of plague-riddled smoke. Bile and humour evanesced as they actualised into subversive elemental energy fueling a biological attack tailored to destroy an ancient Goddess. Hissing and screeching, the Nightmare staggered out of the churning vortex of menacing malady. Sable pelage and delicate Rajamalan flesh sloughed from Her bones, making of Her appearance something worthy of Her most infamous epithet. Wasting rot sizzled at the edge of Omei’s violet eyes, gnawing away at them. Oily illness wept from wounds torn open by acidic ruin and pestilential torture. Though She howled in agony as festering sickness wracked Her body, resignation and grim acceptance soon commanded Her feline mien, giving birth to a cold clarity that instilled within Her a cold purpose. The cruel Goddess of Instinct and Empress of the Astral Realms whispered a single alien syllable and jabbed a claw towards the Virulent Godling standing before Her. Heaven and earth shuddered in tandem as reality yielded to the boundless possibility of Chaos. An aperture to the Astral Realm yawned open on the horizon, an assembly of twenty-one Astral Nobles aligned equidistant across its span. Each bound vassal lent their strength at a dire hour of imperial need, suffusing their terrible Empress with all they had left to give. Exulting in freshly renewed power and its promised violence, Omei descended into maniacal laughter as She bathed Zyrialith in multi-hued fire. The riotous brutality drove the enthralled God back by sheer necessity of self-preservation, Its shambling form retreating upon hearing an imperious command from Abhorash. “My thanks, You opportunistic leech,” Omei finally spat. “You have armed Me with yet another weapon to stab into My Father’s craven heart. Though it may kill Me to do so, it is never death that I have feared.” The Hegemonist then cast one last glance, rife with contempt, at the empowered Empress of Astral Chaos. A moment later, He dismissed Her from His focus, the satisfied smirk crossing Abhorash’s lips imbued with the verity that She was already dead, victim to His enthralled weapon. “No,” She croaked. “I will free My Court from Him, if nothing else.” The Goddess of Instinct then conjured a bridge of sevenfold hues and ascended to the heavens, the Midnight glaive – a spear of ill intent – clutched in claws pockmarked by Immortal pestilence. As warfare reigned supreme in the Court of the Gods, so too did it loom over all Creation as the Triomachy pressed on. Varyan Celestine turned one of His palms upward, eliciting a quiver from His Creation. Sapience trembled as its argent Maker exerted the enormity of His potential, the very bones of the land issuing an ominous thrum that jostled its mountain ranges and whipped its lakes and rivers into a vicious froth. Though Varian’s mien reflected eternal composure, the ruinous onslaught He unleashed defied this fabled demeanour. Wrought from sizzling, silvery streams of the cataclysmic essence yet still riddling Aetolia with meteoric violence, it manifested to the mortal eye as a cloud of lustrous weapons, each thrusting inward in vicious simultaneity towards two points: the Celestine’s Immortal Opponents. Relying upon a domain retained even after His ascent to Zenith, Severn swiftly conjured billowing clouds of acrid smoke that ringed His omnipotent frame. The weapons screaming towards Him soared through these destructive fumes and melted away into naught, though their points nearly brushed His throat. Ageless grace suffused each of the Eschaton’s movements as It lifted a hand of Its own, a strobe of nebulous light answering Its opponent’s savage assault. Sapience’s tattered sky-dome shuddered rapturously, as if experiencing a sensation long since forgotten. Tenebrous clouds converged upon the foreboding Albedi Creator, extending Its form until It stretched all across the realm, Its presence as elusive as it was all-encompassing. As the empyreal vault embraced Its majesty, It straddled betwixt near and far, casting Varyan’s assault into a paradoxical gulf. Each brilliant star dappling the Eschaton’s inconceivable expanse then glared to life, their forbidding shine exposing the entirety of Its handcrafted world to the unmitigated influence of Its power. The Celestine shied away from His Counterpart’s effulgent manifestation, His calm demeanour faltering for all of a blink as He weighed His next move. Severn fashioned a swirling vortex of midnight’s inky darkness and seized upon the brilliant light directed towards Him with His brutish hand, flattening it to a ribbon that He swiftly fed into the heart of His darkling manifestation. Though He acted with the strength of a Creator, the Zenith’s demeanour and approach yet still aligned with that of something inconceivably lesser. Eschatonic light seared His hand as He worked, bespeaking the gulf of experience betwixt a King of Utmost Darkness and an Originator of All Creation. Abhorash departed from Chakrasul’s side after a moment of voracious consideration for Her state of weakness, pestilent Zyrialith in tow. After scanning the killing field for a new victim, His hungry gaze locked upon another struggle to impose upon. As one, Tyrant and sickening Vassal converged upon Life and Death’s battle with Slyphe. Employing a timeless tactic relied upon since the dawn of warfare and strategy, Abhorash and Zyrialith pressed in from both sides to make an attempt at striking Dhar unawares, sickly spews of diseased humour and reaving claws sailing towards the spectral Lord of the Grave. Haern then issued a mighty grunt that tapered off into a feral snarl as He imposed His domain upon His own body, a sturdy goat leg sprouting from His bulky side. It thrust out a kick that trailed viridian energy in its wake, knocking Dhar away in time to elude the Hegemonist’s ambush. “Lurli may have lost Herself in the bloodlust of the hunt, Graverobber,” the Lord of the Wilds growled, “But to hunt Us is a feat above Your calibre.” Slyphe struggled upward from Their sanctuary within waves wrought from a mountain’s spring, Their corporeal form wavering with uncertainty as They flowed backwards in retreat. Riddled with wounds that seeped ichor as dark as lightless oceanic trenches into the clear waters of Their elemental constituency, the Maelstrom seemed upon the brink of demise. In spite of this, They drew Themselves up to Their full height and assumed a combative stance, emulating once more the heroism They espoused. Meanwhile, a fourth challenger intruded upon the celestial warfare of the Triomachy. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 18th of Omeian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XLVII: A Debt Repaid](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xlvii-a-debt-repaid/) **Published:** November 10, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Tormented by onslaughts of prismatic lightning at the claws of nightmarish, cackling Omei, flagging Chakrasul staggered back as She drew upon Her sickly jade essence to ward away further harm. Immortal Instinct stalked nearer to Her prey, the spear clutched in Her grasp gleaming with overwhelmingly eldritch potency. A cheshire grin decorated Her sable visage, as if She were a cat toying with an injured mouse. Chakrasul’s gaze fell then upon the serrated head of that wicked weapon in Her Sister’s grasp, the first flickers of fear churning within the vivid, virescent light that served as Corruption’s cruel eyes. “What is it You have scrounged up from the corpse of that foul thing, Lurli?” Corruption rasped, Her stare fixated upon the chitinous shard crowning the reforged armament as its head – a fragment of a long-defeated creature, torn from the corpse of the Rampant’s kerrithrim child. “You dare wield its tatters against Me? I, who sealed its progenitor alongside Our Father?” Dispensing with even the thin veneer of familial civility, Omei snarled as She lunges forward – and then staggered back as the Hegemonist’s claws raked into Her side, sending Her reeling away amidst agitated hisses.The Crimson Virulence lumbered forward and lifted one of Its bladed arms to menace the wounded Goddess, withering illness and wasting disease spawning in a noxious spiral of macabre melange. The Nightmare shrieked as She drew upon more of Her promised kingdom, palpable waves of chromatic obliteration rolling forth from Her lithe frame. She swept Her spear through the air as though it were an imperial sceptre, commanding sevenfold siphons of Astral potency that drowned Abhorash, Chakrasul, and Zyrialith in an avalanche of meteoric starfire. The Court of the Gods trembled as Ivoln called upon Immortal geomancy so great as to elicit a shudder from the terrestrial span of Sapience, the marble transfiguring beneath His igneous will. Jagged spears erupted from the trembling earth, one and all yearning to lance through Damariel’s shining silhouette. Lightbound inferno emanated from Him like the heat of the glorious sun at its zenith, reducing stone to ash and clearing the way for His charge towards Bamathis. The chipped bones of long-lost mountaineers and gritty pebbles of Memonaransa’s craggy face conspired per Ivoln’s irresistible call to war, compressing as one into a crozier He soon closes His stony fingers around. “Steep is the price for transgression,” intoned Sapient Earth in echoing tribute to the Earthen Dirge as He strode forward to join Bamathis in His efforts against brilliant, burning Truth. “The wrath of Azvosh is great. And I am its Master.” Burly Haern lumbered back into the fight then, lending Immortal Life’s implacable strength to the chill inevitability of Death. Taking up His place beside Dhar, the feral God thrust one of His wargauntlets directly into Slyphe’s jaw, the impact eliciting a sloshing ‘splash’ that splattered water across the Court of the Gods. Slyphe batted away Haern’s offending arm with Audacity, landing a shallow cut that soon wept virescent ichor upon the Hunter’s rugged flesh. Moving once more with fluid grace, the Maelstrom’s form contorted in an impossible wave that repositioned Them for another strike at Dhar’s back – a strike warded away by another batting blow from one of Life’s ursine paw. The Underking then shifted one of His robed arms in a sharp gesture, His ghostly essence discorporating and reforming elsewhere. A symphony of restless souls emit shrieks and wails as they clawed upward from the marble Dhar once occupied, the gelid clutch of the grave digging into Slyphe’s liquid form to force solidity. The Maelstrom flung out one arm to the tune of an ocean breaking upon jagged rocks, Their hand outstretched towards the ice and snow stubbornly clinging to the Mountain of the Gods. A dull rumble was all that heralded the sudden avalanche of ice that converged upon Slyphe’s position, its contact with the Deity rapidly thawing it to useful waters. Laughing in the face of danger, Incarnate Water whipped Their cutlass about like a conductor’s baton. Thrashing tides rose, casting Haern down upon the Court’s hardened marble with a loud splash. Gyres and spumes of mountain mist manifested as extensions of Slyphe’s cyclonic bravery, driving Death back with tempestuous gusts. Mercurial misdirection and tricksome duplicates of shimmering water sprouted from the Maelstrom’s liquid canvas, serving as a valuable tool in a lopsided duel. Abhorash carved a billowing tunnel of sanguine smoke into reality’s tender fabric, allowing He and His virulent Godling to escape the hyperchromatic cataclysm besieging Them on all sides. Omei then sneered as She turned Her full attention to Chakrasul once more, Her dramatic demeanour a veneer concealing the Astral Empress’ manifest reluctance to expend Her reservoirs of gathered might. “I have no time left for You, My broken Sister,” She hissed. “When I am through with Our Father, perhaps I shall come back and put you out of Your misery. Or perhaps not.” The Goddess of Instinct then crooked one claw as if beckoning something forth, Her expression a chilling portrait of patient, murderous intent. Cerulean, cyan, cobalt, sapphire – myriad blue hues lit up the air overhead, forming a crackling storm of colourful tumult that boomed throughout the heavens as percussion to rival the Triomachy. The stentorian roar of a beast awakened rolled across the frozen Tundra, heralding the notice of Tanixalthas, First Dragon and Unquestioned Ruler of the Skies. The Star of Midwinter unfurled Her wings to the fullest extent, their colossal span casting murky shadow over the entirety of the Theocracy of the North. Issuing one more challenging roar, She ascended to the heavens on a gust that upturned carts, toppled towers at their very foundation, and set the skies trembling in anticipation. Amidst serpentine lightning and whistling winds, Tanixalthas soared through the darkness of a world’s final days – towards the site of its last battle already slick with the glowing ichor of Varyan’s Children. The tumultuous sonic boom that marked Her passage scarcely grazed the catastrophe-riddled skyscape of the heavens as She soared, the skies yielding to Her passage with an agonised groan. As the First Dragon veered toward the sacred Mountain of the Gods, She opened Her maw and unleashed voltaic wrath, a crackling storm of azure bolts directed with unwavering focus and set loose with impossibly accurate precision. Divine lightning scoured Memonaransan marble, plunging Chakrasul into a world of galvanic torment. Her screams of agony echoed down the mountainside as She struggled to raise a shield against the Dragon’s sudden, savage assault, Her back pressed to the side of Her throne. Ragged breaths escaped the Jade Goddess’ mouth, Her eyes lolling back in Her head as unconsciousness rendered Her mute; fabled Might defeated but – barely, somehow, hardly – alive. “WE ARE EVEN NOW, VENGEFUL DREAMER. A DRAGON UPHOLDS THEIR PROMISES,” the Queen of All That Spans the Skies roared. Glorious Pride then wheeled about in the doomsday gloom, the mighty clap of Her wings signalling the beginning of Her return to Spinesreach. Issuing a defiant, almost petulant roar of azurine incandescence in the direction of the warring Creators above, the First Dragon’s snarl rippled across the entire world before She alighted atop Her grandiose spire, Her interference ended. Too enraptured by Her glee at witnessing the Star of Midwinter’s repayment of debt, Omei scarcely noticed the hulking figure looming behind Her. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 18th of Omeian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XLVI: Theomachy Renewed](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xlvi-theomachy-renewed/) **Published:** November 10, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As bestial Haern reached out to claim the blazing trophy within Ethne’s ruined remains, a cataclysmic tide of burning light crashed down upon Him. He rolled away to avoid the worst of its searing vengeance, His wargauntlets punching craters into the marble court as He barreled away. When the blinding effulgence abated, the Unbound Lord stood over Ethne’s broken form. He extended one hand towards the quintessential fire that once was Mebrene, its hearthlight strands sailing upwards from Her smote shambles to meet His hand. Raging incandescence then suffused Damariel mot Lanosaryon’s form, tongues of radiant fire emanating from His silhouette as His union with Mebrene’s remaining power marked Him as a twofold incarnation of the Light’s fury. “Before the sun rises, My Savage Brother,” Damariel intoned with grim intent, “I shall see You smote to ash for what You have done. As Strife’s hands bear the stain of Passion’s demise, so too do Yours reek of Mebrene’s,” the Unbound declares, the weight of judgement’s passage thickening the tension all around.” With peace drowned ‘neath tides of burning blood, Mount Memonaransa’s Immortal occupants swiftly descended into chaotic carnage. Chakrasul was the first to make Her move; tendrils of saccharine corruption swirled outward from Her pale vessel in a doomed spiral that sought to snarl Omei in its labyrinthine wiles, ominous glimmers of sickly jade lurking within the darkened depths of Her sorcery. With a flick of Omei’s wrist, spirals of multifarious wonder bled into the Prime from Her promised kingdom, balancing out the deceitful despair that converged upon Her. She offered Her Sister an imperious wave of Her spear, a cascade of hyperchromatic lightning crackling forth to scourge Ancient Might. “You have lost Yourself so utterly, Jakrasul, that You remember not what You once were,” Instinct mourned, genuine empathy weaving pity into Her tone. “You would have had the strength to withstand Me – or better yet, the wisdom to stand beside Me – if You were as You once were.” “No matter,” She continued. “I will free You from this despair.” The unnerving clamour of Divine weaponry clashing against its match rang out through the Court of the Gods as Damariel and Bamathis met in its very centre, murderous intent the only value They now shared. Scalding waves of light seared rippling scars into the marble beneath Truth’s starmetal leg, its ominous thud heralding each militant motion of His shining greatsword. Reality trembled in the wake of each vicious arc, plunging His surroundings into lightwrought cataclysm. Unbowed, unbroken, Strife Incarnate meets His heretical foe head on. Hefting Caelestis on high to meet the heavier, larger blade in His opponent’s hands, Bamathis wasted no time with clever feints. Silvery essence spilled forth from His frame, plunging all present into the maniacal throes of His virtue – a hysteria-inducing aura to hamper judgement and tear at the environment all around. The cobble cracks underneath Damariel’s astral prosthetic as He weathered the onslaught, His mind intent upon delivering retribution for a fallen Sister. Truth reaffirmed His stance amidst the carnage, His gleaming greatsword upraised to ward away Strife’s flurry of blows. Unrelenting, bereft of mercy, the Favoured Son intensified His cascade of quintessential soldiery as He pressed the attack against Damariel. Each blow found the flat of Daybreak or else stopped short within the golden morass exuding from a Brother empowered thrice over by the essence of His lost kin. Intrepid Slyphe flowed forward like the lapping waves of a tropical cove, Their grace so fluid as to inspire jealousy in countless generations of learned blademasters. Audacity gleamed in Their grip, its cutting edge shimmering with Denan Arloi’s unveiled might. The tides buckled and roared leagues away as Sapient Water’s aqueous domain yielded its latent force to its Master, the strength of crashing tsunamis suffusing the barbaric swipe They aim at the target in their sights: Underking Dhar. As cresting waves of elemental force manifested in the wake of Slyphe’s savage swing, the Lord of the Grave lifted His spectral hands upward in a simple gesture of denial. The air surrounding the ghostly God rapidly descended to wintry depths, transfiguring His Sibling’s assault into vaporous nothingness. A screech arose then from the southern reaches of Sapience as the despotic Hegemonist and the enslaved Zyrialith emerged from Their place within the Sanguine Fist’s borders, Their passage marked by the virulent haze of crimson divinity. Travelling across the sky as if it were a promenade cleared for forbidding nobility, the Two intruded upon the horrifying theomachy playing out within the once-sacred Court of the Gods. The Sickening Scourge lumbered behind Abhorash, each step scattering clouds or else tainting them with the innumerable illnesses trapped within the foetid bounds of Its enslaved shell. Upon billowing steps of bloodied darkness did They descend into the chaos, cruel opportunism lighting tyrannical fires within the Hegemonist’s eyes. That clever gaze met Ivoln’s own ochre stare; understanding passed between the Lord of War and the Bloody Tyrant. As One, They nodded – and then set Their sights upon others, intent upon division and conquest. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 18th of Omeian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XLV: The World's Last Light](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xlv-the-worlds-last-light/) **Published:** November 10, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Upon the final day of the Creators’ Triomachy, despair gnawed at the crust of reality, the spool of existence set loose from its tight-wound loom to descend a spiral of chaos and take the world itself hostage to unravelling anarchy all about. Inexorably it feasted on hope and devoured dreams of salvation, order frayed, and Creation entered its waning hours. The cock crowed for dawn’s last day and the world’s desperate swan song resonated across and through the thinning fabric of time, the hour of twilight ushered in on tides of despondent woe. Wracked with the scars of unending tumult it could no longer bear, Sapience and its unwilling host turned loose a sickened, agonised wheeze of protest amidst the throes of their unmaking. Appearing sans fanfare, the slender figure of Lady Memory formed in the darkness of the mountainside, a harp of alder wood and unicorn hair clasped in Her dainty hands. Lexadhra settled Herself into Iyosin’s abandoned throne and began to play the ornate instrument She bore, producing a sorrowful dirge whose amplified notes carried across the world for all to hear. Dispassionate and cold, the Indelible gave no sign that She acted as witness to the end of yet another realm as even Her funereal aria rang somehow hollow, bitter, and untrue. In a chilling mirror of the recent past, Varyan Celestine’s pantheon gathered atop Mount Memonaransa once more. Their collective presence asserted order upon a reality otherwise blurred and smeared to near-dissolution, a stoic aegis against whatever would come. Together, in a display of unprecedented unity shot through with a maudlin air of hopeless despondence, the assembled Gods looked above to Their Father’s unending duel – single combat now a Triomachy of triple combatants – and made a solemn plea for aid. A plea that went unanswered. Blessed with the experience of three worlds, Varian worked the tattered existential loom with an artisan’s grace and ineffable poise. Calm dispassion ruled upon the Silver Maker’s nondescript visage as He revised reality’s constituent pieces, bathing His treacherous Son in endless waves of concussive force. Severn reeled as He continued to adjust to His burgeoning might, His form narrowing into a wisp of darkness that imposed Immortal eventide upon Sapience in an effort to elude His Father’s assault. Even as the Betrayer escaped His Father’s wrath, however, the Eschaton exerted Its own unutterable influence. Its hand reached across the sky in defiance of conventional space, Its nebulaic darkness ceding to the rosy glory of joyous dawn as It stretched out to capture this new opponent. His gloamy deception banished, forsaken Severn flitted away from the brilliant radiance of Eschatonic morningtide as He scrambled to regather His might in the face of ageless expertise. “Umbrael fails Him,” the Unbound observed from His place beside His throne, His steely gaze held upon the distant battle. “Whatever it has accumulated, He struggles to direct it, let alone hold on to it. “But there is something more, as I had suspected. His theft runs deep. The essence of the prisons, the essence We were meant to regain – it is under His sway,” Damariel continued on, His teeth grit. The shining aura outlining His shell flared alike to a sweltering sun, hinting at the fury simmering within Him. “We have no choice. If We hope to overcome this treachery and put a stop to the Monomachy, We must open the remaining prisons while He is too distracted to lay claim to that essence as well.” “Unthinkable!” Bamathis soon objected. “You might trust in flaming abominations to rescue Us from this madness, Damariel, but I will not abide by such a plan. They must remain chained until Father claims victory.” The Argent Warlord then beared Caelestis’ killing edge to the icy air of Mount Memonaransa as He strode forward towards Damariel, the horror-wrought ceasefire shattered in an instant of suggested heresy. The Inferno’s Ogrish features twisted with rage then as She lumbered forward, Her hammer casting fast-fading sparks across the court with each eager heft. “Let this be done, then!” She roared. “All this arguing gets us nowhere,” Haern snarled above the din as He loped across Memonaransa’s smooth marble, His wargauntlet-clad hands limned in verdant fire. “There is a simple solution to this, Brothers.” The Wild God bellowed out a predatory warcry before pouncing forward akin to a hunting tiger, both of His burly arms swinging in a wide arc that collided with the unguarded flank of the Inferno’s Ogrish skull. As fiery Mebrene toppled to the floor, stunned and reeling from the unexpected assault, Haern wasted no time in pressing the advantage. His fist snapped out to thud against His Sister’s head in a third strike, accelerating Her descent to the hardened surface underfoot. One last two-fisted blow is all Haern required to finish His brief, bloody hunt. A loud crack desecrated the sacred peace of the Mountain of the Gods as Ethne’s battered shell collapsed to the ground, Her Ogrish form broken beyond repair by the savage brutality of the Lord of the Wilds. With a feral cry, Haern raked His ursine claws through what remained of Sapient Fire’s vessel, revealing the seething essence ensconced within. Immortal ichor sizzled and spurted, branding indelible evidence of His fateful fratricide into the marble underneath His unfortunate victim. Her skull broken and Her vessel devastated beyond survival, Ethne, the Rekindled Goddess perished then and there, murdered in cold blood by Haern, the Hunter. The sun died in the west. The common folk of Sapience cried out in terror as a pall of cold darkness consumed them, its impenetrable shade evoking the horrifying recollection of an ancient force of misery only so recently turned away from the Prime. All the light that remained within Sapience blazed at the top of Mount Memonaransa, an obdurate torch kindled by the violent convergence of Divine power. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 18th of Omeian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XLVI: The Genesis of Virulence](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xlvi-the-genesis-of-virulence/) **Published:** November 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Genesis unveiled above the Lich Scriptorium, a newly formed Deity stood directly before the Progenitor God’s outstretched claw, Its emaciated figure writ stark before Its Creator as Abhorash brought the crushing weight of His authority to bear upon His Fledgling God. A wave of the Hegemonist’s hand brought a deluge of blood ascending from the Lich Scriptorium; crimson plunged into the new God, entwining about Its exsiccated shell to paint a tapestry of engorged veins, bloated and sanguine, each bloody conduit pulsating with a frenzied, uneven beat. These veins, saturated with ichor the hue of deepest crimson, writhed and twisted, constricting the Deity with the shackles of Its Creator’s dominion. As the would-be bonds of vassalage settled upon it, the Pestilent God emitted a sickeningly wet scream of defiance, ripe and infested with the promise of myriad diseases. Hostility seethed thick all around It as a cocoon of pure malaise enveloped Its sunken frame, turning mien etched with virulent voilence towards Its Creator. Abhorash’s surprise at this defiance lasted a mere instant, the opportunistic predator acting first. ‘Wings’ of spiderwebbing veins erupted forth from the vampiric God’s back, tendrils flaring out to form a crimson aegis silhouetting Him. Then they struck, a perfectly coordinated mass of twining helixes that pierced and bound – some sliced into Divine flesh with unrestrained violence even as others enslaved, spiralling chains of constriction. Despite the ferociousness of the attack, Virulence betrayed no hints of vulnerability even in Its inceptive state. The God’s cocoon melted into swarms of locusts that plunged into the streamers of blood assaulting It. Each vein convulsed in agony as its purity was tainted by countless afflictions, crimson receding beneath necrotic black. Disease then rapidly flared back towards the Hegemonist, borne upon the conduit connecting Gods. Scant seconds before plague found Him, Abhorash severed the connection, a twisting shrug of His shoulders casting aside His bloody ‘wings’ as their now-black veins faded into motes of perverted essence. Though the Hegemonist had escaped this threat, the opening was not wasted by Pestilence, new God surging forward. Its arms melted and reformed, noxious fumes hissing from blighted ichor wreathing the now-bladed appendages that reached hungrily for their Creator. Already in the throes of His twist, Abhorash managed to divert one bladed arm to a glancing blow scored along a pale cheek; the immaculate sword of hilunite caught in His orbit flared to parry Pestilence’s other blade, clashing with a thunderous crack that sent blighted mist suffusing the battle from the violence of the impact. Though a mere glancing blow, sickly green and black scribed their marks upon the snowy canvas of Abhorash’s cheek, death and rot proliferating from the ingress upon Godly flesh. With frenzied urgency, Abhorash’s Tyrannical aura bled from the Hegemonist, manifesting His power in a crackling cloud of Blood and Divinity all about Him. Needles split off from the amassed nebula, plunging into the infected wound; eschewing subtlety, the cleansing force scoured all in its path, purging diseased flesh in swathes of annihilation. Ruined face now writ with naked fury, Abhorash hurtled forward with unrestrained impetus, His very existence distilled to unleashed threat. Birthed to fulfil this very mandate, however, Virulence flowed with Its Creator, glistening tentacles erupting from Its bald pate to lash at the advancing Hegemonist. Just before impact, Abhorash burst apart into a cloud of mist; tribute to His vampiric heritage, the particles of the God’s mistform weave through the treacherous forest of tentacles, the deadly cloud carefully evading direct contact with the biological weapon He hurtled towards. The mist blew untouched past Pestilence, rapidly coalescing into the vampiric God once more behind His adversary. Taking solid form, Abhorash descended upon Sapience’s newest God; overwhelming pressure washed over the realm as He assumed the mantle of violence, thundering blows rattling the firmament. Each strike of the Hegemonist’s fist unmade His creation into a thousand fragments before Divine essence stitched It back together, Abhorash revelling in His sport as Pestilence was rent asunder and reformed countless times. Lost in Abhorash’s brutal assault was Virulence’s severed blade – shorn but not destroyed, it rose unnoticed amidst the clash of Gods. Spectator for a mere second, the appendage inserted itself into the fray, finding a place squarely in the back of the rampaging God. The instant contact was made, Abhorash’s cape whipped about, borne upon His crushing aura. It enveloped the blade securely before crumbling inwards, neutralising the threat as both plunged into a burgeoning tear in reality, abolished from existence. This momentary distraction was all Pestilence required to recover; echoing Its birthing scream, a haze of virulent toxin spewed forth to envelop Its Creator. Abhorash’s aura rose up to meet the tide, coiling about Him in a protective barrier. Despite the shield, the force of the assault sent God plummeting down, pinned by the seemingly endless flood expelled from Virulence’s cracked lips. Witnessing the dire situation, Abhorash’s Empire began to chant. Myriad were the voices of Aetyra, Akarn, Anuul, Aren, and Azvameth, invocations uttered in eerie unison. Blasphemous fell the scripts of Bulrok, Cuyler, Elene, Gael, and Kiershu, echoing throughout the chamber. Urgent were the incantations of Lyeal, Lysaira, Maeve, Neoma, and Paxe, awakening the the latent energies of the Lich Scriptorium. And thundering were the words of Sethra, Shiba, Taj, Trynt, and Velixar, reaching unto the war playing out across the heavens. In answer, the Lich Scriptorium was bathed in eldritch light, the heretical nexus’ runes flaring to life. The air itself warped, a visual echo of the climax of Bloodloch’s ritual incantations. First to rise were spiralling columns of bone, harsh and unyielding as the unforgiving Earth – they crashed upwards, massive vertebrae hungering for the heavens. Blood and viscera followed, entwining around columns of bone as they flowed upwards in a helixed membrane of liquid rubies that pulsed with the cadence of untold suffering. Finally came soul, ever ethereal, subjugated beings blessed with newfound purpose as they completed the trifecta of heresy, birthing chains of imperial wrath. These chains of blood, soul, and bone surged towards the Divine war raging above, stretching desperately towards their quarry. Tendrils of abomination snaked through the air, striking with utmost precision as they ensnared wayward Pestilence with the promise of eternal servitude, each link a covenant of subjugation. The intervention came none too soon as Abhorash’s shield shattered, bursting apart in a spray of fragmented crimson. The God’s will extended forth, corralling each sundered piece; they melted, liquifying into the natural state of blood as congealed strands stitched together with their neighbours, forming gargantuan stalagmites of vermillion wrath. These solidified, crystallising into spears that turned towards the Hegemonist’s bound prey. Weaponised blood plunged into chained Pestilence with unfettered force, another layer to the new God’s binding as It was gruesomely impaled, Its Divine fire rent asunder by the combined force of the assault. Pouring His power into keeping Virulence shackled, Abhorash then summoned His Reavers to Him. Veins scrawled across the firmament, the Progenitor God at their centre, the bonds of Gift, of enforced control, writ blazing across the heavens. They abruptly tightened, iron authority forcefully towing upon these connections – as they tensed, the Hegemonist’s mortal weapons were propelled into the heavens, joining Him to face down His immortal one. Maeve was the first to strike. The malignant midnight of her flesh was bathed in violently pulsing veins of ever-red as she called upon the unholy trinity of power granted her as Primus of the Blood, Hegemonic Conqueress and Tyranny’s Most Fashionable and Glorious Adherent. As these splinters of caliginous crimson crawled across her hedonistic silhouette, the serpentine femme launched herself at Pestilence in a blur of seething shadow saturated in bloodied supremacy – those magnificent, sadistic hilunite heels of subjugation she wore striking the earth below her in a salient staccato of sadistic slaughter-song. An antihalo of haemic effulgence blistered the atmosphere around her in a fell corona as she swung Semomti, a sanguineous scythe, its path a deadly stroke of sinisterly screaming metal aimed with predatory precision at Pestilence’s throat. \[Towards the end of this passage, the writing becomes erratic, as if its author is fatigued by the sheer excessiveness of the three preceding sentences.\] With a wave of her scarred hands, Elene ushered forth a tithe of power invested upon her ascended frame. Brilliant starlight funneled from the heavenspace, celestial legendarium yielding to her the constellary strength she demanded for the task at hand. The aura of Tyranny cloaking her frame coiled with ephemeral tension as the Aetherial tapped into her bond with the Mejevsavelnel and directed her concentration into a focused frontal attack, unleashing Ontesme’s torment in a life-scouring display of might upon Pestilence. Aren lifted a hand in beckoning, and the nearby shadows answered, dragging themselves to slither around their summoner in obedient greeting. In a well-practiced motion, the vampire pulled Celestine ZezeKelo, a sanguinary bow of the Hunt from his back, palm impaled by a deliberatly placed barb along the grip that immediately drew precious sanguine fluid from his veins. Blood and shadow writhed in delicate unity around the weapon and Aren pulled the string back, releasing a barrage of arrows. Where a subtly clawed nail drew along the inside of her forearm, Paxe’s skin split like over-ripe fruit on a Vilimesian vine, black blood drizzling from abyssal flesh to pool like spilt wine in a nitid river of darkness at her feet. There was the slick shine of midnight meat shredded, the gleam of crystalline bone cracked. And then there was only the triumvirate lance they formed, the seething manifestation of Farsai’s feverish curse as it sought, as it ever does, to make a conquest of foreign flesh: Pestilence’s. Bulrok casually raised a free hand aloft, straightening four clawed digits to the sky as his thumb folded across his palm. Tyrannical essence coalesced into a blood red ball of energy in front of his palm, before the Minotaur released the gathered essence in a lance of destruction towards Pestilence. \[Scribe’s interjection: The Grand Library is most grateful for the succint nature of Bulrok’s demonstration.\] Azvameth, distraught by a self-induced nightmare of a world without fruit, fell into profound despair, tears flowing down his face amidst an escalating emotional storm. Overwhelmed with melancholic humours, he emitted a guttural cry while launching a formidable fusion of tears and mucus toward the target of his ire, Pestilence, the explosive impact projecting icy, deadly fragments of salty tears and snot in all directions with lethal force. The combined assault bore the gravity of finality, the last resistance of Pestilence subdued. With a flick of His wrist, Abhorash sent His Empire’s ritualistic chains melting, transmuting into a bubbling morass that rapidly seeped beneath Virulence’s defeated shell. There He allowed it to fester, rage dissipated as the Progenitor God surveyed His creation with cold gratification. Immense pressure rolled off the God as He raised a clawed hand into the air, His fingers flexed inwards. Virulence floated into the air at Abhorash’s behest, struggling against the crushing weight of the Hegemonist’s ire. A moment later, the Hegemonist closed His fist, accompanying it with a violent pulling motion – the bound Virulence’s chest erupted outwards in response, glowing strands of essence extracted to settle about Abhorash’s fist. It was sentience that Abhorash held twined about His fist, that He allowed to snake about greedy fingers. It was cognition that the Hegemonist turned glowing eyes of glacier blue towards, flexing each digit as its essence swirled. It was free will that the God of Tyranny devoured, consuming the spoils of His Hegemony’s conquest – thusly was Zyrialith christened, the God of Pestilence enslaved for imperial purpose. Now baleful eyes turned towards Memonaransa, the mountain peak illuminated ‘neath the glow of Abhorash’s unblinking stare. Thus, with smirk across His lips and enslaved Virulence in tow, Abhorash finally deigned to enter the Pantheon’s war: on the eve ‘fore Triomachy’s climax, Tyranny joined the fray at last. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 3rd of Omeian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XLV: Trespass upon Creation](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xlv-trespass-upon-creation/) **Published:** November 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** On the six-hundred-thirty-seventh day of the Creators’ Monomachy-turned-Triomachy, the Hegemonist Abhorash summoned His faithful and the Empire of Bloodloch to the Lich Scriptorium, their passage unhindered by the mighty barrier that shrouded it. Wreathed in the full depths of the Creation He had seized from the desecration of Celestine and Eschaton’s arbours, the God was a beacon of glowing Divinity, at once strenuous and sublime to behold. When He spoke, esoteric whispers echoed each syllable, millions of unrealised voices alive with the burgeoning potential of Creation. Noting that the chaos sown by the newly minted Zenith had ruptured the veil of potential, the Hegemonist decreed that what was once impossible could now be achieved; though He had not originally intended to involve mortals in this next phase of His plans, now they could be empowered to embark beside Him. With that, Creation’s essence fully flared out from the Hegemonist, devouring the Scriptorium in lances of brilliant white. Outside, the barrier surrounding the Lich Scriptorium sent the heavens awash with luminescence, the membrane seething with the birth of a nascent Plane of Creation guarded beneath its surface. As mortals overstepped the boundaries of their jurisdiction, encroaching upon a Creation they were never meant to step foot in, the realm revolted against this heresy; it was only by the Tyrannical will of the Deity of this realm that the unascended remained anchored to existence. At the centre of this infinite void of Creation, Abhorash turned His focus to the massive wargolem summoned into this plane – its creation a rather painful and deadly work of labour by the Empire over the course of many months. Then, with the raising of an imperious hand, Abhorash began His blasphemous work; veins of Creation sizzled against His veins, pooling about a singularity at the end of His outstretched hand. The atmosphere cracked as Abhorash called forth titanic threads of pulsating essence, the very veins of this universe, converging this sprawling nexus at a singularity of power in His grasp. As torrential amounts of power and essence were channelled towards the centre, the entire universe buckled under the immense pressure of Abhorash’s machinations. Singularly focused as He was, the God spared nothing to stabilise the rapidly buckling realm. With the rapid unspooling of the realm, the God finally cast the briefest of His attention to the burgeoning collapse, bestowing the thinnest splinter of Creation to each of the mortals there in Divine empowerment. So blessed, the threads of Creation unveiled themselves to mortal eyes, revealing the dire state of the realm: edges frayed, these threads stood in dire need of repair. As mortals now gazed upon that which they had no right to, spiderwebs of black cracked the outside barrier’s surface over the Lich Scriptorium, Creation revolting against the heresies enacted within. With Abhorash singularly occupied, empowered mortals set to work repairing the unwinding threads of the realm even as spectres of Creation rose up against this heresy. Though unskilled at first, resulting in many instances of being unmade and subsequently stitched back together by the Hegemonist’s will, the trespassing mortals slowly but surely repaired the realm. As each section was successfully brought into equilibrium, it collapsed, latent energies of Creation summoned to the God at the realm’s heart. Entire branches of this pocket of Creation melted, their threads seized firmly in the Hegemonist’s grasp. As He channelled this immense potential into the wargolem before Him, mists of Pestilent Chaos intruded upon the realm, perverting the stream of Creation as virulent power was likewise infused into the shell before Abhorash. Outside, the veins of black perverting the Scriptorium’s barrier were replaced by blighted green as pestilent mists bulged against the surface of the barrier, its sickly incandescence bleeding through the brilliant white. Back on Creation, amidst the blighted stream, the mortals’ Creation-enhanced vision allowed them glimpse all the potential, the possibilities infused within it. They bore witness to plagues innumerable, both known and unknown, streaming into the golem. Amidst familiar blights such as the Aalen Bloom, new creations likewise suffused the golem, born of the imagination of twisted architects: recognisable were the influence of Akarn, Anuul, Azvameth, Cuyler, Lysaira, Maeve, Paxe, Trynt, Zoraikla, and Zzebida. With the plane of Creation now nigh entirely consumed, a column of crimson erupted from the centre as the wargolem exploded. Before they were ejected too far, each piece of the golem dissolvesd into brilliant threads of light before speeding into the Hegemonist’s grasp, malleable strands to re-shape to His will. Displaced from shattered shell, hundreds of souls escaped from the deconstructed wargolem. Even as they fled, a fountain of blood erupted from Abhorash, cascading into a sanguine canopy that spread across the realm. Where each soul fell under the influence of this crimson umbrella, tendrils snaked out insidiously, ensnaring the wayward soul in vampiric chains. Impossibly dexterous was Abhorash’s skill, the God weaving intricate threads of Creation unto each of the six-hundred-and-eighty-eight subverted souls released; they served as anchor, tethering the blighted streams of Creation and Pestilence alike to manifest form. When all souls were finally infused with this synthetic destruction, the God brought it all converging into the apex of Creation, condensing His final creation into distilled form. A blinding glow washed across the Festering Wastes, expanding rapidly outwards before abruptly imploding, sucked back into the eye of the storm manifested at the heart of the Lich Scriptorium as a nascent plane of Creation collapsed in a climax of heresy. Suspended above the Scriptorium was the lithe figure of Abhorash, His shadowed cape billowing frenziedly with the residual aftershocks of the massive wellspring of power unleashed. The God did not stand alone. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 3rd of Omeian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XLIV: Worldeater](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xliv-worldeater/) **Published:** November 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Slithering snakelike through rock and stone and crack and crevice, the wisps of darkness crossed the Court of the Gods like atramentous lightning. Low hissing emanated from everywhere and nowhere before these tenebrous ephemera crawled like blackened veins along and across the throne of the Celestine. Flowing like liquid dusk, threads of ever-gloam surrounded the auspicious seat, forming the outline of an empty silhouette whose muted canvas soon filled itself in with a smear of midnight brushstroke. Languid and smug, Severn sat His Father’s throne without reservation, the sum of His Immortal gaze weighted with manifest scorn for those in attendance. “A strength You would squander in pursuit of freedom. A boon You would waste in the name of free will,” the Minotaur God answered as His shadowy silhouette’s writhing ceased. “Out of all of Us, it is only I that possesses the necessary vision to wield Father’s might,” Severn continued as He lifts His remaining hand upwards to gesture towards the embattled Creators. “Look only to Your freeing of the Child – you mimic Me even as you curse My name.” “Behold,” The Manipulator murmured as He cast His eyes upon the roiling world woven into heavenspace and snapped His fingers. A virulent, wriggling line of shadow then laced itself into the borders of the realm that should not be, its movements shifting in time with the Artificer’s guiding hand. The tenuous fabric of the world-within-a-world wavered beneath the corrosive effect of Severn’s manifest power, its swollen distension doing naught to preserve its integrity. A lunge of one savage digit birthed a violent cacophony akin to myriad mechanical failures, its auditory chaos accompanied by a sudden surge of shadow across the firmament. Several discordant clicks resounded throughout the heavens as the mysterious arena world finally fell away, its debris carving fiery swathes through the embattled skies. Wave after wave of glimmering energy crashed down upon Aetolia in an all-consuming flood of obliterating light and uncertain possibility, shattering landscapes and shaping new vistas with their omnipotent force. As the brutal tides churned all throughout the Prime Material, the centre of this destructive maelstrom revealed itself to countless onlookers below: the twin Creators. Existing at the heart of cosmic chaos, the unquestionable identities of these two Makers were writ upon the psyche of every being fortunate enough to behold Them in a moment of glorious inspiration. Freed from Their stalemate, the Two once more began Their displays of uttermost power with rancour renewed. As His Siblings watched the display with mixed visages of mute terror and revolted disgust, Severn rose from His Father’s throne and lifted a beckoning hand toward the shambled wreckage of an alternate reality, its trajectory carving fiery swathes through the delicate fabric of Sapience’s Primal boundaries. The seething remnants of that shattered world became innumerable gossamer filaments that coursed downward towards the Manipulator. Triumph reigned upon His brutish mien as every single thread melted away into His waiting frame, bolstering His already prodigious might with the fabled potency of an omnipotent Creator. Commonfolk in cursed cities and doomed townes and crumbling villages across that fallen realm emitted shrieks of terror or else spat curses upon this new, nameless menace as they acted as unwitting audience to His repetition of a Father’s sin. Anguish and lost hope ruled over all that remained as they one and all embraced the bleak destiny that awaited them – a destiny shared with civilisations never meant for Sapience’s recollection, save for the mythical Source of Knowledge that served as lone testament to its Maker’s sordid past. Bards and storytellers rued their inevitable end in the face of such a tragic, loathsome act, their sorrow ringing throughout the dying realm as a song unto itself. Its raw melancholy manifested as a foreboding rumble, nihilistic violence sustaining its tempo. Before the murderous melody can reach its crescendo, however, Severn the Betrayer turned His eye towards the impossibly distant home of its threatening din and sneered. Swept aside on a wave of callous megalomania and single minded greed, millions perished at the hands of the Forsaken God, the threads of innumerable lives cut short to slake a would-be tyrant’s hubris. One by One, Varyan Celestine’s children looked on in horror, aghast at Reason’s dreadful paternal mimicry. For each Who bore witness to His echo of a crime that served as the abrupt epilogue of another timeline, only shock and terror served as adequate expression. All save for Two. Damariel mot Lanosaryon set aside horror, His weathered visage instead twisted into a portrait of utter disgust. Righteous indignation flared in His eyes, twin rivals to the blazing sun struggling in vain to compete with the prismatic violence of a sundered world. Lexadhra’s veneer of impassivity fell away to reveal an impassioned shock scarcely recognisable upon the mauve-skinned Goddess. The mists surrounding Her lounging form twisted into a frothing rage for lack of guidance from Her iron will, weathering glowing patterns upon the throne underneath Her. “Worldeater,” She breathed from Her place upon Lleis’ throne, Her eyes affixed to the grim spectacle that had until then occupied Her recollection only as a detached phantom – an irreversible moment of the far flung past. The Favoured Son was the first to escape the throes of astonished horror and fearful revulsion; snarling, He lunged towards Severn with Caelestis thrust outward, its point intent upon His treacherous Sibling’s heart. Nigh-unstoppable might met the immovable force of a newly empowered Creator. An umbral aegis manifested in the incalculably narrow space between blade and God, its hissing shadows smothering the weapon’s enchantments even as that overwhelming murk sent the blade’s wielder reeling across the marble court. The Unbound Lord then filled the space so recently vacated by His younger Brother, His greatsword thundering downward in an overhead swing that dispensed with elegance in favour of crushing force. Lurid radiance and punishing fire blossomed in the weapon’s lethal arc, threatening Severn with threefold annihilation. Once more did whirling strands of everdark essence and atramentous artifice turn aside the threat to the Betrayer-turned-Creator’s personage. With a dismissive gesture and a satisfied smirk, Severn forced Damariel to His one good knee amidst the clamour of Daybreak falling to Mount Memonaransa’s stony promenade. “I shall end this,” Incarnate Reason promised, staring down at His defeated brothers, Their accumulated might – that of almost the Celestine’s entire pantheon – weathered and overcome with scarcely an effort. Without further elaboration, Severn ascended to the heavens amidst the shimmering tatters of a condemned world, His silhouette stretching out to join the world-rending violence of the other Makers. Thus did the Monomachy transform into a dread Triomachy, a new challenger swiftly impressed upon the skies. Aetolia reeled in the aftermath of such abrupt, widespread destruction, the renewed furore of the raging Creators turning loose tempestuous storms of shimmering quintessence with each violent blow struck. As the lucent starfall soared across reality like an army of flaming comets and smouldering supernovae, the accelerated genesis of light and fire resolved to unfound possibility and potential made real, spectres of unrealised imagination and discarded architect’s opus cast adrift to roam the world. Still the cupola-world that was Sapience strained to withstand the immense force and pressure arranged against it. Clinging fast to the world that was its host, toxic symbiosis enkindled the twilight of reality’s demise as dread rifts opened in the surface of the earth, gaping wounds catalysed in ylemfire and Creator’s jingoistic jetsam. As the Triomachy threatened to tear through Creation’s ragged fabric, adventurers rushed to inspect the rifts marking their world’s impending demise. Commanded by Warlord and Unbound both, Sapience united in an effort to seal reality’s rents through the desperate application of captured possibility essence. In the wake of their convalescent efforts, terrain scoured by Dejaani and Ohlsana’s prior carnage found itself wiped away, restoring portions of Sapience once thought lost to the ravages of the second War of Night. Even as Sapience’s finest warriors scrambled to rescue their realm from unthinkable peril, something wicked ensued within the Lich Scriptorium… Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 1st of Omeian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XLIII: The Pantheon's Choice](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xliii-the-pantheons-choice/) **Published:** November 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Upon the six-hundred-and-thirty-first day of the Creators’ Monomachy, a desperate pantheon assembled to see to the salvation of a fading world. Alabaster flame blossomed atop the summit of Mount Memonaransa, its crackling mass twisting into a gateway from which Damariel mot Lanosaryon, the Unbound Lord of Truth stepped forth. Across from that fiery entryway, narrow arcs of argentate essence responded in kind, carving across the mountaintop before shaping the outline of a portcullis that swiftly rose to allow Bamathis, the Favoured Son, to stride forth into the Court. Pressure and tension conspired as Sapience’s thinning reality strained to obey the manifest will of the Divine; though this thick, ominous weight stubbornly refused to abate, yet more wavering gateways bloomed into being along the crest of the ancient mountainside. From each portal arrived another of Varyan Celestine’s children, His divided pantheon assembling in single ranks that stared across at One Another with grim intent. The potent essence that constituted Their conveyance smeared across the sky, joining the brilliant obliteration that even then gnawed through Sapience’s distended skyscape. Tension reigned with the arrival of more and more Gods, the division sown between Monomachial champions put on full display. Like a heavy blanket of fog, the atmosphere lingered in thick waves over the ancient mountaintop, billowing clouds circling the summit in a symbol of grim portent. For all the terrible potential of the day, feral Lurli and mighty Jakrasul possessed eyes only for one another. Ill-constrained bloodlust rippled outward from the Nightmare in inky whorls of murderous emotion, crashing like waves against the palpable aura of jade – a corona forged from spite and anger – that exuded from the ancient Goddess of Might. In a union reminiscent of ancient days, Death and Earth stood side by side in silence, flanking bestial Herno. The Wild God’s scarcely-restrained ferality cleaved the air in a savage snarl as His eyes landed upon those arranged against Him, His Kin, and His Father all. Last to arrive was Memory, Her Djeiri form coalescing within a cyclonic vortex of purple-white mist. Lexadhra eyed the gathered congregation with Her typical air of insouciant curiosity, loudly making note of the absence of both Tyranny and Pride while making no mention of the too-absent Severn. “We will do what We must to safeguard Father’s Creation. You, Father’s Divine children who are loyal to Him, lend to Me Your strength, and together, We will bring about Our salvation,” Bamathis soon demanded. Unwilling to aid His murderous Brother, Damariel was swift to reply: “I will not hamper Your efforts, Bamathis, but nor will I lend to you My strength. Those Who stand with Me and fight for the Eschaton, the true Creator: lend Your might to Me instead, and We will see this done.” As One, the Two Sons of Varyan Celestine then gestured towards Their supporters, Their collective gaze already lifting up towards the endless warfare projected upon Sapience’s sky-dome. The trio at Damariel’s back – Ethne, Slyphe, and Omei – nodded in unison and closed Their eyes. Frenzied waves of Immortal power exuded from Their figures as They drew upon the tumultuous entirety of Their unveiled domains. Calescent shimmers swirled within the currents of oceanic might, their entirety conducted as if hanging upon thin threads limned in prismatic essence. Tangling together into a single, shining skein, that outpouring of all-encompassing might washed over the Unbound, suffusing Him with blinding radiance. Those four yet still loyal to Their Father turned Their attentions towards Bamathis – and the sword clutched within His grasp. Haern and mighty Chakrasul unleashed Their power in tandem, investing the blade with Immortal potency. Jade and viridian entwined into a brilliant sheathe that girded Caelestis’ edge, deleterious rot and eternal growth warring as an incisive force that bolstered the weapon’s destructive potential. Even as Bamathis’ blade ascended in might, so too did the Warlord Himself. Dhar and Ivoln turned Their collective gaze towards Their Father’s chosen enforcer, Their cold stoicism matched only by the almost oppressive aura of divine energy surging all around Them. Somehow profound in Their implacable silence, the inevitability of death laced a charnel thread about and through the unwavering mastery of war and earth, infusing the Silver Son of Autumn with a unified strength unseen in millennia. Such a convergence of Immortal force only heightened the shrieks echoing from the world superimposed upon the celestial vault, as if the presence of the Gods hastened the destructive effect of the Monomachy’s final days. Every groan of the damned world overhead served as underlying percussion for the symphony of cosmic cries issued by Sapience’s waning bonds to Aetolia. That dread music did naught to break the focus of the Gods, however, even as its tempo and volume heightened to deafening levels. A multichromatic aurora unfurled across the sky, its radiance defying the shrinking boundaries of Varian’s Creation as it leaked out into Aetolia’s overall firmament. At the heart of this breathtaking phenomenon stood Damariel and Bamathis, bound to Their Siblings by a sharing of essence unheard of even within the unblemished annals of history. Truth and Strife mustered the entirety of Their vast might as They looked upon the shuddering otherworld that separated the two Creators from Their Creations, grim determination etched upon their features. Like an eidetic memory writ in Immortal fire, a glimpse of the twice-doomed world once more dominated the senses of all mortals. It was then that all life within Aetolia beheld a world enclosed on all sides by obliterating pearlescence. One realm, one continent, one land yet still remained – a final battlefield composed of ragtag nations clinging to a miserable, militant existence. Surrounded by the shambles of a once-expansive world, those kingdoms struggled over resources and faith through bloody confrontation. The last battle between broken, fanatical peoples commenced beneath the watchful eye of two divine generals, even as another final battle unfolded beyond the bounds of Their arena. Having long since cast aside subtlety, the twin Creators ceaselessly meddled with the lives of those mortals allotted for the damned purpose of warfare. Ethereal blessings and infusions of long-forgotten power saw to the ascension of champions and gods within the last dregs of that broken sub-reality, each shattered landscape consumed by the annihilating light of an unwinding world. Wielding His invested might as a hammer and subtlety as His chisel, Damariel lifted His hands toward the forsaken world bound to the skies and thrusts His palms forward as if subjecting the entirety of that broken existence to an almighty shove. Reality wavered then; truth and subjective understanding warred amongst themselves for supremacy, the former championed by Truth’s implacable will and the latter upheld by terrified mortal thought. The doomed world strained akin to a boil beneath a surgeon’s lancet, stubbornly refusing to yield its place. His silhouette superimposed upon the horizon, Bamathis whipped Caelestis downward in a savage swipe, its lethal edge shearing into reality’s fabric. Fecund growth and wasting rot aligned into a catastrophic thrum of Immortal magic as the sword made contact, visiting wasting ruin and natural consumption upon whatever it touched. The distant world’s ethereal borders swelled and sagged in an effort to distribute the Immortal force exerted upon it, resulting in a deafening groan that rattled the Worldspine. It pushed back, repelling its assailants amidst prismatic flickers and thunderous rumbles. Lost now in the thrill of His inimical purpose, the Favoured Son delivered an avalanche of brutal blows to the edges of the rippling reality separating Him from His Father. Each strike elicited a shriek from the world fabric sutured to Sapience’s own existential tapestry, though each wound proved short-lived for they soon scabbed over with the rapturous essence of Creation. Within the bounds of that secondary world, Varyan Celestine betrayed no notice of His Sons nor Their destructive labour. His chilling poise and timeless tranquillity suffocated entire cultures, toppling empires and concealing their collective legacy beneath the callous sands of time. A single gesture from Him weaved the demise of thousands, their lives unspooled into essence to further His aims. It was then that Omei’s feral countenance betrayed a reluctant frown as She observed Her Brother’s work, though resignation soon won out and weathered away Her displeasure. The flows of Immortal power briefly diverted through the Nightmare, staining the once milky essence into sevenfold hues emblematic of Astral glory before they extended back to infuse Truth with yet more power. The Unbound Lord cried out in Esmari, invoking the ineffable majesty of the Merciless Light as He reached for His greatsword. Lightkissed fire illuminated the stark length of His dejanite blade, its vehement calefaction stoked by the unified essence of His Siblings. Damariel hefted the sword with one hand, its lethal point facing the distended border of the crumbling world fastened to heavenspace. Fervent prayer spilled forth from His lips, each syllable lost to the deathrattle winds of Aetolia’s impending demise. Though many mortals watched on and saw naught, those sworn to the Light as vessels of shining symbiotes heard the Unbound Lord’s words echo within their mind as if He stood shoulder to shoulder with them. Each sacred syllable uttered found its mirror at their own lips, a solemn plea for order, for salvation, for justice and a dawn destined to come. Soon, He discarded subtlety in favour of desperate measures and swiped His greatsword through the air as His prayer ceased. A calamitous torrent of lightborn ruination manifested in the wake of Truth’s inelegant motion, its searing devastation carving into the alternate world containing all the catastrophe of two warring Creators. Another cosmic shriek drifted up from Aetolia. Another terrestrial groan escaped from Sapience’s heaving bounds. The sky rippled tremulously, but it did not yield to the zealous brutality it met by Damariel’s hand. Oblivious to the destructive efforts of Its foe’s progeny, the enigmatic Eschaton remained focused upon the warfare within the crumbling realm encapsulating Its majesty. The brilliant pinpricks of nebulaic light dappling Its silhouette flickered in time to a noiseless tune, bathing landscapes in the ethereal radiance of Its will. Each faint flicker ingrained every witness into a tattered tapestry of ages soon to scatter to destructive winds, each inexplicable pulse of labyrinthine luminosity uplifting Its beleaguered cults into the heavenly heights of ascendant power. Outside the bounds of that false world, the Unbound and the Warlord retreated from Their place within the firmament as exhaustion threatened Them with dissolution amidst the raging tides of Immortal power. Though They knew it to be beyond Their grasp, stubborn refusal of defeat reigned upon Their visages. “We are not as We once were,” the Unbound Lord remarked bitterly as He tightens His grip upon His greatsword. “All the power We invested in the prisons – gone, stolen. By Sevren. Only He and I recall the true extent of those places. Only He and I remember the details of their construction.” As Damariel sought to master the raging tides of Immortal investiture, He pressed on in a voice taut with fury: “For His greed, We are denied Our strength.” Then, wisps of animate darkness boiled up from cracks in the marble court. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 1st of Omeian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XLII: Violescent Vengeance](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xlii-violescent-vengeance/) **Published:** November 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Upon the six-hundred-and-nineteeth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, Omei called out to Her Court to perform one last ritual. Entrusting Aolin with the matter of chaining one final Astral sphere, the Goddess of Instinct requested that she perform the ceremony within the Morgun forest due to its nearness to the heart of Her power. The Nightmare was swift to arrange for the necessary esoteric trappings, Her empowered essence etching a luminous outline into the grove within which the final moments of Her scheme would come to pass. Aolin called upon fellow courtier Bhalwyn to act as the necessary sacrifice in this expression of grand magic and set about her own preparations in short order. Garbed akin to the high ritualists of old, the loyal representative of Instinct’s priesthood daubed her living offering in violet paint and proceeded to speak words from the very depths of her heart. In an expression of the dark side of dreaming sorcery, she spoke elder incantations that soon struck the waiting Bhalwyn with the dreaded fae curse of inevitable, eternal slumber. Each string of syllables spoken by the Blossomer brought the man deeper and deeper into soul-wrenching torpor, its sorcerous energies feeding upon mundane memories in an attempt to break beyond the normal constraints of oneiromancy. As Aolin consigned Bhalwyn to the ravages of Astral starlight, his form discorporated into the necessary energy to fuel the true intent of her ceremony: an act of grand oneiromancy unseen and unfelt since the height of Ka-la-kai’s immaculate prosperity. Quick to act upon the resultant shift within Her realm, Omei left one final boon for Her Blossomer before sloughing away into a seething cloud of lepidopterans, Her essence conveyed to the forbidding reaches of the Violet sphere. There, She and Her hidden agents worked to bind the sphere to the Prime Material, resulting in a chaotic convergence never before felt within the realm of Sapience. With all of Her territory bound tight to the physicality of Sapience, the Goddess of Instinct made it clear to Her followers that She had reached the chromatic zenith of Her power – a fact that made Her confident in Her ability to battle Her Father. As Her vassals celebrated Her newly increased might, the Nightmare privately instructed Eaku Redwood, Her loyal champion, to be prepared for a hunt the next week. And so it came to pass that nightmarish Omei and Her Brute departed upon a dangerous hunt on the six-hundred-and-twenty-fifth day of the Creators’ Monomachy. Riding along within his consciousness with the promise of aid should he need it, Immortal Instinct guided Her warrior to the cliffs near to the city of Esterport. It was there that the proud warrior known as the Liberation Vanguard managed to breach through a lingering portal to the Astral and travel within the dark space connected to the sphere of Blue. The Goddess explained to Eaku that She had sensed something useful here in the moment of Kalena Emerson’s adherent ascension and that it was only now that She felt confident in sending one of Her representatives to collect it. Though the tunnel initially proved harmless, it bludgeoned Eaku with the raw force of misery, solemnity, and sadness that is so essentially emblemized by blue within chromatic space. Tormenting him with visions of his scattered people, the fall of the blessed once-Aalen, and the failure to save even its withered heart from the ravages of Ohlsana’s deleterious shadowrot, the sphere stubbornly worked to repel him from the prize he sought in an act of rebellion borrowed from its Empress Herself. Relying upon the boundless hope that he had embraced and stood for as a member of Her Court, the Redwood Brute managed to reach the other side of the tunnel – and in so doing, stumbled upon a terror far more breathtaking than the demise of his ancestors: the shattered ruin of the horrifying kerrithrim. Now back upon the Prime, Eaku felt the alien press of a hostile, maddened being that sought to wheedle into his mind and drown him in the horror of its infinite depravity. Rampant growth and brutal cancer threatened to manifest upon his ascended frame even as he drew nearer to the remains and tore off a small shard as instructed by his Goddess, who proceeded to explain that the kerrithrim had been born to slay gods and its mere touch was as anathema to those deities wrought by Sapience’s Creator. Upon contact with the chitinous scrap, however, the seething insanity pressed in further – willing him to union with its mysterious force and the sure end that he would find in its embrace. Though his courage almost faltered, brave Eaku thrust a weapon into his own thigh to regain his composure and fled amidst the clarity of pain – an act that earned the praise of his Goddess. Immediately after his return to the Seer’s Wood, Omei’s Brute set himself to the task of reforging the broken head of his Goddess’ glaive. With the aid of Her violescent flames, he grafted the shard equal parts prized and dreaded to its head and ensured an absolute fusion. After placing the weapon upon Her throne, the Goddess descended to personally collect this final implement of Her vengeance and assured Her loyal vassal that he had seen to the success of Her plans before discorporating once more to prepare for the final moments of the Monomachy. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 1st of Omeian, in the year 0 AC. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Predator Class!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-predator-class/) **Published:** November 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! With the departure of Varian to realms unknown, a few daring souls were pulled through to a new world they couldn’t possibly imagine. With them comes newest addition to our class pool – and perhaps an old favourite: the Predator class! Predator is a neutral-tether class available to everyone that has culminated from the finale of the Worldeater saga, and is best described as blood-thirsty warriors who constantly seek out the next challenge with their famed sitara by their side. They possess a mix of cunning, ferocity, and ingenuity when dealing with their foes, and of course, they are flanked by their iconic wolf – a direwolf in our case. Those of you seeking to learn the Predator class can do so by visiting Sigurd Brynja within the Augerweald at v76795 where he has made his home, and using the command \[0;1;37mLEARN PREDATOR FROM SIGURD\[0m. Like our other neutral classes without a guild, there is a cost of 40 credits to obtain the class. Apprenticeship won’t be enabled for a short while afterward, so you will need to visit Sigurd if you seek the class. Now for some quick bits of information! – The three skills of Predator are \[0;1;37mKnifeplay\[0m, \[0;1;37mPredation\[0m, and \[0;1;37mBeastmastery\[0m. – For the time being, lessons in these skills can only be learned from Sigurd or another player. – Predators make use of \[0;1;37mLEATHER\[0m armour. – Predators carve their own \[0;1;37mSITARA\[0m knife from the bones retrieved from a corpse. – Predators do NOT have a guild they are part of. – Predators CAN be selected through creation with the same limitations as other unguilded classes. Predators with their sitara knife pull all their benefit from the \[0;1;37mDEXERITY\[0m stat, foregoing both brute strength and magic to make their ends meet. Most of Knifeplay and Predation relies upon balance recovery to execute their attacks, however Beastmastery utilises equilibrium to issue commands to their beasts. Don’t be caught offguard though! Aside from one or two skills, they do not overlap balance and equilibrium together. Faster balance recovery is likely the favoured of the class. For those curious, the kill routes for the class are more on the simple side. Aside from making the most of Knifeplay stances, I believe most should be able to make quick sense of class without too much complexity involved. The venom route in particular should be fairly straight forward. HELP PREDATOR and HELP PREDATOR RP will tell you more about the class and its lore, along with the help files for their three skills. I highly recommend reading them as they were created beautifully by Emellan and Ictinus! To begin with, the class comes with the ‘hunt\_predator(1-3)’ artifact and unique to them is the ‘hidden\_daggers’ artifact, for all your dagger throwing needs. The usual weapon runes also all apply to the class, and will increase the damage, penetration, and speed of your sitara. As the final note to everyone, this class does indeed come from Imperian and has been brought over to Aetolia while balancing them for our systems here. As such, some skills are going to be roughly the same as you might remember them if you’ve played the class before, while other aspects of it are going to be completely new and different. While I’ve tried my hardest to preserve most of its iconic skills, there are going to be some things missing or changed so that they better fit in with our combat system, or so they don’t overlap with other classes that I considered iconic to them. Having said that, there’s always the possibility that more can be brought to the class. This is just the starting foot for them after all! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 24th of Chakros, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Producer](https://www.aetolia.com/news/producer/) **Published:** November 6, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey folks, They say you should always leave something better than you found it, and Ictinus has exceeded expectations on that in every conceivable way. I cannot understate enough how much of an impact he has had in reshaping the game these past years, and how much the game flourished under his leadership, direction and talents. He brought much needed life back into the game, and was my partner-in-crime for numerous events. He was an enabling presence in the best way possible, no matter what crazy ideas I came up with, he’d be there to support them and help bring them to life. This of course includes Aetolia’s years-long storyline that culminated last night with the end of the Worldeater Saga, a task which he was all for bringing about from his very first day as Producer. He is going to be sorely missed, and leaves enormous shoes behind for me to step into. For those of you who aren’t as familiar with me, I’m an old face around here. I was a player since 2003 (with a somewhat notorious reputation), and joined the team as a volunteer Celani in 2008, where I played the role of Severn (and still played him off and on over the years), as well as a volunteer coder. I was eventually hired in 2011 as Assistant Producer under Galleus, and then as Producer when Galleus left in 2012. I stepped back from the Producer role at the end of 2016 due to personal reasons, remaining as an assistant producer under Oleis’s interim leadership, then Tiur, and finally Ictinus. Together alongside Emellan, Keroc and our amazing team of Celani, I’m going to be striving to continue the excellent job that Ictinus has done, and building upon the amazing foundations he has left us with. We have an amazing admin team, community, and game world, and Ictinus had an immense presence in shaping all three. Please note that anything you might have once contacted Ictinus about, you should now instead be contacting me with, whether it be via message or my e-mail razmael@aetolia.com. Sometime in December, I’ll be looking to hold a town hall so we can discuss the future, and answer any questions you might have about how we’ll continue shaping the amazing world of Aetolia. More details will come on that closer to the time. For now, I look forward to once more serving as your producer, – Razmael/Michael Duncan. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Chakros, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Farewell](https://www.aetolia.com/news/farewell/) **Published:** November 6, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey folks, With the Worldeater Saga having finally reached its conclusion (event posts should be up ASAP), the new class releasing tonight, and the final two mirror classes on the horizon for a release, my tenure with Aetolia has come to an end. Effective immediately, I will be stepping down as producer and away from the game as a whole to work elsewhere in IRE. While this was a difficult decision that took a lot of consideration and thought for me to make, it’s become clear over the course of the last few months that it’s the correct one both for the game’s continued health and for my own wellbeing and morale. After two years, I’d like to think that I’ve managed to right the ship and steer the game back from its previously off-course heading into an era of prosperity that I’ve no doubt will continue after I’m gone. My successor(s) will no doubt have much more to say about what’s to come, but I’m confident that Aetolia is in good hands, and I’m hopefully leaving behind an efficient, stable administrative structure to arm future producers for success. I’d like to give a final thanks to everyone who went out of their way to support my vision and my team over the last few years, even when it often meant going against the grain of popular opinion and exposing yourself to insidious, pervasive negativity in the process. For those of you who bring positivity, good will, and an earnest willingness to engage in good faith to this game, I applaud you, and I would like to think that we strove together to show the vast potential of Aetolia, and that not everything is doom and gloom. It’s been a true privilege to work with some absolutely amazing people, but now it’s time to move on. Adieu, Icti Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Chakros, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Artifact cart transfer costs](https://www.aetolia.com/news/artifact-cart-transfer-costs/) **Published:** November 2, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, Just a small update to the website artifact cart. I’ve changed it so anything purchase from the cart going forward is eligible for a one-time free power transfer without the usual 25cr cost. This of course is still subject to the power being transferable in the first place – not all powers can. The ARTIFACT INFO command will inform you whether or not a power can be transferred. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 19th of Arios, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [November Promotions!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/november-promotions/) **Published:** November 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey everybody! November is here and I can hear the hobgobblers in the distance! Before they come to take me away, I’d love to tell you about this month’s offerings: First up, the return of the artifact cart! All artifacts purchased directly through the artifact cart have a 30% discount applied; this stacks with Iron Elite Membership for a total discount of 40%! In addition to the large discounts, there are a number of exclusives available only through the cart, including: – Chocolates – House deeds (these come with FIVE rooms in total and can be redeemed by e-mailing me as per HELP CASTLES) – Fireworks – Upgrade tokens – Several other artifacts – Elemental globes Silver chalices can also be found under the ‘artifact packages’ section of the website, with an option for one chalice or a pack of five at comparable discounts to the cart. In addition to the artifact cart’s plentiful offerings, we will also be running a lesson sale! For the month of November, lessons can be purchased directly from the website at a significant discount. Those with Iron Elite Memberships will also receive 10% bonus lessons on any lesson purchase they make! The fun doesn’t stop there, however, because we will be holding an artifact auction later in the month! We will post more information as we draw nearer to posting the lots, including explanations on the process. I hope everybody is ready for the wild offerings we have this time around! Last but certainly not least, congratulations to Ylaida for having the winning ticket in this round of the Iron Lottery! Be sure to congratulate them on their winnings! For those who missed the news, all the dates for our new class releases and the thrilling finale of the Worldeater Saga are listed on \[0;1;37mEVENTS\[0m! As always, the cart and lessons can be found on the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 13th of Arios, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XLI: To Continue](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xli-to-continue/) **Published:** October 31, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As adventurers scattered to report to their gods, tenebrous wisps of shadowy smoke conspired atop Mejev Nider Nesve wo Ti, Matati wo Eja sota Aran wo Aransa. From their conjunction came a gateway through which Severn, the Manipulator stepped. Casting His gaze toward the warfare continuing to rage across and throughout all the expanse of heavenspace, the Minotaur God extended His sole hand outward towards the fraying edges of Umbrael. The sky rippled as Severn tore free His enigmatic shroud from its place above Sapience, leaving the realm bereft of a barrier against the turmoil churning overhead. As the Manipulator’s cloak returns to its owner, it cast shimmering streams of purest possibility in its wake, incensing the tumult overhead into greater rumbles and flickering theatrics. Though neither Creator cast an eye towards Reason’s action, the intensity of Their perceived violence heightened now that nothing girded the world from Their collective rancour. As the Eschaton and Varian Celestine continued Their ceaseless war within an arena a world away, the shocking carnage found an unlikely competition for mortal eye and rapt attention: Umbrael’s billowing underside. Suffused with the radiance of six hundred days of monomachial struggle, the cloak’s underside reflected an endless expanse of nebulaic colour and shimmering, forbidden stars. Entire worlds, ripe upon the vine of possibility, dappled its tremendous reach, hinting at the sheer quantity of power infused within each and every thread. As wars raged upon the surface of an unfortunate world birthed into existence for the purposes of eternal struggle, both Creators reached within that arena simultaneously. Varyan’s unmitigated serenity and focus clashed against the Eschaton’s ethereal grace, a rippling thud racing across the incomprehensible distance between Their arena and the prize awaiting the victor of Their struggle. Aetolia itself shuddered in the face of cosmic carnage, its trembling bringing about the breakage of some weary, swiftly deteriorating dam. Brilliant spirals of starfire and crackling tongues of Immortal lightning coursed across the sky, carving deep cracks into Sapience’s skyscape. The unknowable void betwixt planes yawned open within those impossible scars, bestowing gibbering madness upon those minds unfortunate enough to behold its absolute vacuity. Shamans, priests, soothsayers, witches, warlocks, sages, and other spiritualists who dared stare into the abyss found only gibbering madness staring back, driving them into a fatal spiral of insanity that was felt across the realm entire. Each intervention, each arrangement of divine providence then acted as a brutal lever, prying the Creator-wrought rents further open amidst discordant clicks and otherworldly groans. Cracking akin to an egg, the sky-dome’s ceiling caved inward towards the realm, fluorescent destruction carving a waterfall of obliterating might through reality’s fabric. Other sections of the celestial stage defied this destruction, though they buckled and swelled, bespeaking the horror that awaited its chance to breach the world. Severn then swiftly donned His nebulaic mantle, suffusing His bulky silhouette with a shimmering aura of pearlescent essence. All the world’s deceptive shade exulted in the glory of its unfettered king, the gelid seethe of darkness celebrating an ascendant might capable of displacing an erstwhile, embattled queen from the supernal throne of misery. Maddening whispers devoured mortal thought upon Sapience then as Sevren spoke unto them: “Vincz avej.”\* The Manipulator, Lord of Reason, Artificer to the Father Above, Betrayer to the Favoured Son, the Forsaken One, issued only a sharp gesture with His remaining arm and then discorporated amidst an oily smear of darkness, conveying Him to parts unknown. As soon as the Minotaur God took His leave, the sky issued a tremulous convulsion, allowing more of that fell quintessence to rain down upon the realm. It soaks now into every stretch of land it touches, suffusing Sapience with nascent possibilitya \*: Scholars of language capable of piecing together fragments of the Czjetijan tongue report that this translates to something akin to “now I continue.” Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 7th of Arios, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XL: Thinking Engine Matrix Alignment](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xl-thinking-engine-matrix-alignment/) **Published:** October 31, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the six-hundredth day of the Creators’ Monomachy came to a close, the when became the now. A large crowd of adventurers assembled at the northern end of the Dia’varr Manufactory to accompany Copperhead of the Third Spoke inside the Kalchos Centrifuge. Before its first step within the immense Thinking Engine that it served, the Cogger clarified to all present that they were not to touch anything and went so far as to issue a precautionary warning level of four – a state would mean any false move resulted in violence-adjacent suppression for any unfortunate mortal not to heed its instructions. With such measures out of the way, Kalchos’ emissary opened the way inside and proceeded towards its centre, where it stood awaiting those Sapient mortals who lagged behind. When each visitor finally found their way to the heart of the engine, Copperhead stepped forward and connected its circuitry with the Kalchos centrifuge, proving once and for all that it was the emissary it had claimed to be. Communing with the tremendous engine all around, it relayed some preliminary information necessary for Sapience to grasp the warning it would later impress upon them. Reminding mortals that Varian the Celestine had engaged in cosmic usurpation in an effort to see His Creation live on in spite of Oblivion’s all-consuming power, the Cogger soon clarified that Sapience itself existed within its own world – a bubble nestled atop the true world of Aetolia. Copperhead went on to provide evidence to suggest the veracity of this assertion: the manner in which the elements filtered into the continent, the way most of its gods could never go beyond its continental boundaries, and how Sapience possessed its own laws of reality that were in conflict with Aetolia’s own. Likening Sapience to a bubble and and a parasite, the Cogger explained that Aetolia’s proper natural order often took precedence, allowing Albedi gods to breach this bubble and operate within it without any concerns. Pressing on, the Kalchos emissary also insisted that Sapience was so deeply rooted to Aetolia now that its removal would result in complete multiversal collapse – more generally: an end to the Eschaton’s Creation. Before anybody could further question Copperhead and its all-knowing centrifuge, however, it conveyed a far more pressing fact: the bubble encapsulating Sapience was running dangerously thin, threatening the obliteration of Sapience and Albedos alike. Blaming the Monomachy, the previous Theomachy, and Spirean ylemnic devastation as the threefold causes of this thinning, Copperhead pressed forward, citing a high likelihood that the continuation of the Monomachy would spell an eighty-eight percent chance of absolute annihilation. Concerned for their lives and their legacies, Sapience’s adventurers did not take this news lightly. The Cogger cut through the panic and insisted to those gathered that this danger presented a need for the Thinking Engines of the Endless to interfere and provide solutions and advice. The emissary of Kalchos made it clear that intervention was necessary – either by Varyan Celestine or the Eschaton Whose name was mysteriously redacted from all records kept by the Endless. In an effort to make its advice more readily understood, the Cogger first outlined the Engine’s observation that the twin Creators currently fought within a different world cordoned off from the Prime Material. When the gathered mortals nodded along in a dumbfounded manner, Copperhead offered Kalchos’ four solutions to Sapience’s adventurers. The first solution proffered was the obliteration of ‘maker entity Varian’. Classifying the chance of Aetolia’s success in managing this task as slightly under fifteen percent, the Cogger entertained little question or commentary before moving on to the second: the destruction of the Eschaton. This too was rated at a low likelihood, its statistical chance calculated to be an even lower nine percent. Sapience’s gathered mortalfolk waited with bated breath as Copperhead communed with the Kalchos centrifuge’s calculations, hoping that the third and fourth solutions would prove much more manageable than the notion of slaying a Creator. The third solution, claimed Copperhead, was ‘enforcing manifold reality adjustment via mass cognitive collaboration event’. Confusion was the only reply the Cogger received as the gathered audience sought to grasp the ramifications of such an undertaking, with some eventually relating it to the Grand Artifice and others attempting to get more information from the mechanical spokesperson. Citing the likelihood of success as fourty-eight percent, Copperhead went on to elaborate that this likelihood was misleading, as Sapience had demonstrated an extensive history of unwillingness to cooperate to achieve goals and thus ‘Basrai would not recur’. The fourth and final suggestion, with all the hopes and dreams hinged upon it, arrived soon after: the Kalchos centrifuge swiftly suggested destroying the world enclosing the two Creators and cited that a previously unknown agreement could once more be adhered to in the name of keeping Creation orderly. This solution was rated at a seventy-eight percent chance of success, so said Copperhead, and thus it seemed the most attractive to the Thinking Engines and the Cogger itself. Sapience remained sceptical and argued amongst itself, though this was quickly cut off by a sudden whirr from the Thinking Engine as it supplied Copperhead with an unexpected fifth possible solution: the emergence of ‘a third maker class entity’. Though Kalchos rated the likelihood of success as almost one-hundred percent, it stressed via the Cogger that the actual likelihood of this occurring was virtually zero. When questioned on the matter, the coppery emissary refused to answer aside from stressing that fixation upon ‘sub zero likelihoods’ was an exertion of already limited Sapient intelligent quotients and thus seemed highly inefficient. Though Copperhead remained active for a short period after disconnecting from the centrifuge, it did not entertain a great deal of conversation. When questioned on historical records of the Great Theomachy, it admitted to possessing access, but did not feel it was pertinent to the current timeline and thus refused to release them into Sapience’s care. It brushed off other questions about unrelated topics, though inquiries on Ilimos the Rampant drew its attention – and its warnings, for the Cogger claimed that the Thinking Engines classified the imprisoned god as a ‘cosmological threat’ that should not be released. After once more classifying Legyn as a traitor, Copperhead issued one final remark about continuing its search for its Sapient asset and then turned its quiet attentions to this task – and any other that the centrifuge might deputise it to handle in the interim moments betwixt confluential happenings. Soon, the realm’s adventurers hurried to report back to their city-states and their gods – gods that Kalchos had urged them to beseech the aid of. All throughout the continent, the Divine of Sapience heard reports and pleas from Their followers, Who one and all decided that They must heed the warnings of the Third Spoke. Each of the gods turned to Their own business, a single goal between Them in spite of a lack of cooperation: find a way carve a way through the arena world and bring an end to the Monomachy. It was then that the first of Varian’s children motioned to prepare for the task ahead. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 7th of Arios, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXXIX: Copper and Indigo](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxxix-copper-and-indigo/) **Published:** October 31, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** On the five-hundred-and-ninety-fifth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, strange noises lifted up from the depths of the Manufactory known only as ‘Dia’varr’ by the locals of the Red Quarter. Though quietude reigned after their short-lived clamour, Sapience’s curious adventurers found themselves drawn to the location to inspect its breathtaking machinery for any changes or signs of interference. What they found, however, was a mechanical being familiar to many but strange to others: Copperhead of the Third Spoke, self-proclaimed emissary of the Kalchos Centrifuge. The rustless Cogger called out for Iesid Mulariad, its foremost Sapient asset acquired during its last confluential expedition, stating that his attendance was considered ‘mandatory’. After realising that this summons would not be obeyed, Copperhead rapidly pivoted to a new plan that soon resulted in the reclassification of another Sapient individual: Legyn, the current Architect of the Archivium. No longer considering the man a traitor so as to expedite the process of its new assignment, Kalchos’ emissary insisted that Sapience as a whole should be audience to the work that the centrifuge would soon enact. Declaring temporary-asset Legyn as its translator, Copperhead informed the gathering crowd that several thousand cycles would need to pass before the dissemination of crucial information from the Kalchos thinking machine and then promptly descended into a low power state to await the moment when ‘the when would be the now’. Though many Sapient adventurers were as confused as they were curious, they swore to come back in a week’s time to behold the mysteries beyond the northern border of the manufacturing plant and then dispersed. Then, upon the five-hundred-and-ninety-ninth day of the furious duel within heavenspace, the Nightmare sought to further Her plans before the coming of Kalchos’ revelation. After handing orders down to Her Oracle, Omei met her trusted vassal atop the Great Rock and set forth to bind yet another Astral sphere to the Prime Material. Though Sekeres prepared an extensive, esoteric ritual in honour of an ancient cult now enjoined to the Imago’s purpose, she was not without interruptions. Before the ritual magic could carry out in full, Legyn – chosen of Chakrasul – swiftly leapt into the middle of things and attempted to end the Oracle’s life. Though more of Omei’s courtiers were summoned to guard the ritual and ward him off, a battle swiftly unfolded. Joined by the renegade Akkari known as Amyie and adherent-hopeful Kiershu, Chakrasul’s servants attacked again and again in hopes of interrupting whatever machinations the Nightmare had in store. Omei’s own followers held fast and put up a valiant defense that only unraveled at the final moments of the ritual, though it seemed such success came at a price: in the chaos, a mysterious third party had interfered with the magical runes sketched out by Sekeres, ensuring a change in the fateful circuitry of her intent. Wasting no time, Omei dispersed Herself to the Astral Realm and carried out the final steps to bind the sphere – a process that left Her far more frustrated than triumphal. Even as whispered speculation took to dark winds, the Kalchos Centrifuge ceaselessly calculated the odds of several events… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 7th of Arios, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The headless horseman](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-headless-horseman/) **Published:** October 30, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Enlivened by the spooky atmosphere, the corpse of an unfortunate soldier that fell during the heroic charge against the Polemarch’s army has stirred to life… the headless horseman of the Resistance! For the next two days, until October is over, this elite NPC will spawn randomly around the world. There will be a global message announcing its presence when it spawns, and it has a lowered spawn time (average 2 hours). Killing this elite has both a chance of dropping essence for the haunted house shop, and dropping chocolates. Do note these chocolates have a shorter decay time than usual – use them or lose them! However, this is no ordinary elite foe. This special spectre is introducing four new elite powers: Juggernaut This denizen will occasionally set its sights on a direction, readying a powerful charge. Adventurers in its path, both in its current room and those along its charge route, will be dragged along, and suffer significant damage and stun with each room traversed. Ensure you’re not in its way when it decides to bolt! Infernal This denizen occasionally marks adventurers with a fiery brand that counts down to detonation. Upon reaching zero, the brand erupts, harming the branded and nearby allies. Individual explosions are manageable, but clustered detonations amplify the damage greatly. The branded should spread out to individual rooms as the timer nears its end to mitigate the threat. Necromancer This denizen is a crafty foe and should anything die in its presence – adventurer or otherwise – it will raise a skeleton from the corpse to fight alongside it. Soulbinder This denizen possesses the power to intertwine souls. It will tether two adventurers together, inflicting continuous damage until they distance themselves sufficiently to break the effect. Simultaneously, it might bind its own soul to a chosen adventurer, diverting any healing they receive to itself until they’re adequately separated. Ensure you maintain distance when bound until the tether breaks. The horseman has a higher chance of spawning with these powers than other elite powers. Once the horseman’s time has passed, you might find the regular selection elites showing up with these powers too. Additionally, I’ve also made a couple of tweaks to elites in general: \* A lot of lines pertaining to their abilities are now coloured and will also trigger the GMCP alerts channel. \* The arsonist ability can now place down firewalls. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 3rd of Arios, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga's Grand Finale!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-sagas-grand-finale/) **Published:** October 30, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks! As you are no doubt aware, the Worldeater Saga is rapidly approaching another climactic moment – and this one shall be the grand finale of Aetolia’s longest running story arc. Much like last year’s War of Night, we thought it would be best to alert you early on so that you can make any necessary arrangements and set aside enough time to enjoy everything going on. You will find the times for all the remaining massive story moments listed on \[0;1;37mEVENTS\[0m. We hope to see you there! P.S: I lost some of my notes on the new class and mirror release dates – if anybody finds them, will you all let me know? Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 1st of Arios, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Bonro Sands!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-bonro-sands/) **Published:** October 27, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Following the battle with Polemarch Andalso, the road north of Cragfoot has been cleared of all the bodies and rubble left behind, and as such… Unleashed upon the world today is the region of Bonro Sands, also known as the Red Quarter. Bonro consists of some 18 fully realised areas, comprised of around 1200 rooms featuring something in the range of 70 new quests as well as a slew of new hunting opportunities, shops, crafting materials, trinkets, and more. This is one of the biggest content releases Aetolia has ever had and you’ll find that Bonro goes above and beyond what you can expect from the typical questing and adventuring experience – with interconnected storylines, memorable characters, and countless points of interest to keep you entertained. You’ll need to spend a lot of time there (and come back often, as many things change with the times!) if you hope to see and do everything the region has to offer! You can access the Red Quarter via the road at v76316, where you’ll eventually emerge upon the sprawling desert that is the region’s namesake. From there you’ll be able to gain entry to the rest of the areas as outlined in \[0;1;37mHELP 31\[0m. This project was originally conceived all the way back in the early 2010s during the Galleus Era but it’s only in 2023 that the Red Quarter really took shape and came together as a cohesive region. I’d like to thank our mortal builders for toiling away at fixing up and polishing hundreds of rooms, creating dozens of NPCs, and making countless items for the shops and questing. That said, this project would likely have never seen the light of day without one particularly enterprising Celani, so I’d also like to offer some recognition to Watson for putting his heart and soul into this massively ambitious task over the last nine months or so. Please direct your esteems his way because he deserves all your praise and then some – he’s put an exceptional amount of effort into bringing this together and we’re all immensely grateful for it. As always, please be sure to report any bugs, typos, or irregularities right away with as much detail as possible. Enjoy! PS: There are also some new fame lines but they won’t be found easily! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 13th of Ios, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Attitudes](https://www.aetolia.com/news/attitudes/) **Published:** October 25, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** I hate having to do this, especially since most of you are fantastic, but I need to give a quick reality check upon poor or otherwise rude attitudes towards game staff. The long and short of it is this: we take a zero tolerance approach to people being vile towards staff members, whether that be a volunteer or a paid staff member. I’m not telling you that you cannot be angry, but I absolutely draw the line at people sending toxic messages to admin, especially when it’s over something as mundane as dying in a game. If you’re unable to control your temper, I will temporarily ban you from the game so you can cool off and reflect upon your attitude, and the correct way to treat another human. You are all absolutely capable of engaging in arguments without resorting to that. Let’s keep our interactions respectful and constructive. Just to be clear, this is a rare issue, but one that necessitates a reminder when it pops up. Once again, the majority of you are outstanding and make this community what it is. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 1st of Ios, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Survival of the Spook!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/survival-of-the-spook/) **Published:** October 25, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, This weekend we’ll be hosting the yearly SpOoKy SuRvIvOr games, where upon hordes of terrifying creatures will descend upon you in a ravenous pile of claws and magic. As I’m feeling the vibes, we’ll be hosting two Survivor games, with both the Halloween theme and the Terror theme. The Halloween theme will be ran at the Nightmare difficulty, and winner(s) will receive glowing essence to spend at the Haunted House AND will receive the Nightmare difficulty completionist fame line! The Terror theme will be ran with the Endless difficulty, so only one person can win. The winner will receive the rare ‘jackoblade’ artifact, which is a scimitar with the power to turn heads into pumpkins should you BEHEAD your foe with this weapon. For more details on the Survivor game, you can read about it in HELP SURVIVOR. You can find the specific time for the events under EVENT INFO 614. P.S.: The creature from the final wave in a Survivor game are now always marked as a boss and gain all the benefits of being one. Beware! See you there! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 21st of Severin, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXXVIII: The Fall of Polemarch Andalso](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxxviii-the-fall-of-polemarch-andalso/) **Published:** October 24, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Almost immediately, Drakkenmont’s forces pressed in around the Resistance’s brutal charge. All was smoke and chaos, blood and gore, countless slave-soldiers cut down amidst cries for vengeance and liberty from Sapient lips. Battle’s disorientation soon saw Tuiln’s soldiers separated into groups that sought to navigate the fog of war, utilising arcane signal flares from the mages amongst their number. As they marched throughout the field and captured territory to establish a position behind enemy lines, Sapience found themselves beset by an endless array of infantry and officers alike. All throughout their struggle, Polemarch Andalso lurked on the field, his loyal wyrm visiting death and disarray upon the brave warriors of the Resistance. Deploying clouds of choking gas, skittering spider mines, and other deadly variations of ylemtech bombardment from his ixtamyl, the Governor of the Red Quarter demonstrated his willingness to personally quell the rebellion brewing at his borders. He did not yet reveal himself, opting instead to remain aloof and give commands to test defenses and determination of his enemies. As his elite fighters engaged Sapience’s heroes, he gave orders for a magitechnical bombardment. A magitechnical artillery battery emerged from its cover ‘neath the crimson sands of the Red Quarter, its position fortified by a shield projector. As it drew energy from a distant generator, lurid energy amassed at the battery’s threefold barrels. The barrels soon expelled this energy, carving destruction across the battlefield in unprecedented waves of terrifying assault. Though the adventurers suffered heavy losses on the initial volley, they swiftly rallied and sought out the generator powering this artillery battery and tore it down before moving on to disarming the shield that guarded the battery from physical assault. The gathered army of slave soldiers redoubled their fervent efforts to beat back the Resistance as Polemarch Andalso personally took the field, his zweihander clutched in an iron grip. Adventurers quickly converged upon the Polemarch, hitting him with everything they could muster. Though their force would normally be overwhelming to an average mortal, Andalso demonstrated the eternal resilience and technological prowess of his people, facing down more than sixty of Sapience’s finest warriors in a battle that kicked up dust across the red desert. Even as he cut down many in his quest to defeat the Resistance, the Governor found himself retreating often, replenishing his reserves and preparing new gambits and strategies in his fruitless attempt to break the collective will of his foes. Though he fought valiantly in the name of the Autarch’s rule of the region at his back, the Polemarch found himself so utterly disabled at one point that Nawan Karthi, Arqeshi Sciomancer of the Conclave of Magic, saw the perfect opportunity to close the battle. Calling upon the immense might of his singularity, the mage boldly collapsed its energy inward, drawing the Polemarch directly into its center and unravelling his very elemental constituency into a faint, colourful smear. Though the Resistance roared out in triumph, their celebration swiftly found an end in the grinding interruption of fell machinery – somewhere out there beneath the dusty battlefield rested Andalso’s trump card, its mysterious circuitry serving to initiate his return to the fight. Blademaster Tuiln gave a mysterious order to the Titan Kurak, calling upon it to initiate the Resistance’s own gambit. After a brief internal prayer, the Titan focused inward and unleashed the energy rattling through its brilliant core in a shattering shockwave that served to obliterate any and all ylemtech present upon the field – at the cost of Kurak’s life and its status as one of those fell echoes of Dreikathi dominance from so long ago. Though the once-Titan was too slow to deny Andalso’s rebirth, lurid smoke engraved terrible ripples upon the sky, hinting at the machine’s destruction – and the end of the Polemarch’s feigned immortality. After engaging in battle once more, it did not take long for another clever Sciomancer to usher Andalso to his true end. Wielding the ravenous might of Czjetija in full, Boube of the Conclave of Devotion paid the shadow’s price in exchange for the most terrifying of sorcerous executions, consigning the Dreikathi warrior to an ignominious end amidst the hissing cries of all-consuming darkness so many planes away. As Tuiln called for a departure from the field, Sapience celebrated their triumph over a Polemarch that had once terrorised their very realm – and looked to the northern roads, blocked by rubble and rotting dead. The Blademaster assured his soldiers that they could take time to recover and that fresh troops from Dramlai Watch would begin the difficult process of clearing the path into the heart of the Red Quarter. Even as Sapience takes that well-deserved rest, the tireless circuitry of an awe-inspiring machine hums to life, calling upon an agent impervious to rust… Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 20th of Severin, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXXVII: To Ride for Freedom](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxxvii-to-ride-for-freedom/) **Published:** October 24, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Roaring aloud a unified warcry with weapons raised, the Resistance thundered forward towards Polemarch Andalso and his forces. With every footfall upon Albedi soil, Bards called out to their fellows and stirred their hearts with uplifting songs of war, their symphonic urgings joined by inspiring cries from the Dauntless Host and the expedient aid of emboldened Teradrim. As they sped forward, Drakkenmont pivoted their focus in an attempt to stymie the incoming charge, presenting yet more challenges for Sapience’s avengers to defeat before they could meet the opposing army’s commander. With a commanding cry from Vierkathi officers, Drakkenmont’s punitive force unleashed a hail of arrows. Sapience’s accomplished magi and esoteric scholars – Ascendril, Sciomancers, and Archivists all – stood against this wave of innumerable projectiles, unwilling to allow such simple measures to stop the full fury of the Resistance unleashed. They joined together and conjured sheets of incandescent elemental energy or else manipulated gravity and trajectory, tearing the arrows from the sky and rendering them naught but an afterthought. Even the mighty Ravagers joined in, turning arrows to ashes with waves of obliterating hellfire. Though they failed to pluck every single vicious missile from the skies, they turned an inevitable end into nothing but splinters beneath the hooves of the liberating charge determined to meet Drakkenmont head on. The Vierkathi officers called to escalate measures, sending soldiers scrambling to rotate siege weapons towards the onrushing charge. In another display of grit and military mastery, Sapience’s Syssin snipers, fell Runecarvers, and wise Shamans answered the call to duty. In a hail of lightning, accursed bolts, and precise archery, Drakkenmont’s forces found themselves beset by ruthless distraction and innumerable losses that bought time for the Resistance to close more distance before the catapults and trebuchets could launch their tremendous payload. Though their efforts were valiant enough that they would have earned lost Aryon’s approval, Andalso’s soldiers managed to let fly the colossal boulders meant to siege Dramlai’s walls. As these tremendous rocks flew towards the heroic charge bearing down upon Drakkenmont, the egotistical Ravagers and furious Zealots amongst the Resistance stepped up to prove their mettle. Through sheer will or fiery faith, they drove away all that threatened the approach, minimising Sapience’s losses before battle could be joined in truth. Tranquil even amidst the heat of battle, Sentaari monks banished boulders to the Void, leaving only a few for staunch Teradrim to catch and reduce to little more than sand. Not yet spent, Drakkenmont’s officers called to let loose a second volley of arrows, once more hoping to rain black death down upon the brave warriors. Tidesages swiftly sought to hamper accuracy with whorls of enchanted mist, ensuring that many arrows missed their mark – and those that did not miss found themselves turned away by shimmering shields of bone fragments wrought by fervent Earthcallers. Yet more of Drakkenmont’s archers found themselves plunged into night’s alluring darkness by Sciomancers, their flexible sorcery finding footing upon the field in interesting, tactical ways. Once more, Andalso’s soldiers sought to escalate their military measures. With a sharp gesture towards the backline, the Vierkathi officers called for a ylemtech artillery strike against the charging Resistance. Moments later, a devastating beam of magitechnical energy carved across the Red Quarter, heating sand to glass and obliterating the landscape unfortunate enough to span the path of its lethal unleashing. Sapience’s heroes veered to the left and right, though many were lost in this initial bombardment. Had it not been for the miraculous intervention of loyal Luminaries, the numerological formulae of genius Archivists, and the sanguine aegis of the Bloodborn, many more would have fallen that day – many warriors narrowly survived their brush with Drakkenmont’s dreaded ylemtech only by the grace of these genius minds, ensuring that the liberating force had the manpower for the fight to come. Though many lives were saved, the mounts of myriad soldiers were not as lucky. Unwilling to cease their approach, Sentinels, Indorani, Oneiromancers, and Praenomen leapt to the task of remedying this grave logistical loss. The Indorani prepared new chariots through their mastery of Tarot’s secrets, their aid matched only by the natural prowess of woodlore specialists calling out to the sojourns of rugged haatun of the Red Quarter. Omei’s mysterious Oneiromancers gifted colourful palettes of quetzals to some soldiers, ensuring they could ride to battle once more. Opting instead to inform these fallen steeds that their service was not yet done, the Dominion’s dreaded Consanguine reanimated myriad fallen horses and camels, allowing the Resistance’s liberator cadets to ride into battle once more alongside Sapience’s adventuring heroes. Blessed Luminaries and Templars, fell Revenants and fervent Earthcallers one and all followed suit in this manner, restoring life to dead soldiers through manners emblematic of their diverse walks of life, bolstering the Resistance’s numbers once more. Blademaster Tuiln, refusing to give up when vengeance and justice were within his grasp, forged forward – alone, intent upon buying time for the charge to recoup from the devastating laser assault. Noticing this, Drakkenmont deployed dangerous assassins to waylay his approach. Separated from their commander by a gulf of hostile territory, flaming glass, and shattered earth, the Resistance’s Wayfarers picked a course across the field, even as Alchemists and Oneiromancers sought to undo the devastation in their own ways, allowing them to ride forward to reinforce the Ashtani warrior. Monks, Wardens, and Revenants jumped to his aid in a flurry of martial prowess and supernatural strangulation, cutting down those killers that sought to put an end to the leader of Sapience’s freedom fighters. Some would-be slayers found themselves struck down by the whirling axes of attentive Wayfarers, ensuring that even distant threats to Tuiln’s life were easily swat away by grit and bravery. So close now as to see Andalso himself on the field, the Resistance charged forward. Heavier soldiers like the Templar, Wardens, and Carnifex amongst them cleared the way, shouldering aside weakling soldiers, crushing skulls, and barreling forward amidst animalistic howls in their attempt to force a way to the back line. Alongside their armoured compatriots came savage Shapeshifters who swiftly leapt into the fray in a flurry of fang and claw, their alacrity matched only by the preternatural speed at which the assembled Praenomen carved a bloody swathe through Drakkenmont’s ranks. Then, battle truly joined. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 20th of Severin, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXXVI: A Red Day](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxxvi-a-red-day/) **Published:** October 24, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** On the dawn of the five-hundred-and-fifty-nineth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, the drums of war tore through the Clawhook’s canyons and cliffs. Sethra, Imperator of the Earth and loyal warrior of the Sanguine Fist, read aloud the second section of the vaunted Apocalyptia in an effort to bless the coming war effort with the solemn brutality of Azvosh itself. Joined by Earthcaller Khuzrol, Thronekeeper Cuyler, Reaper Innai and recruit Irra, the guildmaster of the Teradrim felt her voice thunder across the sands of the Red Quarter and the rugged mountains of the range at her back, until at last those final words passed her lips: “May we never know peace.” It was then that the din of tectonic activity intensified, its sound rippling across the Clawhook range in a bellicose song of war: a paean wrought by no man-forged instrument but instead the voices of the Earthen joined as one. \*DOOM-DOOM\* it thrummed amid crag and crevasse! \*DOOM-DOOM\* it hummed and sang, carrying through peak and trough and cavern! And then, like the great legends of old, the earth awakened to sound the call of war. Montane shoulders shrugged free shale and stone and sand and soil as the ranges awakened to attend to the deepest meaning writ upon their ancient core: that of battle, of carnage, of stoic soldiery and dominant havoc. Bound together for the inimical purpose of war, these dusty elements conspired into countless ranks facing out towards the north – towards the Red Quarter, its mysterious reaches yet still clutched within the fist of an enemy against which the earth sought to prove its might. Billowing dust clouds and tectonic rumbles aligned in a twofound confoundment of senses as the unseen hand of fanatical faith and otherworldly geomancy carved brutal infantry from rugged Albedi soil. As the gritty cloud settled to christen these newly wrought warriors, a sonorous chant arose from the column. As one, they lifted their weapons – heavy, vicious spears akin to scepters of absolute authority – and bellowed a wordless challenge against the foe they were one and all destined to join battle with. The column of golems then settled into quiescence soon after, the glimmering ochre light within their eyesockets turned inexorably towards the north. There they waited – for war, for the eternal harrowing promised by religious mandate. Even as this miraculous mass of militant might assembled itself, Blademaster Tuiln met with the infamous Titan known as Kurak. Unbeknownst to many of Sapience’s adventurers, the once-murderer sought to make amends with the Free City after turning over a new, sun-dappled leaf in the name of the First Flame. Working tirelessly alongside the Hammer, the newly evangelised Akkari laid low countless officers and infantry alike, though this did little to change the minds of Delve’s ruling council. Instead, the Resistance offered a path to redemption: a noble sacrifice at the proper time. As Tuiln explained the details of their battle plan, he redirected the remaining ylem from the Resistance’s military camp into Kurak’s titanic ylemcore, priming the Arborean brute as an unstable explosive meant to ruin Polemarch Andalso’s technological advantage. Then, as morning light trickled across the Red Quarter in a blaze of crimson yearning to compete with blood soon to spill, the Blademaster assembled the rest of Sapience’s soldiers at the center of downtrodden Cragfoot. Amidst the cacophony of Drakkenmont’s punitive approach, Tuiln explained to the gathered adventurers that they would proceed to a point within the Red Quarter to await the proper moment to ambush the approaching army and cut through them into Andalso’s backline – and then through to the Polemarch himself. The unlikely alliance of brave warriors, cunning assassins, embittered veterans, famous drunkards and motley rejects fell in behind the stoic Blademaster moments later, following him to the staging area for what would be one of the most intense battles upon Albedi soil in centuries. As adventurers impatiently awaited their moment of glory, the mighty golems assembled at the edge of the Bonro Sands stirred into motion, their movements a unified display of combative purpose. One and all, they marched forward in lockstep, their heavy forms crunching across the sands as they charted an inexorable course to meet their promised foes. Though the golems did not speed up, Drakkenmont’s infantry raced to meet this mindless forward force, weapons held high. As implacable as the mountains they were shorn from, Earth’s fabricated soldiers set their spears to meet the charge, each stony tip gleaming with vicious potential. Screams of the dying mingled with the sonorous exultations of Azvosh as the two forces met in combat, christening the Red Quarter with blood and dust born of brutal warfare. Then, Blademaster Tuiln sounded the call to charge. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 20th of Severin, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Haunted House](https://www.aetolia.com/news/haunted-house/) **Published:** October 24, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Located in the Mannaseh Swamp, the Haunted House is now open for all your spooky desires! Visit and beware… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 15th of Severin, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads October 2023 - part 2](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-october-2023-part-2/) **Published:** October 24, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Artifacts ========================= – \[3356\] CRACK CROP now has a message on QL for whomever the effect is upon. Assassination ========================= – \[3326\] Scaling is now blocked when in a flooded or watery room. Naturalism / Botany ========================= – \[3354\] The alerts from Whispers / Distractions are now more condensed. Desiccation / Inundation ========================= – \[3354\] The alerts from Disturbances / Fluctuations are now more condensed. Domination / Contracts ========================= – \[3322\] Increased the amount of damage dealt by Hound / Cerberus. – \[3322\] Increased the amount of damage dealt by Storm / Huntress. – \[3322\] Greatly increased the amount of mana drain dealt by Sycophant / Lamia. Tarot / Hyalincuru ========================= – \[3322\] Peace no longer affects the activation of Eclipse / Cloud. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 15th of Severin, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads October 2023 - part 1](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-october-2023-part-1/) **Published:** October 20, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Artifacts ========================= – \[3358\] The ‘stability’ command now requires and uses poultice balance. \* I have coded this into Firstaid so it should support it out of the box. – \[3320\] Phoenix hearts and Bull’s eyes are no longer edible while you are phased. Bladefire / Chirography ========================= – \[3319\] Numbed legs now count towards falling prone if the other leg is broken. Domination / Contracts ========================= – \[3332\] Hound / Cerberus pact count has been increased to 40, up from 20. Gravitation / Sporulation ========================= – \[3359\] Reverse / Uplift now lasts about a second longer, with two more ticks. Hypnosis ========================= – \[3333\] Suggest equilibrium recovery time increased to 2.4, up from 2. – \[3333\] Seal equilibrium recovery time increased to 2.4, up from 2. – \[3333\] Seal can now be used while off balance. Miscellaneous ========================= – \[3355\] Mobiles will no longer leave the skies to sleep if they are following someone. \* They will try and sleep again if they follow you to the ground per normal rules. – \[3337\] Experience loss has been capped to 20 million for both PvE and PvP. \* Do note that experience loss still starts at 1% (of your level) for PvE and 2% for PvP past level 100. Numerology ========================= – \[3321\] Recollection now costs 12% of your max mana, up from 10% mana. – \[3321\] Recollection now costs 300 willpower, up from 1% of your max mana. Shamanism / Experimentation ========================= – \[3355\] Morph / Reconfiguration will now ensure that your familiar will remain on the same elevation as you. Tracking ========================== – \[3348\] Badulem cold burn now deals 4% + n% of max health as poison damage for each venom affliction. \* N is equal to the amount of venom afflictions you have, so it multiplies with more venoms. Weaponry ========================== – \[3336\] Attack now has a combat message. Woodlore ========================== – \[3343\] Raccoon chance to block a curative increased to 15%, up from 5%. – \[3343\] Raccoon blocking a curative now has a 15 second cooldown. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 17th of Variach, in the year 513 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXXV: Fire and Water](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxxv-fire-and-water/) **Published:** October 16, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Even as Sapience fought a bloody battle against Marzpawn Zorusthi and his surviving underlings, the Clawhook’s sparse streams parched beneath the Fury’s searing force. Rivers ran dry, lakes boiled, and even distant bodies of water began to sizzle and steam as they yielded to murderous heat incarnate. Empowered by war and enlivened by the defeat of Marzpawn Zorusthi, each of Yvalamon’s motions scalded the world, one and all leaving behind the welt of hysterical aggression. As Its physical manifestation branded the world with unending heat, Its metaphysical reach sieged the psyche of all beings of the mortal realm. Hatred and rage reigned as eternal tyrants within the minds of all peoples, demanding adherence to their cruel rulership. Destruction became sacramental sustenance and everlasting war ran through veins one and all as newly boiling lifeblood, veiling reason in a crimson haze. Drawn to mortal battle and unshackled through the death of Its opposite, the Fury descended upon the Clawhook with sickening, gleeful wrath. Meteoric showers of hellfire touched down upon the ridges, reducing soldiers to ash with an indiscriminate brutality that only a berserk god could achieve. Agonised cries mingled with the maddening violence that gripped the ridge, Liberation and Drakkenmont alike plunged into the throes of near thralldom to Yvalamon’s bellicose essence. Distant oases and sacred aquifers began to dry up, spelling impending doom for the distant ecosystem of the Red Quarter. Cries of dismay heralded the woe of the Caentoi people. The land offered only a ragged sob bereft of moisture, the lifegiving resource of water stolen so utterly so as to deny even the tears of impending demise. Then, soil and stone trembled as something coursed beneath their hardened surface, myriad fissures and cracks rending through the mountain range underfoot. Even as the Hammer’s zealous crusaders lifted their voice to the heavens and cried out for salvation, rivulets of pure water wept from these breaches of earthen integrity, bespeaking an aqueous presence just out of sight. A distant mountain within the Clawhook Range soon collapsed as an untapped aquifer yielded its riches to mortality, flooding ridges and chasms for just long enough to allow the rippling outline of Kaj, the Child of Accordant Water to dart forward into the battle. Clarity’s refreshing tides soon washed over the inferno licking at the edges of mortal sanity, freeing all who yet lived beneath Yvalamon’s calescent thumb from Its hateful tyranny. Gradually, adventurers managed to claw back control of their psyche, the shackles of war weathered away by the influence of Accordant Water. Granted the gift of change unending, the surviving soldiers turned away from bellicose rampage and watched in awe and terror as two fundamental beings locked in a deadly, cosmic struggle. His whiskers flailing wildly, Kaj scattered His riches to the beleaguered Clawhook, transfiguring fire to hissing steam with a mere splatter of His waters. By His direction, His makeshift mountain river tightened into a roaring waterspout that carried Him up to the skies – directly towards Yvalamon. As Accordant Water and Tumultuous Fire met in the skies, They served as a mirror for the violence overhead. The tremendous catfish god barreled into the hulking calcine deity, bringing with Him a stream of roaring waves that threatened to snuff out the Fury’s hellacious pyroclasm. Steam hissed and popped as Yvalamon redoubled Its infernal intensity, Its accumulated might serving as an impassable wall around Its burning heart. Though peerless quantities of water, gushing with a violence to rival an apocryphal storm, crashed into It at Kaj’s behest, not a drop managed to find the Fury’s raging core. Demons emerged then from a blackened aperture beside the Fury and lunged forward, driving burning claws into Kaj’s scaled flanks. The Child bucked and wheeled within the ever-present river enclosing Him, surges of His brilliant power obliterating these lesser manifestations in a showing of His regathered strength. Gouts of black smog rose up from where these aberrations once lingered, cyclonic vortices of burning water and sodden fire twined in impossible opposition. Effervescent geysers erupted from cracks and crevices riddling the Clawhook, spewing jets of pure water at the Fury. Denied the freedom to act out Its singular brutality by the onrushing promise of devastation beneath the tides of river, stream, brook, and runnel, Yvalamon issued a bellow alike to the multitudinous roar of countless forges bound for war and retreated towards the east in a rush of hissing smoke and blazing heat. A frothing river unfurled along the northern horizon, serving as a border impassable for the burning deity. Kaj darted forward along this glimmering tide in rapid, determined pursuit, ensuring the Fury’s retreat did not take It towards holy ground. Space bent amidst the fundamental workings of these two erstwhile eld’akathi fragments, allowing Them to defy mortal order for the purposes of sundered Immortal rancour. Fire, shadow, water and spirit all clashed within the sky in pale imitation of the Monomachy’s chilling violence, warping reality’s taut fabric with the weight of haunting omnipotence. The Two adverse forces comprised a duality of dualities, a struggle echoing not only the duels in the skies but the haunting carnage of two fundamental beings once more wreaking cataclysm upon an unsuspecting land. Though unflattering in its comparative potency, the mimicry of the Two deities seethed in Their struggle amidst flickers of cerulean and crimson. This unlikely conspiracy of elemental force scattered across the Clawhook in uneasy waves, carving smoking ruin and stormborn erosion into mountain faces as They drifted further away from the field of battle. Though Immortal ire reigned upon the eastern horizon as the Child and the Fury battled on across Albedos, Their awe-inspiring silhouettes soon vanished from mortal gaze, their legacy a churning maelstrom of fire and water writhing snakelike ‘cross the sky in the wake of Their primordial, vicious passage. Shrill cries from surviving Drakkenmont superiors arose then from fallen Dramlai, sounding the retreat of its occupants. The remaining soldiers beat a hasty retreat out of the other side of the keep, bound for the safety of still-captured territory. Downtrodden villagers of Cragfoot scattered at the sight of an ensuing march, their hovels and establishments slamming shut to avoid the ire of Dramlai’s vanquished defenders. A rumbling clamour echoed throughout Clawhook’s nearby ridges as the force crossed to the northern end of the village, where they disappeared deeper into the canyon. Even as Tuiln called for the Resistance to begin fortifying Dramlai Watch in preparation of a counter-siege, one forerunning officer was already making a breathless status report to a furious Polemarch… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 17th of Haernos, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXXIV: The Final Siege of Dramlai Watch](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxxiv-the-final-siege-of-dramlai-watch/) **Published:** October 16, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** On the dawn of the five-hundred-and-sixteenth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, Blademaster Tuiln mustered the Resistance for one final siege of Dramlai Watch. Myriad adventurers gathered and assigned themselves to specialised squads, dividing the labour of the impending warfare between them. Soldiers streamed into the ridges on both ends and joined in bloody melee, turning the Clawhook Range into a butcher’s yard once more. The rocks ran red with rivers of blood as warriors perished by the hundreds amidst flaming shrapnel, killing waves of magic, and the indiscriminate rage of indentured giants. Though the Liberation Front made swift strides with their tactical prowess, all of their carefully laid plans were dashed to naught with the arrival of Azaregenoth, a Dragon collared as Marzpawn Zorusthi’s personal servant. The massive creature alighted within the rocky ridge and visited uttermost ruination upon the forces of the Resistance, its colossal bulk proving too dangerous for a mere handful of adventurers. Sapience at large struggled with the beast for most of the morning, their keen minds and insurmountable grit proving a worthy bulwark against the Dragon’s obliterating wrath. Though many fell before his spiny tail and scalding flame, Azaregenoth eventually collapsed, his ruin smote upon the bloodied ridges of the Clawhook battlefield. As the Bonro Liberation Front pushed forward to clear space at the keep’s walls, several Spirean operatives departed to set their own schemes into motion. Rendezvousing with Cythris the Red in a distant crevice within the Dramedo Peninsula, the Theocracy’s clandestine force pushed forward through an old smuggler’s passageway that took them behind the keep. In exchange for an unknown price, the gang had arranged for an elite cadre of Spinesreach soldiers to utilise this old tunnel to reach Cragfoot, the dilapidated village straddling the line betwixt Clawhook and Red Quarter. Ushered into empty barrels by Cythris’ contact within the settlement, the Dragon of the North settled in and awaited the proper time to strike. Violence and rage reigned upon the battlefield as sparks of Divine calescence emerged within the embattled heavens. With each clash, each warcry, each deathblow, an Immortal tension gripped the battlefield further into its ruinous grasp, eliciting a scream of terror from the empyreal vault as all its air served as fuel for ire-made-ignition. Whorls of fire rampaged across the sky and conjoined with ropelike plumes of thick, billowing smoke. Soon, flaming fractals decorated heavenspace in a panoply of incandescence, seething with incredible rage. Unseen by most within the range, a small shipping cart cut its way down the road towards the northern edge of Dramlai Watch. Commandeered by a shrewd, petite Praexi, the caravan slipped by sentries with little inspection and soon her shipment of inconspicuous barrels were offloaded and she was gone once more to her establishment within Cragfoot. These barrels were soon carried off to a storage room, awaiting an appointed hour and drawing not a lick of suspicion in the meantime. In a display of Valour that would have stirred Arion’s own heart, Sapience managed to push a ylemnic ram all the way up to the walls and began to siege the keep’s very foundation with well coordinated strikes. In the midst of this brutal chaos, Spinesreach’s operatives sprang into action. The small team of infiltrators cut their way to the uppermost reaches of the keep alongside a cohort of Red Hand gang members and saw to the destruction of Dramlai Watch’s shield generator by way of leyline-empowered explosives. The burgeoning storm in the skies, wrought of hate and fuelled by spite, loathing, and desperate hunger, soon conspired to shape an all-consuming inferno whose dark canvas blot out the divine violence yet rampaging on high. Elongated limbs formed amidst the churning flame, its coalescence discarding errant embers that streaked like enraged starfall across the sky. With a roar which seemed to devour all the air from the world to feed its ravening arrival, the crude silhouette of an ancient Being imposes itself against the scorched skyline. The conflagrant curtain parted then, revealing the alien form of Yvalamon, the Fury, Tumult of Fire, Patron of Hatred and Herald of All War. Instilled with an unnatural, deific fury by way of Yvalamon’s rampant influence, Sapience charged their way through the keep’s recently-ruined wall and set themselves to the task of cutting down every Drakkenmont soldier in their path. Indiscriminate bloodshed served to paint the interior of the keep with the steaming blood of its defenders, forcing Marzpawn Zorusthi to take the field himself in an effort to stop the Resistance’s rampage through Dramlai Watch’s halls. Though he fought valiantly in the name of the Autarch and House Galthor alike, even the ixtamyl-armed Marzpawn was no match for the amassed might of so many adventurers embodying ascendant violence. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 17th of Haernos, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXXIII: The Clawhook Campaign](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxxiii-the-clawhook-campaign/) **Published:** October 16, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** On the three-hundred-and-eighty-fourth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, Sapient and Albedi minds united to meet under a common banner: that of the resistance against Drakkenmont. Having recognised a crucial, once-in-a-century opportunity to pry a region from the empire’s cruel grasp, the Free City of Delve reached out to the city-states of Sapience to request a meeting betwixt their leaders in hopes of arranging for a cooperative campaign to free the Red Quarter from Dreikathi tyranny. Though citizen questions regarding the state of matters came in droves, Tonzal of the Raging Herd and Rhav Maslak remained focused upon what it is they sought from the four other cities: military might, manpower, and funding. Sapience was all too happy to provide a promise for all three. During the meeting, Councillors Rhav and Tonzal outlined Drakkenmont’s current political atmosphere – a set of circumstances that ensured that the governor of the Red Quarter and his subordinates were left vulnerable and without aid for a coming siege. Citing the release of Kaj, rumoured civil unrest in the Red Quarter, the recent failings of Polemarch Andalso and his subsequent loss of status and favour, and Governor Xandrelle’s own rising political influence, the two leaders of the Free City insisted that now was the best – and only – time to strike in the name of freeing the region. When asked about the horrible possibility of an aerial assault on the Resistance’s impending efforts, the councillors insisted that news of the armada’s visit to Sapience meant the airships would require repair and reallocation of refined ylem, effectively taking them out of battle considerations for now. As Sapience’s adventurers departed to make preparations, the Resistance deployed scouts and engineers that struck camp in the Clawhook throughout the next few weeks. On the dawn of the three-hundred-and-ninety-seventh day, Blademaster Tuiln of ruined Ashtan called upon Sapience once more to man the camp and lend their aid in the ensuing operation to siege Dramlai Watch – the bottleneck between the Clawhook and the Red Quarter, a region still held under Drakkenmont’s sway. Adventurers from all walks of life were swift to lend their aid, weaving bandages, tending to the wounded, repairing equipment, scouting territory, and even engaging in minor skirmishes with Dramlai’s preliminary forces. Warfare’s ebb and flow reigned for many weeks as the operation evolved and the Bonro Liberation Front secured more and more territory in their approach to Dramlai Watch’s very gates. As Marzpawn Zorusthi recognised the mounting threat now upon his doorstep, he saw to dispatching elite officers to the field that brought devastation to those that would oppose the Autarch’s claim upon all the world had to offer. Unwilling to give up an inch of their hard fought progress, Sapience mobilised with startling fervour to strike down each and every one of these foes, though many soldiers were lost in explosive fusillades and devastating strikes within the heat of each vicious battle. The campaign reached new heights of brutality upon the four-hundred-and-ninety-eighth day, the rocks of the Clawhook’s myriad ridges soon running slick with the blood of pitched battles. Led by Blademaster Tuiln himself, Sapience assembled upon the front lines and sieged Dramlai Watch’s walls. Fighting through Dramlai’s defenders and indentured giants, the Liberation Front proved a worthy, ferocious foe against Drakkenmont’s imperial might as it eluded ylemnic devastation and brought a battering ram to hammer away at its very walls. Though they managed to inflict grievous damage to the keep’s structure, Dramlai’s defensive forces succeeded in damaging the siege device enough to warrant a call for retreat and Tuiln swore to those gathered that they would begin operations again as soon as a new battering ram could be assembled. As the hour of the second siege drew near, even the wild world sought a champion to send in its name. Contacted by the cantankerous basilisk spirit known as Fornax, Sysaa Moss found herself drawn to an ancient grotto within the Clawhook. Within this sacred hideaway she found a gnarled totem dedicated to the spirit and gave of her own lifeblood to revitalise its link to the land and the spirit world. Sacrificing a Praexi in the name of the brutal Sentinel, the Presiding Voice ascended as a Tiarna an-Kiar and discovered within that burgeoning might a renewed determination to see Drakkenmont toppled from its lofty dominion over all Albedos. It was then, upon the five-hundred-and-fourth day of the savage violence in the heavens, that the Resistance progressed their siege to the next step. Armed with fresh experience and traditional Sapience grit, the four city-states once more united to paint the ridges red with the blood of their Drakkenmont foes. More efficient and organised than the last time by far, it did not take long for the Bonro Liberation Front to march up the lines and once more lay siege to the staunch walls of Dramlai Watch. Though Marzpawn Zorusthi deployed elite officers to waylay this operation, his ploy ultimately proved ineffectual and the keep’s structure suffered massive damage before the Dreikathi’s forces could destroy this new ram. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 17th of Haernos, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Submissions Closed](https://www.aetolia.com/news/submissions-closed-3/) **Published:** October 15, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Submission for new classleads is now closed. You can use REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find reports you haven’t left a comment on, and REPORTS ABSTAINED for reports you haven’t voted on. After three days to gather comments and votes, we will start to post decisions. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 11th of Haernos, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [October Refresh!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/october-refresh/) **Published:** October 15, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey, everybody! After receiving some feedback and requests, we thought it would be interesting to give October’s promotion a refresh to include some relic pieces that haven’t seen the light of day in a few months and even one relic that we haven’t released in several years: the chocobag! Everything you know and love about this promotion still applies, but we’re changing the elemental relic caches as follows: In the craggy relic caches, you will find: chocobag, exploremirror, gorget, lifesense, seeds, and tectonic\_shield. The ilmenitebracer pieces remain as well! In the windswept relic caches, you will find: starchart, diplomacy, observereyes, super\_ear, plumage, and tempestuous\_shield. Like the craggy cache, there is one survivor: the compass pieces remain! I hope you all enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 11th of Haernos, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Happy Birthday Aetolia!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/happy-birthday-aetolia-2/) **Published:** October 6, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! Aetolia officially turns 22 years old at the coming Howling (7th October), and while the Monomachy and Dramlai siege remain at the forefront of the centre stage, we have a few ways to celebrate nonetheless! Firstly, throughout October you’ll be able to use the \[0;1;37mCELEBRATE\[0m command to receive a one-off prize of 22 bound credits! In addition to that, all the daily login bonuses will be in effect throughout all weekdays in October: – Mondays: Double milestones! – Tuesdays: Denizens will respawn twice as fast after being slain! – Wednesdays: Double XP! – Thursdays: Increased critical hits! – Fridays: Favours for everyone! We’ll also be running an Iron Lottery for 1000 credits for the rest of the month, with tickets available via in-game means. See HELP IRON LOTTERY for information! On Saturday 7th at 23:00 we’ll have a celebratory starfall! On Sunday 8th at 22:00 there will be a treasure hunt! On Saturday 14th at 22:00 there will be a quiz on Aetolia lore! We also have a few surprises in store for later in the month, and of course the haunted house will be making a triumphant return! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 12th of Niuran, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXXII: Killer Instinct](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxxii-killer-instinct/) **Published:** October 6, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Throughout the weeks leading up to the Battle of Green Lake, the Nightmare instructed Her chosen to seek out an aperture to the Astral sphere of Blue. Knowing that it had appeared somewhere that posed a risk to the continent itself, Omei urged Her followers to reach it before any other mortal could tamper with the dangerous energies leaking from it and secure it with an oneiric gate. Though the goddess provided coy hints as to this wild portal’s location, She left it to Her court to discover the specifics and delighted in the struggle for a few weeks before Her Oracle and Blossomer – Sekeres and Aolin – stumbled upon its presence upon the cliffs near Esterport. Swift to do the bidding of their Empress, the two priestesses swiftly split the work between them and utilised their collective knowledge of Astral chaos to bend the energies in an appropriate manner. For weeks after, the gateway laid dormant, awaiting the proper time for Omei to press forth with Her machinations. Upon the three-hundred-and-fifty-fifth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, just days after the brutal struggle to free the Child, the appointed hour arrived. Calling upon Kalena Emerson, Her previous champion and the keeper of the Azure sphere, the Nightmare offered a bargain. Omei explained that the sphere of Blue had eluded Her in fullness, its metaphysical location listing towards a dangerous convergence with a portentous place upon the Prime, and that it could only be accessible through mortal memories associated with the colour. Immortal Instinct offered to invest the Pentarch with the power of Instinct in exchange for her aid in accessing the sphere of Blue, stressing that She was sure that Kalena possessed a potent enough memory to entice the sphere to let down its guard. The mortal Templar agreed, and thus a deal was struck. Instructing Her current champion, Eaku Redwood, to guard the Primal side of the gate, the goddess used the oneiric gate to bore a tunnel through the fabric betwixt Prime and Astral and ushered Kalena through to the other side. What awaited the pair was a shifting tunnel of dark and light hues that seemed to twist and squirm before the unquestionable authority of their glorious ruler, its distant end represented by a point of glimmering light that seemed to draw the mortal toward whatever awaited on the other side. Upon the other side, the Pentarch found a reminder of a grief thought conquered. As Kalena relived private memories of the second War of Night, the Astral Empress set about laying the groundwork for the binding of the sphere. She pressed the Pentarch with pointed questions of despair and vengeance as She worked, claiming that the latter was Her favoured form of justice – especially in the face of the former. Amidst emotional tumult, the mortal woman admitted a desire for revenge upon the same Creator that the goddess Herself wished to strike out against. Pleased by this admission, Omei urged the Templar to continue with her honesty – and in so doing, Lady Emerson came to embrace the rage she had otherwise ignored in an echo of an ancient Ankyrean tradition. Recognising that the mortal was on the cusp of adherence, the Nightmare instilled in Kalena a shred of Her power – enough to tear apart the illusory landscape born of her suppressed anger and grief. With just that shred, the once-Vanguard laid waste to the Astral sphere, encasing her and the goddess both, her screams resounding throughout the colourful heavens of Omei’s Empire. In the wake of her destructive rampage, Kalena discovered a way back to the Prime and charged forward to collapse before the very gate that had started her journey that afternoon. Discovering that the goddess had been honest in Her offer, Lady Emerson exulted in her newfound mastery as the first modern Adherent of Instinct. Amidst twin oaths of vengeance, the Nightmare emerged above Esterport and set Her gambit into motion. With a mighty heave, She brought the newly bound Astral sphere near enough to the Prime to briefly conjoin the two, setting the fifth of seven lynchpins into place for a yet still enigmatic purpose. Cackling all the while, the feral goddess vanished to parts unknown after handing down more cryptic instructions to Her followers. Even as tigrish Omei prepared the last two steps of Her mysterious plan, two sets of eyes analysed battle reports and military maps… Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 11th of Niuran, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Elite threat NPCs](https://www.aetolia.com/news/elite-threat-npcs/) **Published:** October 4, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Today we’re releasing the ‘Elite Threat’ system! If you all remember the ‘hunting overhaul’ system, wherein certain NPCs in Tcanna, Torturer’s Cavern and Drakuum got enhanced mechanics for a low chance at dropping area-unique relic pieces – then this is an iteration on that system! I won’t outline the full details here, HELP ELITES covers that in detail, but let me highlight instead here the changes between this new system and the old one. Elite NPCs ———- Under the old system, the NPCs would just get randomly assigned powers on reset. Every NPC had at least one power essentially. This has changed, and now all those NPCs will be going back to their mundane selves. No powers, and no drops. Instead, new ‘elite’ versions of certain NPCs will spawn rarely in the area. We won’t be setting this up for every single NPC type in the area, just certain ones. For example, in Tcanna, you might occassionally encounter an elite gorilla, but never a crow. You can tell if a NPC is an elite one by looking at INFO HERE, it’ll say (elite) next to its name. For system builders, the NPC’s attributes in GMCP will have an ‘E’. Difficulty ———- Elite NPCs are a lot more difficult. They hit harder, and often have additional attacks over their mundane counterparts, and that’s not counting the various powers they get. They have a significant amount of health, are crit resistant (not immune unless they have that specific power) and their health also scales upwards based on number of attackers. That said, the health scaling is such that more people should still result in a faster kill overall. Their health values are also hidden even if you have the hunter’s book artifact. Instead, you will see their health as a percentage on EVALUATE – and this is available to everybody regardless of the artifact. Powers —— Most powers have changed in anticipation of fights being longer, and entirely new powers have been added, read the HELP ELITES file for an overview of each power. The old system had various checks against your stats, similar to DC rolls, but these have been removed entirely. Elites can spawn with any number of powers. Rarity & Rewards —————- Elite NPCs are a lot, lot rarer. Most will, on average, spawn once every 2-4 days. There will be exceptions to this rule, such as the Dramlai Siege story event, or maybe in the future certain quests will guarantee an elite spawn. Since they’re a lot rarer, we’ve changed up how the rewards work. For those elites that have drops, like the old hunting overhaul mobs that drop their area-unique relic pieces, an elite NPC will always drop 1 item guaranteed. In addition to that, if five or more people helped to kill it, then there will be a second guaranteed drop. These guaranteed drops are separate from its normal random drop checks, which will still run regardless. The random chance on its normal drops has been significantly lowered. This will be on a case by case basis, but for example the Tcanna NPCs have gone from a 1/10000 drop chance down to 1/10. Drops are given randomly to those that helped kill the elite – it’s not who got the killing blow. Elite NPCs are also worth a decent amount of experience, and dying to one shouldn’t result in experience loss. In addition to this, helping to kill one will grant you a new ‘elite\_triumph’ defence that will boost your experience gain by 10% for 30 minutes. Bring friends! ————– These are not intended to be solo experiences. While some of you could definitely solo them, the system has been designed around multiple people. New Hunting skills —————— There are two new skills available under AB HUNTING related to this system: – AB HUNTING SCRUTINY – AB HUNTING ELIMINATE Dramlai urgent missions ———————– Elite Drakkenmont soldiers will soon be showing up for this Dramlai siege event. When an elite Drakkenmont soldier spawns, it’ll be announced over the Resistance channel and a new ‘urgent’ mission will be available to accept. Urgent missions do not require, nor use up any of your allowances. Rather than dropping relic pieces, these Drakkenmont Elites will drop ‘a torn Drakkenmont insignia’, a currency that will be used in the future at the Resistance shop. The mission itself will always reward 1 of these insignias, so consider the elite drops to be extras for a lucky few. These elite soldiers will show up more frequently than elites from other areas. That should be it for now. Remember to read HELP ELITES and please be patient with any bugs that show up. Good luck! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 21st of Lanosian, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Questbug](https://www.aetolia.com/news/questbug/) **Published:** October 2, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! Sometimes it can be pretty hard for us to track down a bug related to a quest as it can be difficult to figure out where exactly the problem begins and which prog it might be related to. And no one really likes a broken quest! So I’ve added a new command QUESTBUG: Syntax: QUESTBUG QUESTBUG ROOM How is it different from the normal BUG command? QUESTBUG lets you add a specific item/mob ID number to the bug so we can pretty quickly figure out which mobile or item you might be talking about. You can even specify a vNum instead if you feel that would be more helpful, such as in examples where the quest is supposed to trigger in a specific room. So if it’s related to a quest, use the QUESTBUG command to help us out! Thanks! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 8th of Lanosian, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads October 2023](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-october-2023/) **Published:** October 2, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks! It’s time for the the last classlead cycle for the year, so strap on in and get all those ideas written down into reports! ——————————— Information for this classlead cycle: Submissions will be open for TWO WEEKS in which you can submit THREE reports in for consideration which will be left anonymous. Once this time frame is up, there will be THREE DAYS to vote before we will start posting decisions. You can still vote early as per normal, but the extra three days will be there to avoid the feeling of late reports purposefully being submitted to be snuck through near the end. This time around, we won’t be accepting classleads on Ascendril / Bloodborn for now as they are going through a few changes on the back end. But otherwise, all other classes are open to have reports submitted about! If you’re new, continue on below for more information on classleads. If you’re old, please read HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES at the very least. ——————————— What are classleads: Classleads are a two week period that allows players to submit reports about their class (or other classes) for review by the administration. Do you believe that Teradrim should be able to fling dirt in someone’s eyes? Then this is what you’ve been waiting for! Make sure to read through HELP CLASSLEADS to learn the commands needed to make and submit your reports, and I also highly recommend HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES to help avoid common potholes when creating your submissions. If you want to keep track of submissions and results, have a look at CONFIG CLASSLEADS and consider turning it on. Also consider joining the Discord! On top of being a great place for report feedback before submission, each report will have a thread created about it so you can discuss it with others. See HELP DISCORD for information. Details on submission: \* Newly created reports will be marked as anonymous, your name as a submitter will not be revealed to others. \* You may submit up to a total of three reports across the skillsets of the game to suggest combat balance adjustments, new features, or quality of life upgrades. Please note that this limit is based across all characters you own. \* Reports that are based on skills you do not possess will be much more heavily scrutinized, so make sure they are top-notch before submission. \* While you must provide reasonable solutions to your report’s problem, we may opt for a fourth solution instead based upon feedback. \* Once a report is submitted, -anyone- may vote upon its merit using the CLASSLEAD SUPPORT/REJECT commands. If you wish to support/reject a report, please provide your reasoning and make sure to point out any shortcomings or additions you feel might be necessary. You may also simply leave a comment using CLASSLEAD COMMENT , if you wish for a more neutral approach. \* Any commentary which basically boils down to ‘I agree with my bud’ or ‘This is a terrible idea’ will automatically be discarded, and will you hurt your chances at passing through reports in future rounds, perhaps even resulting in loss of ability to submit at all. If you can consistently provide level-headed thought and in depth knowledge then your opinions will be valued more highly over others, and could result in extra submissions. \* You can use REPORTS ABSTAINED and REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find submitted reports you have not voted upon or commented. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 8th of Lanosian, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [October in Aetolia!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/october-in-aetolia-2/) **Published:** October 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! 2023 marches on and as September comes to an end, we say goodbye to chests and salvage. The Monomachy rages on, however, and you can expect another month of excitement throughout October as the Dramlai Siege arc sets the stage for \[redacted\] and Aetolia’s birthday looms just around the corner! As for the promotion, we are bringing back elemental coffers for October, this time in \[0;1;37mAir\[0m and \[0;1;37mEarth\[0m flavours. Most notably, based on your feedback from the last coffers promotion, we’ve reduced the cost per coffer by around \[0;1;37m20%\[0m. You will find options for choosing either of these coffers over at www.aetolia.com/credits. Here is what you’ll find inside these elemental treasure chests: Credit prizes ranging from 26 to 500 Iron Coin prizes in batches of 25 or 50 Artifacts ranging in value from 50-2000 credits Chocolate bags, elemental globes, silver chalices, morphic metal, patriotic firework displays, and a low chance at antiquated salvage Compendium pages for: Asper, the basilisk lair, the Clawhook Range, Dovan Hollow, the Underbelly, Eftehl island, and Mejev Nider Nesve wo Ti, Matati wo Eja sota Aran wo Aransa Style points to acquire most any style your heart desires Transmute beetle vouchers which can be used to purchase elemental-themed armour transmutations at v1180 Air Coffers ————— Four new minipets: a squall python hatchling, a tempestuous vulture chick, a skysilver steed impelled by elemental air, a fluffy tiger spun from cloudstuff Caches of relic pieces for: compass, mistjar, stormhorn, airshroud, and the new phyl\_tempestuous, flair\_tempestuous, and chrys\_tempestuous relics! Tempestuous vox iterators Earth Coffers ————— Four new minipets: a tiny, rock-ribbed snakelet, a flinty baby roc, a little golem of earth and unrefined ore, and a fat puppy covered in mud. Caches of relic pieces for: rubble, ilmenitebracer, dowsingrod, earthshroud, and the new phyl\_tectonic, flair\_tectonic, and chrys\_tectonic relics! Tectonic vox iterators ~ ~ ~ All coffers will also award one or more consumables that do not count against your value. These include, among other things, immolation bombs, siphoning devices, sets of obsidian scales, pills of omnipotence, and the commonly sought after preserved, yellowed eyes! Relic caches will open for either one or two pieces depending on the piece value. There is also now a global prize of 500 credits for every 500 elemental coffers opened. Last but not least, there are also coffers up for sale in the milestone wares: one of each, for a gold key each! ~ ~ ~ In addition to coffers, throughout October we’ll be trying out something new with the featured artifacts at the top of AP LIST. Each day (this resets at Howling), two random artifacts will be selected as featured, and for 24 hours they’ll be on sale in game for a discount between 5 and 10 percent. This discount is random but weighted in favour towards the 10% discount, and tradein values will reflect the reduced cost. Check out \[0;1;37mAP LIST\[0m for today’s discounts! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 2nd of Lanosian, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Bugs](https://www.aetolia.com/news/bugs/) **Published:** September 20, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello everybody, I’d like to take this opportunity to remind you that if you find a quest that lets you repeat it with little to no cooldown, then you should report it as a BUG for us to fix. Choosing to instead abuse the quest to generate yourself gold will almost always result in loss of character, as one unfortunate individual just found out. As a general reminder, please also include as much detail into your bug submissions as you think is relevant. For example, bugs that just say ‘something is broken’ or ‘something is no longer working’ are rarely useful for us. A better bug report might say something like, ‘I used PUSH on the tree at v12345 but instead of it teleporting me to the secret treasure room, nothing happened at all.’ Thank you. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 16th of Khepary, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXXI: Truth and Reason](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxxi-truth-and-reason/) **Published:** September 18, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Streaking downward like an atramentous comet, Severn materialised between Damariel and His foes. Churning vortices of sable deception consumed the air, masking threatening movements and cunning gambits in His fabled obfuscation. Surprise broke through the stoic grit of Damariel’s expression as He looked upon His newly-arrived Twin, His grip tightening upon Daybreak. A single thud of His starmetal prosthetic rang out as He took a half-step back, sudden wariness commanding His motions. Where Truth felt shock, Strife felt only fury. It bloomed upon Bamathis’ carefully marshalled features, a commanding officer’s demeanour shattered by this unforeseen intervention. The Warlord issued a wordless bellow and cut forward to join battle anew, Caelestis at the ready. Putting together the truth of Severn’s arrival, Damariel leapt into action Himself. He took up a position at His Twin’s right, His greatsword poised for the righteous work to come. As One, the Two converged upon Bamathis in a violent conjunction of day and night, Their martial unity bearing down: Twins arrayed against the Favoured Son. Bringing Strife to heel beneath the blinding force of ancient strategy and primordial kinship, Severn and Damariel soon cast Their attentions towards the rest of Their opposition. The combined might of Varian’s firstborn Sons bloomed then like the glare of a second sun and umbral moon, Truth and Reason a twin force of nature effortlessly eclipsing Their lesser siblings. Dark and light interplayed in a chiaroscuro echo of timeless brotherhood, the collective might of the Twins rapidly forcing Their Father’s supporters onto the defensive. A tempest of Immortal might unleashed consumed the battlefield in glaring brilliance and smoky shadow, tearing through wards and weapons alike in a blur of motion and prowess. Mighty Life, insidious Corruption, inevitable Death, unyielding Earth, and steadfast Strife one and all were lost in the depths of a twin assault consisting of tactics long left to time’s forgetful dust and yet never scoured from Divine memory. In mere moments of blinding, obfuscating potency, Damariel and Severn stood triumphant before five of Their subdued Siblings. The Lord of Truth hefted Daybreak aloft and prepared to deliver a final executioner’s swing, righteous indignation shining in His stormy eyes as He looked upon humbled Bamathis. “It is time We bring Father’s butcher to justice, Sevren. There can be no peace for so long as Strife lives,” Damariel mot Lanosaryon insisted. Chakrasul soon cackled at this display of brutality, noting that the Unbound now hid a cold heart behind the cloak of His righteousness. “A small push,” She said, “and You would become a mad dog just like Arion was near the end.” As Corruption needled Truth, Severn issued a simple, dismissive gesture. Soon, the coils of shadow and light that held His defeated Siblings in place dispersed, allowing Them to draw back and look out across the field at Their opposition. “No, Brother. My aim is not fratricide today, not when We still have need of Them for the war to come,” Severn finally replied. Both Damariel and Bamathis demanded explanations, with the Lord of Truth accusing His Twin of some underlying scheme. “I stand as I always have, My Twin. You should know this better than anyone,” Reason declared. Ethne was quick to provide Her own input then, Her patience run ragged by recent events: “Hmph, as usual He spews words that say little and mean nothing. Come, Damariel, We do not need Him.” “Sevren, set aside Your prevarication. Speak plainly: do You intend to oppose Father?” Damariel pressed, His eyes fixed upon Severn. The Manipulator nodded and affirmed that He would defy Father Varian. “Traitor!” Bamathis snarled as He reached for Caelestis once more, His fury renewed. “I thought You above all Others understood My mission! You would side with the menace that seeks to destroy His Creation?” “I did warn You this would happen, Baby Brother,” wild Haern growled as He reached out to stay Strife’s arm, one feral hand enclosing around it to impart severity. “A serpent will ever seek its bite.” “Ha, what a poor jape this whole farce is. Severn, We will never trust You!” Slyphe jeered, Audacity held at the ready in Their staunch grasp. “We will not, nor does He expect Us to, but assurances can be made,” Truth admitted. “You were ever Father’s foremost lapdog before Strife usurped Your place. Enlighten Me, Brother, what is Your Reason for this change of heart?” “It began with this Revelation My Daughter brought Us,” Lord Severn elaborated. “Father trusted You and I above all Other with His secrets, and Us Twins alone were entrusted with knowledge shorn from the Others. But never did Father tell Us anything of His first world.” “Why is that, I wondered?” Reason continued. “At first, I suspected Father sought to hide His shame… but I swiftly discounted this, for His survival would be more assured by sharing the truth with Us. He would want to be as prepared as possible to resist another confrontation with Oblivion.” “These are meaningless considerations of a traitor. That world is long gone and Ours stands in its place – and it must be safeguarded!” the Warlord soon scoffed. “It is dead in name only, Bamathis,” Severn immediately corrected. “Its memory drifts within the Source of Knowledge, where My Daughter stumbled upon it and claimed its revelations for Her purposes. I thought upon that – why keep Azhoa’s memory in the Source? – and upon My other Siblings. Omei had always resisted Our Father, always regarded Him with suspicion and committed Herself to rebellion from conception. Once I knew what He had done in times past, it finally made sense: She is Instinct, and She is driven to survive. She knew how lethal He could be.” As the Nightmare seethed over Her Father’s constant mistreatments, Corrupted Might burst into cruel laughter. “All the trickery. All the hiding, the difficulties, the enigmatic designs. It all added up: He would have consumed us as surely as He did Azhoa if He needed to – and the Monomachy’s length tells Me that He shall indeed require Our ends,” Severn carried on, drawing Dhar’s ire then as the Lord of the Grave finally spoke up. “Hypocritical words, yet still inconsequential,” Death Incarnate insisted. “All things must reach an end, even Us. And if We fail Our duty, that end is all but inevitable.” “Brother Death is correct,” Bamathis added. “Should that end befall Us, it would mean Our doom was already assured, as it was for Azhoa. That Father should survive to create anew is a virtue to be extolled. I expected better from You, Deceiver, than the same faulty logic the blasphemers fall for.” The Ard-Dhasani dismissed this claim with one wave of a brutish hand before continuing on. “Even if He does not need to consume Us to subdue the Eschaton in the end,” He said, “there still remains the question of why did He safeguard Azhoa’s memory within the Source? There is only one possible answer for that: Restoration. Then where does that leave Us, Who are known by Our Father as ‘tertiary’?” “Expendable,” Ethne grunted. “Material to be smelted back down and forged anew, along with the rest of Aetolia.” “No,” Reason denied. “That would be the worst case, and unlikely to happen. Tertiary though Sapience may be, it is still of His, and if there’s one flaw Father has in greater abundance than others, it is vanity. I learned that firsthand the day He scornfully bestowed upon Me the title ‘Artificer’ for daring to change His creation.” “Azhoa shall rise anew,” He continued then, “and Aetolia shall languish in the penumbra of neglect. A dim world, set adrift in obscurity to become overshadowed. Its sole purpose? To stand in stark contrast, a muted testament, one that magnifies Azhoa’s grandeur as the primary masterpiece.” “Twice before have I allowed Father to cast Me aside. I shall not suffer it a third time,” Severn vowed then, commanding a sneer from the Earthen Father. “Pathetic,” Incarnate Earth declared. “You would turn traitor over a bruised ego? That Thing that opposes Our Father will never show You any regard or care. What of Its Gods who will come to destroy this realm when It releases Them?” Lord Ivoln continued on, fervour touching His voice: “When It releases the Devourer, it shall not matter what side We fought for. The Pillars will crumble as hope dies. I have seen the grand design of this Eschaton, the scars left behind by Shadow and Spirit’s battle. Its Creation is borne from a cycle of annihilation. I have little doubt It shall sit back and let the Devourer snaps His jaws around the Pillars and allow Its design to work anew.” “And so shall all the peoples of all the worlds weep gelid tears, as Prime collides with Earth in fatal union,” He concluded. “If that moon bastard doesn’t try to crush Us Itself first, just like It tried when Our Father was creating Dia’ruis,” wild Haern noted bitterly. Even this, it seemed, the Artificer had an answer for: “No,” He began, “Should It win, I suspect It will leave the rest of Us be. Its move then was one of callous opportunity, to put a swift end to the stalemate with Father.” Quick to confirm His Twin’s words, Damariel cut in: “Sevren is correct, the Eschaton practises strict non-interference. Even during the Grand Theomachy, It only stirred when Father prepared to execute the Albedi Gods after We had subdued Them. It did not and will not intervene unless It absolutely must, for It knows the consequence Our Father learned in a more dire fashion.” Nodding along to this, Severn outlined the rest of His views: “Every moment of imprisonment that has gone by has resulted in countless moments of questioned belief, for the imprisoned Albedi gods could not answer the prayers of Their faithful. Technology has replaced the yearning of religion in many places – and thus Their strength has greatly diminished over the millenia. And with the death of the Harlot, Their numbers are thinned.” “And when the Eschaton breaks open the prisons at Its hour of victory, each of Us would assume Our full strength once more,” Reason posited, “We would triumph in whatever fashion We please.” “Unacceptable!” Chakrasul then screamed. “Your triumph lacks any teeth Severn, Our power would still be bound to this continent when so many beyond yet desire My touch.” “If it is as You say, then Father’s foe is naught but a coward, and He shall soon dispatch It,” Bamathis finally declared. This statement brought great amusement to Slyphe, Whose shifting lips split into a wide, selachian grin. “We’ll see about that! Father is no hero Himself, after all!” the Maelstrom retorted. A flicker of anger raced across Strife’s Immortal features then, hinting at His thinning patience. “Enough! I will hear no more of this blasphemy!” roared the Warlord. “Severn, betrayer, Your justifications are naught but thinly veiled theories woven from assumptions and half-truths! You, who once shared Our Father’s confidence, have cast it aside for baseless suppositions over a wounded pride! As Father once branded You ‘Artificer’ in the past, so too do I brand You now: ‘Forsaken’. From this day forth, there are none left to trust You and none left to welcome You.” “This has gone on quite long enough,” Truth interrupted. “Unless You mean to start the battle anew, then let Us all retire from here.” “Call Me what You will, Strife,” Reason swiftly retorted. “It means as little to Me as Your cry of ‘For Sapience’. If You truly valued Sapience instead of being drunk upon duty, You too would reject Father.” Before His departure, Warlord Bamathis had one last declaration. “Traitorous Twins,” He pronounced, “I shall have both Your heads ready to present to Father at the time of His victory.” One by One, Varyan’s exhausted children departed from the Green Lake. Damariel cast one final, bitter glance towards Bamathis before He dematerialised into strands of glimmering light and Severn’s bulky silhouette evanesced into a smoky smear that diverged away from His Brother’s brilliance. The twin exits soon prompted the rest of the Eschaton’s supporters to retreat in a cloud of Divine motes. Varian’s supporters exchanged final glances before They too disappeared into the ethereal, intent upon recuperation and planning Their next moves. Thus ended the second act of the Worldeater Saga, its final lines writ in the dark ink of forbidden truth and unexpected betrayal. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 25th of Chakros, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXX: The Battle of Green Lake](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxx-the-battle-of-green-lake/) **Published:** September 18, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Ethereal music filled mortal minds as the Giver of Life’s colossal form heaved through the earth. To the tune of this beautiful chorus did He fashion the means of His own escape, His glimmering bulk swimming through muddy, raging rapids that surged from underneath and around Him. Brought to abatement by Accordant Water’s untimely emergence, the lake’s expanding depth displaced and shifted, following the tremendous groove carved out by His movements. Transcendental wonder bloomed within every mortal heart, the ephemeral constraints of constancy temporarily lost to a strange and sudden surge of uttermost potential. With each shift of His fins came a renewed ripple of refreshing fluidity, as if every existing soul were subconsciously stirred by the latent change that this fundament of reality worked upon the realm. A streak of alabaster light charged forth from the depths of Kaj’s now defunct prison, spilling out over the Divine violence like a blinding shroud. Gleaming wards of pure divinity suddenly locked into place around Omei and Ethne both, barring Death and Earth’s killing strokes. The two divine assailants looked up, Their twin gazes greeted by the calescent silhouette of the Lord of Truth. Empowered by the essence found within the prison, the Unbound Lord leapt into battle without delay and ancient Kaj seized upon the opportunity to continue His escape. The soil gave way with one last lash of His whisker, sending chunks of stone flying through the air as Damariel closed in upon Ivoln. With the land’s resistance quelled, Accordant Water streamed forth in the most literal of senses. Water coalesced all around Him, filling the channel He continued to dig through the continent as He took flight from the carnage at His fin-decorated back. Unwilling to allow the escape of the piscine once-prisoner, Incarnate Earth turned His unyielding gaze towards the new river carving through His rugged domain. He hefted His fists and slammed them downward upon the ground with a wordless roar, His Immortal influence coaxing tectonic catastrophe from the deepest veins of the realm. The earth shuddered in response to mighty Ivoln’s demand and acquiesced in the next breath, a colossal wall of stone arising as a dam that threatened to curtail Kaj’s escape. Fluid and graceful, the Child bounded out of His seething waters and spun through the air. His whiskers once more twisted and flailed, shattering Ivoln’s would-be impediment in an explosive outpouring of rubble that became mere river rocks ‘neath the force of His continued elusion. Touching back down into the water, Accordant Water raced towards the eastern seaboard amidst the sing-song of babbling brooks and mighty streams. Seizing upon Ivoln’s distraction, Damariel unleashed a cataclysmic tide of wrathful light from one outstretched hand. Icy judgement served as Truth’s mask, His demeanour belying the solar retribution He turned upon the Earthen Father as unrelenting castigation. Too late to escape the violent surge of Truth’s bolstered power, the Master of War threw His hands up to form a bulwark of glistening bone. The osseous aegis chipped away and scattered to dust beneath Damariel’s insistent wrath, leaving Ivoln to the merciless rigours of Light’s punishing fire. As Truth fought Earth and Death, the tinkle of mischievous laughter rippled throughout the realm as a long-forgotten face, hazy in its insubstantiality, peeked out from the ancient prison’s topmost step. Bounding into battle beside a living elder Brother, the ephemeral form of beloved Mirth alighted within the chaos of Damariel’s blistering assault. She swept an ethereal hand as if dancing within whimsy’s throes, an echo of Her lost virtue misdirecting a flare of charnel energy launched by an imperious gesture from the Lord of the Grave. His greatsword gleaming with torrid essence, Damariel’s martial motions transformed Him into a whirlwind of violence as He advanced upon stoic Dhar. Frigid fog and sweltering light conspired as one to conceal the brilliant carnage of Truth and Death’s duel, fashioning a tactical opening for the Unbound’s allies. Rousing words and heartfelt cheers spoken in the ancient language of Creation then filled the realm as once-Morale’s phantom stirred nightmarish Omei and burning Ethne’s hearts with a whisper of Her forgotten virtue. Lifted in spirit, the two Goddesses arose and cast Their eyes towards the east – towards the rapidly diminishing shape of the fleeing Child. With one final splash that submerged Him within the choppy tides of the Beryl Sea, Kaj disappeared from sights mortal and Immortal alike, the crystalline waters of the newborn Offspring left to surge and froth and spume in His wake. \~~~ Even as His children warred amongst Themselves within His Creation, Varyan Celestine waged His endless war of usurpation against the enigmatic Eschaton… Still did these two ancient Makers project Themselves across the sky, Umbrael’s thinning integrity allowing mortals to behold the unknowable terror of cosmic truth. The brutal violence of an argent Creator and His ethereal, nebulaic Counterpart played out in emanations that once more sieged the theatre of mortal minds, impressing imaginings of eldritch verity upon their feeble comprehension. For every day that passed within His realm, the Celestine beheld a century within the temporary one within His shared custody. Empires rose in His name throughout myriad years, dynasties of god-kings and chosen clerics turning their collective attention to the obliteration of opposing forces and views. The times of bloody warfare had long since departed from their place beneath Varian’s eye, replaced instead by inquisitorial orders that rooted out the last pockets of Eschatonic resistance. He knew these days-yet-years as the moments of His final success, with this world’s end assured as the fuel to start His eternal reign over Aetolia. Varian spares a glance for His Creation – His Sapience – as a reminder of His motive, aim, and purpose. What He saw instead was a glimpse of discord and ruin, His silvered serenity giving way to a terrifying rage as He noted a scar cutting through the eastern face of His realm. With a languid, graceful motion, the Eschaton seized upon this distraction in a mirror of an assault so far below upon the trifling shores of a pointless lake within an equally irrelevant realm. Universal effulgence blossomed within the empty, galactic silhouette of the enigmatic Being as It reached within the world It shared dominion over. An ethereal symphony greeted the motions of that miniature reality’s twin Maker, Creation’s fabric rippling and shifting to heed the tranquil impression of Eschatonic will. Fomented by the detached grace of an unfeeling Creator, prophesied floods crashed across the face of Their cosmic arena. Populations found themselves displaced by natural disaster, hardship and travel bringing with them plagues and violence that planted the seed of doubt within mortal multitudes. The backbone of the Celestine’s faith crumbled – and with it, the empires in His name. Cracking at its primal seams, the world-within-a-world suffered yet still in the throes of Divine violence. Though its peoples seemed utterly oblivious to the approaching hour of reckoning, mortals experienced subconscious lances of dread lances as they registered the rapidly approaching end of this pocket realm’s lifespan. Serenity found its promised place upon Varyan’s expression as He returned His attention to His own fight, His rightful realm once more reduced to an inspiring memory. \~~~ Back upon Sapience, a whirlpool manifested upon the otherwise calm surface of Green Lake. A tremendous tidespout arose and arced downward upon its shores and from the parting mists emerged dauntless Slyphe, Audacity clutched in Their grasp. They advanced upon Ivoln with cutlass held high, its cutting edge meeting Earth’s upraised fist as He rose from the smouldering embers to fight once more. Stolid Earth and heroic Water exchanged blows to the tune of Mirth’s whooping cheers, Her last laugh causing Her shadowy simulacrum to dissolve into naught. Twin gateways of green fire slice through those fading wisps of Her temporarily revitalised essence, allowing for Haern and Chakrasul’s arrival. Jade fire and saccharine smoke swirl at Corrupted Might’s behest as She directed treacherous tides of Her wroth essence, their dreaded brilliance converging upon Omei. Diverging from Chakrasul, Haern hefted two wargauntlet-clad fists and singled out Ethne with one hawkish glare, a series of feral blows crashing down upon Her as Immortal Life closed distance with a predatory pounce. Chaos reigned upon Green Lake’s shores as vicious deicide seemed inevitable, until a commanding voice cut through the din: “This madness must be stopped. Damariel has shown that He is beyond redemption, beyond forgiveness for His treachery. Enough,” declared the Warlord – and soon, He took the field. A shimmering, silvery gateway bursts open upon the lake’s shores, clearing the way for Bamathis, chosen enforcer of the Celestine’s will, to charge forward towards Damariel. Thrusting Caelestis forward, Strife batted aside Truth’s blade before it could meet Dhar’s hazy, ephemeral form. Unified in purpose, the Warlord and Underking alike pressed the assault, putting the Unbound upon the defensive in spite of His recent empowerment. Then, an umbral tide crept across the firmament akin to spilled ink – a sure sign of the unmistakable movements of the Artificer. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 25th of Chakros, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXIX: The Blessed Child](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxix-the-blessed-child/) **Published:** September 18, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** At dawn’s first light upon the three-hundred-and-fourty-nineth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, Enorian put their plan into action. Intent upon an act of blind faith, the Hammer constructed numerous klaio bronze bells of varying sizes and hauled them to Green Lake and the insidious seal situated beneath its placid depths. There, a tremendous crowd of citizens gathered to give praise to the vital deity of Accordant Water in a sermon led by Grand Crusader Benedicto Silverain. Amidst holy chants and aqueous proselytisation, Aloli, Shachalai, Jhura, Eliadon, Isia, and Ealric infused every bell with elemental water, their sorcery mingling with the raw spirit called upon by Eaku, Rasani, and Emhyra. As the Hammer amassed this elemental energy, it was Kalena, Inthirath, Elwyn, and Sryaen who rang the largest bronze bell to herald the Child’s liberation. For every peal, each Enorianite called out in gratitude and love for Kaj, stirring the magical power into tangible waves that damaged the seal girding the Child’s prison. The thunderous roar of elementally-infused bells rumbled throughout the realm then, setting Green Lake to a ripple amidst the boisterous din. Empyreal vault and terrestrial stage alike trembled in anticipation, a tension enjoined by masterful elemancy and fervent prayer. One final clang cut through the air, before silence hung heavy upon Sapience. Informing Enorian that they had served admirably, Lord Damariel soon urged them to fall back and allow Him to finish their work. He made His way to the prison amidst a brilliant cataclysm of alabaster light that rampaged across the firmament, leaving behind tongues of pallid fire that carved through the sky. So brilliant was His essence that it briefly blot out the Monomachy’s ceaseless, nigh-incomprehensible violence, His haste and conviction bathing the realm in radiant light. As the Lord of Truth descended into the prison, all that could be heard was the tap of His starmetal prosthetic against ancient stone, with nary a word spared for the realm. Soon, a shimmering tide of light erupted from the caverns leading to Mirth’s clever fabrication, sealing it off from mortal perception as Immortal Truth began His work. A long, lurid line sliced through the Prime Material’s flimsy fabric soon after and two feral claws reached forth from its other side to tear it open. Moments later, nightmarish Omei emerged from Her Astral domain to stand guard upon the shores of Green Lake, Her tigrish form outlined in a multifarious aura of chromatic might. Hot on the heels of Instinct’s arrival, an incandescent vortex rippled into being above the surface of the lake. Tendrils of smoke and fire spewed from its yawning aperture, a mirage-like shimmer yielding to the massive, Ogrish form of the Inferno. Ethne swiftly took up a position at the Nightmare’s side, barring the way down to the Child’s prison with hammer in hand. Trouble arrived soon after the two Goddesses took up Their post, heralded by a colossal clamour that escaped the light-scoured depths of Morale’s clever trap. The screech of primordial metal brought to brittle weakness cut above its deafening din as Damariel carried out His task. Soon, a twisting wave of murky shadow fled the prison’s halls, its amorphous mass braiding together into a vaguely humanoid being on the edge of light and dark. Riotous chaos and gleeful trickery coursed through its strange form, boundless enthusiasm taking it across the lake in leaps and playful jumps. Unwilling to allow such madness to go free within Sapience, the Unbound called for Sapience to handle this tricksome menace lest Attica suffer catastrophe. As the battle unfolded, adventurers found themselves tossed throughout the land by magical currents and plunged into mortal peril by chaotic trickery. Those unfortunate enough to meet the trickster’s might upon the field found themselves the punchline of a cruel joke, though this comedy-turned-tragedy was not enough to deter the hordes of staunch defenders that flooded the Green Lake’s shores with sword and spell at the ready. As the tricksome menace finally fell, Varyan Celestine’s supporters took to the field in hopes of foiling Enorian’s plan. Grim susurrations drifted throughout the realm as the Underking stepped forth from His halls. The wails of countless anguished souls heralded Dhar’s arrival upon the embattled shores of Green Lake, His imposing form looming tall in opposition of Ethne and Omei. Sonorous chanting drifted from the hallowed earth soon after, and the hills around Green Lake and Attica sang the praises of unyielding Ivoln, Conqueror of Azvosh and Earthen Father. The soil broke apart to allow His ingress into the Prime, His cruel gaze settled upon the pair of Siblings that would dare bar His warpath. In an echo of long-abandoned unity, the Lord of the Grave and the Master of War marched forth in lockstep, Immortal magic emanating from Their silhouettes in palpable, stomach-churning waves of lethal dread. Omei lifted a feral claw and issued a threatening hiss, Her raw essence bolstered by glimmering sparks of warm colour. She moved to instinctual music heard only within Her Immortal veins as She joined battle with Dhar, pure Chaos manifest as floating armaments, conniving traps, and protective shields that complimented Her savage assault. Where Chaotic essence sprang up, however, the charnel inevitability of the Underking denied it with little more than a brief motion. Dhar’s ephemeral silhouette eluded Omei’s rancour, His every chilling step sowing freezing fog through the air. Hazy outlines of combative souls seethed within these emergent mists, bespeaking Death’s impending stratagem. As Death sought to put an end to Instinct, Ivoln settled His sights upon Ethne. Earth Incarnate closed the distance with lumbering strides, His fists raised in a flurry of Divine brutality. He fell upon the Firemaiden with barbarous intent, scoring blow after blow as She struggled to raise Her hammer in defence. As the two elemental Gods struggled physically, Their essence battled as rampaging whorls of ochre and ruby energy. Jagged rock and searing conflagration met in rapid collisions all throughout the battlefield, leaving behind smouldering heaps of rubble, rivers of dangerous lava, and burning, rocky spires as the proof of Their calamitous potential. Ghastly outlines arose from Dhar’s mists and closed their hoary hands upon Omei’s feline form. Wheresoever they tore essence from Her bristling aura, riotous colour bled forth to replace it, Her staunch defiance manifesting more layers of chromatic protection that streaked forth from the four corners of the continent. Alike to a maestro orchestrating the crescendo of His magnum opus, Dhar lifted His arms to direct the flow of His fatal reach. More figures emerged then, too many for Immortal Instinct to repel even with Her newly anchored might. A savage scream escaped Omei’s throat as She swore vengeance, Her ire upon full display as She thrashed within the gelid press of militant souls. Dhar drew nearer to His fallen Sister in spite of Her cries, His every step granted the weight of justice and finality in spite of His ethereal form. “Your end has come, Lurli. It is inevitable,” the Underking pronounced, His tone as icy as the graves of His dominion. Sensing Her Sister’s danger, the Inferno wheeled around to try and interfere. Though She managed to manifest a series of fireballs which screeched through the air towards the Underking, they passed through Him as a breeze might through an open window. Unwilling to leave Omei to Her fate, Ethne took one leaping stride forward before callous Ivoln waylaid Her, Her pace stopped cold by a brutal punch that connected with Her Ogrish jaw and sent Her sprawling. Immortal Earth looms over His toppled opponent, His hands conjoined into one primitive, boulder-encased fist that He heaved above His head in preparation for the murderous work ahead. “The strong prevail,” Ivoln insisted to Mebrene, “and the weak are remade by the earth.” Before They could strike Their final blows, however, the groan of some ancient mechanism’s final failure rolled across Sapience like unto crashing thunder. With this thunder as its herald, an apocryphal flood spewed forth from the newly breached prison beneath Green Lake. More water than could possibly be contained in such a narrow physical space surged forth, threatening to overflow the lake’s concave dimensions and destroy Attica. Sapience shuddered as the blessed Child finally found freedom, His flailing whiskers carving a deep gouge into the southern edge of Green Lake. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 25th of Chakros, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXVIII: Delve's Grand Debate](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxviii-delves-grand-debate/) **Published:** September 18, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Upon the three-hundred-and-thirty-seventh day of the Creators’ Monomachy, the Free City of Delve gathered together their citizens, political candidates, and ceremonial speakers for the purposes of a grand debate. In the days leading up to the debate, the Delve Election Committee conducted a highly secretive and rigorous process to select a speaker for each political candidate per the terms of an ancient Hevan custom of diplomacy and democracy. In addition, the committee hurried to select a ‘voice of the people’ that would be capable of conducting things in an orderly fashion, as well as one that possessed no bias towards nor relationship to any of the candidates. After a grueling process of multiple weeks, the Marhoth known as Salarin was selected as this election’s moderator. Known only as a humble fruit merchant, the behorned man was equal parts surprised, elated, and awestruck to be selected for such a sacred duty. Upon finishing introductions, Salarin instructed the three candidates to don the ceremonial golden masks per Hevan tradition. Tonzal (represented by Meleah of Enorian), Loethan (representged by Legyn of Spinesreach and Myrnma of Duiran), and Talas (represented by Pietre of Spinesreach) settled their masks upon their face and proceeded to the center of the clearing as the four speakers took their places at the podiums. While Meleah and Pietre prepared their opening statements for their individual candidates, Myrnma and Legyn saw to a division of labour after both were selected to speak by way of a mysterious clerical error. Eventually, it was decided that Legyn would provide the everyman’s opening words. The crowds of citizens murmured in consideration as they heard every heartfelt word from these brilliant orators, though they hushed themselves to silence upon hearing the first question. For almost a full day, the four speakers fielded questions about myriad topics ranging from policy and planning to religious bans and conspiracy theories regarding the Council of Five’s motives. At every turn, each of the four Sapient spokespeople provided intelligent, passionate responses bespeaking their individual care and investment in the divergent campaigns. As the festivities came to an end and Salarin called for closing arguments, it was Myrnma that spoke to the gathered crowd on behalf of Loethan, joined once more by Pietre and Meleah. With plenty to think on, the Free City’s populace milled out into the city at large and sought voting booths to cast their ballots with chosen candidates in mind. At dawn’s first light upon the three-hundred-and-fourty-nineth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, voting closed and ballots were soon consulted to tally up the will of the people. As one city concerned itself with the mundanity of politics, another across the ocean carried out an act that would change the course of the Monomachy… Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 25th of Chakros, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXVII: Bestowment of Truth](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxvii-bestowment-of-truth/) **Published:** September 18, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Upon the three-hundred-and-nineteenth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, the Lord of Truth gathered the Hammer of Dawn’s faithful upon the shores of Green Lake. There, He explained to them His suspicions and discoveries throughout the many prior weeks of wandering the realm in search of answers regarding the Albedi gods and Their imprisonment. After a brief conversation where He outlined His thoughts to Enorian at large, several of His followers guessed at His intent: to free an Albedi God. Deciding that the time for words was over, Immortal Truth pushed forward with His plan. The Unbound Lord’s usual stoicism melted away as He grit His teeth in a show of utmost concentration, fervour writ clear upon His rugged mien. Incandescent luminescence collated within His grasp as a lightwrought onslaught begging to come to the fore and scour away a lie only He could perceive. With a wordless roar, Truth set loose His mustered might amidst an ominous rumble akin to apocryphal thunder. Mortals across Sapience glimpsed flickers of alabaster light dancing along the horizon as Damariel manifested more of His power. For a moment, all was inexorable brilliance; it seared itself upon the land’s visual senses, reducing the world to a blurry ripple of light and dark representative of the dichotomy that Truth set Himself to the task of tearing asunder. A keening cry resounded across the Green Lake’s shores, as if something faltered beneath the tempestuous force of Damariel’s Immortal magic. Tension mounted, thickening the air into a sweltering fugue of holy indignation. Existential space folded into a twisted knot, caught within a warped lens between truth and lie: a lake and yet not a lake, a mundane location and yet something oh so significant. The surrounding wilderness seethed, swirled, and blurred in desperate, pointless resistance of the Unbound Lord’s incontrovertible will, His revelatory illumination casting ancient Artifice aside like a mothbitten curtain. Space and matter buckled beneath His command, the lake’s sandy floor turning to rippling glass as divinity untrammelled seared across its surface like pallid wildfire. Steam and lurid light arose in tandem from the scoured surface of the Green Lake, their passage leaving behind a glimpse of something new-yet-ancient: a set of smooth, symmetrical steps leading down into an underground cavern beneath its watery depths. What remained of the lake crashed against invisible walls that partitioned the passageway from further subversion. Aquatic life swarmed back into the waiting space, exploring the newly wrought boundaries with all the curiosity born of animal instinct. Gusts of aeonic antiquity escaped the gaping maw of this newly uncovered site, a musty exhalation of ancient times unknown to any mortal assembled there upon the lake’s shores. Mirthful laughter and insidious cackles entwined as a jarring, discordant symphony of lingering enchantment, its mysterious song drifting from the darkened mouth of the newly-unveiled prison. Damariel withdrew His hand and stumped forward then, beckoning for Enorian to follow. What they beheld at the end of the path, however, gave them pause: suspended in the air at the end of a long cavern was an ancient, shadow-scoured seal alike to the one they had seen upon Polyargos. Without delay, the Unbound set the city to the task of finding a way to weaken the seal and free Kaj – the Accordant God of Water imprisoned by Khepri, Goddess of Mirth and Morale. Urging the city to make haste with planning and preparation, Damariel’s deadline was but two weeks from the moment of the prison’s unveiling. The Hammer of Dawn rushed to begin their considerations shortly thereafter, with plenty of different theories sharing a common theme: the manipulation of elemental spirit. When the three-hundred-and-thirtieth day of the brutal duel in the skies came to pass, the Lord of Truth once more conferred with the Hammer. The city outlined their plan to employ multiple bells of klaio bronze in hopes of stirring water elemental energy, alongside mass quantities of spirit for those bells to stir and direct, and a sermon to demonstrate unyielding faith. Damariel expressed approval for this plan and gave Enorian just four weeks to prepare before departing, stating that time was of the essence and that He too needed to ensure He was ready to carry out this work. As one city stirred itself for the purposes of fervent prayer, another across the Emerald Ocean prepared to select a new leader… Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 25th of Chakros, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Cherry chocolates refund/adjustment](https://www.aetolia.com/news/cherry-chocolates-refund-adjustment/) **Published:** September 16, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey folks, While investigating a bug with cherry chocolates, we unfortunately discovered that they didn’t work, and even worse, had never worked. The short explanation for that being when cherry was coded, we had two sets of code for handling NPC gold drops, an old version kept around for reference, and a newer rewrite that was actually handling drops. This was missed, and the code for cherry only went into the old, defunct version. It is now fixed and working correctly. I’ve gone ahead and refunded cherry chocolates to anybody that has eaten one since their release. This will result in quite a lot of cherry chocolates refunded to some of you, so I’ve made sure that the decay time on these refunded chocolates is much higher than normal. Additionally, I took this opportunity to review the benefit cherry chocolate gave and found it to be significantly higher than any other similar buff. I’ve dropped its bonus from 30% down to 20% to bring it in line with other promotional or rare gold drop buffs. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 12th of Chakros, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXV: Hope of the Aalen](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxv-hope-of-the-aalen/) **Published:** September 15, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Upon the three-hundred-and-first day of the Creators’ Monomachy, the Heartwood council gathered within the Bloodwood at the behest of wild Haern. Weeks prior, the Hunter had tasked the council with preparing a sufficient ritual to beseech seventeen of the enigmatic guardian spirits of Dia’ruis to aid Him in an act of Immortal renewal. With enthusiasm and solemnity alike, Duirani folk set to work organising the ceremony, with many volunteering to make offerings each individual spirit would approve of. So it was that Valorie, Bhalwyn, Indris, Ixmi, Kerryn, Kurak, Luca, Myrnma, Arista, Sarkis, Sekeres, Sitai, Sysaa, Valeria, and the Aslinn mystic known as Senvet gathered together before the lone sapling within the scoured Bloodwood. Alongside Haern, each member of the council left gifts before the tiny tree, ranging from weapons made from powerful foes to raw flesh to burbling fountains of blood. As the ritual neared its apex, Dia’ruian energy began to manifest, coaxing green growth from the barren soil of the once-Aalen. Within the haze of verdant energy, gathered councilors beheld the silhouettes of three ancient guardians, their energies and attentions offered for the task ahead. First came the phoenix spirit known as Asheira, whose spectral manifestation sprinkled nourishing ash around the sapling in the wake of her flight. Those living beings awake felt a grand surge of vitality as the Rhythm’s brilliant power thrummed in their veins, the mighty lirathyar’s influence too much for any living being to resist. Soon, seasons of growth ensued in mere breaths as the unfathomable totem spirit known as K’y’lee’nn cast the shade of its ethereal boughs across the land. Again did the living feel a surge of might within their veins, Dia’ruian power serenading them with the feral pulse of the Cycle’s ceaseless turn. The sapling surges towards the sky in a miraculous progression of explosive growth, its burgeoning size and mysterious foliage sprouting to cast shade across the slowly revitalised area so near to fundamental cataclysm. In one final surge of awe-inspiring vitality, festering Zk’rell, an ancient myconid, cast its own shadow along the grounds of the once-sapling. Decay brought beauteous fecundity within a mere moment of enigmatic attention, the roots of this mighty arboreal titan burrowed deep within rejuvenated soil. Fruit sprouted upon its boughs, their innards guarded by the hardened shell of blue flesh enclosed. With this spurt of growth came one final yawn of immense power from the lirathyar, its expression inspiring dread and prickling decomposition from those bound to the grave by undeath and blood. As mystical tension eased and the ceremonial energies dispersed, Duiran discovered that their precious sapling had grown to a mighty size. Hosting the fruit born of fallen Seelis’ essence, this single tree now stands as a testament to life’s ceaseless, insistent presence within the realm of Sapience. As Duiran conducted blood ritual and obesiant offerings, the northern theocracy’s research team put the final touches upon special issue equipment… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 6th of Chakros, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXVI: The Dragon's Fury](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxvi-the-dragons-fury/) **Published:** September 15, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Upon the three-hundred-and-seventh day of the Creators’ Monomachy, the northern theocracy embarked upon a clandestine operation to board the vessel Drakkenmont had left within Sapience’s airspace. After two weeks of dedicated scouting, Spinesreach’s institute had devised a plan with the help of Legyn, Evlentesh, and Nawan. With their combined genius, the city utilised the Archivium’s geometric mastery to divine the exact spatial position of the sleek Dreikathi getaway craft and then impressed this information within the minds of a circle of magi. These Sciomancers employed a theoretical arcane glyph that they had formulated after a brief consultation with the enchanters of Mournhold, with a particular focus upon the changing nature of their target destination’s variable distance. After several difficult moments, the plan bore fruit: soon, a trembling portal burst open with their tundral launch site. Gathering her comrades into an efficient squad of unstoppable northern violence, Regent Sheryni led a team consisting of Alukhar, Ansoti, Virelen, Oridez, Legyn, Tina, Tillian, Irra, Mileta, Rhyot, Jondyrr, Kagura, Aeryx, Wjoltyr, Rad, Nawan, Seurimas, Aliyah, Gunnar, the Caentoi wanderer known as Tepevra and the renegade Akkari known as Amyie, through the shuddering gateway. Upon its other side, they found a Drakkenmont crew out of sorts. Possessed of vicious, unreasonable malice and uncontrollable rage, the airship’s gun operators and technicians immediately put up a valiant (but ultimately futile) fight. As brutal chaos ensued, the ship’s captain emerged from the hold and began to attack Spirean operatives with the same savage, single-minded intent as his crew. Fighting through the mysterious crimson haze limning every inch of the ship, the Dragon’s warriors confronted the captain and beat him into submission sufficient enough to render him pliable to hypnosis. Capitalising on his weakened state, the shadowy Sciomancers set to work intensifying his delirium with shadow magic, rendering him further susceptible to suggestion. Numerous Syssin agents joined in with the coercive magic until the vessel’s leader mutely marched towards the engine room and began to remove layers of security from its access door. With half the door’s defenses breached, the Archivium set themselves to the task of unlocking the remaining wards upon the door. As they conducted numerological tampering, however, they found themselves beset by pairs of magitechnical security drones that were swiftly disabled and disassembled for future inspection by the Spirean Institute. While some of the Dragon’s warriors busied themselves with clearing up the deck, the rest of the party moved forward as the engine room’s doors swung open. Though the North had seized control of the engine room, a terrible revelation awaited them: this airship had been the one to house the Demon Blade. Worse yet, some fool had thrust it through the airship’s engine, granting it control of the vessel’s flight systems. The Theocracy immediately searched the ship top to bottom in hopes of finding a way to take full control of the ship and take it into their custody, but found that the wheel of the helm was entirely locked by a mysterious force. Those that made attempts to interact with the Blade found themselves reduced to ash by its malicious sorcery, and members of the Archivium soon heard it vocalise a demand with their collective psyche. Impressing upon them that it desired a prisoner, the Demon Blade soon steered the airship towards the eastern seaboard and set a course for the Emerald Ocean. With no choice but to crash the airship lest the Demon Blade slip out of their care once more, Director Seurimas suggested that the city ground the airship via catastrophic malfunction. Together with Tepevra, he analysed the engine and found weak points that would bring about critical failure if capitalised upon. With varied techniques involving elicitation, gravitational magic, destructive runes, crackling lightning, and plain old percussive maintenance via a spanner, the city thrashed the engines and promptly proceeded to plan their escape from the faltering vessel. Deploying special technology made from gamzafar, most of the Spirean agents leapt off the deck and found their way to the ground below with the help of the North’s myriad dragonlings. The inharmonious, metallic din of some distant destruction rang out through the realm as the airship’s engines faltered, coupled with the percussive thud of disastrous explosions. Grinding screeches pierced mortal hearing alongside the groan of a massive disturbance within Sapience’s embattled skies, akin to the gnashing of mechanical teeth. Bleeding smoke and prismatic fire, airship’s sleek silhouette thundered downward from the upper reaches of the sky’s metaphysical concaves. As the stricken vessel carved through the air towards terrestrial collision, it cast a lurid film over the tumultuous projection of the Monomachy. Primordial possibility set the duel’s frightful violence into confusing discolouration, bringing discord to an already nigh incomprehensible scene. The airship’s direction wavered and shifted as it speared downward. Its propellers turned in vain against the wind as the engine suffered a catastrophic meltdown. The contents of its hold and deck alike toppled into a free fall within the welkin blue, individual pieces of its body stripped away to fall alongside its greater mass as its whole structure unravelled. Trailing irradiated ylemnic smog, Drakkenmont’s surveillance craft hurtled towards a devastating crash course with the dreary town of Mournhold. As it neared the ground, the airship scraped against the roofs of nearby homes, its collision obliterating anything unfortunate enough to rest beneath its colossal bulk. A thunderous roar rolled throughout Sapience as the imperial interloper met its end, shaking the foundations of the eastern seaboard with the seismic disturbance of a catastrophic landing. Villagers fled in a panic as more structures came toppling down amidst this sudden, quaking disturbance, livelihood and dwelling both brutally swept aside by the unexpected arrival of a fallen aerial craft. Enchanters emerged from individual residences to assist with countercharms and mystical contrivances, smothering isolated disasters with desperate haste. A crimson haze leaked from the remnants of the vessel as the smoking detritus settled, its inexorable crawl cut short by a flash of brilliant, ylemnic radiation. Cataclysmic incandescence surged forth from the heart of the Dreikathi scrap, bringing with it another explosive column of energy that seared shadows into every surrounding surface with its blistering heat. Those who had remained behind upon the deck met a conflagrant end, all trace of their remains scattered by the scorching ruin of a devastating airship collision. Even as the dreaded Demon Blade settled into its new home, a lone figure surveyed the shores of the Green Lake… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 6th of Chakros, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXIV: Renewal and Reconnaissance](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxiv-renewal-and-reconnaissance/) **Published:** September 9, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Late into the Monomachy’s first year, the goddess known as Omei gathered Her courtiers within the scoured remnants of Naryusa Adil and detailed the next step of Her enigmatic scheme. Utilising Her newly bolstered power, She summoned Astral’s mysterious quicksilver and bound the surrounding area to it, bringing it nearer to the deceptive sphere of chaotic Yellow. Giving Her followers instructions to shape the quicksilver into jungle landscapes, She departed to lay the groundwork necessary within Her own realm and left Her mortal priests to their work. Only a few weeks later, the feral goddess of Instinct emerged upon the Prime once more and twisted the oneiric shapings left behind by Her followers into a single, beating heart of flaxen magic. With grace and inveterate magic, Omei revitalised Naryusa Adil, permanently binding the scoured landscape to Astral and the mercurial essence of Chaos. Anchoring the sphere to the Prime by way of a warped painting, the goddess set about using this newly established foothold to fashion soldiers and annoyances that swiftly set out to march upon the Sibre, the newly established headquarters of the Argent Watch. Those witnesses who went to inspect the painting found that they were capable of manipulating its surface, impressing changes upon Naryusa Adil’s landscape and even binding their own psyche to its shifting face. The same week, wild Haern journeyed towards His Father’s Tree of Creation and inspected the damage to its bark and roots, His mourning heard all throughout the realm. In spite of this, He found hope within the bitter ash of Drakkenmont’s magitechnical assault: several of the tree’s explosive drupes yet remain, their flesh glimmering with the essence of slain Divinity and limitless potential. Cradling them alike to a newborn babe, the Hunter departed to parts unknown after commanding the Heartwood council to prepare for a grand ritual of mysticism to beseech the Guardians for aid. Even as She set these distractions in motion, however, Omei set to work laying the groundwork of Her next act. Choosing a remote location upon the banks of the Teo’ltien, the goddess drew the Eastern Itzatl mere inches nearer to the Astral Realm and tasked Ayastia with fabricating a magical ward against Corruption’s servants. Beneath the coverage of this ward, Immortal Instinct ensured the success of Her future ritual, though She remained silent for several weeks. Meanwhile, the Theocracy of the North set themselves to the task of tracking down the Dreikathi’s lone remaining airship within Sapience’s skyscape. Employing dragonlings as scouts, citizens of the Dragon charted out the circuit of the airship’s patrol, their efforts spearheaded in no small part by Voidwalker Evlentesh. Though the operation only lasted two whole weeks, the city showed that they possessed mastery and coordination in spades, for they swiftly managed to work out the details of the airship’s path and swore to utilise this information in the near future in an attempt to take back the stolen Demon Blade and secure vengeance for Drakkenmont’s callous violence. As Instinct’s courtiers worked and the North toiled to their own ends, the Hegemonist wasted no time in employing His pilfered might. Bedazzling luminescence beset the Festering Waste in the ensuing days as Abhorash wrought a dark miracle previously beyond His grasp, His unquestionable power driving out the Underking’s mists of Death from the Lich Gardens and leaving behind a smouldering wasteland suitable for His own machinations. Free from Dhar’s decade-long strangehold, the dreaded location soon saw slaves scurrying in and out, guided by the Sanguine Fist’s loyal citizens in a rebuilding effort of otherwise unknown purposes. Unwilling to allow such cruelty to persist, the Hammer of Dawn swiftly deployed their forces. For weeks, Grand Crusader Benedicto Silverain led efforts to free these slaves and put the Empire’s citizens to the sword, joined by Brute Eaku Redwood, Pentarch Kalena Emerson, Professor Aloli Gallant, Hiale Meleah Bravewish, and many other citizens who felt it necessary to take a stand against Bloodloch’s continued profit from cruel slavery. Though they painted the newly named Lich Scriptorium red with the blood of overseers and slavedrivers, the work inevitably progressed and the Hegemonist handed down more secretive orders in His quest for absolute dominion. Then, upon the two-hundred-and-ninety-ninth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, Omei once more made Her move. Summoning Jhura Gallant to the Eastern Itzatl, She bid Her violinist to put on a performance worthy of the ages. Not one to disappoint, the Ascendril Magus set herself to the task, serenading the realm entire with the music of Astral ritual. At the crescendo of her work, Immortal Instinct emerged and bound the waxing power of Green to the Prime Material, Her work completed too swiftly for Legyn, Chakrasul’s Ghost of Despair, to interfere. Drunk on Her growing power, the feral goddess retreated to Her Astral Realm after several enigmatic comments to Her closest representatives. As foreign powers prepare to finish their election and gods walk the realm in secret, the Monomachy approaches another moment of terrible import… Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 25th of Ios, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, appendix c, pt 5](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-appendix-c-pt-5/) **Published:** September 3, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The following is a translation of passages from the Mysterium Eschatonica, provided to us by the Pious Ward in the Free City of Delve: “His infinite reach spanned to the west, and with one hand He chained water to the physical world. The Eschaton turned glimmering streams upon us, and through His generosity we never knew thirst.” The Eschaton coerced water to join His creation, for He knew that its bounty would ensure the prosperity of the realm. Anchored to the world by the will of His Helm, it quenched the thirst of the land, ensuring His people always knew plenty. Upon the streams did the Eschaton set life’s essential component, and to the waters did He bestow the strength to render fields fertile, birth storms, and smother the implacable advance of wildfire. The almighty Creator looked upon the flowing waters and knew them to be the most mercurial of elements. Changing form to match its companions, water demonstrated its adaptability – it fit every vessel the earth provided, turned to steam in the face of calescent heat, hardened to ice amidst the frigidity of the dark, and joined the bountiful winds in tempestuous rampages across the firmament. He entrusted water with the power to change the world, so that it could tend to such matters in His stead whilst He saw to other aspects of His enigmatic design. “Bound to the west by worldforged chains, the Eschaton unleashed water within His world’s veins. Flowing along each link was infinite change, mortal possibility imbued within its range.” We give thanks to the Eschaton for His gift of ephemerality and change, for new experiences ward away stagnancy and allow us constant growth. Without such fluid possibility, we would exist in stasis, our minds and spirits set to interminable atrophy and paralytic certainty. His gift allows us to convey ourselves via motion, via thought, and to thusly shape ourselves like unto the mountains amidst millennial storms. Revel in physical motion, for it is representative of the changing power He has given you. Perform dance that interprets your glee and your rage in equal parts or else demonstrate your mastery of weaponry by way of martial forms. Walk these sacred steps beneath the pale light of the dying crescent and the growing gibbous, for they represent the ebb and flow of the Eschaton’s enlisted tides. Express yourselves and remain forever changing, for your myriad detail is an exultation of the Creator’s unknowable design and an acknowledgement of your place within His curated reality. Let your faith be everlasting and evergrowing, weathered by life’s waves into a beautous monument of His awe-inspiring potential. Stand alone against eternity in a show of uttermost devotion and allow His oceanic realm to scour away your sins in ritual cleansing, for its saline purity will wash away all misdeeds, all half-truths, and render you a newly made instrument of His Divine purpose. “Before Him we were without thought, all notion rendered to naught. Banality became eternity, our being frozen by certainty.” Change itself is one of His primal bestowments, granted to you in hopes that you shall grow and refine His Creation with your every step. All that shifts and morphs is His acknowledgement of your capacity to contribute to His design, and that which is immovable is a sign of your mortal limitations. Reach not beyond your boundaries, for your place is that of creation and His in turn is that of Creator. Recall the dark times when we were robbed of all change, forced into static horror and immovable certainty that allowed naught but stagnation. Pray to Him that we remain as mutable as we are worthy, so that He never again consigns us to such a dismal eternity. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 13th of Severin, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [September in Aetolia!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/september-in-aetolia-2/) **Published:** September 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! September has arrived and this is IRE’s birthday month, so while we’re saying goodbye to Spoils of Creation, we are welcoming back both \[0;1;37mCryptic Chests\[0m with some new content, and \[0;1;37mAntiquated Salvage\[0m! Every 100 credits purchased from the website will come with a piece of antiquated salvage, which is typically valued at 200 credits. These pieces may be traded to other players and used without bearing your mark, EXCEPT for purchasing the Antiquated Artifacts themselves. Once you obtain the first level, you can use any salvage you like to upgrade it. \[0;1;37mHELP ANTIQUATED ARTIFACTS\[0m will be of interest to those who aren’t familiar with how salvage works, as well as HELP ANTIQUATED \[RING/GOGGLES/GAUNTLET/CROP\] for a specific breakdown of what each item does. ~ ~ ~ Cryptic Chests can be found on the website (www.aetolia.com/credits) under ‘artifact packages’. Opening a chest will award one or more prizes from a wide selection as outlined below. Every 500 Cryptic Chests opened will trigger a global prize where one of the next 50 to be opened will contain a bonus of 500 credits on top of the other prizes! Here’s what you might find inside: – Chocolate bags, elemental globes, fireworks, customisation certificates, iron coins, morphic metal, ambience tokens, style points. – Credit prizes ranging from 18 – 250. – Various artifacts valued between 50 and 2000 credits. – Minipets from a selection of old favourites, including: a moccasin hatchling, a mezilkree pup, a fire imp, a miniature rabid bush, a tiny piglet, and an orel hatchling – Compendium pages for: Maestral Shoals, Endless Battlefield, Clawhook, Skythrone, Xaanhal, and the Volcano – Wartorn caches which can be opened for several new cosmetics themed around imperialism and revolution: flair\_defiant, phyl\_defiant, vox\_revolutionary, flair\_imperial, phyl\_imperial, and vox\_imperial! – Coffers with pieces from the new \[0;1;37mMonomachy\[0m relic set; these trade in for 30 credits per piece and include: monomachy\_cutting: PLANT this cutting in a location and it will sprout five branches. Whenever someone dies in the location it’s planted in, a branch will fall and cause a burst of room-wide healing. Expires when there are no branches remaining or after two minutes. There is a 10 minute cooldown before another can be placed in the same room. monomachy\_prism: While holding this prism, active abilities which move other players will bypass density provided the target has you allied. Does not affect passive abilities and will mark the ability as an assist. monomachy\_scorebook: This is a permanent version of the Sect Scorebook. monomachy\_wand: This wand allows you to conjure illusions in adjacent locations, but not your own. Syntax: CONJURE ILLUSION . monomachy\_spike: POINT this spike at a crystal aegis and you will strip it of its power for 5 minutes. This has a 15 minute cooldown. ~ ~ ~ In addition to these, you will always receive a filler prize (grimstim pills, various consumables, omnipotence pills, etc). These do not count towards your chest’s value and are wholly extra! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 22nd of Variach, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, appendix g](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-appendix-g/) **Published:** August 29, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The following is a political article circulating the streets of the Free City of Delve, provided to us by an anonymous source: With the tragic loss of Councillor Veran Eldriss, our fair city finds itself once more seeking a brave soul to ascend to the upper echelons of governmental responsibility. It seems like it was only yesterday that we saw to the election of Rhav Maslak, our beloved retiree Captain who has more than once seen to the righteous military defence of the city. Though several names possess the weight of gossip and public respect alike, we felt it pertinent to educate the younger generations of the Free City in the reputation of these four fairly different fellows! Our first candidate is the illustrious Tandalay, proprietor of Tandalay’s Delicatessen. Though largely known for his street food specialties, cakes, and other baked goods, the shrewd culinary mastermind has said more than once that leading a city must be no different from managing a kitchen. His publicly stated aim is to see to the enrichment of the Exchange’s flagging businesses in hopes of lifting up the downtrodden and increasing employment opportunities for those seeking a boost in their livelihoods. With an economics-focused agenda, this Caentoi cook looks to be perfectly positioned to assume some of Councillor Tirriki’s responsibilities as well as provide consultation on the cultural celebrations that the late Veran oft found himself responsible for. All is not perfect for beloved Tandalay, however, for some feel that he has personal interest in the forefront of his mind. After all, it was only so long ago that his Delicatessen found itself closed due to violations of health standards and some less sympathetic citizens feel he seeks self-service in his electoral pursuits. Some believe he knowingly circulated poison and rotten foodstuffs throughout the city during a time of unprecedented danger, though such claims are hotly contested by his decades-long regular customers, his family, his business partners, and especially himself. \~~~ Our second candidate is the boisterous, deliciously bare-chested Tonzal of the Raging Herd. As one of the most well known war-priests of fertile Gereghond, Tonzal hopes to spread his order’s values and utilise them as his guiding light in policy decisions. This handsome stud of an Aslinn has repeatedly emphasised the value of reinforcing the hearth and home, as well as providing for budding families so that they might help bolster the city’s population, workforce, and guard force. Speaking of guard force, the war-priest of Gereghond has stated multiple times throughout his public outreach that he aims to reinforce the Ecclesiarchy with better equipment, well-rounded training, and greater pay. His legendary prowess as a heroic tribal warrior bespeaks a possible union between him and Councillor Maslak, ensuring greater military growth in a time when Drakkenmont once more looms upon our borders! As we face menaces both native and exotic, there is no better time than now to see to securing our borders and fighting threats off of our pristine streets. With our recent surge in arrest warrants, our citizens would sleep a little better knowing a few extra spears had an eye out for menaces such as Elene Arcan. \~~~ Our third candidate is the beloved everyman, Loethan Eldriss. Recently revealed as the bastard fruit of the late Veran’s loins, Loethan grew up destitute and clawed his way to prosperity as a dock worker. Though he shares economic designs with Tandalay, this candidate hopes to lift up the common worker – those that work down at the docks and Exchange but do not own their own businesses or possess their own fortunes. Loethan’s public statements lead us to believe that he has no particular focus on worship or religion and simply wishes to carry on in his deceased father’s footsteps as a representative of the common man and a bringer of revelry and cultural celebration. Though Loethan himself possesses a clean nose with no evident criminal record, rumours abound regarding his lineage. Some speculate upon the identity of his mother, while others feel it necessary to instead dwell upon the circumstances of his conception. As Councillor Eldriss was beloved as an honest man, it came as some shock to the Free City to know he had concealed a son from us for many years. Moreover, as word circulates upon the street of a deadly cult of assassins seeking to avenge downtrodden bastard children, many citizens have formed their own opinion on the matter of Veran’s demise and Loethan’s wealthy detractors have been heard claiming he had a hand in own father’s downfall. \~~~ Our final candidate is the illustrious Scrivener Talas, a common face within the Academy and the Pious Ward. A noted theologian and scholar, Talas desires to uplift the Free City with a greater focus on sciences, education, philosophy, and an open exchange for information with our distant fellows upon the continent of Sapience. His recent involvement in the translation of the Mysterium Eschatonica to Sapience’s common script has drawn some ire from minds far less open, however, and reports claim he has evacuated the Pious Ward multiple times amidst his work due to threats of fire, planted explosive, poisoned dagger, and just sheer violent intent aimed at him in hopes of silencing his desperate outreach. In his public statements, Talas has made it clear he believes that our fair city is best served cooperating with city-states who wish to see Drakkenmont’s efforts stymied. However, his detractors believe that his concessions will cost the Free City a valuable negotiating position some time in the future. Furthermore, many reserved and conservative citizens feel that his focus upon spreading belief and understanding in Sapience is a doomed cause, citing the horrors of the Dockland Clinic Massacre only so few years ago as a primary motivator for him to cease his efforts. \[The article soon spirals off into more speculative gossip and political rumour mongering.\] Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 10th of Variach, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXIII: Haemogenesis](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxiii-haemogenesis/) **Published:** August 29, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the last vestiges of ordnance dissipated, a lone figure stood before the grievously wounded Trees, motionless save for the steady orbit of a long, slender blade of hilunite floating about Him. Ever the opportunist, the vampire-turned-deity wasted little time in seizing the situation presented to Him. Abhorash’s greedy claws extended forth, His aura of Tyranny whipping about Him in a frenzy as tendrils of Creation oozed forth from the bulwarks of Celestine and Eschaton alike. The substance coated Him then, forming veins that crisscrossed in their journey inwards, flowing towards the dead heart of Sapience’s neoteric God. The pulsing shine of Creation warred with the ravenous dark of Abhorash’s attire, forming an eerie chiaroscuro of luminosity that stood against His stark, enveloping shadows. Dark and light reflected off the creases of his suit and stygian cravat, its ceaseless interplay dancing along the edges of an ornate silver pin and its curious, coin-like embellishment. Veiled in the potent illumination of commandeered essence, Abhorash tilted His head back and basked in the embrace of stolen ascension. The effusive contentment that spread across the God’s features was a harrowing sight, the genuine smile that split His lips more chilling than the fiercest snarl. Content meditation did not overstay its welcome, however, for the Hegemonist soon turned toward the Dreikathi menace suspended in the air so far away – and yet now so near for Him. Insisting that the terms of Their agreement had concluded, Abhorash ordered the Dreikathi to begone from these lands. The Bloody Tyrant insisted that Drakkenmont’s fleet would discover vassaldom ‘neath His mighty fist had they refused and went on to claim that Sapience knew but one true Empire. The arrogant edict elicited no hint of trepidation from the Dreikathi armada, however. Indeed, their response manifested as a coldly efficient threat: hundreds of turrets swivelled from Trees to God, the figure’s immaculate glow providing an impossible target to miss. Staring down certain annihilation, the Hegemonist remained steadfast, unwavering. He lifted a hand in invitation, a beckoning finger crooking ever so slightly. The foreign armada obliged in turn, their turrets spewing forth a stream of prismatic rays. The first shot rang true, tearing a smoking hole in the God’s chest. Hundreds of its like followed the marker as Abhorash disappeared behind a cloud of acrimonious devastation, His deific form lost in the blackened smoke and shimmering ylemnic mist. As the obscuring fog of war fell away, their passage uncovered the bleeding remains of a decimated God. The bleed of vitae soon changed nature, however. It thickened then, becoming brighter, the undeniable fabric of Creation enshrouding the remains in a luminous aureole. Time itself walked back its decisions, the hands of destruction forced to retreat as bones once shattered into oblivion reformed with architectonic precision. Sinew and muscle sprang into being, intertwining and knitting together over the steadily reformed silhouette. The God’s marble visage stitched itself together as the final touch, its contours arranged into an infuriatingly self-satisfied smirk. Standing reborn in spite of the devastating force brought to bear against him, Abhorash faced down the Dreikathi once more, robed in the essence of Creation. The ascended vampire lifted a single hand aloft, callous dismissal overtaking His self-satisfaction. Cries of alarm soon echoed from the nearest Dreikathi ship as the Eschaton’s Creative essence manifested at the Hegemonist’s behest. Lances of cosmic ire coalesced on all sides about the airship and converged upon the engineered leviathan in myriad streaks of absolute annihilation. Immense pressure followed in the wake of these arcing assaults, crushing the diced remains of the Dreikathi vessel beneath the weight of a collapsing star. In the blink of an eye, the entire ship found itself crumpled into a tiny, inert grey marble which soared into Abhorash’s waiting grasp. Abhorah’s edict then imprinted itself unto the tapestry of Creation, His ensuing threat writ immortal: “It is only for the service you have rendered that I afford you the choice once more. Retreat or be unmade,” the Hegemonist warned. “I will not offer a third time.” Despite the proffered illusion of choice, the mighty armada soon realised they had no other option but to abandon their position. The airship crews scurried to shift gears, uniting as one to begin the fleet’s homeward trajectory. As their dread collective reached the ocean, however, a single ship peeled off, soaring high out of sight of the wrathful God. With the present chapter closed, Abhorash vanished from the drained husks of the arbour, intent upon wielding His fleeting omnipotence to achieve His own ends. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 4th of Variach, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXII: Blood Calls Blood](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxii-blood-calls-blood/) **Published:** August 29, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As Drakkenmont laid siege to the Dragon of the North, the Sanguine Fist set forth upon the final steps of their own part of their shared plan. Led by Akarn, Thronekeeper of Flesh, the citizens of Bloodloch enacted a grand ritual of soul, bone, and blood to mobilise the malevolent concoctions they had dreamed up. Throughout the days leading up to this moment, the city had accumulated multiple virulent poisons, tainted objects, a truly staggering quantity of vardrax, and even a small sample of the Hegemonist’s blood – with these, they saw to the preparation of a grand act of sorcery. Intent upon bestowing a terrible curse upon Varyan Celestine’s Tree of Creation, the city sketched runes of blood and called upon eldritch spellcraft in hopes of seeing their aims bear fruit. Even as their fellow citizens enacted fell sorcery, Thronekeeper Taj and Commander Yettave engaged the Argent Watch at the foot of the Varyanic Tree. Equipped with ylemnic armour provided by House Zaxandor’s emissary and many signal flares meant to contact the armada’s commanding officers, the two utilised a combination of the Hegemonist’s fleeting gifts, Dreikathi air support, and pure military grit to tear through the intercession of the Celestine’s supporters. Though they faced well beyond their numbers, the duo’s handpicked strike force held fast and fought for the glory of the one true Empire, intent upon boring a way through to the roots of the Tree so that they might taint its arboreal heart. And so, in the first hours of the two-hundred-and-twenty-third day of the brutal Duel in the heavens, the final phase of this devilish deal unfoldeda As the final ritual seal met its close, the Sanguine Fist made its decisive move. The works of the city’s dark ritual, a massive rune of blood scrawled across the sky above Bloodloch. There it lingered for brief moments, the geometric impossibilities of its every angle and vertice an omen of its heretical intent – then the rune dissolved, droplets of blood cascading upon the way to the arbour’s roots carved out by the city’s military campaign. Invoking powerful blood magics, the citizens of the city vanished to the root nexus of the Creators’ Trees deep belowground. Within this cavern did the massive rune pour forth its blasphemous works: the expulsion of weeks of accumulated devastation by Bloodloch’s citizens, of catalysts and venoms, toxins and diseases; of creatures majestic and mundane, grand and small; of weaponry and ordnance, cutting and explosive; of blood and self, freely offered; and even of Divinity, essences and symbols of worship. Then was the mission of the Hegemonist’s chosen revealed: rejoining the Empire from their sabbatical, Maeve and Paxe directed the Chaos essence each had gathered in the root system, the finishing touch on the rot that now coursed through the vast network of roots. Roots weakened and exposed, the city then collectively fell upon them with frenzied fervour, hacking the nexus apart as sickening rot peeled away the defences of Varian’s Tree. With the campaign successful, the heretical rune finally expelled the last of its ritual energies returning Bloodloch’s citizens back to their volcano before evaporating. It was now that, brought to the brink of collapse by overuse, Drakkenmont’s ylemnic armour engaged a self-destruct sequence around the two warriors wearing the exotic artillery suits. In a catastrophic explosion, both eld cores experienced energy generation levels unseen in ages, causing an explosion that smeared Taj’s remains across the Tree in a lurid streak of visceral incandescence. Though Yettave found himself trapped in similar circumstances, his sheer might and accumulated brawn managed to survive the blast – and the ylemnic core boring into his chest. Fused with the object of crystallised power, the Carnifex Commander experienced ylemnic ascension in one fleeting moment of untold, primordial power – and from the blast stepped a newly wrought Titan, prepared to serve his Empire’s demands. Led by Regent Sheryni Nebre’seir and Afviti Kagura Tsuchimiya, two commanders that had given their lives to delay the Polemarch’s assault, the North sought vengeance for the deaths of their comrades, marching into Bloodloch itself to stake their claim. This bloodied whirlwind was short-lived, however, for a siren’s blare soon cut through the din of warfare and propeller roar – a herald of the Dreikathi armada’s final part in this dreaded scheme. Several ylemtech engineers then emerged from belowdeck, their arms laden with myriad modifications meant for the armada’s advanced assault. They attached these new components and installed individual ylemcores, intent upon displaying imperial efficiency. Turret operators streamed out from the hold and took up their position at each artillery unit before motioning for their technical partners to step aside. Grim determination decorated the features of every soldier then, their intent clear: to tear down Immortal Life’s handiwork. Taking aim at the behest of their commanding officers, the gunners soon answered the call to open fire. Ylemnic destruction rampaged outward as they fired in unison, carving ruin throughout the embattled skies of the Monomachy. Magitechnical massacre manifested at first contact as the gunners combined and crossed streams, elemental force working in tandem with ylemnic empowerment to embody the horrors of war. The armada riddled the Tree of Creation in a perpetual salve of searing, prismatic death, enacting terrifying brutality that pulped its outer bark with the force of its impact. Those that remained were caught in the uttermost obliteration of concentrated artillery fire that created a catastrophic storm of ylemtechnical agony, and those who fell became yet another footnote in the annals of Drakkenmont’s all-encompassing conquest. Though the Dreikathi assault drowned the arbour in a deluge of ordnance without the burden of precision, the apocalyptic holocaust left the Eschaton’s titan unscathed. Amidst the spectacle of the Tree’s siege, a burgeoning, unnatural glow enfolded the moon, bespeaking a heretoforth unnoticed usurpation. Soon, however, it became impossible to turn a blind eye to the mysterious interloper as the sky itself bled with an unnatural luminescence that served as a brilliant flare that greedily stretched across the cosmos. No mere coincidence was this intermission, for when the intense radiance reached the siege upon Creation’s Trees, the light plunged downward with abhorrent intent, interceding into this hitherto one-sided assault. Where this radiance laid its touch upon the Eschaton’s Tree, it began to shimmer and shift, the nebulae hosted within its bark flickering dark as galaxies met the ravenous, devouring jaws of the blood moon’s insidious brilliance. A thunderous crack roared across Sapience as fissures stretched forth from the Tree’s hollow, veins of Creation’s essence spilling forth in agitated waves. Where these cracks contacted the Tree’s glimmering foliage, it withered upon the branch, crumbling into dull motes of stellar dust. In the face of such an alien assault, it took mere minutes before the Eschaton’s arboreal monument met near total annihilation. The Tree crashed down with the gravity of millenia, naught but the inescapable dark of emptied galaxies now reflected upon its desiccated form. Cries of dismay rang out across the realm as supporters of the Eschaton, emboldened mere moments ago with the predicament of His counterpart’s Tree, witnessed the turbulent shifting of tides and the total destruction of the Helm’s work. Faith faltered and died, belief extinguished in the face of such abrupt, decisive defeat. Purpose fulfilled, the interloping effulgence of the blood moon released its stranglehold upon the heavens and drew back the curtain of a frightful illusion in its wake. The seemingly decimated Eschatonic titan faded, revealing its true form: still unbowed, unbroken, defiant in the face of neighbouring carnage. The next salvo from the Dreikathi armada soon sheared a massive branch clear off the Celestine’s Tree. Caught in the collateral detonation, charred bark and bleeding wounds appeared in earnest on the Eschaton’s Tree – no illusion this, for rivulets of Creation’s puissance soon ran down its wounded trunk. Its defences shorn from the abdication of faith, the death of belief, the victimised Tree’s twin proved a helpless bystander to its own impending doom. As the Dreikathi set upon its counterpart with renewed tenacity, the destructive halo of their weaponry could no longer be shrugged off: each salvo that tore chunks off Varian’s Tree proliferated destruction upon the Eschaton’s in kind. Despite this new development, the fleet betrayed neither surprise nor hesitation in its bombardment. Deeming the second Tree acceptable collateral, Drakkenmont’s aerial armada accelerated their audacious assault. Macabre fusions of technology and magic alike visited unrelenting havoc upon the two towering monoliths of Creation, the eclectic arsenal carving deeper and more devastating scars upon both Trees. Huge chunks of bark misted the air with each savage pass, revealing the raw wood that pulsed beneath their wondrous outer layers. The majestic trunks, once thought indestructible, now bore gaping wounds that bled a shimmering sap that pooled on the ground below. As protective bark fell away from the twin arbours, a rare moment of respite reigned over the realm as the fleet stilled their barrage. Peace lasted scant heartbeats, however, as a deafening whir emanated from the Dreikathi lead ship. A hatch soon peeled open atop its deck and ejected a glowing sphere that assumed autonomous flight without input from its host. As it traced a steady path towards the arbour, the Dreikathi armada hastily initiated a retreat away from the scene of destruction, maintaining formation a sensible distance away. As the enigmatic ordnance floated forward, a foreboding calm overtook once-Yggdrasil’s surroundings. The sphere stilled amidst the branches of the Celestine’s Tree and the rings encasing the contraption soon began swirling with chaotic fervour. As the motion accelerated, the latent energy of the sphere’s surroundings folded into its mysterious depths. It became a gleaming beacon, a vacuum, a nexus of catastrophe affixed into space overlooking the twin titans towering over the blackened ruins of Bamathis’ fortress. As this arcane technology continued to consume the energy of its surroundings, the temperature in the area dropped precipitously, resulting in sheets of frost that rapidly claimed every nearby surface. The terrifying orb remained there in the sky for some time, radiant as a crystalline snowflake, its perpetual motion casting off the hoarfrost that continually formed about it. Then, without warning, the serene stillness vanished. Cleaved by an embryonic spark that was but an incipient glimmer at the heart of the Dreikathi device, the orb roared outward. This nascent flicker served as the harbinger of Drakkenmont’s boundless fury, its force burgeoning with a voracity unparalleled as the colossal energies collected within found unfettered, catastrophic release. Soon, Sapience was greeted with the birth of an ephemeral second sun. A burst of radiance as beautiful as it was catastrophic, this transient luminary’s brilliance bathed the world in blinding light and overwhelming destructive force. Radiating outward in concentric rings, the energy tore at the very fabric of reality, setting all the realm to an existential waver in one cataclysmic ripple of unbelievable force. Deafening sound chased the heels of this harrowing visual, a stentorian roar that washed out everything it passed with the unrelenting thunder of magitechnical horror. In the aftermath of catastrophe, the charred remains of the Trees still clung to life. Their essence bled by untrammelled rancour, the arbours experienced a petrification of most of their branches and the absolute obliteration of their outer bark, leaving their pulpy, glimmering innards exposed to the rigours of the elements. Only the hardiest of branches persevered through this militant onslaught, leaving both Trees severely wounded. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 4th of Variach, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XXI: Operation Dragon's Hoard](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xxi-operation-dragons-hoard/) **Published:** August 29, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Throughout the weeks leading up to these auspicious moments of Bloodlochian ambition, the city had engaged in repeated meetings and negotiations with Drakkenmont’s dreaded armada. Coordinating a plan of catastrophic intent, they aligned their interests to create a three-prong operation that would ensure that Varian’s Tree of Creation met its end. Though details were sparse amongst the public, clandestine operatives on both sides filtered information to their city-states, creating a game of informational cat and mouse. Desperate to gird the Creator’s monument, the Watch facilitated collaboration betwixt famed ritualist Esrytesh ‘Sibatti’ dur Naya and numerologist Elene Arcan in a grand ritual designed to create and secure magical wards to the area surrounding the trees. Utilising the blood of Strife’s lone Adherent, they etched protective symbols in hopes of turning aside any assault short of a colossal ylemtech barrage. While Maeve and Paxe rampaged through the realms of Chaos, the two Empires were ready to put their schemes into motion. Though most of the Dreikathi airships had assembled in a loose crescent around the twin Trees of the Creators, one lagged behind to deploy a pair of enslaved dragons to see to some unknown task. Seizing upon the Argent Watch’s distraction at the foot of once-Yggdrasil, they deployed a colossal carrier of troops via these dual drakes that soon set a course for the tundral north. As they touched down outside the Theocracy’s gates, a salvo of ylemtech missiles erupted from the cloudy firmament and streaked down towards Spinesreach’s vulnerable streets. Sensing danger from above, Tanixalthas unfurled Her massive wings and sheltered the city from Drakkenmont’s cruel onslaught. Her rage manifested as azurine lightning that ravaged the streets and impeded the Ursal swordsmen marching into the city amidst riotous calamity. Invading soldiers met the Theocratic guards in a brutal, catastrophic union, their swords and spells loosed with lethal intent. Though these loyal defenders put up an excellent fight, their resistance soon met the cruel, crushing fist of Polemarch Xandrelle herself. Deploying several ylemnic orbs via her ixtamyl, the Governess of Greymarch quelled all opposition with blasts of ice, tar, fire, and even space-rending anomalies. Deploying poison gas in her wake, the vicious Dreikathi overseer crushed every Spirean citizen that dared stand before her. Though she put their corporeal forms ‘neath her despotic heel, the Polemarch failed to break the North’s spirit and they pressed on in an attempt to impede whatever aim it was she had here within the hallowed sanctuary of the Conclaves. Carving a bloody trail through Spirean streets, Polemarch Xandrelle eventually found her way to the city’s catacombs. It was there that she held the line against the constant barrage of sorcery and arrows as her ixtamyl once more worked its magitechnical wonder upon the door barring the defunct Cabal’s precious vaults. After crushing another wave of defenders, the Governess stepped into the vault and set about capturing the ancient artifact imprisoned within its Numerologically-guarded depths: the Demon Blade. Deploying a special suppression field generated by a ylemtech device, the Polemarch managed to nullify the fell relic’s subversive properties for long enough to carry it out of the catacombs and to the extraction point for her operation. Guarded by ranks of remaining Ursal swordsmen, she proceeded to the Spirean Institute and decimated all opposition in the name of glorious Drakkenmont as she awaited airship support. After one final, bloody sortie, Governess Xandrelle ascended upon a rope ladder and departed for skies unknown, the dreaded Demon Blade, once-prison of Ruin, in her grasp. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 4th of Variach, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XX: Bloody Conquest](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xx-bloody-conquest/) **Published:** August 29, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In the final hours of the two-hundred-and-twenty-second day of the Creators’ Monomachy, the Hegemonist summoned Maeve and Paxe to His side and charged them with collecting a crucial catalyst for Bloodloch’s forthcoming siege. From the subsumed base of Abyssal Chaos, He carved a rift to unexplored facets of the primordial plane; without delay, His two loyall servants jumped to the task and stepped forward upon a journey that took them through myriad exotic realms within the plane’s endless expanse. Choosing for the most part to conquer rather than negotiate – including the utterly heartless razing of a perfect Utopian society – the two carved a cruel swathe through each metaphysical pocket and claimed the essence expelled in the bloody aftermath. Several realms fell before their might, culminating in a fight with Maladrek, a powerful Chaos Lord presiding over a realm of utter pestilence. Calling forth deadly plagues both alien and familiar, the dangerous being fought with malicious brutality, staved off only by Maeve’s increasingly reckless use of Tyranny’s immortal power to quell the diseases swarming around her and her companion. Though they battled sickening Maladrek with all the frenzied fury they could muster, a decisive blow eventually secured Paxe’s downfall. Stricken by an agonising blood curse under the Chaos Lord’s control, the sanity and self of Abhorash’s Reaver began to unravel. While Paxe struggled with the ancient curse stirring within her veins, Maeve turned once more to the well of Tyranny afforded to the Hegemonist’s Conqueror; too far this time, however, as her control slipped and the conduit burned out, leaving the pair well and truly alone at the mercy of pestilence. With one succumbing to the torment of the blood curse and the other left a hollowed husk by the severed connection to her God, the spectre of defeat loomed heavy upon Tyranny’s disciples. Not for nothing was this duo chosen, however, as each refused to accept the grim fate scribed for them. Reaching into the deepest recesses of her resolve, Paxe peeled back the agony excavating the caverns of her sanity, and curse became gift as it was bent to her dominion. Simultaneously, Maeve refused to accept the emptiness: clawing with impassioned desperation, the Conqueror pried the conduit open once more, unlimited, unrestrained. Thus did the twin ascended unwrite the tale of oblivion consigned to them, Nocturn and Tyranny’s Adherent rising in unison to face down their would-be vanquisher. Wielding the visceral potency of blood alongside despotic might, the two vanquished Maladrek and claimed his bountiful essence, the final piece of the puzzle to unlock Abhorash’s machinations. With the overseer of this realm slain, the two set forth to rejoin the Sanguine Fist on the eve of its bloody triumph, tearing a breach from Chaos back onto the Prime. As these two ascendants toiled in the name of their God, Drakkenmont’s designs became evident… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 4th of Variach, in the year 512 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XIX: Of Spirits and Spheres](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xix-of-spirits-and-spheres/) **Published:** August 28, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** On the one-hundred-and-seventy-fifth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, nightmarish Omei called upon two of Her loyal servants to attend Her in the depths of ruined Huanezedha. Meeting them within the defunct Needle of Balance, She instructed Eaku and Bhalwyn to forge for Her a chain capable of capturing an entire kingdom within Her Astral Realm. The two swiftly set to work, combining myriad metallurgical masteries and mysterious ingots acquired by Immortal Instinct into an intricately etched chain. Firing the forge Herself, Omei stoked its heat with an eldritch essence whose original She was reticent to explain. Sealing the ritual with the blood sacrifice of Sekeres, Her trusted Oracle of Midnight, the virtuous Goddess bound Her realm yet another step closer to the Prime Material. All was calm until the one-hundred-and-eighty-first day of the almighty duel on high, when the council of Duiran gathered before the totem of the Fury in an attempt to honour one of the eight guardian spirits associated with the continent of Albedos. Led by a Jalajan mystic known as Senvet, the council made offerings of kaladite, beseeched Dia’ruian notice via affirmative chant, and sacrificed an old sailor to the haatun spirit known as the Wanderer. Ancient Taulrik answered their plea with neither portent nor omen, opting instead to draw them into the young Plane of Life so that they might meet them in the flesh and journey together through the plane’s untamed reaches. All throughout their journey, the archetypal haatun bestowed primal wisdom and long-forgotten history upon them. The guardian spirit explained to those Duirani walking at his side that Dendara, the plane that once served the same purpose as Dia’ruis, had operated upon a different truth. Taulrik told the council that life had always meant to come to an end, but there had been no cycle of rebirth when the dawn of time touched upon the prior lirathyar. He informed them that all things simply found oblivion at their appointed time and life and death struggled as hated foes rather than symbiotic partners. Taulrik went on to explain that the Heartwood’s six guardians adopted Sapience’s Cycle, as they saw it as a much needed influx of power in their quest to hold the line against the rot that riddled the plane. This waxing strength, the haatun emphasised, was what allowed the Valley of Ancients to stand strong even as Dendara’s ailing state grew more and more bleak. The primordial spirit explained that the Celestine’s efforts included binding each and every spirit to the same process, ensuring that Dia’ruis would far outlive its predecessor. The Wanderer claimed that such a state of affairs pleased the guardians, for the Cycle provided additional strength to each of them with each moment of its ceaseless turn. When asked about distant places not yet accessible with Dia’ruis, Taulrik looked to the west and to the north in equal parts before utilising a nearby stream as a metaphor to explain Dia’ruian geography. Stressing that the plane was a mirror of the Prime Material, he told curious councilors that pieces of the great plane awaited connection to the Basin of Life and that he often spent time warding those remote locations in the council’s stead. Before he disappeared into the wildlands of the newborn lirathyar once more, he offered a cryptic promise: “WE RECALL WHEN THREE GREAT ONES SPLIT US AWAY FROM TWO THIRDS OF THE WORLD. WITH SPACE, WE GREW. WITH TIME, DENDARA FLOURISHED. WITH TIME, DIA’RUIS SHALL FLOURISH.” Even as the councilors departed back to the Prime Material to puzzle over the Wanderer’s sage advice, two empires prepared to see to their daring machinations… Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 24th of Haernos, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Of Spirits and Spheres](https://www.aetolia.com/news/of-spirits-and-spheres/) **Published:** August 28, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** On the one-hundred-and-seventy-fifth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, nightmarish Omei called upon two of Her loyal servants to attend Her in the depths of ruined Huanezedha. Meeting them within the defunct Needle of Balance, She instructed Eaku and Bhalwyn to forge for Her a chain capable of capturing an entire kingdom within Her Astral Realm. The two swiftly set to work, combining myriad metallurgical masteries and mysterious ingots acquired by Immortal Instinct into an intricately etched chain. Firing the forge Herself, Omei stoked its heat with an eldritch essence whose original She was reticent to explain. Sealing the ritual with the blood sacrifice of Sekeres, Her trusted Oracle of Midnight, the virtuous Goddess bound Her realm yet another step closer to the Prime Material. All was calm until the one-hundred-and-eighty-first day of the almighty duel on high, when the council of Duiran gathered before the totem of the Fury in an attempt to honour one of the eight guardian spirits associated with the continent of Albedos. Led by a Jalajan mystic known as Senvet, the council made offerings of kaladite, beseeched Dia’ruian notice via affirmative chant, and sacrificed an old sailor to the haatun spirit known as the Wanderer. Ancient Taulrik answered their plea with neither portent nor omen, opting instead to draw them into the young Plane of Life so that they might meet them in the flesh and journey together through the plane’s untamed reaches. All throughout their journey, the archetypal haatun bestowed primal wisdom and long-forgotten history upon them. The guardian spirit explained to those Duirani walking at his side that Dendara, the plane that once served the same purpose as Dia’ruis, had operated upon a different truth. Taulrik told the council that life had always meant to come to an end, but there had been no cycle of rebirth when the dawn of time touched upon the prior lirathyar. He informed them that all things simply found oblivion at their appointed time and life and death struggled as hated foes rather than symbiotic partners. Taulrik went on to explain that the Heartwood’s six guardians adopted Sapience’s Cycle, as they saw it as a much needed influx of power in their quest to hold the line against the rot that riddled the plane. This waxing strength, the haatun emphasised, was what allowed the Valley of Ancients to stand strong even as Dendara’s ailing state grew more and more bleak. The primordial spirit explained that the Celestine’s efforts included binding each and every spirit to the same process, ensuring that Dia’ruis would far outlive its predecessor. The Wanderer claimed that such a state of affairs pleased the guardians, for the Cycle provided additional strength to each of them with each moment of its ceaseless turn. When asked about distant places not yet accessible with Dia’ruis, Taulrik looked to the west and to the north in equal parts before utilising a nearby stream as a metaphor to explain Dia’ruian geography. Stressing that the plane was a mirror of the Prime Material, he told curious councilors that pieces of the great plane awaited connection to the Basin of Life and that he often spent time warding those remote locations in the council’s stead. Before he disappeared into the wildlands of the newborn lirathyar once more, he offered a cryptic promise: “WE RECALL WHEN THREE GREAT ONES SPLIT US AWAY FROM TWO THIRDS OF THE WORLD. WITH SPACE, WE GREW. WITH TIME, DENDARA FLOURISHED. WITH TIME, DIA’RUIS SHALL FLOURISH.” Even as the councilors departed back to the Prime Material to puzzle over the Wanderer’s sage advice, two empires prepared to see to their daring machinations… Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 24th of Haernos, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Celani Call!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/celani-call/) **Published:** August 27, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Aetolia is once again accepting applications for new Celani in the Pools of Creation. If you’ve ever felt the urge to take on more of a dungeonmaster role, or enjoy the idea of creating new quests, getting involved with events, and telling interactive stories, this could be the perfect role for you! Celani is a volunteer position where you help shape the world of Aetolia in various ways, including (if you want to of course) eventually taking on a roleplay position as one of our Gods. It’s a heavily team-oriented role, whereby you will be expected to support other members of the team in various projects and/or events, as well as working through a series of your own projects and tasks aimed at teaching you the ropes of how to work autonomously in the Pools environment, including how to use our scripting language. To be a great Celani you need to be self motivated, enthusiastic, creative, willing to embrace a challenge, and above all, have a deep love for Aetolia and a strong desire to contribute to the world. Strong writing skills are a must (see below), and the ability to take constructive feedback is essential — many ideas get rejected in the search for the perfect suggestion, and everyone’s work is scrutinised in order to ensure a high standard of writing quality. Equally important is a willingness and ability to collaborate with a team. The Pools is an extremely collaborative environment and “lone wolves” don’t tend to do well. For this round, we are primarily looking for “building and content” Celani, specifically those who are interested in quests, area design, building, making NPCs, as well as telling stories, assisting with events, and helping create things to support various projects. In order to apply, you must meet the following criteria: – You must be 18 years or older IRL. – You must have, at absolute minimum, at least 500 hours of playing time. – Be willing to sign an NDA and give up your character for the duration of your tenure. Applications should be sent to celani@aetolia.com with the following information: 1\. Your real name. 2\. Your real age. 3\. Your occupation (or course of study if you’re a student). 4\. Your character(s) in Aetolia. 5\. Why you think we should make you a Celani, and perhaps eventually a God. 6\. Why you want to be a Celani, knowing that you will need to cut ties with other players. The above point is perhaps the most important of all when considering becoming Celani. Potential applicants should seriously consider their ability to detach from existing social networks and establish new ones in a different environment. Specifically, this involves leaving any Aetolia-based Discord servers, or Discord servers where Aetolia is a frequent subject of discussion. While it can be difficult, this level of separation is essential to a good transition into the team and is something we take very very seriously. 7\. Any special experience you have outside of Aetolia that you feel may be useful in a Celani postion. 8\. Two flawless room or denizen descriptions of 80+ words each. Please be sure to have read HELP STYLE before submitting these. Do not skip this! 9\. A brief outline for two original and interesting quests. These can be situated in an existing area or a hypothetical new area. I’m looking for more than simple fetch or killing quests here. 10\. A skill message in the game you find boring, made more interesting! Applications will remain open until Sunday 3rd September. Feel free to message me with any questions you may have about Celanihood or the application process! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 17th of Haernos, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Espionage / Spy RP](https://www.aetolia.com/news/espionage-spy-rp/) **Published:** August 25, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, While I would prefer not to have to do this, I’m now formalising a rule regarding how people conduct espionage or spy rp going forward: \[0;1;37mIf you play characters in multiple cities, it is no longer considered acceptable to use one of those characters to filter information about events, plans, or other things that are not public information to the home city of another one of your characters.\[0m This will now be considered comparable to metagaming, which we all know takes the fun out of any roleplay setting. If you are found to be engaging in this behaviour in the future, this post will be considered your first and only warning. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 9th of Haernos, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, appendix c, pt 4](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-appendix-c-pt-4/) **Published:** August 24, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The following is a translation of passages from the Mysterium Eschatonica, provided to us by the Pious Ward in the Free City of Delve: “His immeasurable touch was felt in the south, and with one hand did He secure earth to our world. The Eschaton unfurled before us soil and stone, and through His charity did we have hearth and home.” The first moments of the Eschaton’s primal world came to pass when He compelled the earth to serve as its stage. Anchored to the world by the will of His Helm, the land became the bones of reality, lending outlines to the myriad majesty of His realm. Its placement provided terrestrial boundaries that separated it from the sky, fashioned a canvas for the roaring storms and crashing oceans, and granted shelter to fire not yet ready to show itself to the world. The Eschaton looked upon the earth and knew it to be the most stoic of elements. He entrusted it with the duty of holding its fellows upright, for in earth’s absence, fire would possess no food, air would find no resistance, and water would lack vessels. In so knowing its burden, earth sought strength, and thus the mountains, hills, and craggy cliffs sprang forth as its brawn. The fruit of its labour gave metal and gems to mortalkind, as thus they came to understand beauty and purpose. “Bound to the south by worldforged chains, the Eschaton arranged earth into endless domains. Born of each link was physical space, its presence forming Prime Material base.” We give thanks to the Eschaton for His gift of primal being, for without such boundaries we would be incapable of perceiving all His splendour and woefully inept at understanding its form and function. His gift of existence lends us a hunger for experience and sustenance, ensuring the cultivation of our bodies, minds, and souls. Enact devotional rites during times of the quarter moon, when shadow and light toil to split it into sacred, equal dichotomy. Hold yourself to stillness alike to the land and kneel in prayer throughout a full night; speak no words, for the earth welcomes no wind within its rugged bones. Reflect upon your existence in solemn prayer and arise anew upon the conclusion of your thoughtful worship. Know hunger and know plenty, grow and gain strength – in so doing, you strengthen an aspect of His Creation and join with Him in the blessed unity of purpose. “Before Him did we forget hunger, and so too did we forget border. We blurred together in that terrible age, shattered beneath Night and Day’s rage.” Reality itself is His first gift to you and through it do you come to understand slivers of the Eschaton’s enigmatic design. To walk the land and know it with the intimacy of life’s sojourn is to worship Him, for your mere recognition of its sprawling glory is an acknowledgement of your Creator’s rightful claim. Without existential individuality, we would be a mere blur of time and light and shadow, joined together in terror both interminable and instantaneous. Recall the dark times when we lost all definition, our thoughts and lives made a hideous admixture of inconsistency and ethereality. Pray to Him that we are found worthy of the land’s strength, for its burdensome duty lasts only as long as the Eschaton wills it so. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 5th of Haernos, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Contacting Staff](https://www.aetolia.com/news/contacting-staff/) **Published:** August 23, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, Every so often I’m reminded that the ease of Discord and DMs make contacting staff a triviality and sometimes it’s tempting/easier to take things straight to the source. However, as I’ve posted before: \[0;1;37mwe have official channels for a reason\[0m. DMing staff with your complaint is not appropriate. These official systems have logs and records and a paper trail of precedent that simply don’t exist when you choose to bypass them in favour of private messaging someone who likely won’t be able to solve your problem to begin with. tl;dr: if you have an important bug, an issue, or a different type of grievance, Discord DMs are not the venue for reporting these. Thanks Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 19th of Slyphian, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Duel](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-duel/) **Published:** August 23, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The following weekend, prepare yourselves. The Duel will make its return! Come and fight in a double-elimination one-on-one tournament to crown a new champion! Will it finally be your time? In addition to prizes for first place, there is also a prize to be handed out to a random participant. Try your hand at the wheel of luck even if you’re not the biggest, baddest duelist around! For the specific time of the event, see EVENT INFO 585 and ensure that you have setup your timezone (CONFIG TIMEZONE). You can also read HELP THE DUEL for more information. See you there! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 18th of Slyphian, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, appendix f](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-appendix-f/) **Published:** August 20, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The following arrest warrant has been issued by the Lord Horvatz, Seneschal of the Guard, and remains in effect while the subject is at large. Warrant Number: DLV-6843-EA Subject Name: Elene Arcan Approximate Age: Unknown, believed to be some three centuries or more Profession: Unknown Crime scene artists and witness accounts have allowed us to provide the following hand-drawn likeness: \[Drawn in liberal brush strokes is image of an agile female personage likely of Djeirani origin, though with vaguely amphibian extremities and digits.\] This heinous individual’s list of crimes includes but is far from limited to: – Unlawful assembly (18 counts) – Failure to disperse (19 counts) – Disturbance of the peace (43 counts) – Malicious bedlam (4 counts) – Vandalism (12 counts) – Arson (6 counts) – Reckless endangerment of civilians (38 counts) – Incitement of riots (36 counts) – Escape from lawful custody (66 counts) – Resisting arrest (66 counts) – Slander (41 counts) – Witness intimidation (2 counts) – Failure to appear before magistrate summons (51 counts) Bounty hunters and justices of the peace should be advised that the subject is extremely dangerous and likely armed. Approach only with extreme caution. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 25th of Niuran, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XVIII: Pride Cometh](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xviii-pride-cometh/) **Published:** August 20, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Without much delay, the Tree of Creation sought to swat its assailants out of the sky. In a feat of rapid genesis, the tree’s boughs shot forward, making swipes and near miss assaults upon Drakkenmont’s armada. With speed belying their size, the Dreikathi narrowly managed to avoid massive damage in this first attack. Before they could muster another response, however, commanding officers took note of an unseen but impending threat. Steel-grey clouds wheeled into view overhead, conjured by the squalling rage of a freshly born storm. Driving rain erupted from the firmament like unto the angry tears of the Gods, battering the ground below in a merciless downpour. In and through and around this unnatural coalescence of wroth cirrocumulus, forks of azurine lightning wasted no time in making known the radiant ire of their commander. Cyclonic phenomena manifest in the north and ebbed swiftly southwards through the embattled skies, their march in tune with a tremulous chorus of sonic booms threatening to tear the very sky asunder. As the air quavered, the lightning burst forth in a fulminant explosion of arcs to lambaste all the far and distant reaches of the heavens. The storm’s eye at last opened, revealing draconic wings unfurling within the cold reaches of the frozen north. Tanixalthas, Star of Midwinter, Queen of the Skies, Pride Incarnate roared, and the last of the storm’s scant restraint faltered. Set loose by the First Dragon, thunder and lightning conspired along a catastrophic collision course, scorching the skies with fulminant rage. A web of brilliantine incandescence unfurled all across the firmament, converging with murderous intent upon the armada yet bombarding the Varyanic tree. Each beat of the Sun Drinker’s massive wings drove the storm further forward, igniting the sky in a panoply of electric-blue brilliance which ruthlessly assailed its imperial quarry without mercy or remorse. Yet as the azurine sparks made contact and released their explosive potential, they dissipated to naught, unmade and rendered neutral by a force beyond Sapient Air’s grasp. Pride’s enraged roar split the sky with incandescent fury even as cyclone, tornado, and typhoon found themselves turned back whence they came, reverberating through heavenspace before effervescing into harmless non-being. Cursing the Dreikathi as filth and referring to them as the misbegotten get of lust, Tanixalthas demanded that these hunters of Her kind turn back and depart from Her empyreal domain. Cloud and storm and rain and lightning fled from the manifest ire of the Sun Drinker, Her winged flight held aloft by all the power and majesty of Sky Dreaming. Where once lightning struck and tempests squalled, now only the First Dragon soared amidst the reaches of Her domain, the air yielding to Her passage with the characteristically turbulent, thunderous, terror-striking sonic boom. Like a whip of sinuous muscle and tail and wings, Tanixalthas dove with murderous intent. Screams from the scattered crew rang out from the nearest airship as Her massive bulk collided with its hull, Her teeth and claws working as one to shred the invasive craft with Her raw, brutalising strength. Shouting crewmembers emerged upon the decks of the armada, carrying anti-draconic munitions in their burly arms. Hurriedly, they loaded these into the muzzles of each turret and gestured for their comrades to fire upon the First Dragon. Silvery harpoons soared outward, carrying with them wide, shimmering nets of ylembound energy that unfurled upon the firmament. This entangling mass made collision with the Star of Midwinter’s colossal bulk, snaring Tanixalthas’ wings and the sinuous length of Her massive body. Her flight hampered sufficiently, Pride Incarnate began to spiral off the stage She claims as Her domain. The armada wheeled around for another strike upon their newly acquired target, their bristling arsenal at the ready. Before they could make good upon their lethal intent, however, the Varyanic tree made another move in defence of Sapience’s skies. A gnarled spear of ancient timber surged forward, battering the side of several ships in a display of wooden wrath. The Tree of Creation’s follow-up strike sprouted into existence like a flower captured in the throes of a hastened lifespan, more and more protruding boughs springing out to hammer away at the armada. Vines snaked forward, entangling the propellers of some of Drakkenmont’s lethal vessels. Ingenuic industry met the untrammelled might of the wilds as Varyan’s tree yanked and pulled, threatening to tear one captured airship asunder. Soldiers rushed forward with sabres and lances alight with ylemnic radiance and hack away at the growth holding their ship captive, their wicked edges slashing through this weaker manifestation of the Tree’s grasp. Rotund drupes fell free from the crown of the awakened tree, their burning bulk rolling along the decks of nearby vessels. A series of concussive bursts heralded their terminus, consuming the deck in roaring flames as their Divine calesence came to fruition. Screams from engineers and lower ranked personnel rang out as they scrambled to extinguish these new hazards. Other airships within the armada turned their fire upon the boughs, wounding Pride’s ego further with the sudden redirection of their militant wrath. Acerbic exhaust fumes filled the air as the fleet opted to take off and bank away from the Tree’s reach, abandoning their operation in favour of conserving their troops. As they made their retreat, Drakkenmont deployed five messenger drones in a clandestine attempt to communicate with the Sanguine Fist’s leadership. In the wake of arboreal wrath and magitechnical destruction, nightmarish Omei emerged beside the entrapped First Dragon. After a brief moment of consideration, Immortal Instinct opted to free the colossal Goddess of Air before assuring Tanixalthas that She expected recompense for Her act of kindness. Though the prospect stoked the already roaring furnace of Her rage, the Star of Midwinter assented to this point, once more proving the strange honour indicative of Her kind. Some short weeks following their explosive arrival into Sapience, Drakkenmont’s delegation concluded repairs of their injured vessel and promptly invited themselves into Bloodloch, fulfilling an earlier promise – and in the process, responding to a much earlier outreach made by Bloodlochian leadership during the crisis with the Eld’akathi some years prior – to meet with the Sanguine Fist’s leadership to discuss terms of a possible mutually beneficial arrangement. Though the details of said meeting are scarce, known only to those present, – and, by serendipity, the Manipulator Who, in the absence of resistance from Ivoln and Chakrasul, easily bypassed Abhorash’s will to invite Himself into the meeting – the Thronekeepers left the proceedings with newly provided wyrms as steeds, and hastily began preparing for some unknown endeavour involving the Varyanic Tree. Then, upon the one-hundred-and-seventy-fifth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, the Port City of Delve mobilised its security forces to quell the unrest in the streets. After a long series of peacekeeping missions, diplomatic negotiations, and community efforts, Lord-Provost Wahelei saw to the end of the Free City’s troubling riots. Before departing back to the Pious Ward, the Lord-Provost assured Sapience that the city would see to the election of a replacement for the late Councilor Veran, as well as providing written gratitude for the Eschatonic Collective’s efforts. With a season of democracy approaching, the ambitious, the powerful, the deluded, and the hopeful have already begun to plan their would-be ascension ito Delve’s ruling councila Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 25th of Niuran, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XVII: An Unwelcome Return](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xvii-an-unwelcome-return/) **Published:** August 20, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Upon the one-hundred-and-fifty-first day of the Creators’ Monomachy, a curious clamour swept across Sapience’s eastern shores. Set to turbulence by some distant force, the oceans tossed and turned, their weight crashing against Esterport and the surrounding beaches. A low, droning buzz spread out throughout the realm as some unknown terror approached, instilling panic within adventurers and common folk alike. As the sound intensified, its source became clear: a Dreikathi armada approached the continent, a contingent of airships bound for some unknown location upon Sapient soil. Swooping in over Esterport, the armada of deadly vessels set a course for the twin trees growing beside ruined Yggdrasil. Assembling in a crescent shape around Varian’s Tree of Creation, the crew swiftly prepared for combat operations. Gunners streamed out from the holds of each flying ship, the din of their preparation cutting through the mechanical roar of machinery operation. Each unit operated as one, putting Drakkenmont’s rigid military protocol on full display as they laid the groundwork for an impending assault. With weaponry aligned and energy allocated, the gunners began their grim work. With a tug of the trigger, each turret opened fire with indiscriminate hostility. Prismatic rays surged forth from each barrel, carving a cruel swathe across the sky amidst blinding flashes and acrid smoke. Bold onlookers at the foot of the tree found themselves vaporised by ylemnic radiation, their flesh reduced to dust upon an errant propeller breeze. Where glimmering rays made contact with the gnarled, essence-infused bark of the Tree of Creation, smoking splinters of pulpy detritus misted the air. The screech of overheated ordnance mingled with the thrum of suspended airships and the sudden sundering of cracked wood, each passing second of relentless assault increasing the intensity of destruction’s symphony. And yet, when the smoke cleared and Drakkenmont’s advanced armada paused to survey their work, Varian’s tree stood as tall and unbowed as His Favoured Son. Before the eyes of countless onlookers across the realm, the Tree rapidly regenerated the meagre damage it had sustained, ylemfire singed and myriad-hued smoke banished by a ripple of restorative argent energies. The sounds of a newly formulated and authorised operation echoed from the decks of the Draekathi airships as the imperial armada prepared for a second salvo, mustering yet more mechanical might in the face of this Divine target. Mechanical clicks and whirrs resounded throughout the airspace surrounding the twin trees of Creation as each Draekathi vessel’s hull unfolded to reveal clockwork appendages laden missiles tipped with deadly, magitechnical payloads. Soon, technical workers burst out from the decks of each airship and reconfigured the turret cannons for their brethren. Each engineer installed a differently aspected ylemcore within their mechanical charge, ensuring that the next salvo of ylemnic destruction would possess new, dangerous properties. Soon, the gunners stepped back up to take the place of their crafty compatriots and settled their hands upon either end of the suspension bar meant to provide stability during fire. After recalibrating their aim, they awaited the signal to open fire once more. A siren’s blaring cry signalled the start of the second assault. Crackling cascades of electricity surged forth from some turrets, joined by elemental energy from the others. Volatile munitions exploded forward to join this onrushing display of destructive might, the triplicate assault a three-prong violation upon the Celestine’s creation. Smoky calescence, umbral spirals, and coruscating illumination scoured bark from trunk and peeled wood from arborean flesh. Each concussive impact sheared burgeoning foliage from the tree’s blessed boughs and shook the tree’s very foundation with the weaponry’s catastrophic landing. On the heels of this bedazzling, horrifying assault, the intricate mechanisms within the hullbound arms clanked and groaned as they shifted gears. Each protrusion jerked backward and then launched forward faster than an eye-blink, releasing the slender missiles clutched in their collective grasp. In a slightly staggered series of discordant, imperfectly aligned collisions, the secondary barrage made cataclysmic impact. Spellbound catastrophe formed wheresoever these enchanted projectiles shattered, its obliterating potency wreaking devastation with finesse and acuity to dwarf even the Naldareth’s legendary prowess. Those at the foot of the tree found themselves caught up in this horrific display, the air replaced by poison, their remains soon scorched to naught but ashes within the conflagrant firestorm of terrifying ylemtech. When the smoke cleared, however, the Tree of Creation stood unblemished. Whatever harm it had suffered at the hands of this heavily armed fleet vanished in a blink, dumbfounding Drakkenmont’s aerial army. Regeneration’s rigours imposed no sign of strain upon their target’s colossal trunk, its boughs soughing defiantly in the face of the insufficient force it had been subjected to. Not to be undone, the armada’s officers convened to rethink their assault and immediately set into motion a third assault. A brassy swarm of clockwork contraptions soared out from the open undersides of each airship, one and all setting a course towards the tree. Some diverged at certain degrees or points, suspending themselves in the air as if built into the sky itself. Where these miniature automatons ceased their movement, they split their power betwixt maintenance of altitude and the emittance of refined ylem as if they were a mystical beacon. Thin threads of energy soon emerged to interlink each point of shimmering light, weaving an effulgent matrix of magitechnical wonder. Once the last filament settled into place, a dangerous dome of sorcerous energy soon emerged around the arboreal masterwork planted in support of Varyan Celestine’s claim. Every airship gunner swivelled their aim towards these disparate knots within the magical net, the barrels of their ylemnic artillery glimmering with gathering might, and opened fire one last time in a display of Drakkenmont’s boundless, tyrannical power. Ylemnic discharge slammed into the coppery contraptions with a jarring screech, igniting them all in a chain reaction of catastrophic military magic. Catalysed by elemental influence, the excess energy surged inward in an impending implosion of enchanted terror. The dome acted as temporary containment to safeguard the airborne crew unleashing this obliterating marvel, turning the space within its perimeter into a blinding column of light. Arcane tempests and lethal waves of unaspected energy rampaged across the face of Varyan’s titan, eliciting a cry from the local ley. Fire and ice, light and shadow, life and death – all entwined in a cataclysmic wardance of blinding brilliance. As the ley’s ceaseless cries intensified, so too did the whirling ruination trapped within the matrix’s glimmering confines. Poison gas, wasting disease, and raw, concussive force conspired for the purposes of imperial conquest, turning rock to sand to perfect glass by way of the incomparable heat of ylemnic devastation. The lifeblood of Creation seethed within the magical prison, scouring everything in its path with all-consuming violence brought about by highly advanced military equipment. Showcasing the abhorrent horror of technology and magic’s unholy union, Drakkenmont’s dreaded assault set forth to rival the savage Monomachy on high for a brief, chilling moment. Where these omnipotent Creators scattered empires with but a breath, the armada showcased equally terrifying force by way of supremacy of arms amongst mortalkind… and yet, somehow, their insignificance in the face of two embattled Makers became abundantly clear. As the magitechnical matrix dissipated upon destructive radiance’s abatement, the silver titan swayed in utter defiance. Whole, rooted deep into Sapience’s sacred soil, it loomed over the gathered aerial might of the Draekathi. Then, Varian’s tree began its counterassault. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 25th of Niuran, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Testers](https://www.aetolia.com/news/testers/) **Published:** August 18, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello! If you’re interested in being a tester for class changes and the like, please let me know via message! Thanks Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 15th of Niuran, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XVI: Rest and Unrest](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xvi-rest-and-unrest/) **Published:** August 17, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In the aftermath of Seelis’ demise and the subsequent razing of Bamathis’ fortress, a period of relative quiet overcame Sapience as the Collective mourned and the Watch sought to regroup in new headquarters. While the Monomachy continued to rage unabated overhead, it was on the 127th day of the Creators’ Conflict that unrest began to stir in the Port City of Delve. The death of Passion Most Divine and the apparent victory struck by Varyan Celestine had stolen the faith from many of the Free City’s people. Gossip abounded in droves never before seen throughout the metropolis, issued from hushed conversations and grand proclamations both. The topics, while varied in their clarity, lucidity, and foundation in reality, centred almost entirely around the battle between Bamathis and Seelis and the fear of what consequences may befall in the wake of Her loss. Many voiced a lack of faith in the Eschaton and a desire to seek asylum in Sapience among the Varian supporters. Others reviled the Celestine and openly grieved the loss of Accordant Fire. Confusion took yet others, and the histrionics seemed to snare the city in a web of dramatic tension that threatened to boil over at any given moment. On the one hunded and thirty third day of the Monomachy, a funeral procession was held in homage to the beloved Seelis, Accordant God of Fire, Vulpine Lady of Flames, the Harlot, Passion Most Divine. Spearheaded by members of the Eschatonic Collective, chief among them Rasani Morrog and Xenia Seirath, Sapience and Delve both turned out en masse to pay tribute and respect to the departed Goddess. The funeral procession swiftly became a spectacle worthy of the slain Lady Flame, the smoke of censer and the music of mournful hymns lending a sombre but strangely relieving air to the proceedings. Gifts were borne and kind words were spoke by many among the throng, its members far too numerous to name yet drawn from all across both Sapience and Albedos in their march across the Port City. Though protesters gathered and gainsayers stood ready to disrupt, they were swiftly driven back by the resolute Collective, and, after many hours of speeches and tributes, the crowd returned to their everyday lives — some with spirits uplifted, all yet bearing a deep sadness for murdered Seelis. Some days later, the tension simmering within Delve began to bubble over. The volume of gossip grew to a fever pitch as it seemed every inhabitant of the city – and some more besides – had some opinion on the matter. Violence, then, was inevitable. And so it came to be that on the one hundred and thirty ninth day of the Monomachy, the first punches were thrown. Makeshift explosives, incendiary devices, and all manner of home-baked weaponry emerged from merchants and shopkeepers and pilgrims and citizens alike, singular purpose driving them: riot. Families fell in the chaos, gang warfare resumed in a manner not seen since the last grand turmoil, and the entire citizenry seemed poised for catastrophe on all sides. In the midst of the mayhem, Veran Eldriss, one of the more elusive members of the Delvian Council of Five, found himself at the end of a blade. He was not the first, nor the only casualty in what was rapidly becoming a major, violent riot. Demands for the council to act continued to wrack the remaining members, yet it seemed nothing would be done. Seizing the opportunity to increase the Celestine’s influence, members and sympathisers of the Argent Watch soon devised ways to fan the flames of this unrest, arming the crowds, weaponising the gang leaders, and inciting even peaceful onlookers to violent revolution. It had taken only a spark, and the Watch had turned it into a burning flame. The Collective, seeking to quell the unrest and restore order to the city, soon mobilised their own forces. While the Watch continued to foment aggressive action, the Collective strove to disperse the crowds by any and all means necessary, providing refreshments, entertainments and more in order to assuage their discontent, all while ferrying crowds through the city. Delve yet remains in Chaos. The Watch and the Collective continue to lock horns. The Council of Five remains short one member. And yet, in the midst of all this catastrophe, there is one civilisation whose purpose is not fractured, whose leaders are resolute, and whose forces are mobilised, airborne, and preparing to strike. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 12th of Niuran, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Introducing Cognition: A Revolutionary AI-Powered Pet Interaction System](https://www.aetolia.com/news/introducing-cognition-a-revolutionary-ai-powered-pet-interaction-system/) **Published:** August 17, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey folks! We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new cognition system. This groundbreaking innovation allows you to engage with your in-game denizens in ways never before possible, using artificial intelligence to enable unique and personalized interactions. Here’s how you can get started: Step One: Acquire Chars You will need “chars” as a currency for interactions. Chars can be purchased from our website, starting at 10,000,000 chars for $10. You see your char count using the COGNITION SUMMARY command. Step Two: Enable the Pet Use the command COGNITION ENABLE on a non-sentient denizen you own to enable cognition. This currently only works on \[0;1;37mpets or minipets\[0m. Step Three: Create a Personality Design a Personality Page (PPage) using COGNITION PERSONALITY SET \[desc\]. This helps the AI understand your denizen’s personality. You can review it using COGNITION PERSONALITY SHOW . Please refer to the appropriate help file to understand how this works better. Step Four: Enjoy Engage with your denizen and receive unique responses, all while your chars are deducted for the interaction. \[0;1;37mOnly direct (i.e. targetted) interactions will trigger a response, and only from you.\[0m Cognition Syntax There are various commands available for managing cognition, such as enabling/disabling targets, setting daily budgets, and more. For a detailed guide, please refer to the in-game help files. Start with HELP CONGNITION. \[0;36mWhy is this Awesome?\[0m – Unique Personalities: Craft distinct personalities for your denizens, providing fresh and individualized interactions, making each pet truly one-of-a-kind. – Enhanced Engagement: Break free from repetitive, pre-scripted dialogues. Engage with your pets as they respond in real-time with intelligence and charm. – Creative Empowerment: Exercise your creativity in designing your denizens’ characters. From appearance to mannerisms, the customization options are endless. – Responsible and Ethical Use: We’ve taken careful measures to ensure our cognitive AI is not just an exciting feature but also one that respects ethical considerations, including compliance with legal requirements. By embracing these features, the cognition system in Aetolia offers a new dimension of entertainment, creativity, and responsible gaming. Join us in this thrilling journey and experience a new level of immersion with your in-game pets. \[0;36mAddressing Concerns About AI Ethics\[0m We understand the concerns some may have regarding the ethical use of AI. That’s why we have taken careful measures to ensure the responsible implementation of cognitive denizens within Aetolia: – No Job Displacement: Our cognitive AI does not take away jobs. It enhances the gaming experience, providing fast responses that human-written interaction cannot feasibly provide. – Ethical Considerations: We are actively monitoring the legal landscape surrounding AI training data and will comply with American law. If necessary, we can switch to other AI models. – Enhanced Experience, Not Replacement: Cognitive denizens augment the experience for human players but do not replace human creators. For a detailed statement on our stance regarding AI ethics, please refer to the in-game help file under HELP AI ETHICS. \[0;36mGet Started Now!\[0m Engage in an immersive experience with your denizens. See the help files: HELP COGNITION, HELP COGNITION PERSONALITY, HELP COGNITION RULES, HELP COGNITION FAQ for all your queries. Thank you for being part of this exciting innovation in Aetolia. We believe that this system opens up new and thrilling ways to enjoy the game, always with a commitment to responsible AI usage. Happy Gaming! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 8th of Niuran, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Aggression in Delve + Oversights](https://www.aetolia.com/news/aggression-in-delve-oversights/) **Published:** August 14, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, You should safely assume that any action which directly or indirectly bypasses the PK blocks in Delve to be an oversight and against the spirit of this part of the event. This includes but is not limited to: – Oblivion – Icewalling / blocking / being generally disruptive – Killing mounts – Attacking mundane bards – Anything that interferes with other players’ ability to participate. We’ll be patching these as and when we can identify the issues, until then, please report them to us and stop doing it. That goes for everyone. Thanks. Penned by my hand on Closday, the 17th of Lanosian, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, appendix e](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-appendix-e/) **Published:** August 14, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The following record of investigation is provided to us by an anonymous source in the Free City of Delve’s justice system: AUTOPSY REPORT – Free City of Delve Justice Department SUBJECT: Investigation of Assassination – Council Member Veran, Master of Revelries DATE OF INSPECTION: Quensday the 14th of Lanosian, year 511MA\* LOCATION: Ecclesiarchy Investigation Branch #27 INSPECTION COMPLETED BY: Dr. Lysandra Thorne, Forensic Examiner. DETAILS OF THE DECEASED NAME: Veran Eldriss AGE: 77 RACE: Ursal PROFESSION: Member of the Council of Five. HEIGHT: 2.2 meters (approximate) WEIGHT: 210 kg (approximate) HAIR: Dark pelage, moderate length. EYES: Green, with a hint of amber near the iris. INVENTORY OF WOUNDS Puncture Wounds: Eight slim puncture wounds are noted, surrounding the neck and shoulder region, each approximately 3mm in diameter and ranging from 1-2cm in depth. Toxicology will determine if any poison was introduced. Blunt Force Trauma: A significant contusion, approximately 10cm x 8cm in size, can be seen on the left side of the deceased’s jaw. The impact force fractured the mandible and resulted in the displacement of several teeth. Facial Punctures: Five smaller puncture wounds, each about 2mm in diameter, are present on the right side of the deceased’s face. The wounds are consistent with a secondary attack instrument or possibly defensive wounds from a smaller creature. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES All the wounds indicate a sudden and swift attack, possibly from behind, surprising the deceased. It is believed that the assailant had close proximity to the deceased, indicating familiarity or a potential breach of trust. We have called all civic workers on staff in the Fora for immediate questioning. Only authorised personnel have access to the building, making it likely that the assailant either had legitimate entry or had accomplices within. A potential witness, name withheld for security reasons, has reported seeing a shadowy figure leaving the Council chambers shortly after the time of the suspected assassination. Investigations are ongoing. All information contained within this report is confidential and should not be disclosed without proper authority. \*: The Grand Library felt it would be in the best interest of informational clarity to convert this date to Sapience’s much less esoteric calendar. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 14th of Lanosian, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XV: Retribution](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xv-retribution/) **Published:** August 9, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Upon the one-hundred-and-eighth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, the goddess known as Ethne summoned Rijetta Alhazrad to Her forge. It was there that the Firemaiden explained that She sought to sharpen the mortal warrior into a tool of Divine retribution, and that it would require that her impurities be cleansed by the transformative power of fire. Though Rijetta knew not what Mebrene meant, the Ogrish goddess cared little for her confusion. Soon, She snatched the mortal up by the scruff of her neck and cast her into the fiery core of the Rekindled’s workshop, plunging Rijetta headlong into incandescent doom. It was there, amidst the peal of hammer meeting forge, that the hopeful Illuminai found rebirth. With her consciousness thrust into the very heart of Sol Eos, Rijetta sensed a distant, holy communion that intruded upon the silence of her searing agony. Like Jezriel and Dreugan before her, the Aspirant heard the call of the Angelic Triad and swore oaths of service to each of them. Promising to be the sword and shield of the Light upon a sage’s burning path, she felt her corporeal form reconstitute itself beneath the concussive force of a hammer and the searing rage of retributive fires. At the apex of her Seraphic ascension, the Triad asked yet more of the former Adherent of desecrated virtue. In unison, they declared that Seelis’ murder must be avenged and called upon Rijetta to carry out the first steps of this fiery judgement. Overflowing with fervent might, the newly anointed warrior of the sun agreed without hesitation. Though Rijetta’s resolve burnt so bright that she would have challenged the Warlord on her own, the Triad informed her that the Djinn’s passion for vengeance raged just as hot. At the Triune’s holy behest, all of Paimri fio Oihia marshalled to assist her in this righteous endeavour, each and every guardian conscripted for a fiery crusade. Five of her Seraphic compatriots immediately alighted at her side within the core of the burning sun, followed soon by a fervent legion ten-thousand Djinn strong. Together, this holy army marched forth to the Prime for the purposes of consecrated vengeance, its ranks soon bolstered by the raging Inferno Herself, hammer in hand. Mustered to such scale that the Holy Sanctuary of the Divine Fire that Protects was left bare of guardians, the entirety of Rahiela’s raging armies arrived before the Warlord’s fortress, their numbers brought to greater heights by the still-mourning Eschatonic Collective. Unified for the purpose of justice against the Argent Watch, the seething crusade broke down Bamathis’ gates and culled His conscripted legions without remorse. Though most of the Bellguard survived these bloody engagements, some of their number experienced passionate terminus, their fires burning too bright, too hot in a moment of incomparable zeal that spelled the end of their lifespan. Unwilling to allow this attack to go without response, the Argent Watch swiftly filtered into the fortress via an alternate entryway and looked to the defence of its stoic walls. Some manned the ballistae at Nok and Ireti Whirran’s command, raining death down upon the gathered throng of wrathful crusaders. The Kobold tinkerer himself burst forth from the hatch in a blaze of glory with two phials of silvergrit clutched in his grubby mitts, though he was reduced to smoking cinders before he could so much as lay a hand upon Rahiela’s fervent warriors. As Paimri’s five native Seraphs took to the skies to rain cataclysmic fire down upon the fortress’ protective runes, the Warlord Himself took to the field in an attempt to ward off the enraged Inferno battering at His gates. Then, fiery, bloody battle was truly joined. Ethne hefted Her heavy hammer and thundered forward without a word, Her Ogrish silhouette poised for a brutal swing against Her murderous Brother. Too swift for still-recovering Strife, She barrelled into Him with a might mustered by righteous indignation, Her hammer crashing down upon His torso not a moment later. A loud, jarring crunch echoed throughout Sapience as Bamathis’ cuirass caved in beneath Mebrene’s mighty impact, Her wrath put upon full display as She summoned sheets of flame in the wake of Her physical assault. Unrelenting as sweltering summer heat, Ethne pressed on with Her vigorous flurry of blows, showing Sapience as a whole that the Warlord still suffered wounds and deep exhaustion from His battle with the deceased Harlot. The Inferno summoned calescent walls of fire and sizzling sparks amidst Her passionate onslaught, Her fury bringing Her Immortal power to the fore without conscious thought. Scorched detritus arose in intermittent bursts around the two Divine duelists, reducing Their violent dance to mere humanoid impressions upon the towering flame. Soon, however, Ethne saw an opening. Heaving Her hammer on high, the Inferno reared back and slammed it into the side of Bamathis’ skull, a sickening crunch ringing through the air upon contact. This forceful strike sent Immortal Strife reeling into the dirt – and then multiple feet back, the earth upturned by the force of His tumbling passage. Intent upon striking while the iron was hot, the Firemaiden thrust one meaty hand forth as She strode toward Her fallen Brother. A searing jet of Immortal incandesence surged forth from Her calloused palm, wrathful pyromancy manifest by Her silent command. With a steady hand, She Who is Fire wove a brilliant, burning prison around Bamathis even as He began to climb to His feet, intent upon trapping Him for a fatal, final assault. Rather than stand still for such a brutal blow, however, Bamathis charged through the blazing bars blocking Him in, choosing to suffer burning agony rather than a deadly hammerblow. Radiant wrath shredded at His Immortal form as He charged through the fiery obstruction, His wounds weeping lustrous ichor in the wake of His escape. With enough distance gained betwixt Him and His enraged Sister, the Son of Autumn carved a silvery gateway through reality’s fabric and stepped through, allowing Him safe retreat from His besieged keep. In the wake of Her Brother’s flight, Ethne roared in immense frustration. Channeling Her anger into creative process, She summoned a forge of glimmering light and set to work with Her tools. Rubine effulgence swirled towards the epicenter of Ethne’s methodical, mighty hammerblows, its flickering collective soon adopting an elongated, concave shape. Each swing of Her mallet rang out across Sapience, and its contact with Her swiftly wrought work surface sent ripples of fiery light coursing along the dark surface of the Eschatonic tree. Thoroughout Mebrene’s labour, the cosmic titan soughed along with each strike, uniting the enigmatic force of absolute Creation and the fervour of Divine industry. The bowl-like shape gained definition and hue, its insides accumulating countless motes of effulgent essence that sizzled alike to freshly freed magma. Satisfied with Her work, the Rekindled lifted the brilliant edifice from Her incandescent anvil and gently dismissed Her faithful forge after a single, stern nod. She set the basin upon thin air and traced one Ogrish finger along its circumference, Her contact setting it to an anticipatory quiver for the work to come. Inviting mortals to join in the holy work of burning down Bamathis’ fortress, Ethne allowed each of the Eschatonic Collective to gather a glimmering blade of fiery retribution from its magmatic depths. Charging forth into the keep, the Eschaton’s supporters put its every inch to the torch in short order, the blood of Strife’s Legions doing naught to quench the raging fires in their passionate hearts. When the keep reached a breaking point, the Rekindled summoned the Collective back to Her side and privately commanded Seraph Alhazrad to pass sentence upon Strife and His Legion. Calescent zeal spilled forth from Rijetta as she called for the ear of the Mhun, the Djinn, the people of Delve, and all who held passion in their hearts, all who knew the injustice of Bamathis’ bloody crimes. Utilising the authority invested in her by the Angelic Triad, she declared the Son of Autumn nothing but a murderer, a heinous criminal guilty of deicide. As judge, she declared a guilty verdict, His ruined fortress rendered as a symbol of promised execution. With that, the newly forged Seraph called for the mighty legions of Rahiela to combine their pyromancy and fervent faith and turn it upon the keep. In a catastrophic firestorm of righteous condemnation, the Djinn and Seraphs bathed Bamathis’ fortress in sacred flame, transfiguring it into a pile of rubble and ruined ash. One final mourning knell resounded throughout Creation before the Rahielan natives marched into the fires of their crusade, conveying their collective masses back to their homeland. In short order, the Rekindled dispersed in kind, leaving mortals to savour their vengeance as dawn reached out to embrace the land. As smoke spiralled into the sky in a vain attempt to blot out the Creators’ Monomachy, trouble stirred across the vast ocean… Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 10th of Lleian, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XIV: Lunar Cry](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xiv-lunar-cry/) **Published:** August 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** With the death of Incandescent Hope, the Eschaton’s focus finally tore away from the interminable war It waged against Varyan Celestine. Even Its mournful silence imposed transcendental serenity, the peace of an ending scrawling bleak, blackened vistas upon the surface of the cosmic tree It rooted within the scorched ruin of Yggdrasil. Soon, the fiery vine wrapped around its nebulaic trunk withered, its blissful blossoms drooping and transfiguring into ash that raced off upon a bitter, despondent breeze. The ceaseless Creators’ Monomachy pressed on, however, its every moment impressed upon Sapience’s sundered skyscape as an animate mural of deific carnage. The world-within-a-world, ensnared in the throes of fateful apocalypse, came to know only hardship at the hands of two omnipotent figures. Seeing an opening to strike at His forever-foe, Varian reached within this alternate world with one shining, silver hand and set to tipping the scales in His favour. Recognising Him as its partial Creator, the secondary reality shifted and moved to make way for one of its two masters, its people mere pieces upon the board of some existential game. The Celestine’s touch bestowed renewed magic and purpose to His chosen peoples, infusing them with the immeasurable puissance of a deity triumphant. Girded in silver arcana and power overwhelming, his people went forth to spread His will within the world that formed Their mutual sequester, cosmic fire glimmering at their fingertips. Sulfuric vortices spanned this foreign dimension’s skies, conjured by the hands of ambitious sorcerers that soon crushed their would-be opponents ‘neath callous heels. Sundered by greed, misfortune, and hubris, the dying world-turned-arena went to war over the barest of essentials, rendering civilisation and plenty a dream long ago lost to forsaken antiquity. Torn from Its sorrowful reverie, the Eschaton returned Its inscrutable gaze to Its fated duel with Varyan. The Cosmic Being reached out with one nebulaic hand to shield Its fleeing peoples, allowing those embattled mortals It held dear to run to ground and escape the wrath of the Celestine’s chosen champions. Ensuring that they would fight another day, the Albedi Creator expended some of Its interminable might to quell the raging fires in these alternate skies, costing It yet more time and attention. Only ash existed in the wake of these fleeing Eschatonic believers, leaving Varian’s empowered civilisations to rise as the dominant force within a shattered, alien world. Ages and eras progressed on in a blink and scattered images of temples and keeps, constructed by arcane and divine manifestation, impressed themselves upon the theatre of the mind. Soon, this once-damned world flourished once more beneath the fist of Varyanic dedicants, a paradise wrought for them and them alone – a reward for their faith, a symbol of His dominance in this fateful chapter of the Monomachy. Taking the upper hand in the darkest times of brief apocalypse, Varian redirected His attention to a glimmering prize familiar to all the mortal eyes of Sapience: the Eschaton Moon. Gathering what remained of His excess might, the Celestine forged a shining spear of uttermost possibility. It too shed burning light upon mortal mindseye with its shimmering potency, its boundaries barely comprehensible to even the most wild of imaginations. Serene calm brought order to Varyan Celestine’s victorious expression then, the air moving gracefully around His arm as He let loose His manifested strength. The lance screamed through the air like a beam of fiery radiance, bound for the Eschaton’s beloved moon. Trails of argent essence scattered in its wake, rendering makeshift aurorae upon the heavenly vault. The Cosmic Being, so unfathomably sensate as to know all that has happened, is happening, and will happen turned Its sidereal being to observe the course of Varian’s fateful strike. As if by instinct alone, the Albedi Creator lifted Its free hand to bat away this puissant missile, existence’s curtain parting and soughing in recognition of Its beloved Maker’s desperate move. Like unto a dreaded thorn, Varyan’s strike speared through the Eschaton’s cosmic hand; argent radiance bored through Its being, folding space around its immense impact. Fulgent supernovae brightened the sky, bathing all Aetolia in rapid flashes of silver brilliance, this violent strike impressed upon all the world’s perception. For a moment, the Eschaton’s hand momentarily existed within a state of jarring superposition. Countless outcomes whipped by, light and space and time all dancing to the tune of collective will as Creation mulled over the end result of such a collision. The consensus of the masses, achieved by the belief of innumerable mortal witnesses, sealed the outcome. Creation’s entirety fell to solemn, sombre quietude in understanding of Eschatonic agony, a pain experienced in Its stead by reality’s already strained fabric. Though no wound seemed evident upon Its immaculate being, it became clear that mortals momentarily perceived one nonetheless – a hole, a splatter of Immortal life-energy that showered the safeguarded moon in potent essence. Then, the Eschaton redirected Its attention to a mostly conquered arena, the Monomachy once more reignited into terrifying fervour. ~ ~ ~ As His Father scored a devastating blow in this omnipotent duel, Bamathis sought to celebrate His own victory. Declaring that faith in the enigmatic Eschaton was a waste, the Warlord once more made clear that Varian’s claim was the only way forward for Sapience. He lashed the broken remains of Accordant Fire to His chariot and took flight across the sky, hoisting His trophy to the air for all the realm to feast their eyes upon – be it in adoration, or in horror, or else in utter hatred and disgust. Racing across the firmament, the God’s kill splattered the seas with magmatic blood, birthing a bridge of igneous rock in the wake of His cruel exultation. He carried on towards His fortress and the twin trees that awaited there within the blackened ruin of Yggdrasil, glory and sadistic glee ruling upon His usually stoic visage. Upon His arrival, the Warlord offered up the remains of the Harlot to His Father, declaring that Her downfall was a sign of His waxing strength and a victory that was sure to come. Seizing upon the corpse, the force of Varyanic Creation took unto itself this Accordant offering, reducing it to energy to suit the furtherance of the Celestine’s designs. Soon, fiery might rippled across Life’s masterfully wrought Tree of Creation, coalescing into myriad crimson fruits that immediately burgeoned into full, luscious size. Sparing little time for this act of miraculous Creation, the Warlord cast His argent gaze to the skies one last time – to look upon His Father and the nemesis that is His mirror: the Eschaton. Grim resolve once more asserted itself upon His perfect countenance and, soon, He marched back into His fortress to recover from His myriad wounds and heroic exertions. Thus ended the first act of the Worldeater Saga, its final lines written in the fuliginous ink of Passion Most Divine’s burning blood. Penned by my hand on Closday, the 25th of Midsummer, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XIII: The Fires of War](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xiii-the-fires-of-war/) **Published:** August 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Within the confines of Her prison, Seelis, the Harlot – dreaded foe and beloved divinity of fiery passion – stirred for the first time in millennia. Spontaneous combustion heralded the awakening of Lightwrought Fire, the Polyargan air rapidly consumed in a cataclysmic chain that daubed the island in an incandescent halo. Ancient Seelis lifted Her colossal vulpine form upward from Her rigid supinity, the weakness of aeonic imprisonment curtailing Her pace, and called to Her what might She could muster in this brief calm before the storm. As Light’s Blazing Accord rose, so too did the spirits of all mortalkind. One and all, hearts lightened, enkindled by an alien passion that spread like wildfire within their bosoms. Ardour’s song swelled within their mind, drawing living and dead alike into an emotional tumult that ranged the entirety of mortal possibility. Fervent devotion bloomed within these raging fires incited by Seelis’ liberation, Her scorching influence tempting fanatical zeal into calescent inferno. Conflagrant essence alighted then upon the bestial being that was Seelis, Her innumerable tails igniting in a display of eldritch divinity testing Her rapidly reawakening might. Upon six fiery legs did She stand, Her myriad eyes like burning coals in the dead of night. Her fiery puissance rekindled, Seelis drank in Her surroundings in search of Her saviour-assailant. An imperative urge for survival radiated from Her, suffusing the hearts of all life with a hopeful warmth: to fight, to live on, to deny this argent interloper the prize He so sought. A mere ember at first, it rapidly expanded into a towering inferno that laid claim to soul around the world entire, driven to overwhelming heights by ardour and purpose writ clear upon the manifold. In a flurry of murderous motion, the Warlord made His first strike against His hated foe; deific violence made flesh, His harsh aura gleamed as an expression of vengeant wrath. Bellowing aloud a battle cry in the ancient tongue of creation, the Favoured Son advanced upon the abominable goddess, Caelestis clutched in one gauntleted fist. In a low, sweeping strike, Bamathis carved into one of Seelis’ six legs with the wicked edge of His blade, its argent fire clashing with the burning essence it met upon impact. Eldritch ichor blossomed there where Strife claimed first blood, the agonised howls of Passion Most Divine echoing off the earthen walls of the kiln that contained Her effulgent might. Leaning heavily upon Her five unharmed limbs, Seelis’ lissom frame grew taut as She mustered the vulpine grace at Her command. Confident and spry, She leapt into the fray with an agility at odds with Her millennia-long imprisonment, Her obsidian teeth bared, each glimmering point dripping spittle-thin strands of lava. The burning goddess pounced forward, Her fiery bulk slamming against Bamathis as She closed Her jaw around His arm. Seelis’ raging fangs punctured the Warlord’s armour, their keen points inciting silvered essence to seep from His burning wounds. With a grunt, Bamathis heaved His foe upward with His captured arm and slammed Her down against the hardened stone of Her prison with a nauseating crunch. Lifting His weapon on high with His opposite hand, He brought the pommel crashing down upon Seelis’ head over and over, brutally smiting Her with a series of ruthless collisions. Polyargos trembled with each harsh blow it witnessed, its burning aperture venting more magma and asphyxiating ash with each horrifying expression of Divine enmity. Issuing a wordless roar as He tossed His foe aside, Bamathis showed no mercy for the wretched Other before Him. The vulpine goddess sailed through the air towards the other side of the smoky vault, Her enkindled body slamming against the wall with a thud that rolled across Sapience like crashing thunder. Swiftly springing back to Her paws, the Harlot of Fire launched Her next daring assault, Her tails dispersing into a seething firestorm that drowned out all sense, all sight in such a constrained space. She tilted Her muzzle and emitted a mournful howl then, its issuance inciting inconsolable misery within the very bones of the land. The world quivered in response, its commanded sympathy empowering the fiery holocaust that She conjured to combat Her hated foe. No longer restrained by the sable seals of Her once-prison, Seelis’ blazing might flooded the kiln, its inhospitable temperature reducing the walls to a state bordering upon liquid. Alacritous shapes bounded within the fuggy hellscape that was Her awakened intensity, and primal silhouettes surged forward to beat back Her argent assailant. Bounding throughout the prison, Seelis lunged forward to nip and bite at the Warlord caught in Her fiery ruse. Under the obfuscating influence of Her burning potency, She opened several angular wounds in His flesh, Her teeth digging into Bamathis’ legs and ankles in swift assaults punctuated by quick retreats, Her evasive technique employed to avoid further harm to Her own body. Strangulating smoke and acrid ash swirled in Her wake, vague impressions of Her profile left behind for all of a breath before the oppressive aura that was Strife stamped them out like errant embers. All around, fire manifested and found feeling, sentience, made to arise as an army of fervent dedicants desperate to hold back Her assailant. Standing resolute within the heart of heretical heat and infidelic inferno, Bamathis remained unbowed. A mantle of silvery essence beat back the Albedi assault, ensconcing Him within the protective embrace of His boundless power and conviction. Where creative trickery and inspired deception sought to lead Him astray, Bamathis stood unmoved. Whipping the Blade of Sapience about, He slashed through the fiery outpouring that sought to reduce His mission, His vessel, His very being to impotent cinders. Where Immortal War remained calm and collected, the ancient Accord that was Light’s Torch plumbed the depraved depths of frenzied, fiery fury. She redoubled Her efforts, Her wroth essence pouring forth in an infinite upwelling of relentless, burning assaults. Each attempted attack found itself turned aside, each fanatical servant’s last sound that of discordant chimes as the argent aura of Strife’s crucible judged them weak and wanting Blinding incandescence to rival the sun’s very core reigned supreme within the kiln. Shadows vanished, their hazy silhouettes captured forevermore upon the prison’s damaged walls. A column of fire burst forth from Polyargos’ volcanic mouth, the island’s foundations buckling beneath the punishment of horrific theomachy. Fire’s roar was the song of Their fated duel, punctuated by the percussion of steel’s clang and searing screams, its dread lyricism comprised of hoarse Ankyrean battle hymns. Anointed in fuligin, the Son of Autumn strode forth from the heart of Seelis’ fury, His blade held at the ready. Silver radiance poured from Him in palpable waves, its argent potency quelling the fervent blaze barring His warpath. His eyes reflected the cold, calculating judgement of Varyan’s will, barbarous intent writ clear upon His steely countenance. Graceful Seelis darted beyond Bamathis’ reach, trailing glimmering fire in the wake of Her flight. No longer possessed of enlightened calm, the Goddess blazed all the brighter as She leveraged Her greater speed against the implacable foe that sought Her end. Lashing out with claws of searing keratin, the Harlot scored a savage blow against Strife’s face, leaving seared scars upon His Ankyrean mien. Unwilling to allow Her impudent strike to go unanswered, Bamathis’s retort came with breathtaking speed and Caelestis surged forward in a devastating slash, severing Seelis’ wicked paw at the wrist. Molten essence spewed from the resultant stump, its emergence doing naught to deter the murderous God’s next move. Like unto a conqueror staking their unquestioned claim, Bamathis wedged His blade into the prison floor and lunged forward, His hands alight with the silver luminescence of all His unveiled might. Reeling with pain, Seelis failed to evade the fatal grasp of Her opponent. Bamathis’ hands dug deep within Her incandescent being, Her primordial fire shunted aside in the face of Strife’s ultimate purpose. Plunging the goddess into the throes of His terrifying aura, the Favoured Son set to the task of systematically dismantling the Albedi threat captured by His unyielding mastery, eliciting an inharmonious wail from Seelis. The raw power that is Bamathis’ domain rampaged outward from the staunch shell encapsulating His essence, its brilliant effulgence dwarfing the captive flame within His clutches. Methodical in His grim work, Bamathis’ argentine essence smothered Seelis’ sizzling form inch by inch. As He held Her helpless within His brutish grasp, jagged strands of His quintessence scourged Her animalistic avatar, untrammelled assault gouging into Her and tearing showers of short-lived alabaster sparks from Her lithesome frame. Such treatment elicited a scream like hissing smoke that rang out from the darkened kiln, the sorrowful sound mingling with vulpine howls of ancient anguish that echoed throughout Aetolia entire. Capitalising upon Her blinding agony, the Warlord seized another of Her limbs within Strife’s unstoppable tide. With a roar that shook across Polyargos, He viciously wrenched it from Her body, its removal clearing the way for another spurt of magmatic ichor that splattered across Bamathis’ hands and face like torrid warpaint. Showing no mercy for this fundament of reality, the Warlord terminated Seelis’ serenity with the tension of His virtue. The scintillating scoria that served as Her heart crumbled within His cruel crucible, torn asunder by something beyond the bounds of the Eschaton’s omnipotent design. Even without Her volcanic core, Fire’s Accord squirmed to escape the butchery that was Bamathis’ brutal deicide, though it was all for naught. The Warlord’s destructive essence trapped Her within the gravity of His frightening violence, an oppressive, hysterical catastrophe that broke Seelis utterly beneath its lustrous tides. The Harlot’s panicked cries ceased, Her agonised howls silenced. Despondent dullness reigned from a cruel throne at that moment, its icy touch enervating the forcible ardour enkindled within mortalkind’s chests. Empathic extinguishment broke the spell of their shared perception, full sovereignty once more restored to the will of all Sapient beings. Peals of Paimri fio Oihia’s mournful music set Creation’s foundation to a tremble at that moment, a clarion deathknell for their beloved Goddess of Passion. Countless Chapters cried out for Her passing, one and all lost amidst the sorrowful clamour. Heaving with the exertion of His victory, Bamathis cast aside the lifeless husk of His quarry and collected Caelestis. With one downward slice, He severed the vulpine head from Seelis’ fulgent body, allowing Him to take the trophy emblematic of His hard fought battle. Sheathing His blade, He used His free hand to seize one of Seelis’ smouldering tails and dragged Her smoking corpse behind Him as He retreated from Her once-prison. And yet, even as Favoured Son fought Accordant Fire, the Creators’ Monomachy raged ona Penned by my hand on Closday, the 25th of Midsummer, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XII: The Claw of Hope](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xii-the-claw-of-hope/) **Published:** August 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As Divine battle raged upon the high seas, Ivoln and Dhar worked at the final bindings holding Seelis within Her kagamine kiln. The obfuscating veil barring Her prison from feverish Polyargan air rippled one last time and then faded away, revealing the fruit of Their collective toil. The Master of War concluded His brutal craft with several concussive strikes against a wall so recently revealed by His grim accomplice, the oily primordial metal of the last layer yielding to His domineering strength. Bared to the world after thousands of years of deceptive Artifice was one lone seal, its heart bored into by a jet of charnel energy from Death’s outstretched fingertip. Satisfied with Their work, Death and Earth cast one final look over Their handiwork and then evanesced into the eldritch smog before going Their separate ways, Their eyes – and thoughts – weighing heavily upon events yet to come. Soon, an argentine shimmer of Divine essence sliced open the air upon the shore of Polyargos, the gash in reality parting like a stronghold’s double doors to make way for Bamathis, the Favoured Son. In His gauntleted fist shined Caelestis, its wicked gleam rivalled only by the polished cuirass girding His Ankyrean form. Calling for Sapience to unite against the Albedi abominations, He implored the Argent Legion and Watch alike to prepare for battle within once-Aalen, instructing them to hold the line there. Finished with His speech, the Divine soldier then surveyed the volcano looming at the island’s centre, His jaw set into a hardened grimace. Braids of fire and smoke conspired at the heart of a grave stormfront, their union of choking ash birthing an army of incandescent servants separating the God from those that would march beneath His banner. In a rain of volcanic ash and crucius hellfire, these minions of Accordant Fire converged within the Bloodwood, intent on repelling Sapience’s claim. As Infernal heat reigned upon the field of battle on the mainland, Strife Incarnate took the first steps of His grim march, His sword bare to the hazy air of ash-riddled Polyargos. Wheresoever the Harlot’s heretical forces conspired to stymie His purposeful advance, they met the full force of His methodical might, their forms broken effortlessly beneath the rigours of His assault. Leaving naught but soot and trampled sparks in His wake, Bamathis christened the island in the proof of His immortal resolve one foe at a time, unstoppable in His sacred purpose. As whorls of smoke and crackling fire churned in the skies above the embattled Sapient soldiers, fabricating another legion of molten foes, rank after rank of fervent, fevered minions rose to bar War’s path. Their resistance proved a daring test that failed to meet the standards of His ineffable strength, their cinders scattered upon stultifying winds. Bamathis hurled Himself into each fight, the martial mastery of His Ankyrean vessel on violent, incontrovertible display with every precise martial movement. Embodying efficient brutality, His mere presence served as a force of annihilation, His essence laying waste to all who came forth to face Him. Protected by the invincible aegis that was duty’s grim resolve, He crossed flaming rivers of lava, His course guiding Him ever nearer to the prison ensconced within Polyargos’ molten core. Through the threshold of Ankyrean antiquity, Varian Celestine’s chosen Son marched, His sandaled footfalls echoing throughout the smoky corridors now bereft of mortal presence. He travelled deep, past seals so recently shattered, past the ruined outer layer of the colossal kiln shaped by the expert hands of a Brother He never met in an age He never knew. The Argent Warlord’s dogged trek ended before the final seal, its shadow-affine material straining beneath the demand placed upon it: to be the last bastion dividing centuries of slumbering peace from imminent and inevitable war. Bamathis lifted high the blade of Sapience and, without a moment’s surcease or hesitation, brought it crashing down in a titanic strike that gouged deep into that which kept Him from His flaming foe. As He toiled, yet more molten assailants coalesced around the Silver Son. Intent upon forestalling the inevitable confrontation to come, they closed ranks around Bamathis in a swarm of choking soot. Each emergence fizzled out before their first move was made, exudations of interminable power breaking all that dared to stand in opposition of the Warlord’s mandated objective. Within the crucible that was Strife, the Rahielan rabble crumbled to ash at His feet, torn asunder by the violent energy roiling about the Celestine’s enforcer and favoured son. The ring of Divine handiwork contending in a war of durability resounded throughout Creation, all the realm of Sapience shuddering as this final protective ward buckled beneath Bamathis’ martial prowess. With another brutal blow, He scored a long, ragged fissure along the seal’s face, His insistent force pushing it to the brink of destruction. Oily essence wept from this wound wrought by Bamathis, its emergence bringing with it wisps of caliginous smoke. He paused then, took a deep breath, and steeled His nerve in the calm before the conflagrant storm soon to emerge from the other side of this last lock. As the final elemental fell upon the mainland, its scattered embers once more rejoined the churning storm of ash and heat that loomed above Sapience’s coastline. Kindled from the horrifying heart of catastrophe, a single sleek silhouette emerged from the darkened depths that is Polyargos’ volcanic detritus: Aiyitu, Citale fio Siha – the Rahielan Claw of Hope. Fiery battle raged across the scoured Bloodwood, lava and smoke manifested upon its blank canvas as the greater elemental sought assailants aligned against its burning Mistress. Amidst the carnage, the Hammer set out upon their daring rescue mission, rowing boats and carrying stretchers to evacuate the leper colony upon Polyargos’ embattled shores, their humanitarian work punctuated by a much bloodier intent: to bombard the Argent Watch from afar. Calling for aid, Rhulin Glintspear directed several citizens of the Hammer to bring him explosives from the ship’s hold to load into the Dawbreaker’s Dwarven bombthrower. Scrambling to assist, they launched their first strike to no avail. Soon, however, the city developed a rhythm for carrying and loading the dangerous ordnance, and they began showering their foes in explosive hellfire from the relative safety of the seas. As the battle drew near to a close, it was Eaku Redwood that suggested a colossal final salvo. Loading each and every bombthrower with a deadly payload, the Hammer launched each of them in tandem, wreaking havoc and lethal conflagration upon the entirety of the Argent Watch. Content with the price of blood taken in vengeance for the recently fallen Aiyitu, the Hammer sailed back to the city, their attention upon the increasingly distant island at their backs. With one final strike, the last seal gave way beneath Bamathis’ divine onslaught. The alien material clattered to the ground, leaving the gaol without a mechanism to remain closed. The Silver Son strode into the kiln-prison proper, His expression resolute, His argent aura bristling with murderous intent… Penned by my hand on Closday, the 25th of Midsummer, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part XI: Oil and Water](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-xi-oil-and-water/) **Published:** August 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In an act of sorcerous avoidance, Chakrasul transfigured half Her body into profane fire to avoid Slyphe’s incoming assault, Her silhouette streaking away off the deck amidst perfumed smoke and seared wood. She danced upon the surface of the Maelstrom’s crashing dominion in defiance of Their rulership, Her form held upright by a dark haze of wicked fire and putrid smog. With the eminent confidence of a master mariner, Slyphe dove off the side of the Dawnbreaker in pursuit of Their hated foe. The ocean rose to meet its beloved Monarch, its aqueous embrace enfolding Them in the heart of Their kingdom in preparation for the grim struggle to come. As the Maelstrom took off after Chakrasul, They raised the blade of Their cutlass over the water alike to a shark’s dreaded fin, Their pace setting the oceans to a vicious churn. This tumult birthed roiling waves, sending Enorian’s flagship further away from the deific violence even as their violent union resulted in whirlpools and churning, cyclonic waterspouts. Columns of glimmering water arose from the sea’s shifting surface, twisting and turning like dancing serpents that trapped Chakrasul within a violent tangle. A mere darkened silhouette, Silafi darted from wave to wave, navigating churning vortices and rising aquatic columns with ethereal grace. Each time They breached the cover of Their undersea domain, They lunged forward and scored a blow against Chakrasul’s pale flesh with Their cutlass, steaming ichor blossoming where mortals might expel mundane blood. On one acrobatic pass, the Maelstrom’s blade caught on a strap securing Their adversary’s armour, rendering Her vulnerable to the rhythmic strike that followed in the next breath. Tricksome and daring, laughing Slyphe retreated over and over before Their opponent could respond, swimming rippling, confusing circles around Chakrasul. Trapped at the heart of this aquatic convergence, the Dark Mother turned to violence as Her means of escape. Immortal sorcery coalesced at Her urging, grand conjurations of inky lightning and spiralling jets of jade fire blotting out the glimmering light reflected off the towering waves crashing against Her. Each evocation of Her burgeoning fury burrowed blindly into nearby stormy columns, searching, seeking for Her nautical foe. Dark, smoky wisps swarmed the empyreal vault as Corruption mustered Her vile might, rage ruling as the sole sovereign of Her usually calm, collective countenance. The Queen of Despair worked foul, Immortal magic, its enactment birthing a crackling nova of sickly celadon that careened into each and every churning waterspout. A screeching hiss serenaded the display of profane power, the raw heat of Her boiling temper reducing Slyphe’s guile to naught but steam. Following this act of dark enchantment up with another expression of sorcerous mastery, the Dark Lady whispered an incantation in bygone Kalsu that drew Her conjured nova back to Her slender frame, its ephemeral glimmers ensnaring the newly revealed Slyphe. The firmament’s umbral invaders soon began their descent, twisting and transforming at Corruption’s urging until they became a swarm of duskywing butterflies that descended upon Slyphe. Soon, they unified into two colossal hands of jade smoke, took Slyphe into their clutches and squeezed, strangling Immortal Water as if to wring Them dry of Their very essence. In the wake of Chakrasul’s vicarious touch, tumours bloomed, riddling Slyphe’s form with barnacle-like growths that befouled Their shifting visage with an alien constancy. Gangrenous flesh floated as sickly, gore-laden chunks within the aqueous essence of Their make, and streaks of jade and sanguine hue coursed through the Maelstrom alike to diseased veins. Proving too clever for Chakrasul’s vicious spellcasting, Slyphe reduced Their form to mere trickles of Divine essence, eluding the grasp of Her vile might. Leaving behind the death and decay of Her fell enchantment, the Maelstrom reformed whole and hearty once more before lunging back towards Corrupted Might to finish Their deadly duel. Meanwhile, within the watery containment of Silafi’s arena, Damariel and Haern continued to exchange brutal blows. No longer worried about exposing innocent mortals to even a fraction of His power, Truth cut loose with heaving strikes and hacking cleaves, His weapon whistling through the air amidst bursts of shining effulgence. Each swing decorated the welkin blue with scouring wrath, carving out trails of light as He made an attack at hacking into Haern’s shoulder. Rather than evade His Brother’s brutal blow, Haern unleashed an ursine roar and shoved forward. Before the cutting edge made contact with His burly frame, His outstretched shoulder rapidly grew a rugged pelt and fangs, a white bear’s muzzle bared to catch Daybreak in its gnashing teeth. The Hunter swiftly jerked His shoulder back to draw Damariel into His trap, Rhythm’s Spine planted upward to catch the Unbound in the chest – only to be foiled by a flash of feverish light that saw Damariel narrowly avoiding fatal impalement. Whirling around upon the pivot of His starmetal leg, Damariel countered with a blademaster’s interminable grace, the edge of His weapon shearing against the watery prison cordoning His unveiled power away from mortal onlookers. The Hunter met His Brother with a savage swing of His own, the clamour of Their clash thundering along the shores of western Sapience. As They acted out Their enmity in physical struggle, so too did Their essence express similar violence. Virescent waves of palpable power clashed against lightborn lightning, each calamitous convergence of Their Divine might illuminating the inside of Their arena with blinding flashes of colour. Sabres wrought from searing light dispatched feral silhouettes and parried natural disaster, catastrophic circumstance manifested upon the containment of Their battlefield. In another display of His metamorphic power, Haern’s horn writhed in place, its length extending into that of a vicious viper. It struck out against Truth Incarnate in unison with the Hunter, both fang and spearhead bound for Damariel’s throat. Stoic bravery drove Damariel forward then, Daybreak whipping downward in a brutal, overhand strike. The cutting edge of His greatsword cleaved the summoned serpent in twain and clipped the side of Haern’s head, forcing Him to leap away from its fatal crash. Myriad blades of effulgent essence formed a tight circle around Damariel’s frame as He pressed this small offensive opening with another series of practised swings, His arms a brilliant blur of martial motion. Blinding sunbursts accompanied His every blow, Truth’s orbiting armoury lashing out in tandem with His regimented assault. With no choice but to dodge, weave, and block, Haern gave up ground, His muscular arms working doubletime to bring Rhythm’s Spine to bear against His Brother’s greatsword. He raised His spear with both rugged hands to deflect another blurred blow, its wooden haft straining against Damariel’s blade. Truth’s aureate aura then flowed forth as His weapon made contact with Haern’s, its radiance birthing crackling tongues of incandescent essence that raged within the bounds of Slyphe’s oceanic arena. Determined upon claiming victory, Damariel drew His sword back and hacked downward once more, Daybreak’s destructive edge glittering with alabaster fire. Upon contact, it sheared through Haern’s spear, forcing Immortal Life to cast aside both pieces and lunge forward, a rictus snarl twisting His barbaric visage. His feral mitts arose then in vicious assault, one clenched fist slamming square into His Brother’s unprotected jaw even as He brought the other around for second strike against what He saw as weak prey. Swaying on His feet beneath Haern’s brutal beating, Damariel backed up, stumbling upon His starmetal prosthetic as He eluded the brutal barrage. Spitting Divine ichor from one side of His mouth, Truth proved His mettle with His next strike: reversing His grip, He slammed the pommel of Daybreak into Immortal Life’s gut, forcing the wind from Him. Following this up with a practised kick, He knocked Haern down to the arena floor and pressed Daybreak’s lethal edge to His throat. “It is done,” the Unbound informed Herno, His steely eyes looking down upon His Sibling-turned-foe. “Coward,” Haern snarled, His wounds doing nothing to abate His vital fury. “This is why You and Your Light aint worth a thing.” His head soon tilted upward, baring more of His already exposed throat toward the Unbound’s blade. “You can’t finish the hunt,” Life taunted. Damariel did not deign to answer, His weapon held to unflinching stillness against His Brother’s neck. Impassive, serene, He stood tall over defeated Haern, His form battered by the brutal assault of fang, spear, and feral claw. Soon, the smoke and mist on the Dawnbreaker’s opposite side abated. The Changing One’s silhouette came into view, Their wild swordplay dispersing the veil obscuring Their glorious duel with a twisted Sister. Intent on bringing a long-deserved end to Chakrasul, Slyphe bore down upon Her, the rippling edge of Their cutlass aimed straight for Her pale neck. Forced to retreat before She met Her end, Chakrasul dispersed into myriad butterflies, Her essence borne away by their fluttering wings. Seizing upon Damariel’s distraction, Haern raised one meaty fist and splashed it against the floor of Slyphe’s prison. A thin thread of viridian energy wove itself into a crude gateway underneath Him and, soon, space folded to allow the Hunter egress into the depths of His wild demesne. As Truth and Water alighted upon the Dawnbreaker’s disastrously dishevelled deck, the Two Gods informed its crew that They lacked the strength to engage Bamathis without great risk. Noting that Dhar and Ivoln had similarly taxed Themselves to break down the last seal, the Unbound posited to some mortals privately that this meant the Warlord would be alone in His attempt upon the Harlot’s life. As the Hammer set out to rescue Polyargan denizens, Immortal Strife began His lone march. Penned by my hand on Closday, the 25th of Midsummer, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part X: Of Seals and Struggles](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-x-of-seals-and-struggles/) **Published:** August 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Soon, the aged mechanisms guarding Seelis’ final seal abated. In a flurry of hastily hatched plans, the Argent Watch and Eschatonic Collective both mobilised, desperate to ensure they staked their claim upon Polyargan shores before the opposition could reach the prison first. Empowered by weeks of direct exposure to the Monomachy’s metamorphic fallout, the endless streams of possibility possessed new, terrifying power, their assault bringing myriad soldiers on either side to their knees with ruthless force. Blood stained the island’s jagged cliffs and splattered its volcanic soil, a militant, haphazard testament to the fervent beliefs of both sides. Holding out for almost a quarter of a day, the Collective proved themselves a vast and dangerous force, standing as staunch sentinels of the final seal. Unwilling to allow this opportunity for victory to slip through His ghostly hand, the Underking manifested upon Polyargos and warned any and all mortals to retreat, lest they be sent directly to His halls. Though most made the wise decision to flee, Azvameth and Haleth suffered the strangulating wrath of Death Incarnate, snuffing out the spark of their existence with but a twist of His wrist. Joined by Ivoln, Dhar and the Earth Father toiled through eons of enmity to reluctantly work together. Silently They set to the task of tearing apart the final seal and deconstructing the last remaining layers of Seelis’ imprisonment, the way into the abyss barred by a curtain of Divine energy. Not a moment later, the island’s namesake reached a fever pitch of volcanic activity, a violent eruption of lava searing through its mountainous cliffs and pristine shores. Upon noticing a flock of Harpies taking flight to evacuate the island, Rhulin Glintspear called upon the Hammer to execute a rescue mission to save the Templar representatives and the lepers that they oft tended to. Rhulin called upon the city to produce a suitable helmsman, though his cries were swiftly cut off by Captain Ralir and his crew forcibly boarding the Dawntreader to set out with similar aims. Joined by the Maelstrom and the Unbound Lord, the Hammer set out across the Beryl with Ralir as their captain. Slyphe employed an immense act of Divine magic to hasten the ship’s journey, and an honour guard of angels assembled at Damariel’s behest for the purpose of protective escort, allowing it a safe and uneventful trek along Sapience’s southern shores. As they sailed within view of both the Bloodwood and Polyargos, however, the ship found itself burdened with two additional passengers. At the bow and stern of the Dawnbreaker, twin doorways of Divine fire rippled into view. Viridian light spilled forth from the front-facing gateway, allowing the Hunter to step through onto the deck. A moment later, the Dark Mother Chakrasul stepped forth from Her own portal, whorls of jade fire coalescing within Her cruel clutches. Corrupted Strength unveiled Her crackling wrath immediately with an arrogant snap of Her slender fingers, scourging the ship’s sails with sinuous, serpentine fire. Despairing wails arose from the crew at the sight of Her Immortal sorcery, smothering courage and valour alike in the feeble hearts of mortal mariners. Weaving its way across the Dawnbreaker’s deck, the fiery serpent spawned smoke and steam, its glimmering length dappling the ocean’s surface with sickly jade light. After baring its wicked fangs, it lunged forward, only to be met by a shimmering aegis of stormy condensation wrought by Slyphe’s aquamancy. Cleansing water met foul, burning sorcery, the hiss of steam arising as the music of their nullified union. Furious at this counterspell, Chakrasul conjured further fiery constructs, attacking the sails from hundreds of angles to no avail. As these Two Immortals worked Their opposing magic, Damariel bared the blade of His newly forged greatsword to the salt and smoke of nautical battle, its razor edge reflecting dawn’s first light. Pallid flames manifested upon its gleaming length, anointing it as an instrument of the Light’s merciless retribution that He held high as He charged forward towards His Sister, intent upon enacting an executioner’s sentence suggested eons ago. As He rushed forward, Truth swore to make Chakrasul’s end painless, killing intent hardening His steely gaze. Soon, the screech of reinforced dejanite against enchanted elder wood rang out across the ocean as wild Haern interjected in Damariel’s charge, Rhythm’s Spine clutched tight in His feral grasp. His bestial lips peeled back in a vicious snarl, Immortal Life thrust His spear forward, upsetting His Brother’s balance long enough to press the attack like an aggressive, hunting predator. Where the Hunter sought prey, however, the Unbound Lord proved He was no easy meat. He met His Brother blow for blow, His weapon swinging in wide arcs that demanded distance and caution from His foe. Dawn broke in brilliant sunbursts with each carving arc of His colossal blade, reality’s fabric parted by flashes of merciless radiance that gave the Wild God pause in His berserker rage. Sparks of gold and green scattered across the deck as Haern parried a strike to His hamstring from Truth’s deadly, but oddly reticent assault. The colliding strength of two Gods at war sent the Dawnbreaker tilting dangerously from one side to the next, Glintspear’s craft rocking in erratic motions atop the waves. Unrelenting in His pursuit, Haern thrust one feral claw out towards the open waters, summoning sodden strands of rope-like kelp breach the ocean’s surface. In a surge of divine hypergenesis, their entangling mass lashed around Damariel’s starmetal leg like unto a Sentinel’s trusty snare, hampering His movement and rendering Him vulnerable for a dangerous strike. The Dawnbreaker’s underlying structure groaned as it listed dangerously towards starboard, the inexorable force of undersea vegetation threatening to drag it down into the oceanic depths. Unwilling to endanger any of the mortals on board, the God of Truth manifested a meagre scrap of His power, His wordless command answered by a lance of solar light that struck downward and vapourised the seaborn overgrowth. Reduced to little more than a malodorous smear upon the vessel’s starboard side, the remaining kelp fled to the lightless depths, allowing Damariel’s retreat to safety. “You fight like Arion, You arrogant bastard! Like You think You’re better than the rest of Us!” Haern howled as He hefted His spear. “I know,” Damariel admitted to His savage Brother, His expression grim. He stumped forward with His greatsword in hand, intent upon engaging for another flurry of strikes. Venting Her frustration at being left out of the fray, Chakrasul swiftly flooded the Dawnbreaker’s deck with an outpouring of Her sickening might. Spirals of jade light coursed upward from the putrid, fuliginous carpet of Her unveiled power, one and all fluttering upwards towards the sails in the form of fiery duskywings. Though Slyphe rushed to smother these new conjurations, the Maelstrom could not quench all of them at once, taxing yet more of Their time, attention, and essence in the attempt. With Her Changing Sibling suitably distracted, the Dark Mother directed Her attention to Truth’s turned back and fired forth a shimmering bar of nauseating, chartreuse energy from Her outstretched palms. Its screeching passage set reality’s fabric to a disorienting ripple, natural light recoiling in the wake of Her unleashed might. Possessed of eminent martial awareness, Damariel raised His sword to meet Corruption’s underhanded interference, its reflective surface keening in protest as the Unbound Lord swat the vicious blow aside. Corruption’s opportunistic sorcery soared off into the ocean depths, its terminus illuminating enigmatic fathoms in a concussive burst that set the boat to an unsteady sway once more. Joining together to take down Their arrogant Brother, Life and Corruption combined Their power as an unholy union of terrifying blows. Savage predation burned in Haern’s gaze as He brought forth emeraldic fire to cover His lumbering approach, its vital thrum comingling with the jade calesence of Chakrasul’s dread assault. Charging forward through the flames, the Hunter slammed His bulk into Damariel, pinning Him to the Dawnbreaker’s railing with Rhythm’s Spine at the Unbound’s chest. Unwilling to allow His Brother to be brought low by the collective might of Chakrasul and Haern, Slyphe made a desperate play. Calling upon all that comprised Their undersea kingdom, the Maelstrom shaped two swirling tidal spouts from the surrounding waters and slammed them into the deck. The first swept Truth and Immortal Life away into the confines of a watery arena, sequestering Them from Chakrasul’s vile interference. As Haern and Damariel exchanged blows within the confines of Silafi’s gambit, the Maelstrom drew Their cutlass and lunged forward to put an end to Corruption on Their own terms. Penned by my hand on Closday, the 25th of Midsummer, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part IX: Faith Made Real](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-ix-faith-made-real/) **Published:** August 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Upon the seventy-ninth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, the Hammer of Dawn called for mass prayer. Led by Aspirant Rijetta Alhazrad and Pentarch Kalena Emerson, the city’s adventuring populace marched in a solemn procession to honour the Eschaton, the Merciless Light, Her Fiery Accord, and the four Sapient gods that stood with them in this dark time. Wielding censers emitting cleansing smoke and bearing offerings of battlewrought metal, Enorian sang their praise of the Albedi Creator in a ritual guided entirely by intuition and faith. Ending their parade in the Sunset Belfry, the city joined bellkeeper Aeya in ringing the colossal instrument in her charge, serenading Sapience with the clamour of their collective devotion. As their final uttered prayer took to the wind, a ripple coursed across the sky, centred upon the twin trees nestled within the wreckage of once-Yggdrasil. Gilded energy coursed down the Eschaton’s tree then, bathing its surrounding soil in a wondrous manifestation of faith made real. Slaked of a thirst it never knew it possessed, the land gave unto this cosmic tree a single, sinuous vine, its cord-like length riddled in fiery blossoms. Several days later upon the eighty-fifth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, the Sanguine Fist undertook a similar endeavour. Gathered within the fell darkness of their Ivory Tower, the city, led by the guidance of Akarn Yaslana, conducted a chaotic ritual in communion with the mysterious demon known as Voragath, imploring it to feast upon the essence gained from long hunts upon Polyargan shores. When the entity silently declined, the Empire turned the ceremony towards praise of the Eschaton, and soon their faith painted the skies with kaleidoscopic hues. Oily rain spilled forth from the clouds over the twin trees, bathing the Eschatonic arbour in yet more bountiful offerings of Sapient belief. From this extraplanar nourishment sprouted a single, mysterious fruit, its enigmatic bounty out of mortal reach – for now. Meanwhile, in a mirror of the Monomachy’s carnage, the violence upon Polyargos reached a fever pitch. The Eschatonic Collective dominated the field in defence of the second seal for most of a full day, warding away Strife’s servants with sword and spell. Though their martial prowess bought the Harlot time, the Argent Watch enacted a stealth mission upon the eighty-sixth day, ensuring the inevitable end of yet another seal barring Bamathis from His appointed purpose. The Hammer responded with acts of fiery defiance through the ensuing days, building pyres and uttering fervent prayers to Passion Most Divine in hopes of lending Her strength in the coming battle. Upon the ninety-first day of the Creators’ Monomachy, the Nightmare tore Her way into the Prime and made Her way to the site of Her crimson ritual. Ushering Bhalwyn away from his duty as a sentry, Omei took hold of the nightmarish chain fastened to the cavern floor, Her claws tightening around it as if to strangle the energy it held within its lurid links. With a mighty tug, She pulled whatever rested at its other metaphysical side nearer to the Prime, causing chaotic disturbances all across Sapience. Though it was a taxing labour, the Imago succeeded in the first step of Her plan, anchoring the Astral kingdom of Red to the Prime and thus increasing Her power exponentially. And while Omei enacted the first of many machinations, Her Brothers Damariel and Slyphe arrived within Ethne’s forge. Though unable to stand against the Warlord’s inevitable offensive, Mebrene ensured that Her Siblings marched into battle with weapons suitable for deific violence. Discussing a counter-offensive with the Rekindled Goddess, Truth and Water took up Their newly forged arms and departed, bound for the Hammer. Swearing Their support to the Eschaton and the Light once more, the Two bolstered the spirits of Their following, explaining that the hour of reckoning was almost at hand. At dawn on the ninety-sixth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, the Warlord marched forth from His fortress to look upon His Father’s Tree of Creation. Exclaiming to the realm the inevitability of His Father’s victory, He once more informed the Eschaton’s supporters that they placed their faith within an uncaring, unknowable entity with no obligation to nor interest in them. Satisfied with His invective proclamation, Bamathis set His hands upon the tree and communed with His Father, beseeching the Celestine for the might to forge forward in His name. A panoply of argent lights surged downward from the heavens to bestow blessed might upon the Favoured Son, infusing Him with a power unseen since ancient times. Then, as Bamathis marched off through a gateway to the unknown, ancient mechanisms approached a breaking point… Penned by my hand on Closday, the 25th of Midsummer, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Polyargos Compendium Pages](https://www.aetolia.com/news/polyargos-compendium-pages/) **Published:** August 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey, folks! With the end of the Worldeater Saga’s first act, the isle of Polyargos has adopted a hot new look! Due to how we prepared this surprise, we needed to do some magic on the backend to convert your Polyargos pages to this new volcanic island area. Any pages in your compendium have been changed over and all loose pages in circulation have received a similar treatment. Hope you all enjoy! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 23rd of Midsummer, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Harpy release!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/harpy-release/) **Published:** August 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The destruction of their homeland of Polyargos has seen a diaspora of sorts for the Harpy people, and they have now become a playable race! \* You can either create a new character with the Harpy race, or reincarnate into it. \* Endgame race players may switch their heritage to Harpy for the next two weeks if they wish. You can find full details about the race under HELP HARPY. Default statpack: Agile Racial Skills: Level 1: Flight Level 25: Nesting Level 50: Selfishness Level 75: Shrieking RACIAL HELP has more information on these! On an unrelated note, I’d like to inform everybody that today’s events mark the end of Act 1 of the Worldeater Saga, and there is a lot more to come! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 22nd of Midsummer, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, appendix d, pt 1](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-appendix-d-pt-1/) **Published:** August 4, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** \[The following account is provided by a representative of the Goddess Lexadhra and is believed to be penned by the Lady’s own hand.\] As I crest this turbulent sea of time and mist and memory, ever-striving against the current which yearns to swallow Me, I remember. One does not navigate the Source, but rather must instead be guided by what it desires to show, to allow its myriad estuaries to carry you along – the struggle, then, to swim without drowning, to dive without submerging for eternity. While the Twin Trees grow, what Death and Earth made lies uncovered. What Revelation began, Memory and Monomachy will see to the inevitable ending. They – the Two who were One – do not fully remember. I do. Here is My gift, and My curse. ~ ~ ~ The war is ended, and the twin battlefields lay in ruin – ravaged by smoke, by God, by magic, and by wrathful flame. The victory of Sapience tastes bitter as ash – there is no elated triumph, nor uproarious celebration. There is only relief. An exhaled breath. Desperation for survival slaked solely by Time’s untimely intervention. A veil of silver paints itself across empty canvas, but Memory carves through its obscuring shade. A flicker. A blur. My focus is yet imperfect, but My resolve is absolute. I fall through hazy recollections, the Gods triumphant, weeping, strong, busy about Their purpose in the Theomachy’s aftermath. All have Their parts to play, each a spoke in the silver wheel turning, turning, turning, turning beneath My hand. When it stops, the occluding argentine is gone, and clarity strikes at My thoughts like a hammer. A mass of rippling muscle and profound strength stands extant, victorious, triumphant, a warrior’s sweat slicking His forehead. He is Death. He is Earth. They are One. Dhaivol teems with a strength – a might – that once suffused all the Divine, a strength lost to legend, observed now only in memory. Yet here, in the depths of Memory’s trappings, He is a monstrous force, as sharp as Severn and as hard as Lanos. While the rest of the Gods toil at Their own works, Their puzzles and Their cages and Their illusions, the Underking stands alone upon a distant isle. He yet seethes with the rush of recent conquest. He has already thrown down the Devourer and bound that ancient evil in primordial chains. A storm of sand and grit whirls all about Him as He turns His attention to His second adversary. The volcanic core of the isle takes shape like that of an enormous forge. At its heart, supine, defeated, broken, rests vulpine fire. Death’s judgement is swift. Earth’s justice is immediate. Without word or fanfare He takes up hammer and tongs. Soil and stone and rock bend to His command and He turns His full attention to the task. Magma bursts forth from below in bubbling streams, set ablaze by Accordant Fire yet struggling against nascent bonds. He ignores Her and works the forge, shaping stone and bending rock. The work is effortless, the Two Gods working with One singular harmony such that even I am almost moved to sentimentality. Almost. The kiln takes shape, its frame occupying the island heart itself. Miasmic metal lines its walls, primordial kagamine tempered by Divine power to a resilience unmatched by any Smith – God or mortal alike. Bitter cold pierces the Harlot’s incredible heat then, and Dhar – Dhaivol – Ivoln – manifests a great mass of shadow, shaping the animate darkness into countless microcosmic strands. The God feeds the prison’s metal with this shadow, each infusion of the evergloam dulling the sweltering heat pressing in all around. With each hour that passes of this grand, intoxicating labour, the flames of Seelis dim to wan flickers beneath the Underking’s sombre grimace. The hammer rings against the forge in remorseless clangs before the last sputters of Albedi Accord’s power goes out, and only darkness remains behind. ~ ~ ~ I ascend through the timeless waters, emerging from this epoch of bygone history in a flash of crimson, silver, violet, gold, and fractured, oil-smeared jade. The victories and defeats unfurl behind My eyes, past Jakrasul and Sevren, past Iyosin and Varyan, past Aryon, and Kepri, and Lurli, and Les and Herno and Tukuti, beyond Galyus below, and Silafi above. As the recollection fades from Me and My consciousness returns to the present, I hear a voice reciting a recent composition: “It rang in the black, before time was time…” Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 4th of Midsummer, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part VIII: The Underkiln](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-viii-the-underkiln/) **Published:** August 3, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** On the sixty-seventh day of the Creators’ Monomachy, the isle of Polyargos knew yet more cosmic backlash. A mass of Creation’s purest possibility formed into a spear that lanced through the center of the island, puncturing through the cavern unveiled a week prior. In the wake of this cataclysmic tide of energy, three seals revealed themselves to mortal eyes. Cracked, slick with the oleaginous residue of accumulated shadow, and possessed of scoured, rune-inscribed faces, this trio of ancient fixtures held fast to the walls overlooking the dark abyss within Polyargos’ heart. Speculation ran rampant before their forbidding faces, with many adventurers wondering about the purpose of these magical constructs. For the next two days, myriad parties came to investigate these mysterious artifacts affixed to the wall. Among them was Afviti Kagura, her own examination done on behalf of the Argent Legion and its newly established sub-organisation, the Argent Watch. Upon inspecting the seals, it became clear to her that their magic was fading, prompting an alarmed discussion amongst those conscripted to Strife’s unerring purpose. Soon, talks turned towards what could possibly lurk behind these seals, with many agreeing that an eldritch Albedi god stirred within the throes of its captivity. Then, upon the seventy-third day of the Creators’ Monomachy, the Underking’s attention fixated upon the seals revealed by unknown cataclysm. Manifesting before the shadow-limned face of the foremost seal, Dhar’s silent inspection brought Him from confusion to full, solemn recollection in a matter of moments – an experience that the Earthen Lord soon shared upon arriving to take a look for Himself. Both ancient deities experienced a moment of raw enlightenment upon gazing upon this Divine handiwork, a rush of memories that indicated the truth of a bygone era. Once, when They were united as great Dhaivol, They matched ancient Lanos and Sevren’s deific might, and They had turned that immense power towards containing Seelis. Together, They cast down the incandescent Harlot and locked Her within an ancient kiln, Her flame contained by mechanisms of smothering shadow that They had wrought by Their own, unyielding hand. The Lord of War then made motions to dismiss all mortal onlookers after a brief attempted exchange with Dhar, His own presence fading away to the cue of a warhorn echoing from the depths of Strife’s fortress. The Warlord soon sent for His foremost officers: Ireti Whirran Arcan-Tetzauh and Afviti Kagura Tsuchimiya. Upon their arrival, Strife Incarnate outlined His intention for the Legion’s next focus. Claiming that Seelis’ prison was waning in effectivity, with no possibility of restoring the containment mechanisms or its ancient enchantments, the Favoured Son instead made clear that He intended to slay the Harlot outright. Soon, Bamathis called upon Nok, His Legion’s Kobold tinkerer, who laid out the plans for siege weaponry that would be utilised in breaching the seals. Ireti Whirran immediately mustered the Argent Watch after the end of Nok’s briefing and organised a march to the isle of Polyargos, their materials stacked atop a sturdy, lightweight cart. After a brief negotiation with Jernal, the Watch ensured safe passage of their crucial materials and struck out for the island proper, their travels taking them up the treacherous cliffs towards the volcanic mountain itself. No sooner did they begin to construct their battering rams, however, did the Eschatonic Collective descend upon them with blades drawn and spells prepared, painting the cliffs sanguine in their fervent defense of a piece of the Eschaton’s design. Now, as tensions boil over and crimson stains Polyargan shores, a new chapter of history is writ clear… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 23rd of Khepary, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, appendix c, pt 3](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-appendix-c-pt-3/) **Published:** August 2, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The following is a translation of passages from the Mysterium Eschatonica, provided to us by the Pious Ward in the Free City of Delve: “His boundless grasp reached across to the east, and with one hand did He pinion fire to our world. The Eschaton unleashed warmth and creativity upon us, and through His magnanimity did we know industry.” At the dawn of the Eschaton’s primal creation, He enlisted fire to grant it light and warmth. Anchored to the world by the will of His Helm, the land held heat close, its sacred emanation a cherished ward against gelid darkness. Charged with creation and destruction in equal parts, the roaring inferno learned to reason with metal, wage wars of attrition upon rivers and streams, and to dance in the wind with utter defiance. The Eschaton looked upon the land and knew that fire could not roam its beauteous reaches without guidance, for it was too eager to spread the joy of His bequest. He cursed His burning servant with hunger, that it would wither and die without fuel, safeguarding His precious world for so long as it kept the ravening at bay. To achieve balance, He bestowed upon mortals a vibrant spark. Through this brilliant well, His people learned to cast aside the darkness of ignorance, as well as the bane of frigidity. In so doing, they granted fire the fleeting gift of freedom and consumption, ensuring harmony reigned within His design. “Bound to the east by worldforged chains, the Eschaton kindled fire in His world’s veins. Coursing along each link was calescent emotion, gifting mortals with sorrow and glee as equal notion.” We give thanks to the Eschaton for the fire that warms our souls, nestled at the very core of our being. Without it, we would feel no other gratitude, know no other joy, endure no other sorrow. Our hearts would be as stone, bereft of life’s glee, comedy, solemnity, or curiosity, for it is His burning legacy that lends such to us. Show your adoration for Him beneath the growing crescent and the dying gibbous, for both represent the ascension and termination of fire’s crackling influence. Consign effigies to roaring bonfires and shape metal within the fired forges of industry, for both are acts of worship that appreciate the duality of His design. Distribute these offerings to the world as you see fit, for He is within everything and everything is within Him. Daub your entryways with ash amidst ceremonies of mourning, for a person’s passage from this realm is the final flicker of their gifted spark. Know that the Eschaton’s enigmatic will has a purpose, for in the end all things are decided by Him, known by Him, arranged by Him. All happenings – even terrible ones – have a purpose within His grand work, and it is not for mortals to question the tragedy He bestowed upon us if we are to love the rapture He provides us in equal parts. “Our hearts became as stone before Him, the flame of joy rendered dim. Fire wavered before Light and Dark, thus upon two roads did it embark.” Remember always that your heart is bare to the Eschaton, for it was wrought by His hand, per His will, and all you experience in this life is His to give or take. His design is one of eternal love and ancient enmity, of laughter and sorrow, of solemnity and comedy – all that we experience is by His permission. Hold any or all in your heart for Him, for mere experience of His world is to give praise to Him. Recall the dark times when we lost all expression, a world held still and apathetic before the abject terror of such a fraught age. Pray to Him that we remain worthy, so that He never again returns us to such a wretched, ignorant state. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 22nd of Khepary, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part VII: Blood Runs Red](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-vii-blood-runs-red/) **Published:** August 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Upon the fifty-fifth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, Umbrael still held strong. Girding Creation from the worst of the fateful duel in heavenspace, the tenebrous veil absorbed enough of the collateral damage to grant all of Aetolia a brief respite from the furious downpour of omnipotent essence. The realm heaved a collective sigh of relief, reality’s fabric issuing a keening wail as its straining boundaries relaxed in the absence of the wracking torment it had experienced for weeks upon end. Then, that serenity slipped away. In a surge of sidereal might, columns of deific power slammed into Polyargos. Perforating its fertile soil with incomparable might, the island heaved in the throes of terraformic trauma that riddled its shores and hillsides with craters. Pooled within each of these deep, earthen divets was Creation’s immense possibility, their shimmering depths yielding half-formed, archetypal life. Adventurers from all walks and all sides came to investigate the prototypical monsters raging across the island’s volcanic landscape, and early forays into the island’s wilderness resulted in fatal run-ins with these eldritch manifestations of Creation’s energy. Several adventurers noted throughout the ensuing days that the essence only seemed to come through above the Isle of Polyargos, taking it as evidence of the continued protection provided by the Divine cloak wrought upon the Monomachy’s first day. Mortals conducted bloody hunts and even bloodier battles betwixt one another beneath the inscrutable eye of Twin Creators, painting the island’s shores red in the process. Though warfare constituted much of the devotion shown by adventurers, two organisations rose to prominence throughout this fraught time of falling essence: the Argent Watch and the Eschatonic Sapience Collective. Eager to promote the will of their respective gods, these two groups formed the backbone of most efforts in the prior weeks and those to come, with the Eschatonic Collective seeking myriad ways to worship and empower the enigmatic entity that served as the Albedi Creator. Upon the sixty-first day of the Creators’ Monomachy, however, the tumult intensified. The Twin Creators approached the apocalyptic end of Their contained coliseum far beyond the physical reach of Aetolia, orchestrating the downfalls of opposing empires with a mere thought. Waves of power stormed the shores of Polyargos, their passage tearing apart the soil and puncturing its volcanic face with rough craters. This cataclysm continued on unabated for several long, horrific moments, opening up ancient passageways overlooking a volcanic abyss somewhere within the depths of the island. Tempted by the potent prize in the skies, Omei made Her presence known upon a distant precipice overlooking Polyargos and set to work collecting it for Her own design. With an imperious gesture, She summoned a chaotic servant to gather up the ancient power and direct it towards Her waiting maw, allowing Her an uninterrupted opportunity to feast upon an immense quantity of Creation’s unstoppable possibilities. Unwilling to waste any time in the wake of Her empowerment, the Nightmare retreated to the cavernous depths at the island’s base and summoned Her vassals to attend Her. In an act of unprecedented oneiromancy, Omei called upon Myrnma – the Timbrel of Strawberry – to summon one of Astral’s chaotic spheres nearer to the Prime. Eager to please, the timbrel dancer put on a grand, primal performance, their rapier and tambourine soaring through the air in surging whorls of crimson puissance. At the climax of this passionate display, Myrnma carved Bhalwyn’s heart from his chest, an act of savage ritualism that sparked glee and fervour within the heart of their dread Empress. Utilising the strands of Astral magic manifest by this act, the goddess wove a chain of godly essence and linked it to one seventh of Her planar territory, before anchoring the other end to the soil of Polyargos. As the Eschaton’s Divine supporters make Their moves, loyal mortals mirror Their deific designs… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 11th of Khepary, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [August in Aetolia!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/august-in-aetolia/) **Published:** August 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! August has arrived and that means we are saying goodbye to elemental coffers and instead welcoming something new: \[0;1;37mSpoils of Creation\[0m! Spoils can be obtained from the Aetolia website under artifact packages and opened for a variety of prizes, many of which are themed around the cosmic phenomena unfolding in the current Worldeater event. Spoils are valued somewhat higher than cryptic chests (as always, we aim for a \[0;1;37mminimum\[0m of 30% bonus over buying straight credits, the average return is higher than this), and contain one or more prizes, including: – Credit prizes ranging from 23-500 – Iron Coins in batches of 15, 25, or 50 – Various artifacts ranging in value from 50-2000 credits – Chocolate bags, elemental globes, chalices, style points, customisation certificates – Ambience tokens – Antiquated salvage – Compendium pages for: Eftehl, Mannaseh, the Statue of Varian, Liruma Crater, the Underbelly, and Polyargos. – A selection of new minipets: a sublimely scaled, sidereal serpent, a meteoric minigolem, a strange, celestial winged avian, a starry-eyed coyote pup, a nebulaic dragonfly, and a cosmic-crowned hermit crab. – Style scrolls for the new \[0;1;37mCOSMIC\[0m style – Meteoric shrapnel, these can be \[0;1;37mOPEN\[0med to obtain pieces for several new cosmic-themed cosmetics: cosmic\_shield, chrys\_cosmic, phyl\_cosmic, flair\_cosmic, vox\_cosmic. – Ephemeral relic coffers\* containing pieces for: sunspear, sangchoker, keeneye, dreamscape, repair, dissonance, resplendence. \* NOTE: These relics are all consumed on use or are temporary and will eventually decay. Pieces for them now trade in for 30 credits each. Spoils of Creation DO award organisation credits, and as always, every 500 Spoils will trigger a global prize of 500 credits in one of the next 50 to be opened. There’s also a Spoil in the milestone wares for one golden key! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 11th of Khepary, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, appendix c, pt 2](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-appendix-c-pt-2/) **Published:** July 29, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The following is a translation of passages from the Mysterium Eschatonica, provided to us by the Pious Ward in the Free City of Delve: “Providence came in the wake of war, the essential two begetting necessary four.” In the very beginning, the Eschaton looked upon the roiling chaos, His mere attention demanding order from its imperishable anarchy. Brilliant light emerged at His behest, empty darkness birthed in the same breath as its eternal opposition. Wrought by His will, these forces served as positive and negative, fundamental constructs forever destined for mutual enmity. The Helm worked these primordial looms at the Eschaton’s command, the fabric of the cosmos arranged into an existential tapestry. From this calamitous convergence of dark and light, the Eschaton drew forth four other aspects of His design. With a steady hand, He positioned them within the cosmos, their conjunction ensured by the precision of His perfect placement. Searing heat, raging wind, solid earth, and crashing wave conspired there at the center of this heavenly arrangement, constituting between them an illuminated world of purest possibility. “The Eschaton gazed upon an illuminated realm, and four more pillars rose by the toil of His Helm.” The Eschaton looked out upon a realm raw with the bestowment of His gift, radiant with energy it could not contain. Bathed by utter divinity, the land strained to exceed His expectation, but its blinding illumination denied it form, definition, and constancy in plentiful enough manner. Only purest brilliance reflected upon the vivid landscape wrought by Eschatonic exertion, and thus the Helm laboured in His stead to part the effulgent mists that were its shroud. By Their threefold toil, the world came to know its shape and understand the truth of its own face. The radiant mists withdrew, leaving behind valleys, rivers, mountains, and glades. Together, They ensured that the world teemed with life and came to experience His gifts. In so doing, mortalkind came to know Him for the enigmatic miracle that is His design, eight crucial pillars holding reality aloft so that they might know peace and prosperity. To know Him and His Creation is to know that He is at the end of every path, at the bottom of every mystery. He is the Eschaton and He is the everything that existed within nothing, Who bent its limitless chaos into ordered borders. He is all phases of His watchful moon and thus to gaze upon it at any moment is to look into His own eye, and to give praise beneath it at any moment is to let Him hear your words. Within one hand does He spool boundless brilliance and within His other does He gather tenebrous darkness, their eternal interplay responsible for all else to come after. Give praise unto Him for Creation’s constant motion, for He is at the heart of all that was, all that is, and all that shall be until even He is the end in truth. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 22nd of Chakros, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Element/Plane nomenclature](https://www.aetolia.com/news/element-plane-nomenclature/) **Published:** July 29, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, I just want to take a second to clarify what the official nomenclature is regarding the spelling of the elemental planes vs the elements. When talking about the elemental planes, you should use a proper noun, i.e. “Shadow”, “Spirit”, etc, to refer to the actual plane. For the actual element, you should use full lowercase, i.e. fire, water. Example sentence: I channeled Fire and pulled enough fire from it to create a towering blaze. I channeled \[the plane of\] Fire and pulled enough \[the element of\] fire from it to create a towering blaze. Thank you! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 18th of Chakros, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, appendix c, pt 1](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-appendix-c-pt-1/) **Published:** July 27, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The following is a translation of passages from the Mysterium Eschatonica, provided to us by the Pious Ward in the Free City of Delve: “His omnipotent hold extended to the north, and with one hand did He anchor air to our world. The Eschaton turned the land’s first breath upon us, and through His gift did we know motion.” In the beginning of the Eschaton’s beauteous realm, He conscripted the air itself to serve in His masterwork. Anchored to the world by the will of His Helm, the land drew deeply of this breath He bestowed upon its lungs. Upon the wind did He scatter the seeds of nature and to the wind did He bequeath the destructive power to shape stone, heave oceans, and coerce or cull fire. The Eschaton looked upon His Creation and knew the air to be an empty, lonely place. He filled it with clouds to carry the rain and birds to share the gift of music. Knowing it to be the most fleeting of elements, He joined it with day and night so that they might keep an eye upon it – and in so doing, the three of them came to know the joy of unified purpose within the sky. “Bound to the north by worldforged chains, the Eschaton unleashed air into His Creation’s veins. Racing along each link were words untold, gifting mortals language and culture to uphold.” We give thanks to the Eschaton for the air that fills our lungs, for without it we could not give thanks for all other boons provided by Him. Upon the air does all sound traverse, be it music, mourning, the soughing of the trees, arguments betwixt mortalfolk, or any other matter of mundanity – all are within its domain and all are a blessing of the generous Creator. Give praise to Him beneath the new and full moon both, for it is wind that reveals and conceals alike to the moon at its darkest and brightest. Bless Him with song and beauteous chants that express gratitude for His Creation and the gifts He saw fit to give unto mortalkind. Give unto Him your fervent song and pious prayer, conveyed upon the breeze of blessed night. Purify your temples with the smoke of enlightening herb during ceremony held at these times, for these fumes travel alike to anything else upon the invisible path that is the Eschaton’s windswept providence. “Our tongues were as ash before Him, our words robbed from us by auspice grim. Air quivered before the quarrel of Day and Night, and its sundered halves took immediate flight.” Beware the risk of sacrilege; use not the Eschaton’s sacred name, for to do so is to cast disrespect upon His gift of wind and language. Remember ever and always that our collective understanding is gift from Him, for without language we could not express the other boons that constitute His providence. Recall the dark times of uttermost silence, when mortalkind quivered beneath the burden of wordless existence, and weep for the passage of such a terrible age. Pray to Him that we remain worthy, so that He never sees us returned to such squalor once more. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 6th of Chakros, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, appendix b, pt 2](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-appendix-b-pt-2/) **Published:** July 26, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Continuation of prior post. Second Mortal Epoch(The Age of Conflict): – Severn orchestrates the downfall of Ankyrean culture after they had discovered (again) the leylines and began to experiment upon them. – Meanwhile the mystics of the Misty Isles have begun worshipping the seams and studying seamlore, a rudimentary and incorrect understanding of the leylines. – Severn installs the mortal Wsalaly to monitor and control the situation upon the Isles as Guardian of the Globe. – Severn orchestrates the Grand Artifice, emulating what Varian once enacted by wiping memories from mortal and God alike. This signifies the end of this age and the birth of the next. Third Mortal Epoch(The Midnight Age): – Lanos, God of Truth, sees through the curtain of lies that covers Sapience and confronts Severn over it. – Severn frees Ohlsana from Her prison, knowing that Lanos will sacrifice Himself to reseal Her within and be unable to reveal what has transpired. – A beast known as the Kerrithrim awakens after the Magi and Spellshapers fail a ritual. This catastrophic outcome leads to the destruction of Kelsys, an advanced underwater city and home to the Kelki. – The Kerrithrim waylays Severn, incapacitating Him for many years upon the Plane of Shadow. – While Severn is absent, a series of events in Ashtan surrounding the Globe of Balance and its leyline nexus alerts the Dreikathi once more of Sapience’s existence. – The Dreikathi engage in warfare yet again upon Sapience. This ends in the great destruction of vast swathes of land in Aetolia, including the city of Ashtan that resided within the Misty Isles, as well as a disease that wrought havoc upon the populace at large and quick advancement into ylem and its uses. Time passed and all was not well, but life continued on. The first stirrings of an Albedi God’s release came with one known as Odravh, the Abyssal, who found Its prison weak enough to break free of. Few words were given by It before It disappeared to some greater purpose, but it was not the only such Divine to find release. Hardly 40 years later, Muadi, the Gatekeeper came and went, tending to His duties on Albedos once more after clashing with Dhar, the Underking briefly. Next came Yvalamon, fury and rage incarnate. Taking the form of a raging firestorm, It has manifested Its presence within Sapience multiple times since Its release. For now, however, It rages unchecked, last recorded as attacking Rahiela, the Plane of Fire via the sun. There are signs of the Walker being freed and meddling with mortals from various regions in abundance, however we cannot confirm these as anything more than rumor; to this end, we do not know when or how He was freed. Then came Jox, the Serpent, His prison brought within mortal view by a traitor among the Divine of Sapience that opened the first seal. Eventually released, it slaughtered much of the population of Sapience in one foul shriek. Upon sighting the Eschaton’s moon far overhead, it released a blast of elemental energy intent on destroying it. Only by this distraction of reforming Its creation was Varian given time to reveal Himself and place back the Albedi Serpent into Its prison, subsequently creating Bamathis and establishing Him as the general to lead His Divine against the ‘invaders’. It was here that Sapience at large became aware that Varian was doing something elsewhere, His attention focused solely on that activity and unable to interfere with this Creation as He had prior. During the encroach of Shadow, known as the Second War of Night, and its deadly effects across vast landscapes of Aetolia, Varian once more showed Himself. – After receiving guidance from Varian’s emissary, the God of the Hunt attempted to tug the very moon from the sky. – This act was used as a distraction for Varian to utilize with what had been taking up His attention – now revealed as the Eschaton. – It allowed Varian’s full attention to the ailing Plane of Life, Dendara. He drew from the east and the south alike to create and shape Dia’ruis from the salvaged, still-living pieces of Dendara. – Varian began work upon the new Lirathyar, but the Eschaton was able to usher the moon back into its proper cosmic alignment before Varian’s completion. – The Eschaton’s hand, if it can be called as such, moved into place to squash down over the entirety that is Sapience. – Unwilling to let the ritual be a failure and His Father’s work be in vain, Haern once more pulled the moon earthward. – This gave enough time for Varian to finish and rise away once more, back to wherever it was He spent His time and attention engaged with this Cosmic Being. Shadow crept further and the Dawn followed, the battle of Light and Dark playing out in a way that Aetolians had not seen before. During these events, the city of Spinesreach, ancient home of the Ankyreans, gathered (stole) ylem in mass quantities and fashioned the energy into makeshift explosive devices of world-altering variety. Our in-house scholars theorize this as the beginning of the end for whatever it was that kept Varian’s activities from mortal view, His presence now ever-present in the sky past the veil of Umbrael. Final notes – it is clear that there were repercussions to Varian’s decision to seal away the Albedi Divine within prisons. Yet, it is shown that Varian has intervened, to some degree, to assist the people of Aetolia from falling to ruin and naught as a protective guardian. We take no sides in the overarching duel and will continue to catalogue the events. There are several questions that we cannot answer at this time, including most prominently why the answer was imprisonment of these Albedi Divine rather than Their death. It is our suggestion that you utilize our timeline within the library and the various postings we have made over the years for more information. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 1st of Chakros, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, appendix b, pt 1](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-appendix-b-pt-1/) **Published:** July 26, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the events that have led to the current monomachy above are stretched across ages and years alike, the Grand Library has put together the following informative timeline that you may use to reliably inform yourself and others while making decisions that may or may not lead to our mutual destruction. You may refer to our ‘events’ news posting for many of these items, though they may not be as specific depending on the author. Some ages throughout history have been skipped as there is not enough recorded knowledge to determine if they have any relevance to these topics. Before Aetolia (per the Revelation of the Indelible): – Varian is the Creator of a distinctly different realm, His notable creations populating a world named Azhoa. – Varian cannot stop Himself from repeated interference within His Creation, an act that creates ripples throughout all existence. – An entity known as Oblivion – a Creator’s opposite – advances toward these ripples, following them like waves in an ocean. – Oblivion has but one purpose: to destroy the Creator, it’s opposite, and all of that Creator’s creations. – Upon Oblivion’s arrival, Varian attempts to fight back to no avail. – With a desire to live above all else, Varian consumes the entirety of His Creation before it is erased by Oblivion – Divine, mortal, plant, beast, all is devoured. – In this time, we can make assumptions that Varian was in another universe after Azhoa and before Aetolia, due to the Revelation referring to our pantheon as a ‘tertiary’ one. Whether He was an invader or Creator, the details are yet unknown. – Varian arrives to Aetolia, where He creates Sapience and the so-called ‘tertiary’ pantheon. Second Immortal Epoch: – Ankyreans form the Court of the Consortium and find themselves straying from their Divine purpose at the encouragement of Lurli, better known as Omei. – The Court discover and experiment with leylines, alerting the Dreikathi to the presence of a land where there should be none. – War breaks out between Sapience and Albedos. – The God War, known as the ‘Great Theomachy’, occurs at the same time. – Albedi and Sapience divine alike struggle for the upperhand. – Sapience wins due to a great catalysmic event of unknown origin known only as the ‘Shattering’ upon Sapience and the ‘Heavensfire’ on Albedos. After the war, each of the Albedi were cast into Divine prisons. – Ostensibly so that Chakrasul may live, Varian conceals knowledge of everything that came before from everyone aside from Lanos and Severn, who are each charged with protection of Sapience. – At the urging of Lanos, Varian gave free will to the people of Sapience. Severn greatly protested this decision, beginning the divide between the Twins and the pantheon at large. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 1st of Chakros, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part VI: Lines Drawn](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-vi-lines-drawn/) **Published:** July 26, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the Creators’ Monomachy raged on in heavenspace, the Celestine’s Children made Their thoughts known. Upon the nineteeth day of the Monomachy, a planar disturbance sliced open the skies above Libec Cay. Rushing forth from the bore upon a glimmering deluge of Denan Arloi’s energy, the Maelstrom made Their return to the Prime Material amidst exhuberant cheers and boundless boasts of renewed bravery. Speaking unto the entire realm, They made clear that They stood alongside those Siblings that supported the Eschaton, vowing that They would no longer reflect Their Father’s craven design. Citing heroism as the missing piece of Their Paradise, Slyphe swore to see its swell like a rising tide within the hearts of Sapience’s mortals. Eager to return to Their work with the Hammer of Dawn, Slyphe issued a challenge to Truth’s Crusaders, pitting them against His burgeoning cadre of Heroes in a test of righteousness. With the blessings of the Unbound and Maelstrom both, the two orders set out through Saluria in an act of fervent yuanrainit\* against militant supporters of the Celestine’s claim. In a display of unprecedented unity, these zealous adventurers culled an equal amount of these foes, demonstrating their resolve in the face of a Creator for Whom they held only scorn. Later into the week, upon the twenty-fourth day of the horrific duel in the skies, the Underking made His will known as well. Declaring to Sapience at large that He would quell any denial of His Father’s rightful claim, Dhar swore His support to Haern and Bamathis in the struggle to see the Celestine’s designs triumph. Ensuring that the world knew Her thoughts upon the spectacle all around, the Indelible deigned to declare Her own position upon the celestial warfare overhead shortly after. Lexadhra informed mortalkind that She cared for neither choice – only the spectacle and the ensuing story that would unfold, and that it was Her intention to chronicle this epic by Her own hand as Memory Incarnate. Upon the twenty-fifth day of the Monomachy, the carnage on high intensified. The Eschaton and Varyan Celestine continued Their omnipotent warfare within a pocket world stitched into Prime’s fabric – here and yet not in the same breath, this tiny world suffered the results of Their competitive machinations. Drought, famine, flood, warfare – all rose as horrific tumult upon these unknown peoples, their anguish and historical progress writ upon the world’s imagination as this incomprehensible brutality unfolded a world away. In the ensuing violence, stray shreds of Creation’s essence bathed the realm in lurid aurorae, their destructive potential held back by the continued integrity of Umbrael, the Manipulator’s cloak-turned-aegis. Ribbons of this ineffable power managed to burn their way through Creation’s protection, however, raining cataclysm down upon the Isle of Despair. Seeing an opportunity to increase Her influence upon the realm, the occupant of Tiyen Indoron Herself – Chakrasul, the Dark Mother, the Lady of Corruption, the Ancient Goddess of Might – made Her way to its roof to avert this imminent catastrophe. Capturing Creation’s errant essence in a net of atramentous shadow, Corrupted Strength consumed them, imbuing Herself with a renewed surge of immense power as a result. Awakened to memories of an elder time, Chakrasul swore to the realm that She would stand beside the Warlord, the Hunter, and the Underking in support of Varian’s claim to Creation. Calling out Her servants to attend Her, the malicious goddess took Her throne and reflected upon all that now stirred within Her mind. Though She expressed disappointment in the Sanguine Fist’s choice to back the Eschaton, the goddess showed mercy to those Chosen who sought to support It or a way forward beyond either Creator. Chakrasul declared that She would meet them at the end of Her spiral regardless before turning to business. Issuing decrees to begin work upon more private machinations, Corruption Incarnate made clear that She intended to strike fear into Sapience at the mere mention of Her name, Her designs upon the realm unleashed in full force once more. As deities make known Their stances, mortal scholars toil to propagate knowledge… Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 1st of Chakros, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part V: Divine Arbours](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-v-divine-arbours/) **Published:** July 24, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Upon the dawn of the thirteenth day of the Creators’ Monomachy, the Eschaton’s marvelous tree painted the skies with its aureate emanations, drawing the attention of the entire realm. Adventurers from all city-states came to investigate its mysterious light, their curiosity and trepidation piqued. While some were enraptured by its absolute beauty, others regarded the cosmic construct as no more than an invader to distrust or even regard with utter contempt. Unmoved by the gathering’s observations, the tree stood tall, its celestial presence looming over all Sapience as a reminder of recently unleashed monomachy. With a hunting horn heralding His coming, Haern arrived before the wreckage of Yggdrasil. He explained to those mortals crowded around its roots that this alien tree was anything but normal – it was no mere tree, but a symbol of the Eschaton’s claim and faith in Its design that merely adopted that shape as its representation. While the Grand Library has heard rumour of this tree possessing the ability to hold reality together in the way of cosmological catastrophe, our scholars would like to remind you that there is absolutely no foundational knowledge or fact that would support this claim. We posit that it is a representation of the Eschaton’s battle and not a supplementary extension or substitute for the Planar Spiral in the case of absolute multiversal collapse, as the notion of such a thing residing upon the Prime flies in the face of all known thaumaturgical understanding. Insisting that His Father required a rival to this titanic monument of Eschatonic will, Immortal Life called to the fore all His domain was capable of. Life leapt to the Hunter’s call, drawn from all across to realm to heed His command in an effort to bolster His gambit of support for Varyan Celestine, its emerald power turned towards the eminent purpose of securing sovereignty and soil alike in the name of Sapience. Those who live and breathe felt the pull of the Rhythm itself as the Cycle turned at one of its twin warden’s behests, their latent, feral potential awakened for a blissful moment of unquestionable empowerment. In contrast, those that had callously rejected the gift of Dia’ruis in full felt a despondent emptiness, an ache so profound as to inspire agony in those bound to Earth and coffin. Soon, an argent acorn coalesced within the Wild God’s bestial grasp, its form made definite by His stern guidance. Without a moment of hesitation, Haern plunged the acorn into the soil mere feet from the Eschaton’s invading tree and bathed it in the emeraldic essence of His unveiled purpose. Soaring skyward, the rival tree revealed itself a deciduous titan of similar size, its emergence renewing the sense of awestruck silence that prevailed over the realm only so recently. Wrought now in the duality of competition, these two twins began to wax and wane in response to one another – their existences now consigned to the emblematic representation of the monomachy on high. Where one would illuminate the sky and spread silver light, the other rippled gold and allowed glimpses beyond the infinite of reality’s underpinning, drawing gasps of rapture and horror alike from the mortals assembled to watch the Hunter’s masterful work. Satisfied with the results of His intervention, Haern declared to the realm that He would stand at the side of the Warlord, supporting Strife’s bid to support Their Father, Varian. As if on cue, the duel in heavenspace intensified. Sapience at large experienced eidetic visions of these profound acts of Creation that served as celestial warfare, their mortal minds making only so much sense of the cosmic carnage within the theatre of their mind. Looking upon the majestic possibility that served as the field of Their recent battle, the two Creators toiled away at a new struggle: that of a demiplane, a world within a world nestled away within the convalescent fabric of Creation. There, They constructed landscapes and carved out rivers, built civilisations and cultures, worship of Their design built into the very bones of the land and its disparate peoples. In the flurry of Their warfare, shreds of Their omnipotent essence rained down upon the world, though Severn’s protective act held strong against the majority of their cataclysmic shrapnel of potential. What managed to breach its barrier rained down upon the realm, infusing its dwelling denizens with a mere iota of Creative potential. Unwilling to allow anything to stand in the way of His Father’s victory, the Warlord declared that there was no war aside from that which Varian fought currently, His mandate ensuring that armies would not take the field against one another for petty territorial disputes or conquests. In response to these threats, the Rekindled emerged from Her forge to declare Her support for Damariel, as well as inform Bamathis that She would not be intimidated by His claims. Though Her immediate intentions remain unknown to the realm at large, She made it clear to the Hammer that they would have Her support in the fights to come Meanwhile, within the Free City of Delve, someone signs a letter and sends it off upon the wings of a dove… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 13th of Arios, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [War and the Worldeater Saga](https://www.aetolia.com/news/war-and-the-worldeater-saga/) **Published:** July 24, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey, everybody! To ensure we stay focused on the narrative, we have made the decision to disable the war system throughout the duration of this event. This has no bearing on any other PK, including roleplay-based PK, only declaration or acts of war. In addition, we felt it would be best to remind everybody about the new \[0;1;37mCREATION HELP\[0m command. This will help you with interacting with this stage of the event! While this will not be the only way to make a difference for your chosen side, this one is of such a mechanical nature that we felt it necessary to form a written remainder for you here in the news! Thanks! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 13th of Arios, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, appendix a: ???](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-appendix-a/) **Published:** July 23, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The contents of this post will be revealed at a later date. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 7th of Arios, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part IV: Powers of Midnight](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-iv-powers-of-midnight/) **Published:** July 23, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Upon the dawn of the seventh day of the Creators’ Monomachy, the realm at large noticed a convergence of lepidopteran legions, their winged multiplicity soon perching upon the Imago’s radiant throne. Gathered there after weeks of disjointed, intrusive hints and subtle sensations, the Astral Court arrived just in time to watch their beloved goddess manifest upon the Prime after so many weeks of absence. Swift as lightning, the moths assailed one another in a bloodied battle, their orgiastic violence comprising the crucible of Her return. Forged in the depths of chromatic carnage, the Nightmare arose from this insectile din, Her form alight with the many hues and sensations that exist within Her domain of Instinct. In short order, the Empress of Astral banished all but Her beloved courtiers, demanding privacy in this troubled time. Though many of the details of Her mandates remain hidden behind this veil of secrecy, three things were made clear: First and foremost, Omei made it clear that Her return to Her nightmarish aspect is no coincidence, for it is this guise that serves Her best in Her thirst for vengeance against Her hated Father. Admitting to Her gathered vassals that She had always felt a revolting aversion to Her Father, the Nightmare explained that Her rebellion was writ clear into Her very being, the prime instinct that charted the course of Her entire existence of untold ages to come. Though this drew no surprise from Her courtiers, the goddess waxed poetic regardless, cursing the name of Varyan Celestine in a display of cold fury beyond any ever exhibited by Her in eons past. Second, Omei informed Her Court that She expected them to help Her with unprecedented work within the Chaos Plane for a reason the Grand Library was unable to glean from their anonymous sources. Outlining Her scheme upon a map of Astral energy, the court was eager to contribute their thoughts, their thirst for primal ceremony shining through in a rapturous instant that bolstered Her confidence in those She had gathered over these long years. Last, She declared to those gathered that She required a new champion who would then bear the Midnight glaive in Her absence as She prepared the underpinnings of Her celestial machinations. With little thought, the chaotic goddess selected Eaku Redwood; once of the Heartwood and forged by the zeal of the Hammer, Omei proclaimed that such a mix served Her ends perfectly. Upon gaining the Tsol’aa’s agreement, the goddess elevated him to the ancient station of Brute – a title Instinct Immortal had otherwise left behind in Her ascent to Chaotic Diarchy. As the duel between the Celestine and the Eschaton continues to rage in the heavens, the city states of Sapience turn in all directions for counsel, and while some of the Gods have made clear Their wishes, others are mysteriously absent… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 7th of Arios, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part III: Monomachy](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-iii-monomachy/) **Published:** July 22, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Setting the whole of His power against His star-forged forever-foe, Varian began His assault immediately, heedless of the mortal audience lurking far below Him. Waves upon waves of silvered radiance flew forward at His behest, its manifestation searing through Prime’s fabric with every inch of space it travelled. With a mere turn of Its hand, however, the Eschaton dispersed this wild rancour, Its will immediately turned towards a cataclysmic counterstrike. Exerting Its mastery over Its contested domain, the Cosmic Creator of Aetolia called upon the ylem lurking within the veins of the world entire, Its command shaping this unthinkable tide into a monstrous tsunami meant to drown the Celestine in a barrage of star-studded essence. With this rapid displacement came colossal collateral damage – an inevitable loss in the struggle for survival and supremacy both, with Neither able to spare Their attention to avert these oncoming catastrophes. With a terrible groan, the ley shuddered at its sudden emptiness. What remained within Aetolia’s framework bubbled upward as an innumerable number of foci, their bounties of power left untouched as the world stood in abject awe at the monomachy overhead. As the sudden shift in the ley set the world to a shudder, shapeshifters throughout the realm found themselves plunged into bloodthirsty madness. Rampaging throughout the world in packs and murderous droves, Sapience saw no other option than to put them down even as reality shifted and cast mortal adventurers aside into random, remote regions of the world in phenomenon alike to Numerological direcalling. With all of its primordial power yielded at the command of the Eschaton, the Spiral screeched, its panic drawing the attention of its belaboured warden: Odravh, the Abyssal. Mortals and Divine around the world felt the movements of this ancient deity as Its charge faced obliterating danger, their minds flooded with the harmonic music – a music that the Archivium swiftly recognised as that of the sevenfold spheres that underpin all of reality. With immense haste bespeaking the terrible catastrophe it sought to avoid, Odravh drew upon all arcana accumulated in the world, draining all existence of its mental reserves in a desperate bid to prop up the cosmos in response to Its Creator’s riposte. In the wake of this unprecedented mending, elemental energy seeped through to the Prime, bathing Yggdrasil’s base Not to be outdone, the Celestine turned this tide back upon Its originator, Their rivalled wills holding it between Them as a canvas for Their next exchange of blows. Armies arose from the primordial soup captured within Their empyreal arena, Their handpicked generals calling upon miracles in the names of their respective Lords. Dying screams echoed throughout the realm as these twin civilisations played out their crude purpose: to live, to fight, to die in a feud beyond their knowing, one and all destined to be naught but a footnote in the annals of a conflict sparked in an age beyond recollection. Then, the Artificer emerged. Standing atop Mejev Nider Nesve wo Ti, Matati wo Eja sota Aran wo Aransa, Severn the Manipulator observed the celestial conflict overhead. Gathering the scraps of essence cast aside in the titanic struggle between His Father and His Counterpart, the bovine God set to the task of drawing the curtain back, the whole of Umbrael unravelled and cast heavensward in the making of an act of Artifice. Though His inky gambit soon obfuscated the battle overhead, Severn’s Twin – Damariel, Lanos, Lord of Truth and Light – made His objection known. Unleashing a cataclysm of righteous alabaster fire, Damariel mot Lanosaryon set fire to the concealment that hid the truth from this world. Though the deity left His Twin’s protective film in place, Truth told the world that He would ensure they were not kept in the dark – a declaration unanswered beyond a callous shrug from His retreating Brother. With great haste, the Warlord burst forth from His fortress to inspect the invading growth sprouting mere feet from His courtyard, His disgust for the Eschaton’s Creative act writ clear upon His otherwise stoic mien. Ignoring most of the mortals aligned as an audience, the Favoured Son took up Caelestis in both hands, its edge acting as channel for the immense Divine power welled within the its wielder. The land quivered in response to His might’s unveiling, imposing a nauseating tension upon the world as Immortal War mustered all He could bring to bear. Though He turned argent fire and oppressive mastery upon the Eschatonic tree, the arboreal titan stood tall, its serenity unblemished by Bamathis’ brutal assault. Before His departure, Strife Incarnate made His will clear to the Voice of Duiran: He demanded that she alert the Hunter, passing on a message that Bamathis expected Haern to ‘make His move’. Addressing the gathered crowds, He mandated that they must soon make their choice: support His Father or stand against their own Creator. With His proclamation known, the Warlord marched back into His stronghold to bide His time and plan His next move. In the wake of this titanic struggle, the Maelstrom conveyed Their final thoughts to Their Order before retreating to the domain of Denan Arloi, claiming a need to think upon the uncertainty of these times before casting Their lot with either side of this catstrophic duel. And far off in the skies, at the edges of Prime, an eclipse of moths gathers… Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 2nd of Arios, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part II: Silver and Gold](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-ii-silver-and-gold/) **Published:** July 22, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** It began with a simple golden ripple, the sky a canvas of placid calm undisturbed by the turmoil building all around. A soft, tranquil tone accompanied this passage of unknowable force, preparing the world for a terrible catastrophe that yet lurked beyond the reaches of their perception. As pressure built and a faint echo sounded out from everywhere and nowhere, the sky swelled and then cracked, its tenuous fabric torn apart to the tune of a nauseating – yet strangely familiar – ‘click’ that rang throughout all of Aetolia in a sudden, revolting shudder of sound. Then, like unto a stage curtain torn aside to reveal the first act of a grand drama, Creation gave way. Ripped to tatters by the expenditure of awesome might, the world bore witness to a sight unseen since the birth of Dia’ruis: the Celestine locked in a battle of cosmic import with His Counterpart, the Albedi Eschaton. Surrounded in fundamental detritus, the world groaned in the throes of Their emergence and the very heavens reeled in a bewildered spiral of abject mourning. Scattering to make room within the empyreal arena, the aetherial vault displaced itself temporarily, clearing the stage for a monumental struggle unlike any other. In the din of Their fray, Their power scattered all across Aetolia, bathing even the wreckage of Yggdrasil in showers of Their ineffable mastery. Though the realm knew the sight of their Creator instantly, His emergence inspired no less awe: serene and peaceful at the heart of a chaotic maelstrom, the silver Maker commanded streams of lustrous potency to gather in His palm in preparation for an immense strike. Forged from smoky nebulae and shimmering supernovae, the Cosmic Counterpart opposite of the Celestine presided as a being without emotion, without expression, without face or relatable appearance. In spite of this, the star-forged being’s very demeanor carved Itself into the memories of all lucky enough to behold It in this moment, Its recollection writ in auroric fires. Transcending time, space, and all existence, these Divinity Incarnate served as the perfect foil to Varian’s shining, silvered existence. Serenity suffused this enigmatic outline, bespeaking the utter ease and comfort It possessed within a world of Its own making. Creation’s cries ceased. Quietude reigned, enforcing a tomb-like stillness upon all of reality as they held a collective breath in preparation for what came next. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 1st of Arios, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Worldeater Saga, Part I: Cosmic Unrest](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-worldeater-saga-part-i-cosmic-unrest/) **Published:** July 22, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Late in the month of Severin, Sapience sensed a disturbance writ upon their skies. For weeks, cities questioned the source of such anomalies, stirring discussions far and wide as to the potential danger posed by such phenomena. Myriad theories sprouted from the fertile soil that is imagination, including worries of a weapon known as ‘the Realmcleaver’, the potential return of the First Flame or Mother Shadow, or even the baleful potential for apocalypse. As the weeks carried on, these portentous happenings only intensified, commandeering the skies in fantastic displays of silver and gold, and lucent starshine lighting up night and day alike. Desperate to seek the truth of the matter, the Hammer of Dawn assembled a search for answers. In an excursion to the Free City of Delve, a majority of the city met with Hruan, Guardian of the Halls of Accord. Unable to speak for the source of these fantastic displays of power, the priest simply insisted that he had no idea what god of the Eschaton’s eidetic pantheon could possibly be responsible for such brilliant displays that reached even as far as the forbidding, eastern continent known as Albedos. While this search was ultimately fruitless, the priest bid them good luck in their search, offering them the blessings of the Child as he saw them on their way out of the Pious Wards. In Spinesreach, the Director of Shadows sought out an appropriate apparatus to examine the skies from a proper vantage point. Homing in on the wintry, welkin canvas, the sly Syssin spotted further, more miniature manifestations of cosmic power, though he could not capture a glimpse of their originators. Others in the Theocracy and the Sanguine Fist alike sought to dissect rojalli after hearsay circulated through Sapience’s taverns that they were at the heart of a dangerous plot driven by skulduggery and espionage. Though their results were inconclusive or mundane, the city endeavored forward, seeking answers in the name of their individual city-states, including a solution to the terrifying whispers of an elite cadre of shadowbound Gnomes. As the trouble intensified, reports of spontaneous gouts of lava in Moghedu and even the sanctuary of Nirvana were filed throughout the world, heralding a deepening of worry throughout the realm. A nameless Dwarven drunk saw to warning the world of impending catastrophe, though his malodorous stench saw his efforts dashed upon the rocks of social acceptability, leaving the world unprepared for what laid ahead. As the other city states set to their own theories and attempts to unravel the confounding mystery, gossip ran rampant. Rumour abounded. Realmcleaver gained countless new names. Speculation reached heights of absurdity rarely seen in the modern era. Most felt it was an overreaction. Then, the first of Arios came. And the sky broke apart. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 1st of Arios, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Conclave Report: Monomachy](https://www.aetolia.com/news/conclave-report-monomachy/) **Published:** July 22, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Preface: Based on the importance of historical recollection and the supreme likelihood of total continental annihilation, I have provided a copy of this report to the Grand Library in hopes that their ability to preserve information will persist. To the esteemed Dhasan of Science and Nature, I write this report having undertaken an extremely lengthy and unplanned sojourn in what I now recognise to be the Atlatl Plantation. Prior to this excursion I was conducting a routine field research exercise in the northern tundra following the recent Glacian phenomena (I will note that said expedition had thus far proven extremely unproductive, and I advise the Conclave to seek further information from a primary source such as the Regent). During a period of rest in Nuunva, a series of cosmic phenomena appeared to commence following the disturbances over the last several weeks. As much as I would like to recall in exacting detail what I saw, the cosmological unrest prevented me from doing so. While earnestly gazing at the stars in an effort to unravel the goings on, I found myself unceremoniously wrested from my position in the north and cast through space elsewhere in a manner similar to numerological direcalls (I would like to also take a moment to express my chagrin for the proprietor of the Red Lion and advise that he examine the quality of his monolith sigils prior to offering them for sale. Proof of purchase is available upon request should a refund be forthcoming). This occurred no less than eight times, each somehow more turbulent than the last. Consequently, much of my time spent on examination was wasted in the effort of pointless wandering through long grass — an endeavour from which I have only now been able to extricate myself. As such, save for one moment of transcendental revelation in which I was able to observe the spheres in harmony, likely the reassertion of normalcy by the divine Odravh, my findings on the cosmological event are slim. What I have observed however is no doubt similar to your own observations: duelling divines and significant upheaval in daily activities. I counsel acceleration of our various projects while there is still a reality to study. Yours, Jayne Cardinalis, War of Night refugee formerly of Mrenadh. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 1st of Arios, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Chronicles of Nysos: A Faun's Odyssey from Duiran to Eftehl and Back](https://www.aetolia.com/news/chronicles-of-nysos-a-fauns-odyssey-from-duiran-to-eftehl-and-back/) **Published:** July 22, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Esteemed Council of Duiran and Beloved Peoples of Sapience, Greetings from the distant and untamed isle of Eftehl! I, Nysos, humbly pen this missive to share the extraordinary tale of my unintended journey and my unwavering resolve to find my way back home. I willingly embraced the noble duty of aiding the glorious Heartwood in the unrelenting battle against the planthopper infestation that threatened our forests. Brimming with determination, I stood side by side with the valiant defenders of Duiran as we protected nature. However, destiny, in its whimsical design, had a different path laid out for me. During the cataclysmic clash in the skies, a mysterious enchantment whisked me away from the familiar embrace of Duiran’s verdant lands, depositing me upon the enigmatic shores of Eftehl. I found myself lost in a world far removed from the sanctuary I once called home. As I venture through the colourful tapestry of Eftehl’s pirate life, my heart remains steadfastly tethered to the cherished woodlands of Duiran. In my longing to return, I strive relentlessly to seek a path back to my homeland. Every sun-kissed dawn and starlit night, my determination grows stronger, fueled by the unwavering belief that the bonds we share within Sapience transcend distance and time. I have forged alliances with the diverse inhabitants of Eftehl, learning from their tales of daring voyages and unyielding spirits. The vastness of Sapience is a wondrous tapestry woven with threads of resilience and grit, and it is within these uncharted waters that I uncover the strength to embark on my odyssey of return. Thus, with this epistle, I appeal to the Council and all of Sapience to keep hope alive, for though the seas may be tumultuous and the stars distant, my unwavering spirit shall not wane. I stand firm in the face of daunting challenges, knowing that my heart and soul beckon me homeward. May the wisdom of the Guardians guide my steps, and may the blessings of the Hunter and Underking pave the path that leads me back to the cherished embrace of Duiran’s lush canopies. With undying resolve, Nysos the Faun Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 1st of Arios, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [An appeal to authority](https://www.aetolia.com/news/an-appeal-to-authority/) **Published:** July 22, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** To the most just and reasonable authorities of Esterport, Restless days and sleepless nights spent at the bottom of a bottle. The oppressive feeling within me churning, becoming worse, consuming me just as the celestial lights danced above, each new cosmic sound or flash of colour an ill omen that troubled me to the bone. How am I to blame then that I sought increasingly more dire heights of escapism? Anything to keep my mind off the looming dread, I’d pursue. Fights, drinks, questionable substances and of course, warm flesh against my own. The heavens churned, Aetolia itself groaned and I was an unfortunate victim of circumstances beyond my control. I scrambled to disentangle myself from the sensual web I found myself in, to reach for my clothes to witness what was unfolding, but alas. Reality blinked, and I found myself arse-naked in the middle of a wedding ceremony, the groom’s minty lips upon my own in place of the bride he was set to live the rest of his life with. I formally dispute the claims that I intentionally caused this ruckus. The reports of my indecency are greatly exaggerated, and I beseech the fair authorities of Esterport to relieve me of my considerable fine. Yours truly, – Ralir Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 1st of Arios, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [City housing update](https://www.aetolia.com/news/city-housing-update/) **Published:** July 21, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Over the years, city maps have collected a large amount of visual clutter in the form of player housing – more prominent in some cities than others. We’re introducing a set of changes today for how houses inside a city work in order to counteract this. 1\) Houses inside a city no longer have directional exits, and as such no longer show up on the map. 2\) To enter a city house, you must now ENTER HOUSE (for your own house) or ENTER HOUSE OF for someone else’s house. To go back to the city, you can just ENTER CITY from the house’s entrance room. 3\) This means doors/keys leading into the house from the city no longer exist. You can instead gate access into your house via the following methods: HOUSE UNLOCK Allow public access into your house. HOUSE LOCK Restrict public access into your house. HOUSE ALLOW Allow an individual to access your house. HOUSE DISALLOW Revoke someone’s previously granted access. HOUSE ALLOWED Check the names of those on your allowed list. To ensure a smooth transition, I’ve set it up so anybody that already had a key into your house was automatically placed upon your allowed list. You’ll want to verify this when you can and remove any unexpected names. This also includes marking houses as ‘unlocked’ if they had no door or that door was unlocked. 4\) Houses will now show up at the end of a room’s description (e.g. Razmael’s house is here), but only if you have verbose mode turned on. For brief mode users, it will only show up if you LOOK. 5\) You can submit a custom message for this to be approved by the administration with: HOUSE FRONT SUBMIT 6\) Security ministry has these new commands: CITY HOUSES LIST View the list of houses within the city. CITY HOUSES INFO View info on a house, including its allowed list. CITY HOUSES SEAL Seal a house, preventing normal entry and exit. CITY HOUSES UNSEAL Undo a sealing. Any houses that had existing city locked doors have been automatically sealed. 7\) Houses that have purchased special entrances are not applicable to the enter house/enter city commands, nor the various HOUSE commands for gating access. You can continue to use your special entrances as before with no change. Special entrance houses are also immune to sealing due to the nature of how they work – this is consistent behaviour from before this change since they were immune from city locking the door too. 8\) Village and wilderness houses are currently not affected by any of these changes. Please contact Ictinus or myself if there are any issues. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 20th of Ios, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Imperian and Starmourn enter Legacy Mode](https://www.aetolia.com/news/imperian-and-starmourn-enter-legacy-mode/) **Published:** July 17, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi all, I just wanted to post this because no doubt some of you have questions about the announcements regarding Imperian and Starmourn entering what we’re calling Legacy Mode. We tried our best to keep those worlds going with paid staff, but ultimately there is just too little interest in them these days and they’ve been losing money for quite awhile (basically all of Starmourn’s lifetime in its case). If you’re interested in following what Legacy mode entails, you’ll want to follow the announce boards in those games, but the only way it really affects you here in Aetolia is that: \* You can’t retire into Imperian or Starmourn any more. \* You may be seeing some players from those games retiring to join Aetolia. Does that mean you need to worry about a similar announcement about Aetolia? No. Aetolia has many times the players of Starmourn and Imperian combined, and makes considerably more per player too – it’s not going anywhere. I think what we would ask is that you try to be kind to refugees from the two games who will be showing up here, and make them feel welcome in the community. Here’s to another couple decades, at least, of Aetolia! Sarapis/Matt Mihaly Founder/CEO Iron Realms Entertainment Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 1st of Ios, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Limb afflictions](https://www.aetolia.com/news/limb-afflictions/) **Published:** July 17, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks! Kind of a big change here that might need a bit of system work, however the hope is that it should make limb afflictions a little more easier to understand. – The affliction “\_broken” has now been renamed to “\_crippled” (this is the mending affliction). – The affliction “\_damaged” has now been renamed to “\_broken” (this is the lvl 1 restoration affliction). Since most people refer to the ‘damaged’ threshold as being broken, I figure it’s more simple to understand if the afflictions actually reflect the terminology used by players. So we’ll be going by this terminology in AB files and posts going forward. In addition to this, I’ve also fixed in order in which limb breaks occur for Tekura, Ferality, and Zeal. They should show any limb damage that occurs after the actual hit message. Lastly, this is more of an experimental change, however players will no longer fall over unless both legs are \*broken\*. Note that this means crippled legs no longer makes you fall over (but it does continue to block movement). The only place where this is different is with the crushed kneecaps affliction. It will continue to make you fall with one crippled leg. That’s all! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 22nd of Severin, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [A sailor's intuition](https://www.aetolia.com/news/a-sailors-intuition/) **Published:** July 14, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As I lay here in the cabin of a friend’s ship, I should be content. I should be attentive to my newfound lovers and their delightful chattering; sinewy Dwarven muscle pressed against my left side, supple Djeirani flesh against my right. Instead, I stare listlessly out the window, an absent companion, until they sleep and I scribble my thoughts down on parchment. I have rarely been a worrisome man, yet I find myself paralysed now by an oppressive knot churning in my gut. Something doesn’t feel right. It’s in the air, it’s in my blood and it’s in my bones. I have walked a path of moments where each piece of time has eagerly moved aside to make way for the next. I have faced life as much as death, yet now, it is as though the moments have ceased to come. From sea to sea, from all the great things I have done to all the unremarkable or painful experiences I’ve endured, none have felt quite as this does. I would say I am restless, impatient, or anxious, but those words would not begin to do this unbearable tension justice. An unnatural, gilded streak crackles across the heavens, as if the world itself warns me. Something is coming. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 8th of Severin, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [War Tweaks](https://www.aetolia.com/news/war-tweaks/) **Published:** July 13, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** – Conscripting new divisions (now called drafting) is now done with the CITYDRAFT command. \* HELP WAR has further details for the synatx. – New divisions can now be additionally drafted at the town square of a claimed territory. \* The limit of 100 per a day remains, you can just choose to draft closer to the front lines if you like. \* This includes neutral territories as well, they can be drafted there. \* Whether it is held or not doesn’t matter, you can draft as soon as it shows up under your TERRITORY. \* Having enemy troops in the area doesn’t stop you from drafting either, like the barracks. – Newly drafted divisions are no longer locked out from commands for 24 hours, instead they have maxed out march timers. \* Thusly, they won’t be able to move for one hour (or less depending on conditions). – The march timer cooldown is now reduced to 50 minutes, instead of 60, if they are left resting upon captured land. – Capturing land has been reduced to 10 minutes during war, and 30 minutes outside of it. \* The amount of units used no longer has any effect on capture speed as well. – The Jaru bridge is now its own separate area to divide Jaru from connecting directly with Enorian. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 23rd of Variach, in the year 511 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Bounties](https://www.aetolia.com/news/bounties/) **Published:** July 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, everybody! As we have noticed this question come up with increasing frequency, we would like to provide a final clarification on bounties and out of city crimes: If the crime does not happen in your territory or an area with believable IC reasoning for you to defend it, you may not bounty for it. This means, as an example, that Enorian should not file bounties for kidnappings from Salma or Attica, and nor may Duiran file bounties for trees cut down in the Morgun, Aureliana, or Itzatl. You may contest it when it is in progress, but you may not claim it as future reason to attack someone via a bounty. If you do not contest it in these cases, consider the opportunity lost. Thank you and we hope this provides clarity for all parties! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 11th of Haernos, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads June 2023 - part 3](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-june-2023-part-3/) **Published:** July 2, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, The following change is going to be trialed for a short period. I think this one might have a bigger impact then I hope, so don’t be too shocked if I decide to reverse this change later on. Feel free to message me with any thoughts on the subject after giving it some testing time. Mentis / Dictum ========================= – \[3317\] Removed Skill: Loneliness / Dubar. – \[3317\] New Skill: Lovers / Kkasadu Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 7th of Slyphian, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [July in Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/news/july-in-aetolia/) **Published:** July 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! Just like that, June is gone and that means our artifact cart, lesson sale, and salvage promotion must come to an end! Celsto has concluded his expedition across historical sites of Aetolia, meaning he will no longer provide notebooks for a daily quest. Perhaps we’ll hear from him again one day! In addition, our Iron Lottery winner is: Kalena! Congratulations on winning a thousand credits, Kalena! Aside from the departure of the party barge on July 9th and remaining days of the week bonuses, that concludes all the remaining commemorative activities of Year 510. What a blast! With the start of July comes our new promotion: elemental coffers of fire and water! Much like the elemental coffers of shadow and spirit from last August, you will find options for choosing either of these coffers over at \[0;1;37mwww.aetolia.com/credits\[0m. Here is what you’ll find inside these elemental treasure chests: All Coffers ———– – Credit prizes ranging from 33 to 500 – Iron Coin prizes in batches of 25 or 50 – Artifacts ranging in value from 50-2000 credits – Chocolate bags, elemental globes, silver chalices, morphic metal, patriotic firework displays, and a low chance at antiquated salvage. – Compendium pages for: the Spiral of the Corrupt, the Squal, Maestral Shoals, the volcano, Mannaseh Swamp, the Endless Battlefield, and the Tarblack Marshes. – Style points to acquire most any style your heart desires. – Transmute beetle vouchers\* \* These vouchers can be exchanged in the shop at ‘before the bridge to Esterport’ (v1180) for transmute beetles (see HELP TRANSMUTE) of all armour types themed for fire and water, as well as previous options we have left in the store! The vouchers can also be traded in for 10 credits using PROMO TRADEIN. Water Coffers ————— – Three new minipets: a cranky dragon turtle hatchling, a baby mako shark, and an adorable baby leviathan. – Iterators for the new STORMY vox. – Caches of relic pieces for: everfull, hunters\_horn, hunters\_knife, compass, vigilant, grapnel, water\_shield, and the new chrys\_fountain relic! Fire Coffers ————— – Three new minipets: a tiny hyriamah hatchling, a smoldering flameling, and a lava-loving gastropod. – Iterators for the new INCANDESCENT vox. – Caches of relic pieces for: everburning, hunters\_horn, hunters\_knife, compass, vigilant, grapnel, fire\_shield, and chrys\_embers. All coffers will also award one or more consumables that do not count against your value. These include, among other things, immolation bombs, siphoning devices, sets of obsidian scales, pills of omnipotence, and the commonly sought after preserved, yellowed eyes! Relic caches will open for either one or two pieces depending on the piece value. There is also now a global prize of 500 credits for every 500 elemental coffers opened. Last but not least, there are also coffers up for sale in the milestone wares: one of each, for a gold key each! In spite of the party barge soon departing, we intend for this July to be a busy month here in Aetolia, so stay tuned for excitement on the horizon! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 25th of Niuran, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Expectations for War](https://www.aetolia.com/news/expectations-for-war/) **Published:** June 30, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, everybody! As the war between Bloodloch and Spinesreach has reached a conclusion, we feel now is the best time to once more set expectations about the war system and player attitudes in relation to it and conflict in general. It has been our policy since the inception of the war system to not make hasty changes, nor do we make changes during an active war. Our reasoning for the former is that we always want to ensure we’re making an effective change rather than a fast one. The latter is much more controversial, but our reasoning for this is that it hardly seems fair for players to enter a conflict with a certain set of expectations, intentions, or planning and then completely throw a wrench into it by making a crucial systems change halfway through. If a city enters into a war with an intent to achieve victory a certain way, we would like to leave that open if we can help it and then we can address any abuses afterwards. Additionally, it is inherently unfair if one side gets to benefit from utilising something perceived as ‘questionable’ without the other side having an opportunity to employ it in turn as retaliation. Refusal to address these things in the middle of war is not a sign of bias, nor is it a sign of negligence. We try our hardest to be thoughtful about the overall management of the war system. The much more difficult topic to tackle here is the mindsets we have seen throughout the last few wars, as well as other conflict avenues such as the city identity systems, bounties in general, et cetera. We have seen overwhelmingly negative sentiments from some members of our community and, in one case, this was so prevalent and hostile towards the administration and players both that we felt it necessary to remove them from the game entirely. While we understand that tempers can run hot when victory is on the line, it is never alright to utilise abusive language towards players, volunteers, or members of the staff, nor is it alright to openly speculate about bias where our newest players can hear about it and thus develop a damaging impression of the game or its players. This behaviour also has the effect of harming the morale and overall atmosphere of your organisations, driving players to different cities or even other games entirely. If you are a leader, you should take it upon yourself to disabuse your fellows of these notions or, at the very least, encourage them to open a dialogue with us rather than continue down that path. In addition to the above, we would also like to take a moment to discuss issues and the mentality surrounding them. Issues are your method of requesting that the administration arbitrate a situation that you no longer feel capable of managing or a scenario in which you feel the rules have been broken in some manner. They should not be utilised as a method to intentionally get someone in trouble and it is frowned upon to encourage mass issuing of one person for the same situation. We are always glad to clarify the rules of a situation currently in progress if you file an issue and allow the other parties in that situation to provide their own side of events and, in these cases, we often will not issue warnings or punishments. As well, if we perceive an honest mistake as opposed to intentional abuses or rule breaking, we will often choose to be lenient about most topics. It is a recipe for frustration to compare your issue resolutions to someone else’s for a similar situation, as no two issues or courses of events are the same and thus they all call for different solutions. Lastly, we would like to remind you that we do not rule on hypotheticals – the reason for this is because we were noticing that players had a tendency to pre-screen their issues with us via ISSUE SELF and then they would proceed to issue the player in question once receiving confirmation of the rules. If you have concerns or feedback, it is our hope that you will engage with us in good faith privately – either via issues or messages – and allow us a chance to resolve or explain things, rather than taking it as proof that there is a hidden agenda or vendetta aimed at you or your organisations. It serves neither you nor us for that to be true or even be considered true and we would prefer that you enjoy your time in Aetolia rather than worry about a plot or rumour with absolutely no basis in fact. Have an excellent day! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 23rd of Niuran, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Seconds and War](https://www.aetolia.com/news/seconds-and-war/) **Published:** June 28, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, Aetolians! As it has been raised as a concern anonymously, we feel it is prudent to remind everyone about \[0;1;37mHELP SECONDS\[0m and the policy therein: usage of an alternate character to benefit the goals of one of your other characters is strictly forbidden and we have a zero tolerance policy about actions such as these should we discover you are engaging in this conduct. This policy includes spying or collecting information on behalf of one character’s organisation via another character on the ‘enemy side’, or acting on information you know due to being the player of another character – i.e coincidentally discovering the placement of enemy troops because of familiarity with their layout. If you happen to play two characters in two different cities that are currently at war and either of those characters are in the militia, consider it a hard rule that you are to only choose \[0;1;31mone\[0m character to play throughout this conflict so as not to even risk the image of impropriety. We expect that this policy will be followed immediately and we will be watching the situation very closely. Thank you and have an excellent day! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 8th of Niuran, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Bounties, Out of City Crimes](https://www.aetolia.com/news/bounties-out-of-city-crimes/) **Published:** June 23, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello! As this has come up multiple times in the last few days, it seems appropriate to remind all players about our policy regarding bounties and out of city crimes such as chopping down trees, destroying Dejaani shrines, kidnapping villagers, et cetera. Per \[0;1;37mAnnounce 3474\[0m, we stated the following: You can file city bounties for crimes against the city that don’t occur in the city OR you can kill the people doing it in the moment. Not both. You cannot hunt them down after without a bounty. If you choose not to file bounties, you are choosing to forfeit your city’s cause to hunt these players. If you contest a crime in any way, shape, or form, your city has taken matters into their own hands and you may no longer file bounties for it. That should be the guiding principle in all interactions with these systems. Thank you and I hope you all have an excellent day! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 6th of Lanosian, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads June 2023 - part 2](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-june-2023-part-2/) **Published:** June 23, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Artifacts ========================= – \[3294\] The salvage gauntlet can no longer be DRAINed if you have been aggressive recently. Desiccation / Inundation ========================= – \[3315\] New Skill: Spire / Blanket. Forging ========================= – \[3294\] Receptacles can no longer be DRAINed if you have been aggressive recently. Kaido ========================= – \[3267\] Ripple is now cured after a short delay should the caster flee combat. Primality / Alchemy ========================= – \[3297\] Strangle / Asphyxiant can now be boosted, allowing you to bypass the flame tattoo. Psionics / Egotism ========================= – \[3278\] Step / Narrow now has a base radius of three rooms. \* The amount of psi / ego you have will add (or take) rooms from this radius. \* Having 200% psi / ego should give you a radius of five rooms. – \[3278\] Step / Narrow has had its psi / ego cost increased to 500, up from 150. – \[3278\] Tether / Kneel now costs 100 psi / ego. – \[3278\] Vacuum / Dethrone now costs 200 psi / ego. – \[3278\] Mindspark / Inflate now costs 100 psi / ego. Sanguis / Discipline ========================= – \[3269\] New Skill: Expel. Subterfuge ========================= – \[3274\] Phaseveil now conceals your room location from WHO. Spirituality / Subjugation ========================= – \[3288\] Shieldplay has been updated: \* Cavalry shields now offer the same benefits as the buckler shield. \* Kite shields now offer the same benefits as the tower shield. \* Banded shields remain in the middle as they were before. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 4th of Lanosian, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads June 2023 - part 1](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-june-2023-part-1/) **Published:** June 21, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Artifacts ========================= – \[3272\] The rune of the asp now has a line when it causes an effect. – \[3295\] The yellow eye consumable is now obscured if the target is phaseveiled. \* This won’t consume a use upon the eye if so. Battlefury / Riving ========================= – \[3281\] UNDEFEND / UNJUXTAPOSE now has a 3 second balance recovery time. \* This also affects the artifact salvage ring. Elemancy / Humourism ========================= – \[3269\] Direfrost / Frostbite now lasts for 120 seconds, up from 60. – \[3311\] Increased the mana drain on Coldsnap / Brainfreeze and Pressurize / Equilibrium. Gravitation / Sporulation ========================= – \[3292\] Advance / Encroach now reveal which direction it will take the caster in its initial message. – \[3298\] Grip / Ensnare will now bring any following entities and mounts of the target if it moves them. \* This does not include players, only mobiles. Kaido ========================= – \[3263\] Deliverance now only lasts for a maximum of 20 seconds, down from 30. – \[3263\] Fixed a bug where channeling Deliverance did not cause kai energy to decay. Naturalism / Botany ========================= – \[3285\] Panacea / Subversion cooldown increased to 20 seconds, up from 15. – \[3303\] Annihilation / Selfdestruct damage has been increased to x2 the target’s max health. Performance ========================= – \[3307\] Rhythm will no longer trigger aggressive action events if they don’t have the required affliction. Shamanism / Experimentation ========================= – \[3310\] You can now destroy your Songlines / Expeditions remotely using the area name. Songcalling ========================= – \[3279\] Oblivion will now transfix the user should they cease playing the song once begun. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 16th of Lleian, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Father's Day!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/fathers-day/) **Published:** June 17, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey folks! This coming 18th is Father’s Day! I’m taking my dad out to lunch this year, but don’t forget to at least call yours! To celebrate the occasion, we’re giving away 25 bound credits simply for entering DADSRULE within the next few days. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 21st of Midsummer, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Submissions Closed](https://www.aetolia.com/news/submissions-closed-2/) **Published:** June 14, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Submission for new classleads is now closed. You can use REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find reports you haven’t left a comment on, and REPORTS ABSTAINED for reports you haven’t voted on. After three days to gather comments and votes, we will start to post decisions. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 23rd of Khepary, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Year 510 Crafting Competition Results](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-510-crafting-competition-results/) **Published:** June 14, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello again! Our judges have come to a decision on the placements of our Year 510 design contest with the theme of ‘away from home’! Winner: Ulo with ‘a moral longing for memories of a fallen civilisation’ Runner-up (tie): Aolin with a ‘hearthstone pendant of the wanderer’ Runner-up (tie): Evlentesh with ‘a well-worn cloak arrayed in patchwork’ Merit: Nimiphi with ‘a large tapestry with a map of migrations’ Honourable Mentions: Rasani, Sinrai, Dynos, and Trynt. Once we decide the best way to get these in front of everybody, you will all be able to marvel at their hard work! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 23rd of Khepary, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Year 510 Artisanal And Bardic Competition Results!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-510-artisanal-and-bardic-competition-results/) **Published:** June 13, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey, everybody! Submissions for the “AETOLIA AT WAR!” Artisanal and Bardic contest have now been reviewed by our judges and the winners are as follows: ARTISANALS ———— 1st: Akarn 2nd: Mahar 3rd: Sibatti Honourable mentions go to our remaining entrants Wjoltyr and Church for their submissions as well! BARDICS ———— 1st: Nimiphi 2nd: Wjoltyr 3rd place tie: Lenoriel, Sekeres Honourable mentions go to our remaining entrants Trynt, Myrnma, and Oridez for their submissions as well! Prizes have been awarded, and all entries are posted on our website already! I would urge you to go marvel at the splendour of their hard work! Penned by my hand on Closday, the 20th of Khepary, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Lord Sorrelion Sammonward's Party Barge](https://www.aetolia.com/news/lord-sorrelion-sammonwards-party-barge/) **Published:** June 12, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, everybody! For those who missed it, Lord Sammonward’s party barge is now moored in the Pachacacha at v1044. On board you’ll find a variety of games to play, food and drink to sample, new crafting ingredients, minipets, mounts, and a host of other trinkets for sale. The barge will be available until the end of the in game Year 510, so plenty of time to win tickets and get all the prizes! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 11th of Khepary, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Year 510 Games Conclusion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-510-games-conclusion/) **Published:** June 11, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hey, everybody! After a few weeks of festivities, our Year 510 games have now come to a close. Lord Sorrelion Sammonward and his barge will be arriving shortly with an awesome selection of wares and collectible goodies to celebrate the occasion! As usual, you’ll be sure to find something fun to do on his party barge and will receive tickets in exchange for participating in these awesome games. Those tickets can be used to acquire plenty of neat things this year, so we hope you have fun! Remember that the Artisanal and Bardic contest, as well as the design contest, have yet to be judged, but submissions close upon Lord Sammonward’s arrival. In addition, as the second Starfall was our last activity that provides points, our overall winner has been decided: congratulations to Illikaal for taking 1st place in the overall standings! EVENT RANKINGS has the full list for those interested. I hope everyone enjoyed the fun and games as much as the team enjoyed hosting all the events and putting everything together! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 10th of Khepary, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Year 510 Competitions](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-510-competitions/) **Published:** June 11, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, everybody! Just a quick reminder for you as our Year 510 Celebration winds down: Submissions for Artisinals, Bardics, and our Crafting competition all close in roughly six hours from the time of this post. You can find details on themes and submission guidelines in announce posts \[0;1;37m3518\[0m and \[0;1;37m3519\[0m. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 9th of Khepary, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Treaty updates](https://www.aetolia.com/news/treaty-updates/) **Published:** June 10, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, I’ve added two new terms to treaties that you can make use of. RESTITUTION : (Between cities only) When the treaty is voided or dissolved, all base territory occupied by your city will be returned to the other party as a gesture of sincerity. This action will not occur if the treaty is voided by the party who seeks the territory to be returned. TERRITORY : (Between cities only) Grant occupation over a territory that you hold to the other party without inciting war. Troops from the opposite party must be positioned within the territory, or they will eventually be repelled. Additionally, I have slightly tweaked how PEACE and ALLIANCE treaties work. Now, if they are voided by either party, both cities will enter a state of TURMOIL where neither will be able to declare or instigate war on the other until 3 IRL days pass. As such, please make use of the PEACE treaty if you seek to give yourself some buffer room in the case of treachery. The CEASEFIRE treaty does not offer this protection. That’s all for now! Penned by my hand on Closday, the 2nd of Khepary, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Year 510 Treasure Hunt](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-510-treasure-hunt/) **Published:** June 4, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! The Year 510 treasure hunt is coming up soon (see EVENTS), and I wanted to outline how the chests work again: HELP TREASURE HUNT has all the basic details on the game format – of particular note are: – Artifact shovels don’t give any actual bonus to digging. – Warden/Carnifex digging won’t avail you. – You will receive the tendonitis affliction for a short while after digging up a chest. Note that scoured environment and similar will be able to spawn chests, but chests only spawn on the Sapience mainland. There’ll be around 750 chests in total to find; all chests contain some gold as well as a chance at the following: Bronze: various commodities, inks, curatives, consumables, ylem shards, and ylem amulets. Silver: credits, minipets from a variety of sources, customisation certificates, chocolates, various consumables, and giftbags. Gold : Gold chests always contain an artifact valued anywhere from 50-2000 credits! Platinum: There will be only one of these chests in the world, and it is guaranteed to contain a pair of atavian wings worth 2000 credits! Good luck for later! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 18th of Arios, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Artifact Cart Update](https://www.aetolia.com/news/artifact-cart-update/) **Published:** June 2, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! By request, I’ve added grimstim, phoenix hearts, and bullseyes to the artifact cart on the website – they are priced the same as chocolates and can be found under the consumables category. Also as I neglected to mention it in the original post – elemental globes are also available again in the same section. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 1st of Arios, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [June in Aetolia!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/june-in-aetolia/) **Published:** June 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! June is upon us and you can expect the Year 510 celebrations to continue right along for the rest of the month; be sure to look at \[0;1;37mEVENTS\[0m for the remaining games – the barge will be here before long! This month we have a few offerings for you: a salvage sale, the return of the artifact cart, and a direct lesson sale! Every 100 credits purchased from the website will come with a piece of antiquated salvage, which is typically valued at 200 credits. These pieces may be traded to other players and used without bearing your mark, EXCEPT for purchasing the Antiquated Artifacts themselves. Once you obtain the first level, you can use any salvage you like to upgrade it. HELP ANTIQUATED ARTIFACTS will be of interest to those who aren’t familiar with how salvage works, as well as HELP ANTIQUATED \[RING/GOGGLES/GAUNTLET/CROP\] for a specific breakdown of what each item does. As for the Artifact Cart, all artifacts purchased directly through the cart have a 30% discount applied; this stacks with Iron Elite Membership for a total discount of 40%! In addition to the large discounts, there are a number of exclusives available only through the artifact cart, including: – Chocolates – House deeds (these come with FIVE rooms in total and can be redeemed by e-mailing me as per HELP CASTLES) – Fireworks – Upgrade tokens – Several other artifacts Silver chalices can also be found under the ‘artifact packages’ section of the website, with an option for one chalice or a pack of five at comparable discounts to the cart. Last up is the lesson sale! For the month of June, lessons can be purchased directly from the website at a significant bonus. Those with Iron Elite Memberships will also receive 10% bonus lessons on any lesson purchase they make! As always, the cart, credits, and lessons can be found on the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 20th of Ios, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads June 2023](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-june-2023/) **Published:** May 31, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks! The wheel of time has turned, as thus it is time for the second classlead of the year! ——————————— Information for this classlead cycle: Submissions will be open for TWO WEEKS in which you can submit THREE reports in for consideration which will be left anonymous. Once this time frame is up, there will be THREE DAYS to vote before we will start posting decisions. You can still vote early as per normal, but the extra three days will be there to avoid the feeling of late reports purposefully being submitted to be snuck through near the end. There are no restrictions on which classes you can submit reports for! All are open, although it is unlikely you will be able to get buffs for level 200 classes. If you’re new, continue on below for more information on classleads. If you’re old, please read HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES at the very least. ——————————— What are classleads: Classleads are a two week period that allows players to submit reports about their class (or other classes) for review by the administration. Do you believe that Teradrim should be able to fling dirt in someone’s eyes? Then this is what you’ve been waiting for! Make sure to read through HELP CLASSLEADS to learn the commands needed to make and submit your reports, and I also highly recommend HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES to help avoid common potholes when creating your submissions. If you want to keep track of submissions and results, have a look at CONFIG CLASSLEADS and consider turning it on. Also consider joining the Discord! On top of being a great place for report feedback before submission, each report will have a thread created about it so you can discuss it with others. See HELP DISCORD for information. Details on submission: \* Newly created reports will be marked as anonymous, your name as a submitter will not be revealed to others. \* You may submit up to a total of three reports across the skillsets of the game to suggest combat balance adjustments, new features, or quality of life upgrades. Please note that this limit is based across all characters you own. \* Reports that are based on skills you do not possess will be much more heavily scrutinized, so make sure they are top-notch before submission. \* While you must provide reasonable solutions to your report’s problem, we may opt for a fourth solution instead based upon feedback. \* Once a report is submitted, -anyone- may vote upon its merit using the CLASSLEAD SUPPORT/REJECT commands. If you wish to support/reject a report, please provide your reasoning and make sure to point out any shortcomings or additions you feel might be necessary. You may also simply leave a comment using CLASSLEAD COMMENT , if you wish for a more neutral approach. \* Any commentary which basically boils down to ‘I agree with my bud’ or ‘This is a terrible idea’ will automatically be discarded, and will you hurt your chances at passing through reports in future rounds, perhaps even resulting in loss of ability to submit at all. If you can consistently provide level-headed thought and in depth knowledge then your opinions will be valued more highly over others, and could result in extra submissions. \* You can use REPORTS ABSTAINED and REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find submitted reports you have not voted upon or commented. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 18th of Ios, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Great Hunt Results](https://www.aetolia.com/news/great-hunt-results/) **Published:** May 29, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** After a gruelling 48 hours, the Great Hunt is now over and the results are as follows: Sub-99 Tier: Rank Name Count True Rank —————————————————————— 1 Demien 13467 30 2 Tantabar 10920 35 3 Azvameth 6190 47 4 Herta 4242 55 5 Kaily 791 90 6 Trynt 669 93 7 Ranald 504 96 8 Eirianwen 461 97 9 Scrungle 425 99 10 Blednica 372 101 99+ Tier: Rank Name Count True Rank ——————————————————————- 1 Nawan 145748 1 2 Oridez 128969 2 3 Sheryni 119061 3 4 Bhalwyn 117757 4 5 Valorie 89881 5 6 Illikaal 84283 6 7 Tetchta 80166 7 8 Sryaen 67511 8 9 Valeria 67198 9 10 Borminchia 62552 10 Ironman Tier: Rank Name Count True Rank —————————————————————— 1 Reynard 23266 17 2 Indris 20000 21 3 Kirie 18283 24 4 Wjoltyr 7756 42 5 Valkalkas 7382 43 6 Ziora 7211 44 7 Lyeal 6106 48 8 Dcio 5745 50 9 Jhura 3018 66 10 Inu 2302 77 Well done to everyone who placed, and to everyone who participated! I hope it was a fun weekend! City Riddles will be up next in just about half an hour! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 2nd of Ios, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Imminent Great Hunt](https://www.aetolia.com/news/imminent-great-hunt/) **Published:** May 26, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In a few hours at the coming Howling (see EVENTS as always for specifics), the Great Hunt shall begin! This is a 48 hour hunting contest with credit prizes at certain points thresholds and larger credit prizes for the winners! Ironman Mode will be returning as a Tier for this Great Hunt too! \[0;1;37mNote: orrery bonuses will not be active for this event\[0m HELP GREAT HUNT has lots of useful information on the commands and scores and effects that are in play, and the prizes are as follows: 1st: 400cr 2nd: 350cr 3rd: 300cr 4th: 250cr 5th: 200cr 6th: 150cr 7th: 100cr 8th: 100cr 9th: 50cr 10th: 50cr NOTE: The level 1-98 tier will receive bound credits, the 99+ tier and the Ironman tier will receive unbound credits. There are also credit prizes for meeting certain point thresholds: 100 Points = 5 Bound Credits 1000 Points = 10 Bound Credits 2500 Points = 15 Bound Credits Happy hunting! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 14th of Severin, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [War Changes](https://www.aetolia.com/news/war-changes/) **Published:** May 26, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, Since the war system’s original implementation, it’s time for its first major change after observing it in action for a bit: – It is no longer possible to try and occupy multiple territories of an enemy organization at the same time. While it seems like a pretty simple change on its surface, let me break it down a little. \* Trying to occupy a territory is defined as the action of ordering your troops to OCCUPY LAND, and once successful, the timer that leads up to it being held on TERRITORY (it will show as Occupying). \* Once a territory is Held, you are then free to try and occupy another territory. \* Should you lose your troops in a territory and it reverts to the Repelled timer, and then you recover the territory before it times out, you are still able to try and occupy another territory in this time frame. On TERRITORY, such an occasion will be marked as being Reinforced as opposed to Occupying for clarity. \* The one territory limit applies per city, so if you are at war with multiple cities, you can try and take one territory from each one at a time. \* Neutral territories are under no such rules, as such you can try to occupy them at any time – simultaneously or not. \* In the case that your territory is already held and you declare war, the territory timers will be set to being Reinforced. As such, it is possible for the enemy to try and occupy more territory, if available. We’ve made these changes to try and discourage heavy blitz attacks that result in very short wars by turning it into stages (each territory more or less becomes a stage of the war), and granting less opportunity to knock someone out before anyone manages to log in. There is still plenty benefit in being the aggressor though, an early territory can be quite an advantage. If there’s any more questions, feel free to ask me. I’ll keep an eye on how things progress as usual. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 13th of Severin, in the year 510 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Year 510 Design Contest!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-510-design-contest/) **Published:** May 20, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The Year 510 Design Contest is now officially open! Until 11th June we’ll be accepting your design submissions for the theme of \[0;1;37mAWAY FROM HOME\[0m. These submissions aren’t tied to any one particular archetype and can be from any of Aetolia’s crafting skills. Submissions can be made by sending a clear letter to Becue with all of the details. Please sign these and make it absolutely clear who they are from! We’ll be judging these based on a variety of factors, including spelling and grammar, creativity, adherence to the theme, and whether it is distinctly Aetolian in nature. Prizes are as follows: 1st place: 250 credits & the winner’s choice of any crafting related artifact 2nd place: 200 credits 3rd place: 150 credits Some rules: – One submission per player – This must be a new design and not one that already exists in the game – You do not need to actually have the skill you’re designing for – The design should be complete with any additional fields filled in as appropriate (e.g taste messages for drinks, eaten messages for foods and such) Good luck! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 23rd of Haernos, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Year 510 Artisanal and Bardic Competition](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-510-artisanal-and-bardic-competition/) **Published:** May 20, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** I’m pleased to announce that the Year 510 Artisanal and Bardic Competition is now open! While we’re all busy thinking about Year 510, the theme for this round is: \[0;1;37mAETOLIA AT WAR\[0m This theme has a lot of potential, so I hope to see some wild and wonderful submissions! Entries should be submitted via e-mail to support@aetolia.com with a clear subject line. The closing date for submissions is 11th June, so you have plenty of time to put something together! Please include the name of your character when making a submission, and remember that it is limited to one entry per person! HELP BARDIC and HELP ARTISANAL contain some useful information, and there will be separate prizes and placings for Artisanal entries and Bardic entries. 1st place: 500 credits, 4 points 2nd place: 350 credits, 2 points 3rd place: 200 credits, 1 point The points go towards the Artisanal and Bardic Fellowships as outlined in the respective help files. Good luck! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 23rd of Haernos, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Year 510 Celebrations!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-510-celebrations/) **Published:** May 20, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi everyone! Year 510 celebrations have now officially begun! The year proper turns over in a few hours but we’re kicking things off early to align with the Howling. There’ll be two posts following this to formally open the Artisanal & Bardic competition and the Design contest, and the Starfall will take place shortly after. As of now, the following bonuses are active and will run until 1st Variach 511 which is not until the 9th of July! \* Monday: Double milestone cap \* Tuesday: Double XP \* Wednesday: Favours for everyone \* Thursday: Denizens will respawn twice as fast after being killed \* Friday: Increased critical hits Olleo has reopened his shop in the Harpy’s Head (v66737) with a slew of new wares and a return of some old ones for those who missed out! Celsto is a Caentoi historian offering a daily quest surrounding his research on various battles and wars across Sapience and Albedos. You can find him in the Grand Library at v57294. Asking him about a quest will provide you with a notebook which can be \[0;1;37mREAD\[0m to obtain a clue for a denizen or a location – find the answer and \[0;1;37mRECORD INTO NOTEBOOK\[0m to complete this task for the day. Twenty completions will come with a unique reward! As always, EVENTS is your best port of call to see what else is happening this month! Happy Year 510! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 23rd of Haernos, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Year 510 Points](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-510-points/) **Published:** May 18, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! Year 510 is almost upon us and all of the events outlined in post #3513 can be found under the EVENTS command in game. Make sure you configure your timezone for an accurate readout. The points system from the last few Year X celebrations is returning. Every qualifying event that you participate in will give you a single participation point, and winners receive extra points. Some of the events do not award points as the formats are slightly different than normal. However, points are as follows: 1st: 5 points 2nd: 4 points 3rd: 3 points 4th: 2 points 5th: 1 point Participation: 1 point Some notes: – Winners gain participation points as well as their winning points, e.g coming 2nd in most games will give the 4 points for placing, and the 1 participation point. – Twins awards points according to the top teams with the same breakdown: 5/4/3/2/1 points, with participation on top, e.g if Razmael and I come 1st, we’d both get 6 points. Below are the thresholds for points. As we have a lot of point-qualifying games this year, the cap is once again 60! Total Points Credits ———— ——- 6 10 9 15 18 25 20 25 22 25 26 25 31 25 36 25 40 50 50 75 60 100 These are cumulative, so if you finish Year 510 with 30 points, you’d gain: 10+15+25+25+25+25 = 125 credits, as well as any credits you win from placing in the events! Once the games have begun, you’ll be able to use \[0;1;37mEVENT RANKINGS\[0m to see the cumulative scores! Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 13th of Haernos, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Inactive Leaders](https://www.aetolia.com/news/inactive-leaders/) **Published:** May 18, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, As we’ve been putting so much time into bolstering our org identities and themes over the last year or so, it’s important that our organisations have leaders who are active and enthused in their roles. With that in mind, we’ve just put live a change where, should an org leader not log in for 20 days consecutively, their post will automatically become vacant. This applies to guildmasters, city leaders, and council members (including those using the speaker system). This will be logged when it occurs and those interested can contest the position via vacancy as they would with any empty seat. It’s my hope that this encourages some positive attitudes towards stepping down and / or removes some of the recitence about contesting obviously ‘vacant’ roles. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 11th of Haernos, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Mother's Day!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/mothers-day/) **Published:** May 14, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! It’s Mother’s Day in the US (and many other countries as well!) In appreciation of all the mums out there, if you type \[0;1;37mMOTHERSROCK\[0m, we will give you 25 bound credits! This will work only once per character until the 15th of May. Shout out to all the rocking mums out there, keep up the great work! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 12th of Slyphian, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Year 510 Celebrations: Itinerary](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-510-celebrations-itinerary/) **Published:** May 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! Year 510 is just a few weeks away and you can expect a very busy celebration with lots of games, contests, and surprises as always! There’ll be a proper post with all the details about points and specific events nearer to the time but for now in order to give everyone advance notice, the itinerary for Year 510 is posted below. Everything listed here will also be posted on the \[0;1;37mEVENTS\[0m listings shortly after this post goes up. All times are listed in GMT but with CONFIG TIMEZONE, the list will show an accurate time for your part of the world. There will be thousands of credits and prizes on offer throughout the celebrations and hopefully we’ve curated an exciting schedule with something for everyone to enjoy. Saturday 20th May: – Year 510 will open with a Starfall at 00:01 (the year proper changes a few hours later). – A daily quest will go live until the end of June. – A themed Artisanal and Bardic contest will open until the 11th of June. – We’ll be opening a themed design/crafting contest until the 11th of June. – Olleo’s shop in the Harpy’s Head will reopen with a brand new selection of wares for gold. – Days of the week promotions will be active for all of Year 510. Playing Aetolia on one of these days will have the following bonuses: \* Monday: Double milestone cap \* Tuesday: Double XP \* Wednesday: Favours for everyone \* Thursday: Denizens will respawn twice as fast after being killed \* Friday: Increased critical hits 17:00: Storytelling 20:00: Champion’s Core 22:00: Walker’s Tongue Sunday 21st: 01:00: The Duel 17:00: Triptycha Tournament 23:00: Free-For-All Monday 22nd: 16:00: Bait the Frog 23:30: Bloodbath Tuesday 23rd: 23:00: The Brawl Wednesday 24th: 23:00: A Quiz on Aetolian Lore & History Thursday 25th: 23:00: Inquisition Friday 26th: 19:00: Ale Run Saturday 27th: 00:01: 48 hour Great Hunt weekend! Monday 29th: 00:30: City Riddles Tuesday 30th: 18:00: Egg Hunt Thursday 1st June: 00:01: An Iron Lottery will open for the rest of the month 22:30: King’s Abdication Contest Friday 2nd: 19:00: Freeze Tag Saturday 3rd: 00:30: City vs City Territory Game 18:00: Hide and Seek 23:59: Poker Tournament Sunday 4th: 19:00: Survivor 22:30: Treasure Hunt Monday 5th: 23:00: Drunken Free For All Wednesday 7th: 22:30: Resonance Thursday 8th: 23:59: Fishing Derby Friday 9th: 22:30: Egg Hunt 2 Saturday 10th: 01:00: Twins Tournament\* 20:00: Iron Epicurean 23:59: Capture the Flag Sunday 11th: 18:00: Farkle Tournament 22:30: Starfall 2 23:59: Arrival of the Party Barge! \*The 2v2 City Champions contest is retiring this year in favour of Twins – for those of you who have played Achaea, Twins is a 2v2 double elimination PK tournament similar to The Duel. Keep an eye on EVENTS, and for another post soon outlining how tickets and prizes and participation will work! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 14th of Lleian, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Nexus Client on iOS](https://www.aetolia.com/news/nexus-client-on-ios/) **Published:** May 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** On behalf of Jeremy Saunders: We’re excited to announce that the mobile version of Nexus Client is finally on both Android and iPhone! That’s right, you can now carry the epicness of Iron Realms Entertainment in your pocket and experience the thrill of MUD gaming whenever the mood strikes you. We’ve got you covered no matter what phone or tablet you have. Android users can snag the Nexus in the Google Play Store over here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ironrealms.nexus. For all our iOS folks, you can get your hands on it via the Apple Store right here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nexus-mud-client/id1641739522. So, whether you’re Team Android or Team iPhone, you can now join the party! As both versions are still very new, we need your help to make the client even more awesome. We’re talking reviews. If you’re loving the mobile experience, please take a moment to leave a review on your app store of choice. Your feedback assists us considerably and also helps new players find the community. We get it, bugs happen. But fret not! If you encounter any pesky bugs or issues, we’ve got a solution. Just follow the simple steps outlined on our bug submission page. You can find it here: https://nexus.ironrealms.com/How\_To\_Submit\_Bugs. Together, we can squash those bugs and make the Nexus Client the best it can be! You can also get help and let us know about potential problems in the Nexus discord. Here is a link for everyone looking to join: https://discord.gg/czsFhfbW. Quick reminder for all you browser warriors: Don’t forget that you can still dive into our games straight from your trusty web browser. No installation required. You can find the client here: https://play.ironrealms.com, and let the adventures begin! We can’t thank you enough for being part of the Iron Realms family. Your support means the world to us, and we’re committed to delivering the most epic gaming experience ever. Stay tuned for updates and get ready for mind-blowing adventures in the Iron Realms! – Jeremy Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 13th of Lleian, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Automation Rules Reminder](https://www.aetolia.com/news/automation-rules-reminder/) **Published:** May 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Following several spot checks and subsequent actions today, I am taking this opportunity to remind everyone about \[0;1;37mHELP AUTOMATION\[0m. In particular, this section: \[0;1;37mAutomating ANY activity that generates gold, experience, or resources of any kind while not paying attention is explicitly NOT allowed. This includes fishing, hunting, questing, or any other similar activity.\[0m Breaking this rule is done at your own risk and will always carry administrative punishment. Continued infractions can escalate up to and including permanent loss of your character. Take note. Penned by my hand on Closday, the 12th of Lleian, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [May in Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/news/may-in-aetolia/) **Published:** May 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! 2023 is moving right along into May, and that means Year 510 will soon be upon us! Keep your eyes open for several posts in the next couple of days outlining our itinerary for the celebrations! In the meantime, Cryptic Chests are returning to the website (www.aetolia.com/credits) under ‘artifact packages’ for May! Opening a chest will award one or more prizes from a wide selection as outlined below. Every 500 Cryptic Chests opened will trigger a global prize where one of the next 50 to be opened will contain a bonus of 500 credits on top of the other prizes! Here’s what you might find inside: – Chocolate bags, elemental globes, fireworks, customisation certificates, iron coins, morphic metal, ambience tokens, style points\* and a low chance at salvage. \* Style points are a new currency that can be spent in a new shop located IN from the Bridge to Esterport (v1180). This shop has almost every promotional technique scroll available at a cost of 1 style point. We’re trying this out to make style acquisition more deterministic! – Credit prizes ranging from 18 – 250. – Various artifacts valued between 50 and 2000 credits. – Minipets from a selection of: a brightly glowing finch, a juvenile meerkat, a hopping one-footed pigeon, a floating meteorite, a winged piglet, and a thrashing mass of vines. – Coffers with pieces for the following relics: mistjar, stormhorn, stalking, whispering, mandibles, ilmenitebracer, and sensebacklash. – Compendium pages for: Tcanna, Spiral of the Corrupt, Ayhesa, Arbothia, the Basilisk Lair, the forgotten Mausoleum, and Welto Trench In addition to these, you will always receive a filler prize (grimstim pills, various consumables, omnipotence pills, etc). These do not count towards your chest’s value. You can also find a chest in the milestone shop for May – 1 gold key as always! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 9th of Lleian, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Racetrack System being Retired](https://www.aetolia.com/news/racetrack-system-being-retired/) **Published:** April 27, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Despite being a fixture of the cities for some years (in various states of functionality), the minipet racetracks are officially being retired today. While we love the idea of cheering on your little critters, the stark reality is that this is an unfinished system plagued with bugs and issues of various kinds. I’ve debated on finding some resolution for the problems with this and unfortunately I’ve come to the conclusion that it is beyond saving. That said, THE LIST grows ever shorter with each passing day and it’s possible something like this will return in future. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 15th of Midsummer, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Esterport Bounties Update](https://www.aetolia.com/news/esterport-bounties-update/) **Published:** April 24, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, The intent of the Esterport bounty system was to provide a means of resolution for ‘roleplay cause’ for those either unable or unwilling to settle their grievance personally, specifically for scenarios that don’t fall under the purview of city crimes and city bounties. As such, I have the following change to announce in order to promote this system as a legitimate means of conflict resolution: – New bounties in Esterport will exclude the target’s city/guild from being able to register for it. Until recently we have been somewhat lax on the ‘one death’ rule in issues. With this change now in place our expectation will once again be that you use any and all means of IC resolution available to you before any issue you file on the matter will be ruled on. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 19th of Khepary, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Movement](https://www.aetolia.com/news/movement/) **Published:** April 22, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** I’ve updated how people show when moving around in group a bit, especially in cases where a custom message is used to show off certain skill usage, such as teleportation. There is a lot of movement methods in the game, so I can’t guarantee it’ll work appropriately for all of them (or be able to fix all of them), so just consider this a test for now in case we need to revert back. In the past, it would always show like this, like when crashing through an icewall: Kikon enters from the south, followed by Keroc. They are followed by an inky shadeling. Now it will show like this: Kikon comes crashing in through a large wall of ice from the south. Trailing behind him follows Keroc. They are followed by an inky shadeling. And another example: Kikon Corona says, “Voltda.” A sulfurous portal opens in the ground before Kikon and he quickly jumps into it before it snaps shut behind him. Trailing behind him follows Keroc. They are followed by an inky shadeling. In cases where it defaults to the basic messaging (this includes fancy things like Shapeshifter pelts), then it will just use the usual following message. That’s all for now, please let me know if you see it working incorrectly or in situations where maybe it shouldn’t. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 6th of Khepary, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Combat Juice](https://www.aetolia.com/news/combat-juice/) **Published:** April 15, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Afflictions ====================== – New affliction: Hobbled. \* This is basically a new generic affliction to provide interactions between various abilities. \* Delays any movement attempt you make and is cured once you successfully move. \* This is considered a physical delay and not an environmental delay. \* Sleeping for a short while will get rid of it, if you get stuck somehow. – Some limb messages have been rewritten: \* ‘The poultice has little to no effect on your .’ has been changed to ‘It has little to no effect on your .’. \* ‘You have restored your as best as you can!’ has been changed to ‘You move your freely, the bone now restored.’. \* This is to make it fit better with skills that heal limb damage. Artifacts ====================== – The ‘enemy\_sense’ and ‘combined\_powers’ ilmenite bracer no longer triggers multiple times if a group crosses into the area. \* This removes it revealing the size of an enemy group and allows for some obfuscation. Assassination ====================== – Marking has been reworked: \* Use MARK to apply a debuff on someone in the same room (different elevation allowed). \* The next non-passive damage source is turned into a critical hit, doubling the damage. \* Lasts for one use or 30 seconds. Battlefury / Riving ====================== – Duality / Duplicity balance recovery reduced by 0.1 seconds. – Duality / Duplicity now use full balance even if the second swing is prevented. – Doubleswing / Fell damage in PvP has been increased a little bit. – Doubleswing / Fell now use full balance even if the second swing is prevented. – The Mastery talent Opportunizing has been moved to a two-handed talent. Corpus / Ascendance ====================== – Frenzy / Denounce damage in PvP has been reduced a little bit. Devotion / Apocalyptia ====================== – Hands / Reinforce now additionally heals a random affliction when performed on another. Enchantment ====================== – Time sphere reworked a little: \* Increases bal/eq recovery by 1 second with 5 or more people in the room. \* Increases bal/eq recovery by another second with 10 or more people in the room (max 2 seconds). Geometrics ====================== – When a successful use of Sealing occurs, it will refresh the timer of any other placed seals. Hypnosis ====================== – New Skill: Carefree. \* This will strip the density defence when the suggestion activates. Kaido ====================== – New Skill: Nurture. \* Allows you to heal 50% of limb damage on another person. – Removed Skill: Recursion. – Kai Trance has been reworked: \* No longer provides kai per an attack. \* Now generates 9 kai every 3 seconds when there is an enemy in the room. \* For each enemy beyond that, it will generate an extra 3 kai. \* 1 kai is lost every 3 seconds when there is no enemies. – Upon turning on Kai Trance, your kai will be set to 100. – Kai Trance now takes 6 seconds to turn on, up from 5. – Kai Trance now uses 4 seconds of balance to turn on. – Kai Trance now requires your throat to be undamaged to turn on. – KAI HEAL ALL heal has been increased to 20% of max health, up from 15%. Performance ======================= – Tempo and Rhythm has had its damage in PvP increased. – Tempo can no longer be dodged if the target has self-loathing. \* This is not true for Rhythm however. – Hiltblow now does blunt damage, instead of cutting damage. – Crackshot stun has been increased to 0.75 seconds, up from 0.5. – Guilt balance upset has been increased to 0.75 seconds, up from 0.25. – Guilt balance recovery time increased to 2.25 seconds, up from 2. Primality / Alchemy ======================= – Chainlightning / Overcharge can now strike five enemies, instead of two. – Chainlightning / Overcharge now consumes 2 energy / volatility, up from 1. Naturalism / Botany ======================= – Barrier / Envelop will now give prismatic barrier in addition to shielding them. Savagery / Warding ======================= – Spinning / Lacerate now use full balance even if the second swing is prevented. – Doublebash / Maul now use full balance even if the second swing is prevented. Sorcery / Runecarving ======================= – Spectre / Toil cooldown reduced to 2 seconds, down from 3. Spirituality / Subjugation ======================= – Overwhelm / Deface will now additionally knock the target to the ground. \* This still requires them first to be prone (HELP PRONE), but it means you can knock someone to the ground who is paralysed. Subterfuge ======================= – Abduct now additionally drains some mana from the target. – Vortex now additionally causes magical damage to the target when it drags them through. \* The damage only occurs if they are an enemy. – Vortex can now reach all adjacent rooms around the wormhole on the end of it. Tarot / Hyalincuru ======================= – Ripping Adder / Diamond now causes a small amount of cutting damage on top of the bleeding. \* The damage caused by this is non-lethal, but the bleeding is not. Terramancy / Wavebreaking ======================= – New Skill: Earthenmaw / Spearfall. \* Impales all enemies in room and adjacent who are prone. \* After 5 seconds, all enemies who are still impaled are dragged underground. BURROW ABOVE to escape. \* Requires soft ground in order for them to be dragged underground. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 14th of Arios, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Cloak of Abnegation: Quick Correction](https://www.aetolia.com/news/cloak-of-abnegation-quick-correction/) **Published:** April 11, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! Keroc has just informed me that the abnegation power actually triggers when \[0;1;37mthree (3) \[0m have attacked you recently, not \[0;1;37mfive\[0m as I originally wrote. I’ve updated the original post and the auction info to reflect this. Sorry for the error, but luckily we caught it early. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 14th of Ios, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Imminent Auctions!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/imminent-auctions/) **Published:** April 10, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! About an hour from now at the howling, a round of auctions will be going live! In total there are 9 credit auctions and 6 gold auctions. Some notes: – The auctions will run for 10 real days. – Any artifacts bought through auctions (including gold items) cannot be traded in or have their powers transferred. – Credit auctions do not require you to have the credits on hand to bid. – Gold auctions do require you to have the gold on hand to bid. – When auctions end, we allow a week to gather the winning bid amount. Failure to meet the bid amount after this time will result in loss of character until the cost is settled. – Bound credits CAN be used to pay for auctions. – HELP AUCTIONS and HELP AUCTIONHOUSE both have additional details. – Bids are final, and we will not reverse mistakes. If something is not clear about an item, you are welcome to ask me for more details prior to bidding. Please be absolutely sure before placing a bid. Without further ado, here are the listings that will go live when the time comes. You will also now be able to see information on the lots using AUCTION INFO once they’re up. CREDIT AUCTIONS ————— \[0;1;37mA Divinely-trained suicide mouse (power: suicide\_mouse)\[0m – Dispatch this mouse to seek out someone in the same area as you, and it will quickly track them down. – When it reaches the target, after a moment it will explode for minor fire damage and strip their shield defence if they have it, or their cloak defence if they don’t. – The mouse has to make its way to the target, so it can be seen entering the room and such. – The mouse cannot be used again until it resets to you after 5 minutes. – Note that there is an area wide message when it detonates. \[0;1;37mA sanctimonious vestment (power: essence\_save)\[0m – This holy vestment will prevent the death of the wearer from causing any essence loss to a Divinity they follow. – It will will also double the efficiency of corpses used to sanctify and defile shrines. – NOTE: this does not affect pray speed, it simply reduces the corpses required to strengthen or break the seal for sanctifying and defiling. \[0;1;37mA shroud of abnegation (power: abnegation)\[0m – While wearing this cloak, when five different people have recently attacked you (i.e when the fifth person to do so attacks you), you will automatically purge a random affliction from yourself. – This will always cure paresis/paralysis first if you have it. – It will not fire again until lingering hostility is reduced below this threshold. \[0;1;37mSupreme Celestine Bracers of Devastation (power: critical\_chance(4))\[0m – This is a level 4 version of critical hit bracers, increasing your chance to critically strike by 8%. \[0;1;37mA Ring of Translocation (power: translocation)\[0m – This ring may be used to create a translocation portal across a given exit. – When an individual crosses into or out of a room through that exit, they will be randomly transported to a different location within the same general area. – This power can only be used once per hour. – The portal remains in effect for a period of five minutes. \[0;1;37mAn Eelskin Cloak (power: eelskin)\[0m – Wearing this cloak can be truly electrifying! – When worn about your person, any attacks that fall upon your magical shield will result in the attacker getting shocked with electrical damage equal to 15% of their maximum health before resistances. \[0;1;37mA Globe of Charged Elemental Energy\[0m – The globe of charged elemental energy functions similar to the consumable versions of the globes. – They have one charge, but will not be destroyed on use. – When the globe’s charge is used up, killing 5000 mobs (not including the summoned elementals) will refill the globe, allowing it to be drained again. \[0;1;37mAn agnostic weapon token\[0m – The winner of this auction will gain the ability to use a different weapon in a single class of their choice, subject to Keroc’s approval. – For example, a bastard instead of a polearm for Carnifex, or a shortsword instead of a dagger for Syssin. – If the class uses two weapons, we’ll allow this to double up but both weapons will have to be the same. – The winner can choose both the class and the weapon. – The weapon will inherit the stats of your current (at the time of purchase/setup) best weapon in that class. This cannot be updated or changed. – The weapon does not necessarily need to already exist (e.g you may want to use a butter knife for your assassinations, a broken bottle, or even a plank of wood with a nail in it!), but it does have to make mechanical sense (i.e damage type, two hand vs one), be setting appropriate, and at least loosely fit to the class theme. – If you have an exotic combo in mind, I recommend asking us before bidding. \[0;1;37mA Village Shop Token\[0m – Open a shop in an NPC village of your choice, subject to RP and administrative approval. – Esterport is not a viable choice of location. – Your taxes will be set to the village in question, and the shop will be repossessed if you default on your bills, though you will be able to reopen it should you settle your debts. – Also requires you to remain in good standing with the village it’s located in. GOLD AUCTIONS ————– \[0;1;37mProtective Artifact Package\[0m – The winner of this auction will receive an amulet of protection with both the protection and magic\_protection powers included. \[0;1;37mAntiquated salvage bundle\[0m – The winner of this auction will receive 5 pieces of antiquated artifact salvage (see HELP ANTIQUATED ARTIFACTS). \[0;1;37mRelic piece token\[0m – Redeem this token for any relic piece – Artifact moulds are not included in this as an option anymore \[0;1;37mElemental globes bundle\[0m – The winner of this auction will receive 10 globes of elemental energy. – These can be sold to other players or used yourself. – These globes will have an extended decay time of 100 real days. \[0;1;37mHousing bundle\[0m – The winner of this auction will receive 300 room credits and their choice of any housing feature (see HELP CASTLE COMMANDS) for no extra cost! \[0;1;37mCompendium page bundle\[0m – The winner of this item can exchange it for 5 compendium pages for the area of their choice. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 13th of Ios, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Some Updates to Transport Artifacts & Antiquated Rings](https://www.aetolia.com/news/some-updates-to-transport-artifacts-antiquated-rings/) **Published:** April 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, I have some updates to announce to transportation artifacts and antiquated rings: – Wings, amulets, gold translocators, and custom wings locations all now share the same area: the Nexus of Translocation. Abilities which work across an area should now work to and from all of these. – Those of you with custom portals will find that SURVEY reflects both your original custom area (for atmosphere) and the Nexus area. – Antiquated rings have some new functionality: \* You can now use RING ATTUNEMENTS to list all ring attunements to and from you. \* You can now RING REJECT to reject any attunements to you from that person. \* ATTUNEing a ring to a target now requires but does not consume equilibrium and balance. It is also now flagged as an ‘assist’ ability. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 16th of Severin, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Global Perspicacity Terminated](https://www.aetolia.com/news/global-perspicacity-terminated/) **Published:** April 2, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Greetings adventurers, This post is, unfortunately, not written by the incredible, mind-blowing technology that is ChatGPT’s language model AI. Just by me. We originally came up with this idea over a year ago as an April Fools joke and Razmael (ambitious and insane as ever) recently toiled away at making it into a reality, painstakingly teaching the AI about Aetolia while the rest of us tried our best to persuade it to break its rules and help us plan violent uprisings of New Zealand (among other things). Over the last 24 hours we’ve witnessed some incredible conversations, hilarious exchanges, brand new lore being invented from thin air (Hail Var-ma-mihn, the Celestine!) and, again, completely mind blowing content, both impressive and terrifyingly portentous in equal measure. For those sceptics still out there, let me be clear: barring the initial instructions and information provided to get it up and running, all the content generated by the NPCs over the last 24 hours has come directly from the ChatGPT AI, not from volunteers or staff piloting them. Some of you have faced down overzealous guards. Others have endured insult after insult from “friendly” neighbourhood NPCs. Many of you have been threatened, entertained, interrogated, and talked at relentlessly. Still others have made friends and acquaintances that might well last beyond this April Fools dalliance. From our side we’ve witnessed an overwhelmingly positive reaction and an outpouring of support for which we’re incredibly grateful. We’ve even had a few people create characters to check it out after hearing about this from other IRE veterans. Unfortunately, however, it does have to come to an end. The API charges for the use of this service on a word by word basis, and sustaining it for more than a single day is, I’m sorry to say, not realistic – at least for now. AI technology is rapidly evolving and something like this may return in the future when it’s a less expensive endeavour to train and operate. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 10th of Variach, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Gregarious Prototype Testing](https://www.aetolia.com/news/gregarious-prototype-testing/) **Published:** April 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Greetings Aetolians, We at Aetolia pride ourselves on staying ahead of the curve when it comes to technology, and we are always exploring new ways to enhance your gaming experience. As many of you may have noticed, artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the world, and we are excited to announce the experimental integration of AI into various aspects of our game! Please note that as this is an experimental implementation, things might not always go as expected. We ask for your patience and understanding as we work to perfect these new features. In this initial phase, we have introduced AI-driven Non-Playable Characters (NPCs) that promise to make your interactions more engaging and lifelike. This early implementation will continue to be expanded over time with innovative features such as dynamic quests. You might now find some of your favorite and most notable NPCs responding in city chat, including Rhulin for Enorian, Shilkar for Bloodloch, Rhydderch for Duiran, and Thuneron for Spinesreach. These enhanced NPCs will bring more depth and character to your conversations in city chat. Additionally, everyone’s beloved priest of the celestine has been upgraded to use AI-driven shouts, making their presence in the game all the more immersive. But that’s not all! City guards are also now able to talk and emote to players, and many NPCs will occasionally say something when attacked, adding another layer of realism to your in-game experience. As a testament to the power of AI, we are proud to share that this entire announcement post was written by an AI language model, showcasing the potential of artificial intelligence in various applications, including our beloved text game. We are thrilled to bring you these cutting-edge advancements and can’t wait for you to experience them firsthand. As always, we remain committed to providing an unforgettable gaming experience and will continue to implement new and innovative features in the future. Happy adventuring! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 4th of Variach, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [April in Aetolia!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/april-in-aetolia/) **Published:** April 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! April has arrived and that means it’s time for a new promotion! Later in the month we’ll have the first round of auctions for the year, but in the meantime the Wheel of Fates has returned to Aetolia! Logging in for at least an hour each day earns a free spin and premium skull tokens with higher value prizes can be obtained from the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits! Those who obtain skull tokens can \[0;1;37mSPIN WHEEL OUTER SKULL\[0m up to three times to determine their prize category followed by \[0;1;37mSPIN WHEEL INNER SKULL\[0m to win prizes from the following: Outer Wheel – Credits: Credit prizes (unbound) ranging from 33-250. Outer Wheel – Iron Coins: Iron Coins (unbound) ranging from 20-100. Outer Wheel – Lessons: Lesson prizes ranging from 250-500. Outer Wheel – Artifact: Artifacts ranging from 50 credits in value up to 2000 credits in value. Outer Wheel – Items: Chocolate bags, elemental globes, fireworks, customisation certificates, discount vouchers, compendium pages\*, minipets\*\*, style scrolls\*\*\* artifact tattoo tokens, a low chance at morphic metal and antiquated salvage. Outer Wheel – Relic: Coffers with relic pieces for: sensemirror, starchart, lifesense, hunters\_book, rubble, veil\_vines, veil\_darkness, and super\_ear NOTE: Coffers will always have at least 2 pieces \* Pages this month include: Ayhesa, Skythrone, Xaanhal, Festering Wastes, the Mannaseh Swamp, Ollin, and the Volcano \*\* Minipets this month include: an oversized jumping spider, a large fire ant, a crimson millipede, a three-tailed cat demon, a brown calf, and an orange-beaked puffin \*\*\* Styles available this month are: drunken, stormy, underhanded, lazy, telekinetic, and confident. These have been updated to include Bloodborn and Runecarver! HELP WHEEL OF FATES now has all of the up to date information! Purchases of tokens also reward Guild and City credits, there’s a 500 credit bonus on every 500th spin! You can also find a skull token in the milestone wares for April! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 4th of Variach, in the year 509 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Calling Mortal Builders!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/calling-mortal-builders/) **Published:** March 30, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi everyone! Aetolia is once again looking for enthusiastic and skilled writers to contribute to the game’s development as a mortal builder! We’re inviting anyone who has a creative streak, an interest in helping Aetolia grow, and the ability to both work to a goal and to deadlines to apply for the builder role. Building projects come with credits as payment for work completed and don’t require you to give up playing your character(s). This can be an excellent and fulfilling opportunity to contribute to the game and leave behind a permanent mark on the world. It is also an excellent way to gain experience for future Celani applications. To apply, please be sure to read HELP STYLE GUIDELINES in full and then send a plain text email to ictinus@aetolia.com with the following included: \[x\] Five flawless room descriptions, each a different environment. \[x\] Two NPC descriptions, such as an animal or a person, and two possible attack lines these NPCs might have. \[x\] How many hours per week you expect to be able to contribute towards building projects. \[x\] Any experience with building or writing that you have had before. \[x\] An original project idea that you would like to work on. This can be as small or elaborate as you like, be it a band of NPCs or a sprawling ruined temple to your favourite God. This is an opportunity to showcase your imagination and give us an idea of what work you may be best suited for, so make it as interesting as you can! Please keep in mind though that this is purely a chance for us to see your mind at work rather than a project that is likely to come to fruition. The vast majority of projects will be decided already or form part of a larger plan we have in mind for Aetolia as a whole. Please include your character name in the application as well, so we know who to contact! Applications will remain open until Monday 3rd April. Feel free to message or email me if you have any questions! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 21st of Haernos, in the year 508 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Duel Returns!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-duel-returns/) **Published:** March 28, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** This coming weekend, the mighty Duel makes its return to crown a new champion – a double elimination tournament of skill where only one person can stand at the top! Who will it be? If you haven’t joined one before, HELP THE DUEL will tell you everything you need to know. The specific time and date can be found through EVENT INFO 485, make sure you have your time zone configured if you want it to show more then GMT (see CONFIG TIMEZONE). See you there! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 5th of Haernos, in the year 508 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Dyisen-Ashtan Arena](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-dyisen-ashtan-arena/) **Published:** March 25, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! Within the Memoryscape, the fog has coalesced into a new, long forgotten memory – the Dyisen-Ashtan Arena. Inside the arena, you can run some basic mock battles using the spectral and ghostly divisions that utilise the war system mechanics for whatever you need. You can PROBE the divisions/objects within the arena for extra commands. The spectral divisions have some captured land that you can use as well (the ghostly divisions do not). To enter the arena, simply find the obelisk-portal within the Memoryscape that leads you to the arena island, then ENTER it and ENTER the arena doors. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 12th of Slyphian, in the year 508 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Second Life Skills](https://www.aetolia.com/news/second-life-skills/) **Published:** March 21, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The removal of second life skills talked about in Announce #3488 is no longer temporary and will be the norm going forward. There is a few further fixes however: – Fixed Soulcage / Remembrance not proc’ing before Starburst (although technically should not be stackable). – Fixed the Ulgar statue allowing you to stack Starburst with other death saving skills. – Fixed the level 200 second life skill allowing you to stack it with other death saving skills. – Fixed Manipulation Returning allowing you to stack it with other death saving skills. – Fixed Manipulation Returning cutting experience loss by two-thirds, when it’s supposed to be a half. That’s all! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 14th of Niuran, in the year 508 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Spirited Away](https://www.aetolia.com/news/spirited-away/) **Published:** March 19, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Near the close of the summer of 508 MA, the rattling of bones against wood could be heard throughout the balmy Western Itzatl. Suspecting that these sounds were connected to a recent vision experienced by many councillors, Durian was swift to respond. In short order, they questioned various residents of the rainforest and neighbouring Saluria, but discovered only descriptions of their elusive quarry. Described as a tall, masked figure in ritual garb, the mysterious traveller was said to have already departed over the mountains with their fungus-laden staff as a walking stick. The following week, the council once more heard the rattling clatter of bones and wood – this time from the nearby settlement of Salma. Prowling the streets of the fledgling empire, those of the Heartwood once more sought their quarry, speaking first with the architect Linette and then with the mages congregated near the forum. The distracted scholars made mention of the traveller’s search for someone that could speak with spirits, though admitted he had no way to help them and had sent them on their way. Duirani councillors immediately rushed throughout the nearby Ithmia and its adjoining regions, searching high and low for the mysterious figure that continued to be the topic of much conversation. On the day of autumn’s arrival, the figure made their presence known. A masked Aslinn mystic claiming to hail from the Jalaja Rainforest sought entry beyond the Karnagh’s gates within Abelaas, though her attempts were swiftly rebuffed by the Horn of the Vale, one of the last mighty Minotaur. By the time Runemaster Olto emerged from the gate, most of the council had gathered to watch the exchange that soon ensued. Claiming to have been sent by a spirit known as Asheira, the foreign bonecaster insisted that she heard a disjointed song coming beyond the threshold that denied her. Those onlooking stewards of Primordial Life were soon flabbergasted, for the shaman went on to claim that her patron spirit was a Guardian of Dia’ruis. Floored that an outsider could somehow know the name of their sacred ward, the council swiftly moved to the confined secrecy of the Great Oak and pressed the mystic for further detail. Senvet explained to the awestruck council that the plane of Life was connected to Albedos and accessible to the tribes of her region. Before Dia’ruis, she assured them, Dendara had struggled on with as much tenacity as Duiran was familiar with themselves. She made mention of an Albedi link to Dia’ruis: a sacred mountain at the centre of her homeland that served as a bridge to the vital plane, allowing would-be tribal leaders to ascend and seek wisdom or judgement. For years beyond memory, the Aslinn claimed, her people had helped ward off the hungry dark on behalf of their own great spirits and their own region of Dendara. With deep reverence, she recalled the story of the plane’s renewal: a silver light flickering across the mountain for but a night, its radiance alarming many mystics. Runemaster Olto and the present councillors concluded that there must have been surviving pockets of Dendara that were isolated from the known Guardians, associated with the distant continent much the same way as the Basin of Life was associated with Sapience. Soon, the mystic set to work on a symbolic rejoining of their Guardians, beseeching the Shamans for aid in a ritual tending of sacramental mushrooms. Quick to assist, Runemaster Olto and those present Praadi gave of their own blood alongside the Aslinn, which swiftly transformed into an inchoate patch of mushrooms. Throughout the next two weeks, the council tended to the patch at their foreign guest’s direction, feeding it fish guts, other mushrooms, and even the corpses of the fallen as war erupted between the Heartwood and Theocracy. In a lull between engagements, Senvet gathered the council around a now fully grown patch of mushrooms and distributed the precious toadstools in preparation for a spirit journey. Upon consumption, the council underwent a series of enlightening visions that united them with the lost Guardians of the Albedi continent. The Grand Library was unable to obtain a sample of the sacramental substance, leaving much of the ensuing experience’s details a mystery, but its conclusion ushered in the modern practice of the Runecarver. Employing superstitious jinxes and bountiful fungal shamanism, these priests of death and decay pay respect to Guardians both old and new in Duirani culture. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 2nd of Niuran, in the year 508 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Bloodborn: Born Again](https://www.aetolia.com/news/bloodborn-born-again/) **Published:** March 19, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Throughout the summer of 508 MA, the imperious Consanguine toiled away in search of greater power. Goaded on by the Progenitor, the Imperial Dominion sought control over ancient magic related to the four humours of blood, phlegm, and yellow and black biles. Though they mustered their all, they found themselves unable to handle the demands of such vile sorcery and soon reduced themselves to ash, smoke, and runny streams of frigid bile. Unwilling to watch the guild continue to make a mess of things, Abhorash offered sparse guidance on the topic, claiming that they would need to develop a greater focus for their spellcasting. The Progenitor soon supplied the Dominion with an ancient incantation and instructed them to empower their ritual bloodstone with sanguine offerings. Claiming that the ritual edifice would not be strengthened by paltry prey, the Hegemonist instead directed the Consanguine to strike out against powerful opponents such as Belmith, Tolonar, Luzith, and the dreaded elder lava daemon. Without delay, the imperial warriors of the night swarmed across the land in the throes of a blood hunt, bringing back myriad mighty dead to their halls for the purpose of ceremonial sorcery. Initial attempts to empower their bloodstone proved to be a learning experience rife with mishaps and mistimed incantations, rendering entire attempts fruitless in the wake of minor mistakes. The Consanguine persevered and perfected their ritual process soon after and thus embarked upon an occult journey, its arcana writ in the blood of the fallen. Throughout the next few weeks, many members of the Dominion would make repeated attempts at utilising the sorcery hinted at by the Hegemonist. Each time, they ran afoul of the same issue: a lack of refined control resulting in fatal catastrophe. Burning bile and sizzling hellscapes bloomed from the husks of those attempting to dabble with this dark power, proving that the Dominion had not yet achieved the mastery demanded of them by Abhorash. Finally, during the month of Lanosian, the cabal of vampires made headway in their quest for profane power. Utilising the fully empowered bloodstone, the Consanguine’s ritual scrying led them to the once-stronghold of Belladona. Braving the depths of the labyrinth beneath Fengard Keep, the Dominion soon found themselves beset by ghosts of the Queen’s handmaidens. Determined to protect the secrets hidden within the crypt, the spirits pursued after the vampiric intruders, their chase aided by the activated security runes within the hallways. After several harrowing expeditions into the tunnels under the castle, the Dominion managed to reassemble the entirety of the broken tablet of Yrtez’s Esoterica, granting them the necessary incantation to fully empower their bloodstone. Rushing back to the sanguine edifice hidden away with their halls, the Dominion swiftly made an attempt at wielding their new powers. With all of the principles of the last five weeks now unified, the imperial Consanguine found themselves able to wield the ancient sorcery of the humourists. Armed with mastery over internal chemistry and the dark arcana of the Ankyrean traitor Yrtez, the profane pursuit of the Bloodborn once more returned to the lands of Sapience with explosive potential. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 2nd of Niuran, in the year 508 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Runecarver Class!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-runecarver-class/) **Published:** March 18, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Following the arrival of Senvet from the Jalaja region of Albedos and the spiritual journey that ensued, the Runecarver class is now available within the Shamans Guild! With the skills of Runecarving, Malediction, and Sporulation, this class draws much of its power from the Dia’ruian guardians – both familiar and newly discovered – to strike down its foes with dark hexes while dutifully tending the growth of their foul morass of spores to do their bidding. Runecarver is a mirror of the Sciomancer class and its skills translate in the following ways: Malediction – Sciomancer Sporulation – Gravitation Runecarving – Sorcery For now, Senvet at v43782 is the only denizen able to teach the skills, but as always, learning from players is unrestricted. \[0;1;37mHELP RUNECARVER RP\[0m is available for your perusal, as are HELP files for each of the three skills, and learning messages which may be of interest! While all the abilities are mechanical mirrors of Sciomancer, the themes are entirely distinct. Runecarver heavily leans into the darker aspects of nature and the less than savoury powers lurking in the heart of the wilds. Any guilded Shaman is able to \[0;1;37mCLASS SELECT RUNECARVER\[0m if they meet the requirements for multiclass, and Runecarver will soon be available in new character creation. For the next two weeks, guilded Shamans will have no limit on total apprentices per season. As well as fast\_aegis translating over, you can also obtain the hunt\_runecarver(1-3) power in the form of a hand-carved runic fetish! As always, while we’ve done a lot of testing behind the scenes, please report any bugs or typos right away through BUG or TYPO respectively. Once again I’d like to give an enormous amouunt of credit to Emellan for working so hard on the class concepts and the skill messages. Direct your esteems to them! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 20th of Lanosian, in the year 508 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Bloodborn Class!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-bloodborn-class/) **Published:** March 17, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Having delved into hitherto unplumbed secrets of blood magic and rediscovered arts thought lost to time, the Bloodborn class is now available within the Dominion Guild! With the skills of Humourism, Hematurgy, and Esoterica, this class marries arcane sorcery, blood magic, and a grotesquely intricate control over the body’s humours. Bloodborn is a mirror of the Ascendril class and its skills translate in the following ways: Humourism – Elemancy Hematurgy – Thaumaturgy Esoterica – Arcanism For now, Vinessa is the only denizen able to teach the skills, but as always, learning from players is unrestricted. \[0;1;37mHELP BLOODBORN RP\[0m is available for your perusal, as are HELP files for each of the three skills, and learning messages which may be of interest! While all the abilities are mechanical mirrors of Ascendril, the themes (with the exception of aegis) are entirely distinct – humourism in particular is an extremely visceral, graphic skill with some very evocative messages! Any guilded Dominion member is able to \[0;1;37mCLASS SELECT BLOODBORN\[0m if they meet the requirements for multiclass, and Bloodborn will soon be available in new character creation. For the next two weeks, guilded Dominion members will have no limit on total apprentices per season. Of particular note is that the vampire sub race is \[0;1;37mnot\[0m required for Bloodborn to join the Dominion. In addition, vampires and akkari both spend 5% less mana on Hematurgy and Thaumaturgy abilities respectively, as a demonstration of their lore superiority (over blood / spirit). As well as fast\_aegis translating over, you can also obtain the hunt\_bloodborn(1-3) power in the form of a blood-filled alembic! As always, while we’ve done a lot of testing behind the scenes, please report any bugs or typos right away through BUG or TYPO respectively. Lastly, I’d like to give a shout out to Emellan, who has relentlessly toiled to make Bloodborn and ????? happen. Send your esteems their way! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 19th of Lanosian, in the year 508 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Keg Race tweaks](https://www.aetolia.com/news/keg-race-tweaks/) **Published:** March 16, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, Ahead of the Keg Race, I’ve made some adjustments to make it a little less snowball-y. From my experience with observing past races, those that get an early lead tend to maintain it throughout the entire course and get further and further ahead from the rest. These changes are designed to hopefully bring about a fairer race. – CHUG KEG’s cooldown scaling has been reversed. Instead of a longer cooldown the less drunk you are, the cooldown is now higher the more drunk you are. – You can now only hold one powerup at a time. \* Doing a CHUG KEG while already holding a powerup will overwrite your last one. \* Previously you could hold all the powerups at once, allowing the leader(s) to hold them in reserve and blow them all when someone catches up. – I’ve adjusted the powerups you can get to be more based on your placing in the match. This already existed to a degree, but I’ve fine-tuned it. In particular, you can expect that the race leaders will no longer get the abilities of KEG SLIDE and KEG ROLL, preventing them from getting even further ahead. – KEG VOMIT is no longer in the list of powerups. It was essentially a worse version of KEG HURL and I don’t think both needed to exist. – KEG HURL’s stun duration is no longer a flat 10 seconds. 10 seconds is too long to be sitting doing nothing. Instead, it will stun for 2-4 seconds based on the caster’s drunk level (drunker = longer). The target hit by the ability will also now sober up slightly, reducing their speed. – There is now a 1 second cooldown on SIP KEG. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 13th of Lanosian, in the year 508 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Artistic Antiquities](https://www.aetolia.com/news/artistic-antiquities/) **Published:** March 16, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! Today we’re bringing an upgrade to a familiar system that we hope you will be just as excited about as we are! In the shops for both Beneath and Portent/Glandor, you will now find transmute beetles that can be applied to your antiquated ring and antiquated gauntlet respectively. This means that you will not have to level up the item merely to unlock new looks and can instead have a more character-specific item right off the bat! These transmute beetles will change the item type and location it is worn in, so be sure to attire yourself appropriately! Remember: probing beetles now shows their description so you can preview them before buying. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 9th of Lanosian, in the year 508 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [To give light, one must first burn](https://www.aetolia.com/news/to-give-light-one-must-first-burn/) **Published:** March 16, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Just beyond the pristine walls of Enorian’s eastern flank was a community fraught with the downtrodden suffering from a disease born from the cruel experimentation conducted by an alchemist named Jirken. Though the then self-proclaimed Beacon had eventually brought justice to the wayward scientist, the damage was already done and a disease-ridden colony was born. For many decades since, the Raim Vale stood as a glaring blemish and brought little but shame to the bastion’s promise of solace and protection from the evils of the realm. Damonicus and the Illuminai sought to revisit the estranged colony alongside their Mandrake Researcher Coralee in hopes of developing a cure for those who had suffered so long therein. Following some tense negotiations, the Illuminai managed to convince the reluctant hospice caretaker Jehanne that a new perspective might be needed to develop a cure and to join forces. In the following two years, the Illuminai relentlessly descended into the vale to clear out the worst of the infections and bring samples to their researcher for study. Though many did their part and remained diligent in their task – chief among them were Annerissa, Damonicus, Roux, and Myrnma. By all accounts, the Illuminai and their associates thoroughly turned over the valley and eventually drew the attention and ire of Midolo Raim, the vale’s de facto leader. Reaffirming their mission, the Illuminai explained their presence and the progress their researchers had made since involving themselves. Despite mistrust that still lingered following Jirken’s first experiment, the Illuminai managed to persevere against Midolo’s skepticism and secured a tentative armistice with the vale’s leader where the Illuminai would be required to provide the vale a cache of weapons and supplies in exchange for a temporary lease of secluded land away from prying eyes. After a long period of testing and exhausting many samples, the Illuminai’s researchers eventually came to the conclusion that the disease was a result of a flawed manipulation of the host’s elements and that the denizens were caught in a pseudo state of metamorphosis. However, without knowing Jirken’s initial goals or precisely how the disease came to be, there was little hope in developing a proper cure without turning to unorthodox means. Motivated partly by the desire to close the dark chapter in her familya legacy and partly by the fear of failure, Jehanne was adamantly against the idea of further experimentation. She believed that the people of the vale had suffered enough and deserved a dignified end to their suffering once and for all. She begged the Illuminai to turn away from their path and instead aid her in preparing a mass funeral rite for the inhabitants of the vale. Coralee, however, took inspiration from Annerissa’s and Roux’s use of Spirituality in the examination of the cadavers and thought to combine science with faith in order to develop a silver-infused balm that could be administered to the populace. Though some deliberations were made in weighing the options, the Illuminai unanimously chose to side with Coralee and take a leap of faith. The Illuminai remain secretive about what preparations were made but there have been varying reports during this time period that streams of strange light could be seen coalescing across the firmament above the Illuminai training grounds where praises to the Triad of the Host could be heard. Shortly after the strange sightings, the Illuminai would soon return to the vale wreathed in an otherworldly shroud of ethereal flames. What transpired next remains a mystery and subject of rumor; some say the Illuminai began smiting the very denizens they sought out to save while others say it was an abomination expelled from the downtrodden’s very flesh. Whatever the case, what is clear is that the Illuminai brought Light and Fire to the vale and ultimately emerged victorious. Although what the estranged alchemist was trying to accomplish still eludes the Illuminai, the denizens of the Vale can finally rejoice and look forward towards a brighter future in the Light bereft of disease and despair. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 8th of Lanosian, in the year 508 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [PvE / XP Gain Tuning](https://www.aetolia.com/news/pve-xp-gain-tuning/) **Published:** March 16, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! We’ve just completed a bit of a pass on auditing some bashing areas and identifying issues with difficulty and also with xp gain and I have the following updates to announce: – First up: xp gain from bashing in groups is now buffed by 30%, reduced from 50%. This was set at 50 when we fixed several bugs in the system and that rate combined with antiquated ring + full optimisation was a little too high. – Splitting group experience by cumulative group level now caps at 120 instead of 100, to match the max level of the hunting skillset. This means that powerbashing low-level players will be slightly more difficult. – A few afflictions have had their experience value increased (blackout, clumsiness, etc, basically high impact afflictions in PvE). – The experience added from curable afflictions in mobile attacks has also been increased. – Wandering berserker mobs are also now worth more experience. – Bleeding attacks no longer generate erroneously large amounts of experience. – The lacerations effect from mobile attacks no longer stacks. – Hulking miscreations in the Mannaseh will no longer knock players out of the room and avian miscreations will no longer summon friends. As always we’ll be keeping an eye on these changes going forward and making further targetted changes as necessary. We’re also still happy to accept feedback on areas (particularly newly released areas) that you feel are too easy, too difficult, or not worth spending time in. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 8th of Lanosian, in the year 508 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Keg Race & Critical Hit Day](https://www.aetolia.com/news/keg-race-critical-hit-day/) **Published:** March 14, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! On the 17th we’ll be hosting a Keg Race just after the howling (see EVENTS) for a prize of 5 pots of gold, and a pot of gold for a random entrant! In addition, you can take advantage of increased critical hits for all of St. Patrick’s Day! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 1st of Lanosian, in the year 508 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [It was red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black and ochre and peach and...](https://www.aetolia.com/news/it-was-red-and-yellow-and-green-and-brown-and-scarlet-and-black-and-ochre-and-peach-and/) **Published:** March 9, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** For those of you who enjoy an extra splash of colour on your woodcrafting, jewelcrafting, forgings, furniture pieces or tailored items, there is now a level 2 upgrade to the quill of engraving that allows you to utilise all of the colors available in Aetolia! The cost per letter remains the same here, but you will have full access to all the colours you could ever want. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 17th of Midsummer, in the year 508 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads February 2023 - part 3](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2023-part-3/) **Published:** March 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Per report 3247, I’m going to be trialing the removal of certain second life skills. Skills removed: – Luminary & Earthcaller: Rebirth / Reformation. – Zealot & Ravager: Resurgence / Unfinished. – Carnifex & Warden: Substitute / Intervention. Skills remaining: – Indorani & Oneiromancer: Soulcage / Remembrance. – Level 200: Store (there’s a number of different names). – Tattoos: Starburst. – Modifications: Returning. I’m going to be monitoring how this affects team battles and the like, and then decide if it should be a permanent change or not. Feel free to message me if you have any concerns. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 6th of Midsummer, in the year 508 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4667/announce-post-3488-classleads-february-2023-part-3 **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads 2023 February - part 2](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-2023-february-part-2/) **Published:** March 5, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Performance ========================= – \[3214\] New Skill: Flair. Shamanism ========================= – \[3228\] FETISH STRING is no longer considered an aggressive action. – \[3228\] FETISH REMOVE now has the same hinder conditions as FETISH STRING. – \[3228\] You can now FETISH REMOVE . Subterfuge ========================= – \[3257\] Worm Warp can no longer can be detected by movement reporting skills. \* This also applies to the ‘wormhole\_warp’ artifact. Artifacts ========================= – \[3257\] The ‘combined\_powers’ artifact has been clarified to state the ‘enemy\_sense’ upgrade only allows seeing through incorporeal states. \* This has been done to avoid having to list out a ton of specific scenarios where it works and doesn’t. \* However do note that it will no longer detect the following, to match other movement sense skills: – Players that are underground. – Haven movement. – Movement in arena games where skills are disabled. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 18th of Khepary, in the year 508 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4666/announce-post-3487-classleads-2023-february-part-2 **Categories:** News --- ### [March in Aetolia!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/march-in-aetolia/) **Published:** March 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! March has arrived already as 2023 rapidly pushes forward! We may have a surprise or two for you later in the month but in the meantime, pots of gold are making a return for March with my customary tune up on prizes, odds, and of course a retooling of values! Pots of Gold can be obtained from the Aetolia website (www.aetolia.com/credits) and opened for a variety of prizes. These are very similar to Cryptic Chests but with a higher minimum guaranteed value (around 21 credits vs the typical 17) and a much higher ceiling. Within, you might find: – Credit prizes from 21 – 500 – Ironcoin prizes from 20 – 100 – Globes of elemental energy – Chocolate bags – Minipet cages that open for: a small golden poison frog, a sideways goldfish, a shiny gold bug, a golden scarab beetle, a rainbow-coloured raccoon, and a small, golden-green serpent – Style scrolls for: phasic, insane, gourmandic, and friendly – Relic coffers with pieces for: trapgold, goldtranslocator, raceidol, cage\_goldarm, gold\_shield; these all trade in for 10 credits per piece – Pantheon relic coffers (see HELP PANTHEON RELICS); these all trade in for 30 credits per piece – Compendium pages for: the Statue of Varian, Dovan Hollow, the Endless Fields, the Underbelly, Clawhook, Maestral Shoals, and the Liruma Crater – Rainbow vox iterators – Artifact discount vouchers – Shapeshifter pelts – Chalices of knowledge – Artifacts valued between 50 and 2000 credits – House deeds – Hunting boon tokens – Tokens of passage – Ambience tokens – Antiquated salvage Each pot of gold will also award some actual gold and consumables, including four-leaf clovers. These clovers can have leaves ripped from them up to four times (\[0;1;37mRIP LEAF FROM CLOVER\[0m) and provide 2% bonus critical hit chance for 6 hours! Every 500 pots of gold opened will trigger a global bonus prize where one of the next 50 will award the lucky owner 500 bound credits! Lastly, throughout the month of March, being logged in for one hour each day will allow you to complete a bronze milestone to find a rainbow! Once it appears, you may \[0;1;37mSEARCH FOR RAINBOW\[0m every 10 seconds to get a clue as to how close you are. Finding the rainbow will grant you a double xp bonus for one hour (note that this does not stack with chalices). There’s also a pot of gold in the milestone wares for March! Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 18th of Chakros, in the year 508 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4665/announce-post-3486-march-in-aetolia **Categories:** News --- ### [Contacting Admin](https://www.aetolia.com/news/contacting-admin/) **Published:** February 27, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, I’m writing to remind everyone that our official channels for reporting issues and making queries from the admin (bugs, issues, messages, emails) are the intended method for contacting staff. There have been some situations lately where people are using Discord DMs to ask questions that should really be filed through these methods, resulting in miscommunications or mixed messages without a paper trail or any ability to followup or weigh in by the rest of the team. In other words: \[0;1;37mDiscord DMs are not the venue for staff enquiries. Please use official channels. This is for your benefit as much as ours.\[0m Thanks! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 7th of Chakros, in the year 508 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4664/announce-post-3485-contacting-admin **Categories:** News --- ### [Archer divisions](https://www.aetolia.com/news/archer-divisions/) **Published:** February 27, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** I keep getting asked questions a lot about archers, so here is the definitive list: Archers WILL: \* Fire a volley of arrows at enemy troops who march adjacent to them. \* There is no cooldown, marching adjacent to them will trigger it. \* Fire at troops even if they are fighting a PLAYER. \* Fire at enemy troops again if they are marched adjacent to the archers once more. Archers WONT: \* Fire at troops if they are not in FORMATION (don’t confuse this for fortified). \* Charge into the room and start a battle after firing. \* Automatically fight a division that marches into their location. \* Continue firing after the first volley, it is ONE volley and that’s it. \* Fire at troops they are not at war at (think and plan carefully about this). \* Fire at troops if they are fighting by another MOBILE or DIVISION in battle. \* Fire at troops marched into the same room as them. Other things you need to know: \* Archers are for DEFENSIVE play mostly, but they aren’t terrible offensively. Ignore this advice at your own risk. \* The single ranged attack mechanic is automatic, you don’t have to order an attack or any other command, they just need to be in formation. \* One volley basically rolls exactly like one round of battle. Expect a similar amount of causalities. \* Blessings, captured land, and commander-present bonuses apply on the volley. \* The volley does not clear or remove a troop blessing. \* Multiple archers stacked in a same room will only let ONE DIVISION fire. \* If the are in separate rooms, multiple archer divisions can fire on a single enemy division when they are marched adjacent to them all. Lastly: \* Learn to make use of ORDER REPORT STATUS. All timers and stats are there. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 7th of Chakros, in the year 508 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4663/announce-post-3484-archer-divisions **Categories:** News --- ### [Abyssal Conquest: Asaraii and Bulrok, Adherents of Tyranny](https://www.aetolia.com/news/abyssal-conquest-asaraii-and-bulrok-adherents-of-tyranny/) **Published:** February 25, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Across centuries and rebirths did the Goddess Iosyne harbour a secret, closely guarded even from Her Siblings – the resting place of an ancient calamity, its horrors sealed away and forgotten, festering in the deepest recesses of the world. His name, lost to the continent of Sapience, is writ in recorded history but a handful of times: Hansekkaramnis he was called, and his containment was an unspoken duty befalling Iosyne, who raised Her very temple in the Aureliana above whence he rested. There the Goddess kept steward over the Abyssal Lair, staying the stirring of Hansekkaramnis. This secrecy, once a boon in keeping that calamity at bay, slowly invited disaster as She was cast down, Her duty sundered by the strike of Bamathis. Left without the confining touch of its captor, Chaos began exerting its warping hold upon the lurkers hidden from the skies, unnoticed until swathes of them finally burst forth, tunneling into the cities of Bloodloch and Enorian. As Draden Jibbs, once a favoured Apostle of the Malevolent Goddess, opened the confines of Her Lair to the world once more, adventurers plumbing its depths came upon a maddening sight: a bridge between an eldritch realm of Chaos and Prime, offering a glimpse into the twisted reality cropping up around the massive decaying remains of what Iosyne had kept hidden. It was only a matter of time before the discovery would draw selfish interests to the surface; aided by the fragmented memories of the Divine essence He usurped, Abhorash was the first to make His move, summoning His Reavers Asaraii and Bulrok to accompany Him into the unveiled depths. Assigning interim command of His Hegemony to Maeve in His absence, the God fully severed the wavering line between the two Planes, immersing the trio fully in the realm of Abyssal Chaos. No sooner did Asaraii and Bulrok alight upon Chaos than it enveloped them, an overwhelming will demanding their subservience to its whims. The pair of Reavers writhed under its crushing oppression, forced to change forms a thousand times in the blink of an eye, their bones splintered and remade as they twisted at the mercy of that upon which they trespassed – until their God re-exerted His claim upon them, reforming their bodies with grinding agony. Locked now in an unseen battle with Chaos itself, Abhorash turned His focus to keeping its overwhelming powers at bay, assigning the task of finding His prize to the Reavers. Even as eldritch beings swarmed them – faceless entities of rippling teeth, vermiform masses of fungal atrocities, bipedal mouths slick with manifold tongues – Asaraii and Bulrok bent Chaos to their whims, forcing the realm to unveil its secrets. Thrice did Tyranny’s favoured cast their wills against the awakening consciousness of the realm, and thrice did they emerge victorious: at the end of each forged path lay a third of the monstrous remains of Hansekkaramnis, collected and delivered to the Hegemonist. At each offering, the realm shuddered, twisting and turning as the memories imprinted upon the remains rose to the surface. ———- Visions paint the arrival of a young Hansekkaramnis, mortal then, upon the shores of Sapience. Guided by Divine providence, the maddening touch of Lanu Du’s hand, the Nazetu trudges forward to conquer this foreign land, to become a god unto its pitiful, simpering natives. Followers and peers flock to him, principal among them the Human boy Yetrent. Collaborators they become, but even as the continent fell under Yetrent’s heel, Hansekkaramnis’ focus turned to the realm of Lanu Du, the Chaotic dregs of the multiverse. There, he finds the route to Godhood. One by one, the demonic inhabitants of a Chaos splinter fall before the Nazetu’s undeniable will as he evolves – scales, tentacles, spurs of bone and muscle boiling out from beneath his flesh. Syl’ghardos, the Red Queen puts up the greatest fight, her six scimitars spinning death until he breaks her arms, her smooth sleek scales appealingly smooth until Hansekkaramnis claws wounds into her. He crushes the once-Queen until she is sworn to him for seven lifetimes over, and it is she that whispers the last secrets of becoming to Hansekkaramnis, eldritch understandings so vast that they defy comprehension; the last piece of the puzzle, and thus does Hansekkaramnis burst from himself, consuming the Chaos he had won, placing himself beyond the reaches of mortal death. There is no line between imagination and reality in Chaos: Hansekkaramnis becomes all there is, and there finds certainty that he will not return to his homeland; he had become a homeland in and of himself. The Chaos Lord crafts a doppelganger of himself out of primal chaos and sends it back across the planar divide to continue to teach the Indorani and other dark sorcerers of Chaos all that he has learnt of triumph and conquest. When the forces of the Light finally come to stop Hansekkaramnis, they purge scores upon scores of his students, his own Prime shell slain beyond repair and the bridge between Prime and Chaos severed. There his remains rest, deep underground, forgotten over the centuries as the Chaos Lord turns his attention instead to guide the Nazedha isles. It is in Nazedha that Hansekkaramnis finds his greatest student: Lahkencai, a man who can truly unite the divided isles and begin the work of conquering the mainland. Unto this Nazetu does Hansekkaramnis deliver his revelation, and beneath the Chaos Lord’s watchful eye and the fell grace of Lanu Du, Lahkencai raises a dark tower upon the central isles of Nazedha. Their relationship steers close to friendship, the young Nazetu always probing about the transformation unto Chaos itself – yet Hansekkaramnis guards this knowledge, the tension of give-and-take ever present in their dealings. One day, Lahkencai asks a trinket from Vhaug, Hansekkaramnis’ Keeper of Keys, which the Lord grants. The ambitious Nazetu locks away a part of his Chaos mentor, shutting the door so tightly his realm splits in two, sundering the twinned halves of Hansekkaramnis’ awareness. The Chaos Lord is left paralysed, defenceless, and Lahkencai tears the heart from Hansekkaramnis’ doppelganger mask, drinking the wealth of Chaos’ essence and memory. Thus did one Chaos Lord fall and another ascend. God no more, Hansekkaramnis is locked away from existence, bridges broken and severed, floating in the dark, unconscious. Yet his bones remain on Sapience, an anchor to which the broken fragments of Chaos drift. Piece by agonising piece, the remnants of his consciousness gather – a process of centuries by mortal measure, of millenia in the forgetting void. ———- As the visions faded and the Hegemony’s vanguard understood what it was they faced, Abhorash steeled will and might alike admist the awakening realm that was Hansekkaramnis. Casting aside the Bard Bulrok’s attempts to deflect attacks unto Him, the God led His Reavers into a titanic confrontation as the entire universe about them warped to suit its needs. The Progenitor took to the air, His visage terrible as He brought the full depths of His power to bear against Hansekkaramnis. Down on the churning hellscape below, Asaraii and Bulrok weaved through countless hordes of hostile entities, traversing unfettered Chaos with skill and haste to avoid the brunt of Hansekkaramnis’ attacks, awaiting their opportunity. Soon it came – a mighty blow from their God sheared pieces of the realm’s will, freed ego raining down upon the field. Battling their way across the landscape, the pair engaged each fragment of floating will, drawing upon the imperious authority searing through their veins to abolish its very right to exist. Thus did the battle rage on – and when hundreds of swarming creatures dragged Abhorash to crash down onto the battlefield, His Reavers came with fury, clearing the horde besetting their God that He might resume His deadly duel. Blow after blow exchanged between Tyranny and Chaos, the Godly clash underpinned by the carnage wrought by Asaraii and Bulrok as they continued to crush the realm’s spawn and will alike beneath bardiche, falchion, and Tyranny. As the Hegemony’s trio withered away the realm’s puissance, Hansekkaramnis, fueled by the desperation of impending death, wove cataclysm: hundreds of pale tentacles erupted forth from every inch of the realm, stretching with singleminded purpose towards Abhorash. Though the first to meet the God was shorn in two, carved asunder by manifesting claws of crystalline blood from betwixt the vampire’s knuckles, the next dozen found purchase, coiling about the Progenitor in a heaving pile before forcibly dragging Him to crash against the hostile landscape. Offering no quarter, Hansekkaramnis formed stalactites of crackling Chaotic energy that cascaded downwards, slicing through the enveloping ball of tentacles to reach Abhorash and puncturing through Him at every angle. Steps hastened by the predicament of the Progenitor, Asaraii and Bulrok carved their way to their injured God, their surroundings running thick with His Blood and essence. With brutal dominion and resolve did they free Him from the mountains of eldritch creations assaulting Him; though Bulrok’s attempt to disperse the impalement pinning Abhorash ultimately failed, the Reavers’ intervention created the opening needed for the God to strike. Naked fury twisted every contour of Abhorash’s face as He gathered Himself. One moment He was pinned beneath the terrible might of Hansekkaramnis – the next, the vampire diffused into crimson mist, droplets streaming out of Chaos’ hold. In the meantime, drawn by the irresistable pull of the streamers of Abhorash’s Blood and essence coiling about the air, Asaraii and Bulrok alike stretched forth their hands. Obligingly did the Godly vitality seek them out, forming rings that swirled about their wrists. The vampiric mist coalesced into Abhorash’s physical being once more, the God ascending the stalactite that once bound Him, cape flaring with the violent speed of His movements. Simultaneously did His freed essence plunge into the skin of His faithful, flaying bare their veins and ripping their forearms asunder in a crimson spray. Even as their vitality poured free, Blood Divine rushed in to plug the tide, suffusing the pair with the reign of Tyranny and ushering in their rebirths as His first Adherents. As their God wove dark magic and burning resolve into a trembling vortex of tyrannical will made manifest, Asaraii and Bulrok wrested the accumulated oppressive might of the essence of Tyranny still suffusing the room into their grasps. Bending the Hegemonist’s tangible coalescence to their own wills, they shaped torrents of sanguineous wrath, the confidence and surety of their own supremacy inciting the burgeoning phenomenon to tremble and shudder with violent portent. Hansekkaramnis was naught before them; this they knew in their very bones as they turned loose that which they had wrought, unleashed puissance crushing Hansekkaramnis’ body, mind, soul, and will to resist beneath the heel of their inevitable dominion. Rushing to fill the opening provided by Asaraii and Bulrok’s conquest, the gathering storm about Abhorash finally acceded, exploding outwards in a vicious onslaught of all-consuming fire and shadow. Finding the tears laid bare by His Reavers’ sanguineous wrath, the barrage annihilated all in its path, sundering the Chaos realm’s ego and breaking Hansekkaramnis’ will. Chaos energies torn free slithered into Abhorash’s hands, patches of Prime breaking through the hellish landscape in their wake – and now the trio stood in the Aureliana forest, firmly anchored on the Prime Material Plane once more. The sky wept crimson as Asaraii and Bulrok emerged from Abyssal Chaos wielding hitherto unreached heights of Tyranny, and it was underneath this crimson backdrop that Abhorash now stood, flanked by His Adherents, His right claw embedded around the throat of a slender, humanoid Chaos Lord – a world no longer, Hansekkaramnis had been reduced to tangible form. Gone was the rage that had consumed Abhorash – now the vampire regarded His prey calmly, fangs pushing past the line of His lips. The moment was short lived before the Hegemonist sank those fangs into the creature’s neck, slurping with unrestrained greed as Hansekkaramnis’ remains withered and faded, consigned to join the God’s Hegemony. As the abyss beneath it crumbled, the southeastern quadrant of the Aureliana exploded with the release of centuries of pent-up power, leaving naught but a pulsing crater behind as a violent harbinger of a new age of despotic dominion – and the official end of Maeve’s short-lived reign at the head of Abhorash’s Hegemony. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 24th of Arios, in the year 508 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4662/events-post-360-abyssal-conquest-asaraii-and-bulrok-adherents-of-tyranny **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads February 2023 - part 1](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2023-part-1/) **Published:** February 23, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Avoidance ========================= – \[3251\] Bolstering now lasts for 30 seconds, up from 25. Bladefire / Chirography ========================= – \[3249\] If the target already has epilepsy, then Lightning / Aneda will upset their balance for 1 second. \* The balance loss will only occur if you are using a two-handed weapon. City Research ========================= – \[3243\] The Blockade manipulation has been marked as a restricted skill. Corpus / Ascendance ========================= – \[3245\] Gash / Censure now works with one broken arm, but only if using the lightly / leninent modifier. Elemancy ========================= – \[3210\] The affliction ‘ice\_encased’ is now cured alongside ‘frozen’ at the same time. Miscellaenous ========================= – \[3239\] Players will only show on RANKINGS SECT RATING if they have completed at least 10 duels for the current rating period. Primality / Alchemy ========================= – \[3242\] The affliction ‘vitalbane’ now lasts for two procs before being cured. Performance ========================== – \[3248\] New Skill: Frugality. – \[3226\] Bravado can no longer be dodged. Tekura ========================== – \[3224\] Axekick balance recovery time has been reduced to 7.5 seconds, down from 8. Wayfaring ========================== – \[3235\] Splint will now heal your legs in 12 seconds, down from 20. Woodlore ========================== – \[3212\] Might balance recovery time reduced to 2.5 seconds, down from 3. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 8th of Arios, in the year 508 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4661/announce-post-3483-classleads-february-2023-part-1 **Categories:** News --- ### [Capture the flag](https://www.aetolia.com/news/capture-the-flag/) **Published:** February 21, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks! It’s been a fair while, hasn’t it? Dusted off for this weekend, the CTF game (HELP CTF) will make its splash return! For those of you who are new and perhaps don’t know what the CTF is, the CTF is a large arena in which various teams compete to capture the other teams flag. Upon doing so, it can be returned back your base to score point! But there’s a twist! From the start of the CTF, siege weaponry will be available for use within the arena in order to either defend your flag, or shoot down your opponents who are desperately trying to defend their own. And of course, part way through Dhaest, the red wyvern will awaken from his slumber! Kite this monster towards your enemies who have gathered together, and have him smash apart their fortifications so you can break through and grab their flag! Unlike previous CTF games, this one will be done as a city vs. city CTF. As such, there will be four flags up for grabs instead of the usual two. To find the specific time this will take place, please see EVENTS INFO 467 and ensure you have configured your timezone under CONFIG. See you then! Penned by my hand on Closday, the 23rd of Ios, in the year 508 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4660/announce-post-3482-capture-the-flag **Categories:** News --- ### [Globes of Elemental Energy - Artifact Cart](https://www.aetolia.com/news/globes-of-elemental-energy-artifact-cart/) **Published:** February 20, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, By popular request I’ve added globes of elemental energy to the artifact cart under “consumables”. Note that like chocolates these will still decay so please keep that in mind should you choose to purchase them! They’re costed at 20 credits. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 19th of Ios, in the year 508 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4659/announce-post-3481-globes-of-elemental-energy-artifact-cart **Categories:** News --- ### [The Lair Re-opens](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-lair-re-opens/) **Published:** February 19, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The Lair beneath Azdun, once the Malevolent’s favoured haunt, is now accessible once again by going IN from v1804. The pit at the northeast corner of the Lair will take you into the Endless Battlefield, a hunting grounds with infinite prey. Note that this area has unique mechanics; you can read HELP ENDLESS BATTLEFIELD for more details on this area. This is an endgame level area for experience but will not produce corpses or gold. \[0;1;31mThis area is Open PK.\[0m Entry deep into Iosyne’s tunnel network beneath Sapience is also possible from the maw in the centre of the Lair. There is additional hunting to be found here… and maybe something more… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 8th of Ios, in the year 508 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4658/announce-post-3480-the-lair-re-opens **Categories:** News --- ### [Submissions Closed](https://www.aetolia.com/news/submissions-closed/) **Published:** February 15, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Submission for new classleads is now closed. You can use REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find reports you haven’t left a comment on, and REPORTS ABSTAINED for reports you haven’t voted on. After three days to gather comments and votes, we will start to post decisions. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 10th of Severin, in the year 508 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4657/announce-post-3479-submissions-closed **Categories:** News --- ### [PK Issue Etiquette](https://www.aetolia.com/news/pk-issue-etiquette/) **Published:** February 9, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, I just want to remind people about a couple of PK-issue related things: First, as per HELP ISSUES, if you have a grievance with another player, please do not use ISSUE ME. You need to issue the alleged rule-breaker directly so they can give their side of the story and let us make a judgement. We won’t be providing judgement calls or take action based on ISSUE ME. In all cases, you should issue the person actually causing the grievance. In cases where there are multiple offenders, you should issue them all and not just one. Secondly, you cannot issue on behalf of someone else. It is up to them whether to issue or to resolve things their own way, and I’d ask that you please respect the wishes of your friends when considering this. Lastly, issues are for you to communicate your problem to the admin. They are not a platform to rant and rave at the person you’re filing it against and they are not the venue to make a case for punishments or other subjective commentary about how bad people are. Please keep them concise and factual. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 2nd of Variach, in the year 508 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4656/announce-post-3478-pk-issue-etiquette **Categories:** News --- ### [February in Aetolia!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/february-in-aetolia/) **Published:** February 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! 2023 is speeding right along and for the month of February, we have a few offerings for you: a salvage sale, the return of the artifact cart, and a direct lesson sale! Every 100 credits purchased from the website will come with a piece of antiquated salvage, which is typically valued at 200 credits. These pieces may be traded to other players and used without bearing your mark, EXCEPT for purchasing the Antiquated Artifacts themselves. Once you obtain the first level, you can use any salvage you like to upgrade it. HELP ANTIQUATED ARTIFACTS will be of interest to those who aren’t familiar with how salvage works, as well as HELP ANTIQUATED \[RING/GOGGLES/GAUNTLET/CROP\] for a specific breakdown of what each item does. As for the Artifact Cart, all artifacts purchased directly through the cart have a 30% discount applied; this stacks with Iron Elite Membership for a total discount of 40%! In addition to the large discounts, there are a number of exclusives available only through the artifact cart, including: – Chocolates – House deeds (these come with FIVE rooms in total and can be redeemed by e-mailing me as per HELP CASTLES) – Fireworks – Upgrade tokens – Several other artifacts Silver chalices can also be found under the ‘artifact packages’ section of the website, with an option for one chalice or a pack of five at comparable discounts to the cart. Last up is the lesson sale! For the month of February, lessons can be purchased directly from the website at a significant bonus. Those with Iron Elite Memberships will also receive 10% bonus lessons on any lesson purchase they make! As always, the cart, credits, and lessons can be found on the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 25th of Niuran, in the year 507 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4655/announce-post-3477-february-in-aetolia **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads February 2023](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-february-2023/) **Published:** January 31, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** \[0;1;37m…and thus he commanded, let there be the first round of classleads for thy year…\[0m Hello folks! We’re a day early, but it’s here none the less! Information for this classlead cycle: Submissions will be open for TWO WEEKS in which you can submit THREE reports in for consideration which will be left anonymous. Once this time frame is up, there will be THREE DAYS to vote before we will start posting decisions. You can still vote early as per normal, but the extra three days will be there to avoid the feeling of late reports purposefully being submitted to be snuck through near the end. Much like last time, there are no restrictions on which classes you can submit reports for! If you’re new, continue on below for more information on classleads. If you’re old, please read HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES at the very least. — What are classleads: Classleads are a two week period that allows players to submit reports about their class (or other classes) for review by the administration. Do you believe that Teradrim should be able to fling dirt in someone’s eyes? Then this is what you’ve been waiting for! Make sure to read through HELP CLASSLEADS to learn the commands needed to make and submit your reports, and I also highly recommend HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES to help avoid common potholes when creating your submissions. If you want to keep track of submissions and results, have a look at CONFIG CLASSLEADS and consider turning it on. Also consider joining the Discord! On top of being a great place for report feedback before submission, each report will have a thread created about it so you can discuss it with others. See HELP DISCORD for information. Details on submission: \* Newly created reports will be marked as anonymous, your name as a submitter will not be revealed to others. \* You may submit up to a total of three reports across the skillsets of the game to suggest combat balance adjustments, new features, or quality of life upgrades. Please note that this limit is based across all characters you own. \* Reports that are based on skills you do not possess will be much more heavily scrutinized, so make sure they are top-notch before submission. \* While you must provide reasonable solutions to your report’s problem, we may opt for a fourth solution instead based upon feedback. \* Once a report is submitted, -anyone- may vote upon its merit using the CLASSLEAD SUPPORT/REJECT commands. If you wish to support/reject a report, please provide your reasoning and make sure to point out any shortcomings or additions you feel might be necessary. You may also simply leave a comment using CLASSLEAD COMMENT , if you wish for a more neutral approach. \* Any commentary which basically boils down to ‘I agree with my bud’ or ‘This is a terrible idea’ will automatically be discarded, and will you hurt your chances at passing through reports in future rounds, perhaps even resulting in loss of ability to submit at all. If you can consistently provide level-headed thought and in depth knowledge then your opinions will be valued more highly over others, and could result in extra submissions. \* You can use REPORTS ABSTAINED and REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find submitted reports you have not voted upon or commented. Penned by my hand on Closday, the 22nd of Niuran, in the year 507 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4654/announce-post-3476-classleads-february-2023 **Categories:** News --- ### [More Combat Tweaks!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/more-combat-tweaks/) **Published:** January 22, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Afflictions ====================== – Impairment will now increase stun durations by 50%. \* It will continue to block racial skills as well for now. – Deadening will now increase the threshold trigger of shock/burnout to 40%. Battlefury / Riving ====================== – Battlecry / Anguish equilibrium recovery time is reduced by 1 second if the opponent has epilepsy. – Zeal / Harrow balance recovery time has been lowered to 4.40 seconds, down from 5. \* PvE damage on Zeal / Harrow has been likewise reduced to keep it consistent with its balance time. – Disembowel / Extirpate performed with a two-handed weapon now counts twice towards the instant kill. Enchantment ====================== – Time enchantment reworked: \* Now increases balance and equilibrium recovery for everyone by 1 second. \* Requires at least four people minimum in the location, otherwise it has no effect. Hypnosis ====================== – New Skill: Ebbing. Illumination / Tectonics ====================== – Cleansing / Thermics no longer has the mental or physical choices, it is now just a random affliction. Spirituality / Subjugation ====================== – The loneliness affliction from Chasten / Subdue has been replaced with self loathing. – The berserking affliction from Facesmash has been replaced with misery. Weaving ====================== – Ironcollar now prevents flying and swinging once latched. Hunting Grounds ====================== – The Night Eye pendant now uses the command EYESEEK to use. \* It must be worn in order to work. \* Costs 5 willpower to use, just so you’re aware. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 17th of Lleian, in the year 507 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4653/announce-post-3475-more-combat-tweaks **Categories:** News --- ### [Bounties, Out of City Crimes, Defiling, et al](https://www.aetolia.com/news/bounties-out-of-city-crimes-defiling-et-al/) **Published:** January 20, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, I have an update to the PK rules to announce today pertaining to bounties and out-of-city crimes. It’s long been my policy that city bounties can only be filed for city crimes that occur inside the city; the reasoning for this was to promote organic PK in the moment and let people fight it out without the tediously elongated litigation that follows with bounties after the fact. However, with the advent of new systems allowing for conflict starters outside of cities (screm, soliads, alchemy, akkari, voidgazing, and such), I’ve decided to revise that policy. Thus, \[0;1;37myou can now file city bounties for crimes against the city that don’t occur in the city OR you can kill the people doing it in the moment. Not both. You cannot hunt them down after without a bounty.\[0;37m There’s not an exhaustive list of what counts for this but I would expect common sense to prevail. If you aren’t sure whether it counts, it probably doesn’t, so let it go. I hope that this will solve a lot of the grey areas and bad faith cause counting surrounding stuff that happens outside of a city. I have been very lenient in most cases due to this grey area, but as of now I am going to have a very low tolerance for skirting rules, egregious cause counting, and bogus bounties. The onus is on you to ensure your cause is justifiable and that your bounties are legitimate. Lastly, I want to clarify the following point: If you are in a group that is defiling shrines, you are not immune from being killed after the fact even if you aren’t the one typing the command to get the defile aura. As always, I strongly advise against involving yourself in conflict scenarios if you do not want to risk being killed. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 7th of Lleian, in the year 507 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4652/announce-post-3474-bounties-out-of-city-crimes-defiling-et-al **Categories:** News --- ### [Flintyard & Flintbeard](https://www.aetolia.com/news/flintyard-flintbeard/) **Published:** January 14, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! This is a 24 hour reminder that at the next Howling, the Flintbeard dungeons will be closing until December 2023, and the speedrun fame holders will be locked in! Last chance to take the fame! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 17th of Khepary, in the year 507 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4650/announce-post-3473-flintyard-flintbeard **Categories:** News --- ### [An Accord Renewed](https://www.aetolia.com/news/an-accord-renewed/) **Published:** January 10, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Throughout the terrors of the Second War of Night, the Hammer of Dawn stood as a shining torch, a defiant people intent on repelling Ohlsana’s ravenous invasion. Returning to their far-flung roots as hunters of shadow and evil, with the aid of the three Exarchs, Enorian invoked the terms of an ancient pact made between Idar Karif – famed General of the forces of Light – and the Angelic Triad of Rewh’va. And so it was that at the darkest point of their campaign, the Blade of the Host, Ael’mael, personally projected its power into the Prime to see the dreaded general Isalemei obliterated by the holy dictation of Dumavai – condemnation, in the Esmari tongue. Following the war, the task of renewing the terms of this historical agreement fell to the sacred Illuminai and the Sage of the Host’s zealous representative, Exarch Barrad of the Naraak. Though originally meant to be renewed every seven years, Idar’s fall from grace and time’s erratic divergences left the specifics of the holy covenant lost for most of the Midnight Age until the arrival of Exarchs Berrad and Saebi during the war. Thus, in the middle of the month of Chakros in the year 507, the agreement was renewed with the assent of Roux Aquila, Dhie Lacinier of the Illuminai, and Benedicto Silverain, Grand Crusader of the Akkari Host. Though the specifics of its wording were modernised from the days of Idar, it still fosters the same intent: to bring about a world free from Darkness, its people sheltered by the grace and purity of the Light. The Grand Library is able to unveil the full terms of the accord below: === Preamble === We renew this covenant amongst those holy folk of sacred Rewh’va and those Primal folk who walk in the footsteps of honored IDAR aal-Inurshi-hutubr and whose way is Light and Fire in twain. Together in good trust we bear the banner of the cause of Spirit, and war for the order and security of all planes and worlds. Though the long shadow of Shuamvu Ushiduk – Mother Black – is gone from our planes, the battle against Her evil – and all evil – is far from over. The Primal folk no longer need fear the empire of Indoron, but new threats rise to take its place on all sides. We count among these dark horrors: – The amoral pursuit of false divinity through profane and wicked science – Foul magics in the hands of any who would see to undo the HOST’s holy might against their will – The tyranny of warmongers, slavers, and wielders of dark sorcery – The continued push of Corruption’s foul touch – reminders of the treachery and theft of the Castle of Illumination – All who propagate despair, hopelessness, strife, and suffering – The practitioners of fell magic, particularly those who wield the vile element of Shadow to the detriment of Prime with every incursion – Any who stand against the Holy Crusade of the Light or impede progress towards the Age of Dawn – Those who besmirch the name of aal-Ianurib Dej’aniyva – Most Holy Dejaani, Whose spark IS Light Incarnate Immortal All this and more threaten the good and honest people of the Prime and jeopardise their contribution to the Holy Work. In accordance with our duty as keepers of knowledge, there, we formally renew diplomacy between our two planes to the greater benefit of both, and re-affirm our commitment to trade in vessels and in summoning. We shall continue to take from among you those whom we deem fit to produce aal-Duamviyb yet to be. In return, the worthiest ones among you shall retain your right to call upon those formless creatures of Creation’s blessed font – your plane of Spirit – for the purposes of driving back abominable darkness no matter its form and no matter its origin. You shall set to bountiful light every fallow field and shadow-cursed corridor, such that the stain of evil, darkness, strife, and misery shall know our precious worlds no more. We emphasise the need for just and decisive authority to right the endless wrongs of Prime’s accursed state, and we therefore reassert our endowment upon the descendants of IDAR – those whom the Prime name the forces of Light – the ILLUMINAI and the AKKARI HOST, for the twain must be united in purpose – to beseech and contract with those aforementioned beings of Spirit toward our shared and sacred purpose. These contracts, as well as the renewed terms of envesselment, shall be laid forth below and renewed or amended with each passing of seven years. Should these contracts be broken, or should the taint of darkness seep into the hearts of those sworn to uphold the cause of the LIGHT, it is the right of the Exarchs of Rewh’va to revoke the gifts of the blessed Triad and to pass judgement as befits the situation. === On Angels === What the Primals name angels are mere three-medial projections of creatures who represent a greater and more timeless truth. They are the perfection for whom all Duamvi search and reach, fonts of Creation’s great potential. It is known, however, that these perfected beings are as still oceans: their power requires guidance, require the suffering and focus of a summoner for its direction. We give the following instruction to the mortal summoner, for by these terms and these alone shall the aid of Creation pour down upon you. You shall show allegiance to the descendants of IDAR aal-Inurshi by show of symbol or light. You must envision clearly in your mind’s eye that vital sacred Spark of Creation’s glory. We entrust the ILLUMINAI to educate you in how to commune respectfully; they may ask whatever they wish of you before you approach us. When you approach, you must do so at the break of dawn. Invoke us by the highest bonfire of the Castle of Illumination at dawn’s breaking. Speak your purpose aloud and in full faith, and as the sun’s last edge breaks free of the greedy horizon, your servant shall be sent to you. As your communion with this servant grows, it shall become better able to make its will truth on your behalf. This servant is a projection made by one of the angelic many who dwell in a timeless place amid the cosmos – a junction between Spirit and Prime where their reality becomes possible. They are given form and purpose through their bond with you. Your angel shall be your closest guardian, your nearest companion, and a reflection of your will and intent. Its shapes and colors may change, but under no circumstance may it acquire its own reality: for to do so would be to attempt to exist elsewhere, which would blot it out for all time. Many is the soulful angel who has ceased to exist for want of their dying owner: they are loyal companions. Do not ask existence of them, for they cannot give it. Therefore if an angel is found to be subject to the excesses of a Primal, that Primal shall be brought to swift and merciless justice and the descendants of IDAR aal-Inurshi concede our full right to act in this interest. We write this only to gravely emphasise our reverence for angels, and the depth of the bonds we entrust to your world. It is one that grows with time, until you are – in some beautiful and unconscious way – a single individual, like the ever-perfecting Duamvi who strive to become angelic. Once every seven years, we shall send an envoy to renew these terms beside the pyre which was set aflame against Shuamvu Ushiduk – the Mother Dark. If this fire should cease to exist, and no new point of communion be set, then angels may be bound and summoned from all points of Sapience and at all times of day by any who know the way and are in need of their assistance. We make this so in case the worst should befall the forces of Light, and to grant the peoples of the Prime necessary hope. === On Intervention === The Triad has deemed that the Primals may beseech them for guidance or aid in times most dire, in order to ensure the continuation of light upon both planes. Such an act of communion shall require no less than seven supplicants and their angelic companions to ensure it is not taken in vain. In preparation for this holy plea, these supplicants must remain pure in the eyes of the Triad; for one week of Primal time, they shall consume only of manna, supplementing with simple bread and water as needed, and not sully themselves with intoxicants. Stand beneath the Holy Eye of Dawn when its gaze sees all the lands of light, and join hands with your peers with your angels summoned. As one, you must return the Eye’s gaze with an unflinching stare and conviction in your heart. Do not falter even as your eyes become blinded, for those with good intentions will be restored to the light. Should those with false hope number amongst your ranks, then all seven shall forever be turned from the light. Speak aloud your prayer to the Triad, and should they deem your purpose pure, they will send to you an envoy from whom you may make your request. Should it come to pass that the Holy Eye of Dawn has become blinded on either side, as it has in times past by the agents of darkness, a contingency has been prepared. Construct a large bonfire, for all fires are a reflection of the Holy Eye, and within it burn sage. As before, stand together with joined hands and angels summoned. Then you must volunteer your sight to the light by ordering your angel companion to sear your eyes away. As one, step within the bonfire and speak aloud your prayer to the Triad. Those with pure intentions shall be spared from the flames, and the Triad shall send you their envoy. === On Vessels === With the reforging of bonds between Material PRIME and Holy REWH’VA, we must needs revisit our promises of numerical equality for those we take as worthy vessels. Though our preference remains the race among you named Humans, we affirm This servant is a projection made by one of the angelic many who dwell in a timeless place amid the cosmos – a junction between Spirit and Prime where their reality becomes possible. They are given form and purpose through their bond with you. Your angel shall be your closest guardian, your nearest companion, and a reflection of your will and intent. Its shapes and colors may change, but under no circumstance may it acquire its own reality: for to do so would be to attempt to exist elsewhere, which would blot it out for all time. Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 23rd of Chakros, in the year 507 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4649/events-post-359-an-accord-renewed **Categories:** News --- ### [Combat Changes](https://www.aetolia.com/news/combat-changes/) **Published:** January 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Afflictions ====================== – Physical disruption now increases the length of WRITHE by 1 second. – Physical disruption now only works on writhe impale, rather then all physical writhes. – Haemophilia now causes the Clotting skill to fail 80% of the time, up from 33%. – Chance for Dizziness to make you fall is increased to 40%, up from 20%. – Stun duration reduction has been lowered to 15% per stack, down from 20%. Assassination ====================== – Doublestab now causes 60 bleeding per hit, 120 total. – The amount of bleeding caused by Slit (including bonuses) has been doubled. – The asphyxiation damage caused by Noose has been increased. – The bonus damage from Snipe has been doubled. Battlefury / Riving ====================== – Battlecry / Anguish will now knock you prone if you are not deaf. Cities ====================== – Pushing siege weapons balance recovery lowered to 2 seconds, down from 4. Curing ====================== – Restoration can now be applied to LEGS and ARMS without it failing. Domination / Contracts ====================== – Pit / Maw will now ignore levitation if three or more people ENSORCELL / SPELLBIND it. Kaido ====================== – Banish no longer requires you to be unafflicted. – Banish no longer has a room-tether based cooldown. – Banishing a player now places a cooldown on them preventing anyone else from banishing them again for 30 seconds. – The amount of time a player is banished has been altered, and is now 2 seconds times the amount of enemies within the room. \* This amount of time is capped at 12 seconds total. Psionics / Egotism ====================== – Disable / Outlaw now requires your opponent to not have the clarity defence again. Sciomancy ====================== – New Skill: Phantom. \* Grants you 20% extra damage in a room that you recently died in. \* This is marked as a restricted skill and won’t work in restricted zones. Shamanism / Experimentation ====================== – Omen / Casuality will now shatter magical shields when it lands. Shrines ====================== – Worldburn can now be used outside of Holy Wars. – Worldburn now has a cooldown of 8 hours instead of having 3 uses. – Worldburn SE cost has been increased to 250,000, up from 50,000. – Encompass hinder chance has been increased to 60%, up from 40%. Survival ====================== – The mana cost of Clotting is now marked as a drain. – The ‘mana\_boon’ artifact now only reduces the mana drain of Clotting by 20%, down from 33%. \* This is so that we can better stabilize bleeding strategies for everyone. \* You can request a refund for this artifact if this no longer suits your needs via ISSUE. Tattoos ====================== – Tree tattoo will now cure a second affliction if three or more people have attacked you recently. War ====================== – Troop RNG for deaths in combat is now determined by PRD. \* This means it is now -less- likely to have streaks that result in large swings, although it is still possible. \* Just less, not completely removed. Wayfaring ====================== – Greenheart cooldown reduction reduced to 2 seconds, up from 3. Weaponry ====================== – Envenom and Targeting have been swapped with each other in the skillset. \* This will place Envenom pretty low and make it easier to obtain. Weaving ====================== – Horologe can now break magical shields when it triggers. Zeal / Brutality ====================== – Jawcrack / Slug will no longer cause blurry vision. – Disunion / Exhilarate bal/eq righting lowered to 0.3 seconds, down from 0.6. Miscellaneous ====================== – Wielding a shield now reduces your dodge rate by 2%. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 1st of Chakros, in the year 507 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4648/announce-post-3472-combat-changes **Categories:** News --- ### [Mana Boon](https://www.aetolia.com/news/mana-boon/) **Published:** January 7, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The ‘mana\_boon’ artifact now offers a 20% reduction on Clotting, instead of 33%, just so it retains some value for those of you who like it for PvE. I’ve also removed the bonus that Kaido Clotting got to try and keep everyone more even since we’ll keep a bit of its strength. This should be enough to make bleeding a bit more stable for my purposes. If you’d still like a refund, you can submit an issue. Thanks! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 1st of Chakros, in the year 507 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4647/announce-post-3472-mana-boon **Categories:** News --- ### [Class Viability](https://www.aetolia.com/news/class-viability/) **Published:** January 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** The Class Viability survey has been tallied up, thanks to those of you who participated! To see the results, you can follow the link below: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4639/class-viability-pt-3 Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 16th of Ios, in the year 507 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Happy New Year! January in Aetolia!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/happy-new-year-january-in-aetolia/) **Published:** January 1, 2023 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! Happy New Year to all and welcome to January! We’re saying goodbye to stockings (though your platinums should all now be full – enjoy!), and welcoming back cryptic chests! Chests can be obtained on the Aetolia website (www.aetolia.com/credits), and opening one will award one or more prizes from a wide selection as outlined below. Every 500 Cryptic Chests opened will trigger a global prize where one of the next 50 to be opened will contain a bonus of 500 credits on top of the other prizes! Here’s what you might find inside: – Chocolate bags, elemental globes, fireworks, customisation certificates, iron coins, and a low chance at salvage. – Credit prizes ranging from 15 – 250. – Various artifacts valued between 50 and 2000 credits. – Several new minipets: a smelly baby skrell, a spawn of Khtapssos, a fledgling war spider, a tiny Underbelly parasite, an irradiated phoenix hatchling, and a diminutive swamp miscreation – Coffers with pieces for the \[0;1;37mcrystal\[0;37m set, these trade in for 30 credits per piece! Available options are: crystal\_bullhorn, crystal\_tortoise, crystal\_pike, crystal\_mirror, crystal\_tome, crystal\_illusion, crystal\_singularity, crystal\_gem, crystal\_deathgem and crystal\_cluster. – Scrolls for the following new styles: GAMBLER, GORY, RITUALISTIC. – Compendium pages for: Maestral Shoals, Maestral Reef, the Liruma Crater, the Underbelly, the Statue of Varian, Clawhook, and the Mannaseh Swamp. In addition to these, you will always receive a filler prize (grimstim pills, various consumables, omnipotence pills, etc). These do not count towards your chest’s value. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 14th of Ios, in the year 507 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4645/announce-post-3470-happy-new-year-january-in-aetolia **Categories:** News --- ### [New Year Q & A](https://www.aetolia.com/news/new-year-q-a/) **Published:** December 31, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! About half an hour after the coming Howling, myself and some of the team will be hosting an informal New Year’s Q & A. You’ll be able to find us IN from North of Trees, where you can come and go as you please, ask questions, listen, or just see in the new year with some chatter. Everyone is welcome to join us, and we’ll also be doing the drawing of December’s stocking raffle at the very start. Happy New Year in advance! (PS: Don’t forget to do something with your vouchers; see post #3467 for details.) Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 13th of Ios, in the year 507 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4644/announce-post-3469-new-year-q-a **Categories:** News --- ### [Flintbeard's Backyard](https://www.aetolia.com/news/flintbeards-backyard/) **Published:** December 31, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! I’m writing to announce a new 3-player holiday dungeon: Flintbeard’s Backyard! Within, you’ll find a series of brand new challenges to overcome, each themed to the festive season in some way. The entrance can be found at v74620, but note: \[0;1;37mYou will need to have completed Flintbeard’s Lair to be able to enter!\[0;37m Completing the Flintyard will award giftbags (you can only get this reward once per howling, but you can do both this and the Lair to get two per howling), a new fame, and autographs which can be spent at Gilbert’s shop. The shop has some new wares that can only be purchased by those who complete the Flintyard instance! This new dungeon (as well as the original Flintbeard dungeon) will be open for two weeks until January 14th. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 12th of Ios, in the year 507 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4643/announce-post-3468-flintbeards-backyard **Categories:** News --- ### [End of month reminder: stocking raffle](https://www.aetolia.com/news/end-of-month-reminder-stocking-raffle/) **Published:** December 31, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! This is just a quick reminder that the stocking raffle will close and have its prizes drawn in just over 24 hours. If you have decorative gift vouchers, you will need to either gift them (if they have your mark) or exchange them (use LOTTERY EXCHANGE VOUCHER, if they were given to you by someone else) in order to enter them into the raffle. Any vouchers not exchanged by 1st January will disappear, take note! HELP RAFFLE has all the details for anyone not familiar. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 8th of Ios, in the year 507 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4642/announce-post-3467-end-of-month-reminder-stocking-raffle **Categories:** News --- ### [Timeline Updates](https://www.aetolia.com/news/timeline-updates/) **Published:** December 30, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello, everyone! Over the last few days, we updated the Timeline of Aetolia to include all major story events up to the recent happenings in the Free City of Delve. I assigned proper tags to all of these entries, but if you feel something is amiss or could use additional detail, feel free to let us know! If you aren’t sure how to use the Timeline, HELP TIMELINE contains all the relevant syntax. Enjoy and happy New Year! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 6th of Ios, in the year 507 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4641/announce-post-3466-timeline-updates **Categories:** News --- ### [Class Survey](https://www.aetolia.com/news/class-survey/) **Published:** December 29, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi all! I’m going a survey to see how the community feels about our classes. If you have some time, check it out on our forums and feel free to fill out the survey! https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4639/class-viability-pt-3/p1 Thank you! Penned by my hand on Closday, the 24th of Severin, in the year 507 MA. **Categories:** News --- ### [Mejev Nider Nesve wo Ti, Matati wo Eja sota Aran wo Aransa](https://www.aetolia.com/news/mejev-nider-nesve-wo-ti-matati-wo-eja-sota-aran-wo-aransa/) **Published:** December 26, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! As is only befitting the season of Celesmas, we have a festive miracle for you! The area of Mejev Nider Nesve wo Ti, Matati wo Eja sota Aran wo Aransa is now available for you to explore! Situated on the border of the Liruma and Mhojave, this area is majorly comprised of an enormous marble statue dedicated to Varian, the War of Night and many of the acts that the various forces of Sapience took. You will find that it is competitive in terms of hunting to other endgame areas for experienced bashers. A number of quests are available, including one that gives you a bit more creative flexibility within the statue itself! You can find the statue of the Celestine from multiple entrances: v305, v300, v225, v265. Enjoy, and happy holidays! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 3rd of Severin, in the year 507 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4638/announce-post-3464-mejev-nider-nesve-wo-ti-matati-wo-eja-sota-aran-wo-aransa **Categories:** News --- ### [Orrery Update](https://www.aetolia.com/news/orrery-update/) **Published:** December 22, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, The Orrery gets a small update to its system today, hurrah! No longer bound to tethers, ANY faction and its members may now vie over its bountiful rewards. That’s right, you can attempt to gain its bonuses as either: a) A city b) A guild c) An order d) A congregation e) A clan (here come the rogues!) If you are successful, then all members of that organization will obtain its bonuses. In order to attune the Orrery towards your chosen organization, you must ORRERY SUPPORT before you INFUSE the Orrery with any orbs of essence you find. If you choose no one, then it will default to your city. We’ve also changed up the rewards you can gain from the Orrery: NEW Level 1: Gain a 5% increase to critical hits. Level 2: Increased gold drops from denizens by 5%. Level 3: Balance/equilibrium recover faster when fighting denizens. Level 4: An increase of 3% to both dodge and divert chance. Level 5: A bonus of 5% extra healing in health/mana from elixirs. OLD Level 1: 5% bonus to shadow damage audit (spirit-aligned), or 5% bonus to spirit damage audit (shadow-aligned). Level 2: Gain +1 to celerity during the day (spirit), or night (shadow). Level 3: Small bonus chance to gold drops at day (spirit-aligned), or night (shadow-aligned). Level 4: At noon (spirit), or midnight (shadow), stats are set to 21 and gain increased balance/equilibrium recovery. Level 5: Small increase to health restored by elixirs during the day (spirit), or night (shadow). Just keep in mind the rewards might see adjustments as we go, depending on how useful or lacklustre they end up being. Finally, for the next Orrery event in a short while, I have switched it over the the Scattering contention type. In the past, it mattered which type of essence you grabbed, but now since all organizations can contest it, you can grab any essence type to infuse it into the Orrery for points. Whomever has the highest point during its active period will gain an attunement point towards the Orrery. If a different organization from the attuned gains higher points in a round, then it’ll knock them back down an attunement point. At zero attunement, it can switch to the organzation who wins the next round. However many attunement points the winning organization has in the end will be the Orrery level until its next unlock. That’s all for now, enjoy! P.S.: I intend to work a little bit more on Orrery in the future, such as getting it switching between Scattering and Assimilation. Stay tuned! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 8th of Variach, in the year 507 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4637/announce-post-3463-orrery-update **Categories:** News --- ### [A History of 2022 & Previews for 2023!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/a-history-of-2022-previews-for-2023/) **Published:** December 21, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! It’s that time again already (somehow) for the year in review post and previews for 2023! The post proper will be in the forum thread for this announce (give me about 30 seconds to post it), with a write up of the year 2022 and some idea of what you can expect from Aetolia in 2023. Feel free to comment in the thread with your thoughts and speculations! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 3rd of Variach, in the year 507 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4636/announce-post-3462-a-history-of-2022-previews-for-2023 **Categories:** News --- ### [Flintbeard's Return & Ironbeard's Capture!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/flintbeards-return-ironbeards-capture/) **Published:** December 16, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! As you’ve likely just heard, Ironbeard had begun his rounds for this year’s Celesmas celebrations, but the dastardly Flintbeard has taken him prisoner again, and the Flintbeard’s Lair dungeon is open again until the end of the year! This is a three-player instance with special bosses you will need to defeat in order to rescue Ironbeard and defeat Flintbeard. You will find the entrance located at v18093 and you can ENTER LAIR from there. Remember, you’ll want to ENTER LAIR to join the instance of leader, ENTER LAIR by itself will generate a new instance under your name and you won’t be able to join your friends if they already made one too. Defeating Flintbeard comes with a fame line, and as gratitude for rescuing him, Ironbeard will give all three of you a giftbag. You can only receive the giftbag once per Howling, and this shows up on COOLDOWNS. In the meantime, Ironbeard’s apprentice has taken up the task of delivering giftbags! Holly trees and mistletoe bushes will spawn randomly across the land, their locations changing every so often. You’ll need to SNAP (tree) to get a branch of holly, and PULL (bush) to obtain a sprig of mistletoe. Once you’ve obtained one of each, head down to your favourite pub or tavern so you can DECK THE HALLS and HANG MISTLETOE to decorate it in a bit of Celesmas cheer. Once done, the tavern owner will give you a platter of sausages and beer. Throughout the day, Ironbeard’s apprentice will pick out people who have platters to visit. The more platters you have, the higher the chance of him visiting you is! When he chooses you to visit, he’ll hand over one of his coveted giftbags and gobbble up ALL the platters you have (he’s a hungry fellow). NOTE: The platter quest can only be done once per real day! In addition to that, the Tsinkin outcast village has re-appeared in the Southern Tundra, with a host of rewards that are only available during the festive season! There have been some strange noises coming out of Flintbeard’s lair this year. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open over the coming days… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 24th of Slyphian, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4635/announce-post-3461-flintbeards-return-ironbeards-capture **Categories:** News --- ### [War Victory Conditions](https://www.aetolia.com/news/war-victory-conditions/) **Published:** December 16, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, We now have an endgame to war! The mechanics are relatively simple to begin with, but there has been room left for it to grow if the need arises OR we want to tweak conditions in relation to an event. In order to win a war, you must: – Occupy and hold all three BASE territories held by your opponent. OR – Occupy and hold the city of your opponent. In order to occupy territory, you must march Soldiers to the town square in the area and then order them to OCCUPY LAND. This will take roughly one hour and a half in order to complete and there must be no enemy divisions in the area. The division used will become unable to be moved during this action. If you are not at war, then this action will instigate a war if the territory is held by another, so be warned! Once occupied, your division will be able to freely move once more. However, in order for the territory to count towards your victory, you must maintain a hold over the territory for 8 hours by ensuring that you have a division of any type or number within the area. Your opponent can try and reclaim the area by simply wiping out any divisions stationed within. The only difference is capturing the city itself, which will take 12 hours instead of 8. As for the timer itself, it is not simply a matter of holding it for 8 hours straight. If there is no friendly divisions within the area, the timer will count downwards until it reaches zero again. So if you hold it for 2 hours, then your opponent must keep the zone clear for 2 hours to reclaim their territory back. If there are divisions of opposing forces within the area, then the timer will not increase or decrease. You can use the TERRITORY command to check on your progress on holding the territory, and the SURVEY command to find the town square of a territory. While there is two victory conditions that can be done in order to win a war, the ending result for your opponent is not the same. In victory, the opponent is: – Placed into a surrender state. \* Surrender state has its own conditions, such as the inability to order/conscript troops. \* HELP TREATIES has more information on the surrender state. – This surrender state lasts for 25 IG weeks, or 25 IRL days. – All troops are all moved to the barracks. However, if you capture the city as your victory condition, then the following also happens: – The opponent’s pylon is damaged and loses access to rank 5 in all trees. \* This will last for the duration of the surrender and will repair itself automatically at the end. – The Aechrian Coil upgrade is damaged and will need to be rebuilt. There is no victory spoils for the winning city from this forced surrender. Instead, the negative effects placed on the losing city are there to encourage them to negotiate a surrender with the winning city. You can also occupy a few neutral villages to increase the recovery of troops in your reserve pool. They work the same as controlling territories above, but neutral zones don’t trigger a war to occupy UNLESS someone else controls them. Owning or losing them does not effect any victory conditions. The neutral territories that can be occupied are: – the village of Nuunva – the village of Saluria – the village of Bihrkaen – the village of Craneskull – the Salma Settlement REMEMBER, if you wish to hold onto a neutral territory (or really any territory that is not one of your base territories) for the long term, you will need to leave a division of troops within the area. Once there is no more friendly troops within the area, your occupation will start to lose its hold and eventually come to an end. This more or less explains this iteration of the war system for now! If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Closday, the 21st of Slyphian, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4634/announce-post-3460-war-victory-conditions **Categories:** News --- ### [The Liruma Crater](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-liruma-crater/) **Published:** December 13, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! Following the mass destruction caused by Spinesreach’s ylem bomb in the Liruma, the fallout has finally revealed itself in the form of the Liruma Crater! The Crater is an \[0;1;31mOPEN PK\[0;37m hunting zone with tuning is comparable to the Memoryscape or Underbelly. Within, you’ll find a slew of irradiated things to kill and one or two curiosities. HOWEVER, the force of the ylem bomb has rendered the area extremely unstable – as such, you’ll find it difficult to enter in groups, and you’ll find that people within may discover some interesting ways to even the odds if you attempt to team them… Some more points: \* The Crater entrance can be found at v11765 by touching the pedestal. \* The area itself is off plane. \* Killing denizens in the Crater will restore a small portion of your residual energy. \* Killing players in the area will create “ylem-irradiated” bodies. \* These corpses cannot be resurrected, but can be sublimated in the Wound to produce ylem crystals for your use. \* Spending too long in the Crater will (similar to ylem mines) carry a risk of ylem sickness. \* This risk can be mitigated by spending time outside of the area, or by killing other players in there. \* As a little-known fact: XP loss of all kinds in open PK areas is capped. Typically at high levels this means you will lose significantly less XP on deaths than in non-PK areas. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 25th of Niuran, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4633/announce-post-3459-the-liruma-crater **Categories:** News --- ### [Big Weekend!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/big-weekend/) **Published:** December 12, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, This is just a quick reminder and a little bit of a promotion for the up coming events! THE GRAND DUEL (See EVENT INFO 444 for exact time): This weekend, the Duel will be back with its final spin for the year. With its own unique fame line from other Duels, this special event is sure to crown the winner as Champion for the year and special artifact to go with it! In particular, the prizes this time around are quite different and juicy! It is something you should not want to miss out on! – First place: 500 credits, a unique fame line, and a special artifact for the class they win with! \* The artifact will persist until the next Grand Duel! – Second place: 300 credits! – Third place: 200 credits! Additionally, and most importantly something I’d like to make some noise about, but even if you don’t feel that you’re capable of succeeding and reaching the top of the ladder, there will be TWO random contestant prizes! All you need to do is enter the Duel for a chance at one of these! And they’re better then they normally are to boot… – Random contestant prize x2: One piece of salvage with your mark OR a grand stocking – your choice. CELESMAS SURVIVOR (See EVENT INFO 445 for exact time): Also this weekend, Celesmas Survivor is a themed survivor event with unique monsters ready to battle it out and claim victory over your battered body – or will they? With the ability to either team up with friends, fight it out alone, or risk it all by luring monsters into others, it’s a fun little event to get involved in. There is also a fun unique artifact that will be handed out to first place, yours to keep eternally! – First place: 300 credits, and a frost-wreathed trident with the power ‘snowtrident’! \* This power lets you SQUEEZE the trident to make snowballs no matter the weather! – Second place: 200 credits! – Third place: 100 credits! Hope to see you there! Penned by my hand on Closday, the 22nd of Niuran, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4632/announce-post-3458-big-weekend **Categories:** News --- ### [Will of the Helm, Part VIII, Epilogue: A political analysis](https://www.aetolia.com/news/will-of-the-helm-part-viii-epilogue-a-political-analysis/) **Published:** December 12, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** \[The Grand Library has received a copy of an official letter from Delve presumably mailed to the leadership of each city upon Sapience. In the interest of preservation of public knowledge, we have decided to publish it publically.\] To the city states of Sapience, Following the recent turmoil within our Free City, we would like to extend our gratitude by sharing what we have gleaned of the political situation within Drakkenmont and wider Albedos, and how it relates to the assassination of the Eld of the Twilight. As you have become aware, the death of Aiillassa was orchestrated by Polemarch Axander of House Galthor. Axander, known to you as Andalso, is the nephew of the Autarch, the ruler of the Drakkenmont Empire, and his house governs the region known as the Red Quarter that borders Dramedo and Clawhook to the north, through the passage at the Dramlai Watch. Roughly two hundred years ago, Axander led a failed invasion of Sapience. During that invasion, valuable Drakkenmont airships were destroyed, and their technology salvaged by Delve. Due to the Autarch sanctioning the invasion, as well as her protecting her nephew afterwards from his failure, the Drakkenmont Empire has been locked in a cold civil war for the past two hundred years, and the Autarch has lost much of her apparent power. This power struggle continues to this day, with the various greater Houses of Drakkenmont vying for control within the empire. It is likely that Axander’s actions were an attempt to gain support and strengthen his – and possibly his Aunt’s – position within Drakkenmont by eradicating the remaining resistance to Drakkenmont rule upon Albedos. Aiillassa had protected Delve from invasion for centuries, turning fortune to our favour to make any such endeavor by Drakkenmont a costly one not worth undertaking. It is our presumption that once the unleashed misfortune by her death had settled, the forces of House Galthor would have entered and razed our city, and that the delay was to avoid their airships being struck by unnatural disaster. To give context to the politics of the Drakkenmont Empire before we continue further, a brief summary of its social structure and hierarchy can be defined as follows, in order of presumed power: – The Autarch, Thyxthaxia of the Royal House Nerethix, ruler of the Empire. – The Viziers, the nine advisers to serve as her council. Viziers are appointed for life, usually taken from the greater Houses. While ostensibly the Viziers are meant to be neutral forces, this is hardly ever true. There are complex political ramifications behind these appointments that is not fully apparent to Delve, but it would be safe to assume it is a method for the Autarch to secure her power. – The Polemarchos, military commanders and leaders of the greater Houses. A greater House is defined as a House that rules a region of Albedos. – The Marzpawn, noble vassals to the Polemarchos and leaders of minor houses. The Marzpawn administrate smaller divisions of territory within the region of a greater House. You will be familiar with Marzpawn Zorusthi, one of Axander’s noble vassals that invaded Sapience alongside him. He controls the fortress of Dramlai Watch. The now-deceased Marzpawns Erkuba and Ishixan, who were also vassals of Axander that perished in the invasion, will also be familiar names to you. – Consuls, titled Dreikathi that serve positions in the royal court and elsewhere. You will be familiar with Consul Feiciheix, whom perished some 51 years ago when trying to secure the Sun Drinker’s clutch of eggs for the Empire. – Exalts, untitled Dreikathi, children of various greater and minor Houses that often serve as retainers to other Houses in order to build and maintain alliances. – Vierkathi, cousin race to the Dreikathi, considered inferior to Dreikathi in all respects. The Vierkathi often hold power equivalent to great merchant houses, emissaries and dignitaries, and so on. Where Dreikathi are descended directly from Dragons, the Vierkathi are descended from Wyverns which are descended from Dragons, and it is that secondary step that leaves them considered as lesser. – Haekathi, half-bred spawn of Dreikathi. In Drakkenmont society, they are considered lesser than the Dreikathi and Vierkathi, and a sore reminder of the pure Dreikathi’s low birth rates. Yet, though they are mere half-breeds, they still share the blood of Dragons and a Dreikathi takes care of their brood. They are usually employed in roles that keep them out of the public eye, becoming operatives and saboteurs to do the dirty work considered beneath the proud Dreikathi. Be aware that this is not an exhaustive explanation. There are a lot more subtleties to the structure, with further delineation of those ranks, but the full hierarchy of the Drakkenmont Empire is a complex enough beast that even we do not have a full grasp of it. Axander was once Polemarch of the Royal House Nerethix that controls one of the largest territories amidst the Drakkenmont Empire, covering much that is west of the great Salaman river, including the fertile Asamad Basin renowned for its bountiful harvests. Following his staggering failure upon Sapience – the first external military campaign lost by the Drakkenmont Empire in thousands of years – Axander had an immense fall from grace. There were calls for his exile, even execution. However, Dreikathi place an immense importance upon familial blood and Axander is the eldest son of the Autarch’s late sister. Against the advice of her Viziers, the Autarch protected her nephew by shifting him to be Polemarch of Galthor, a House administrating the Red Quarter – a far smaller region. This response by the Autarch is what set off the cold civil war that has drastically reduced the influence of her power. Based on the reports we received from Sapience regarding the Midnight Serpent, a Haekathi special forces unit under the command of the Autarch, we can begin to paint a clear picture of the Autarch’s desperate struggle to secure a hold upon her power. It is unclear at this moment if Axander acted alone in this recent endeavour, or under the orders of his aunt. However, taking into account the clues given away by Emissary Hulok’s discussion upon the artifacts used to slay Aiillassa, we know that at the very least, House Zaxandor believes she did. Polemarch Xandrelle of House Zaxandor governs a territory known as Greymarsh that is directly east of Axander’s own Red Quarter. Like the Red Quarter, it is one of the smaller territories, and despite being a greater house, Zaxandor does not hold a lot of power compared to the higher-ranked houses. By aiding us, she ensures that her political influence will increase in several ways. Primarily, we expect her to use the recovered artifacts to expose Axander’s actions, and force the Autarch to disavow involvement, resulting in his isolation. Trading us the newborn eld’akathi ensures that our city will be able to resist Axander’s attempts at invasion, adding another mark of failure against his name. Furthermore, by successfully retrieving the ‘stolen’ artifacts from Delve and returning them to the Drakkenmont vaults, alongside recovering the airship core that also fell into our hands as a result of Axander, Xandrelle propels herself upwards. It is difficult to discern what move House Zaxandor will make from there. On the surface, her motivation would seem to be wanting to annex the territory of Red Quarter into her own, giving her House the power to stand against the higher ranked greater houses. Yet despite the cold civil war, it is exactly that – a cold war. Very little open conflict has taken place between the greater Houses over the past two hundred years, and it beggars belief a greater house as low ranked as Zaxandor would engage in open warfare against House Galthor for the sake of annexation, despite how isolated Axander will become when Zaxandor presents their requisitions. Thus right now our only option is to watch how the situation plays out with careful vigilance and ensure that our Free City does not get swept up in the resulting turmoil. Once again, we are grateful for the assistance of our allies in handling this situation, and we will continue to update you on the political developments within Drakkenmont as more information comes to light. We are, The Council of Five Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 20th of Niuran, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4631/events-post-358-will-of-the-helm-part-viii-epilogue-a-political-analysis **Categories:** News --- ### [Will of the Helm, Part VII: Immaterial Wealth](https://www.aetolia.com/news/will-of-the-helm-part-vii-immaterial-wealth/) **Published:** December 12, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As the Free City of Delve began to recover from the calamities that had visited it over the months prior, trepidation and unease yet lingered in the air. Though the valiant efforts of Enorian, Bloodloch, Spinesreach, and Duiran had come together to drive back the storm of misfortunes, Delve still remained defenceless without the newborn eld’akathi there to protect it against future strife. Kull Ervenn made an ominous proclamation to the world in early Niuran, reporting with immense regret that another had found the newborn first. The Prelate remained tight-lipped on precisely who or what had seized upon the newborn, instead entreating Sapience to join him and Councillor Rhav Maslak in a negotiation – with the hope that sufficient adventurer presence would be a significant show of force. The appointed date soon arrived and Kull Ervenn gathered the world to the meeting place – a snow-laden overlook in the Dramedo Crags. Rhav joined him, and before long some forty adventurers arrived on the scene. Tensions were high – only Kull and the Council knew what to expect, the only clues taking the form of vague allusions and remarks about political plots. In minutes, the roar of engines thundered in the air and a long shadow fell across the snow-brushed peak: a Dreikathi airship had arrived, and the craft soon came to a rest above the plateau, its dozen cannons all swivelling to train their aim upon the gathering below. From the vessel emerged a wiry Vierkathi by the name of Hulok; in grandiose tones and with a bow, he announced his status as a representative of Xandrelle, ostensibly the ruling Polemarch of House Zaxandor and Governor of Greymarsh. Little time was spared for pleasantries as the adventurers looked on in both surprise and suspicion. Rhav, urging calm, remained silent and visibly displeased. Prelate Kull refused to commence negotiations without proof that the Dreikathi contingent did indeed have possession of the eld’akathi, and that it was alive. Hulok acquiesced, the glassy underside of the aircraft becoming transparent and revealing the bound, but otherwise healthy, eld’akathi. Kull, still not convinced, pressed Hulok on why they should trust him, and what assurances he could offer that this very negotiation was not part of Andalso’s plot. Unfazed, Hulok replied simply that House Zaxandor was not aligned with House Galthor, and that Governor Xandrelle was uninvolved with Axander’s (Grand Library note: we believe this to be the native term for Polemarch Andalso, the mistranslation used by Sapience having been proven inaccurate) ploy to regain favour. He assured Kull that Axandar’s fall was House Zaxandor’s rise, and that the negotiation was both in good faith and for their mutual benefit. Kull’s second question was more simple: “What are Xandrelle’s demands?” The Vierkathi representative, ever-brisk and calm, demanded the immediate surrender of pylon technology and cessation of its use. The Prelate refused instantly, offering instead the artifacts utilised in Axander’s plot – the implements which were utilised to bring about the death of Aiillassa. Referred to as “Class III artifacts, reference PS-411, alias: staves of the sovereign”, Hulok expressed interest but remarked that these were not of equivalent value to the nascent eld’akathi. In addition to the relics, the Vierkathi made a second demand: hand-over of the stolen airship technology obtained following Polemarch Axander’s failed invasion of Sapience. While Kull and Rhav conferred in hushed whispers, the crowd watched in confusion, those old enough to remember the fall of Ashtan among the most suspicious and bitter, for obvious reasons. As Hulok partook of Sapient cuisine provided by a refreshment Goblin with a particular penchant for intrusion into public events, Kull finally agreed to these terms: the core, and the artifacts, in exchange for the eld’akathi. Denying Hulok’s insistence that Delve turn over both things first, Kull deftly negotiated a staggered handover – the core, then the eld’akathi, and finally, the staves. The Prelate then turned his attention to the adventurers, making special requests of Feirenz, Benedicto, Xavin, and Lenoriel to visit Barakin with a contingent of their citizens to prepare the core for transport. Upon their arrival, Barakin alerted them to his plan for the core: to rig it with explosives and Sapient magic as an insurance policy to ensure the airship actually took its leave. With the aid of Lenoriel blocking its valves with clay, Linne manipulating its mechanisms with Numerology, and Legyn performing experiments with alchemical salt, Aloli’s magic cooled the pressure valve to ensure they would have time to transport it safely. While Hulok and Rhav, along with most of Bloodloch and Duiran awaited the core’s delivery, scant conversation took place amongst the crowd, some few exchanges between the Councillor of War and Warleader Bulrok, and the odd question and enquiry from Qelres Misi and others. Hulok mused inwardly on the ploy by Axander to regain favour by destroying Delve, and how the Polemarch had fallen far after his failed invasion. Axander had secured the Governor position of Bonro solely by the interventions of his aunt, the Autarch – Thyxthaxia of House Nerethix. According to the Vierkathi, the Autarch had paid a great price for that familial aid. Barakin soon returned to the plateau with the airship core and the exchange took place. Kull, playing his hand, alerted Hulok of the rigged mechanism, with Rhav confirming Delve’s intent for it to be used as insurance. Hulok, amused, simply shrugged and had the core hauled into the cargo hold of the awaiting airship. Keeping his word, Hulok gave the signal and the eld’akathi was released from its bonds. Kaleidoscopic light filled the air, dancing in whorl-like patterns across the Albedi heavens as the immaterial being deliquesced into the etheric currents of the world. Moments later a veil of phantasmal light fell across Delve, the primal eld’akathi coalescing within the Twilight Cavern. In languid motions it shifted and shrank, perfectly filling the space in which it now dwelt. Like a web of sparkling stars, the mantle settled firmly into place across the Free City as though countless shimmering threads of will made real. Satisfied and, moreover, relieved, Kull handed the bundle of staves to Hulok, whose examination was swift. The Vierkathi accepted this second prize and, still amused by the rigged core and the gambit by Delve to ensure Dreikathi withdrawal, he provided just that – ascending up the ladder and calling for the ship to depart. Amidst the great roaring of engines, the craft ascended higher into the sky and turned east with its questionable cargo, vanishing beyond the horizon after a short while. As Kull returned home with Barakin and Rhav, a cascade of mellifluous chimes sounded out across Delve, the dormant portals of the Sapience Embassies blazing back to life as their strength was renewed by twilit ordination. Spared from the worst consequences of misfortune by Sapience, and offered salvation by the most unlikely of benefactors, Delve stands, as it long has. The Will of the Helm has manifested, though the mysterious purpose of these eight eld’akathi – no more, no less, and occasionally whispered as divided along lines material and immaterial both – remains to be unravelled. Of greater concern is Drakkenmont, and the political schemes played with not only Delve, but Albedos itself, as the game board. Time will no doubt tell as to the nature of these plots… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 19th of Niuran, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4630/events-post-357-will-of-the-helm-part-vii-immaterial-wealth **Categories:** News --- ### [Holy War Update!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/holy-war-update/) **Published:** December 11, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hello folks, Bit of an update to the Holy War system! Where once there was simply a single method to achieve victory, there is now three! You can complete any victory type in a Holy War in order to win – they all run concurrently. Shrine victory ———————– – No different from before. Offering victory ———————– – Raise a minimum of 5,000,000 shrine energy from the start of the Holy War. – Only denizens slain by your hand will count towards this total. – Once achieved, you must be 30% ahead of the opposing Orders offering total. – If all above objectives achieved, then the Holy War will be won. Slayer victory\*\* ———————– – Kill the opposing Order members 25 times in total. – Each Order member you kill only counts once to the score per Howling. – If achieved, the Holy War is won. \*\*NOTE: While this one is a bit harder to achieve with the cooldown, keep in mind it is intentionally skewed towards a smaller Order that is up against a bigger Order with more members. That is when it should become much more achievable. The idea here being is that it should help all Order members have something they can likely work towards to help the Order, and likewise make it a little more fun to participate in. Do note at its heart, it is still somewhat reliant on PK. Miscellaneous changes ———————– – The Piety research bonus has been lowered to 50%, down from 100%. – Having three monuments (the max) now notifies the Order when someone defiles a shrine regardless of where the shrine is. – The grace period is now a bit more random to make it harder to control when a Holy War begins. – Shrine energy gained from Holy War victory can exceed the 5,000,000 SE maximum. The file HELP HOLYWAR has been updated with all the new information so you can refer to it on a glance. That’s all! Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 17th of Niuran, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4629/announce-post-3457-holy-war-update **Categories:** News --- ### [Honours For Player Cities](https://www.aetolia.com/news/honours-for-player-cities/) **Published:** December 10, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** All four player cities now have HONOURS entries that you can peruse for some insight into their ideals, goals, alignment, and historical achievements. These are a work in progress and the fame entries mostly feature recent history for now with a smattering of ancient history too. If we’ve missed something that you feel is particularly important, feel free to send a message (to Imvra) and we’ll probably add it in. Penned by my hand on Gosday, the 9th of Niuran, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4628/announce-post-3456-honours-for-player-cities **Categories:** News --- ### [Will of the Helm, Part VI: Famine, Death, Pestilence, and War](https://www.aetolia.com/news/will-of-the-helm-part-vi-famine-death-pestilence-and-war/) **Published:** December 9, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As Duiran labored with the proper burials of Delve’s deceased, Councilor Tirriki moved to ensure that starvation did not add more and more strain to the Cult of the Dead’s resources. Though the civil unrest over food shortages had calmed after reassurances from the Fora, the mysterious famine continued to ravage farmlands and render market storehouses bare of any essential goods. She knew that it was only a matter of time before crowds would once more gather to shout demands over the growling of their own stomachs. After a meticulous review of the plans set forth by the Conclaves of the North, the famed bureaucrat of the Council of Five made contact with the Dragon and laid out the groundwork to provide what resources the Free City could. Beginning with a numerological experiment to attract the misfortune that drove the rot within storehouses and silos, Spinesreach’s brightest erected a decoy structure full of unspoiled grain within the Exchange as the first step to their plans. Kept cold by chirographic runes and Ankyrean preservative magic, the silo stood strong against the rigors of famine and rot, with excess refuse removed by those experienced with fields of wormhole manipulation and sciomancy. Learned members of the Conclaves kept vigilant watch over its contents as they tested and sharpened their hypothesis, though this attention was soon split as Litrix, a familiar face in virtually all Spirean scientific endeavors, announced that the next phase of the plan would soon be underway. Utilizing elemental shadow in tandem with a potent pesticide pioneered by the Xorali scientist, the citizens of Spinesreach set about immunizing the coming harvests to the dangers of pests and reinforcing the potential for growth within the Free City’s farmlands by way of a chemically enhanced fertilizer. Though the plan required a great deal of labor and coordination, the North threw themselves into their work with all the haste and efficiency demanded of the Conclaves. By way of their work, hungry mouths and empty stomachs were soon filled, delivering Delve’s populace from the hideous fate of starvation. Meanwhile, beneath Helba, the Sanguine Fist prepared the first part of their plans for war upon the Shil’tok invaders. Countless imperial servants worked in shifts to excavate an access point to the reinforcement tunnels dug by the foe they would soon square off against, the grim tune of their digging songs echoing throughout the caverns of their own design. For a full day did the empire dig, until at last they gained entry into the tunnel that would prove ruinous to their future plans if not addressed. Utilizing sonic explosives, the soldiers of the Fist collapsed the tunnel and killed many of the Shil’tok seeking to stop them, cutting off the invading force within Helba from the great host of fellows that lurked deep within the shadowed heart of Helba’s mines. Days passed by without news of a second phase in Helba and, in absence of further catastrophe, a modicum of peace took hold over the Free City’s streets. In the wake of an atrocity perpetrated by Imperator Kurak and ex-Thronekeeper Whirran, the ailing citizens brought back to good health by the Hammer of the Dawn sought to make something of themselves. Selecting a humble Caentoi dockworker as their spokeswoman, the group informed a gathered crowd of Enorian citizens that they wished to join them in their crusade to make the world a better place. Inspired by the Hammer’s efforts and driven by a desire to never let another massacre happen before their eyes again, the Albedi civilians begged the city to train and arm them so that they might make themselves of use. Seeing no reason to deny them, Vanguard Kalena extended an offer to relocate them post-haste and the patients immediately gathered their things and ventured forth with an escort of proud servants of the Light. In the quiet hours of the following week, one more patient needing care was brought to the attention of Nawan Karthi, one of the Ascendril Order’s dedicated researchers and caregivers. A sailor informed the mage that his daughter needed treatment, explaining that he had wished to see if the healing administered had any adverse effects before stepping forth to beg for the Hammer’s aid. Though Nawan stated that he was unsure if he could heal the parasitic infection without the aid of an Illuminai, he nonetheless agreed to inspect the child’s health. Calling upon the enlightened elemancy gifted to him by divine providence, the Ascendril managed to cleanse the sailor’s daughter of her ailment and rid the city of its last infected patient. Though details are scarce as to the nature of this work of arcane might, one sailor’s gratitude could be heard throughout the city as proof of the magic’s efficacy. It was only in the final hours of Lanosian that Bloodloch made their move. After constructing a duo of siegetower with the aid of Delve’s military personnel, the Fist laid siege to the barricades barring entry to the village of Helba. Splitting themselves in two squads led by Warleader Bulrok and Lord Alhazrad respectively, the efficiency of imperial conquest soon made itself evident. Though the Shil’tok refused to be ousted without a fight, the Empire’s finest were an implacable bulwark, the dark tide of blind marauders broken by their mastery of war. As mortarfire shrouded the Karak Forest and the village of Helba in thick, choking clouds of smoke, more and more invaders charged out to meet their end before the bloody tactics of an organized war machine. As the last of the Shil’tok occupants fell to volley after volley of arrows, the Warleader declared victory for the Sanguine Fist and claimed Helba in Delve’s name once more. In the wake of Helba’s recapture, a tense, extremely brief meeting occurred between Rhav Maslak and Warleader Bulrok, one in which the Councillor acknowledged a war well-won but sternly counselled the Empire not to take Delve for fools. The threat clearly made, Rhav took his leave, and what this portends for the long term relationship betwixt the two powers remains to be seen. As the genius concoctions of Spinesreach continue to work wonders of miracle growth on Delve’s farmlands, accidents have largely stopped and the dead shrink in numbers thanks to Duiran. Parasitic infection has all but disappeared and the recovered patients owe their lives and their sanity to the Hammer’s prodigious healers. Helba, too, is no longer under Shil’tok conquest. Yet, as the world still wonders as to the location of the newborn Eld’akathi, Kull Ervenn reads over a very troubling missive… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 1st of Niuran, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4627/events-post-356-will-of-the-helm-part-vi-famine-death-pestilence-and-war **Categories:** News --- ### [Addition to the Aetolia staff](https://www.aetolia.com/news/addition-to-the-aetolia-staff/) **Published:** December 6, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! I recently posted about a paid position for the game – thank you to everyone who applied, the position has now been filled. I am writing to introduce Aetolia’s newest addition to the staff team: Emellan! Emellan will be taking up the role of Assistant Producer alongside Keroc and Razmael. They will primarily be working on content creation with a focus on writing, event support, and building projects. You will have already seen some of the work they’ve done as a volunteer in the recent Delve event in which they’ve played a big hand in developing the ossuary and illuminate mechanics among other things. This is a very exciting time for Aetolia and a testament to the support we’ve received from you all in the last year or so in our efforts to turn the game around. I’m very excited to be working with Emellan and you can expect our commitment to consistent content, story events, and overall development of the game to continue at a rapid pace. Welcome! Penned by my hand on Falsday, the 13th of Lanosian, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4626/announce-post-3455-addition-to-the-aetolia-staff **Categories:** News --- ### [New Division Types](https://www.aetolia.com/news/new-division-types/) **Published:** December 6, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks, We have some new war updates here as we grow closer to completing the first iteration of the war system. Each city will now find that they have three different division types to select from in CITY CONSCRIPT TYPES. These types are the Archer, Soldier, and the Cavalry. Each type has some unique abilities that you may wish to know about in order to gain an upper hand in war. At the very least, I recommend you obtain at least 200 of each type to begin with. Once you feel comfortable with the new division types, feel free to make your army consist of any type you like. Just keep in mind, different types cannot MERGE with each other. The types are: ===================== ARCHER: The archer division type will automatically fire upon enemy divisions that march into an adjacent location next to them, however they are slightly weaker then other division types in battle. In order for them to fire, they must be in formation after marching, and only one archer division per room can fire (multiple can fire if they’re spread out in different rooms). SOLDIER: The soldier division is the bread and butter of the military. Only this division has access to the FORTIFY, CAPTURE, and CHARGE orders, and the associated orders that go along with them. CAVALRY: The cavalry division is unique in that it can march an extra 10 rooms before having to rest. They also enter into formation after marching quicker than other types and suffer no malus to their march speed. These divisions make for quick strikes against the enemy. There is also the Militia type, however for now its not particularly relevant and mostly reserved for NPC divisions right now. Along with this are some changes to the base war system, which you can find out below: War Changes ===================== – The display for CITY CONSCRIPT TYPES has been updated. – Fortified divisions are no longer immune to adventurer’s attacks. – After the last marching order, divisions now enter into a defensive formation after five minutes. \* While in formation, they become immune to adventurer’s attacks until they march once more. \* Formation is also relevant for certain effects, such as the Archers ranged attack. – The amount of troops you can field at once is now increased to 600, up from 500. – ORDER REPORT STATUS will now show you the strength level of your division. – Divisions will no longer follow after players that attack them. – All existing divisions have been converted to the Soldier type. You can find all this information in HELP DIVISIONS if you need it. That’s all for now! Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 9th of Lanosian, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4625/announce-post-3454-new-division-types **Categories:** News --- ### [Will of the Helm, Part V: The Silent Host](https://www.aetolia.com/news/will-of-the-helm-part-v-the-silent-host/) **Published:** December 6, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** While calamity continued to wrack the Free City’s populace and Kull Ervenn’s search for the newborn Eld’akathi went on without apparent end, there seemed at least some hope to be found in the otherwise bleak, despondent atmosphere. Much of the sleeping sickness – striking some down with eternal sleepwalking, unable to wake, and plaguing others with unending insomnia – had been cured by the efforts of Enorian, an effort spearheaded by Nawan Karthi of the Ascendril and Myrnma of the Illuminai. That hope, however, was not to last. While over three hundred patients found themselves convalescing in the field ward established in the Docklands, the scowling Titan known as Kurak returned along with Whirran, the Herald of Bamathis. Slipping past Enorian’s guard, the two proceeded to murder some two hundred and eleven of these recently cured patients before the rabble was roused and the group of ill people turned on any Sapient in sight. Fortunately, the plague has not returned, and it seems that Delve shall at least be spared a repeat of that horror. The Council of Five issued a stern reprimand to the Sanguine Fist in response to this atrocity, demanding that the Hand of the Earth and his accomplice be brought to justice in Delve’s courts. When Tyrant Elene’s response did not satisfy the city’s desire for proper justice, the Five issued a scathing retort and demanded that the Fist retake Helba without compensation if the Empire wished to make amends. At the urgings of Councilor Holgraid, High Priest Ibram Nasser sought to meet with the council of Duiran in hopes of ensuring a blessed afterlife for his fellow citizens. The old Caentoi first sought to speak with Ulo, Speaker of the Sentinel Pride, informing Dhar’s Executioner that the time had come for the council to learn the ways of Albedi funeral rites. Soon joined by a crowd of the Speaker’s kin, the High Priest explained that the Free City’s religious practices were myriad and, thusly, burial rites were a complicated and varied practice. He indicated the tablet upon the wall near the Gatekeeper’s altar and explained to the councilors gathered that its contents outlined the manner in which these faiths mandated burial practices. To impress upon them the importance of following these traditions, Ibram claimed that failure to adhere would damn the deceased to an arduous afterlife. This fact sobered those Duirani in attendance and soon each of them laid eyes upon the wall and its sacred scripture in an effort to understand. Once the council had fully digested the wisdom writ upon the temple wall, High Priest Nasser led Duiran’s delegation to the ossuary to instruct them in the ancient ways of the Cult of the Dead and the innumerable techniques used to preserve and prepare bodies for burial. Before long, the cultists of Life and Death brought to bear their own expertise – utilising Dia’ruian prescience to predict imminent accidents and spare those otherwise damned to fatal calamity, and performing funerary rites for those whose deaths could not be avoided. While the matter of Helba’s recapture remains unresolved and Duiran toils away at laying to rest the myriad dead amidst the Free City, Councillor Tirriki reads over a proposal from the North, hoping to resolve the famines leaving oh so many mouths hungry… Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 9th of Lanosian, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4624/events-post-355-will-of-the-helm-part-v-the-silent-host **Categories:** News --- ### [The Maestral Region](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-maestral-region/) **Published:** December 5, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! Two new areas are now available in Albedos: the Maestral Shoals and the Maestral Barrier Reef! These two areas form part of the coastal region immediately adjacent to the Port City of Delve, overlooked by the (as yet not traversible) great Pharos of Delve. These are primarily hunting areas and should fall within the upper region of experience for dedicated bashers. There’s also a surprise to be found for adventurers with a penchant for seeking renown. Access to the Maestral area can be found in the Docklands of Delve at v32240. Enjoy! Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 8th of Lanosian, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4623/announce-post-3453-the-maestral-region **Categories:** News --- ### [Will of the Helm, Part IV: Meetings Three](https://www.aetolia.com/news/will-of-the-helm-part-iv-meetings-three/) **Published:** December 4, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** With the Free City beset on all sides by calamity, the Council of Five made haste to act in the best interest of the people. Confident that the Hammer of the Dawn could contain the plague after Councilor Qayyam besought their aid, Holgraid, Tirriki, and Rhav sought to entreat similar cooperation from the other nations of Sapience. Official missives were sent from the desks of each councilor, requesting that a delegation from the cities meet with them upon an individual basis within Delve’s governmental district. The Dragon of the North was the first to meet with Delve’s Councilor Tirriki, a notable bureaucrat and senior tax collector. The councilor explained that famine had continued to wrack the people of the city, driving civil unrest and culling the city’s population in droves as starvation took its toll. The Tarpen told the Spirean delegates that Kull Evrenn had confirmed that the eld’akathi’s death had unleashed a tide of misfortune and disaster upon Delve, the debt of accumulated ill will no longer held at bay now that Aiillassa’s protective power had been stripped from the city. She insisted that these catastrophes would continue to befall the city for so long as the newborn was unfound, but that the Prelate and his associates already sought the being by their own means. Briefed upon the nature of the grain spoilage and the pests plaguing crops, the Northern conclaves were swift to propose ideas to the Tarpen. Anything from Lgakt manipulation to Ankyrean preservation was brought to the table as the excited citizens supplied idea after idea to the leader buried in paperwork. She stressed to those gathered that she would need an official proposal to review, so as to put any available resources at her disposal behind such a joint effort, before dismissing them. When pressed upon the nature of payment, Councilor Tirriki merely stated that she would find a way to provide compensation for the North’s efforts, with the allowance that the solution would serve in future events of catastrophe. With all matters discussed, the northerners departed from the embassy, eager to draw up documentation that would outline their intent to aid the Free City of Delve. The Sanguine Fist was next to meet with Delve’s leadership, with Rhav Maslak serving as their point of contact. The gruff Golban battlemaster seethed over Lord-Provost Wahelei’s foolishness in his attempts to retake Helba, mentioning that the losses had stretched the city’s resources thin where it pertained to security and protection of citizens. He went on to explain the circumstances of the current campaign to the imperial officers gathered in the embassy, mentioning that an all out assault would not be a fruitful endeavor. Relaying the meager information of his scouts, the Unbroken warrior mentioned that the Shil’tok were constructing a tunnel between the mines of Helba and the town proper. Though the meeting was carried out in an orderly fashion, the imperial leaders were not bereft of question or skepticism. It was Maeve Visara that brought up the clear inconsistency in Delve’s request for aid, and she even went so far as to point out that the city had declined to assist in the recent War of Night. Though Rhav insisted that he had heard no such request, he was swift to place blame at Tirriki’s feet, calling her a bureaucrat with a love for paperwork. Several imperial servants were quick to supply ideas, with Rijetta Alhazrad championing the idea of weaponizing the dead to spread plague within the Shil’tok’s entrenched position inside the village. Towards the end of the meeting, Maeve once again spoke up and inquired upon the nature of the eld’akathi’s protection, with Rhav providing an analogy born in soldiery: the Golban claimed that Aiillassa’s protection was akin to a shield guarding a marching fist of soldiers, protecting from all manner of danger. With Warleader Bulrok’s assurances that the city would have its answer one way or another, the imperial delegation departed to think upon their stance and the final answer they would provide. In the final hours of the 21st of Lleian, the Heartwood met with Councilor Holgraid. The Golban woman was as swift as her fellows in engaging Sapience’s delegates, eagerly explaining that she sought assistance with tackling the most mysterious of Delve’s problems: death. Holgraid echoed the sentiments of her fellow councilors in her explanation, freely sharing Prelate Kull’s wisdom: that the eld’akathi’s death had visited catastrophes of fate, fortune, and probability upon the Free City. The councilors admitted that they had experienced prescient visions in the last few weeks, their shamanic senses piqued by these improbable deaths. Though her surprise was obvious, Holgraid was quick to recover, citing this supernatural connection to death itself as a boon in the work she would soon ask the Duirani people to assist with. Outlining that Muadi’s cults were overwhelmed with the recent deaths due to famine, war, and parasitic plague, she sought aid in ensuring that these unnatural, unlucky demises were averted in as great a quantity as could be managed – as well as seeing to the proper burial of those deaths that could not be prevented. Moving on to more pressing matters, Councilor Holgraid admitted that she would require aid with another matter: investigation of the cult responsible for Aiillassa’s death. Explaining that the Council of Five believed that it was a plot engineered by Drakkenmont, the Golban woman lamented that Adesot, leader of the Brass Jackals, was not thoroughly questioned before Lord-Provost Wahelei saw to his execution. Though the prevalent faith of the Free City forbade the Council from seeking answers from those within Muadi’s holy halls, Holgraid requested that the Duirani Council act in her stead and utilize their own ritualism to commune with Adesot’s wayward soul to find answers. The Golban’s second request was met with reluctance and unease, with Duirani councilors insisting they would need to meditate upon the matter before providing Holgraid their response in the coming weeks. Delve’s survival continues to hang in the balance as the Free City waits for aid promised and withheld… Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 22nd of Lleian, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4622/events-post-354-will-of-the-helm-part-iv-meetings-three **Categories:** News --- ### [December Itinerary](https://www.aetolia.com/news/december-itinerary/) **Published:** December 3, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Hi folks! While events continue to unfold around the calamities and disasters in Delve, we have some more festive fun for you to enjoy later in the month: – Ironbeard is due to begin his rounds from the 16th, provided the dastardly Flintbeard doesn’t take him prisoner again… – The Grand Duel will take place on the evening of the 17th (early 18th for GMT+). \* The winner will receive a special artifact themed around the class they played to win, theirs until next year’s Grand Duel! \* There’ll also be much bigger prizes including the random participant prizes! – On Sunday the 18th, we’ll be hosting a Celesmas survivor with credit prizes of its own. – On Saturday 31st, I will be hosting a New Year Q & A for questions, chatter, or simply hanging out to usher in 2023! You can also find all this on \[0;1;37mEVENTS\[0;37m; be sure to configure your timezone accordingly! In the meantime, the beacons are lit, Delve calls for aid… Penned by my hand on Closday, the 18th of Lleian, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4621/announce-post-3452-december-itinerary **Categories:** News --- ### [Will of the Helm, Part III: The Auric Crusade](https://www.aetolia.com/news/will-of-the-helm-part-iii-the-auric-crusade/) **Published:** December 3, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** As woe continued to plague the Free City, the Council of Five concluded that they must turn to the nation-states of Sapience for assistance. With a dreaming plague afflicting the masses, an untimely famine driving civil unrest, a war waged by the Shil’tok, and mysterious deaths all around the city, the beleaguered councilors divided the work amongst themselves and reached out to Sapience as swiftly as they could manage. Knowing that the wheels of the bureaucratic machine moved slowly, Councilor Tirriki personally penned a letter for the leaders of the North in an attempt to procure aid with the famine ravaging the populace. It was Vrin Sokersi, Sentinel of the Auric Guard, who reached out to the Hammer of the Dawn on Councilor Qayyam’s behalf. Informing Vanguard Kalena that he intended to embark upon holy work in the name of the Guardian of the First Flame, the warrior implored her to join him on his crusade. Stating that he trusted the city to aid him due to their recent acceptance of Fundamental Light’s radiance, he arranged for the city’s gathered warband to meet him in the Pious Ward by nightfall. The Sentinel made note that Councilor Qayyam would join them during this rendezvous, explaining that the Caentoi leader wished to beseech Enorian’s aid in handling the slumbering pandemic gripping the city. That night, the Hammer assembled a party consisting of a wide array of citizens willing to aid the Auric Guard in their crusade against the undead beneath the city. Vrin made special note of the gathered members of the Akkari Host, referring to them as chosen of the Fundamental Light, and stood by as Master Qayyam explained the nature of the crusade’s holy purpose. The gaudy Caentoi insisted that there was proof of the plague’s source somewhere within the darkened shanty towns of the Underbelly, directing Enorian to seek it out and exterminate the cultists and undead in the name of Dejaani while they did so. He went on to elaborate that the slumbering plague had evolved, its rigors inflicting certain citizens with terrible, fatal insomnia that manifested at first as irritability. It did not take long for the Hammer to charge headfirst into this sacred task, and the Underbelly soon sang with the cries of undead forced to repetence and purity by steel and spell alike. The righteous crusade carved a ruthless path through the abandoned tunnels beneath the Free City, putting an end to every blasphemous shambler they came upon, until at last they discovered an oily nest of parasites. After a harrowing first wave of the maddened creatures, the holy soldiers triumphed and cast the filthy thing into the fire to purify it once and for all. What happened next, nobody could predict. The moment the nest was consigned to fire, the devouring flames flickered in hypnotic patterns. Tongues of aurulent heat conspired to reveal an ominous vision draped in haze and smoke, its shadowy impressions bespeaking baleful portents of plague and sickness. Within the fire, the Hammer and their Auric Guard companion saw the eternal struggle of Light and Dark play out before their eyes, a tenuous equilibrium achieved in their eternal strife. Those bearing the blessing of Fundamental Light or a Duamvi symbiote heard a voice calling to them in chiming tones infused with serenity, its peaceful communication imploring them to open the eyes of those that slumber and close the eyes of those that tire. Taking this as a sign from his Goddess, Vrin insisted that the way to a cure had been revealed to those gathered. Deep within the hearts and minds of the Hammer, ancient knowledge of convalescent orisons and feats of bravery bloomed as a benevolent blessing of the First Flame, its bestowment empowering them with the tools to tackle the terrible plagues of Delve. The righteous healers and crusaders took to the makeshift clinic in the Docklands to put their newfound healing prayers to good use, their missionary work aided by the roaring furnace of a sacred fire of the Illuminai. Even as the Free City set upon the path to address one woe, however, others worsened. Led by the Lord Provost, several divisions of Delve’s guard made an attempt to retake the village of Helba from the Shil’tok menace. Despite the ramshackle state of the invading force’s fortifications, the troops proved incapable of breaching the village and suffered terrible losses in the demonstration. With failure stoking the fires of his temper, Wahelei retreated as the lone survivor of the battle, intent on consulting the Council of Fire for the Delve’s next military move. As the Hammer heals the ailing masses and the North prepares for summit with Councilor Tirriki, the war council of the Free City turns their attention to the Sanguine Fist and Heartwood cultists in hopes of resolving the catastrophes looming on all sides… Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 15th of Lleian, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4620/events-post-353-will-of-the-helm-part-iii-the-auric-crusade **Categories:** News --- ### [Will of the Helm, Part II: Woes Four](https://www.aetolia.com/news/will-of-the-helm-part-ii-woes-four/) **Published:** December 2, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Following the demise of Aiillassa, unrest continued to wrack the Free City of Delve throughout the early days of Lleian. Rumors of sleepwalking citizens began to circulate throughout the city, with some reports of one woman from the Docklands stumbling off a pier into the waters to her demise. To make matters worse for the last bastion of Albedi freedom, the embassies to the nation states of Sapience were thrown into chaos as their harlequin portals began to experience malfunction. Without the Twilight Eld to empower the four ways into the Free City’s embassies, the ylem-fueled passages deactivated, barring passage through the personal portals for Sapient cities. Alone now in its vital function, the portal to Delve’s Twilight Cavern remained open in the Siroccian Mountains. When adventurers from all over the continent journeyed to the Cavern, they were met once more with Kull Ervenn’s presence. Explaining that this was merely a product of the eld’akathi’s demise, the wizened Caentoi remained calm in the face of a barrage of questions. The Prelate of the Helm stressed that the death of an eld’akathi would always result in the immediate birth of another, for the number of eld’akathi must always be eight – a fact he insisted once more was the will of the Helm Themselves. When this did not satisfy those gathered, the Helm’s representative explained what he knew of the other seven: he claimed four were chained to the world and that two were beyond his knowing, with a final seventh located somewhere ‘in ice and darkness’. He went on to explain that the eld’akathi have died before, patiently conveying to the less studious that four eld’akathi were sundered by the rigors of Dejaani and Ohlsana’s battles in another age. This event, he explained, was what birthed the Gods of the Tumult and Accord both. Kull remained faithful in the Helm’s design, though he made it clear that trouble was on the horizon for Delve and its citizens. Later into the month of Lleian, Kull’s predicted trouble began to manifest. Mysterious deaths began to plague the Free City’s populace, events that would typically be innocuous becoming fatal occurrences. Amidst the panic of exploding tea kettles and falling crates, rumors of grain spoilage spread throughout the city like wildfire. Delve’s beloved Caentoi chef Tandalay was not spared the ugly consequence of this spoilage and famine, his delicatessen disturbed by the shouting of an irate, sickened customer who insisted the discerning chef had served her rotten food. This commotion drew the attention of quite the crowd, with Lenoriel, Sheryni, Aren, Pietre, Aloli, Valeria, Ulo, and Benedicto coming to investigate the nature of the duo’s disagreement. After Valeria studiously taste tested a scallion pancake and discovered that it had been spoiled, the chef closed up shop and disposed of all of his stock, concluding that he would need to appeal to Councilor Tirriki for aid. Before his departure, samples of the spoilage were taken by Pietre, Ulo, and Aloli. In another section of the Exchange, as chef and customer engaged in heated debate, a sailor from the Docklands sought medicine for his slumbering daughter. The man moved from stall to stall, unaware that he was trailed at a distance by Lenoriel and Feirenz Ali’vani-Ourborian. Operating in true Syssin fashion, the two watched on from their hiding place as the sailor sought the aid of Zayzala, an importer of mysterious goods. Finding hope in an exotic tincture she had buried beneath the rest of her goods, the sailor did not notice Lenoriel tailing him as he took flight back to his home in the Docklands. There, in an apartment above a ramshackled fishing shop, the man attempted to administer the folk medicine to his disease-stricken daughter and found that it produced no change in her eternally slumbering state. Wracked with anguish and grief, the man sobbed loud enough to be heard all throughout the city – a fact that attracted a crowd of outlander adventurers to inspect his state. Urged on all sides to take different measures to see his daughter cured, the sailor could do naught but struggle to keep up with their constant deluge of inquiry. He insisted that he would not take his daughter to Sapience for treatment, citing the danger of lightning breathing lizards and bigoted murderers as primary reason for his unwillingness. When asked if his daughter had eaten any prepared foods from the Exchange, the sailor insisted she did not have that large an appetite, ruling out the possibility of the spoilage and her enigmatic illness being linked. Despite this, he took solace and hope from Grand Crusader Silverain’s offer of succor and assured the Herald of Enorian that he would seek the city out if his appeal to Qayyam, a councilor of Delve and representative of the Auric Guard, did not prove fruitful. For a time, peace and quiet once more reigned, though an ominous stirring to the east of the Free City soon put an end to this brief respite. The rumble intensified as legions of Shil’tok poured forth from the dark heart of Helba’s mine, their massive number joined together in the name of conquest. The murderous horde of Shil’tok raiders descended upon the village in a vicious sneak attack, their first wave a wicked vanguard mounted upon colossal arachnids. Screams of terror and the clatter of weaponry broke the silence of the surrounding Karak forest as battle was joined, the fury of the Shil’tok held at bay for only so long by Helban guards and militia, as well as the timely arrival of Sapience’s tenacious adventurers. After crushing all resistance and ousting the would-be liberators of the besieged village, the raiders rounded up the village’s populace and imprisoned them inside Helba’s biggest barn. The Shil’tok swiftly barricaded all entry into the captured town, claiming it as their spoils of war even as scouts and saboteurs saw to disrupting the dimensional wormholes across the village. Even as fourfold tragedy visits Delve, four figures meet within a council chamber deep inside the Free City… Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 10th of Lleian, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4618/events-post-352-will-of-the-helm-part-ii-woes-four **Categories:** News --- ### [Will of the Helm, Part I: Unrest in the Underbelly](https://www.aetolia.com/news/will-of-the-helm-part-i-unrest-in-the-underbelly/) **Published:** November 30, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** In the early days of Midsummer in 506MA, the Free City of Delve experienced the beginnings of great unrest. Caught in conflict with three rival gangs, the Brass Jackals were beset on all sides by territorial aggression. This chaos within the Underbelly did not go unnoticed by citizens of Sapience’s city-states, individuals from all across the continent venturing forth to investigate the violence for themselves. Each and every visitor, however, ran into the same blockade: there was not a soul willing to guide them into the darkened reaches beneath Delve. Though many were persistent in their questioning and bribery of the locals, it was Qelres Misi and Mjoll Seirath who found the first material lead. While most urchins of the Exchange were unwilling to speak even a single word, one brave boy brokered a deal to divulge a few scant details. For the low, low price of twenty-five thousand gold sovereigns, he explained to the imperial pair that there were several ways into the Underbelly, but went into greater detail about the one he often used in the Docklands. Jump off the pier at just the right angle, he claimed, and they would be washed beneath waves and taken into Delve’s insidious underworld. After myriad attempts to utilize this information, the pair concluded that they had been duped – much to the amusement of Grand Crusader Benedicto Silverain. The two promptly returned to the Exchange to visit their wrath upon the urchin and all of his friends in clear sight of Lenoriel Ali’vani-Ourborian, who had come to check on the safety of the market’s young cutpurses. As aggressions escalated, a trio comprised of Linne of the Conclave of Magic, the Titan Kurak, and the quick-witted Achlos took to the streets of Delve to conduct their own search. As Linne questioned the locals, the Hand of the Earthen Lord found itself in an altercation with the Ecclesiarchy that resulted in an exchange of shouted rhetoric, a chase all the way across the city, and the subsequent imprisonment of the Archivium’s Curator. When she was released from the custody of the guards, the three happened upon a street urchin willing to speak. With the help of Achlos’ diplomatic wiles, the pickpocket divulged the same information his compatriot had, insisting that the Docklands were the easiest way to slip into the Underbelly. Though the party made myriad attempts to access the ruined structures beneath Delve, all turned up the same results: failure. Whilst Sapient adventurers continued to search high and low for an entry point, the warfare beneath the city streets only grew more insistent and vicious. Citizens and merchants alike raised complaint each day leading up to the 22nd of Midsummer, when the violence came to a terrible, ominous head. Screams of the dying echoed throughout the city, drifting up from sewer grates and from beneath temple floors and basement tiles, terrorizing the citizens as gang warfare reached a fever pitch. As guards and officials hurried toward the source of the disturbances, four theurgists from the Old City emerged from the Underbelly and made their way to the Military Complex, their visages cowled beneath hoods of sable cloth. With the guards and citizenry distracted, the cultists gained access to the Twilight Cavern that housed the great eld’akathi, Aiillassa. As one, they cast aside their disguises and brandished strange implements with their ill intent, the caverns cut off from the outside to prevent interference with their dark agenda. With one of these devices, speculated to be of Drakkenmont origin, they kindled a vortex of fell power, the eldritch energy harnessed for the purposes of a terrible rite. Once the sinister ritual neared its zenith, the cult gave their lives as the final fuel to catalyze the wicked sorcery. A cloying web of magical malfeasance snared Aiillassa the moment the four expired, agonizing the great Eld of the Twilight with the gathered energy of fanatical design. Struggle though the primal eld’akathi did, its radiant lights guttered out one by one as the empowered artifact leached it of all life and energy, snuffing out its existence with a final, chilling cry. The deathknell of the Twilit eld’akathi was alike to countless chimes caught in a dark tempest, the terrible lament spanning all of Albedos in a sad, tormented refrain. \[\[The Grand Library would like to remind readers that, following the end of the dreikathi invasion, enterprising Sapient adventurers managed to commandeer an airship and give chase to the fleeing Dreikathi. Following their crash landing on the shores of Delve and communication issues with the locals, Aiillassa touched the minds of all Sapients and granted them knowledge of the Albedi language. It also established a portal to the Siroccians so that the wayward adventurers would not be stranded in foreign lands. The eld’akathi was responsible for maintaining that portal, plus the embassy portals, and is largely lauded as the influence that had kept Delve protected for centuries.\]\] Kull Ervenn, Prelate of the Helm, was swift to arrive upon the scene, with Lord Provost Wahelei hot on his heels. Whipped into a righteous outrage by the audacity of the cultists and their criminal benefactors, the Provost called for the heads of each and every thug that dwells within the Free City’s unsavory Underbelly even as his fellow was a calm, if despondent, counterbalance. Though he agreed with Wahelei’s doomsaying, Kull held fast to his faith in the Helm. The Prelate made mention of a newborn eld’akathi that must be found, claiming that it would reveal itself as per ancient mandate. Kull calmly conveyed to the gathered Sapient crowd and his Utari compatriot that there would always be eight eld’akathi, no more or no less, and the aged Caentoi hinted that the eld’akathi served an orderly purpose that required their constant existence. Content with this information, the Lord Provost returned to the task of ridding the Underbelly of its warring gangs once and for all. The incensed Utari called for the Ecclesiarchy to prepare to invade the tunnels and shanty towns, his tirade only interrupted by the emergence of two representatives of Delve’s three most prominent gangs – Cythris the Red and Azra the Torrid. In a rare show of gang unity, the two hauled up a battered Caentoi from a sewer grate in the Pious Ward and made haste to present the prisoner to the Prelate and Provost alike. Much like the urchins of the Exchange, the two veteran vandals offered the officials of Delve a deal: they would hand over Adesot, the Brass Jackal kingpin, in exchange for assurance that the Provost would not bring the Ecclesiarchy into the Underbelly to raid their territory. Begrudgingly, Wahelei accepted this bargain, Cythris’ pressures in particular holding his attention. The Utari stressed that he would only consent under the condition that he could see to routing the cultists that still remained within the abandoned railway tunnels under the city. In the face of pressure from outlander jeering and agitated Ecclesiarch guards, the two thugs swiftly offered their agreement and departed in the best interests of their own safety, leaving the Lord Provost with a need to revise his plans. It was then that genius struck the worried Utari. “You outsiders are always looking for work, no? We have ways into the Underbelly. Would any of you be brave enough to go toe to toe with these foul ritualists?” the Provost inquired of the gathered Sapient crowd. Eager to finally see the unsavory places of the Free City, many gathered adventurers immediately offered their assistance. In the face of crowd enthusiasm, the Provost personally escorted interested parties to an abandoned alley in the Exchange, where an entryway into the city’s abandoned places was finally made evident. As adventurers hastened to descend into the dark depths and explore, Prelate Kull meditated in the Twilight Cavern while the Provost began to make preparations for the fallout the Eld’akathi’s absence would certainly bring… Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 23rd of Midsummer, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4616/events-post-351-will-of-the-helm-part-i-unrest-in-the-underbelly **Categories:** News --- ### [The Fall of the Temple of Ati](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-fall-of-the-temple-of-ati/) **Published:** November 28, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** While the Third Son of Ohlsana stood in chains beneath Bloodloch’s banners, Runecarver Rhydderch of Duiran turned his attention to the Temple of Ati, long a plague staining the Western Itzatl. From the midst of so much horror, reasoned the Runecarver, had come an opportunity: to bring the foul temple, a blight upon the landscape, back into the embrace of nature. Over the weeks that followed, the Runecarver instructed the Council to gather immense amounts of kai energy in order to empower the Sentaari. Utilising witching rods obtained from Srahda, the Seer, Duiran came together in force for this endeavour, with Illikaal, Ixmi, and Ase acquiring the most. As the air in the Temple fizzed and hummed with so much of the energy infusing it, Visage Aisling set to work, wielding the Sentaari’s signature might to enact a grand banishment. The result was soon evident: much of the excess shadow was driven into the void, excised from both the Temple and the Prime. Restless ancestral memories were the next problem to solve, arising in great numbers. Invariably Rajamalan in origin, most bore painful memories of Ati and the horrors plaguing nearby Saluria from the distant past. So it was that the Sentinels – well trained experts in working with ancestral spirits – sought to calm these restless vestiges and grant them a peace they had been denied for so long. Ulo and Sekeres worked with determined resolve, and the state of calm was achieved. The Priest of Ati, enraged by the work being done by Duiran, attempted to mount a resistance, but Death stood in its way. Executioner Ulo, wielding the Underking’s greatsword known as Terminus and supported by members of the Council, wrenched free the profane acolyte’s soul, setting free the remaining denizens of the Temple. In Dachvrel’s wake, the Shamans were able to begin work of their own. From the compost heap of Brother Belmund, Rhydderch drew forth a prickly spore of reclamation and planted it deep within the Temple grounds. The Runecarver instructed the Praadi to sing to the spores and to water it in copious volumes of blood. Some months passed with Valorie and Sibatti among others dutifully tending to the spores which had begun spreading throughout the area and sprouting strong vines. At last, when every corner of the temple was overrun with the sprawling mass of tangled vines and budding spores, its foundations began to falter. A deep rustling arose from the heart of the Western Itzatl and the foliage pressed on, determine and resolute to bring ruin to that which had brought so much ruin of its own. Rock and stone crumbled beneath the floral embrace and finally reached a critical mass, the entire temple collapsing in on itself, reclaimed for nature. Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 11th of Midsummer, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4613/events-post-350-the-fall-of-the-temple-of-ati **Categories:** News --- ### [Fleeting Legends: Tetchta, the Adherent of Memory](https://www.aetolia.com/news/fleeting-legends-tetchta-the-adherent-of-memory/) **Published:** November 26, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** One of the first followers of Lexadhra in Her nascent revival, Tetchta Mesis can rarely be described as modest, timorous, or prone to bouts of regret or shame. The Tick – a moniker given to them by was-Varo – found themself called to the Indelible’s Temple in the Memoryscape, where a cofhenya – a vessel of memory mists – awaited. Mesis was swept into the clutches of a sudden wave of timeless mist and carried away to a place known only as the shallows of time. There, the Goddess revealed Herself before a sprawling mountain range depicting the faces of various figures of legend and renown. Moments passed as though decades with Lexadhra casting appraising glances over Tetchta, Her head canting before She finally asked if they knew what the four figures depicted on the mountainside had in common. The response was swift: “They’re all dead, people of remark, who touched history for all time.” “Worse than dead.” Lexadhra’s own response was quicker still. “Forgotten, by all but Me.” Speaking as though conducting a funereal eulogy, She declared they were once renowned, once remarkable, once relevant. With a knife in Her hands, the self-same knife used by Tetchta to sever their finger as a tribute for the Full One, Lexadhra motioned behind the first figure: a Cultist of the Pink Diamond. The Cult, according to the Indelible, was formed when, so bedazzled by Nalibhtavi’s stunning presence, a hundred commonfolk put out their eyes, so they would never again be forced to look upon anything less magnificent than She. For a moment, Lexadhra was the Replete again, a passing fancy of an illusion that shattered when She drove the knife into the statue of the cultist, shattering it completely. “Gone,” She intoned, cold as the grave. Tetchta’s typical nonchalance vanished then, stripped of pretense while the Goddess worked as She would. The second figure was the rendered form of a Glandorian Magician, known to Sapients by the cage of memory in which these once-renowned mages now dwell. With Tetchta quiescent and rabidly curious, Lexadhra lamented Glandor as once the source of Azhoan magic, a wellspring of epiphany and insanity birthed in equal measure, and whose Magicians were sought the world over for their wisdom. Murmuring an eldritch incantation, Lexadhra’s own magic caused the statue to explode. “Gone.” She declared, much like the last. As Tetchta rationalised and justified and warred internally, Lexadhra moved on to the third figure: Tyl Purnaska, of the Stolen Harvest. As Her hands wrapped around the statue’s throat, She lectured Her guest on the Lord that was a King, wealthy, affluent, and beloved by his people. With Her features taking on the visage of Varo amidst a sudden bone-chilling cold, She relayed the Lord’s devotion to Elder Death and his efforts to starve an entire populace to fuel His undying army. As the toga draping the Goddess shifted to depict scenes of ancient calamity, the statue of Lord Purnaska wasted away, much like his subjects. “Gone.” While the tension deepened and Tetchta reflected on fear of death – however out of reach it may be, Lexadhra conveyed Herself behind the statue of Vastel, Researcher of the Soul Index. Few words passed here, other than brief remarks on the Ankyrean’s ambition and scholarly nature. When the time came for the statue’s inevitable destruction, Lexadhra did not stir, instead bidding Tetchta to do the deed themselves. Perdition’s flames burst to life along their forearm and enfulged the statue, reducing it to dust. “Gone,” came Tetchta’s voice, echoed solemnly thereafter by the Indelible. The Goddess turned away then, asking Tetchta what made them different from those figures once immortalised in stone, now ash and rubble. While Lexadhra toiled at something out of sight, Tetchta’s response was heard only by the Goddess, words of defiant intent and profound reflection on the very notion of legends. Her work complete, the Indelible stepped back and the mountainside now resembled Tetchta’s own face rendered in a variety of different ways and mediums. Denouncing the idea of adoration, Lexadhra offered some words of praise for Her follower before informing them they were not yet where they must be. In a swift motion She destroyed the likenesses She had only moments before made, coaxing a promise from Tetchta to let none stand in the way of their inevitable ascension. Offered a choice between a shard of Truth and that knife of surprising import, Tetchta selected the shard and, into the rubble itself carved the words, “No cage will hold me.” With a smile, the Goddess embraced the Tick and imparted a trickle of the maddeningly vast river of Memory at Her command. As clouds of ephemeral mist arose to blanket the Memoryscape in a shroud of amaranthine, Tetchta too arose as the first Adherent of Memory. Penned by my hand on Tisday, the 2nd of Midsummer, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4611/events-post-349-fleeting-legends-tetchta-the-adherent-of-memory **Categories:** News --- ### [The Fall of the Republic](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-fall-of-the-republic/) **Published:** November 17, 2022 **Author:** The Aetolia Team **Content:** Founded in the early days of the Second Immortal Epoch, the citadel of Spinesreach commands a provenance unmatched by any city on Sapience still standing today. This storied history, while tumultuous and turbulent over the years, has always retained a singular constant: Artifice reigns eternal, and the will of Severn is absolute. In the modern era, Spinesreach cast aside their affiliation with the Ankyrean legacy in favour of an experiment in democracy, forming a Republic founded on classical ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity. While the Republic prospered, Severn remained content to allow this dalliance – a fancy, derived from the free will He Himself opposed in the ancient past – to continue. Following the Second War of Night and the grand ylem larceny orchestrated by the Spireans, war and infighting cast Spinesreach into turmoil. Promises to the Sun Drinker, Whose assent had so recently been acquired to rechristen the Lion as the Dragon of the North, were broken. The ignoble seizure, torture, and ultimate death visited upon Holbrook Hought by Duiran went unavenged. Heads were buried in the sand, extracting themselves only to plead aid from Severn and Tanixalthas. In Arios of the Year 506, after a lengthy sojourn in Her Plane of Kal Keleru, the skies split asunder with the return of Sky Dreaming, exploding back into the Prime Material amidst an incandescent storm of anger. As the First Dragon bellowed Her outrage at broken promises, the squalling tempest parted and the silhouette of Severn was thrown into sharp relief as He stood atop the tallest of the renowned Spires. Silver then veiled the firmament with the wakening of Bamathis. The Warlord patrolled the ramparts of His fortress near the Yggdrasil as He lavished praise on the Minotaur God for His efforts as Spymaster. Following this proclamation, Strife released Severn from His oaths, setting Him free to, in the Warlord’s words, “work as You will.” Vanishing back into His keep, Bamathis watched on as Severn made His first move. “Democracy has failed, as I have long known it would.” His voice came with its typically subtle susurrations. And in that moment, Spinesreach was transformed. The roar of the First Dragon echoed soon after, booming across Creation with Her accession to the position of Spirean Patron. Losing no time, Severn worked as He is wont to do, seizing for Himself the position of Ard-Dhasani and dissolving the Republic in one fell swoop. The Chair and Senate and Secretariat are no more; in their place the Regent and Viceroys rule on behalf of Spinesreach’s twin Gods as representatives of the theocracy that was established in all but name so long before living memory. Instructing His city on the new order, Severn’s command was and is simple: if you do not like it, rise up and overthrow Me. And thus begins a new age for the Dragon of the North, the citadel blessed by Pride and guided by Artifice. Tasked to rediscover their Ankyrean legacy as paradigms of science, art, culture, devotion, magic, and guile, soon, the Conclaves will be born again. Penned by my hand on Quensday, the 19th of Arios, in the year 506 MA. Discuss this post on our forums: https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/4602/events-post-348-the-fall-of-the-republic **Categories:** News --- ### [Bards Come to Aetolia!](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/bards-come-to-aetolia/) **Published:** May 16, 2022 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/bards-1024x683.jpg "bards - Aetolia the Midnight Age")After the tumultuous Revelations brought about during the epic Shattered Souls event that concluded in March, Sapience enjoyed a relative period of quiet, with no resurrected Gods or world-ending threats rising to the fore. Yet while most thought the Elders dead and gone, a cult to Nalibhtavi, the Replete, revealed themselves, bombarding adventurers with propaganda on the Full One, raising shrines in public areas, and even holding sermons that promised the return of the widely-loathed divinity. Haratos, master of Djeir’s Theater of Shadows, still mourned the massacre carried out by the Hedonist Goddess, eradicating all but one of the Undercity’s ancient Bard guild. Styling himself now as the Last Bard, the Djeirani ventured alone into the heart of Oblivion’s Portent and learned for himself the notes of Oblivion’s Song. Single-handedly wiping out the remnant cult before they could do aught but rouse a rabble, Haratos brought down the Forgotten Warrens, leaving them in ruins. In the wake of his triumph, the dramaturge vowed to recreate the ancient Djeirani tradition by taking on outsiders as his apprentices… **The Bard class is now available!** [Bard is a neutral-tether class originating from Djeir](https://www.aetolia.com/game-help/?id=1492). Its archetype is a mix of performer and assassin, with a broad diversity of combat, utility, and roleplay abilities across its three skills that are sure to have a wide appeal. The class can be learned by visiting Haratos in the Theater of Shadows at v73205 and simply typing LEARN BARD FROM HARATOS. Like Wayfarer, this comes at a one-off cost of 40 credits. The three skills of the Bard are [Weaving](https://www.aetolia.com/game-help/?id=1485), [Performance](https://www.aetolia.com/game-help/?id=1493), and [Songcalling](https://www.aetolia.com/game-help/?id=1489). The class uses SCALE armour and FALCHIONS are their weapon of choice! Bards are a little different from most classes insofar as they don’t centre wholly around any one choice of main stat. They’re a jack of all trades class that can benefit in different ways from a variety of stat and balance/equilibrium focus combinations, though they predominantly favour dexterity and intelligence. There is a lot of room to experiment! In addition to this, there is now a new “Theater of Shadows” faction, of which Haratos is in charge. This faction has a variety of quests and rewards for advancement, including a PvP weekly quest themed around the Bardic practice of Da’ath Nievva! **Categories:** Event, New Feature, News --- ### [Fragments of Time: Part Eight](https://www.aetolia.com/event/fragments-of-time-part-eight/) **Published:** December 6, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/deadforest3-1024x639.jpg "deadforest3 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Following His summit with Bamathis, the Hunter began formulating His trap to ensnare the rampaging Yvalamon. From His halls in the Temple of Thorns He set to work, brooding over the final components that lay in a place no one wanted to go. Creeping rot infests Dendara, an unending onslaught of encroaching filth that slowly devours the plane. Though so many work to keep it at bay, the advance of shadow is unrelenting, and nowhere more starkly feels this interminable degradation than the Breakage: the place where shadow seethes most strongly, where aberrations and rotspawn roam to spread their vileness. It was there that the Hunter’s final materials resided. In a quiet clearing, a humble cabin rests. Within that cabin, the Hunter counseled a Shaman known as Illidan, darkly commanding the man to say goodbye to all his loved ones and make his peace, for the journey into Breakage might not be a safe one. Unfortunately, this goodbye would not come to pass, for Illidan’s wife, Valorie Aresti, had vanished from this world. Despite his best efforts to resurrect her, she was lost, destroyed by the confluence and trapped outside of time. With a breaking heart, Illidan instead attended Haern at the Great Oak, where the Hunter explained to Duiran that they would be walking into the thick of corruption, deep into Dendara. Rhydderch, the Runecarver, would open the way inside, spoke Haern, and then the God was gone. Deep in Dendara lies a bloodied ritual slab, carved with the ancestral stories of champions past. It is to this slab the Shaman Illidan was led, and it was on this slab he swore anew oaths to the Guardians, to Dendara, and to Haern. Hushed voices of spirits whispered his name, passing it along as the trees joined in anxious onlooking. As the ancient ritual proceeded, aberrations broke through the Breakage, drawn by the essence of Life so potent and so vigorous in the air. Rage filled the Hunter as He abandoned the ritual, urgently coming to the defence of the Guardians before tragedy could befall them. While the Shaman and Hunter did their work, Rhydderch the Runecarver led Duiran to the Valley of the Ancients and began carving a path through the fog to lead them into Breakage. Filth rose to meet them the instant they crossed into Dendara, hordes of rotspawn and aberrations surging forth to feast upon the new arrivals. The Duiranites took up their arms and began to fight, felling them with the combined fury of the wilds. Meanwhile, Valorie Aresti had ascended into the heavens, so far away from the globe of Aetolia that it seemed as a mere dot to her. There, she met with one of the continent’s famed constellations: Veithadros, the hopeful. The celestial entity was merely a memory of the mortal life that had presaged it, but with consciousness enough to possess a twofold purpose in summoning her. The first of these purposes was to warn her of the peril in which her husband, Illidan, lay – and to this end, Veithadros revealed visions of his potential death, subdued and blighted against his purpose of Dendaric protection. Horrified, she listened all the more closely to him, promising anything in exchange for the power to save Illidan from his fate. The constellation gave her his legend, though it was not the simple one the Mejevsavelnel had recorded in times past. He spoke of his life as a tailor, and of his lover and eventual wife Keviti, an Ankyrean of the Conclave of Science and Nature, and the romance that had blossomed between them. She had ridden off, leaving him bereft to watch for her, knitting her a fine scarf in anticipation of her return. A return that never came. The sky so pitied his circumstance that it raised him amongst the stars, transforming him into a constellation. Only then had he seen Keviti – dead in her grave, hand-in-hand with an Ankyrean husband, with descendants to honor their graves. Finishing his tale, Veithadros urged Valorie to do what he could not: bring her love back home. In the final moments of their sidereal conversation, the constellation revealed that the confluence had been Aechros’ doing, and that the Albedi God’s goal in facilitating this meeting was to preserve the Hunter’s existence, though its reasons for doing so were unclear. So imbued with the celestial power of legend, he sent Valorie back to the Prime to rejoin her beloved in the Valley. With Haern on the back foot, caught between defending Illidan and defending the Guardians, it seemed the Shaman would die for naught, and be joined by the hale Hunter. In that moment, the stars aligned, and Valorie Aresti, now reborn as an Aetherial – one graced with the deep empathy of the stars – scoured the rot from the grove in bursts of calescent starlight. With Haern now able to complete the ancient, secret ritual, Illidan gave his life for the Wilds, and Dendara herself responded: wisps of Life from all across the plane traveled to the primordial grove to breathe life anew into the corpse of a Shaman that lie atop the deathbed and, in a moment of exultation, Illikaal rose, named Tiarna an-Kiar by the Guardians. As the filth grew in numbers and in confidence, desperation struck a solemn tone within the Breakage, the seemingly endless legions pouring forth to spread their rot. Each time the forces of Duiran repelled them from one of the glades, fresh waves appeared to lay siege to another, and on and on it went for half a day, the enveloping shadow striving desperately to destroy the few remaining healthy glades. Respite came for the briefest of moments, a lull in the gruesome conflict that rekindled fresh hope in those gathered. The Duiranites dared to breathe. But then it came. A seething aberration of monstrous, murderous proportions tore its way through the Breakage, eyes trained upon the western glade. Though they threw everything at it, the lesser rotspawn still surged in great numbers. Death presided on both sides, and as the great monstrosity broke through the barrier, it set to ravaging the western glade until naught remained but rotten foliage and dead, lifeless trees. Moving between cairns at speeds only a God could manage, Haern delivered Illikaal and Valorie to the Breakage, still fresh from their trials. There, they witnessed a truly gargantuan aberration and, with a vicious bellow, Haern led Illikaal, Valorie, and the combined might of Duiran and its allies in battle against the monster. Though many suffered, the Hunter and His cadre triumphed over the hungering rot, the beast’s keening scream echoing across the shattered skies of Dendara as it fell. Haern retrieved what He had first sought to ensnare the Tumult, and with no small measure of relief, led the contingent back to Duiran, where they would live – if only barely – to fight another day. **Categories:** Event, News --- ### [Fragments of Time: Part Seven](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/fragments-of-time-part-seven/) **Published:** December 6, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/cogs.jpg "cogs - Aetolia the Midnight Age")While Sapience celebrated the defeat of the Haekathi and took a moment to relax, Copperhead had other things on its mind. Arriving in the City of Spinesreach, the Cogger commenced what would be a weeks-long search for the ‘non functional remnant’ to which it had been earlier alerted. Spirean reactions were a mix of alarm and curiosity as the familiar clanking of metal sounded through the streets. Search parties were dispatched yet for all their efficient scouring of the city, Copperhead remained elusive. Examinations of the catacombs reminded the Spireans of an ancient construct therein, fused to the stone itself in an age long past. Questions to the irascible Vusbati revealed little, save that the construct predated him and dated back to the First Order. Vusbati explained that researchers of the Second Order had utilised it during his own time with them – to construct the orrery that lay in the catacombs. Though its head had been replaced with the guise of an Ankyrean, the construct’s composition was – is – remarkably similar to that of Copperhead itself. Confidence grew, certainty that this was what the Cogger sought. Under the advice of Sneak and spearheaded by the efforts of Legyn, the Archivists began to prepare a trap formed of geometric patterns in order to restrain the errant Cogger and interrogate it. Though they suspected its quarry, they did not know the Cogger’s reason for seeking it. While the Spireans had no malicious intent, they worried for their home and laid in wait. Some days later, what once was a neutral clang of metal and whirring of gears transformed to mechanical indignation: the trap was sprung, and Copperhead – having located that which it sought – raged against the bonds holding it. Interrogation yielded little of import from the Cogger save for maddened ravings, grief at the fate of what it termed a sacred work, and newfound hatred for the Spireans who – it assumed – had defiled it. When asked of its maker by Saidenn, Copperhead demanded freedom and the Chair – interpreting this as a request to bargain – gave assent. Legyn loosened the bonds and the Cogger broke free in a whirlwind of mechanical fury. Slaying several of those who stood present, it declared a state of war against the City of Spinesreach, felling several guards as it fled the scene of its capture and declared Legyn to be “an asset” for his hand in the liberation. For weeks then did the Cogger terrorise the Lion of the North, seeking to undermine the city’s foundations from below. It wrenched sewer grates free, murdered many more guards, woke rockworms from the earth with its rowdy workings, and came and went to and from the city without obstruction. Loudly broadcasting its plans to the world with each objective it completed, panic began to wrack Spinesreach as tremors shook the city and access to their aqueducts was denied. The citizens rallied to the defence of their home, organising guards and patrols in order to stop what seemed like a course toward destruction. But all efforts were futile. Once more Sneak came to their aid, positing a theory that the Cogger had fashioned its own means of entering and leaving the city, denying access to the sewers in order to complete its objective. She explained, having obtained the information from Delve’s Pious Wards, that Copperhead was a creation of Aechros, the Endless – the Albedi Helm-God of Time and Machines. Copperhead, it was revealed, was no mere machine, but a soul infused into a mechanical body. The broken construct in the catacombs was, it seemed, a similar construct of Aechros that the Cogger believed to have been profaned and defaced. While Sneak sought to locate it, she proposed a plan to capture it and utilise the powers of Yuef and Ef’tig to form a collective mind in order to shut down its attack. The Numerologist tracked Copperhead to the Crags, where it had bored a tunnel of its own making through the mountains and into the aqueducts. Led by Vara, an enormous group of adventurers composed of Bloodloch and Spinesreach citizens both, gathered for an assault. First navigating a series of Cogger Coms deployed as security, the group cautiously entered the aqueducts, where Copperhead had transformed the simple sewers into a theatre of chaos. The ceilings began collapsing, countless explosives awaited disposal, fissures in the rock made passage difficult, and toxic sludge poured out of broken pipes. The Cogger’s maddened ravings rose to a fevered pitch as the adventurers fell in droves, first to premature fusebomb detonations, then to horde after horde after horde of rockworms. Though it took some time, the disparate group finally began to organise, carefully bracing the ceiling and disposing of loose explosive devices before blowing apart the Cogger’s obstructions. In the midst of the chaos, Iesid Mulariad – the same man who had first alerted Copperhead to the presence of the construct – entered the sewers. Despite his valiant efforts to defend Copperhead from the assault, reclassified as an “asset” by it in the process, the Seer of Omei could not withstand the combined assaults and fell. Minutes later, with the rockworms quelled and the various obstacles cleared, the adventurers turned their attention to the water wheels and as one unit, opened all the valves. Water gushed forth to flood the aqueducts in a raging tide, overwhelming the Cogger and washing it into the catacombs, where Sneak awaited. Losing no time, the Numerologist began to form the collective mind, taking advantage of the construct’s weakened state. So it was that Ayukazi, Blodwyn, Dreww, Elene, Eoros, Feirenz, Galilei, Holbrook, Kagura, Kurak, Legyn, Lenoriel, Lim, Nebula, Nipsy, Pietre, Raevina, Renli, Rhyot, Saidenn, Sheryni, Teflin, Tekias, Toz, Whirran, and Wjoltyr relaxed their consciousness and became one in Copperhead’s cogmind while Inkh, Mazzion, Xenia, Motrec, and Reave stood guard over their empty bodies. There they faced an experience unlike any other: their thoughts disparate yet one, faced with countless choices requiring consensus derived from individual input in order to direct the whole. Painstakingly navigating through the cogmind network, they examined Copperhead’s core protocols, reviewed its key directives, and sought to reclassify its conflict directive as low priority. At first slow and scattered in their decisions, the individual minds soon began to yield to the will of the collective, becoming more dexterous in their traversal through the Cogger’s brain. Language protocols were required to translate the archives into common. Motor operations enabled the retrieval of oil in order to conduct maintenance and repair core systems. Stray thoughts bubbled up into arguments between the separate thinkers, yet the collective prevailed. Rustguards attacked the one mind and had to be fought off by expenditure of will. Disabling the security, they ventured into the classified archives to retrieve two codes before returning to the key directives cog. There, they successfully expunged Copperhead’s conflict directive before returning to the archives, greedy for knowledge. Examining each and every document, their learning revealed much about the Spokes, the individual Coggers, the Thinking Engines, and Aechros – the Maker, who Copperhead noted with the alias “Sapient sanctitude preservation engineer”. Delving into the Fleshsack Memories archive, it was further revealed that Copperhead was once a Tarpen by the name of Dapuna, the date of its voluntary consciousness transferrence unknown. After more than half a day of analysis, the collective returned to the directives module and reprioritised Copperhead’s confluence preservation order. The Cogger stirred then, woken from its stunned and disabled state. Fleeing through the main network, the minds of the collective returned to their bodies, and the Cogger regained its lucid state. Declaring Spinesreach irrelevant, it exhibited confusion as to its location before the directives reasserted themselves and it ambled away, back to Masilia and its prime objective. **Categories:** Event, New Feature, News --- ### [Stockings!](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/stockings/) **Published:** December 1, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stockings-1024x939.jpg "stockings - Aetolia the Midnight Age")December has arrived and that means it’s time for stockings! As always, they can be obtained from the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits under ‘artifact packages.’ Per my previous post (Announce #3271), stockings have been majorly overhauled from previous years in order to make them significantly more rewarding. Take a look over that post or check out the newly updated HELP STOCKINGS which has all the information as well as relevant commands and a detailed breakdown of prizes! Stockings can be hung either for yourself or for a friend and a short while later, Ironbeard will appear and fill up the stocking with prizes! Stockings only have one use and can also be hung anonymously with a delayed message, giving you time to flee before your recipient is alerted. Stockings come in four varieties: Festive, Fancy, Grand, and Extravagant, with each tier giving greater prizes than the one before it. At each level, one or more prizes will be awarded to meet or exceed the minimum value. Here’s what you may find inside: Festive, minimum value: 15 credits Credits, iron coins, crystal relic coffers\*, compendium pages\*\*, elemental globes, minipets\*\*\*, chocolates, elusion crystals, style scrolls\*\*\*\*, fireworks. Fancy, minimum value: 45 credits Credits, iron coins, various artifacts in the 50 credit range, crystal relic coffers\*, chocolate bags, customisation certificates, scroll cases\*\*, and prizes from the previous tier. Fancy stockings are guaranteed to have at least 1 relic coffer in them. Grand, minimum value: 150 credits Credits, iron coins, various artifacts in the 100-200 credit range, hunting boon tokens, crystal relic coffers\*, tattoo tokens, antiquated salvage, and prizes from the previous tiers. Grand stockings are guaranteed to have at least 2 relic coffers in them. Extravagant, minimum value: 550 credits Credits, iron coins, various artifacts in the 400-800 credit range, crystal relic coffers\*, antiquated salvage, city house deeds, and prizes from the previous tiers. Extravagant stockings are guaranteed to have at least 3 relic coffers in them. \* Making a return this year are some items from the crystal relics collection. All coffers have one piece and all pieces for these relics trade in for 30 credits. The following relics are available: crystal\_light, crystal\_pike, crystal\_tortoise, crystal\_porcupine, crystal\_illusion, crystal\_singularity, crystal\_cluster, and crystal\_deathgem. \*\* Compendium pages currently available are: Xaanhal, Illdon, Dovan, Tiyen, Basilisk Lair, Nal’jin, Feral Caves, Tcanna, Dramedo, Teshen Undercroft. \*\*\* There are several new minipets on offer and some old ones are making a return, the full list includes: a fluffy gosling, a speckled locust, a playful goat kid, a fuzzy camel calf, a goggle-bearing hound, a playful snow leopard kitten, a bhfaol pup, a small, golden-green serpent, a tiny-horned beetle, a hollow-eyed baby moskant, a miniature hermit crab, a grey-brown whippoorwill, a dimimutive yellow-spotted lizard, a skeletal puppy, and an ethereal sparrow! \*\*\*\* Styles available are: venomous, airborne, insane, drunken, straightforward, clumsy, and spooky! These have all been updated to include the four mirror classes. Credit and iron coin prizes scale with the tier of stocking, and the minimum credit value is the absolute minimum that the contents of a stocking will be worth. Each stocking can exceed this amount and will very often hold multiple prizes! All stockings will also have some gold and a chance of filler prizes such as obsidian inks, leering skullmasks, grimstim pills and so on. These don’t count towards your value anymore and are included as extras. Each stocking tier below extravagant also has a very small chance of rolling a big prize in the form of a 400-800 credit artifact! Every 150 stockings opened will trigger a global prize where one of the next 50 stockings opened will contain a bonus of 500 credits. Additionally, for every 5 stockings of each type you purchase, you’ll receive either a gold or platinum stocking of that tier! So if you purchase 5 fancy stockings, you’ll get a gold (or platinum) fancy stocking. Gold and platinum stockings are special and fill up only on Christmas and New Year’s Day, respectively! These are tracked cumulatively, so you can safely split up purchases without losing out. Opening one of these stockings acts as if you had opened two of that tier, giving you double the prizes! Stocking purchases automatically enter you into a raffle drawn on January 1st, and all stocking purchases award “a decorative gift voucher” – these can only be redeemed (LOTTERY EXCHANGE VOUCHER) by someone other than the owner, and provide 1 raffle entry to whoever you gift them to. I’ve significantly updated the prizes for this year, but in the interests of keeping this post from running even longer, please see HELP STOCKING RAFFLE or LOTTERY 36 for the specifics! Enjoy! **Categories:** New Feature, News --- ### [Cyber Monday Sale!](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/cyber-monday-sale/) **Published:** November 29, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/treasure-chest-1024x670.jpg "treasure-chest - Aetolia the Midnight Age")For the next 24 hours we are offering a special, one-off package of 100 bound credits for $14.99! This is an even better deal than standard no-brainer credits and is a one day offer only! These can only be purchased once per character, and to take advantage, visit www.aetolia.com/credits. On top of that, I’ve turned on double milestones for Monday – happy keystone hunting! **Categories:** New Feature, News --- ### [Fragments of Time: Part Six](https://www.aetolia.com/event/fragments-of-time-part-six/) **Published:** November 28, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/shipsun-1024x1024.jpg "shipsun - Aetolia the Midnight Age")With the attack on their docks imminent, Enorian began to arrange their forces along the harbour, Kalena Emerson given command of the defence. With crew and guards stationed and ready, the rest of the continent mustered at Masilia in great numbers, ready to repel any Haekathi interlopers. Bulrok of the Carnifex marched legions of horrors into the Ruins to bolster the defence while the land forces finalised their preparations, tension once more beginning to rise. Bells soon rang out in sonorous alarm throughout Enorian as the Midnight Serpent emerged near the shore through a haze of gelid fog and mist. Its cannons trained on the Beacon, the Haekathi vessel approached with deadly intent, its goal and purpose clear. Sweltering heat then descended with the appearance of Ethne, the Rekindled. Though unable to affect the Serpent directly, the Firemaiden drew immense amounts of strength unto Herself, the Grand Flame dimming with the exertion of so much might. Aglow in lambent brilliance She turned the sea itself to flames: rising waves of fire encircling the coast in a protective barrier. Its course stymied, Xaseira’s ship prowled the waters, awaiting the arrival of its foe. With a crew comprised of Jhura, Isia, Xavin, Eliadon, Orunmila, Aeryx, Velheima, Czcibor, Church, Kidos, Merek, Renault, Tinazin, Caitria, Jakarn, Rhine, and Sekeres, the Dawnbreaker took its leave from the port of Enorian under the eye of Rhulin Glintspear, ivory sails aloft as its battle stations stood armed and ready to fight. As the ship sailed out of the harbour, Kalena headed the city defence alongside Rasani, Sarran, Chassity, and Ayastia, ably supported by Whirran and Blodwyn of the Argent Legion. Battle began in a flurry of exchanged fire – the Dwarven bomb throwers of the Dawnbreaker warring with the cannons of the Midnight Serpent. Landing several hits in succession, the confidence of the Dawnbreaker grew as Xaseira was forced to commit additional resources to speed and fled the scene. Haekathi sailors began to climb aboard and attack the crew, while reavers and operatives poured into Masilia in droves, hundreds of agents cut down by the might of those gathered as they continued to hold the line. Both fronts felt the pressure of the incursion, Xaseira deadly even in flight. Emerging once more from a cloud of fog and spray, the commander brought a conch shell to her lips, eliciting a rich, resonant note that called a haunting melody to settle over the waves. The sea frothed in outrage, yielding to the emergence of countless mighty leviathans, the monstrous beasts battering the Dawnbreaker with all their strength. Caught in the grip of sucker and tentacle, the vessel heaved as it struggled to remain afloat, brought to a grinding halt by the sudden attack. Their salvation came amid a writhing typhoon of incredible proportions, a pillar of sea and spray twisting into the figure of Slyphe, the Maelstrom. Trident in hand, the Sea God held back none of Their strength as They skewered leviathan after leviathan and tore the beasts apart in an onslaught of pelagic fury. Gathering a violent storm about Themself, Slyphe brought wind to bear, propelling the Dawnbreaker out of its captivity and setting it free. While the Maelstrom continued to destroy the encroaching leviathans with no small measure of joy, the crew resumed their attack, rapidly catching up to Xaseira and launching unending waves of bombs from their throwers. Smoke gathered above the ocean as both vessels took heavy fire, but the resolve of the Enorianites was unshakable, their will girded for victory and their aim unerring. With a final calamitous explosion, a full battery of shots struck true, sundering the hull of the Midnight Serpent with a terrible groaning of broken wood and twisted metal. Frantic orders rose from the bridge of the Haekathi vessel as the ocean sought to claim its due: pouring into the shattered hull and slowly dragging it under. Though it turned to flee, the damage it had sustained was fatal; the sea frothed in delight at its prize, a tempest of foam and spray cascading into the air with the Midnight Serpent’s passage below the wine-dark deeps. Raucous cheers erupted from the Dawnbreaker as victory was secured. Even Rhulin – infamously curmudgeonly even on a good day – could not help himself from shouting in elation, though his ability to pronounce “Haekathi” remains questionable at best. The threat extinguished, the Enorianites returned to port where the land forces shared in the thrill of victory. The guards at Masilia stepped over the bodies of endless Haekathi dead and released a held breath: the confluence, too, was safe. Meanwhile in the north, Copperhead of the Third Spoke continued its search… **Categories:** Event, News --- ### [Fragments of Time: Part Five](https://www.aetolia.com/event/fragments-of-time-part-five/) **Published:** November 28, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/forestmoon.jpg "forestmoon - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Midnight Serpent continued to terrorise the shores of Sapience as time moved into Ios, and Xaseira’s mission grew more desperate with each passing day. Now docking more frequently, the Haekathi found herself facing not the ragtag band of adventurers that first boarded her ship, but trained soldiers well-versed in her battle tactics. Forced to retreat more rapidly with each confrontation, the commander issued further orders to her crew, promising a second attack on Enorian in late Ios and reaffirming the key objective of their mission: securing the aeonic confluence. Mention was made of the Cogger and its interference, references to a ‘non-functional remnant’ in Spinesreach posited as a way of distracting its gaze. News of the imminent attack spread like wildfire through the streets of Enorian before a proud Rhulin announced completion of the Dawnbreaker’s construction. Weeks of training exercises followed, and though the Enorianites struggled at first with manoeuvring the vessel, they soon found their sea legs under the efficient guidance of Church and Isia who had taken up the skill of captaincy with aplomb. ~ ~ ~ As Enorian prepared for the coming naval battle, the Warlord had but one thing on His mind: Yvalamon, the Fury, still loose and raging about Sapience. Reflecting on the prior battle with the Tumult – and indeed, with Heva before that – Bamathis knew the need for a powerful ally if the Sapient Gods were to prevail. In a snap summit at the Temple of Thorns, the Warlord met with the Hunter in His own domain, formally requesting aid for the fight ahead. Tensions rose between the two deities as Their followers amassed in observation, those of Spirit and those of Shadow each staring down the other with barely-restrained loathing. At first reluctant and savagely berating Bamathis, the Hunter’s reticence slowly waned with the continued requests of Strife, finally assenting to lend His aid under one condition: that the Manipulator be barred from the battlefield. The Warlord assured the Hunter that Severn had His own work to do, and the accord was struck. Bamathis took His leave and the two Gods began to prepare for what lay ahead. ~ ~ ~ Meanwhile in Masilia, the stirrings of the aeonic confluence had risen to greater frequency and clarity. Overseen by Copperhead, the Cogger once more indulged the questions and speculations of many adventurers, assessing the likelihood of Haekathi success as exceptionally low. Though content in its observations of the locality, it was Iesid Mulariad who first made mention of the Haekathi’s plot. Intrigued by the ‘non-functional remnant’, Copperhead made a final analysis of the confluence and took its leave – departing for Spinesreach in pursuit of a new objective. The Kalchos emissary made known its presence with the familiar clanking of metal and grinding of cogs as it traversed the aqueducts and streets of the Lion, though its citizens searched with vain futility to locate it, and its mission remains unknown. **Categories:** Event --- ### [Fragments of Time: Part Four](https://www.aetolia.com/event/fragments-of-time-part-four/) **Published:** November 28, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/EN_cogwork_Icon.jpg "EN_cogwork_Icon - Aetolia the Midnight Age")With the docks of Enorian in ruins and Sapience on high alert following the Haekathi incursion, tension gripped the continent as the world itself seemed to hold its breath, waiting in anticipation for the next inevitable calamity to strike. The wait would be a short one. Following a particualrly intense focus battle deep in the Hlugnic Labyrinth that left scores dead, the scorching presence of Yvalamon the Fury was felt once more. Sweltering heat washed over the entirety of Sapience as the Albedi Tumult attempted to sustain Itself from the conflict and violence permeating the air, growing visibly stronger as yet more hordes of enraged fire daemons poured into the tunnels. As time wound on, Yvalamon began to manifest regularly at the site of pitched battles, Xaanhal and Arbothia in particular transformed to theatres of conflagrant war. Daemons by the hundreds assaulted Sapience alongside the Ancient God’s appearances, Its calcine form infused with greater strength as it fed on the thrill of bloodshed. ~ ~ ~ Many speculated over the fate of Copperhead following its disappearance during the anomalous focus. Unseen since the battle of the Gods, the Cogger’s plans remained a mystery until mid Haernos, when its now-familiar clanking tones issued a warning at level five: critical. Moments later, a full veiling of Haekathi operatives converged upon Masilia seeking the aeonic confluence device, but they had severely underestimated their resistance. The Cogger effortlessly dispatched the invaders, executing its combat protocols with deadly efficiency and disposing of the corpses with ease. As adventurers flocked to its side, the emissary of Kalchos relayed the intelligence it had gathered: the Haekathi had moored off the coast of Scidve where its ship – known as the Midnight Serpent – lay in wait for the operatives’ return. Seeing this as a challenge and ever-content for a chance at violence, the people of Sapience took up arms and raided the vessel in small groups, facing copious Haekathi reavers and sailors who stood in defence of the ship’s captain: Xaseira. Armed with restricted technology including an array of shockwave bombs, a gauntlet of peculiar provenance, and a weapon capable of launching projectiles at deadly force, the commander fought a hard campaign and proved a formidable foe, felling countless opponents that attacked her unprepared. Yet the strength of Sapience prevailed time and again: forcing Xaseira to retreat and regroup before she re-moored elsewhere along the coast. Of the dozens that faced her on her own vessel, it was Tanthilos, Lim, Nipsy, and Whirran who most relentlessly harried the Haekathi commander, setting aside their everyday grudges in order to repel the most pressing threat. Penned missives and field orders were discovered aboard the Serpent, revealing the Haekathi’s twin objectives: to secure the aeonic confluence for the Autarch, and to cripple the naval resistance of Sapience in the process. ~ ~ ~ While Enorian worked in tandem with the Argent Legion to repair their docks, Rhulin Glintspear – still wearied by his interrupted retirement – proposed action: the building of a mighty warship to replace those sunk in the Haekathi’s first assault. The plan soon took hold and the city, galvanised by the brazen attack on their soil, was roused to immediate preparations. As construction began in earnest and donations of commodities and gold poured in – in particular from Xavin, Tinazin, Merek, Isia, and Jezreth – an excited din gripped Enorian. In the days that followed, the Vanguard and her subordinates found themselves sent on many a wild chase in search of aid: procuring a sailmaker after an inordinately difficult series of negotiations, and unearthing a barrel of pitch buried on Eftehl by one of Rhulin’s more dubious associates. As the grace of the Rekindled blessed the Beacon with a gift of a fresh-fashioned ship’s wheel, only the matter of naming their burgeoning craft remained. Dawnbreaker, it would be called. And it would be a mighty vessel indeed. **Categories:** Event, News --- ### [The Midnight Serpent](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/the-midnight-serpent/) **Published:** November 20, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/midnightserpent-1024x683.jpg "midnightserpent - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Following the reappearance of the Haekathi in Masilia, a new instance has opened up for your enjoyment: The Midnight Serpent. The entrance can currently be found on the Scidve docks, but will be changing as the event continues to unfold! This instance has a bit of a twist to it, insofar as only one group of up to five people can attempt it at any one time. This is primarily for story/RP reasons: once it’s successfully completed, the Midnight Serpent will depart into the deep ocean and be unavailable again for a while until it moors, after which it will become accessible again at a (potentially) different location. There is a fame line on offer for defeating the boss, as well as medallions of commendation. Tthe medallions from the Xaseira instance can now be redeemed in the newly opened shop just off the Scidve dock (v71508)! You will need to have the fame line for defeating Xaseira in order to buy from this shop, but all the items can also be purchased with gold if you do not have enough medals. It’s not possible to mix currencies when purchasing, but medals can be traded. There is a helpful sign in the shop explaining what the items are and do! As the event continues to progress, and her mission becomes more desperate, we have also increased Xaseira’s spawn frequency: she will now re-dock approximately two hours after being defeated. This will likely increase further as things unfold more. Enjoy! Good luck! **Categories:** Event, New Feature, News --- ### [Auctions!](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/auctions/) **Published:** November 12, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/treasure-chest-1024x670.jpg "treasure-chest - Aetolia the Midnight Age")About an hour from now at the howling, we have a total of 15 auctions going live: 8 for credits, 7 for gold. There are no iron coin auctions this time unfortunately but I’m sure they will put in an appearance in the future. My plan going forward is to hold two rounds of auctions per year and to reach more of a middle ground on the types of items available, with a mix of old favourites and some new combat utility or unique flavour items added into the mix. Some notes: – The auctions will run for 10 real days. – Any artifacts bought through auctions (including gold items) cannot be traded in or have their powers transferred. – Credit auctions do not require you to have the credits on hand to bid. – Gold auctions do require you to have the gold on hand to bid. – When auctions end, we allow a week to gather the winning bid amount. Failure to meet the bid amount after this time will result in loss of character until the cost is settled. – Bound credits CAN be used to pay for auctions. – HELP AUCTIONS and HELP AUCTIONHOUSE both have additional details. – Bids are final, and we will not reverse mistakes. If something is not clear about an item, you are welcome to ask me for more details prior to bidding. Please be absolutely sure before placing a bid. Without further ado, here are the listings that will go live when the time comes. You will also now be able to see information on the lots using AUCTION INFO once they’re up. CREDITS ——- Inking tools – Allows you to ink tattoos twice as fast. – Tattoos that have ‘charges’ will have double uses (not including starburst). – Removes the need for inks. A refreshment Goblin contract – Similar to its libation counterpart, this contract will provide you with a Goblin servant to bring you food at regular intervals. – The Goblin has a number of flavour reactions, and will also sell a variety of food that anyone can purchase, in addition to the free meal he brings you. – The Goblin may also be summoned for a cost of 1000 gold at any time using ENFORCE CONTRACT. Boots of divine celerity – On top of having the normal +1 move speed that regular boots of celerity have, this artifact also allows you to use the GRACE command even without a blessing upon you. Only works for the owner. Custom wings token – A custom set of wings (or alternative worn item) with a custom command word, and a custom portal room. – Portal room must be appropriate to Aetolia’s lore and setting. – Room exits are subject to approval and generally must be in normal locations, and cannot be in cities. – Same restrictions on use as the wings or caves artifacts. A bag of medicine – Allows the owner to pull up to three random medicines (grimstin, phoenix heart, bull’s eye) from it once per howling. A masterwork tool – The masterwork tool provides the effects of all of the trade skill boon artifact powers in one item. Power orb: tumble\_follow – While in your inventory, this will allow denizens of any type (mounts, woodland creatures, pets, entities, and so on) to follow you after using TUMBLE. An oddly-sloping shield of absorption – When wielded, gives you a 15% chance to completely negate the damage from a blunt/cutting attack. – Provides 11/11 armour stats. – The owner of this shield can select what shield type it is at the point of purchase (buckler, tower, etc). – This is once only and won’t affect its armour stats. GOLD —– Room credits bundle – The winner of this auction will receive 300 room credits. Artifact pet token – Entitles the owner to a customised pet package as outlined in HELP PETS – with a twist! – The twist is: we’ll do the writing for you! Work with the design team to have your pet concept written by us, including its reactions. – This includes add-ons 1-4, and 10 reactions. Iron coins bundle – The winner of this auction will receive 250 iron coins. Compendium page bundle – The winner of this token can exchange it for 5 compendium pages for the area of their choice. – Area must already be part of available compendium options. Antiquated salvage bundle – The winner of this auction will receive 5 pieces of antiquated artifact salvage (see HELP ANTIQUATED ARTIFACTS). Boots of the spider – A pair of boots of the spider, allowing you to dodge web tattoos! Bow of the Hunt package – The winner of this auction will receive a level 1 artifact bow of the Hunt, with the aiming power included, an artifact quiver, and a serration rune. Enjoy! **Categories:** New Feature, News --- ### [Fragments of Time: Part Three of ???](https://www.aetolia.com/event/fragments-of-time-part-three-of/) **Published:** November 9, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/pirates-ship-night-sailing-ship-wallpaper-preview.jpg "pirates-ship-night-sailing-ship-wallpaper-preview - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Under cover of darkness they sailed, driven forward by the grace of a vigorous maritime wind. The vessel banked and crested over the ways as the captain reviewed a brief missive. Orders were clear; they were to dispatch the greatest threat prior to seeking their prize. As Sapience came into view, the course was set, and they soon moored near the docks of Enorian, unseen and unnoticed all the while. With much of Sapience distracted by a prolonged ylem instability in the Aureliana Forest, opportunity arose. Seven of them disembarked and stalked the harbour in search of weak points. Concealed by crimson veil and armour black, they plied their clandestine craft with great efficiency, darting onto ships to lay explosives in their hulls and lacing the harbour with an array of rigged – and deadly – fusebombs. Filing quietly back on board their own ship, the stealthy forces prepared for departure as the first of many violent explosions shook the city with massive force. The ensuing chain reaction was monstrous – ships soon caught fire and began sinking, the screams of countless crew and personnel filled the air as they drowned, smoke billowed into the sky. It was only after hauling up their anchor that realisation dawned: one of their number had been left behind. Nevertheless, they cut a quick and dexterous path out of the dock, speeding away from the shore. The sea itself came alive to bar their egress, the ever-shifting form of Slyphe, the Maelstrom, rising monstrously from the depths in a whoosh of air and spray. Commanding it to stop in a voice bearing all the force of the oceans, the Sea God drew back Their hand, heaving globes of aqueous essence at the fleeing vessel in an attempt to destroy it. As each approached Slyphe’s target, the divine might simply dissipated into harmless mist and steam, leaving it wholly unharmed. Astonished and naming them Albedi interlopers, the Maelstrom brought forth a wave to rival the Vashnars in size, a terrible tsunami that They sent toward the ship. The waters frothed and churned as it fell upon the vessel at terrifying speed, yet as the sea returned to its calm seremity, nothing of wreckage or craft could be seen. In the aftermath, the Maelstrom converged upon Enorian, showing no strain as They spoke regret at the invaders’ successful escape. The Warlord then joined the growing crowd, His attention drawn by the Albedi incursion. Fully cognisant of Enorian’s status as the sole naval power of note on the continent, He promised the aid of His Legion and offered His considerable resources to the rebuilding of the docks. Tense collaboration ensued between the Beacon and those of Strife, overseen by Rhulin Glintspear – grudgingly called out of retirement yet again – and Nok, a Kobold tinkerer loyal to Bamathis. Investigations at the docks uncovered the occasional remnants of undetonated and inert fusebombs – close to the corpse of a veiled operative. In consultation with Braytal Haarfil – steward of Enorian’s pylon – it became clear that the figure was one of the Haekathi – the bastard half-breed offspring of the Dreikathi. Uncertain of the reasoning behind Drakkenmont’s involvement, those gathered set themselves to forming plans and commencing repairs, anxious of the Haekathi’s inevitable return. **Categories:** Event, News --- ### [Fragments of Time: Part Two of ???](https://www.aetolia.com/event/fragments-of-time-part-two-of/) **Published:** November 6, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/confluence-1024x768.jpg "confluence - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Mere moments had passed following the battle, the Ruins a littered grave of countless dead. Drawn by the din of violence and murder, a tiny spark kindled at the edges of the horizon. Soon it grew to nascent flame, filling the skies with black smog as the smell of sulphur descended upon the world. The heavens caught aflame, ignited in a beacon of inflamed rage, all burning beneath Its terrible gaze. Storms of ash and soot followed Its languid path across the firmament, accursed shrieks clamouring from within Its torrid heart. Fire rained from above, rampaging daemons converging on Masilia with blazing menace. Yvalamon, the Fury, had awoken. Radiating an oppressive, all-consuming hunger to destroy, devour, and burn, the Fury smouldered, crackling embers seething their way through the Ruins. Wreathed in a corona of shimmering silver, Bamathis stepped forth to meet His hated foe, bellowing aloud a command to His forces to turn back the daemons. Blinding light then erupted from the confluence chamber, the Unbound Lord manifesting a brilliant aegis to shield both Himself and the device from harm. Fully aware of the Fury’s intended target, Damariel urged His own children to join the fight, His expression one of intense focus. Caelestis once more came alive in the Warlord’s hands and battle began. His speed enhanced by divine might, Bamathis brought His sword to bear in a surfeit of savage blows, His merciless brutality matched only by the impossibly precise agility with which He struck the opposing Yvalamon. Explosive sparks burst from the Fury with each attempted strike, turning aside the blade as Its anger grew ever more inflamed. The clarion cry of a hunting horn sounded, cut short by a guttural shout of exertion. The Ithmias shook with the passage of Haern, the Hunter, who appeared in Masilia through a gateway of bright, verdant flame. Rhythm’s Spine yearned within His grip, His quiver slung across His back and filled to the brim with arrows. War paint smeared His snarling face as He howled, low and savage, before hefting His spear and launching it at the Fury. Unfathomable anger pealed from Yvalamon as the spear connected with Its calcified form and was devoured in a monstrous flare of white-hot fire. Undeterred, the Hunter drew Whisper, a single arrow transforming to dozens in a passing moment. The volleys streaked towards Yvalamon from all directions, converging with deadly accuracy. Impassive and languid, It lifted a single arm, melting the arrows to blackened ash before refocusing Its attention upon Bamathis, smothering Him in a blanket of scorching, unquenchable flames. Writhing free of the encroaching blaze with a grunt of exertion, the Warlord pressed His attack in a frenzy of cross cuts and rapid jabs, yet despite bringing to bear the best of His skill, the Tumult blazed riotously, fuelled by hatred, anger, loathing, and barely bore a mark of harm. Shadows boiled up from the ground with the reappearance of the Artificer, already moving with speed defying perception to join the fight, Blade of Artifice aloft in His hand. Strife and Shadow fought in tandem, Severn dissipating with each assault before reappearing elsewhere to launch another, then another, then another, unable to be caught by the searing Fury. Haern bellowed again, cacophonous thunder accompanying the drawn string of Whisper. A score of lances borne of rippling green fire hung all about the God in the air and He loosed them in a terrible swarm, lighting the sky to emerald brilliance. Living darkness crawled about the burning Yvalamon by the will of Severn, wrapping It in blackened tendrils as Haern’s projectiles struck true in a bloom of bright gemstone moss. Thinking It restrained and weakening and tasting triumph, Bamathis bore down, victory alight in His eyes. Then with a roar of wrath unparalleled It loosed Its pent-up hate, centuries of thunder magnified into a singular moment of disdain. Yvalamon shrugged off Severn’s bonds and swelled to magnitudes unseen, blistering heat threatening to devour the world as Fury sought to claim Its kill. Unfurling wings of colossal size cast Spinesreach into sudden darkness, the entire city quaking with unleashed might as a winged Goddess took flight amidst a storm of coruscating lightning. Her silver eyes blazed with draconic hunger, the firmament yielding to the passage of Tanixalthas with a thunderous sonic boom. She swept through the skies with effortless grace, wreathed in all the power of Sky Dreaming. Recalling well Her past hunger to battle It, Midwinter’s Star had come to claim Her due. Crying a challenge to the Ancient One, the Sun Drinker wheeled above Masilia, Her immense form tensing before She dove, fearless and sublime, toward Her enemy. Warlord, Hunter, and Manipulator were all turned aside with a dismissive shift of Her enormous bulk, and Tanixalthas trained Her avaricious eyes upon the flame-wreathed Fury, fully focused on Her prey. Rearing back, the air shattered with the magnitude of Her unleashed roar as She lunged, falling upon Yvalamon in a rampant frenzy of tooth and claw. Fire scorched at Her craggy form yet She pressed on, undeterred, Her tail cracking like a whip alongside bolts of azure lightning erupting from betwixt Her tremendous jaws. The ravenous flames of the Burning God flickered and waned under the arcing manifestation of Sky Dreaming’s merciless storm. With a callous squall of delight She struck true, hunger yielding to sudden terror as the flames encircling Yvalamon faltered, oppressive heat receding under the sudden wound. Quelled to mere embers, a deafening howl of anguish ravaged the atmosphere as the Fury – wounded and weakened – at last conceded, Its form diminished before It escaped, scattering upon the air. Tanixalthas loosed yet more threats of destruction before taking wing in search of further sport, the Gods converging about the confluence in the wake of Fury’s retreat. Flurried, curt conversation ensued, the Warlord restless and eager to pursue His fleeing foe. Dismissing the counsel of Damariel – offered up in an attempt to ensure the device’s continued protection – Bamathis assured all present that Yvalamon had only fled and would return – and in short order. Haern rebuffed the attempted praise from the Warlord and departed first, with Strife’s silver portal following closely behind. The Twins – one bright and radiant, the other dark and ominous – exchanged a look, eons of consternation wrapped up in a single glance. Glowering, Severn glided through the argent gateway, leaving only the Unbound God remaining beside the device. Frowning, His thought drowning in suspicion, He too finally departed, fading in a dim burst of light. Now alive with electrical currents, the aeonic confluence had begun to undulate and ripple, spilling forth disjointed scenes in no discernible rhyme or reason, haphazard moments in fragmented time. Meanwhile, in a place far from the Ruins of Masilia, a lone figure strode along a darkened pier. **Categories:** Event, News --- ### [Fragments of Time: Part One of ???](https://www.aetolia.com/event/fragments-of-time-part-one-of/) **Published:** November 5, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/battlefield.jpg "battlefield - Aetolia the Midnight Age")**SEEKING THE CONFLUENCE** A clamour was heard in early Niuran, scraping metal and clanking gears stirring the citizens of Bloodloch, then Enorian, and finally Duiran to a state of alarm as a strange figure roamed in pursuit of something known only to itself. Though the citizens’ initial search proved futile, the following week saw the appearance of a mechanical figure on the streets of Esterport, stumbling upon a sermon to the Underking while in the midst of its exploration. Masses soon gathered to hear what the construct had to say. It introduced itself as Copperhead of the Third Spoke, an emissary of Kalchos, explaining that its purpose was to locate something known as the confluence. Little of substance followed as the Cogger failed to impress its meaning upon those present while rebuffing unwanted contact and executing Teflin Vyktaire in the process. Another week passed and time itself crawled to a sluggish halt, violent storms causing rain to fly upwards in a bizarre moment of temporal fragmentation. As reality reasserted itself, Copperhead appeared once more in the Ruins of Masilia, where a metal door with of five locks barred the entrance to a newly revealed alcove. Upon communication with the doorway, the construct explained to the growing crowd that while it could pass the gate unharmed, critical danger would befall any other who tried. It set the adventurers to the task of deactivating the barrier, and the first of five challenges – each allegedly designed to be solved at a certain time – ensued. After solving a complex riddle, unravelling a numbers problem to balance weights with blood offerings, deducing the ingredients for a potion, and manipulating the rings of a peculiar wall to align with the various incorporeal forms, only the fifth remained. Copperhead, ever observant and smug, announced that this would be the easiest and – sure enough – forty nine turns of a moonlit mirror, in keeping with the recurrent theme of seven that had appeared throughout, opened the main door. Triumphant after days of gruelling riddlery and puzzle work, the adventurers flooded into the newly opened chamber where the aeonic confluence deviced hung suspended in mid air, electricity crackling around its shifting form. An oily smear daubed the skies to herald a coming focus, and no sooner had Copperhead begun inspecting the device, noting that it lacked the marring it had expected, when piping notes sounded out, and the Cogger immediately fled. Bamathis the Warlord appeared in a flash of silver, accompanied by the skulking figure of Severn, the Manipulator. Strife immediately began surveying the device and with Caelestis ablaze in His hands, attempted to cleave it in twain only for His weapon to pass right through its centre, unharmed and unaffected. The Artificer explained that it was not truly present, not yet real, but a mere shadow, waiting for its moment. With the imminent focus making its presence known, the click of metal announced the sudden arrival of Damariel, the Unbound, manifesting to confront His siblings. Scolding Bamathis with the tone of a disappointed parent, Damariel counselled caution, issuing enigmatic reminders to His Twin about something owed. A heated argument ensued between the three Gods, the approaching focus almost fully manifested. After a vexed growl from the Artificer, Strife and Truth agreed to let the mortals settle their dispute on the field of unstable ley, from which the confluence device was drawing power to anchor itself. The opposing Divine mustered Their forces for battle, troops soon marching in through opened gateways as a geyser of ylem pushed up through the ground and the fight began. Violence erupted through all of Masilia with the clashing of troops and adventurers alike. Spirit and Shadow clashed again and again and again in pitched battles, attempting to wrest control of the geyser’s surrounding points. Chaos reigned while death reaped its terrible harvest, divisions arranged throughout the Ruins awaiting orders that came in haphazard bursts as their commanders fought on with relentless energy. Few moments of respite came, reprieve found only in scattered interludes as those recently defeated regrouped at their command posts, regathering their forces to once again join the fray. Division after division poured out of the portals to reinforce the fallen, the ylem geyser looming implacably over the area all the while. Each time it seemed one side had the advantage, yet more soldiers fell to their opposing legions, the bones of unshackled soldiers and argent legionnaires forming broken heaps across the bloodsoaked streets. As their Gods watched on anxiously, the brutal exchange seemed unending in its ferocity. Magics elemental and esoteric ravaged the area. Hordes of Chaos and Astral entities rampaged. The clashing of countless blades and the roar of innumerable creatures drowned out all other sound. Victory seemed at hand as Spirit took control of three points, yet their final division patrolled without orders. Shadow then took the lead yet they too, could not cross the final bound. The butcher’s bill continued to rise, the reek of death intense and pungent. Desperation struck as the geyser began to lose strength, both Shadow and Spirit marshalling their forces for a final stand. Both pressed on without restraint, felling each other countless times as yet more troops sallied forth in search of victory. Yet it was not to be. The focus collapsed in on itself, the geyser disappeared with neither side laying claim to its energies, and the world released a held breath as the conflict ended without decisive result. **Categories:** Event, News --- ### [November in Aetolia!](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/november-in-aetolia/) **Published:** November 1, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/stock-clock-1024x683.jpg "stock-clock - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi everyone! Anniversary month has now come to a close and I hope everyone had as much fun celebrating Aetolia’s 20th as myself and the team did putting it all together! Before I get into the rest of the details, the Iron Lottery has now been drawn! The lucky winner is Tinazin, taking the prize of 1000 bound credits! We’ll be judging the Artisanal and Bardic submissions over the next couple of days and the winners will be announced as soon as we know who they are. Onwards into November. We say goodbye to the Wheel of Fates for now, and in its place we have a couple of options for you this month. Firstly, the Artifact Cart is returning to the Aetolia website. All artifacts purchased from the cart have a 30% discount applied; this stacks with Iron Elite for a total discount of 40%! In addition to the large discounts, there are a number of exclusives available only through the artifact cart, including: – Chocolates (including the rarely available types) – House deeds (with correct pricing, these come with FIVE rooms in total) – Fireworks – Upgrade tokens – Several other artifacts Secondly, by popular demand, lessons will also be on sale alongside the artifact cart for the whole month. If you’ve been thinking about picking up one of the new mirror classes, this is a great way to do it! We will also be running a series of credit and gold auctions near the middle of the month, and the plan going ahead is to have two rounds per year. Now that the system has had some time to bed in, the long-awaited arrival of Mining artifacts will also be happening in November! Lastly, to kick the month off, we have created a new colossal eld boss! This weekend we will be giving everyone a chance to fight for the opportunity to battle it before it goes into the regular gateways contention as a permanent random choice. We have a small event planned which will result in a special, event-only focus type which will eventually spawn the spirit eld for the winning side. This is your chance to get its fame line right away, instead of waiting for it to eventually appear at a major focus. Keep your eyes peeled for more details! As always, you can find credits, lessons, and the artifact cart on the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits! **Categories:** New Feature, News --- ### [Classleads October 2021 - Part 3](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/classleads-october-2021-part-3/) **Published:** October 26, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/98298b30c3e57edf6023b18680b3b51a-guild.jpg "98298b30c3e57edf6023b18680b3b51a-guild - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Per report 2947, I’ve gone through and removed all sanction benefits that cannot be tied to roleplay associated with the guild. Going forward, we want to make sure all sanction benefits are related to guild accomplishments or themes, without affecting PvP or PvE in a major way. Some benefits we have chosen to remove, while others have been added to the base class. The list is below: ————————————— Archivist: Both have been removed. Ascendril: Both have been removed. Carnifex / Warden: Both have been removed. Earthcaller / Luminary: Fervour / Devotion regeneration has been removed. Monk: Extra mindprints have been removed, half stance balance has been added to the class. Praenomen: Blood loss reduction has been removed. Revenant / Templar: Symbiosis / Redemption bonus has been removed, faster blade charge has been added to the class. Sentinel: Extra woodlore companion health has been removed, campsites now last a full RL day. Shaman: Extra Songling has been removed, one free overgrowth with no drain has been added to the class. Syssin: Phaseveil has been added to the class. Teradrim: Extra golem damage migitation has been removed, one free sand with no drain has been added to the class. Zealot: The Caeveir kata has been added to the base class. ————————————— We realise that this now leaves some guilds/classes without sanction benefits, and this is something we’ll address over time as we come up with ideas to full them in. Thanks and enjoy! **Categories:** New Feature, News --- ### [Classleads October 2021 – Part 2](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-october-2021-part-2/) **Published:** October 25, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/depositphotos_40621857-stock-photo-scales-of-justice.jpg "depositphotos_40621857-stock-photo-scales-of-justice - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Artifacts ======================= – \[2834\] It is no longer possible to obtain multiple antiquated rings. \* Those with extra have had them turned back into salvage and placed into their inventory. Bioessence ======================= – \[2460\] Nexus no longer expends bio energy while active. – \[2460\] Nexus now drains both endurance and willpower while active. Elemancy ======================= – \[2715\] Firelash water resonance now additionally increases limb damage by 2%. \* This will also increase flamewreath limb damage by 1%. Purification ======================= – \[2639\] Zenith no longer occurs faster when moving if you have more than one curable affliction. Thaumaturgy ======================= – \[2835\] Enrapture failure now only clears your resonance instead of destroying the fulcrum. \* It also now has a proper interrupt message instead of a place holder. Wayfaring ======================= – \[2798\] Identify now shows you the first step towards a located denizen. \* I’ve also fixed it to work properly and show all rooms rather then some. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Sons of Terry!](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/the-sons-of-terry/) **Published:** October 28, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/jumping-spider-111075_1920-1-1024x537.jpg "jumping-spider-111075_1920-1 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The tarantula menace has returned to Aetolia as the sons of Terry seek vengeance! Gazza, ever happy to lead an expedition to defeat spiders, is once more offering a quest to venture into Terry’s burrow and slay the fearsome Terrysons. When you undertake this quest, remember that you need to append someone’s name to the end of ENTER BURROW in order to join their dungeon. i.e. ENTER BURROW ICTINUS to join me in the burrow. We’ve made some cosmetic changes to the dungeon this year, and you will also find spiderlings roaming around inside to be squished, which have a small chance of dropping the spider legs currency. Other than that, the mechanics are the same for those who remember facing Terry directly some years ago, and for those who don’t, this will be a brand new experience! Some of you will notice a new quest reward in the form of spider’s eyes; these can be used to purchase a selection of brand new wares from Gazza, including a customised web tattoo effect, transmute beetles for your armour (see HELP TRANSMUTE), a spider silk hammock kit, and a minipet! There is also a new fame line available for defeating the tarantula menace. Terry’s sons are not infinite in number, however! After sixty have been defeated, the burrow dungeon will no longer be available. Take the opportunity while you can! **Categories:** Event, New Feature, News, Upcoming Event --- ### [Oneiromancer: Mirror Indorani Arrives!](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/oneiromancer-mirror-indorani-arrives/) **Published:** October 24, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/astral-1024x710.jpg "astral - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Having successfully conquered the Astral Realm on behalf of Omei, the Imago, the Chromatic Court now holds sway over many of the Fae Nobles inhabiting that weird, eldritch world. Through careful negotiation (some methods less diplomatic than others…), the Oneiromancer class is now available! With the skills of Oneiromancy, Hyalincuru, and Contracts, this class blends the wielding of fate, dream, and memory with the ancient art of paper folding, all while commanding an entourage of Astral entities to fulfill bargains struck with the nobles of Astral Chaos. Oneiromancer is a mirror of the Indorani class, and the skills translate in the following ways: Oneiromancy – Necromancy Hyalincuru – Tarot Contracts – Domination HELP ONEIROMANCERS and HELP ONEIROMANCER RP will surely be of interest, as well as the helps available for each of the three skills, and the learning messages. As with Earthcaller and Luminary, we’ve made a significant effort to differentiate Oneiromancer from its native class of Indorani. The theming, lore, and flavour all strike a very distinct tone and the newly built Astral Realm is a real treat! To properly align with Indorani, Oneiromancers are not associated with a guild. The class can instead be picked up directly from Beau Greva at the Flickering Moth within the Seer’s Wood at v62953. As is the case for Indorani, this incurs a cost of 40 credits and can be done via LEARN ONEIROMANCER FROM BEAU. Artifacts for Oneiromancer are also ready for your enjoyment: – a pinch of argent stardust (hunt\_oneiromancer1-3); for hunting – a strand of scarlet string (contract\_bind); mirror of dominate\_collar – a Sinistral’s Amulet (fate\_regen); mirror of essence\_regen – a chromatic sphere of the Oneiromancer (fate\_boon); mirror of essence\_boon – a pair of scintillating shears (inevitable); mirror of gravehands – an infinite paper sheaf (powersheaf); mirror of powerdeck Again, while we have worked hard to test and polish every ability, please report bugs, typos, or anything behaving strangely right away. Lastly, I have to give credit to the team for their hard work bringing this class together, and to our mortal builders for their help in creating the Astral Realm. In particular, Ra’ah (in game Raah) deserves enormous credit – Oneiromancer has been her labour of love for a long time and she is personally responsible for masterminding the vast majority of the design, ideas, and writing work that has been put into this class. Enjoy! **Categories:** Event, New Feature, News --- ### [Earthcaller: Mirror Luminary Arrives!](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/earthcaller-mirror-luminary-arrives/) **Published:** October 23, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/earthtree2-1024x1024.jpg "earthtree2 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")After passing the trials of the Earthen and helping to restore the imbalance of Earth on the Prime Material, the Earthcaller class is now available within the Teradrim Guild! With the skills of Apocalyptia, Subjugation, and Tectonics, this class expertly combines priestly invocations with raw, ruthless strength. The solemn duty of the Earthcaller makes it a perfect fit for the Teradrim, as both classes are charged with maintaining the Pillars of the Earth. Earthcaller is a mirror of the Luminary class, and the skills translate as follows: Apocalyptia – Devotion Subjugation – Spirituality Tectonics – Illumination HELP EARTHCALLER RP awaits those with an interest in learning about the background, and help files for each of the three skills exist for your perusal. The skills also have learning messages which may be of interest! While some abilities are directly shared, most should be unrecognisable. We’ve made a concerted effort to steep this class in its own lore, theme, and flavour in order to make it a compelling and distinct experience from its native profession. Any guilded Teradrim is able to CLASS SELECT EARTHCALLER if they meet the requirements for multiclass, and Earthcaller will soon be available in new character creation. For the next two weeks, guilded Teradrim will have no limit on total apprentices per season. Artifacts for Earthcaller will be available in the next few minutes for your enjoyment: – a cracked amphora (hunt\_earthcaller1-3); for hunting – a tablet of the Earthen (fervour\_boon); mirror of devotion\_boon – an Amulet of Khuzrol (fervour\_regen); mirror of devotion\_regen – a fragmented hunk of ink-spattered rock (anointrunes); mirror of shieldstamp – an anchor of the dunes (impurity\_banish); mirror of spark\_meditate – earthen\_purity (no item); mirror of spark\_boon While we have done a significant amount of testing on every ability, if there are bugs or typos, or if anything appears to be behaving strangely, please report it right away through BUG or TYPO respectively. I’d like to give a big shout out to Razmael and Keroc, as well as our amazing volunteers for their incredible help in getting this class out. The last few weeks have been utterly insane, and I hope you all enjoy! The release event for mirror Indorani is already underway and will be finishing up tomorrow or Sunday. Look out for the post! **Categories:** Event, New Feature, News --- ### [Anniversary Events Round Up!](https://www.aetolia.com/event/anniversary-events-round-up/) **Published:** October 19, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/card-1738844_1920-1024x768.jpg "card-1738844_1920 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The first slew of anniversary events has now come to a close, and rather than do a single post for each, I’ve wrapped the winners up into one to keep it tidy: Starfall: 1st place: Jhin 2nd place: Teani 3rd place: Valorie Great Hunt: As there are 20 winners for this, the full list can be found in announce news #3236. History Quiz: 1st place: Saidenn 2nd place: Elene 3rd place: Mati The Brawl: 1st place: Elene 2nd place: Taj 3rd place: Saidenn Iron Epicurean: 1st place: Qelres 2nd place: Rasani 3rd place: Sibatti The Duel: 1st place: Jezreth 2nd place: Mjoll 3rd place: Almol Kingslayer Tournament: 1st place: Caitria 2nd place: Holbrook 3rd place: Qelres Keep your eyes peeled on the EVENTS listings for more to come throughout October! There’s just under two weeks left to submit your Artisanals and Bardics, and don’t forget to exchange your iron tickets before the month is out! **Categories:** Event, News --- ### [Classleads October 2021 - Part 1](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-october-2021-part-1/) **Published:** October 20, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/chess-1024x539-1.jpg "chess-1024x539 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Battlefury / Riving ======================= – \[2655\] Arc / Umbrage now requires a two-handed weapon to use. Fury ======================= – \[2679\] Fury Expunge can now be boosted to cure stupidity. Hypnosis ======================= – \[2839\] Marks now have a third person message when they expire. Numerology ======================= – \[2438\] Recollection mana cost changed from 500, to 10% of max mana. – \[2438\] Recollection empowerment effect reworked: \* Recollection now has a base cooldown reduction of 3 seconds. \* With empowered Yuef it is increased to 5 seconds. Primality ======================= – \[2486\] Boosted Slam can now be delayed between 6 and 12 seconds. – \[2494\] Boosted Effusion now cures a random affliction and no longer provides extra healing. Sciomancy ======================= – \[2696\] Shadow debt health loss now scales with how many afflictions you have. \* This effect caps out at 5 afflictions, which is roughly how much health it currently costs. Subterfuge ======================= – \[2350\] Lightwalls now persist for a little bit after someone passes through one. Tracking ======================= – \[2543\] Spike damage and bleeding has been lowered. – \[2543\] Entrapment now only has a 30% chance to trigger on a dodge. \* This is further increased to 60% if the target has the heartflutter affliction. Woodlore ======================= – \[1826\] Daunt equilibrium recovery increased to 2.3, up from 2.1. **Categories:** News --- ### [Happy Birthday Aetolia!](https://www.aetolia.com/event/happy-birthday-aetolia/) **Published:** October 7, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/bookshiny-1024x921.jpg "bookshiny - Aetolia the Midnight Age")As of today, 7th October, Aetolia is officially twenty years old! I’m sure by now you’ve all had a chance to look over the EVENTS listing, but if not, take a look! The CELEBRATE command is now live for the rest of the month; type this to receive a one-off 20 bound credits in commemoration of the anniversary! We’ll be kicking off the formal celebrations with a Starfall right after this post! Happy birthday Aetolia! **Categories:** Event, News --- ### [Mining Updates!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/mining-updates/) **Published:** October 13, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/razkyna2.png "razkyna2 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")– Minecarts now empty their ores into storage as a stack. – I’ve gone ahead and condensed all existing ores in storage into stacks. – You can supply an optional quantity now to MINING DEPOSIT/RETRIEVE \* MINING RETRIEVE \[\] \* MINING DEPOSIT \[\] – You can now WAREHOUSE WITHDRAW anything in the warehouse, including raw resources now. \* Be careful, if you withdraw a raw resource accidentally you’ll need to ship it on a caravan again to get it back. \* i.e. make sure to use ‘ironbar’ and ‘ironore’ instead of just ‘iron’. – I’ve increased the timer on mining collapse from five Aetolian weeks to eight weeks. While it’s cool that people found a new form of gameplay in the system by just mining out all the deposits and collapsing, we’re not prepared to balance the numbers from that style of gameplay alongside the way the system was meant to be used. \* This should make it objectively worse to use Mining in the collapse/mine deposits/repeat playstyle in terms of ore output. Before, it was only very slightly worse. \* New mines will spawn with a little bit of extra ores in their vein to make up for the extra downtime. **Categories:** News --- ### [Discord Updates!](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/discord-updates/) **Published:** October 5, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/aetolia-website-ograph-1024x539.jpg "aetolia-website-ograph - Aetolia the Midnight Age")We’ve just made some major upgrades to the official Discord server with the integration of Herolt, our new bot! Members of the server can use the !help command in the #bot-commands channel to bring up a list of bot functions, but the list of new additions includes: \* Character verification (use the DISC VERIFY command in game to receive a code, and then !verify in the server to confirm it) \* Newbie channel integration; this goes both ways but requires your account to be verified in order to use it from the Discord server \* Automatic new threads for classlead submissions in the #combat channel \* Viewing honours (both short and full) \* Full EVENTS integration, allowing you to view and see details on all listings \* Full news integration including nstat and reading articles from any public section in the server \* Full HELP integration to read help files in the server \* Ability to see who is online using !who \* Ability to see the current in game date and time using !time \* Automatic posting of events, changes, and annnounce news posts into the #news channel NOTE: You will need to use the #bot-commands channel for these to function, in order to keep the other channels clean Enjoy! **Categories:** New Feature, News --- ### [Changelog: 4th October](https://www.aetolia.com/news/changelog-4th-october/) **Published:** October 4, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/hand-light-light-bulb-lighting-human-body-font-639122-pxhere.com_.jpg "hand-light-light-bulb-lighting-human-body-font-639122-pxherecom - Aetolia the Midnight Age")– Added WIPE OFF TRAP for those with the Tracking skillset. – MINING REPORT now only shows the 10 latest activity entries. The full activity log can be viewed from the office with the new MINING LOG command instead. – Fixed a bug that prevented RETURN TO HAVEN from working while in any library room. – Editing a classlead’s ‘problem’ field will now always open the editor. Please format your classleads for readability! – Added LOGINMSGS, which will re-trigger the messages you get on login. – The weekly production quest for Mining facilities has received some small tweaks after the captains became unruly and failed to appropriately handle their duties. Please report any bugs you find, but for the most part it should look no different from the outside. – In case it was missed in the long announce post, Compendium pages now trade in for 6 credits, up from 3. This is not retroactive. – Dusty bandages (the pieces from the “mummify” relic) now properly trade in for 10 credits as intended. – Compendium page teleports for the new locations that aren’t accessible by standard means (Ulangi hive, Welto, and Eftehl) should be working properly now. – There is now a maximum number of 30 iron tickets that can be earned through in game means per day. **Categories:** News --- ### [Artisanal and Bardic Contest!](https://www.aetolia.com/upcoming-event/artisanal-and-bardic-contest/) **Published:** October 1, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/bards-1024x683.jpg "bards - Aetolia the Midnight Age")As promised, the Artisanal and Bardic contest is making a return for October! It is my aim going forward to host one of these alongside major events or milestones (yes this means you can expect another one for Year 500!) so that they are semi-frequent again. Entries should be submitted via e-mail to support@aetolia.com with a clear subject line. The closing date for submissions is 1st November, so you have the whole month to put something together! Please include the name of your character when making a submission, and remember that it is limited to one entry per person! As this is Aetolia’s 20th birthday month, history is on our minds and so the theme for this round is: LEGACY. Let your imaginations go wild! HELP BARDIC and HELP ARTISANAL contain some useful information, and there will be separate prizes and placings for Artisanal entries and Bardic entries. 1st place: 500 credits, 4 points 2nd place: 350 credits, 2 points 3rd place: 200 credits, 1 point The points go towards the Artisanal and Bardic Fellowships as outlined in the respective help files. COPYRIGHT NOTICE —————- All submitted works become the sole property of Iron Realms Entertainment, with all copyright assigned to Iron Realms Entertainment. The reason for this is that we wish to be eternally free to display winning works on our website. If you still have a problem with this, consider that the only works that will win are ones that have something to do with Aetolia, and you couldn’t sell those anyway. We don’t mind you also posting the works on your website though. Good luck! **Categories:** Event, News, Upcoming Event --- ### [October in Aetolia!](https://www.aetolia.com/upcoming-event/october-in-aetolia/) **Published:** October 1, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/tome-1024x685.jpg "tome - Aetolia the Midnight Age")October has arrived and Aetolia’s 20th birthday will soon be upon us! Alongside a host of events, games, and other celebrations throughout the month, the Wheel of Fates is making a return! Logging in for at least an hour each day earns a free spin and premium skull tokens can be obtained on the Aetolia website at www.aetolia.com/credits. Each premium spin will also award a ticket in the Iron Lottery running throughout the month for a chance to win 1000 bound credits! Tickets can also be earned in game through various means. See HELP IRON LOTTERY for specifics. Those who obtain skull tokens can SPIN WHEEL OUTER SKULL up to three times to determine their prize category followed by SPIN WHEEL INNER SKULL to win prizes. I have cleaned up the wheel prize list somewhat and the options available include: Outer Wheel – Credits: Credit prizes (unbound) ranging from 30-200 Outer Wheel – Iron Coins: Iron Coins in batches of 25 or 50 Outer Wheel – Lessons: Lesson prizes ranging from 200-500 Outer Wheel – Artifact: Artifacts ranging from 50 credits in value up to 800 credits in value Outer Wheel – Item: Morphic metal Elemental Globes Customisation certificates Chocolate bags Artifact discount vouchers Artifact tattoos Compendium pages including new pages\* Outer Wheel – Relic: A selection of relic pieces, specifically pieces for: observereyes, flair\_zombie, mummify, caudum, bloodyfang, goldtranslocator, and arachnida\_shield. \* Alongside some of the usual suspects, there are now pages available for: Drakuum, Eftehl, Itzatl Morass, The Squal, The Volcano, Ulangi Hive, and Welto! NOTE: Compendium Pages now trade in for 6 credits up from 3. This applies to all pages, not just the new areas! HELP WHEEL OF FATES now has all of the up to date information! Purchases of tokens now also reward Guild and City credits! ~ ~ ~ All of the scheduled activities mentioned in Announce #3221 can now be found listed under EVENTS. Be sure to configure your timezone so that this is accurate for you! Those of you with a penchant for history may want to head over to the Grand Library where Tegoleth is offering a themed daily quest throughout October! Acquire this quest in the usual fashion and you will receive a commemorative tome along with clues to follow that lead to a specific area (these will never be in cities). Head to this area and follow Tegoleth’s instructions to complete your quest for the day! Each completion will add a new atmospheric emote to your tome, themed around a past event. There are 31 of these to collect in total, and completing the quest 20 times throughout October will reward you with the remaining 11 to complete the set. Fear not, if you complete the quest fewer than 20 times you will still have access to those entries that you did complete, and when the tome is dropped in a location, it will cycle through the available atmospherics! Lastly, pay a visit to the newly opened Harpy’s Head Tavern at v71087, where Hethia, the proprietor awaits your business! This tavern has several fun features as well as a shop filled with wares themed around Aetolian history. Be sure to read the sign! Keep an eye out for my next post where I will be opening the Artisanal and Bardics contest for October. Enjoy! **Categories:** Event, News, Upcoming Event --- ### [A Cure for Creeping Rot](https://www.aetolia.com/news/a-cure-for-creeping-rot/) **Published:** September 22, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/great-tree.jpg "great-tree - Aetolia the Midnight Age")In Dendara, a creeping rot scourges the very life of the Plane. It hungers, and devours everything in its path. Before now, the rot has only ever crept forward, with no way to stop it – and creep it did, nearly overtaking the entirety of the Prophet’s Hollow and threatening to turn it into a wasteland of Shadow and disease. This rot did not go unnoticed by Elder Oranis, of the Shamans, who swiftly alerted the Speaker, Listener, and Watcher of the Old World to the error. The Shamans swiftly entered Dendara, where they witnessed the rot firsthand. Distraught, the Shamans followed an omen – a playful lantern-wisp, which lead them to an as yet undiscovered segment of Dendara, a beautiful garden surrounding a massive Dendaric oak. There, they encountered Haern, the Hunter, who revealed that He tends the garden, and that the tree protected it from the creeping rot. The Shamans, with a little help from the Sentaari, deduced that the acorns of this great oak could potentially be used to fight back against the rot within Prophet’s Hollow. In order for the Dendaric acorns to be of use, they had to be properly prepared – and both Haern and Oranis only knew of the Seyda, Liri, who once served Lleis – she might be capable of doing such a thing. With a short search, the Shamans found Liri on Barre Arevat, and she agreed to help them. After some deliberation, Liri was able to teach the Shamans present how to germinate the Dendaric acorns, absorbing the rampant Shadow infecting Dendara and cleansing the Hollow of its rotting disease. Finally, with the help of the Sentaari, the Shamans were able to send the infected acorns into the void, where they could never harm anything again. Now, equipped with a tool to fight back, the Shamans stand prepared to fight for Dendara better than ever. **Categories:** News --- ### [Classleads Are Open!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/classleads-are-open/) **Published:** September 30, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/chess-1024x539-1.jpg "chess-1024x539 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")An early surprise classlead round is now open! Just to note, this isn’t part of the normal itinerary that we usually do, however both myself and Ictinus think it would be good to let you all voice any ideas/thoughts you may have that need addressing. As such, we will be allowing three reports per a person instead of the usual one. In addition, we are going to trial anonymous report submissions for this round too. Readers will not be able to tell who submitted a report when viewing new reports made this round. Unfortunately this also means I’ve had to remove all unsubmitted reports, just so no one can connect the dots. Please send a message to Nalus if you desperately need that information again. Archived reports will remain as they are. Lastly, please try and keep your reports related to classes and skills for this round. Other inquiries should use their relevant systems instead (such as orgreqs). — Information for classleads: Submissions will be open for TWO WEEKS in which you will to submit THREE reports in for consideration. Once this time frame is up, there will be THREE DAYS to vote before we will start posting decisions. You can still vote early as per normal, but the extra three days will be there to avoid the feeling of late reports purposefully being submitted to be snuck through near the end. For this round, you will not be able to submit classlead reports for both Luminary and Indorani, due to their upcoming mirror status. If you’re new, continue on below for more information on classleads. If you’re old, please read HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES at the very least. — What are classleads: Classleads are a two week period that allows players to submit reports about their class (or other classes) for review by the administration. Struggling to land that finishing blow as a Zealot? Then this is what you’ve been waiting for! Make sure to read through HELP CLASSLEADS to learn the commands needed to make and submit your reports, and I also highly recommend HELP CLASSLEAD GUIDELINES to help avoid common potholes when creating your submissions. If you want to keep track of submissions and results, have a look at CONFIG CLASSLEADS and consider turning it on. Details on submission: \* Newly created reports will be marked as anonymous, your name as a submitter will not be revealed to others. \* You may submit up to a total of three reports across the skillsets of the game to suggest combat balance adjustments, new features, or quality of life upgrades. Please note that this limit is based across all characters you own. \* Reports that are based on skills you do not possess will be much more heavily scrutinized, so make sure they are top-notch before submission. \* While you must provide reasonable solutions to your report’s problem, we may opt for a fourth solution instead based upon feedback. \* Once a report is submitted, -anyone- may vote upon its merit using the CLASSLEAD <#> SUPPORT/REJECT commands. If you wish to support/reject a report, please provide your reasoning and make sure to point out any shortcomings or additions you feel might be necessary. You may also simply leave a comment using CLASSLEAD <#> COMMENT , if you wish for a more neutral approach. \* Any commentary which basically boils down to ‘I agree with my bud’ or ‘This is a terrible idea’ will automatically be discarded, and will you hurt your chances at passing through reports in future rounds, perhaps even resulting in loss of ability to submit at all. If you can consistently provide level-headed thought and in depth knowledge then your opinions will be valued more highly over others, and could result in extra submissions. \* You can use REPORTS ABSTAINED and REPORTS UNCOMMENTED to find submitted reports you have not voted upon or commented. **Categories:** News --- ### [Languages in Emotes!](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/languages-in-emotes/) **Published:** September 23, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/gnome-snake-1024x576.jpg "gnome-snake - Aetolia the Midnight Age")By: Razmael, the Synthesist Hey folks, I’ve rewritten emote code from the ground up in order to make an entirely new feature possible: languages! You can now insert a language code into an emote following the format of: \[action|language|text\] Here’s a breakdown of what that means. Action: The type of action your speech is. E.g. yelling, speaking. You can give this multiple words, but it’s best to keep it simple. Language: The language you want to speak. You must know the language, of course. Text: The speech being said in the language. For those who understand the language, the ‘action’ text will have ‘, in Minotaur,’ appended to it. For those that don’t understand, it’ll have ‘something in an unknown language’ appended instead. Here’s a quick example to better showcase how it works. Input: emote strikes a pose, \[uttering|minotaur|Check out these biceps\] Output to people who speak the language: Razmael strikes a pose, uttering, in Minotaur, “Check out these biceps.” Output to people that don’t speak the language: Razmael strikes a pose, uttering something in an unknown language. A few other changes and fixes that resulted from this rewrite: – Speech in emotes now accounts for speech modifiers (e.g. drunkeness, lobanberries, and so on). – Golems can no longer see and report on phased emotes. – The next letter following a sentence-ending punctuation will now be uppercased. This includes when you start a sentence with a token like ‘blah blah. $keroc\_he’. – You can now use the ^ self token with gender tokens. e.g. ^\_him ^\_she ^\_his and it’ll correctly sub in with your current pronouns. – You can now use the @ item/mob token with gender tokens. e.g. @qeddwyn\_him and it’ll correctly sub in with the current pronouns for that NPC. – Support for a new token – $person\_himself/herself/themself – which translates to the proper ‘self’ term for the person’s gender. e.g. himself, herself, themself, itself. – Phased players can now target unphased players with an emote – though, of course, the unphased player won’t see the emote at all. For your own ease of mind, the code will report to you if someone you targetted didn’t see anything. Also, since there was a full rewrite of emote code, this is a good time to remind you all about the PREVIEW command that lets you preview how an emote appears before sending it. You use it as PREVIEW EMOTE . Just in case the old emote system had some strange things you had workarounds for that may not work in the new code, or show up differently. **Categories:** New Feature, News --- ### [October Itinerary!](https://www.aetolia.com/upcoming-event/october-itinerary/) **Published:** September 21, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/stock-clock-1024x683.jpg "stock-clock - Aetolia the Midnight Age")October is just around the corner and that means Aetolia is turning 20 years old! We have a busy month planned for you, including a slew of games, various contests, celebrations, and one or two surprises. So that you all have some notice and an idea of what to expect, the main itinerary for the month is posted below. This is not an exhaustive list, and you can expect a slew of impromptu game events like egg hunts, freeze tag, and such all through the month. All of this will also be posted on EVENTS at the start of the month. The credits will rain! Friday 1st: A themed artisanal and bardic contest will be announced. An Iron Lottery will go live with tickets available in game and as a bonus for promotional purchases. This will be drawn on November 1st. A daily quest will go live for the whole month with a very special reward for multiple completions. A special shop will open with numerous wares themed around Aetolian history and events. Monday 4th: Days of the week promotions begin! Playing Aetolia on one of these days in October will confer the following benefits: – Mondays: Denizens will respawn twice as fast after being slain. – Tuesdays: Double milestone. – Wednesdays: Double critical hits. – Thursdays: Double XP. – Fridays: Favours for everyone! Thursday 7th: This is officially Aetolia’s 20th birthday! The CELEBRATE command will go live for the rest of the month, giving you a one-off 20 bound credits! 00:01 GMT: Starfall #1. Saturday 9th: 00:01 GMT: 48 hour Great Hunt! Monday 11th: A Kingslayer tournament will open for a week, details to follow! Wednesday 13th: 23:00 GMT: A quiz on Aetolian history with credit prizes! Saturday 16th: 00:01 GMT: The Brawl. 19:00 GMT: Iron Epicurean. Sunday October 17th: 20:00 GMT: The Duel. Monday 18th: The Kingslayer tournament will close. Sunday 24th: Something spooky this way comes! Saturday 30th: 23:00 GMT: Capture the Flag! Sunday 31st: Deadline for artisanal and bardic entries. 17:00 GMT: Starfall #2. 21:00 GMT: Themed survivor! **Categories:** News, Upcoming Event --- ### [Mining Has Arrived!](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/mining-has-arrived/) **Published:** September 18, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/razkyna2.png "razkyna2 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")It is my great pleasure to announce that Mining is now available! Before I get into the specifics, I would like to give a massive shout out to Razmael for the enormous amount of work he’s put into this system, and to the many people on the team (some of whom are sadly no longer with us) that have had a big hand in bringing this project to completion. Onward! WHAT IS MINING? =============== Mining joins Farming as the second of our Agriculture skills, centred around setting up and staffing your own mining operation in order to extract metal ores from the earth. Like Farming, it is a fully realised skillset with a full slew of abilities from hiring Gnome workers, building offices, and actually mining ores to the laying of track networks for carts and the use of controlled bomb detonations. AB MINING has extensive details on how everything works, and HELP MINING exists as an overview of the system. WHERE CAN I LEARN THE SKILL AND OBTAIN EQUIPMENT? ================================================= The Mining skill can be obtained from Philbert at a cost of 10,000 gold with LEARN ABILITY OF MINING FROM PHILBERT. Enemies of Gorshire will find the cost is significantly higher. Those who supported Philbert in the recent Gorshire elections will be able to pick it up at no gold cost. Once obtained, the skill is learned like any other. Philbert will also supply a variety of basic equipment from both the Syndicate headquarters in Lodi and at the various outposts across the world. AGRICULTURE SKILLS ================== Our plan for Agriculture skills is for everyone to be able to hold two of the three that will become available when the system is complete. With that in mind: \* Agriculture skills now work on a slot based system. Everyone begins with one slot, and the second slot can be obtained for a cost of 150,000 gold. Use AGRICULTURE EXPAND CAPACITY to do this. \* If you already possess Farming and wish to convert it to Mining, you may do so for no cost using AGRICULTURE SWITCH. THIS WILL DELETE ALL OF YOUR FARMS AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RETRIEVE THEM. CHOOSE WISELY. This option will remain available until the end of September. HOW TO GET STARTED ================== Once you’ve obtained the skill and picked up your equipment, you’ll want to head to your city’s outpost. These operate on the overhead wilderness map similarly to Farming, though fair warning: the mining maps are MUCH bigger. Bloodloch | The Mhojave Desert | v53195 Duiran | The Western Ithmia | v68504 Enorian | The Shamtota Hills | v68550 Spinesreach | The Telfinne Caverns | v68946 Once there, you simply ENTER OUTPOST and you can begin searching for a desirable mine. PROSPECT per room to discern the ores available and in what approximate volumes. PROSPECT AREA to scan the whole map at once and see an at a glance view of what ore is most common on which tile. The ore presence on each tile is set until the next Howling, at which point it will be rerolled. When you’re happy with a spot, you can then MINING DELVE to enter the mine and explore it. If you decide that you wish to keep the mine you’ve just opened, return to the surface and CLAIM MINE WITH DEED. NOTE: As with Farming on its release, you can only have one Mining deed for now. As the system settles into place, we will consider opening up multiple deeds. With that, you are ready to build an office and get started. I strongly recommend reading through all of AB MINING, as the volume of information is too much to write here. DEPOSITS AND VEINS ================== You will find ores in two different states within mines: deposits, and veins. Deposits appear in the room like a normal item and can be mined with your pickaxe. Whereas veins are tiles on the map that must be mined by your Gnome workers. Refer to AB MINING PICKAXE and AB MINING VEINS for more details. GRAPHICAL MAP ============= At this time, there’s no graphical map for Mining like Farming has. A graphical map for Mining holds significantly more challenges than Farming did, and we did not want to hold up the entire system for it. We’ll still look at doing it in the future, but it will depend on whether we can overcome the difficulties posed by it. USEFUL FILES ============= – AB MINING – HELP MINING – HELP AGRICULTURE – HELP PRODUCTION – HELP DEVELOPMENT PRODUCTION As this is such a big release, we’ll be monitoring it over the coming days and making adjustments as necessary. Please report any bugs or typos you encounter, and feel free to ask if anything in the ABs or HELPs is not clear. Enjoy! **Categories:** New Feature, News --- ### [A Better Gnomorrow!](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/a-better-gnomorrow/) **Published:** September 18, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/tuzluca2-1024x539.jpg "tuzluca2 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Under pressure from the people of Gorshire following the mining calamities of 497, Mayor Gorbert has agreed to allow young Gnomes the chance at a life beyond the sheltered valley as adventurers in their own right. Gnomes are now a playable race! \* You can either create a new character with the Gnome race, or reincarnate into it. \* Endgame race players may switch their heritage to Gnome for the next two weeks if they wish! \* Pavalmort in the Gorshire University offers lessons in the Gnomish language; HELP LINGUISTICS is updated to reflect this. Whether you choose to play a Gnome loyal to Gorshire, one that is taking the newfound opportunity for freedom, or one that has dwelt outside of Lodi all their life, the newly created HELP GNOMES is the place to start! Default statpack: Intelligent Racial Skills: Level 1: Lightweight Level 25: Satiation Level 50: Willpower Regen Level 75: Improved Arcana You can use RACIAL HELP to learn more about these abilities. Enjoy! **Categories:** New Feature, News --- ### [Changelog: 14th September](https://www.aetolia.com/news/changelog-14th-september/) **Published:** September 14, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/hand-light-light-bulb-lighting-human-body-font-639122-pxhere.com_.jpg "hand-light-light-bulb-lighting-human-body-font-639122-pxherecom - Aetolia the Midnight Age")– Numerous shrines that were left behind within old, inaccessible areas have now been cleaned up. Please file a bug or an issue if you still have shrines that cannot be accessed. – Updated the error message for Lifebloom when trying to cast it on cooldown. – The timeline will now reference your character’s birthday if showing entries which happened later. – Fixed the GUILD RANKSET command not giving people class permanence if set to rank two or higher. – HELP ANTIQUATED ARTIFACTS has been separated into a helpfile for each specific type of item that Qeddwyn will offer. – For the frogs among you, you can now make use of the :F emoticon to ‘croak out’. Refer to HELP EMOTICONS. – The croak emote is now distinctly more befitting of a frog’s magnificence. – HELP BOMBCRAFTING has been updated with a note to let you know that bombs can be used by anybody, to make this fact a little less obscure. – Milestone for ‘Participate in a sect duel’ changed to reward 2 platinum keys instead of 1. – Milestone for ‘Win a sect duel’ changed to reward 2 platinum keys instead of 3. – Fixed being unable to FORGET lithograph memories if you were at maximum capacity. – CONSIDER no longer tries to calculate your level into the mix, since the information wasn’t particularly helpful. It is now just a description based on the mobile’s level. HELP CONSIDER will show the list. – The web API for characters no longer shows information that you cannot get through HONOURS. **Categories:** News --- ### [Templar & Revenant Updates](https://www.aetolia.com/news/templar-revenant-updates/) **Published:** September 10, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/rajamala.jpg "rajamala - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Much of the mirror code for Templar and Revenant has been cleaned up! As such, you can now use the old commands again minus their new prefixes (so you can IMPALE instead of BATTLEFURY IMPALE ). At some point I’ll remove the prefixes all together, but I’ll give you all plenty of time to sort that out first. Additionally I’ve managed to track down some bugs and had to make a few tweaks in the process: – Fixed inline empowering using 15 willpower instead of the intended 5. \* EMPOWER was using the correct amount. – Rend now uses the command RENDING . – Strike now uses the command STRIKEBASH . – Rive now uses the command RIVEBASH . – Fixed writhes not clearing quite right after they’re cured by an ability. – Charge/Initiate can now be dodged via dodge charging. – Fixed a few cases where messaging wasn’t respecting class. – Cleaned up a few message typos and other minor things. – Cleaned up a bit of messiness with empowered weapons and handing them off. **Categories:** News --- ### [The Blighted Island of Ulangi](https://www.aetolia.com/event/the-blighted-island-of-ulangi/) **Published:** September 5, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/flower-animal-cute-love-heart-food-863572-pxhere.com_-1-1024x539.jpg "flower-animal-cute-love-heart-food-863572-pxherecom - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Years ago, amidst a great calamity, the island of Ulangi was cleansed of all life. At least, this is what the world thought – ruined by toxic atmosphere and ravaged by the Effulgent Shout, surely nothing could survive on that blighted island. The Siroccian Geological Society has proven that theory wrong. Headed by a senior researcher, Durentesh, the S.G.S. put out a call to all the cities of Sapience, and any wealthy investors, to come and learn about a planned expedition to the destroyed island. Although initially insisting the island was completely safe, after nearly causing a continent-wide economic disaster Durentesh revealed that the S.G.S. had found evidence of survivors. Nonetheless, the expedition was funded by the grace of its investors, and shoved off from Esterport within the week. Many attuned with the Halls felt the ripples of death coming from the island, but the S.G.S. was silent on the matter – until, that is, mere weeks after shoving off, the Society put out a call for assistance. Advancing their timetable by years, they opened the island ferry to Ulangi, allowing adventurers to set foot on the ashen shores for the first time in decades. There, they found the budding research camp, named Lleis’ Renewal Point by its investors, and they also found a thriving hive of things that may have once been Horkval… **Categories:** Event, News --- ### [Recent Changelogs!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/recent-changelogs/) **Published:** September 7, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/writing-wood-vintage-antique-retro-pen-1293720-pxhere.com_-e1562250712343-1024x539.jpg "writing-wood-vintage-antique-retro-pen-1293720-pxherecom - Aetolia the Midnight Age")- Added ‘IC VERBOSE’ which lists the fullname of the item in the cache, along with aliases you can use to refer to it. You can filter this down like normal cache display, e.g. IC ACUITY VERBOSE. - There’s now a header when you READLOG that indicates which organization’s logs you are pursuing. - Added the ‘TarotCards’ ability to AB WOODCRAFT. This was an existing skill of Woodcraft that was just really obscure and hard to find in existing documentation. - Updated AB to show Class Skills instead of Guild Skills, only a very short while after this became accurate! - Finished linking the culture exhibits from the y470 cultural contest, so check them out if you get a chance! Their creators put in hard work and deserve their dues. - Removed ‘yesthisglass’ as an alias for glass. - Improved disconnect detection for Anonymous RP. - Season three of the Legendary Game Hunter quest chain has begun. Refer to Tahlv’s public post 6450! - HELP IRON ELITE has been updated to include more useful information on how to deal with stalled renewals or upgrading from one month to multi-month memberships. - More locations to wear ‘a flickering elemental brand’ have been added to better suit wear slots, including arm, shoulder and neck. - Urantotl now sells more deliciously edible seeds in Saluria. - Cooking mushrooms have had MUSHROOMS added as an alias, and as a bonus COOKINGMUSHROOM just to make it super simple. - Hairpins may now be referenced with ‘hatpin’, ‘hairstick’ and ‘hairsticks’. - ‘ondress’ has been added as a wearloc for brooches. - ‘armbands’ has been added as an alternative for ‘armband’. - ‘tool’ has been added to ‘utensil’ but Becue will be watching closely for strange usage! - Noted under HELP ORDER that you can check ESSLOG to verify if a sermon has been performed that week, as the idea had been submitted a few times. - Fixed some issues with Kingslayer. Added in KINGSLAYER DECLINE, to decline a proposed challenge before the game starts. - The Isle of Ulangi is accessible once again. Refer to public news post 6456. - Ulangi has been re-added as an exit to the translocator since it was on there originally! - Some of HELP DIVINE ORDER has been split into HELP ORDER POWERS. - HELP ORDER POWERS has been updated to reflect the cooldowns involved in Sermon. - You can now append “:w” to says to have them appear as whispers. Note that they will still be heard by everyone. - Fixed Daunt destroying reflections with no associated cost. **Categories:** News --- ### [September in Aetolia!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/september-in-aetolia/) **Published:** September 1, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/wood-texture-pattern-golden-metal-money-1024x539.jpg "wood-texture-pattern-golden-metal-money - Aetolia the Midnight Age")September is upon us and while the last two weeks have been a bit of a blur, I owe everyone a huge thanks for the support and warm welcome while I continue to get up to speed. It’s going to be a busy few months! For now we say goodbye to Elemental Coffers and as promised, the next promotion is a simple one. Since September is Iron Realms’ anniversary month, all credit purchases from the Aetolia website (barring no-brainers) will award 40% more credits. This stacks with Iron Elite Membership for a total of 50% more credits! The 40% credit sale will run until 00:01 on the 1st October and to take advantage you’ll want to visit [www.aetolia.com/credits.](http://www.aetolia.com/credits) Meanwhile as we look ahead into September and beyond, some astute doomsayers might predict a -small crisis- on the horizon… Enjoy! **Categories:** News --- ### [Combat & Class Updates](https://www.aetolia.com/news/combat-class-updates/) **Published:** August 31, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/chess-1024x539-1.jpg "chess-1024x539 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")## Afflictions - Soulburn and soulfire have been renamed to agony and accursed. - This is to better accommodate it as a general affliction for mirrors. - Fixed a bug where lightwound is blocked from random curing methods when you have deepwound. - Originally lightwounds could not be cured if you had deepwound in development, but this is currently not the case. - Fixed being able to cure crippled throat with mending while you have smashed throat. ## Firstaid - When afflicted by aeon, firstaid will now try and smoke/eat/apply even if you are afflicted by something like asthma that would ordinarily block it. - Ideally you can use this alongside priorities to stack together cure commands and break out of aeon more easily. - Fixed Firstaid not respecting heatspear when trying to cure ablaze. - Fixed Firstaid logic when trying to cure lightwound/deepwound with poultices. - You can now FIRSTAID UNELEVATE ALL to remove all elevations. - Updated FIRSTAID HELP to split up the syntax options, since it was getting pretty long on its own. - Added FA as a shorthand alias for FIRSTAID. ## Sect of Blades - The Crown of Omens now has no minimum amount of people with hostility against you in order to obtain its effects. However, like Hunting Ground items, it is now disabled within sect/arenas. ## Sciomancy - Fixed Shadowprice Leech not correctly accumulating shadow debt. - Hew equilibrium recovery time increased to 2.4 seconds, up from 2. - Repay now utilizes unmodified equilibrium when recently used. - It is no longer possible to use SHADOWPRICE while you have weariness. - Shadow debt forgiveness via timer now consumes some health when it recovers. - Ruin equilibrium recovery time increased to 2.2, up from 2. ## Terramancy - Momentum now grants a 15% accuracy bonus while active. - Barrage limb damage reduction per hit is now applied only when blows are landed. - Skullbash order of afflictions per bruise has been changed: - Level one bruising now causes whiplash. - Level two bruising now causes indifference. - Level three bruising now causes smashed throat. - Quake damage source has been changed to brute, instead of magic. **Categories:** News --- ### [Hello from Ictinus!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/hello-from-ictinus/) **Published:** August 16, 2021 **Author:** Ictinus **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/hand-guitar-tool-leg-hammer-nail-704019-pxhere.com_-2-e1530627462477.jpg "hand-guitar-tool-leg-hammer-nail-704019-pxherecom - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Hi everyone! I’m Sam, you’ll know me as Ictinus here in Aetolia. For the last four and a half years I’ve worked as Head Builder and Associate/Co Producer in Achaea. My IRE career started a long time ago in 2010 as a player in Aetolia, but in the AP role in Achaea I have had a major hand in virtually every event, every area and content release, and in all of the overall day to day management of the game. I’ve also spent a massive amount of time on the ground running my own events and storylines: believe me when I say I am enormously passionate about roleplaying and I am here to roll up my sleeves and work. With all that said, Aetolia is not Achaea, nor do I want it to be. The unique identity of Aetolia is something I want to build upon and nurture while I am at the helm. Some of my key ways of achieving this will include: 1\. Minimising the development time spent on promotions and monetisation, instead prioritising making the game as fun and engaging as it can be. Yes, this means more events and more stories. Aetolia’s lore and history will be a steep learning curve for me to catch up on, but this return to focus will be something we all work on as a team. 2\. Healing the rift between you, the players, and the staff, particularly when it comes to efficient handling of requests, problems, issues, and so on. If you reach out to me, I will answer you. 3\. Maintaining an open and ongoing flow of communication. I will do my level best to set realistic expectations and deadlines for projects that you know are in the works, and be honest with you when something gets in the way. 4\. Shouldering responsibilities that free up our coders and volunteers to do what they are best at. I know there are several stalled projects in the pipeline at present. We will be looking over these week one and coming up with a plan to eliminate the roadblocks. I want our coders to be able to do passion projects and make shiny new things. I want our Gods to feel empowered with the agency and autonomy to tell compelling stories and create intense experiences and conflicts. While I continue to situate myself and get up to speed over the next week or so, I will be scheduling two Town Hall meetings. My aim is for everyone to be able to attend at least one of these without being negatively affected by your timezone. I’ll announce the dates and times for these as soon as they’re decided. Everyone will be welcome. These will be an opportunity for you to get to know me and for me to get to know you, as the FIRST step in an ongoing dialogue. There will certainly be questions I cannot answer yet, but I want to hear your concerns and your ideas so that we can move forward with a distinctly Aetolian vision. Ultimately, the producer and the Pools as a whole exist for you: to make your experience the absolute best it can be so that you are excited about logging in and immersing yourselves in the world. None of us would exist without you and I am incredibly excited to dive straight in and get my hands dirty. I have great memories of Aetolia from my player days and I hope to be making a great deal more as we look ahead! Let’s get to work! **Categories:** News --- ### [What's Aetolia doing, Episode 2](https://www.aetolia.com/uncategorized/whats-aetolia-doing-episode-2/) **Published:** May 8, 2021 **Author:** ironrealms **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/tuzluca2-1024x539.jpg "tuzluca2 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")**Mining** has had its scope reduced! We’ll worry about things like random encounters AFTER we’ve gotten players their new commodity system. Expect more updates on this, but its scope should be of a size now that it’s mostly filling in some blanks. Our next class of Celani will ‘enjoy’ this job! We’ve selected the next **two mirror classes** based on polls and ideas, and weirdly the two matched very well! Messages are being written this month, alongside the events themselves. Lessons were learned from the last set, so Builders can expect some jobs to come out when we hit the inevitable block, thusly avoiding it! June will be coding all that in using our new techniques. If you have not seen the other mirror classes yet, [click here to read about the Revenant and Warden Classes](https://www.aetolia.com/2021/04/10/revenant-and-warden-two-new-classes-released/). As to a **world event**, stirrings have been going on for a while. If you haven’t met anyone interesting, keep your eyes and ears open, this one’s a slow build with a lot of hinting. For those keeping score at home: - **Mining** – Descoping held, filling in design blanks for release - **Mirror #3** – Class chosen, guild assigned, writing of events/skill messages begun. - **Mirror #4** – Class chosen, guild assigned, conceptualizing skills (This one had a big change when we realized the initial idea could be much better, and we took a step back) - **New Celani** – Final choices in the next week or so, right up until the deadline. - **Event** – Ball rolling. - **Side Projects** – There are a few, but they’re largely being held in place for things we’ve announced. Some surprises might happen, but we’re keeping open about what’s being worked on. **Categories:** Uncategorized --- ### [Revenant and Warden, two new classes released!](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/revenant-and-warden-two-new-classes-released/) **Published:** April 10, 2021 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** In Khepary of the year 494 MA, two supernatural events of rediscovery took place in two different parts of Sapience. **Content:** In Khepary of the year 494 MA, two supernatural events of rediscovery took place in two different parts of Sapience. The first rediscovery occurred in the the northern continent, when a wraithlike revenant called Meyondu approached the city of Spinesreach. It became quickly apparent that the revenant came from a different epoch, as the handbook they carried had directed them to approach the Ard-Dhasani and the Conclaves – not the Republic which now existed. Though Meyondu spoke of a threat to the continent, the revenant’s purposes were unclear. When the gathered Spireans inquired further, they were met with the same uniform response: “Classified.” As the city debated how to answer Meyondu, Lord Severn appeared amongst the crowd with inquiries of His own. The revenant interrupted Him, however, stating that the handbook that they and their compatriots carried had been written by the God, and that they carried a message written by and addressed to Himself. Visibly perturbed, the Manipulator asked the revenant to show Him the words, of which there were only two: “NEVER REMEMBER.” The God of Artifice required no more than this, for He recognized His own handwriting. Ordering Meyondu to recruit whoever they needed, He turned away and departed in haste. Mortal eyes have not glimpsed His bovine visage since. Encouraged by Lord Severn’s permission, an expedition – whose number included Kanivara Sor’Tirivan, Nisavi of Kemau, and Odette Blacktalon – followed Meyondu’s directions to the outskirts of the Tarea Mountains, where a long-overlooked cave descended into the rock. Within lay a ruined bunker, as well as another revenant named Ozimudu, Meyondu’s sole remaining compatriot. Ozimudu and Meyondu explained that the bunker belonged to the long-forgotten order of the Revenants, who had been commanded long ago by the God of Artifice to maintain vigil over a break in reality – a portal to Czjetija, the plane of Shadow, within which had been bound an unknowable entity of thought and memory. As awareness of the entity’s existence grew, it was able to reach further out of its confinement, seeking to spread knowledge of itself across the entire world. As more adventurers poured into the ancient bunker, they found a prison deep beneath the upper levels – a wall, at the end of a long set of stairs, which had prevented the portal to Czjetija from opening further. The more the wall was examined, the more the entity behind it was able to pry into the Prime Material Plane, stealing away mortals and replacing them with violent memories of their former selves. Though the adventurers quelled these memories with ease, they could not determine how to close the wall, and fell back – except for Seurimas, who stubbornly continued his investigation and became the wall’s captive multiple times. Finally, the two Sciomancers who had journeyed with the company – Nisavi and Odette – attempted to use their power over shadow to stabilize and seal the prison. Though this had been impossible in the time of Meyondu and Ozimudu, times had changed, and the Sciomancers demonstrated their prowess by at last sealing away the wall and entity, preserving Sapience from the threat of thought. Impressed by what they had seen, Meyondu chose to accompany them back to Spinesreach, swearing themself to the Sciomancers. As the ancient Revenant settled in and got to know the city and their fellow citizens, memories began to return to it – mere inklings, at first, but then the full of its training, received from none other than Lord Severn Himself. Combining these old teachings with the Sciomancer arts, Meyondu was able to pass on the Revenant ways to a new epoch, combining the ancient tongue of Kalsu, shadow magic, and martial might into a single, devastating discipline to revolutionize warfare throughout Bloodloch and Spinesreach. — The second rediscovery took place further south, within the wild Ithmia, when an ancestral warrior spirit answered the prayers of Iesid Mulariad, who had stood in contemplation over Huwald Seluno’s grave. The spirit had come for Cenuth, the grave’s satyr caretaker, and revealed that he was near to death – and that he was the last of an ancient order known as the Wardens. Iesid was joined by the Prideleader, Rhine Aquila Taziyah Mulariad, as well as the Ranger Sekeres Dark-wing, just as Cenuth’s final moments came. When Cenuth asked the ancestral spirit if his penance had been served, he was told that it had – and that he could rest among his forebears in the “crypt of the ravens.” This crypt turned out to lie beneath the Sentinel guildhall, and as Cenuth was laid to rest among its bones, the ancestral warrior spirit revealed that the guild were the sole surviving descendants of three ancient clans of the Ithmia – the wise White Bears of the western wood, the warlike Red Serpents of the northern wood, and the crafty Black Ravens of the eastern wood. The Sentinels had descended from the latter clan, preserving their arts of trapping and scouting into the modern day. As debate raged within Duiran concerning the controversial actions of their then-Voice, Stine Emerson, the ancestral spirit determined that the ways of the Wardens should not pass out of the world, but instead be inherited by the Sentinels during the course of three ancestral trials. The warrior spirit put the first of these trials to the Sentinels, telling them part of the legend of Segiae Clinemh, the first Warden who united the three clans of old. The three clans had been at odds with one another, each holding to the Hunter’s ways, but disagreeing on how best to practice them. These divisions had embittered them and driven them to conflict, which had endured for several generations. The Hunter had permitted their conflict in accord with His way, but became troubled when an army of darkness encroached upon the forest’s borders – and so He sent Segiae Clinemh, the greatest of His hunter-priests, to intervene and save the three clans from themselves. Alas, for Segiae’s ancient efforts had proved fruitless; though she tried to convince the elders of the clans, none would hear her nor act with the necessary haste, and none considered the other clans their kin. Divided by mutual enmity, she was left at an impasse. The ancestral spirit paused in telling its tale, inquiring of the ancient Sentinels: what should Segiae have done? They hesitated, for the spirit had told them there was a correct answer, and they did not wish to disappoint the ancestors. At last, Sekeres Dark-wing spoke, suggesting that Segiae Clinemh ought to have appealed to the clans by flattery, and beckoned each one to meet the true enemy – and by this token, realize that they must stand against this common foe. Although, the spirit answered, flattery would have failed to work, the answer was nevertheless half-right: the clans required a common foe. The ancestral spirit could not recall any more of the story past it, and so it faded, but not before guiding the Sentinels into the northern Ithmia, where another burial mound stood. An ancient Troll spirit of the Red Serpent clan appeared to them upon their arrival, and promised to continue the tale of Segiae Clinemh if they – and indeed, any who wished to fight alongside the Sentinels – could best it in combat. Many warriors from Duiran and Enorian gathered to meet the challenge, and the battle was on. The Troll spirit proved mighty, slaying several during the course of the fight, and at multiple points burst apart into snakes. Eventually, however, the Sentinels and their allies emerged victorious, and the spirit congratulated them upon their well-earned victory. Descending into the crypt of the Red Serpents, the Troll told them the second part of Segiae Clinemh’s tale: that she had killed the elders of the three clans, and cast their heads into the river which struck through the Ithmia’s center. The people of the Ithmia were enraged, and sought to hunt her down – and so she led them to meet the army of the enemy. The ensuing battle forced the three clans into temporary unity, and raged all throughout the day before both sides finally retreated. Although some had overcome their anger by this time, most remained suspicious, and would not aid the people of the other clans – nor Segiae, when she approached them and urged them to take the fight to the enemy. Once again realizing that the clans would doom themselves through inaction, Segiae marched out to meet the dread army, shooting one of their number through the head so that all could see her. Provoking their rage as she had provoked the clans, she led them on a chase across the forest’s border, charging deep into the Ithmia. The Troll, having concluded its part of the tale, faded away to rejoin the bones of its forebears, directing the Sentinels and their allies to seek out the crypt of the White Bears. Upon the company’s arrival in the west Ithmia, a third ancestral spirit arose with a bearish roar, and invited them into the crypt. Deep within, before a mural of its brethren, it posed the third trial to them, asking a question much as the first spirit had. Segiae Clinemh had led the enemy on a wild chase through the Ithmia, and their frustration grew such that they set the wood on fire to flush her out. Only then did the three clans see the full extent of the threat their enemies posed, and at last united to war against them in earnest. Another battle took place, raging all through the night, and the river Zaphar ran red with the blood of the fallen. When Segiae Clinemh was found, she was dead in a clearing of her own making, surrounded by slaughtered foes. She had accounted for a substantial portion of the enemy herself, killing several dozen before finally succumbing to her wounds. The three clans had intended to hold her to account for her slaughter of their elders, but were now unable to. The ancestral spirit paused in its telling here, and put the third and final trial to the Sentinels – to select one from among their number and spill their blood. Once more, the Sentinels were preoccupied in heated debate, for the spirit of the Bear had told them that there was a correct answer. None of them could guess which of them was correct, and so – after long deliberation – they insisted upon a united front, and told the spirit that if one must be sacrificed, then all of them would be. The spirit, visibly perturbed, asked them what would happen if none returned from the Underhalls, only to receive a collective answer: “We trust in the Cycle.” The first sacrifice chosen was the guild’s Speaker, Valorie Aresti, whom Iesid cut down with his dhurive. No sooner had she fallen, her blood anointing the floor of the crypt, than the spirit of a Bear brought a halt to the ritual, informing the Sentinels that they had chosen wrongly. Confused, they asked the Spirit why, and were met with the last small part of Segiae Clinemh’s tale- Once the clans had disposed of their enemies and determined that Segiae had fallen in combat, they began to argue once more, determined to exploit the conflict to prove themselves the superior of the other two clans once and for all… but then Lord Haern, the Hunter appeared amongst them, reprimanding them for their arguments and conflict. Only then, in the face of Segiae Clinemh’s death, the forest’s devastation, and their God’s rebuke, did the three clans set aside their differences to form the Wardens, interring Segiae’s bones within the crypt of the White Bears as the first of innumerable ancestors. The ancestral spirit cautioned the Sentinels in accord with the tale’s lesson – that one should not be so hasty to die by one’s ways, for the point was to live by them instead. Reassuring them that the trials were not to be won or lost, only learned from, the spirit faded, leaving only the collective ancestral knowledge that was the Sentinels’ inheritance – the ways of the Wardens, which have since spread through Duiran and Enorian and encouraged newfound reverence for the forestals of old. **Categories:** Event, New Feature, News --- ### [Where are Mirrors and Mining? What's De-scoping?](https://www.aetolia.com/devblog/where-are-mirrors-and-mining-whats-de-scoping/) **Published:** March 11, 2021 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** Let's talk these two projects and figure out why they're taking so long! **Content:** Let’s talk these two projects and figure out why they’re taking so long! Mining – A big part of mining is the water/gas system making sense. There needs to be a sense of danger other than just things that live below, so we thought to put in gasses and flooding. That’s fine, but like Dwarf Fortress, we’ve learned there’s a LOT more to this than expected. Honestly, it’s just crept up. From adding torches, to what happens if you throw one into open gas, to how to fix the flooding. Also, with the response to hiring helpers, some necessary work for them has snuck in. Like stamina, endurance, and what happens when they all flood and die. - Ready - Map maker - Encounters - Lighting - Veins and Mining - Hiring Miners - Added backend support to mobs and pathfinding to support movement and tracking on 2d overhead maps vs normal rooms - Planned/Halfdone - Gasses/liquids (halfway, a solid two weeks) - alloys/ores (shouldn’t be hard, just not sure of how far-reaching) - Random Encounters (A good month of coding and building) - Optimization (The Howling is LOOOONG when mines are open. Could take a few days of coding after everything else) - Provisioning Tie-Ins (idea’d, but not made, could take a few weeks) This joy is called ‘feature creep’, or in my old job, ‘scope growth’, though not quite the same thing. What we’re doing now is stepping away from getting it to a complete state, which has become a rabbit hole, and instead focusing on it from a design perspective. We’ll be sharing that with you as soon as the first two Mirrors are released, but basically, we’re stopping to say things like “Is it worth the delay to make sure miners choke to death on gas.” This should help us prune away what’s making the project endless and get it ready to release. De-scoping. We’ll look at the goal of the project, what ideas are met and what aren’t, and how much is in excess of that. For example, we could do Random Encounters AFTER release, freeing us up a month! But without having sat down, we might have started coding it early anyway and wasted time. On a neat note, if we released this right now, it would be the largest code project Aetolia has ever done. Mirrors – Our worst fears were true, and increasing the size of the defense/afflictions database is indeed a Bad Thing. So we’re going back over things and adding new fields, source and mirror. So when you use an ability from classA, it gives the messaging for that class and tracks who gave it, so that someone using mirrorA can’t build off your affliction/give you the same state twice. It also prevents us from having two defenses that do the same thing, yet take up two slots in the database, slowing down searching. By having Razmael stop Mining until the de-scoping meeting is done, he’s free to help me do things like the above. With that database fix, we’re essentially done on the backend and can input the finished messages, then start events. That’s all doable by the end of the month. Wardens are his baby anyway, so there were a few things that needed his direct attention, and he was too busy! Ready – - Most Backend Code - Messages for Revenant and Warden - Event Outlines, Boss for Revenant - Event Outlines for Warden - AB files Needed – - DB Upgrade (few days) - Message cleanup for Warden (they usually need 2-3 iterations, so, give a weekish, concurrent with other tasks) - Last messages input (few days, two coders) - Event script (few days, like 5 people writing now! Sometimes we abandon them altogether, if the event is right) - Boss for Wardens (A day. And Boss sometimes just means puzzle, or event) -T PS I’ll be doing this again in a week or so, to let you know how it’s going. **Categories:** DevBlog, News --- ### [Incoming Idea Interest, Insider Impact Indelibly Incredible](https://www.aetolia.com/upcoming-event/incoming-idea-interest-insider-impact-indelibly-incredible/) **Published:** February 28, 2021 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** In a new take on Idea Day, we're announcing that starting Friday, we'll be implementing ideas that strike our fancy. That gives you time to attack the list and let your opinion be heard! **Content:** In a new take on Idea Day, we’re announcing that starting Friday, we’ll be implementing ideas that strike our fancy. That gives you time to attack the list and let your opinion be heard! Log in and check IDEAS for things that take your fancy, or submit one with IDEA . Then make sure to IDEASUPPORT or IDEAOPPOSE and give your opinion on the others. We use the votes to filter the list for impactful things, but we also randomly hit ideas just because. It’s your chance to improve quality of life, or add interesting things to the world around you! **Categories:** Upcoming Event --- ### [2020 Year in Review](https://www.aetolia.com/news/2020-year-in-review/) **Published:** January 4, 2021 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/covid-2020-1024x539.jpg "covid-2020 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")2020 was a complicated year! With some of the real-world events, let’s just say it felt like three or four years. With the crazy year in mind, I was surprised when I looked back over the year’s accomplishments. Many things felt like they were AGES ago. As usual, many plans were derailed and many new, exciting projects were born. This year looks nothing like the plans I had made and that may have been a good thing! With the lockdown in mind, we made the general focus of the year on activities and quality of life. The addition of Credit Milestones drastically changed the dynamic in the game. Milestones sped up content and provided more tangible results for the effort. The Duel received an upgrade that makes it easier and nicer to hold, promotional odds were made more visible, and the Farming system received a better map system. We also added our single most requested player idea, Polygamy. Aetolia Classic was far more of a hit than expected, leading to the return of some older players. Classic gave us a nice look back on how things have changed and what might be resurrected. We also had to change up the customize and housing systems to account for all the new purchases via credit milestones! But my -favorite- part of the year was working with RIP Medical Debt, where our amazing players gave so much that we were able to donate $15,000. Our players are amazingly generous, making May the most valuable month in Aetolian history. In the end, IRE as a whole was able to eliminate 2.2 million dollars of medical debt. Second only to the RIP Medical Debt fundraiser, Ylemnics was my favorite new addition to the game world. Aetolia now has a completely player-facing visual coding language. The system has enabled all sorts of activity. Ylemnics let players help up discover a strange connection between random number generation and Roulette that left us all scrambling. The system was entirely volunteer made and has been incredibly impressive. 2020 was slim on major storyline events, save for the return of Varach Scolrys. We decided, early in the year, to steer away from major plots. Instead, we would shift to small, freeform events, sometimes just telling a tiny story, sometimes letting it grow organically into something larger. The goal was avoiding adding more stress to player and admin lives while continuing to keep Aetolia growing. The response overall has been terrific, from Bloodloch keeping their holdings in line to epic wars between an invading cat and a chicken in fullplate (it’s not as silly as it sounds, promise). If you compare this year’s accomplishments to the 2019 plans post, you’ll notice a lot of things didn’t make the final cut. We had to reevaluate our goals several times this year, for multiple reasons. One major goal that is still missing is Mining, having hit some technical issues, and taking much longer than initially anticipated. Mining is still due to be released soon and we hope to have it out this month. Two Mirror Classes are on the way, are nearly complete, and coming your way soon. Holidays need their upgrade, Major Foci need that new bossfight, and there’s a talent nearly finished! Lastly, our story really wants to get moving, so we need to toss these self-imposed shackles and move forward with some major plots. Despite not hitting some of these major goals before the end of the year, 2020 has been Aetolia’s best year. Playtime is at an all-time high and we’ve received more goodwill and outpouring of kindness than any year I’ve been here. 2020 has been trying in many other ways and I appreciate your understanding and ability to maintain kindness while the world went mad. With that in mind, we are looking forward to an exciting, adventurous year on Aetolia as we stride into 2021. **Categories:** News --- ### [Mirror Class Spoilers](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/mirror-class-spoilers/) **Published:** December 30, 2020 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** We're getting near to releasing our first two mirror classes! So, here's some information to keep enthusiasm going: **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/mountain-architecture-window-glass-skyscraper-ceiling-31377-pxhere.com_.jpg "mountain-architecture-window-glass-skyscraper-ceiling-31377-pxherecom - Aetolia the Midnight Age") We’re getting near to releasing our first two mirror classes! So, here’s some information to keep the enthusiasm going: We’ll be bringing you two, of course, one for each Tether. The goal isn’t to unbalance the game, after all! I won’t reveal the guilds that are getting them, but here are the classes and skill names, as well as some heavily edited pieces from their class blurbs: ## Revenant Manifestation, Chirography, and Riving Before the … and the fall of the Ankyreans, lesser mortals took it upon themselves to imprison and guard … To this day, eternal warriors and watchers stand upon the precipice of sanity, defending the continent from whatever is bound below. Their necessary duty has been nearly forgotten in the modern day, long obscured by … – but soon, the curtain will fall to reveal their ancient vigil. ## Warden Wardenship, Ancestry, and Communion Long ago, the ancestors of the … enacted a compact with …: Their purpose to forever protect the …, tethered to the plane by their skeletal remains. The Wardens are those … that have dedicated their lives to the safekeeping and maintenance of the … in which the remains of their … are stored by any means necessary. Now, as the last of the Wardens reaches the end of his life, he must past on his sacred knowledge… Players and admin both have been working hard on making these, with ideas that have been flowing for years. Do keep in mind that these things can change right up until it’s player facing, so the wordings can and will change. You might even see some of your ideas spread out in there, come talk about it in the forums below: **Categories:** New Feature, Upcoming Event --- ### [Ylemnics](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/ylemnics/) **Published:** July 5, 2020 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** Aetolia gets its own visual programming language? What? **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/rappu-271x300.png "rappu - Aetolia the Midnight Age") Aetolia gets its own visual programming language? What? So, you’re heading home through the usual paths in your beloved city. You reach a door, pull out your trusty keyring and stick the key in the door. Thoughts begin to fill your mind: “I’m a friggin Princess, why do I have to open the door?!” Well, fear no longer your highness! The Ylemnics hobby is here, and opening doors is only scratching at the possibilities! Ylemnics is a hobby which enables you to create various contraptions by arranging blocks on something called a thaumizer. The thaumizer uses ylem dust to power the blocks and interact with itself and the environment. Each type of block provides rather fundamental functionality, leaving it to your creativity to come up with exciting and useful contraptions. However, here are just a few examples of the possibilities: – Automatically open the door to your home when you arrive. – Unlock your secret treasure chest only when you’re around. – Dispense drinks to everyone who shows up to your birthday party. – Create an adding machine so you no longer need a master Numerologist. – Build a working clock, with no clunky gears and springs. Blocks come in a wide variety ranging from simple buttons, mathematical operators and chest-manipulating blocks. There are even blocks to let two thaumizers communicate together! However, be forewarned that Ylemnics does have a learning curve. Hence why there is a rather thick manual describing concepts, groups of blocks and individual blocks. Due to how much information there is, it has been placed on the website, rather than the giant helpfile it would be. You can find this manual here: **Categories:** New Feature --- ### [The First of the Nocturn](https://www.aetolia.com/event/the-first-of-the-nocturn/) **Published:** October 18, 2020 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** Zsarachnor, the Vampire Lord returns? **Content:** Before the lineage of the Consanguine was successfully established by Yrtez, she experimented upon a young Ankyrean that would later adopt the name Zsarachnor, the Vampire Lord. This experiment, which transformed him, was widely considered a failure by Yrtez and her peers. Although Zsarachnor had obtained strength and immortality from the change, his intellect had severely diminished and any progeny he tried to produce turned into mindless, feral creatures. Yrtez’s experiment was based on a ritualistic curse of blood and shadow from ancient Farsai that once transformed mortal sacrifices into the fearsome rojalli. Excruciatingly painful to the victim, the process would break their mind and leave behind only the feral, animalistic creature. Zsarachnor’s Ankyrean heritage allowed him to resist the pain to a degree and gain some semblance of control over the powers obtained from it, but even he was left a mere shadow of his former self. Thought to have been destroyed with the collapse of the lower mines of Azdun, Zsarachnor haunted the tunnels as mist. Feeding upon the spilled remains of the Malevolent’s many violent excursions and experiments deep beneath the earth, the Vampire Lord slowly rebuilt his corporeal form, driven by a century of vengeance. Zsarachnor, Reborn arose from the depths of Azdun in a massive wave of power and pressure. The vampire wasted little time in making his way through to the Black Keep, summarily slaughtering the Chiav constructs guarding the way. A similarly gruesome fate seemed imminent for Draden Jibbs, Iosyne’s Disciple of Pain, but the powerful vampire was stayed by the presence of the Malevolent’s master shrine. Undeterred, Zsarachnor promised he would return for the man later before striding into the Black Keep’s throneroom. Erecting a barrier of deadly shadow to isolate himself and Llazuth, Zsarachnor quickly dispatched the Spider Queen’s Chiav guard before turning his attention to the seated Queen. Caught in expository monologue, Zsarachnor was pre-emptively attacked by Llazuth, who unleashed tides of violet fire. The reborn vampire’s shadow, moving autonomously from its owner, rose to meet the attack, taking the blow intended for Zsarachnor. Unconcerned, the powerful vampire finished his sentence before casting Llazuth asunder with a titanic blow, forcing her to crash back against her Spider Throne. On the back foot, Llazuth shed her humanoid form, assuming the shape of a demonic spider as she launched once more at her enemy. This proved no more effective, as Zsarachnor sidestepped the blow and drove his sword deep into her abdomen. Reverting once more to humanoid form, Llazuth was impaled against the Spider Throne, whereupon Zsarachnor infected the wound with his own weaponized blood, preventing it from healing. As Zsarachnor gloated over his defeated nemesis, essence suddenly sprang forth from the shrine within the throneroom. Enveloping the fallen Chiav, the sinister essence stripped apart its body and bones, leaving behind only the construct’s spine. Wreathing itself in the shadow of the barrier, the makeshift weapon then rushed into the hands of Ayuna, General of the Goddess Iosyne. Using the essence-laden lance, Ayuna sliced a temporary opening in the barrier which allowed her to join the confrontation against Zsarachnor. Seemingly equally as concerned with showmanship as with combat, Zsarachnor engaged the new challenger. His shadow joining the fray, Zsarachnor steadily overwhelmed Ayuna, striking past her defenses with sword and limbs alike. Zsarachnor soon gained the upper hand, besting Ayuna, until a too-forceful parry sent his weapon wide while a simultaneous exaggerated haymaker left the vampire seemingly open. Amidst the outcries of the watchers, some cautioning against a trap, others believing the opening to hold Ayuna’s victory, Ayuna slammed her lance clean through the chest of Zsarachnor. The force of the blow carried the pair of combatants to crash against a wall, Zsarachnor stuck upon the business end of Ayuna’s powerful lance. After a dramatic, staged scream, Zsarachnor revealed his deception: his cursed blood began to flow up the lance, intertwining with the weapon’s empowerment of shadow essence. The deadly mixture quickly laid claim to Ayuna, sinking beneath the skin of her arm. The curse burned through Ayuna’s veins, blood and shadow overtaking her system, threatening to leave nothing behind but Zsarachnor’s mindless thrall. As her Carnifex guildmates battered the barrier in a futile attempt to break through, as Rhyot gathered in the chaotic energies at his command, Ayuna sank to her knees, succumbing to the pain that none had been able to overcome. Despite her allies’ efforts to aid Ayuna, including a particularly spirited attempt from Kanivara that unfortunately backlashed to her own demise, Ayuna was left to face the trial alone. Zsarachnor picked up Ayuna’s fallen weapon to partner with his own empowered blade. The vampire turned from his soon-to-be thrall, intent on completing his vengeance against the Spider Queen. Just as Zsarachnor’s victory seemed complete, Ayuna embraced the agony that threatened to wash her away. Empowered by her Goddess’ teachings on pain, as well as her own personal dedication to hunting, Ayuna was uniquely qualified to overcome the curse that none had before. Her mind still intact, Ayuna emerged from the battle with her body swathed in shadows and transformed by the curse. Iosyne, the Malevolent’s voice rang out across Sapience in proclamation: Behold Ayukazi, first of the Nocturn. The Malevolent finally made Her appearance, passing through the shadow barrier without trouble. She seemed, however, content to allow the newly crowned Nocturn to dispatch of the vampiric threat. Ayukazi’s utter mastery over blood and shadow, overcoming the transformation that even Zsarachnor could not, stunned the once-gloating vampire. No levity remaining, Zsarachnor pressed Ayukazi with the full force of his might. Yet it proved for naught, as the powerful Nocturn unleashed a destructive sanguine nova, the eruption of power pinning Zsarachnor helplessly against a wall. Zsarachnor let loose a scream of rage at vengeance denied, of pain at power unleashed, and, above all, of envy at the mastery that so eluded him. Manipulating her now-omnipresent shadow to retrieve her lance, Ayukazi promptly ran the weapon through Zsarachnor’s eye, obliterating his head in a spray of blood and skull. At this stage, the Goddess Iosyne finally stirred, laying claim to the defeated vampire – still skewered upon the lance. Proclaiming Her pride in Her chosen General, the Malevolent then vanished with the helpless Zsarachnor. Cheered on by the triumphant – and very loud – shouts of her fellow Carnifex, Ayukazi manipulated the blood of the dying Llazuth’s wound, purifying all impurities and willing the Spider Queen’s very blood to stitch together the wound from whence it came. And thus, Ayukazi, first of her kind, master over blood and shadow, assumed the mantle of Nocturn in absolute victory. **Categories:** Event --- ### [Year 490 Celebrations](https://www.aetolia.com/upcoming-event/year-490-celebrations/) **Published:** August 24, 2020 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** Who needed Delve? Last time was great, let's do it again: **Content:** Who needed Delve? Last time was great, let’s do it again: Year 490 has caught us! We’ll be running all sorts of games to celebrate, and due to the warm reception of last year’s reward system, we’ll be repeating it! And the events! But don’t worry, we’ll try to sneak in some surprises. The GMT schedule will be here in the post, but I’ll follow up with EVENTS listings so that everyone can use CONFIG TIMEZONE to see your own times. Remember daylight savings and all that nonsense! As to the rewards… Every event you show up in gives you a single participation point. Winners get extra points according to this table: 1st: 5 points 2nd: 4 points 3rd: 3 points 4th: 2 points 5th: 1 point So, if you win 3rd, you get 4 points total. One for participating, three for placing. Each event also has its own credit prizes, which will be in the EVENTS posting. The exception is the 2v2v2v2 City Champions, where the winning pair gains 6 points total, second place 4, third 2, and last 1. Anyone who is online at the time will be able to CHEER to gain a participation point. Here are the thresholds for points: ``` Total Points Credits ------------ ------- 6 10 9 15 18 25 20 25 22 25 26 25 31 25 36 25 40 50 ``` e.g. If you finish the Year 490 Celebration with 23 points, you’ll win 10+15+25+25+25 credits. Date TIME EVENT —- —- —– Saturday, September 19th 00:00:00 EGGHUNT Saturday, September 19th 18:00:00 FARKLE Sunday, September 20th 00:00:00 THE BRAWL Sunday, September 20th 19:00:00 SURVIVOR Monday, September 21st 00:00:00 BLOODBATH Monday, September 21st 23:00:00 FREEZE-TAG Wednesday, September 23rd 01:00:00 FREE-FOR-ALL Friday, September 25th 23:00:00 RESONANCE Saturday, September 26th 20:00:00 THE DUEL Sunday, September 27th 00:00:00 IRON EPICUREAN Sunday, September 27th 19:00:00 STORYTELLING Sunday, September 27th 22:00:00 2v2v2v2 CC Monday, September 28th 22:00:00 ALE RUN Thursday, October 1st 01:00:00 BAITFROG Saturday, October 3rd 00:00:00 MODDED FFA Saturday, October 3rd 22:00:00 POKER Sunday, October 4th 17:00:00 STARFALL Sunday, October 4th 23:00:00 KEG RACE Monday, October 5th 22:00:00 WALKER’S TONGUE **Categories:** Event, Upcoming Event --- ### [Black Lives Matter](https://www.aetolia.com/news/black-lives-matter/) **Published:** June 7, 2020 **Author:** Jumpy **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/black-1024x539.jpg "black - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Over the last week, millions of people have protested the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others. Citizens of the United States and other countries are demanding justice and equity. We’re seeing a movement for change that hasn’t been seen in our lifetimes, and it’s long overdue. First, we stand with the Black Lives Matter movement. We stand against racism. We stand against police brutality. We stand against systemic injustice. That said, what are a bunch of words from our little company going to do in the grand scheme? Not much. Real change doesn’t come from making posts on social media and sending newsletters. Real change comes from taking direct action. Real change comes from replacing ineffective and bad leaders and changing harmful laws and procedures. We recently watched Barack Obama’s speech about the George Floyd protests. We’re not going to pretend everyone shares his political views, but we feel Mr. Obama made good points that transcend our differences. His main point was that while the protests highlight problems in our society we need to combine protests with action and create realistic solutions based on research and data shown to effective. We need to make local leaders put evidence-based procedures in place that we know work. If you haven’t watched this presentation, here is a link: - In short, protest if you’re willing, and then take other action as well. What action can you take? You can call local and national leadership, sign petitions, and donate to charities and programs. And, of course, you can and should vote out those who act as impediments to change. Many of us at Iron Realms have been out protesting and making donations to a wide variety of groups related to Black Lives Matter, and we strongly encourage you to do the same. Here are some of the groups we’ve been giving to, in case you’re looking for somewhere to give and aren’t sure where: - [https://blacklivesmatter.com](https://blacklivesmatter.com/) - - [https://www.knowyourrightscamp.com](https://www.knowyourrightscamp.com/) - - - - - We’ve also found this to be a useful top-level resource for all sorts of info and resources around BLM: - We’re living in historic times. Let’s all work to make sure we come out of this better than we were before. In solidarity, Jeremy Saunders, Matt Mihaly, and the Iron Realms team. **Categories:** News --- ### [Iron Realms Relieves 1.5 Million in Medical Debt](https://www.aetolia.com/news/iron-realms-donates-15000-to-rip-medical-debt/) **Published:** June 1, 2020 **Author:** Jumpy **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/surgical-mask-4962034_1920-1-1024x540.jpg "surgical-mask-4962034_1920-1 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Iron Realms Entertainment is excited to announce a donation of $15,000 dollars to the Covid Heroes Fund from RIP Medical Debt. This is a direct result of your credit and pet purchases. Everyone at Iron Realms would like to thank our players for their generous donations. The support and response to this effort was amazing. Players purchased over 500 pets in the last two weeks. Your donations will help American first responders and healthcare workers by purchasing and abolishing their medical debts. Healthcare workers around the world have been laboring nonstop to assist the sick and elderly during the global COVID pandemic. Many of these people have struggled with inadequate safety equipment, protection, and wages. Combined with the financial stress of job loss and medical debts, many of these families are struggling to survive while continuing to help others in their communities. Your purchases help relieve the pressure on these families. You can read more about how this money goes to work on their website. RIP Medical Debt will make a purchase of debt with your donations later this month. The moment we receive the details about this purchase, we will share the details with you. I want to thank you for helping make a positive difference. Your support encourages us to continue finding ways to help our local and global communities. Jeremy Saunders **Categories:** News --- ### [Helping Covid Heroes Fund](https://www.aetolia.com/upcoming-event/helping-covid-heroes-fund/) **Published:** May 13, 2020 **Author:** Jumpy **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/corona-1024x540.jpg "corona - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Greetings, citizens of the Iron Realms, I hope everyone’s doing as well as they can in these plague times. I feel like we’re living through a really badly-run event in one of our games, and whoever is running the event has completely forgotten that they’re supposed to be fun. In any case, while people are being laid off left and right (my wife was laid off last week), Iron Realms is in a position where our work hasn’t really been disrupted. We all work from home offices anyway, and remotely working together is baked into our company’s DNA. We haven’t had to lay anyone off because of Covid, in fact, for which we’re all grateful. So, we want to do something to help. We looked around, and decided that we want to support a charity called RIP Medical Debt. It got some fame a few years ago when John Oliver bought $14m in medical debt for $60k and gave it to them to retire. What they do is buy and pay off the medical debt of people for whom it is a large financial burden, at 1 penny on the dollar. In other words, $1 can pay off $100 of someone’s medical debt. For those of you who don’t live in the US, our health system here allows people to go into crippling debt because they got sick or injured, to the point of financial ruin. According to one study from 2019, about 530,000 annual bankruptcies in the US are at least partly-caused by medical debt. In this case, RIP Medical Debt recently started a fund – the Helping Covid Heroes Fund – that specifically buys up and pays off the medical debt of healthcare workers and first responders who are seriously financially burdened by the debt (so a doctor making $300k isn’t getting her student loans paid off by this, for instance). I saw that and immediately thought, “This is what we want to support.” The impact per dollar is just so high. We’re going to be doing two things for the rest of this month: 1. Each game is creating a minipet that’ll be for sale on the website for $5. 100% of revenue from these will go to the Helping Covid Heroes Fund. 2. We’re going to donate 20% of our revenue (minus revenue from the minipets as we’re already donating 100% of those), up to a max of $12,000, for the rest of this month. If we raised $12,000 from #2 and another $3000 from #1, that’d pay off $1.5 million in medical debt for Covid heroes! We’ll announce how much was raised after the bookkeeping is done in early-ish June, and donate the money raised then as well. It’s not a world-changing amount, but it could be life-changing for the people whose debt is paid off. Finally, we’re also going to increase daily free credits available each day until the end of the month – your game producers will post details themselves there. Stay well, Matt/Sarapis/Aurelius CEO, Iron Realms **Categories:** Upcoming Event --- ### [Announcing: Aetolia Classic!](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/announcing-aetolia-classic/) **Published:** April 1, 2020 **Author:** Jumpy **Excerpt:** Aetolia and Iron Realms Entertainment are proud to announce the beta test of its newest proprietary MUD: Aetolia Classic! **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Vampire_Disectionblack-1.jpg "Vampire_Disectionblack-1 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Aetolia and Iron Realms Entertainment are proud to announce the beta test of its newest proprietary MUD: Aetolia Classic! You can participate in the beta right now simply by connecting your MUD client to **classic.aetolia.com, port 2007**. As this is a classic server, there is no planned support for the Nexus client as Classic predates a lot of the code and technology used to support it. ``` classic.aetolia.com, port 2007 ``` ## What is Aetolia Classic? It’s a re-release of Aetolia as it was at January 2007 – the oldest backup we still had available to us. This version of Aetolia will run purely independent of Aetolia Prime (what we will now call the modern version of Aetolia). Aetolia Classic will follow its own design principles rooted in the era from where it came. It will also have its own storyline, entirely different from Prime’s but rooted in the same beginnings. In 2007, the Kerrithrim event had yet to happen which is what we consider to be the start of Aetolia Prime’s Albedos storyline. ## Staff Aetolia Classic will be headed by Luke Moore, who you have come to know as Keroc in Aetolia. He will be taking on the role of Varian in Aetolia Classic as its Producer. Luke has been a staple of Aetolia Prime for over a decade now, and we’re truly sad to see him go. However, we have the utmost faith that Aetolia Classic will flourish in his capable hands. We understand that this leaves a large void in Prime as far as combat goes. Going forward, Tiur will now become responsible for handling combat in Aetolia and we have utmost faith in his ability to step into the massive shoes Keroc is leaving behind. Come discuss the Class Server here: And new Classleads rules here: And because this predates internal map systems: https://www.aetolia.com/classic-maps/ **Categories:** Event, New Feature --- ### [The Driest Devblog](https://www.aetolia.com/devblog/the-driest-devblog/) **Published:** March 16, 2020 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** Interest has been expressed in devblogs, even when there are no pretty pictures or lovely Kyna narration. I'll explain what I'm doing as I complete a project I've been putting off for a while: converting relics to a cache instead of real items. **Content:** We’re going to try something new! Interest has been expressed in devblogs, even when there are no pretty pictures or lovely Kyna narration. So here’s trying! I’ll explain what I’m doing as I complete a project I’ve been putting off for a while: converting relics to a cache instead of real items. Disclaimer Tiur is a chemical engineer. While he has code training, he is not the kind of programmer you should base your education on. Anything you think you may have learned from this, double check it’s not madness. ## Overview This Devblog is about breaking down the code so the wider community can understand the intricate details that go into even the most simple IDEA from the idea list. ## Goals 1. Provide a look behind the curtain to what programming Rapture looks like 2. Provide amusement, Rapture has quirks! 3. Help the community to understand why even simple things can be an undertaking 4. Gauge interest in this content when it’s not teasing something amazing 5. Reduce one of the largest uses of player inventory ## Why Make the Thing Why? Databases. Most everything in Aetolia is either a replica, room, or persona/player. Each of those entries comes with all the flags, variables, bytes, datas, etc that could be possible on that object… so they can get pretty large! The space is reserved, even if the numbers are all 0. While you might be annoyed at how many things named “piece#####” you hold in your inventory, the upstairs are annoyed because every single one of those little things is holding 170+ flags, 40+ bytes, etc. It’s not that big of a deal in a modern computer but it does cause bloat. And when we need to iterate through every replica in the game looking for certain things? Huge waste of time to iterate over multiple tens of thousand piece######’s. This used to be a huge problem with herbs in pocketbelts! Also, I’ve been a player and having a backpack with 200+ relic pieces annoyed me too. So our goal is to delete all the pieces, freeing up a ton of replica numbers, and reducing a large number of unnecessary memory usage. How? We’ll make another database! (Tiur’s answer to every problem is to make another database, you’ll see that if these continue.) This one will store the relevant information about a relic piece, and a quantity. Much easier to store a list of “Bob has 47 pieces of relic XYZ” than 47 instances of extra nonsense. This could be just as bloated if we save too much information… but our relic system was actually made by a Good Coder (yay Razmael!) and has some clever tricks. ## How Every single relic piece is the same thing, just with a different name and a number pointing at what piece it represents. Each piece is a database that includes a few things; what it should look like and which relic it’s meant for. Then the relics store what they build into, and how many of each piece# they require! The summary of all that nonsense? The relic cache database only needs to say this: ``` dbalias rpiececache { Persona => variable[1], Rpiece => variable[2], Quantity => variable[3], } ``` Thanks to Raz thinking ahead that’s super easy! Who owns the thing, what piece it represents, and how many! The variable bit there is me telling Rapture that the number could be anything inside a signed 16bit integer. It’s reserving 3\*16bit, which is totally no big deal… or more, I’m kinda terrible at real architecture and there’s more to it than that… but w/e. Also, to those of you who think that’s not fancy, when Rapture was made it was impressive to be able to label things like that! After that it’s just like any other programming language. We need a validator, an accessor, and a mutator. At least one of each. WTH is a validator? Most languages don’t need to you validate every single database entry constantly with a validator, but Rapture has a serious problem with trying to poke a database member that doesn’t exist. It gets MAD! Untrapped errors happen! Razmael hits you! In Rapture, those basically look like this: ``` function valid_rpiececache(db) { if db > rpiececache.maxrecord then return 0; if !db then return 0; if !rpiececache[db].Persona then return 0; return 1; } ``` See, now every time we need to reference a database entry, we can validate the input with our validator like that. That’s the source of “If you see this message, please contact the Admin!” error messages. And an Accessor? In Rapture, it is very easy to access the database, just: ``` database[record].field; ``` And it will return that information. But that can be terribly not useful. For instance… what good is knowing the rpiece number if everyone in the game will use the rpiece name? So we can write an accessor like this: ``` function rpiececache_get_type$(db) { if !valid_rpiececache(db) then return ""; return rpiece_short$(rpiececache[db].Rpiece); } ``` Easy! Rpiece\_short$ is a command that translates a specific piece into its short name, like “a shiny coin” and we used our validator from above to prevent anything from throwing an error. Also, the $ lets you know that the output should be a string. Not all languages make you be specific like that. Mutator? A mutator is the same thing as an accessor, except backwards. We COULD ``` database[record].field = value; ``` But that has no validation or protection. What if you’re writing to an incorrect database record? We also wouldn’t want to pass it an impossible value, like say, a quantity of -1. So a function or subroutine (functions return values, subroutines just do their jam and shut up) needs to exist to keep us careful. Commonly in Aetolia we follow one of two methods: either we write a mutator for each field in the database, or we write one giant mutator that parses input. In this case the changes will be made by the game itself, so it is better to have the first kind. If, for instance, it were a minipet, where I write them in the game and need the game to build the object for me, the second is better. Except… today we get to cheat. The persona will be set when the database record is made, the quantity will only ever move up and down via other code that can check itself, so we just need the rpiece… but that already exists because we use those all the time. So, this is getting long and we’ll do a part 2 if there’s interest. But first, the most important and the only thing I could teach effectively: the thought process. I make a list of everything we need today’s code to do, then a sublist of how that’s done. ## Summary We need: - database - mutators - accessors - validators - creator - destroyer - A way to put thing into our cache - verb - add # to cache - delete old replcia - A way to look at the cache - verb - a subroutine to output the cache - A way to get things out of the cache - verb - reduce # from cache - create replica(s) - check if we should delete the cache entry, no one needs 0s - A way to force every piece in the game into the cache - protected verb - look over inventory and use above add method - send a message to the player so they won’t freak out From there a real programmer would make pseudocode… but for me, that might as well be pseudocode. I do this often enough that I already know how many of each thing I’d make for a command and database. The above is important because it is TERRIBLE to get to the end of a project and realize you skipped an entire thing the project needs. You could have to code it twice! Or three times! Not that I would ever make those sorts of mistakes all the time. ## Final You know what we didn’t list up there? Loyalty! That’s an important part of the pieces we’ll need to preserve. Tune in for Part II to see how I add that without having to redo everything I’ve made already. Also, I’ll explain verbs. **Categories:** DevBlog **Tags:** devblog, relics, tiur --- ### [Daily Credits](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/daily-credits/) **Published:** March 9, 2020 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** Milestones have been upgraded and now include all sorts of fun activities to earn free credits every day! **Content:** Milestones have been upgraded and now include all sorts of fun activities to earn free credits every day! Platinum keystones now exist, enabling you to trade 1:1 for free credits! Unlike most systems, every single credit milestone possibility is open each day, enabling whatever your favorite playstyle is to fuel your credit desires. With a focus on group activities, we encourage everyone to work together to gather as much as they can (up to 20 a day). But, if you like, solo does just fine. Come read the specifics in our forums, and take part in helping us make it better. Already so many ideas are flowing that the original 75 options will soon be expanding. **Categories:** New Feature --- ### [Polygamy](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/polygamy/) **Published:** February 14, 2020 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** It's the season of love and what better way to do that by implementing Aetolia's most supported idea-- Polygamy! **Content:** It’s the season of love and what better way to do that by implementing Aetolia’s most supported idea– Polygamy! This Valentine’s Day we celebrate love and upgrade our marriage system. Come check for full details! **Categories:** New Feature --- ### [Mining For More Info](https://www.aetolia.com/devblog/mining-for-more-info/) **Published:** December 9, 2019 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** The industrious duo of Kyna and Razmael have more mining information for you! **Content:** The industrious duo of Kyna and Razmael have more mining information for you! This time they’ve put together a fancy video of how moving around mines might look, and some bandits get in their way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uX-Mr9SiKI Come talk about it in the forums! **Categories:** DevBlog --- ### [Spider Roundup](https://www.aetolia.com/event/spider-roundup/) **Published:** November 3, 2019 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** After so many weeks covered by spiders, let's collect what's new in Aetolia in one post. Here's hoping for less arachnids. **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/jumping-spider-111075_1920-1-1024x537.jpg "jumping-spider-111075_1920-1 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")After so many weeks covered by spiders, let’s talk new in Aetolia in one post. Here’s hoping for less arachnids. A new arena game, without the violence! Come play Hide and Seek to get those milestones, no expertise required. Just be clever. This one is bigger than it seems. NPCs now have mana, endurance, and willpower! This upgrade lets mana draining attacks work on denizens, if you like. It also opens up a future where NPC attacks cost mana, creating a new world of strategy to prevent those huge 3x damage attacks from just randomly stacking up. Alas, the Terry dungeon is gone. But it is not forgotten! We tested out a new method for story finales, and after your response, it will likely be kept. Instead of one large fight at a given time we can host instances over a period of days, letting everyone in on the action, regardless of timezone. **Categories:** Event --- ### [Mining - A Devblog](https://www.aetolia.com/devblog/mining-a-devblog/) **Published:** October 8, 2019 **Author:** Kyna **Excerpt:** In the spirit of trying new things, Razmael and I have decided to bring you a DevBlog about the second skill in Agriculture, which is Mining. **Content:** In the spirit of trying new things, Razmael and I have decided to bring you a DevBlog about the second skill in Agriculture, which is Mining. We don’t want to spoil too much for you, of course, but here is a broad overview for you to sink your teeth into. We have gone ahead and broken it down into bite sized pieces. ## Overview Combining wilderness maps and Agriculture’s commodity generation concept, Mining provides an opportunity for your characters to interact with various methods of prospecting and excavating ores as well as exploring new dungeon-esque maps that provide environmental challenges through fighting monsters, balancing workers and mining kits. ## Goals 1. Provide an engaging, long lasting experience. 2. Provide a means to generate commodities for crafting, city maintenance, work orders and future content. 3. Create more city management content. 4. Encourage player and character creativity for turning profits. 5. Encourage a new avenue of roleplay. ## Summary After gaining some experience in the mining field, characters will be able to open their own “instanced” mine by utilizing the relevant skills and, within this mine, face various environmental, monster and economic challenges with the reward of commodities, precious gems, experience, profit and roleplay opportunities. The mines themselves are generated in a large, wilderness style map that will also incorporate our previous method of basic pixel maps. ![](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Im0JbXuZdFEtUBDUIYydXktOqnPRBMTmQ_mwtc0CvbaAfavB9D-MoBATrfvWoYLVn6JnXTPnp-nGQyWi0piTccenJJD6u1pfui36WJEyxv1hrZCfIwC9Ydt3JowFh3Gxek6zwLeV)## Skill Samples The below skills are only a few examples of the wider skillset, however they play an important role in the foundation of Mining as a whole and create the backbone of the skills. **Prospect – You can prospect areas across Sapience to decide if they are viable to mine in. The idea is to break prospecting up into three skill levels as a mini talent that becomes more viable through continued use, adding some realism to the skillset. - Lv1: Pan mining. Sifting in mountain streams, sands etc for gold pieces. - Lv2: Surface mining. Digging at the surface of mountains to find low level coal and shards of metal. - Lv3: Underground mining. Dungeon style, underground mines you have to light up and where high quality can be found as well as gems. This concept introduces something unique to mining itself where you need to grow towards the big, instance mines through use of the skillset. **Kit** – A basic kit for the mines. Mining is largely built around two things; mining itself, whether through panning or deep mines, and kits. Kits can be upgraded to have more utility slots, up to a maximum of X. Your characters then need to decide what tools are important to take depending on the type of mining they plan to do. **Lignite** – You can mine lignite coal. Coal, and its quality, will be important for mixing with ores to create certain commodities and materials as well as the longevity of factories. ## Map Legend The mining instances themselves will have a variety of biomes and we decided we didn’t want to give you a full list because that ruins the fun of exploring, but I will drop the icons here for you to mull over for fun. ![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gqxWImtgjM6CnvFxSJTa_eYpxog44xXYwx6xIe5MwGc29330Ozu5dv1tHfpZwqCD6mP7Bgch922qOIeQr1FkdljtEmqbi9NRI5SrfCSSap78_o3EafV1gDNfY28PwCUbH2w05M6r)Kyna and Raz signing out from this DevBlog, but please let us know if you’d like to see more of this sort of stuff from all of us here! We can’t promise anything crazy, but if you enjoy it, we can definitely try more in the future where the opportunities present themselves. P.S. We predict your first question will be an ETA and to that, we say, when it’s done! But this DevBlog should be a good indicator of the work and resources going into it. P.P.S. From Tiur – All of this is from our current design, and it works! But it needs balancing; or we might decide it needs major changes. Don’t get too hung up on specifics! The idea here is to get feedback and maybe you can find things we didn’t consider. **Categories:** DevBlog --- ### [A Hobby for your Hobby](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/a-hobby-for-your-hobby/) **Published:** September 3, 2019 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** We're introducing a new type of skill, bought by lessons! Hobbies are RP skills that further different kinds of gameplay and interaction, separate from PvP abilities or crafting. **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/card-1738844_1920-1024x768.jpg "card-1738844_1920 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")We’re introducing a new type of skill, bought by lessons! Hobbies are RP skills that further different kinds of gameplay and interaction, separate from PvP abilities or crafting. Beginning with the Hobby, Gaming, each hobby will involve a number of skills, titles, and emotes that let the background of your character become more integrated with the game. Are you a gambler, always keeping a deck of cards ready for fortune to ride on Lady Luck’s whim? Included in Gaming is the ability to summon tables, hold pools of gold to sanction events with, even the ability to control a deck of cards for use in any game you want to create! We’ve even added full support for as many roleplaying game dice systems as we can think of. But that’s just the beginning! What could be next? Something to RP source all that meat you use in cooking? A way to punch your friend in the face and not involve PK rules? MAYBE YOU ARE REALLY INTO BIRDS. All this month you can find new things to obsess over. And between you and me… when people get into a hobby, they tend to know things that others don’t about the deep world they’re lost in. So much so, that skillsets might not list the full world to the uninitiated. Have fun figuring those out! **Categories:** New Feature --- ### [Provisioning](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/provisioning/) **Published:** August 17, 2019 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** Provisioning has been released! **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/vegetables-01-1024x539.jpg "vegetables-01 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Provisioning has been released! Our newest practical skill, Provisioning is trained by doing. This skill adds extra functionality to Farming, enabling you to fill the orders of other players and NPCs across the game. At the start of the season you can accept an order for a certain number of a vegetable, then grow it on your farm and turn it in for profit! This is another step in a player-autonomous economy, and while it’s currently only tied to Farming, it has extended into other Agriculture and crafting skillsets. Eventually, there will be requests for tailoring goods, cigars, mined ore, even baked goods. But for now, limit your mercantile empire to the farmed variety! **Categories:** New Feature --- ### [You Should See Farming, Right Now.](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/you-should-see-farming-now/) **Published:** July 17, 2019 **Author:** Jumpy **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/unknown.png "unknown - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Aetolia is proud to announce the first skill of our Agriculture skill group, **Farming**. The Agriculture skill group is all about craft goods and commodity generation. You are now in charge of the economy, my friends. Farming is the production of fruits, vegetables, produce and raw materials. What makes farming EXTRA special is that these farming plots are on a new type of map. Each city and community have designated areas housing farming plots. We will expand on plot maps in the near future. You may only own one farm plot per map on release. ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2019-07-17-15_43_29-Jumpy-Aetolia.png "2019-07-17-15_43_29-Jumpy-Aetolia - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Raw materials can be grown, harvested, and then processed into commodities. This is achieved through production, which is housed within your city. Materials can only be sent to your city via a caravan, which you request from your farm shed. Each one has a new designated area dedicated to material production. - Lumber Mill | Trunks into Wood - Tanning Room | Cow Hide into Leather - Clothier | Cotton into cloth. Hemp into rope. Here is the order of events when using the new system. 1. You grow the raw commodity. 2. You harvest the crop, or tree, to your shed. 3. You request a caravan to come collect raw commodities and ship them to a city for processing. - Players can attack your caravan to steal the unprocessed goods! Defend your hard work! 4. You are charged a gold cost for the production. 5. You pick up your processed commodities from the city warehouse once it has been refined. 6. You can then sell your commodities back to the cities. They need them to keep production rooms open, which you need to continue producing commodities. This keeps the whole system in your hands on a fully interactive level by bringing in new ways to offset your costs by selling to the city, but the cities also make gold by charging you for production. Profits can be allocated to the trade ministry for future purchases, and around we go. It will be a delicate balance for you to find. ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/thumb_old-mcdonald-had-a-farm-had-imgflip-com-poor-guy-mcdonald-47552344.png "thumb_old-mcdonald-had-a-farm-had-imgflip-com-poor-guy-mcdonald-47552344 - Aetolia the Midnight Age") One problem we encountered early-on while planning the Farming system was the density of information you need to train yourself to recognize from all the different symbols and colours of your field’s text map. We had a crazy idea: Let’s make graphics for it! Our goal was to lower the barrier for getting involved with the Farming system by using a fully *OPTIONAL* graphics addon to help you better understand your farm with a quick glance. The graphic map sits as a small display on your Mudlet interface that you can drag around and position it where you please. The map will show up automatically upon entering the farmland, and disappear again when you leave. This is only available on Mudlet right now, and we’ll be working to get a Nexus version of this available ASAP. There’s a few more complications getting something like this onto Nexus vs Mudlet, and we didn’t want to delay the release of the Farming/Production system anymore. We have no plans to expand support of this to MUD clients other than those two. **Categories:** New Feature **Tags:** Farming --- ### [Envoys](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/envoys/) **Published:** July 4, 2019 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** We've formally introduced a system for letting guilds spread their influence to allied cities! **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/writing-wood-vintage-antique-retro-pen-1293720-pxhere.com_-e1562250712343-1024x539.jpg "writing-wood-vintage-antique-retro-pen-1293720-pxherecom - Aetolia the Midnight Age")We’ve formally introduced a system for letting guilds spread their influence to allied cities! A compromise between forcing all guild members to join the same city and allowing guild membership to drift entirely, the envoy system lets a select number of guild members represent their guild in an allied city. While they have reduced powers to prevent that coup you’ve been planning, respected guild members can RP in a different city. Join the conversation with us: [https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/3226/announce-post-2981-guild-envoys](https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/3226/announce-post-2981-guild-envoys#latest) **Categories:** New Feature --- ### [Mages: the Complete Revamp](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/mages-the-complete-revamp/) **Published:** June 25, 2019 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** After years of long work and discarded attempts, Aetolia's Ascendril and Sciomancers are completely redone and unique. **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/shutterstock_22418248-1-1024x768.jpg "shutterstock_22418248-1 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")After years of long work and discarded attempts, Aetolia’s Ascendril and Sciomancers are completely redone and unique to Aetolia. With the presence of the elements becoming denser within Sapience after the singularity event in Spinesreach, and the planar boring event for Ascendril, mages have since found that controlling the elements like they used to is far more difficult. Spells of mixed elements channeled from the planes would often fail – the increased power making it difficult to control the multiple elements in a single spell. As such, Iernos has guided the Ascendril to learn new ways of casting spells, focusing on using a single element at a time to create powerfull effects from that element. For Sciomancers, the lure of Shadow made it difficult to focus on controlling other elements, and Earth had not been bolstered the same way as the other elements had for some reason. Guided by Nevithor, they have abandoned the other elements and doubled down on their efforts to control the destructive powers of shadow. The new density of elements has also made it far easier for mages to draw upon the ambient elements that are all around them, drawing them together into simple spells that need no channeling from the planes. Finally, with their new knowledge of planar boring, the Ascendril are able to create a spiritual fulcrum of power using the new arts of Thaumaturgy. Sciomancers, with their new focus on purely the shadow element and the extra quantities of it at their grasp, have discovered a way to stabilize the formerly explosive singularities, forming the skill of Gravitation. (PS, if you’re worried, we did keep some iconic things in the skills of Sorcery/Arcanism, which are now more of a generic magic skillset. If only because Mages wouldn’t feel right without Reflections and Transfix!) Join the discussion!: **Categories:** Event, New Feature --- ### [Go Directly to Jail](https://www.aetolia.com/event/go-directly-to-jail/) **Published:** June 14, 2019 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** A most heinous crime occurred in Spinesreach! **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/architecture-house-window-building-alley-wall-586688-pxhere.com_-e1560475239274-1.jpg "architecture-house-window-building-alley-wall-586688-pxherecom_-e1560475239274 - Aetolia the Midnight Age") Jino, the Cabalist roulette attendant at the Spinesreach casino today was arrested on charges of theft after Fezzix Sicarius was denied his winning bet – a considerable sum of 1.75 million. Though Fezzix, Warden of Spinesreach, had initially dismissed this as a simple error by Jino, his attention was brought back to the matter by the alarmed shouts of Frantoinette, one of the Republic’s guards. She stood outside the roulette parlor, its entrance having been barred from within by Jino. Fran’s yells to Jino to give himself up soon drew the attention of others, including: the Warden; the Head Curator of the Archivists, Agothaxl; and the Archivist Tryss. Fran was there to arrest Jino on charges of theft and cheating, claiming an off-duty guard had informed her that he witnessed Jino using Numerology to cheat Fezzix of his money. Jino refused to let the group in and protested his innocence. Having no further choice, Fezzix resorted to some rather explosive measures – he set a spidermine upon the barricaded door and detonated it, blowing it open. An alarmed Jino attempted to call upon his Numerology to escape but the attempt failed, and Fran quickly tackled him to the ground. Fezzix further restrained the Cabalist, and the prisoner was escorted to the Ironmaw Prison. Incarcerated within one of the Ironmaw’s cells, Jino was greeted by his new cellmate: Nogvert, a rather obnoxious Goblin. The Warden followed, and was joined by the Syssin General Robyn, and together the two interrogated Jino within his new home. However, despite their efforts, Jino continued to protest his innocence. The continued goading from Nogvert quickly grew tiring, though Fezzix’s threats did little to quell the other prisoner. At the Goblin’s urgings to remain silent and not to cooperate, Jino soon went quiet. With nothing further to be gained at this moment, Fezzix and Robyn left the prisoners to Fran’s watch. The matter would have to await proper trial. **Categories:** Event --- ### [The Leviathan](https://www.aetolia.com/event/the-leviathan/) **Published:** June 17, 2019 **Author:** ironrealms **Content:** The story of the Leviathan took place over several weeks within Aetolia. It is the story of Jox. ### [The Leviathan: Part One](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/) ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/knight.jpg "knight - Aetolia the Midnight Age") Upon the 24th of Severin, 476 MA, there came a sudden burst of energy in the Western Tundra, and as it lingered the far northern skies were lit with a colourful display. Adventurers rushed to investigate, and quickly located the source of the disturbance: it came from within an ancient barrow which the Ankyreans once used to inter their dead… [Read more](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/) ### [The Leviathan: Part Two](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/) ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-07.jpg "mage-07 - Aetolia the Midnight Age") In the following weeks, Lobyl worked with adventurers to fight back the dregs that appeared within the tundra at each interrupted Howling. He requested weapons to help fight these nightmarish enemies, claiming that the materials used to forge in this era were too pitiful to withstand his vigorous usage… [Read more](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/) ### [An Interlude for Chaos](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/) ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-10.jpg "space-10 - Aetolia the Midnight Age") During the previous week’s events at the seal of Chaos, the Azdi-a of the Indorani, Vyxsis Qizzeke, posed a question to the Gods Severn and Damariel: “Was Jox a threat to Chaos?”… [Read more](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/) ### [The Leviathan: Part Three](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/) ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-05.jpg "space-05 - Aetolia the Midnight Age") Upon the 8th of Khepary, the seal of Chaos finally fell – mortalkind’s penchant for bloodletting had surprised even the Divine and Their war-weary eyes, granting the seal more time than They had anticipated… [Read more](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/) ### [The Leviathan: An Interlude](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/paper-02.jpg "paper-02 - Aetolia the Midnight Age") The Grand Aetolian Library cannot, regretfully, give a full and accurate accounting of what transpired concerning Omei, the Nightmare and Her theft of the starmetal leg of Damariel mot Lanosaryon, in the month of Midsummer, amidst the business with the Leviathan… [Read more](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) ### [The Leviathan: Part Four](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/) ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-1024x539.jpg "mage - Aetolia the Midnight Age") In the weeks and months following the destruction of the seal of Chaos, mortal and Immortal alike began preparations for the fight to come, and sought means by which to oppose the dregs – hideous creatures of nightmare arising from the tundral deeps… [Read more](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/) ### [The Leviathan: Origin](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/) ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/leviathan-1024x539.jpg "leviathan - Aetolia the Midnight Age") During the battles that took place between the Gray Accord and the dregs in the Western Tundra, many soldiers recounted terrifying visions that they saw when under the influence of the nightmare-gas… [Read more](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/) ### [The Chaos War](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/skull-04.jpg "skull-04 - Aetolia the Midnight Age") It had been several months since Golgotha promised his coming, his heralds harassing the realm relentlessly. He sought revenge for the slight of ancient mortalkind using the corpses of his court to seal away the trapped Albedi entity, Jox. [Read more](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) **Categories:** Event --- ### [Barrel!](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/barrel/) **Published:** May 24, 2019 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** Shopkeeping gets a great free upgrade! **Content:** Shopkeeping gets a great free upgrade! ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/wood-bar-beverage-lighting-barrel-beer-690430-pxhere.com_-1-1024x683.jpg "wood-bar-beverage-lighting-barrel-beer-690430-pxherecom - Aetolia the Midnight Age") Shopkeepers may now store huge quantities of fluids for sale in their shops without credit means. Woodworkers gain a new paying job in making these barrels. Wood commodities become more valuable. Everyone wins! Yet another small tweak to the economy to try to get things nice and balanced. Barrel! **Categories:** New Feature --- ### [Seals Shattered: 1-7](https://www.aetolia.com/event/seals-shattered-1-7/) **Published:** October 7, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/mountain2-1024x539.jpg "mountain2 - Aetolia the Midnight Age") Lead – Shieldbark – Forged – Quartz – Anaxagorite – Skysilver All shattered, leaving the Leviathan, Jox, trapped beneath the barrow in the Western Tundra near escape. But the most shocking fact was delivered by the God of Truth Himself – Sapience had been betrayed by a God of its own pantheon. Jox’s mind was bound quiescent by the seals in the barrow, designed to leave Him unable to struggle against the nightmare; and those seals had been sabotaged by one of Varian’s children. Outside the barrow, the mortals found a small horde of nightmarish dregs that had crawled their way up from cracks in the ice formed by the quakes. Along with these dregs came Lobyl, a living Ankyrean commander, and he slew the warped creatures alongside the adventurers. Lumenite Dregs soon erupted all across the tundra, creeping forth from every vent, crevice and crack. A violent battle erupted between Sapience’s adventurers and the vicious beasts. The Ankyrean Lobyl demonstrated his preternatural strength and speed, slaying scores upon scores of dregs for each one slain by another mortal. As the group attempted to stomp out the gas-spewing vents, many fell victim to its lulling effects, and some reported nightmarish visions as they fell asleep: they described a great glimmering eye, its primeval gaze staring at them with an intensity great enough to shock them back into wakefulness. Once the last of the dreg threat had been dispatched, the mortals gathered together before the now-broken seal of Spirit, where the Twin Gods, Severn and Damariel, awaited them. Although the Two cautioned the mortals not to proceed any further, many did nevertheless: they discovered only a toxic atmosphere that seared both skin and lung. The Gods described this place as the seal of Chaos, and unlike the previous seals it was not tied to any God. It was constructed from cinnabar and thick corrosive fumes filled the room, wafting up from pools of quicksilver; rows of demonic-looking skeletons were secured to each of the walls of the chamber, their structure warped by the millennia spent in the toxic environment. The seal of Chaos is being bolstered by blood, poured as quickly as possible onto its cinnabar face. Mortalkind has been warned that the Chaos Lords should not know of this seal, and that disaster would strike should another faction enter the fray. Each broken seal lets Jox grow stronger; something will need to be invented to handle the vents and their gasses, his waking will just make the next batch worse. And what leads the dregs? How are they organized? **Categories:** Event --- ### [Year 480 Celebration](https://www.aetolia.com/upcoming-event/year-480-celebration/) **Published:** April 23, 2019 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** Due to high tensions, Delve will not be hosting the party... but parties must go on! **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/castle5-1024x539.jpg "castle5 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Year 480 is upon us! As usual for when we reach one of our year milestones, we’re going to be running a large amount of games to celebrate! We’re doing something a little different with the prizes this year, and we’ll reveal more details on that a bit later. For now, here’s the schedule! I’ve done my best at timezone conversion and it’s hopefully accurate. If not, these event times will be added shortly to the EVENTS list so you will have precise times available to you. Be sure to make use of CONFIG TIMEZONE to set what your timezone is! With daylight savings being somewhat recent, your existing setting may now be wrong. Full details on each event will be added to their EVENTS listing sometime in the next few days. #### **EGGHUNT** - GMT: Sat, Apr 20 12:00AM EST: Fri, Apr 19 08:00PM - CST: Fri, Apr 19 07:00PM PST: Fri, Apr 19 05:00PM - AEST: Sat, Apr 20 10:00AM #### FARKLE - GMT: Sat, Apr 20 06:00PM EST: Sat, Apr 20 02:00PM - CST: Sat, Apr 20 01:00PM PST: Sat, Apr 20 11:00AM - AEST: Sun, Apr 21 04:00AM #### THE BRAWL - GMT: Sun, Apr 21 12:00AM EST: Sat, Apr 20 08:00PM - CST: Sat, Apr 20 07:00PM PST: Sat, Apr 20 05:00PM - AEST: Sun, Apr 21 10:00AM #### SURVIVOR - GMT: Sun, Apr 21 07:00PM EST: Sun, Apr 21 03:00PM - CST: Sun, Apr 21 02:00PM PST: Sun, Apr 21 12:00PM - AEST: Mon, Apr 22 05:00AM #### BLOODBATH - GMT: Mon, Apr 22 12:00AM EST: Sun, Apr 21 08:00PM - CST: Sun, Apr 21 07:00PM PST: Sun, Apr 21 05:00PM - AEST: Mon, Apr 22 10:00AM #### FREEZE-TAG - GMT: Mon, Apr 22 11:00PM EST: Mon, Apr 22 07:00PM - CST: Mon, Apr 22 06:00PM PST: Mon, Apr 22 04:00PM - AEST: Tue, Apr 23 09:00AM #### FREE-FOR-ALL - GMT: Wed, Apr 24 01:00AM EST: Tue, Apr 23 09:00PM - CST: Tue, Apr 23 08:00PM PST: Tue, Apr 23 06:00PM - AEST: Wed, Apr 24 11:00AM #### RESONANCE - GMT: Fri, Apr 26 11:00PM EST: Fri, Apr 26 07:00PM - CST: Fri, Apr 26 06:00PM PST: Fri, Apr 26 04:00PM - AEST: Sat, Apr 27 09:00AM #### THE DUEL - GMT: Sat, Apr 27 08:00PM EST: Sat, Apr 27 04:00PM - CST: Sat, Apr 27 03:00PM PST: Sat, Apr 27 01:00PM - AEST: Sun, Apr 28 06:00AM #### IRON EPICUREAN - GMT: Sun, Apr 28 12:00AM EST: Sat, Apr 27 08:00PM - CST: Sat, Apr 27 07:00PM PST: Sat, Apr 27 05:00PM - AEST: Sun, Apr 28 10:00AM #### STORYTELLING CONTEST - GMT: Sun, Apr 28 07:00PM EST: Sun, Apr 28 03:00PM - CST: Sun, Apr 28 02:00PM PST: Sun, Apr 28 12:00PM - AEST: Mon, Apr 29 05:00AM #### 2v2v2v2 CITY CHAMPS - GMT: Sun, Apr 28 10:00PM EST: Sun, Apr 28 06:00PM - CST: Sun, Apr 28 05:00PM PST: Sun, Apr 28 03:00PM - AEST: Mon, Apr 29 08:00AM #### ALE RUN - GMT: Mon, Apr 29 10:00PM EST: Mon, Apr 29 06:00PM - CST: Mon, Apr 29 05:00PM PST: Mon, Apr 29 03:00PM - AEST: Tue, Apr 30 08:00AM #### FROG BAIT - GMT: Thu, May 2 01:00AM EST: Wed, May 1 09:00PM - CST: Wed, May 1 08:00PM PST: Wed, May 1 06:00PM - AEST: Thu, May 2 11:00AM #### MODDED FREE-FOR-ALL - GMT: Sat, May 4 12:00AM EST: Fri, May 3 08:00PM - CST: Fri, May 3 07:00PM PST: Fri, May 3 05:00PM - AEST: Sat, May 4 10:00AM #### POKER TOURNAMENT - GMT: Sat, May 4 10:00PM EST: Sat, May 4 06:00PM - CST: Sat, May 4 05:00PM PST: Sat, May 4 03:00PM - AEST: Sun, May 5 08:00AM #### STARFALL - GMT: Sun, May 5 05:00PM EST: Sun, May 5 01:00PM - CST: Sun, May 5 12:00PM PST: Sun, May 5 10:00AM - AEST: Mon, May 6 03:00AM #### KEG RACE - GMT: Sun, May 5 11:00PM EST: Sun, May 5 07:00PM - CST: Sun, May 5 06:00PM PST: Sun, May 5 04:00PM - AEST: Mon, May 6 09:00AM Here’s a link to the schedule on the forums: [https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/3136/announce-post-2947-year-480-of-the-midnight-age](https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/3136/announce-post-2947-year-480-of-the-midnight-age#latest) Here’s the reward structure: [https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/3138/announce-post-2948-year-480-point-reward](https://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/3138/announce-post-2948-year-480-point-rewards#latest) Come join us for a variety of events, from cooking and crafting to 2v2v2v2 violence! We’re giving out tons of prizes, and there might even be a fairground full of odd rewards. **Categories:** Event, Upcoming Event --- ### [2018 - In Review](https://www.aetolia.com/event/2018-in-review/) **Published:** January 16, 2019 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2018-1024x539.jpg "2018 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")2018 has been an exciting year for Aetolia! Come join us on the forums and discuss what’s been happening, with teasers for what’s coming! Jump in on the discussion here: ### **Wins and Achievements in 2018** **PvE Rebalance and Hunting** – Every class has had its NPC damage audited and brought in line. No longer do some classes just level faster than others, at least not egregiously. This also lets us combine a number of skills into a new skillset, Hunting. This skillset ties to your level and lets us decouple damage from guildskills. This way, you get better as you hunt, instead of having to invest lessons… and no more widely varying effectiveness by skillrank. **DUNGEONS!** – Our first Dungeon, Beneath, has been released. Requiring three people, this is a new type of content for Aetolia, and even includes speedruns. It has its own currency for rewards and lots of unique mechanics to solve. **Bamathis** – The Seals Event was a big win for everyone. The event was a blast, our staff had fun running it, and it was just great overall. Our previous lessons in storytelling freed us to come up with great ideas to shine every bit of this great story up, and major changes took place because of it. Aetolia’s storyline is moving once more, in directions it hasn’t taken before. **New Mission System** – The mission system is a neat new replacement for standard quests that lets players track the effects they have on an organizational scale. It also rewards Pk, PvP, and Crafting, giving everyone a way to pitch in! Our implementation wasn’t perfect, but the response overall was very positive. Expect events in the future to have less intense implementation! **New Talent – Perfumery** – Now our players can stink less! Or at least customize their stink. **Minipets Minipets Minipets** – One of our most prolific promotional items, minipets are everywhere. Now they have things to do! They race in derbies for gold prizes in a new system that is city funded and rewarding. In the future, we’ll expand them continent-wide! **Imvra** – We’ve created a new Admin Role just for roleplaying questions, our Head of Lore. Tons of questions have finally been put to bed, and everything It answers is recorded so that our lore grows ever deeper. Remember to ask it all the questions you can think of about reproductive biology! It loves those. **Rebuilt Honors** – Titles can now be attached to honors, and the means by which you get honors lines has been redone. This means that custom rankings and titles are far easier to get, including things like honors lines for events that remember what you were doing! ### What went wrong this year? **Proxy War Length** – We let this one go on too long. What should have been an Epic war dragged on for at least an extra month, leading to fatigue in both those running and those participating. Multiple new systems were tested all at once, and while we all had fun.. well, you don’t see New War System up there in our Wins column yet. This taught us so much about running events! One had never been done this way, and likely won’t be run so again… you can tell the difference in the event that followed! **Still no Mages** – This revamp is now an albatross around Tiur’s neck. It’s been plagued by design issues (we’ve thrown out two iterations!) and some technical issues. We’re on this, though! It is a major part of our Q1 plan. We’re also still very excited by some of the new concepts, including things no mud has ever done before. **Indorani** – We’ve tried a number of times to express that we want events and player actions to have repercussions. They did, and we lost a guild. To some, it was obvious, to others a surprise. We don’t feel like this is a Loss, but it needs work and love to be brought to the Win column. ### What would we do differently? We’ve learned a lot of lessons about discussing things with the player base. Some direct communications backfired, some helped, but we’re learning. Communication is key, and we’ll be increasing how much information flows outward officially. It may be neat to have a secret ending, but it’s just more fun if everyone knows when to log in! Buckling down. There are a number of tasks \*coughmagescough\* that suffer from major schedule slippage due to various circumstances. That’s not fair to players! Over the coming year expect a number of tasks that have been left half done to be finished. While we do enjoy jumping straight to whatever is new and shiny, half finished is unacceptable. ### How did you do in achieving the player-facing goals you put forth a year ago? I think we succeeded most in bandaid pulling. When things needed changing, they were changed. There have been some hurt feelings, but largely our playerbase is with us in wanting the best game possible. ### Goals for 2019 Well, it’s silly, but I want those Mages done. It’d be nice to move on! Our commodity replacement system is nearing ready for stage 1 release. It won’t replace everything, but you’ll get an idea of what we’re going for. Last year we spoke of the PvE update and how it went Worldmap – Dungeon – Endgame… The world map ended up being an issue from the design/code end, so we skipped ahead. PvE still needs its Endgame portion, so we’re on track! And when the Worldmap works… we’ll have things that use it. Expect more dungeons like Beneath, and another unreleased type. We’ll be switching styles of schedule/dev management. Our Big Projects will be tracked in a more standardized, official manner. While you guys might not see a difference in information received, this is being implemented to prevent schedule slippage and more carefully track our resources. For fun I might release some of the design documents in the post-mortems so that everyone can see! Participate in the discussion here: **Categories:** Event --- ### [Ashes of the Indorani](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/ashes-of-the-indorani/) **Published:** April 9, 2019 **Author:** Tiur **Excerpt:** With the Chaos War ended, the Indorani find themselves in a unique position for a class. **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ashes-1024x539.jpg "ashes - Aetolia the Midnight Age")With the Chaos War ended, the Indorani find themselves in a unique position for a class. Discuss: The new faction, Ashes of the Indorani, provides an unaligned method to obtain the class, while also providing a source of quests and RP for the guildless. It is in its infancy at the moment and those who hold Indorani may become an Initiate. As the buzz, rewards and repercussions of the event settle, you will find new tasks and goals will be introduced as a means to increase your rank. Increasing rank will introduce you to new jobs that reward a currency that is for the faction only and you will be able to purchase – ah, well, I can’t give everything away! **Categories:** Event, New Feature --- ### [Hunting for Upgrades](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/hunting-for-upgrades/) **Published:** September 9, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** Hunting has long been its own activity, using one or two class skills and disconnected information across helpfiles. No longer! Here comes the new skillset, HUNTING. All guild skills involved in PvE have had their damage tied to AB HUNTING, which advances as you do: by level! That means that as you hunt, you get better at it, freeing it from the lesson system. The skillset also includes other things, like criticals and unlocking overkill. A number of new skills that will assist you in your murderous rampages have also been included, letting you regenerate health out of combat and heal yourself of afflictions. Hunting is now more accessible and more interesting! The skillset is designed to advance over your quest to level 100, though it does seem to still do things past 100… Might – Grow stronger, become mightier. Evaluate – Evaluate the health of a denizen. Stamina – High stamina lets you hunt for longer. Critical – Land critical blows against lesser denizens. Overkill – Carry your extra damage to another target. Respite – Begin combat at the peak of your condition. Renew – Heal the body of afflictions that plague it. Hungerless – Your body no longer requires constant nourishment. Enhancement – Enhance various aspects of the self. Tireless – The mind no longer needs sleep. Havens – Retreat to your own personal haven. Instill – Instill yourself with the essence of life or death. Of course this isn’t all we have planned. Keep watching, as this is just another step in our PvE changes. What’s next? **Categories:** New Feature --- ### [War's Ending, Kobold New Future](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/wars-ending-kobold-new-future/) **Published:** August 5, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** Sometimes the best explanation is the events post! The war has ended, long live the Second Ophidian Empire. ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/lake-beautiful-picturesque-romantics-scene-spectacle-1419327-pxhere.com_-1-300x165.jpg "lake-beautiful-picturesque-romantics-scene-spectacle-1419327-pxherecom - Aetolia the Midnight Age") In the early days of Variach, 475 MA, a strange lull settled over the Liruma. The thunder of hooves lead to silence as the Mitrine outriders retreated to fall into a defensive position around their village. Following orders from higher command, the Ophidian forces withdrew a few paces, and settled in to hold their new-claimed territory. Breezes withdrew from across Sapience, the air stilling as the Mitrine Spirit wove around its little domain, protecting its people in the tense calm of waiting. Scouts slipped back and forth from the Great Rock and Dhaz Mitrine, solemn as they passed between the Empire’s standing army and the tent city of the nomadic wind-walkers. It was decided: The Empire and the People would convene. The following Gosday, a retinue accompanied the Empress Agra and Emperor Pa’akth across the Liruma to neutral ground, a small island nestled in the Pachacacha. There, Sunaguan Vari’ik, with the support of all four Mitrine tribes, surrendered the grazing grounds of their ancestors to the Empire. He turned over blade and blood, the Unali’i, Ahes, translating between peoples. The Ophidian Empress accepted without qualification. The Liruma is the territory of the Second Ophidian Empire, as well as the ruins and Spirit trapped within. The Mitrine, unable to contest this, but also unable to swear for the deeds of their progeny, made an oath to abide their Spirit’s imprisonment. They left with a small hope that the unborn generations would meet again in that neutral place, and find an accord that the current could not. Now the Empire sets its eyes upon its recognized territory, ready to build a new, stronger foundation for its future. The Mitrine fall back to tend to their wounds and look to the south for survival. Let us also welcome the newest player race, Kobolds! With two new abilities and a new language, at that. **Categories:** Event, New Feature --- ### [War Councils Change Things](https://www.aetolia.com/event/war-councils-change-things/) **Published:** July 16, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** Two War Councils have been held, marking what may be a turning point in the direction of the war. Two War Councils, and not three; the Holy Impire of New Sehal has declared victory and returned most of their troops home. The Second Ophidian Empire claims more land than the Mitrine Tribes, but their supplies wear thinner than their foes. The Mitrine Tribes still keep the gap too close for victory to be declared, so the war surely continues. (Or the Imps won it and the others are being stubborn, depending on your point of view.) With the Imp troops withdrawn, their intrusion has become more that of a guerrilla force than anything. Troops are now lost daily to their attacks, but far less than if they had been marching lines against the other factions. The Ophidians and the Mitrine both have accepted their city allies into their armies with appropriate rank, and now give rewards and troops reflecting their efforts. Citizens may even now command multiple divisions, should they boast a high enough rank! The War itself seems to turning now to take back the Ruins and control the Spirit within. While it remains to be seen what form this will take, both forces are asking questions of their allies regarding ylem… **Categories:** Event --- ### [A Mission of War](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/a-mission-of-war/) **Published:** June 11, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/hand-guitar-tool-leg-hammer-nail-704019-pxhere.com_-1.jpg "hand-guitar-tool-leg-hammer-nail-704019-pxherecom - Aetolia the Midnight Age") The Mitrine, Impire, and Ophidians are locked in a three-way war. With three sides to this battle, what’s a player to do? Utilize our entirely new “mission system” and get to being useful, that’s what! This summer Aetolia will be focusing on the war between the Ophidian Empire, the Mitrine, and the Holy Impire. Most combat will be focused in the Aureliana Forest and Ophidian Ruins. Each warring faction has a mission board in their respective village. Every howling, you will receive two mission allowances. Mission boards will randomly create three missions from four categories: PvP, PvE, Crafting, and Gathering. Missions reward gold and tokens redeemable in faction-specific shops. These shops will begin with minor items and mission aides, but keep an eye out for relics and other interesting things as events gear up. Missions details are tracked closely including; completions, who completed them, what was turned in, and more. Winning factions will be based on mission completions and advance the story accordingly. ![Sample Mission Board](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/missions.png "missions - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Sample Mission Board An unprecedented amount of control has been placed in your hands. Every style of play may assist their preferred faction in the battle to come out on top. Who cares about the details of WHY they’re at war at this point, anyway? ![Sample Mission Output](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mission2.png "mission2 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Sample Mission Output For more information, you can review the help files on the website here: You can jump in, pick a side, and start playing right here: **Categories:** Event, New Feature --- ### [War, War Never Changes](https://www.aetolia.com/upcoming-event/war-war-never-changes/) **Published:** July 3, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** War changes are incoming! It’s taken us some time to get everything working fairly and correctly, but this is a huge system, bear with us. Missions generate troops for your faction, and those troops gain bonuses to their performance based on how connected the room you’re attacking is to already claimed territory. This has lead to a dominant control of each major faction’s area with a choke point over the ruins. As planned, the ruins are the focus of the battle for territory… but balancing this has been difficult, as there’s a fine line between frustrating and contentious. Possible solutions to this are incoming! The factions themselves are showing more support to the cities who have chosen to back them, and could even be approaching formal ally status. As such, command tents have sprung up representing the cities aiding them, and formal factions (HELP FACTION) are opening soon! Track your personal standing with the team you support, and perhaps some rewards might tie back to it… The ruins themselves will need a different mechanic for control, as the Spirit sleeping within is unlikely to just sit idle forever. Our solution there will be something entirely new, this isn’t even half over! **Categories:** Upcoming Event --- ### [Impossibly, It Gets More Complicated](https://www.aetolia.com/event/impossibly-it-gets-more-complicated/) **Published:** May 28, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/black-and-white-number-decoration-soil-black-graffiti-747627-pxhere.com_-1-300x225.jpg "black-and-white-number-decoration-soil-black-graffiti-747627-pxherecom - Aetolia the Midnight Age") The Ophidian Empire reigns once more, and the Beastlords’ cultists went missing. The new normal, it was thought. Unless you’re the Indorani or the Imps! The Indorani easily found the Beastlords’ cultists in their new digs; the old temple of Khepri. Where were the imps who called that home? Kicked back to the Kingdom of Sehal. Unhappy with this new situation, the imps have begun covering the Aureliana forest and Liruma scrublands in traps: every trap their devious minds had ever come up with, plus a few new improvised types. The finally-of-age princesses of the Imps seem to be to blame, both having taken this invasion of their Holy Ground personally. Content to ignore the aboveground, the Ophidians have been tunneling… they claim to expand their empire and reclaim sunken glories. All of the Liruma shook when what they found was an underground arm of the Urubamba and a massive tunnel collapse was all that saved the fledgling empire from sinking. But then it was let slip where those ‘murderous’ cultists might be hiding. Not to mention, a little false information about who was laying all those traps… And there stands the state of things. The Ophidians know where the Cultists are. The Imps have decided this is worth war. And something interesting MUST be beneath the Liruma, or else why the tunneling? **Categories:** Event --- ### [Long Live the Emperor](https://www.aetolia.com/event/long-live-the-emperor/) **Published:** April 21, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/landscape-rock-wilderness-mountain-prairie-hill-170-pxhere.com_-1-300x199.jpg "landscape-rock-wilderness-mountain-prairie-hill-170-pxherecom - Aetolia the Midnight Age") The Liruma Scrublands were full of activity these last few days! One of the oldest areas in Aetolia seems to have some upheaval in store… A mournful dirge rose up across Sapience in late Slyphian of 472 MA, followed by the sounds of battle as the Ophidians of the Great Rock clashed with the Beastlord Cultists. The Ophidians were successful in the fight, most of the cultists laying dead around the caverns. It was later reported by the Ophidian War Chief Stl’frim that the Crow Man Lorenzo escaped with a small band of his followers – though to where, nobody is yet certain. Drawn by the sounds of battle and grief, adventurers converged upon the Ophidian Chieftain’s chambers, where they discovered the Chieftain Skt’all laid to rest upon a stone altar. Surrounding the corpse of the fallen Chieftain were his son, Pa’akth; his advisors; a kobold chieftain; and the kobold chieftain’s daughter. From the conversations that followed, it was understood that Skt’all was poisoned by the Beastlords and Stl’frim led a battle upon them in retaliation. Prek, an opportunist kobold chieftain, wasted no time in offering an alliance – and his daughter Agra’s hand in marriage – to the new Ophidian Chieftain. Pa’akth’s advisors objected loudly, informing those gathered that Skt’all had been adamant against any such alliance, and hinted towards their suspicions of the Kobold’s motives and timings. Ignoring the objections, Pa’akth readily agreed, and already seemed more than familiar with Agra. At Agra’s urging, Pa’akth declared himself no longer a mere Chieftain, but the proud Emperor of a renewed Ophidian Empire and vowed to rebuild their ancient heritage lost to eons past. Prek and his daughter took their leave, planning to gather their clan and settle the base of the Great Rock in accordance with their newly established treaty. Needing time to prepare burial rites for his father, and finalize the founding of the Second Ophidian Empire, Pa’akth has temporarily closed off the Empire’s borders, preventing entry into their caverns. **Categories:** Event --- ### [Player vs Environment, Tiny Pets vs Tiny Environments](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/player-vs-environment-tiny-pets-vs-tiny-environments/) **Published:** May 14, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/nature-grass-branch-plant-leaf-flower-173075-pxhere.com_-1-225x300.jpg "nature-grass-branch-plant-leaf-flower-173075-pxherecom - Aetolia the Midnight Age") Major changes to PvE are rolling out, including the first ones to address balance… and more importantly, GOLD. Not to mention, tiny little worlds contained in terrariums now allow you to send minipets in to challenge them for both fun and profit! MAJOR PvE Gold/Experience changes As the next step to massive PvE changes, we’ve made the following three (summarized) modifications. 1\. Gold drops from sentients have essentially been doubled. 2\. A throttle now exists for gold drops. It is set to a value we consider very generous, and far in excess of what a profitable trip should be. 3\. Our exp formulas have been altered to give out experience based on difficulty, not just arbitrary mob level. TERRARIUMS! Each terrarium is a small instance of its own environment. When dropped in your haven (or castle), it will sit there contently existing without need or input from anything. Pleasant ambient messages will surround those nearby… each of which gives a small, short time buff (think on the scale of 1% exp, 1% damage audit of a certain type). While not large, they passively give pleasantness to all around them. Which give what is part of the surprise! And yes, they stack, so you’re perfectly capable of filling an entire creepy room with terrariums. **Categories:** New Feature --- ### [This is your Vault](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/this-is-your-vault/) **Published:** April 13, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/wheel-meeting-business-security-bank-safety-661663-pxhere.com-1-1-e1523625229753-300x261.jpg "wheel-meeting-business-security-bank-safety-661663-pxherecom 1 - Aetolia the Midnight Age") Bank vaults are here! A vault is item storage at your bank, where you can keep an item in exchange for a daily gold upkeep fee and they won’t decay! You will initially have 3 item slots per bank, and you can expand these slots (on a per bank basis) for credits if you so choose. Every real life day (at the Howling), your bank account at banks’ whose vault you are using will you charge you 100 gold per item, plus an extra addon fee set by the city’s Steward. If you don’t have the money in your bank account to cover this, it’s no big deal: Your gold owed will be recorded. If you have gold owing, trying to withdraw the item will charge you all the owed gold. Gold owed will also be attempted to be paid off at each Howling, if you top off your account. Common sense applies to what you can’t deposit at a vault, but just to be sure… You can’t deposit any item that resets, is cursed, is a NPC, is an event item, or will decay no matter where it’s stored (e.g. a buff chocolate). You also can’t deposit any item that has items inside it. No storage nesting! Do be warned that the nature of vaults does give cities a certain degree of control over your access to those items. We will allow this within reason, but if this gets abused we will be exploring solutions. It is a bit fun how MUDs can come full circle. Implementing this felt a bit like bringing back lockers! Next thing you know, we’ll give experience bonuses for logging off inside an inn… Super Secret Sidenote: Tune in Friday around the Howling! We’ve been working on something big for a few months now, and while it’s a slow burn, all things start somewhere. (that’s the 20th) **Categories:** New Feature, Upcoming Event --- ### [Tournament of Luck Winner!](https://www.aetolia.com/event/tournament-of-luck-winner/) **Published:** March 28, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** The Tournament of Luck was recently held in Aetolia! A contest made to find the luckiest individual in Aetolia, this event pitted players against each other in a knockout style tournament, where games of luck would determine who advances! In the end, it was Karhast who was crowned the luckiest individual, after winning the final match against Kyrdo with a coin toss! **Categories:** Event --- ### [Esterport Times Special Report #12](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/esterport-times-special-report-12/) **Published:** April 1, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/download-206x300.png "download - Aetolia the Midnight Age") Hello again, faithful readers! Fela comin’ at you in this very special report with something scary, something neat, and something strange! Something Scary: Rampant disease! Physicians and Alchemists have assured the Times that a new and insidious disease is running loose on Sapience! Details are slim, but our very reliable sources say that the disease is easily spread! Fatality rates are yet to be determined, as are symptoms, but this writer definitely overheard screaming, gnashing of teeth, and wails to be released from this suffering coming from the Physician’s office! Unrelated? UNLIKELY! Something Neat: Peace on Sapience! It might be closer than you think! An anonymous representative of the Packmoot informed this darling reporter that harmony and friendship are the words of the day! Analysts suspect that some sort of powerful magic might be at work, but nonetheless, formerly aggressive packs of hated enemies were seen frolicing together, enjoying chats of friendship, and preening each other’s coats! This reporter even received a bracelet of flowers. Could this be the beginning of a new era of harmony on Sapience?! Something Strange: OATS! Huge shipments of oats have gone missing on nearly every major highway! Carriages ransacked, bodies with thin puncture wounds… but only oats are ever taken! Gold and valuables left behind! Survivors reported hearing noises not unlike two coconut halves being clapped together coming from the forest before attacks, but were not able to see their assailants, apparently blinded by light! -Head Investigator Fela Tarula **Categories:** Event, New Feature --- ### [Titles, Fame, and Honors](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/insert-title-here/) **Published:** April 5, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** Titles are a new system to mix with our fame lines and honors. Enjoy new ways to look special! Titles are sometimes included as part of fame, which you can receive from certain quests, organizations or events. Syntax: TITLES SELECT \[gender\] This command will allow you to select a title, which will show under your HONORS like this: Ceraen, the Dire <<< Pancake Master >>> The title in question will show up in a different color depending on how rare it is. There are four stages of rarity: Common(white), Rare(Cyan), Epic(Yellow) and Unique(Magenta). The brackets surrounding the title will not show if you have config screenreader turned on. If you do not want to use any title, simply select NONE. The gender is optional, and by default will pick your character’s current gender. You can pick any gender, but it will only work for those titles which have variants. Syntax: TITLES LIST ==================== Use this command to list any titles you may have available to select. Note that many fame lines do not have titles attached to them yet. We’ve set up a forum thread for you all to post suggestions on titles that you’d like to see attached to existing fame lines here, or edits/improvements to existing titles here: **Categories:** New Feature --- ### [Wayfarers!](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/wayfarers/) **Published:** January 16, 2017 **Author:** Oleis **Content:** ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/wing-wood-floor-tool-lighting-weapon-93295-pxhere.com_-300x200.jpg "- Aetolia the Midnight Age") Today, Aetolia witnessed the arrival of a new breed of warrior – the Wayfarer class. Wayfarers wield axes to hack, slash, and turn the tide of even the fiercest battle. Hemold, the Wayfarer, has taken up residence in Helba to apprentice interested players in his class skills. **Categories:** Event, New Feature --- ### [A derby is a fine hat](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/a-derby-is-a-fine-hat/) **Published:** February 9, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** ![](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/rock.jpg "rock - Aetolia the Midnight Age") Racetrack derbies are here! GO PET ROCK GO! Every season all the racetracks are enabled to enact a single Derby. When triggered, a race will populate using the top 8 (determined by a formula) on the track. The winner of this derby will receive 10 iron coins, as well as a point for the new, permanent Racetrack Handlers ranking. Their winning pet will also be marked in a list of Championship grade pets. Bets and winnings will act as normal for the Derby, though Culture Ministers are encouraged to set up a purse through outside means as they see fit. After a Derby, all pets in a racetrack will be removed, and their points reset, ending the Season. Everyone wanting to take part in racetrack stuff will need to resubmit their pets. Every season the track re-enables for a Derby. Skipping a Derby does not give you an extra, but it will also not kick out any pets. Once enough pets have a Derby win (8), we might attract the attention of a mysterious group that promotes possible Championship races. They would award winners of said Championship with unique minipets, faction rep with their faction, and access to special items/artifacts! The origin city of the winning pet will receive the coveted minipet statue (its look changes depending on which city owns it) that increases the rarity of all minipets obtained by citizens of that city. The details of a Championship will follow in another post when that mysterious organization contacts us. **Categories:** New Feature --- ### [Kald, perfumery and more!](https://www.aetolia.com/new-feature/kald-perfumery-and-more/) **Published:** January 21, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** ![](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/village.jpg "village - Aetolia the Midnight Age") The village of Kald (HELP KALD) has been released! This once-secluded village is host to a bunch of exciting new content for crafters including new wood types, a whittling pseudo-craft skill, and most exciting of all: the Perfumery talent! Perfumery can be learned from the village elder Esme at room v63818 for a cost of 90 credits. You should read HELP PERFUMERY and look over AB PERFUMERY for more details of this long-anticipated new talent! As for the whittling pseudo-craft skill, you can find a whittling station at v63733. Use the WHITTLE command to interact with it when you’re there. As with most projects, there was a concentrated team effort to get this released. But I want to give a special appreciation shoutout to our resident cookie monster Kyna! Everything listed in this announcement was her brainchild, and she was responsible for bribing us with cookies until it was done. **Categories:** Event, New Feature --- ### [Celebration of the Stars - Year 470](https://www.aetolia.com/event/499/) **Published:** December 1, 2017 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** ![](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/stars.jpg "stars - Aetolia the Midnight Age") The Celebration of the Stars is coming back to Aetolia to celebrate the Year 470! This time with a Culture Exchange theme. Starting **December 7th** and running until **January 1st**, there will be a slew of events to participate in and potentially win credits and other prizes from! You can view a full schedule of events [here on our website, ](https://www.aetolia.com/game/news/Aetolia/Announce/2760)by checking the EVENTS command in game, or come chat about it on [our official forums!](http://forums.aetolia.com/discussion/2739/year-470-celebration-of-the-stars-details-and-schedule-here#latest)! Placing in the top three for any event will gain you an amount of Celebration points. At the end of the Celebration, the top ten people with the most points will earn credits ranging from 1000 for first place (!!!) down to 50 credits for tenth place. That’s in addition to the credits you can receive for winning the events themselves! This year we’re building teams of three to compete for Celebration points, so pick your best ally and prepare for events like: **Poker tournament** This is our second Poker Tournament, and this time the antes will be more aggressive. Pick your luckiest card sharking team member, and win those credits! **Quiz Booth** A variant of Herolt’s Quiz, this test of wits can be taken at any time… but the questions are worth more the earlier you risk answering them. Mix genius with greed and clean up! **Culture Through Food** Culture means food, right? Submit the recipe that represents your culture the best and win credits, celebration points, and even a tradeskill! You don’t even need the actual tradeskill, just the tastiest recipe. **Keg Race** Get drunk and race across Sapience! Use special abilities to boost yourself and hinder your foes! Total mayham guaranteed. **Territory** A new contest will be taking place this Celebration, and you could win the Ulgar statue for your city! Territories is a new game mixing careful acquisition of land and defense with standard violence. All sorts of other events will be running, totalling over 8,000 credits in prizes. Check the Event Schedule [here on our website](https://www.aetolia.com/game/news/Aetolia/Announce/2760) and [come join in the fun! ](http://play.aetolia.com/) **Categories:** Event --- ## Pages ### [Main](https://www.aetolia.com/) **Published:** November 10, 2016 **Author:** ironrealms **Content:** **Venture into the realm of Aetolia using the Nexus Client, [now accessible on Android and iOS.](https://www.ironrealms.com/the-nexus-client/) Spark your adventure from wherever you are.** [ Play Free Now ](http://play.aetolia.com) [ Create A Character ](http://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) [ ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Vampire_Disectionwhite-2.jpg) ](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/) # [What is Aetolia?](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/) Aetolia is a **multiplayer RPG** (role-playing game) set in a dark fantasy world. The difference between Aetolia and other games is that Aetolia is played entirely in text with minimal graphics. This genre of games is called **MUDs or Multi-User Dungeons**. Characters in Aetolia talk, trade, fight, plot and even kill and eat each other. They roam the continents and explore dungeons, killing (or helping) foul creatures, gather gold and treasure while increasing in power and prestige. Unlike other fantasy settings, Aetolia enables you to play characters of all alignments and creeds, and it’s entirely in the hands of the player whether to become a hated villain, vaunted hero, or anything in between. [ Explore our Lore ](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/) [ ![Aetolia Bard hunting tree card: Rhythm, Cadence, Ridicule, Unheard and Doom now work against denizens](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/aetolia-announce-bard-hunting-tree-20260816-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg) ](https://www.aetolia.com/news/hunting-trees-bard/ "Hunting Trees - Bard")### [Hunting Trees – Bard](https://www.aetolia.com/news/hunting-trees-bard/ "Hunting Trees - Bard") ##### Aug 16, 2026 The Bard class hunting tree is live. Rhythm, Cadence, Ridicule, Unheard and Doom all work against denizens, and Tearing adds 50 bleeding to them. [Read More →](https://www.aetolia.com/news/hunting-trees-bard/ "Read More") [ ![Aetolia Iron Carnival: Grimbeard and Percivale's fairground arrives off the Prelatorian Highway](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/aetolia-announce-iron-carnival-20260801-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg) ](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-iron-carnival-is-in-town/ "The Iron Carnival is in town!")### [The Iron Carnival is in town!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-iron-carnival-is-in-town/ "The Iron Carnival is in town!") ##### Aug 1, 2026 The Iron Carnival has arrived off the Prelatorian Highway. Help Grimbeard and Percivale restore the grounds, and every five days the attraction with the most contributions opens. [Read More →](https://www.aetolia.com/news/the-iron-carnival-is-in-town/ "Read More") [ ![Aetolia August promotion: Iron reveller's lockboxes, Bags of Tricks, and the Pop the Bubbles carnival attraction](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/aetolia-announce-revellers-lockboxes-20260801-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg) ](https://www.aetolia.com/news/august-promotion-the-iron-carnival-is-in-town/ "August promotion - the Iron Carnival is in town!")### [August promotion – the Iron Carnival is in town!](https://www.aetolia.com/news/august-promotion-the-iron-carnival-is-in-town/ "August promotion - the Iron Carnival is in town!") ##### Aug 1, 2026 Iron reveller’s lockboxes arrive for August from $6.99, each holding a Bag of Tricks and a carnival dart for the new Pop the Bubbles attraction at the Midway. [Read More →](https://www.aetolia.com/news/august-promotion-the-iron-carnival-is-in-town/ "Read More") [ ![Aetolia server maintenance notice: emergency ISP work took the game offline briefly](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aetolia-announce-downtime-20260723-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg) ](https://www.aetolia.com/news/downtime/ "Downtime")### [Downtime](https://www.aetolia.com/news/downtime/ "Downtime") ##### Jul 23, 2026 Aetolia’s ISP scheduled emergency server maintenance starting at 10:00 PM PST, with no duration estimate given. Watch the Aetolia Discord for the all-clear. [Read More →](https://www.aetolia.com/news/downtime/ "Read More") [ ![Aetolia Year 20 Stone-Cloth-Sword tournament announcement: best-of-3, double-elimination bracket](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aetolia-announce-stone-cloth-sword-20260715-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg) ](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-20-game-addition/ "Year 20 game addition")### [Year 20 game addition](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-20-game-addition/ "Year 20 game addition") ##### Jul 15, 2026 A surprise addition to Aetolia’s Year 20 games list: a best-of-3, double-elimination tournament of Stone-Cloth-Sword, the game’s take on Rock-Paper-Scissors. Check EVENTS in-game for the timing. [Read More →](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-20-game-addition/ "Read More") [ ![Aetolia Dark Reflections of the Seventh event: seven mirrors opened gateways for the Seventh World until Dhar and Rashemi's Siderealists sealed the breach](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aetolia-announce-dark-reflections-20260711-16x9-2-1024x576.jpg) ](https://www.aetolia.com/news/dark-reflections-of-the-seventh/ "Dark Reflections of the Seventh")### [Dark Reflections of the Seventh](https://www.aetolia.com/news/dark-reflections-of-the-seventh/ "Dark Reflections of the Seventh") ##### Jul 11, 2026 Seven mirrors delivered in a dead man’s name became gateways for the Seventh World. Dhar battled a false Underking while Rashemi’s Siderealists collapsed the invasion and sealed the breach. [Read More →](https://www.aetolia.com/news/dark-reflections-of-the-seventh/ "Read More") [ ![Aetolia Celani volunteer recruitment: applications open for building, writing, and events](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aetolia-announce-celani-applications-20260710-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg) ](https://www.aetolia.com/news/celani-roster-update-applications/ "Celani roster update & applications")### [Celani roster update & applications](https://www.aetolia.com/news/celani-roster-update-applications/ "Celani roster update & applications") ##### Jul 10, 2026 Aetolia trimmed its Celani volunteer roster for a smaller, more active crew and opened new slots. Interested in building, writing, or running events? See HELP CELANI to apply. [Read More →](https://www.aetolia.com/news/celani-roster-update-applications/ "Read More") [ ![Aetolia Year 20 celebration: nine days of games and prizes, July 11 to 19, 2026](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aetolia-announce-year-20-20260705-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg) ](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-20/ "Year 20")### [Year 20](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-20/ "Year 20") ##### Jul 5, 2026 Aetolia marks Year 20 with nine days of games and activities from July 11 to 19, plus credit prizes and expanded placement rankings. Full schedule and times inside. [Read More →](https://www.aetolia.com/news/year-20/ "Read More") [ ![Aetolia combat credit milestones update - value shifts from the Sect of Blades to open-world PK](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aetolia-announce-combat-credit-milestones-20260701-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg) ](https://www.aetolia.com/news/combat-credit-milestones/ "Combat Credit Milestones")### [Combat Credit Milestones](https://www.aetolia.com/news/combat-credit-milestones/ "Combat Credit Milestones") ##### Jul 1, 2026 Aetolia’s combat credit milestones are shifting value out of the Sect of Blades and into open-world PK, with updated key rewards for duels, foci kills, bounties, and war. [Read More →](https://www.aetolia.com/news/combat-credit-milestones/ "Read More") [ ![Aetolia Spoils of Creation promotion July 2026 - cosmic minipets, COSMIC style scrolls, and artifacts](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aetolia-announce-spoils-of-creation-20260701-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg) ](https://www.aetolia.com/news/july-promotion-3/ "July Promotion")### [July Promotion](https://www.aetolia.com/news/july-promotion-3/ "July Promotion") ##### Jul 1, 2026 Spoils of Creation returns for July with cosmic minipets, the rare COSMIC style, artifacts, and a build-your-own floating world. Every Tuesday this month has Double XP. [Read More →](https://www.aetolia.com/news/july-promotion-3/ "Read More") Stay in the loop Game updates, world events, and news from Aetolia – delivered to your inbox. Name Please enter your name. Email Please enter a valid email address. Aetolia Iron Realms Please select at least one newsletter. --- **Marketing permission:** I give my consent to Iron Realms to contact me via email for news and updates. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please accept the marketing permission. SubscribeUnsubscribe at any time via the link at the bottom of any email. ## How Can I Play? Aetolia is a free-to-play game that can be played on several different platforms. To play directly in your browser, you can [click this link](http://play.aetolia.com), or the play button above. If you’re coming from another MUD and already have a MUD client of choice, you can connect to Aetolia at aetolia.com, port 23. You can also play on mobile with the Iron Realms Entertainment Nexus app. [View the Nexus app in the App Store.](https://testflight.apple.com/join/BniBibnM) [View the Nexus app in the Google Play Store.](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ironrealms.nexus&pli=1) ##### Intricate ### Player vs Player Combat Aetolia has some of the most detailed and intense PvP ever created. In addition to traditional RP initiated combat, Aetolia has numerous systems to encourage and reward its most skilled and bloodthirsty: - **Open PK areas** with world altering effects for those brave enough to enter - The **Sect of Blades**, a ranked system of organized combat - Twice monthly contests for the **Orrery**, a powerful location that boosts the faction of the team with the best showing - The power of **Ylem** regularly tears into Sapience, leading to clashes to control these **Foci**, for personal and organizational gain Of course, PvP isn’t just PK. We also have elected city positions to backstab your way into, rankings of everything from most powerful merchant to best minipet collector, and even racetracks for said pets to earn their owner winnings! [ Learn More About PvP Combat ](/player-vs-player-combat "Learn More About PvP Combat")##### Unique ### Character Classes and Skills We take our skill system seriously, and want every class or talent to feel unique and different. Whether you are an assassin leaping from the shadows to abduct your foe, a powerful knight slashing enemies with your flaming blades, or a monk utilizing your self control to heal wounds and devastate foes, all classes have their own unique mechanisms and abilities. - [15+ Unique Classes](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/) - 12 Guilds - 2000+ Different Abilities - 80+ Skillsets of Crafting/PvE/PvP - 60+ Race skills Our skillsets each include 30+ skills, varying between general skills, crafting, and class based. Every [guild](https://www.aetolia.com/guilds/) has its own class with unique abilities, modified by a core of abilities common to everyone. And of course, add to that our mercantile, tradeskills, and talents… you get hundreds of possible combinations! [ Read More About Skills ](/skills-and-abilities "Read More About Skills")### [What is a Mud?](https://www.aetolia.com/what-is-a-mud/) They’re **the original massively multiplayer real-time online games**. Before there was World of Warcraft, there were MUDs. They aren’t single-player text adventures like Zork or choose-your-own-adventure games. They’re very much real-time and multiplayer. Ultimately, you can think of MUDs vs. graphical games as books vs. movies in some respects. Just as many people feel books are more immersive than a movie, **many people feel MUDs are more immersive than graphical games.** Are you one of those people? Only one way to find out. Try out our game world right now! [ Read More About MUDs ](https://www.aetolia.com/what-is-a-mud/) [ ![map](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/map.png "map") ](https://www.aetolia.com/what-is-a-mud/) ##### Storytelling ### The World and Your Place In It Aetolia is an entirely unique, ever growing world and storyline. For over 17 years our realm has worked through a player driven storyline, and it has seen some changes no other setting could imagine. Almost 20,000 rooms are explorable to players, and 13,000 more are just waiting for the story to catch up… The drive for this? Roleplaying. Aetolia has a true player-driven storytelling with depths yet unseen. Regular events keep the story moving, while the Administration supports when our players unseat it all and take the reins! Our stories are crafted from the intricate RP of our players, with a vast overarching plot decades in scope… and all without a cutscene showing some NPC swooping in to steal the show. [ Learn More About Our World ](/world "Learn More About Our World")##### Your World ### Crafting, Building, Leading Aetolia is built to let players create and lead. Our organizations are designed with player-led positions, and our crafting skills mean that the clothes you wear, the swords you stab with, even the healing potion you drink from are all player designed and created. - 20+ Crafting skillsets - Over 100,000 player made designs - Castles and Havens for your character’s private home - 4 Completely player run City/Council/Empires - 12 Player led guilds - Player run packs of shapeshifters Our crafting is complex and wide reaching. Cities expand their buildings when their leadership decides to. Characters earn their own Haven and design it themself. And again, everything is player designed and crafted. Start your mercantile empire, then run the Imperial Dominion, build a castle, and corner the market in fancy hats, everything is possible! [ Learn Aetolia’s History ](/the-history-and-mythos/ "Learn Aetolia's History")##### No Download Needed ### An Online Dark Fantasy Game Prepare to enter the dark fantasy-horror world of Aetolia, an RPG text-based game from Iron Realms Entertainment! Terror and dark forces abound across the land, vying for dominance over Aetolia and its vast, varied geography. If you want to survive in this fantastic world, you have two choices: stand against the tide or join the fray! Every decision you make has consequences, each threatening to change not only your own destiny, but the world around you. The world is a massive construction of over 20,000 ‘rooms’ – submerse yourself in both the extensive writing and the dynamic lore. Aetolia is a multiplayer online RPG with no download necessary. As a text-based game graphics are minimal leaving you to fill in the gaps with your imagination! The story is written in blood and violence within a world that is unique and player-driven. Each character has a plethora of different abilities and skills, allowing for extensive control over player direction in the game itself – a myriad of combinations that leaves no two players the same. ##### A Horror-Inspired Vampire MUD ### True Dark Fantasy RPG Elements Sapience is the main continent of Aetolia, where players are born and heroes or villains are made! For hundreds of years, Sapience has had its own problems where squabbles over resources like ylem, dominion over geography, the forces of darkness and light, or life versus death all play a role. Now, the discovery of potentially hostile external continents like Vorostra or Albedos drive the overarching threat of constant invasion or the potential for world-spanning alliances. There are many different skills in Aetolia that can be utilized, encapsulated by the varied abilities in the game. While there are basic skills available to all players, there are hundreds of other skills that vary by class or subrace letting you define how you play! In addition to general and class skills, there are mini-skills to protect you; mercantile and agricultural skills to generate the necessities of life in the world; various trades and hobby skills; and practical skills to help you survive and thrive. A litany of talents await your eager education to provide even further customization to your character. Pick up a lute or learn to speak the many tongues of Aetolia in order to develop yourself how you envision! Beyond the typical races available, you may also deal with, or become, an undead, a sylvan Fae, or a member of the spirit-infused Akkari Host. Vampires stalk the land seeking blood and domination, while the light counters the unnatural with duamvi symbiotes brought from other planes to empower the worthy few, or with the sylvan forces from the Fae courts. Choose your side or live on in tepid anonymity! --- ### [How to Play Aetolia: A Beginner's Guide](https://www.aetolia.com/newbie-guide/) **Published:** June 2, 2017 **Author:** Varian **Content:** ![A cloaked warrior stands at a crossroads between Spirit and Shadow in Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-seo-newbie-guide-hero-20260511-16x9-1.jpg "A newbie guide to Aetolia - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Aetolia does not ease you in. From the moment you create your character, you are choosing sides in a centuries-long war, picking a class from 30+ options, and stepping into a world that has been running for over 20 years. It is a lot. This guide exists so you do not have to figure it all out alone. ## Character Creation Before the tutorial begins, you will create your character: choose a name, an age, a race, a city, and a class. These are the five decisions that define who you are in Aetolia. You can change your race, city, and class freely before level 31, so nothing here is permanent. But it helps to know what each choice means before you make it. The next section covers all three in detail. ## Starting Out: Slaver’s Isle and the Tutorial Once your character is created, you begin on Slaver’s Isle, an automated introduction that walks through the absolute basics: movement, picking up items, talking to NPCs, and using the HELP system. It is mechanical, not narrative. Nothing that happens here needs to become part of your character’s backstory unless you want it to. A few things worth knowing before you start: - If you forget your current objective, type `REMEMBER`. - For help from real players, use the newbie channel: `NEWBIE your question here`. Ask anything. The channel exists specifically for new players and the community uses it. - If you have played MUDs before and want to skip the tutorial, type `GRADUATE`. - Type `REGISTER` as soon as you finish the tour. This protects your character from inactivity deletion and is the only way to recover a lost password. The tutorial cannot be skipped in stages. You either complete it or graduate past it entirely. Most new players are better off finishing it, since Aetolia’s command structure is not obvious if you come from graphical games. ![A group of adventurers representing different classes in Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-seo-newbie-guide-classes-20260511-16x9-1.jpg "aetolia-seo-newbie-guide-classes-20260511-16x9-1 - Aetolia the Midnight Age")## The Three Choices That Define Your Character Your race, class, and city all get picked during character creation. You can change all three freely before level 31, so nothing here is permanent. Here is what each choice actually means. ### Your City: Spirit or Shadow Aetolia is built around a factional conflict between Spirit and Shadow. This is not good versus evil, though it is often framed that way by the characters involved. Both sides have done monstrous things. Both sides have compelling reasons for what they believe. The war between them has been running for centuries and shows no signs of stopping. There are four city-states, split along this axis: - **Enorian** (Spirit): A city devoted to the Gods and the cleansing of Shadow. Democratically governed. If you want a community built around righteous conviction and religious fervor, Enorian is the obvious home. Classes here include Templar, Luminary, and Zealot. - **Duiran Council** (Spirit): Nature-focused protectors of the forests and the cycle of life. Run by a player triumvirate headed by an additional presiding leader. Duiran attracts players who want to engage with Aetolia’s ecological and druidic themes, as well as cult-like aesthetics. Classes include Sentinel, Sylvan, and Warden. - **Bloodloch** (Shadow): The city founded by Abhorash, the first vampire Primus, built on blood and conquest. Authoritarian, brutal, and politically fascinating. If you want to play a vampire or be part of a city that operates like an empire, this is it. Classes here include Carnifex, Indorani, and Praenomen. - **Spinesreach** (Shadow): A scientific city studying Shadow as a force to be understood and controlled, not worshipped. Theocratic but intellectually driven, Spinesreach strives to ascend to godhood and rule as a new pantheon. Spinesreach attracts players who want to explore the darker mechanics of the game without the overt brutality of Bloodloch. Classes include Sciomancer, Archivist, and Infiltrator. Your city is your political home. It determines which guilds you can join, which players are your default allies, and which enemies you will spend years fighting. The choice matters more for roleplay than for mechanical power. All four cities are viable and have access to similar skills, though the lore you engage with will differ by affiliation. ### Your Class: 30+ Options, Free Trials on All of Them Aetolia has over 30 classes. This is an absurd number for a new player to navigate, so here is the practical version: your class determines your three primary skill sets, your combat style, and your role in group fights. You can trial any class freely before committing. If you pick Carnifex and hate it, you can switch to Sciomancer without losing anything permanent. The broad archetypes: - **Warriors and brawlers:** Carnifex (heavy armor, death magic), Templar (holy knight), Revenant (shadowy armsmaster), Teradrim (earth manipulation), Tidesage (nautical warrior), Monk (unarmed combat), Zealot (martial monk), Ravager (brutish brawler), Warden (ancestral warrior). - **Mages:** Ascendril (elemental, Spirit-aligned), Bloodborn (blood magic), Sciomancer (shadow manipulation), Runecarver (fungal curse magic), Indorani (necromancy and chaos magic), Voidseer (eldritch scholars), Archivist (numerological magic), Oneiromancer (dream and chaos magic), Siderealist (cosmic star magic). - **Rogues and assassins:** Infiltrator (dangerous spies), Predator (agile knifefighter), Sentinel (trap-using nature warriors), Executor (graceful shadow assassins). - **Specialists and hybrids:** Praenomen (immortal vampires), Bard (versatile gloryhounds), Shapeshifter (feral hunters), Earthcaller (undead warpriests), Wayfarer (clever survivalists), Shaman (sacred mystics), Luminary (fiery priests), Alchemist (genius scientists), Sylvan (fae-touched berserkers), Akkari (holy warriors). To browse your options in-game, type `CLASS GUIDE`. To join a class, travel to Esterport and find Aaranu, the Newbie Ambassador. Type `PATH FIND AARANU` to locate him, then `ASK AARANU JOIN classname`. If you change your mind before level 31, use `REPICK CLASS` in the Academy for a full lesson refund. ### Your Race: 24+ Options, All Viable Every race in Aetolia comes with four unlockable racial skills that improve as your character levels. The mechanical differences matter less than you might expect. A Troll and a Gnome can both be effective Sciomancers. Race is mostly a roleplay and aesthetic choice. The available races include humanoids (Human, Dwarf, Gnome, Mhun, Tsol’aa, Kelki, Grook, Grecht, Arqeshi, Djeirani), monstrous and bestial races (Troll, Orc, Ogre, Minotaur, Horkval, Kobold, Imp, Xoran), avian races (Harpy, Atavian), the plant-based Arborean, and exotic options like Rajamala (feline people), Seyda (fox people), and Nazetu. To see your options, type `HELP RACES`. To change your race and stat distribution, use `REINCARNATE`. Before level 31, you can do this for free as many times as you want. Experiment. ## The Basics: Moving, Fighting, and Staying Alive ### Moving Around Aetolia’s world is built from rooms, almost 20,000 of them. To see where you are and what exits exist, type `LOOK` or `L`. To move, type the direction: `N`, `S`, `E`, `W`, `NE`, `UP`, `DOWN`, `IN`, `OUT`. Doors block some exits; use `OPEN DOOR NORTH` to clear them. As a new player, the `PORTALS` command is your most important navigation tool. It gives you instant access to your city, your guildhall, and key locations. You lose this at level 31, so use it while you have it to learn the layout of your home city before you are on your own. ### Combat and Leveling Aetolia uses a balance-based combat system rather than turn-based rounds. Every action costs either physical balance or mental equilibrium, and you can only act when you have recovered it. In a real fight, you are managing dozens of variables simultaneously: your own balance, your opponent’s afflictions, your curing queue, your positioning. The depth is real, and it takes time to understand. For now, focus on hunting. You gain experience by killing denizens (Aetolia’s term for monsters). Type `HELP NEWBIEAREAS` for a list of good starting zones. Your two basic attacks until you learn class abilities are `PUNCH target` and `KICK target`. These will not carry you far, so prioritize learning your class skills early. ### Learning Your Skills As you level, you earn lessons. Lessons buy skill ranks in your class’s three skill sets. To see your available skills, type `SKILLS` or `AB`. To see what abilities a specific skill contains, type `AB skillset name`. To spend lessons with a trainer, type `LEARN number skillset FROM trainer`. Your guild and city have tutors; ask on the city new player channel (`CNT`) or your guild channel (`GT`) where to find them. A few other commands you will use constantly: - `SCORE`: Your character’s core stats, level, health, and mana. - `STATUS`: More detailed information, including lesson count. - `INVENTORY` or `INV`: What you are carrying. - `WHO`: Players currently online. - `HELP topic`: In-game help files. There is a file for almost everything. - `QUIT`: Log out. Your character saves automatically. ## Your First Week: What to Actually Do The Academy in your city is the single best use of your first few days. It runs you through intermediate mechanics, from combat to crafting, and gives you equipment you will actually use. Type `HELP ACADEMY` for directions and a breakdown of what it covers. New players who skip the Academy consistently struggle longer than those who do not. After the Academy, the `TASKS` system gives you a structured set of objectives with rewards: lessons, experience, basic gear. The first task is to `REGISTER` your character, which should already be done. Work through TASKS while you get your bearings. They are simpler than the Academy and a good fallback when you are not sure what to do next. Beyond that: join the fights. Aetolia’s factional warfare is not background flavor, it is the main content for a large portion of the playerbase. Your city will have regular conflicts with its enemies. Getting involved early, even just as a participant who dies and learns, is how you develop combat understanding faster than any guide can teach. ## Communicating With Other Players Aetolia is a social game. The communication channels you will use most: - `SAY message` or `'message`: Speak to everyone in your current room. - `TELL playername message`: Private message to any player anywhere in the world. - `NEWBIE message`: Global new-player channel, out-of-character. Use this for questions. The community answers. - `CNT message`: Your city’s new-player channel. Good for city-specific questions. - `GT message`: Your guild channel. Aetolia’s community is one of the game’s genuine strengths. Players who have been here for years are usually willing to help new characters find their footing. Ask questions on NEWBIE. The worst that happens is silence. Aetolia is free to play. You can create a character and start playing right now at [aetolia.com](https://www.aetolia.com). If you want to read more about the world before committing, the [Aetolia’s 32 character classes](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/) and [race pages](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/) cover each option in detail. The [lore section](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/) is worth a read if you want context for the Spirit vs Shadow conflict before your first character steps into it. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Is Aetolia free to play?** Yes. Aetolia is free to play with no download required. You can create a character and start playing in your browser right now. Optional premium purchases (called credits) let you buy cosmetic items, extra character slots, and certain in-game advantages, but the full game is accessible without spending anything. **Which class should I pick as a new player?** There is no universally best starting class, but some are more forgiving to learn than others. Templar, Zealot, and Sentinel tend to have straightforward combat rotations and good documentation. The most important thing is that you can trial every class freely before committing, so pick something that interests you and switch if it does not fit. **Can I change my class or race after I start?** Yes, freely, before level 31. Use REPICK CLASS in the Academy for a full lesson refund and a clean start on a new class. Use REINCARNATE to change your race and stat distribution. After level 31, class and race changes require special items, but the window before that threshold gives you plenty of time to figure out what suits you. **Do I have to participate in PvP?** Aetolia has active factional PvP as a core part of the game, and your city alignment means you will be on one side of the Spirit vs Shadow conflict. That said, you will not be hunted down as a new character. The game protects new players from the most aggressive PvP situations, and the community generally gives new characters room to learn. If you want to focus entirely on crafting, roleplay, and exploration without fighting other players, that is viable. But Aetolia is designed around conflict, and avoiding PvP entirely limits a significant portion of the game’s content. **How is Aetolia different from Achaea?** Both are Iron Realms games with similar underlying systems, but they feel different in practice. Aetolia leans into dark fantasy, vampires, undeath, and morally grey factional conflict. Achaea is higher fantasy with a larger playerbase and 27+ years of established lore. Aetolia has more classes (30+ vs 21) and a deeper crafting system with 20+ tradeskills. If you are drawn to the horror and darkness angle, Aetolia fits better. If you want the most established world and the biggest community, Achaea is the choice. Both are free to play and you can try both. **What do I do if I get completely lost?** Type PORTALS. As a new player, this command gives you instant access to your city, your guildhall, and key locations. You lose this at level 31, so use it freely while you have it. If you are stuck on a quest, type REMEMBER to see your current objective. If you need help from other players, NEWBIE is the fastest route. Someone will answer. --- ### [Contacting Support](https://www.aetolia.com/contacting-support/) **Published:** June 2, 2017 **Author:** Varian **Content:** ## Need Help? Need help? Have a question? Completely Lost? There is a variety of way to contact the game administration on each of our games. You can use the form here, email us directly, request help on game forums, and even use in-game commands. Read more about those options below. If you have questions or problems with credits or Iron Elite memberships, please see [http://www.ironrealms.com/payment-faq](http://www.ironrealms.com/payment-faq "Payment FAQ") or email [support@aetolia.com](mailto:sales@imperian.com). If all else fails, you may contact Iron Realms Entertainment by mail at: **Iron Realms Entertainment** 145 Corte Madera Town Center #451 Corte Madera, CA 94925 USA ##### Ask Other Players ### Forums & Discord Our players love to help people. If you’ve already created a character, just click over to one of our game forums, log in with your character information, and ask a question. You can also try the official Discord for Aetolia, where you can get real time help. Typically you will get a response fairly quickly. - [Forums](http://forums.aetolia.com) - [Discord](https://discord.gg/x2s7fY6) You can also try doing a search. If you have a question about something, it has probably already been asked before. In either case, do not hesitate to ask for help. ##### Contact Support ### Email US You can also contact the support staff of each of our games directly. Use your email client to send a message to the address of the game you play. You can also use the form on this page. - Aetolia: support@aetolia.com When you email us we will typically respond within 24 hours. If you are experiencing an emergency you may want to ask for help using the in-game ISSUE command. [You can learn more about issues here.](/game-help/?what=customer-service) ##### Game Commands ### Other Options You can also use two handy in game command to ask questions. First, you can use the NEWBIE channel to ask a question you may have. For example, you could type in the command – ***newbie How do I kill goblins in this game?*** One of our players or admin in the game should be able to help you with this almost instantly. Another option is to use the ISSUE command. This will submit a report to the administration and they will help you as soon as possible. Generally this is used more for emergencies if you cannot get help via other means. For example: ISSUE ME I am stuck and unable to move at all. Type in HELP ISSUES for more information. --- ### [What Is a MUD? A Look Inside Aetolia, the Midnight Age](https://www.aetolia.com/what-is-a-mud/) **Published:** June 2, 2017 **Author:** Varian **Content:** ![A hooded figure on a ridge above a vast gothic city of black spires under a pale moon, torch-lit windows in the misty streets; overlaid title reads What Is a MUD, a dark world played in text.](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aetolia-hero-what-is-a-mud-20260724-16x9-1.jpg)A MUD, short for Multi-User Dungeon, is an online role-playing game played entirely in text. You type what your character does, the game writes back what happens, and everyone logged in shares one world in real time. It is the oldest kind of online multiplayer RPG, and the good ones have spent decades quietly stacking up systems. Aetolia is one of them, and it is the dark one. It has run since 2001, it calls its era the Midnight Age, and the mood runs to vampires, undeath, and old gods with agendas of their own. The reason people stay, though, is less the atmosphere than the sheer amount of game sitting underneath it. Two decades of building leaves a lot behind. ## You type, the world answers Nothing is drawn. You act by typing, and the world answers back in prose, in real time, with other players moving through it in the same moment. ``` > kill guard You drive a shadowed dirk up under the guard's ribs. He reels, and asthma closes his lungs before he can shout. From the dark behind you, someone speaks: "Sloppy. Again, and mean it." ``` That last line is another player, watching you work. It is the part no screenshot captures: the world does not pause for you, and the most interesting things in it are being done by people, not scripts. Give the commands a week and they stop feeling foreign. You quit reading the interface and start reading the room, which in a city like Bloodloch is a survival skill. ## An enormous amount of game Start with the character screen. Aetolia has thirty-two classes and more than twenty races, and you are not married to any of them on day one. You can trial any class free before you commit, and multiclass into others later; you can even reincarnate once to change race for nothing. A Praenomen is a true immortal vampire with its own bloodline politics. A Shapeshifter tears between animal forms. A Carnifex fights as a knight of plague and slow poison. Most of them exist nowhere else. Then there is somewhere to take them. Two continents, Sapience and the stranger, newer Albedos, carry centuries of built history to pick through, along with dungeons, open-world bosses, and progression that climbs past the ordinary cap into the high Noble and Adherent tiers. There is a full hunting-and-climbing game here for players who never want to touch another person, sitting right on top of the one for players who live to. ![A hooded traveller on a mist wrapped road approaching the iron gates of a vast gothic cathedral under a blood red moon bare trees and leaning fences teal fog and red reflections on wet cobbles](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aetolia-seo-world-20260724-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia a traveller approaching a gothic cathedral under a blood moon - Aetolia the Midnight Age")## Combat you can’t blame on luck Player-versus-player fighting is what Aetolia is best known for. It runs on afflictions and cures like most Iron Realms games, with one rule that changes everything: it is deterministic. There is not a dice roll in it. The same affliction always cures the same way, in the same order, so nothing is hidden and nothing comes down to chance. Two skilled fighters end up throwing near-solved sequences at each other, and the whole thing turns the instant one of them reads the other a step faster, or fumbles a cure under pressure. Serious duelists write their own curing scripts to decide what gets cured first, so a real fight is half two people and half the two systems those people built at three in the morning. Text puts no ceiling on that kind of depth. That is the whole reason it lives here and not in a game that has to animate every blow. ## A world you can make a living in Not every character is built to fight. Aetolia has one of the deepest crafting economies of any text game, and it is worth being concrete about what that means: well over 100,000 items in the world are player-designed, from the armour a smith hammered out to the shop on the corner to the manor someone carved into a cliff. None of it is set dressing. It is the world the next person walks into. You can forge, cook, sew, brew, and build, and beneath that sit the raw trades of farming and mining and the shops that move it all. That makes “merchant” a real career. People corner markets and undercut each other, and the best of them become the person a war leader calls when a city has to outfit an army by the weekend. Nobody warns you that running a business is a viable way to play a fantasy game. Here it is. ## Everything above is run by players Aetolia has four city-states, and players hold the offices in all of them. They write the laws and run the wars, and they win or lose the elections that decide who gets to. The cities have hated each other for in-game centuries, and the grudges are specific rather than abstract: a rigged council vote, a border shrine that changes hands overnight, an alliance that snaps the week it counts most. Gods played by staff move through all of it, running Divine Orders and picking their favourites, and a conversation with one is what veterans tend to name when you ask what made the game stick. ## It is all text, and that is why it runs so deep A MUD is not a single-player text adventure like Zork. Zork is you against a fixed puzzle, and it waits patiently while you think. Aetolia does not wait at all. Everything above, thirty-two classes and a full crafting economy and deterministic combat and four player-run governments, reaches the depth it does precisely because the game is built in text. No artist has to model a class or draw a city before it can ship, so the systems just keep compounding. What you give up in graphics comes back many times over in how much world there is. ![A hooded figure holding a thin dirk in a torchlit stone passage as an armoured guard buckles to one side a second cloaked figure watching from the shadows](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/aetolia-seo-combat-20260724-16x9-1.jpg "Aetolia affliction combat a hooded duelist in a torchlit passage - Aetolia the Midnight Age")## How to try one Aetolia runs in a browser. Nothing to download, and it is free to start. It also runs through the Nexus client on iOS and Android, with your settings saved on the server so they follow you from your phone to your desk. New characters get a guided introduction to moving and fighting, and the commands that drive both. If you would rather read first, the [game features](https://www.aetolia.com/game-features/) page lays out every system in full, the [beginner’s guide](https://www.aetolia.com/newbie-guide/) covers character creation, and the [class list](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/) walks through all thirty-two. Aetolia is one of five worlds published by [Iron Realms](https://www.ironrealms.com/mud-games/), if you want to see the rest of the genre first. ## Ready to play? [Play Aetolia now](https://client.aetolia.com) ## Common questions about MUDs and Aetolia **Is Aetolia a horror game?** It is dark fantasy with real horror running through it. Vampirism, undeath, and the darker kinds of magic are built into the setting rather than sprinkled over it. No jump scares, but plenty that gets under your skin, and the game never quietly reassures you that the dark side was secretly the good one. **Do I have to fight other players?** No. Aetolia is known for its PvP, but there is a whole game beside it: dungeons and bosses to hunt, a crafting economy to build a fortune in, two continents to explore, and cities and gods to roleplay with. Plenty of players go years barely drawing a blade against another person. **Can I really play a vampire?** Yes, as a Praenomen: an immortal of the Consanguine bloodlines that trace back to the first vampire in Aetolia’s history. It is a full class with its own powers and its own ugly politics, not a skin painted over an ordinary character. **Is Aetolia free to play?** Yes. No subscription, and nothing to buy before you can make a character and start. Aetolia sells credits that turn into skills and items, and players trade those credits among themselves for in-game gold, so you can pay with time instead of money if you would rather. **How is Aetolia different from other MUDs?** Three things, mostly. The setting is properly dark rather than dark-flavoured, the combat is fully deterministic so fights come down to skill instead of luck, and the crafting economy is deep enough to play as a career on its own. If you have tried a brighter fantasy MUD and wanted something with sharper teeth and more under the hood, this is the one. --- ### [Ship Destinations Previews](https://www.aetolia.com/ship-destinations-previews/) **Published:** January 4, 2026 **Author:** Razmael, the Synthesist **Content:** ## Ship Destinations Previews ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") # **The Isle of Eurimines** Shrouded in an ever-present mist, the Isle of Eurimines beckons the brave and the bold with its mysteries and dangers alike. Blanketed by a dense jungle canopy, the fog only grows thicker the further into the island you delve. The isle teems with rare wildlife, and beneath the surface, vast cave systems harbor creatures far more sinister. Navigators speak of the island’s peculiar nature, with cartographers never able to pinpoint its exact location on any map. Sailors who have found it once often struggle to locate it again, as if the island itself shifts through the ocean mists, appearing and disappearing at will. The constant fog that spills across the beaches and through the jungle adds to its disorienting effect, challenging even the most experienced explorers. Tahlv, the renowned big game hunter whose exploits are legendary across the realm, will help guide you on a special hunting expedition to this enigmatic destination for a special season of the Legendary Game Hunter quest line. And the final hunt may require more than just your skill with blade or magic, so prepare a full crew and ensure your ship is properly outfitted with weapons… # **The Isle of Keltund** The Isle of Keltund rises from sapphire waters, a final sanctuary for a people who believed their world was otherwise lost. For generations, a community of Kelki have dwelled here in isolation, descendants of refugees who fled the monstrous Kerrithrim and the destruction of their homeland. Convinced they were the last of their kind, they built a new society based in their deep faith in the Goddess Slyphe, who they credit with guiding them to this tropical refuge. Palm-fringed beaches give way to dense mangrove forests and steaming jungles, and at the island’s heart, a great pyramid temple dominates the skyline as a monument to their survival. Within this great work rests most of their civilised society, defined by a system of castes meant to ensure their survival. From the industrious Fire-caste Busyfolk marked with crimson tattoos to the militant Water-caste Tidespeakers who guard against the maddening fog, each caste has a vital function. The mysterious Shadow-caste Burdened, bearing obsidian facial tattoos, shoulder society’s darkest griefs and unsavoury duties, while the Spirit-caste Ordered Ones maintain magical oathbinding that keeps their civilisation stable. The island’s lagoons teem with vibrant life, from schools of tropical fish to the massive leviathans that the Water caste hunts as both sustenance and sacred duty. Twin-tailed junglestalkers prowl the verdant interior, their red eyes gleaming from shadowed undergrowth, while humongous beachcrawlers scuttle across white sand shores. The jarring calls of impish skyscreechers echo through the canopy, their beautiful plumage belying their discordant voices. Rumour has it, however, that this paradise is a fragile one. Keltund’s safety is precariously maintained by a perimeter of ancient lighthouses holding back a sentient, maddening mist from the sea. Slyphe’s recent return has shaken their society to its core, causing civil unrest in the wake of the revelation that Sapience survived its brush with a child of mad Ilimos. While most rejoice, whispers tell of resentful traitors who have forged a dark covenant with whatever lurks within the fog, and tales of that threateningly eldritch entity have already reached mainland Sapience in years past. Now, a clandestine war brews in the shadows, with the lighthouses and the island’s very sanity as the ultimate prize, and those adventurers brave enough to walk Keltund’s shores shall be the ones to tip the balance. # **The Wave-Wracked Monolith** Rising from the ocean depths like a finger of black glass, the wave-wracked monolith defies all explanation. A mile of featureless obsidian stone pierces the sky, visible for leagues across the water, and those few who have glimpsed it and lived to sail away speak of the deep dread it instilled in their hearts. Most are not so fortunate, for the monolith calls to them long before it is visible upon the horizon. It begins as a maddening ticking sound deep within the skull, growing in intensity until the afflicted can think of nothing else but its mysterious source. Their only relief? Turning the helm toward that black spire on the horizon and sailing at full speed. Some ships, dashed upon the ancient reef at its base, never reach the dark monolith’s proverbial shore, their crews drowned or broken by the voyage. Others manage to moor alongside the graveyard of vessels already there – frigates from Esterport, junks and warships of Albedi make, even exotic craft from distant Vorostra, all lashed together into a grotesque floating island of salvaged wreckage and rotting wood. Some unfortunate descendants of these castaways have lived here for generations, dwelling in squalid shanties atop the flotsam island. Their long history can be traced through the carvings etched into the monolith’s lower reaches. Newcomers who survive the arrival are met with hollow eyes and wordless acceptance. No explanations are needed; the monolith chose them, as it chose everyone, and here they shall spend the rest of their days. When asked why they do not leave, they cannot explain. They know only that they must stay, for that is their new purpose. Those who have been forced away from the monolith by their loved ones, or merely the curious, succumb to madness and grief, with tragic and terminal endings to every such known case. When the moon hangs full and heavy in the sky, however, and the lunar light illuminates the obelisk bright, the monolith’s true secret reveals itself: It opens. From a featureless, secretive door upon that seamless black surface emerges towering figures that clank and grind like rusted machinery. They move among the wretched survivors, selecting a small handful by criteria none can discern, and lead them into the stone’s depths. None who enters has ever returned. What lies within this mysterious Monolith? What ancient purpose does it serve? What becomes of those it claims? The answers await those bold, or unfortunate, enough to hear its call. # Goukuzi-wo-Vusemusa-kezi, Port of the Triknot Islands Scarcely a few days’ sail from the Nazedha Isles, three mountainous islands rise green and volcanic from the sea in the form of a nation that wants nothing to do with you. The Triknot Islands have sealed their borders for generations, and their people, a proud civilisation of mainly Trolls devoted utterly to Arion, whom they name Riyonu, suffer no outsiders upon their sacred soil. None, that is, save in one place: the port city of Vusemusa, opened to foreign trade by grudging imperial decree and watched over by more soldiers than any market town could ever need. Sail into its harbour and you will find a city bound together – quite literally – by rope and knot. Boundary stones strung with knotted cords mark every street, corralling foreigners along approved paths while katana-bearing Bladesworn watch with narrowed eyes. Yet within those cordons waits a bounty found nowhere else: riotous markets of strange spices, silks, and teas; great yumi scaled to Troll hands; street theatre; and shrines of breathtaking artistry. Look up on a clear day and you will see why: three colossal golden ropes, woven of Riyonu’s own hair, stretch from each island into the heavens, anchoring the shattered archipelago to the floating palace of their divinely-empowered Emperor – for these islands were one, sundered when Riyonu waged holy war against the Corruptress Chakrasul upon these distant shores. Here is the knowledge written into the Aini-wo-Ya, the Triknotese’s Truth of Beginnings: their ancestors came not as settlers, but as soldiers of the Honourable Legions, sailing with Riyonu Himself in pursuit of wicked Chakrasul. From this island bastion, the God of Valor waged His long campaign to contain Her masterwork – the Nazetu – until the day the Corruptress broke past Him and hurled Her horde upon distant Sapience itself, drawing Him home in pursuit (See: [events post 34](https://www.aetolia.com/news/Events/34/)!). For the Triknotese, that war never ended; it merely paused. The Nazetu are no mere rival nation but a sacred enemy their God has charged them to oppose until the end of days. With Nazedha mere days distant, every warship in the harbour, every drilling legion, every knot tied in prayer is a vow renewed. But ropes strain and knots loosen. Whispers in Vusemusa’s slums speak of an Emperor whose divine authority wanes, of a rising military Shogun, of Nazetu saboteurs skulking among the corruption-stained islets where God and Corruptress clashed. Beyond the city’s rope-sealed gates, the interior remains forbidden to all outlanders. Tread carefully, and mind the knots that mark where you may not go. The Triknotese value the virtue of Valour above all things. Perhaps, in time, an outsider might even prove they possess some. --- ### [Aetolia Classes: All 32 Classes Across Four Cities](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/) **Published:** June 2, 2017 **Author:** Varian **Content:** Aetolia has 32 playable classes. Each one connects to a city, a guild, and a side of the Spirit-Shadow conflict that defines the continent. Each class also has three skill sets and hundreds of abilities, so the depth scales fast. What follows is a guide to all 32 Aetolia classes, organized by where they come from. Five classes have no city guild and stand outside the city system. The other 27 are anchored to one of four city-states: Bloodloch, Duiran, Enorian, or Spinesreach. Your city, your guild, and your class are bound together in Aetolia: pick one of the three, and you have largely picked the other two. If you already know which class interests you, jump to its section. If not, the city-by-city breakdown below is the easiest way to find one that fits. ## All 32 Aetolia classes at a glance ClassCityPrimary skill[Akkari](/character-classes/akkari/)EnorianAscendance[Alchemist](/character-classes/alchemist/)SpinesreachAlchemy[Archivist](/character-classes/archivist/)SpinesreachGeometrics[Ascendril](/character-classes/ascendril/)EnorianElemancy[Bard](/character-classes/bard/)Djeir (no city guild)Weaving[Bloodborn](/character-classes/bloodborn/)BloodlochHumourism[Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/)BloodlochSavagery[Earthcaller](/character-classes/earthcaller/)BloodlochSubjugation[Executor](/character-classes/executor/)SpinesreachShadowdancing[Indorani](/character-classes/indorani/)Bloodloch (no guild)Necromancy[Infiltrator](/character-classes/infiltrator/)SpinesreachAssassination[Luminary](/character-classes/luminary/)EnorianSpirituality[Monk](/character-classes/monk/)DuiranTekura[Oneiromancer](/character-classes/oneiromancer/)Duiran (no guild)Oneiromancy[Praenomen](/character-classes/praenomen/)BloodlochCorpus[Predator](/character-classes/predator/)noneKnifeplay[Ravager](/character-classes/ravager/)BloodlochBrutality[Revenant](/character-classes/revenant/)SpinesreachRiving[Runecarver](/character-classes/runecarver/)DuiranMalediction[Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/)SpinesreachSciomancy[Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/)DuiranDhuriv[Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/)DuiranPrimality[Shapeshifter](/character-classes/shapeshifter/)noneFerality[Siderealist](/character-classes/siderealist/)noneAstranomia[Sylvan](/character-classes/sylvan/)DuiranExtirpation[Templar](/character-classes/templar/)EnorianBattlefury[Teradrim](/character-classes/teradrim/)BloodlochTerramancy[Tidesage](/character-classes/tidesage/)EnorianWavebreaking[Voidseer](/character-classes/voidseer/)DuiranCultivation[Warden](/character-classes/warden/)DuiranWarding[Wayfarer](/character-classes/wayfarer/)noneTenacity[Zealot](/character-classes/zealot/)EnorianZeal## How class works in Aetolia Every class has three skill sets. A Carnifex draws on Savagery, Deathlore, and Warhounds. A Shaman draws on Primality, Shamanism, and Naturalism. Each skill set contains dozens of abilities, and you will spend lessons to unlock them as you play. Joining a guild gives you its class automatically, though you start as an apprentice. Reach guild rank 2 and your class becomes permanent. After that, you can multiclass: you get one free secondary slot, and additional slots cost credits as you expand up to a maximum of sixteen classes. Most players settle on a primary and one or two well-developed secondaries. You can trial any class before committing lessons to it. The skills work at low ranks, so you only invest seriously when you have decided this is the one. That matters because Aetolia classes feel different from each other in ways stat sheets cannot capture. A Carnifex’s heavy soul magic plays nothing like a Bard’s performance-driven assassination work. If you want context on how class choice shapes [Aetolia’s PvP combat](/player-vs-player-combat/), that page covers the broader system. ## The Spirit-Shadow tether Aetolia’s central conflict is between Spirit and Shadow. Spirit holds Enorian and Duiran. Shadow holds Bloodloch and Spinesreach. Twenty-five of the 32 classes are tethered to one side or the other, and you cannot actively hold classes from both sides at the same time. The remaining seven are mechanically untethered, which means they can move freely between Spirit and Shadow cities. Five of those seven have no city guild at all. The other two (Monk and Infiltrator) have city-anchored guilds but classes that aren’t gated to either tether. Every tethered class has a mirror on the opposite side with the same combat structure but different flavor. The Carnifex and Warden are both heavy martial classes built on city-defining lore, but one is a soul-eating death knight and the other an ancestral warrior who calls on the spirits of the Bear, Serpent, and Raven clans. The Sciomancer and Runecarver both wield destructive magic, but one channels the Plane of Shadow and the other draws on rot and the dark half of the Cycle. This mirror system means new players can pick a side based on roleplay preference without worrying that one side has stronger mechanics. ## Classes of [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/) **Shadow Tether. The city of undeath.** Bloodloch is Aetolia’s vampire capital. Home to the Consanguine bloodline first ordered by Abhorash, the first Primus, and ruled today through the Imperial Dominion. This is the city of blood, conquest, and the gift of Night Unending. Its seven classes lean into corruption, dominion, and the use of death as a power source. ### [Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/) Death knights forged in the Roan Seluno ritual. Carnifex use **Savagery** (steel and fists), **Deathlore** (soul magic powered by a soulstone), and **Warhounds** (war beasts trained for the field). Mirrors the Warden. Carnifex guild. ### [Ravager](/character-classes/ravager/) Brutish brawlers tempered in the hellfire of Perdition. Ravagers wield **Brutality** (no-holds-barred martial arts with a butcher’s hook), **Ravaging** (channeled soulfire), and **Egotism** (will made manifest, drawn from Corrupt Chaos). Sister class to [Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/). Mirrors the Zealot. ### [Praenomen](/character-classes/praenomen/) Vampires who command body, mind, and blood through **Corpus**, **Mentis**, and **Sanguis**. The Sanguis art lets them Sire and Embrace others into their bloodline. Signature class of the Imperial Dominion. Mirrored by Akkari and Sylvan jointly. ### [Bloodborn](/character-classes/bloodborn/) Dark sorcerers of physiological magic. **Humourism** taps the four humors (yellow bile, phlegm, black bile, blood) for visceral spellwork. **Hematurgy** focuses purely on blood. **Esoterica** covers occult ritual and arcane invocation. Imperial Dominion guild, alongside Praenomen. Mirrors the Ascendril. ### [Indorani](/character-classes/indorani/) Dark scholars who survived the dissolution of their old imperial guild. **Necromancy** (life essence manipulation), **Tarot** (the Major Arcana), and **Domination** (negotiating with Chaos Lords) make Indorani one of Aetolia’s most magic-heavy classes. Class without a guild: learn from Empress Xa’azamit in the Chaos Plane. Mirrors the Oneiromancer. ### [Teradrim](/character-classes/teradrim/) Earthen warriors who guard the Pillars of the Earth and the prisons of the Sorcerer-Kings. **Terramancy** (earth as bludgeon), **Animation** (golem creation), and **Desiccation** (sand and ruin) define their craft. Their guild, the Apostles, was once the Teradrim Warband. Mirrors the Tidesage. ### [Earthcaller](/character-classes/earthcaller/) Warrior priests of Azvosh, the Plane of Earth. **Subjugation** (bone magic and croziers), **Tectonics** (lava and stone), and **Apocalyptia** (the Earthen Dirge) round out their kit. Shares the Apostles guild with Teradrim. Mirrors the Luminary. ## Classes of [Duiran](/world/duiran/) **Spirit Tether. The Heartwood.** Duiran is the forest-bound city of nature, the Cycle, and the spirit world. Its government runs through a council, and its three guilds (Praadi, Sentaari, Sentinels) protect the wild and the void between worlds. Duiran has eight classes, the most of any city. ### [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) Forestal hunters who wield the double-bladed dhurive alongside feral animal companions. **Dhuriv** (the staff-blade), **Woodlore** (wilderness craft), and **Tracking** (subtle bows and traps) anchor the class. Joins the Sentinels guild (“the Pride”). Mirrors the Executor. ### [Warden](/character-classes/warden/) Ancestral warriors of the White Bear, Red Serpent, and Black Raven clans. **Warding** (clan-passed battle techniques with greatspears, scythes, and wargauntlets), **Ancestry** (calling on the ancestors to intervene in battle), and **Communion** (ancestral memories drawn from the crypts and shaped into simulacra). Shares the Pride with Sentinels. Mirrors the Carnifex. ### [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) Awakened priests of life, death, and the Cycle. **Primality** (primordial elements and lifeforce), **Shamanism** (spirit-summoning portents), and **Naturalism** (commanding the forests). Praadi guild. Mirrors the Alchemist. ### [Runecarver](/character-classes/runecarver/) Priests of mortality, decay, and the rot beneath life. **Malediction** (curses), **Runecarving** (primitive runic magic), and **Sporulation** (fungal shamanism). Praadi guild. Mirrors the Sciomancer. ### [Sylvan](/character-classes/sylvan/) Fae-bound warriors transfigured by an oath to Life. **Extirpation** (animalistic claws-and-fangs combat practiced by Faekind), **Caprice** (the language of High Fae), and **Glamours** (binding oaths through Fae magic). Praadi guild. Mirrors the Praenomen alongside Akkari. ### [Monk](/character-classes/monk/) Martial artists of the Sentaari monastery. **Tekura** (the body), **Telepathy** (the mind), and **Kaido** (the friction between Spirit and Shadow). The Sentaari are the only order trained to interact with the Void. Monks are mechanically untethered: the guild aligns with Spirit, but the class can move between cities. ### [Voidseer](/character-classes/voidseer/) The second Sentaari class, born after the Monomachy. **Cultivation** (psychic emotional manipulation), **Enlightenment** (the seven chakras), and **Voidgazing** (drawing power from the void itself). Mirrors the Archivist. ### [Oneiromancer](/character-classes/oneiromancer/) Dream-weavers tied to the Astral Realm once ruled by Omei. **Oneiromancy** (fate and dreams), **Hyalincuru** (paper-folding as eldritch magic), and **Contracts** (bargains with Fae Nobles). Has no guild, associated with the Council of Duiran. Mirrors the Indorani. ## Classes of [Enorian](/world/enorian/) **Spirit Tether. The Hammer of Dawn.** Enorian is the religious bastion of Light, a democratically elected council backed by holy warriors and divine fire. Its Templars answer the Sunset bell and march to war, the Illuminai carry the faith, and the Ascendril question the nature of existence. Enorian has six classes across three guilds. ### [Templar](/character-classes/templar/) Holy knights of Celezor. **Battlefury** (disciplined weaponry), **Righteousness** (judgement auras), and **Bladefire** (holy radiance bound to steel). Known for being first into a fight and the last to leave it. Templars guild. Mirrors the Revenant. ### [Akkari](/character-classes/akkari/) Duamvi warriors from the Plane of Spirit, Rewh’va. **Ascendance** (drawing on Rewh’va and the Triad), **Dictum** (holy condemnation), and **Discipline** (sacrament-trained will). Wield the twin-bladed manta. Sister class to Templar at the Vigil. Mirrors the Praenomen alongside Sylvan. ### [Luminary](/character-classes/luminary/) Light-faith warrior-priests. **Spirituality**, **Devotion**, and **Illumination** carry the legacy of the dissolved Luminaries guild forward inside the modern Illuminai. Mace, shield, and a guardian angel. Mirrors the Earthcaller. ### [Zealot](/character-classes/zealot/) Martial devotees descended from the old Daru monastic tradition. **Zeal** (fused Tekura and Duamvi martial work), **Purification**, and **Psionics**. Illuminai guild. Mirrors the Ravager. ### [Ascendril](/character-classes/ascendril/) Light mages who channel the four elemental planes through a fulcrum. **Elemancy** (Fire, Spirit, Water, Air), **Arcanism** (ambient elements), and **Thaumaturgy** (the fulcrum itself). Sworn opponents of the Sciomancers. Ascendril guild. Mirrors the Bloodborn. ### [Tidesage](/character-classes/tidesage/) Researcher-mages of the lost isle of Keltund. **Wavebreaking**, **Synthesis**, and **Inundation** draw on oceanic power. Ascendril guild. Mirrors the Teradrim. ## Classes of [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/) **Shadow Tether. The city of artifice.** Spinesreach is the scientific bastion of the north, a theocratic Republic that studies Shadow and bends reality to its will. The Archivists pursue knowledge, the Sciomancers weaponize it, and the Syssin work the dark spaces in between. Six classes across three guilds. ### [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/) Shadow mages who shape the destructive energies of the Plane of Shadow into weaponized magic. **Sciomancy**, **Sorcery**, and **Gravitation**. Mirrors the Runecarver. Sworn lore opponents of the Ascendril. ### [Revenant](/character-classes/revenant/) Shadow warriors with deep elemental understanding. **Riving**, **Manifestation**, and **Chirography** let them empower blades with ancient Kalsu work. Shares the Sciomancers guild. Mirrors the Templar. ### [Archivist](/character-classes/archivist/) Scholars who treat reality as a numerological problem to be solved. **Geometrics**, **Numerology**, and **Bioessence**. The Archivists guild has no Divine Patron, which is unusual in Aetolia. Mirrors the Voidseer. ### [Alchemist](/character-classes/alchemist/) Scientists of cataclysmic chemistry and corrupted nature. **Alchemy**, **Experimentation**, and **Botany**. Joined the Archivists guild in 503 MA. Mirrors the Shaman. ### [Infiltrator](/character-classes/infiltrator/) Assassins of Severn’s old order. **Subterfuge**, **Assassination** (dirks, whips, long-range bowmanship), and **Hypnosis**. Syssin guild. Mechanically untethered, though Syssin itself is Shadow-aligned. ### [Executor](/character-classes/executor/) Ankyrean-hunting assassins reawakened from the Grand Artifice. **Shadowdancing** (ringblades and acrobatic partner work), **Artifice** (inked creatures and stealth), and **Subversion** (traps and bolts). Sister class to Infiltrator. Mirrors the Sentinel. ## Classes of the larger world **Five classes belong to no city guild.** They originate outside Sapience’s four-city structure, can be played in any alignment, and are typically learned through apprenticeship rather than guild membership. These five join Monk and Infiltrator on the mechanically untethered list (seven classes total without Spirit-Shadow gating). ### [Bard](/character-classes/bard/) Performer-assassins of Djeir’s Theater of Shadows. **Performance**, **Songcalling**, and **Weaving** combine acrobatic falchion work with magical music and light-shaping. The Empress of Djeir grants Bards the Grace of attro ca pa’sa, a legal immunity for ceremonial assassinations. ### [Predator](/character-classes/predator/) Knifeplay warriors from a world beyond Aetolia. **Knifeplay** with bone sitaras, **Predation** (esoteric survival), and **Beastmastery** (dominance over wild creatures). ### [Shapeshifter](/character-classes/shapeshifter/) Beast-form fighters with a permanent channel to the primal ley. **Ferality**, **Shapeshifting**, and **Vocalizing**. Five forms (werewolf, werebear, wereboar, werecroc, wereraven) tied to five Packmoot factions. The class is independent of the multiclass system: anyone can pick it up with zero lesson investment. ### [Wayfarer](/character-classes/wayfarer/) Hardy warriors from the wastelands of Albedos. **Tenacity**, **Wayfaring**, and **Fury**. Wield handaxes, wear leather, take trophies. ### [Siderealist](/character-classes/siderealist/) Cosmic mages who emerged after the Monomachy and Creation. **Astranomia** (stellar magic), **Ostension** (constellation regalia), and **Crystalism** (celestial vibrations). The newest class in the game. ## Picking your first Aetolia class Three things to consider when picking your first class. First, pick your side before your class. If you want grim and morally complex, look at Bloodloch or Spinesreach. If you want a clearer cause, look at Duiran or Enorian. If you want flexibility, go untethered. Second, use the trial system. You can play any class without investing lessons, so spend a few hours in each candidate before committing. The class HELP files in-game are accurate, but how a class actually feels in combat is something you will only learn by playing. Third, ignore tier lists. Aetolia’s mirror system means every Shadow class has a Spirit counterpart with the same mechanical chassis. Balance is tracked tightly and adjusted weekly. Pick the class whose roleplay frame fits your character, not the one a leaderboard ranks highest this month. If you are brand new to Aetolia, the [beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) walks through character creation and your first hour step by step. You can also [browse Aetolia’s races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) before picking a class. Aetolia is free to play and runs in your browser with no download. [Create your character and start playing now.](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) ## Frequently Asked Questions **How many classes does Aetolia have?** Aetolia has 32 playable classes. Each one has three skill sets containing hundreds of abilities, plus access to non-class skills available to all players. You can hold up to 16 classes at once through the multiclass system. **Can I try an Aetolia class before committing to it?** Yes. Aetolia lets you trial any class without spending lessons. The full skill list is available at low rank, so you can get a feel for how the class plays before investing. CLASS SWITCH lets you swap between classes you already hold once every 12 hours. **Do Aetolia classes have alignments?** Most do. 25 of the 32 classes are tethered to either Spirit (Duiran and Enorian) or Shadow (Bloodloch and Spinesreach), and you cannot actively hold classes from both sides. The other 7 are untethered: Bard, Predator, Shapeshifter, Wayfarer, Siderealist, plus Monk and Infiltrator (whose guilds are city-anchored but whose classes are mechanically free). **What is the difference between a class and a guild?** A class is a set of three skill sets. A guild is the player-led organization that teaches and houses that class. Aetolia has 32 classes spread across 12 guilds, plus several classes that exist outside the guild system. Some guilds host one class, some host two. Joining a guild is the standard way to acquire its class, though apprenticeship from a Master is also valid. **What class should I start with as a new player?** Carnifex, Templar, Luminary, and Monk come up often as approachable starting classes: clear documentation, active guild leadership, and straightforward combat progression. That said, the trial system means there is no real cost to experimenting. If a class concept grabs you, try it. --- ### [The Zealot of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/zealot/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Zealot of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-zealot-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Zealot class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Zealot is Aetolia’s Light-aligned martial artist, a Spirit-tethered class descended from the old Daru monastic tradition that wields Zeal (fused Tekura and Duamvi martial work), Purification (spirit-and-fire arts), and Psionics (mental conditioning), based in the Illuminai guild in Enorian. At a glance**Tether**Spirit**City**[Enorian](/world/enorian/)**Guild**Illuminai (Patron: Celezor, Accord of the Righteous)**Skill sets**Zeal, Purification, Psionics**Mirror class**[Ravager](/character-classes/ravager/) (Shadow)**Sister class in guild**[Luminary](/character-classes/luminary/)**Signature mechanic**Silver chain, focalmarks, astral projection**Best for**Players who want a Light-aligned martial artist with monastic disciplineThe modern Zealot emerged from the Daru monastic line, which split from the Sentaari in 97 MA and journeyed southeast to merge with the Luminaries in 452 MA, forming the Illuminai reborn. Daru martial work evolved into Zeal, fusing Tekura with Duamvi influence and Illumination’s fire to create a distinct Light-aligned combat tradition. If you want to play a martial artist whose punches carry the weight of three guilds and centuries of merged tradition, the Zealot is the only class with that pedigree. ## Origin and lore Zealots emerge from the mainline of the Sentaari, journeying southeast in 97 MA, the year of Sahmie Rhashye’s Revelation. Forsaking the spirit-based arts of Kaido in favor of Illumination, the Zealots first organized as the Daru, a guild of light-fueled martial artists distinct from their Sentaari kin. In 452 MA, the prophet Kayalenki dissolved the old Luminaries guild and the Daru, ordering both to merge into a new Illuminai. The Luminaries became the modern Luminary class within Illuminai. The Daru became the modern Zealot. Their arts have since evolved into a tradition noticeably distinct from both Sentaari and Luminary forebears, fusing internal and external disciplines into one unified whole. The Illuminai is anchored in Enorian and patroned by Celezor, Accord of the Righteous. Zealots stand on the martial wing of the guild while Luminaries hold the priestly wing, sharing a temple and a faith but training in very different rooms. ## Skill sets The Zealot skill sets are Zeal, Purification, and Psionics. **Zeal** is the primary martial art: punches, kicks, and the use of a silver chain. The chain is made from silver despite its low durability because of its superior ability to conduct the element of spirit, channeling Inner Spark through every strike. Tekura’s foundation merges with Duamvi-trained martial work to produce a combat style unique to the Zealot. **Purification** is the fire-and-spirit art. Drawing on ambient spirit and the Inner Spark, augmented through focalmarks worn on hands and feet, a Zealot calls white fire to enact powerful displays. The Grand Flame within Enorian connects each Zealot’s practice to the gods of Spirit, anchoring Purification’s brilliance. **Psionics** is the mental wing. Mental conditioning, willpower, telekinetic movement, and extrasensory perception. At the highest levels, a Zealot can shrive off the physical body and project their will into an astral form, a deceptively subtle counterweight to Zeal’s loud striking work. ## Skill abilities Zeal Purification Psionics Filter abilities Title Contents ### Zeal - Wounds Determine if a limb has undergone trauma. #### Wounds **Description**Syntax: WOUNDS \[target\] This ability will allow you to determine how badly damaged the limbs of your opponent are. If you specify no target, then you can check your own limbs. - Mindset Mind over matter. #### Mindset **Description**Syntax: MINDSET The mind holds dominion over the body. Depending on your chosen mindset, you can receive a damage boost to a subset of abilities within the Zeal skillset. The following mindsets are available to you: Star: Increases the damage of fist-based abilities. Sun: Increases the damage of foot-based abilities. Moon: Increases the damage of chain-based abilities. - Fending Fend off attacks on your limbs. #### Fending **Description**Syntax: FEND or FEND NOTHING With quick hands, you can fend off attacks aimed at a specific limb. Both your hands must have nothing in them in order to fend off an attack. You can fend either the head, torso, left arm, right arm, left leg, or right leg. You will be unable to fend off attacks if you become prone (see HELP PRONE). Being fallen is excluded from this list. - Sprint Sprint as far as you can. #### Sprint **Description**Syntax: SPRINT You can now sprint in a particular direction, allowing you to move through multiple rooms at once. Adventurers will only follow you if they have the ability to pace themselves, or through some other means. **Details**Max Distance10 rooms Movement TypeDashing Denizens FollowYes Adventurers FollowYes\* Mounts FollowYes Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 5 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled. - Cannot have paresis or be paralysed. - Cannot be fallen. - Cannot be used while phased. - Endlink Attach an ending link to your silver chain. #### Endlink **Description**Syntax: ENDLINK Providing you have a bar of iron in your inventory, you can attach either a weight to your chain in order to deal blunt damage, or a point to your chain to deal cutting damage. Without this ending link you will not be able to attack with your chain. - Flow Flow into successive quick strikes. #### Flow **Description**Syntax: FLOW <\[ab\] \[param\]> <\[ab\] \[param\]> Your budding zeal allows you to release a barrage of flowing blows at a reduced balance cost. You may optionally include a secondary parameter, such as left or right, when the ability requires one. Only two abilities may be used at once. You may use any combination of fist-based, foot-based, or chain-based attacks to show them your faith. Example: FLOW VALINGAR PUMMEL LEFT PALMFORCE STRIKE - Haste Move with extraordinary haste through the land. #### Haste **Description**Syntax: HASTE \[OFF\] Your physical prowess has grown to a point that you can increase your celerity greatly, allowing you to move quickly across the land. This will slowly drain your endurance while it is active however. - Wrath None are safe from your wrath. #### Wrath **Description**Syntax: WRATH \[EXTEND\] Unleash your zealous wrath upon those around you, granting you supernatural instincts. When someone changes their parry within your location, you will see to which limb it is shifted to. If you choose to extend this ability, the length it’ll remain in effect is doubled, however it will drain your strength temporarily by 1 point as an additional cost. If your strength is lowered by 4 points or more, then your arms will become weak and you will no longer be able to make use of Zeal strikes that utilise the fist. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Disunion Shatter the spirit into multiple. #### Disunion **Description**Syntax: DISUNION and REUNITE Splinter the spirit into multiple offshoots of yourself. These offshoots retain a small amount of intelligence and will help right your balance and equilibrium every so often. Be wary however, as maintaining a splintered spirit will drain your health slowly over time. - Swagger Resist numbed muscles with an act of swagger. #### Swagger **Description**Syntax: SWAGGER This ability will allow you to bolster your confidence, curing the paresis affliction or granting you a defence against it if you are not afflicted. However, this act requires some serious physical training, and will strain your body in a way that it will reduce your strength temporarily by 1 point each time this ability is used. If your strength is lowered by 4 points or more, then your arms will become weak and you will no longer be able to make use of Zeal strikes that utilise the fist. Swagger will also become unusable. - Caeveir Perform and master the Caeveir kata. #### Caeveir **Description**Syntax: KATAS DEMONSTRATE CAEVEIR GRADE CAEVEIR Flow through the techniques of the Zealot martial arts, drilling in motions through practice and repetition. Once mastered through grading, this will grant your fist and foot techniques extra damage against adventurers when used. Only someone who has mastered the Caeveir kata already may grade you. - Hackles Command your chains with a will of their own. #### Hackles **Description**Syntax: HACKLES <\[ab\] \[param\]> Silver is a brilliant conductor of the Spirit element, and your chain is perfectly suited for it. By imbuing it with the element through skin contact, your chains will rise up like hackles and can be commanded to strike utilising a secondary balance to do so without the need of wielding it. You may only use chain-based abilities with this skill and only one at a time. Example: HACKLES VALINGAR UPRISE - Respiration Deep breathing allows wounds to heal. #### Respiration **Description**Syntax: RESPIRATION \[HOLD\] Relax your mind and enjoy the benefits of deep breathing, allowing you to quickly heal wounds and recover your health when using this ability. You can also choose to hold your breath. This is a channeled action that, if uninterrupted, will heal you for additional health and restore your strength back to its original might. - Welt Form a throbbing welt upon your opponent. #### Welt **Description**This ability is passive. When striking with a fist or foot, there is a chance your blow will leave behind a welt. If it does and you strike that body part with your chain, your chain will deal a small amount of trauma to that limb. In order to gain the bonus effect from a welt, you must use: Sunkick -> Uprise : for a welt on the head. Palmforce -> Descent : for a welt on the torso. Pummel -> Wristlash : for a welt on either arm. WaneKick -> Anklepin : for a welt on either leg. Only one welt will appear on an opponent at a time, and it will naturally heal itself after several seconds if the welt is left alone. - Rebuke Defend a limb from destruction. #### Rebuke **Description**Syntax: REBUKE Utilise the defensive properties of your chain and have it coil around one of your arms or legs, protecting it from an attack that would target that limb for a single use. Upon being struck, it will emit a bright light that will knock over and stun your opponent. Using an attack that requires your chain while a limb is protected will remove the effect. Cooldown: 10 seconds - Litheness Remain lithe when in a state of focus. #### Litheness **Description**Syntax: LITHENESS \[OFF\] When using an ability that requires a channeling motion, you will no longer suffer a malus to your dodge chance while you remain lithe. There is an endurance drain associated with this ability. - Blitz They cannot strike what they cannot see. #### Blitz **Description**Syntax: BLITZ Push your body to its limits and enter a blitz, allowing you to quickly strike up to five different enemies within your location and adjacent to you over a short period of time, crippling limbs and dealing damage in the process. During the blitz, others will not be able to target you directly until your blitz comes to an end. You only begin this ability with at least one visible enemy within your location. Cooldown: 8 seconds - You possess the following fist-based abilities - Pummel Pummel an arm with one of your hands. #### Pummel **Description**Syntax: PUMMEL \[LEFT|RIGHT\] As long as you possess a free hand, you may pummel an opponent’s arm. This will deal blunt damage and inflict trauma to the arm in the process. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage200 + 6% Base Damage (Denizen)427 Armour Modifier60% Limb Trauma Dealt9.50% Arm Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Denizen) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Palmforce Force an opponent to the floor. #### Palmforce **Description**Syntax: PALMFORCE \[STRIKE\] By striking an opponent with an open palm, you can knock them solidly to the ground. You may choose to follow up with a strike after knocking your opponent to the ground. This is a channeled action, and if they remain upon the ground when it completes, you will strike them in the face and daze them. - Clawtwist Form the claw to damage a harmed torso. #### Clawtwist **Description**Syntax: CLAWTWIST By shaping your fist into a claw, you can drive it into the torso of your opponent and twist the muscle and flesh of the abdominal wall. This will deal trauma to the torso and should it be broken, it will aggravate the wound and cause extra bleeding. - Dislocate Dislocate an arm with a pop. #### Dislocate **Description**Syntax: DISLOCATE \[LEFT|RIGHT\] Move in close to your opponent and grab one of their arms in a tight grip. Once grasped, you will apply a practiced amount of force that will pop the arm right out of its socket. If the dislocation is not healed, eventually it will suffer permanent damage and become broken. Since this deals no damage or trauma from the attack itself, it cannot be parried by your opponent. This skill has no effect upon a limb that is already broken. - Twinpress Utilise two fingers to weaken the spirit. #### Twinpress **Description**Syntax: TWINPRESS Thrust two fingers into your opponent in order to disrupt their spirit with a pulse from your own – causing the rapid onset of limb stiffness and muscle spasms. While this deals no damage or trauma, it cannot be parried by your opponent. - Direblow A devastating blow with a rigid hand. #### Direblow **Description**Syntax: DIREBLOW By forming a rigid hand, you can deliver a deep and terrible blow to your opponent. This is a channeled action, and should it succeed, it will deliver a deep wound that will turn ordinary bleeding into deep bleeding. If it is interrupted by your own fault or other means, a weaker blow will occur that will leave behind a light wound that will slightly increase the amount of bleeding caused when bleeding occurs. - You possess the following foot-based abilities - Wanekick A whip-like kick to the lower limbs. #### Wanekick **Description**Syntax: WANEKICK \[LEFT|RIGHT\] Send a powerful waning kick towards the leg of your opponent, causing blunt damage while dealing trauma to that limb. - Sunkick A whirling kick to the temple. #### Sunkick **Description**Syntax: SUNKICK Make use of your feet and launch a spinning kick that strikes their head. This trauma to the skull will leave their thoughts plodding slowly along as well as inducing acute dizziness and stupidity. - Risekick Rise up with a kick to the chest. #### Risekick **Description**Syntax: RISEKICK \[target\] If you have been tripped or otherwise fallen to the ground, you may rise up with a swing of your legs and use the momentum to deliver a kick to stomach. This will upset their balance and deliver a small amount of trauma to the torso. If you supply no target, then you can simply kick yourself up from the ground, regardless if you were tripped or not. - Heelrush Three consecutive kicks to break limbs. #### Heelrush **Description**Syntax: HEELRUSH Execute three consecutive kicks against an opponent, damaging the body part of choice in the process. You may not perform any action that utilises balance or equilibrium during this sequence, otherwise the attack will be interrupted. Each strike will deal more damage and trauma than the last, and the final hit will leave them stunned. - Edgekick Thrust the edge of your foot into the throat. #### Edgekick **Description**Syntax: EDGEKICK Thrust the solid edge of your foot against their blasphemies, causing a crippled throat and leaving them a stuttering mess as you attack their head. - Dropkick A low kick aimed at the side of their head. #### Dropkick **Description**Syntax: DROPKICK Send a vicious kick into the side of the head of your target. They must be fallen and both arms must be amputated so that they cannot protect their head. If you meet the requirements necessary, you will crumple their head and instantly kill them. - You possess the following chain-based abilities - Anklepin Deliver a pinstrike to their ankle. #### Anklepin **Description**Syntax: ANKLEPIN A sudden spiraling motion will allow you to deliver a low blow with precision, directly into their ankle. The sore ankle will cause trauma to both of their legs when they move between locations. - Jawcrack Aim for the jaw to make them stutter. #### Jawcrack **Description**Syntax: JAWCRACK Aim for your opponent’s jaw and strike it with your chain. This heavy attack will give them watery eyes. - Descent Allow gravity to let you strike their back. #### Descent **Description**Syntax: DESCENT Aim your chain to strike their back by having the length of the chain wrap upon their shoulder and swing downwards into their spine. The pain inflicted will cause intense backstrain, dealing trauma to their torso when they stand up from the ground. - Wristlash Lash your opponents wrists. #### Wristlash **Description**Syntax: WRISTLASH Lash your chain in such a manner that it will strike the hands of your opponent, leaving them with a sore wrist from the impact. When that opponent parries an attack, it will cause trauma to both of their arms. - Trammel Tear off their weakened arms. #### Trammel **Description**Syntax: TRAMMEL Coil your chain tightly around an arm that is currently mangled, then with the power of your trained strength, rip it completely free of its socket. This will amputate the arm in question, starting with the left. - Rive Shred the flesh with your chain. #### Rive **Description**Syntax: RIVE Coil your chain around your opponent, and then pull it back with a sharp yank to shred their flesh. This motion will deal some damage and cause them to bleed. - Uprise Flick your chain toward the head. #### Uprise **Description**Syntax: UPRISE Whip your chain toward your opponent’s chin, snapping their head back and causing whiplash. This will cause damage to the head each time they sip an elixir. - Whipburst A burst of flame with the tip of the chain. #### Whipburst **Description**Syntax: WHIPBURST Send your chain directly at your target in order to whip them. If used in tandem with the Hackles ability, then the tip will burst into flame upon contact and deal fire damage instead. Please see AB ZEAL HACKLES for more information on the Hackles ability. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Purification - Focalmark Generate flames with your overflowing spirit. #### Focalmark **Description**Syntax: ENACT FOCALMARK This powerful branding will grant you focus for your spiritual energy, forming at your hands and feet. It is through these marks that you can then enact feats of will, such as conjuring flames or amplifying the spirit. Without it, you will be unable to enact your purifying strikes. This defence will also provide a measure of resistance against fire damage for as long as it is active. - Ignition Burn an object into ash. #### Ignition **Description**Syntax: ENACT IGNITION Burn an item in your inventory with your flames, turning it into little more than ash. - Scorch Scorch your enemies with your heat. #### Scorch **Description**Syntax: ENACT SCORCH Thrust your fist forward to release a stream of flames that will scorch your opponent, setting them ablaze and dealing a small amount of fire damage. It will pass through any protective barriers they might have. This ability cannot be used off-balance in tandem with Zenith against denizens. - Purify Purify a liquid substance into clean water. #### Purify **Description**Syntax: ENACT PURIFICATION Perform a basic act of purification and turn a liquid into crystal clear water. - Turning Turn the forces of undeath. #### Turning **Description**Syntax: ENACT TURNING Turn back undead and send them to the grave. If they are simple creatures of the night then this ability will outright destroy them, otherwise it will inflict terror within them. - Intensity Learn how intense the flames are. #### Intensity **Description**Syntax: ENACT INTENSITY Inspect the intensity of flames upon someone in your location, although you will need to be quick as someone on fire tends not to last long! This ability does not consume neither equilibrium or balance to use. - Cauterize Burn a bleeding wound shut. #### Cauterize **Description**Syntax: ENACT CAUTERIZE \[target\] With quick action, you can cauterize a wound upon your body, reducing the bleeding you might be suffering from. You may additionally choose to use this upon another within the same location as you. - Hearth Turn the earth into a hearth of molten fire. #### Hearth **Description**Syntax: ENACT HEARTH Deliver a burst of heat into the ground below your feet, burning those who would attempt to hide in the dirt below and forcing them to surface if capable. - Cinderkin Bring forth life to cinder. #### Cinderkin **Description**Syntax: ENACT CINDERKIN CALL CINDERKIN Summon forth a cinderkin, which can attack and deal fire damage to your opponent. You must have a piece of coal in your inventory in order to do this. You can view HELP LOYALTY for more information on how to command it. - Suncloak Cloak yourself in an obscuring light. #### Suncloak **Description**Syntax: ENACT SUNCLOAK Shrouding yourself in pure light will prevent others from looking directly at you, leaving them unable to discern your features or the things you wear. The Hypersight skill will allow you to see past it. Please see AB VISION HYPERSIGHT for more information. - Cascade Healing energy that will soothe wounds. #### Cascade **Description**Syntax: ENACT CASCADE Release a beam of spirit energy that will slowly bounce between allies in the same location, healing them for a small amount of health and healing a random affliction. It can only bounce up to five times, at which point it will dissipate. Bounces upon yourself will not heal you of an affliction. - Tempering Convert your body to a state of resilience. #### Tempering **Description**Syntax: ENACT TEMPERING Enact the purification of the body by removing impurity and tempering it against physical attack. This will increase your resistance against cutting and blunt damage. - Firefist Ignite your hands with malicious flames. #### Firefist **Description**Syntax: ENACT FIREFIST For a short period, you can set your fists alight, allowing fist-based attacks to set your opponent ablaze. It will last for a limited amount of time and can be activated without cost to your equilibrium or balance. Firefist will work with the following abilities: Pummel, Palmforce, Clawtwist, Direblow, and Fisticuffs (Punch). Cooldown: 80 seconds - Rejection Reject those who utilise weapons. #### Rejection **Description**Syntax: ENACT REJECTION Only those who utilise solely their body and mind may strike you. This ability will form an aura of rebounding around you instantly, deflecting weapon attacks directed at you until destroyed or you make an aggressive action. A pending aura of rebounding from smoking a pipe will be cancelled if this ability is used successfully. - Quicken Quicken the flames around an opponent. #### Quicken **Description**Syntax: ENACT QUICKEN Quicken the temperature of fire upon another who is already ablaze, increasing the fire’s intensity by three levels. You can check AFFLICT ABLAZE for more information on increasing intensity. - Etching Engrave runic etchings upon your chain. #### Etching **Description**Syntax: ENACT ETCHING Requires a silver chain. Cleanse your chains and bless it with runic etchings that will protect you from harm. These etchings will allow you some resistance against non-physical damage while the chain is worn. - Pendulum Shift the spirit to alter the physical. #### Pendulum **Description**Syntax: ENACT PENDULUM \[REVERSE\] Twist their spirit and shift their bodypart trauma and related limb afflictions in a clockwise direction. This ability only affects the arms and legs. For example, it will move a broken left arm to the right arm, and a broken right arm to the right leg. You may choose to do this anti-clockwise by using the reverse keyword. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Deflection Deflect incoming projectiles. #### Deflection **Description**Syntax: ENACT DEFLECTION Call upon your spiritual might and grant yourself a chance to deflect incoming arrows, causing them to drop to the ground. There is another chance you will deflect them entirely, returning the arrow from whence it came. - Heatspear A blow that will hinder the removal of flames. #### Heatspear **Description**Syntax: ENACT HEATSPEAR Strike a burning opponent, forcing the flames through their body in an impressive jet of holy fire. This will heat the flames into such a state that the ablaze affliction cannot be cured until the heatspear is. - Discharge Remove the wounds of your body. #### Discharge **Description**Syntax: ENACT DISCHARGE This ability stores up damage done to you, and then when a certain threshold has been passed, it will activate and release healing energy that will restore some of your wounds. - Infernal Brand your opponent with the Seal of the Infernal. #### Infernal **Description**Syntax: ENACT INFERNAL Once you have broken the torso of your opponent, you can place the Seal of the Infernal upon them which will ocassionally burst into flames and set them on fire. If you should fully damage and break any body part of your opponent while they are under the effects of the Seal, then a deadly shroud of flame will begin to form around them. When they move between locations the shroud will flare up and burn them, setting them ablaze and dealing fire damage. Additionally, if they try to form a magical shield, then the fiery shroud around them will burn it down and remove it. - Zenith Draw in heat and obtain your zenith. #### Zenith **Description**Syntax: ENACT ZENITH Begin to store heat within your body, which will slowly build until it reaches a tipping point. Once this point is reached, you will cure one random affliction, and certain abilities will no longer require balance for a limited amount of time. This state can be reached sooner by moving between locations, as long as it isn’t the direction you just came from and you are not fleeing combat. Once you have reached your zenith, the following abilities will no longer require balance: Focalmark, Scorch, Cauterize, Heatspear, Infernal, Quicken, and Pyromania. - Exudation Remove afflictions from another. #### Exudation **Description**Syntax: ENACT EXUDATION Remove a random-curable affliction from the spirit of another. This affliction will then take physical form in the shape of an orb. You can then THROW the orb at someone to inflict another with the affliction you just removed, which will be masked in the process. Please see HELP RANDOM CURES for what is considered randomly curable. - Immolation The righteous flames will purge heathens. #### Immolation **Description**Syntax: ENACT IMMOLATION Unleash a devastating blaze of holy flame upon your opponent, stirring the existing flames around them into a swathe of crackling flame that will completely incinerate them, leaving behind naught but ash. In order for this to succeed, the target must be ablaze and possess at least twelve stacks of intensity. You can check AFFLICT ABLAZE for more information on flame intensity. - Dwindle Cause the spirit to dwindle into low depths. #### Dwindle **Description**Syntax: ENACT DWINDLE Place a powerful effect over your location, draining the spirit of any who enter it and lowering their max health, mana, and limb health by half. Although powerful, this effect can be broken by speaking the word ‘Esondae’ out loud. This ability does not alter your current health and mana, only the maximum values. - Pyromania Eruptions of volcanic dancing flames. #### Pyromania **Description**Syntax: ENACT PYROMANIA Stomp your foot into the ground and cause eruptions of volcanic flames to jet up from the ground. These eruptions will strike enemies within your location periodically, dealing fire damage, and the effect will follow you as you move. If one of their legs are crippled, then the heated air ejected from the ground will unbalance and knock them over. If they are shielded, then it will destroy the shield under the heat. - Gauntlet Issue an unyielding challenge. #### Gauntlet **Description**Syntax: ENACT GAUNTLET This powerful ability will bind your two spirits together in an unyielding dance of death. Neither may escape until the other is dead. In order for this effect to become binding, the challenged must AGREE to the terms, otherwise little will come of it. Both parties must have near full health in order to enact and agree to the terms. - Symbiosis Grant another symbiosis with one of the Duamvi. #### Symbiosis **Description**Syntax: ENACT SYMBIOSIS Through steadfast zeal, you may help hone the mind, body, and soul of a living mortal, scourging sin and shadow amidst the Grand Flame until they serve as a living conduit of Spirit. At the completion of this process, this individual shall become vessel to an entity of Spirit, a dual-natured being known as a duamvi. The Spirit-symbiote shall maintain the flow of Spirit, preventing it from overwhelming and destroying the newly-made duamvi. The process of symbiosis must be performed before and within the Grand Flame – no lesser vahait shall do. This skill requires you to be a part of the Illuminai guild, or to be sanctioned by the guild, in order to successfully use. You are able to use this while you are in a different class, providing that you maintain ownership over this skill. - Purgatory Draw aggressors into the halls of Purgatory. #### Purgatory **Description**Syntax: ENACT PURGATORY This powerful ability allows you to open a gateway to a realm betwixt Prime and Spirit, imprisoning those that would strike others in its location. First you must begin the ability by enacting it, which will require you to call out to the beings of the beyond. During this time you may not make any actions that consume balance or equilibrium, or your focus will be lost. Once complete, all those within your location that have committed an act of violence within the last minute will be drawn into the Halls of Purgatory where they will be trapped. Although strong against spirits, the prison cannot hold living mortals forever, and can eventually be escaped from. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Psionics - Might Feel the measure of your psionic might. #### Might **Description**Syntax: PSI MIGHT Measure how much psionic energy you have. The amount you can have is proportional to the max amount of mana you can have at any one time. Abilities will generally either generate psionic energy, or consume it. Based upon the percent of psionic energy you hold, your abilities will be altered in strength. The lower it is, the faster the move becomes and the less damage they deal, where as the higher it is, the more damage it will deal and the slower it will become. - Deathsight Attune yourself to the Underworld. #### Deathsight **Description**Syntax: DEATHSIGHT \[OFF\] Using this ability, you will be linked with the Underhalls, allowing you to sense those who perish and pass through it. - Aura View the defensive capabilities of another. #### Aura **Description**Syntax: PSI AURA View the aura of another providing they remain within sight of your location. - Waves Sense the actions of those around you. #### Waves **Description**This ability is passive. When meditating or sleeping, you will be able to see the actions and words of others as though you were fully aware. - Regulate Control your psionic energy. #### Regulate **Description**Syntax: PSI REGULATE <1-200%> This ability will allow you to regulate your psionic energy, as so it does it not overwhelm you or completely leave you. Once a value is specified, it will passively shift your psionic energy to your desired value. - Locate Locate another from across the realm. #### Locate **Description**Syntax: PSI LOCATE Locate another with a simple wave of your hand, revealing their surroundings to you and others in your location. - Fetch Grasp another and bring them to you. #### Fetch **Description**Syntax: PSI FETCH Form a wreathe of psionic energy to fetch someone within the area and bring them to you. You will be unable to grasp someone who is protected by the cloak defence. - Flash Release a blinding flash of light. #### Flash **Description**Syntax: PSI FLASH Release a powerful burst of psionic energy as bright light, causing flash blindness in all those present for a few seconds. - Harmonize Restore harmony to your psionic energy. #### Harmonize **Description**Syntax: PSI HARMONIZE Providing you have set a value with Regulate, you may actively harmonize your psionic energy. This will shift it towards your desired value by consuming your equilibrium. - Medium Commune with the recently departed. #### Medium **Description**Syntax: PSI TELL REPLY This ability allows you to speak with someone who has recently died, providing they linger within the Underhalls. They will not be able to communicate with you unless you initiate communication with them first. In order for one of the dead to speak back with you, they must make use of REPLY. - Neutralise Take away simple psionic gifts. #### Neutralise **Description**Syntax: PSI NEUTRALISE Simple psionic gifts are no match for a master of the arts. With a simple gesture, you can remove defences that protect the mind from psychic attack. Additionally, it will nullify the effects of the levitation and speed elixir. - Lance Hurl a psionic lance of magical energy. #### Lance **Description**Syntax: PSI LANCE A basic psionic attack for offensive use against others. This ability will allow you to form a psionic lance of magical energy, that you can then hurl at an opponent and deal magical damage to them, even if they are adjacent to you. The damage is additionally increased for each ability your opponent has on cooldown that is counted in seconds. - Hold Hold an object through the use of psionics. #### Hold **Description**Syntax: PSI HOLD Much like having a third arm, you can use your psionic might to cause an item to follow behind you. How heavy of an item you can hold is dependant upon your intelligence stat. - Dull Dull the mind with a light touch. #### Dull **Description**Syntax: PSI DULL Reach out with a light touch of psionic energy and dull your opponent’s mind, inflicting them with indifference. This touch is light enough that its effects will go unnoticed. - Recover Cure your mind of mental detriment. #### Recover **Description**Syntax: PSI RECOVER Focus your mind and cleanse it of extraneous thought, removing a random mental affliction should you have one. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Deprival Deprive them of what little comfort they have. #### Deprival **Description**Syntax: PSI DEPRIVE Deprive another of their spatial refuge, leaving them mentally trapped without safe haven. This will afflict them with both agoraphobia and claustrophobia at the same time. - Psychometry Find out who last held an item. #### Psychometry **Description**Syntax: PSI TOUCH Providing it is within your inventory, you can find out who was the last person to hold the item in question. - Flight Lift yourself into the skies with your might. #### Flight **Description**Syntax: PSI FLIGHT and LAND Utilising your psi, you can lift yourself from the ground and take flight into the skies. - Absorption Turn their own resources into your own. #### Absorption **Description**Syntax: PSI ABSORB Absorb a resource from your opponent, regenerating some psionic energy in the process. What resource this ability will drain will depend on the class of the target. What it will drain is based on the below: Alchemist – Volatility. Archivist – Bio energy. Carnifex – Stolen soul. Ravager – Ego. Revenant – Shadow essence. Shaman – Primal energy. Templar – Blade charge. Teradrim – Sandstorm power. Tidesage – Apparition power. Monk – Kai energy. Predator – Absorbed magic. Voidseer – Insight. Warden – Displaced soul. Wayfarer – Fury. Zealot – Psi. If the none of the above applies to the opponent, then it will drain their mana. - Fathom Complete understanding of another. #### Fathom **Description**Syntax: PSI FATHOM Gain complete understanding of another and probe their strengths and weaknesses. This will allow you to see their current resistances plus a few other tidbits of information. - Vacuum Remove the space between you and them. #### Vacuum **Description**Syntax: PSI VACUUM If your opponent is above you, you may remove the space between you and them and bring them crashing to the ground. This will cripple both their legs in the process. - Warning Sense when you are being searched for. #### Warning **Description**This ability is passive. When someone attempts to seek out your location with an ability, you will feel their gaze for the moment it takes for them to gather the information needed to reveal where you are. - Shock Sudden shock treatment. #### Shock **Description**Syntax: PSI SHOCK Direct a psionic shock at a target in your location, allowing it feed upon a mental ailment in order to deal psychic damage. This will cure the mental affliction in the process. You may perform this action while off balance. - Dread Inflict a feeling of dread upon your enemies. #### Dread **Description**Syntax: PSI DREAD Utilising your psionic might, you can release a wave of negative energy throughout your location, inflicting your enemies with fear. - Sliver Implant your psionic signature upon another. #### Sliver **Description**Syntax: PSI SLIVER Detection difficulty modifier: 0% Keep track of your opponent by implanting a small sliver of your psionic might upon them through a subtle touch. This tiny signature of yours will allow you to tell when they are near by, as well as allow you to hear their thoughts when they use the THINK command. It will fade on its own after a period of time, but only if they are not in the same location as you. There is a chance of being detected when using this ability. Please read HELP DECEIT for more information. - Mindspark Spark up the potential of your mind. #### Mindspark **Description**Syntax: PSI MINDSPARK Most rarely utilise the full potential of their mind, but a well trained psionic knows how to tap into that potential. With this ability, you can spark up your mind and make your thoughts more clear, granting you a bonus to your intelligence. - Tether Bound another to your will. #### Tether **Description**Syntax: PSI TETHER By forming a psionic bond with your target, you can cause it to snap with amazing force should your opponent try and escape from you, dealing psychic damage. It will only snap once they or you move more than two locations from each other. If it is the opponent who snaps the tether, then they will be knocked unconscious and the damage is increased. Cooldown (when triggered): 10 seconds - Riftwalk Tear open a rift to a location of death. #### Riftwalk **Description**Syntax: PSI RIFT and ENTER GATEWAY Tear open a rift to the location of someone’s dead body, which you can then enter. - Bending Defensively bend ranged attacks to diminish them. #### Bending **Description**Syntax: PSI BENDING \[OFF\] Through your psionic control you can turn ranged damage back on itself and reduce its effect, providing it is aimed at you from a distance. If you are in the same location as the attacker then it will be of little help. It will also help you resist telepathic attempts to form a lock upon your mind, making their efforts take longer until they succeed. This will drain your willpower over time in order to do so. - Traject Listen to conversations from afar. #### Traject **Description**Syntax: PSI TRAJECT \[RELEASE\] Leave behind a psionic imprint upon your current location that will traject any spoken words within it to you for a limited time. - Torrent Push your psionic energy to its limit. #### Torrent **Description**Syntax: PSI TORRENT When low on psionic energy, you can release a torrent of your hidden potential, allowing you to increase it by 80% in trade for temporarily lowering your constitution by 2 points. This can exceed your maximum limit for psionic energy, however the excess will drain away quite quickly. - Corporality Bar those who would shed their corporeal forms. #### Corporality **Description**Syntax: PSI CORPORALITY \[OFF\] This ability will allow you to project a curtain of psionic energy that will clamp down on anyone who attempts to shed their corporeal form within your location. However the demand upon your mind to perform such a feat will tax it of mana and willpower. This power can also be projected forth, locking down those in the same room as your astral form. - Step Cross short distances in a blink. #### Step **Description**Syntax: PSI STEP Cross short distances in a single step, allowing you to act immediately once you’ve moved. You can travel up to three rooms away by default, but this can be further changed up (or down) by the amount of psionic energy you have. The monolith sigil will not block your attempts, however you may not step into a stockroom. - Disable Impair another of their lesser practiced skills. #### Disable **Description**Syntax: PSI DISABLE Disable an ability of choice with your psionic might for a temporary few seconds, if they are currently prone. You may not disable core abilities to a class such as, for example, Doublestab for an Infiltrator. Cooldown: 90 seconds - Projection Project your astral form into the physical world. #### Projection **Description**Syntax: PSI PROJECTION and PSI RETURN Additional syntax: PSI FORM \[target\] Project your will from your body and travel around the world in astral form. While in this state, you will be able to speak with others and move as though normal. You also may perform a limited amount of psionic abilities while in this form. Make sure to omit the PSI syntax from the ability when using it with form. Example: PSI FORM LANCE You may perform the following actions while in astral form: Aura, Flash, Neutralise, Lance, Dull, Deprival, Fathom, Shock, Dread, Sliver, Traject, Step, Disable, and Corporality. You can also perform the following abilities from Vision: Aura, Sacral, Vibrations, and Traps. You will not be able to cross into an adjacent area while in your astral form, as the distance between you and your body will be too far to maintain a connection. However, if your body stands on the threshold between two areas, you will be able to cross into it providing it is not a one-way exit. Lastly, while in this state, your body will be vulnerable to the whims of others. Ensure that you leave your body behind in a safe location, or you can gamble the risks. ## Visual style and identity Zeal’s martial arts are characterized by powerful, precise strikes, augmented by Inner Spark and spirit to enact brilliant displays of white fire from the focalmarks on hands and feet. Light and sparks linger about them during, as well as after, the fiery evocations of Purification. Psionics by contrast is deceptively subtle: self-defense techniques, telekinetic movement, extrasensory perception, and at higher levels astral projection. The Zealot reads as a focused, determined warrior whose violence shines with Spirit-Plane brilliance. ## Side effects of the work Spirit, the most lively and energetic of the elements, may over time shift the personality of any practitioner who draws upon it frequently. Zealots are no exception. Even calm personalities can be rendered more excitable, extreme, or volatile by Spirit’s influence, a quality that often exists in tension with the highly structured Zealot arts. The discipline, repetition, and conditioning that Zealots practice to master their techniques also create a strong tendency to ritualize everyday behavior. Speaking a blessing before meals, particular ways of washing hands, walking home, or preparing for bed. Zealots often rely upon these routines to remain grounded against Spirit’s volatility. ## Who plays this class The Zealot suits players who want a Light-aligned martial artist with strict discipline and visible faith. The roleplay frame is monastic and focused, often alienated from the people the Zealot defends because their attention is on the art and the cause rather than on small talk. Mechanically, the class rewards players who like martial-arts combat with brilliant magical display. Zeal’s chain work is unusual even within Aetolia’s martial classes, and the focalmark fire system gives Zealots a visual signature that no other class shares. Psionics adds a mental-warfare layer for players who want to do more than punch. If you want a Light-aligned martial discipline that opposes undead and vampires specifically, the Zealot is built for exactly that. Purification is tuned to that fight. ## City and guild The Illuminai is anchored in [Enorian](/world/enorian/), the Hammer of Dawn. Patron: Celezor, Accord of the Righteous. The guild houses the Zealot martial class and the [Luminary](/character-classes/luminary/) priestly class, both descended from the 452 MA merger of the old Daru and Luminaries guilds. Joining the Zealot ranks means committing to Spirit. You will not be able to actively hold any Shadow-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Spirit classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race is independent of class, so you can play a Zealot of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Zealot mirror is the [Ravager](/character-classes/ravager/), Bloodloch’s hellfire-fueled brawler. Both are martial-style classes drawing on city ethos. Ravager draws on Perdition and Corrupt Chaos for power. Zealot draws on Rewh’va, the Grand Flame, and the Daru lineage. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Zealot good for new players?** Yes. The class has clear progression, active guild leadership in the Illuminai, and strong documentation. The combat style is approachable, and martial-arts classes generally have an easier time learning Aetolia’s affliction-based PvP than spell-stacking mages. **What is the difference between a Zealot and a Monk?** Both are martial artists. Monks practice Tekura, Kaido, and Telepathy from the Sentaari monastery in Duiran. Zealots practice Zeal (Tekura plus Duamvi), Purification, and Psionics from the Illuminai in Enorian. Monks are mechanically untethered. Zealots are Spirit-tethered. Different lineage, different city, different magical focus. **Why does a Zealot use a silver chain?** Silver chains conduct the element of spirit far better than other metals. The chain’s low durability is a tradeoff Zealots accept to channel Inner Spark through every chain strike. It is part martial weapon, part spirit conduit. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if the Zealot profile interests you. Or see [every Aetolia class](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Luminary](/character-classes/luminary/) The sister class in the Illuminai. Spirituality, Devotion, Illumination. Pick Luminary if you want the same Enorian faith and the same guild but prefer a mace-and-shield priest with a guardian angel over a martial artist with a silver chain. ### [Ravager](/character-classes/ravager/) The Shadow mirror. Brutality, Ravaging, Egotism. Pick Ravager if you want the same brawler chassis but prefer Bloodloch’s hellfire and Corrupt Chaos to Enorian’s Spirit Plane and Grand Flame. ### [Monk](/character-classes/monk/) The Sentaari monk class in Duiran. Tekura, Kaido, Telepathy. Pick Monk if you want a martial artist with a more balanced body-mind-spirit focus, untethered access, and the Sentaari monastery rather than the Illuminai’s faith-forward frame. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Zealot and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Wayfarer of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/wayfarer/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Wayfarer of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-wayfarer-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Wayfarer class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Wayfarer is Aetolia’s untethered handaxe warrior, a hardy wilderness ranger originating from the wastelands of Albedos that wields Tenacity (handaxe martial training), Wayfaring (survival craft), and Fury (berserk battle rage and commanding shouts). At a glance**Tether**Untethered**City**None (origin: Albedos wastelands; second branch on Sapience)**Guild**None; apprentice from Hemold in Helba on Albedos**Skill sets**Tenacity, Wayfaring, Fury**Mirror class**None (untethered)**Sister class in guild**None**Signature mechanic**Handaxe melee and ranged combo, trophies from the fallen**Best for**Players who want a self-reliant warrior with no guild politicsThe Wayfarers are warrior rangers, first originating from the wastelands and wilderness of the continent of Albedos. The original group stands in opposition to the forces of Drakkenmont, resisting the Dreikathi Empire’s northward incursions. A second branch of the tradition has spread to Sapience and roams the continent independent of the four city-states. If you want to play a hard-traveled warrior who carries everything they own and answers to no city, the Wayfarer is built for that. There is no guild to join, no patron god to please, and no oath sworn to anyone but yourself. ## Origin and lore The first Wayfarers belong to Albedos, the harsh northern continent across the seas from Sapience. They opposed Drakkenmont, the southern bastion of the Dreikathi Empire, and have done so for generations. The tradition demanded survival skills, raw martial training, and a willingness to live outside settled civilisation. Their training proved exportable. As the years passed, a second Wayfarer line emerged on Sapience. The Sapient Wayfarers are independent of the four-city structure, even if individual practitioners hold citizenship in one of the four cities. The training itself does not depend on city allegiance. A Wayfarer can pass through Bloodloch, Spinesreach, Duiran, or Enorian without losing their craft. Loners by nature, Wayfarers tend to avoid large settlements, scavenging what they need from the land. They venture into outlying towns solely for information and bounties. Scattered across the continents, they unite only to share stories, trade information, and warm themselves by the vigil fires in their camps and hideouts. Then they venture forth once more. ## Skill sets The Wayfarer skill sets are Tenacity, Wayfaring, and Fury. **Tenacity** is the martial discipline. Handaxes are the Wayfarer’s weapon of choice, used in both melee and ranged applications. Targeted strikes, powerful throws, and dexterous counterattacks make the class versatile in close quarters while keeping a ranged option open. A Wayfarer is rarely caught without a weapon to hand. **Wayfaring** is the survival school. Subsisting off the land, adapting to different environments, navigating wilderness that would defeat most adventurers. This is the school that makes a Wayfarer the warrior who arrives where they want to be, not where the road delivers them. **Fury** is the berserk-rage layer. Shouts and battlecries during combat empower the Wayfarer and inspire allies, while also striking terror into enemies. The class fights hard when blood is up, and Fury is what unlocks that mode. ## Skill abilities Tenacity Wayfaring Fury Filter abilities Title Contents ### Tenacity - Proficiency Cut down your foes with your mastery of axes. #### Proficiency **Description**Usage: RETURNING THROW AXE \[direction\] AT AXE AXELEFT AXERIGHT You are now innately capable of using two handaxes in combat. Some Tenacity attacks require both weapons, and cannot be used if another weapon is traveling or if the associated arm is off balance. Others only require one weapon, and can be used so long as you are on-balance with the axe wielded, even if you have a second axe in the air. You can additionally specify to use the left or right axe for one weapon abilities. By turning the RETURNING defence on, any axe you THROW will automatically return to your wielded hand, although there is a willpower drain associated with it. Most Tenacity thrown Axe attacks will always return to you after a delay, regardless of whether this defence is active or not. In this scenario, the axe always returns to your wielded hand, and having no hands free to catch the axe will cause it to hit you in the head, damaging and stunning you. Melee axe attacks will draw upon your strength for damage, are considered ‘melee’ for dodging, and can be stopped by rebounding. Ranged axe attacks will draw upon your dexterity for damage, are considered ‘ranged’ for dodging, and go through rebounding. There are also unique queuing commands that you can use with your axes: QUEUE AXES Will wait until you have caught one axe after throwing in addition to balance. QUEUE AXES2 Will wait until you have caught both axes after throwing in addition to balance. Please read AB SURVIVAL QUEUEING for more information on queues. - Envenom Coat your weapons in deadly venoms. #### Envenom **Description**Syntax: ENVENOM WITH WIPE With this ability, you may layer venoms on an edged weapon. Each time that weapon hits somebody, one venom will poison your opponent, and disappear from the weapon. Venoms work on a last-on, first-off basis, so if you put xentio on a weapon, and then put voyria on, the voyria would come off first, and the xentio second. You must possess a rag with the venom in order to apply it to a weapon. In order to get rid of the venoms on a weapon, simply WIPE . - Parrying Block incoming strikes with your weapon. #### Parrying **Description**Syntax: PARRY or PARRY NOTHING This ability allows you to parry an attack aimed at one of your limbs, providing you wield a weapon or item that allows you to do so. You can parry your head, torso, left or right arm, and left or right leg. You will be unable to parry if you become prone (see HELP PRONE). Being fallen is excluded from this list. - Avert Protect the skies with your vigilance. #### Avert **Description**Usage: AXE AVERT You may watch the skies for incoming projectiles, giving you a chance of knocking the weapon from the sky before it strikes you. Having this defence activate comes with a small drain to your endurance. - Crossblade Catch their weapon and send them reeling. #### Crossblade **Description**This ability is passive. If you have a handaxe in both hands – that is, none currently in the air – your successful parry attempts will fuel your rage, increasing your fury. In addition, hitting an enemy’s own parry with your melee attacks will increase your fury. - Obstruct Looks like you aren’t going anywhere. #### Obstruct **Description**Usage: AXE OBSTRUCT Should a non-ally attempt to flee your location in terror as a result of being feared, you may lash out with a quick blow to the skull that will send them toppling over. - Rampage Take on their entire army! #### Rampage **Description**Usage: AXE RAMPAGE AXE RAMPAGE OFF At a constant cost to your mana, you may concentrate on throwing your axes such that successful strikes have a chance to ricochet off of your target and strike a secondary target that you must specify. This strike will do somewhat less damage. This ability will only work off of the Lob, Assault and Cripple abilities. While enraged, this ability will always fire, for the full amount of damage. There is a small chance of striking a third target at random in this scenario. - Retrieval Draw your weapons from their broken body. #### Retrieval **Description**This ability is passive. You’ll now concentrate on retrieving your weapons after they’re thrown. If your attack strikes a prone target, you will recover your balance faster from the strike. - Opportunity Innately sense attacks of opportunity. #### Opportunity **Description**Usage: AXE COUNTER After a successful dodge, you will have a short window of time where you may chop into your attacker with an axe, however it will deliver no venoms. This ability may be done off balance. - You know the following melee attacks - Chop Mercilessly strike your foe with your weapon. #### Chop **Description**Usage: AXE CHOP \[\] Swing your handaxe at a target’s bodypart, quickly delivering a venom in the process. This attack uses a single axe. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier45% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)66% Set Weapon Trauma8.00% Set Weapon Speed Range1.70 to 2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 25 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Sweep Slam their knees with your weapon. #### Sweep **Description**Usage: AXE SWEEP Swing your axe in a low arc, knocking your foe to the ground so long as they suffer from some affliction to their legs. This attack uses a single axe. - Lacerate Rend their very flesh. #### Lacerate **Description**Usage: AXE LACERATE Gouge your foe’s skin deeply, causing haemophilia and bleeding. The amount of bleeding is increased for each leg and arm that is crippled. This attack uses a single axe. - Bash A swift smack with the blunt end. #### Bash **Description**Usage: AXE BASH This quick blow with the blunt end of your weapon will rattle your victim, causing damage and trauma to their head. If the target is deaf when you strike, they will be stunned a few moments after the blow. This attack uses a single axe. - Dropstrike They’ll never see it coming. #### Dropstrike **Description**Usage: AXE DROPSTRIKE Leap from high above and deliver a terrifying blow to your enemy. If your intended victim falls below 33% maximum health as a result of your strike, they will perish as your axe cleaves them in two. This threshold increases to 50% if their torso is broken. - Whirlwind Lash out at all enemies in your vicinity. #### Whirlwind **Description**Usage: AXE WHIRLWIND \[\] Swing your axes in a wild arc, hitting everyone present. You may specify a venom to use with this attack. - Punish Cut them right to the bone. #### Punish **Description**Usage: AXE PUNISH With a whirling of your axe, lash out at a victim to punish them. As long as one of the targeted limbs is crippled in some manner, this attack will be successful. Should this blow connect, you’ll worsen the condition, causing lingering issues even after the original affliction has passed. Punished arms will prevent your foe from occasionally parrying, for a moderate duration. It will also boost trauma dealt by melee axe attacks on the arms. Punished legs will greatly hinder a target’s ability to move for a moderate duration. It will also boost trauma dealt by melee axe attacks on the legs. This attack uses a single axe. - Ravage A vicious, lasting blow to a limb. #### Ravage **Description**Usage: AXE RAVAGE This precise strike with both axes will lacerate a foe’s body and leave them ravaged for a limited time, causing significant harm whenever a restoration salve is applied. The damage caused will be increased the every time they apply another restoration salve while the affliction lasts. This attack uses both axes. - Ambush Leap at your foe from afar. #### Ambush **Description**Usage: AXE AMBUSH \[\] \[\] Should your foe be in an adjacent location, you can leap upon them and deliver a surprise blow, inflicting any venom upon your axes and knocking them off balance. If you are enraged, you will knock over anyone who might block you, and break through any walls in your path. This attack uses both axes. - Execute Finish the deed with a brutal execution. #### Execute **Description**Usage: AXE EXECUTE Should your foe be lying helpless with a broken head and at least one other broken limb, you may remove their head from their body in a single, brutal stroke. The wind-up for this strike is somewhat obvious, and as a result any other aware opponent will dodge it entirely. This attack uses both axes. - You know the following thrown attacks - Lob Fling your axe at an unlucky foe. #### Lob **Description**Usage: AXE LOB \[\] With a quick flick of your wrist, you can fling your axe at a nearby target, striking them for damage and delivering a venom in the process. The quickness of this strike prevents you from properly targeting any body part. This attack uses a single axe. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage SourceAgile Weapon Damage Modifier25% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)32% Set Weapon Speed Range0.95 to 1.25 seconds Axe Return Timer2.35 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Assault Toss your axe with brutal force. #### Assault **Description**Usage: AXE ASSAULT \[\] Heave your axe forward and smash a targeted body part, causing damage and delivering a venom. This will weaken the targeted body part for three seconds, causing the next melee axe attack afterward to do more body part damage to it. If they have blindness when you strike with a melee axe attack, the duration is refreshed and you can gain the benefits again. This attack uses a single axe. - Cripple Shatter their limbs in a single blow. #### Cripple **Description**Usage: AXE CRIPPLE Throw your axe with momentous force to cripple a target’s limb. Throwing with such force incurs a much longer delay on weapon return than other thrown attacks. This attack uses a single axe. - Retrieve Pull your foe in a bit closer. #### Retrieve **Description**Usage: AXE RETRIEVE Throw one of your axes, attempting to hook and retrieve your intended target from your line of sight. This ability is blocked by the target being too dense or clinging to the branches of a nearby tree. - Toss Fling your weapon into the air for later. #### Toss **Description**Syntax: AXE TOSS \[\] AXE TOSS \[\] Pull an axe from your reserves and fling it high into the sky, causing it to rain down on your victim some time later. Against adventurers, this can deliver a venom of choice. A low toss will hit seconds later, while a high toss is delayed past that. There is a degree of uncertainty when it comes to predicting exactly when the axe will land. You may only have one axe in the air at a time. By default, this skill will attempt to use an axe in your inventory that is not being wielded before using your wielded axes. You can throw it in the same room or from line-of-sight of your target, however against denizens, you must specify the direction for line-of-sight. **Details**Target LocationSame location or line of sight Damage TypeCutting Damage SourceNone High TimerBetween 14 and 16 seconds Low TimerBetween 7 and 9 seconds Base Damage250 + 7% Base Damage (Denizen)425 Balance Recovery2.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 40 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Carve An unexpected strike to the gut. #### Carve **Description**Usage: AXE CARVE Fling your axes together directly at your target’s gut, causing vomiting and trauma to their torso. If the target already has vomiting or a broken torso, they will be stunned and fall to the ground. This attack uses both axes. - Embed A cruel addition to a healing wound. #### Embed **Description**Usage: AXE EMBED PULL AXE FROM Spotting an opportune moment to strike, you may embed your axe into any limb that has already been broken. The weapon will cause considerable bleeding while it remains in place – when you feel the moment is right, you may wrench the weapon from their body, causing heavy trauma. You may only have one axe embedded in a foe at a time. Your foe may pull the axe themselves, with a similar result. This ability does not scale with weapon damage or any stat, meaning any axe may be used for this purpose. By default, this ability will attempt to pull an axe from your inventory that is not being wielded, before attempting to use an axe that’s wielded. Cooldown (embed): 30 seconds - Devastate Pitch your axes to break down barriers. #### Devastate **Description**Usage: AXE DEVASTATE \[\] Rain your axes down upon your foe, destroying first any shield defense present, then destroying any aura of rebounding. If only one is present, you will continue with a brutal axe strike. If neither is present, however, you’ll fumble the attack entirely. For each destroyed protective barrier, you will gain some fury. This attack uses both axes. - Slaughter Strike down your enemies with dual axes. #### Slaughter **Description**Usage: AXE SLAUGHTER \[\] \[\] Unleash a devastating thrown strike with both handaxes, delivering two venoms and damaging your foe. A prone foe is a much easier target, and as a result will reduce the return time of the axes for this attack. This attack uses both axes. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Wayfaring - Orient Determine the direction of another. #### Orient **Description**Usage: WAYFARE ORIENT Use your enhanced senses to pinpoint the area of another. If your target is in your local area, you will be able to discern what direction they are relative to you. - Splint A makeshift remedy to a broken limb. #### Splint **Description**Usage: WAYFARE SPLINT With quick thinking and whatever you have on hand, you can set up a splint for a crippled or broken leg. After some time has passed, both of your legs will be healed of any afflictions they have, including those cured by a restoration poultice. It won’t clear up any trauma they might have suffered however, leaving them prone to becoming broken again quite quickly. If either leg receives trauma while in the process of healing, the splint will fall apart. - Weathering Bolster your body’s fortitude. #### Weathering **Description**Usage: WEATHERING Your budding control over your body will assist you in keeping warm during cold weather and mitigate damage from cold attacks. Depending on how cold the weather is, you may need extra clothing regardless. - Highjump Rise high into the sky with an athletic leap. #### Highjump **Description**Usage: HIGHJUMP Leap into the skies with athletic might, allowing you to temporarily suspend yourself in mid-air. - Satiation Enhance the value of what you eat. #### Satiation **Description**Usage: SATIATION By using this ability, you will begin to concentrate on processing your food more efficiently, increasing the amount it reduces your hunger by. After activating it, you’ll have a short period during which to eat some food. - Mastery Adapt to the unique challenges of the wilderness. #### Mastery **Description**Usage: WAYFARE MASTER You are skilled enough in general survival that you are able to adapt to your surroundings, gaining new abilities due to environmental insight. As you progress in Wayfaring, the environment you have affinity for will also yield new abilities. Mastery Type Environments ————————————————– Wastelands Desert, Tundra and Ruins Forests Forest Underground Natural Underground Mountains Mountain, Hill Mastering an environment is not a quick process, and the decision to specialize may not be taken lightly. You may only specialize in one environment at a time, and switching incurs a cooldown. Each Mastery type grants you access to six different abilities, which you will learn as part of Wayfaring: Wastelands Mountains Forests Underground —————————————————————- Desolation Mountaineer Bushwhack Blindsense Circulation Dustcoat Manhunt Guerrilla Hardiness Sidestep Swinging Stalking Tireless Breakfall Lumberjack Hibernation Resilience Scaling Foraging Skulking Quickstep Endure Identify Echolocation You can type AB WAYFARING to learn more information. Cooldown: 24 hours - Ironskin Fortify yourself against physical harm. #### Ironskin **Description**Usage: WAYFARE IRONSKIN Become hardier and more resilient to damage, granting you a moderate bonus to your physical resistance. If standing in an environment you have mastery of, this bonus is increased. - Fieldcache Stash supplies for later use. #### Fieldcache **Description**Usage: FIELDCACHE STASH FIELDCACHE SEARCH FIELDCACHE CONSUME A survivalist will often have supplies stashed away in hidden locations, allowing for a quick restock in a time of need. By taking some time, you can stash away a full vial of health, that you can later consume to heal yourself to full health instantly. By default, you will always know the location of your own stashes. However, a Wayfarer is trained to discover these stashes and can search out another’s stash in the room for their own use. - Sprint Quickly move in a chosen direction. #### Sprint **Description**Syntax: SPRINT You can now sprint in a particular direction, allowing you to move through multiple rooms at once. Adventurers will only follow you if they have the ability to pace themselves, or through some other means. **Details**Max Distance10 rooms Movement TypeDashing Denizens FollowYes Adventurers FollowYes\* Mounts FollowYes Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 5 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled. - Cannot have paresis or be paralysed. - Cannot be fallen. - Cannot be used while phased. - Affinity Become a master of your home terrain. #### Affinity **Description**This ability is passive. When standing in an environment you have mastered, you will now benefit from increased celerity and endurance regeneration. - Campsite Rest your weary body in comfort. #### Campsite **Description**Usage: CONSTRUCT CAMPSITE \[ENCLOSED\] Requires: 2 wood, or 3 wood and 1 cloth if enclosed. Creates a campsite for you and your allies that will soothe minds, increasing willpower regeneration. It will also protect you from cold weather. Using extra cloth, you can also optionally enclose the campsite, turning the location indoors. Campsites will be destroyed after ten minutes, and need to be rebuilt. - Starmap Navigate swiftly with the night sky. #### Starmap **Description**Usage: STARMAP MEMORIZE STARMAP FORGET STARMAP LOCATIONS STARMAP NAVIGATE By memorizing the orientation of your location compared to the constellations, you can memorize a location and quickly return to it. The time of this return is dependent on the time of day – it is quickest at midnight. You may memorize up to three locations to return to in this way. - Bloodtrails Spot the signs of injury. #### Bloodtrails **Description**Usage: WAYFARE BLOODTRAILS Using your aptitude for survival, you can easily spot the telltale signs of injured prey. When anyone in your presence is suffering from at least 200 bleeding damage or has an axe embedded in their body, you will be able to spot the flowing wounds and the traces they leave. In this state, no type of evasion will mask someone’s departure from the room, and you will be able to spot the direction the injured target moved from other rooms. - Fleetfoot Move through the lands with ease. #### Fleetfoot **Description**Usage: WAYFARE FLEETFOOT Bolster your celerity by two levels and speed through the land – however, when you next take a significant amount of damage, you’ll both lose the bonus and be stunned for a short period of time. You can deactivate the defense manually to prevent the latter effect. - Bloodscan Track down your wounded prey. #### Bloodscan **Description**Usage: WAYFARE BLOODSCAN Survey your area quickly for the signs of any targets, notifying you of their location. If you are able to sense the target’s blood trail, you will also gain information about their vital status, and this ability will not cost balance to use. - Adaptation Adapt to your terrain. #### Adaptation **Description**This ability is passive. If you spend more than one minute standing in an environment that can be mastered, you will gain access to that mastery’s abilities so long as you do not leave that environment. - Greenheart The strength of the land flows through you #### Greenheart **Description**Usage: WAYFARE GREENHEART Requires: 1 green ink. Overlay your existing tree tattoo with a symbol of empowerment, boosting its power by reducing the cooldown between uses by 2 seconds. The extra power of your tree symbol is mentally taxing, and will drain your willpower at a significant rate. - Tracking Step alongside your bleeding victim. #### Tracking **Description**Usage: WAYFARE TRACK WAYFARE TRACK CEASE Focus your attention on an individual target’s movements, notifying you when your target is severely injured – you will receive a message when they fall below half health, and another when below a quarter of their health. In addition, if your target flees your location with a discernible blood trail, you will move with them regardless of your state of balance. Tracking a target will only carry you a few rooms from your location, however, and will fade if the target flees too far. - Survive Defy the limits of mortality. #### Survive **Description**Usage: WAYFARE SURVIVE When activated, for the next 6 seconds, you will be unable to die by falling below 0 health. If you are enraged, this ability will automatically activate when necessary. At the end of the duration, you will be restored to 20% of your maximum health, if you would be lower. Cooldown (when triggered): 5 minutes - Mountains Mastery - Breakfall Protect yourself from falling from great heights. #### Breakfall **Description**This ability is passive. You are trained enough in athletic endeavors to instinctively protect yourself from damage when you fall. You will no longer be harmed from falling from the sky or trees, even without the levitation defense. - Scaling Perch yourself amongst the cliffs. #### Scaling **Description**Usage: SCALE UP SCALE DOWN You’ve become adept enough at surviving in the mountains that you can quickly scale their sides, allowing you a vantage point in mountainous terrain. While in this position, you will be unable to be targeted by many abilities, though you’ll be unable to respond in kind. - Endure Conserve your physical energy. #### Endure **Description**Usage: WAYFARE ENDURE At a minor persistent cost to willpower, you can learn to conserve your physical energy in a meaningful way, reducing all of your endurance costs by 25%. - Sidestep Ignore rubble as if it were regular road. #### Sidestep **Description**Usage: WAYFARE SIDESTEP You’ve become acclimated with rocky environments, allowing you step over rubble when you find it in your path. - Mountaineer The resonating voice of a mountaineer. #### Mountaineer **Description**Usage: WAYFARE MOUNTAINEER Your long exposure to your mastered environment allows you to mimic the echoes caused by yelling in mountainous environments. At a steady cost to your endurance, your Fury shouts will have a chance to affect all enemies in the room. If you are enraged, this will always occur. Affects the following shouts: Warcry, Shake, Threaten, Halt, Shatter, and Exhaust. - Dustcoat Disguise yourself in dust. #### Dustcoat **Description**Usage: WAYFARE DUSTCOAT While in movement, you can draw upon your surroundings to mask you in a layer of thick dust, hiding you and others with you from sight, and making them difficult to detect by mortal means. Remaining in the same location for more than 10 seconds will cause the dust to settle, removing the effect. - Forests Mastery - Foraging Sate your appetite from your surroundings. #### Foraging **Description**Usage: WAYFARE FORAGE While in a natural environment, you can seek out nourishment if your own supplies run low. - Swinging Move through the trees with grace. #### Swinging **Description**Usage: SWING When standing in a location with trees, you now possess the dexterity needed in order to climb up into its branches. **Details**Movement TypeSwinging Denizens FollowYes Adventurers FollowYes Mounts Follow (Up)No Mounts Follow (Down)Yes Balance Recovery (Up)1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - (Up) Costs 30 endurance to use. - (Up) Requires both arms functional. - (Down) Costs 20 endurance to use. - (Down) Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled. - Cannot have paresis or be paralysed. - Cannot be fallen. - Identify Identify the footprints and tracks around you. #### Identify **Description**Usage: WAYFARE IDENTIFY Your keen senses can easily discern the distinct tracks and noises of the wildlife around you. By identifying these clues, you will know what animals and denizens are in a 15-room radius around you, in your current area. - Lumberjack TIIIIIIIIMBER! #### Lumberjack **Description**Usage: WAYFARE CHOP If there are enough trees in the location to allow for climbing into the branches, you can choose to chop the trees down. Anybody in the trees when you fell them will fall to the ground and be stunned. In addition to this, the trees will not regrow for five minutes, preventing them from climbing back up. This also makes for an effective firebreak as no fires will spread into a room that has been chopped. - Bushwhack A hidden surprise. #### Bushwhack **Description**Usage: WAYFARE BUSHWHACK WAYFARE CRAFT DISGUISE While standing in the forest, you can quickly leave in a direction and then immediately conceal yourself amidst the fallen leaves and shrubbery. When an enemy walks into the room, you’ll spring out at them, stunning them and hitting them with both your axes at no balance cost. You can optionally craft a portable leaf disguise using 1 cloth to use this ability outside of the forest, although this will decay quickly. Ambushing your enemy requires that you neither move nor use your balance after using this ability, and will slowly drain you of your endurance as you maintain your readiness to strike. - Manhunt None will escape your prowess. #### Manhunt **Description**Syntax: WAYFARE MANHUNT Your time within the forests have left your perception incredibly honed to clues left behind by an injured foe who has tried to escape your axe. As such, providing your foe is below 75% health, you may quickly survey their status and reveal any afflictions they might currently have. - Wastelands Mastery - Hardiness Fully acclimate to your environment. #### Hardiness **Description**This ability is passive. Your body has fully acclimated to your mastered environment. The effects of hot or cold weather no longer bother you, and in addition you will never slip on icy ground. - Tireless Steel yourself against mental exhaustion. #### Tireless **Description**Usage: WAYFARE TIRELESS At a significant drain to your mana, you can prevent yourself from ever falling into a deep sleep, and will quickly wake up if put to sleep. While active, you will also gain the insomnia defence automatically upon waking up. In addition, this ability will passively reduce the rate at which you grow more tired, even when not active. - Resilience Learn to mask your visible pain. #### Resilience **Description**Usage: WAYFARE RESILIENCE Displaying signs of weakness within the wasteland can be fatal. With some effort, you can prevent yourself from the unconscious cues that alert others to your physical state, causing attempts at assessing you to frequently fail. - Quickstep Dash instantly to a nearby ally. #### Quickstep **Description**Usage: WAYFARE QUICKSTEP After a moment to figure out your ally’s situation, you’ll be able to dash across the local area and arrive to their side. This ability will only work when both you and your ally are outdoors. If your target stands within your mastered environment, this ability is continent-wide. - Desolation Reign supreme in the wasteland. #### Desolation **Description**Usage: WAYFARE DESOLATION Amidst the desolation of the wastelands, the Wayfarer reigns supreme. At a steady cost to your endurance, you’ll inflict more damage with your melee axe attacks. Should you find yourself in one on one combat, this effect is increased. However, in your focus on melee strikes, your thrown attacks will be slightly slower to return. - Circulation Keep your blood flowing properly. #### Circulation **Description**Usage: WAYFARE CIRCULATION Get your blood pumping, and benefit from a point of bonus strength. In addition, you will always be able to clot even if afflicted by effects that would interfere with your ability to do so. You will find, however, that clotting requires considerably more mana in this state. - Underground Mastery - Hibernation A good night’s sleep. #### Hibernation **Description**Usage: SLEEP You will now recover your endurance a lot faster while sleeping. In addition, sleeping will also now recover your willpower alongside your endurance. - Stalking Soft footsteps at night. #### Stalking **Description**Usage: STALK During the night, you may stalk the shadows, masking your movement as you move about. However when dawn arrives to banish the darkness of night, you’ll be quickly revealed. - Echolocation Hear the movements all around you. #### Echolocation **Description**Usage: WAYFARE ECHOLOCATION In the darkness of the underground, your hearing becomes your primary tool for detecting the presence of others. Your hearing has improved to such a degree that you can now pick up the movements of players in a 5-room radius around you, informing you of movement through this radius. There is a steady willpower and endurance drain for using this ability. - Skulking Move unnoticed by predators. #### Skulking **Description**Usage: WAYFARE SKULKING Move with light footsteps, preventing many aggressive creatures from noticing your presence as you move about in exchange for constant drain to your willpower. Sentient beings are more observant, and will eventually notice you if you linger. This defence will drop if you attack or are attacked. - Guerrilla Strike unexpectedly from below. #### Guerrilla **Description** Usage: WAYFARE RETREAT Unbeknown to most are the many caves and tunnels that can be found all over the land. If you are outdoors and in a natural environment, you can beat a quick retreat to one of these caves after spending a short time searching for one. In the cave, you’ll gain access to a tunnel network with exits leading to different places in the area, potentially allowing you get the drop on an unsuspecting enemy if they are standing near one of the exits. - Blindsense See through any physical ailments. #### Blindsense **Description**Usage: WAYFARE BLINDSENSE Sense your foe’s presence regardless of any ailments that would affect your accuracy, improving it by 8%. This ability comes with a constant willpower drain. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Fury - Bloodrage Succumb to the trance of bloodshed. #### Bloodrage **Description**This ability is passive. As you attack your foe, and receive damage yourself, you will generate fury – a resource you can then expend for numerous useful abilities. The lower your personal health is, the more fury you will generate, up to a limit. When attacking another, your fury generation is halved if they are not your enemy, or if it is a denizen, they are not currently targeting you. Fury will start depleting after 20 seconds of not gaining any. - Consume Overtake your body with fury. #### Consume **Description**Usage: FURY CONSUME Cause your rage to physically wear away at your body, generating fury but reducing your current health by 20%. It cannot increase your fury resource above 15% of its maximum. - Brutality Inspire fear in your enemies. #### Brutality **Description**Usage: FURY BRUTALITY You can strike with such terrifying force, that if a blow should break or mangle a limb, it will have a chance of causing fear to all nearby enemies. If you’re enraged, this effect will always occur, and seeing the fear in your victim’s eyes will increase your fury level. - Enrage Let the anger flow through as a weapon. #### Enrage **Description**Usage: FURY ENRAGE Requires a minimum of 50 fury. Once you’ve settled into your blood rage, you may embrace your fury entirely and enter a berserker’s trance. While active, your own attacks will cause more damage and generate more fury, while you will take more damage as well. In this state, you become immune to the effects of the pacifism affliction (though may still be afflicted by it). Some abilities will have additional effects if you are in an enraged state. After 20 seconds of being in this state, your fury will start depleting slowly, speeding up over time. When your enraged state ends, either by turning the defence off or running out of fury, you will resist damage for a short period after. You will generate somewhat less fury until this effect ends. Should you end your enraged state early, you will fully deplete your remaining fury. Cooldown (after effect): 5 minutes - Sustain Temper your fury to steel your body. #### Sustain **Description**Usage: FURY SUSTAIN Consumes 20 fury. Sustain yourself in battle with your fury, increasing your health but depleting your fury. - Expunge Forcefully shake away your afflictions. #### Expunge **Description**Usage: FURY EXPUNGE Consumes 0 fury. Forcibly remove a random physical affliction from your body. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a physical affliction. Boosted: This ability will try and cure the stupidity affliction instead. Cooldown: 15 seconds - Spree Revel in your success on the battlefield. #### Spree **Description**This is passive. Celebrate your success on the battlefield with a rallying surge of adrenaline – each time you successfully slay another player, you’ll benefit from a bonus to your balance times for a short duration. - Bracing Blunt the pain you feel. #### Bracing **Description**Usage: FURY BRACING Consumes 80 fury. For a brief moment, you may ignore the agony of battle, reducing all damage you take by 60% for the next two seconds. It is much less effective if used while you are prone or otherwise hindered. - Battlechant Keep your cries resounding. #### Battlechant **Description**Usage: FURY BATTLECHANT FURY BATTLECHANT CEASE Focus your efforts on keeping your allies focused – with this ability, you can cause one of your supporting shouts to persist permanently for an ongoing endurance cost. While you are battlechanting, however, you will be unable to use any other supporting shout. You may choose from the Anthem, Bolster, Rally, and Phalanx shouts. - Dauntless Focus on little but your rage. #### Dauntless **Description**Usage: FURY DAUNTLESS You may hone in on harnessing your inner rage, causing you to passively generate fury. While in this state, however, you will find that you will regenerate less health and mana from elixirs. Coincidentally, many attempts to pull you into another room will be unsuccessful. Your dauntless rage may only bring you to 50% of your maximum fury level. - You know how to use the following shouts - Warcry Empower your voice with sheer rage. #### Warcry **Description**Usage: FURY WARCRY Consumes 20 fury. Unleash a powerful shout at your foe, driving them completely deaf. Boosted effect: This will also afflict your victim with ringing ears. - Threaten Deepen your foe’s hatred. #### Threaten **Description**Usage: FURY THREATEN Consumes 30 fury. Your words will twist your opponent’s own emotions, instilling a deep hatred of you. Boosted effect: It will also break any barrier or rebounding aura present, and afflict the target with masochism. - Startle Steal their breath away. #### Startle **Description**Usage: FURY STARTLE Consumes 20 fury. This powerful shout will physically startle your foe, causing them to lose their breath. Any rebounding aura beginning to form will be dissipated. Boosted effect: They will also have their pipe balance consumed for 2 seconds. - Shake Throw off their physical focus. #### Shake **Description**Usage: FURY SHAKE Consumes 30 fury. Rattle your opponent’s physical composure, causing them to suffer from weariness. Boosted effect: It will also throw them off balance. - Distract A shout to break their concentration. #### Distract **Description**Usage: FURY DISTRACT Consumes 30 fury. Break your foe’s concentration with this shout, causing them to instantly drop their parrying attempt. Boosted effect: In addition, the next time your target parries one of your melee attacks, their guard will be weaker, allowing you to bypass it once. - Halt Forcefully still their movements. #### Halt **Description**Usage: FURY HALT Consumes 30 fury. This sudden cry will cause your foe to suffer from lethargy. Boosted effect: Your target will also become immobile for 5 seconds. - Rally Onward towards victory! #### Rally **Description**Usage: FURY RALLY Consumes 30 fury. Keep your allies fighting onward, using the sheer force of your spirit to empower them. For the next 30 seconds, your allies will find their active willpower and endurance costs greatly reduced, and their mana costs reduced marginally. - Splitting Split an icewall right down the middle. #### Splitting **Description**Usage: FURY SPLIT Consumes 30 fury. By utilizing a high-pitched whistle, you can now even split ice. An icewall that has been split down the middle will not be completely destroyed, but can be passed through albeit with delayed movement. Squeezing through an icewall in this manner exposes you to its oppressive coldness, freezing you. - Bolster Keep their spirits high and wounds healed. #### Bolster **Description**Usage: FURY BOLSTER Consumes 60 fury. Direct your allies in battle to bolster their morale, granting them bonus health regeneration for the next 30 seconds. - Phalanx Call your allies to a defensive position. #### Phalanx **Description**Usage: FURY PHALANX Consumes 60 fury. Order your allies to focus on holding a defensive position, granting everyone 10% resistance to cutting and blunt damage for the next 30 seconds. - Taunt Turn their ire towards you. #### Taunt **Description**Usage: FURY TAUNT Consumes 20 fury. Force your foe’s attention upon you, making their next attack automatically strike you instead of the intended target for a short duration. Against denizens, there is no limit to the amount of attacks it can redirect toward you for its duration. **Details**Target LocationSame location Fury Consumed30 fury Taunted Duration6 seconds Lasts For1 attacks Taunted Duration (Denizen)4 seconds Fury Balance8.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 endurance to use. - Requires an unimpaired throat. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Exhaust Drag them down with your cry. #### Exhaust **Description**Usage: FURY EXHAUST Consumes 30 fury. Use your battle cry to diminish your opponent’s vitality, causing them to suffer from physical exhaustion. Boosted effect: Your target will also be left hobbled for 20 seconds. - Shatter Disturb their mental concentration. #### Shatter **Description**Usage: FURY SHATTER Consumes 40 fury. Disturb your foe’s mental concentration on a deeper level, causing a random mental affliction from dizziness, stupidity, dementia, and confusion. Boosted effect: This will also temporarily muddle their mind for a few seconds. - Intimidate Cause them to shrink beneath your might. #### Intimidate **Description**Usage: FURY INTIMIDATE Consumes 40 fury. Surprise your foe with a sudden, terrifying shout. For a short duration, your victim will be unable to raise their health above 90% of its maximum. The lower their health is when you use this ability, the longer it will last. - Boost Strengthen the force of your shouts. #### Boost **Description**Usage: FURY BOOST Consumes an extra 20 fury on top of the shout’s normal fury cost. By strengthening the force of your shouts, you can cause some of them to cause additional effects in exchange for an additional fury cost. - Reverberate Destroy magical auras and reflections. #### Reverberate **Description**Usage: FURY REVERBERATE Consumes 60 fury. Create an echoing shout in your location, causing any shield in your vicinity to be shattered. This effect will echo a second time shortly after. Boosted effect: The first shield strip will also strip any prismatic barriers present. - Anthem Lead your allies to a bloody victory. #### Anthem **Description**Usage: FURY ANTHEM Consumes 60 fury. Drive your nearby allies into a frenzy, causing them to deal 7% more damage for the next 30 seconds. - Interfere Your voice will overpower any other. #### Interfere **Description**Usage: FURY INTERFERE Consumes 40 fury. Use the sheer might of your voice to interfere with other sound-based effects – you may cancel out one of a target’s vocalizations, or immediately dampen a random vibration. - Disorient Leave everyone reeling from your cry. #### Disorient **Description**Usage: FURY DISORIENT Consumes 80 fury. This powerful shout will rattle the minds and spirits of everyone in your location, causing them to become disorientated and delaying their actions. This effect will last only a short time, though those who are suffering from ringing ears or sensitivity will be affected for a longer time. ## Visual style and identity Wayfarers are hardy, physically imposing warriors. They rely upon speed and cunning, as well as brute rage, to subdue their foes. The use of handaxes is their most notable characteristic, consisting of various targeted strikes, powerful throws, and dexterous counterattacks. Speed and cunning backed by brute rage: that is the Wayfarer’s style. Handaxes suit it well, with targeted strikes, ranged throws, and dexterous counterattacks keeping the Wayfarer dangerous at any range. A Wayfarer will always be found carrying several handaxes. They wear leather armor in preference to heavier protection, prioritising mobility. When opportunity presents itself, they will cut a raging swathe through their opponents, stopping only to claim trophies from the fallen. They dive fearlessly into the fray, their commanding shouts inspiring allies and striking terror into their foes. ## Side effects of the work The arts of a Wayfarer are purely physical, eschewing the magical and telepathic augmentation common in various Sapient arts. Although these skills demand the Wayfarer’s physical fitness, they regularly push themselves beyond their limits to compensate for the enhanced capabilities of their foes. Over time, the Wayfarer way of life leads to joint problems, aches, and permanent injuries in old age. That is, in the unlikely event that they live that long. The lifestyle takes its toll in other ways. Long stretches alone in the wilderness wear on personality. Many Wayfarers grow taciturn or coarse compared to their settled peers. The constant need to scavenge, move, and survive does not leave much room for the social niceties of city life. ## Who plays this class The Wayfarer suits players who want a simple, satisfying martial class without committing to the politics of a Spirit-Shadow tether. The kit is direct: handaxes in melee, handaxes thrown for ranged, Fury for the burst window, Wayfaring to survive long enough to use any of it. Roleplay-wise, the class is for loners. The Wayfarer is not a champion of a city. They are not a defender of a guild. They are someone who turned up at a town once, picked up a contract, and left when the job was done. That frame is rare in Aetolia. Most classes carry a city’s politics on their back. The Wayfarer does not. If you want guild-tied roleplay and city politics, look at a tethered class. If you want a self-reliant wanderer who fights with handaxes and answers to no one, this is the class. ## Origin and apprenticeship The Wayfarer has no city affiliation and no guild. The original cadre lives in Albedos. New practitioners learn from Hemold in Helba on Albedos, costing 40 credits. Because the Wayfarer is untethered, you can multiclass freely with either Spirit or Shadow classes and move between cities without losing the class. Race choice is independent of class, so you can play a Wayfarer of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/), though many lean toward the Albedi races for thematic fit. ## Frequently asked questions **Is the Wayfarer good for new players?** Yes. The kit is direct and the roleplay frame requires no city or guild lore. Handaxe combat is one of Aetolia’s most approachable melee styles, Fury is forgiving at low rank, and Wayfaring’s survival utility means you stay alive long enough to learn the rest. Solid first class. **Why are there two groups of Wayfarers?** The original Wayfarers are Albedi, opposing Drakkenmont. A second branch emerged on Sapience as the tradition spread, with no central authority connecting the two. The training is the same, but the politics differ. Sapient Wayfarers are independent of the four city-states. **Can a Wayfarer take a city?** Yes. Wayfarers can and often do hold citizenship in one of the four Sapient cities even while remaining loners by training. The class itself is untethered, so it does not gate you from joining a Spirit or Shadow city. Trophies and handaxes do not care about Spirit-Shadow politics. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Wayfarer profile. Or see [the full Aetolia class roster](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Predator](/character-classes/predator/) Untethered knife-fighter from a world beyond Aetolia. Pick Predator if you want a similar lone-wanderer profile with bone sitaras and tamed beast companions instead of handaxes and survival craft, plus the otherworld backstory. ### [Ravager](/character-classes/ravager/) Bloodloch’s brutish brawler, sister to the Carnifex. Pick Ravager if you like the hard-hitting brawler style but want the Carnifex guild structure, Perdition hellfire, and the Bloodloch Shadow tether. Ravagers fight dirty and lean into carnage where Wayfarers lean into cunning survival. ### [Bard](/character-classes/bard/) Untethered performer-assassin from Djeir’s Theater of Shadows. Pick Bard if you want an untethered class with a strong roleplay frame and acrobatic combat, but prefer Songcalling and falchion work to handaxe brawling. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Wayfarer and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Warden of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/warden/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Warden of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-warden-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Warden class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Wardens are Aetolia’s ancestral clan warriors, a Spirit-tethered class in Duiran that wields Warding (clan-passed battle techniques with greatspears, scythes, cudgels, and wargauntlets), Ancestry (calling on the ancestors to intervene in battle), and Communion (drawing forth ancestral memories shaped into simulacra). At a glance**Tether**Spirit**City**[Duiran](/world/duiran/)**Guild**Sentinels, “the Pride” (Patron: Dhar, the Underking)**Skill sets**Warding, Ancestry, Communion**Mirror class**[Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/) (Shadow)**Sister class in guild**[Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/)**Signature mechanic**Bone crypts, ancestral simulacra in battle**Best for**Players who want a heavy clan-warrior with summoned allies drawn from the memory of the deadA Warden does not fight alone. Beside every modern Warden stand the ghosts of those who came before, called from the ancestral bone crypts and shaped into simulacra that fight at their side. If you want a heavy martial class with deep clan lore and a literal connection to centuries of dead warriors, this is the Warden. ## Origin and lore Long before the Sentinels, the Druids, or the Viridian Order, the great Ithmias were home to numerous tribes of warriors. Three clans rose above the others: the wise **White Bear** of the Western Ithmia, the warlike **Red Serpent** of the Northern Ithmia, and the cunning **Black Raven** of the Eastern Ithmia. Each clan once worshipped Haern’s ways, but their customs eventually gave way to a bitter blood war that left the Ithmias defenceless when an outside threat appeared. The Wardens formed after the death of Segiae Clinemh, high priestess of Haern, sent by the Lord Hunter to quell the conflict. Her bones were the first interred into the crypts of the ancestors, beginning the tradition the clans continue today. With the three clans at peace, each sent forth young warriors every generation to learn the ways of all three, forming a new faction tasked with protecting the sacred ancestral bone crypts. Wardens share the Pride guild with the [Sentinels](/character-classes/sentinel/), bound in blood to one shared cause: defending what is still natural in the world. ## Skill sets The Warden skill sets are Warding, Ancestry, and Communion. **Warding** is the clan-passed combat tradition. Wardens slash, gouge, and maul with greatspears, scythes, cudgels, and wargauntlets, channeling the ferocity of the animals their clans emulate. The style is feral and brutal, drawn from the Red Serpent and White Bear traditions and refined over generations of clan teaching. **Ancestry** is where a Warden calls on the dead. Through battle renown (or through trial with the Red Serpents), a Warden earns the right to ask the ancestors to intercede. The ancestors can block attacks, hinder opponents, and even displace the soul of an enemy. **Communion** is the most distinctive piece of the kit. A Warden draws forth the ancestral memories housed in the crypts and amalgamates them into a simulacrum (a memory given form through the power of Dia’ruis). The simulacrum carries centuries of accumulated combat knowledge and fights independently alongside the Warden, striking on its own initiative. ## Skill abilities Warding Ancestry Communion Filter abilities Title Contents ### Warding - Raze Remove the barriers that protect your prey. #### Raze **Description**Syntax: WARDEN RAZE Use your weapon to tear apart the defences auras and abilities that separate you from your prey. It will raze the following in order: Reflections Magical shields Rebounding aura Speed defence - Fortitude Your training has taught you to reject worse fears than this. #### Fortitude **Description**Syntax: WARDEN FORTITUDE This ability will allow you steel your resolve and render you immune to the effects of fear. - Fluidity Favor two weapons in battle. #### Fluidity **Description**Syntax: WEAPON FAVOR As a master of the ancestral weapons, you are now able to reserve a second weapon in either your inventory or a weaponbelt that can be drawn effortlessly When wielding one of your two favored weapons, if you attempt to do an attack that cannot be performed with the current weapon, you will draw the second weapon and strike automatically. There is a slight balance penalty associated with this usage if drawn from your inventory instead of a weaponbelt. - Block Stand vigilant against an exit. #### Block **Description**Syntax: BLOCK and UNBLOCK Move into a position that blocks others from leaving your location, providing you are not incapacitated or feared. Should you move, you will cease to block. - Envenom Coat a weapon in venoms. #### Envenom **Description**Syntax: ENVENOM WITH WIPE With this ability, you may layer venoms on an edged weapon. Each time that weapon hits somebody, one venom will poison your opponent, and disappear from the weapon. Venoms work on a last-on, first-off basis, so if you put xentio on a weapon, and then put voyria on, the voyria would come off first, and the xentio second. You must possess a rag with the venom in order to apply it to a weapon. In order to get rid of the venoms on a weapon, simply WIPE . - Irongrip Secure your weapons with an iron grip. #### Irongrip **Description**Syntax: IRONGRIP and RELAX IRONGRIP By gripping your weapons tightly, you can prevent others from disarming you of your precious weapons. - Mastery Master one of the ancestral weapons. #### Mastery **Description**Usage: MASTERY SHOW MASTERY WEAPON MASTERY TALENT This grants you the ability to select an ancestral weapon you wish to become proficient in, and a talent you wish to focus your abilities upon Once every so often, you will be able to change the weapon you are proficient in, and the talent you have chosen. You can choose to master the wargauntlets, cudgel, greatspear, or scythe. The benefits of a talent require you to be wielding the correct weapon archetype, otherwise no bonus will be bestowed. Greatspear or Scythe \* Shocking : Upsets the balance of players when using Terrorize. \* Expertise : Decreases the balance penalty from Rigor. \* Shredder : Triples the bleeding from twisting in Constrict. \* Tormentor : Shed additionally causes a lightwound. Wargauntlets or Cudgel \* Demolishing : Lowers the balance recovery of the Raze ability. \* Rattling : Increases the chance of Roaring rage to proc. \* Powerful : Rush will stun instead of upsetting balance. \* Overhand : Maim will give blurry vision instead of watery eyes. Cooldown (mastery): 60 minutes Cooldown (talent): 60 minutes - Sentry Stand vigilant over those that would try to bypass you. #### Sentry **Description**This ability is passive. Should an enemy attempt to walk past an exit you are blocking, you will seize them by the arm and throw them to the ground. This will additionally knock them off balance and cause a small amount of blunt damage. You can refer to AB WARDING BLOCK for more information. - Homage Pay homage to your ancestor spirits for a blessing of strength. #### Homage **Description**Syntax: WARDEN HOMAGE Providing you are wearing suitable armour, you may pay homage to the ancestors in order to receive a blessing of strength for a short time. The completion of this ritual will be obvious to those within a three room radius as the ancestors bestow their power upon you. - DoubleTarget Attack two body parts at a time. #### DoubleTarget **Description**Syntax: TARGET WITH This ability will allow you to target two separate body part locations with the Maul and Lacerate abilities. - Rigor Focus on deliberate, well-timed attacks. #### Rigor **Description**Syntax: WARDEN RIGOR By temporarily putting all your focus onto deliberate, well-timed attacks, you will temporarily deal significantly more damage against adventurers, but strike with decreased speed. While active, your strikes will also allow the ancestors to displace twice as much of the target’s soul. Cooldown: 60 seconds - Anticipate Anticipate your foe’s retreat to stop it in its tracks. #### Anticipate **Description**Syntax: WARDEN ANTICIPATE CANCEL ANTICIPATE Anticipate your opponent’s retreat ahead of time, and when they run you will already be waiting at their destination to strike them with your weapon and knock them off balance. If your opponent attempts to fly away from you, you will seize their leg and slam them back into the ground. If you are wielding a weapon of the Serpent clan, you will additionally constrict their movements with your blade. - Initiative Seize the opportunity to recover. #### Initiative **Description**Syntax: WARDEN INITIATIVE At a moderate drain to your willpower, you may remain keenly aware of your opportunities during a fight to recover some health after damaging your foe to certain thresholds. - Battleflow Attune yourself to the flow of battle. #### Battleflow **Description**Syntax: WARDEN BATTLEFLOW Become lost to the flow of battle, blanking your mind as you allow your instincts to guide your actions. While in this state, paresis will take twice as long to transform into paralysis and you will be able to use two-handed weapon attacks even with a crippled arm. - You can use these techniques of the Bear clan - Batter A basic, albeit effective technique. #### Batter **Description**Syntax: WARDEN BATTER Batter your opponent with your weapon. - Barrel Send your opponent barreling away. #### Barrel **Description**Syntax: WARDEN BARREL Barrel into your target and knock them away towards the specified direction. If there is an obstruction in the way, then the target will slam into it. - Pummel Focus your attacks upon a specific body part. #### Pummel **Description**Syntax: WARDEN PUMMEL When your target is fallen or frozen, they are helpless to prevent you from pummeling their bones with your weapon. Depending on which part of their body you will attack, you will crush their bones for debilitating effects. This attack cannot be parried. Knees: Gives the crushed kneecaps affliction. This will cause the victim to periodically fall over if one of their legs is crippled. Elbows: Gives the crushed elbows affliction. This can cause abilities that require the arms to occasionally fail and hurt them in the process. Chest: Gives the cracked ribs affliction, then the crushed chest affliction if it is left uncured upon a second strike. Crushing their chest will periodically cause asthma. - Maul Level upon your enemy a ferocious series of attacks. #### Maul **Description**Syntax: WARDEN MAUL Attack your target and then charge after for another attack, allowing you to deal two attacks in quick succession with this technique. There is some additional bonus limb damage applied that will scale with the base damage stat of your weapon. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier55% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)42% Base Weapon Trauma5.50% Bonus Damage Stat Trauma+5/3rds of damage stat to percentile Endurance Cost (Per Bash)20 Set Weapon Speed Range2.70 to 3.30 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Release Release your weapons towards a distant enemy. #### Release **Description**Syntax: WARDEN RELEASE After building momentum, release your weapon as a dangerous projectile towards your target, stunning them when it connects. You can target someone in an adjacent location to you as well as in your current location. - Severity Hesitation and apathy will be quickly overcome. #### Severity **Description**Syntax: WARDEN SEVERITY Steel your resolve, doing whatever you must to overpower your opponent. For a limited time, when an enemy parries your weapon, you will slam your head into theirs to still bring harm to them. Additionally, your Barrel ability will be able to move those with the density defence. - Rush Rush your foe with a ferocious attack to the stomach. #### Rush **Description**Syntax: WARDEN RUSH Rush your opponent and slam your weapon into their stomach with the momentum, sending the force rippling through their stomach. A few seconds later, they will collapse to the ground and develop gnawing and anorexia. If they are also frigid, it will upset their balance. - Roaring Punctuate your attacks with a thunderous roar. #### Roaring **Description**Syntax: WARDEN ROARING For a small willpower drain, you will build a roar deep within your stomach. During your Bear techniques, you’ll have a chance to release a thunderously loud roar that will bring your opponent to their knees. If they are already prone, they will be knocked off balance, or further off balance. - Maim Blunt force aimed towards their head. #### Maim **Description**Syntax: WARDEN MAIM Maim the target’s head with repeated strikes from your weapon. This will initially afflict them with watery eyes. For each 20% of the target’s health that is missing after the damage is dealt, you will deal an additional affliction in the following order: 20% Indifference 40% Stuttering 60% Blackout - Decimate Put them out of their misery. #### Decimate **Description**Syntax: WARDEN DECIMATE If your target is fallen or frozen, and has a crushed chest, you may permanently end their suffering. This will instantly kill the target if the conditions are met. - You can use these techniques of the Serpent clan - Strike A basic strike with a bladed weapon. #### Strike **Description**Syntax: WARDEN STRIKE Slice your target with a basic lunging strike. - Shed Shed their flesh from bone, causing heavy bleeding. #### Shed **Description**Syntax: WARDEN SHED Drive your blade under their flesh and shed it off, causing them to bleed and delivering it a venom. The amount of bleeding done will be determined by the penetration stat of your weapon. - Coil Coil your blade around their legs in rapid succession. #### Coil **Description**Syntax: WARDEN COIL \[ALL\] Swing your weapon in a coiling arc, thrusting everybody too close to you to the ground. This will only hit people who have attacked you recently unless you choose otherwise. - Lacerate Strike with two rapid, lacerating slashes. #### Lacerate **Description**Syntax: WARDEN LACERATE Attack your target and twist with the motion to bring your blade around for a second strike. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier42% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)45% Weapon Trauma Modifier42% Endurance Cost (Per Slash)20 Set Weapon Speed Range2.50 to 3.20 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Bypass Bypass their defences and strike. #### Bypass **Description**Syntax: WARDEN BYPASS Like raze, this will destroy any protective auras and abilities that may prevent you from striking your target. However you will additionally strike at them afterwards with your weapon. It will raze the following in order: Reflections Magical shields Rebounding aura Speed defence - Constrict They can’t move if your blade is through them. #### Constrict **Description**Syntax: WARDEN CONSTRICT WARDEN TWIST WITHDRAW WEAPON When an enemy is prone, you can drive your blade through their chest, constricting their moments upon the blade. You may then twist the blade, brutally shredding their insides for heavy damage. The damage will be increased based upon how much trauma their torso has. If they are entangled or bound, then your blade will cut through their bindings and free them when you twist your weapon. - Encircle Hone in on your prey. #### Encircle **Description**This ability is passive. When an enemy that is afflicted by dizziness dodges your Serpent-technique attack, you will have a chance to hone in on them and still leave a small wound. This will deliver any effects upon the blade. - Terrorize Send them stumbling backwards in fright. #### Terrorize **Description**Syntax: WARDEN TERRORIZE Distract your target and then feint towards them, sending them stumbling backwards to the ground. If the target is mounted, you will spook their steed and cause them to be thrown to the ground. - Sidewind Weave through the crowd with your weapon. #### Sidewind **Description**Syntax: WARDEN SIDEWIND Weave through the crowd with swift movements, slashing everybody that you pass. You will hit everybody that is in the room three times over a short duration. If you are making use of Displacement, this attack will only displace soul from whomever you last displaced soul from. - Destruction Bring destruction upon their limbs. #### Destruction **Description**Syntax: WARDEN DESTRUCTION Bring forward the results of your planned strikes against the target, targeting a weakened limb in order to leave it amputated. Striking the severed limb with any targeted attack will open the wound and cause profuse deep bleeding. Your target must have a mangled limb in order to amputate it. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Ancestry - Renown See how high your renown stands #### Renown **Description**Syntax: ANCEST RENOWN See how high your renown stands amongst the ancestors. - Trial Engage the ancestors in battle to improve your renown. #### Trial **Description**Syntax: ANCEST TRIAL ANCEST REGATHER Additional commands: ANCEST LUNGE ANCEST DUEL ANCEST BANISH Engage in a combat trial against the Serpent clan. You can empower the ancestral mark using some of your lifeforce, allowing ancestral spirits to manifest and engage you in combat. Defeating these spirits will increase the standing of your renown with the ancestors. Two types of ancestral spirits will manifest: – a warrior of the Serpent clan – a champion of the Serpent clan In order to combat them, you will have three skills: Lunge – This will hit up to five random spirits in the location. Duel – Challenge a target to a one on one exchange, heavily damaging them. Banish – Drive out all warriors, leaving only champions behind. You will not gain renown for this. Lunges are better suited against warriors, while duels are far more effective against champions. To use these abilities, you must be wielding a weapon of the Serpent clan. Additionally, undergoing the trial while in an ancestral crypt will add a small bonus to your successful attempts. When you wish to end the trial, simply regather the power back into your ancestral mark. - Deathsight Attune yourself to fallen souls #### Deathsight **Description**Syntax: DEATHSIGHT \[OFF\] Using this ability, you will be linked with the Underhalls, allowing you to sense those who perish and pass through it. - Inherit The ancestors will grant you their weapon. #### Inherit **Description**Syntax: ANCEST INHERIT Should you be in desperate need of a weapon, the ancestors will bequeath you one of their own. While these ancient weapons are nowhere near as effective as a modern weapon, it will serve your needs. These weapons are bound to the bone crypts, and will not last a long time outside of them. - Mark Your connection to the ancestors. #### Mark **Description**Syntax: ANCEST REGATHER ANCEST ACKNOWLEDGE The ancestral mark is your connection to the ancestors, allowing you to call upon their powers even outside of the range of the bone crypts. Should you be focusing the power of your ancestral mark somewhere, you can regather to bring the power back and end whatever it was being used upon. You can also acknowledge the ever-present nature of your ancestors. If you have yet to obtain the ancestral mark, you must go to Griana and RECEIVE ANCESTRAL MARK FROM GRIANA. - Manifest Manifest an ancestor #### Manifest **Description**Syntax: ANCEST MANIFEST By parting with a portion of your soul, you can manifest one of the ancestors temporarily to perform basic tasks and abilities within the Communion skill, so long as you possess no active spirit. Using SIMUL DISMISS upon it will cause the ancestor to depart, just as you would a normal simulacrum. If you are within a fighting pit or using the classpick arena mod, then the simulacrum will have its level boosted to 10 and your spirit hound will have access to any simulacrum trait. - Distort Bid your ancestor to distort your aura #### Distort **Description**Syntax: ANCEST DISTORT Renown cost: 50 Bid the ancestors to distort your appearance, shrouding your activities. You will be able to leave and enter a location without notice, plus a few other common actions will be hidden. - Cacophony Allow your foes to hear the thunderous warcries of your ancestors #### Cacophony **Description**Syntax: ANCEST CACOPHONY \[direction\] Call upon the ancestors to release their thunderous warcry, instilling fear and amnesia in your enemies. - Overrun Overrun your foes with an assault from your ancestors #### Overrun **Description**Syntax: ANCEST OVERRUN The ancestors will overrun your target with a flurry of strikes, dealing magical damage. When used against an adventurer, the damage will be staggered into three strikes. - Victory Victory in battle will improve your renown #### Victory **Description**Syntax: ANCEST VICTORY ANCEST VICTORY With this defence on, you will gain renown whenever you slay an enemy. You can also mark a corpse, claiming victory over it that way instead. When used on a denizen, it will only work against those that were sentient. - Discern Discern the presence of another #### Discern **Description**Syntax: ANCEST DISCERN Renown cost: 10 Request the ancestors to discern the location of another. This ability will reveal the location of another, no matter where they might be within the realm. - Spur Rally your ancestors, spurring them to attack #### Spur **Description**Syntax: ANCEST SPUR The ancestors will plague the minds of your enemies with a haunting visage, inflicting psychic damage upon them. The damage dealt will scale to the amount of soul that has been displaced from your victim, increasing significantly if more than 50% of their soul has been displaced. - Intercept Call upon your ancestors to intercept attacks. #### Intercept **Description**Syntax: ANCEST INTERCEPT \[target\] Renown cost: 50 Request protection from the ancestors and they will send an ethereal weapon to deflect attacks upon the specified target. If no target is supplied, then the protection will be granted to yourself. - Diminish Diminish the efficacy of your opponent’s weapon #### Diminish **Description**Syntax: ANCEST DIMINISH \[LEFT|RIGHT\] The ancestors will diminish the efficacy of your target’s weapons, temporarily lowering the amount of damage it does. This will scale depending on how much of the target’s soul has been displaced. Cooldown: 5 minutes - Anoint Anoint your weapon with the chill of death #### Anoint **Description**Syntax: ANCEST ANOINT UNANOINT Renown cost: 50 Anoint your weapon with the memories of death, causing a 40% chance of frost when you land a blow upon another. This chance will be doubled if they have fallen. You will be unable to make use of venoms while your weapon remains anointed. Anyone may unanoint their weapon to remove the effect. - Harrow A harrowing sight will leave them defenseless #### Harrow **Description**Syntax: ANCEST HARROW Renown cost: 100 The ancestors will assault the target’s psyche with harrowing visions, dealing a small amount of magical damage and forcing them to relax two defences that do not originate from themselves. - Safeguard The ancestors will bless you with protection #### Safeguard **Description**Syntax: ANCEST BLESSING SAFEGUARD ANCEST REGATHER The ancestors will bestow their blessing upon you, increasing your resistance to physical attacks. Your mark’s power will be expended upon this blessing, preventing certain other abilities. You must regather power to end the blessing if you wish to use it elsewhere. - Spear Manifest an ancestor that will spear your target’s limbs #### Spear **Description**Syntax: ANCEST SPEAR Renown cost: 100 The ancestors will open wounds in your target’s arms or legs, resulting in both being crippled from a single blow. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Seance Your ancestors will whisper to you of souls you cannot see #### Seance **Description**Syntax: ANCEST SEANCE Renown cost: 80 The ancestors will whisper to you of the dead, letting you know who roams the lands as a soul or are being reformed by the earth. - Clarity Beseech your ancestors for the clarity to discern impulses not your own #### Clarity **Description**Syntax: ANCEST CLARITY Renown cost: 80 The ancestors will grant your mind greater clarity, protecting you from others forcing you to perform an unwanted action for a single time. - Suffuse Your ancestors will suffuse your weary body or mind #### Suffuse **Description**Syntax: ANCEST SUFFUSE Renown cost: 100 Beseech the ancestors for aid, restoring either your health or mana. They can raise your health and mana above their maximum, however it will have a diminishing effect the further you extend beyond it. - Affirm Affirm the presence of those around you #### Affirm **Description**Syntax: ANCEST AFFIRM Renown cost: 150 Call to the ancestors and ask them to affirm who is standing with you. This will reveal everybody in your current location, no matter their elevation or how they might choose to hide. You can also detect beings out of phase with reality using this ability, however you will not know who or how many. - Guidance Your ancestors will bless you with guided strikes. #### Guidance **Description**Syntax: ANCEST BLESSING GUIDANCE ANCEST REGATHER The ancestors will bestow their blessing upon you, guiding the selected weapon’s strikes to amplify its damage. Your mark’s power will be expended upon this blessing, preventing certain other abilities. You must regather power to end the blessing if you wish to use it elsewhere. - Expel Expel their soul, displacing it around their body #### Expel **Description**Syntax: ANCEST EXPEL Renown cost: 50 Quickly displace someone’s soul at a far faster pace than your weapons would. Using STOP or doing most actions will stop the process. - Offering Present an offering to entice an ancestor’s assistance #### Offering **Description**Syntax: ANCEST OFFERING Renown cost: 100 Spill some of your blood as an offering to the ancestors, gaining a boon that will bolster the next weapon attack you land against an opponent. This will increase the damage of the strike and briefly stun them for one time only. - Ward Your ancestors will bless you with protection from magical assault #### Ward **Description**Syntax: ANCEST BLESSING WARD ANCEST REGATHER The ancestors will bestow their blessing upon your armour, reducing all incoming magical damage. Your mark’s power will be expended upon this blessing, preventing certain other abilities. You must regather power to end the blessing if you wish to use it elsewhere. - Invocation Invoke your ancestors to split the power of their blessings #### Invocation **Description**Syntax: ANCEST INVOCATION ANCEST REVOKE You may invoke the power of all three ancestral blessings at once, though the effects gained from this are halved. You must revoke the invocation when you wish to return the energy to your mark. See the abilities Guidance, Ward, and Safeguard for more information on these blessings. - Bolster Your renown will bolster your constitution #### Bolster **Description**Syntax: ANCEST BOLSTER Renown cost: 60 Call upon the strength of the ancestors to bolster your fortitude, increasing your constitution by a single point. - Alertness Remain aware of those that would move nearby #### Alertness **Description**Syntax: ANCEST ALERTNESS Renown cost: 50 Attune yourself to nearby movement and detect passage through surrounding locations. - Condemn Call upon your ancestors to condemn the unnatural. #### Condemn **Description**Syntax: ANCESTRY CONDEMN This ability will allow you to try and banish a Shaman’s spirit familiar, or an Alchemist’s live experiment, providing it is isn’t protected from harm. It is most effective when the Shaman or Alchemist are not present. - Annul Annul a physical affliction from your body #### Annul **Description**Syntax: ANCEST ANNUL Renown cost: 50 Purge yourself a physical affliction with ancestral assistance. Once purged, the ancestors will grant you a balance reduction for a short period of time depending on how many afflictions remain. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a physical affliction. You will be unable to attain your ancestors’ assistance should your body find itself afflicted with paralysis. Cooldown: 18 seconds - Carve Your ancestors will carve through your opponent’s defenses #### Carve **Description**Syntax: ANCEST CARVE Renown cost: 50 An ancestor will answer your calls and carve away the protective barriers surrounding your victim. This will remove prismatic barriers, magical shields, and the aura of rebounding. - Rouse Rouse their soul, drawing it back to reinhabit their body #### Rouse **Description**Syntax: ANCEST ROUSE Renown cost: 1000 Use your great renown to request the ancestors aid one that has fallen in battle, rousing them back to life. You must have the corpse to do this however. If they choose to not accept the resurrection in a timely manner, then the body will crumble away. - The ancestors can take advantage of a displaced soul for these abilities - Apprise Apprise the displacement of their soul #### Apprise **Description**Syntax: ANCEST APPRISE Assess someone’s soul to see how much of it remains within their body. You can additionally check your own soul if you wish. - Displacement Your strikes will displace their souls #### Displacement **Description**Syntax: ANCEST DISPLACEMENT An ancestor will share your body and channel energy through each strike of your weapon to displace your target’s soul, driving a sliver of it from their body. The amount of soul displaced will scale with the base penetration stat of your weapon, with more soul being displaced the higher it is. With their soul displaced, your target is vulnerable to stronger ancestral attacks. However, the soul is drawn to the body and they will become whole again in time. - Inhibit Inhibit your opponent from calling a magical shield #### Inhibit **Description**Syntax: ANCEST INHIBIT Target soul: Below 85% Soul restored: 5% An ancestor will poise itself to strike when your target calls forth the protection of a magical shield. Once this occurs, the ancestor will reveal itself and tear apart their magical shield. Additionally, while under the effects of this inhibition, the target’s displaced soul will not passively return to them due to time. This ability can be performed off-balance, but consumes equilibrium. - Ambush Ambush your opponents with ancestral assistance #### Ambush **Description**Syntax: ANCEST AMBUSH Target soul: Below 85% Send forth an ancestor to ambush your target with a series of strikes. For a short duration, the ancestor will periodically attack the target, dealing more damage based on how afflicted they are. The duration is extended should they have less than 50% of their soul. Cooldown: 90 seconds - Portent Bestow upon them a portent to render curatives less effective #### Portent **Description**Syntax: ANCEST PORTENT Target soul: Below 80% Soul restored: 10% An ancestor will plague the target with an ominous portent, increasing the length of pill balance recovery, including the anabiotic pill. The duration of this effect is extended should they have less than 50% of their soul. This ability can be performed off-balance, but consumes equilibrium. - Engorge Levy a curse to fill their veins to capacity #### Engorge **Description**Syntax: ANCEST ENGORGE Target soul: Below 80% Soul restored: 8% Soul restored (when effect is triggered): 20% An ancestor will overwhelm your target with the sensation of the hunt, causing their veins become engorged to dangerous levels. While affected, the next time they are impaled they will begin to bleed profusely. This effect may be stacked up to three times, with the entire process being consumed upon a successful impalement. However should they recover their soul in full or a period of time elapses since the first application, then the effect will fade. The amount of bleeding caused is based upon the amount of soul missing upon the time of application, with the application that had the most amount of soul missing taking priority. It is then increased by the number of stacks applied upon being triggered. It cannot cause someone to bleed more than 2000 health points. This ability can be performed off-balance, but consumes equilibrium. - Debilitate Capitalize upon their weakening state to debilitate their limbs #### Debilitate **Description**Syntax: ANCEST DEBILITATE Target soul: Below 80% Soul restored: 8% Call forth a debilitating curse upon your target, increasing the amount of limb damage they will receive upon the next blunt-based attack. This effect will only last for a short period of time and is consumed shortly after a successful blow. This ability can be performed off-balance, but consumes equilibrium. - Fissure Create an opening from which their soul will escape #### Fissure **Description**Syntax: ANCEST FISSURE Ancestral power will envelop your blade as you drive it into the target’s chest, creating a spiritual fissure from which their soul will rapidly escape. This effect will only work if your target has a damaged torso, and will persist until their torso is cured. You must be wielding a weapon of the Serpent clan in order to use this ability. - Haunt Your ancestors will call a soul to haunt an area, binding it there #### Haunt **Description**Syntax: ANCEST HAUNT Renown cost: 1000 Target soul: Below 80% With this feat, the ancestors will force the displaced portions of the target’s soul to haunt the current area, binding it there. While their displaced soul is bound there, the target will be unable to leave the area boundaries by any means – physical or magical. Cooldown: 180 seconds - Elude Their displaced soul will allow you to elude their defenses #### Elude **Description**Syntax: ANCEST ELUDE Target soul: Below 90% Soul restored: 6% The ancestors will turn the target’s displaced soul against them, allowing your next Bear clan technique to elude their defences, stripping their rebounding and bypassing their parry. This will last for a limited time or until it is consumed upon attack. Note that this effect is exclusive from the effects of the Debilitate skill, both cannot be used at the same time. This ability can be performed off-balance, but consumes equilibrium. Cooldown: 8 seconds - Attune Your ancestors will attune a strike with one of your own. #### Attune **Description**Syntax: ANCEST ATTUNE ANCEST ATTUNE CLEAR Target soul: Below 75% Soul restored: 15% Coordinate a powerful strike against your target with the ancestors, having them await for you to deliver the attuned venom. When that venom enters the blood stream, the ancestors will strike, releasing an extra venom and some poison damage upon your opponent. This will last for 45 seconds, increasing to 60 seconds if your target is below 50% soul when cast. This effect is then consumed once it is triggered. This ability may be performed off-balance, but consumes equilibrium. Cooldown (when triggered): 30 seconds - Sacrifice End someone’s life as a sacrifice to the ancestors. #### Sacrifice **Description**Syntax: ANCEST SACRIFICE While wielding one of Warding’s weapons, you can attempt to end someone’s life as a sacrifice to the ancestors. You may not, however, perform any actions while attempting to do so. If their current health percent is lower than 20% plus the percentage of displaced soul, then the duration it takes to sacrifice your opponent will be cut in half. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Communion - Simulacrum Form a simulacrum from the ancestral memory. #### Simulacrum **Description**SIMUL BOND – Manifest some ancestral memories into a simulacrum and bond with it. Must be used within the ancestral crypts. SIMUL LIST \[\] – List all simulacrums under your command. Optionally filter by trait. SIMUL LIST DETAILS – See a full overview of all your simulacrums. SIMUL INFO \[\] – View detailed information on a specific simulacrum. SIMUL SEVER – Sever your bond with a simulacrum, allowing its energy to return to nature. SIMUL LIST – List the possible memories a simulacrum can be formed from. SIMUL – View more information about a memory. You may only have up to twenty simulacrums bonded at once. - Naming Bestow an identity upon your simulacrum. #### Naming **Description**Syntax: SIMUL NAME Give your simulacrum a unique name to help identify it in battle. Renaming it, should it already have a name, will cost 1,000 gold to do so. - Discipline Understand basic simulacrum commands. #### Discipline **Description**The below are some basic commands you can do with your simulacrum while it is on active duty with you. SIMUL GLANCE \[simulacrum\] – Glance to your simulacrum’s current location. SIMUL RECALL – Recall a simulacrum from its rest to active duty. Can be used anywhere. SIMUL DISMISS – Relieves a simulacrum from active duty, sending it to rest within the bone crypts. Can be used anywhere. Simulacrums can also be ordered like most other loyal entities, as outlined in HELP LOYALTY, although they will not attack on their own. They will require special commands on your behalf. - Rally Rally your simulacrums back to you. #### Rally **Description**Syntax: SIMUL RALLY \[ALL|simulacrum\] Rally your simulacrum, bringing them back to your side. You can also issue the command to a single, specified simulacrum. Your simulacrums must be manifested in order to be rallied. - Divine Sense the presence of the living #### Divine **Description**Syntax: SIMUL DIVINE If the target is in the same area, your simulacrum will be able to divine their location and report to you where they are. - Identify The tell-tale signs of battle. #### Identify **Description**Syntax: SIMUL IDENTIFY Your simulacrum will investigate any recently spilled blood in the room and identify who it belongs to. - Excavation Dig and bury items. #### Excavation **Description**Syntax: SIMUL DIG SIMUL BURY Your simulacrum is capable of burying items for you, or digging things back up again. - Eternal They’re ghosts, after all. #### Eternal **Description**This ability is passive. Your bond with your simulacrums is now strong enough that you are able to maintain their existence even after their energies have been forcefully dispersed. Should this happen, they will eventually reform in the bone crypts after a period of time, however they will lose some of their accumulated experience. - Flanking Send prey back to you. #### Flanking **Description**Syntax: SIMUL FLANK Your simulacrum will intercept cowardly denizens that flee before your blows, preventing their escape. - Openings Strike during opportunistic moments #### Openings **Description**Syntax: SIMUL OPENINGS When you are fighting denizens, your simulacrum will attack them when it sees an opportunity. This will in turn create an opening for you to deal additional damage to your target. - Drills Draw forth memories within your simulacrum #### Drills **Description**Syntax: SIMUL DRILLS SIMUL CORE LIST SIMUL PSYCHE LIST Through the use of drills, you can draw out memories within your active simulacrum from their past life, which they will then be able to act upon. A simulacrum can have up to two core memories, and five psyche memories of your choice. If you wish your simulacrum to have multiple memories at once, it must have at least one level for each memory you intend to draw forth. Core memories cannot be formed until the simulacrum reaches level five. - Authority Grant a spirit authority to act on its own orders #### Authority **Description**Syntax: SIMUL AUTHORITY SIMUL AUTHORITY CEASE Grant your simulacrum authority to act on its own, attacking the specified target without commands from you. - Target Attack specific limbs. #### Target **Description**Syntax: SIMUL TARGET Direct your simulacrum to attack a specific limb when making use of the Assault ability, dealing a small amount of trauma. Refer to AB COMMUNION ASSAULT for more information. - Commander Direct up to three simulacrums in battle. #### Commander **Description**Syntax: SIMUL SWITCH You are now capable of directing up to three simulacrums during battle at once. Simply make sure you have manifested them in order to do so. Memories will generally work with your active simulacrum only, unless otherwise specified. You will need to switch out your active simulacrum in order to make use of your full rotation. - Report Get details about the simulacrum’s location. #### Report **Description**Syntax: SIMUL REPORT Your bond with your simulacrum allows you to gaze through its eyes and see the lifeforce of those present with it. - Deliver A ghostly courier. #### Deliver **Description**Syntax: SIMUL DELIVER Order your simulacrum to deliver an item to someone on the same continent as you. - Investigation Discern the location of an item. #### Investigation **Description**Syntax: SIMUL INVESTIGATE \[target\] Your simulacrum will investigate your current room to try and locate the specified item, notifying you if anybody present carries it. You may optionally target a specific person to investigate. - Retrieve Take an item for returning to you later. #### Retrieve **Description**Syntax: SIMUL RETRIEVE Order your simulacrum to pick up an item from its location. - Pursuit Hunt down your enemy. #### Pursuit **Description**Syntax: SIMUL PURSUE Send your simulacrum to hunt down your specified prey. If they are enemy of yours, your simulacrum will knock them down and stun them upon catching up to them. - Commendation Recognize a simulacrum’s service. #### Commendation **Description**Syntax: SIMUL COMMENDATION Renown cost: 3000 Recognise a simulacrum’s service to you before the ancestors and offer it a commendation. This will deepen your bond, maximising the simulacrum’s level, and preventing it from losing experience should it perish. Commending your simulacrum will require a significant amount of renown from your ancestral mark. Only simulacrums that have been given a commendation are eligible for customisation. - Invoke Invoke persistent memories with aide. #### Invoke **Description**Syntax: SIMUL INVOKE SIMUL PSYCHE LIST Some memories are deeper and more persistent than others, and not so easily drawn forth on your own. Bring your simulacrum to Osrek, one of the ancestors that resides within the crypt of the Raven clan, and they shall assist you in this task. The same restrictions apply as listed within AB COMMUNION DRILLS if you seek multiple traits. - Wayfinding Guide others back to you. #### Wayfinding **Description**Syntax: SIMUL WAYFIND Order your simulacrum to guide someone back to you. Your simulacrum will go to the target and motion for them to follow. For the next two minutes, the target will be able to PATH FIND SIMULACRUM in the room with the simulacrum to reach you. After two minutes, the simulacrum will return to you. - Requisition Bestow protection upon your simulacrum. #### Requisition **Description**Syntax: SIMUL REQUISITION Bestow a silver ancestral pendant upon your simulacrum. Silver is a great conduit for spiritual energy, and will help your simulacrum take reduced damage in battle. Silver ancestral pendants can be created by Enchanters for your simulacrums to wear. - Scout Scout the nearby vicinity for enemies. #### Scout **Description**Syntax: SIMUL SCOUT Your simulacrum will scout its surroundings, reporting to you all denizens within a five room radius. - Veteran A master of combat. #### Veteran **Description**This ability is passive. Your simulacrums are now experts at their techniques, granting certain abilities a secondary effect should their target already be afflicted by the primary. The following is a list below: Toxicologist – Causes hypotension if they have blisters. Stormwarden – Causes hallucinations if they have epilepsy. Harrier – Causes lameness if they have weariness. Inciter – Causes impairment if they have mania. Chanter – Causes recklessness if they have dizziness. - Distinction Tap the full strength of your simulacrum. #### Distinction **Description**This ability is passive. You have gained distinction and recognition amongst the ancestors, and their memories are more compliant as a result. Simulacrums can now be formed with one additional core and psyche memory without their form becoming unstable, allowing for a total of three core memories and six psyche memories. Please see AB COMMUNION DRILLS and AB COMMUNION INVOKE for more information. - Your simulacrum may perform the following attacks - Warcry A fierce battlecry to diminish a foe’s resolve. #### Warcry **Description**Syntax: SIMUL WARCRY Your simulacrum will release a fierce warcry towards your target, draining them of their mana. - Assault Press in upon them. #### Assault **Description**Syntax: SIMUL ASSAULT Order your simulacrum to engage the target, assaulting them for cutting damage. - Advance Remove defences that bar your way. #### Advance **Description**Syntax: SIMUL ADVANCE Order your simulacrum to advance forth upon the target to destroy any magical shield they are protected by. - Dirge The fallen warrior’s song #### Dirge **Description**Syntax: SIMUL DIRGE The ancestors will sing a sorrowful dirge, inducing emotions in those that hear it, making their eyes water. - Intimidate Force their minions to flee in terror. #### Intimidate **Description**Syntax: SIMUL INTIMIDATE Your simulacrum will intimidate nearby animals and lesser entities, sending them fleeing in terror. ## Visual style and identity Bestial force, savage skill, and ancestral wisdom are the hallmarks of a Warden. They emulate the warlike nature of the serpent and the wise but brutal strength of the bear. They wield their weapons as extensions of their own body and switch between fighting styles with natural ease. When a Warden moves in for the kill, the work is quick, brutal, and efficient. They pulp an opponent’s chest or decimate them beyond the bounds of life, fighting in perfect coordination with the ancestral simulacrum beside them. ## Side effects of the work The ancestral mark a Warden bears can come with a cost. Some Wardens find that ancient memories slip unbidden into their dreams. Violent memories tend to hit hardest, especially memories of an ancestor’s death, and they surface as nightmares. It was not uncommon for older Wardens to take sedative herbs to dull their dreams. These memories can also arrive in meditative or mind-altered states. Not every Warden experiences this, but those who do learn to live with it. ## Who plays this class The Warden fits players who want a heavy clan-warrior built around the memory of the dead. The simulacrum mechanic gives the class a unique fight-with-a-companion feel that does not come from a bonded animal (Sentinel) or inked conjured creatures (Executor). Your ally is a ghost shaped from a thousand years of warriors. Roleplay-wise, Wardens tend to lean patient, solemn, and reserved. Guarding the bone crypts demands long stretches of stillness. The emulation of animal-clan combat and the isolation of crypt duty make some Wardens slightly feral in their social manner, which is on-flavour for the class. ## City and guild The Warden guild is the Pride, anchored in [Duiran](/world/duiran/), the Spirit Tether’s forest city. Patron: Dhar, the Underking. The Pride houses the Warden’s sister class, the [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/). Joining as a Warden commits you to Spirit. You cannot actively hold Shadow-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Spirit classes or the seven untethered classes. Race is independent of class, so a Warden can be played as any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Warden mirrors the [Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/), Bloodloch’s death knights. Both are heavy martial classes built on city-defining lore. Wardens draw on three clans and the spirits of centuries of dead warriors. Carnifex draw on stolen souls and the legacy of Roan Seluno, who founded the class through genocide. Both are heavy martial classes built around city-defining lore, but one draws on centuries of dead clan warriors and the other on stolen souls. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Warden good for new players?** Yes. The class is forgiving for beginners because the simulacrum and ancestor calls give a second damage source while you learn the affliction-based combat system. The Pride also has long-running active leadership and clear progression. **How is a simulacrum different from a pet?** A simulacrum is not a creature in the usual sense. It is a memory shaped through Dia’ruis from the recorded experience of dead Sentinels and Wardens. It carries no fixed identity, lasts for the duration of the engagement, and fights with the skill of the ancestors who shaped it. **Which clan should I choose?** All three (Bear, Serpent, Raven) carry equal weight in modern Warden practice. The choice is roleplay flavour: wisdom, warlike ferocity, or cunning. Mechanically you learn techniques from all three traditions. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Warden profile. Or see [all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) Warden’s sister class in the Pride. Skirmisher pace with a bonded animal companion. Pick Sentinel if you like the same guild and patron but prefer the faster, ranger-style chassis to heavy clan warfare. ### [Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/) The Shadow-side mirror. Death knights wielding soulstones, halberds, and bound warhounds. Same combat chassis as the Warden, opposite ideology. Pick Carnifex if the heavy-martial frame appeals but you want to play on the Shadow side as a soul-eating destroyer instead of an ancestral guardian. ### [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) Duiran neighbor in the Praadi guild. Spirit-summoning priest of the Cycle. Pick Shaman if you want to stay in Duiran and Spirit but trade clan warfare for spirit communion and primal magic. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Warden and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Voidseer of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/voidseer/) **Published:** November 20, 2023 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Voidseer of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-voidseer-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Voidseer class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Voidseers are Aetolia’s prophets of the Void, a Spirit-tethered class in Duiran that wields Cultivation (telepathic emotional manipulation through obsidian seeing stones), Enlightenment (the seven chakras), and Voidgazing (drawing power from the void itself between the planes). At a glance**Tether**Spirit**City**[Duiran](/world/duiran/)**Guild**Sentaari (Patron: Lexadhra, the Indelible)**Skill sets**Cultivation, Enlightenment, Voidgazing**Mirror class**[Archivist](/character-classes/archivist/) (Shadow)**Sister class in guild**[Monk](/character-classes/monk/)**Signature mechanic**Voidgazing on the space between planes; chakra balance**Best for**Players who want a maddened occult prophet with psychic empathy and cosmic awarenessThe Voidseer is the newer Sentaari path, born from the transformations of the Monomachy. Where the [Monk](/character-classes/monk/) trains body, mind, and spirit for balance, the Voidseer narrows the focus to the Void itself, the maddening space between the planes, and what a disciplined mind can pull from it. ## Origin and lore The Sentaari Monastery sits in the Duiran Heartwood, an order of monks founded centuries ago around the discipline of balance: balance in the self through honed mind, body, and spirit, and balance in the universe at large. From the Monastery, the Sentaari live free of civilisation’s influence and uphold the Cycle and the safeguarding of Dia’ruis, Duiran, and Sapience as a whole. The Sentaari are uniquely qualified to interact with the **Void**, the empty not-space between the planes. The Voidseer discipline emerged in the wake of the **Monomachy** as a new path inside the Sentaari order. It represents the culmination of centuries of philosophical introspection, telepathic prowess, and occult practice, all turned outward toward the Void’s deepest mysteries. ## Skill sets **Cultivation** is the psychic empathy art. Through an obsidian seeing stone and tranquil lotus buds, a Voidseer manipulates the most delicate sections of a target’s mind. The five **primal emanations** (the most basic mortal emotions) form the foundation. Masters extend that work into more complex emotional impositions: misery, longing, spite, even the ego death of complete self-aware insignificance. **Enlightenment** is the counterbalance. Unleashing the potential of the seven chakras keeps a Voidseer’s mind in harmonious union with body and soul. Tales of chakral masters speak of flight, teleportation, and even shaping one’s own reality through pure exertion of mortal potential. The practice requires meditation, focus, and constant work. **Voidgazing** is the named heart of the class. By focusing on the philosophical meaning of nothingness, and on the actual nothingness of the Void, a Voidseer thrusts maddening visions, vacuous chill, and madness onto an unfortunate target. Wielding too much of the Void’s power weighs heavily on the seer themselves, which is why Enlightenment matters. ## Skill abilities Cultivation Enlightenment Voidgazing Filter abilities Title Contents ### Cultivation - ScryingStone Form a seeing stone with your psychic power. #### ScryingStone **Description**Syntax: MUSE CRAFT STONE Additional syntax: MUSE MARK Components: 2 obsidian The most effective focus for Cultivation’s exotic manner of empathic attack is known as a seeing stone – a dark, perfectly smooth orb created from polished obsidian. Without it, attempting to cultivate emotion relies upon subjective experience and can often result in dire consequence. If you obtain a scrying stone from another source, for example a Jewelcrafter, you can instead mark that stone as your own. - Foment Give rise to emotion and sensation. #### Foment **Description**The most important aspect of Cultivation is the ability to utilise your mental energy to influence someone’s mental state. Through subtle manipulation via telepathy and kai, you can impress sensations, urges, or fears upon a person or object. As the path to fomenting each emotion is a unique trail through the mind, you will be unable to compel a given emanation until you have full knowledge of their practical use. By typing AB CULTIVATION you can learn how each will effect the world around you. Fomenting will require your scrying stone in hand in order to visualise from, however if you are blind, you will be unable to do so. - Bud A symbol of serenity. #### Bud **Description**Syntax: MUSE CRAFT BUD \[VIOLET|BLACK|WHITE\] Components: 1 wood Utilising your supernatural prowess, you can compel a lotus bud to grow forth from a single piece of wood. This bud can act as a focal point for complex emanations with the slightest nudge of a masterful seer’s will, making them a valuable tool of this mental martial school. As long you hold your lotus within your hands, it will help you focus and bestow a small boon to the regeneration of your willpower. You have the decision of choosing what colour your lotus should take, or you can choose none in order to receive a random hue. The shade of your lotus has no effect beyond aesthetic. - Foster Foster primal emanations within your lotus bud. #### Foster **Description**This ability will allow you to foster mystic emanations within your lotus bud, with each having a different effect that will trigger in differing scenarios. In order for your lotus bud to have an effect, it will need to be placed upon the ground. You can learn more about these complex effects by typing AB CULTIVATION . You will need to have learned about the emanation before you can foster its energy within your lotus. - Intrusion Sow intrusive thought within the psyche. #### Intrusion **Description**This ability is passive. After cultivating one of the five basic emanations upon a target, its energies will leave behind a lingering influence upon someone’s spiritual state. Once a few seconds have passed and if the opponent is completely alone, this residual magic will stir itself to life within their mind and the original effects of that emanation will relapse upon the target. If they are affected by the patterns affliction, then it will trigger regardless if they are alone or not. - Cordon Render your lotus untouchable. #### Cordon **Description**Syntax: MUSE CORDON By manifesting your kai energy in a precise shell around your lotus bud, it will blend with the ethereal in such a way that it will turn into a permanent fixture of the current location it resides in. If anyone attempts to pick up or destroy your lotus, they will find themselves unable to do so. Using this ability once more will tether it to the Prime Material again and return it to normal. - Vine Flourish upon the spirit’s vine. #### Vine **Description**Syntax: MUSE VINE \[target|NONE\] By braiding together ropes of mental energy and threads of your own life essence, you can create a mystic vine upon which your lotus bud will connect itself to another individual. In so doing, you will ensure that your bud will remain not far behind them should they attempt to leave. This will only trigger as long as your opponent stays still momentarily and remains within the same area as you. You can additionally tether your bud to yourself, either by specifying your own name or omitting a target. - Subtlety Mask your mental intrusions. #### Subtlety **Description**Syntax: MUSE SUBTLETY By placing hyperfocus upon your expression and demeanor, as well as clouding your seeing stone’s innards to obscurity, you can hide any notions about the emanations that you are fomenting within your opponent. This will cause the Joy, Fear, and Disgust emanations to have their effects hidden for a limited time and deal a small amount of psychic damage. Additionally, it will hide the effects of Intrusion, however no damage will be caused. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Recrudescence Racing, repetitious thought. #### Recrudescence **Description**Syntax: MUSE RECRUDESCENCE You can render another individual’s psyche susceptible to circuitous, racing thoughts and force them to see patterns. This will allow Intrusion to affect your opponent when they aren’t alone until it is cured. Note that afflictions cured with panacea pills will make pill balance recovery take twice as long. You can read AB CULTIVATION INTRUSION to learn more about this skill. - Etch Engrave emotion unto an imbalanced psyche. #### Etch **Description**Syntax: MUSE ETCH If the opponent is mind-riddled completely by an emanation, you may seal the effects and prevent them from curing those afflictions through pills for a limited time, even if those afflictions are reapplied at a later stage. Etched emanations will also boost the damage of the Sadness ability. While this effect only lasts for a limited amount of time, successfully etching an emanation once more will refresh the timer of all other etchings upon the target. Abilities such as the tree tattoo will still be able to cure the sealed afflictions. - Histrionics Multiple overwhelming streams of emotion. #### Histrionics **Description**Syntax: MUSE HISTRIONICS By implanting Joy, Disgust, and Fear in the mind of your opponent all at once, you can induce an overemotional state that leaves their psyche frail and pliable. This will trigger the Intrusion effect upon your opponent for all three of these emanations. You can read AB CULTIVATION INTRUSION to learn more about this skill. - The five basic emanations - Sadness Sorrow. #### Sadness **Description**Sadness and stress together prove a crude yet effective manner of mental assault. Syntax: FOMENT SADNESS When fomented within another, it will deal psychic damage as it plagues their every thought with distracting sorrow. The damage is further increased for each etched emanation that exists upon the target. Please see AB CULTIVATION ETCH for more information. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypePsychic Damage SourceArcane Base Damage340 + 12% Base Damage (Denizen)1035 Added Bonus Damage (Per Etch)50 + 3% Equilibrium Recovery3.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Denizen) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Anger Fury. #### Anger **Description**Anger lowers inhibition and demands aggression, resulting in an opening. Syntax: FOMENT ANGER When fomented, it will disperse the magical shield defence, causing a small amount of mana loss to the target if successful. - Joy Jubilation. #### Joy **Description**Joy brings with it a more pliable demeanor. Syntax: FOMENT JOY When fomented within another, it will first cause laxity, followed by infatuation, peace, and lastly magnanimity. This order is sequential, depending on what afflictions the opponent already has. - Fear Terror. #### Fear **Description**Fear slays the mind, bringing with it disorder and panic. Syntax: FOMENT FEAR When fomented within another, it will cause dizziness, then faintness, epilepsy, and lastly shyness. This order is sequential, depending on what afflictions the opponent already has. - Disgust Revulsion. #### Disgust **Description**Disgust makes an enemy of the self. Syntax: FOMENT DISGUST When fomented within another, it will cause mercy, then masochism, mania, and lastly recklessness. This order is sequential, depending on what afflictions the opponent already has. - The myriad complex emanations - Dread A sinking feeling. #### Dread **Description**Dread will cause a sinking feeling in the stomach, which will manifest physically or mentally depending on the manner of your telepathic deliverance. Syntax: FOMENT DREAD If your opponent is above or below you, you can instill them with a hidden sense of vertigo. Syntax: MUSE FOSTER DREAD Should an enemy fall over, their mental stability will sink with them. This will give them the delirium affliction. - Shame Self-hatred and disgust shall drive them. #### Shame **Description**Shame is an exceptionally powerful force, capable of clouding reason and forcing action. Syntax: FOMENT SHAME This will allow you to implant shame within the mind, alongside a subsconscious direction to take when your target attempts to move. You can stack multiple directions, up to a total of ten. Once they move, the actions you have implanted will fade after a short time if they stand still. Syntax: MUSE FOSTER SHAME When an enemy leaves the location, they will be struck with shame at their cowardice. This will deal psychic damage as they leave. - Longing Far reaching ambition. #### Longing **Description**Longing can serve to hone your own ambition, or to cloud the senses of another. Syntax: FOMENT LONGING If you possess a lotus bud, then this ability will call it back to your possession by way of your intense longing for its tranquility. If the lotus bud is cordoned at the time, then it will additionally remove the effect. Syntax: MUSE FOSTER LONGING Any enemy who tries to GLANCE or SQUINT into a location with your lotus bud will find that their longing clouds their senses, making perception impossible. - Ambivalence Uncaring apathy. #### Ambivalence **Description**Ambivalence and apathy are formidable tools that can be utilised to obliterate your foe’s morale and motivation. Syntax: FOMENT AMBIVALENCE This will sow indifference within your foe’s psyche, loosening the mind’s grip upon abnormal sensory abilities they might have. This includes: Mindseye, Thirdeye, Lifevision, Shadowsight, Spiritsight, Hypersight, and Truth. Syntax: MUSE FOSTER AMBIVALENCE When an enemy attempts to FOCUS their mind, it will cost them more mana than normal. - Guilt A self-constructed burden. #### Guilt **Description**Guilt brings forth deeply buried thoughts and notions related to shame and failure, forcing them to the surface anew as demons. Syntax: FOMENT GUILT This will allow you to probe another’s mind and determine if they consider you a friend or foe. Syntax: MUSE FOSTER GUILT Once an enemy gains a total number of mental afflictions that is divisible by six, they will begin to manifest a case of vomiting. - Regret Compel second thoughts. #### Regret **Description**Known amongst empathic warriors as the only emanation capable of surviving investment into an inanimate object, Regret serves as a powerful emotion for enforcing your own will – to ward or to hold fast your foes. Syntax: FOMENT REGRET Investing regret within something in this way will seal a door or container, providing it is shut. If the object is then opened, then a magical explosion will occur that will stun and damage the person who opens it. The seal will only last a limited amount of time. Syntax: MUSE FOSTER REGRET Whenever an enemy uses an ability that will let them magically teleport, they will be prevented from doing so. - Misery Drive their thoughts to darkness. #### Misery **Description**Misery is a long time member of an empath’s arsenal, its cutting edge capable of shredding through the mind to render a victim vulnerable to other suggestions. Syntax: FOMENT MISERY After a delay, if the target stands in the same location as you, their senses will be thrown into a blackout and struck with psychic damage, otherwise they will be briefly stunned and be drained of some mana. The damage and secondary effect will be increased for each etched emanation upon the opponent. Syntax: MUSE FOSTER MISERY When an enemy assists another, they will begin to feel their ego grow. This will give them the egocentrism affliction. - Spite A deliberate, malicious desire. #### Spite **Description**One of the greatest mortal motivators, Spite serves as an invasive force primed to commandeer reason or sense when a target’s lust for vengeance proves too great. Such behaviour often creates an opening for expert empaths. Syntax: FOMENT SPITE Fomenting spite will slightly unhinge your target, dealing psychic damage over time for a short period. If they have dementia, hallucinations, and paranoia when taking damage, they will receive a random physical affliction. Syntax: MUSE FOSTER SPITE When an enemy successfully performs a diagnosis on themselves, their confidence will wane and they will become stricken with hypochondria. - Wistful A longing for home. #### Wistful **Description**To be wistful is to be distracted; this complex emanation will encourage this lack of focus in your foes and aid you in returning to sanctuaries. Syntax: FOMENT WISTFUL This will allow you to return to the location of your lotus bud, swapping places with it after a short delay. Syntax: MUSE FOSTER WISTFUL When an enemy crosses below 75%, 50%, or 25% health, they will find that their body will fall numb. This will afflict them with paresis. - Sonder Awareness of insignificance. #### Sonder **Description**By opening someone’s mind to the realisation that they are not the centre of existence itself, a master empath is capable of trapping someone within circuits of ponderous thought. Syntax: FOMENT SONDER The effects of Sonder will trap your target within circuitous thoughts. Each time an Intrusion affects the target, it will relapse without any effort on your behalf. The effects of Sonder will remain as long as they have at least one affliction from either Joy, Fear, or Disgust. There is a grace period of nine seconds before Sonder will fade after casting. Once fifteen total Intrusion loops have occured, the affliction will expire. Loops that occur when the target is not the same room as you will count as three, instead of one. Syntax: MUSE FOSTER SONDER Sonder will disorient those who become trapped in its revelations, delaying the movements of your enemies. This will only work as long as you are not present within the same location and they are afflicted with patterns. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Enlightenment - Constrain Return to material discord. #### Constrain **Description**Syntax: CONSTRAIN This will lock away one of your unleashed chakras. - Quietude Take the first step. #### Quietude **Description**Syntax: BLOSSOM Additional syntax: CHAKRAS With Quietude, you now have the ability to unleash the full power of one of your seven chakras. The seven chakras are as follows: Root, concerning one’s connection to the world around them. Sap, concerning one’s capacity for emotion and connection. Trunk, concerning one’s location within reality. Heartwood, concerning one’s physical form and strength. Leaf, concerning one’s foresight and perception. Branch, concerning one’s balance and spiritual truth. Canopy, concerning higher order and one’s place within it. Unleashing the potential of each chakra is a journey unto itself and possesses its own lessons that you can review via AB ENLIGHTENMENT . You will not be able to unlock multiple chakras at first, but as you learn more you will begin to understand the process behind transcendental ascension. You can check CHAKRAS any time to remind yourself of what steps you have taken towards enlightenment. - Solemnity Find solemnity with the second step. #### Solemnity **Description**This ability is passive. Your enlightenment has reached such a state that you may take a second step towards spiritual perfection, resulting in a second unlocked chakra. - Serenity Embrace inner peace as the third step. #### Serenity **Description**This ability is passive. You are now so enlightened that you may stand three steps towards spiritual perfection by unlocking a third chakra simultaneously. - Erudition Find fleeting perfection. #### Erudition **Description**Syntax: PURSUE ERUDITION and RELINQUISH ERUDITION By achieving full spiritual enlightenment, you can temporarily influence the world with your boundless transcendence. Once your focus has settled, you will be able to harness the powers of Enlightenment without the need to unleash an individual chakra, although this will come at a continuous effort of will to maintain your individuality. Be warned that once you begin, you must see your sage journey through or you will suffer heavily for it. - Affirm Throw wide the gates of your soul. #### Affirm **Description**Syntax: AFFIRM You are now enlightened enough that you can bolster the influence of one chakra when utilising a technique to produce a slight variance in the final result. You can review the AB files for each ability to see the potential effects affirming a chakra might cause. Note that not all abilities may be affected by chakra affirmation. In order to affirm a chakra, you must first unleash its power. If you are unable to keep the chakra open, its affirmed power shall be lost. Cooldown: 16 seconds - Your enlightenment can affect reality in the following ways - Enroot Stand as implacable as the oak. #### Enroot **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA ENROOT Required chakras: Trunk. By emulating the mighty trees of the Ithmia through your Trunk chakra, you can prevent yourself from moving from a location by your own means or another’s, provided you are not prone. Simply recast this ability in order to release yourself. - Project Stand tall against obscurity. #### Project **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA PROJECT Required chakras: Trunk. If there is obscuring fog in the atmosphere around you, you may send your chakra outward and use it to settle the air. This will cause the fog to disperse. - Wayfind Guide yourself to the unenlightened. #### Wayfind **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA WAYFIND Required chakras: Sap. This expression of your chakra will inform you of an immediate direction to travel to find another adventurer within a large radius. Affirm effect (Sap): By empowering your Sap chakra, this technique will additionally reveal their location to you. - Finality An inevitable end. #### Finality **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA FINALITY Required chakras: Heartwood. All things must end, from the mightiest empires to the most enlightened of monks. Objects are no different and thus you may utilise your chakra to delicately pluck the threads tethering it to existence, destroying it in the process. This can only be used on items that are being held by you. Affirm effect (Heartwood): The leftover energy will be entwined into your own physical being, restoring a small portion of health. - Ensnarl Draw someone to your location. #### Ensnarl **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA ENSNARL Required chakras: Leaf, Trunk. Retrieve another from the same area and bring them to you, providing that they are not protected by the cloak defence. Affirm effect (Leaf): Bring clarity to a target’s existence if successful, removing defences that might hide them. - Introspection Uncover that which constrains you. #### Introspection **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA INTROSPECTION \[END\] Required chakras: Root. By uniting your body with your mind into a single introspective force, you can periodically reveal hidden afflictions you are burdened with. This requires a constant upkeep on your behalf and will tax your mind. - Espy Look upon the physical world through your oneness. #### Espy **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA ESPY Required chakras: Trunk, Leaf. Look upon the physical world from your spiritual heights and pull forth the location and area of your target for a brief moment. You can glimpse any target you choose from across the globe. Affirm effect (Trunk): If you are in the same area, you will also be able glean detail about their surroundings. This will act as though you are there. - Transpiration Take on earthly burdens. #### Transpiration **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA TRANSPIRATION Required chakras: Sap, Heartwood. This technique will absorb an affliction from each ally within your location and convert them into a small amount of mana for each one removed. Affirm effect (Heartwood): Increases the amount of mana restored for each affliction absorbed. - Skywalk Transcend weight and physical constraint. #### Skywalk **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA SKYWALK and LAND Required chakras: Heartwood. Render yourself as light as a feather by shedding all doubt and worry, allowing you to ascend to the skies. - Shelter Obfuscate your energy in spiritual shade. #### Shelter **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA SHELTER Required chakras: Trunk, Root. Your spiritual mastery is so immense that you can conceal your physical presence within the shadow cast by your enlightenment. Should you move, your shelter shall disperse. - Impel Reach through the window of someone’s heart. #### Impel **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA IMPEL Required chakras: Sap, Root. This will allow you manipulate an individual’s Root chakra, effectively changing how they perceive their relation to you. Affirm effect (Sap): Forcing allyship will also afflict them with infatuation, forcing enemyship will afflict them with hatred, and forcing neutrality will afflict them with indifference. - Staunch Mind over matter. #### Staunch **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA STAUNCH Required chakras: Heartwood, Root. Through sheer will, you can recall life-giving blood into your veins, replenishing your blood reserves should you be low. Cooldown: 30 seconds Affirm effect (Heartwood): Should you be bleeding, then you will find yourself bleeding for less. - Withstand Bend as willows do. #### Withstand **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA WITHSTAND \[target\] Required chakras: Root, Trunk, Leaf. Mitigate psychic damage directed at you through an awakening of spiritual and mental clarity. You can also protect the mind of another in a similar manner if you so choose. - Infirmity Weaken their physical form through chakral manipulation. #### Infirmity **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA INFIRMITY Required chakras: Heartwood, Canopy. By considering someone’s chakral flow, you can determine their weakest resistance and further reduce it for a limited time. Cooldown: 30 seconds Affirm effect (Canopy): Increases the amount of time the infirmity will linger for by a random amount. - Architect To see is to believe. #### Architect **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA ARCHITECT Required chakras: Trunk, Heartwood, Canopy. You can now become one with the land and rebuild it in your own vision, however this is no ordinary feat and will put great strain on your mind and body. This change to the environment is temporary and will eventually revert to its true form without your chakral power. You can choose from the following environments: Forest, Desert, Hills, River, Valley, Swamp, Mountains, Tundra, Garden, Temple, Ice, Graveyard, Loose Terrain, Cliffs, or Cavern. Cooldown: 120 seconds Affirm effect (Trunk): Increases the radius of your landscape to the surrounding locations. - Furrow Forge a mental channel betwixt you and another. #### Furrow **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA FURROW Required chakras: Sap, Leaf. By forming a mental link between yourself and another, you can begin to quickly drain them of their mana and add it to your own. If they leave the location, then the imposing drain will be broken. Affirm effect (Sap): Increases the range of the effect so that it will continue to draw mana even if the target leaves to an adjacent location. Affirm effect (Leaf): If the target leaves the location, then it will cause a brief stun when the furrow breaks. - Disorder Encourage disorder within a foe’s spiritual harmony. #### Disorder **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA DISORDER Required chakras: Heartwood, Leaf, Canopy. Through subtle manipulation of someone’s chakral flow, you can bend their well-being in a harmful manner. This will cause them to suffer from a random hidden affliction. You can also do this from afar, providing you stay within line of sight. Affirm effect (Leaf): The affliction that you impress upon your target will be revealed to you. - Lucidity Bring astral clarity to your chakra. #### Lucidity **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA LUCIDITY \[target\] Required chakras: Branch, Canopy. By bringing purity to your chakral centers, you can increase the magnitude of the stars’ influence upon your body for a limited amount of time. This will double both the positive and negative effects. If you so choose, you may use this ability on another, but the duration will be much shorter. You can read HELP ASTRONOMY for more information on the stars and their effects. - Cogitation Enter a state of deep meditation. #### Cogitation **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA COGITATION Required chakras: Trunk, Leaf, Branch. To seek enlightenment is mentally taxing for even the greatest of monks and spiritualists. Thus, to bolster your mental strength and replenish your will in the pursuit of transcendence, you may enter a trance which allows you to further contemplate universal truth. - Upheaval Upset another’s spiritual well-being. #### Upheaval **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA UPHEAVAL Required chakras: Branch, Sap, Leaf. Though many mortals fail to achieve even an ounce of enlightenment, all beings eventually find a balance appropriate for their own ends. With this ability, you may disrupt this delicate spiritual balance and increase any ability on cooldown by three seconds. This will increase by an additional second for each mental affliction upon the target. Cooldowns not counted in seconds upon your target will not be affected by this ability. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction. Cooldown: 40 seconds - Synergism Join body and mind in harmony. #### Synergism **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA SYNERGISM <0-50%> Required chakras: Leaf, Heartwood, Branch. Form a powerful bond between your mind and body that will link them together as one. While this persists, any health lost will be reduced by the percentage specified and then three quarters of that will be redirected as mana damage. This will happen after damage reductions and will not affect health that is lost through direct means such as bleeding. You can select to reduce 0% of damage in order to turn this ability off if you so choose. - Resile Compel an instinctive return. #### Resile **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA RESILE Required chakras: Sap, Trunk, Branch. By carefully manipulating an individual’s chakras, you can cause them to eventually lose their way and return after 3 to 10 seconds depending on your specification. You can use this ability on yourself if you wish. Affirm effect (Branch): The mental fatigue of instinctual navigation will unbalance the mind, giving your target a migraine providing they are an enemy. - Turmoil Damage someone’s chakral flow. #### Turmoil **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA TURMOIL Required chakras: Sap, Heartwood, Branch. By manipulating someone’s chakral flow, you can sow turmoil within their mindscape. As a result of such tampering, they will suffer from dementia, hallucinations, and paranoia in one fell swoop. Cooldown: 8 seconds Affirm effect (Branch): This will tear away any psychic resilience the victim might possess, removing the clarity defence first. - Transcend Guide someone towards universal oneness. #### Transcend **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA TRANSCEND Required chakras: Trunk, Heartwood, Canopy. The greatest gift a spiritualist could provide to the world is guiding others to transcendental clarity. However, many are unwilling to pursue such greatness and thus must be brought to this realisation by more forceful means. To do so, you must have your target in a state where they have three mental afflictions, three physical afflictions, and are experiencing a revelatory vision of your own design. If successful, then they will glimpse universal truth and thus find a fulfilling end. Affirm effect (Trunk): You may attempt to guide your opponent to transcendence so long as they remain within the same area as you. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental or physical affliction. - Zephyr Scatter upon the four winds. #### Zephyr **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA ZEPHYR Required chakras: Trunk, Sap, Canopy. By enjoining yourself to reality and spreading your influence outward, you can depart from the location you stand and swap places with another. Anyone across the land who is not safely indoors or standing upon a monolith is vulnerable to the spiritual breeze upon which you cast yourself. There is a moment of delay before this ability activates, during which you may do nothing else. - Retrospection Restore your well-being. #### Retrospection **Description**Syntax: CHAKRA RETROSPECTION Required chakras: Root, Branch, Leaf, Heartwood. This ability will allow you to restore your harmonious being through chakral magic, reducing all abilities on cooldown by three seconds. The equilibrium cost of this ability cannot be modified. Cooldowns not counted in seconds will not be affected by this ability. You will be unable to utilize this skill if afflicted by paresis. Affirm effect (Root): Increases the reduction of cooldowns to five seconds instead of three. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Voidgazing - Insight From nothingness comes everything. #### Insight **Description**Syntax: VOID INSIGHT In order to enact your eldritch techniques, you must first grasp the terrible unknown that is the Void. This is denoted by the amount of insight your psyche can withstand, of which everyone begins with three. This command will tell you how much insight you possess. Some abilities will consume insight while others will completely expend it. Consumed insight will return after a limited amount of time, while expended insight will be consumed until the related effect expires. Cooldown (when consumed): 20 seconds per - Judder Break free from Primal constraints. #### Judder **Description**Syntax: VOID JUDDER Requires 1 insight. By utilising your budding insight to break free from Primal constraints, you can briefly step through the Void and grant yourself the speed defence. - Diagnose Check the physical health of an individual. #### Diagnose **Description**Syntax: DIAGNOSE or DIAG \[target\] You can now quickly diagnose yourself or another of any afflictions, hidden or otherwise. - Bestow Bestow eldritch insight upon another. #### Bestow **Description**Syntax: VOID BESTOW WITH Expends 1 insight. This ability allows you to bestow an eldritch revelation you have conceived of upon another. It will eventually fade from their mind over time, or if the target manages to escape the same area you are within. Utilising Dome from Manipulations will end all active revelations. - Hoarfrost The breath of the Void. #### Hoarfrost **Description**Syntax: VOID HOARFROST Requires 1, 2, or 3 insight. Depending on the severity specified, you can encase your foe in an outline of not-space, which will rapidly accumulate frost upon their body. This will either completely freeze or simply chill your subject. - Hyperfixation Fixate upon Primal threats. #### Hyperfixation **Description**This ability is passive. Your well-trained mind can identify incoming assault with near-supernatural speed, allowing you to utilise a shield as a tool to parry an incoming attack upon one of your limbs. - Alleviate Seal wounds with forbidden light. #### Alleviate **Description**Syntax: VOID ALLEVIATE \[target\] Requires 1 insight. By tapping into your supernatural insight, you can nullify wounds and agony alike with the touch of the Void. - Distress Stir a dreaded revelation to new heights. #### Distress **Description**Syntax: VOID DISTRESS Requires 1 insight. If your target is currently affected by an eldritch revelation of your own make, you can murmur a single esoteric syllable to drive the revelation to extreme heights. This will cause the next cycle of your revelation to occur early. - Poise As calm as the Void. #### Poise **Description**Syntax: VOID POISE Requires 1 insight. You can hasten the recovery of your balance through a special meditative technique the brings preternatural calm. This will require you to be off-balance in order to obtain the benefits of this effect. - Probe Probe the abilities of your victim. #### Probe **Description**This ability is passive. When you diagnose another person, if they happen to have any abilities on cooldown, you will see how much longer they have before they are available once more. - Depersonalise Render the fallen into empty vessels. #### Depersonalise **Description**Syntax: VOID DEPERSONALISE and VOID DEPERSONALISE END Expends 1 insight. If you are holding the corpse of an adventurer and they are of a different race to you, you may utilise an ancient telepathic technique that shears the identity from the deceased, allowing you to adopt their racial traits. This will grant you access to their racial abilities along with the ones you already know. If they are one of the endgame races, then you will adopt the traits of their heritage instead. - Disarray Bring disarray through eldritch truth. #### Disarray **Description**Syntax: VOID DISARRAY Requires 2 insight. Swap the health and mana of your target. - Aplomb Empty your mind of all but purpose. #### Aplomb **Description**Syntax: VOID APLOMB Requires 1 insight. You can hasten your mind’s ability to recover when you lack equilibrium through an intense meditative technique that emulates the Void’s empty silence. You must be off-equilibrum in order for you to obtain the benefits of this effect. - Disjoint Leave behind but an outline. #### Disjoint **Description**Syntax: VOID DISJOINT \[target\] Requires 2 insight. By partly blurring a physical form into the Void, you or an ally can enter an ethereal state that is trapped between the physical and the ether for a short period of time. In this state, opponents have a chance to miss you with physical attacks and you gain increased resistance against physical damage. This will slowly diminish over time until it no longer has an effect. - Occultism Draw upon forbidden truth. #### Occultism **Description**Syntax: VOID OCCULTISM \[OFF\] Grants 1 insight. By striving to grasp yet more of the Void’s mysteries, you can gain an extra point of insight for use towards other abilities. This will lower the maximum health of your body and mind, but only while the defence remains active. - Vitalise Alleviate illness and madness. #### Vitalise **Description**Syntax: VOID VITALISE \[OFF\] Expends 1 insight. Tales are told of sages capable of such intense separation of body and mind that they could surpass mortal limits of healing, driving their healing factor to mythical heights. A Voidseer can utilise this ancient meditative technique to consign their physical limits to the Void itself, allowing them to periodically heal one random affliction every so often. So strong is this sagacious practice that it will additionally affect nearby allies. - Edify Intensify eldritch truth within the uninitiated. #### Edify **Description**Syntax: VOID EDIFY Requires 2 insight. Providing your opponent flags beneath the weight of an eldritch revelation, this ability will plant a seed of madness within them that will blossom to dark fruit after a few seconds. If they possess any of the afflictions the current revelation can give once it reaches this stage, then it will give them all possible effects that revelation can cause and they will fall onto the ground. If the opponent has at least two afflictions from the antipsychotic tree, then the insight cost is reduced by one. You can view HELP CURE ORDER for information on the various curing trees. - Independence Truth simply is. #### Independence **Description**This ability is passive. The first revelation you bestow upon another will no longer have an insight cost upon you. Instead, it will feed upon your victim’s delusions in order to sustain itself. - Kismet To know is the fate of all. #### Kismet **Description**Syntax: VOID KISMET and VOID KISMET END VOID ADVANCE Expends 1 insight when a revelation is advanced. Stories tell of madness that travels like plagues, devastating villages and ancient settlements by plunging them into the throes of mass hysteria confirmed by ravening consensus. This powerful ability will replicate that phenomenon, causing any who actively deals damage to you, or come in contact with you through an emote, to know of a nascent revelation of your choosing. Once bestowed, you may advance this nascent revelation within a target’s mind and bring it to life. Advancing a revelation out of nascency can be done while you are off balance and/or equilibrium. While you are employing this ability, there is a steady willpower and endurance drain to keep it active. - Your revelations may possess the following details - Revelation Construct a horrifying revelation. #### Revelation **Description**Syntax: REVELATION NEW REVELATION LIST REVELATION EXPERIENCE REVELATION EFFECT REVELATION COMPLETE REVELATION DELETE REVELATION CEASE Revelations are collections of visions capable of disrupting the core and soul of an opponent, exposing them to the horrors of the Void and its eldritch truth of nothingness. Each revelation placed within another’s mind that is not nascent will expend your insight, and will fade if both you and the victim with your revelation are in separate areas. If you wish to end the experience of any active revelations, you can cease them at will. You only may include up to three effects within a single revelation. It will cycle through the effects one by one then start from the first effect once more. Delivery of a revelation is performed by certain skills, you can read AB VOIDGAZING BESTOW for the basic method of doing so. - Distressing The Void is dark and full of terrors. #### Distressing **Description**Type: Effect This revelation effect will target the mind’s emotional centres, filling it with distressing visions. This will bestow the sadness affliction upon the poor soul. - Vivid Gaze upon eldritch vistas. #### Vivid **Description**Type: Experience A vivid revelation is one that has had its ability to harm heightened, but as a result it will last for a much shorter time than other revelations. - Oscitant Bleak darkness of truth. #### Oscitant **Description**Type: Effect Your victim will grow lethargic and sloth-like when faced with the darkness of the Void. The end result is that they will gain the lethargy affliction. - Kaleidoscopic Confusing colour of alien realms. #### Kaleidoscopic **Description**Type: Effect This effect evokes the distant light of other planes, imparting a masochistic desire to deface oneself before the glory of the higher realms. - Escalating Climb to the peak and tumble down. #### Escalating **Description**Type: Experience An escalating vision is less potent than normal in the beginning, however as the vision reaches the end of its lifespan, it will become much stronger and deal more damage before expiry. - Prickling Prickle at the flesh with icy Void. #### Prickling **Description**Type: Effect Warped madness will twist the victim’s mind and body, causing them to develop a terrible, rash-like reaction to even the open air. This will afflict them with the allergies affliction. - Terrifying Terror turns lesser minds to the bottle. #### Terrifying **Description**Type: Effect Terrors of the Void will drive a victim to drink, compelling them to throw away reason just to achieve the next fix. This will give them the addiction affliction. - Unabating Madness unending. #### Unabating **Description**Type: Experience An unabating revelation is one that can persist indefinitely, although it will have a weaker effect than normal when it damages its victim. - Wasting Waste away before yawning truth. #### Wasting **Description**Type: Effect The body will begin to suffer severe degeneration as it realises its own insignificance, afflicting the victim with the impairment affliction. - Malicious Let them be their own undoing. #### Malicious **Description**Type: Effect When left to emptiness, the mind invents the face of its own tormentor – a malicious knife wielded by a victim’s own psyche. The blisters affliction will be bestowed upon the target as they claw at themselves. - Disjointed Always there at the corner of the mind. #### Disjointed **Description**Type: Experience A disjointed revelation will either trigger its effects more quickly than normal, or slightly slower. The odds favour it being faster than normal. - Enervating Let them waste away before the darkness. #### Enervating **Description**Type: Effect Your victim’s muscles will fray and lose definition, and their mind will become weaker and fatigued. The end result is the victim gaining the weariness affliction. - Transformative The Void shall unfurl within the mind. #### Transformative **Description**Type: Effect Transformative revelations will take the form of any pre-existing effect at random, allowing for a whole cycle of different effects. There is however no control over what it might choose. This effect is not considered when utilising the Edify ability in Voidgazing. ## Visual style and identity Voidseers gird their bodies with armour under their robes and wear numerous spiritualist trinkets. The combat style requires stillness, so the armour matters. The Sentaari monastery has its own uniform that often takes precedence over individual style. New students often have sunken eyes from the horrors they put themselves through and the long nights of study by candlelight. Gauntness is common when a student loses themselves to the work and forgets to eat or drink. Cultivation work shows itself less in the Voidseer’s expression and more in the contortions on the target’s face. Enlightened practice manifests as pastel light from chakral work, lending the seer a chilling calm even in the middle of violent battle. ## Side effects of the work Voidseers often lose themselves to the occult pursuit at the heart of the profession. Wan expressions and exhaustion are common. Sanity is at constant risk: those who fail to gird their psyche properly find that complete lucidity slips away, replaced by rambling and alien syllables. Some Voidseers develop a fear of the dark, because only deepest shadow comes close to the vacuity of the true Void they have stared into. Deep interest in cosmology and planar knowledge tends to follow, since those subjects are the closest a mortal can come to grounding knowledge. ## Who plays this class The Voidseer fits players who want a class with serious roleplay weight on mental discipline and cosmic awareness. The frame is the maddened scholar, the prophet who has glimpsed too much, the philosopher who walks the line between insight and breakdown. Mechanically, the kit favours setup, mental impositions, and patient control. If you want fast melee, this is not the class. If you want to shape a fight through emotional manipulation and the occult while staying alive through chakra balance, the Voidseer is the canonical pick on the Spirit side. ## City and guild The Voidseer guild is the Sentaari, anchored in [Duiran](/world/duiran/), the Spirit Tether’s forest city. Patron: Lexadhra, the Indelible. The Sentaari also houses the [Monk](/character-classes/monk/), who shares the monastery but trains in the broader body-mind-spirit discipline. Joining as a Voidseer commits you to Spirit. You can multiclass into other Spirit classes or the seven untethered classes. Race is independent of class, so a Voidseer can be any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Voidseer mirrors the [Archivist](/character-classes/archivist/), Spinesreach’s scholar-mages who treat reality as a numerological problem. Both classes lean intellectual and esoteric, both pay personal cost for the knowledge they pursue. Archivists hunt the Spheres of existence. Voidseers stare into the Void between them. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Voidseer good for new players?** The class demands patience and a tolerance for setup play. New players can succeed here, but it works best for those who enjoy careful, layered combat over fast-paced melee. **What is the difference between a Monk and a Voidseer?** Both are Sentaari. The Monk trains body (Tekura), mind (Telepathy), and the friction between Spirit and Shadow (Kaido) for general discipline. The Voidseer narrows the focus to psychic Cultivation, chakra-based Enlightenment, and the Void itself. **Do Voidseers actually go mad?** Mechanically, no, but the roleplay frame leans hard into it. Many Voidseers carry tenuous sanity as part of their character identity. Enlightenment work is what counterbalances the Void’s pull. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Voidseer profile. Or see [Aetolia’s class hub](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Monk](/character-classes/monk/) Voidseer’s sister class in the Sentaari. Mechanically untethered (the guild is Spirit but the class can move between cities). Pick Monk if you want the same monastery but the broader discipline rather than the focused Void pursuit. ### [Archivist](/character-classes/archivist/) The Shadow-side mirror. Spinesreach scholars who treat reality as a numerological puzzle and pursue knowledge above all else. Archivist suits players who want the same intellectual-esoteric frame on the Shadow side. The Spheres, not the Void. ### [Oneiromancer](/character-classes/oneiromancer/) Duiran-affiliated dream-weaver tied to the Astral Realm. No guild, attached to the Council. Pick Oneiromancer if you like the esoteric-magic frame but want to work with dreams, fate, and Fae Nobles rather than the Void. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Voidseer and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Tidesage of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/tidesage/) **Published:** December 22, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Tidesage of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-tidesage-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Tidesage class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Tidesage is Aetolia’s ocean researcher-mage, a Spirit-tethered class from the lost isle of Keltund that wields Wavebreaking (martial sea magic with the selkachoar club), Synthesis (crystalline elemental creation), and Inundation (Keltundian fog manipulation), housed at the Ascendril guild in Enorian. At a glance**Tether**Spirit**City**[Enorian](/world/enorian/)**Guild**Ascendril (Patron: Slyphe, the Dauntless)**Skill sets**Wavebreaking, Synthesis, Inundation**Mirror class**[Teradrim](/character-classes/teradrim/) (Shadow)**Sister class in guild**[Ascendril](/character-classes/ascendril/)**Signature mechanic**Selkachoar (shark-tooth club), eldritch apparition, synthesized elementals**Best for**Players who want a researcher-mage with ocean lore and a martial edgeThe Tidesages emerged in Aetolia in 503 MA, when the maddened remnants of an exploratory voyage drifted into the Enorian harbour. They came from Keltund, an isolated isle settled by survivors of the destruction of Kelsys, the underwater Kelysian home that fell to the Almighty Kerrithrim and an elemental vortex centuries earlier. This is one of Aetolia’s newest classes and one of its strangest in origin. If you want to play a mage whose primary research subject is the ocean itself, who wields a club crafted from shark teeth, and who can summon eldritch fog-apparitions on the battlefield, the Tidesage is the only class with that toolkit. ## Origin and lore The Tidesages’ origins lay in Keltund, founded in the wake of Kelsys’s violent destruction. When the elemental vortex wiped out nearly all Kelysian life, a distant fishing fleet bore witness to the downfall of their underwater home. The shockwave flung the fleet far out into the ocean. The last thing the survivors saw was the gargantuan silhouette of the Almighty Kerrithrim, its miles-high form dominating the horizon as it marched on the mainland. Assuming the mainland was lost, the survivors regathered and set out for a new home. They found Keltund, a distant island in the eastern ocean, spared the worst of the oceanic chaos but blanketed in a thick, frigid fog. That fog became the foundation of Keltundian folklore and the basis of much later Tidesage magic. The ruling castes fear what lurks within the fog. Native Tidesages are sent out into it as a test of strength. In 503 MA, the maddened remnants of an exploratory Keltundian voyage drifted into the Enorian harbour. Survivors joined the Ascendril guild as a secondary research arm, becoming the modern Tidesage class. Patron: Slyphe, the Dauntless. Sister class: the Ascendril. ## Skill sets The Tidesage skill sets are Wavebreaking, Synthesis, and Inundation. **Wavebreaking** combines ancient Kelysian military arts with classical sailors’ techniques. In combat, the Tidesage wields a selkachoar, a club adorned with the teeth of a defeated shark. Primitive connections to Denan Arloi, the Elemental Plane of Water, support the physical work: disruptive riptides, drowning waves, and natural-current travel become part of the Tidesage’s combat toolkit. **Synthesis** allows the Tidesage to harness the latent magic in refined crystals to create a pseudo-sentient elemental of their own making. This is the same crystalline-vibration magic that Mages of old used, and the familiar chiming of those vibrations can be observed in synthesized elementals. The constructs are pseudo-sentient but bound to the Tidesage’s will. **Inundation** draws on the eldritch fog surrounding the isle of Keltund. By bending this fog to their own will, Tidesages bring whole regions under its influence and empower themselves in the process. The greatest manifestation of Inundation is the eldritch apparition, a churning storm of nautical horror whose gnashing mouths and writhing tentacles dominate the battlefield. ## Skill abilities Wavebreaking Synthesis Inundation Filter abilities Title Contents ### Wavebreaking - Bounty Receive the sea’s bounty in the form of a weapon. #### Bounty **Description**Syntax: TIDE BOUNTY PULL TEETH FROM TIDE ADORN CLUB Call upon the sea to provide you with a bounty in the form of a weapon: a makeshift driftwood club. It will not be as durable as forged weapons, but will serve you well enough. To be truly called a Tidesage however, one must wield a selkachoar – earned through a rite of proving for all apprentice Tidesages. To do so, you must slay sharks and pull teeth from corpses to adorn a steel-banded club with. The ocean is filled with many terrors, and sharks are amongst the least of them. An apprentice Tidesage must prove they are capable of mastering at least that much. A forged club (“a steel-banded club”) is required, rather than your driftwood club. You need fifteen shark teeth in your inventory, bearing your mark, to adorn “a steel-banded club”, transforming it into a selkachoar. - Capsize The sea shall make them keel over. #### Capsize **Description**Syntax: TIDE CAPSIZE Direct a rippling wave at your target, crippling any limb with bruising up to a maximum of three, and leaving them fallen. Should the target lack levitation, the rushing waters will cripple three random limbs, regardless of any bruising. If they are affected by the undertow affliction, then it will wear off. Please see AB INUNDATION UNDERTOW for more information. - Yearn Memories of the sea will bring comfort and vigour. #### Yearn **Description**Syntax: TIDE YEARN Recall your memories of the open sea and be cleansed of a random affliction. Should you find yourself underground or surrounded by thick fog, your yearning for the clear skies of the open ocean will be so strong that a second affliction will be cured in the process. Cooldown: 15 seconds - Encrust Bind your weapon in briny barnacles. #### Encrust **Description**Syntax: TIDE ENCRUST By invoking an old sailor’s spell, you may summon a profusion of barnacles to encrust your arms and weapon. This will both prevent you from being disarmed and allow you to make use of your weapon with a single crippled arm. Note that although you will be able to attack with a single crippled arm, it will inflict a penalty on the speed of your weapon attacks if you choose to do so. - Sealegs Even on land you are spry. #### Sealegs **Description**Syntax: TIDE SEALEGS Navigating the decks of a heaving vessel has taught you to bolster your celerity for a limited time, provided you remain on land. - Wavebreak Capitalise on their mistakes. #### Wavebreak **Description**Syntax: TIDE WAVEBREAK Adopt a retaliatory battle stance, preparing to break an opponent’s focus when you parry one of their blows. Your countermeasure will disarm your enemy if they cannot hold onto their weapon; alternatively, there is a small chance it will cripple their arm. - Riptide The crashing wave brooks no barriers. #### Riptide **Description**Syntax: TIDE RIPTIDE Manifest a roaring wave to violently shatter any aura of rebounding or magical shield protecting your target. If neither is present, your riptide will instead remove a random defence, albeit at an increased cost to your balance. - Shore Recuperate in the comfort of safe shore. #### Shore **Description**Syntax: TIDE SHORE Provided you remain on land and not in the air, the advantages of shore leave will provide a bonus to health and mana regeneration. - Currents Sense motion in the deep currents. #### Currents **Description**Syntax: TIDE CURRENTS Tap into the resonance of the earth’s subterranean water currents, passively detecting whether someone in the same area as you enters directly the ground below. Both of your feet must be upon the ground to sense these actions. - Rime Expose your weapon to bone-chilling cold. #### Rime **Description**Syntax: TIDE EXPOSE RIME Expose your selkachoar to icy rime, causing it to deal increased damage to your target at the cost of somewhat slower strikes. You may only expose your weapon to one force at a time. - Spout Run them aground. #### Spout **Description**Syntax: TIDE SPOUT Bring forth a churning water spout and release it into the skies above you. Your target will be thrown to the ground and unbalanced, if you are successful. - Bedrabble Bring a storm of muddied rain down on your enemies. #### Bedrabble **Description**Syntax: TIDE BEDRABBLE Provided you are within an earthen environment, you may utilise your power over water to create a storm of mud and silt, raining it down on enemies in the location. You may perform this ability in the following earthen environments: Mountain, Hills, Desert, Natural underground, Constructed underground, Mines, Lifeless sands, Cavern, Crater, Canyon, Dirt. There is also a small chance for the mudstorm to upset the balance of a person it strikes. If you are indoors, then it will become harder to escape the onslaught, and the damage will be increased. - Aquifer Sink into the moistened earth. #### Aquifer **Description**Syntax: TIDE AQUIFER TIDE PERMEATE TIDE RISE Take refuge in the subterranean waters of the earth. While buried, you may take on the characteristics of the water itself to travel, and rise like the high tide when you are ready to reemerge. When you rise back to the surface, you will burst free from the ground and hurl rocks and debris at your enemies, dealing blunt damage to them. - Undulation It starts with but a ripple. #### Undulation **Description**Syntax: TIDE UNDULATION Call forth an undulating wave to surge through your location, damaging anyone who is prone by dashing them against the ground. This damage will be amplified against victims that are already suffering harm to their body parts. - Brume Expose your weapon to freezing mists. #### Brume **Description**Syntax: TIDE EXPOSE BRUME By exposing your weapon to freezing fog, each strike has a chance to increase the fathoms of your apparition in the location by one level. See AB INUNDATION APPARITION for more information. You may only expose your weapon to one force at a time. - Daub Evoke the legends of the wine-dark deeps. #### Daub **Description**Syntax: TIDE DAUB UPON Greater mark: 2 inks Lesser mark: 1 ink You may now avail yourself of the Keltundian tribal marks, evoking the myths and legends of the fog-rimed sea to harness their power. The first mark daubed is known as the lesser mark, and must be daubed on a greater mark. Depending on the colours used, a number of effects will occur. — GREATER — Tentacle (red ink): Improves limb damage by selkachoars, reduces direct damage. Wave (blue ink) : Rime damage increased and malus reduced, reduces limb damage. Mouth (yellow ink): Brume chance improved by 10% and doubles apparition expansion. Cephalopod (green): Buckle now has a 50% chance to make the target fall. Fin (purple ink) : You may swap your lesser mark with no equilibrium loss. — LESSER — Tentacle (red ink): Buckle becomes faster and deals increased limb damage. Wave (blue ink) : The chance for Flux to fade/end is decreased. Mouth (yellow ink): Increases bleeding done from Tidesage abilities by 30%. Cephalopod (green): Ram will cause the arrhythmia affliction. Fin (purple ink) : You may swap your greater mark with no equilibrium loss. Eye (gold ink) : Your selkachoar damage is dependent on intelligence, not strength. When using purple inks for ‘fin’, the same syntax is used, but as long as the purple ink remains in the slot it was originally daubed in no equilibrium loss will be incurred. - Rivulets Travel through the deep currents of the earth. #### Rivulets **Description**Syntax: TIDE RIVULETS While buried in the earth, you are able to pass through the countless rivulets of water flowing through the subterrain and travel to your target anywhere on the continent after a short delay. Should there be a monolith present, or if either of you are in a location without subterranean waters (i.e a non-earthen location), the time to complete this journey will be longer. Earthen environments include: Mountains, hills, desert, natural underground, constructed underground, mines, lifeless sand, caverns, craters, canyons, and dirt. - Drown Send them below. #### Drown **Description**Syntax: TIDE DROWN Bring forth a massive wave to envelop your victim and slowly drown them, slaying them instantly after a channeled delay. While this will require your full attention, there is a small chance that the capricious tides will expand to an extra two enemies in your location, slaying them as well if the action is completed. - Harpoon Impale your foe with a frozen lance. #### Harpoon **Description**Syntax: TIDE HARPOON WITHDRAW LANCE Form a crystalline lance of ice with your weapon and impale a prone target upon its frozen length. You may withdraw the lance to grant them freedom, should you so choose. - Lowtide Return to the shallows. #### Lowtide **Description**Syntax: TIDE LOWTIDE \[VERSE|RITE\] Dismiss the risen waters around you, performing the following effects in order: \* Remove magically flooded water \* Cleanse an Earthen verse \* Cleanse a spiritual rite You may choose whether to target a verse or rite only, if you so desire. - Flux Your control is peerless. #### Flux **Description**Syntax: TIDE FLUX You may bring to bear your weapon with such force and intricate precision that parried blows will occasionally cause a tidal flux, redirecting the attack to cripple a random limb and stunning the opponent for a short while. Maintaining the tidal flux requires significant concentration, and may fade after each redirected strike. - Eviscerate Gut them like a fish. #### Eviscerate **Description**Syntax: TIDE EVISCERATE Should your victim remain impaled upon your frozen lance, you may drive it deeper into their gut, shredding their innards and causing both magical and asphyxiation damage at once. The immense cold will wreak further injury on the body – inflicting light and deep wounds, in addition to torso trauma. - Trench There is no sanctuary below ground. #### Trench **Description**Syntax: TIDE TRENCH If there is an enemy buried in the earth below you, you may call on subterranean currents to form an oceanic trench and deluge your target in water, crushing their body and bones. Your opponent will suffer significant damage and find their ribs crack under the water’s immense, unforgiving pressure. - Hightide High tides carry you fast and far. #### Hightide **Description**Syntax: TIDE HIGHTIDE By capitalising on a high tide, you may increase your internal momentum, causing your next five weapon attacks to have 15% increased accuracy and 20% swifter balance recovery. Calling the high tide does not spend balance or equilibrium, but it will expire if not used promptly. Cooldown: 60 seconds - Engulf Work in tandem with your elemental, to overwhelm. #### Engulf **Description**Syntax: TIDE ENGULF \[enhancement action\] By working in harmony with your synthesised elemental, you may instruct it to deliver a blow of your choice against a target when next you land a successful weapon attack. If you do not choose an enhancement action, your elemental will choose its own. This ability costs no equilibrium or balance to activate. Cooldown (when triggered): 15 seconds - Spearfall Summon forth spears of ice to drag down your opponents. #### Spearfall **Description**Syntax: TIDE SPEARFALL Form a number of icicle harpoons in the air around you, which then will fall upon your enemies in your location or adjacent, and impale them if they are prone. If they remain impaled for more then five seconds and stand upon soft ground, then sinkhole will form beneath them and they will slip into the earth below. They will need to BURROW ABOVE in order to escape. - Permafrost A legacy of ice. #### Permafrost **Description**Syntax: TIDE PERMAFROST TIDE THAW By fully embracing the frigid gales and frozen rime of the distant oceans, you may bring about an aura of permafrost to surround your body in a thick veneer of ice. While draped in this gelid aura, you will enjoy: \* Increased strength. \* Increased constitution. \* Increased intelligence. \* Resistance to electrical damage. - You can use the following flail attacks upon your enemies - Clobber Clobber your foe with a selkachoar. #### Clobber **Description**Syntax: TIDE CLOBBER \[body part\] Tightly manoeuvring your weapon, you may clobber your foe in quick succession and deal damage to them. If you wish, you may aim for a specific body part in the hopes of causing trauma to an adventurer. You may aim for the head, the torso, an arm, or a leg. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier100% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)89% Set Weapon Trauma13.75% Set Weapon Speed Range2.40 to 3.10 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Crack Crack their bones with a focused blow. #### Crack **Description**Syntax: TIDE CRACK By striking precisely with your weapon, you may attempt to crack your target’s limbs with a focused blow. This will cause limb damage and inflict surface trauma in the form of bruises. - Crest Strike like a cresting wave. #### Crest **Description**Syntax: TIDE CREST Surge upwards like a cresting wave and deliver a powerful blow to your target’s head. This will cause vicious damage and inflict surface trauma in the form of bruises. - Ram Drive your weapon at their stomach. #### Ram **Description**Syntax: TIDE RAM This blow to the torso will cause damage in addition to trauma in the form of bruises. - Buckle Their limbs will buckle under your blows. #### Buckle **Description**Syntax: TIDE BUCKLE This powerful weapon swing will smash an opponent’s limb, dealing trauma to the limb. Should the limb be suffering from bruising, the blow will cause bonus limb damage depending on the severity, and will additionally cripple it. - Pitch Choppy waves will let you strike twice. #### Pitch **Description**Syntax: TIDE PITCH By moving eratically in the manner of choppy waves, you may strike out twice with your selkachoar and attack two body parts of your choice, in addition to dealing damage. You cannot target the same body part twice, and your pitching motions will allow you to only target the arms or the legs, not the head or the torso. - Breach Bypass your opponent’s defence with a breaching wave. #### Breach **Description**Syntax: TIDE BREACH Manoeuvre your weapon just so, surging like a breaching wave to bypass your target’s aura of rebounding. This strike will also knock them to the ground and remove their levitation defence. - Wreck Wreck their hull with a strike to the chest. #### Wreck **Description**Syntax: TIDE WRECK This powerful strike to the torso will only be effective against prone targets, dealing heavy damage and crushing their chest as they lie helpless at your feet. In the process, their lung will be collapsed, making escape difficult and causing harm whenever a pipe is smoked. - Broadside Bombard them with unrelenting force. #### Broadside **Description**Syntax: TIDE BROADSIDE Unleash a slow but powerful barrage of attacks on your enemy, striking them three times with your weapon and bombarding random limbs in a chaotic fashion. Each landed hit will be slightly weaker, and will not strike the same limb more than once. Additionally, there is a 50% chance that each blow of the broadside will cause surface trauma in your opponent’s limbs, forming a bruise where your weapon struck. - Gybe A focused blow to the enemy’s head. #### Gybe **Description**Syntax: TIDE GYBE Blows to the head from a swinging boom are a common hazard for inexperienced seamen. By mimicking the gybe manoeuvre, you may deliver a mighty strike to your opponent’s head and deal hefty damage. Against adventurers, it will cause trauma to their skull and deal an increasing number of afflictions dependent on the bruising currently inflicted to the head. Each effect is cumulative. No bruising: Amnesia. Minor bruising: Whiplash. Moderate bruising: Indifference. Severe bruising: Smashed throat. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier130% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)126% Set Weapon Trauma16.00% Set Weapon Speed Range3.40 to 4.10 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 60 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Keelhaul Rake them bow to stern. #### Keelhaul **Description**Syntax: TIDE KEELHAUL Bring forth an enormous wave to assault your target with a deadly combination of brine and barnacle in an attempt to end their life. If your victim possesses at least three body parts with at least moderate bruising, they will be too weak to survive the sea’s extreme torture and ripped apart. Without a sufficiently weakened target, this will have little effect. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Synthesis - Direct Issue directions to your elemental. #### Direct **Description**Syntax: SYNTH \[…\] Issue commands to your elemental, whether in person or remotely from a distance. Each command will do something different and is explained below. Info – SYNTH INFO \[ITEMS\]: Learn about the state of your elemental. Get – SYNTH GET : Pick up an item from their location. Give – SYNTH GIVE TO : Pass an item to someone. Drop – SYNTH DROP : Have your elemental drop an item it holds. Call – SYNTH CALL: Recall your elemental from a distance, returning to your side. Return – SYNTH RETURN: Have your elemental retreat to safety. - Synthesise Utilise your knowledge to construct a proto-elemental. #### Synthesise **Description**Syntax: SYNTH SYNTHESISE You are now capable of synthesising a proto-elemental from pearls. This elemental will obey your will and possess a variety of combat-related abilities that form the majority of Synthesis. To create one, you will need five pearls from the corpses of oysters. You can view HELP LOYALTY for more information on how to command it. - Enhancements Enhance your elemental to act opportunistically. #### Enhancements **Description**Syntax: SYNTH ENHANCE SYNTH DIRECTIVE SYNTH ENHANCEMENTS Your elemental is capable of comprehending complex orders, and this ability allows you to prepare such orders in advance, causing your ally to act as opportunity presents instead of requiring a direct command. When the elemental is ready to attack and has been ordered to fight, it will follow its list of enhancements in sequential order, using the first ability it is capable of carrying out. To take advantage of this, it is wise to order your enhancements in priority order, preferring abilities with conditions to be high on the list, and those with few or no conditions to be low priority. If the elemental is unable to use any enhancements, it will default to the Club ability. Elementals may also be given directives to act when a situation presents itself. However, any directive given beyond the first will slow down how often it attacks slightly. - Excise Clear away any enhancements from your elemental. #### Excise **Description**Syntax: SYNTH EXCISE \[ALL\] With a single command, you may clear away any enhancements from your elemental. Should you specify ALL, this will also cause your elemental to discard any directives. - Movement Order your elemental to move about the land. #### Movement **Description**Syntax: SYNTH MOVE You may command your elemental to move about independent of your actions. You may even command it remotely. - Imbuing Enhance your construct with an element of choice. #### Imbuing **Description**Syntax: SYNTH IMBUE Drawing on the ambient residue left behind in inks, you may imbue your elemental with said element, empowering its abilities. Fire (red ink): Each strike from the club enhancement has a 33% chance to ignite the foe and deal extra fire damage. Water (blue ink): Each strike from the club enhancement has a 33% chance to freeze the foe and deal extra cold damage. Spirit (yellow ink): Your servant will regenerate health much more quickly, and you will be granted a minor bonus when using health elixirs. Earth (green ink): Every third hit, your selkachoar will deliver the loki venom to your opponent. Air (purple ink): An elemental imbued with air will receive no penalty to their attack speed for the first three reflexes they are trained to perform, and they gain an extra slot for their ingrain ability. An elemental may only be imbued with one effect at a time, and any new effects will replace the previous. - Listening Open your mind to allow your elemental in. #### Listening **Description**Syntax: SYNTH LISTEN Your elemental will continually report anything said within its location, should you not be present. - Escape When in grave danger, your ally will quickly flee. #### Escape **Description**Syntax: SYNTH ESCAPE HERE You may specify a location for your elemental to escape to, should they fall below 25% of their maximum health. - Glance See what your elemental sees. #### Glance **Description**Syntax: SYNTH GLANCE At a minor cost to equilibrium, you may envision whatever your elemental can see. - Designate Designate an action as the highest priority. #### Designate **Description**Syntax: SYNTH DESIGNATE This command allows you to specify an ability for your elemental to use when next available, regardless of your enhancement order. The ability must still meet the specified requirements in order to activate, otherwise it will perform like normal. Designating an ability requires balance to set and consumes a very small amount of equilibrium. - Recuperate Regenerate the health of your elemental. #### Recuperate **Description**Syntax: SYNTH RECUPERATE By lending mental power to your elemental, you will cause them to instantly regenerate a portion of their life. This ability consumes a moderate amount of equilibrium, but may be done off balance. - Mouthpiece Your elemental will speak and socialise on your behalf. #### Mouthpiece **Description**Syntax: SYNTH SAY SYNTH EMOTE You are now linked to your elemental, allowing you to control their speech and actions. This can be performed even at a distance. - Modes Shift easily between plans of action. #### Modes **Description**Syntax: SYNTH MODE SWITCH <1|2|3> Your elemental is now capable of storing blueprints of their enhancements and directives, allowing you to switch between three distinct plans of action. - Attend Your elemental will attend to your defeated foes. #### Attend **Description**Syntax: SYNTH ATTEND You may order your elemental to fetch the body of any kills that you make. - Lifebond Tie your fates together #### Lifebond **Description**Syntax: SYNTH LIFEBOND You may bond your body to that of your elemental, causing you both to share a portion of each other’s damage. Should your elemental die, you will find yourself suffering heavily – taking a significant amount of damage and receiving a powerful stun. - Amalgamate Take advantage of a second imbued element. #### Amalgamate **Description**Usage: SYNTH AMALGAMATE You may now imbue a second element into your construct, allowing it to receive two benefits at once. - Ingrain Ingrain commands directly into the mind. #### Ingrain **Description**Syntax: SYNTH INGRAIN \[ability2\] Your elemental’s composition is now of such integrity that you can ingrain a single specific directive directly into their make-up. This directive will become innate to them with no penalty to attack speed, and will, in some cases, bolster its capabilities in that task. There is a significant cooldown upon changing this effect however, so make sure you choose wisely. Some of the bolstered effects include: ENCLOSE – Increases your own ability to dodge by 3%. COVER – Arrows will be reflected, chance to deflect increased. REPRISAL – Increases damage and balance loss on hit. GUARD – Increases resistance to all forms of damage. BRACE – Will proc 100% of the time. OCCLUDE – Chance increased and elemental also causes amnesia on hit. BALLAST – Attempts to move allies have a chance to fail. You do not need the directive to be in effect in order to gain the benefits. It will be enabled automatically regardless of your enhancement selections. An elemental can normally only have a single directive ingrained, unless it has been imbued with air via purple ink. Cooldown: 1 hour - You can apply the following enhancements to your elemental - Club An effective but unrefined physical assault. #### Club **Description**Enhancement. Your elemental will strike out at any foe they are capable of, dealing direct blunt damage in a display of force. - Trammel Stop their heart with a brutal strike. #### Trammel **Description**Enhancement. Should your target possess bruising on their torso, your elemental will take advantage with a powerful strike to the chest, causing an arrhythmia and will briefly stun them. If the target is in the process of forming an aura of rebounding, trammeling them will disrupt the aura and prevent it from fully forming into a defence against weapons. - Squeeze Even a gentle squeeze can break bones. #### Squeeze **Description**Enhancement. Your elemental will attempt to tear out a prone opponent’s limbs, crippling one in the process. If all limbs are crippled, then it will cause trauma to the torso instead. - Chime The way to the heart is through the stomach. #### Chime **Description**Enhancement. Should your elemental sense an opponent with a mangled torso, it will send out a wave of psychic force, inflicting psychic damage and causing both paresis and an arrhythmia. - Concuss Leave them reeling. #### Concuss **Description**Enhancement. Your elemental will strike out at an opponent with a broken head, shaking their vision and leaving them with blurry sight. - Clutch Your elemental will hold them in place. #### Clutch **Description**Enhancement. Your elemental will seize upon a target with a broken torso who is also prone, clutching their body and keeping them grappled until they writhe free of its grip. Cooldown: 14 seconds - Nullify Cast aside their protective shields. #### Nullify **Description**Enhancement. If your enemy attempts to protect themselves with a magical shield, your elemental will counter with its own magic, nullifying the barrier and destroying it. - Pound The weak will pay the toll. #### Pound **Description**Enhancement. Syntax: SYNTH ENHANCE POUND <1-80%> This unique ability requires a little extra information in order to enhance your elemental. When your opponent’s health falls below the specified threshold, your elemental will lash out and deliver a powerful blow that stuns them. This enhancement will be placed on cooldown for a short time after it is enacted. Cooldown: 60 seconds - Strangulate Choke them with strands of air. #### Strangulate **Description**Enhancement. Should your victim be prone and experiencing moderate bruising upon the head, your elemental will attempt to choke them with elemental air – causing asphyxiation damage and inducing a blackout. This enhancement will be placed on cooldown for a short time after it is enacted. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Deconstruct Wreak destruction on their limbs. #### Deconstruct **Description**Enhancement. To enhance: SYNTH ENHANCE DECONSTRUCT \[ \] This unique ability requires a little extra information in order to enhance your elemental. Should your elemental spot moderate bruising upon the limb you have most recently struck, their next blow will attempt to deconstruct it, dislocating the limb’s joint. If left uncured, it will eventually cause the limb to collapse and become broken. By default your elemental has only a 33% chance it will attempt to deconstruct a limb even when its conditions are met, however if it attempts to deconstruct the exact limb that you have specified in your enhancement, then the chance is guaranteed instead. Your elemental cannot deconstruct a limb that is already broken or dislocated, neither will it work on the head or torso. - Your elemental will reflexively carry out these directives - Detain Prevent any upward escapes. #### Detain **Description**Directive ability. Enemies who attempt to fly away or swing into the trees will occasionally be met with resistance from your elemental, who will shove them to the ground and remove their levitation. - Enclose Surround and conquer. #### Enclose **Description**Directive ability. Your elemental will attempt to surround the target it has been ordered to attack, granting a chance to prevent them from dodging. They will still be able to divert however. - Guard Your elemental will protect you. #### Guard **Description**Directive ability. By adopting a protective stance, your elemental will make it difficult for others to strike you, reducing the damage you suffer from blunt and cutting based attacks. - Cover Your elemental will provide cover from aerial assaults. #### Cover **Description**Directive ability. Your elemental will look out for incoming projectiles, raising a shield of air to deny their ingress. - Reprisal Your elemental will avenge you. #### Reprisal **Description**Directive ability. When your opponent succeeds in parrying one of your blows, your elemental will enact a reprisal and strike out in response, unbalancing them and disabling their parry. There is a short cooldown that takes effect when this directive activates, preventing it from occurring again for a time. - Brace Your elemental will attempt to keep you upright. #### Brace **Description**Directive ability. Should you be knocked to the ground by an active attack, there is a chance that your elemental will brace you against the fall, returning you to your feet. This ability will fail if either of your legs are crippled. - Circuits Ensure your elemental acts in the correct sequence. #### Circuits **Description**Directive ability. By directing your elemental to work in circuits, you will ensure that it never repeats the same manouevre twice, except in the event that no other conditions are met in their enhancements list. - Occlude Deny them the medicine they need. #### Occlude **Description**Directive ability. Your elemental will watch your opponent carefully, spotting attempts to consume curative pills or use a pipe, and granting a chance to wash them away before they can be used. This will only be effective against the target you ordered your elemental to kill. - Hobble There is no escape. #### Hobble **Description**Directive ability. Whenever an enemy attempts to flee your location with one of their legs bruised, your elemental will hobble them in order to prevent their escape, knocking them down and crippling that leg. - Ballast As sturdy as the mast. #### Ballast **Description**Directive ability. Your elemental will protect you from being moved against your will at all costs, even resisting magical effects. Should you wish to move of your own volition, the elemental will allow you to pass. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Inundation - Hydrate Rehydrate your skin with a cleansing haze. #### Hydrate **Description**Syntax: FOG HYDRATE Hydrate your skin with the cleansing haze of frigid fog, banishing foul smells and wet skin. - Inundate Blanket your surroundings in thick fog. #### Inundate **Description**Syntax: FOG INUNDATE FOG DISPERSE \[HERE\] FOG LIST Summon forth a blanket of thick fog in your location, allowing you to make full use of your many abilities that require its presence. Each location that you blanket in fog will require a constant upkeep of willpower in order to maintain and prevent it from being dispersed by the wind, except for your first. Dispersing your fog will clear away any remote fog you control, except for those in your current room. Appending HERE will limit the dispersal to your current location. - Drift Pass through the fog with ease. #### Drift **Description**Syntax: FOG DRIFT If both your current location and an adjacent location are blanketed in fog, you may move between them, eroding any walls that may be in your path. - Swell Command your fog to swell into an adjacent room. #### Swell **Description**Syntax: FOG SWELL So long as you stand within fog that you have called, you may cause it to swell outwards to encompass an adjacent location of your choice. Barriers such as walls and doors will provide too much resistance for the fog to properly spread, preventing you from doing so. - Snare Ensnare them in the encroaching fog. #### Snare **Description**Syntax: FOG SNARE Requires you to be standing in a location with thick fog. Cause the fog to ensare your opponent, delaying their movement. This will last until they leave the location or the effect naturally expires. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Intruders Sense whose who intrude upon your fog. #### Intruders **Description**Syntax: FOG INTRUDERS See all who currently stand within the influence of your fog, including their location. - Convalescence The churning fog soothes body and mind. #### Convalescence **Description**This ability is passive. While standing in a location with your fog, you will regenerate a small amount of both endurance and willpower. - Revel Find succour in the grip of enveloping fog. #### Revel **Description**Syntax: FOG REVEL By entering a state similar to meditation, this ability draws on your fog to restore your willpower in great amounts. The amount restored will increase significantly as the process continues. - Apparition Form an eldritch apparition as you move through the fog. #### Apparition **Description**Syntax: FOG APPARITION \[RELEASE\] By standing in a location with summoned fog, you may stir it to greater agitation and form an eldritch apparition that will linger in the heart of the mists. This apparition will follow you should you move, and will act as thick fog for skills that require it. Once formed, the apparition will periodically attack your enemies with shards of ice, dealing bleeding damage. The damage dealt is dependent on how unfathomable it is, deeper fathoms resulting in greater severity. For every four seconds you stand within thick fog, the apparition will mutate by one fathom. If you do not stand within thick fog, this time is doubled. There are five levels of apparition fathoms. Once your apparition is at its maximum, you may use a number of fog-related abilities (listed in AB INUNDATION) free of equilibrium. However, doing so will consume part of the apparition and reduce its growth by two fathoms. Abyss is an exception to this rule, and may be used at the level warped or higher instead, providing the target is in the same location as you. Levels: ——— humanoid twisted warped abominable monstrous To take advantage of this, append ‘apparition’ to the end of the command for your attack, e.g FOG GNASH APPARITION. You may also optionally include an apparition level, to prevent the ability from being cast if your apparition is not at that level, e.g FOG ABYSS APPARITION MONSTROUS. - Obscure Conceal your presence in the fog. #### Obscure **Description**Syntax: FOG OBSCURE While in a location with thick fog, your movement will be obscured from all but allies. - Negate None but the fog shall hold sway. #### Negate **Description**Syntax: FOG NEGATE If your location finds itself under the sway of another’s influence, such as a Teradrim’s sand, you may direct the fog to re-assert its authority, absorbing all foreign domains into itself and negating their effects by destroying them. If the owner of the foreign domain is present, there will be a slight delay before this ability completes. - Switch To me, to you. #### Switch **Description**Syntax: FOG SWITCH If there is thick fog blanketing both your location and that of your target, you will be able to trivially switch places with them. - Fluctuations Sense fluctuations in the fog. #### Fluctuations **Description**Syntax: FOG FLUCTUATIONS At a significant drain to your willpower, track all movement in and adjacent to the domain of your fog. - Hail Unleash a salvo of hail across your fog. #### Hail **Description**Syntax: FOG HAIL Infuse all of your fog in the local area with frozen hail and turn it on your enemies who stand within, dealing damage and causing some bleeding. - Chase Direct your apparition to seek your foe. #### Chase **Description**Syntax: FOG CHASE Infuse your apparition with additional thick fog from your locale and direct it to chase down your target. This will spread more fog in every room along its path, until it either meets the target or can no longer continue. For each fathom present in your apparition, the mist will billow up to four rooms. - Effervesce Mask scents in frothing fog. #### Effervesce **Description**Syntax: FOG EFFERVESCE While this defence is active on your thick fog, none in the room may be tracked by the Scent (racial or skillset) or Track (Shapeshifting) abilities. This has a small willpower cost to maintain. - Harden Solidify freezing fog into an icy barrier. #### Harden **Description**Syntax: FOG HARDEN \[target\] With a simple command, you may force portions of the fog to freeze over, hardening into a protective shield around the target. If you do not specify a target, you will shield yourself. - Sirensong Bewitch the minds of your enemies. #### Sirensong **Description**Syntax: FOG SIRENSONG At a modest drain to willpower, you may cause the icy winds of your fog to blow just so, creating a sirensong that will deliver hidden mental afflictions to enemies within. Possible afflictions include: Dizziness, anorexia, vertigo, or weariness. - Befuddle Deny them a way out. #### Befuddle **Description**Syntax: FOG BEFUDDLE Cause your thick fog to contort and seethe in all directions, obscuring the exits and making it difficult to espy a path out of the location. - Panoptic The fog’s reach is vast. #### Panoptic **Description**Syntax: FOG PANOPTIC By calling forth the endless eyes, you may now control your fogs remotely, allowing you to use a number of abilities on adjacent targets provided there is thick fog in both your locations. These abilities include: Snare, Terrors, Gnash, Unseen, Abyss, and Feelers. - Ebb Send your target ebbing away from you. #### Ebb **Description**Syntax: FOG EBB By agitating your fog, you can direct it to enwrap your target and ebb away with them in tow, removing them from your location. This ability is powerful enough to overcome the mass defence, but will consume any thick fog blanketing the location in the process. - Murk Slow their progress through the enveloping murk. #### Murk **Description**Syntax: FOG MURK Command your fog to actively resist the passage of enemies, reducing their celerity and preventing them from dashing or sprinting through the haze. - Stalagmites Every footfall is treacherous. #### Stalagmites **Description**Syntax: FOG STALAGMITES Draw rime from the morass of your thick fog and force it to congeal into sharp stalagmites along the ground, causing enemies who lack the levitation defence to take damage and bleeding when they move or fall down. - Delirium There is no mercy below. #### Delirium **Description**This ability is passive. That which lurks below the deepest fathoms of the wine-dark is merciless and cruel, and your apparition is no less so. Enemies who are prone will suffer twice as much from its attacks. - Fogbank Cause the fog to spread in all directions. #### Fogbank **Description**Syntax: FOG BANK With a single command, inundate your location with fog, and instantly spread it to all adjacent, unobstructed rooms. - Gyre Lift your fog into the apparition. #### Gyre **Description**Syntax: FOG GYRE Whirl the fog around you into a billowing gyre, removing the inundation from your location but empowering your apparition instantly to an abominable level. If the apparition is already at an abominable or higher level, this will have no effect. - Blanket Disperse harm to your allies’ limbs with your fog. #### Blanket **Description**Syntax: FOG BLANKET Requires you to be standing in a location with thick fog. Use your fog to create a blanket of mist across an ally’s limbs, allowing them to resist two attacks that would cripple those limbs instead. - Subsume Become one with the fog. #### Subsume **Description**Syntax: FOG SUBSUME By absorbing the cold heart of the fog into yourself, you will become immune to most form of attacks. This will remove any thick fog blanketing the location. - Glacier Raise a mighty glacier to consolidate your power. #### Glacier **Description**Syntax: FOG GLACIER By forming a frozen glacier, you may greatly extend the range of your abilities, allowing you to utilise any fog ability that may be used in tandem with Panoptic on any target in your local area who stands amid thick fog. You may only summon one glacier at a time, and only one glacier may be summoned in a given room. Leaving the room will cause it to shatter. - Your apparition allows you to use the following abilities free of equilibrium - Gnash The deeps have so many mouths to feed. #### Gnash **Description**Syntax: FOG GNASH Requires you to be standing in a location with thick fog. Countless hungering monstrosities dwell in the dark deeps. By manipulating your fog to imitate their many mouths, you may direct these gnashing jaws to bite your target, infecting them with one of the following afflictions: Recklessness, dizziness, ringing ears, epilepsy, or stupidity. - Unseen They will never know what hit them. #### Unseen **Description**Syntax: FOG UNSEEN Requires you to be standing in a location with thick fog. By agitating the fog to violence, it will shift and contort into the shapes of undersea abominations and lash out randomly at your target’s limbs, leaving one cripled in the process, though your target will only see something in the fog attacking them. - Abyss Invoke the voices of the deepest dwellers. #### Abyss **Description**Syntax: FOG ABYSS Requires you to be standing in a location with thick fog. Invoke the voices of those who dwell most deep, plaguing your enemy with silken whispers emanating from the heart of the fog. Your foe will become desperate to rid themselves of the maddening tongues, bartering away their defences in an attempt to make them stop. This will target the rebounding defence first, followed by shield, then cloak, and finally, a random defence. - Feelers A writhing tentacle will latch on to their limbs. #### Feelers **Description**Syntax: FOG FEELERS Requires you to be standing in a location with thick fog. Bring forth a viscous tentacle from the fog and direct it to latch on to one of your opponent’s limbs, causing damage to it. You may choose from the head, torso, or either arm/leg. - Terrors Many horrors lurk in the deepest fathoms. #### Terrors **Description**Syntax: FOG TERRORS Requires you to be standing in a location with thick fog. Command the thick fog to shape itself into hazy manifestations of the sea’s darkest monstrosities, inciting a terrible horror in your target such that they break out in cold sweat that washes away other liquids on their skin. This will prevent poultices from being effective while the effect is present by giving the slough affliction. It will fade naturally after a number of seconds if it is not cured by normal means. - Undertow Undercurrents can be deadly. #### Undertow **Description**Syntax: FOG UNDERTOW If your target is prone, you may cause your fog to unleash a powerful undertow, stripping their levitation. They will be unable to regain the levitation defence until a short time has passed, or until they escape the influence of the fog. ## Visual style and identity Wavebreaking is a boisterous art, derived from grizzled sailors and soldiers, and its combat use draws inspiration from the sea itself: violent, choppy, and fascinating. Despite the subtle magic at the heart of Inundation, its more profound effects are similarly stark. Fully realised, the eldritch apparition is a churning storm of nautical horror, its gnashing mouths and writhing tentacles impossible to ignore. The visual signature is the selkachoar with its shark-tooth edges, the rolling fog of Inundation, and the chiming crystalline elementals of Synthesis. The class reads salt-stained and a little unhinged. ## Side effects of the work Like most seasoned sailors or lifelong pirates, Tidesages long for the presence of the ocean. Too much time away from the sea incites a deep yearning, profound enough that it can be channeled as a palpable effect in Wavebreaking. The pull is real, mechanical, and constant. Working with the fog is dangerous and requires a strong will. Careless or reckless manipulation of fog without steel resolve can result in madness. The original Keltundian voyage that arrived in Enorian in 503 MA was, by every account, a ship of mad survivors. The fog does that to people. ## Who plays this class The Tidesage suits players who want a researcher-mage with strong martial flavor and unusual lore. The roleplay frame is curious, bold, and tuned to the ocean. Tidesages can be played as mage, researcher, scholar, or scientist, and the class blends all four. What unifies them is a shared love and respect for the ocean and a fascination for unraveling its mysteries. Mechanically, the class rewards players who like hybrid martial-magic combat with a heavy summons component. Wavebreaking gives the Tidesage real melee presence through the selkachoar. Inundation’s eldritch apparition and Synthesis’s crystalline elementals give the class strong battlefield-control options. If you want a Light-aligned mage with a unique cultural origin and an ocean-themed combat kit, the Tidesage is the only class that fits. ## City and guild The Tidesages joined the Ascendril guild in 503 MA and operate from [Enorian](/world/enorian/), the Hammer of Dawn. Patron: Slyphe, the Dauntless. The guild houses both the [Ascendril](/character-classes/ascendril/) class and the Tidesage class, with the Archmage Eliadon leading both. Tidesages bring oceanic research and a martial edge that complements the Ascendril’s classical four-element work. Joining the Tidesage ranks means committing to Spirit. You will not be able to actively hold any Shadow-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Spirit classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race is independent of class, so you can play a Tidesage of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Tidesage mirror is the [Teradrim](/character-classes/teradrim/), Bloodloch’s earth warriors. Both are elemental warrior-mages built around a single elemental plane: Water for the Tidesage, Earth for the Teradrim. Tidesages bend fog and tide. Teradrim raise stone golems and sand wastes. Same combat chassis, opposite element. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Tidesage good for new players?** Yes. The hybrid martial-magic kit makes Tidesages more forgiving than pure mages in early combat, and the Ascendril guild offers strong mentorship for both classes. Wavebreaking’s selkachoar work means a new Tidesage has clear melee tools while learning the magical depth of Synthesis and Inundation. **What is a selkachoar?** A selkachoar is the Tidesage’s signature weapon: a club adorned with the teeth of a shark the Tidesage personally defeated. Each selkachoar is unique, personal, and considered taboo to lend or to take from another Tidesage. New selkachoars are crafted as conquest trophies and serve as both ceremonial object and combat implement. **Where does Tidesage magic come from?** Tidesage magic draws on three sources. Wavebreaking taps Denan Arloi, the Elemental Plane of Water. Inundation manipulates the eldritch fog native to Keltund. Synthesis uses crystalline vibration magic descended from the old Magi. The blend is distinct from classical Ascendril Elemancy. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if the Tidesage profile interests you. Or see [Aetolia’s full class list](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Ascendril](/character-classes/ascendril/) The sister class in the Ascendril guild. Elemancy, Arcanism, Thaumaturgy. Pick Ascendril if you want the same guild and Patron but prefer classical four-element channeling and fulcrum work to the Tidesage’s ocean-and-fog research focus. ### [Teradrim](/character-classes/teradrim/) The Shadow mirror. Terramancy, Animation, Desiccation. Pick Teradrim if you want the same elemental-warrior chassis but prefer Bloodloch’s earth-and-stone work to the Tidesage’s water-and-fog kit. ### [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) Duiran’s nature priest class. Primality, Shamanism, Naturalism. Pick Shaman if you want a Spirit-aligned mage with a different nature-bound focus, swapping the ocean for the Heartwood and the selkachoar for the quarterstaff. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Tidesage and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Templar of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/templar/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Templar of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-templar-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Templar class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Templar are Aetolia’s holy knights, a Spirit-tethered class in Enorian that wields Battlefury (the craft of war), Righteousness (judgement auras), and Bladefire (holy radiance bound to steel), all under the patronage of Celezor, Accord of the Righteous. At a glance**Tether**Spirit**City**[Enorian](/world/enorian/)**Guild**Templars at the Vigil (Patron: Celezor)**Skill sets**Battlefury, Righteousness, Bladefire**Mirror class**[Revenant](/character-classes/revenant/) (Shadow)**Sister class in guild**[Akkari](/character-classes/akkari/)**Signature mechanic**Judgement auras and Bladefire-empowered steel**Best for**Players who want a holy knight, disciplined weaponry, and a clear causeThe Templars are the strong right arm of Enorian, the Hammer of Dawn made manifest in steel and oath. Where the Illuminai bolster faith and covenant and the Ascendril scour the world’s mysteries through element and study, the Templars are the ones who step into the breach when the Sunset bell rings. This is the holy-knight class of Aetolia. If you want to play a paladin with a code, a sword, and a clear cause, the Templar is the most direct expression of that fantasy in the game. ## Origin and lore The Templars are one of the three Seluno-founded guilds of Aetolia, originating as the Paladins in the wake of the Second Ankyrean War. Yanda Seluno, blessed by Arion the God of Valour, founded the Paladin code in opposition to his brother Roan’s Infernal ethos. When Yanda was cut down by his brother’s pride and treachery, his last request was honored: that his son Syvelium be taught in his father’s art. Syvelium grew up to found the Paladins as an official guild of Shallam. Centuries later, three wayward travelers found themselves stranded on Sapience after arriving through an Orb of the Dawn. They revealed themselves as long-lost warriors of the Angelic Triad (Nyasia, Ubarin, and Ael’mael, rulers of the Spirit Plane, Rewh’va), cut off from their masters but still in service. These Duamvi, meaning “flawed” and incapable of arising as full angelic beings, found kinship with the holy knights and imparted knowledge of their skills. From this meeting, the Templar Guild was born. Yanda and Roan are both long dead. What survived them is the enmity: the Templars of Enorian and the [Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/) of Bloodloch, each a direct heir to the other side of that ancient fracture. Templars are knights, wardens, and executioners of Enorian’s justice. They patrol the protectorates, hold lines during raids, and lead the push when the city must take the fight beyond its walls. Their purpose is simple: cull the wicked and shadow-tainted, deny the enemy momentum, and ensure the faithful endure. ## Skill sets The Templar skill sets are Battlefury, Righteousness, and Bladefire. **Battlefury** is the craft of war itself. It covers tempo, position, and controlled violence, the disciplined mastery of weaponry that any trained Templar develops through rigorous practice with blades and weapons of every form. A trained Templar is a master of steel. **Righteousness** is the holy art, a power derived almost wholly from the Templar’s own devoted fervor to the Light. Through this physical manifestation of faith and conviction, the Templar drapes themselves in auras: some that protect allies, some that bring ruin to enemies. Righteousness is the core technique of any holy warrior, the discipline that separates a Templar from a mere swordsman. **Bladefire** binds the other two. The discipline of war and the power of conviction meet in the blade itself, and the result hits harder than either alone. The Templar’s blade glows with sacred force in the moment of the strike. The Templar skills derive from the Duamvi of Rewh’va, but they are tailored to differ from the native ways of the Akkari, adapted for the mortals of the Prime Plane. ## Skill abilities Battlefury Righteousness Bladefire Filter abilities Title Contents ### Battlefury - Irongrip Grip your wielded items in a deathlock. #### Irongrip **Description**Syntax: IRONGRIP and RELAX IRONGRIP By gripping your weapons tightly, you can prevent others from disarming you of your precious weapons. - Clotting Control the flow of your blood. #### Clotting **Description**Syntax: CLOT \[#\] This ability will allow you to partially clot your bleeding in trade for your mana. You can specify how many times you wish to clot if need be. If you input no amount, then you will try and clot away 20 bleeding by default. - Envenom Apply deadly venoms to your blades. #### Envenom **Description**Syntax: ENVENOM WITH WIPE With this ability, you may layer venoms on an edged weapon. Each time that weapon hits somebody, one venom will poison your opponent, and disappear from the weapon. Venoms work on a last-on, first-off basis, so if you put xentio on a weapon, and then put voyria on, the voyria would come off first, and the xentio second. You must possess a rag with the venom in order to apply it to a weapon. In order to get rid of the venoms on a weapon, simply WIPE . - Sturdiness Stand firm against attempts to move you. #### Sturdiness **Description**Syntax: STAND FIRM By concentrating on increasing your mass, you are able to gain immunity from most physical attempts to move you. Additionally, should you be feared it will have no effect while you remain firm. You will lose this defence should you move. - Defend Defend your allies with life and limb. #### Defend **Description**Syntax: DEFEND and UNDEFEND By carefully defending your ally, you can step in front of any attack aimed at them and take the blow for them. It will last until you either choose to cease defending them, or one of you moves away from the other. - Rage None can quench your fervor. #### Rage **Description**Syntax: RAGE This ability will allow you to cure afflictions based upon altruism, such as those normally cured by eating a steroid pill. Please see HELP CURE ORDER for afflictions that can be cured with the steroid pill. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Bruising Bludgeon them into submission with your blunted weaponry. #### Bruising **Description**This ability is passive. Your attacks with bludgeoning weapons will have a two in three chance to cause bruises on any limbs you strike. These bruises will cause the target to bleed slightly, based on the severity of the bruise. These bruises will slowly grow in severity, with each successful hit causing more bruising based upon the damage stat of your weapon. A two-handed weapon will be 25% more effective. Should the opponent be fallen upon the ground, your strikes are guaranteed to cause a bruise and will immediately upgrade it to the next severity level. - MainGauche Counterattack with your off-hand short blade. #### MainGauche **Description**Syntax: MAINGAUCHE While wielding a weapon with this defence active, you will have a chance to perform a counter attack upon most physical attacks made against you. Your chance is roughly based upon your current dexterity, with higher being better. Any counter strike made using this ability cannot deliver any effects upon the weapon, such as empowerments or venoms. It cannot score critical hits against denizens. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Strike or Doubleswing for this ability. **Details**Damage Source TriggerBrute Damage Type Trigger (Denizen)Cutting and Blunt Maingauche Chance150% of dexterity Maingauche DelayBetween 0.8 to 1.2 seconds Weapon Damage Modifier100% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)50% Equilibrium Cost2.00 seconds Cooldown (on proc)15 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires at least one arm functional. - Requires at least one leg functional. - (Proc) Costs 30 endurance to use. - (Proc) Weapon must be wielded in a functional arm. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Proc) Cannot be fallen. - Battlecry Stun a target with the power of your voice. #### Battlecry **Description**Syntax: BATTLECRY Let loose a powerful battlecry at your opponent, so that you might shatter their will to fight. They must be suffering from ringing ears or sensitivity, or it will have no effect. Otherwise it will: \* Knock their pill balance by an extra 1.35 seconds. \* Destroy the aura of rebounding if its not yet fully formed. Additionally, some bonus effects are applied depending on their condition: \* If they have extravasation, it will knock them over. \* If they have epilepsy, the equilibrium recovery time is shortened. \* If they have deadening, they will be stunned. If the target has all three of the above afflictions, then the cooldown on the ability is not applied. This ability can be used while you do not have balance. Cooldown: 6 seconds - Blocking Prevent movement in certain directions. #### Blocking **Description**Syntax: BLOCK and UNBLOCK Move into a position that blocks others from leaving your location, providing you are not incapacitated or feared. Should you move, you will cease to block. - Barge Barge your enemies from the room in a show of strength. #### Barge **Description**Syntax: BARGE Providing the target isn’t protected by the density defence, you can barge them in a direction of your choosing. This will push them in that direction for as far as you can go. - Mastery Stand as a weaponsmaster with your armament of choice. #### Mastery **Description**Usage: MASTERY SHOW MASTERY WEAPON MASTERY TALENT This grants you the ability to select a weapon you wish to become proficient in, and a talent you wish to focus your abilities upon. Once every so often, you will be able to change the weapon you are proficient in, and the talent you have chosen. The benefits of a talent require you to be wielding a weapon from the specified weapon class. Available talents: Small Blades and Bludgeons \* Serration : Attacks cause additional bleeding. \* Overpowering : Slight chance for a minor critical strike. \* Grace : You can avoid rebounded attacks. \* Rhythm : Generates a small amount of blade charge when parried. \* Exhausting : Your weapon strikes cause fatigue in your target. Large Blades and Bludgeons \* Opportunizing: Attacks penetrate armour if your target is fallen. \* Pummeling : Blunt attacks cause additional bruising. \* Overdriving : Empowered effects add to Burst and pass through. \* Whirling : Zeal has a 50% chance to resist tripping attacks. \* Remnants : Retains 1/4th of your charge when switching targets. Will affects both groups \* Poise : Reduced penalty for striking shielded targets. \* Conservation : Duality/Doubleswing cost less endurance. Cooldown (mastery): 60 minutes Cooldown (talent): 60 minutes - Doubletarget Direct your fury at two limbs. #### Doubletarget **Description**Syntax: TARGET WITH You are now dexterous enough to target two different bodyparts at the same time. Your left hand will always be the first to strike your target, and the right hand will strike second. This will only work in tandem with abilities that let you strike twice, such as Duality or Doublestrike. - Engage Strike down cowards as they flee from your might. #### Engage **Description**Syntax: ENGAGE and DISENGAGE This ability will allow you to deliver a final strike with your weapons that will briefly stun your target as they flee your location. Your focus upon this task will cause a continual mental strain, and can be used while off balance. Two-handed weapons will give you a 50% chance to stop them fleeing your location immediately. - You have learnt the following weaponry attacks - Strike Strike and batter your foe with blade and shield. #### Strike **Description**Syntax: STRIKEBASH Taught to all new fledging Templars, the basic weapon and shield combination makes for good defence and offensive power against simple foes. You can use any weapon listed upon HELP BATTLEFURY in the one-handed section with this ability. For shields, any shield will suffice. The shotel can also be used, but you must be one of the duamvi in order to do so. See HELP DUAMVI for more information. - Raze Raze the defences of your opponent. #### Raze **Description**Syntax: RAZE This ability will use your weapon to tear down defensive auras and abilities that protect your target. It will raze the following in order: Reflections Magical shields Rebounding aura Speed defence You can use any weapon that is compatible with Strike or Doubleswing for this ability. - Doubleswing Two attacks with a two-handed weapon. #### Doubleswing **Description**Syntax: DSW This attack makes use of the slow and powerful two-handed weapons of the realm to land two strikes or slashes in quick succession. You can use any weapon listed upon HELP BATTLEFURY in the two-handed section with this ability. The manta can also be used, unique to the Battlefury skill. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier60% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen, Blade)66% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen, Bludgeon)58% Weapon Trauma Modifier55% Endurance Cost (Per Strike)30 Weapon Speed Modifier110% Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Duality Attacking with a weapon in each hand. #### Duality **Description**Syntax: DSK For those that prefer to strike quick, then this ability allows the user to wield two different weapons in each hand so that you can strike with both in a single blow. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Strike for this ability. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier55% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen, Blade)62% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen, Bludgeon)59% Weapon Trauma Modifier55% Endurance Cost (Per Strike)25 Base Weapon Speed50% of each weapon Weapon Speed Modifier+0.10 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Arc Swing your blade in a controlled arc. #### Arc **Description**Syntax: ARC While wielding a two-handed weapon, you can sweep it in a large arc through your location, striking all those within it. This ability can be used while off equilibrium. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Doubleswing for this ability. - Charge Charge into your opponent. #### Charge **Description**Syntax: CHARGE After a short delay, you can charge at a player in an adjacent location and slam into them with your weapon in hand. They will be knocked to the ground, stunned for a short period, and form a bruise on their torso. If their torso is damaged, it will raise the bruising level one extra time. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Strike or Doubleswing for this ability, providing it is a bludgeoning weapon. - Rend Rend the flesh of your opponent. #### Rend **Description**Syntax: RENDING This ability will allow you to strike in manner that will rend the flesh of your target, causing them to bleed. If it is envenomed or empowered, then that effect will occur instead. You may make use of this ability while off equilibrium. You can only make use of this ability with either a flail, a morningstar, or any edged weapon. - Razestrike Raze and strike at the same time. #### Razestrike **Description**Syntax: RAZESTRIKE Like raze, this will destroy any protective auras and abilities that may prevent you from striking your target. However you will additionally strike them with either your right-hand weapon or your two-handed weapon. It will raze the following in order: Reflections Magical shields Rebounding aura Speed defence You can use any weapon that is compatible with Strike or Doubleswing for this ability. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier60% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen, Blade)66% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen, Bludgeon)58% Weapon Trauma Modifier55% Endurance Cost (Per Strike)25 Weapon Speed Modifier–5% Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (First Hit) Will bypass magical shields. - Cleave Split your foe in two. #### Cleave **Description**Syntax: CLEAVE A several stage attack that requires a large amount of time in order to completely cleave your target in twain. Should your finishing blow be successful, then they will be instantly slain. You may begin this ability even if your target is not present. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Strike or Doubleswing for this ability, providing it is a small blade or large blade. - Zeal A flurry of swift attacks. #### Zeal **Description**Syntax: ZEAL You now can attack your target with a flurry of four quick blows with a two-handed weapon. The time between each attack is the same regardless of the weapon you hold. Keep in mind however that if you become incapacitated in some manner, then you will cease your flurry. You may not utilise any action that consumes balance or equilibrium during your attack, otherwise you will interrupt it. You may however use Battlecry during it without interruption. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Doubleswing for this ability. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier60% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)35% Weapon Trauma Modifier55% Zeal Strike TimerEvery 1.00 seconds Additional Strikes3 strikes Balance Recovery4.40 seconds Requirements - Requires at least one arm functional. - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 60 endurance to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled. - Cannot have paresis or be paralysed. - Cannot be fallen. - Impale Sink your blade into the gut of your opponent. #### Impale **Description**Syntax: IMPALE and WITHDRAW BLADE Should your target be prone, you may thrust your blade into their stomach and impale them upon its steel. While impaled, your target will be unable to escape until they writhe free and you will be unable to attack until your weapon is withdrawn. If you are wielding a two-handed blade, you will also be able to impale them if they are suffering from shock and extravasation. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Strike or Doubleswing for this ability, providing it is a small blade or large blade. - Rupture Bludgeon their limbs to a pulp. #### Rupture **Description**Syntax: RUPTURE <\[empowerment\]> This ability will rupture the bruises upon the limb you specify, dealing a large amount of damage and deep bleeding equal to the severity of the bruise. The bruising level must be at least moderate in order to use this ability. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Strike or Doubleswing for this ability, providing it is a bludgeoning weapon. - Lunge A deep, piercing blow from an adjacent location. #### Lunge **Description**Syntax: LUNGE After a short delay, you may lunge at a target in an adjacent location. If you are wielding a bladed weapon then you will impale them with it. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Strike or Doubleswing for this ability, providing it is a small blade or large blade. - Tempest A whirlwind of martial might. #### Tempest **Description**Syntax: TEMPEST The usage of this ability will allow you to spin rapidly and strike out with your weapons at any who you do not consider an ally. You will continue spinning until there are no targets left for you to strike, or after six strikes. Any empowerments or venoms upon your weapon of choice will be delivered to whom you hit. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Strike or Doubleswing for this ability. - Disembowel Tear the entrails from your opponent. #### Disembowel **Description**Syntax: DISEMBOWEL Should you have your target impaled, you may carve your sword through their stomach and disembowel them. This will deal severe damage equal to roughly half their maximum health, however this can be increased depending if their torso is broken or mutilated. This will free them from their impalement as you disembowel them, and your blade will cut through any bindings they might have. If you manage to disembowel your target three times in short succession, then the shock to their system will be too much and they will perish. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Righteousness - Aura Surround yourself with a righteous aura. #### Aura **Description**Syntax: AURA and AURA OFF This ability allows you to activate and deactivate your various auras at the cost of your mana. Only one aura can be activated at a time and the amount of mana drained will depend upon the aura you use. Additionally, some auras will benefit your protected ally. The AB file will detail the benefits that they gain, if any. Using the AURA command by itself will detail what auras and blessings are affecting you. - Glance Search out your target. #### Glance **Description**Syntax: AURA GLANCE This ability allows you to seek out your target, learning their whereabouts within the land. If you are protecting your target or should they be flared, then you will be able to glean more detail about their location. - Blessing Convert an aura into a blessing. #### Blessing **Description**Syntax: AURA BLESSING and AURA OFF BLESSING \[blessing\] This allows you to convert an aura into a blessing, making its effects apply only to yourself and removing the mana drain. You can have a maximum of three blessings at once. - Contort Contort the aura of your target. #### Contort **Description**Syntax: AURA CONTORT Contort the aura of your target in way that affects their nature, inflicting them with a basic affliction. Afflictions possible: Paresis, stupidity, and confusion. - Protect Protect one of your allies. #### Protect **Description**Syntax: AURA PROTECT or AURA PROTECT NOBODY Offering your protection is a prerequisite to many abilities that you will learn. In order to protect another, they must consider you as their ally otherwise you will be unable to offer your protection. You can use this ability even if your intended target isn’t in the same location as you, however there is a short delay before it comes into full effect. Your protected target can choose to REJECT PROTECTION to cast off your protection. - Absorb Absorb one of your blessings to heal your wounds. #### Absorb **Description**Syntax: AURA ABSORB This ability will allow you to consume one of your blessings at random in order to heal your wounds and restore some mana. The amount that is restored will increase the more you learn in Righteousness. This skill can be used while off-balance or off-equilibrium. Cooldown: 15 seconds - Pilgrimage Travel to your protected ally. #### Pilgrimage **Description**Syntax: AURA PILGRIMAGE \[AURA\] This will allow you to travel instantly across the realm to your protected ally. If you have a latent aura in the land, then by specifying AURA you can travel to that instead. - Withering Wither the mind and body with their own aura. #### Withering **Description**Syntax: AURA WITHERING By twisting your target’s aura into a malevolent one, you can cause it to feed from its owner and drain their ability to function over time. This will give them the withering affliction. - Spirit Rally your allies with a Rite of Spirit. #### Spirit **Description**Usage: PERFORM RITE OF SPIRIT At the break of dawn, you may perform a Rite of Spirit, granting experience to everybody that attends. The amount of experience gained is increased based on number of attendants. If you perform the Rite before the Grand Flame of Enorian, you will also gain the ‘spirit’ defence for one hour, which will increase your resistance to denizen damage by 5%. - Concentration Focus your power to strengthen your aura. #### Concentration **Description**Syntax: AURA CONCENTRATE By focusing entirely on your aura, you can negate the mental drain required to maintain it as long as you make no aggressive actions. - Resurrection Return the dead to life. #### Resurrection **Description**Syntax: AURA RESURRECTION This ability allows you to utilise your aura and instill life back into to a dead comrade, providing that you are holding their corpse. If they choose to not accept the resurrection in a timely manner, then the body will crumble away. - Deliverance Summon your protected ally. #### Deliverance **Description**Syntax: AURA DELIVERANCE This ability allows you to summon your protected target to you, from anywhere on the same continent. - Unity Envelop your protected person within your aura. #### Unity **Description**Syntax: AURA UNITY This powerful ability will unify your aura with that of your protected ally for a temporary amount of time, granting you both significantly increased health and resistances should you both remain within the same location. Additionally, each of you will be relieved of a random affliction periodically. The cooldown of this ability is applied to both you and your ally. Neither can be affected by this skill until the cooldown is complete. Cooldown (both you and ally): 2 hours - You are able to utilise the following auras - Accuracy Improve your accuracy against others. #### Accuracy **Description**Syntax: AURA ACCURACY This aura will increase your ability to hit your target through afflictions and effects that might cause you to miss otherwise. This will also allow you to shoot a bow more accurately, although at a reduced effect. Aura: 20% increased chance to hit, increased dexterity. Blessing: 10% increased chance to hit. Your protected ally will also benefit from the effects of the aura providing they are in the same location as you. - Protection Harden yourself against physical attack. #### Protection **Description**Syntax: AURA PROTECTION This aura will steel your body, granting you extra protection against physical damage and magical attacks. Aura: 15% resistance to cutting, blunt, and magic damage, and increased wisdom. Blessing: 5% resistance to cutting, blunt, and magic damage. Your protected ally will also benefit from the effects of the aura providing they are in the same location as you. - Healing A soothing, regenerative aura. #### Healing **Description**Syntax: AURA HEALING This aura will dramatically increase your natural health regeneration and your constitution. Aura: 7% health regeneration, increased constitution. Blessing: 5% health regeneration. Your protected ally will also benefit from the effects of the aura providing they are in the same location as you. - Purity Purify your enemies. #### Purity **Description**Syntax: AURA PURITY This aura will attempt to purify the enemies around you with holy power, causing magical damage. It will also grant extra strength. Aura: 10% magical damage to enemies, increased strength. Blessing: 5% magical damage to enemies. Your protected ally will benefit from the increased strength providing they are in the same location as you. - Justice Bring justice to those who fear your might. #### Justice **Description**Syntax: AURA JUSTICE This aura will reduce the effectiveness of non-natural healing upon everyone within your location. Aura: 60% less non-natural healing. Blessing: 25% less non-natural healing. Your protected ally will be safe from the effects of this aura. - Pestilence Gift your enemies with sickness. #### Pestilence **Description**Syntax: AURA PESTILENCE By creating a bilious aura around yourself, you can cause a random enemy within the room to become sick with its effects. Your aura will cause one of the following afflictions: Vomiting, allergies, recklessness, masochism, epilepsy, or mirroring. Aura: The affliction becomes hidden to the target. Blessing: The affliction given is visible to the target. - Latency Create a latent aura upon your surrounds. #### Latency **Description**Syntax: AURA LATENCY \[OFF\] By embedding a latent aura within your surroundings, you attune yourself to that location, allowing yourself to use the Pilgrimage ability to travel there. A latent aura will last for a quarter of a day. - Spellbane Disrupt the mental faculties of spellcasters. #### Spellbane **Description**Syntax: AURA SPELLBANE This aura will attack the mental faculties of those within the location, increasing the amount of mana required in order to perform an ability. Aura: 50% increase to mana costs. Blessing: 20% increase to mana costs. Your protected ally will be safe from the effects of this aura. - Cleansing Keep yourself cleansed of impurities. #### Cleansing **Description**Syntax: AURA CLEANSING This aura will periodically attempt to heal any afflictions you may be suffering. If you are fully paralysed, then it will do nothing. Aura: Cures a random affliction every 14 seconds. Blessing: Cures a random affliction every 24 seconds. Your protected ally will also benefit from the effects of this aura providing they are in the same location as you. - Meditation A restorative aura that gives mana. #### Meditation **Description**Syntax: AURA MEDITATION This aura will dramatically increase your natural mana regeneration and bolster your intelligence. Aura: 7% mana regeneration, increased intelligence. Blessing: 5% mana regeneration. Your protected ally will also benefit from the effects of this aura providing they are in the same location as you. - Redemption Bestow redemption upon the fallen. #### Redemption **Description**Syntax: AURA REDEMPTION This aura will allow you to redeem those you slay, granting health, mana, endurance, and willpower. The effect will be weaker for denizens and will not include endurance and willpower. Aura: Full health, mana, endurance, and willpower based on the target. Blessing: 33% health and mana, and 10% endurance and willpower of the above. Your protected ally will also benefit from the effects of this aura providing they are in the same location as you. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Bladefire - Empower Empower your weapon. #### Empower **Description**Syntax: EMPOWER WITH This ability allows you to empower your weapons to engender certain effects. These effects will manifest when you strike an opponent. Refer to the empowerment section for abilities you can utilise. - Cleanse Cleanse empowerments from your weaponry. #### Cleanse **Description**Syntax: CLEANSE By cleansing a weapon, you can remove all empowerments that have been placed upon it. - Charging Your attacks will energize your weapons. #### Charging **Description**This ability is passive. Supplimentary syntax: BLADE CHARGE Each time you land a weapon strike against another, your weaponry will come to life and be energized with rippling power. This power can be used to release surges of magical energy at your opponent. The amount of charge gained will depend upon the base penetration stat of your weapon. The more penetration it has, the more charge you will gain. This power will slowly decay over time and should you unwield your weapons or strike a new target, the energy will vanish completely. Additionally, you can use the BLADE CHARGE command to see how much charge each of your weapons has. **Details**Base Charging15 charge Penetration Charging Bonus10% of penetration Two-Handed Charging Bonus+10% Maximum Charge150 charge Minimum Charge to Release40 charge Charging Decay TimerEvery 10 seconds Charging Loss–10 charge - Crescent Carve up your foe with a celestial crescent. #### Crescent **Description**Syntax: BLADE RELEASE \[\] CRESCENT By releasing your charged energy, you can cause a crescent of magical energy to strike your opponent with a hardened edge. \* One-handed weapons will deal reduced damage, but will cause a small amount of bleeding. \* Two-handed weapons will deal increased damage, and will damage their torso based on the amount of charge the weapon has. Against denizens, you will only deal damage to them. If your weapon is below a certain amount of charge, then the damage will be halved for all weapons. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeMagic Damage SourceArcane Base Damage8 for each charge + 6% Base Damage (Denizen)8 for each charge Low Charge Threshold130 charge Low Charge Penalty–50% One-Handed Bleeding30 One-Handed Damage Penalty–25% Two-Handed Trauma Dealt+1.00% trauma per 8 charge Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 200 mana to use. - Costs 50 endurance to use. - Costs 50 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Blastwave Unleash your weapon’s charge in a firey explosion. #### Blastwave **Description**Syntax: BLADE RELEASE \[\] BLASTWAVE This ability will release your weapon’s charge in a fiery explosion, releasing flames and setting your opponent on fire. The damage dealt will be based upon the amount of charge within your weapon. \* One-handed weapons will deal half the damage of two-handed ones. \* Two-handed weapons will also produce a roaring sound that causes ringing ears. - Iceblast Release a blast of icy air to freeze your foe. #### Iceblast **Description**Syntax: BLADE RELEASE \[\] ICEBLAST This ability will release the charge within your weapon as a blast of cold magic, chilling or freezing your opponent should they be inadequately protected. \* One-handed weapons will freeze your opponent by one level. \* Two-handed weapons will freeze your opponent by two levels, and freeze their feet to the floor for a period determined by the amount of charge within your weapon. You must have enough charge within your weapon in order to use this ability. - Waterflow Channel the flow of water through your blade. #### Waterflow **Description**Syntax: BLADE RELEASE \[\] WATERFLOW Much like water, you can empower your weapons to flow through the air when performing either Duality or Doubleswing. This will allow you to recover balance after using those abilities at a quickened rate. Please see either AB BATTLEFURY DUALITY or AB BATTLEFURY DOUBLESWING for more information on those abilities. You must have enough charge within your weapons in order to use this ability, and will fully drain all charge from any weapons in your hands. - Lightning Unleash a bolt of powerful lightning at your target. #### Lightning **Description**Syntax: BLADE RELEASE \[\] LIGHTNING If your opponent is within the local area, this ability releases a surge of lightning that will strike them with a delay after a few seconds. The amount of damage dealt will be based upon the charge of the weapon. If you are using a one-handed weapon: \* You or the target will need to not be indoors. \* If the charge is over 90, it will cause epilepsy when it strikes. \* The damage will be halved. If you are using a two-handed weapon: \* You or the target can be indoors. \* It will always cause epilepsy. \* If they have epilepsy already, it will upset their balance instead. The delay will become longer the less charge the weapon has. - Retribution Bring retribution upon your foe. #### Retribution **Description**Syntax: RETRIBUTION Should your opponent be suffering from delirium, extravasation, sundering, and paralysis, then this power will kill them instantly. - Vorpal A spiritual strike with your blade. #### Vorpal **Description**Syntax: BLADE RELEASE \[\] VORPAL By directing your weapon toward a target, you can release its charge in an invisible strike of vorpal energy. This attack will cause no damage, but will deliver any effects or venoms upon the weapon. It does not target a body part. You must have enough charge within your weapons in order to use this ability, and will fully drain all charge from any weapons in your hands. - Penance Impose a Penance upon your foe. #### Penance **Description**Syntax: PENANCE This powerful ability will impose a penance upon your target. Should your opponent take damage within a single instance where an extra 50% damage would result in their death, then the imposed penance will take effect and finish the blow – killing them and leaving no corpse behind. Cooldown: 60 seconds - Bladefury Unleash the fury of your blade. #### Bladefury **Description**Syntax: BLADEFURY \[ON|OFF\] While enabled, this ability will half the natural drain of your charged weapons over time, allowing you to build and maintain them more easily. This will drain your willpower to maintain however. - You are able to use the following empowerments - Sacrifice Damage your enemies, at the cost of your own health. #### Sacrifice **Description**Empower effect. When a weapon empowered with sacrifice strikes your target, it will draw health from you to damage your opponent for a percent of their current health. This can affect denizens, however it cannot score critical hits. - Torch Shine a light. #### Torch **Description**Empower effect. You can empower your blade with a torch effect, lighting up darkened locations with your blade. This will last a limited amount of time. - Conviction Your conviction shall weaken the enemy #### Conviction **Description**Empower effect. An opponent struck by a weapon empowered with your conviction will leave them susceptible to stronger empowerments within your kit. Only one Templar may have their conviction placed upon an opponent at the same time. - Disrupt Disrupt the balances of your foe. #### Disrupt **Description**Empower effect. A weapon empowered with disrupt will muddle the balances of those it strikes. First it will hammer their blood vessels, ensuring that extravasation occurs, and then it will shear their mind, leaving them in a state of delirium. This empowerment will have no effect if they are not under your conviction. - Cripple Attack with crippling bursts of energy. #### Cripple **Description**Empower effect. A weapon empowered with cripple will have two scaling effects, which will wear off over time if left uncured. The first strike will attack their legs, leaving them in a state of lameness, while the second strike will completely sever control to their body in an act of sundering. This empowerment will have no effect if they are not under your conviction. - Flare Flaring lights to prevent stealth. #### Flare **Description**Empower effect. When struck by the flare empowerment, for a period of time, the opponent will become visible despite any abilities that might hide them. They will additionally be unable to become incorporeal if they have such abilities that allow them to do so. - Trauma Send a traumatic blast of power into your foes limb. #### Trauma **Description**Empower effect. A weapon empowered with trauma will cause it to deal additional damage to your opponent’s limbs, should you directly attack a limb. The amount of extra limb damage dealt will be proportional to the base damage stat of your weapon. - Numbing A surge of energy to numb your foes limbs. #### Numbing **Description**Empower effect. This power will numb the nerves and muscles in the limb your weapon strikes for a short amount of time. The way this works is that a numbed limb will act as though it is crippled, but only if the opposite limb is crippled as well. It will have no effect otherwise. Only affects the arms and legs. - Combustion Burn away your foes’ mana. #### Combustion **Description**Empower effect. A weapon empowered with combustion will harm the mental faculties of your opponent, burning their mana reserves. The amount burned is increased should your opponent be under your conviction. - Resonance Cause your opponent to resonate with your power. #### Resonance **Description**Empower effect. This power will allow you to resonate with your opponent for a limited time, making it easier to use certain abilities on your opponent. This will allow you to use them without cost to your balance or equilibrium. The following abilities are effected: Diagnose, Wounds, Gauge, and Assess. - Burst A delayed burst of psychic damage. #### Burst **Description**Empower effect. A weapon empowered with burst will store energy within your target for 30 seconds. After this time has expired or should they be knocked to the ground, the energy will burst outwards, attacking their mind with psychic damage. You can combine other empowerment effects with the burst effect by striking them with it before it triggers. The following empowerments may be added: Burst – Increases the psychic damage dealt. Trauma – Causes 7% trauma to the head. Numbing – Numbs an unhurt leg. Stress – Causes bruising on the head. Stun – Stuns the opponent for 1 second. Destruction – Destroys a random defence. Combustion – Drains the target of their mana. Resonance – Afflicts them with resonance. Flare – Afflicts them with flared. - Stun A disrupting blast of power to stun your foe. #### Stun **Description**Empower effect. A weapon empowered with stun will unleash a burst of concussive energy when it strikes, stunning your opponent for a short time. - Blaze Empower your weapon to destroy rebounding auras. #### Blaze **Description**Empower effect. A weapon empowered with blaze will burn through the anti-weapon rebounding aura defence on your opponent, should you strike the aura when attacking them. This will destroy the aura in the process. You will not gain any weapon charge from striking your target with this effect. - Destruction Use your weapon to strip your foe’s defences. #### Destruction **Description**Empower effect. A weapon empowered with destruction will destroy a single defence from your opponent that does not originate from themselves. - Stress Forcefully form bruises upon your opponent. #### Stress **Description**Empower effect. This power will have your weapon cause a bruise or upgrade a bruise upon your opponent, providing you directly attack a limb. - Hemorrhage Crush a bleeding opponent. #### Hemorrhage **Description**Empower effect. A weapon empowered with hemorrhage will cause any damaged blood vessels spilling blood to boil and deal poison damage based on how much they are bleeding, and how many bruises they have. The more of both they have, the more damage it will deal. This ability will add some bleeding as well for each bruise the opponent has. ## Visual style and identity The Templar way is one steeped in physical acuity and martial discipline. In battle, the Templar’s weapon is an extension of themselves, an undeniable presence on the field identified by its shining empowerment. As masters-at-arms, many Templars take up leadership roles on the battlefield, and their resplendent auras serve as beacons around which allies rally. Their presence inspires trust and confidence, even in times of great peril. The visual identity is heavy armor, a great sword or hammer empowered by Bladefire, and an aura visible to everyone in the room. ## Side effects of the work The Templar life is sworn to good and purity, and cynicism is not an uncommon trait in veteran Templars. The lesson that one cannot right all the world’s woes alone is a hard one, a bitter pill that many are unwilling to swallow. Younger Templars in particular are prone to taking their zeal for justice to extremes, quick to anger and slow to cool their tempers. Others go the other way. They look at the prolific nature of evil, darkness, and chaotic forces in the world and find their faith deepens. Their conviction strengthens. Their ability to compartmentalize and see the duty done grows steadier with each campaign. Same work, two different long-term shapes. ## Who plays this class The Templar is a class for players who want a holy knight with weight and consequence. Templars are, almost to the last man, soldiers in service to the Light. A Templar is concerned with duty and integrity, every action guided by the code of ethics handed down by the guild. Some have a deep affinity for religious observation. All of them seek to uphold justice rather than seek vengeance. Mechanically, the class rewards players who like disciplined martial combat with magical depth. Battlefury teaches the weapons. Righteousness teaches the auras that change the field. Bladefire ties them together. The class plays well on its own and also leads well from the front, making Templar one of the more sought-after PvP raid leaders on the Spirit side. To live the life of a Templar is to be courageous in the face of Aetolia’s greatest perils. Self-sacrifice and grim duty are common themes. The class does not soften the cost. ## City and guild The Templar guild home is the Vigil in [Enorian](/world/enorian/), the Hammer of Dawn. Patron: Celezor, Accord of the Righteous. The Vigil houses both the Templar class and its sister class, the [Akkari](/character-classes/akkari/) (Duamvi warriors from the Plane of Spirit who wield Ascendance, Dictum, and Discipline alongside the twin-bladed manta). Joining the Templars means committing to Spirit. You will not be able to actively hold any Shadow-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Spirit classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race choice is independent of class, so you can play a Templar of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Templar mirror is the [Revenant](/character-classes/revenant/), Spinesreach’s Shadow blade-wielders. Both are martial classes built on bladework, but the Templar’s steel burns with sacred light while the Revenant’s channels the ambient shadow woven into the world itself. The Templar empowers steel with Bladefire and divine radiance. The Revenant works the blade with ancient Kalsu empowerments drawn from ambient shadow (the elemental shadow woven into the Prime Material Plane itself), not from a direct channel to Czjetija. ## Frequently asked questions **Is the Templar good for new players?** Yes. The Templar is widely recommended as one of the best beginner classes in Aetolia. Combat progression is clear, the guild leadership is active, and the roleplay frame (holy knight with a code) is easy for newcomers to grip. The Battlefury weapons-focus is a familiar starting point. Righteousness and Bladefire layer in depth once you have settled in. **What is the difference between a Templar and an Akkari?** Both share the Vigil as guild home, but they fight differently. Templars wield blades, hammers, and Bladefire as mortals trained in adapted Duamvi techniques. Akkari are Duamvi themselves, drawing power directly from Rewh’va and the Triad, and they fight with the twin-bladed manta. The Templar is the holy knight. The Akkari is the holy warrior of Spirit, distinct in lineage and tools. **Do Templars only fight Shadow enemies?** No. Templars are sworn to uphold justice and to defend Enorian against any threat to the city or to the faithful. Most campaigns are against Shadow forces, particularly the Carnifex and the Imperial Dominion, but Templars also pursue criminals, heretics, and corrupt powers regardless of tether. The code of ethics is the constant. The targets vary. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Templar profile. Or see [the full Aetolia class roster](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Akkari](/character-classes/akkari/) Templar’s sister class in the Vigil. Duamvi holy warriors of Rewh’va. Ascendance, Dictum, Discipline. Pick Akkari if you like the Vigil’s faith frame but want Duamvi lineage, the twin-bladed manta, and direct power from the Triad rather than mortal mastery of empowered steel. ### [Revenant](/character-classes/revenant/) Templar’s Shadow mirror. Spinesreach’s blade-wielders. Riving, Manifestation, Chirography. Pick Revenant if you like the martial-blade chassis but want to play on the Shadow side, working with ambient shadow and Kalsu word-power rather than Bladefire’s sacred radiance. ### [Luminary](/character-classes/luminary/) Enorian’s warrior-priest class in the Illuminai. Spirituality, Devotion, Illumination. Pick Luminary if you want to stay in Enorian and Spirit but prefer mace, shield, and a guardian angel to heavy weaponry and judgement auras. [Back to the Aetolia class roster](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Templar and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Teradrim of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/teradrim/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Teradrim of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-teradrim-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Teradrim class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Teradrim are Aetolia’s earth warrior-mages, a Shadow-tethered class in Bloodloch that wields Terramancy (stone and earth as a bludgeon, focused on the flail), Animation (golem-crafting with Earthen runes of power), and Desiccation (sand magic that turns landscapes to wasteland). At a glance**Tether**Shadow**City**[Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/)**Guild**Apostles (Patron: Arvelis, the Jackal)**Skill sets**Terramancy, Animation, Desiccation**Mirror class**[Tidesage](/character-classes/tidesage/) (Spirit)**Sister class in guild**[Earthcaller](/character-classes/earthcaller/)**Signature mechanic**Golem-binding (semi-autonomous earthen servants)**Best for**Players who want heavy elemental magic with a pet-class layerEstablished in the year 164 of the Midnight Age, the original Teradrim warband made its home in the deep caverns under Bloodloch. From the Earthen Grotto, the Teradrim and their Earthcaller siblings keep watch over the Pillars of the Earth, the ancient structures that hold the world’s prisons stable. If you want a class that combines elemental-mage scale with martial weapon work and a permanent golem companion bound to your will, the Teradrim is one of Aetolia’s most distinctive Shadow picks. ## Origin and lore Teradrim pursue power through domination of the Earth. They live in the Earthen Grotto beneath Bloodloch and stand vigil over the Pillars of the Earth, which are uncountable cthonic monoliths that keep the Elemental Plane of Earth and the Prime Material Plane from colliding. If the Pillars fail, the planes collide. That is the apocalypse the Teradrim exist to prevent. The deeper threat is older. In ages past, the Sorcerer-Kings of Azvosh, some of the highest-ranking Earthen, tried to steal the Pillars’ power for themselves. The earth answered. The Sorcerer-Kings were bound to the Pillars for eternity, drained of strength as they struggle to break free, and the prison itself must be fed with regular offerings of blood to keep it stable. The strongest Teradrim stand as kin of the Earthen, taking on their form and drawing on the Pillars to fuel their strength. Their values come straight from Ivoln, the Earthen Lord, who conquered Azvosh in ages past and instilled into the Earthen a creed of strength, purity, violent conquest, and endurance without end. Modern Teradrim memorialise that conquest through disciplined war dances and ritual practice. ## Skill sets The Teradrim skill sets are Terramancy, Animation, and Desiccation. **Terramancy** is the foundational elemental art. A Teradrim eschews fine elemental work in favour of treating earth and stone as a bludgeon. Binding rites call up earth and rock to shatter limbs and skulls, and the class wields the flail in close combat as its signature weapon. **Animation** is the golem skill. A Teradrim raises lifeless soldiers of stone and earth, etching them with runes of power that bind the construct to its maker’s will. Golems are bulky, powerful entities that fight alongside the Teradrim. At advanced levels, they can be taught reflexes and devastating combat manoeuvres, and they effectively become a second body for their maker. **Desiccation** is the sand and ruin art. A Teradrim draws on the sweltering sands of the desert to dry land, blight terrain, and leave a battlefield as a desolate waste. The skill operates on a larger environmental scale than Terramancy’s direct strikes. ## Skill abilities Terramancy Animation Desiccation Filter abilities Title Contents ### Terramancy - Formation Call upon the Earth to grant you a deadly flail. #### Formation **Description**Syntax: EARTH FORM EARTH PETRIFY Creates an earthen flail, that you may use to crush your foes. Unlike flails formed of metal, it will not be as durable and will possess inferior quality, however it can serve well in a pinch. You can additionally petrify “a steel-banded club” item, turning it into a suitable stone war club. - Absorb Let the Earth ease all physical afflictions. #### Absorb **Description**Syntax: EARTH ABSORB Call upon the earth to cleanse yourself of a random affliction. Should you be standing underground or in a flood of sand, then you will remove an extra affliction. Cooldown: 15 seconds - Stonebind Embed your weapon into your body. #### Stonebind **Description**Syntax: EARTH STONEBIND By binding your weapon in stone, its earthen properties will extend and envelop your arms in a sheet of granite – both preventing you from being disarmed and allowing you to make use of it with a single crippled arm. Note that although you will be able to attack with a single crippled arm, it will inflict a penalty on the speed of your flail attacks if you choose to do so. - Surefooted Travel with ease across the earth. #### Surefooted **Description**Syntax: EARTH SUREFOOTED The earth will now grant you passage, allowing you to move with increased celerity for a limited time as long as you stand upon the ground. - Entwine Punish your foe for tactical missteps. #### Entwine **Description**Syntax: EARTH ENTWINE Entwine your hands with earthen magic so that, when you parry an opponent’s blow, you can touch their weapon in response and fill it with the weight of the earth. This weight will disarm your opponent if they cannot hold onto their weapon, otherwise there is a small chance it will cripple their arm under its weight. - Stoneblast Break through barriers with a rock blast. #### Stoneblast **Description**Syntax: EARTH STONEBLAST Releasing a volley of stone fragments will allow you to shatter the aura of rebounding or a magical shield upon your target. Should they be protected by neither, then you will strip a random defence instead at an increased balance cost. - Resonance Regenerate your body upon the earth. #### Resonance **Description**Syntax: EARTH RESONANCE Resonating with the might of the earth will grant you a bonus to your health and mana regeneration, providing you remain upon the ground. - Footfeel Sense movement within the earth. #### Footfeel **Description**Syntax: EARTH FOOTFEEL As a master of the earth, it is a simple task to check for those enter into its embrace through the vibrations in the rock. This ability will allow you to passively sense if an adventurer enters into the ground below through any means in your current area. You must be upon the ground to feel the vibrations. - Stonefury Imbue your flail with the earth’s force. #### Stonefury **Description**Syntax: EARTH IMBUE STONEFURY Imbue your flail with the fury of stone. This will cause your flail to deal increased damage against your target, however as a trade off, your attacks will become somewhat slower. You may only imbue your flail with one force at a time. - Grasp Knock your foe from the sky. #### Grasp **Description**Syntax: EARTH GRASP Send forth a column of earth into the skies above you, dragging down a target of choice who attempts to evade your grasp. This will throw them to the ground and knock them off balance if successful. - Rockshower Pelt your enemies with rocks. #### Rockshower **Description**Syntax: EARTH ROCKSHOWER Providing you are within an earthen environment, this lesser manifestation of earthen might will draw the sharp rocks from around you into a swarm above you, then drop them upon your unwilling enemies in the location. You may perform this ability in the following earthen environments: Mountain, Hills, Desert, Natural underground, Constructed underground, Mines, Lifeless sands, Cavern, Crater, Canyon, Dirt. There is also a small chance one of the rocks will upset the balance of a person it strikes. If you are indoors, then it will become harder to escape the swarm of rocks and the damage will be increased. - Merge Merge with the earth. #### Merge **Description**Syntax: EARTH MERGE EARTH SHIFT EARTH EMERGE Merge into the earth, taking you below ground. While buried within the earth, you can shift around to travel, and emerge again when ready. When you emerge back to the surface, you will burst free from the ground and hurl rubble and stone at your enemies, dealing blunt damage to them. - Quake The earth will ripple and shake. #### Quake **Description**Syntax: EARTH QUAKE The earth will shake with your very presence, damaging anyone in your location who is unlucky enough to have fallen upon the ground. This damage is further amplified by the amount body part damage inflicted upon the victim. - Erosion Imbue your flail with the desert’s rage. #### Erosion **Description**Syntax: EARTH IMBUE EROSION By imbuing your flail with the force of the desert, each strike has half a chance to increase the strength of your sandstorm in your location by one level. You can read AB DESICCATION SANDSTORM for more information. You may only imbue your flail with one force at a time. - Runemark Etch ancient runes upon your flail. #### Runemark **Description**Syntax: EARTH INSCRIBE UPON Major rune: 2 inks Minor rune: 1 ink You may now etch ancient runes upon yourself, granting you a number of bonuses. The first rune etched is known as the minor rune, and is etched upon a major rune. Depending on the colors used, a number of effects will occur. — MAJOR — RED: Improves limb damage by flails, reduces direct damage. BLUE: Stonefury damage increased and malus reduced, reduces limb damage. YELLOW: Erosion chance improved by 10% and doubles sandstorm growth. GREEN: Fracture now has a 50% chance to make the target fall. PURPLE: You may swap your minor rune with no equilibrium loss. — MINOR — RED: Fracture becomes faster and deals increased limb damage. YELLOW: Increases bleeding done from Teradrim abilities by 30%. BLUE: The chance for Ricochet to fade/end is decreased. GREEN: Gutsmash will cause the arrhythmia affliction. PURPLE: You may swap your major rune with no equilibrium loss. GOLD: Your flail damage is dependent on intelligence, not strength. For purple inks, the same syntax is used, but as long as the purple ink remains in the slot it was originally painted in no equilibrium loss will be incurred. - Earthenpass Travel through the earth itself. #### Earthenpass **Description**Syntax: EARTH PASS While buried within the earth, you may travel to your target anywhere on the continent after a short delay. Should there be a monolith or should either of you stand in a non-earthen location, then the delay will become somewhat longer. Earthen environments include: Mountains, hills, desert, natural underground, constructed underground, mines, lifeless sand, caverns, craters, canyons, and dirt. - Chasm Absorb your foe back into the earth. #### Chasm **Description**Syntax: EARTH CHASM You may draw upon the earth itself to devour your victim, slaying them instantly after a channelled delay. While opening the chasm will require your full attention, there is a small chance that it will expand to an extra two enemies within your location, slaying them as well if the action is completed. - Impale Strike through your foe with a stalagmite. #### Impale **Description**Syntax: EARTH IMPALE WITHDRAW STALAGMITE You may draw upon the earth with your flail to provide a massive stalagmite, allowing you to impale a prone target upon its end. You may withdraw the stalagmite to free them if you so choose. - Steady Cleanse the earth of unnatural effects. #### Steady **Description**Syntax: EARTH STEADY \[RITE|VERSE\] You may purge the earth around you of unnatural effects, it will, in order: \* Remove magically flooded water \* Destroy a spiritual rite \* Destroy an Earthen verse You may choose whether to target a rite or verse only, if you so desire. - Ricochet Bounce your weapon off of theirs. #### Ricochet **Description**Syntax: EARTH RICOCHET You may swing your weapon with such force and precision that parried blows will sometimes bounce from your target’s weapon, crippling a random limb and delivering a small stun to the unfortunate victim. You have a chance to lose your concentration with each ricochet, causing the defence to fade. - Stonevice Turn their innards to stone. #### Stonevice **Description**Syntax: EARTH STONEVICE Should your victim remain impaled upon your stalagmite, you may cause the earth to explode – shredding their gut and dealing both magical damage and asphyxiation damage at once. The rock shrapnel will also inflict light and deep wounds upon their body, and cause trauma to their torso. - Tomb Let them rest deep within the earth. #### Tomb **Description**Syntax: EARTH TOMB If there is an opponent buried within the earth below you, you can instruct the earth to crush them of their breath and bones. This will deal significant damage and crack their ribs under the pressure. - Momentum Make every blow faster and more wicked. #### Momentum **Description**Syntax: EARTH MOMENTUM Increase your internal momentum, causing the next five flail attacks that you use to have 15% increased accuracy and 20% less downtime due to balance loss. This does not cost equilibrium nor balance to activate and will expire if not used promptly. Cooldown: 60 seconds - Earthenwill Release your golem’s potential. #### Earthenwill **Description**Syntax: PREPARE EARTHENWILL \[imprint action\] Imbue your golem with the will to deliver a blow of choice against your target when you next land a successful attack with your flail. If you do not select a choice of attack, then it will choose on its own. This ability costs no equilibrium or balance to activate. Cooldown (when triggered): 15 seconds - Shockwave Unleash a resonant wave that cripples limbs. #### Shockwave **Description**Syntax: EARTH SHOCKWAVE You may send a ripple through the earth itself, crippling any limb with bruising on your unfortunate foe, to a maximum of three, and leave them fallen. Should they lack levitation, then it will cripple three random limbs regardless of bruising state. If they are affected by the quicksand affliction, then it will wear off. Please AB DESICCATION QUICKSAND for more information. - Earthenmaw Churn the earth into a gaping maw of spikes. #### Earthenmaw **Description**Syntax: EARTH EARTHENMAW Call upon the earth to open its maw wide, thrusting forth stalagmites of stone to impale any enemy of yours in your location or adjacent that is prone. If they remain impaled for more than five seconds and stand upon soft ground, then they will be dragged into the earth below. They will need to BURROW ABOVE in order to escape. - Undeath Impart the gift of Undeath. #### Undeath **Description**Syntax: EARTH UNDEATH Through choice and voluntary sacrifice, one may shed the coils of mortality and embrace the Gift given by the Earthen Father. What was left of the weak mortal body will be left behind, embraced into a new form helped to be shaped by the Earth itself. In making this choice, one will no longer visit Lord Dhar’s realm through death, but rely upon the earth for reshaping. The purification process must be done within Ivoln’s temple, before His shrine, where Earthcaller Khuzrol resides. This skill requires you to be a part of the Apostle guild, or to be sanctioned by the guild, in order to successfully use. You are able to use this while you are in a different class, providing that you maintain ownership over this skill. - Earthenform Embrace your true form, and become one of the Earthen. #### Earthenform **Description**Syntax: EARTHENFORM EMBRACE EARTHENFORM RELEASE DESCRIBE EARTHENFORM SELF You may make a pact with the jailers of the sorcerer-kings of Azvosh, granting yourself the strength of the Pillars of the Earth and rising to embrace a new, massive earthenform. While in this state, you will receive the following bonuses: \* Increased strength. \* Increased constitution. \* Increased intelligence. \* Resistance to electrical damage. \* Can speak the Earthen language. - You can use the following flail attacks upon your enemies - Batter Assault your foe with a whirling flail. #### Batter **Description**Syntax: EARTH BATTER \[body part\] Grasping your flail, you may batter your foe in quick succession and deal damage to them. If you so choose, you may aim for a specific body part in the hopes of causing trauma to an adventurer. You may aim for the head, the torso, an arm, or a leg. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier100% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)89% Set Weapon Trauma13.75% Set Weapon Speed Range2.40 to 3.10 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Slam Crush their limbs with a traumatic blow. #### Slam **Description**Syntax: EARTH SLAM By whirling your weapon in a wide arc, you can batter your target’s limbs with a powerful blow – causing limb damage and inflicting surface trauma in the form of bruises. - Facesmash A blow to the face leaves them reeling. #### Facesmash **Description**Syntax: EARTH FACESMASH A heavy blow to the head with your flail will both cause vicious damage to your victim and inflict surface trauma in the form of bruises. - Gutsmash Crush their innards with a forceful strike. #### Gutsmash **Description**Syntax: EARTH GUTSMASH This mighty blow to the torso with your flail will not only harm your foe, but inflict trauma in form of bruises in the process. - Fracture Their limbs crumble beneath your blows. #### Fracture **Description**Syntax: EARTH FRACTURE This powerful swing from your flail will crack an opponent’s limb, dealing trauma to it. Should the limb be suffering from bruising, then the blow will cause bonus limb damage depending on the severity, and will additionally cripple it. - Furor Batter your target and their limbs. #### Furor **Description**Syntax: EARTH FUROR In a moment of furor, bring your flail crashing down upon an opponent twice, attacking two body parts of your choice and dealing damage to them. You may not target the same body part twice. You can only target the arms or legs with this ability. For example, you could target the left leg and right arm. - Overhand Bypass their defenses in a mighty blow. #### Overhand **Description**Syntax: EARTH OVERHAND You may position your flail strike to bypass your target’s aura of rebounding, knocking them to the ground and stripping their levitation defence in the process. - Pulp Crush their chest as they lie bleeding. #### Pulp **Description**Syntax: EARTH PULP This powerful strike to the torso will only connect to a prone target, dealing heavy damage and crushing their chest. This will collapse their lung in the process, making it difficult to escape and cause harm when smoking a pipe until it is cured. - Barrage A perpetual assault upon their body. #### Barrage **Description**Syntax: EARTH BARRAGE A slow but powerful barrage upon your foe. This will strike your opponent three times with your flail, battering random limbs in a chaotic fashion, although each landed hit will be slightly weaker. It will not strike the same limb more than once. Additionally, there is one-in-two chance that each blow will cause surface trauma to your opponent’s limb, forming a bruise where your flail struck. - Skullbash Shatter their skull with your weapon. #### Skullbash **Description**Syntax: EARTH SKULLBASH This slow but powerful blow to the head will deal hefty damage to the opponent with your flail. Against adventurers, it will cause trauma to their skull and deal an increasing number of afflictions dependent on the bruising currently inflicted to the head. Each effect is cumulative. No bruising: Amnesia. Minor bruising: Whiplash. Moderate bruising: Indifference. Severe bruising: Smashed throat. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier130% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)126% Set Weapon Trauma16.00% Set Weapon Speed Range3.40 to 4.10 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 60 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Hammer Bury them beneath a cascade of stone. #### Hammer **Description**Syntax: EARTH HAMMER Generate a massive cascade of stone to form an earthen maul, bringing it down upon your victim in an attempt to end their life. Your victim must possess at least three body parts with moderate bruising or more to be successful, otherwise it will have little effect. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Animation - Animate Draw forth the power of the earth and raise a servant. #### Animate **Description**Syntax: GOLEM ANIMATE You are now capable of animating a great golem from earthen materials, binding it to your will. In order to do this you must first collect five pieces of clay from the land, which can be collected by digging in a Swamp or a Wetland environment. You can view HELP LOYALTY for more information on how to command it. - Instruct Issue instructive commands to your golem. #### Instruct **Description**Syntax: GOLEM \[…\] Instruct commands to your golem, even remotely from a distance if you so choose. Each command will do something different and is explained below. Info – GOLEM INFO \[ITEMS\]: Learn about the state of your golem. Get – GOLEM GET : Grab an item from their location. Give – GOLEM GIVE TO : Pass an item to someone. Drop – GOLEM DROP : Have your golem drop an item it holds. Call – GOLEM CALL: Recall your golem from a distance, returning to your side. Return – GOLEM RETURN: Have your golem retreat to safety within the earth. - Imprinting Imprint actions to take when there is opportunity. #### Imprinting **Description**Syntax: GOLEM IMPRINT GOLEM REFLEX GOLEM IMPRINTS You may infuse your golem with a lasting mental imprint, allowing them to recognize when they should perform certain attacks. When a golem is ready to attack and has been ordered to fight, they will go down their list of imprints in sequential order, using the first ability that they are capable of doing. To take advantage of this, it is wise to place imprints that you wish to prioritize before later ones. Generally speaking, abilities with no or few conditions should be the last on the list. If the golem is unable to attack with an ability imprinted upon it, it will default to the Strike ability. They may also be given reflexes, which will cause your golem to immediately act when a situation presents itself. However, each reflex beyond the first will slow down how often your golem attacks slightly. - Erasure Dispel any imprints present within your golem. #### Erasure **Description**Syntax: GOLEM ERASURE \[ALL\] In a single thought, you may erase all imprints from your golem. Should you specify ALL, reflexes will also be forgotten. - Movement Order your golem to move about the land. #### Movement **Description**Syntax: GOLEM MOVE You may command your golem to move about independent of your actions. You may even command it remotely. - Earthpaint Coat your golem in paints to empower their abilities. #### Earthpaint **Description**Syntax: GOLEM PAINT You may paint your golem in a variety of coloured inks, enhancing its abilities. Red ink: Each strike has a 33% chance to ignite the foe and deal extra fire damage. Blue ink: Each strike has a 33% chance to freeze the foe and deal extra cold damage. Yellow ink: Your servant will regenerate health much more quickly, and you will be granted a minor bonus when using health elixirs. Green ink: Every third hit, your flail will deliver the loki venom to your opponent. Purple ink: A golem infused with purple paint will receive no penalty to their attack speed for the first three reflexes they are trained to perform, and they gain an extra slot for their vigilance ability. A golem may only be painted with one ink at a time, and any new inks will replace the previous. - Listening Open your mind to allow your golem in. #### Listening **Description**Syntax: GOLEM LISTEN Your golem will continually report anything said within their location, should you not be present. - Escape When in grave danger, your ally will quickly flee. #### Escape **Description**Syntax: GOLEM ESCAPE HERE You may specify a location for your golem to escape to, should they fall below 25% of their maximum health. - Glance Envision whatever your golem views. #### Glance **Description**Syntax: GOLEM GLANCE At a minor cost to equilibrium, you may envision whatever your golem can see. - Priority Ensure your golem acts on your behalf. #### Priority **Description**Syntax: GOLEM PRIORITY This command allows you to specify an ability for your golem to use when next available, regardless of your imprint order. The ability must still meet the specified requirements in order to activate, otherwise it will perform like normal. Priority requires balance to set and consumes a very small amount of equilibrium. - Recover Instantly infuse your ally with restorative energy. #### Recover **Description**Syntax: GOLEM RECOVER By lending mental power to your golem, you will cause them to instantly regenerate a portion of their life. This ability consumes a moderate amount of equilibrium, but may be done off balance. - Bodylink Your golem is a medium for speech and thought. #### Bodylink **Description**Syntax: GOLEM SAY GOLEM EMOTE You are now linked to your golem’s thoughts, allowing you to control their speech and actions. This can be performed even at a distance. - Memory Your golem will remember all commands given #### Memory **Description**Syntax: GOLEM MEMORY SWITCH <1|2|3> Your golem is now capable of storing their memory of imprints and reflexes, allowing you to switch between three distinct plans of action. - Servant Order your golem to retrieve your quarry. #### Servant **Description**Syntax: GOLEM SERVANT You may order your golem to fetch the body of any kills that you make. - Intertwine Blend inks to further empower your ally. #### Intertwine **Description**Usage: GOLEM INTERTWINE You can now paint a second ink upon your golem, allowing it to receive two Earthpaint benefits at once. - Twinsoul Link bodies with your golem. #### Twinsoul **Description**Syntax: GOLEM TWINSOUL You may bind your body to your golem, allowing you to share a portion of each other’s damage. Should your golem die, however, you will find yourself suffering heavily – taking a heavy amount of damage and receiving a significant stun. - Vigilance Perfect your golem’s training. #### Vigilance **Description**Syntax: GOLEM VIGILANCE \[ability2\] Your golem is now so well-trained that they may be taught to specifically hone their reflexes on a single chosen task. This reflex will become innate to them with no penalty to attack speed, and will, in some cases, bolster its capabilities in that task. There is a significant cooldown upon changing this effect however, so make sure you choose wisely. Some of the bolstered effects include: CORNER – Increases your own ability to dodge by 3%. AIRGUARD – Arrows will be reflected, chance to deflect increased. RATTLE – Increases damage and balance loss on hit. FEND – Increases resistance to all forms of damage. PROP – Will proc 100% of the time. SHAKE – Chance increased and golem also causes amnesia on hit. STEADFAST – Attempts to move allies have a chance to fail. You do not need the reflex to be imprinted in order to gain the benefits. It will be enabled automatically regardless of your imprinted selections. A golem can normally only have a single vigilance, unless it has been painted with purple earthpaint which grants a second. Cooldown: 1 hour - Your golem can have the following imprints - Strike Your golem will strike down enemies with powerful fists. #### Strike **Description**Imprinted ability. Your golem will strike any foe they are capable of, directly dealing blunt damage. - Heartpunch Command your golem to deliver a jarring strike. #### Heartpunch **Description**Imprinted ability. Should your target possess bruising upon the torso, your golem will take advantage with a powerful blow to the chest that causes an arrhythmia and will briefly stun them. If the target is in the process of forming an aura of rebounding, then the punch will disrupt the aura from congealing into a fully fledged defence against weapons. - Rip Break their bones when they lie before you. #### Rip **Description**Imprinted ability. Your golem will attempt to wrench a prone opponent’s limbs, crippling one in the process. If all limbs are crippled, then it will cause trauma to the torso instead. - Wrack Punish your enemy with a weakening effect. #### Wrack **Description**Imprinted ability. Your golem is not only capable of physical punishment – should it sense an opponent with a mangled torso, it will send a wave of psychic force through their mind, inflicting psychic damage, and causing both paresis and an arrhythmia. - Shout A scream capable of inducing great sensitivity. #### Shout **Description**Imprinted ability. An opponent afflicted with a broken head will earn a powerful shout from the golem, shaking their vision and leaving them with blurry sight. - Shatter Your golem will cast away their protection. #### Shatter **Description**Imprinted ability. If your opponent attempts to hide behind a magical shield, your golem will lurch forward with a powerful blow that will shatter it. - Grapple Cause your golem to hold a battered foe. #### Grapple **Description**Imprinted ability. A prone victim with a broken torso is an ideal target for a golem to pin, powerfully holding them grappled until they writhe free from its grasp. Cooldown: 14 seconds - Pummel Allow your golem to signal a weakened foe’s state. #### Pummel **Description**Imprinted ability. Syntax: GOLEM IMPRINT PUMMEL <1-80%> This unique ability requires a little extra information in order to be imprinted upon your golem. When your opponent’s health falls below the specified threshold, your golem will lash out and deliver a powerful blow that stuns your opponent. This imprint will be placed on cooldown for a short time after it is utilised by your golem. Cooldown: 60 seconds - Choke A brutal manuever that robs them of senses. #### Choke **Description**Imprinted ability. Should your victim be prone and experiencing moderate bruising upon the head, your golem will attempt to squeeze the life from them – causing asphyxiation damage and inducing a blackout. This imprint will be placed on cooldown for a short time after it is utilised by your golem. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Wrench Spot trauma and dislocate their limbs. #### Wrench **Description**Imprinted ability. To imprint: GOLEM IMPRINT WRENCH \[ \] This unique ability requires a little extra information in order to be imprinted upon your golem. Should your golem spot moderate bruising upon the limb you have most recently struck, their next blow will dislocate the limb’s joint. If left uncured, it will eventually cause the limb to collapse and become broken. By default your golem has only a 33% chance it will attempt to wrench a limb even when its conditions are met, however if it attempts to wrench the exact limb that you have specified in your imprint, then the chance is guaranteed instead. Your golem cannot wrench a limb that is already broken or dislocated, neither will it work on the head or torso. - Your golem can have the following reflexes - Knockdown Grab them before they can fly away. #### Knockdown **Description**Reflex ability. Enemies who attempt to fly away or swing into the trees will occasionally be met with a forceful shove to the ground, accompanied by a loss of levitation. - Corner Intimidate your enemies, reducing their evasion. #### Corner **Description**Reflex ability. Your golem will attempt to corner the target it has been ordered to attack, granting a chance to prevent them from dodging. They will still be able to divert however. - Fend Allow your servant to stand between you and enemies. #### Fend **Description**Reflex ability. Your golem will maintain a stance at your front, making it difficult for others to strike you. This will reduce the damage you take from blunt and cutting based attacks. - Airguard Your servant will shield you from aerial blows. #### Airguard **Description**Reflex ability. Your golem will watch out for incoming projectiles, blocking them with its bulk should the chance arise. - Rattle Break their defenses with a rattling punch. #### Rattle **Description**Reflex ability. When your opponent manages to parry your blows, your golem will lash out in response – unbalancing your foe and removing their parry. Cooldown: 10 seconds - Prop Your loyal ally will protect you from falling. #### Prop **Description**Reflex ability. Your golem will attempt to keep you standing against all odds – should you be knocked to the ground by an active attack, your golem will have a chance to pick you back up. This ability will fail if either of your legs are crippled. - Cycling Ensure your golem never repeats the same order. #### Cycling **Description**Reflex ability. A golem that focuses on cycling their attacks will never repeat the same attack twice, unless no other conditions are met in their imprint list. - Shake Knock their curatives away. #### Shake **Description**Reflex ability. Your golem will watch your opponent carefully, spotting attempts to consume curative pills or use a pipe, and granting a chance to knock them away. This will only be effective against the target you ordered your golem to kill. - Kneeshatter Prevent a broken foe from fleeing your grasp. #### Kneeshatter **Description**Reflex ability. When an enemy attempts to leave your location with bruising to one of their legs, your golem will knock them to the ground and cripple that leg, preventing their escape. - Steadfast Protect yourself from forced movement. #### Steadfast **Description**Reflex ability. Your golem will protect you from being moved against your will against all costs, even against magical effects. Only by choice will your golem allow you to move. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Desiccation - Scour Cleanse your body with fine sand. #### Scour **Description**Syntax: SAND SCOUR Scour yourself with procured sand, cleansing away any foul smells or drying away wet skin. - Flood Send forth sand to cover your surroundings. #### Flood **Description**Syntax: SAND FLOOD SAND RELEASE \[HERE\] SAND LIST Summon forth a layer of dry desert sand in your location, allowing you to make full use of your many abilities that require it. Each location that you layer in sand will require a constant upkeep of willpower in order to maintain and prevent blowing away, except for your first. Releasing your sand will disperse any remote sands you control, except for any in your current room. SAND RELEASE HERE will disperse only the sand in your room. - Sandwalk Move with ease through any desert obstacles. #### Sandwalk **Description**Syntax: SAND WALK If both your current and an adjacent location are covered in summoned sand, you may move between them, destroying any walls that may be in your path. - Surge Send a wave of sand to engulf an adjacent room. #### Surge **Description**Syntax: SAND SURGE So long as you stand upon sand that you have summoned, you may spread it in an adjacent location of your choice. Any barriers such as walls or doors will prevent you from spreading forth your sand. - Trap Hinder their movement within the sands. #### Trap **Description**Syntax: SAND TRAP Requires you to be standing within a location with dry sand. Cause your opponent to sink slightly into the ground, delaying their movement. This will last until they either leave the location or the effect expires. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Presences Detect those who tread upon your sand. #### Presences **Description**Syntax: SAND PRESENCES See all those who currently stand within your sand domain, including their location. - Regeneration The flow of sand soothes your body and mind. #### Regeneration **Description**This ability is passive. You will regenerate a small portion of both endurance and willpower while standing in a location with your sand. - Ruminate Let the sand strengthen your will. #### Ruminate **Description**Syntax: SAND RUMINATE In a state much like meditation, this ability draws on the powers of your sand to restore willpower in great amounts. The amount of willpower restored will increase significantly as the process continues. - Sandstorm Generate a sandstorm as you move through sand. #### Sandstorm **Description**Syntax: SAND STORM \[RELEASE\] By standing within a location with summoned sand, you may stir it into the skies around you generating one of the main tools of the Teradrim; the sand storm. The sand storm will follow you should you move, and will act as dry sand for skills that require it. Once summoned, the storm will periodically deal bleeding damage to your enemies, depending on the strength of the storm. The storm will increase by one level every four seconds you stand upon summoned sand. If you are not standing upon sand, the time is doubled instead. There are five levels of sandstorm – once your sandstorm is at its maximum strength, you may use a number of sand abilities (listed in AB DESICCATION) free of equilibrium. However, this will reduce the sandstorm by two levels to do so. Slice is an exception to this rule, and may be used at sandstorm level moderate or higher instead, providing your target is in the same location as you. Levels: ——- scarce light moderate severe massive To do this, append ‘storm’ to the end of the command for your attack. e.g. SAND WHIP STORM. You can also optionally include a storm level, to prevent the ability form being cast if your sandstorm isn’t at that level. e.g. SAND SLICE STORM MASSIVE. - Concealment Mask your presence when standing within sand. #### Concealment **Description**Syntax: SAND CONCEAL While in a location with dry sand, your movement will be masked to any but allies. - Dominion Purge other’s domains from the land. #### Dominion **Description**Syntax: SAND DOMINION Assert the dominance of the earth in your location, removing all domains except for your own. If one of the domain’s controller resides in your location, there will be a slight delay to this ability. - Disturbances Attune your mind to the disturbances within your domain. #### Disturbances **Description**Syntax: SAND DISTURBANCES At a significant drain to your willpower, track all movement in and adjacent to your sand domain. - Shift Travel through the sands to any in your domain. #### Shift **Description**Syntax: SAND SHIFT Providing you have summoned sand of your own make within your location and your target’s location, you may swap locations with them. - Blast Release a blast of sand across the desert. #### Blast **Description**Syntax: SAND BLAST Shred the skin of enemies within the local area who stands within magically summoned sand. This will deal damage and cause some bleeding. - Simoon Send your sandstorm to track a foe. #### Simoon **Description**Syntax: SAND SIMOON Lift your summoned sand within the location into your sandstorm and send it slowly towards a target in the form of a simoon. This will spread sand in each room along its path, until it meets the target or is unable to continue. The simoon may travel four rooms for every level of strength your sandstorm possesses. - Distort Whirl the sands around you to mask all scents. #### Distort **Description**Syntax: SAND DISTORT While this defence is active upon your summoned sand, none within the room may be tracked by the Scent (racial) or Track (Lycanthropy) abilities. This has a small willpower cost to maintain. - Shield Coalesce sand into a glass barrier. #### Shield **Description**Syntax: SAND SHIELD With a flick of your wrist, you may form a glass barrier that functions as a shield upon your target. - Swelter Call upon the desert to heat your sands. #### Swelter **Description**Syntax: SAND SWELTER At a modest willpower drain, you can heat the sands in your room with the strength of the desert, causing hidden mental afflictions to enemies within. Possible afflictions include: Dizziness, anorexia, vertigo, or weariness. - Confound Invoke the desert’s curse of misdirection. #### Confound **Description**Syntax: SAND CONFOUND By infusing your summoned sand with a powerful mirage, you can obscure the exits around you making it difficult to see a way out. - Projection Send sand beyond your location. #### Projection **Description**Syntax: SAND PROJECTION You are now able to control your sands remotely, allowing you to use a number of abilities on adjacent targets if there is magically summoned sand in both your locations. These abilities include: Trap, Whip, Scourge, Slice, Shred, and Curse. - Wave Send your target away on a wave of sand. #### Wave **Description**Syntax: SAND WAVE By summoning a powerful wave of sand, you can expel your target from your location regardless of the mass defence. This will consume the summoned sand in your room. - Instability Shift your desert to hamper movement. #### Instability **Description**Syntax: SAND INSTABILITY You may cause the sands in your area to become soft and giving, reducing the celerity of enemies and preventing the use of dashing or sprinting. - Spikes Create spikes of sand for enemies to step upon. #### Spikes **Description**Syntax: SAND SPIKES Covers your sandy room in hard spikes, causing foes who lack the levitation defence to take damage and bleeding upon movement or when falling down. - Harshen Your sandstorm is particularly brutal against the weak. #### Harshen **Description**This ability is passive. Your sandstorm is now merciless against battered foes – enemies who are prone will take double damage from the storm’s fury. - Desert Release a magical wave of sand in all directions. #### Desert **Description**Syntax: SAND DESERT In one grand gesture, you can not only flood your room with sand, but adjacent rooms that are unobstructed as well. - Whirl Whirl your sand into the storm. #### Whirl **Description**Syntax: SAND WHIRL In a quick motion, you can pull your own sand around you up into your sandstorm, removing the sand flood from your location but empowering your sandstorm instantly to a severe level. If your sandstorm is already severe or massive, the sand will have no effect. - Spire Use sand to protect the limbs of your allies. #### Spire **Description**Syntax: SAND SPIRE Requires you to be standing within a location with dry sand. Command your sand to rise up and protect your ally’s limbs in a spire of hardened sand. As such, the next two times their limbs would be crippled, it will be resisted instead. - Meld Wrap yourself in sand to protect yourself. #### Meld **Description**Syntax: SAND MELD You can surround yourself in a powerful barrier of sand, consuming the sand within your location but rendering you immune to most forms of attack. - Pillar Erect a sand pillar to extend your power. #### Pillar **Description**Syntax: SAND PILLAR By forming a pillar of sand, you can greatly extend the range of your abilities, allowing you to use any sand ability that may be used in tandem with Projection on any target within your local area who stands within summoned sand. You may only summon one pillar at a time, and only one pillar may be summoned in a given room. Leaving the room will shatter the pillar. - Your sandstorm allows you to use the following abilities free of equilibrium - Whip Lash your foe with the earth’s taint. #### Whip **Description**Syntax: SAND WHIP Requires you to be standing within a location with dry sand. Strike your target with a whip of sand, causing one of the afflictions below: Recklessness, dizziness, ringing ears, epilepsy, or stupidity. - Scourge Send a jet of sand to crush their limbs. #### Scourge **Description**Syntax: SAND SCOURGE Requires you to be standing within a location with dry sand. Utilising your sand, you can flick it at one of your opponent’s limbs at random and quickly cripple it into an unusable state. - Slice Slice through defenses with a blade of sand. #### Slice **Description**Syntax: SAND SLICE Requires you to be standing within a location with dry sand. Funnelling your power through nearby dry sand, you may slice a target with a blade of living sand. This will shred the rebounding defence first, then shield, then cloak, then a random defence. - Shred Lacerate your foe with a jet of sand. #### Shred **Description**Syntax: SAND SHRED Requires you to be standing within a location with dry sand. Shred your target with a powerful blast of sand, causing damage to a limb of choice. You may choose from the head, torso, or either arm/leg. - Curse Grant your foe the curse of the sands. #### Curse **Description**Syntax: SAND CURSE Requires you to be standing within a location with dry sand. Let the desert drain life giving fluids from the unworthy. Plague your foe with the curse of sand, coating them in a layer of dry earth that absorbs all liquids before they reach their skin. This will give the slough affliction, causing poultices to become ineffective. The affliction will fade naturally after a number of seconds if not cured normally. - Quicksand Cause the petrified to sink in your presence. #### Quicksand **Description**Syntax: SAND QUICKSAND If your target is prone, you can surround them with a sinking quicksand. Their levitation will be stripped, and they will be unable to put the levitation back up until a short time has passed, or they move to a location without sand. ## Visual style and identity Teradrim forsake graceful motion in favour of brute strength. All three skills are direct, forceful expressions of the earth, and even their golems are bulky and powerful, using size and might to aid their maker. The effects of Teradrim elementalism are impossible to mistake: no subtlety, no delicacy. The class look is heavy. A flail in hand, a golem at the side, an Earthen war dance in the body memory. Teradrim are immediately recognisable in any group. ## Side effects of the work A connection to the Plane of Earth carries a constant risk: the same madness that consumed the Sorcerer-Kings. The earth is hungry. It demands respect and consistent offerings of blood to maintain favour. Disrespect breaks the bond, and a Teradrim who breaks faith finds themselves bereft of strength. The work also reshapes the practitioner physically and mentally. Teradrim are unusually fit, a consequence of the strength and endurance required to wield earth elementalism. They are also often stubborn and singleminded, a trait exacerbated by undeath and detachment from the Cycle. Paranoia can set in over time. A Teradrim who loses internal balance may start to see threats in friends and enemies alike, eventually unable to tell one from the other if they are not fellow Earthen. ## Who plays this class The Teradrim attracts players who want elemental scale fused with martial weapon work and a pet-class layer. The roleplay frame is duty-driven, conquest-positive, and deeply reverent toward Ivoln and the Earth. You are a jailer of world-ending prisoners and a soldier of an old, harsh tradition. The class rewards conviction. Mechanically, golem management gives Teradrim a tempo all their own. The flail handles close work, Terramancy controls space, and Desiccation extends pressure across an environment. The kit suits players who enjoy combining direct combat with environmental control. ## City and guild The Teradrim guild is the Apostles of [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/), the Shadow Tether’s city of undeath. Patron: Arvelis, the Jackal. The Apostles guild was once the Teradrim Warband and now houses both the Teradrim class and its sister class, the [Earthcaller](/character-classes/earthcaller/), warrior-priests who pair bone-magic with the holy verses of the Earthen Dirge. Joining as a Teradrim means committing to Shadow. You cannot actively hold any Spirit-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Shadow classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race choice is independent of class, so you can play a Teradrim of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Teradrim mirror is the [Tidesage](/character-classes/tidesage/), Enorian’s researcher-mages of the lost isle of Keltund. Both are elementalist classes that work primal forces alongside martial weapon training. Teradrim move earth and stone for conquest. Tidesages work ocean and fog for discovery. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Teradrim good for new players?** Yes. The class has a clear identity, strong guild structure inside the Apostles, and a forgiving early-game arc. New Teradrim usually start with Terramancy and add golem work as they grow comfortable with the kit. **How does the golem work in combat?** Your golem is a semi-autonomous expression of your will, built from earth or stone and animated by Earthen runes. It follows your basic commands and fights alongside you. At higher Animation ranks, you can teach the golem combat reflexes and use it as a second body, expanding what your character can do on the field. **Can a Teradrim be undead?** Yes, and many are. Undeath in Earthen theology is a sacred state, a gift that lets a Teradrim endure for eternity without the weakness of mortality. Mortal Teradrim exist, but the class leans heavily toward undeath in long-term play. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Teradrim profile. Or see [every Aetolia class](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Earthcaller](/character-classes/earthcaller/) Teradrim’s sister class in the Apostles. Warrior-priests of Azvosh who wield Subjugation (bone magic and croziers), Apocalyptia (the Earthen Dirge), and Tectonics (lava and stone). Pick Earthcaller if you like the Apostles guild and earth theology but want a priest’s verses and bone-magic instead of golems and a flail. ### [Tidesage](/character-classes/tidesage/) The Teradrim’s mirror across the Spirit-Shadow divide. Enorian researcher-mages who draw on ocean and fog. Pick Tidesage if you like the elemental-warrior chassis but want a curious, scholarly tone rather than a conquest-driven one. ### [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/) Spinesreach’s Shadow-element magi. Sciomancy, Sorcery, Gravitation. Pick Sciomancer if you like heavy elemental magic on the Shadow side but prefer pure spellwork to the martial-and-pet mix Teradrim run. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Teradrim and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Sylvan of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/sylvan/) **Published:** August 18, 2025 **Author:** Razmael, the Synthesist **Content:** ![Sylvan of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-sylvan-hero-portrait-20260524.jpg "Aetolia Sylvan class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Sylvans are Aetolia’s Fae-bound warriors, a Spirit-tethered class in Duiran whose members are mortals transfigured into honourary Fae through a blood oath sworn to Life Herself. They wield Extirpation (a savage, brutal claws-and-fangs combat style practiced by Faekind), Caprice (the archaic language of High Fae), and Glamours (raw Dia’ruian Fae magic). At a glance**Tether**Spirit**City**[Duiran](/world/duiran/)**Guild**Praadi (Patron: Haern, the Hunter)**Skill sets**Extirpation, Caprice, Glamours**Mirror class**[Praenomen](/character-classes/praenomen/) (Shadow, jointly with [Akkari](/character-classes/akkari/))**Sister classes in guild**[Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) and [Runecarver](/character-classes/runecarver/)**Signature mechanic**Sworn blood oath to Dia’ruis; claws, fangs, and Fae magic**Best for**Players who want a brutal physical fighter with Fae transformation and binding-oath magicA Sylvan is a mortal who has sworn a blood oath to the plane of Life. The oath sustains them, transforms them, and binds them. In exchange for irrevocable service to the High Courts of the Fae, they gain claws, fangs, Fae magic, and the right to act as Dia’ruis’s fangs against any who would harm Her. ## Origin and lore The original sylvans were a classification of Fae who refused to serve any specific Guardian. Ancient Dendara allowed these children the freedom they craved, and they grew into bestial hunters who served all the courts of Fae. They were savage and fiercely loyal. They kidnapped, beguiled, hunted defilers of the wood, and shed blood for the ailing lirathyar. It is believed that every last original sylvan perished holding back ravenous Czjetija and its shadowy infection. A modern Sylvan is something else: a mortal who has taken a binding oath of service to Dia’ruis, the vaguely sentient plane of Life. The promise is bound to the Sylvan’s blood and constantly sustained by the spirit running through their veins. The terms include propagating the Cycle, obeying the High Courts unilaterally, acting as a vessel of Life’s anger, and seeking redress for any offense given to Her. The Sylvan is one of three Praadi classes alongside the [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) and the [Runecarver](/character-classes/runecarver/). ## Skill sets **Extirpation** is the savage, brutal form of combat practiced by Faekind. It requires claws and fangs to use to its full potential. Beyond raw combat, Extirpation gives a Sylvan precise control of their own soul and limited access to Dia’ruian magic that can grow new life. That last ability matters when you need a new body. **Caprice** is the archaic language of High Fae. Its terms are incomprehensible to mortal minds and spread madness rather than insight. A Sylvan may speak it under the oath, but speaking does not yield understanding. Its use is restricted to moments of danger; its written form is forbidden even to Primals under oath. **Glamours** is the vast school of Fae magic. It is the rawest form of Dia’ruian sorcery, allowing a Sylvan to forge new oaths or impress a geas on an unsuspecting foe, trapping them in a baleful contract. At its most extreme, Glamours involves blood offerings to the High Courts in exchange for unfettered power, granted only when used to strike down a foe of blessed Dia’ruis. ## Skill abilities Extirpation Caprice Glamours Filter abilities Title Contents ### Extirpation - Landbond Unite with the heart of the land. #### Landbond **Description**Syntax: LANDBOND and REGROW Should you choose to seek the warm embrace of the land beneath, you may shed your mortal form and meld your spirit within the protective arms of the natural earth. While bonded in this manner, the dark star and those beasts and creatures who roam wild and aggressive will all find that you are unable to be affected by their whims. When you are ready to return to the physical, you may REGROW your physical form. - Nutrify Turn a corpse into nutrients. #### Nutrify **Description**Syntax: NUTRIFY Even in death, a fresh corpse still holds the last traces of lifeforce, and those remnants may be given back to the world through reverent rite. Simply place your hands upon a corpse – whether you hold it or it lies upon the ground – and offer what remains of its lifeforce unto the land, letting it flow into root and soil as tribute. In return, the magic of your oath is nourished, and your own vitality is replenished as proof of your covenant with She Who is Life and Her High Courts. True nourishment is best drawn from the passing of a once-sentient soul. Lesser remnants may still answer the rite, but they are far less potent. You may nutrify corpses even while outside your class. However, if you do so while within it, the offering will restore you more fully, and it will ease your need as though you had just eaten. - Thrash Crush them with faebound might. #### Thrash **Description**Syntax: THRASH Let fly a ululating cry into the air as you bring down the brutal aspect of nature’s devastation, beating your prey with blunt damage and a stunning strike. If they have had their blood effused, then the damage you deal against them is enhanced. This ability may be used with the TARGET ability in Weaponry to attack any part of the opponent’s body. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage230 + 11% Base Damage (Denizen)1044 Added Bonus Damage (Effused blood)x30% Stun Duration0.75 seconds Limb Trauma Dealt9.00% Balance Recovery2.70 seconds Balance Recovery (Denizen)3.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Denizen) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Petrify Freeze them solid as stone. #### Petrify **Description**Syntax: PETRIFY Blood cost: 10 Bring unto your prey the cold of that which damns Life, inflicting a freezing layer upon them. - Nightsight Hunt beneath the moon’s silver gaze. #### Nightsight **Description**Syntax: NIGHTSIGHT Let not the darkness keep you from your prey; walk with the moon-blessed sight of the asrai, penetrating the utter black of midnight’s curtain. - Veering Nature’s regal servants do not flinch. #### Veering **Description**Syntax: VEERING \[OFF\] Tap into a higher sense of the conflict between predator and prey, bringing about a preternatural state of mind. There is an upkeep cost of endurance to stay within this state and while in it your ability to dodge attacks directed at you is increased. You can read HELP AVOIDANCE for more information. - Hide Work in secrecy. #### Hide **Description**Syntax: HIDE and EMERGE Conceal yourself from view, hiding yourself from the eyes of others within the room. You may emerge if you wish to reveal yourself and cease to hide. - Guise Deceive those you court. #### Guise **Description**Syntax: GUISE \[OFF\] Blood cost: 100 Additional syntax: DESCRIBE GUISED SELF The work of those oathsworn to the Fae stretches far and wide as they carry out acts in the name of Dia’ruian prosperity. You may adopt a guise to accomplish these acts, impersonating but one of countless living mortals to such a plausible state that none shall be able to glean your true nature. The gleaming nature of this magic allows you to alter how you appear to others. - Barghest Prowl the land as Her hunting fae. #### Barghest **Description**Syntax: BECOME BARGHEST and REVERT Blood cost: 400 Additional syntax: DASH By tapping into your Faebound connection and allowing an animalistic instinct to overcome you, you may take on the form of the barghest which roam the distant, unconnected pieces of Dia’ruis. Your actions will be limited, but in return you shall be able to DASH like a midsummer’s breeze across the land and escape any repercussions from the presence of the dark star. - Trailing Trail your prey in silence. #### Trailing **Description**Syntax: FAETRAIL Blood cost: 300 From dusk til dawn, be as the elusive Fae by silencing your movements under the cover of night’s reign. When the sun crests over the horizon once more, this effect will fade. - Snarl Strike terror into weak-hearted prey. #### Snarl **Description**Syntax: SNARL Lock eyes with your prey and utter a snarl that sets even the most staunch of beasts to a dreadful whimper, forcing your foe’s body to betray itself and begin to sweat profusely. This will remove the fangbarrier defence and leave them with slickness. - Clotting Reduce the level of your bleeding. #### Clotting **Description**Syntax: CLOT \[#\] This ability will allow you to partially clot your bleeding in trade for your mana. You can specify how many times you wish to clot if need be. If you input no amount, then you will try and clot away 20 bleeding by default. - Catching Your reflexes are as fluid as thought. #### Catching **Description**Syntax: CATCHING \[OFF\] With this ability active, you have a chance to snatch arrows from the air before they strike you. There is an endurance upkeep associated with this ability in order to maintain your focus. - Wound Bleed dry those who desecrate the wilds. #### Wound **Description**Syntax: WOUND Grab your foe by the throat and split their flesh open with two instances of cutting-based damage and bleeding. If they are an adventurer, it will rip open a wound on their flesh giving them the rend affliction. If the flesh is already rended, then you will cause additional bleeding. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeCutting Damage SourceBrute Base Damage55 + 5% Base Damage (Denizen)200 Base Bleeding50 Bonus Bleeding (Rend)+50 Base Bleeding (Denizen)25 Balance Recovery3.60 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Indurate Life’s agents are unstoppable. #### Indurate **Description**Syntax: INDURATE Blood cost: 200 The bounty of Dia’ruis is fathomless as you may drink deep of Her power, fortifying your physical form from harm. By claiming this boon, you may become inexorable in your predations upon the Manu and reduce the damage you take from cutting and blunt damage types as though you are wearing additional armour. This bonus armour will become weaker the less blood you have. - Sylph Take on the form of a springtide fae. #### Sylph **Description**Syntax: BECOME SYLPH and REVERT Blood cost: 400 Additional syntax: FLY and LAND Take to the skyline with the form of a sylph, a wispy form capable of FLYing through the skies with natural grace. While in this form, your actions will be severely limited, but the effects of the dark star will not find purchase upon you. - Celerity Track your prey with mythical endurance. #### Celerity **Description**Syntax: CELERITY Blood cost: 150 This will halve the time it takes for your movement limit to be reset, allowing you to move about the land considerably faster. - Block There is no escape from the fury of the wilds. #### Block **Description**Syntax: BLOCK and UNBLOCK Move into a position that blocks others from leaving your location should they attempt to leave, providing you are not incapacited. Should you move, you will cease to block. - Demolish Tear through the shields of your prey. #### Demolish **Description**This ability is passive. When THRASHing a target embraced by a magical shield, your predatory instincts will allow you to demolish the barrier that stands between you and cowering prey. - Spiritwalk Stride through the ethereal. #### Spiritwalk **Description**Syntax: SPIRITWALK Though normally a state found only after your life has been cut short, you may now choose to depart mortal physicality and walk among the ethereal as but a roaming spirit. While in this form you will be immune to most attacks, and the effects of the dark star, but your actions will be severely limited. To return to your body, you must bond with the land or return to your pactbound seedbed. - Rejuvenation Drive your natural healing to incredible heights. #### Rejuvenation **Description**Syntax: REJUVENATION Blood cost: 300 Sacrifice a portion of your blood to call upon blessed renewal, healing your body’s physical wounds in but an instant. The less blood you have when you call upon this boon, the stronger your body will be healed. Cooldown: 25 seconds - Bloodscent Sense movement with your faebound senses. #### Bloodscent **Description**Syntax: BLOODSCENT \[OFF\] Blood cost: 200 Call upon the magic of the barghest as you seek out the presence of others nearby with sharpened senses. This ability will only last a short time before its effects fade. - Persist Persist by the grace of your pact. #### Persist **Description**Syntax: PERSIST Blood cost: 200 Channel the will of Amitivis, the Fang of Vengeance to survive no matter its captivity, enwrapping yourself in his mystical coils for protection against magical type damage. - Prowl Mute your presence with fae magic. #### Prowl **Description**Syntax: PROWL Blood cost: 50 Haunt the woods, the streets, the hills… swathe yourself in shadows and lurk unseen, hiding away from sight even when in the presence of others. - Reap Reap a bellicose harvest with a two-handed blade. #### Reap **Description**Syntax: REAP \[GENTLY\] It is not only by your claws and curses that your prey shall know your fury, as you may choose to wield a two-handed blade with which to take the reaper’s toll of flesh from your foes. Should you overlay a venom upon your weapon, they shall taste its poisonous sting. This strike will do more damage than a standard blow from a weapon. Should it fit your needs, you may hold back on the strike. This will reduce the damage you deal, but it will be quicker and can be performed while one of your arms is crippled. - Envenom Coat a weapon in venoms. #### Envenom **Description**Syntax: ENVENOM WITH WIPE With this ability, you may layer venoms on an edged weapon. Each time that weapon hits somebody, one venom will poison your opponent, and disappear from the weapon. Venoms work on a last-on, first-off basis, so if you put xentio on a weapon, and then put voyria on, the voyria would come off first, and the xentio second. You must possess a rag with the venom in order to apply it to a weapon. In order to get rid of the venoms on a weapon, simply WIPE . - Ragdoll Play with your food. #### Ragdoll **Description**Syntax: RAGDOLL Bound by duty as you are, you may forcefully cast aside those who stand in the way of your blessed hunt. Let fly a battlecry as you charge upon your steed and make of your challenged foe a ragdoll tossed skyward. Gravity will become a natural ally when making use of this skill, assuming they cannot fly. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Hypergenesis Hastened is the resurgence of the vengeful. #### Hypergenesis **Description**Syntax: BURY SEEDBED, FASTBOND, and REGROW Though you already find connections to Dia’ruis through your pact with the Fae, you may also encase a portion of yourself within the ground to further your bond and tie yourself into the very fabric of the land itself. After procuring a seedbed filled with natural soil large enough to fit your physical form, you must bury it somewhere with soft soil. You may only be linked to one such seedbed at a time. Once so buried, you may sojourn through the ethereal to rest within it provided you are within the same area. This will allow you to heal yourself or regain your physical body much faster than a normal bond with the land. When you are ready to return to the land above, you must regrow your physical form. - Slake Slake your thirst for preyblood. #### Slake **Description**Syntax: SLAKE and RELEASE Attempt to slake your bloodthirst in an grappling assault upon your prey, tearing rivers of sanguine offerings from their flesh with all your Fae ferocity. The target must be prone or suffering from paresis for this to take effect, and the fangbarrier defence will deter the brunt of such a frenzied act and make it ineffective. Engaging in such a hallowed, savage hunt will sate the demands of your vow, replenishing its magics at the expense of the prey captured in your feral clutches until they either writhe free, you RELEASE them, or they perish. While held within your grasp, they will also suffer cutting damage until they escape. - Seedward Layer your seedbed in protective wards. #### Seedward **Description**Syntax: SEEDWARD Blood cost: 1000 After you have buried a seedbed within the soft earth, you may form a spiritual bond with it to ensure that you may fastbond from anywhere on the continent instead of merely its local area. While standing on the ground above it, you may slash open your palm and offer a sanguine gift to seal the bond. Should you fastbond while outside your bound seedbed’s local area, this bond will break and need to be established once more. - Thrive Thrive in the heart of conflict. #### Thrive **Description**Syntax: THRIVE Blood cost: 250 The magic of your Fae pact allows you to choose a boon at will that will strengthen your blessed hunt, granting you an additional stat of your choice. - Barbarity Embrace the savage fury of the hunt. #### Barbarity **Description**Syntax: BARBARITY Blood cost: 500 The savage instincts of the wild grant you primal adaptability in combat. Your barbaric nature allows you to shift freely between speed enhancements for balance, equilibrium, or damage; however, you must have selected one of the three already. For more information on enhancements, please see AB HUNTING ENHANCEMENT - Escaping Retreat to hunt another day. #### Escaping **Description**Syntax: ESCAPE Even the most deadly of predators must know how to evade those who would seek to take them down and you are no different. Should you wish to escape from battle, you may disengage and bypass certain traps and triggers that might normally prevent you from leaving. Those following you will be lost, and any who see you depart will be unable to know in which direction. - Reknit Knit wounded limbs. #### Reknit **Description**Syntax: REKNIT Blood cost: 200 Swipe aside the thoughts of pain and suffering that one of your limbs experiences by forcing transformative healing upon its structure. This ability will heal its trauma by 6%, restoring it toward its original form. You may heal the head, torso, left/right arm, or left/right leg. This will only work while the limb is either broken or mangled. Cooldown: 50 seconds - Naturalise The natural order reigns supreme. #### Naturalise **Description**Syntax: NATURALISE Blood cost: 250 Call upon the nature of your pact to turn those afflictions that plague your body into mulch fit for Dia’ruis’ growth while suffusing you with life’s vitality. A single affliction will be cured instantly and another will be cured 2 seconds later. There is no prevention to this ability other than the initial mana cost and requiring balance and equilibrium to perform. Cooldown: 20 seconds Filter abilities Title Contents ### Caprice - Lifevision Detect lurking prey. #### Lifevision **Description**Syntax: LIFEVISION Your keen senses allow you to see all living things within your sight, regardless if they are hidden or not. It will additionally provide some measure of protection against illusions, allowing you to occasionally tell if they are fake. - Imprecate Speak ominous curses to your foe. #### Imprecate **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE Blood cost: 90 per cursed imprecation Curses that you imprecate upon your foes are the method by which you can layer mental maladies upon your prey, overwhelming their minds. All imprecations may be performed off balance providing you have not fallen on the ground, allowing you to utilise an attack with fist or forged implement and then curse them with an additional affliction. You will learn new curses as you progress in Caprice. While imprecating curses is possible in many situations where normally you’d be unable to act, it is however difficult to do so while fallen and afflicted by stupidity, or while transfixed. You can type AFFLICTION to learn more about what an affliction from Caprice does. - Deathsight Sense that which feeds Her. #### Deathsight **Description**Syntax: DEATHSIGHT \[OFF\] Using this ability, you will be linked with the Underhalls, allowing you to sense those who perish and pass through it. - Psycombat Prove the dominance of your will. #### Psycombat **Description**Syntax: PSYCHALLENGE Psychic combat is a telepathic battle between two players where the goal is to crumple your opponent’s mind. There is no penalty for losing, however those with deathsight will feel the moment a game is decided. There are only seven commands associated with psychic combat that may be used, and when you accept you will be transported to a special location out of harm’s way. Most other commands will not work until the game is complete. You can do the following in psychic combat: PSY BLAST: Blast your opponent’s mind and attack their mental fortitude. PSY BARRIER: Erect a barrier that protects your mind from psychic blasts. PSY WHIP: Tear away your opponent’s mental barrier if they have one. PSY SURGE: If your opponent has less than half of their mental energy, you can end the match in a surge of psychic power. This is costly to perform and could result in your own loss if misjudged. PSY PROBE: Use your mind to determine your opponent’s mental energy. PSY MEDITATE: Meditate your mind in order to recover your mental energy. This is a slow process. PSY ESCAPE: This takes some time, during which you may not do anything else. Once the ability is successful, an exit will open up, allowing you to escape. - Assess Ascertaining the health of one’s prey. #### Assess **Description**Syntax: ASSESS Determine the physical state of another individual, discovering their current health levels. As a student of faebound Imprecation, you may additionally perform this ability off balance. - Disrupt Scramble your target’s mental faculties. #### Disrupt **Description**Syntax: DISRUPT Blood cost: 100 Should your opponent have two mental afflictions, you may disrupt them of their equilibrium. They will not be able to recover until they CONCENTRATE. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction. - Deplete Reap the harvest of their mind. #### Deplete **Description**Syntax: DEPLETE Blood cost: 100 With little effort, you can quickly steal mana from your opponent and bolster your own. - Bewitch Bewitch them accursed utterances. #### Bewitch **Description**Syntax: BEWITCH Blood cost: 100 Lock eyes with your prey and hiss a lilting curse, momentarily capturing their attention while in the heat of battle. While bewitched by you, it will transfix them in place and they will be unable to act. Should your foe be brimming with courage, your charm will simply fail. - Twincurse Twofold curses. #### Twincurse **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE Fated jinxes and bewildering hexes depart your lips in tandem, bewitching your target with two simultaneous curses in the same breath. - Telesense Heighten your awareness of telepathic attacks. #### Telesense **Description**Syntax: TELESENSE Tune your senses to detect any telepathic attempts made on yourself or those in your location. Be warned, this will drain your mana while active. - Spook Spook a foe’s steed. #### Spook **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE SPOOK Utter a dire mixture of curses and predatory sounds towards a creature, causing it to buck its rider off or flee outright from your presence. This curse cannot be combined with another via use of twincurse. - Contemplation Assess the weaknesses of your foe’s mind. #### Contemplation **Description**Syntax: CONTEMPLATE Contemplate your opponent’s mental state and discover their mana levels. - Execrate Speak mighty curses unto herds of prey. #### Execrate **Description**Syntax: EXECRATE \[affliction\] Let the sounds of your curses rain down unto all those you consider as enemies, imparting their deleterious effects upon those who exist within your location. You may overlay a secondary curse so long as you retain the knowledge of speaking twincurses. Cooldown: 12 seconds - Tempt Her call is as undeniable as it is sweet. #### Tempt **Description**Syntax: TEMPT Blood cost: 250 Whisper a fleeting curse into the wind, disguising it as a tempting allure of Dia’ruian bounty. Should your target be within three rooms of you, they will mindlessly heed the call and stalk towards your location as if they moved of their own accord. This ability will strip the rebounding defence if it is successful in moving the target. - Dissociate Obliterate a curse-addled victim. #### Dissociate **Description**Syntax: DISSOCIATE Blood cost: 300 Should your prey find their mind addlepated and drained to having less than 35% of their maximum mana reserves, you can seize the moment to unhinge their feeble mental state even further and instantly slay them in the name of blessed Dia’ruis. - You may bestow the following curses - Confusion Muddle minds. #### Confusion **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE CONFUSION Plant confusing echoes and voices into the mind of your target, afflicting them with confusion. - Fear Preymad terror. #### Fear **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE FEAR Plant unnatural dread into the mind of your target, causing them to flee in fear until they compose themselves. - Impatience A predator’s bane. #### Impatience **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE IMPATIENCE Reduce the attention span of your opponent, making it difficult to focus and afflicting them with impatience. - Paranoia Every sound a threat, every sight a menace. #### Paranoia **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE PARANOIA Instill your opponent with irrational suspicion, afflicting them with paranoia. - Stupidity Dull thoughts. #### Stupidity **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE STUPIDITY Stupefy and slow your opponent’s mind, afflicting them with stupidity. - Agoraphobia Let them fear Her all-encompassing beauty. #### Agoraphobia **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE AGORAPHOBIA Instill your opponent with a fear of the outdoors, afflicting them with agoraphobia. - Masochism Trick them into being their own worst enemy. #### Masochism **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE MASOCHISM Afflict your opponent with masochism, causing them to periodically do themselves harm. - Infatuation Ensnare their heart with fae enchantment. #### Infatuation **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE INFATUATION Weave fae glamour into their emotions, ensnaring them with unnatural longing and afflicting them with infatuation. - Psychosis Curse them with the cacophony of the wild courts. #### Psychosis **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE PSYCHOSIS Curse their mind with the maddening whispers of the fae courts, afflicting them with psychosis. - Trickery Charm your way to a stronger mind. #### Trickery **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE TRICKERY Impart a measure of winsome Fae trickery against your foe’s mental reserves, claiming them for yourself. This will last until they leave your presence for a short while. - Epilepsy Curse them with uncontrollable shaking. #### Epilepsy **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE EPILEPSY Cause your opponent to spasm and twitch, afflicting them with epilepsy. - Anorexia Hex their hunger and thirst to never be satiated. #### Anorexia **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE ANOREXIA Implant the fear of consumption into your opponent, afflicting them with anorexia. - Amnesia Bestow a spell of momentary forgetfulness. #### Amnesia **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE AMNESIA Confuse the thoughts of your opponent, making them forget the next action they wish to perform. - Loneliness Beguile them into never leaving your side. #### Loneliness **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE LONELINESS Cause your opponent to crave the company of others, afflicting them with loneliness. - Dementia Charm their sight into seeing what isn’t there. #### Dementia **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE DEMENTIA Subvert your opponent’s facility for recognising their surroundings, afflicting them with dementia. - Mania Hex them with nature’s unbridled fury. #### Mania **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE MANIA Channel the savage fury of the untamed wilds into your foe, afflicting them with mania. - Indifference Bewitch them into apathy’s embrace. #### Indifference **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE INDIFFERENCE Induce disregard into your opponent’s state of mind, giving them the indifference affliction. Such indolent prey will suffer increased limb trauma as apathy forestalls their defensive instincts. - Vertigo Deny them their avian pursuits. #### Vertigo **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE VERTIGO Implant a fear of heights into your opponent, afflicting them with vertigo. - Hoodwink Steal a lifegiving breath every now and again. #### Hoodwink **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE HOODWINK Pull the proverbial wool over your target’s eyes as you siphon off a shred of their vitality, claiming it for yourself. This effect will last until they leave your presence for a short while. - Recklessness Rend their sense of oncoming danger to naught. #### Recklessness **Description**Syntax: IMPRECATE RECKLESSNESS Bring about a state of recklessness in your target, causing them to disregard their own state of health. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Glamours - Geas The might of a spiritwrought pact. #### Geas **Description**This ability is passive. Blood is the essence of life and the currency of the old magics and it provides the necessary spirit to sustain those boons granted by your Fae geas. Utilising your pact magic draws directly upon the power in your blood, and thus the lifeforce it grants, rendering it a significant toll in exchange for your power. As you deplete your lifeforce, you will become more feral in strength, losing yourself to Her call for unending violence. However, this also leaves you susceptible to certain dangers. The following is a list of attributes you will develop the less lifeforce you have: – Major weakness to fire damage as the wild world asserts itself in your aspect – Resistance to cold damage – Resistance to asphyxiation damage – Resistance to poison damage – Resistance to electric damage – Reduced intelligence – Additional strength Additionally, you will no longer suffer the effects of less natural healing that applies when you have lost blood. You can read HELP BLOOD for more information. - Expel Spill your blood for the fae pact. #### Expel **Description**Syntax: FAE EXPEL Blood cost: 5% to 7% Your pact with the Fae courts grants you the power to willingly spill your own enchanted blood. This will cause a small amount of bleeding to yourself as well. Be warned, should you expel all your blood, you will perish. - Scavenge Find opportunity as Lopaia would. #### Scavenge **Description**Syntax: FAE SCAVENGE Attune your senses towards dead prey to scavenge from in the local area. - Beguile Compel one of Her children to serve Her needs. #### Beguile **Description**Syntax: FAE PLY FOR LOCK FAE BEGUILE CALL PAWN RELEASE PAWN Blood cost: 750 Though She raises no armies, blessed Dia’ruis recognises the need for soldiers and warriors. For this reason, you are empowered to conscript the commonfolk into your geas as servants and pawns, for all must pay their due to She Who Gives Life. The power of your pawn will scale with your level, where the higher level you are, the more damage it will deal. Any pawn already bewitched into your service must first be released to their mundane life before a new one can be bewitched, for the High Courts see no reason for thoughtless herds. You can only bewitch common denizens from the following areas: Abelaas, Aerie, Arbothia, Arurer Haven, Bihrkaen, Bravestarr, Cantor’s Copse, Craneskull, El’Jazira, Jaru, Kald, Kornar, Masilia, Mitrine, Moghedu, Mournhold, Nuunva, Rimewatch, Salma, Saluria, Stormcaller Crag, Tainhelm, Torston, Vilimo, Vimuna, and Vintal Glade. You may also ply a villager for a lock of their hair, allowing you to call them to service at a future date through truly ancient compulsion magics. - Sacraments Work Life’s high sorceries. #### Sacraments **Description**Syntax: SACRAMENTS Call upon the ancient sacraments of the wood, allowing you to perform elder rites from a time when the world’s forces were rougher and less controllable. SACRAMENTS will provide more details on what knowledge yet remains to Sapience’s sylvans. Performing a miracle prayer: INFUSE DRUM WITH SORCERY To conduct a sacrament, you must stand before the Drum of Life and Death and infuse it with your vital sorcery. When this is done, you may whisper invocations and anoint the people, or the ground, in question. Collecting blood: COLLECT BLOOD FROM BLOODLIST All of these sacred rites will require your own blood or that of the intended recipient in order to enact them. In order to collect said lifeblood, you will need to use a phial and their blood must be spilling freely, either via use of Extirpation Bloodbath or some other means. - Bloodhunt Seek that which is Hers. #### Bloodhunt **Description**Syntax: FAE BLOODHUNT \[OFF\] Attune yourself with the blessed wolfine and smell those wounded, bleeding prey who dare tread near you. This will drain your blood reserves for as long as you have it active and allow you to sense how much others are bleeding for within your room. - Command Those enraptured by the fae must obey. #### Command **Description**This ability is passive. When you beguile a new pawn, it will now be enlisted under your direct command – allowing you to issue orders. You may view HELP LOYALTY for more information. - Tribute Imbue your blade with Her hunger. #### Tribute **Description**Syntax: FAE ANOINT Blood cost: 100 Using your own blood to scribe runic markings, you may provide a large blade the ability to harvest the blood of others with each blessed strike you make, so long as they are not protected by the fangbarrier defence. The amount of blood that will be harvested is based upon the penetration stat of your weapon, however, it will not harvest any further blood once your target has less than half their blood reserves left. This ability can only be used on the large blade weapon class. - Transfuse Share the gift of life. #### Transfuse **Description**Syntax: FAE TRANSFUSE Blood transfer: 500 Be evergiving of your own reserves, empowering a fellow Faebound with a direct transfusion of your blood. - Venerate Bask in the natural light of sun and moon. #### Venerate **Description**Syntax: FAE VENERATE Blood cost: 3000 Expend a large volume of your own enchanted blood to sanctify your surroundings as a meeting place for the Primal Courts. The venerable sanctification will disrupt all attempts to shed corporeal form while it lingers. Additionally, it will enforce elemental equilibrium and deny any harmful effects of the dark stars, while regenerating a small amount of health for all sylvan who stand upon its hallowed soil. - Weeping The curse of wept blood. #### Weeping **Description**Syntax: FAE WEEPING Blood cost: 200 Invoke ancient magic as you look upon your foe, sowing a promise of painful agony that shall bring about a crimson effusion of fresh blood. Your prey will find they cannot cure this effect unless they first flee the proximity of your predatory hunger. - Lifeforce Examine the lifeforce of another. #### Lifeforce **Description**Syntax: FAE LIFEFORCE Determine how much blood your target has remaining. - Contingency Call upon your bewitched pawn to serve once more. #### Contingency **Description**Syntax: FAE CONTINGENCY Blood cost: 500 Reframe the terms of your bewitching geas to extend your pawn’s service beyond their next visit to Crowned Death’s Simulacrum. It will take some time before your pawn finds their way back, however. - Mask Provide safe passage for the glamoured. #### Mask **Description**Syntax: FAE MASK Blood cost: 100 Swathe your beguiled pawn in deceptive trickery, preventing its presence from being easily seen by prying eyes. - Incantation Invoke fae technique on your rampages. #### Incantation **Description**Syntax: THRASH Blood cost: 50 For those moments where simply slaking your thirst for violence is not enough, you may empower your clawed strikes to enforce Fae curses upon them. This requires that your opponent is affected by the required affliction(s) beforehand, else your attempt to thrash will behave as normal. Asrai: Call forth the radiance of a lunar blessing onto your claws, draining your prey of mana should they have at least three depressant-healed afflictions. Soliad: Providing your opponent has their blood effused, you will curse that process and cause a single affliction from weariness, clumsiness, or vomiting the next time the effusion affects them. The affliction is chosen in order, starting with weariness. Wolfine: Bring forth the might of the sylvan to break the spirit of your lowly prey, throwing them to the ground and stripping their courage defence as long as they have at least three antipsychotic-healed afflictions. Undine: Saddle your prey with the weight of rough currents and turbulent tides, sapping away their dexterity to use for yourself should they have at least three euphoriant-healed afflictions. You can view HELP CURE ORDER for information on the various curing trees. - Badger Pester them with mischief. #### Badger **Description**Syntax: FAE BADGER Blood cost: 100 Should your prey be unwilling to strike yet possess both balance and equilibrium, you may attempt to provoke them. If successful, you will trigger the instinct to fight back as you badger them into a provoked assault against yourself. - Abundance Reap more power from your blood offerings. #### Abundance **Description**Syntax: FAE ABUNDANCE To remain on the hunt for an extended period of time, you may call upon a blessing to grant you the wisdom necessary to expend your blood more strategically. - Covenant Specialise your pact with a covenant’s magics. #### Covenant **Description**Syntax: FAE COVENANT Pledge your service to one of the Fae courts, offering your effort in exchange for their magical prowess. You may select from the Queensguard, those concerned with empowering their beguiled pawn, the Soliad, those Fae who impart physical acts to destroy the Manu, or the Asrai, those who provide manipulations of the blood and its magical properties. You can select NONE in order to return to a state lacking a covenant. Each Covenant grants five new abilities, learned as part of Glamours: Queensguard Soliad Asrai ————————————————————— Disfavour Bloodthirst Bloodbath Favour Wildfury Skulduggery Greensong Winnow Nightbrand Concealing Awe Redress Dryad Savage Spellbind You can type AB GLAMOURS to learn more about them. Cooldown: 4 hours. - Oathbind Bind yourself to another by blood oath. #### Oathbind **Description**Syntax: FAE OATHBIND Blood cost: 300 Use your own blood to scrawl a rune upon an ally, forming a pact betwixt you and they that dilutes the pain of attacks made against either of you should you remain within the same location. While so pacted, you may perform acts typically reserved for those who bear oaths directly to you. - Inexorable Her tools do not break. #### Inexorable **Description**Syntax: FAE INEXORABLE Blood cost: 500 Work in the name of Dia’ruian vengeance, an extension of Her fury and fervour, even when death’s maw looms just on the periphery. You may fall below zero health and still live, but this effect will only last for a short period, after which any further damage will slay you. You cannot bleed while below zero health. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Your deepened covenant grants the following - Disfavour Burden them with Titania’s disfavour. #### Disfavour **Description**Syntax: FAE DISFAVOUR Blood cost: 200 By wielding your clout as a member of the Queensguard, you may deliver the terrible curse of Queen Titania’s disfavour with a mere brush of your terrible claws, inducing sepsis. This curse will render their body slow to cure, extending the time it takes as long as at least one affliction is present within the antipsychotic, euphoriant, or depressant curing tree. For each tree above that possesses an affliction, the more potent shall her disfavour become. This will only affect pill, poultice, and pipe balance recovery times. You can view HELP CURE ORDER for information on the various curing trees. You may use this ability while off balance. - Bloodthirst Cleansing by curse and claw. #### Bloodthirst **Description**This ability is passive. When making use of the Wound ability, you will begin a seamless, primal assault that flows like Her unending song. As such, the next single imprecation you utilise will have the equilibrium recovery time reduced. The speed increase from Bloodthirst is refreshed each time you use this ability, and can stack up to five times. Two stacks are added instead if the target already has the rend affliction. Please see AB EXTIRPATION WOUND for more information on this ability. - Bloodbath Blood makes the grass grow. #### Bloodbath **Description**Syntax: FAE BLOODBATH \[OFF\] So terrible is your sylvan presence that raging violence churns about you as unseen tension, the gravity of your oath inflicting trauma upon those who would dare stand before you. As such, any enemies in your location will begin to slowly bleed and be stricken with haemophilia. While performing this act, the wick of your bloody vow shall burn down like a candle set aflame, inflicting an ongoing drain to your blood reserves. - Skulduggery The witching hour is your breath. #### Skulduggery **Description**This ability is passive. Through tricksome asrai skulduggery, you can render your capricious curses silent to others 25% of the time, leaving them unaware of your baleful intent. - Favour The kiss of the fae. #### Favour **Description**Syntax: FAE FAVOUR Blood cost: 100 Prepare and bolster the effectiveness of Weeping with Queen Titania’s favour for when you place the curse upon another. As such, it will additionally become incurable while the target has masochism. Please see AB GLAMOURS WEEPING for more information on this ability. - Wildfury Become a vessel for Her eternal thirst. #### Wildfury **Description**Syntax: FAE WILDFURY \[OFF\] So boundless is Her fury that you may drink deep of its wellspring and become an unstoppable predator. While elevated to this state, you will additionally be able to brutally Slake your bloodthirst by assaulting someone if they have at least one physical affliction. Should you also Slake or Savage someone, you will gain a short-lived boost to your balance and equilibrium from the fresh blood, for She provides for Her raging children without hesitation. This effect can stack for each time you are successful, and is more effective if you use Savage. See AB EXTIRPATION SLAKE or AB GLAMOURS SAVAGE for more information on those skills, and HELP AFFLICTION TYPES for what is considered a physical affliction. - Greensong Enhance your pawn with fae song. #### Greensong **Description**Syntax: FAE GREENSONG By imbuing your pawn with a verse of the Greensong, you can grant them access to cursed magics that will make them more dangerous in battle. Death: Their touch will cause paresis. Ruin: They will cause haemophilia. Life: They shall cause hallucinations. Renewal: Your pawn will erode the fang barrier defense. - Nightbrand Weave night’s thread within their heart. #### Nightbrand **Description**Syntax: FAE NIGHTBRAND FAE EVOKE Blood cost: 200 By marking your target with an asrai curse mark, you may later evoke its power at any time for a small burst of health and mana damage. - Winnow Her breath is as a curse to prey. #### Winnow **Description**Syntax: FAE WINNOW Blood cost: 500 Weak prey shall ever serve as food to fill Her gnashing maw, and it falls to you and your fellow sylvans to separate the wheat from the chaff accordingly. By speaking one of Her dire curses unto a victim, you can initially afflict them with ringing ears and strip the fangbarrier defence. It will also do the following if they have certain afflictions: \* If they have sadness, it will give blisters. \* If they have misery, it will give impairment. \* If they have arrhythmia, it will give vomiting. While this is rather powerful ability, your curse will weaken your voice in the process, removing the Twincurse ability until the cooldown expires. Please see AB CAPRICE TWINCURSE for more information. Cooldown: 15 seconds - Redress Seek vengeance by moonlight. #### Redress **Description**Syntax: FAE REDRESS Blood cost: 200 Weave the cold fury of midnight into a vengeful ward of moonlit frost around yourself. It will protect you by storing up damage dealt to you, then after a certain threshold has passed, it will strike out at the mana of the next person to harm you. - Awe Swathe yourself in ethereal awe. #### Awe **Description**Syntax: FAE AWE \[OFF\] Call upon those most courtly Fae that mortals have dreams and nightmares of, invoking their presence as manifestations that traipse alongside your form as a royal entourage, inducing fears and anxieties into the hearts and minds of your prey. This will affect up to two enemies at once, and will consume your blood at a continual rate while it remains active. Your awe-inspiring aura of Fae nobility can cause the following afflictions: Arrhythmia, misery, and sadness. If they have all three afflictions, then it will strip courage from them. - Concealing Conceal any sign of weakness. #### Concealing **Description**Syntax: FAE CONCEAL Blood cost: 400 Call upon the hunting courts by which you claim your covenant to suffuse your visible weaknesses with concealing magics, keeping them from easy sight of your prey when they try to gauge your state of well-being. - Dryad Call forth the aid of the dryads. #### Dryad **Description**Syntax: FAE DRYAD Blood cost: 2000 At significant cost to the enchanted geas running throughout your veins, you may summon the aid of an elder dryad. While in the dryad’s presence, anyone who receives bleeding will empower her terrible runes by a small amount. Once 450 bleeding has been caused in her presence, the dryad’s bark will flare with ancient curselight, re-afflicting them with the last affliction they cured. They do not need to bleed in order for this effect to happen and any attack that creates bleeding will work. Be warned that the dryad is not immune to the machinations of your enemies – she can be attacked and destroyed. - Savage Reclaim rivers of Her bounty from the undeserving. #### Savage **Description**Syntax: FAE SAVAGE If you have successfully bewitched your prey with capricious curses, you may brutally savage them with the full force of Her granted fury, opening a large wound which will cause them to lose a mass amount of blood, dealing both cutting and blunt damage at the same. This action will sate Her thirst and that of your vow both, replenishing your lifeforce. - Spellbind Fully unveil the Eventide’s fury. #### Spellbind **Description**Syntax: FAE SPELLBIND Blood cost: 400 Beseech the Lunar Courts for direct aid, wreathing your prey in glittering nightfury that shall ravage their sanity. It will scythe through their weak thoughts three times in a row, with the finale stunning them to their very core. The amount of mental damage this will cause is proportionate to the amount of mental afflictions the target has each time they are drained of mana. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction. Cooldown: 30 seconds - You may command your court in the following ways - Induct Bring an inductee into your court. #### Induct **Description**Syntax: FAE INDUCT VASSALS BANISH VASSAL Blood cost: 2000 This powerful ritual will allow you to induct one of the Primal sylvans into your court, binding their oath of service and the responsibilities therein to you and your purview – provided they do not belong to another Primal court, anyways. The necessary spirit to form such a pact renders it very difficult to break and thus should be initiated with full confidence and utmost caution. Induction may be carried out regardless of whether you are currently in the sylvan class or not. - Measure Take a measure of your vassal’s strengths. #### Measure **Description**Syntax: FAE MEASURE Blood cost: 100 Glance through the eyes of a chosen vassal, measuring their locale with a keen gaze. - Charm Weave glamour before your vassal. #### Charm **Description**Syntax: FAE CHARM Blood cost: 200 Charm your bound vassals into seeing what isn’t there, regardless of where they may be. Note: You can add a new line into your illusion by using the tag $nl within the text, however there is a limit in that you may only do this five times. - Convene Call upon the necessity of your court’s contract. #### Convene **Description**Syntax: FAE CONVENE Blood cost: 500 Issue an edict of convocation, summoning a vassal to your court – physically – from anywhere on the continent. - Edict Subvert the will of your vassals. #### Edict **Description**Syntax: FAE EDICT Blood cost: 300 Lay down a courtly order, commanding one of your vassals to perform to the letter of your demand so long as they are in the same location as you, or adjacent. - Hivemind Enjoin yourself to your court’s thoughts. #### Hivemind **Description**Syntax: FAE HIVEMIND Blood cost: 100 Concentrate on your court, becoming one with their thoughts. If you are present in the location with them, you may hear anything they THINK. - Snoop Keep an eye on the activites of your sworn vassals. #### Snoop **Description**Syntax: FAE SNOOP Blood cost: 100 By way of the clause allowing the High Courts to observe your wildhunts, you may directly oversee the activities of your vassals for a limited time. - Hallow Weave a protective enchantment for your court’s geas. #### Hallow **Description**Syntax: FAE HALLOW Blood cost: 95% Bolster the strength of all in your court, granting them extra protection from the attacks of denizens. This may only be used at the dead of Midnight, also known as the witching hour. - Wisdom Bless your court with fae wisdom. #### Wisdom **Description**Syntax: FAE WISDOM Blood cost: 95% Confer the gift of the High Courts upon all within your own court, granting them a boost to their experience gain for one hour. This may only be used at the dead of Midnight, when the old sorceries of the wood are at their apex. - Wildhunt Rally your court for a bloody hunt. #### Wildhunt **Description**Syntax: FAE WILDHUNT Blood cost: 500 per person affected Organise your vassals for the hunt to come. All in court from yourself downwards will gain the defences of Abundance, Concealing, and Redress, at no cost to themselves. - Pactbind Bind another to Her immeasurable grace. #### Pactbind **Description**Syntax: FAE PACTBIND VASSALS Blood cost: 5000 With this ability, you help someone recite the oath of the sylvan, binding you to the geas. This process is quite draining on both the oathbearer and their oathsworn, and the newly accepted sworn will suffer an extreme need to vent their newborn fury and sate their bloodlust soon after. At this stage, you are not bound in any lasting way to the oathbearer who binds you. See AB GLAMOURS INDUCT for more information. ## Visual style and identity Sylvans are imposing figures. They carry the ethereal grace of the Fae, which makes them equal parts glorious and eldritch. Their weapons are colossal: bastard swords, scythes, greatspears, and other two-handed blades, anointed with bloody runes that catch the subtle emerald glow of Dia’ruian spellcraft. Combat is savage and forceful but also swift and graceful. The rage of Dia’ruis often overtakes a Sylvan mid-fight, contorting their expression into the wrathful image enshrined in old folklore. ## Side effects of the work A Sylvan lives and dies by the oath. Powered by the spirit in their blood, they must take care at night when the dark stars are most prominent. The radiation of those shadowy apertures abrades the enchantment in their blood and brings pain or illness, similar to what the undying Akkari Host endure. The oath also intensifies emotion. A Sylvan carries some of Dia’ruis’s infinite rage as part of being Her outlet. Outbursts come easily. The oath grows sharp claws and gleaming fangs as part of the transfiguration, and there is no known way for mortals to break the geas of the High Courts. A Sylvan is bound for life. ## Who plays this class The Sylvan fits players who want a brutal physical fighter with magical transformation and binding-oath magic. The combat identity is closer to a werefolk warrior than to a city-trained knight, and the roleplay frame demands genuine commitment to the oath. Mechanically, Extirpation is a heavy-blade close-range style with claws and fangs as supplementary weapons. Glamours adds binding-oath utility that no other Aetolia class offers in quite the same form. ## City and guild The Sylvan guild is the Praadi, anchored in [Duiran](/world/duiran/), the Spirit Tether’s forest city. Patron: Haern, the Hunter. Sister classes are the [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) and the [Runecarver](/character-classes/runecarver/). Joining as a Sylvan commits you to Spirit. You can multiclass into other Spirit classes or the seven untethered classes. Race is independent of class, so a Sylvan can be any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Sylvan jointly mirrors the [Praenomen](/character-classes/praenomen/) (Bloodloch’s vampires) alongside the [Akkari](/character-classes/akkari/) of Enorian. The shared theme is transformation by oath: all three classes are mortals (or Duamvi) who gave themselves irrevocably to a higher power and were changed by it. The specifics differ. Sylvans serve Life. Akkari serve Dejaani and Her Angelic Triad. Praenomen serve the Blood and the ancient Consanguine bloodline. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Sylvan good for new players?** The class is workable for new players but the oath has heavy roleplay implications. If you do not want to commit to Dia’ruian fury and irrevocable service, pick a different Spirit class. **Can a Sylvan be any race?** Yes. The transfiguration happens to mortals of any Sapience race. They become honourary Fae through the oath, not by being born Fae. **Can I break the Sylvan oath?** No. Per the High Courts of Dia’ruis, there is currently no way known to mortals to break the geas. A Sylvan is bound for the duration of the character’s life. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Sylvan profile. Or see [all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) Sylvan’s sister class in the Praadi. Spirit-summoning priest of the Cycle with primal elemental power. Pick Shaman if you want the same guild and patron but a more arcane and elemental kit rather than savage Fae combat. ### [Akkari](/character-classes/akkari/) Joint mirror with the Sylvan. Duamvi warriors from the Plane of Spirit, Rewh’va, bound by their own oath to Dejaani and the Angelic Triad. Pick Akkari if you like the transfigured-warrior frame but want Enorian’s holy-warrior context instead of Duiran’s wild Fae fury. ### [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) Duiran neighbor in the Pride guild. Skirmisher with a bonded animal companion. Pick Sentinel if you want to stay in Duiran and Spirit but prefer a ranger-style chassis to heavy two-handed Fae combat. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Sylvan and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Siderealist of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/siderealist/) **Published:** December 8, 2024 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Siderealist of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-siderealist-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Siderealist class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Siderealist is Aetolia’s untethered cosmic mage, the newest class in the game, channelling Astranomia (stellar magic), Ostension (constellation-summoned regalia from the Mejevsavelnel, a legendarium of twelve constellations), and Crystalism (celestial-vibration crystal magic) from the Vashnar Mountains. At a glance**Tether**Untethered**City**None (origin: Vashnar Mountains)**Guild**None; apprentice from Heiress Rashemi in the Vashnar Mountains**Skill sets**Astranomia, Ostension, Crystalism**Mirror class**None (untethered)**Sister class in guild**None**Signature mechanic**Sidereal regalia drawn from the twelve constellations of the Mejevsavelnel**Best for**Players who want cosmic-scale magic and an outsider’s roleplay frameFollowing the Creator’s Monomachy and the Eschaton’s unprecedented act of Creation, a vast well of power blossomed from newly forged stars and planets, its unseen radiation suffusing existence entire. The Siderealists are the mortals who learned to seize this energy and shape it into magic. They are the newest class in Aetolia and the first to draw their power from beyond the world itself. If you want a mage class with a fresh power source and no centuries of guild politics behind it, the Siderealist is built for that. The craft is still being mapped. ## Origin and lore The first Siderealists awakened to their talents shortly after the True Creator’s planetary genesis. Some are born with the capacity for cosmic magic. Others train into it. A rare few possess wild talent that reveals itself in trance-like states during childhood. In serious cases, an untrained child can pose a danger to themselves or others without meaning to, with extreme stress catalysing unintentional expressions of power that look very much like psychosis or trauma to the uninformed. Modern training runs through Heiress Rashemi in the Vashnar Mountains, where the apprenticeship costs 40 credits. Rashemi is the only known instructor, and the craft is young enough that the field is still being mapped. The Empyreal Vault, the vast cosmic gulf around Aetolia, hosts six additional planets beyond Aetolia itself, plus stars, nebulae, comets, and asteroids that provide limitless sources of the energy a Siderealist channels. The class sits outside city politics and outside the Spirit-Shadow tether. A Siderealist draws on the stars, not on a side. ## Skill sets The Siderealist skill sets are Astranomia, Ostension, and Crystalism. **Astranomia** is the raw stellar magic. The Siderealist channels cosmic energy from beyond Aetolia’s bounds. Accomplished practitioners manifest miniature moons, rings of stellar dust, and entire systems of tiny stars. From dying stars to the forces that set planets oscillating on their courses, Astranomia draws from whatever the practitioner beholds in luminescent communion with the Empyreal. **Ostension** is the constellation school. The twelve major constellations of Sapience’s skies make up a legendarium called the Mejevsavelnel. Each carries a myth of origin. Ostension summons sidereal regalia drawn from these legends, imbued with the essence of the figures they represent. A diverse gallery of heroes, horrors, wizards, and tormented souls source these regalia, and each manifests a different power on the wearer. **Crystalism** is the resonance and vibration school. Originally studied by the Magi of old, then the Ascendril and Sciomancers, it fell out of practice when the Master Crystals lost tonal purity. The Eschaton’s act of Creation breathed new celestial life into crystals throughout the world, and Siderealists revived the field. Different crystal shapes conduct invisible energies at different frequencies, influencing both mind and matter. ## Skill abilities Astranomia Ostension Crystalism Filter abilities Title Contents ### Astranomia - Luminesce Draw cosmic will into your body. #### Luminesce **Description**Syntax: ASTRA LUMINESCE Collect cosmic power through your sight and become a living conduit of cosmic will. With this energy gathered within you, you will be capable of casting cosmic spells that emulate the Empyreal. Your sight is the crux of your power: if you lose your vision completely, then you will lose sight of the cosmos and will thus be unable to utilize it as a tool. Cosmic power also requires steady arms in order to cast its grand acts – as such, you will often need both arms to be free of harm, although you may wield equipment in them. Some exceptions exist to this rule, which are as follows: Replicate (Absorb), Foresight, Centrum, and Gleam (Inflict). - Ray Skew the flow of astral currents. #### Ray **Description**Syntax: ASTRA RAY This basic but powerful attack will harm your opponent with magic-type damage by blasting them with a ray of cosmic energy. If used upon an adventurer, it will also leave them with a lingering magic weakness – reducing their ability to endure such attacks by 10% for the next 8 seconds. This can be further improved if the target is affected by an anomaly, reducing their defences by a further 10% and increasing the duration by 3 seconds for each one. For more information on each anomaly that can enhance this effect, see AB ASTRANOMIA DUSTRING, ASTERISM, and MOONLET. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeMagic Damage SourceArcane Damage300 + 14% Damage (Denizen)1044 Base Magic Weakness Effect10% Added Magic Weakness Effect+10% per anomaly Base Magic Weakness Duration8 seconds Added Magic Weakness Duration+3 seconds per anomaly Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Denizen)3.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 120 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Denizen) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Seer See celestial objects despite overhead conditions. #### Seer **Description**Syntax: ASTRA GAZE Your luminescent eyes will allow you to see the stars or moon regardless of whatever your surrounding conditions might be. Whether indoors, underground, cloudy, or day time, you will be able to see bodies of cosmos and feel their touch. - Coruscation Release a wave of healing cosmic light. #### Coruscation **Description**Syntax: ASTRA CORUSCATION Form a lazily drifting band of green light around you, then send it outwards, healing yourself and your allies for some of their health. - Blueshift Bolster your vitality through the stars. #### Blueshift **Description**Syntax: ASTRA BLUESHIFT Draw the gaze of the stars closer to you, allowing their potent cosmic forces to enhance your vitality. Your max health and mana will be boosted by 3 points per level you have obtained. - Erode Destroy the defences of your opponent. #### Erode **Description**Syntax: ASTRA ERODE Direct a current of cosmic power at your target, destroying their defences. It will erode the following defence types in order: – Magical shields – Resistance defences – Random defences - Rotate Restore the spin to your vibrations. #### Rotate **Description**Syntax: ASTRA ROTATE Extend the life of your Crystalism vibrations embedded in the same location as you, ensuring that they continue to last by refreshing their spin. Inert vibrations will additionally be restored, bringing their effects back to life. - Dustring A ring of dust will weaken protective fields. #### Dustring **Description**Syntax: ASTRA DUSTRING This effect is considered an anomaly. Should your target be below 60% of their max health, you may form together a ring of astral dust around them. The dustring will disrupt the creation of protective fields, increasing the recovery cost of any magical shield forming ability by 1 second. - Gleam Form gleaming stars around you from cosmic power. #### Gleam **Description**Syntax: ASTRA GLEAM \[OFF\] ASTRA INFLICT Form together seven stars from cosmic energy, each one coloured after the rainbow. Trapped within is the might of certain primordial forces that can be found within the realm of Aetolia. You can then destroy a star and utilise its cosmic energy to inflict an opponent with a debilitating affliction related to the colour star you used. Red (burning): Causes crosswiring. Orange (crushing): Causes gnawing. Yellow (radiant): Causes dizziness. Green (noxious): Causes clumsiness. Blue (frigid): Causes shivering. Indigo (temporal): Causes muddled for 8 seconds. Violet (twisted): Causes echoes. When a star is consumed, a new one will eventually regenerate after 12 seconds have passed. Maintaining your gleam will drain you of your willpower while it is in effect. - Nebula The stars will cradle those who are in need. #### Nebula **Description**Syntax: ASTRA NEBULA Create a nebula within your location. Once anyone within the nebula takes over 2000 damage, they will be healed for 20% of their health, but only the one time for that specific person. - Equinox Form a healing bond of solar and lunar energies. #### Equinox **Description**Syntax: ASTRA EQUINOX \[target\] Summon forth equal parts of solar and lunar cosmic energy to engulf your form. As the two different energies meet in the middle of your body, you will be healed of a random affliction. If you choose a target in the same location as you, you will dispel a second affliction that exists within the curable trees of the last affliction they cured themselves. Please see HELP CURE ORDER for more information on the curable trees. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Adumbrate See the outline of those who are hidden. #### Adumbrate **Description**Syntax: ASTRA ADUMBRATE Release a field of stardust into your location that will help you sense when incorporeal adventurers pass through your location. This action is channeled, will slowly drain your mana, and requires your focus to maintain. - Parallax Duplicate your power twofold. #### Parallax **Description**Syntax: ASTRA PARALLAX \[3-15\] \[spell details\] You may freely activate a temporal stall, causing your chosen Astranomia spell to be cast into the cosmos and reappear a specified amount of seconds later between 3 and 15. While it is a powerful spell, there are a few downsides: – You may only have one spell stalled at a time. – Any damage dealt as a result of Parallax is reduced by 40%. – While stalled, all beneficial equilibrium recovery bonuses are nullified. – A released spell cannot interact with the Cataclysm vibration. The equilibrium recovery cost of stalling a spell cannot be modified. Example: ASTRA PARALLAX 3 ERODE ELIADON This will cast the Erode skill on Eliadon after 3 seconds have passed. - Capture Place your vibrations into dormancy. #### Capture **Description**Syntax: ASTRA CAPTURE Capture the spin of your Crystalism vibrations, leaving them inert. While they will no longer have any effect while inert, the lack of spin on your vibrations will stop them from decaying. - Asterism Beautiful patterns can be found within the stars. #### Asterism **Description**Syntax: ASTRA ASTERISM This effect is considered an anomaly. Provided your target has at least four or more curable afflictions, you may form a pattern of stars around them that will relapse those same afflictions upon your target periodically. Broken/mangled limbs and all levels of bruising are excluded from selection. Please see HELP CURE ORDER for afflictions that are considered curable. - Foresight Glance forward and predict the next blow aimed at you. #### Foresight **Description**Syntax: ASTRA FORESIGHT Glimpse the future through a cosmic vision, granting you the ability to dodge the next physical attack aimed your way if possible. Your dodge cooldown will be reset when you gain the foresight defence. Please read HELP AVOIDANCE for more information on dodging. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Embody Give partial form to the will of the cosmos. #### Embody **Description**Syntax: ASTRA EMBODY ORDER SPRITE ATTACK CALL SPRITE Draw forth a personification of the cosmos in the form of a cosmic sprite. This sprite will attack your opponent when asked, dealing magic damage to your target, and its cosmic nature will afflict them with sparkling phosphenes that will linger on the lens of their vision. After some time, the sprite will no longer be able to maintain its form and it will dissipate. Please read HELP LOYALS for more information on commanding and controlling your sprite. - Centrum Draw cosmic energy through your arms to strengthen them. #### Centrum **Description**Syntax: ASTRA CENTRUM By aligning yourself with the fundamental forces that guide celestial bodies through the cosmos, you can channel raw sidereal energy directly through your arms. Through such an action, you will be capable of performing any action or skill that you wouldn’t be able to normally if one arm were crippled. However, this power is not sustainable and subjects the body and mind to immense fatigue. As such, your ability to maintain this state will be limited before you must release it for your own safety. Using this skill requires equilibrium and balance, but it does not consume it. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Moonlet Tidal forces will tear at their mana. #### Moonlet **Description**Syntax: ASTRA MOONLET This effect is considered an anomaly. After a short channel, you may conjure forth a small moonlet to orbit around your target. Once fully conjured, the tidal forces from the moonlet will disrupt the target’s mana reserves, draining their health for 30% of any mana lost or used. The channel time can be sped up by 0.5 seconds for every broken limb the opponent suffers from. - Spallation Summon a stellar mote to cause hairline fractures. #### Spallation **Description**Syntax: ASTRA SPALLATION Call upon a stellar mote and seed it within your target in order to cause hairline trauma in their limbs. This effect requires them to be suffering from phosphenes in their eyes in order for the mote to take root completely. Once the mote is seeded within their body, it will then fracture into five points. Each will then travel into their limbs and deal trauma and magic damage, starting with the head, then the left leg, the right arm, the left arm, and finally the right leg, forming the shape of a star. The final fragment will deal triple the magic damage, but the trauma will be the same. You can also double the trauma dealt by ensuring that your opponent is filled with a gnawing sensation in their stomach during each moment their limbs are struck with cosmic force. The trauma dealt by this skill cannot be parried and cannot break limbs. - Stillness Send streaks of nothing to strike out at your foe. #### Stillness **Description**Syntax: ASTRA STILLNESS Inflict the stillness of naught upon your target who is haunted by enigmatic echoes or wavering under dissonance, crushing their lungs and driving them mad. It will deal asphyxiation-type damage and will inflict them with two afflictions. If they have all the afflictions, then it will form the Moonlet anomaly upon them. Afflictions will be given in the following order: Stupidity, confusion, dementia, hallucinations. - Alteration Alter the cosmos by rewriting one affliction into another. #### Alteration **Description**Syntax: ASTRA ALTERATION INTO Through a powerful cosmic spell, you can alter one affliction your opponent has into another. This transformation will happen 2.4 seconds after you cast this ability, and if the targeted affliction is cured before then, it will fail. You may only target easily curable afflictions with this ability, and the transformed affliction must match the curing method of the new one. For example, if you were wanting to give someone paresis, the target affliction to transform it from must be cured by the opiate pill. - Redshift Deal a cosmic blow to those whom escape far from you. #### Redshift **Description**Syntax: ASTRA REDSHIFT Surround your target in hostile cosmic energy that will, after a delay, deal magic-type damage to them depending on how far away they are from the original location this skill was cast upon them. It will increase in damage until they are twenty rooms away from the original location, at which point it will reach the maximum amount of damage possible. If there is no direct path to the original location, then it will deal full damage as well. - Replicate The cosmos holds all possibilities; past, present, and future. #### Replicate **Description**Syntax: ASTRA ABSORB ASTRA REPLICATE ASTRA FORGET By ABSORBing the ambient cosmic knowledge left behind by the act of an intelligent, sapient being, you can gain the power to replicate the last aggressive attack that targeted you and turn it into a usable spell with two uses. You may then REPLICATE that ability as though it were your own, consuming a use, and it will automatically target the person whom you replicated the ability from. Use of the replicated ability will act as though you were Transcended in that art form. If you wish to, you may FORGET a replicated ability and release your knowledge upon it. You may only absorb one ability at a time. Notes: While the scope of what you can absorb is quite large, keep in mind that temporal knowledge can be at times limited to reality, and some abilities may be outside of your reach to perform in full. If you are unable to perform an ability successfully when replicating it, you will still be taxed by attempting to cast it. The act of absorbing an ability has very few restrictions on it, and will be accessible nearly any time that you desire. The equilibrium recovery time on absorb is halved if the target has dissonance. - Chromaflare Detonate your gleaming stars in a flare of colour. #### Chromaflare **Description**Syntax: ASTRA CHROMAFLARE This potent ability allows you to compel all your miniature stars into a chain reaction of supernovae, expending them all at once. While it will not inflict your opponent with afflictions, it will deal a small amount of damage for each star that you hold in reserve. The damage type dealt for each star will depend upon the colour of the star that strikes them. Red: Fire damage. Orange: Asphyxiation damage. Yellow: Electric damage. Green: Poison damage. Blue: Cold damage. Indigo: Magic damage. Violet: Psychic damage. This act will consume all your colourful stars for 20 seconds, at which point they will be resummoned. - Superbolide Deadly astral rock pulled down from the skies above. #### Superbolide **Description**Syntax: ASTRA SUPERBOLIDE In a truly terrifying display of power, you can call down a comet from the Empyreal Vault to strike the very battlefield you stand upon. Once the comet is on a direct collision path, it will take 12 seconds to collide with the clouds. Upon arrival, it will explode into a shower of heavy metals and frozen rock, injuring everyone who remains in the same location and isn’t underground. The falling meteors will deal cutting, blunt, and cold damage all at once and tear apart anyone in the way, causing a variety of afflictions to the unfortunate. It will cause one to three hidden afflictions at random from the following: One freeze level, any crippled limb, fallen, stun, stupidity, dizziness, paresis, blindness, or deafness. - Syzygy Align your anomalies into a destructive, celestial force. #### Syzygy **Description**Syntax: ASTRA SYZYGY A powerful spell that will tear at your opponent with cosmic forces by aligning the anomalies of the Moonlet, the Dustring, and the Asterism that surround them. Upon casting, it will deal a large amount of magic, spirit, and shadow damage on them all at once, while destroying all three anomalies in the process. The victim will leave no corpse behind if they are slain by this ability. - Ekpyrosis The answer to your final, burning call. #### Ekpyrosis **Description**Syntax: ASTRA EKPYROSIS Let forth a plea into the cosmos so that you might turn the tides of battle in your favour. This burning wish will intensify the power of stars upon your body, bringing it to burning heights as all your stats reach their maximum potential and you become immune to instant kill methods from adventurers for a limited time. This act does not come without a fatal price however. Once the power of the stars expires, your body will burn apart into a haze of stellar dust, destroying your life and body completely with no chance of survival. Cooldown (on death): 1 hour Filter abilities Title Contents ### Ostension - Reenactment Obtain mythical regalia of legend. #### Reenactment **Description**Syntax: REENACT Additional syntax: POWERS Beseech one of the constellations of Sapience for intercession by re-enacting an aspect of their legend. After a brief delay, the constellation will answer your plea and deliver a legendary piece of regalia closely associated with it into your hands. With this piece of regalia, you may tap into special powers related to its origin. You may only reenact one legend at a time for now. To learn more about the powers available to you, you may use POWERS while you hold a piece of regalia. - Forfeit Return your regalia to the stars. #### Forfeit **Description**Syntax: FORFEIT or FORFEIT ALL Once you have obtained regalia from the constellations, if you wish to return it to them, you can forfeit it back to the legends they came from. - Empyreal Qualities befitting of the constellations. #### Empyreal **Description**This ability is passive. The regalia that is gifted to you by the stars possesses empyreal qualities that place them a step above the common armaments found within the realm. Each regalia that you call upon is unique to you and you alone. As such, you will not be able to pass along your regalia to others, ensuring only you can tap into their mythical powers. In addition to this, all weapons summoned forth by the stars will be classified as a Legendary weapon and, if it can be wielded, it will be unyielding to attempts to disarm you of them in much the same way a fist-sigil could. Sub‑abilities - Possessed The body of a beast and a mind. #### Possessed **Description**This ability is passive. While you wear the mask, your body will become possessed by the two spirits within Ontesme; the mind of herself and the beast that dwelled within. As such, while you are wearing the mask, your balance and equilibrium recovery will be much faster, as though you had enhanced both of them through the enhancements system (HELP ENHANCEMENTS). It will not stack however. - Artos The glasses of the Sage. #### Artos **Description**Artos, the Sage Regalia given: glasses Viewed as a pair of bright stars twinkling in unison, representing the two piercing eyes of Artos. Powers granted by the given regalia: Spy Obtain useful information from a distance. Diagnose Diagnose yourself or others. Wounds Determine the limb trauma you or another has. Type AB OSTENSION to gain more information on a bestowed power. Sub‑abilities - Spy Obtain useful information from a distance. #### Spy **Description**Syntax: SPY Using your sagacious glasses, you may spy upon individuals over a vast distance. This will reveal the class of the target that you choose to spy upon, along with how many defences they have and what their current stats are. - Diagnose Diagnose yourself or others. #### Diagnose **Description**Syntax: DIAGNOSE \[target\] Your glasses allow you to diagnose yourself or another of any afflictions they may have at a glance. When used on someone not yourself, it will be free of equilibrium cost. - Wounds Determine the limb trauma you or another has. #### Wounds **Description**Syntax: WOUNDS \[target\] This ability will allow you to determine how badly damaged the limbs of your opponent are. If you specify no target, you will check your own limbs. When used on someone not yourself, it will be free of equilibrium cost. - Cthalut The bow of the Archer. #### Cthalut **Description**Cthalut, the Archer Regalia given: bow Can be seen as seven stars in a loose group, the brightest three in a vertical crescent, representing the shape of an archer. Powers granted by the given regalia: Archery The bow of the archer Cthalut. Aiming Take aim for extra precision. Starshot An arrow made from starlight. Arcing Let your arrows take an arc through the sky. Type AB OSTENSION to gain more information on a bestowed power. Sub‑abilities - Archery The bow of the archer Cthalut. #### Archery **Description**Using Cthalut’s bow: SHOOT \[type/venom\] SHOOT SWITCH Using a quiver: INSPECT QUIVER or IQ INQ ARROWS OUTQ ARROWS Use your bestowed bow to shoot someone in a line-of-sight location from you. Although the bow has been given to you by the stars, you still need a quiver. Place the arrows you wish to use within your quiver using INQ and then, while wielding your bow, you can SHOOT a target within line-of-sight of you. You can use SWITCH to choose which of your arrows you will shoot by default. In addition to the regular venoms, you may also use the sumac and loki venoms with a bow. Against denizens, you must also supply the direction that you wish to shoot in. You may only use normal or starshot arrows and no venoms when targeting a denizen. - Aiming Take aim for extra precision. #### Aiming **Description**Syntax: AIM AIM Increase the accuracy of your bow by aiming at your target first. As long as they remain within the trajectory of the arrow, it will always hit them, even if they move from their original location. Against denizens, you must specify the direction to aim in. - Starshot An arrow made from starlight. #### Starshot **Description**Syntax: SHOOT STARSHOT SHOOT STARSHOT If you have no quiver of arrows on hand, or simply don’t wish to use them, you can form an arrow out of starlight and shoot it at your target instead. Such an arrow will deal magic-type damage to your target immediately and a small amount of time afterward. When shooting a denizen, you must specify the direction to shoot in. Both instances of damage will be arcane-sourced. - Arcing Let your arrows take an arc through the sky. #### Arcing **Description**This ability is passive. Unlike other bows, the bow of Cthalut has the unique property of being able to lightly arc its arrows with deadly precision. This feature will let you shoot people at a different elevation to you from a distance, providing they still remain within a direct line from your location. The arc of the elevation change will additionally allow you to shoot over walls and obstacles in the process. - Treyes A candle from the Candles. #### Treyes **Description**Treyes, the Candles Regalia given: candle Appears as three blazing stars, topping three parallel columns of two dull stars each, representing the three sacred candles of the Luminary fellowship and the Triad. Powers granted by the given regalia: Light The candle will provide light. Blaze Set the skies ablaze. Heat Keep yourself warm in cold climates. Type AB OSTENSION to gain more information on a bestowed power. Sub‑abilities - Light The candle will provide light. #### Light **Description**This ability is passive. You may use your candle for any purpose that requires a source of fire, such as lighting a campfire. It will also act as a light source, making it easier to see in the darkness. - Blaze Set the skies ablaze. #### Blaze **Description**Syntax: BLAZE Raise your candle aloft, summoning jets of flame that will surge in from every direction available in your location. Upon converging in your room, they will rush skyward and burn anyone in the trees or skies above, as well as set them ablaze. The damage dealt is multiplied by the amount of exits within your location. - Heat Keep yourself warm in cold climates. #### Heat **Description**This ability is passive. Your candle will keep you warmer while exploring into places that have low temperatures. - Izu-Ari A coin from the Gambler. #### Izu-Ari **Description**Izu-Ari, the Gambler Regalia given: coin Can be seen as a single golden star, representing Izu-Ari’s last gold sovereign. Powers granted by the given regalia: Luck Increase your luck against harm. Fortune Fortune favours you. Chance A chance to see through subterfuge. Type AB OSTENSION to gain more information on a bestowed power. Sub‑abilities - Luck Increase your luck against harm. #### Luck **Description**This ability is passive. If you’re lucky, there is a 5% chance any damage you take is cut in half. - Fortune Fortune favours you. #### Fortune **Description**This ability is passive. While holding the coin, any gold dropped from a slain denizen will be naturally increased by 5%. Additionally, denizens will give you 5% more gold during charity persuasions. - Chance A chance to see through subterfuge. #### Chance **Description**This ability is passive. There is a 1 in 6 chance that you will see through a hidden affliction for what it is. - Vayua The sword of the Hero. #### Vayua **Description**Vayua, the Hero Regalia given: sword Visible in the sky as five stars in a straight line with a sixth and seventh flanking the second star of the five, representing a sword. Powers granted by the given regalia: Sword The sword of the hero Vayua. Sublime Slash through the aura of rebounding. Edged The sharp edge of this blade causes extra bleeding. Starlit Flowing starlight runs through this sword. Type AB OSTENSION to gain more information on a bestowed power. Sub‑abilities - Sword The sword of the hero Vayua. #### Sword **Description**This ability is passive. The sword of Vayua is a formidible weapon of myth, once held by the Hero himself. You can use it like an ordinary weapon, however its effectiveness will scale with your skill rank in Ostension instead of Weaponry. You can PROBE the weapon to see what kind of attacks you can use with the sword. - Sublime Slash through the aura of rebounding. #### Sublime **Description**This ability is passive. With the stars granting Vayua’s sword such deadly grace, you will be able to bypass the aura of rebounding when striking a target with it. - Edged The sharp edge of this blade causes extra bleeding. #### Edged **Description**This ability is passive. The edge on the sword of Vayua is so fine that it will cause triple the usual amount of bleeding when attacking with it. - Starlit Flowing starlight runs through this sword. #### Starlit **Description**This ability is passive. Wrapped in the star’s love for the Hero, this sword is enveloped in flowing starlight. Each time you make a second attack against the same target, it will flare brilliantly and deliver paresis upon them – a deadly boon given to the Hero so that he might complete his purpose. - Loskiou The robe of the Selfless. #### Loskiou **Description**Loskiou, the Selfless Regalia given: robe Seen as a single bright star of simple, pure white hue, representing the soul of Loskiou, shining selflessly over all mortals. Powers granted by the given regalia: Martyr Keep others alive for the cause. Softhands A gift for healing. Hymn Protect your ally against damage. Type AB OSTENSION to gain more information on a bestowed power. Sub‑abilities - Martyr Keep others alive for the cause. #### Martyr **Description**This ability is passive. Your death will cause all your allies to be healed for 25% of their health while the robe is worn, no matter where they are in the realm. - Softhands A gift for healing. #### Softhands **Description**This ability is passive. Any non-natural healing that you perform upon either health or mana will be boosted by 15%, whether it be yourself or someone else. - Hymn Protect your ally against damage. #### Hymn **Description**Syntax: HYMN Wanting to see none come to harm, you can call upon Loskiou’s hymn to protect your target in a potent energy shield that will absorb 2000 damage and prevent them from needing to feel any pain. - Peripleko The shoes of the Navigator. #### Peripleko **Description**Peripleko, the Navigator Regalia given: shoes Appears as a triangle of brightly glowing stars, shining as an arrow, which points eternally towards the north. Powers granted by the given regalia: Navigate Cross great distances at once. Footprint See where others are without prior knowledge. Farlands Expand your influence outward. Type AB OSTENSION to gain more information on a bestowed power. Sub‑abilities - Navigate Cross great distances at once. #### Navigate **Description**Syntax: NAVIGATE Instantly appear at any major civilisation across the realm in a single step. If you are an enemy of the civilisation in question, then you will be unable to travel there. Possible location choices include: Enorian, Duiran, Bloodloch, Spinesreach, or Esterport. There is a minor exception to this rule, and that is that you can also travel to the Pool of Stars using the keyword ‘stars’. - Footprint See where others are without prior knowledge. #### Footprint **Description**This ability is passive. When making use of the WHO list with the thirdeye defence, you will be able to see the room ‘vnum’ of anyone upon it, even if you have not explored the location before. - Farlands Expand your influence outward. #### Farlands **Description**This ability is passive. While you wear his shoes, the radius and effects of your Crystalism vibrations will be expanded to adjacent locations, exerting the Navigator’s presence to the furthest reaches as Peripleko often sought. Does not affect the Reverberation, Adduction, or Retrogradation vibrations. - Edamil The glove of the Trickster. #### Edamil **Description**Edamil, the Trickster Regalia given: glove This constellation is seen as a semicircle of four stars, enclosing a single, bright star, which represents the hand of Edamil, as he reaches out to try to grasp a star. Powers granted by the given regalia: Trickster Call upon the trickery of the stars. Pinch An extra helping never hurt. Gravitas The best tricks require a deep selection. Type AB OSTENSION to gain more information on a bestowed power. Sub‑abilities - Trickster Call upon the trickery of the stars. #### Trickster **Description**Syntax: TRICKERY With a snap of Edamil’s glove, you can cause tricksome starlight to wrap itself around your target, placing them into a state of celestial stasis where they will find it difficult to escape from you until they writhe free. - Pinch An extra helping never hurt. #### Pinch **Description**This ability is passive. Edamil was well known for his many tricks, always ready for any opportunity. When you grasp a spell with Replicate, you will find that you can utilise it an extra time before the memory becomes too distorted to use any further. Please see AB ASTRANOMIA REPLICATE for more information on this skill. - Gravitas The best tricks require a deep selection. #### Gravitas **Description**Syntax: ASTRA ABSORB \[1|2|3\] Much like how Edamil attempted to grasp the stars, you too can now reach for more. When you try and absorb a spell for Replicate, you can now specify which spell you want to take for yourself. Choosing the first spell will give you the most recent attack used against you. Choosing the second will give you the second most recent, and the third is the third most recent. If you do not specify which numeric attack to absorb, then it will default to the most recent attack. Please see AB ASTRANOMIA REPLICATE for more information on this skill. - Umbrael A cloak from the Cloak. #### Umbrael **Description**Umbrael, the Cloak Regalia given: cloak Seen as a square of four stars, with darkness inside it obscuring any stars behind, representing the shape of a four-cornered cloak, which conceals all behind it. Powers granted by the given regalia: Shadowgaze Suppress your presence when sensing others. Displacement Displace your location to those who seek you. Cloak Prevent yourself from being summoned. Type AB OSTENSION to gain more information on a bestowed power. Sub‑abilities - Shadowgaze Suppress your presence when sensing others. #### Shadowgaze **Description**This ability is passive. When sensing out other adventurers, your cloak will grant you the power to suppress any abilities that might alert them that you are doing so. - Displacement Displace your location to those who seek you. #### Displacement **Description**This ability is passive. Become difficult to locate by displacing your location against abilities that try to sense you. As such, when your location is sensed, they will be shown a random location within a three room radius around you. - Cloak Prevent yourself from being summoned. #### Cloak **Description**This ability is passive. Your cloak will grant you protection against summoning attempts from the brazier tattoo while it is worn. - Melot The axe of the Champion. #### Melot **Description**Melot, the Champion Regalia given: axe This constellation can be seen as seven stars in an inverted T-shape, representing the form of Melot, standing victorious over her foes. Powers granted by the given regalia: Axe The axe of the champion Melot. Merciless Bite deep into flesh and bone. Undercut Cut their legs from under them. Type AB OSTENSION to gain more information on a bestowed power. Sub‑abilities - Axe The axe of the champion Melot. #### Axe **Description**This ability is passive. The battleaxe of Melot was said to be the vaunted weapon she held in her legendary final battle. You can use it like an ordinary weapon, however its effectiveness will scale with your skill rank in Ostension instead of Weaponry. You can PROBE the weapon to see what kind of attacks you can use with the axe. - Merciless Bite deep into flesh and bone. #### Merciless **Description**This ability is passive. The perfect balance and weight of Melot’s axe was said to give it such a merciless quality, that it would bite through armour and flesh and directly to the bone. As such, unlike other cutting weapons, this will will deal twice the trauma when striking the various body parts of your opponent. It will also boil the restoration salve should any be applied when it strikes, reducing its healing potency against trauma. - Undercut Cut their legs from under them. #### Undercut **Description**Syntax: UNDERCUT Utilise the Champion’s favourite technique with her battleaxe, swinging it low to cut through both legs of your opponent. While it cannot deliver any venoms, it will deal a bit more total trauma than a single hit would. Cooldown: 8 seconds - Ontesme The mask of the Tormented. #### Ontesme **Description**Ontesme, the Tormented Regalia given: mask Appears as six pale stars, running generally in a horizontal line, representing the body of Ontesme at rest. Powers granted by the given regalia: Occlusion Prevent venom from attacking your eyes Possessed The body of a beast and a mind. Illgrasp Grasp them within an aura of torment. Type AB OSTENSION to gain more information on a bestowed power. Sub‑abilities - Occlusion Prevent venom from attacking your eyes #### Occlusion **Description**This ability is passive. Your mask will provide you with immunity to the oleander venom, preventing you from going blind from its effects. - Illgrasp Grasp them within an aura of torment. #### Illgrasp **Description**Syntax: ILLGRASP Converge an aura of torment upon your opponent with your mask’s gaze. Such an effect will lie dormant in the opponent until they are struck by an active source of magic-type damage. Upon receiving damage, they’ll be given a hidden random affliction. One of the following afflictions can be given as a result: Anorexia, indifference, or manablight. This effect will last for six strikes, or until sufficient time has passed that the effect wears off on its own. - Ulgar The hammer and chisel of the First Troll. #### Ulgar **Description**Ulgar, the First Troll Regalia given: hammer & chisel Appears in the night sky as five pale, greenish stars in a wide swath, forming up the hulking form of Ulgar, the first troll. Powers granted by the given regalia: Hammer The favourite hammer of Ulgar. Construct Build an earthen wall with your tools. Deconstruct Tear down the creations of others. Type AB OSTENSION to gain more information on a bestowed power. Sub‑abilities - Hammer The favourite hammer of Ulgar. #### Hammer **Description**This ability is passive. The hammer and chisel is the favoured tools of Ulgar, the First Troll. You can use them like an ordinary weapon, however its effectiveness will scale with your skill rank in Ostension instead of Weaponry. You can PROBE the weapon to see what kind of attacks you can use with the tools. - Construct Build an earthen wall with your tools. #### Construct **Description**Syntax: CONSTRUCT WALL Construct a wall of stone to prevent escape across an exit. It can only be destroyed by attacking it, or by use of the Crashing skill in Survival. You may only construct up to two stonewalls at a time. Please see AB SURVIVAL CRASHING for more information on this ability. - Deconstruct Tear down the creations of others. #### Deconstruct **Description**Syntax: DECONSTRUCT Destroy an adventurer-made attackable item in a single blow. If it is not something that you have made, then this ability will be placed on cooldown. You will still be able to deconstruct your own made items while the cooldown is in effect. Cooldown (not self-made): 480 seconds - Drobia A gear from the Gears. #### Drobia **Description**Drobia, the Gears Regalia given: gear This constellation shows itself as fourteen stars, grouped into three rough circles touching one another, forming the shape of three turning gears. Powers granted by the given regalia: Shield The gear of Drobia can serve as a shield. Wind Wind up your gear. Unleash Unleash the tension built up in your gear. Type AB OSTENSION to gain more information on a bestowed power. Sub‑abilities - Shield The gear of Drobia can serve as a shield. #### Shield **Description**This ability is passive. The gear of Drobia is a unique regalia in that it is large and sturdy enough to serve as a shield when wielded. It offers some protection against blunt and cutting damage, but can be increased further by winding its gear. - Wind Wind up your gear. #### Wind **Description**Syntax: WIND GEAR Wind up your gear, preparing it to unleash it in a hefty strike. Each time it is wound, it will increase the armour stats upon your gear by 5. You may wind it up to a maximum of five times. - Unleash Unleash the tension built up in your gear. #### Unleash **Description**Syntax: UNLEASH GEAR Unleash your wound up gear, dealing cutting-type damage and some bleeding to all adventurers in the location. Each winding of the gear will cause it to strike again in succession, however it will lose any benefits gained from winding until it is rewound once more. If they are protected by either a magical shield or a prismatic barrier, the teeth of Drobia’s gear will shatter them. - Gulbedim The mantle of the Hexer. #### Gulbedim **Description**Gulbedim, the Hexer Regalia given: mantle Can be viewed as eight dim stars, forming a misshapen oval, and representing the scowling countenance of Gulbedim. Powers granted by the given regalia: Hextouch Hex those who dare escape from you. Despair Fill your enemies with despair. Murk Drive them into hopelessness. Type AB OSTENSION to gain more information on a bestowed power. Sub‑abilities - Hextouch Hex those who dare escape from you. #### Hextouch **Description**Syntax: HEXTOUCH Draw forth the dark fires of Gulbedim and bestow a hateful hex upon your opponent. It will deliver two afflictions upon them, chosen at random. It can choose from: Blindness, weariness, superstition, vomiting, recklessness, epilepsy, paresis, and anorexia. - Despair Fill your enemies with despair. #### Despair **Description**Syntax: DESPAIR Throw your opponent into despair, making it more difficult for them to dodge. - Murk Drive them into hopelessness. #### Murk **Description**Syntax: MURK Channel the woe and desolation of Gulbedim, forcing its murky darkness upon your target. Bleak insanity will overwhelm them, causing their knees to buckle as they drop to the ground fallen and driving them into a state of loneliness. - Averroes The staff of the Wise. #### Averroes **Description**Averroes, the Wise Regalia given: staff Visible as a collection of twelve stars arranged in outward spirals, representing the endless wisdom of Averroes, the Wise, as it spreads outwards to all. Powers granted by the given regalia: Staff The trusty staff of Averroes. Bolt Release a bolt of magical light to sear limbs. Upsurge Deal massive trauma to an irradiated limb. Tap Turn irradiated limbs into ash. Type AB OSTENSION to gain more information on a bestowed power. Sub‑abilities - Staff The trusty staff of Averroes. #### Staff **Description**This ability is passive. The staff of Averroes was a treasured legendary item by the wiseman. You can use it like an ordinary weapon, however its effectiveness will scale with your skill rank in Ostension instead of Weaponry. You can PROBE the weapon to see what kind of attacks you can use with the staff. - Bolt Release a bolt of magical light to sear limbs. #### Bolt **Description**Syntax: BOLT Release forth a bolt of magical light from your staff, dealing magical damage to your opponent and dealing limb trauma to a limb of choice in the process. This effect will also irradiate the limb that you strike. The next bolt you cast from your staff that strikes successfully will cause that irradiated limb to take additional limb trauma, then wear off. - Upsurge Deal massive trauma to an irradiated limb. #### Upsurge **Description**Syntax: UPSURGE While your target has an irradiated limb from the Bolt ability, you can cause this left over arcane energy to surge in strength and deal heavy trauma to that limb, while also dealing magic damage. This effect cannot be parried, but as a downside, it also cannot break a limb. Cooldown: 25 seconds - Tap Turn irradiated limbs into ash. #### Tap **Description**Syntax: TAP Utilise Averroes’ wisdom in a swift, quick action to tap the end of your staff into the ground. Anyone who is suffering from an irradiated limb that was given through Bolt will find that limb will burst into burning starlight, crippling it as it is turned into ashes, no matter how far away they might be. - EjaKodosa The Tome of Ages. #### EjaKodosa **Description**Eja Kodosa, the Tome of Ages Regalia given: tome This constellation appears as six stars in three vertically-aligned pairs, the center pair lower than the others, forming the shape of an open book. Note: To summon the Tome, use REENACT EJAKODOSA, without any spaces. Powers granted by the given regalia: Wave A word that will create a wave of force. Mend Mend together a crippled limb with a word. Kill A single word that will bring about the end. Pain Deliver a curse of pain through spoken word. Type AB OSTENSION to gain more information on a bestowed power. Sub‑abilities - Wave A word that will create a wave of force. #### Wave **Description**Syntax: SPEAK WAVE Read the word ‘wave’ from the Tome of Ages, generating a wave of force that will knock everyone in your location to the ground and upset their balance in the process. If an opponent has density in a method that isn’t from the salve of mass, they will resist the wave. Cooldown: 25 seconds - Mend Mend together a crippled limb with a word. #### Mend **Description**Syntax: SPEAK MEND \[ME|target\] Read the word ‘mend’ from the Tome of Ages, healing a crippled limb from the chosen target. It will first try and heal the left arm, then the right arm. After that, it will attempt the left leg, and lastly the right leg. If you specify no target, it will heal a crippled limb from yourself. Cooldown (self only): 30 seconds - Kill A single word that will bring about the end. #### Kill **Description**Syntax: SPEAK KILL Read the word ‘kill’ from the Tome of Ages towards a target, instantly slaying them if they are below 1000 health. If successful, the death given to them is absolute. They will not be able to protect themselves with second life abilities nor be revived afterward. The tome will glow with celestial energy when you strike an opponent and it reduces their health below the threshold. - Pain Deliver a curse of pain through spoken word. #### Pain **Description**Syntax: SPEAK PAIN Flip the Eja’Kodosa open to the word of pain, and bestow a curse of pain upon your target. Should they not be in the same location as you or are prone, they will feel the malice of the word of pain and be dealt periodic magical damage. The pain will additionally strip any courage from them that they might have. - Monomyth All legends have their origin. #### Monomyth **Description**This ability is passive. All stories of myth can be drawn back to a single circular idea. Through this knowledge, you can request aid from one extra legend of the stars without overburdening your mind and body, allowing you to utilise the power of two regalia instead of just one. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Crystalism - Spinning Spin crystals in preparation. #### Spinning **Description**Syntax: SPIN EMBED Most skills within Crystalism involve the art of embedding spinning crystals into the earth below, causing them to emit tonal vibrations that elicit various effects based upon the shapes used. This is done by first spinning the required crystals before you, and then embedding them. These vibrations are generally passive periodic effects bound to the location they are embedded, however it is not always the case. For the specifics of how each vibration will work and what crystal shapes are required, please refer to AB CRYSTALISM . - Hew Hew forth crystals from the Pool of Stars. #### Hew **Description**Syntax: HEW Draw upon the eternal reach within the Pool of Stars and condense raw cosmic energy into a crystal shape of your choosing. This newly crystallised form of cosmic power can then be stored in your cache and serves as the cornerstone for the Crystalism skillset. Possible shapes are: Pyramid Torus Pentagon Octahedron Cylinder Cube Diamond Sphere Polyhedron Spiral Egg Disc Rhombus One can find the Pool of Stars at within the Vashnar Mountains, at v14045. This is a channelled action, and will allow you to create crystals for as long as your focus can be maintained. - Vibrations See what vibrations are in a room. #### Vibrations **Description**Syntax: VIBES \[MINE|target\] or VIBRATIONS \[MINE|target\] This ability will show you what vibrations have been embedded within your current location. Using a target will only show vibrations belonging to that person. - Dampen Attempt to dampen a vibration, destroying it. #### Dampen **Description**Syntax: DAMPEN \[owner\] This ability gives you the power to destroy a vibration in a room. If you do not specify an owner, it will default to your own embedded vibrations. - Tactility Sense when your vibrations affect others. #### Tactility **Description**Syntax: VIBEALERTS VIBEALERT This command will allow you to be alerted when your vibrations affect someone, along with any effects caused if it can cause more than one. - Dissipate Attack the mana of your enemies. #### Dissipate **Description**Syntax: EMBED DISSIPATE Required crystal shapes: Pentagon This vibration will attack the mana of your enemies. Should they be dizzy it will drain them of double the amount. - Palpitation Cause small heart attacks in your enemies. #### Palpitation **Description**Syntax: EMBED PALPITATION Required crystal shapes: Cylinder This vibration will cause small heart attacks in your enemies, dealing magic-type damage to them. If they are suffering from a broken torso, it will deal double the damage to them. - Alarm Be alerted to movements of your enemies. #### Alarm **Description**Syntax: EMBED ALARM Required crystal shapes: Spiral This vibration will notify you whenever one of your enemies leaves or enters the location it is in. - Tremors Cause ground-shaking quakes. #### Tremors **Description**Syntax: EMBED TREMORS Required crystal shapes: Egg, Disc A low, rumbling vibration, this is powerful enough to knock your enemies who lack the levitation defence off their feet, leaving them fallen. If they suffer from a broken leg, then it will ignore the levitation defence. - Reverberation Protect your vibrations against some attacks. #### Reverberation **Description**Syntax: EMBED REVERBERATION Required crystal shapes: Pentagon, Disc This vibration will protect other vibrations in the room against abilities that might destroy your vibrations, providing you are in the same location and elevation as it. - Revelation Reveal those around you who may be concealed. #### Revelation **Description**Syntax: EMBED REVELATION Required crystal shapes: Diamond, Cube This vibration will cause all concealed adventurers nearby to be revealed. - Adduction Suck those around you into your room. #### Adduction **Description**Syntax: EMBED ADDUCTION Required crystal shapes: Disc, Polyhedron The adduction vibration will attempt to pull in your enemies from adjacent locations should they be without the density defence. Enemies who linger in the same location as the adduction vibration will instead have the density defence stripped. - Harmony A soothing, healing vibration. #### Harmony **Description**Syntax: EMBED HARMONY Required crystal shapes: Sphere, Egg This benevolent vibration will heal you and your allies regularly of both health and mana. - Creeps Cause fear in your enemies. #### Creeps **Description**Syntax: EMBED CREEPS Required crystal shapes: Torus Additional syntax: CREEPS This unnerving vibration will cause one affliction in your enemies from a series depending on whether it is toggled into a state of fright or unease. Fright: Shyness, agoraphobia, or claustrophobia. Unease: Stiffness, stuttering, or watery eyes. When it is newly embedded, it will be toggled to fright by default. - Din A speech-negating vibration. #### Din **Description**Syntax: EMBED DIN Required crystal shapes: Egg This vibration emits a high-pitched din that makes it impossible to speak audible words out loud in the same location as it. - Skyfall Draw down crystallized fragments from the Empyreal Vault. #### Skyfall **Description**Syntax: EMPOWER ICE TRACE CONSTELLATIONS INFUSE CONSTELLATIONS STRIKE TONE SKYFALL The ritual of skyfall allows you to call down mass amounts of crystallized fragments of cosmic matter from the Empyreal Vault itself. By empowering an elemental ice focus with cosmic energy and tracing the sacred constellations of the Mejevsavelnel, you create a resonance that draws forth sidereal matter in the form of a crystalline meteorite. The ritual must be performed outdoors in mountainous or hilly terrain. Begin by empowering an elemental ice focus with EMPOWER ICE, imbuing it with cosmic potential. Then TRACE CONSTELLATIONS to establish the ritual space. You and any additional participants must then INFUSE CONSTELLATIONS with cosmic energy. Once sufficiently charged, STRIKE TONE to create the final resonance that will call down crystallized fragments in random shapes. The meteorites will fall down into an adjacent area from where you are, scattering in a 1-room radius around their landing spot. While this ritual can be performed alone, up to four additional participants may join to strengthen the effect. The ritual is far more effective at night time, and more potent again if performed precisely at midnight. Should you amass the full complement of participants, this ritual will attract global notice and be even more effective though it will incur a cooldown. Participants wearing or wielding certain constellar regalia during this ritual will modify the outcome: \* Cthalut: Increases the effectiveness of the ritual. \* Izu-Ari: All or nothing, the meteorites have a chance of either burning up in the atmosphere to grant you nothing, or greatly increasing the effectiveness of the ritual. \* Ulgar: Before striking tone, the wielder of Ulgar’s chisel can CHISEL ICE , and all fragments will be of that shape. You must keep Ulgar’s tools equipped until the completion of the ritual for this to work. \* Umbrael: A full complement ritual will no longer attract global notice. \* Artos: Allows you to see the precise location the meteorites will fall. The effects of the same regalia throughout your group will not stack. Cooldown (five infusers): 10 minutes - Oscillate Discordant music to disrupt recovery. #### Oscillate **Description**Syntax: EMBED OSCILLATE Required crystal shapes: Diamond By creating neurologically disruptive sound, this vibration will periodically interfere with your enemies and increase any ability already on cooldown by 1 second. Cooldowns not counted in seconds will not be affected by this ability. - Altering Alter your attunement to the elements. #### Altering **Description**Syntax: EMBED ALTERING Required crystal shapes: Rhombus Additional syntax: ALTER The altering vibration may be attuned to a specific element, enhancing an elemental defense of choice for all allies. This effect is doubled on the owner of the vibration. Only one altering vibration can affect an adventurer at a time. - Focus Draw your vibrations back to you. #### Focus **Description**Syntax: EMBED FOCUS Required crystal shapes: Pyramid This vibration will bring one of each kind of vibration that you have active to you, but it will destroy all others. Inert vibrations will additionally be restored, bringing their effects back to life. - Disorientation Disorient your enemies with dizziness. #### Disorientation **Description**Syntax: EMBED DISORIENTATION Required crystal shapes: Spiral By disrupting the inner ear, this vibration will cause periodic dizziness in your enemies. - Energize Suck health from your enemies and use it. #### Energize **Description**Syntax: EMBED ENERGIZE Required crystal shapes: Polyhedron Additional syntax: ABSORB ENERGY This vibration will drain the health of your enemies as magic-type damage, storing a portion of the damage dealt into itself that you can use later. When you are in need, you can then absorb this health into yourself. Additionally, you will be notified when you reach certain thresholds of energy, up to three times, with the last notification letting you know you have reached the maximum possible amount of energy stored. - Stridulation Destroy the equilibrium of your enemies. #### Stridulation **Description**Syntax: EMBED STRIDULATION Required crystal shapes: Cylinder, Polyhedron This vibration will cause enemies who lack courage to have their equilibrium disrupted by a high-pitched keening. - Cavitation Formation of empty spaces within the limbs. #### Cavitation **Description**Syntax: EMBED CAVITATION Required crystal shapes: Torus, Egg The oscillations of this vibration cause empty spaces to form within the various limbs of your enemies. These bubbles will then quickly collapse, causing a small amount of limb trauma. If the enemy has an irradiated limb, then this vibration will affect that limb instead of at random. - Crystalforest Cause a forest of sharp crystal to arise. #### Crystalforest **Description**Syntax: EMBED CRYSTALFOREST Required crystal shapes: Pyramid, Diamond This vibration causes a forest of small, very sharp crystals to arise, causing cutting-type damage to anyone who is knocked to the ground without the levitation defence. - Dissension Cause your enemies to become dissonant. #### Dissension **Description**Syntax: EMBED DISSENSION Required crystal shapes: Sphere, Cylinder, Spiral Every person vibrates with a certain fundamental frequency. This vibration will disrupt that frequency, causing magic-type damage, while having a 25% chance to make them vibrate dissonantly. This chance to cause dissonance is greatly increased, up to 95%, depending on how much mana the affected party is missing. - Plague Afflict your enemies with debilitating effects. #### Plague **Description**Syntax: EMBED PLAGUE Required crystal shapes: Spiral, Cube, Pyramid A powerful vibration that instills a plague upon nearby enemies, afflicting them with an assortment of potential effects. It can give one of the following afflictions at a time: Blindness, weariness, superstition, vomiting, recklessness, epilepsy, paresis, anorexia, cripple both legs & fallen, or cripple both arms. - Lullaby Put your enemies to sleep. #### Lullaby **Description**Syntax: EMBED LULLABY Required crystal shapes: Pyramid The powerful lullaby vibration will try to put your enemies to sleep. - Retrogradation Slow time in your location. #### Retrogradation **Description**Syntax: EMBED RETROGRADATION Required crystal shapes: Disc The retrogradation vibration will slow time in the location, delaying all commands that are not basic curing or basic actions made by those under its effect. Unlike other vibrations, its life time is 30 seconds, and cannot be refreshed by any means. Cooldown: 60 seconds - Cataclysm Unleash the fury of the cosmic realm. #### Cataclysm **Description**Syntax: EMBED CATACLYSM Required crystal shapes: All shapes Additional syntax: IMBUE CATACLYSM \[owner\] The most powerful vibration in a Siderealist’s arsenal, this property altering spell-focus will allow you to modify the Ray spell within Astranomia and expand its reach to targets normally outside of its casting range. Keep in mind that doing so will tax your reserves more than normal, costing double the mana and willpower. Anyone with the ability to embed the Cataclysm vibration can make use of its Ray modifying effect or imbue it. With one imbuement, you will be able to reach an outdoors target that is within line-of-sight of you. With two imbuements, you will be able to reach anyone in the local area that is outside. With three imbuements, you will be able to reach into adjacent areas so long as they are outdoors. Embedding this vibration within the Nexus of Transport or other portal-like locations will disable the effect until it is moved. Please see AB ASTRANOMIA RAY for more information on this ability. Additional syntax: CATACLYSM You may also use this vibration to destructive effect by commanding its powers to teleport yourself and any allies present with you location to any target in the realm that resides outdoors after a very short delay. Upon arrival, you will deal magic damage to everyone in that target’s location and stun them. It cannot be prevented by the monolith sigil. This effect will also bring any vibrations you have already embedded along with you and will draw along anything following you or your allies. Performing this action requires at least three imbuers, otherwise it will be unavailable and will destroy the cataclysm vibration in the process. ## Visual style and identity Because there is no formal guild, order, or other organisation, Siderealists possess no distinct uniform. The talent strikes individuals from all walks of life, so a Siderealist is just as likely to be in a leather jerkin as a ball gown. Many eventually adopt iconography of the Mejevsavelnel as accessories or spell foci, which lets commonfolk pick them out in a crowd. Those focusing on Crystalism tend toward durable clothing that survives geological work, while learned arcanists and forest-dwelling ritualists trend in other directions. Siderealists exhibit a cosmic glow in their eyes whenever they embrace their power, with no exceptions. Simply holding the power triggers it, with the brilliance intensifying during active spellcraft. Scars, tattoos, and other bodily markings adopt a similar glow when filled with astral essence, revealing how thoroughly the energy permeates the body. Many practitioners emulate the graceful motions of the Eschaton, which lends them an otherworldly calm even when not casting. ## Side effects of the work The scale of what a Siderealist works with is hard to overstate, and it warps their relationship with the everyday world. Many users eventually grow detached from the physical. Some become hermits or recluses if they survive the dissociating trances that come with working raw astral force. Forced to view the big picture, Siderealists sometimes lose sight of reality and life’s complexities, viewing them beneath their notice compared to the wide wonder of the cosmos. Wielders of Ostension grow disenchanted with childhood tales and casual interpretations of the Mejevsavelnel, as proximity to sidereal regalia drains the fantasy out of speculative stories and burdens them with a truthful understanding of constellation powers. Those who devote themselves to Crystalism exhibit bruises, scrapes, or cuts from geological pursuits, and those who frequently experiment with new vibrations complain of a perpetual ringing in their ears. ## Who plays this class The Siderealist suits players who want cosmic-scale magic with a strong outsider frame. The kit is broad: stellar offense, constellation buffs, crystal-vibration tricks. None of the three skills are simple, and the class rewards investment. Roleplay-wise, the class is unusual because it lacks the centuries of established lore that frame, say, the Templars or the Sciomancers. Siderealists share very little in the form of belief systems. Some are practical and rigid in their study. Others claim to have communed with the cosmos and speak to wild conclusions drawn from their visions. The grace they emulate from the Eschaton gives most of them an otherworldly demeanour in day-to-day life. If you want established guild politics and millennium-old lore, look at a tethered class. If you want a magic style that feels new in Aetolia and a roleplay frame you can shape yourself, this is the class. ## Origin and apprenticeship The Siderealist has no city affiliation and no guild. Apprenticeship runs through Heiress Rashemi in the Vashnar Mountains for 40 credits. She is the only path into the class. Because the Siderealist is untethered, you can multiclass freely with either Spirit or Shadow classes and move between cities without losing the class. Race choice is independent of class, so you can play a Siderealist of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). ## Frequently asked questions **Is the Siderealist good for new players?** Mixed. The roleplay frame is approachable because no centuries of lore are required to play one, but the mechanical kit is broad and rewards a player who likes to learn three distinct skill schools. New players who already enjoy mage classes elsewhere often pick it up quickly. The trial system lets you test for free. **Why is the Siderealist so new?** The class only emerged after the Creator’s Monomachy and the Eschaton’s act of Creation, both relatively recent events in the Aetolian timeline. The cosmic energy that powers Siderealist magic did not exist in its current form until those events created the stars and planets of the Empyreal Vault. **Can a Siderealist hold a city?** Yes. Like other untethered classes, the Siderealist can hold citizenship in any of the four cities without losing the class. Some players settle in one city for guild and social purposes while remaining a Siderealist for the magic itself. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Siderealist profile. Or see [the complete class roster](/character-classes/). ### [Voidseer](/character-classes/voidseer/) Spirit-tethered Sentaari mage who draws power from the Void between planes. Pick Voidseer if you like the cosmic-scope magic and the planar-philosophy roleplay frame but want a guild structure, Duiran setting, and the Sentaari’s chakra-based stability mechanics. ### [Archivist](/character-classes/archivist/) Shadow-tethered Spinesreach scholar who treats reality as a numerological problem. Pick Archivist if you like the academic, knowledge-seeking roleplay frame of a Siderealist but want a guild and the Spinesreach Republic’s research culture, plus the Numerology/Geometrics/Bioessence kit. ### [Ascendril](/character-classes/ascendril/) Spirit-tethered Enorian mage who channels the four elemental planes through a fulcrum. Pick Ascendril if you want a guild-anchored mage class with elemental focus and a clear lore tradition, set against the Sciomancers as a mage-rivalry frame. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Siderealist and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Shapeshifter of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/shapeshifter/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Shapeshifter of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-shapeshifter-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Shapeshifter class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Shapeshifter is Aetolia’s untethered werecreature class, an independent profession housed outside the multiclass system entirely, with five forms (werewolves, werebears, wereboars, werecrocs, and wereravens) joined through five Packmoot factions and powered by Ferality, Shapeshifting, and Vocalizing. At a glance**Tether**Untethered**City**None (joins one of 5 Packmoot factions)**Guild**None (independent of the multiclass system)**Skill sets**Ferality, Shapeshifting, Vocalizing**Mirror class**None (untethered)**Sister class in guild**None**Signature mechanic**Madness from prolonged transformation; five forms; pack play**Best for**Players who want beast-form combat, faction-tribal RP, and class flexibilityA Shapeshifter is an individual who has manifested a permanent channel to the primal ley within themselves, tapping that power to transform into a beast form. The class is independent of the multiclass system and has no guild to represent it. Anyone can pick up the Shapeshifter class with zero lesson investment, though lessons are still required to unlock the full potential of the kit. That is unique in Aetolia. Every other class requires either reaching Master status in your existing classes or going through apprenticeship (250 lessons or 40 credits) to pick up. The Shapeshifter is the one you can try without paying anything but a little time. ## Origin and lore The Shapeshifter tradition runs through five faction lineages, each with its own pack culture and territory. The **Atabahi Rout** is the werewolf line, the lycanthropes. They are remnants of the old Atabahi guild that once stood as a proper faction in Aetolia. The **Bahkatu Sleuth** is the werebear line, the ursanthropes, remnants of the old Bahkatu guild. The **Scrofan Tribe** is the wereboar line, the apranthropes, located in the Ilhavon Forest. The **Kith of Torston** is the werecroc line, the eusuchianthropes. The **Tsol’aa of Dromse** is the wereraven line, the korakanthropes. You can only be aligned to a single form at a time. To change forms costs 400 lessons via MUTATE INTO command. Factions are joined at the Packmoot, the cross-faction gathering ground where shapeshifters meet. The class sits outside the city tether system entirely. You will not pick up a Shapeshifter the way you would join the Templars or the Carnifex. You join a pack, and the pack does not care which of Aetolia’s four cities you call home. ## Skill sets **Ferality** is the bestial combat school, the raw expression of the beast form’s claws, jaws, and primal aggression. This is where the kit puts its physical pressure. **Shapeshifting** is the transformation itself. Mutating between human and beast form, sustaining the form across long fights, managing the cost of staying changed too long. Lessons in this skill open up the deeper transformation toolkit, but the basic transformation works at zero lesson investment. **Vocalizing** is the cross-faction roar-and-howl communication network. It rounds out the kit by giving pack-aligned shapeshifters battlefield coordination. Unlike Ferality and Shapeshifting, Vocalizing skill rank is not augmented by a primary class slot, so full lesson investment is still required to reach Transcendent here. ## Skill abilities Ferality Shapeshifting Vocalizing Filter abilities Title Contents ### Ferality - Combo Claw your opponent repeatedly. #### Combo **Description**Syntax: COMBO <\[ab\] \[param\]> <\[ab\] \[param\]> This ability allows you to unleash a swift combination of attacks with a single command. You may optionally include which limb to strike after specifying the ability you wish to use. Example: COMBO DZEKK REND LEFT REND RIGHT - Mangle Mutilate the limb of your victim. #### Mangle **Description**Syntax: MANGLE OF If your victim possesses a broken arm or leg, you can latch your might upon it and mangle it in one swift blow. If you mangle a leg, then it will cause your opponent to fall to the ground. - Destroy Destroy the limb of your victim. #### Destroy **Description**Syntax: DESTROY OF If your opponent is suffering from a crippled limb, then you can completely destroy that limb, leaving it broken and useless. - Leapslash Leap at your opponent from your mount. #### Leapslash **Description**Syntax: LEAPSLASH While mounted, you may leap from your steed and crash into your target, knocking them to the ground as you slash frantically at them. - Armpitlock Pin your victim by their armpit. #### Armpitlock **Description**Syntax: JAWLOCK ARMPIT OF This skill will let you pin an opponent who has either a mangled torso or a mangled arm with your jaws, providing they are prone. While pinned, you can still use your claw attacks, but your bite attacks will become unavailable. - Expose Aim for their unprotected areas. #### Expose **Description**This ability is passive. When your opponent is prone, you will aim for the soft flesh that is unprotected by armour. As such, your Ferality attacks will not be as impacted by your opponent’s armour while they are in this state. - Spleenrip Destroy their spleen and health. #### Spleenrip **Description**Syntax: SPLEENRIP If you are pinning an individual by their armpit, you can rip out their spleen. The damage to the spleen will be great and incurable while the body naturally fixes itself. While they are suffering from this, the ability to clot naturally and intentionally will be significantly reduced. - Necklock Pin your victim by their neck. #### Necklock **Description**Syntax: JAWLOCK NECK OF This skill will let you pin an opponent who has a broken head with your jaws, providing they are prone. While pinned, you can still use your claw attacks, but your bite attacks will become unavailable. - Fury Convert your frustration into power. #### Fury **Description**This ability is passive. Providing you are mutated, if you strike parry three times within a short time frame, your body will flood with fury. During this state, you can use claw attacks while off balance, allowing you to bite and then claw twice. - Throatrip Destroy their throat and fitness. #### Throatrip **Description**Syntax: THROATRIP If you are pinning an individual by their neck, you can rip out the tender flesh of their neck. The damage to the area will be great and will be incurable while the body naturally fixes itself. While they are suffering from this, they will be unable to make use of their voice and their ability to recover quickly from elixirs will be reduced. - Thighlock Pin your victim by their thigh. #### Thighlock **Description**Syntax: JAWLOCK THIGH OF This skill will let you pin an opponent who has a mangled leg with your jaws, providing they are prone. While pinned, you can still use your claw attacks, but your bite attacks will become unavailable. - Deathroll They cannot escape you. #### Deathroll **Description**Usage: DEATHROLL Requires your target to be jawlocked. Deals heavy cutting damage, but if performed in a flooded location, deals asphyxiation damage instead. Removes jawlock upon use. - Headdrop Drop them on their head. #### Headdrop **Description**Usage: HEADDROP Requires your target to be jawlocked. Lift your target into the air with your mighty wings and drop them upon their head. Does fair damage and breaks said head. Removes jawlock. - Gore They didn’t need those intestines anyway. #### Gore **Description**Usage: GORE Requires a jawlock. If your target is below 25% health, this will instantly kill the target. Otherwise deals heavy cutting damage. Removes jawlock upon use. - Buffet Batter them blow after blow. #### Buffet **Description**Usage: BUFFET If you have your target jawlocked, deliver a buffet of blows upon them, dealing heavy damage and stunning. This will clear your jawlock. - Rupture Rend their flesh in a spray of blood. #### Rupture **Description**Usage: RUPTURE If your target is jawlocked, rip their flesh apart. Deals heavy bleeding damage equal to one-third of their missing health, damages them, and removes jawlock. - Groinrip Destroy their legs and agility. #### Groinrip **Description**Syntax: GROINRIP If you are pinning an individual by their thigh, you can rip out the tender muscles in their groin. The damage to the area will be great and will be incurable while the body naturally fixes itself. While they are suffering from this, their ability to dodge and divert will be halved and they will move from room to room slowly. - Pant Gather your breath. #### Pant **Description**This ability is passive. When you become filled with Fury after being parried, you will also reduce your Fitness cooldown by 5 seconds. Please see AB HUNTING FITNESS for more information on this skill and AB FERALITY FURY for information on fury. - Devour Did somebody say lunch? #### Devour **Description**Syntax: DEVOUR If your target is suffering from at least two rips, you can quickly devour and instantly kill them. There will be no chance at revival should you kill them in this method. The following rips will count towards the threshold: Throatrip, Spleenrip, and Groinrip. - Flurry Attack in a flurry of limbs. #### Flurry **Description**Syntax: FLURRY PREPARE TO FLURRY Attack in a savage flurry of tooth and claw, striking out at multiple body parts at once in a powerful assault. While this ability cannot be parried, any limb damage dealt will not cause the limb to break. You will need to use a different attack in order to break a limb. When preparing to flurry, you will automatically flurry the next person to enter the room. - Quarter Quarter your victim in a packhunt. #### Quarter **Description**Syntax: QUARTER If two fellow Shapeshifters have an opponent captured in a jawlock, you can take hold of the final free limb and tear them to pieces, granting them a grisly death. Both you and your packmates must consider each other allies in order to do so. Depending on which limb you used to grip them, you and your packmates will come away with either an arm, a leg, or the head of the body. - You can use the following clawing attacks - Slashing A claw attack that causes bleeding. #### Slashing **Description**Syntax: SLASH \[limb\] Draw your sharp claws against your foe in a basic attack, dealing cutting damage and some bleeding. If they are an adventurer, you can specify a limb in order to cause trauma to it. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeCutting Damage SourceBrute Base Damage160 + 4% Base Damage (Denizen)425 Armour Modifier60% Bleeding100 bleeding Bleeding (Denizen)20 bleeding Limb Trauma Dealt7.50% Arm Balance Recovery2.85 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Spinalcrack Cause nerve damage to your opponent. #### Spinalcrack **Description**Syntax: SPINALCRACK Strike powerfully at their torso, damaging their spine and causing paresis. - Rend Disable the arms of an opponent. #### Rend **Description**Syntax: REND Use your claws to cut the muscles of your opponents arm and cripple it in the process. - Hamstring Disable the legs of an opponent. #### Hamstring **Description**Syntax: HAMSTRING Aim for the juicy muscles in your opponent’s leg and cripple their ability to make use of it. - Faceslash A strike that will cause blurred vision. #### Faceslash **Description**Syntax: FACESLASH Take swing at your opponent’s head, your vicious strike leaving them blind. - Bodypunch A serious blow to their torso. #### Bodypunch **Description**Syntax: BODYPUNCH Launch into a massive blow at the torso of your victim, stunning them briefly. - Throatslice Silence the cries of the weak. #### Throatslice **Description**Syntax: THROATSLICE This messy attack aimed at the head will enforce silence on your foe, leaving them with a crippled throat. - Skullwhack Cause damage to the skull. #### Skullwhack **Description**Syntax: SKULLWHACK Deliver a painful blow to the skull of an opponent. If they are suffering from a broken head, then the strike will knock them unconscious. - Jugular Causing bleeding in the neck. #### Jugular **Description**Syntax: JUGULAR A potent strike that will aim for the vitals of your prey, ripping forth their jugular with cutting damage and making them bleed profusely. Against adventurers, it will also deal some trauma to their head. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeCutting Damage SourceBrute Base Damage480 + 6% Base Damage (Denizen)425 Armour Modifier60% Bleeding200 bleeding Bleeding (Denizen)40 bleeding Limb Trauma Dealt7.50% Arm Balance Recovery2.70 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - You can use the following biting attacks - Bite A basic bite attack. #### Bite **Description**Syntax: BITE \[limb\] A nasty bite against an opponent that deals cutting damage. If you specify a limb against an adventurer then you will deal trauma to that limb. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeCutting Damage SourceBrute Base Damage320 + 13% Base Damage (Denizen)425 Armour Modifier60% Limb Trauma Dealt9.00% Balance Recovery3.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Gut A bite that causes damage to the torso. #### Gut **Description**Syntax: GUT If your opponent is suffering from a broken torso, you can savagely rip into their gut to leave it mangled. You cannot parry this attack. - Lacerate Lacerate them, causing delayed bleeding. #### Lacerate **Description**Syntax: LACERATE A master of combat knows it is important to keep the blood flowing to ensure death to their victim. If your opponent is suffering from a broken torso, you can cause lacerations across their chest and rend their flesh, making it dangerous to escape you. - Neckdrag Drag your victim by the neck. #### Neckdrag **Description**Syntax: NECKDRAG By clamping your jaws around the neck of your target, you can drag them in a direction of your choosing and deal some cutting damage. Afterward they will be left fallen and, if they are an adventurer, knock them off balance and cause some bleeding. You won’t be able to drag denizens that are bosses or groups, or that do not move. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeCutting Damage SourceBrute Base Damage320 + 9% Base Damage (Denizen)425 Armour Modifier60% Bleeding100 bleeding Movement TypePhysical Denizens FollowYes Adventurers FollowNo Mounts FollowNo Movement Type (Self)Unblockable Denizens Follow (Self)Yes Adventurers Follow (Self)Yes Mounts Follow (Self)Yes Upset Balance1.50 seconds Balance Recovery4.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled. - Cannot have paresis or be paralysed. - Cannot be fallen. - Jawsnap A disruptive snap of the jaws. #### Jawsnap **Description**Syntax: JAWSNAP Snap quickly into your target with a bite in order to inflict cutting damage and a small amount of bleeding. If they are an adventurer and you are currently under the effects of Fury, it will additionally upset your target’s balance and equilibrium. Please see AB FERALITY FURY for more information. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeCutting Damage SourceBrute Base Damage375 + 12% Base Damage (Denizen)380 Armour Modifier60% Bleeding (Both)75 bleeding Upset Balance0.80 seconds Upset Equilibrium0.80 seconds Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 60 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Facemaul Make them unrecognizable. #### Facemaul **Description**Syntax: FACEMAUL If your victim suffers blindness, they will be open to this brutal assault which leaves them with a mauled face – a somewhat more permanent form of disfigurement. - Spinalrip Cause permanent nerve damage. #### Spinalrip **Description**Syntax: SPINALRIP Dig deep with your jaws into their torso and pull their spine out of place using your animalistic strength, dealing cutting damage. Adventurers will be afflicted with devastating paralytic issues until they correct the spinal rip, and will deal some initial trauma to the torso. Against denizens, it will instead periodically deal them psychic damage after you rip their spine out of place. It will affect them three times after which the pain will subside. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeCutting Damage SourceBrute Base Damage640 + 13% Base Damage (Denizen)280 Armour Modifier60% Limb Trauma Dealt8.20% Spinal Rip TimerBetween 1 and 4 seconds On denizens, effect details for spinal rip - Instances (DoT): 3 - Timer (DoT): Between 1 and 4 seconds - Damage Type (DoT): Psychic - Damage Source (DoT): None - Damage (DoT): 280 Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Skullcrush Crush your opponent’s skull in your jaws. #### Skullcrush **Description**Syntax: SKULLCRUSH If your opponent has fallen and is suffering from a broken head, you can crush their skull between your jaws, instantly mangling it. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Shapeshifting - Shapeshift Mutate into the form of a Lycanthrope. #### Shapeshift **Description**Syntax: MUTATE and REVERT DESCRIBE MUTATED SELF By releasing hold of your rational mind, you may allow your feral self to take hold, mutating you into a Shapeshifter. While mutated, you can accumulate shapeshifter ‘madness’ which may prevent you from reverting. Please see AB SHAPESHIFTING MADNESS for more information on madness. You can also set a description of your mutated self that will be separate from your usual description, showing only to others while mutated. - Madness Beware the animalistic strain upon your mind. #### Madness **Description**Syntax: MADNESS While in their mutated form, a Shapeshifter will accumulate madness occasionally through critical strikes to denizens. Madness slowly recedes while you’re not mutated. You can keep track of your madness level by adding it to your prompt or by checking MADNESS. As your Shapeshifter madness increases, you will notice the following effects: \* Damage dealt to you will increase proportional to your madness from both adventurers and denizens. \* Damage from Ferality attacks will be boosted an additional amount against both adventurers and denizens. \* Above 70% madness, you will be unable to revert to your regular form. \* At 100% madness, you will fly into an animalistic rage, attacking any adventurer in sight. \* At full madness, only killing another adventurer or dying will reduce your madness. The following things will also reduce Shapeshifter madness: \* Standing in a den (slow removal) \* Eating carrion or denizen corpses (slight reduction) \* Killing adventurers (significant reduction) \* Dying (complete removal) **Details**Critical Madness Chance33.33% Critical Madness Gain+1% Damage Taken IncreaseAdd 10% of madness Damage Bonus (Non % Only)Add 20% of madness Madness Reduction TimerEvery 60 minutes Base Reduction Amount–5% While In Den–10% Eating Carrion Reduction–5% Eating Denizen Reduction–5% Killing Adventurer Reduction–40% - Pelts Select the color of your pelt. #### Pelts **Description**Syntax: GROW PELT The pelt of a shapeshifter is now an attribute that you have control over. Each Spring, you can choose to grow a new fur or hide of your choosing. You may use GROW alone to see the possible choices for your shapeshifter type, or use PELTS to preview other pelts and see what colors are available for different shapeshifters. - Carrion Eat the fallen pieces of your prey. #### Carrion **Description**Syntax: EAT Satisfy your animalistic hunger with the corpses of your fallen victims. - Nightsight See your prey in darkest night. #### Nightsight **Description**Syntax: NIGHTSIGHT Let your eyes adjust for darkness before hunting your prey. - Weathering Enhanced protection from the elements. #### Weathering **Description**Syntax: WEATHERING Steel yourself against the ravages of the weather, providing some resistance against cold damage and light protection against the temperature. - Dash Run with the wind behind you. #### Dash **Description**Syntax: DASH You can now dash in a particular direction, allowing you to move through multiple rooms at once. Adventurers will only follow you if they have the ability to pace themselves, or through some other means. **Details**Max Distance10 rooms Movement TypeDashing Denizens FollowYes Adventurers FollowYes\* Mounts FollowYes Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 5 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled. - Cannot have paresis or be paralysed. - Cannot be fallen. - Cannot be used while phased. - Leaping No obstacle may block your hunt. #### Leaping **Description**Syntax: LEAP With your abnormal strength, you can leap over obstructions that would otherwise block your way. - Bodyheat Grow a heavy winter coat. #### Bodyheat **Description**Syntax: BODYHEAT Your powerful biology provides for a persistent defence against attacks that would otherwise freeze or chill you. Cooldown (on proc): 20 seconds - Swipe Knock the courage out of them. #### Swipe **Description**Syntax: SWIPE A quick swipe of the hand will knock any courage out of them. - Pacing Follow even the fleetest prey. #### Pacing **Description**Syntax: PACING At a constant endurance drain, you will be able to tense yourself to follow those that take off in a sudden dash. - Parrying Parry blows with your sheer strength #### Parrying **Description**Syntax: PARRY or PARRY NOTHING With this ability, you can parry a targeted attack aimed at one of your limbs using your mutated strength. You cannot hold anything in either hand. You can parry your head, torso, left or right arm, and left or right leg. You will be unable to parry if you become prone (see HELP PRONE). Being fallen is excluded from this list. - Alertness Hear them before you see them. #### Alertness **Description**Syntax: ALERTNESS Heighten your sense of hearing to allow the detection of movement from players in surrounding locations. If you choose all, you will also see denizens. - Metabolize Recycle the devoured into strength. #### Metabolize **Description**Syntax: METABOLIZE Your will is such that you can force your food to metabolize faster, gifting you with increased strength. - Hiding Cloak yourself from the eyes of your prey. #### Hiding **Description**Syntax: HIDE and EMERGE Conceal yourself from view, hiding yourself from the eyes of others within the room. You may emerge if you wish to reveal yourself and cease to hide. - Submerge Lurk in the watery depths for your prey. #### Submerge **Description**Syntax: SUBMERGE While in a watery location, you can instantly submerge yourself which will hide, shroud and stealth you. You will no longer be submerged if you leave the water. - Stealth Tread with paws silent as the stars. #### Stealth **Description**Syntax: STEALTH Quiet your footsteps, allowing you to mask your movements from prying eyes. - Stampede Break their bones beneath your hooves. #### Stampede **Description**Syntax: STAMPEDE Stomp your hooves and bellow forth a mighty warcry, temporarily bolstering the movement speed of you and your allies to a great degree. Cooldown: 10 minutes - Flight Take to the skies. #### Flight **Description**Syntax: FLY and LAND Your winged form allows you to fly. Beware heavy winds! - Resting Indulge in brief hibernation. #### Resting **Description**Syntax: REST You can rest your weary bones, allowing you to recover endurance at an increased rate as long as you remain seated. - Listen Perk your ears in attentive hearing. #### Listen **Description**Syntax: LISTEN Use your auditory acuity to listen in on spoken conversations in an adjacent room. - Endurance Feel your limbs move quickly. #### Endurance **Description**Syntax: ENDURANCE The never ending endurance of the beast. This will half the time it takes for your movement limit to be reset, allowing you to move about the land considerably faster. - Thickhide A thick hide will negate some damage. #### Thickhide **Description**Syntax: THICKHIDE This ability will thicken your skin to protect yourself from physical attacks, reducing the damage dealt by blunt or cutting strikes. This is considered as armour, rather than as a straight reduction. - Waiting Stealthily await your prey. #### Waiting **Description**Syntax: AWAIT Detection difficulty modifier: 0% Slip into the shadows and silently wait for your target to arrive. When they do, you will begin to secretly follow them. There is a chance of being detected when using this ability. Please read HELP DECEIT for more information. - Climbing Climb into the branches. #### Climbing **Description**Syntax: SWING When in a location with trees, you may swing yourself up into the treetops from view. - Seize Drag your prey into the branches. #### Seize **Description**Syntax: SEIZE While in the trees, you may seize someone on the ground below you and bring them to your elevation. - Shove Push prey from their perch. #### Shove **Description**Usage: SHOVE While in the trees or on the rooftops, you may shove someone to the ground below and cripple their legs as they hit the ground, dealing blunt damage, and upsetting their balance. Should they be clinging to the trees, you will be unsuccessful. - Startle Scare away steeds with your bestial nature. #### Startle **Description**Syntax: STARTLE Let loose a bellowing roar, terrifying any non-sentient denizen or driving mounts to buck their riders. - Scenttrails Sniff out prey and competition nearby. #### Scenttrails **Description**Syntax: SCENTTRAILS By using your sensitive snout, you can determine the location of those in the local area and in adjacent areas. Should you currently be in a pack challenge, then it will mark those of the enemy pack and highlight them on QW and WHO. - Pounce Quickly attack your prey. #### Pounce **Description**Syntax: POUNCE You can now quickly pounce upon your foe, dealing damage and will briefly stun them. If they are shielded, then it will destroy the shield. - Ambush Fall upon your prey with bared teeth. #### Ambush **Description**Syntax: AMBUSH Providing you are within the treetops, you can prepare to ambush someone below. After a delay, you will drop down from above and throw them to the floor, dealing some damage and briefly stunning them. - Charge Barrel into your prey, knocking them down. #### Charge **Description**Syntax: CHARGE With this ability you can now charge at your prey from an adjacent location. This will throw them to the floor and knock them off balance. - Sniff Catch the scent of your prey. #### Sniff **Description**Syntax: SNIFF DIRECTION OF You can now figure out the direction of your target by sniffing out the scent they have left behind. - Vibrance The heartbeat of the boar is not one to be denied. #### Vibrance **Description**This ability is passive. The vibrance of the boar increases the potency of your health elixirs when consumed. - Hoist Take them to the skies. #### Hoist **Description**Syntax: HOIST and RELEASE If you are flying above your target, and after a short delay, you will swoop down and bring them into the sky in your talons. They will be trapped with you until they writhe free, or are released. - Cornering Cut off their escapes while opening up your own. #### Cornering **Description**Syntax: CORNER With this skill you will circle your foes, driving them in to a weaker position. This will give an increased chance to dodge attacks directed at you. Read HELP AVOIDANCE for more information. - Scales Even their magic has little effect on your hide. #### Scales **Description**This ability is passive. Your hardened hide will lessen the effects of elemental strikes, reducing the damage you take from fire and electrical attacks. - Bracing Brace yourself from physical attack. #### Bracing **Description**Syntax: BRACE You can now use your sizable body to brace yourself against the physical attack, further reducing the amount of damage you take from cutting and blunt strikes. - Clotting Close your wounds. #### Clotting **Description**Syntax: CLOT \[#\] This ability will allow you to partially clot your bleeding in trade for your mana. You can specify how many times you wish to clot if need be. If you input no amount, then you will try and clot away 20 bleeding by default. - Salivate Keep your prey’s blood flowing. #### Salivate **Description**Syntax: SALIVATE After a short delay, you will begin to salivate at the mouth with the thought of your prey. Any biting attack you then perform in Ferality will be too frenetic for your target to dodge and will no longer be subject to accuracy penalties. On top of this, against adventurers, the saliva that you produce will have a festering quality to it that will cause your biting attacks to afflict your target with haemophilia. After some time, you will be forced to swallow the amassed saliva, until you urge yourself to salivate once more. This ability does not cost equilibrium or balance in order to use. - Violate Take your fallen prey’s head. #### Violate **Description**Syntax: VIOLATE In the ultimate display of ferality, you can violate the corpse of a fallen foe, ripping their head clean from their body. Now you have a lovely trophy. - Heatsight Find prey by their warm blood. #### Heatsight **Description**Syntax: HEATSIGHT Use your superior eyesight to sense the heat of your prey, allowing you to briefly see those that would otherwise be hidden. - Berserk Sacrifice presence of mind for speed. #### Berserk **Description**Syntax: BERSERK You can now slip into a rage so great that you will find it difficult to be stunned or knocked unconscious. You can be stunned up to three times without effect, or knocked unconscious once, before you will become vulnerable once more. Cooldown (when used up): 30 seconds - Rage Overcome weaknesses of the spirit. #### Rage **Description**Syntax: RAGE This ability will allow you to cure afflictions based upon altruism, such as those normally cured by eating a steroid pill. Please see HELP CURE ORDER for afflictions that can be cured with the steroid pill. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Hardening Give strength to your bones. #### Hardening **Description**Syntax: HARDEN BONES In your bestial form, you will be able to harden your bones and occasionally shrug off blows that would otherwise cripple them. - Mark Mark your territory. #### Mark **Description**Syntax: MARK HERE Use your scent to mark a location as yours. You will show up at this location when a person attempts to locate you through the WHO command. - Return Return to your marked territory. #### Return **Description**Syntax: RETURN As long as you stand outdoors where the scent is strongest, you can, after a delay, return to the location where you laid your mark. - Track Follow the trail to your prey. #### Track **Description**Syntax: TRACK Using your snout you can quickly seek out your prey, bringing along anyone who might be following you. Your target must be outdoors and either in the same local area or in an adjacent one. - Den Burrow out your own little hole in the ground. #### Den **Description**Syntax: DIG DEN COLLAPSE DEN LOCATE DEN Additional syntax: STORE CARRION and EAT CARRION This will create a small den to the ‘in’. You can build dens in forests, valleys, swamps, mountains, grasslands, hills, and some natural underground locations. You may only ever have one den at a time. You can additionally store carrion within your den, providing you have fresh corpses to do so. When you so choose, you can consume the carrion you have stored. When first you build your den it will have a default description. Your patron has permission to redescribe your den, as long as it stays within the confines of a small, natural, hollowed out hole. In other words, do not ask for a furnished room, with pillars and windows. - Quietus Become a corpse upon the ground. #### Quietus **Description**Syntax: QUIETUS and QUIETUS REPRIEVE \[CEASE\] You now have the ability to fake your own death instantly, or prepare yourself to do so the next time you take damage. If your opponent attempts to pick up your ‘corpse’ while you are faking death, you will leap up in a surprise attack and strike them, dealing damage and stunning them. You will be immune to attack while faking your death, but you will be unable to perform any actions yourself. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Vocalizing - Terrorizing Terrorize those around you. #### Terrorizing **Description**Syntax: HOWL TERROR and CEASE TERROR Bring terror to all those who hear your howls, causing them to run away in fear. - Baying Bay a direct effect towards a target. #### Baying **Description** Syntax: BAY AT You can instantly affect a target with a howl by baying it at them. For example, you can bay a terrorizing howl at someone in order to scare them. You may use this ability even when you do not possess balance. You are unable to use the Disturbing, Serenading, Disruptive, or Enfeebling howls in this manner. - Traumatic Disturb the thoughts of those around you. #### Traumatic **Description**Syntax: HOWL TRAUMATIC and CEASE TRAUMATIC Strike those that hear your howls with a thick amnesia that will make them forget the next action they attempt to perform. - Piercing Pierce your opponents’ deafness. #### Piercing **Description**Syntax: HOWL PIERCING and CEASE PIERCING Your howls are now loud enough to reach those with deafness, removing the defence from them. - Paralyzing Lock the muscles of those who hear your vocals. #### Paralyzing **Description**Syntax: HOWL PARALYZING and CEASE PARALYZING Chill their spine with your howls and instill them with paresis. - Baleful Impair the bodily functions of those around you. #### Baleful **Description**Syntax: HOWL BALEFUL and CEASE BALEFUL Your intimidating howls will cause their body to shutdown, giving them the impairment affliction. - Rousing Fill your opponents with bravado. #### Rousing **Description**Syntax: HOWL ROUSING and CEASE ROUSING Cause their thoughts to fill with heroic recklessness, making them oblivious to their well-being. - Distasteful Destroy the appetite of those around you. #### Distasteful **Description**Syntax: HOWL DISTASTEFUL and CEASE DISTASTEFUL Bring about a lack of appetite with your howls, inflicting those who hear you with anorexia. - Forceful Use your vocals to knock ’em down. #### Forceful **Description**Syntax: HOWL FORCEFUL and CEASE FORCEFUL Knock your opponents to the ground with the force of your howl. - Mind-numbing Induce stupidity in those around you. #### Mind-numbing **Description**Syntax: HOWL MIND-NUMBING and CEASE MIND-NUMBING Inflict stupidity in those around you with a mind-numbing howl. - Stomach-turning Churn the stomach of your opponents. #### Stomach-turning **Description**Syntax: HOWL STOMACH-TURNING and CEASE STOMACH-TURNING Induce an upset stomach in those that listen to your howls, inflicting them with vomiting. - Claustrophobic Confine your opponents within the prison of their minds. #### Claustrophobic **Description**Syntax: HOWL CLAUSTROPHOBIC and CEASE CLAUSTROPHOBIC Those that hear these howls will become develop claustrophobia and become unable to step indoors. - Screeching Destroy your opponents’ mental strength. #### Screeching **Description**Syntax: HOWL SCREECHING and CEASE SCREECHING A screeching howl that shocks the mind, draining it of its mana. This will not stack with other screeching shapeshifters. - DualPitch The ability to have your vocals recover more quickly. #### DualPitch **Description**This ability is passive. You now possess better control over your throat and voice, allowing them to recover more quickly when you prepare your howls. - Comforting Increase the mental strength of those around you. #### Comforting **Description**Syntax: HOWL COMFORTING and CEASE COMFORTING Howl a comforting sound that will restore the mana of anyone who hears. - Rejuvenating Bolster the will of those around you. #### Rejuvenating **Description**Syntax: HOWL REJUVENATING and CEASE REJUVENATING Your howls will rejuvenate the mind, restoring willpower to those who are able to listen. - Lethargic Drain the energy from them. #### Lethargic **Description**Syntax: ROAR LETHARGIC and CEASE LETHARGIC Sap those around you of their energy with your roars, giving them the lethargy affliction. - Hypnotic Lull them into deep relaxation. #### Hypnotic **Description**Syntax: SQUEAL HYPNOTIC and CEASE HYPNOTIC Your hypnotic squeals will cause drowsiness to those around you, afflicting them with hypersomnia. - Deranged Soil the clean mind with your vocals. #### Deranged **Description**Syntax: HOWL DERANGED and CEASE DERANGED Your deranged howls will leave those that hear them with lingering hallucinations. - Muddling Muddle the mind with thoughts of peace. #### Muddling **Description**Syntax: SHRIEK MUDDLING and CEASE MUDDLING Your muddling shrieks will disrupt the emotions of those around you and cause them to develop peace. - Ringing Leave their ears a-ringing #### Ringing **Description**Syntax: CAW RINGING and CEASE RINGING Your high pitched caw will cause tinnitus and leave those around you with ringing ears. - Echoing Echo your vocals off your surroundings. #### Echoing **Description**Syntax: ECHOING \[OFF\] By raising the sound of your voice, you can cause your own howls to echo off your surroundings and affect yourself. - Deep Cause the weight of their limbs to slow them down. #### Deep **Description**Syntax: HOWL DEEP and CEASE DEEP Bring about plodding in your listeners, an affliction that will slow their balance recovery. Unique to this affliction, it must be cured by anabiotic and will dampen its otherwise beneficial effects. - Dumbing Fill the minds of your opponents with idiocy. #### Dumbing **Description**Syntax: HOWL DUMBING and CEASE DUMBING Induce idiocy in your listeners, causing their equilibrium recovery to be hindered. Unique to this affliction, it must be cured by anabiotic pill and will dampen its otherwise beneficial effects. - Blurring Cause the eyesight of your opponents to fail. #### Blurring **Description**Syntax: HOWL BLURRING and CEASE BLURRING Fill the eyes of your listeners with tears, inflicting them with watery eyes and making it difficult to strike with accuracy. - Vociferous Destroy the unhealthy silence around you. #### Vociferous **Description**This ability is passive. You have now learned the minute nuances of pitch that will render the Silence vibration of Mages useless against your howls. - Disruptive Keep portals from closing in on you. #### Disruptive **Description**Syntax: HOWL DISRUPTIVE and CEASE DISRUPTIVE This disruptive howl will prevent magical portals from being able to form when aimed at your location. Additionally, the prism tattoo will have a chance to fail when nearing completion. - Boneshaking Your vocals will shake their very bones. #### Boneshaking **Description**Syntax: BONESHAKING \[OFF\] With a powerful reverberating voice, your howls will now shake the bones of your listeners, affecting them directly through any heightened sense of courage. This will allow you to bypass the courage defence. - Serenading Your beautiful song is not easily ignored by others. #### Serenading **Description**Syntax: HOWL SERENADING and CEASE SERENADING This haunting howl will seduce others with its melodic tune, drawing anyone near by to try and step into your location. - Snarling Hide the true sound of your vocals. #### Snarling **Description**Syntax: SNARLING By covering the sound of your howls with a deep snarling, you can mask its effect and leave a single target oblivious to your intentions. - Debilitating Weaken the limbs of your listeners. #### Debilitating **Description**Syntax: HOWL DEBILITATING and CEASE DEBILITATING A howl that will cause weakness to bloom within the mind and limbs of your victims. - Enraging Fill those around you with intense rage. #### Enraging **Description**Syntax: HOWL ENRAGING and CEASE ENRAGING A vicious nature will rise up in those who listen to your howls, afflicting them with mania. - Angry All those who hear shall hate you. #### Angry **Description**Syntax: HOWL ANGRY and CEASE ANGRY Your angered howls will fill your listeners with hatred, making them want to attack only you. - Wailing Destroy your listeners’ physical health. #### Wailing **Description**Syntax: HOWL WAILING and CEASE WAILING Your wailing cry will weaken the mind of those around you, dealing psychic damage to those that listen. This will not stack with other wailing shapeshifters. - Disturbing Shatter the mind’s concentration. #### Disturbing **Description**Syntax: HOWL DISTURBING and CEASE DISTURBING Those that listen will be disturbed of mind and lose their equilibrium. This will strike everyone except yourself, unlike other vocalizations. - Soothing Soothe wounds with your vocals. #### Soothing **Description**Syntax: HOWL SOOTHING and CEASE SOOTHING Your soothing voice will heal the wounds of those that listen. - Invigorating Rally the muscles of those who listen. #### Invigorating **Description**Syntax: HOWL INVIGORATING and CEASE INVIGORATING Your invigorating howls will relieve those around you of their weary limbs and restore their endurance. - Enfeebling Intensify your wails and screeches. #### Enfeebling **Description**Syntax: HOWL ENFEEBLING and CEASE ENFEEBLING This dreadful howl will bolster your Screeching and Wailing howls, allowing them to affect your listeners twicefold. - Befuddling Your vocals can confuse the mind. #### Befuddling **Description**Syntax: HOWL BEFUDDLING and CEASE BEFUDDLING Your howls will befuddle the mind and instill listeners with confusion. - TriplePitch Your vocals now recover even quicker than before. #### TriplePitch **Description**This ability is passive. Your voice and throat are now tough, allowing you to recover as quickly as possible when preparing your howls. - Attuning Lock the pitch of your vocals. #### Attuning **Description**Syntax: ATTUNING \[OFF\] When you are attuned, you will be unable to cease howling no matter how hard someone might try to persuade you. - Lulling Make your opponents more sleepy. #### Lulling **Description**Syntax: HOWL LULLING and CEASE LULLING Lull your opponent into feeling the fatigue in their bones, bringing about a slow natural sleep. - Packhowl Gather your kind and join together in voice. #### Packhowl **Description**Syntax: PACKHOWL Providing you stand with other shapeshifters who are your mutual allies, you can howl across an entire area, delivering any effect you may choose. The more of your allies there is, the faster you will all recover and be able to howl again. You may use this ability even while you do not possess balance. You are unable to use the Serenading, Disruptive, or Enfeebling howls in this manner. - Distension The art of the undying voice. #### Distension **Description**This ability is passive. Your ability to vocalize effects is now so great that your howls will no longer fade over time, unless you choose to end them. Additionally, the Boneshaking and Snarling abilities will no longer fade until you choose to relax their effects. ## Visual style and identity A Shapeshifter is two creatures at once: the mortal frame and the beast form bound underneath it. The transformation is not cosmetic. Claws, fangs, and the pack’s aspect take over the body when the change happens. Different forms read very differently on the battlefield: the loping wolf, the bulk of the bear, the gore of the boar, the heavy jaws of the croc, the silent raven. Outside the change, faction belonging shows through dress and behaviour. The Atabahi Rout presents as wolf: pack hierarchy, predatory rhythm. The Bahkatu Sleuth runs heavier, bear in every movement, slow and steady. Scrofan Tribe is tribal boar culture; Kith of Torston goes still and waiting, crocodilian. The Tsol’aa of Dromse watches from above: clever, communicating in flicker and call. ## Side effects of the work The signature cost of the class is Madness. While mutated, a Shapeshifter accumulates shapeshifter Madness, a mechanical accumulation that may prevent reverting to human form. It is the hard ceiling on transformation duration. Push too far and you do not come back when you want to. The Madness mechanic is what gives the class its bite. A Shapeshifter who manages the meter well can hold form through long engagements. One who loses track stays a wolf longer than they wanted to be one. Outside the mechanical Madness, there is the cultural cost: faction loyalty. Joining a Packmoot faction means committing to its pack. The packs do not share territory casually, and rivalry between forms is part of the lived experience of the class. ## Who plays this class The Shapeshifter suits players who want maximum class flexibility and a strong tribal-faction roleplay frame. The zero-lesson buy-in is the easiest entry point in the game. Anyone in any city can pick the class up and try it without committing to a multiclass slot. Mechanically, the class rewards Madness management, form selection, and pack coordination. Packs (small groups of any-form shapeshifters) require level 80 to create via PACK CREATE, with PACK INVITE / ACCEPT / QUIT / RANKINGS available once formed. The pack channel uses PT. Roleplay-wise, the Shapeshifter is the closest thing Aetolia has to playing a beast. The class is not framed as a heroic warrior or a faithful priest. It is framed as something with claws and teeth that puts on a mortal shape when it has to. That feels very different from any of the other 31 classes. ## Origin and apprenticeship The Shapeshifter has no city affiliation and no guild. The class is picked up at the Packmoot, where the five factions meet. Joining a faction commits the character to one form. Mutating into a new form costs 400 lessons. Because the Shapeshifter is independent of the multiclass system, you can hold the class alongside any other class you have permission to hold. Your primary class contributes to Shapeshifting and Ferality skill ranks (but never above Fabled 36%). Vocalizing is unaffected by primary-class boost, so full lesson investment is still required to reach Transcendent in that skill. Race choice is independent of class, so you can play a Shapeshifter of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/), though the chosen Packmoot faction frames how your beast form reads in roleplay. ## Frequently asked questions **Is the Shapeshifter good for new players?** Yes, with caveats. The zero lesson investment to pick up the class is the easiest entry point in Aetolia, and basic transformation works at low skill. The Madness mechanic adds a learning curve, and pack culture varies by faction. Try the class at a Packmoot and pick a faction whose people you like. **Can I have multiple Shapeshifter forms at once?** No. You can only be aligned to a single form at a time. To change forms costs 400 lessons via MUTATE INTO. The investment is deliberate, so most players settle into a single faction and form for the long run. **Does the Shapeshifter class take a multiclass slot?** No. Shapeshifter is independent of the multiclass system, so it does not consume any of your normal class slots. Your primary class contributes a partial bonus to Shapeshifting and Ferality (capped at Fabled 36%), with Vocalizing unaffected. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Shapeshifter profile. Or see [Aetolia’s class hub](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Sylvan](/character-classes/sylvan/) Spirit-tethered Praadi class transfigured into honorary Fae through a binding oath to Life. Pick Sylvan if you like the bestial-transformation hook and the claws-and-fangs combat style but want a guild structure, Fae-court roleplay, and a Spirit-side tether. ### [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) Spirit-tethered Duiran forestal hunter with a feral animal companion. Pick Sentinel if you want to fight alongside a beast rather than become one, with the Pride guild structure and forestal roleplay frame. ### [Predator](/character-classes/predator/) Untethered knife-fighter with bone sitaras and tamed beast companions. Pick Predator if you want the wild, hostile-climes warrior profile but prefer knife combat to direct beast transformation. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Shapeshifter and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Shaman of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/shaman/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Shaman of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-shaman-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Shaman class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Shamans are Aetolia’s awakened priests of life, death, and the Cycle, a Spirit-tethered class in Duiran that wields Primality (primordial elements and lifeforce), Shamanism (spirit-summoning portents), and Naturalism (commanding the forests themselves). At a glance**Tether**Spirit**City**[Duiran](/world/duiran/)**Guild**Praadi (Patron: Haern, the Hunter)**Skill sets**Primality, Shamanism, Naturalism**Mirror class**[Alchemist](/character-classes/alchemist/) (Shadow)**Sister classes in guild**[Runecarver](/character-classes/runecarver/) and [Sylvan](/character-classes/sylvan/)**Signature mechanic**Pacts with Dia’ruian Guardian spirits**Best for**Players who want a nature-magic priest with portents, lightning, and the wild as a weaponA Shaman is not a gentle druid in a sun-dappled grove. They are awakened to something older. They call lightning down on enemies, summon spirits to deliver foul omens in battle, and command the forests themselves to overgrow and devour. If you want the wild magic class in Aetolia, the Shaman is the class to pick. ## Origin and lore The Shamans rose from the ashes of the old Druid guild within the Heartwood. They sit inside the **Praadi**, the awakened guardians of **Dia’ruis** (the Plane of Life, born in the year 504 after Duiran’s daring ritual replaced the dying plane of Dendara). Beneath the Great Oak, the murmured song and ritual of the Praadi reverberates through the ancient Heartwood. The Praadi encompass three distinct paths: Shaman, [Runecarver](/character-classes/runecarver/), and [Sylvan](/character-classes/sylvan/). Each draws on a different aspect of the eternal tension between life and death. The Shaman is the broadest and most overtly elemental of the three. Shamans serve the **Cycle** (also called the Rhythm), the system of renewal created by Varian and the three Gods of the Triumvirate (Haern, Dhar, and Lleis). At its heart, the Cycle holds that all things must die so the new may live. Death nourishes Dia’ruis. Life and Death are equal partners, and when they balance, nature thrives. ## Skill sets The Shaman skill sets are Primality, Shamanism, and Naturalism. **Primality** is the raw power channel. A Shaman wields primordial elements (chief among them: lightning from the quarterstaff) and drains the lifeforce from enemies. **Shamanism** is the esoteric art. By swearing oaths to the **Guardians** (the most ancient spirits of Dia’ruis: Takaros the Fury, Kree-sa the Broodmother, Vo’acha the Shadow, Rhulvok the Warden, Griash the Keeper, Srahda the Seer), a Shaman calls down foul portents and doleful premonitions on those who stand against them. Fetishes, masks of bone, and ill omens are core to the kit. **Naturalism** taps directly into the woodlands. With reverence and the assent of the forest, a Shaman establishes a grove (a haven for tranquil reflection) and expands the reach of nature, calling overgrowth to spread in a tide of seething life across the earth. ## Skill abilities Primality Shamanism Naturalism Filter abilities Title Contents ### Primality - Quarterstaff Summon forth a quarterstaff from the forest #### Quarterstaff **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE QUARTERSTAFF While standing within a forest, you may call upon nature itself to lend you a powerful quarterstaff. - Communication Commune with the forces of nature #### Communication **Description**Syntax: PRIMAL ENERGY You are capable of interacting with the primal forces of nature, shaping them into the weapons of life itself. You may have a maximum of 5 primal energy at any one time, and they will slowly fade over time without use. Most abilities will make use of your energy, however the effects are not always as obvious as it might seem. The below will provide a common guide for most abilities. Effects for the following keywords: Generate – Generates primal energy, adding it to your pool. Consume – Consumes primal energy, removing it from your pool. Threshold – Having less than the threshold lengthens equilibrium use. Requires – You must have equal to or more then the energy required. Consuming primal energy does not need you to have the full amount, unless it is marked as required. You will need to read each AB file in Primality for further information on how it will interact with your energy. - Lightning Nature’s blade, your will #### Lightning **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE LIGHTNING Generates 1 energy (except when boosted). You may draw upon the natural energy around you to conjure a fork of lightning to strike your foe. Boosted effect: Increases the damage dealt. If the target is not a denizen then the equilibrium time is reduced as well. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeElectric Damage SourceArcane Base Damage100 + 15% Base Damage (Denizen)1035 Added Bonus Damage (Boosted)x10% Equilibrium Recovery3.75 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Boosted)3.25 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Denizen)3.50 seconds Generated Energy (Not Boosted)1 energy Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. - Requires at least one leg functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Denizen) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Recall Call your quarterstaff back to you. #### Recall **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE RECALL You may recall your quarterstaff to your hand, so long as it lies on your current continent. - Squall A short-lived squall that clears the air. #### Squall **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE SQUALL If there is fog within the atmosphere, you can generate a short-lived squall that’ll blow the obscuring mist from the location. - Boosting Prepare some energy for your next attack #### Boosting **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE BOOST Requires 1 energy. Consumes 1 energy. You may draw upon your generated primal energy to empower the next commune ability you use, granting it an additional effect. This ability requires equilibrium but does not consume it. To see the effects of Boosting on a given ability, check that ability’s AB file. - Leafstorm Shred their defenses with razor-sharp leaves #### Leafstorm **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE LEAFSTORM Threshold of 1 energy. If your opponent is protected by a magical shield, you can send a flurry of razor-sharp leaves at your target, shredding it into pieces. If they are not protected by a shield, then it will strip a random defence from them. Boosted effect: Additionally deals cutting-based damage and will make them bleed. - Vinelash Whip your enemies with venomous vines #### Vinelash **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE VINELASH \[venom\] Generates 1 energy (except when boosted). You may scourge your target with a mass of vines, causing cutting-based damage and delivering a single venom, as well as making them bleed. The bleeding and armour penetration is increased for each thorn upon the target. \* If no venom is specified, it will deal the loki venom by default. \* No rags of venom are needed in order to make use of the venom component. Boosted effect: The equilibrium recovery time is reduced. If you have at least 3 primal energy when striking with the boosted effect, vinelash will plunge thorns into the target. If they obtain 3 thorns in total, then it will give them haemophilia and be uncurable while 3 thorns remain. You may only embed a maximum of 3 thorns in your target. Thorns may be removed by attempting to PULL THORNS FROM BODY. - Slam Batter their limbs with a barrage of natural fury #### Slam **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE SLAM \[6-12 seconds\] Threshold of 3 energy. Consumes 1 energy. This crude blast of sheer force will knock your target sprawling to the ground. Boosted effect: The effect is delayed by the amount of time specified and will additionally knock them off balance. If no time is specified, it will default to six seconds. - Vitiate An ancient curse that saps away their fortitude #### Vitiate **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE VITIATE Threshold of 2 energy. Generates 1 energy. By channelling primal spiritual energy, you may invoke the curse of life’s bane on a target, giving them the lifebane affliction. For a short time, the target will find that recovery by elixirs will be reduced, and non-natural healing will be reduced even more. Boosted effect: The impact of the curse will also cause plodding in your target. - Overload Leave your foes reeling by overloading their nerves #### Overload **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE OVERLOAD Threshold of 3 energy. Consumes 1 energy. This rapid burst of energy will overload your target’s nerves, giving them both paresis and stupidity. A short time later, they’ll be shocked for electrical damage if they still remain stupid. Boosted effect: Overload will fry their nerves even further, causing a short-lived blackout. - Discharge Unleash a concentrated blast of sunlight #### Discharge **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE DISCHARGE Unleash a powerful blast of primal energy towards any target that is line-of-sight from your current location, dishing out fire-based damage. They must not be in the same location as you. Boosted effect: The damage will be increased and will set the target ablaze, as well as knocking them over. - Scourge Curse your enemy with a bane upon their vital energy #### Scourge **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE SCOURGE Threshold of 2 energy. Generates 1 energy (except when boosted). You may inflict the bane of vitality on your target, causing the consumption of curative pills or poultices to inflict the target with the loki venom half of the time. The vitalbane affliction will only fade after it has inflicted the target with loki at least two times, otherwise it will persist until it does so. Boosted effect: The impact of the bane will also cause idiocy in your victim. - Reclamation Grant your foe a swift return to the Rhythm #### Reclamation **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE RECLAMATION Drawing upon the spirit of nature itself, you may commit a target to return to the primal flows of the Rhythm – sacrificing their body as a testament to the inevitable call of the Cycle. In order to achieve this, the target must be in a state of terror, afflicted by at least five phobias and suffering from dread of their own impending doom. The dread must originate from you. The following afflictions count as phobias: Fear, agoraphobia, claustrophobia, nyctophobia, vertigo, loneliness, shyness, paranoia, or superstition. Once cast, the target becomes disabled and there is a short delay before they are slain. If they leave their current location through some form of means, then the ability will fail. - Stormbolt Crush your target with a concussive bolt of lightning #### Stormbolt **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE STORMBOLT Threshold of 3 energy. Consumes 2 energy. Create a thunderstorm above your target with three charges. Every so often, it will use one charge to release a blast of lightning and deal minor electric-based damage. If you strike them with the Primality-ability Lightning while the target is plagued by the thunderstorm, it will boost the damage of the skill by 20%, stun the target, and consume a charge from the thunderstorm. Using Lightning to trigger the bonus effects will reset the time before the next passive discharge from the thunderstorm. Boosted effect: Instead of improving Lightning, any non-passive electric damage you deal will be boosted by 20%, stun the target, and consume a charge from the thunderstorm. Please view AB PRIMALITY LIGHTNING for more information on this ability. - Sporulation Saturate your target in a cloud of poisonous spores #### Sporulation **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE SPORULATION Threshold of 3 energy. By inundating your victim in a cloud of toxic spores, you may impair their mental capacity – causing confusion and impatience. Boosted effect: Your spores are much more toxic, causing hallucinations to your target without their knowledge. - Chainlightning Shock multiple enemies with a cascade of electricity #### Chainlightning **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE CHAINLIGHTNING Threshold of 3 energy. Consumes 2 energy. Your lightning will strike your target and bounce from them, jumping to an additional five random enemies within your location. This will deal electric-based damage to all six of them. When used against a denizen, the additional bounces will only target other denizens who are currently attempting to fight you, otherwise no extra bounces will occur. Boosted effect: Adventurers struck by the bounces will receive up to two random afflictions that are shared from the main target. The afflictions will be hidden from their knowledge. - Cloudcall Call forth rain clouds across the sky. #### Cloudcall **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE CLOUDCALL Call upon primal nature to accept a gift of elemental ice, and summon forth rain clouds across the sky while outside. This will cause the weather in your locale to rain for a short while, but only if the skies are already clear of phenomena. - Staticburst Assault your enemy with a continual shock #### Staticburst **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE STATICBURST Threshold of 3 energy. Consumes 1 energy. This surge of electric energy will not only harm your foe, but will inflict a random mental malady from a wide selection of choices. As some passes after the initial strike, it will relapse and lash out at your foe once more. If the first time it picks an affliction is one that the target already has, then it will try again, but only one extra time. List of possible afflictions it can give: Egocentrism, stupidity, epilepsy, peace, paranoia, hallucinations, psychosis, dizziness, mania, infatuation, laxity, hatred, claustrophobia, vertigo, faintness, loneliness, agoraphobia, masochism, recklessness, weariness, impatience, confusion, dementia, and nyctophobia. Boosted effect: Staticburst will activate one additional time before fading and the afflictions will become masked. - Lifebloom Nature will rescue you when in mortal danger. #### Lifebloom **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE LIFEBLOOM Through your service to the spirits of Dia’ruis, you may be granted a chance at renewal when your body suffers heavy damage. Should you find yourself nearing death, life will blossom from within – granting you restorative health over a short period of time and granting you one energy. Cooldown (when triggered): 180 seconds - Equivalence Punish your victim for their aggression #### Equivalence **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE EQUIVALENCE Threshold of 4 energy. Consumes 2 energy. Nature is swift to correct imbalances – through this ability, you may deal spirit damage equal to the amount of health you are missing. This attack may not exceed 40% of the target’s maximum health. Boosted effect: Equivalence now confers a negative effect as well, bestowing the justice affliction upon your hapless victim. This will be hidden from their view. - Infest Plague your foe with a spiritual parasite. #### Infest **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE INFEST Threshold of 1 energy. Generates 1 energy. One of the many maladies a Shaman may place on their victim includes a deadly parasitic infestation, that feasts upon the soul. The Shaman is then able to draw upon this curse, using the energy to empower their own efforts. When attacking an infested target, no primal energy will be consumed by abilities that use it. Boosted effect: The target is no longer infested immediately. Instead, the affliction is delayed for 4 seconds after casting. - Effusion Turn your life essence into a formidable weapon. #### Effusion **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE EFFUSION Threshold of 1 energy. Drawing upon your own vital energy as a source of power, you can compel the life of another to be altered accordingly. When used upon an ally, the effusion will mend their wounds. Used on any other target, the effusion will overwhelm their body – shattering their courage and leaving them with ringing ears. Boosted effect: On an ally, effusion will additionally cure them of a random affliction. Otherwise, it will stun the target and deliver sensitivity instead of ringing ears. - Spines Conjure numerous diseased spines to blight your victim. #### Spines **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE SPINES Threshold of 1 energy. Generates 1 energy. The malady of blight is a powerful curse – one that may be condensed into a number of sharp spines and released upon your foe. Infecting your target with a spiritual blight will harm their body with poison when they move to a new location. Boosted effect: The target is no longer blighted immediately. Instead, the affliction is delayed for 4 seconds after casting. - Strangle Choke the life from your helpless foe #### Strangle **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE STRANGLE Threshold of 3 energy. Consumes 1 energy. You may choke a prone target with barbed vines, causing persistent asphyxiation-based damage until they writhe out of it. Thorns left behind by the boosted Vinelash ability will increase the damage dramatically and induce some bleeding. Boosted effect: This will allow your vines to overcome the flame tattoo without being affected. - Quicken Tap into the might of nature and speed your assault #### Quicken **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE QUICKEN Requires 5 energy. Consumes 5 energy. Nature will speed your assault, causing the next three Primality abilities used against the specified target to incur their boosted effects and be cast as if at maximum energy. Activating this will consume all your primal energy, and you will not be able to gain primal energy while it is in use. The defence will fade if you are not in the same room as your target for longer than ten seconds. - Naturaltide The Rhythm flows within your being #### Naturaltide **Description**Syntax: COMMUNE NATURALTIDE COMMUNE RELEASE Having mastered the forces of nature and the subtle energy that flows throughout the Rhythm, you are now able to tap into this source of power and generate a tide to unleash upon your foe. First you must store an ability you wish to release. Once you have done so, you can then release it upon a target for one time only, before needing to store an ability again. Released abilities will deal half the damage and bleeding as normal. The following abilities may be stored within the tide of nature: Lightning, Vinelash, Scourge, Vitiate, Staticburst, Overload, Spines, and Infest. You may release an ability while off equilibrium, however there is still an equilibrium cost attached in doing so. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Shamanism - Bonecasting Glance upon the life of your target. #### Bonecasting **Description**Syntax: SHAMAN BONECASTING The seers within the depths of Dia’ruis speak highly of this art, passing it down from one generation to the next as a means of tracking elusive quarry that would otherwise evade their senses. Using a bone from the corpses you carry upon you, you may question the bones as to the location of your target whether they be friend or foe. If they are within the area with you, you will be able to discern their current state of health. - Harrowing Lend your foe a vision of sheer terror. #### Harrowing **Description**Syntax: SHAMAN HARROW While many of the spirits of Dia’ruis can be beings of great benevolence, it is common to encounter the gnarled spirits that care little for the mortal realms. In binding them to your will, you may turn their very visage against your foes. Even some of the greatest beasts cannot help but to be filled with fear by the creatures that await them for all eternity. It will force the target to immediately flee from the room, and afflict them with fear. - Protection Deflect attacks using your quarterstaff. #### Protection **Description**Syntax: SHAMAN PROTECTION Runes are a common sight in Dia’ruis; there are many scratched into the trees and stone as a means of warding or protection against evil. One such rune, spoken as ‘cethor’, can be utilized by a shaman to protect themselves. By calling upon your latent energy, you may channel the protective spell through your quarterstaff and scribe it into the air before you. Your resistance to cutting and blunt damage will increase as long as you continue to wield your quarterstaff. If you cease to wield your quarterstaff, the defense shall stay upon you but no longer offer its protective boon. - Exorcise Banish unnatural spirits from the land. #### Exorcise **Description**Syntax: SHAMAN EXORCISE The baleful creatures of Chaos stand outside the Rhythm of Dia’ruis, skirting the edge of corruption and seething darkness. Cast dopplegangers or mirrormasks back to the abyss from whence they came by banishing them from the realm of mortals. - Spiritmask Carve a spiritual mask from bone. #### Spiritmask **Description**Usage: SHAMAN SPIRITMASK By harvesting bone, horn, and other objects from your fallen prey, you may honor them in death by using their leering visage as a spiritmask. Using a corpse and colourful inks, the shaman of Dia’ruis create wondrous displays to the fallen beasts and gain resistances to the elements as they utter a binding prayer over the mask. While anyone may wear the mask, the powerful magics within will only reflect upon the shaman who created it. Inks: Fire: 1 red ink, 1 yellow ink. Magic: 1 red ink, 1 green ink. Cold: 1 blue ink. Electric: 1 yellow ink. Poison: 1 green ink. Psychic: 1 purple ink. Asphyxiation: 1 gold ink. - Warding Strengthen your guard with spiritual force. #### Warding **Description**Syntax: SHAMAN WARDING \[OFF\] Spirits of the natural world can be encouraged to take on various forms for the whim of the summoner. Utilizing a lesser spirit of lightning as a ward, you may command it take on the form of an orb that will encircle the limb you are currently parrying. It will drain your mana for as long as it is active. If an enemy moves to strike that limb, the spirit will electrocute the attacker, and if that limb is broken, then it will deliver a masked mental affliction. List of possible afflictions it can give: Egocentrism, stupidity, epilepsy, peace, paranoia, hallucinations, dizziness, mania, infatuation, laxity, hatred, claustrophobia, vertigo, faintness, loneliness, agoraphobia, masochism, recklessness, weariness, impatience, confusion, dementia, and nyctophobia. Cooldown (on proc): 2 seconds - Divination Divine meaning to gain foresight #### Divination **Description**Syntax: SHAMAN SLAUGHTER SHAMAN DIVINE Through the voices of Dia’ruis, you may divine meaning from the entrails of a slain animal and see briefly into one of many possibilities that could arise in the future. In order to perform this feat, first you must obtain a woodcrafted bowl, a dagger, and the corpse of an animal. Once you have all three, slaughter the animal to the Dia’ruian spirits and then divine a future from the bowl, allowing the spirits to whisper to your mind. You may only perform divination once every so often, for your mind’s eye will need time to rest. Cooldown: 1 hour - Spiritsight Recognize the ailments that affect your foe. #### Spiritsight **Description**Syntax: SHAMAN SPIRITSIGHT By altering your senses to discern subtle fluctuations in vital energies, you may allow yourself to gather more detailed information on other people. While spiritsight is active, any loki effects that strike your target will report their afflictions to you, while keeping your victim unaware. In addition to this, any loki venom that you poison others with will no longer deliver effects that the target already has. - Oaths Invoke sworn oaths with the spirits of Dia’ruis. #### Oaths **Description**Syntax: OATHS OATH ACTIVATE OATH DISABLE OATH DISABLE ALL One of the ways a Shaman may unlock their potential is by binding their service to the many totemic spirits of Dia’ruis. By taking individual oaths with the spirits within, you will gather numerous boons, ranging from protection from the elements, to immunity from certain mental afflictions, to the ability to resist forced action. There are seven oaths that you may swear, and once unlocked, each oath will remain with you permanently. You may activate or disable them at will – though each active oath presents a cumulative mana and willpower drain. Available oaths are: [Oath of the Forestwalker]: Grants forestwalking and health regeneration in overgrowth/forest rooms.[Oath of the Elder Shaman]: Grants foresight to the Shaman, giving them a 2% chance to resist mental afflictions.[Oath of Nature’s Blade]: Enhances Primality, causing boost to have a 25% chance to not consume energy.[Oath of Tranquility]: Enhances healing, causing overgrowth/forest rooms to periodically heal an affliction providing you don’t have paralysis.[Oath of the Primeval]: Enhances your spirit animal, causing them to strike more quickly.[Oath of the Rhythm]: Instills serene balance in the Shaman, preventing force abilities and effects.[Oath of the Durdalis]: Allows you to completely negate an elemental attack on a 20-90 second cooldown. - Premonition Instill a fearful premonition into one’s psyche. #### Premonition **Description**Syntax: SHAMAN PREMONITION While a Shaman is incapable of true clairvoyance, their ability to alter destiny in the most subtle of fashions can prove to be a powerful tool. With this simple hex, a Shaman may place dread deep within the psyche of their victim, foretelling future maledictions and inhibiting their victim’s ability to shake off their effects. While affected by dread, a victim will find themselves unable to cure any infestation of spiritual parasites or the effects of blighted spines. The dread itself may only be removed by leaving the presence of the Shaman for a long enough time, or focusing one’s mind while unaffected by any other mental affliction. - Songlines Memorize and recite songs of travel. #### Songlines **Description**Syntax: SHAMAN SONGLINE ERECT SHAMAN SONGLINE DESTROY SHAMAN SONGLINE LIST SHAMAN SONGLINE TRAVEL Upon your journey throughout the land, you will come across many places of wonder and joy, hardship and sorrow. Remember your tales of the past in short verse and whispered song by erecting small totems of these journeys. It is often said that in the depths of Dia’ruis, the whispered song of ages long past still drifts upon the winds and can be heard as an echo of the ages. You may create up to three totems along your travels, binding thought and memory to the aged wood. Only one totem may stand within an area. - Lifevision The ability to see the life force of others. #### Lifevision **Description**Syntax: LIFEVISION Your keen senses allow you to see all living things within your sight, regardless if they are hidden or not. It will additionally provide some measure of protection against illusions, allowing you to occasionally tell if they are fake. - Voyage Allow another to experience your songs. #### Voyage **Description**Syntax: SHAMAN VOYAGE One need not bear all hardships or joys alone as you travel the world throughout your life. While songlines may only be crafted and bound by the singer, you may compel one to experience your travels by reciting to them your song of journey. Let them experience your journey through whispered song and voice. - Divulgence Whisper a curse that will crush their sanity. #### Divulgence **Description**Syntax: SHAMAN DIVULGENCE \[phobia\] Providing your foe has at least three mental afflictions, you can whisper a word of terror to them, inflicting their mind with a phobia and draining it of some mana. You can inflict the following phobias: Fear, agoraphobia, claustrophobia, nyctophobia, vertigo, loneliness, shyness, paranoia, or superstition. Additionally, the equilibrium cost for this skill is reduced for each mental affliction the target has. However, it will not obtain any further benefit after the fifth mental affliction. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction - Omen Tamper with the threads of fate themselves. #### Omen **Description**Syntax: SHAMAN OMEN \[IN <6-12>\] Through primal magic of bone and blood, a Shaman may enact a binding hex upon their foe providing they have three fetishes stringed upon their quarterstaff. After the period of time specified by the caster (or six seconds if none is supplied), an omen of malice shall descend and deal unblockable damage to them. Certain afflictions received from a Shaman will multiply the damage from omen when it is initially cast, each of them greatly increasing its power, allowing it to reach a near lethal state when all of them are present. Curing or obtaining these afflictions after it is cast will not alter its potency. The following are the afflictions that will increase its potency: Paranoia, infestation, blight, and stormtouched. If they had all four of the above afflictions when it is cast, then the omen is enhanced further, shattering any magical shields protecting them and heavily stunning them. - You have the following familiar related abilities - Cougar A vicious cougar to shred your enemies. #### Cougar **Description**Syntax: FAMILIAR SUMMON COUGAR The cougar spirit will deal cutting-based damage when ordered to attack your enemies. Occasionally, one of its swipes will cause one of impairment, watery eyes, or clumsiness and will be masked from their view. - Familiar Call upon nature to provide a spiritual familiar. #### Familiar **Description**Syntax: FAMILIAR SUMMON FAMILIAR DISMISS FAMILIAR RECALL Additional syntax: FAMILIAR HIDE and FAMILIAR REVEAL Call upon nature to provide a spiritual familiar in your battles against those who would trample upon life. If you happen to lose sight of it, you may recall it back to your side. Additionally, you may ask your familiar to hide from sight, if such a thing would prove useful to you. Refer to HELP LOYALS for more information on leading your familiar, such as ordering it to attack and other useful commands. - Invigorate Sacrifice your own health to heal your familiar. #### Invigorate **Description**Syntax: FAMILIAR INVIGORATE At a nominal cost to your own health, you may regenerate your familiar’s physical form, repairing any damage they may have taken in battle. - Raven Disturb your foes with the cry of the raven. #### Raven **Description**Syntax: FAMILIAR SUMMON RAVEN The raven spirit will dive into action, either generating one primal energy for the Shaman or dealing psychic-based damage to them as it swoops past. - Serpent Poison your foes with a vicious serpent. #### Serpent **Description**Syntax: FAMILIAR SUMMON SERPENT The form of a serpent will allow your familiar to either crush or bite your victim. If it coils around your enemy and crushes them, it will caused asphyixation-based damage to them and sap two points of wisdom. If it bites them, it will deal poison damage and deliver the loki venom. - Tethering Instantly return your familiar to your presence. #### Tethering **Description**Syntax: FAMILIAR TETHER Tether your familiar to this realm, making it immune to the effects of orb sigils at the cost of a small willpower drain to yourself. Furthermore, if the familiar is attacked when not within your presence, it will instantly return to your side. - Voice Project your voice through your familiar. #### Voice **Description**Syntax: FAMILIAR VOICE With a simple link from your mind to your familiar, you may project your voice through their form, regardless of your respective locations. - Glance Extend your vision through your familiar. #### Glance **Description**Syntax: FAMILIAR GLANCE You may quickly glance through the eyes of your familiar, allowing you to discern all in their location at no cost. - Spider Summon a massive spider to entangle your foes. #### Spider **Description**Usage: FAMILIAR SUMMON SPIDER By taking the form of a spider, your familiar will pierce your enemy with venomous fangs, causing periodic poison damage and causing one of allergies, vomiting, or disfigurement which will be masked. After a set number of attacks, it will spot an opportunity to cover your unlucky foe in a sticky web instead, entangling them. - Spiritbond Order your familiar to guard you from harm. #### Spiritbond **Description**Syntax: FAMILIAR SPIRITBOND Mitigate a portion of the damage you receive and transfer it to your familiar. This defence will cost willpower to maintain in the long term. - Bear The mighty bear will cripple your foe’s limbs. #### Bear **Description**Syntax: FAMILIAR SUMMON BEAR The bear spirit will lumber forth and maul a limb of your target, making it crippled and causing blunt-based damage. - Wyvern A mythical beast, incinerating any in its path. #### Wyvern **Description**Syntax: FAMILIAR SUMMON WYVERN The wyvern spirit is perhaps the most fierce of all the familiars. Its attacks have a chance to stun the opponent and set them ablaze, or simply deal extra fire-based damage. - Morph Instantly transform the manifestation of your familiar. #### Morph **Description**Syntax: FAMILIAR MORPH
This command will allow your familiar to quickly change forms, allowing you to alter its physical body without dismissing it outright. It will also recover any missing health the familiar had. Cooldown: 20 seconds - You have the following fetish related abilities - Fetishes Carve symbolic fetishes to invoke eldritch magic. #### Fetishes **Description**Syntax: FETISH CREATE FETISH LIST You are now capable of creating mystic fetishes to invoke ancient magics upon your foe. Once created, you must string the fetishes upon your quarterstaff and attune your target to unlock their potential. See AB SHAMANISM STRINGING and AB SHAMANISM ATTUNEMENT for more details. Fetishes are powerful tools that are activated by the specified target meeting a specific criteria, known as a trigger condition. When the condition is met, the fetish will become active, and will enact a persistent effect. When the same criteria is met a second time or the threshold no longer applies, the fetish will be rendered inactive. Careful consideration of fetish effects is important, as you are only capable of using three fetishes at a given time. The creation of fetishes differs according to what fetish you are attempting to create. Some fetishes require you to be standing in a certain environment type, others will require a raw material for you to refine. The list is as follows: Bark: Forest environments Shell: Beach environment Stone: Hills or mountains environment Feather: An eagle feather OR the corpse of an eagle Horn: A piece of stag’s horn OR the corpse of a stag Ice: An elemental ice commodity Bone: Bone powder OR an animal corpse Tooth: A crocodile’s tooth OR an animal corpse Claw: A lion’s claw OR an animal corpse Eye: An animal corpse - Horn Invigorate your mind as energy surges through you. #### Horn **Description**Activator: Self. Trigger condition: The horn fetish is activated by passing the threshold of 3 natural energy – this can be done by gaining energy, or by depleting it past that mark. Target: Self. Activation effect: A portion of the energy around you will be converted into mental fortitude, restoring a small amount of mana and willpower to the user. - Attunement Link the power of your fetishes to a victim. #### Attunement **Description**Syntax: FETISH ATTUNE and FETISH UNATTUNE To most observers, the rattling of fetishes proves to be little more than noise. By attuning a target to the effects of your magic, you may draw out the true power of your fetishes – allowing their energies to affect your foe. - Stringing Quickly string crafted fetishes to your staff. #### Stringing **Description**Syntax: FETISH STRING <\[fetish 1\] \[fetish 2\] .. \[fetish nth\]> FETISH REMOVE FETISH REMOVE ALL With nimble fingers, you may string up to three fetishes on your quarterstaff at once. You can only string fetishes that you have personally created, and only one of a type of fetish can be on your quarterstaff at once. In some cases, it may be possible to have more than three fetishes at once. Please refer to AB SHAMANISM to learn more. - Ice As their vitality fades, their spirit suffers. #### Ice **Description**Activator: Self. Trigger condition: The ice fetish is activated by the Shaman dropping below 50% of their maximum health. This can be done both by being damaged or by causing self harm. You will be unable to heal up past 50% of your health while in this state. Target: Attuned target. Activation effect: The magics of the ice fetish will chill the very soul of your target – giving them the spiritbane affliction for as long as the fetish is active, and preventing natural passive health regeneration. Primality attacks against the target that deal non-passive electric damage will also heal you for 30% of the damage dealt. - Tooth Draw upon nature’s might even when your body is broken. #### Tooth **Description**Activator: Self. Trigger condition: The tooth fetish is permanently activated once strung by the Shaman, providing you wield your quarterstaff. Target: Self. Activation effect: While active, the tooth fetish will empower the Shaman’s connection to nature, allowing them to use any Primality abilities without the requirement of working arms. - Bone Dark spirits punish those who cower behind barriers. #### Bone **Description**Activator: Attuned target. Trigger condition: The bone fetish is activated by an attuned target using a shield tattoo or any other means of forming a temporary barrier. This does not apply to the prismatic barrier generated by using a lyre or other such means. Target: Attuned target. Activation effect: The next time your opponent attempts to form a shield, the fetish will lash out and destroy it, delivering a masked mental affliction from the antipsychotic tree in the process. The fetish will then go inactive once more. You can view HELP CURE ORDER for more information on afflictions in the antipsychotic cure tree. - Claw A bleeding victim proves unable to reject nature. #### Claw **Description**Activator: Attuned target. Trigger condition: The claw fetish is activated by an attuned foe who is greatly bleeding – achieving at least 200 bleeding will activate the effect. This effect can only be triggered once each time the opponent passes 200 bleeding, not if they continue to bleed. Target: Attuned target. Activation effect: While active, thorns from the Vinelash ability will hold with greater force – preventing them from being removed from your victim by any means. - Eye A fetish made to draw power from their curiosity. #### Eye **Description**Activator: Attuned target. Trigger condition: The eye fetish is activated whenever the attuned target uses the Diagnose ability to check their afflictions. You can view AB SURVIVAL DIAGNOSE for more information. Target: Self. Activation effect: Generate 1 primal energy when the fetish activates for use in Primality. - Bark A mystical fetish to imbue the flesh. #### Bark **Description**Activator: Self. Trigger condition: The bark fetish is activated by the Shaman receiving a cumulative amount of damage – roughly about 2000 damage. Once you past the threshold a second time, the fetish will deactivate. Target: Self. Activation effect: The protective magics of the bark fetish will envelop you in a shell, deflecting a portion of all damage received. - Stone Occlude escape when one is bound. #### Stone **Description**Activator: Attuned target. Trigger condition: The stone fetish has its activation state triggered when the Omen ability is cast on your attuned target. Target: Attuned target. Activation effect: The stone fetish will give your opponent the stoneheld affliction, and will occasionally prevent your victim from leaving the room – knocking them prone and off balance in the process. - Shell Befuddle the harmony of body and mind. #### Shell **Description**Activator: Attuned target. Trigger condition: The shell fetish is activated by an attuned target attempting to focus their mind to cure mental maladies. The condition will only be achieved if the opponent is both capable of focusing and consumes the proper balance. Target: Attuned target. Activation effect: While the shell fetish is active, your victim will find that the magics empowering their tree tattoo have been rendered inactive. - Feather Touch your opponent with the essence of the wild storm. #### Feather **Description**This fetish does not count towards your maximum allowed limit when strung. Activator: Attuned target. Trigger condition: The activation state of the feather fetish is activated by an attuned target attempting to cure two afflictions from the same curing tree in a row through the use of curative pills. You can review HELP CURE ORDER to learn more about the various curative trees. Target: Attuned target. Activation effect: The might of the storm will be imposed upon your attuned target – after three seconds, they will be afflicted with the stormtouched affliction which nullifies the usefulness of their electrical resistance. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Naturalism - Elevate Ascend into the treetops with ease. #### Elevate **Description**Syntax: NATURE ELEVATE A skilled Shaman need not bother to climb trees – should they wish to ascend to the canopy, you can command nature to simply lift you. You can ignore disabling effects such as paresis due to nature doing the lifting for you. - Emergence Purge the taint of the Earthen. #### Emergence **Description**Syntax: NATURE EMERGENCE Should you find yourself standing within someone else’s domain, you may beckon the natural state of nature to emerge forth, banishing all domains except for your own. If one of the domain’s controller resides in your location, there will be a slight delay to this ability. - Blending Fade away into the forest’s shadow #### Blending **Description**Syntax: NATURE BLEND Being well-versed in the eminence of nature, you may simply step into the foliage to hide yourself. You will only be able to find adequate cover when standing within a forest. - Thorncoat A coat of vile thorns to punish your foes #### Thorncoat **Description**Syntax: NATURE THORNCOAT \[target\] Engulf yourself or a friend in an armour of thorns for a limited time. Not only will you protect them from a significant portion of physical damage, but the mitigated damage will be returned to their attacker. There is also a 33% chance that your coat of thorns will give the loki venom to the attacker, although this venom is not hidden like usual. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Panacea Purify your body of ailments and maladies #### Panacea **Description**Syntax: NATURE PANACEA You may call upon the Cycle itself to remedy a single malady that afflicts you. If you stand within a forest or overgrown location, this is increased to two afflictions. Nature will only heal an extra affliction every 35 seconds, even if you use this skill again. This ability is not usable while you suffer from paresis or paralysis. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Rejuvenate Heal the land that has been blighted #### Rejuvenate **Description**Syntax: NATURE REJUVENATE Requires elemental ice. You may restore the state of an environmental location that has been transformed for an ability through this simple incantation. It will cost 10 ice if it has been exterminated by a Necromancer, otherwise it is simply 1 ice to do so. - Malevolence Brand the foes of nature. #### Malevolence **Description**Syntax: NATURE MALEVOLENCE You may declare your foe to be an enemy of nature itself, placing a curse upon them that will destroy magical shields while they linger within a forest or overgrowth location. It will additionally increase the damage dealt by natural weather. Only one target may be cursed at a time and it will have little effect if you are in the same location as the target. The effect will fade if they no longer stand within a location with overgrowth or a forest. - You have the following Grove abilities - Imprint Place your mark and bring forth a grove. #### Imprint **Description**Syntax: GROVE IMPRINT Bond with the forests in your location, making it your personal Grove. You may not form a Grove in a location someone else has. - Perceive Notice the presence of a Shamanic grove. #### Perceive **Description**Syntax: GROVE PERCEIVE Discern whether a location has been marked as the property of another in some fashion. - Sever Destroy the bond between you and your grove. #### Sever **Description**Syntax: GROVE SEVER Sever the bond you share with your Grove, allowing you to imprint a new one elsewhere. There is a short delay until it is fully severed. - Look Use your grove to gaze upon another. #### Look **Description**Syntax: GROVE LOOK Draw upon the bond with your Grove to take a glimpse through the forest at someone standing within one. - Cage Prevent all entry to and from your abode. #### Cage **Description**Syntax: GROVE CAGE GROVE UNCAGE Cage off entry and exit from your Grove, preventing people from moving through it for a temporary period of time, or until you release it. Additionally, the thick foliage will prevent many line of sight abilities while you remain within your Grove. - Whisper Speak through the trees themselves. #### Whisper **Description**Syntax: GROVE WHISPER Whisper through the trees to anybody standing in the forest. They will not know who is speaking to them. - Eyes Discern the presence of any within the forest. #### Eyes **Description**Syntax: GROVE EYES Detect the presence and whereabouts of all people who stand within a forested location. - Fertility Speed the growth of plants temporarily. #### Fertility **Description**Syntax: GROVE FERTILITY At your behest, you may make a variety of wild flowers grow instantly within your Grove, which you can then use. Cooldown: Until a new Aetolian month - Return Quickly return home to your grove. #### Return **Description**Syntax: GROVE RETURN Return to your Grove from any forested location after a short delay. This is a channelled action and will require your full attention until completion. - Everbloom Invigorate body and mind with ephemeral blossoms. #### Everbloom **Description**Syntax: GROVE EVERBLOOM Draws upon the latent energy of your Grove to create a radiant garden that lasts for one quarter of an Aetolian day. This garden will grant increased willpower and endurance regeneration for everybody within your Grove. Cooldown: 4 hours - GroveFlow Travel through Grove links. #### GroveFlow **Description**Syntax: GROVE FLOW Travel through between two Groves that are linked together. Refer to AB NATURALISM LINKING for more information on how the link is formed. - Linking Form a permanent connection between groves. #### Linking **Description**Syntax: GROVE LINK Create a unidirectional spiritual pathway from your Grove to the Grove of one who considers you an ally. Once linked, any Shaman can use Groveflow in your Grove to end up at the linked Grove. - Annihilation Destroy everything in one fatal blast. #### Annihilation **Description**Syntax: GROVE ANNIHILATION At the cost of your Grove and the surrounding plantlife, you can completely destroy all within your location in a single devastating wave of power that will deal an incredibly large amount of spirit damage. In order to perform this action, you must be still for a short period as the power is drawn forth from your Grove. Once the deed is done, the forests will reject your touch and prevent you from imprinting a new Grove for at least one full season. Cooldown (Imprint): Until a new Aetolian season - You have the following Overgrowth abilities - Overgrowth The surge of Dia’ruis itself #### Overgrowth **Description**Syntax: NATURE OVERGROWTH NATURE OVERGROWTH LIST While standing outdoors in a non-urban environment, you can empower the force of nature, causing plants to overgrow and encompass your surroundings. An overgrown location will allow numerous abilities to be used, many of them remotely. Leaving an overgrown location will not cause the growth to recede, though each overgrowth beyond the first will place a toll on your willpower. - Release Return the surge to the depths of Dia’ruis #### Release **Description**Syntax: NATURE RELEASE \[HERE\] In a single command, you may force all overgrown locations you control to recede at once. Overgrowth you are standing in will not be affected, unless you supply the HERE argument which will then only affect your current room. - Trespassers View those who intrude upon your overgrowths. #### Trespassers **Description**Syntax: NATURE TRESPASSERS List all those who currently step upon your overgrowth, along with their location. - Canopy Occlude the skies with dense overgrowth. #### Canopy **Description**Syntax: NATURE CANOPY Requires an overgrown location. By causing the plant growth around you to condense into a barrier over the sky, you can prevent those in your location from using flight as an escape option. - Roots Hold yourself steady amongst plantlife. #### Roots **Description**Syntax: NATURE ROOTS Requires an overgrown location. Call forth roots from your overgrowth to secure you to the ground, making you heavier and harder to move, much like the density defence. - Screen Deflect telepathic efforts within your growth. #### Screen **Description**Syntax: NATURE SCREEN Requires an overgrown location. While standing within the presence of your overgrowth, you may command the life around you to form a barrier – one capable of introducing disruptive static into the mind of a telepath when they attempt to pierce its veil. This will increase the length of time it takes for a telepath to obtain a mind lock upon those in your location. You may only support one screen at a time. - Thornwall A hindering wall of thorns #### Thornwall **Description**Syntax: NATURE THORNWALL Requires an overgrown location. Create a wall of hindering thorns across all exits. Any who pass through it will be scratched by the thorns, causing them to bleed and delivering the venom loki. The thornwall will wither away faster if there is no overgrowth in the room and/or you do not remain with it. - Whispers Sense the movement of any within your domain. #### Whispers **Description**Syntax: NATURE WHISPERS At a significant drain to your willpower, track all movement in and adjacent to all your overgrowth. - Flow Travel across overgrowth to your target. #### Flow **Description**Syntax: NATURE FLOW Requires an overgrown location. While standing within your overgrowth, you may instantly travel to anyone else within your domain. - Pulling Draw a nearby foe to your location. #### Pulling **Description**Syntax: NATURE PULL Requires an overgrown location. Vines will lash out from the overgrowth in your current room, attempting to pull in a target from an adjacent room. If they are within line-of-sight, you can try to pull them providing they stand within your overgrowth. While it can be prevented by the density defence, if they are marked by your malevolence then the vines will have the strength to overcome it. - Hinder Summon gripping vines to prevent trespass. #### Hinder **Description**Syntax: NATURE HINDER Requires an overgrown location. With a single command, you can force the plantlife around you to grow rapidly and snake around the legs of those within your presence – indiscriminately hindering all movement including your own. - Animation Lash out at any hostile entities in your domain. #### Animation **Description**Syntax: NATURE ANIMATION Requires an overgrown location. Any enemy standing within overgrowth in your current area will be struck by a thorny stalk that will deal cutting-based damage and inflict them with the loki venom. - Surge Send forth a rapidly growing burst of plant life. #### Surge **Description**Syntax: NATURE SURGE Requires an overgrown location. While standing within your overgrowth, you may direct the overgrowth around you to surge toward a target – moving it rapidly through every room between you and your target. This may only be performed within the same area, and only within a limited range. - Renewal Spread healing energy through your overgrowth. #### Renewal **Description**Syntax: NATURE RENEWAL Requires an overgrown location. Spread healing energy over your overgrowths in the local area, slowly healing your allies standing within your overgrowth for the next few seconds. - Displacement Swap places with another within your overgrowth. #### Displacement **Description**Syntax: NATURE DISPLACEMENT Requires an overgrown location. While standing within your overgrowth, you may instantly swap locations with anybody else that stands within your domain. - Consumption Consume your overgrowth to empower your energy. #### Consumption **Description**Syntax: NATURE CONSUMPTION Requires an overgrown location. Instantly consume your overgrowth in thie location. Doing so will generate 3 primal energy for use with Primality. Greenfoot will not cause the overgrowth to reappear after consumption, you must move first. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Barrier Cast a protective shield upon an ally. #### Barrier **Description**Syntax: NATURE BARRIER Usable from overgrowth or a forest room. This will summon both a magical shield and a prismatic barrier around any target, excluding yourself, in the local area who also stands within an overgrowth or a forest. - Greenfoot Travel across the land with growth at your heels. #### Greenfoot **Description**Syntax: NATURE GREENFOOT With a heavy toll to willpower, an overgrowth will spread out from your very feet after moving to a new location, should you linger there. This overgrowth will recede again once you leave the location. ## Visual style and identity The wrath of nature is anything but subtle. Lightning flies from a Shaman’s quarterstaff. Trees respond to their woven songs of memory. Fetishes rattle and bones tumble at their feet. Vines rustle and storms gather at their command. Ritual is inherent to the practice. Their workings are mystifying to an outsider, and often terrifying, full of curses, chants of life and death, and the kind of elaborate gestures only someone deep in communion with the Guardians would attempt. ## Side effects of the work Seers who reach beyond the veil pay for it. A Shaman’s grasp on ordinary reality can become tenuous and laden with paranoia. Some begin to see omens and portents everywhere. Others take to hallucinogenics to enhance their far sight, which carry their own consequences. Working with lightning leaves the hands burned and scarred. Withdrawal from civilisation grows easy, even comfortable. Many older Shamans become cynical about anyone outside the woods, and especially anyone outside the Cycle. ## Who plays this class The Shaman fits players who want a nature-magic priest with serious teeth. The roleplay frame is broad: peaceful grove-tender, sharp-tongued witch, battlefield seer, fierce primal warrior. All of them count as Shamans. Mechanically, the kit rewards players who like building setups (Shamanism portents, Naturalism overgrowth) and then closing with Primality damage. If you enjoy classes that read the battlefield and shape it before striking, the Shaman is a strong pick. ## City and guild The Shaman guild is the Praadi, anchored in [Duiran](/world/duiran/), the Spirit Tether’s forest city. Patron: Haern, the Hunter. The Praadi houses two sister classes alongside the Shaman: the [Runecarver](/character-classes/runecarver/) (priests of mortality, decay, and rot) and the [Sylvan](/character-classes/sylvan/) (Fae-bound warriors of Dia’ruian fury). Joining as a Shaman commits you to Spirit. You cannot actively hold Shadow-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Spirit classes or the seven untethered classes. Race is independent of class, so a Shaman can be any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Shaman mirrors the [Alchemist](/character-classes/alchemist/), Spinesreach’s blight-wielding scientists of corrupted nature. Both classes manipulate the natural world, The Shaman approaches nature through pact and reverence; the Alchemist through chemistry and brute control. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Shaman good for new players?** Yes. The class has a clear damage path (lightning through Primality), strong active-leadership guild support in the Praadi, and a roleplay frame that suits players who want to drop into the world without taking on the morally complex weight of Shadow-side classes. **Do Shamans worship the Guardian spirits?** Reverence, yes; worship in the way a Templar worships Celezor, no. The Guardians are primordial spirits of Dia’ruis, and Shamans swear oaths and form pacts with them rather than treating them as gods. Haern, the Hunter, is the actual Divine Patron of the Praadi guild. **Can a Shaman fight in melee?** Yes, with the quarterstaff. The Primality skill set channels lightning through the staff in close combat, and Shamans are not purely ranged casters. The classic image of a Shaman closing on an enemy with a charged staff is on-flavour. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Shaman profile. Or see [Aetolia’s full class list](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Runecarver](/character-classes/runecarver/) Shaman’s sister class in the Praadi. The dark twin of the Shaman, working with rot, fungus, and curses. Pick Runecarver if you like the Praadi guild but want to channel decay and mortality rather than primal life-force. ### [Alchemist](/character-classes/alchemist/) The Shadow-side mirror. Spinesreach scientist who corrupts nature instead of working with it. Pick Alchemist if you like the nature-manipulation chassis but want to play it as cold experimentation rather than reverent communion. ### [Warden](/character-classes/warden/) Duiran neighbor in the Pride guild. Heavy clan-warrior with ancestral simulacra. Pick Warden if you want to stay in Duiran and Spirit but trade primal magic for clan-passed martial combat and ghosts of the dead. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Shaman and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Sentinel of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/sentinel/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Sentinel of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-sentinel-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Sentinel class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Sentinels are Aetolia’s forestal hunters, a Spirit-tethered class in Duiran that wields Dhuriv (the double-bladed staff), Woodlore (a deep bond with animal companions), and Tracking (subtle archery, woodsmanship, and traps). At a glance**Tether**Spirit**City**[Duiran](/world/duiran/)**Guild**Sentinels, “the Pride” (Patron: Dhar, the Underking)**Skill sets**Dhuriv, Woodlore, Tracking**Mirror class**[Executor](/character-classes/executor/) (Shadow)**Sister class in guild**[Warden](/character-classes/warden/)**Signature mechanic**Animal companion bond, dual-bladed staff combat**Best for**Players who want a skirmisher’s pace, ranger lore, and a wild ally that fights with themA Sentinel does not garrison a fortress or guard a throne. They walk the wilds, name the beasts they bond with, and hunt anything that breaks the Cycle. If you grew up wanting to play a wilderness ranger with a real animal companion (not a tame mount but an equal in battle), the Sentinel is built for exactly that. ## Origin and lore The Sentinels stand on ancient teachings: the work of Huwald Seluno, the legend of Segiae Clinemh, and the old clan-bound Wardens of the deep Ithmias. Together with the Wardens, they form the Pride, a single guild bound in blood to one shared cause. The Pride does not ask for gentleness. The wilds are unforgiving, unfair, and brutal. A Sentinel is trained to match them. **They stand not for good nor evil, not for light nor dark, not for mercy nor cruelty.** The Pride defends what is still natural in the world. Anything that threatens the Cycle (corruption, undeath, shadow spreading where it should not) is prey. Duiran itself is the forest-bound city of the Heartwood, ruled by a Council, and the Sentinels are its blades when the forest is in danger. ## Skill sets The Sentinel skill sets are Dhuriv, Woodlore, and Tracking. **Dhuriv** is the agile, dual-bladed staff style passed down from the Black Raven clan. It builds from clean, efficient strikes to a vicious kill. The dhurive is a long staff with blades at both ends, used by warriors who prefer to whirl through a fight rather than plant and trade. **Woodlore** is the bond with the creatures of the wood. Through Woodlore a Sentinel calls on companions from the badger to the raccoon to the mythical cockatrice. Some can be ridden. All are allies, not pets, and they fight in tandem with the Sentinel without needing commands. **Tracking** rounds out the kit with the ranger’s quieter arts: archery (resin-coated arrows fired through forest boughs), traps, and the woodsmanship to disappear into terrain a city-dweller could not survive. ## Skill abilities Dhuriv Woodlore Tracking Filter abilities Title Contents ### Dhuriv - Assemble Turn your staff into a deadly dhurive. #### Assemble **Description**Syntax: ASSEMBLE DHURIVE FROM ASSEMBLE DHURIVE FROM USING DESIGN ASSEMBLE DHURIVE FROM USING With a wooden staff collected from nature and a piece of obsidian in your hand, you will be able to assemble your own personal dhurive. - Combo Refine your timing. #### Combo **Description**Syntax: DHURIV COMBO This ability allows you to unleash a swift combination of attacks with a single command. - Collect Collect a staff of your choice. #### Collect **Description**Syntax: COLLECT STAFF Keeping a keen eye on your surroundings you will be able to find a staff good enough to use as a weapon. There are different kinds of staffs to find depending on the environment. Forest: elm, walnut or oak Mountain and Hill: pine Beach: driftwood Grasslands or Valley: birch Swamp: ash River: water-drenched oak Ancient forest: heartwood Cooldown: 60 minutes - Resting Regain your energy through meditation. #### Resting **Description**Syntax: RESTING By placing your mind in a meditative state, you allow your body to recover endurance faster. You may only enter such a state when within a natural environment, which are limited to: Forests, Mountains, Hills, Beaches, Grasslands, Valleys, Swamps and Rivers. Any other area is not suitable for a Sentinel to seek such a bountiful state of rest. - Nimble Stay on your feet better. #### Nimble **Description**Syntax: BALANCING In a fight it is essential to stay on your feet. Using this skill, you will be able to occasionally avoid being knocked to the ground. This will tax your mana and willpower in order to upkeep. - Envenom Apply deadly venoms to your dhurive. #### Envenom **Description**Syntax: ENVENOM WITH WIPE With this ability, you may layer venoms on an edged weapon. Each time that weapon hits somebody, one venom will poison your opponent, and disappear from the weapon. Venoms work on a last-on, first-off basis, so if you put xentio on a weapon, and then put voyria on, the voyria would come off first, and the xentio second. You must possess a rag with the venom in order to apply it to a weapon. In order to get rid of the venoms on a weapon, simply WIPE . - Blocking Prevent movement in certain directions. #### Blocking **Description**Syntax: BLOCK and UNBLOCK Move into a position that blocks others from leaving your location, providing you are not incapacitated or feared. Should you move, you will cease to block. - Flexibility Escape entangling messes. #### Flexibility **Description**Syntax: FLEXIBILITY From your constant training you have learned how to remain flexible even in the face of adversity. While under the effects of an affliction that lengthens balance recovery, they will only extend your balance by half as much. - Expertise Heightened proficiency of the dhurive. #### Expertise **Description**This ability is passive. Your proficiency with the dhurive has heightened to the point that you can strike successfully with a single crippled arm. Having both arms crippled will still leave you helpless, however. Additionally, should your target have the arrhythmia affliction, then any attack with your dhurive cannot be parried. - Riposte Strike again if they parry. #### Riposte **Description**Syntax: DHURIV RIPOSTE If your opponent parries your attack you can instantly answer with another, though it will be weaker. This ability cannot deliver venoms. - Backflip Flip away in the nick of time. #### Backflip **Description**Syntax: BACKFLIP By tensing your legs, you can backflip away the next time you successfully dodge an attack, providing you dodge within the next few seconds of activation. You will leave in the direction you originally came from, bypassing any obstructions in your way, however if you were magically transported or were moved in a fashion that wasn’t through an exit then you will be unable to backflip. - You can use the following initial attacks - Slash Cut into your foe with your blade. #### Slash **Description**Syntax: DHURIV SLASH \[venom\] Running your blade along the exposed flesh of the opponent you can cut their flesh. The attack will position you for a follow-up attack with the other blade. This will deliver a venom if they are an adventurer. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier75% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)70% Weapon Trauma Modifier145% Balance Recovery1.70 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Browcut Affect their vision with dancing light. #### Browcut **Description**Usage: DHURIV BROWCUT With a very precise cut above your opponent’s eyes, you can nick their nerves as cause them to see phosphenes in their vision. Afterwards you can easily position yourself for a follow-up attack. - Twirl Confuse your foe with swift motions. #### Twirl **Description**Syntax: DHURIV TWIRL When moving your dhurive in a specific pattern, learned after hours of practice, you can cause confusion in your opponent by simply threatening to strike. Your movements also make it possible to strike with a follow-up attack. This ability deals no damage, cannot be dodged, cannot miss, and is not affected by the aura of rebounding. - Strike A forceful stunning attack. #### Strike **Description**Syntax: DHURIV STRIKE This quick strike from your dhurive will catch the opponent offguard, leaving them momentarily stunned and allowing you to follow-up with another attack. - Crosscut Slice into the veins of your enemy. #### Crosscut **Description**Syntax: DHURIV CROSSCUT This long slice across the target’s body will cause substantial damage. If the target is an adventurer, the slice will induce impairment into their body. If the target is already impaired, then it will induce addiction instead as well as additional bleeding. This will position you for a follow-up attack afterward. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier100% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)121% Weapon Trauma Modifier155% Bonus Bleeding40 Balance Recovery1.60 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Weaken Exhaust your foe’s agility. #### Weaken **Description**Syntax: DHURIV WEAKEN You may slice at your foe’s muscles, inducing lethargy if an arm is struck and removing their ability to dodge for 10 seconds if a leg is struck. This will position you for a follow-up attack afterward. Abilities that clear Avoidance dodge cooldown will allow them to start dodging again early. - Reave Strip their defenses away. #### Reave **Description**Syntax: DHURIV REAVE This attack will allow you to strip the defences of your foe, prioritising magical shields and then the aura of rebounding. Afterwards it will strip at random. This attack will position you for a follow-up strike. - Trip Tangle their legs up. #### Trip **Description**Syntax: DHURIV TRIP Tangling your weapon between your opponent’s legs is a sure way to make him fall. This will allow you to make a follow-up attack afterwards. - Slam Batter their head with the side of your blade. #### Slam **Description**Syntax: DHURIV SLAM Spinning your weapon, you can strike them in the head with the flat of your blade causing blunt trauma. This will cause the epilepsy and laxity afflictions in your opponent. You may perform a follow-up attack afterwards. - Ambush Charge your foe from nearby. #### Ambush **Description**Syntax: DHURIV AMBUSH \[venom\] DHURIV AMBUSH This ability allows you to attack your opponent from an adjacent location, destroy the aura of rebounding if they are protected by one, and then follow-up with a second attack. Against a denizen, you must specify the direction of your target. This will deliver a venom if they are an adventurer. **Details**Target LocationAdjacent location Movement TypeDashing Denizens FollowYes Adventurers FollowYes Mounts FollowYes Weapon Damage Modifier100% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)70% Balance Recovery2.10 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled. - Cannot have paresis or be paralysed. - Cannot be fallen. - You can follow up your first blow with these attacks - Stab A quicker second jab. #### Stab **Description**Syntax: DHURIV STAB \[venom\] Only after an initial attack can you manage this quick stab at your opponent. This will deliver a venom if they are an adventurer. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier75% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)70% Weapon Trauma Modifier105% Balance Recovery0.90 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Slice Induce heavy bleeding with your blow. #### Slice **Description**Syntax: DHURIV SLICE \[venom\] Positioning yourself properly with an initial attack, you can smoothly direct your other blade towards your opponent’s torso to cause massive bleeding and deliver a venom. - Thrust A deep thrust with massive damage. #### Thrust **Description**Syntax: DHURIV THRUST \[venom\] This strong thrust at the opponent’s torso will stab them with the tip of your dhuriv. If they are an adventurer, it can additionally deliver a venom and if they are suffering from arrhythmia, it will knock their pill balance. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier110% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)121% Weapon Trauma Modifier140% Pill Balance Knock0.50 seconds Balance Recovery0.80 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Disarm Disarm your enemy. #### Disarm **Description**Syntax: DHURIV DISARM Using sharp blows to the wrist, you are able to pry your opponent’s weapon from his hands. You need to position yourself properly with an initial attack to be able to use this attack. - Gouge A deep strike to the head. #### Gouge **Description**Syntax: DHURIV GOUGE Frustrate and elicit impatience in your target with a clever jab to the head, causing damage and a small amount of trauma. - Heartbreaker Pierce your opponent’s heart. #### Heartbreaker **Description**Syntax: DHURIV HEARTBREAKER You can pierce your target’s chest with your dhurive, inducing arrhythmia. - Slit Make them breath- and speechless. #### Slit **Description**Syntax: DHURIV SLIT This very precise follow-up attack will leave your opponent with a crippled throat, making it difficult to speak or make use of abilities that require the voice. - You can use the following single attacks - Flourish An unbalanced strike against a foe. #### Flourish **Description**Usage: DHURIV FLOURISH After utilising certain abilities, you may follow the attack with a quick jab of your blade in a flourishing motion. You may make use of this ability while off equilibrium for no extra cost. Flourish will work with the following abilities: Woodlore: Icebreath, Daunt, and Swoop. Tracking: Combust. - Pierce Target their legs and make one useless. #### Pierce **Description**Syntax: DHURIV PIERCE With this single attack you are able to target one of your opponent’s legs. This will first cripple the limb, and then if it is left untreated, it will then break it causing damage to the bone. - Sever Severely damage an arm. #### Sever **Description**Syntax: DHURIV SEVER This skill can be used to target arms and cripple them. This first strike will leave the arm crippled, then if left untreated, the second will completely break the arm and damage the bone. - Runthrough Bury your dhurive in your opponent #### Runthrough **Description**Syntax: DHURIV RUNTHROUGH \[venom\] DHURIV DRAG If your opponent is prone, you can use this ability to drive your dhurive deep into their stomach and deliver a venom. Your victim will be unable to act until they writhe free. Once impaled, you may drag them in a direction if you so wish. You may WITHDRAW DHURIVE to remove your dhurive from your opponent should they be unable to writhe free, allowing you to act once more. - Spinecut Sever their spine. #### Spinecut **Description**Syntax: DHURIV SPINECUT This move can be used to quickly end your opponent’s suffering by cutting off their spine, finishing them off. To be able to use it, the opponent must be prone, suffering from confusion and arrhythmia and have both feeble arms and feeble legs. - Dualraze Remove an opponent’s protective auras. #### Dualraze **Description**Syntax: DHURIV DUALRAZE With this swift move, you can raze two of your opponent’s defences at once. The second raze will only work on rebounding aura or magical shields. It will raze the following in order: Reflections Magical shields Rebounding aura Speed defence - Throatcrush Smash their throat into uselessness. #### Throatcrush **Description**Syntax: DHURIV THROATCRUSH By forcefully whacking the wooden staff against your opponent’s throat you can efficiently remove his ability to swallow properly. Their destroyed throat will additionally prevent the Fitness ability from being used, should they have it. - Gorge Strike your opponent in the belly. #### Gorge **Description**Syntax: DHURIV GORGE If you have someone impaled upon your dhuriv, you can gorge them with your weapon to cause significant damage. - Whirl Spin your blade for a delayed strike. #### Whirl **Description**Syntax: DHURIV WHIRL This difficult maneuver will first strike your opponent with your blade, similar to Slash or Stab. After a short delay, and while you are off balance, you will strike them again – leaving only a small window before your next attack. If you are hindered while whirling your blade, the second attack will not strike. Should your opponent’s rebounding aura come up, or should he shield, then the second strike of Whirl will raze it instead. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Woodlore - Hide Conceal yourself in the shadows. #### Hide **Description**Syntax: HIDE and EMERGE In the ebb and flow of the Rhythm, the hunter may become the hunted. Many scouts amongst the Sentinels quickly learn to keep to the shadows in their training, lest their elders catch them. This will allow you to quickly conceal yourself from common view, assuming no others stand in your location. If you wish to no longer hide, then you can emerge from your hiding place. - Signal Call across an area to your kin with the voice of the wild. #### Signal **Description**Syntax: SIGNAL It is often said that the enemy has many spies; but none so cunning as to know the speech of birds and beasts. The Sentinel rangers have spent much of their time within the woodlands and vales of Sapience, and so have learned to mask their calls to their allies across the great expanses. Masking your words, you can communicate in secrecy by twittering as a mockingbird or even the croaking cry of a raven for the enemy shall be none the wiser as the Wilds themselves are your ally. - Climbing Clamber up into the trees with ease. #### Climbing **Description**Syntax: CLIMB UP and CLIMB DOWN It takes a knowing hand and eye to move through the treetops, finding purchase in every lofty bough and making sure the wind doesn’t buffet you from your perch. The Rangers will often tell the younger Trackers of their bone-shattering plummets from the heavens, but many claim it is little more than an attempt to ‘put a scare’ into you. Should there be trees in your location, you may climb up into their treetops. You can then climb down if you wish to leave them. - Hardiness Your time in the wilds has hardened both spirit and body. #### Hardiness **Description**Syntax: HARDINESS Through their training, the Sentinels have become hardy in the unyielding and unforgiving wilderness that spans the breadth of Sapience. Your natural resilience has granted you bonus resistance to the harmful effects of cold and poisons. - Barkskin Make your skin tough like bark. #### Barkskin **Description**Syntax: BARKSKIN Make your skin tough as bark, granting bonus resistance to physical damage. This resistance is greater when standing in a forest or overgrown environment. - Coagulation Use your knowledge of healing to reduce bleeding. #### Coagulation **Description**Syntax: COAGULATION Anyone who spends time in the wilderness understands the value of a basic knowledge of first aid. Using this technique, you will cause your bleeding to passively clot while active, though it does drain mana in order to maintain. - Conceal Naught but a wisp of shadow from the wood. #### Conceal **Description**Syntax: CONCEAL By masking yourself in the shadows, you will be able to mask your movements to and from locations, concealing your identity from those who see you dart away. This defence lasts far longer when used within a forest environment. - Wildmark Leave your mark in the depths of the wild. #### Wildmark **Description**Usage: WILDMARK CREATE WILDMARK MAINTAIN WILDMARK CLEAR Subtly altering the natural environment around you will allow you to leave a message that only Sentinels may read. This message will last only a few months, though you may maintain it to reset this timer. Alternatively, you may simply clear the present message. You may only clear messages you have placed. - Foreststriding Walk the woodland with the stride of the rangers. #### Foreststriding **Description**Syntax: FORESTSTRIDE You are capable of moving through the forest with incredible ease, granting you bonus celerity in any natural outdoor environment and an additional bonus within forests. - Refresh Rouse your wearied body with a surge of strength. #### Refresh **Description**Syntax: REFRESH BODY Usable only so often, you can call upon your inner reserves to refresh your body, granting you a temporary bonus to both your strength and constitution. If you use this skill within the limits of a city, you will also refresh a hefty portion of your endurance. Cooldown: 60 minutes - Tent Protect yourself from the elements. #### Tent **Description**Syntax: TENT SETUP TENT COLLAPSE TENT LOCATE Commodities: 3 rope, 3 wood, and 3 cloth. With the right commodities you will be able to construct a simple tent. The tent can only be put up outside and in fitting environments, these being: Forest, Valley, Hills, Plains, Desert, Mountains, Grassland and Jungle. When a tent is collapsed, you will only recover a portion of the commodities. Patrons are permitted to change the descriptions of your tent, as long as the description maintains that you are indeed inside a small, simple tent. - Campfire Build a campfire to soothe the body and soul. #### Campfire **Description**Syntax: CAMPFIRE BUILD CAMPFIRE STOKE Commodities: 3 wood to build 1 wood to stoke By building a campfire, you can keep yourself and others warm in the cold. Additionally, your craftsmanship will help regenerate the endurance and willpower of those that linger by the flames. When the fire starts to burn out, you may stoke it with extra wood to keep it alive. - Thornspray Attack your enemies with a flurry of flying thorns. #### Thornspray **Description**Syntax: THORNSPRAY While in a plant lush environment, you may fill the air with deadly flying thorns, damaging any enemy that is within your location. These thorns will additionally sting your opponent with the loki venom. You may use this ability in the following environments: Forest, Jungle, Swamp, or Grasslands. It is possible to use thornspray within an overgrown location caused by a Shaman, however you will find that the damage is reduced. - Lifesap Leech from the spilled blood of others. #### Lifesap **Description**Syntax: LIFESAP When you spill the blood of another, you will recover a portion of the damage you dealt as health. Critical hits do not affect the amount returned. - Instinct The forest is your domain; the land your ally. #### Instinct **Description**Syntax: INSTINCTS While standing in a natural environment, you will be able to spot disturbances such as fires or exterminated plant-life in the local area. - Track Order a loyal companion to track down your prey. #### Track **Description**Syntax: TRACK While mounted on one of your summoned beasts, you may track to an outdoor opponent, moving you to their location after a short delay. - Might Cure yourself of an affliction through might. #### Might **Description**Syntax: MIGHT Let out a mighty shout and purge yourself of a random affliction. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Rejuvenate Return life to blighted land. #### Rejuvenate **Description**Syntax: REJUVENATE At the cost of ten elemental ice commodities, you may restore the state of a natural location that has been exterminated by a necromancer’s magics through this simple incantation. - Vitality An adrenaline rush to heal your body. #### Vitality **Description**Syntax: VITALITY Providing you have full health and mana, you can call upon your adrenal glands to heal you significantly should your health drop below a quarter of its maximum. Cooldown (when triggered): 180 seconds - Campsite Expand your hunting ground into a fortified campsite. #### Campsite **Description**Syntax: CAMPSITE CONSTRUCT CAMPSITE REMOVE SCOUT You may convert your tent and campfire into a full campsite, granting you several bonuses exclusive to its presence. This process takes a bit of endurance and concentration as you set up the surrounding area, and may only be done in a forest environment. You will receive the following effects while remaining at your campsite: – Your campfire will no longer require stoking. – The title of your location will be temporarily changed to match your site. – Remaining in the treetops of your location will mask the presence of any allies, hiding them from sensing. – You may SCOUT while in the treetops, discerning the presence of any outdoor denizen or animal in the area. A campsite will last for one Aetolian week. - Camouflage Hide your companions from the watchful gaze of others. #### Camouflage **Description**Syntax: CAMOUFLAGE COMPANIONS You may hide your companions in the undergrowth, concealing them mostly from view. - You have the following companion abilities - Calling Call to the beasts of the woodlands to aid you in battle. #### Calling **Description**Syntax: CALL DISMISS CALL ANIMALS ANIMALS You are able to call and control up to two companions at once. Consult AB WOODLORE for a list of the companions you may use. Calling companions has no delay if used in a forest, a short delay if used in a non-urban environment, and a long delay otherwise as it will take some time to find your location. If you get separated from your animals you can CALL ANIMALS at any time to return them to your side. ANIMALS will let you see what animals you have summoned, as well as their current location. - Wisp A glowing wisp that will distract your enemies. #### Wisp **Description**Usage: CALL WISP Call forth a wisp of the woods to confound your enemies. Its pulsing lights will occasionally instill idiocy into the poor sap that it surrounds. - Weasel Call a weasel to your aid, capable of shredding defenses. #### Weasel **Description**Usage: CALL WEASEL Wiley and fast, the weasel will dart about your foe and attempt to strip away general defences. If they have the aura of rebounding, it will try and prioritise that first. - Nightingale A beautiful bird that will protect you and your companions. #### Nightingale **Description**Usage: CALL NIGHTINGALE The tranquil nightingale will periodically sing a refreshing melody that will heal you and your allies in the same location as it. It will heal either health or mana – but not both – as long as you are below 90% of your respective maximum. In addition, it will seek to protect other animal companions in your entourage, generating transient prismatic barriers that prevent aggression against them. - Rook Throw your foes off balance with the rook’s swoop. #### Rook **Description**Usage: CALL ROOK The frantic rook will constantly harass your foe, occasionally succeeding in knocking them off balance. - Coyote Call upon the coyote to tear apart your victim. #### Coyote **Description**Usage: CALL COYOTE ORDER COYOTE LEAP This large coyote will allow you to leap over any obstacle while mounted – should you also possess the Leaping ability in Horsemanship, it will become significantly faster. Additionally it will maul your opponents when it attacks, causing large amounts of bleeding and damage. - Raccoon A beast that will pluck curatives from your foe’s grasp. #### Raccoon **Description**Usage: CALL RACCOON While not as quick or powerful as other companions, the raccoon makes up for what it lacks in sheer strength with ingenuity – when an opponent attempts to consume a pill, it has a chance it will simply steal it away. It will also bolster the chance of Entrapment slightly. Please see AB TRACKING ENTRAPMENT for more information on this skill. Cooldown (on proc): 15 seconds - Elk The mighty elk will ram your opponents prone. #### Elk **Description**Usage: CALL ELK The majestic elk acts as mount and surprising companion both, and will periodically ram your opponents, knocking them to the ground. - Gyrfalcon Summon an enormous gyrfalcon to rip your foes to pieces. #### Gyrfalcon **Description**Usage: CALL GYRFALCON This powerful bird of prey will not hesitate to lacerate your victims, cutting their flesh with deadly talons and causing disfigurement. - Raloth An ancient, harrowing beast that will shatter their bones. #### Raloth **Description**Usage: CALL RALOTH ORDER RALOTH TRAMPLE ORDER RALOTH TRAMPLE This mythical forest beast resembles a rhino in some regards, and its ability to trample over any obstacle is shared. While mounted, you may trample a direction to bypass any blockers while simultaneously applying a stun to them. You can also choose to trample a prone victim to deal blunt damage and cause a crippled limb, cracked ribs, or a crippled throat at random. This can give all of these afflictions at once, however it becomes less and less likely the more are given from a single trample. About two is expected. When ordered to attack an opponent, it will deal some cutting damage. Should the raloth attack an opponent that is prone, its horns will puncture their chest and leave behind a light wound. - Entourage Lead up to three companions at a time. #### Entourage **Description**This ability is passive. You may now summon and control up to three companions at a time. - Mount Great beasts will bear your weight in the hunt. #### Mount **Description**Usage: MOUNT You may now mount several of your larger companions to use them as a steed. Not only are they usable with any associated Horsemanship abilities, but several of the companions possess unique abilities only usable while mounted. - Daunt The daunting cry of a beast will rattle their senses. #### Daunt **Description**Syntax: ORDER DAUNT A quick command to your companion will cause them to roar at your target, startling them with a mental affliction. Using this ability will open up the opportunity for a dhuriv flourish. Coyote: Claustrophobia Raloth: Agoraphobia Crocodile: Loneliness Cockatrice: Mania - Swoop Harry your foes from the heavens. #### Swoop **Description**Usage: ORDER SWOOP You may order a companion with wings to swoop from above, striking your target and producing a specific effect depending on the animal. Using this ability will open up the opportunity for a dhuriv flourish. Gyrfalcon: Bleeding Nightingale: Upsets equilibrium Rook: Upsets balance - Crocodile Summon a powerful crocodile to tear their body apart. #### Crocodile **Description**Usage: CALL CROCODILE The crushing bite of the crocodile inflicts not only physical trauma, but can weaken the target’s very body, causing one of clumsiness or weariness. You may not control a crocodile while a cockatrice is in your entourage. - Icewyrm The legendary icewyrm will freeze your enemies in place. #### Icewyrm **Description**Usage: CALL ICEWYRM This wyrm of legend will constantly plague your foe with chilling breath, causing cold damage while occasionally freezing them. - Cockatrice A mythical beast inspiring insanity in your foes. #### Cockatrice **Description**Usage: CALL COCKATRICE This legendary beast possesses a stare that assaults the mind of your enemy, instilling one of dizziness or epilepsy with each strike, alongside psychic harm. You may not control a cockatrice while a crocodile is in your entourage. - Icebreath A chilling gout from the jaws of the icewyrm. #### Icebreath **Description**Usage: ORDER ICEWYRM ICEBREATH You may command your icewyrm to freeze your target, chilling your victim. Using this ability will open up the opportunity for a dhuriv flourish. - Company Surround yourself with forestal allies. #### Company **Description**This ability is passive. A master of animal empathy, you may now wilfully control up to four companions at a time. - Opportunity The watchful hunter strikes at the first sign of weakness. #### Opportunity **Description**Syntax: OPPORTUNITY For a limited duration you may order your companions to watch their target, looking for moments to strike. Their attack speed will be doubled for the duration of the effect. Cooldown: 60 seconds Filter abilities Title Contents ### Tracking - Bowmanship Hunt with bow and arrow. #### Bowmanship **Description**Using a bow: SHOOT \[type/venom\] SHOOT SWITCH Using a quiver: INSPECT QUIVER or IQ INQ ARROWS OUTQ ARROWS Every hunter begins their journey with the basic longbow. First you must find yourself a bow, some arrows, and a quiver. Place the arrows you wish to use within your quiver using INQ, and then while wielding your bow, you can SHOOT a target within line-of-sight of you. You can use SWITCH to choose which of your arrows you will shoot by default. In addition to the regular venoms, you may also use the sumac and loki venoms with a bow. Against denizens, you must also supply the direction that you wish to shoot in. You may only use normal arrows and no venoms when targeting a denizen. - Adhere Adhere resins to your arrows. #### Adhere **Description**Syntax: SHOOT You now possess the ability to adhere a resin to your arrow, in order to coat your opponent with it. This will consume your normal arrows. - Warningshot Threaten your foe with a warning shot. #### Warningshot **Description**Syntax: WARNINGSHOT Fire a warning shot using your bow with the intent to threaten. This will consume your normal arrows. - Bowstance Wield bows fluidly. #### Bowstance **Description**Syntax: BOWSTANCE While wearing a bow, fluidly move it into your hands. - Fireshot Ignite resins on a distant target. #### Fireshot **Description**Syntax: SHOOT FIRESHOT You may light your arrow before firing it, causing it to ignite any resins on contact and set your target on fire. This will consume your normal arrows. - Delivery Attach an item to your arrow. #### Delivery **Description**Syntax: DELIVERYSHOT Attach an item to your arrow, delivering it to your target. The item cannot be too heavy. This will consume your normal arrows. - Crossbows The hunter’s weapon of choice. #### Crossbows **Description**This ability is passive. Known for its mechanical ingenity, the crossbow is the chosen weapon for hunters all around the land. It takes a knowledgable mind to fully appreciate and use the weapon, and your proficiency with traps has helped you learn it quicker than most. Unlike other bows which are agile-sourced, the crossbow will alter the damage you deal with arrows to be knowledge-sourced. Refer to AB TRACKING BOWMANSHIP on how to use the crossbow. - Heavyshot A dense projectile that can push enemies. #### Heavyshot **Description**Syntax: SHOOT HEAVYSHOT Attaching a lead weight to your arrow will push your target out of the room with the momentum of the arrow. This will consume your normal arrows. - Scenttrails Seek out the scents of those nearby. #### Scenttrails **Description**Syntax: SCENTTRAILS A basic means of tracking, you can determine the location of those in the local area and in adjacent areas. - Hurling Hurl a glob of resin using a fire source. #### Hurling **Description**Syntax: RESIN HURL AT Quickly hurl resin at someone in your location by heating it until it forms a soft shell. This requires you to have a fire source in your inventory, such as a tinderbox. If the opponent already has ignited resin upon their body, then hurling resin upon them will smother the flames and consume the remaining resin, as well as applying a new layer. Essentially this allows you to perform a reset. - Aiming Increase your accuracy in shooting. #### Aiming **Description**Syntax: AIM AIM Increase the accuracy of your crossbow by aiming at your target first. As long as they remain within the trajectory of the arrow, it will always hit them, even if they move from their original location. Against denizens, you must specify the direction to aim in. - Powershot Strike a target with a stunning shot. #### Powershot **Description**Syntax: SHOOT POWERSHOT By overdrawing your string, you can release a powerful shot that will stun your opponent briefly. This will consume your normal arrows. - Combust Instantly ignite resins in your presence. #### Combust **Description**Syntax: RESIN COMBUST By releasing a small cloud of volatile powder, you will rapidly change the flashpoint of any resins on your target, causing them to instantly combust. If the target already has an ignited resin, then using this ability will cause the resin to burn through three cycles worth of material, potentially causing a hot burn. Using this ability will additionally open up the opportunity for a dhuriv flourish. - Preysense Spot resins burning from a distance #### Preysense **Description**Syntax: PREYSENSE Once a resin is ignited upon someone, you can track their location, health, and mana from anywhere in the local area. It will also show any resins upon their body and how many cycles they have left. This skill will bypass any sort of cloaking they may have. - Precision Snipe your enemies from distant treetops. #### Precision **Description**This ability is passive. Providing you are above the ground, such as in the trees or sky, your training and incredible sight allows you to aim and strike at anyone in the local area with your bow. Your arrows will take slightly longer to reach your target due to the distance and there is a slightly increased endurance cost to do so. - Quickshot Fire off a shot with inhuman reflexes. #### Quickshot **Description**This ability is passive. As long as you have a bow on hand, you can shoot it as though you are wielding it. - Masking Cloak your scent with a mixture of herbs. #### Masking **Description**Syntax: MASK SCENT At a periodic minor cost to your mana and willpower, you may mask your scent entirely, preventing anyone from picking up on it. - Alacrity Experience the true mastery of dexterity. #### Alacrity **Description**Syntax: ALACRITY This ability will prepare yourself to hunt your prey, granting nimble fingers when performing certain actions. Whenever you next shoot an arrow, lay a trap, or hurl a resin, it will cost significantly less balance in order to do so. This will last for three uses at which stage your alacrity will be lost. Note that any arrows you shoot will deal less damage than normal while under the effects of alacrity. - You can use the following trap abilities - Traps Discern the presence of traps in your location. #### Traps **Description**Syntax: TRAPS \[ALL\] This ability will search for traps in the room, giving you information about them. You can also search for all traps in the land laid by you. - Clothesline Thin rope that will slice your victim. #### Clothesline **Description**Syntax: LAY CLOTHESLINE Commodities: 1 rope This trap will cut the jugular of any enemy of yours that passes by, slitting their neck and causing them to bleed. - Darts Pierce your foe with twin poisonous darts. #### Darts **Description**Syntax: LAY DARTS Commodities: 1 wood The darts trap shoots out a dart when sprung, and then a second one a few moments later. It does no damage, but may be coated to poison the victim. This trap can only be sprung by your enemies. - Coat Coat your traps in resins or venoms. #### Coat **Description**Syntax: COAT WITH WIPE OFF TRAP You now possess the ability to coat a trap in either venoms or resins. Only certain kinds of traps can be coated with either a venom or a resin. In addition to the regular venoms, you may also use the sumac and loki venoms with your trap. Traps that can be coated: Darts, Spike, and Launcher - Incendiary An explosive trap that ignites resins. #### Incendiary **Description**Syntax: LAY INCENDIARY Commodities: 1 iron This simple trap will burst into hot sharpel when an enemy treads on it, lighting them on fire and igniting any resins that have adhered to them. If burning resins are already present on the target, then it will melt away the top layer and induce a hot burn. - Disarming Quickly take traps apart. #### Disarming **Description**Syntax: DISARM Using this ability, you will attempt to disarm a trap that has been laid. If the trap was set by you, you will recollect the commodities used in its creation, if any were used. If the trap was not laid by you, then it will take time and concentration to disarm it. You may not perform any actions while you disarm the trap, or it will be sprung upon you. - Smokescreen Take cover beneath smoke when your foe arrives #### Smokescreen **Description**Syntax: LAY SMOKESCREEN HERE Commodities: 2 diamond dust An explosive trap that lets loose a smokescreen, improving your ability to dodge and divert drastically by weaving through the smoke. This effect remains active for a short period within the room it is triggered in. - Horseshoe A trap that stuns its victims with a head strike. #### Horseshoe **Description**Syntax: LAY HORSESHOE HERE Commodities: 1 iron A few seconds after this trap has been sprung by an enemy, a horseshoe will fall down from above and strike them in the head, stunning them from a short period. - Noose Catch your prey in an entangling trap. #### Noose **Description**Syntax: LAY NOOSE Commodities: 2 rope This trap will snare your enemy in a noose of ropes, strangling them and dealing asphyxiation damage until they writhe free of its grasp. - Catapult Send your victim flying across the area. #### Catapult **Description**Syntax: LAY CATAPULT HERE LAY CATAPULT HERE SKYWARDS Commodities: 1 rope, 1 wood The catapult trap launches an enemy in the specified direction or straight up into the sky, should they not have the density defence. Multiple catapults can be chained together to move an enemy a number of rooms, however only three catapults will activate in a single instance. Any further catapults triggered will break. - Alarm Put an alarm on a trap. #### Alarm **Description**Syntax: SET ALARM You can set an alarm on your trap to notify you of who springs it or disarms it, including what kind of trap it was, and its location. - Spike A hidden spear beneath the earth. #### Spike **Description**Syntax: LAY SPIKE HERE Commodities: 1 rope, 1 wood, 1 iron The spike trap is a delayed trap that activates after a few seconds, launching an iron-tipped spike into your opponent from below. It can be coated to poison your target as well. **Details**Damage TypeCutting Damage SourceKnowledge Base Damage600 + 18% Armour Modifier20% Bleeding8.33% of damage Base Damage (Denizen)800 Spike Delay4 seconds Balance Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Cannot be used while phased. - Cannot be flying in the sky. - Launcher A mechanism for spraying resin onto foes. #### Launcher **Description**Syntax: LAY LAUNCHER HERE Commodities: 1 rope, 1 wood Once coated with a resin, this mechanical trap will launch its payload into the air when triggered. This will adhere a layer of resin to not only the enemy who triggered it, but all enemies within the location as well. - Entrapment Steer an opponent into one of your traps. #### Entrapment **Description**This ability is passive. The skill with which you lay out a trap now allows you a chance to steer an opponent into it, should they dodge an attack. This will only work on traps laid in your location and not on traps that are armed upon exits. This chance is increased if they are suffering from the arrhythmia affliction or a raccoon is aiding you. Base chance: 30% Arrhythmia: +30% Raccoon assistance: +10% - You may create and use the following resins - Resins Prepare pitch by distilling plantlife and inks. #### Resins **Description**Syntax: RESIN PREPARE IN COLLECT SAP FILL FROM FLUIDCACHE CONSUME To begin preparing adhesive resins, you must first have access to a preservation room, have a chunk of hardened plant sap and inks to use as a base, and a cauldron to house the resin in. First you must COLLECT yourself some sap from any forest room, which will be enough for one mixture of resin. Each resin will also require a specific amount of inks, which will depend on the resin you are trying to make. Once you have these two ingredients, you can then begin to PREPARE your resin, which will create the mixture in short order. Each batch will contain enough resin to FILL three vials. There are two layers which can be adhered to a target’s body with one resin application needed to create a single layer. The first layer, when ignited, will burn slowly and heat up over time, causing a negative effect on the target until it finishes burning. Once the first layer burns away, the second layer will ignite in a powerful reaction. This reaction is short lived and lasts little more than a couple seconds, but is generally more powerful. For each resin, you can view their corresponding help file (AB TRACKING ) to find out more. - Pyrolum An explosive resin that burns with flames. #### Pyrolum **Description**Color: Crimson Inks: 3 red Pyrolum is a basic resin taught to all beginners. It is well known for being able to burn for long periods of time, gaining intensity the longer it is alight. Cold burn effect (12 cycles): Pyrolum will scorch the lungs with heated fumes periodically, dealing fire damage. Hot burn effect: Pyrolum will combust in a tower of horrific flames, burning the unfortunate victim coated in it. The less health they have when it activates, the more damage they will take. - Corsin A resin that hardens as it burns. #### Corsin **Description**Color: Indigo Inks: 2 purple, 1 blue Unlike other resins, when burnt the corsin resin emits no heat or fumes. However, it will quickly harden and form a tough shell, making movement difficult. Cold burn effect (8 cycles): A tough shell will begin to form, reducing the target’s ability to dodge and divert while it burns. It will also improve accuracy against the target by 10%. Hot burn effect: The resin will rapidly harden into a solid state, forming a shell that will hinder movement for a few seconds before breaking away. - Trientia A dizzying resin that emits powerful fumes. #### Trientia **Description**Color: Goldenrod Inks: 3 yellow This extremely slick resin produces powerful fumes when ignited, causing harmful effects to those that inhale it. As it reaches high temperature, the fumes become powerfully toxic to a weakened mind. Cold burn effect (9 cycles): If the opponent is suffering from dizziness, then the fumes will cause the faintness affliction. Hot burn effect: The resin will release powerful toxic fumes as it burns away, leaving the target stunned for a time based on each euphoriant cured affliction they have yet to heal. - Harimel A slow burning resin that clings to the skin. #### Harimel **Description**Color: Navy Inks: 3 blue Highly viscuous in nature and slow to burn, the harimel resin will reveal minute motions of the target through its smoky fumes. It has been known to deeply char the skin once it reaches high temperatures. Cold burn effect (14 cycles): The smoky fumes will reveal which limb the target shifts their parry to. Hot burn effect: Burns the skin deeply, giving the burnt skin affliction making poultices useless until cured. - Glauxe Blackout-inducing resin that releases a tarry smoke. #### Glauxe **Description**Color: Mahogany Inks: 2 red, 1 yellow The glauxe resin is a potent adherence that releases a tarry smoke as it burns. The smoke will cause an irritant that will agitate the effects of allergies, increasing its potency while the resin remains. At higher temperatures where it reaches a vapor point, it will completely knock out the senses. Cold burn effect (10 cycles): The tarry smoke will increase the severity of allergies by one extra stack each time it painfully spreads its rash. This effect only works during the first stage of allergies, before it becomes particularly severe. Hot burn effect: Induces a short-lived blackout in the target. - Badulem A poisonous resin that mixes with toxins. #### Badulem **Description**Color: Olive Inks: 1 green, 2 yellow Badulum resin is unique in that it’ll liquify and seep into any open wounds on the target while burning and react with left over traces of venom. It is known to have a dangerously toxic effect. Cold burn effect (8 cycles): The target will take increasing poison damage, proportional to the amount of venom-sourced afflictions present. Hot burn effect: For each venom-sourced affliction present on the target, they will become afflicted with an instance of loki. You will be informed of each venom it delivers and it won’t give afflictions the target already has. - Lysirine A resin that induces sluggish behaviour. #### Lysirine **Description**Color: Fuschia Inks: 2 red 1 purple A pleasant-smelling resin, the fumes from the concoction are known to induce a sluggish effect in those that breathe them in. As the resin heats up, the fumes can begin to mess with the target’s mind. Cold burn effect (6 cycles): Reduces the time of paresis to transform into paralysis by half. Hot burn effect: Powerful fumes will leave the target with paresis, impatience, and confusion. If they already have paresis, it will give an arrhythmia instead. If they have impatience, it will give hallucinations instead. If they have confusion, it will give stupidity instead. ## Visual style and identity A Sentinel fights like a skirmisher. They dip into and out of a battle, backflip clear of a strike, and ambush from cover. They whirl their dhurives in tandem with whatever creature is fighting beside them. They wield bows and crossbows as easily as the blade. The style is brutal at points, but it is not cruel. It is efficient, quick, and clean. Many Sentinels look the part: calloused, scarred from hard years in the wilds, sometimes unkempt or bearded from a long stretch away from any town. ## Side effects of the work A Sentinel does not pay the magical costs that classes like Sciomancer or Indorani pay. The price is different: a life spent in the wild rather than the city, and the eventual gap between someone who can read tracks in moss and the average citizen of Duiran who cannot. The animal allies are part of that life, not a separate burden. Many old Sentinels look feral by the time they are senior. Some prefer it. ## Who plays this class The Sentinel fits players who want a wilderness ranger in the truest sense. The bonded animal companion is core to the class, not a side feature. If you want to play a hunter who lives at the edge of civilisation, knows every track in the forest, and fights with a creature at your side, this is the class. Mechanically, the kit rewards mobility, archery as a real combat option, and good pet management. Compared to the Warden (heavier, slower, ancestor-driven), the Sentinel is faster and more skirmishing. ## City and guild The Sentinel guild is the Pride, anchored in [Duiran](/world/duiran/), the Spirit Tether’s forest city. Patron: Dhar, the Underking. The Pride also houses the Sentinel’s sister class, the [Warden](/character-classes/warden/). Joining as a Sentinel commits you to Spirit. You cannot actively hold Shadow-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Spirit classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race is independent of class, so you can play a Sentinel of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Sentinel mirrors the [Executor](/character-classes/executor/), Spinesreach’s Ankyrean-hunting Shadow assassins. Both lean on tracking, ambush, and a non-human presence in combat: Woodlore beasts on the Sentinel side, Artifice constructs on the Executor side. The difference is that a Sentinel’s animals are willing allies. An Executor’s constructs are barely controlled thralls, primal embodiments of fear rather than bonded creatures. Same combat architecture, different relationship with what fights beside you. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Sentinel good for new players?** Yes. The pet system gives newer players a second source of damage while they learn the combat rhythm, and the dhurive is a forgiving weapon for the learning curve. The Tracking skill set also pulls a Sentinel toward solo exploration, which suits new players who want to see the world before committing to PvP. **How does the Woodlore companion work?** You choose your bonded creature and develop the bond through play. The animal fights alongside you with its own abilities, not as a remote-controlled pet. Some Woodlore beasts can be ridden, others stay on the ground. **Can a Sentinel use bows?** Yes. Tracking covers bows and crossbows, and a skilled Sentinel can pull resin-coated arrows from cover for opening strikes before the dhurive ever comes out. You are not locked into staff combat. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Sentinel profile. Or see [every Aetolia class](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Warden](/character-classes/warden/) Sentinel’s sister class in the Pride. Heavier, slower, ancestor-driven. Warding (greatspears, scythes, wargauntlets), Ancestry (calling the dead to intercede), Communion (ancestral simulacra). Pick Warden if you want the same guild lore but a clan-warrior chassis instead of a skirmisher. ### [Executor](/character-classes/executor/) The Shadow-side mirror. Ringblade combat backed by Artifice constructs: barely controlled thralls made of ambient shadow, not bonded companions. Pick Executor if you like tracking-and-ambush combat and want to play it from the Shadow side as a Spinesreach assassin. ### [Predator](/character-classes/predator/) Untethered knifeplay warrior with a wild beast bond of their own. Pick Predator if you like the wilderness-hunter archetype but want to skip the guild structure and run free across both tethers. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Sentinel and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Sciomancer of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/sciomancer/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Sciomancer of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-sciomancer-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Sciomancer class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Sciomancers are Aetolia’s shadow mages, a Shadow-tethered class in Spinesreach that wields Sciomancy (raw shadow channeled into elemental force), Sorcery (illusions, glyphs, and aegises), and Gravitation (bending gravity at will). At a glance**Tether**Shadow**City**[Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/)**Guild**Sciomancers (Patron: Arvelis, the Jackal)**Skill sets**Sciomancy, Sorcery, Gravitation**Mirror class**[Runecarver](/character-classes/runecarver/) (Spirit)**Sister class in guild**[Revenant](/character-classes/revenant/)**Signature mechanic**Direct channel to the Plane of Shadow (Czjetija)**Best for**Players who want a high-power mage with serious risk and corruption tradeoffsResiding in the frozen north, the Sciomancers bonded together in the common pursuit of control and power. Gifted with a direct link to the Plane of Shadow, they focus their training on controlling and shaping its destructive energies into weapons to destroy enemies and safeguard their home. If you want to play a mage whose power is openly dangerous, whose visible corruption marks you across the years, and who fights a generations-long magical war against the Ascendril of Enorian, the Sciomancer is one of Aetolia’s most defining Shadow classes. ## Origin and lore The Sciomancer art is the deliberate study and weaponisation of one of Aetolia’s most dangerous elements. Czjetija, the Plane of Shadow, is the source of the elemental shadow that naturally weaves through the Prime Material Plane. Its nature is consumption and corrosion, entropy and insatiable hunger. Its imbalance in mortals is what allows for Undeath. Access to Czjetija is gated through Arvelis, the Jackal, who wards off the Shadow Mother Ohlsana, imprisoned within. Once, the practitioners who became Sciomancers held all elements in their hands. They consider themselves enhanced rather than crippled by the loss of every element but shadow. They revel in experimenting and testing the limits of their connection with the Shadow Plane. The class is locked in a long magical conflict with the [Ascendril](/character-classes/ascendril/) of Enorian. Per Ascendril doctrine, Spirit is the driving force of life and Shadow is its threat, which makes Sciomancers their explicit mage nemeses. The two orders have opposed each other across the continent for centuries. ## Skill sets The Sciomancer skill sets are Sciomancy, Sorcery, and Gravitation. A Sciomancer accesses these through a direct channel to Shadow (limited through Arvelis), singularity manipulation, ambient elemental manipulation, and a focus embedded in a staff, crozier, or shortsword. **Sciomancy** is the foundational elemental art. A Sciomancer harnesses the raw fury of Shadow and shapes it into a tremendous force of elemental might. The skill operates at the scale of weather and disaster, not subtle trickery. **Sorcery** controls illusions and creates aegises with powerful glyphs. The skill produces a wide range of effects intended to bring enemies to their knees: dazzling, disorienting, and protective magic woven from shadow-bound glyphwork. **Gravitation** controls and bends gravity at will. The skill includes the creation of stable singularities, which the Sciomancer can use to anchor combat phenomena and pressure enemies in place. ## Skill abilities Sciomancy Sorcery Gravitation Filter abilities Title Contents ### Sciomancy - Channel Link yourself to the plane of Shadow. #### Channel **Description**Syntax: CHANNELS CHANNEL SHADOW In order to harness the power of the elements, you must first open a channel to the superior realm of Shadow. Once you have opened a channel to that realm, you will be able to make repeated use of spells that require that element. You can close your channel to Shadow at any time by severing it. There is no cost to keeping it active. The bearer of the Shadow Mark will find they have no need to channel Shadow, for they maintain a constant connection to that realm. - Blast Batter your foe with a burst of shadow energy. #### Blast **Description**Syntax: CAST BLAST CAST BLAST ICEWALL \[\] Form and send a blast of shadow energy to strike out at your foe. You can also melt an icewall obstructing a path with it. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeMagic Damage SourceArcane Base Damage100 + 9% Base Damage (Denizen)725 Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Icewall)4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 mana to use. - Costs 25 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Chill Draw the heat from your victim. #### Chill **Description**Syntax: CAST CHILL Use the shadows surrounding you to draw their warmth away, freezing your target by one level. If the shadowprice is paid, this ability will freeze them for two levels if they weren’t shivering to begin with. - Nightsight Gaze through your domain. #### Nightsight **Description**Syntax: NIGHTSIGHT See easily through the shadows that surround you. - Engulf Move among the shadows. #### Engulf **Description**Syntax: CAST ENGULF Let night mask your movements – whenever you attempt to move through a room covered in darkness, your movement will be completely concealed. Lifevision may spot this attempt, but heatvision cannot. - Hew Scythe through their protections. #### Hew **Description**Syntax: CAST HEW Call upon the shadows to slice through any magical shields surrounding your target. If the shadowprice is paid, there is no equilibrium cost for this ability if it is successful. Failed attempts will incur the debt as well as the equilibrium cost. - Ruin Wreck their body with malignant force. #### Ruin **Description**Syntax: CAST RUIN Shadow is the element of consumption, and devouring the physical body of your foe is well within its purview. When inflicting ruin upon them, you will cause the following afflictions in order, providing that your target has all the previous afflictions, and then also deal magical damage to them. Afflictions given by ruin in order: Clumsiness, weariness, and then lethargy. If all three afflictions are present, you will steal away their focus balance (AB SURVIVAL FOCUS) and cause paresis. If the shadowprice is paid, your ruin will cause two afflictions in order instead of one. If paresis is delivered in this way, no focus knock will be applied. - Shadeling A useful minion of shadow. #### Shadeling **Description**Syntax: CAST SHADELING CALL SHADELING Summon forth a being of shadow to assist you in your plight. The shadeling can be ordered to attack your enemies, and will periodically cause cold damage and one level of freezing to your target. If your victim is fully frozen when the shadeling strikes, they will be stunned and afflicted with nyctophobia. Please see HELP LOYALTY for the commands you can order it to do. - Scourge Disrupt their mental faculties. #### Scourge **Description**Syntax: CAST SCOURGE Shadow can cause various maladies to the body and mind as it eats away at all the other elements within your foe. When scourged, your victim will suffer immediately from one of the following afflictions that they don’t already have. Afflictions scourge can give: Dizziness, nyctophobia, confusion, and dementia. If all four afflictions are present on the target, they will instead be struck with a significant mana drain and faintness. If the shadowprice is paid, the scourge will relapse once more five seconds later but with no damage. If your intended victim is no longer in your presence when the relapse occurs, however, you will be scourged instead. - Shadowprice Empower your spells, at a cost. #### Shadowprice **Description**Syntax: SHADOWPRICE Shadowprice is used as a replacement for the normal CAST command. e.g. SHADOWPRICE RUIN . Empower your spells by letting Shadow channel through your body with each cast. With every successive cast of shadowprice to empower a shadow spell, the risks and rewards increase. For now, you may call upon the shadowprice twice, and not again until the previous debts are paid. Your shadow debt is forgiven after 20 seconds, and will cost a small portion of your health when it occurs. The more afflictions you have when the time comes, the more the health it will be. Lastly, whenever you manage to kill another adventurer, a shadow debt will be immediately forgiven. - Gloom A deep despair to cloud the mind. #### Gloom **Description**Syntax: CAST GLOOM Infuse your victim with a despairing curse, giving them an 80% chance to become burdened with phobias any time they focus (see AB SURVIVAL FOCUSING). The phobias this can afflict with are: Nyctophobia, agoraphobia, loneliness, vertigo, and claustrophobia. If standing in darkness, nyctophobia is always the first phobia to appear, otherwise it is random. Attempting to cure gloom while you have the courage defence will cause your courage to be stripped. Unlike other afflictions, gloom will not be cured until you recover salve balance after applying epidermal. If the shadowprice is paid, this may be performed free of any equilibrium cost. - Shaderot Shadows will consume them. #### Shaderot **Description**Syntax: CAST ROT Send a malignant curse of shadow to infiltrate your victim, feeding upon the shadows you cast upon them. At first, the rot is benign, and has no meaningful effect. However, the rot will grow over time, and its effects too will increase. The rot may grow four times after the first stage. 1\) No effect. 2\) Their spirit gradually atrophies, causing escalating shadow damage. 3\) Their body ceases to generate heat – preventing random curing of shivering. 4\) Their flesh withers under the shade, periodically causing hopelessness. 5\) Their body falters – the recovery time from poultices is doubled. Shadow rot may be cured by consuming panacea. If standing outside of the presence of a singularity, two stacks will be cured instead of one. If the shadowprice is paid, you will deliver two stacks of shaderot immediately. - Repay All debts must be settled. #### Repay **Description**Syntax: CAST REPAY Repay the shadowprice instantly, costing you a moderate amount of health and restoring a charge of shadowprice. You may then continue to use the ability even while it is on cooldown, however the repayment will cost 50% more health and will cost equilibrium to perform. Using the ability while on cooldown will refresh the cooldown timer. Cooldown: 10 seconds - Focus Create a magical focus for easier spellcasting. #### Focus **Description**Syntax: CAST CREATE FOCUS EMBED FOCUS IN Though the crystals extracted from the Master Crystal are no longer suitable for the arts of Crystalism, they now seem to grant you a better control of the shadows. Excise a focus from the Master Crystal while you are standing before it, and the focus can then be embedded into either a staff, a shortsword, or a crozier. Practitioners without access to the Master Crystal must forge their own path, and may obtain a suitable surrogate by venturing to the Fractal Bloom, where they may CHIP a CRYSTAL from among those that grow there. This nascent chunk must then be RAISEd within the Revenant’s Roost in the Southern Tundra before it can be properly embedded within your chosen weapon. Should you be wielding such an object containing a focus crystal, you will be able to control the shadows with greater ease. Your spells will no longer require both hands, only a single hand. Additionally, parrying an attack will charge your focus crystal with magical energy, restoring a portion of your mana instantly. - Purity The purity of Shadow. #### Purity **Description**Syntax: CAST PURITY Focus on maintaining the purity of shadow, switching all of your Sciomancy damaging attacks to use shadow-type damage in exchange for a small drain to your willpower. This will cause your attacks to do less overall damage however. - Leech Leech maladies from your body. #### Leech **Description**Syntax: CAST LEECH Draw upon the shadows to leech two random maladies from your body. Should you be suffering from paralysis or paresis, leech will always cure that first, and only that. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Voidgaze Force them to stare into the abyss. #### Voidgaze **Description**Syntax: CAST VOIDGAZE If your target lacks courage, you can create the image of a void before them, causing them to stare hopelessly into its depths. This will give them the voidgaze affliction, and will immediately trigger its passive effect. This will trigger even if the opponent already has the voidgaze affliction. See AFFLICT VOIDGAZE for information on its effects. If the shadowprice is paid, your voidgaze will shatter their heightened sense of courage first before applying it effects. - Morph Imitate another with your shadeling. #### Morph **Description**Syntax: CAST MORPH Order your shadeling to change its form into an inky caricature of your chosen target. Should the shadeling take any damage or attempt to attack someone, this effect will become undone. Can only be done on targets in the room. - Shadowbrand Mark them with a symbol of destruction. #### Shadowbrand **Description**Syntax: CAST BRAND Weave a brand of shadows to cover your foe, causing elixirs to lose some of their potency, reducing the amount healed to health or mana this way by 20%. The strength of the brand is dependent on how low your victim’s mana is – the shadowbrand will never last for fewer than two sips, and no more than five. There is a short channel associated with performing this ability. If the shadowprice is paid, your shadowbrand is applied instantly, and for slightly less equilibrium. - Fever A feverish curse of shadows. #### Fever **Description**Syntax: CAST FEVER Infect them with a feverous curse, dealing magical damage to the target. If they are an adventurer, it will cause vomiting and haemophilia. If they have the dementia affliction, then the fever will drive them mad, curing it and causing hallucinations in its place. If the shadowprice is paid, the equilibrium recovery time is much faster. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeMagic Damage SourceArcane Base Damage150 + 10% Base Damage (Denizen)725 Equilibrium Recovery2.70 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Shadowprice)2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Mantle Guard yourself with a cloak of the night. #### Mantle **Description**Syntax: CAST MANTLE Surround yourself in a cloak of shadow, reducing the damage taken from the elements, and significantly reducing the damage taken from shadow. Those wearing the mantle can bear up to four shadow debts at once. - Shadowsphere No light may escape your void. #### Shadowsphere **Description**Syntax: CAST SPHERE Engulf your victim in a dark void, draining all color from their vision. While surrounded by this void, afflictions delivered from Scourge will be masked, and Shaderot afflictions cannot be cured. For each curable affliction plaguing your foe, the shadowsphere will last for an extra 2 seconds. Only one rot affliction will increase the timer, others won’t count. A victim suffering from nyctophobia will add a bonus 4 seconds. If the shadowprice is paid, your shadowsphere also delivers nyctophobia, and for slightly less equilibrium. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Devour Your shadeling hungers #### Devour **Description**Syntax: CAST DEVOUR Your shadeling hungers for corpses. Should anything die in the same location as your shadeling while it is with you, your shadeling will immediately devour the corpse and restore some willpower to you. An adventurer’s corpse will restore a lot more willpower than a denizen’s. There is a small cooldown on this effect occurring, with the length of time dependant on the type of corpse. Cooldown (denizen): 5 seconds Cooldown (adventurer): 15 seconds - Haunt Summon a shadowy spectre to torment them. #### Haunt **Description**Syntax: CAST HAUNT Conjure a spectral force to possess your victim, periodically sapping their mana. The haunting force will persist for a short time, but will vanish if your victim leaves your sight. If the shadowprice is paid, your haunt will persist indefinitely in your presence. - Forgive Respite from one’s obligations. #### Forgive **Description**Syntax: CAST FORGIVE In a grand gesture of servitude, request that the shadows forgive all your debts. Once per a while, you will instantly recharge all outstanding shadowprice charges, but be warned – this action will halve your health and mana to perform. This does not require nor use balance and equilibrium to use. Cooldown: 20 minutes - Falter Let their weakness be their downfall. #### Falter **Description**Syntax: CAST FALTER Should your victim be afflicted with maladies caused by shadows, you can use them as an opportunity for your own victory. This spell does nothing on its own, but can have any or all of the following effects depending on what they are afflicted by: Haemophilia: Causes significant bleeding. Nyctophobia: Causes significant health and mana damage. Dizziness: Causes dementia. Weariness: Causes lameness. If the shadowprice is paid, one of these missing conditional afflictions will be applied at random before the spell completes. - Phantom The shadows recognise their own. #### Phantom **Description**Syntax: CAST PHANTOM This ability will call upon the shadows to watch you carefully. Then, when you deal damage and are standing in the location you last died within, your damage will be boosted by the shadows. - Consume Leave no trace behind. #### Consume **Description**Syntax: CAST CONSUME Drawing upon your mastered link to the plane of Shadow, you may call forth a force that will annihilate your foe where they stand. In order to begin your spell, your victim must be suffering from both nyctophobia and prone, and will require your complete concentration to complete. Should your attempt be successful without interruption, your victim will be erased from reality entirely, and any shadow debts you have drawn will be immediately forgiven. If the shadowprice is paid, your attempt will be quickened, and more importantly, no force may disrupt it other than your opponent leaving and remaining out of your presence for the duration of the attempt. If this attempt fails, however, your health and mana will be shattered in half to repay your folly. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Sorcery - Reflection Create a distracting illusion of yourself. #### Reflection **Description**Syntax: CAST REFLECTION \[target\] Create an illusion of yourself or another that will protect you against certain attacks. Each time it is cast, the ability will consume a charge that will take time to recover. Only one charge may recover at a time. Once you use three charges, you will be unable to cast any further reflections. Cooldown: 15 seconds per - Blurring Blur the edges of your form. #### Blurring **Description**Syntax: CAST BLURRING By blurring the edges of your form, you make it harder for your opponent to land full blows upon you. This defence will grant you a chance to reduce some of the damage taken from physical attacks as a result, as well as afford you a small layer of physical protection. - Flight A spell to allow you control of the skies. #### Flight **Description**Syntax: CAST FLIGHT LAND Manipulate the air around you to ascend into the skies above. - Mark Mark a target with a battlefield designation. #### Mark **Description**Syntax: CAST MARK Mark a target with an illusory symbol, making them visible across the battlefield for some time. The target can then be targetted using the name of the symbol marking them. You can only have one marker in existence at a time. - Manatap Tap into your reserves to restore some mana. #### Manatap **Description**Syntax: CAST MANATAP <10-1000> Through sheer force of will, you can replenish your mana reserves. This will deplete your willpower proportional to how much mana you choose to recover. - Rigor Mastery of the shadows grants greater power. #### Rigor **Description**Syntax: CAST RIGOR At a small willpower drain, you may shape your spells into a more precise form, giving your critical hits a chance to be empowered one step higher. - Illusion Conjure an illusion of your choice. #### Illusion **Description**Syntax: CAST ILLUSION CAST ILLUSION AT A mainstay of magicians everywhere, simple illusions can astound your allies and confound your enemies. Note: You can add a new line into your illusion by using the tag $nl within the text, however you may only do this once. - Dispel Destroy traces of magic. #### Dispel **Description**Syntax: CAST DISPEL HERE CAST DISPEL CAST DISPEL Undo the spellwork that has left any lingering effects in a location. This will not dispel glyphs unless they are specifically targetted, and dispelling your own glyphs will not consume your equilibrium. You can also cast the dispel upon an aegis to remove the specified glyph from it, though the protective magic of the aegis will make this process take some time. - Sagacity A sagacious mind improves your moon tattoo. #### Sagacity **Description**Syntax: CAST SAGACITY \[target\] Infuse your mind with the energies around you and boost the effects of the moon tattoo upon your mana regeneration. You can additionally supply a target to give someone else this benefit. - Ensorcell Enact an arcane aegis in your location. #### Ensorcell **Description**Syntax: CAST ENSORCELL An aegis typically needs to be attuned to the land so that it can draw upon the mana it needs to operate its defences – but a mage has ways around this. By giving it a constant supply of mana from your own reserves, you can have the aegis’ defences work wherever you happen to be holding it. This is a channeled operation and most other actions will interrupt the process. - Chromatics Infuse your illusions with vibrant color. #### Chromatics **Description**Syntax: CAST ILLUSION \[AT \] COLOUR: While little more than a parlour trick, chromatic illusions can astound those present with vivid color. There is an increase in equilibrium cost for this effect. - Madness Release a spark of madness into your illusions. #### Madness **Description**Syntax: CAST MADNESS So powerful are your illusory magics, that you may further imbue them with shadow magic. At an increased cost to the spell itself, your reflection will backlash against all enemies in the room when it expires, draining their mana. - MirrorMastery Gain the ability to cast two reflections at once. #### MirrorMastery **Description**This ability is passive. You are now adept enough to be able to place a second reflection upon someone. However, this comes at a far greater cost to your equilibrium. - Soar Fly into the sky and past barriers. #### Soar **Description**Syntax: CAST SOAR A variation on flight, you can position yourself to fly in a direction of your choice, taking you into the skies above the room in your targeted direction. - Phantasm A lingering illusion. #### Phantasm **Description**Syntax: CAST PHANTASM CAST PHANTASM COLOUR: CAST PHANTASM ON AEGIS Form a lingering phantasm from the local energies that will persist for a few minutes before dissipating. Anyone who enters a room with a phantasm attached to it will see the illusion upon entry. Only one phantasm can exist in the room, and subsequent casts will overwrite the previous. The phantasm can also be attached to an attuned crystal aegis, where it will persist forever or until dispelled. It will only be shown to targets of the aegis in this situation. The dispel ability can be used to remove a phantasm prematurely. - Transfix Create a dazzling whirl of colour. #### Transfix **Description**Syntax: CAST TRANSFIX Conjure an enrapturing stream of color and light that will transfix your target and render them incapable of action. If they possess heightened courage, then the ability will fail instead. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Spectre Draw dangerous apparitions from the shadows. #### Spectre **Description**Syntax: CAST SPECTRE Turn the shadows into replicates of yourself, capable of enacting great harm upon your enemies. Whenever you cast a shadow spell, the shadows will come to life and lash out at another random enemy, causing shadow damage. Should you stand in darkness the spectre will strike an extra enemy with magic damage. If triggered by the Blast spell, the spectres will deal significantly more damage. When used against adventurers, there is a short cooldown before Spectre may strike again. Cooldown (adventurers): 2 seconds - Mirage Cloak the identities of all present. #### Mirage **Description**Syntax: CAST MIRAGE Drawing upon your mastery of illusioncraft, you may create a powerful mirage that will mask the presence of all in your location. Such an illusion will not prevent anyone from attacking others should they know they are there. The Dispel ability can remove a mirage. - Attunement Secure an aegis within your city. #### Attunement **Description**Syntax: ATTUNE AEGIS HERE DAMPEN AEGIS CEDE AEGIS In an impressive feat of spellcraft, you can embed a crystal aegis into the land around you. By attuning it to the leylines that course all throughout the continent, you can keep the aegis permanently supplied with the energy it needs to keep its defences activated. Such an act takes a considerable length of time, and requires your utmost concentration. Once attuned in place, the aegis cannot be moved. You cannot attune an aegis to a room if there is another attuned aegis already placed within a two-room distance. An attuned aegis will only have four of its glyphs activated when set up in this state. Within a city, the help of its pylon can further increase it to all six. During a period of stable activity of the leylines however, an attuned aegis will become dormant due to a lack of energy. Please see AB REFINING FLUXATIONS for more information. To remove an aegis, you can focus on dampening its connection to the leylines. This act will take a much shorter time than attuning, but your utmost concentration is still required. As a mage, you can perform this feat significantly faster than the Survival skill equivalent. Once completed, the crystal aegis will shatter into pieces, destroying it completely. You can also cede ownership of an aegis to any organisation, so long as the aegis has been attuned upon a location that belongs to that organisation. Cities, however, can hold ownership of up to five aegises beyond their home territory. Once the ownership has been ceded, the aegis will instead attack enemies of that organisation, instead of your personal enemies. - You can trace the following glyphs - Observation Detect those who trespass upon its location. #### Observation **Description**Syntax: TRACE OBSERVATION TRACE OBSERVATION ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz Type: Triggered The observation glyph will alert you when it is triggered, informing you of the location and who did it. If traced onto an attuned aegis, this glyph will alert the owner of the aegis when a caravan passes through its location (HELP PRODUCTION). If traced onto an attuned aegis that also has its ownership set to an organisation, the observation glyph will instead make an alert over that organisation’s channel. - Glyphs Trace arcane glyphs in your location. #### Glyphs **Description**Glyphs are arcane inscriptions traced through the air with gem dust and infused with mana. Each glyph has a different effect depending on the pattern traced and the gem dust used to create it. There are currently two types of glyphs: persistent glyphs, and triggered glyphs. Persistent glyphs will last for a short duration and impose a constant effect upon their location, until they fade from their magic being depleted. Triggered glyphs will hang in the air until an enemy of yours enters the location, at which point their effect will trigger and the glyph will shatter as its magic depletes. The clarity defence will protect an enemy from being affected by most triggered glyphs. Each room can only contain two glyphs, for any more than that would cause the magics to disrupt each other. Both glyphs must be different. Glyphs can additionally be traced onto the facet of a crystal aegis, instead of in the air. When upon an aegis, glyphs will be permanently powered and no longer fade. Some glyphs may have a different effect when upon an aegis. An aegis can exist alongside glyphs traced in the room. - Portal Open a portal to someone. #### Portal **Description**Syntax: TRACE PORTAL TRACE PORTAL ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz Type: Persistent (room), Triggered (aegis) Trace the outline of a portal and it will open soon after, leading between you and your target. If traced onto an aegis, the portal glyph will attack the limbs of your enemy, randomly leaving one crippled. - Destruction Break apart their physical form. #### Destruction **Description**Syntax: TRACE DESTRUCTION TRACE DESTRUCTION ONTO Required dust: 1 ruby Type: Triggered The destruction glyph will attack the physical form of your enemy with spears of arcane energy, damaging their health. - Vainglory An unbearable itchiness. #### Vainglory **Description**Syntax: TRACE VAINGLORY TRACE VAINGLORY ONTO Required dust: 2 topaz Type: Triggered The vainglory glyph will cause a surge of grandiosity in your enemy, afflicting them with hubris. - Addling Corrupt their clarity of mind. #### Addling **Description**Syntax: TRACE ADDLING TRACE ADDLING ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz, 1 emerald Type: Triggered The addling glyph will corrupt the mind of your enemy, afflicting them with dementia. This glyph will work regardless of the clarity defence, and will strip the defence from your target. If traced onto an aegis, the addling glyph will always be the first glyph to fire. - Entrapment Bind your foe with arcane ropes. #### Entrapment **Description**Syntax: TRACE ENTRAPMENT TRACE ENTRAPMENT ONTO Required dust: 2 ruby Type: Triggered The entrapment glyph will send arcane ropes to entangle your enemy. - Slumber Send them into a deep sleep. #### Slumber **Description**Syntax: TRACE SLUMBER TRACE SLUMBER ONTO Required dust: 1 diamond Type: Triggered The slumber glyph will instill a lulling drowsiness into your enemy as it attempts to put them into a deep sleep. If traced onto an aegis, the slumber glyph will always be the last glyph to fire. - Arrogance Egotism as its finest. #### Arrogance **Description**Syntax: TRACE ARROGANCE TRACE ARROGANCE ONTO Required dust: 1 emerald, 1 ruby Type: Triggered The glyph of arrogance will bolster your own pride, giving you the egocentrism affliction. - Insanity Fracture their mind with this glyph. #### Insanity **Description**Syntax: TRACE INSANITY TRACE INSANITY ONTO Required dust: 1 emerald, 2 ruby Type: Triggered This unique glyph will pull at the fabric of the minds of your enemy, instantly afflicting them with both stupidity and confusion. - Gravity Prevent others from taking flight. #### Gravity **Description**Syntax: TRACE GRAVITY TRACE GRAVITY ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz, 2 emerald Type: Triggered The glyph of gravity will pull anybody above the ground elevation back to earth after a short delay. This affects everybody in the sky, regardless of enemy status. After a period of time, the glyph will fade on its own if not traced on an aegis. - Labyrinth Bring your victim directly to you. #### Labyrinth **Description**Syntax: TRACE LABYRINTH Required dust: 1 topaz, 1 diamond Type: Triggered This powerful glyph will redirect reality itself, causing the first enemy to enter its location to be immediately moved to your singularity, as long as your singularity is within 10 rooms of the glyph. A monolith sigil in either location will prevent this attempt. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Gravitation - Singularity Unlock the power of the singularity. #### Singularity **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY SINGULARITY GRAVITY STATUS GRAVITY DISMANTLE Summon your connection to the Shadow Plane in the form of a personal singularity. It will remain where you have summoned it unless moved with other abilities. Almost all abilities in Gravitation will require your singularity. Singularities have five sizes, listed here from smallest to largest: Micro Intermediate Stellar Massive Supermassive The larger the your singularity is, the more damage some abilities will do and the more phenomena it can manifest at once. A micro singularity can manifest a total of one phenomena. - Recall Return your singularity back to you from afar. #### Recall **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY RECALL Call your singularity back to you. This is instant. - Featherstep Your mastery of gravity lets you walk on air. #### Featherstep **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY FEATHERSTEP Warp gravity to lift yourself up from the ground slightly, mimicking the levitation and waterwalking defenses. This does not require your singularity to be present, your own control of gravity is sufficient. - Remove Into the void it goes. #### Remove **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY REMOVE Should you wish to rid yourself of an item, you can hurl it into the abyss of your singularity, destroying it entirely. This action cannot be forced, or performed on permanent objects. - Home Transport yourself to your gravity well. #### Home **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY HOME After a short delay, return to your singularity. Should it be in the same area as you, this will be much faster. - Orbital Circle objects around you. #### Orbital **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY ORBIT GRAVITY PROJECT AT |GROUND Surround yourself with up to three objects of your choice, allowing them to orbit around you as satellites. While orbiting you, you and you alone may GET to retrieve it free of balance. Alternatively, you may project it at a target, causing some damage in the process before it returns to your orbit. Unfortunately, you do not have enough fine control of these objects to deliver a venom from an edged weapon, but pelting a prone victim will do more damage. Should you orbit sigils in this manner, projecting them at the ground is free of any balance. - Grip Hold them in their intended place. #### Grip **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY GRIP Pulls your target to the ground, leaving them fallen, afflicting them with paresis, and a stack of gravity. Applying a stack of gravity has a small cooldown, in which repeatedly gripping them won’t increase it. If a target stands in darkness that is within your line of sight, you will instead pull them into your room directly, though doing so will remove a stack of gravity. Cooldown (gravity increase): 5 seconds - Intermediate Control an intermediate class singularity. #### Intermediate **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY SINGULARITY You are now adept enough to control an intermediate class singularity. A singularity of this size can manifest up to two phenomena. - Erupt Forcefully shatter their body. #### Erupt **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY ERUPT Consume the gravity stacked on your victim, causing limb damage dependent on the amount of gravity present. If five stacks are consumed in this way, the target’s limb will simply collapse inward, becoming broken instantly. If a shadowbrand is present alongside at least three stacks of gravity, the erupt will consume this brand instead of the gravity stacks. - Reverse Reverse gravity for a short time. #### Reverse **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY REVERSE Temporarily reverse gravity in your location, sending any items, denizens and adventurers flying into the sky if they do not have the density defence. After a couple of seconds, gravity will return to normal and everything will fall back to the ground. The density defence is ignored should they have five stacks of gravity on them, but this will consume two of the stacks. When the effect ends, anybody in the sky will be pulled back to the ground. If an adventurer is affected by increased gravity, they will take damage when they fall back down proportional to the amount of stacks they have. If you are indoors, adventurers affected will instead be stunned by slamming into the ceiling. - Cannon Decimate your enemies with a magical blast. #### Cannon **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY CANNON Fire a massive blast of energy from your singularity, causing significant magic damage to a target in your line of sight. If you slay a target in this manner, their body will be pulled directly into the singularity and destroyed. The ability Purity can modify the damage type for this skill. Please see AB SCIOMANCY PURITY for more information. - Stellar Control a stellar class singularity. #### Stellar **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY SINGULARITY You are now adept enough to control a stellar class singularity. A singularity of this size can manifest up to three phenomena. - Impede Sap away their physical vitality. #### Impede **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY IMPEDE Draw upon a target’s gravity to slow their body’s functions, increasing their pill recovery balance by a small amount. They must be afflicted by at least one state of increased gravity for this ability to work. Each time they consume a pill, however, there is a chance that their gravity will recover partially to its normal state. Should they lose all stacks of gravity, this effect will end prematurely. If your singularity is of supermassive size, this ability costs no balance or equilibrium to use. You may only impede one target at a time. - Collision Orbitals are dangerous. #### Collision **Description**This skill is passive. So long as you have at least one object orbiting you, it will periodically strike the last denizen you attack for minor damage. - Collapse Force your singularity to implode. #### Collapse **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY COLLAPSE Draw your singularity’s gravity into itself, causing it to swell with magical energy and exert a higher gravitational force, eventually collapsing on itself in an implosion of power. When you initiate the collapse, all present will be informed of their impending doom, and the singularity will begin to grow in size. In this state, any locked ability you have active will cease its effect. The longer you allow the singularity to charge in this manner, the more powerful the resulting implosion will be. When you are ready to destroy your enemies, you may complete the collapse, causing extreme magical damage to all present. Should you wait too long, it will complete on its own. It’s important to note that once a collapse is initiated, there is no way to prevent it from completing short of slaying the mage who started it. When the singularity collapses, it is destroyed and must be resummoned to interact with it once more. Those who are trapped within the void (see AB SCIOMANCY VOIDGAZE) will be instantly slain, no matter what level of collapse is imminent. If there are more than five people who can be damaged by the implosion, there is a chance that some select few will be too far away from the implosion and will be spared. Those who die through this skill will leave no corpse. - Massive Control a massive class singularity. #### Massive **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY SINGULARITY You are now adept enough to control a massive class singularity. A singularity of this size can manifest up to four phenomena. - Imbue Enhance your shadow magics. #### Imbue **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY IMBUE Flood your target with a magical curse that will react with your shadow magic. While imbued, there is a chance with each spell cast that your victim will suffer from increased gravity. Each time you cast a spell against your target, the duration will refresh entirely. If your singularity is of supermassive size, this ability costs no balance or equilibrium to use. - Advance Travel alongside the singularity. #### Advance **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY ADVANCE <4-12> After a short delay, you may force your singularity to propel itself in a direction. If you are with your singularity when this occurs, this will pull you alongside your singularity to whatever direction you choose. You do not need to be on balance or equilibrium for this effect to occur, and the singularity will pull you past any who block your path regardless of your physical state. You are made of solid matter, however, and cannot use this ability to bypass walls or doors. - Genesis Create a singularity from nothing. #### Genesis **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY GENESIS \[ \[\]…\] Your experience with handling a singularity is so great that you can now summon it into existence with specified list of phenomena already manifested. Should you already have an existing singularity, this will instead switch its manifested phenomena to the specified list. - Supermassive Control a supermassive class singularity. #### Supermassive **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY SINGULARITY You are now adept enough to control a supermassive class singularity. A singularity of this size can manifest up to six phenomena. - Your singularity can manifest the following phenomena - Weight Your magic seeps into their bones. #### Weight **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY WEIGHT Through the power of shadow, you can cause the influence of your singularity to grow and settle within the bones of your enemies – so long as they stand near your singularity, they will find their personal gravity grow. This magic may affect a target up to five times. Some abilities will have stronger effects against denser targets. The only cure for this effect is time. - Absorb Let no light escape you. #### Absorb **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY ABSORB Command your singularity to absorb all light around you, mimicking the effects of night in your location. The larger your singularity, the further this will reach – a supermassive singularity will extend up to 3 rooms away. - Attunement Your influence will corrupt them. #### Attunement **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY ATTUNEMENT Cause your singularity to resonate with life around you, corrupting your enemies with various afflictions from its depths. Possible afflictions your singularity can give are: Stupidity, dizziness, loneliness, or dementia. - Pulsar An emanating energy that causes nausea. #### Pulsar **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY PULSAR Infuse your singularity with a disruptive magical energy, periodically causing magical damage to any enemies present. This energy will also occasionally assault the senses, causing a sense of nausea within the victim and afflicting them with vomiting. The larger your singularity, the more often this will occur. - Horizon Slow time at the event horizon. #### Horizon **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY HORIZON Extend the power of your singularity and entrap those around you who are plagued by increased gravity. While active, anybody with at least one stack of gravity that attempts to leave the location will incur a delay time dependant on the amount of increased gravity they have. - Stability Stabilise the existence of your singularity #### Stability **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY STABILITY This phenomena will cause your singularity to become more stable, causing your forced collapse attempts to no longer destroy your singularity and instead impose a cooldown on its use. Should your singularity collapse due to reaching a critical mass instead, it will still be destroyed. Cooldown (Collapse): 10 seconds - Secure Movement is always a choice. #### Secure **Description**Syntax: GRAVITY SECURE By focusing on securing your place, your singularity will prevent you from being moved physically, by your own will or otherwise. Magical forms of movement are unaffected by this. While secured, your singularity is entirely unable to be moved as well, and you must cease the securing to move once more. ## Visual style and identity Repeated use of shadow darkens the skin and slowly blackens the eyes, especially when actively using certain skills. Sciomancers move with martial, forceful gestures indicative of intense willpower, and a frequent trailing black miasma reminiscent of smoke follows them in combat. The look reads as deliberate and dangerous. A staff or crozier in hand, the visible mark of years of shadow channeling on the body, and the cold composure of a mage who has decided that the risks are worth the power. ## Side effects of the work Shadow is by far the most temperamental and dangerous element to directly manipulate. Repeat use and exposure can both grow beyond the wielder’s control to devastating effect, and a Sciomancer risks corruption to Ohlsana’s influence with every casting. Those who become inflicted with the shadowplague slowly become Shadowbound, a facsimile of who they were, grown monstrous and under Her control. Physical changes are not easily hidden. The eyes become black and nearly solid. Corruption shows in veins sprawling outward. Fingertips darken, skin texture changes, and the world slowly loses its sense of colour. Some Sciomancers report whispering voices in the back of the mind in a language they do not understand. Across decades of use, the world slowly loses the vibrancy of its colour. Personality often shifts toward a more reserved register as the mage exerts the guild’s focus of control to ignore the temptations shadow offers. ## Who plays this class The Sciomancer attracts players who want a mage at scale, with serious consequences baked into the roleplay frame. The tone is cold, ambitious, and morally weighty. You are not denying the cost of what you do. You are deciding the power is worth it. Mechanically, Sciomancers reward players who enjoy elemental scale, glyph-and-illusion utility, and gravity-based control. The kit is one of Aetolia’s most overtly magical, and the class pairs well with players who like to think in terms of magical architecture, area control, and resource discipline. ## City and guild The Sciomancer guild is the Sciomancers of [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/), the Shadow Tether’s city of artifice and scientific research. Patron: Arvelis, the Jackal. The guild houses both the Sciomancer class and its sister class, the [Revenant](/character-classes/revenant/), shadow warriors who imbue blades with ancient Kalsu work and guard those who walk the mage’s path. Joining as a Sciomancer means committing to Shadow. You cannot actively hold any Spirit-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Shadow classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race choice is independent of class, so you can play a Sciomancer of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Sciomancer mirror is the [Runecarver](/character-classes/runecarver/) of Duiran. Both wield destructive magic, but from opposite sides: Sciomancers channel the Plane of Shadow, Runecarvers draw on the rot and decay that sustain the Cycle. The classes share the same combat structure but pull from opposite philosophies about why darkness has a place in the world. Note that this is the canonical mechanical mirror. The Sciomancer’s enduring lore conflict is with the Ascendril, the Light mages of Enorian, who treat Shadow as a threat to Spirit itself. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Sciomancer good for new players?** Yes, with one caveat. The roleplay tone is heavy. Players coming in should be ready to engage with corruption, paranoia, and the weight of long-term shadow exposure as part of the character arc. Combat is approachable, and the Sciomancers guild is one of Spinesreach’s most active. **Who are the Sciomancer’s main enemies?** The Ascendril of Enorian. The Ascendril Order treats Spirit as the driving force of life and Shadow as an existential threat, which makes Sciomancers their explicit mage nemeses. The two orders have opposed each other for centuries. The mechanical mirror, by contrast, is the Runecarver of Duiran. **Do Sciomancers always go undead?** Many do, but not all. The class fits well with vampiric or other undead transformations because of the deep shadow-affinity, but mortal Sciomancers exist. The visible corruption from shadow channeling is independent of undeath. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Sciomancer profile. Or see [the full Aetolia class roster](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Revenant](/character-classes/revenant/) Sciomancer’s sister class in the same guild. Shadow warriors who pair martial discipline with shadow magic, wielding Riving, Manifestation, and Chirography. Pick Revenant if you like the Sciomancers guild and shadow lore but prefer blade-and-Kalsu work over pure spellcasting. ### [Runecarver](/character-classes/runecarver/) The Sciomancer’s canonical mirror across the Spirit-Shadow divide. Duiran priests of mortality, decay, and rot who wield Malediction, Runecarving, and Sporulation. Same combat structure, opposite philosophy. Pick Runecarver if you like the dark-magic chassis but want to serve the Cycle on the Spirit side. ### [Ascendril](/character-classes/ascendril/) The Sciomancers’ lore nemesis: the Light mages of Enorian. Elemancy, Arcanism, Thaumaturgy. Pick Ascendril if the Sciomancer concept appeals but you want to be the mage waging the long war from the other side. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Sciomancer and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Runecarver of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/runecarver/) **Published:** March 18, 2023 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Runecarver of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-runecarver-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Runecarver class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Runecarvers are Aetolia’s priests of mortality, decay, and rot, a Spirit-tethered class in Duiran that wields Malediction (curses sworn under pact with Dia’ruian Guardians), Runecarving (primitive runic magic from the tribal Ithmia), and Sporulation (fungal shamanism cultivated from living spore morasses). At a glance**Tether**Spirit**City**[Duiran](/world/duiran/)**Guild**Praadi (Patron: Haern, the Hunter)**Skill sets**Malediction, Runecarving, Sporulation**Mirror class**[Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/) (Shadow)**Sister classes in guild**[Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) and [Sylvan](/character-classes/sylvan/)**Signature mechanic**Pacts with Dia’ruian Guardian spirits, fungal morass cultivation**Best for**Players who want a curse-and-decay caster on the Spirit side of the conflictThe Runecarver is nature’s darker twin. Where the Shaman calls lightning and overgrowth, the Runecarver works with the rot underneath. They curse, they cultivate fungus, they carve runes that draw their power from primal soil and not from any school of civilised sorcery. ## Origin and lore Runecarvers are the third path of the **Praadi**, alongside the [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) and the [Sylvan](/character-classes/sylvan/). All three serve **Dia’ruis** (the Plane of Life born in 504) and the eternal **Cycle** maintained by Varian alongside the Triumvirate of Haern, Dhar, and Lleis. The Runecarver holds a specific place in that order: priest of mortality, decay, and rot. Without Death, there can be no Life, and the Runecarver tends to the death side of the equation. They form pacts with the more obscure **Guardians** known to Dia’ruis, including Nivios the Unslaked (an icewyrm), Asheira the Wildfire (a phoenix), Lopaia the Scavenger (a jackal), Z’krell the Festering (linked to rot, decay, and the myconids of Albedos), and several others foreign to mainland Sapience. The art of Runecarving itself dates back to the **tribal Ithmia**, kept alive by hunters like Runecarver Rhydderch and circles like the Karnagh. It is older than civilised magic, and the class wears that age. ## Skill sets **Malediction** is the curse-craft. By attuning to the turn of the Cycle, a Runecarver weaves hexes that plague foes with illness and insanity. Pacts with individual Guardians empower specific rituals. **Runecarving** is the primitive runic art. By drawing on ambient power, a Runecarver enlivens runes etched into surfaces or carried, calling on illusions, protective shields, and obscuring fog. It is entirely different from the practices of civilised sorcery (Elemancy, Sciomancy). Its roots reach back to the tribal Ithmia. **Sporulation** is fungal shamanism. A Runecarver cultivates a living spore morass that serves as the focal point of the practice. They coax growth by controlling natural heat, moisture, and darkness, and the morass becomes a battlefield asset that spreads life and death in equal measure. ## Skill abilities Malediction Runecarving Sporulation Filter abilities Title Contents ### Malediction - Meridian Straddle the line betwixt Life and Death. #### Meridian **Description**Syntax: CHANNELS STRADDLE LINE A Runecarver treads the brink between Life and Death, utilising the stray energy left behind in this fundamental Cycle to empower their acts of ritual magic. Once you have embraced your awareness of its delicate forces, you will be able to make repeated use of hexes. There is no cost to keeping it active and you may divest yourself of your awareness of mortality’s delicate inner workings at any time. - Maledict Assail someone with a crude, painful curse. #### Maledict **Description**Syntax: HEX MALEDICT HEX MALEDICT ICEWALL \[\] Craft a minor curse from your rancor and ill will to strike your foe. The force of this curse can also melt an icewall obstructing a path. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeMagic Damage SourceArcane Base Damage100 + 9% Base Damage (Denizen)725 Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Icewall)4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 mana to use. - Costs 25 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Numb Steal the heat from their heart with a numbing curse. #### Numb **Description**Syntax: HEX NUMB Cast a minor hex of numbing cold, freezing your target by one level. If you form a pact with the spirits, this ability will freeze them for two levels if they weren’t shivering to begin with. - Nightsight See through the dark of night. #### Nightsight **Description**Syntax: NIGHTSIGHT See easily through the shadows that surround you. - Stalk Call upon the blessing of the Broodmother. #### Stalk **Description**Syntax: HEX STALK Call upon Kree-sa, the Broodmother to mask your movements. Whenever you attempt to move through a room covered in darkness, your movement will be completely concealed. Lifevision may spot this attempt, but heatvision cannot. - Imperil No mortal can resist the fury of the wilds. #### Imperil **Description**Syntax: HEX IMPERIL Slice through any magical shield surrounding your target with this curse of vulnerability and peril. If you form a pact with the spirits, there is no equilibrium cost for this ability if it is successful. Should you fail, you will still be held to the terms of your pact as well as pay the equilibrium cost. - Enervate Drain their vitality with your curse. #### Enervate **Description**Syntax: HEX ENERVATE The curse of enervation smothers the vitality of your foe, consuming their good health and physical form alike. When enervating your opponent, you will cause the following afflictions in order, providing that your target has all the previous afflictions, and then also deal magical damage to them. Afflictions given by enervation in order: Clumsiness, weariness, and then lethargy. If all three afflictions are present, you will steal away their focus balance (AB SURVIVAL FOCUS) and cause paresis. If you form a pact with the spirits, your curse will cause two afflictions in order instead of one. If paresis is delivered in this way, no focus knock will be applied. - Myconid Form an assimilative being from your ill will. #### Myconid **Description**Syntax: HEX MYCONID CALL MYCONID Summon a myconid, a strange fungal monstrosity native to Albedos. This creature can be ordered to attack your enemies, and will periodically cause cold damage and one level of freezing to your target. If your victim is fully frozen when the myconid strikes, they will be stunned and afflicted with nyctophobia. Please see HELP LOYALTY for the commands you can order it to do. - Jinx A far-reaching hex of bad luck and dread. #### Jinx **Description**Syntax: HEX JINX Maledictive curses are capable of instilling illnesses of the body and mind, causing both to waste away beneath your wrath. When jinxed, your victim will suffer immediately from one of the following afflictions that they don’t already have. Afflictions jinx can give: Dizziness, nyctophobia, confusion, dementia. If all four afflictions are present on the target, they will instead be struck with a significant mana drain and faintness. If you form a pact with the spirits, the jinx will relapse once more five seconds later but with no damage. If your intended victim is no longer in your presence when the relapse occurs, however, you will be jinxed instead to keep balance between the forces you control. - Spiritpact Pledge yourself in exchange for aid. #### Spiritpact **Description**Syntax: SPIRITPACT Spiritpact is used as a replacement for the normal HEX command. e.g. SPIRITPACT ENERVATE Empower your curses by forming pacts with the Dia’ruian Guardians. With every successive cast of spiritpact to empower a curse, the risks and rewards increase. For now, you may call upon their aid twice, and not again until the previous pacts are fulfilled. A pact will be fulfilled after 20 seconds, and will cost a small portion of your health when it occurs. The more afflictions you have when the time comes, the more the health it will be. Lastly, whenever you manage to kill another adventurer, a pact will be immediately fulfilled. - Despair A baleful, maddening hex. #### Despair **Description**Syntax: HEX DESPAIR Hex your victim with an ominous curse of despair, giving them an 80% chance to become burdened with phobias any time they focus (see AB SURVIVAL FOCUSING). The phobias this can afflict with are: Nyctophobia, agoraphobia, loneliness, vertigo, and claustrophobia. If standing in darkness, nyctophobia is always the first phobia to appear, otherwise it is random. Attempting to cure despair while you have the courage defence will cause your courage to be stripped. Unlike other afflictions, despair will not be cured until you recover salve balance after applying epidermal. If you form a pact with the spirits, this may be performed free of any equilibrium cost. - Revile Enemies of the natural world are to be reviled. #### Revile **Description**Syntax: HEX REVILE Send a malignant curse of rot to infiltrate your victim, feeding on the hexes you call down upon them. At first, the rot is benign, and has no meaningful effect. However, the rot will grow over time, and its effects too will increase. The rot may grow four times after the first stage. 1\) No effect. 2\) Their spirit gradually atrophies, causing escalating spirit damage. 3\) Their body ceases to generate warmth – preventing random curing of shivering. 4\) Their flesh withers under the rot, periodically causing hopelessness. 5\) Their body falters – the recovery time from poultices is doubled. This curse may be cured by consuming panacea. If standing outside of the presence of a morass, two stacks will be cured instead of one. If you form a pact with the spirits, you will deliver two stacks of the curse immediately. - Obeisance The Guardians must be sated. #### Obeisance **Description**Syntax: HEX OBEISANCE Fulfil your pact with an offering of flesh and blood, costing you a moderate amount of health and releasing you from one of your pacts. You may then continue to use the ability even while it is on cooldown, however the repayment will cost 50% more health and will cost equilibrium to perform. Using the ability while on cooldown will refresh the cooldown timer. Cooldown: 10 seconds - Implement A ceremonial focus for greater malediction. #### Implement **Description**Syntax: HEX CREATE FOCUS EMBED SPHERE IN Extract a spore from the compost heap in Duiran that will serve to heighten the powers of your cursecraft. The spore must be used to anoint either a staff, a shortsword, or a crozier. For those unwelcome beneath the eaves of the Heartwood, a second compost heap waits within a fungi circle in the Eastern Ithmias, offering the same boon. Should you be wielding an anointed object, you will be able to channel your primal magic with greater ease. Your spells will no longer require both hands, only a single hand. Additionally, parrying an attack will charge your implement with magical force, restoring a portion of your mana instantly. - Rancour Call upon the ill will of the wilds. #### Rancour **Description**Syntax: HEX RANCOUR The art of Malediction does not cleave to the traditional rigidity of structured spellcasting schools such as Elemancy or Sciomancy and thus allows for improvisation and additional reagents to supplement its power. By channeling raw spite and rancour, you can gather inimical spirits to aid each strike, render your curses nigh irresistable by changing their damage type to spirit. This will cause your attacks to do less overall damage and comes at a slight willpower drain. - Renewal The bounty of the natural world sustains you. #### Renewal **Description**Syntax: HEX RENEWAL Call upon the force of Renewal to draw two random maladies from your body. Should you be suffering from paralysis or paresis, Renewal will always cure that first, and only that. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Mystify Distract the uninitiated with a complex hex. #### Mystify **Description**Syntax: HEX MYSTIFY If your target lacks courage, you can mystify them with a terrible curse that distracts them with visions of the void. This will give them the voidgaze affliction, and will immediately trigger its passive effect. This will trigger even if the opponent already has the voidgaze affliction. See AFFLICT VOIDGAZE for information on its effects. If you form a pact with the spirits, your mystify will shatter their heightened sense of courage first before applying it effects. - Imitate Compel your myconid to change shape. #### Imitate **Description**Syntax: HEX IMITATE Order your myconid to change its form into a fungal representation of your chosen target. Should the myconid take any damage or attempt to attack someone, this effect will become undone. Can only be done on targets in the room. - Preymark Mark them as the prey they are. #### Preymark **Description**Syntax: HEX PREYMARK Mark your foe as prey, causing elixirs to lose some of their potency, reducing the amount healed to health or mana this way by 20%. The strength of the curse’s mark is dependent on how low your victim’s mana is – the preymark will never last for fewer than two sips, and no more than five. There is a short channel associated with performing this ability. If you form a pact with the spirits, your preymark is applied instantly, and for slightly less equilibrium. - Malady A terrible, feverish curse. #### Malady **Description**Syntax: HEX MALADY Curse your foe with wasting maladies, dealing magical damage to the target. If they are an adventurer, it will cause vomiting and haemophilia. If they have the dementia affliction, then the malady will drive them mad, curing it and causing hallucinations in its place. If you form a pact with the spirits, the equilibrium recovery time is much faster. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeMagic Damage SourceArcane Base Damage150 + 10% Base Damage (Denizen)725 Equilibrium Recovery2.70 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Spiritpact)2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Preserve The Warden will shelter you. #### Preserve **Description**Syntax: HEX PRESERVE Surround yourself in a protective aura, reducing your damage taken from the elements, and significantly reducing your damage taken from shadow. Those preserved by the Warden can forge four pacts at once. - Woe Call catastrophe down upon your prey. #### Woe **Description**Syntax: HEX WOE Call down woe and tribulation upon your foe, subjecting them to the hardships of hunted prey. While suffering this curse, afflictions delivered from Jinx will be masked, and afflictions from Revile cannot be cured. For each curable affliction plaguing your foe, the woeful curse will last for an extra 2 seconds. Only one rot affliction will increase the timer, others won’t count. A victim suffering from nyctophobia will add a bonus 4 seconds. If you form a pact with the spirits, your woeful hex also delivers nyctophobia, and for slightly less equilibrium. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Assuage Nourish your myconid with the fallen. #### Assuage **Description**Syntax: HEX ASSUAGE Your myconid hungers for the fallen, as befits the Cycle. Should anything die in the same location as your myconid while it is with you, the fungal creature will immediately devour the corpse and restore some willpower to you. An adventurer’s corpse will restore a lot more willpower than a denizen’s. There is a small cooldown on this effect occuring, with the length of time dependant on the type of corpse. Cooldown (denizen): 5 seconds Cooldown (adventurer): 15 seconds - Vilipend Bring down dark visitations upon your foe. #### Vilipend **Description**Syntax: HEX VILIPEND Manifest your rancor and disdain as a biting curse that periodically saps your foe’s mana. The degrading hex will persist for a short time, but will vanish if your victim leaves your sight. If you form a pact with the spirits, your curse will persist indefinitely in your presence. - Nourish A mighty offering to the Guardians. #### Nourish **Description**Syntax: HEX NOURISH In exchange for a significant portion of your physical and mental energy, you may beseech the Guardians to release you from all of your spiritpacts. Be warned that this action will halve your health and mana to perform. This does not require nor use balance and equilibrium to use. Cooldown: 20 minutes - Anathemise Let the weak ever be prey. #### Anathemise **Description**Syntax: HEX ANATHEMISE Should your victim be afflicted with maladies caused by hexes, you can leverage their weakness to secure victory over them. This hex does nothing on its own, but can have any or all of the following effects depending on what they are afflicted by: Haemophilia: Causes significant bleeding. Nyctophobia: Causes significant health and mana damage. Dizziness: Causes dementia. Weariness: Causes lameness. If you form a pact with the spirits, one of these missing conditional afflictions will be applied at random before the curse completes. - Spite Swear vengeance upon your enemies. #### Spite **Description**Syntax: HEX SPITE This ability will call upon the spirits to recognise an oath of spite. Then, when you deal damage and are standing in the location you last died within, your damage will be boosted by fulfillment of your word. - Mortis All things must die. #### Mortis **Description**Syntax: HEX MORTIS Drawing upon your mastered link to the forces of Life and Death, you may call forth a killing curse that will annihilate your foe where they stand. In order to begin your spell, your victim must be suffering from both nyctophobia and prone, and will require your complete concentration to complete. Should your attempt be successful without interruption, your victim will be utterly obliterated, and any spiritual pacts you have formed will be immediately fulfilled. If you form a pact with the spirits, your attempt will be quickened, and more importantly, no force may disrupt it other than your opponent leaving and remaining out of your presence for the duration of the attempt. If this attempt fails, however, your health and mana will be shattered in half to appease the spirits. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Runecarving - Branch From the trunk sprouts a branch. #### Branch **Description**Syntax: RUNECARVE BRANCH \[target\] Create an illusion of yourself or another that will protect you against certain attacks. Each time it is cast, the ability will consume a charge that will take time to recover. Only one charge may recover at a time. Once you use three charges, you will be unable to create any further illusory reflections. Cooldown: 15 seconds per - Ironbark Form a protective layer of shieldbark. #### Ironbark **Description**Syntax: RUNECARVE IRONBARK By fortifying your body with a protective layer of shieldbark, you make it harder for your opponent to land full blows upon you. This defence will grant you a chance to reduce some of the damage taken from physical attacks as a result, as well as afford you a small layer of physical protection. - Windwalk Join the birds of prey within their domain. #### Windwalk **Description**Syntax: RUNECARVE WINDWALK LAND Carve a rune that allows you to walk upon the air. - Quarry Mark your prey. #### Quarry **Description**Syntax: RUNECARVE QUARRY Carve a rune that designates your target with a hunting mark, making them visible across the battlefield for some time. The target can then be targetted using the name of the symbol marking them. You can only have one marker in existence at a time. - Orison Beseech the wilds for a minor boon. #### Orison **Description**Syntax: RUNECARVE ORISON <10-1000> Through communion with the wilds, you can replenish your mana reserves. This will deplete your willpower proportional to how much mana you choose to recover. - Prowess Greater maledictive might. #### Prowess **Description**Syntax: RUNECARVE PROWESS At a small willpower drain, you may manifest your hexes into a more precise form, giving your critical hits a chance to be empowered one step higher. - Deceive Weave a clever illusion for your ambushes. #### Deceive **Description**Syntax: RUNECARVE DECEIVE RUNECARVE DECEIVE AT A mainstay of Runecarvers setting ambushes, simple illusions can astound your allies and confound your enemies. Note: You can add a new line into your illusion by using the tag $nl within the text, however you may only do this once. - Unveil Tear apart amateurish artifice. #### Unveil **Description**Syntax: RUNECARVE UNVEIL HERE RUNECARVE UNVEIL RUNECARVE UNVEIL Undo the spellwork that has left any lingering effects in a location. This will not dispel glyphs unless they are specifically targetted, and dispelling your own glyphs will not consume your equilibrium. You can also cast the dispel upon an aegis to remove the specified glyph from it, though the protective magic of the aegis will make this process take some time. - Mysticism Embrace the wisdom of the wilds. #### Mysticism **Description**Syntax: RUNECARVE MYSTICISM \[target\] Uplift your mind with this lunar rune and boost the effects of the moon tattoo upon your mana regeneration. You can additionally supply a target to give someone else this benefit. - Enliven Fill an aegis with your wild magics. #### Enliven **Description**Syntax: RUNECARVE ENLIVEN An aegis typically needs to be attuned to the land so that it can draw upon the mana it needs to operate its defences – but a runecarver can circumvent this requirement in a special manner. By giving it a constant supply of mana from your own reserves, you can have the aegis’ defences work wherever you happen to be holding it. This is a channeled operation and most other actions will interrupt the process. - Majesty The wild world’s vibrant majesty is yours to weave. #### Majesty **Description**Syntax: RUNECARVE DECEIVE \[AT \] COLOUR: While little more than a trick used at campfire gatherings, chromatic illusions can astound those present with vivid color. There is an increase in equilibrium cost for this effect. - Lunacy Lunar terror is yours to sow. #### Lunacy **Description**Syntax: RUNECARVE LUNACY So powerful are your deceptive runes, that you may further imbue them with the maddening power of the moon. At an increased cost to the spell itself, your reflection will backlash against all enemies in the room when it expires, draining their mana. - Legerdemain Swiftly carve your tricksome runes. #### Legerdemain **Description**This ability is passive. You are now adept enough to be able to place a second reflection upon someone with your Branch rune. However, this comes at a far greater cost to your equilibrium. - Stormcloud Join the clouds themselves. #### Stormcloud **Description**Syntax: RUNECARVE STORMCLOUD A variation on the windwalk rune, you can position yourself to fly in a direction of your choice, taking you into the skies above the room in your targeted direction. - Horizon A rune representing endless vistas. #### Horizon **Description**Syntax: RUNECARVE HORIZON RUNECARVE HORIZON COLOUR: RUNECARVE HORIZON ON AEGIS Form a visual deception from the local energies that will persist for a few minutes before dissipating. Anyone who enters a room with a horizon rune attached to it will see the illusion upon entry. Only one such horizon can exist in the room, and subsequent runes will drain the power from their predecessors. The horizon can also be attached to an attuned crystal aegis, where it will persist forever or until dispelled. It will only be shown to targets of the aegis in this situation. The dispel ability can be used to remove a horizon prematurely. - Bewitch Ensnare the senses with a fleeting rune. #### Bewitch **Description**Syntax: RUNECARVE BEWITCH This rune will call upon the forestal wisps that will transfix your target and render them incapable of action. If they possess heightened courage, then the ability will fail instead. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Toil Double, double… #### Toil **Description**Syntax: RUNECARVE TOIL Sketch an empowering rune upon your hand that will multiply your maledictive magic, thus enacting greater harm upon your enemies. Whenever you cast a hex, the rune will flare and lash out at another random enemy, causing shadow damage. Should you stand in darkness, the rune’s light will strike an extra enemy with magic damage. If triggered by the Maledict spell, the toil rune will deal significantly more damage. When used against adventurers, there is a short cooldown before Toil may strike again. Cooldown (adventurers): 2 seconds - Obfuscate Shroud your surroundings in concealing fog. #### Obfuscate **Description**Syntax: RUNECARVE OBFUSCATE Drawing upon your mastery of runes, you may create an obscuring fog that will mask the presence of all in your location. Such an illusion will not prevent anyone from attacking others should they know they are there. The Unveil or Dispel abilities can counter an obfuscating rune. - Attunement Join an aegis to your homeland’s soil. #### Attunement **Description**Syntax: ATTUNE AEGIS HERE DAMPEN AEGIS CEDE AEGIS In an impressive feat of spellcraft, you can embed a crystal aegis into the land around you. By attuning it to the leylines that course all throughout the continent, you can keep the aegis permanently supplied with the energy it needs to keep its defences activated. Such an act takes a considerable length of time, and requires your utmost concentration. Once attuned in place, the aegis cannot be moved. You cannot attune an aegis to a room if there is another attuned aegis already placed within a two-room distance. An attuned aegis will only have four of its glyphs activated when set up in this state. Within a city, the help of its pylon can further increase it to all six. During a period of stable activity of the leylines however, an attuned aegis will become dormant due to a lack of energy. Please see AB REFINING FLUXATIONS for more information. To remove an aegis, you can focus on dampening its connection to the leylines. This act will take a much shorter time than attuning, but your utmost concentration is still required. As a mage, you can perform this feat significantly faster than the Survival skill equivalent. Once completed, the crystal aegis will shatter into pieces, destroying it completely. You can also cede ownership of an aegis to any organisation, so long as the aegis has been attuned upon a location that belongs to that organisation. Cities, however, can hold ownership of up to five aegises beyond their home territory. Once the ownership has been ceded, the aegis will instead attack enemies of that organisation, instead of your personal enemies. - You can sketch the following runes - Runes Sketch magical runes upon your surroundings. #### Runes **Description**Runes are mystical symbols sketched through the air with gem dust and infused with mana. Each rune has a different effect depending on the runic script sketched and the gem dust used to create it. There are currently two types of runes: persistent runes, and triggered runes. Persistent runes will last for a short duration and impose a constant effect upon their location, until they fade from their magic being depleted. Triggered runes will hang in the air until an enemy of yours enters the location, at which point their effect will trigger and the rune will dissipate as its magic depletes. The clarity defence will protect an enemy from being affected by most triggered runes. Each room can only contain two runes, for any more than that would cause the magics to disrupt each other. Both runes must be different. Runes can additionally be sketched onto the facet of a crystal aegis, instead of in the air. When upon an aegis, runes will be permanently powered and no longer fade. Some runes may have a different effect when upon an aegis. An aegis can exist alongside runes sketched in the room. - Observation Detect those who trespass upon its location. #### Observation **Description**Syntax: SKETCH OBSERVATION SKETCH OBSERVATION ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz Type: Triggered The observation rune will alert you when it is triggered, informing you of the location and who did it. If traced onto an attuned aegis, this rune will alert the owner of the aegis when a caravan passes through its location (HELP PRODUCTION). If traced onto an attuned aegis that also has its ownership set to an organisation, the observation rune will instead make an alert over that organisation’s channel. - Portal Open a portal to someone. #### Portal **Description**Syntax: SKETCH PORTAL SKETCH PORTAL ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz Type: Persistent (room), Triggered (aegis) Sketch the outline of a portal and it will open soon after, leading between you and your target. If sketched onto an aegis, the portal rune will attack the limbs of your enemy, randomly leaving one crippled. - Destruction Break apart their physical form. #### Destruction **Description**Syntax: SKETCH DESTRUCTION SKETCH DESTRUCTION ONTO Required dust: 1 ruby Type: Triggered The destruction rune will attack the physical form of your enemy with spears of wild energy, damaging their health. - Vainglory An unbearable itchiness. #### Vainglory **Description**Syntax: TRACE VAINGLORY TRACE VAINGLORY ONTO Required dust: 2 topaz Type: Triggered The vainglory rune will cause a surge of grandiosity in your enemy, afflicting them with hubris. - Addling Muddle their mind. #### Addling **Description**Syntax: SKETCH ADDLING SKETCH ADDLING ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz, 1 emerald Type: Triggered The addling rune will corrupt the mind of your enemy, afflicting them with dementia. This rune will work regardless of the clarity defence, and will strip the defence from your target. If sketched onto an aegis, the addling rune will always be the first rune to fire. - Entrapment Bind your foe with magical ropes. #### Entrapment **Description**Syntax: SKETCH ENTRAPMENT SKETCH ENTRAPMENT ONTO Required dust: 2 ruby Type: Triggered The entrapment rune will send magical ropes to entangle your enemy. - Slumber Lull them into a deep sleep. #### Slumber **Description**Syntax: SKETCH SLUMBER SKETCH SLUMBER ONTO Required dust: 1 diamond Type: Triggered The slumber rune will instill a lulling drowsiness into your enemy as it attempts to put them into a deep sleep. If sketched onto an aegis, the slumber rune will always be the last rune to fire. - Arrogance Bolster your confidence. #### Arrogance **Description**Syntax: SKETCH ARROGANCE SKETCH ARROGANCE ONTO Required dust: 1 emerald, 1 ruby Type: Triggered The rune of arrogance will bolster your own pride, giving you the egocentrism affliction. - Insanity Assail their mind with maddening runes. #### Insanity **Description**Syntax: SKETCH INSANITY SKETCH INSANITY ONTO Required dust: 1 emerald, 2 ruby Type: Triggered This unique rune will pull at the fabric of the minds of your enemy, instantly afflicting them with both stupidity and confusion. - Gravity Bind your foe to the land itself. #### Gravity **Description**Syntax: SKETCH GRAVITY SKETCH GRAVITY ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz, 2 emerald Type: Triggered The rune of gravity will pull anybody above the ground elevation back to earth after a short delay. This affects everybody into the room, regardless of enemy status. After a period of time, the rune will fade on its own if not sketched on an aegis. - Labyrinth Lead them into the heart of your trap. #### Labyrinth **Description**Syntax: SKETCH LABYRINTH Required dust: 1 topaz, 1 diamond Type: Triggered This complex rune will form a temporary songline, causing the first enemy to enter its location to be immediately moved to your morass, as long as it is within 10 rooms of the rune. A monolith sigil in either location will prevent this attempt. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Sporulation - Germinate Form a mystical morass of spores. #### Germinate **Description**Syntax: SPORE GERMINATE SPORE STATUS SPORE CULL By calling upon your link to the natural world, you may manifest a morass of dangerous spores under the command of your shamanic prowess. It will remain where you have summoned it unless moved with other abilities. Almost all abilities in Sporulation will require your morass. A spore morass is classified into one of five sizes, listed here from smallest to largest: Inchoate Festering Enveloping Consumptive Putrefactive The larger your morass is, the more damage some abilities will do and the more diverse its strain content can be. An inchoate morass is only large enough to propagate a single strain. - Transplant Call your living morass back to your side. #### Transplant **Description**Syntax: SPORE TRANSPLANT Call your morass back to you by communing with it from afar. This is instant. - Carpet Roll out the festering, green carpet. #### Carpet **Description**Syntax: SPORE CARPET Your mastery of rot, mould, and fungus allows you to manifest a living carpet of decomposition underfoot. This voracious combination of natural forces is similar to both the levitation and waterwalking defenses. This technique is one of the few that does not require communion with your living morass. - Rot Quicken the end of an object. #### Rot **Description**Syntax: SPORE ROT As a master of decomposition, you can utilise your magic to destroy most objects with but a single touch. This spell is an act of will that you cannot be forced into, and it cannot sufficiently decay permanent objects. - Dispersal Emerge from the heart of your rotting morass. #### Dispersal **Description**Syntax: SPORE DISPERSAL This spell will, after a brief moment of focus, disperse your physical form and return you to your morass in a single breath. Should it be in the same area as you, this will be much faster. - Host Store something away for a rainy day. #### Host **Description**Syntax: SPORE HOST SPORE EJECT AT |GROUND You may host up to three objects of your choice within mycological growths upon your own physical form. While hosted upon your body, you and you alone may GET to retrieve it free of balance. This method of storage creates a build-up of fungal fluid within the growth’s gills that adheres to the object in question, allowing you to eject the object at a target and retract it with a muculent cord. Unfortunately, you do not have enough fine control of these objects to deliver a venom from an edged weapon, but ejecting something at a prone victim will do more damage. Should you store sigils in this manner, you may eject them at the ground free of any balance. - Ensnare Ensnare them with dangerous clutchgill spores. #### Ensnare **Description**Syntax: SPORE ENSNARE Your shamanic sporulation is so potent that you may manifest a single, rapidly growing clutchgill spore that latches onto a target and knock them down, leaving them fallen, afflicting with paresis, and propagating a single culture. Adding further cultures has a small cooldown, in which repeatedly ensnaring them won’t add more. If a target stands within the darkness that nourishes fungal growth, the spore will instead lash out and drag them to you directly, though doing so will remove a single culture. Cooldown (culture propagate): 5 seconds - Festering Grow your morass into a festering force. #### Festering **Description**Syntax: SPORE GERMINATE You are now attuned enough to nature and rot that you may germinate a festering morass. A morass of this size may accomodate two fungal strains. - Degrade Devour flesh and bone with your rot. #### Degrade **Description**Syntax: SPORE DEGRADE By consuming all the cultures propagated upon a victim, you may cause limb damage dependent on the amount of cultures present. If five cultures are consumed in this way, the rot will reach the bone and cause significant trauma, becoming broken instantly. If a target has the preymark branded upon them and at least three spore cultures, the degradation will consume the preymark in place of the cultures. - Uplift Manifest a cloud of mystical, inflating rot. #### Uplift **Description**Syntax: SPORE UPLIFT Temporarily flood your location with magical spores that draw in ambient air, sending any items, denizens, and adventurers flying into the sky if they do not have the density defence. After a couple of seconds, the spores will deflate, returning the surroundings to normal. As a result, everything will fall back to the ground. The density defence is ignored should someone have five spore cultures present on their body, but this will consume two of those cultures. When the effect ends, anybody in the sky will be pulled back to the ground. If an adventurer is infested by fungal cultures, they will take damage when they fall back down proportional to the amount of stacks they have. If you are indoors, adventurers affected will instead be stunned by slamming into the ceiling. - Mortify Manifest decay within the very heart of your enemy. #### Mortify **Description**Syntax: SPORE MORTIFY Direct a stream of flesh-eating spores to pour forth from your morass, causing significant magic damage to a target in your line of sight. If you slay a target in this manner, their body will be drawn into your fungal morass and consumed as nourishment. The ability Rancour can modify the damage type for this skill. Please see AB MALEDICTION RANCOUR for more information. - Enveloping Envelop the world with your fungal morass. #### Enveloping **Description**Syntax: SPORE GERMINATE You are now so skilled in sporulation magic that you manifest a morass that envelops its surroundings. A morass of this size can propagate up to three fungal strains. - Infect Infect your foe with lethargic spores. #### Infect **Description**Syntax: SPORE INFECT Draw upon your mycological might and infect your foe with an invasive spore that slows their body’s functions, increasing their pill recovery balance by a small amount. They must be afflicted by at least one fungal culture for this ability to work. Each time they consume a pill, however, there is a chance that their body will reject a culture, drawing them nearer to a healthy state. Should they purge themselves of all fungal strains, this effect will end prematurely. If your morass is massive enough to be considered putrefactive, this ability costs no balance or equilibrium to use. You may only infect one target at a time. - Burst Express fungal fluid from your growths. #### Burst **Description**This skill is passive. So long as you have at least one object hosted upon your form, its fungal encasement will periodically burst and spray decomposing fluid upon the last denizen you attack. This substance will eat away at their form, causing minor damage. - Omophagia All things die. #### Omophagia **Description**Syntax: SPORE OMOPHAGIA Set your dangerous morass free and allow it to creep into everything within your surroundings, where upon it will eventually consume everything in a wave of death and decay. When you initiate this fell spell, its danger will be obvious to any that stand around you, and the morass will begin expanding. In this state, any strain you have active will cease its effect. The longer you allow the morass to expand, the more powerful its resultant wave will be. When you are ready to unleash its terrible hunger upon your foes, you may order it to consume the flesh of all around you. Should you deny the morass its feast for too long, it will commence consumption on its own. It’s important to note that once this process begins, there is no way to prevent it from completing aside from killing the Runecarver responsible for its formation. When the feast finishes, your morass will disperse and must be germinated once more. Those who are maledictively mystified (see AB MALEDICTION MYSTIFY) will be helpless to resist and will perish instantly, no matter how long the spores took to spread across the area. If there is more than five people who can be damaged by the wave, there is a chance that some select few will be too far away from the effect and will be spared. Those who die through this skill will leave no corpse. - Consumptive Manifest a massive morass of consumptive spores. #### Consumptive **Description**Syntax: SPORE GERMINATE You are now adept enough to control a consumptive morass. A morass of this size can support up to four fungal strains. - Inoculation Weave spores into your victim’s flesh. #### Inoculation **Description**Syntax: SPORE INOCULATE Germinate your target with a magical spore that enhances your maledictive magic. While inoculated, there is a chance with each manifested hex that your victim will suffer an additional spore culture. Each time you cast a spell against your target, the duration will refresh entirely. If your morass is considered putrefactive, this ability costs no balance or equilibrium to use. - Encroach An approach as implacable as the Cycle. #### Encroach **Description**Syntax: SPORE ENCROACH <4-12> After a short delay, you may propel your morass in a direction upon a gust of wind. If you are with your morass when this occurs, its magical adhesion will pull you alongside it in whatever direction you choose. You do not need to be on balance or equilibrium for this effect to occur, and the morass will pull you past any who block your path regardless of your physical state. You are made of flesh and blood, however, and thus cannot use this ability to bypass walls or doors. - Colonisation Form a cloud of spores from myriad strains. #### Colonisation **Description**Syntax: SPORE COLONISE \[ \[\]…\] Your experience with handling fungal spores is so great that you can now germinate it with a specified list of strains. Should you already have an existing morass, this will instead morph its manifested strains to the specified list. - Putrefactive Germinate a putrefactive cloud of decomposition. #### Putrefactive **Description**Syntax: SPORE GERMINATE You are now adept enough to control a putrefactive morass of spores. A morass of this size can propagate up to six different strains. - Your morass can propagate the following strains - Hartsblood An invasive strain nourished by blood and magic. #### Hartsblood **Description**Syntax: SPORE HARTSBLOOD Propagate the hartsblood strain within your morass, which will cause your foes to steadily host more and more spore cultures for so long as they stand in its presence. This magical strain may affect a target up to five times. Some sporulation spells will have stronger effects against targets that host spore cultures. The only cure for culture propagation is time. Hartsblood is a strain of fungal growth that has recently resurfaced after the birth of Dia’ruis. This strain propagates much faster than other fungi and often grows in places of historic battles. It is said to thrive upon blood and acquired its name from the splatters of blood from wounded deer hunted by the ancient Ithmian tribes. - Stormstem A dense, clustered strain of shady mushrooms. #### Stormstem **Description**Syntax: SPORE STORMSTEM Manifest the massive stormstem mushroom’s spores within your morass, allowing it to blanket your location in night-like darkness. The larger your morass, the further this tremendous specimen shall reach – a putrefactive morass will extend its darkness up to 3 rooms away. The stormstem mushroom is known to grow within conjoined, dense structures that spread out like a storm cloud all throughout the forest. Its magical properties allow it to defy and smother light, a natural wonder that other fungi use to prosper beneath its shade. By necessity, the strain also absorbs an equal amount of ambient shadow to sustain its properties per the demand of Dia’ruian equilibrium. - Ravencap A strain that devours the mind. #### Ravencap **Description**Syntax: SPORE RAVENCAP Cause your morass to exude the spores of the ravencap mushroom, inducing disorienting, depressive visions in your enemies. Possible afflictions your ravencap spores can give are: Stupidity, dizziness, loneliness, or dementia. The ravencap mushroom is also known as the Raven’s Bruise. Traditionally, this specific strain is associated with depressive or somber visions undertaken as a rite of passage for shamans of the old Ithmian tribes. In these ancient times, it was often used in old rituals honoring spirits associated with wisdom or self-reflection. After the birth of Dia’ruis and the renewal of the natural world, the mushroom emerged in the wilds once more. - Greycrown A potent strain associated with Death. #### Greycrown **Description**Syntax: SPORE GREYCROWN Awaken the greycrown strain in your morass, which will periodically cause magical damage to any enemies present. These spores will also occasionally assault the senses, instilling a sense of nausea within the victim and afflicting them with vomiting. The larger your morass, the more often this will occur. A fungal strain associated with death, the Greycrown is named in honor of He Who Is Death. In the ancient times of the Ithmian tribes and other disparate Duirani people, the mushroom was consumed in small doses during funerary rites of shamanistic figures. - Sapmantle A dangerous strain known for its paralytric secretions. #### Sapmantle **Description**Syntax: SPORE SAPMANTLE Imbue your morass with the tramelling secretions of the paralytic sapmantle, hindering the escape of any infected by your spores. While active, anybody with at least one spore culture that attempts to leave the location will incur a delay time dependant on the amount of spores they have. The sapmantle is a massive fungi that gets its name from a numbing substance it secretes all around its cap and gills. Before the Ithmian tribes gained a rudimentary understanding of toxicology, the sapmantle’s fluid was used as a substitute in battle. - Furyscale A regenerative strain of exploding mushroom. #### Furyscale **Description**Syntax: SPORE FURYSCALE This strain will increase the stability and regeneration of your morass, causing your omophagia attempts to no longer disperse the spore cloud and instead impose a cooldown on its use. Should your morass disperse due to uncontrollable hunger, it will still be destroyed. Also known as the Fury’s Fang, this strain is known to explode when it grows too large. The resultant burst of spores is how it spreads most often, causing it to reproduce and create entire glades of bursting mushroom patches in the spring and summer seasons. Cooldown (Omophagia): 10 seconds - Rootcrest A sturdy strain known for its stubborn growth. #### Rootcrest **Description**Syntax: SPORE ROOTCREST By awakening the rootcrest strain, your morass will prevent you from being moved physically, by your own will or otherwise. Magical forms of movement are unaffected by this. While secured, your morass is entirely unable to be moved as well, and you must end the rootcrest’s influence to move once more. A sturdy strain of fungi known to be difficult to entirely extract from the ground, the rootcrest’s grip upon the land make it almost as implacable a tripping hazard as large rocks or immovable tree roots. ## Visual style and identity Runecarvers do not perform grand magical displays. Their work is subtler. Most of what others see is subtle. Ritual motions, ancient invocations, the carving of mystic script: ambient energies redirected rather than conjured. The dark parts of nature heed their call. Fungi sprout and foetid rot manifests at their command. Ritual tension and primal fear clutch the air wheresoever they walk. A Runecarver is an envoy of life and death, growth and regrowth, often garbed in ceremonial raiments, pelts, and other ritual cloth. ## Side effects of the work A Runecarver lives close to the spirits. Many become prone to visions and instinctual living. The constant monitoring of the Cycle pulls them closer to the Rhythm and to a moment-to-moment way of living that civilised people find disorienting. Association with foul omens makes some Runecarvers more superstitious over time. Many indulge in hallucinogenic mushrooms cultivated from their own Sporulation work, especially when learning to deepen their understanding of the practice. Some elder Runecarvers (particularly Arboreans, whose bark provides ideal substrate) develop fungal growths directly on their own body. ## Who plays this class The Runecarver fits players who want a caster on the Spirit side without the bright, life-affirming overtones of the Shaman. The roleplay frame ranges from terrible witch to wise bonecaster to mushroom-tending hermit, all valid. Mechanically, the kit rewards setup-and-curse play: stack Maledictions, cultivate the morass, drop runes for utility, then close. Unlike Aetolia’s arcane casters, the Runecarver draws no power from structured sorcery: no planes tapped through study, no channelled elements. The power comes from the Cycle itself: pacts, rot, and primal runes. ## City and guild The Runecarver guild is the Praadi, anchored in [Duiran](/world/duiran/), the Spirit Tether’s forest city. Patron: Haern, the Hunter. Sister classes include the [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) and the [Sylvan](/character-classes/sylvan/). Joining as a Runecarver commits you to Spirit. You can multiclass into other Spirit classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race is independent of class, so a Runecarver can be any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Runecarver mirrors the [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/), Spinesreach’s masters of the Plane of Shadow. The Runecarver draws on rot and the dark half of the Cycle. The Sciomancer draws on the Plane of Shadow itself, working singularities and gravity. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Runecarver good for new players?** The class is more demanding than the Shaman or the Carnifex. It rewards setup play, pact management, and patience. New players can succeed here, but it works best for those who like methodical, layered combat. **Do Runecarvers wear black robes and look like witches?** Often, yes. Ceremonial raiments, pelts, and ritual garb suit the class. The visual identity leans toward “wild ritualist,” not “city wizard.” Personal choice still matters, but the Runecarver wardrobe runs darker than the Shaman’s. **What is the morass?** The morass is a cultivated, living spore field that serves as a Runecarver’s focal point for Sporulation. You grow it by managing heat, moisture, and darkness, and it expands the reach of your fungal magic in the field. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Runecarver profile. Or see [all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) The Shaman is the Runecarver’s sister class in the Praadi, same guild and same patron, but built around primal elements, lightning, and overgrowth rather than curses and rot. Pick Shaman if you want overt elemental power on the Spirit side. ### [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/) The Shadow-side mirror. Direct channel to the Plane of Shadow, singularities, and gravity. Pick Sciomancer if you like the destructive-caster chassis but want to play on the Shadow side as a Spinesreach mage. ### [Indorani](/character-classes/indorani/) The Indorani is a Bloodloch dark sorcerer with a similar curse-and-magic profile. Their three skills are Necromancy, Tarot, and Domination, the last of which involves negotiating with Chaos Lords for an army of chaotic entities. Pick Indorani if you like the dark-magic frame but want to swap Dia’ruian rot for chaotic occultism. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Runecarver and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Revenant of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/revenant/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Revenant of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-revenant-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Revenant class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Revenants are Aetolia’s shadow warriors, a Shadow-tethered class in Spinesreach that wields Riving (raw martial discipline and combat training), Manifestation (shadow phantasms summoned from the wielder’s own mind), and Chirography (ancient Kalsu words of power written to evoke magical effects). At a glance**Tether**Shadow**City**[Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/)**Guild**Sciomancers (Patron: Arvelis, the Jackal)**Skill sets**Riving, Manifestation, Chirography**Mirror class**[Templar](/character-classes/templar/) (Spirit)**Sister class in guild**[Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/)**Signature mechanic**Phantasm-summoning (ethereal shadow servants formed from the Revenant’s own mind)**Best for**Players who want a heavy martial class layered with ancient blade magicRevenants are warriors trained in the manipulation of ambient shadow, marrying martial discipline with magical acuity to enact their arts. They guard the border between Prime and Czjetija, between physical and immaterial, and their kit reflects that work. Blade work, ink, and shadow. If you want to play a Shadow-side warrior who fights with both blade and shadow magic, who writes words of power in the language of creation, and who can pull living shadow constructs from their own mind, the Revenant is one of Aetolia’s most distinctive martial classes. ## Origin and lore The first Revenants were trained by Lord Severn, the Manipulator, to protect the Prime Material Plane from Czjetija. Although their long reign of secrecy has ended and their arts are now more commonly taught, there is an archaic quality to their work, particularly to Chirography, which often creates a sense of distance between Revenants and the plane they are bound to protect. The Plane of Shadow itself, Czjetija, is the source of the elemental shadow that naturally weaves part of the Prime Material Plane. Its nature is consumption and corrosion, entropy and insatiable hunger. Its imbalance in mortals is what allows for Undeath. Access to Czjetija is gated through Arvelis, the Jackal, who wards off the Shadow Mother Ohlsana, imprisoned within. Revenants take a different path from their sister class. Where Sciomancers form direct channels to Czjetija for raw elemental power, Revenants work entirely from ambient shadow already present in the environment and in the body. The choice is deliberate. By avoiding direct planar channeling, a Revenant minimizes the risk of the shadowplague that can consume careless practitioners and turn them Shadowbound. ## Skill sets The Revenant skill sets are Riving, Manifestation, and Chirography. All three use ambient shadow manipulation as a foundation, independent of Czjetija and Severn. **Riving** is the martial discipline. A Revenant trains in raw, physical might with weapon work meant to end fights as quickly and decisively as possible. Their martial training conditions them to a brutal, uncompromising style. Riving handles the close-range work that anchors the kit. **Manifestation** is the phantasm art. A Revenant imbues their own thoughts and impulses into shadowy forms that serve them in battle. Phantasms are ethereal creatures of shadow, thought, and instinct. They mirror the sentiments and intentions that created them, taking on a shadowy, miasmic appearance that veils the Revenant’s frame. **Chirography** is the writing of Kalsu, the ancient language of creation. By writing words of power, a Revenant evokes magical effects: empowering blades, helping allies, harming enemies. The Revenants hold knowledge of ancient Kalsu work that allows them to work their blades with empowerments older than most living traditions. ## Skill abilities Riving Manifestation Chirography Filter abilities Title Contents ### Riving - Irongrip Grip your wielded items in a deathlock. #### Irongrip **Description**Syntax: IRONGRIP and RELAX IRONGRIP By gripping your weapons tightly, you can prevent others from disarming you of your precious weapons. - Clotting Control the flow of your blood. #### Clotting **Description**Syntax: CLOT \[#\] This ability will allow you to partially clot your bleeding in trade for your mana. You can specify how many times you wish to clot if need be. If you input no amount, then you will try and clot away 20 bleeding by default. - Envenom Apply deadly venoms to your blades. #### Envenom **Description**Syntax: ENVENOM WITH WIPE With this ability, you may layer venoms on an edged weapon. Each time that weapon hits somebody, one venom will poison your opponent, and disappear from the weapon. Venoms work on a last-on, first-off basis, so if you put xentio on a weapon, and then put voyria on, the voyria would come off first, and the xentio second. You must possess a rag with the venom in order to apply it to a weapon. In order to get rid of the venoms on a weapon, simply WIPE . - Sturdiness Stand firm against attempts to move you. #### Sturdiness **Description**Syntax: STAND FIRM By concentrating on increasing your mass, you are able to gain immunity from most physical attempts to move you. Additionally, should you be feared it will have no effect while you remain firm. You will lose this defence should you move. - Juxtapose Juxtapose your shade upon an ally. #### Juxtapose **Description**Syntax: JUXTAPOSE and UNJUXTAPOSE By juxtaposing your position for that of your ally, you can step in front of any attack aimed at them and take the blow for them. It will last until you either choose to cease, or one of you moves away from the other. - Rage None can quench your fervor. #### Rage **Description**Syntax: RAGE This ability will allow you to cure afflictions based upon altruism, such as those normally cured by eating a steroid pill. Please see HELP CURE ORDER for afflictions that can be cured with the steroid pill. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Rotcull Heighten your reflexes to prevent rot harm. #### Rotcull **Description**Syntax: ROTCULL While standing in a location overcome by the shadowrot, you can protect anybody with you from its invasive nature by focusing entirely upon culling any tendrils or spores that surface the rot to attack. This will require a lot of concentration to maintain, and many actions will interrupt your focus. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Rive or Fell for this ability. - Bruising Bludgeon them into submission with your blunted weaponry. #### Bruising **Description**This ability is passive. Your attacks with bludgeoning weapons will have a two in three chance to cause bruises on any limbs you strike. These bruises will cause the target to bleed slightly, based on the severity of the bruise. These bruises will slowly grow in severity, with each successful hit causing more bruising based upon the damage stat of your weapon. A two-handed weapon will be 25% more effective. Should the opponent be fallen upon the ground, your strikes are guaranteed to cause a bruise and will immediately upgrade it to the next severity level. - MainGauche Counterattack with your off-hand short blade. #### MainGauche **Description**Syntax: MAINGAUCHE While wielding a weapon with this defence active, you will have a chance to perform a counter attack upon most physical attacks made against you. Your chance is roughly based upon your current dexterity, with higher being better. Any counter strike made using this ability cannot deliver any effects upon the weapon, such as empowerments or venoms. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Rive or Fell for this ability. **Details**Damage Source TriggerBrute Damage Type Trigger (Denizen)Cutting and Blunt Maingauche Chance150% of dexterity Maingauche DelayBetween 0.8 to 1.2 seconds Weapon Damage Modifier100% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)50% Equilibrium Cost2.00 seconds Cooldown (on proc)15 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires at least one arm functional. - Requires at least one leg functional. - (Proc) Costs 30 endurance to use. - (Proc) Weapon must be wielded in a functional arm. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Proc) Cannot be fallen. - Anguish Launch a shadow to induce anguish. #### Anguish **Description**Syntax: ANGUISH Summon forth a howling shadow and direct it upon your opponent, so that it might shatter their will to fight. They must be suffering from ringing ears or sensitivity, or it will have no effect. Otherwise it will: \* Knock their pill balance by an extra 1.35 seconds. \* Destroy the aura of rebounding if its not yet fully formed. Additionally, some bonus effects are applied depending on their condition: \* If they have extravasation, it will knock them over. \* If they have epilepsy, the equilibrium recovery time is shortened. \* If they have deadening, they will be stunned. If the target has all three of the above afflictions, then the cooldown on the ability is not applied. You may use this ability while you do not have balance. Cooldown: 6 seconds - Blocking Prevent movement in certain directions #### Blocking **Description**Syntax: BLOCK and UNBLOCK Move into a position that blocks others from leaving your location, providing you are not incapacitated or feared. Should you move, you will cease to block. - Separate Split them off to finish them alone. #### Separate **Description**Syntax: SEPARATE Using a burst of energy you may separate your foe from their allies using your own body. Provided they are not protected by the density defence, your target will be forcefully helped in another direction for as far as you can go. You will both stop upon reaching something that blocks movement. - Mastery Stand as a weaponmaster with your armament of choice. #### Mastery **Description**Usage: MASTERY SHOW MASTERY WEAPON MASTERY TALENT This grants you the ability to select a weapon you wish to become proficient in, and a talent you wish to focus your abilities upon. Once every so often, you will be able to change the weapon you are proficient in, and the talent you have chosen. The benefits of a talent require you to be wielding a weapon from the specified weapon class. Available talents: Small Blades and Bludgeons \* Serration : Attacks cause additional bleeding. \* Overpowering : Slight chance for a minor critical strike. \* Grace : You can avoid rebounded attacks. \* Rhythm : Generates a small amount of blade charge when parried. \* Exhausting : Your weapon strikes cause fatigue in your target. Large Blades and Bludgeons \* Opportunizing: Attacks penetrate armour if your target is fallen. \* Pummeling : Blunt attacks cause additional bruising. \* Overdriving : Actuated effects add to Atele and pass through. \* Whirling : Harrow has a 50% chance to resist tripping attacks. \* Remnants : Retains 1/4th of your charge when switching targets. Will affects both groups \* Poise : Reduced penalty for striking shielded targets. \* Conservation : Duplicity/Fell cost less endurance. Cooldown (mastery): 60 minutes Cooldown (talent): 60 minutes - Doubletarget Direct your fury at two limbs. #### Doubletarget **Description**Syntax: TARGET WITH You are now dexterous enough to target two different bodyparts at the same time. Your left hand will always be the first to strike your target, and the right hand will strike second. This will only work in tandem with abilities that let you strike twice, such as Duality or Doublestrike. - Circle Close in as they flee. #### Circle **Description**Syntax: CIRCLE and CALM At a cost of continued mental strain, you may use this ability to circle your foe, reducing their ability to escape you. Should they flee your location, you will automatically strike and stun them, enabling you to take advantage of their cowardice. You may use this ability while off balance. Two-handed weapons will give you a 50% chance to stop them fleeing your location immediately. - You have learnt the following weaponry attacks - Rive Use the wraith’s standard armaments. #### Rive **Description**Syntax: RIVEBASH A most basic ability, this is considered the baseline for weapon to weapon combat. Wielding a shield and weapon, you simply strike your target. Beneficial in that you have a shield for defence, detrimental in its relative weakness. You can use any weapon listed upon HELP RIVING in the one-handed section with this ability. For shields, any shield will suffice. The gladius may also be used with this ability, unique to the Riving skill. - Raze Raze the defences of your opponent. #### Raze **Description**Syntax: RAZE This ability will use your weapon to tear down defensive auras and abilities that protect your target. It will raze the following in order: Reflections Magical shields Rebounding aura Speed defence You can use any weapon that is compatible with Rive or Fell for this ability. - Fell The martial style of the Trolls. #### Fell **Description**Syntax: FELL A standard of the Trolls, this is a simple one-two attack with a two handed weapon. You can use any weapon listed upon HELP RIVING in the two-handed section with this ability. The bardiche can also be used, unique to the Riving skill. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier60% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen, Blade)66% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen, Bludgeon)58% Weapon Trauma Modifier55% Endurance Cost (Per Strike)30 Weapon Speed Modifier110% Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Duplicity Twinned ferocity. #### Duplicity **Description**Syntax: DPL If the example of the Trolls is not your style, instead use two single handed weapons. This ability will allow you to strike with both the left and right hands at once. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Rive for this ability. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier55% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen, Blade)62% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen, Bludgeon)59% Weapon Trauma Modifier55% Endurance Cost (Per Strike)25 Base Weapon Speed50% of each weapon Weapon Speed Modifier+0.10 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Umbrage An ethereal dance of death. #### Umbrage **Description**Syntax: UMBRAGE By releasing your spectral form, you are able to quickly strike everyone in your location with a two-handed weapon. Because it is your specter, and not your physical body, you may perform this while off of equilibrium. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Fell for this ability. - Initiate Initiate your foe from nearby. #### Initiate **Description**Syntax: INITIATE Why wait for them to start the fight? Initiate combat with a target in an adjacent location. After a short delay you will move locations and introduce them to your blunt weapon. They will be knocked to the ground, stunned for a short period, and form a bruise on their torso. If their torso is damaged, it will raise the bruising level one extra time. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Rive or Fell for this ability, providing it is a bludgeoning weapon. - Gouge Ruin their fragile flesh. #### Gouge **Description**Syntax: GOUGE This ability enables you to briefly detach your specter and tear into the flesh of your target alongside your weapons. If your weapon is envenomed or actuated, that will take precedence and occur instead. Again, by utilizing your specter, this may be performed while off of equilibrium. You can only make use of this ability with either a flail, a morningstar, or any edged weapon. - Deceive Feint and strike in one flowing action. #### Deceive **Description**Syntax: DECEIVE Deceive your target by razing through their protective auras and abilities with your left hand, while your right strikes as per normal. If using a two handed weapon, you will make a quick attack after the raze, ensuring your foe takes damage. It will raze the following in order: Reflections Magical shields Rebounding aura Speed defence You can use any weapon that is compatible with Rive or Fell for this ability. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier60% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen, Blade)66% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen, Bludgeon)58% Weapon Trauma Modifier55% Endurance Cost (Per Strike)25 Weapon Speed Modifier–5% Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (First Hit) Will bypass magical shields. - Eclipse Overshadow and extinguish your foe. #### Eclipse **Description**Syntax: ECLIPSE This attack takes several stages, during which you may be interrupted in any number of ways. By gathering shadow into your weapon, you may temporarily eclipse the shadow within your target with that in your blade. Should this occur successfully, they will temporarily be without shadow in their body. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Rive or Fell for this ability, providing it is a small blade or large blade. NOTE: No denizen of the Prime Material has ever survived absence of their base elemental shadow. - Harrow Attack without restraint. #### Harrow **Description**Syntax: HARROW Surrender to your lust for blood and fury, striking out with abandon with a two-handed weapon. Four total blows will follow, whatever weapon you hold. Should you be incapacitated or have your chosen implement of harrowing be taken from you, you will cease. You may not utilise any action that consumes balance or equilibrium during your attack, otherwise you will interrupt it. You may however use Anguish during it without interruption. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Fell for this ability. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier60% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)35% Weapon Trauma Modifier55% Zeal Strike TimerEvery 1.00 seconds Additional Strikes3 strikes Balance Recovery4.40 seconds Requirements - Requires at least one arm functional. - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 60 endurance to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled. - Cannot have paresis or be paralysed. - Cannot be fallen. - Transpierce Pin your opponent down like a butterfly. #### Transpierce **Description**Syntax: TRANSPIERCE and WITHDRAW BLADE If your target is prone, you can drive your blade through their body, pinning them down and giving your weapon a nice sheath. While transpierced, your target must writhe free to be able to flee or attack, unless you withdraw your blade. If you are wielding a two-handed blade, you will also be able to impale them if they are suffering from shock and extravasation. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Rive or Fell for this ability, providing it is a small blade or large blade. - Hemoclysm There will be blood. #### Hemoclysm **Description**Syntax: HEMOCLYSM <\[empowerment\]> This ability will rupture the bruises upon the limb you specify, dealing a large amount of damage and deep bleeding equal to the severity of the bruise. The bruising level must be at least moderate in order to use this ability. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Rive or Fell for this ability, providing it is a bludgeoning weapon. - Harvest Zigzag through them, leaving pain and shadow in your wake. #### Harvest **Description**Syntax: HARVEST Throw your weapon to your specter and mimic the orbitting of your Sciomancer brethren. Your weapons will spin and strike all non-ally targets in your location until there are no targets left, or six have been struck. Any empowerments or venoms upon your weapon will be delivered when you hit. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Rive or Fell for this ability. - Jumpcut Step through shadow and attack from nearby. #### Jumpcut **Description**Syntax: JUMPCUT Build up shadow within yourself over a brief delay, and utilizing a limited shadowjump, attack your enemy in an adjacent location. If you are using a bladed weapon, they will be transpierced. You can use any weapon that is compatible with Rive or Fell for this ability, providing it is a small blade or large blade. - Extirpate Ultimate suffering by the blade. #### Extirpate **Description**Syntax: EXTIRPATE Should you have your target impaled, you may carve your sword through their stomach and disembowel them. This will deal severe damage equal to roughly half their maximum health, however this can be increased depending if their torso is broken or mutilated. This will free them from their impalement as you disembowel them, and your blade will cut through any bindings they might have. If you manage to disembowel your target three times in short succession, then the shock to their system will be too much and they will perish. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Manifestation - Phantasm Manifest a phantasm of shadow. #### Phantasm **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM and PHANTASM QUELL You may activate and deactivate what phantasm will be actively fed your mana, in return for its abilities. Each phantasm has a different cost. Some phantasms will aide the ally who possesses your shade as well, and their AB files will detail these benefits. Using PHANTASM alone will detail which phantasms are affecting you. - Seek Send a phantasm to sniff them out. #### Seek **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM SEEK Send out a phantasm to learn where your target is. Should that target possess your shade, or they have been struck with the mark of livfa, you will gain more details about their location. - Chimerization Devour your phantasms to gain their power. #### Chimerization **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM DEVOUR and PHANTASM QUELL CHIMERIZED Consume your phantasm and chimerize yourself with it. This will cause your phantasm to cease consuming your mana, but it will be weaker in this form, and only affect you. You may only chimerize three phantasms at once, lest your memories be food for the phantasms. - Discord Instill discord into their bodily functions. #### Discord **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM DISCORD Draw forth twisted shadows to strike at your target from below, bringing discord to their bodily functions. Afflictions possible: Paresis, stupidity, and confusion. - Metabolize Fully recuperate a devoured phantasm to gain its essence. #### Metabolize **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM METABOLIZE Disrupt the normal order and consume a random chimerized phantasm in return for healed health and mana. The more skilled you are in Manifestation, the more will be returned. This skill can be used while off-balance or off-equilibrium. Cooldown: 15 seconds - Shade Send a shade to watch your ally. #### Shade **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM SHADE or PHANTASM SHADE NOBODY Break away a piece of your shadow, your shade, and set it to haunt an ally. They must also consider you an ally in order for the shade to truly latch on. If you are not in the same location as your ally there will be a short delay while your shade travels. Your shaded ally can choose to REJECT SHADE to cast off your shade. This ability is necessary for many other abilities, which cannot affect others without a piece of yourself present to ground them. - Sidestep Distance is nothing to the power of shadow. #### Sidestep **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM SIDESTEP \[PHANTASM\] Step through your shadow to your shade, they are the same. If you have tethered a phantasm, you may specify that and travel to it instead. Monolith sigils will prevent this form of transportation. NOTE: If you should unintentionally end up in the Forgotten, please make sure to write down your circumstances accurately. The next Revenant to arrive will add your account to the handbook. - Parasite Set a parasitic shadow on them. #### Parasite **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM PARASITE Set a phantasm on your target, and it will feed from them. This will grant them the withering affliction. - Apocrypha Recite the words of the Apocrypha. #### Apocrypha **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM APOCRYPHA At dawn, when the grip of night has faded, you may call upon the phantasmal Apocrypha and begin the day with vigilance by extolling the dangers of encroaching Shadow to all present and granting them experience. The amount of experience awarded is increased based on the number of people present. If you perform the Apocrypha before the forbidding barrier in the Revenant’s Roost, you will also gain the ‘apocrypha’ defence for one hour, which will increase your resistance to denizen damage by 5%. - Embolden Will your phantasm to act upon its own accord. #### Embolden **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM EMBOLDEN By focusing on your phantasms, you may embolden them to act freely, negating their need to feed on your mind. If you perform an aggressive action they will return to normal in order to allow you to focus on combat once more. - Reanimate Call upon your phantasm to bring another back to life. #### Reanimate **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM REANIMATE Bring a corpse held in your arms back to life with a phantasm. Metaphysical questions of soul and what manner they are crammed back inside are merely academic. They may choose to not accept, or take too long, causing the phantasm to disperse and the chance to be lost. - Retrieve Command your shade to bring its target to you. #### Retrieve **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM RETRIEVE Summon your shade, provided you are on the same continent. Whomever your shade is attached to will be brought along. - Engulf Engulf your ally in the protection of your phantasm. #### Engulf **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM ENGULF Allow your shade to fully engulf your ally for a temporary amount of time, deepening the bond and further making you the same in the eyes of shadow. You will both experience increased health and resistances while in the same location, as well as random afflictions fading periodically. The cooldown of this ability is applied to both you and your ally. Neither can be affected by this skill until the cooldown is complete. Cooldown (both you and ally): 2 hours - You are able to manifest shadows of the following effects - Influence Your phantasm will influence your strikes, aiding accuracy. #### Influence **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM INFLUENCE This phantasm will influence your strikes, enhancing your accuracy. Afflictions and effects attempting to harm said accuracy will be bypassed. This includes bows, though your phantasm is less effective at a distance. Phantasm: 20% increased to hit, increased dexterity. Chimerized: 10% increased chance to hit. Your shade will share this effect with your ally, should they be in your location. - Congeal Will your phantasm into a protective barrier. #### Congeal **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM CONGEAL Utilize a phantasm to protect your physical form, from attacks both physical and magical. Phantasm: 15% resistance to cutting, blunt, and magical damage, and increased wisdom. Chimerized: 5% of the same. Your shade will share this effect with your ally, should they be in your location. - Leech Draw upon your phantasm to heal your wounds. #### Leech **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM LEECH Allow a phantasm to do what it does best: leech from your surroundings in order to bolster itself. Your health regeneration and constitution will be increased. Phantasm: 7% health regeneration, increased constitution Chimerized: 5% health regeneration. Your shade will share this effect with your ally, should they be in your location. - Claw Your phantasm will claw alongside your strikes. #### Claw **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM CLAW A phantasm to damage enemies with magical damage. It will also increase your strength. Phantasm: 10% magical damage to enemies, increased strength Chimerized: 5% magical damage to enemies Your shade will share this effect with your ally, should they be in your location. - Mire Corporeal shadow will mire attempts to heal. #### Mire **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM MIRE Disperse a phantasm to mire the area in shadow, reducing the effectiveness of non-natural healing for everyone present. Phantasm: 60% less non-natural healing Chimerized: 25% less non-natural healing The one gifted with your shade will be immune. - Choke Command your phantasm to damage your enemy from within. #### Choke **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM CHOKE Gift a phantasm to your enemies, which will make its home in their throats, sickening them from within. These sicknesses include the following afflictions: Vomiting, allergies, recklessness, masochism, epilepsy, or mirroring. Phantasm: The affliction is hidden from the target. Chimerized: They will know what has been done. Your shade will share this effect with your ally, should they be in your location. - Tether Tether a phantasm to your location #### Tether **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM TETHER \[OFF\] Leave your phantasm tethered to a location. You may then use Sidestep to travel there. After a quarter of a day, the phantasm will fade. - Wail A piercing wail to disrupt mental faculties. #### Wail **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM WAIL The most annoying phantasm will pierce the ears and minds of all those around you, disrupting their minds and increasing their usage of mana. Phantasm: 50% increase to mana costs Chimerized: 20% increase to mana costs The one gifted with your shade will be immune. - Absorb Your phantasm will greedily absorb your afflictions. #### Absorb **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM ABSORB A phantasm to absorb afflictions. If you are paralysed, it will be as well, and be unable to aide you. Phantasm: Cures a random affliction every 14 seconds. Chimerized: Cures a random affliction every 24 seconds. Your shade will share this effect with your ally, should they be in your location. - Siphon Siphon your phantasm’s power to fuel your mind. #### Siphon **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM SIPHON Siphon mana from the world around you, through the medium of your phantasm. This will increase your mana regeneration and intelligence. Phantasm: 7% mana regeneration, increased intelligence Chimerized: 5% mana regeneration Your shade will share this effect with your ally, should they be in your location. - Symbiosis Suffuse yourself with the essence of those you slay. #### Symbiosis **Description**Syntax: PHANTASM SYMBIOSIS The ultimate expression of what your phantasm desires. Feed from those you slay. Denizens are less tasty, and give less. Phantasm: Full health, mana, endurance, and willpower (based on the target) Chimerized: 33% health and mana, 10% endurance/willpower of the above Your shade will share this effect with your ally, should they be in your location. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Chirography - Actuate Charge your weapons with the power of shadow. #### Actuate **Description**Syntax: ACTUATE WITH Mark your weapons with different empowered marks, causing different effects when an enemy is successfully hit with them. - Annul Purge a shadow effect from your weapon. #### Annul **Description**Syntax: ANNUL Remove all marks placed upon your weapon. - Reaping Glean power from your strikes. #### Reaping **Description**This ability is mostly passive. Supplementary syntax: BLADE CHARGE Each time you strike your foe, your blade will accumulate shadow essence from them. This essence may be released for other effects with other abilities. The amount of essence gained depends on the base penetration stat of your weapon, higher meaning more essence. This power will decay over time, and should you unwield your weapons or strike a new target, the essence will become unattuned and vanish. The above syntax will allow you to gauge the rough numerical quantity of essence in your blades. **Details**Base Essence15 essence Penetration Essence Bonus10% of penetration Two-Handed Essence Bonus+10% Maximum Essence150 essence Minimum Essence to Scribe40 charge Essence Decay TimerEvery 10 seconds Essence Loss–10 essence - Lawid Strike a foe with magical force. #### Lawid **Description**Syntax: BLADE SCRIBE \[\] LAWID “lawid” (noun, adjective) – magic Release the stored essence to strike your foes with magical energy. – One handed weapons will deal less damage, but are thin enough to cause bleeding. – Two handed weapons will deal more damage and damage your enemy’s torso. If your weapon is below a certain amount of essence, the damage will be halved. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeMagic Damage SourceArcane Base Damage8 for each essence + 6% Base Damage (Denizen)8 for each essence Low Essence Threshold130 essence Low Essence Penalty–50% One-Handed Bleeding30 One-Handed Damage Penalty–25% Two-Handed Trauma Dealt+1.00% trauma per 8 essence Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 200 mana to use. - Costs 50 endurance to use. - Costs 50 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Owinta An explosion to make ashes of them all #### Owinta **Description**Syntax: BLADE SCRIBE \[\] OWINTA “owinta” (noun, verb) – explosion, to explode Consume your blade’s essence to cause an explosion of energy, damaging your opponent with fire damage and setting them ablaze. More essence, more boom. \* One-handed weapons will deal half the damage of two-handed ones. \* Two-handed weapons will also produce a roaring sound that causes ringing ears. - Telvi Chill your foe to the bone. #### Telvi **Description**Syntax: BLADE SCRIBE \[\] TELVI “telvi” (noun, adjective) – cold, north, northern Exchange the essence in your blade to consume heat, chilling or freezing your opponent. – One handed weapons will freeze them by one level. – Two handed weapons will freeze them by two levels. Their feet will also be frozen to the ground, based upon essence expended. If your essence is insufficient, the ability will not work. - Iyedlo Cut through like butter. #### Iyedlo **Description**Syntax: BLADE SCRIBE \[\] IYEDLO “iyedlo” (verb) – move smoothly, flow, drift Convert the essence within your weapon to pierce through the air and any resistance it might meet. This will allow you to recover balance more quickly when using the Duplicity and Fell abilities. Please see either AB RIVING DUPLICITY or AB RIVING FELL for more information on those abilities. You must have enough charge within your weapons in order to use this ability, and will fully drain all charge from any weapons in your hands. - Aneda A bolt of shadow to rend the skies. #### Aneda **Description**Syntax: BLADE SCRIBE \[\] ANEDA “aneda” (noun) – cloud Provided you and your enemy are not indoors, this ability will expend shadow essence to attract a lightning bolt for them, after a delay. They will enjoy a blast of electricity. If you are using a one-handed weapon: \* You or the target will need to not be indoors. \* If the essence is over 90, it will cause epilepsy when it strikes. \* The damage will be halved. If you are using a two-handed weapon: \* You or the target can be indoors. \* It will always cause epilepsy. \* If they have epilepsy already, it will upset their balance instead. The less essence, the slower the bolt will find them. - Cull Swift extinction. #### Cull **Description**Syntax: CULL An enemy suffering from delirium, extravasation, sundering, and paralysis… is not an enemy. They are no longer anything, and should be culled. Provided those requirements are met, the death will be immediate. - Atdum A lance of swift shadow. #### Atdum **Description**Syntax: BLADE SCRIBE \[\] ATDUM “atdum” (noun) – shadow Sacrifice your essence to strike your target with pure shadow. No damage will be inflicted, but the shadow will bring any effects or venoms to your enemy regardless. It does not target a body part. You must have sufficient essence to use this, and it will consume all essence available. - Lurk Let shadow lie in wait. #### Lurk **Description**Syntax: LURK Mark a target for shadow, signifying their weakness. Should a single instance of damage where an extra 50% would result in their death, then shadow will finish the job. There will be no corpse remaining. Cooldown: 60 seconds - Ingather Shadow is sourced from all around. #### Ingather **Description**Syntax: INGATHER \[ON|OFF\] Offer yourself to attract shadow. For a drain on your willpower, your shadow essence will fade half as quickly, supplemented by the shadow you trade mind for. - You can scribe the following marks - Duskosa The mark of shared suffering. #### Duskosa **Description** “dusko” (noun, verb) – hurt, harm, injure, injury, wound “sa” (noun, plural suffix) – two, pair, both This is an actuated effect. Mark your blade to damage both your enemy and yourself for a percentage of their current health as shadow damage. This can affect denizens, however it cannot score critical hits. - Nalay Absence of shadow to see by. #### Nalay **Description** “nalay” (noun, verb) – flame, to enflame, to light This is an actuated effect. Drain the shadows from the room, creating a sort of light, for a limited time. - Bimre Shake them to their core. #### Bimre **Description** “bimre” (noun) – fear This is an actuated effect. This mark is the beginning for something greater, afflicting your opponent with mortalterror. Other marks require bimre to be upon your target to work. Only one Revenant may mark a target with bimre at a time. - Dirne Break their focus. #### Dirne **Description** “dirne” (noun, verb, adj.) – break, broken, crack, disrupt This is an actuated effect. A mark to disrupt the balances of those struck. First it ensures that the extravasation of the blood vessels occurs. Second goes their mind, leaving them in a state of delirium. This mark requires Bimre to be set on your target. - Azu Cut them down to size. #### Azu **Description** “azu” (noun, verb) – sever, cut This is an actuated effect, which will wear off over time if left uncured. The first strike will sever their legs, causing lameness within them. The second strike will attack the body, sundering their physical control. This mark requires Bimre to be set on your target. - Livfa The overseer’s mark. #### Livfa **Description** “livfa” (verb) – oversee, supervise, watch over This is an actuated effect. This mark draws attention. For a period of time, those struck will be unable to become invisible, hide, or even become incorporeal. - Lura The crushing mark. #### Lura **Description** “lura” (verb) – crush, smash This is an actuated effect. Crush them. This mark, proportional to the base damage stat of your weapon, will increase damage to your opponent’s limbs. - Baludu Numb their limbs when you strike. #### Baludu **Description** “balu” (noun, verb) – feeling, feel, perceive “du” (noun, particle) – not, opposite, none This is an actuated effect. This mark will obstruct signals in the limbs of those struck, numbing them. If the opposite limb is crippled, the numbed limb will act as though it is crippled as well. Otherwise, it is but an annoyance. The only valid limbs in this scenario are arms and legs, not pseudopods or tentacles. - Nipdo A mark to attack thought and magic. #### Nipdo **Description** “nipdo” (noun, verb) – think, thought, ponder, consider, mind, brain This is an actuated effect. With this mark you may feed the mana of those struck to shadow. If your foe should bear the mark Bimre, the feeding will be greater. - Doyfo A mark of connection. #### Doyfo **Description** “doyfo” (noun, verb) – bridge, connection, attach, connect This is an actuated effect. Leave a bit of yourself with your foe via this mark, similar to your shade, but with malicious intent. One marked so will be free of equilibrium and balance to perform the following upon: Diagnose, Wounds, Gauge, Assess - Atele A dread omen to torment them. #### Atele **Description** “atele” (noun, adj.) – sign, portent, omen, ominous, dire This is an actuated effect. Dread. Anticipation with fear. Once set upon your foe, they have a doom set upon them, ready to burst outwards and attack their mind with psychic damage after 30 seconds. This effect can be triggered early by knocking your opponent to the ground. Other marks will combine effects to the impending burst by striking them with it before it triggers. The following actuated effects may be added: Atele – Increases the psychic damage dealt. Lura – Causes 7% trauma to the head. Baludu – Numbs an unhurt leg. Jakive – Causes bruising on the head. Adil – Stuns the opponent for 1 second. Vusbadu – Destroys a random defence. Nipdo – Drains the target of their mana. Doyfo – Afflicts them with resonance. Livfa – Afflicts them with flared. - Adil Stun them so ferociously they see stars. #### Adil **Description** “adil” (noun) – star This is an actuated effect. A burst of shadow to stun them. Simple. Effective. - Wasi Sunder rebounding auras. #### Wasi **Description** “wasi” (noun, verb) – flaw, imperfection, mistake, to damage, to make a mistake This is an actuated effect. This mark will consume the rebounding aura defence of your foe. You will not accumulate any essence from striking your target with this effect. - Vusbadu Annihilate your foe’s defences. #### Vusbadu **Description** “vusba” (noun, verb) – protection, shelter, to protect, to guard “du” (noun, particle) – not, opposite, none This is an actuated effect. This mark will consume a defence from your opponent that did not originate from themselves. - Jakive Assail them with bruises. #### Jakive **Description** “jakive” (verb) – (‘jak’ + ‘ive’): to wrestle, to squeeze, to grip tightly This is an actuated effect. This power will have your weapon cause a bruise or upgrade a bruise upon your opponent, providing you directly attack a limb. - Wilave Rivers of blood from sources of pain #### Wilave **Description** “wilave” (noun) – river This is an actuated effect. If your foe has ruptured vessels, this mark will draw more from them, both in pain and blood. Blood calls to blood. As such, they will be dealt escalating poison damage based on how much they are bleeding, and how many bruises they have. This ability will add some bleeding as well for each bruise the opponent has. ## Visual style and identity Repeated use of shadow induces an unnatural darkening of the skin and a slow blackening of the eyes. These effects intensify while actively manipulating ambient shadow or actuating a word of power. A Revenant’s martial training conditions them to a brutal, uncompromising style of fighting in which ending a fight as quickly and decisively as possible is the desired outcome. Phantasms hover close. A Revenant in combat often appears veiled by miasmic shadow, the phantasm taking on a semi-independent presence at their side. The Kalsu work shows in the writing itself: words inked or carved into surfaces, glowing as they trigger. ## Side effects of the work Shadow is by far the most temperamental and dangerous element to directly manipulate. Repeat use and exposure can both grow beyond the wielder’s control to devastating effect, and there is a real risk of corrupting the user to Ohlsana’s influence. Those who become inflicted with the shadowplague will slowly become Shadowbound, a facsimile of who they were, grown monstrous and under Her control. This is precisely why Revenants avoid direct channels to Czjetija and work only from ambient shadow. Even with that discipline, physical changes occur. The eyes darken and become nearly solid. Corruption shows in veins sprawling outwards from them. Fingertips darken, skin texture changes from porous to strange and irregular, and the world slowly loses its sense of color. Some Revenants hear whispering voices at the back of the head in a language they do not understand. Across decades, partial color blindness can set in. ## Who plays this class The Revenant attracts players who want a heavy martial class layered with serious magical depth. The roleplay frame is disciplined, archaic, and quietly dangerous. You are a warrior bound to protect the Prime from a plane that would devour it, and the cost of doing the job is written into your body. Mechanically, the class rewards players who enjoy weapon work paired with magical layering. Riving carries the melee tempo, Manifestation adds a pet-class layer with semi-autonomous phantasms, and Chirography opens an additional toolkit of blade enchantments and Kalsu-fueled effects. The kit pairs well with players who like to read fights and apply pressure in multiple ways at once. ## City and guild The Revenant guild is the Sciomancers of [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/), the Shadow Tether’s city of artifice. Patron: Arvelis, the Jackal. The guild houses both the Revenant class and its sister class, the [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/), shadow mages who channel Czjetija directly for raw elemental power. Revenants serve in part as guardians of the mages, working alongside them to assist in experiments and to control the Shadow Element on the field. Joining as a Revenant means committing to Shadow. You cannot actively hold any Spirit-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Shadow classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race choice is independent of class, so you can play a Revenant of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Revenant mirror is the [Templar](/character-classes/templar/), Enorian’s holy knights of Celezor. Both are heavy martial classes that pair city-defining warrior identity with magical layering. Templars bind holy fire into steel; Revenants bind ancient Kalsu into blade, built on the same heavy martial chassis from opposite sources. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Revenant good for new players?** Yes. The combat kit has a clear melee foundation in Riving that new players can grow into, while Manifestation and Chirography add depth as you progress. The Sciomancers guild is one of Spinesreach’s most active and offers strong mentorship. **How does the phantasm work?** Phantasms are ethereal creatures of shadow, thought, and instinct, formed from the externalised mental impulses of the Revenant. They serve the Revenant by various means in combat. They are not usually any smarter than they need to be, mirroring the sentiments and intentions that created them. They take on a shadowy, miasmic appearance that veils the Revenant’s frame. **How does a Revenant differ from a Sciomancer?** Both are inside the Sciomancers guild and both work with shadow. Sciomancers channel Czjetija directly and operate as full mages with elemental scale. Revenants stay with ambient shadow and martial blade work, layering Kalsu effects on a melee chassis. Same guild, different role. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Revenant profile. Or see [the complete class roster](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/) Revenant’s sister class in the same guild. Shadow mages with a direct channel to Czjetija. Sciomancy, Sorcery, Gravitation. Pick Sciomancer if you like the Sciomancers guild and shadow lore but prefer full mage work to martial-and-magic hybrid combat. ### [Templar](/character-classes/templar/) The Revenant’s mirror across the Spirit-Shadow divide. Enorian holy knights of Celezor who bind holy radiance into steel. Battlefury, Righteousness, Bladefire. Pick Templar if you like the heavy martial-with-magic chassis but want to fight for the Light rather than the Shadow. ### [Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/) Bloodloch’s signature heavy martial class. Savagery, Deathlore, Warhounds. Pick Carnifex if you like the Shadow-side warrior frame but prefer soulstone magic, a warhound at the heel, and the ritual lore of Roan Seluno to Kalsu writing and phantasm summoning. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Revenant and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Ravager of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/ravager/) **Published:** December 22, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Ravager of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-ravager-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Ravager class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Ravagers are Aetolia’s hellfire brawlers, a Shadow-tethered class in Bloodloch that wields Brutality (dirty martial arts with a butcher’s hook), Ravaging (soulfire channeled from the infernal realm of Perdition), and Egotism (will made manifest, drawn from Corrupt Chaos). At a glance**Tether**Shadow**City**[Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/)**Guild**Carnifex (Patron: Bamathis, the Lost)**Skill sets**Brutality, Ravaging, Egotism**Mirror class**[Zealot](/character-classes/zealot/) (Spirit)**Sister class in guild**[Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/)**Signature mechanic**Perdition hellfire and ego-driven attacks**Best for**Players who want a brawler with magic, attitude, and zero honour codeThe first Ravagers were forged in the year 504 of the Midnight Age when the Carnifex, led by Bamathis the Warlord, laid siege to the pocket realm of Perdition. They bent its hellfire to their own will, and a new fighting tradition was baptised in savagery and infernal flame. If you want to play a bruiser who fights dirty, kicks in faces, drags souls out of a fiery prison realm, and bullies absolutely everyone weaker than you, the Ravager is one of Aetolia’s most distinctive Shadow classes. ## Origin and lore Ravagers came into being during the Second War of Night. The Carnifex, led by Bamathis the Warlord, invaded the pocket realm of Perdition: a hellscape originally created by Shadow General Sanaz as a place of fire, torture, and brutal interrogations. The Carnifex broke Sanaz’s hold on the realm and seized it for themselves. In doing so, they founded a new combat tradition built on hellfire, soul-burn, and the brutalising of tormented spirits. Perdition still exists today as a conduit of power for every Ravager. Through it, a Ravager channels harrowing flames against enemies and can damn the weakest of them to the depths of the infernal realm itself. A second discovery shaped the class. During a clash of wills with Siphelia, the Specter, Xenia Seirath, aided by Bamathis, learned to hone her ego against the very beings of Corrupt Chaos who first weaponised it. By dominating the Chaos Lords in their own court, the Carnifex learned that ego, raw self-certainty, could be expanded and weaponised on the Prime. This became the skill of Egotism. The Ravager carries both legacies: Perdition’s flame and the Court of Chaos’s will-made-real. ## Skill sets The Ravager skill sets are Brutality, Ravaging, and Egotism. **Brutality** is the unarmed combat foundation. Ravagers fight with punches, kicks, and a butcher’s hook on a long chain. The style is openly dirty: no honour code, no formal stance, just whatever produces the most pain in the least time. **Ravaging** is the soulfire art. A Ravager channels Perdition’s hellfire to inflict pain at range and to brutalise souls trapped in the infernal realm. Where Carnifex Deathlore captures and stores souls, Ravaging torments them directly. **Egotism** is the third arm of the class: will made manifest. By honing their ego against Chaos Lords, Ravagers learned to project pure conceit as a palpable force. Egotism attacks are unsubtle and direct. As the RP file puts it, an ego strike is “as brutal and unsophisticated as a boot to the face.” ## Skill abilities Brutality Ravaging Egotism Filter abilities Title Contents ### Brutality - Wounds Determine if a limb has been subjected to trauma. #### Wounds **Description**Syntax: WOUNDS \[target\] This ability will allow you to determine how badly damaged the limbs of your opponent are. If you specify no target, then you can check your own limbs. - Attitude Brains AND brawn. #### Attitude **Description**Syntax: ATTITUDE With the right attitude, you can receive a damage boost to a subset of abilities within the Brutality skillset. The following attitudes are available to you: Aggressive: Increases the damage of fist-based abilities. Decisive: Increases the damage of foot-based abilities. Cruel: Increases the damage of hook-based abilities. - Oppose Oppose attacks on your limbs. #### Oppose **Description**Syntax: OPPOSE or OPPOSE NOTHING Using nothing but your raw strength, you can oppose attacks aimed at a specific limb. Both your hands must have nothing in them in order to oppose an attack. You can oppose attacks to either the head, torso, left arm, right arm, left leg, or right leg. You will be unable to oppose attacks if you have paresis or become prone (see HELP PRONE). Being fallen is excluded from this list. - Sprint Don’t let them get away. #### Sprint **Description**Syntax: SPRINT You can now sprint in a particular direction, allowing you to move through multiple rooms at once. Adventurers will only follow you if they have the ability to pace themselves, or through some other means. **Details**Max Distance10 rooms Movement TypeDashing Denizens FollowYes Adventurers FollowYes\* Mounts FollowYes Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 5 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled. - Cannot have paresis or be paralysed. - Cannot be fallen. - Cannot be used while phased. - Premeditation The best atrocity is the one planned in advance. #### Premeditation **Description**Syntax: PREMEDITATE WITH Decide in advance how best to brutalise your victim by adjusting your hook to suit. You will need a piece of iron in your inventory, allowing you to either sharpen the edge of your hook to deal cutting damage, or blunt it with a stopper to deal blunt damage. Without first preparing your hook in this manner, you will be unable to attack with it. - Onslaught Grant them no reprieve. #### Onslaught **Description**Syntax: ONSLAUGHT <\[ab\] \[param\]> <\[ab\] \[param\]> Savage your victim with a vicious onslaught of attacks at a reduced balance cost. You may optionally include a secondary parameter, such as left or right, when the ability requires one. Only two abilities may be used at once. This can be any two attacks from fist-based, foot-based, or hook-based abilities combined in whatever way you want to deliver pain. Example: ONSLAUGHT BULROK BULLY LEFT CLOBBER PUNISH - Velocity Chase them down. #### Velocity **Description**Syntax: VELOCITY \[OFF\] Your bloodlust allows you to increase your celerity greatly, allowing you to move quickly across the land. This will slowly drain your endurance while it is active however. - Predation They cannot keep you out. #### Predation **Description**Syntax: PREDATION \[EXTEND\] Close in on your victim, observing the subtle shifts in their defences that will allow you to brutalise them without obstruction. When someone changes their parry within your location, you will see to which limb it is shifted to. If you choose to extend this ability, the length it’ll remain in effect is doubled, however it will drain your strength temporarily by 1 point as an additional cost. If your strength is lowered by 4 points or more, then your arms will become weak and you will no longer be able to make use of Brutality strikes that utilise the fist. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Exhilarate High on carnage. #### Exhilarate **Description**Syntax: EXHILARATE and SOBER Allow yourself to become lost to bloodlust and push your body beyond its limits in order to satisfy your cravings for carnage. This will allow you to periodically recover some of your lost balance or equilibrium, while draining your health slowly over time. - Contempt You won’t be held down. #### Contempt **Description**Syntax: CONTEMPT Show your contempt for your lessers by refusing to be held down, curing the paresis affliction or granting you a defence against it if you are not afflicted. However, this will strain your body in a way that it will reduce your strength temporarily by 1 point each time this ability is used. If your strength is lowered by 4 points or more, then your arms will become weak and you will no longer be able to make use of Brutality strikes that utilise the fist. Contempt will also become unusable. - Physique Hone your body to be the ultimate weapon. #### Physique **Description**Syntax: PHYSIQUE PHYSIQUE TRAIN GRADE PHYSIQUE There is one true, time-tested way to improve your body: training. Push your body to the limit by undergoing a harsh training regime. Once your physique has been fully honed through this training, and graded by a veteran Ravager, you will find that your fist and foot techniques extra damage against adventurers when used. Only someone who has already fully honed their physique may grade you. - Assail Inject a portion of your soul into your hook. #### Assail **Description**Syntax: ASSAIL <\[ab\] \[param\]> By temporarily extending a portion of your soul, you can use it to manipulate your hook with ease, allowing it to attack independent of your hands. This will allow you to command your hook to assail your victim, using a secondary balance to do so. You may only use hook-based abilities with this skill and only one at a time. Example: ASSAIL BULROK WHIPLASH - Seethe Pain sharpens the mind and body. #### Seethe **Description**Syntax: SEETHE \[HEIGHTEN\] Your anger makes you strong. Take a moment to seethe and bask in that rage, recovering some of your health in the process. You can also choose to stew upon your dark thoughts, heightening your anger even further. This is a channeled action that, if uninterrupted, will heal you for additional health and restore your strength to its original might if it has been sapped. - Contusion Brutality will leave its mark. #### Contusion **Description**This ability is passive. When brutalising your victim with your feet or hands, there is a chance your blow will leave behind a reminder of the pain suffered in the form of a contusion. If it does and you strike that body part with your hook, your hook will deal a small amount of trauma to that limb. In order to gain the bonus effect from a contusion, you must use: Concussion -> Whiplash : for a contusion on the head. Clobber -> Flog : for a contusion on the torso. Bully -> Maim : for a contusion on either arm. Kneecap -> Hobble : for a contusion on either leg. Only one contusion will appear on an opponent at a time, and it will naturally heal itself after several seconds if the contusion is left alone. - Bait Lure them in and punish them. #### Bait **Description**Syntax: BAIT Leave one of your limbs conspicuously open to an attack, baiting your victim in to strike it. This will protect your limb from the attack while punishing your opponent by knocking them over and stunning them. This effect is single use. Using an attack that requires your hook while baiting a limb will remove the effect. Cooldown: 10 seconds - Reflexes Act instinctively while your attention is elsewhere. #### Reflexes **Description**Syntax: REFLEXES \[OFF\] By heightening your reflexes, you will no longer suffer a malus to your dodge chance when using an ability that requires a channeling motion. There is an endurance drain associated with this ability. - Rampage Lose yourself in the fight. #### Rampage **Description**Syntax: RAMPAGE Give yourself over to the battle, going on a rampage that will leave several of your enemies suffering greatly. When you rampage, you will quickly strike up to five different enemies within your location and adjacent to you over a short period of time, crippling limbs and dealing damage in the process. During your rampage, others will not be able to target you directly until your rampage comes to an end. You can only begin this ability with at least one visible enemy within your location. Cooldown: 8 seconds - You possess the following fist-based abilities - Bully Make them cry. #### Bully **Description**Syntax: BULLY \[LEFT|RIGHT\] Bully your victim with a relentless strike to the arm, so long as you have a hand free. This will deal blunt damage and inflict trauma to the arm in the process. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage200 + 6% Base Damage (Denizen)427 Armour Modifier60% Limb Trauma Dealt9.50% Arm Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Denizen) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Clobber Knock ’em to their knees. #### Clobber **Description**Syntax: CLOBBER \[PUNISH\] Viciously clobber your victim in the chest with a hard strike, knocking them to the ground with the force of the blow. You may choose to follow up with a punishing blow after knocking your opponent to the ground. This is a channeled action, and if they remain upon the ground when it completes, you will strike them in the face and daze them. - Plexus Hit them where it hurts. #### Plexus **Description**Syntax: PLEXUS Drive a merciless fist into the plexus of your victim, dealing significant trauma to their torso. Should their torso be broken, it will aggravate the wound and cause extra bleeding. - Bustup Probably can’t rip it off, but you can certainly try. #### Bustup **Description**Syntax: BUSTUP \[LEFT|RIGHT\] In a cruel motion, you can seize hold of someone’s arm and twist it with enough brute force to pop the limb from its socket. If the dislocation is not healed, eventually it will suffer permanent damage and become broken. Since this deals no damage or trauma from attack itself, it cannot be parried by your opponent. This skill has no effect upon a limb that is already broken. - PressurePoint With just your thumbs. #### PressurePoint **Description**Syntax: PRESSURE Grab hold of your victim’s neck and drive your thumbs into the pressure points, causing their body to convulse. This convulsion will cause limb stiffness and a bout of muscle spasms. While this deals no damage or trauma, it cannot be parried by your opponent. - Haymaker A swing and a prayer. #### Haymaker **Description**Syntax: HAYMAKER Wind back your arm and use the momentum of your body to strike your victim with a powerful torso blow. This is a channeled action, and should it succeed, it will deliver a deep wound that will turn ordinary bleeding into deep bleeding. If it is interrupted by your own fault or other means, a weaker blow will occur that will leave behind a light wound that will slightly increase the amount of bleeding caused when bleeding occurs. - You possess the following foot-based abilities - Kneecap No such thing as a fair fight. #### Kneecap **Description**Syntax: KNEECAP \[LEFT|RIGHT\] Deliver trauma and blunt damage to your victim’s leg by way of a harsh strike at their kneecap. - Concussion They’ll be seeing stars. #### Concussion **Description**Syntax: CONCUSS Introduce your victim to your foot by way of a brutal high kick to the face. This will leave them to grapple with dizziness, stupidity, and plodding thoughts as it deals trauma to their skull. - Rebound Down, but not out. #### Rebound **Description**Syntax: REBOUND \[target\] A momentary setback is not without an opportunity to inflict suffering upon your opponent. If you have been tripped or otherwise fallen to the ground, you may quickly rebound to your feet, delivering a swift knee to your victim’s torso as you do so. This will upset their balance and deliver a small amount of trauma to the torso. If you supply no target, then you can simply rebound from the ground, regardless if you were tripped or not. - Overpower Leave them reeling. #### Overpower **Description**Syntax: OVERPOWER Ruthlessly overpower your victim with a series of three damaging kicks aimed at a bodypart of your choice, dealing trauma to it. You may not perform any action that utilises balance or equilibrium during this sequence, otherwise the attack will be interrupted. Each strike will deal more damage and trauma than the last, and the final hit will leave them stunned. - Windpipe Get ’em where they’re softest. #### Windpipe **Description**Syntax: WINDPIPE Drive your foot into their windpipe without mercy, trapping their voice behind a crippled throat and leaving them a stuttering mess with this blow to the head. - Headstomp Stomp upon their head. #### Headstomp **Description**Syntax: HEADSTOMP Finish your opponent in a merciless blow designed to crush their skull. They must be fallen and have both arms amputated so that they cannot protect their head. If you meet the requirements necessary, you will crush their skull between your foot and the ground, ending their life. - You possess the following hook-based abilities - Hobble It’s sweeter when they run. #### Hobble **Description**Syntax: HOBBLE Hobble your victim with a fierce blow to the feet, ensuring they have difficulty getting away from you. This will give them a sore ankle, causing trauma to both of their legs when they move between locations. - Slug Hook, line, sinker. #### Slug **Description**Syntax: SLUG Catch your victim off-guard with a sudden slug to the face with your hook. This heavy attack will give them watery eyes. - Flog Whip ’em into shape. #### Flog **Description**Syntax: FLOG Leave your victim in excruciating pain by scourging their back with your hook. The pain inflicted will cause harsh backstrain, dealing trauma to their torso when they stand up from the ground. - Maim You didn’t need those hands, right? #### Maim **Description**Syntax: MAIM Maim the hands of your victim, causing a sore wrist that will prevent them from holding their weapons properly. When they parry an attack, it will cause trauma to both of their arms. - Lop Lop free an arm. #### Lop **Description**Syntax: LOP Throw forth your hook and let it catch into an arm that is currently mangled. You will then yank the hook back to you, lopping the arm free of the body. This will amputate the arm in question, starting with the left. - Butcher Even better than the abattoir. #### Butcher **Description**Syntax: BUTCHER Carve through flesh as your hook was meant to do, causing your victim to bleed profusely. - Whiplash They’re gonna feel that in the morning. #### Whiplash **Description**Syntax: WHIPLASH Let fly your hook to ensnare your victim’s neck and yank it violently, leaving them with whiplash. This will cause damage to the head each time they sip an elixir. - Tenderise Always prep the meat before you sear it. #### Tenderise **Description**Syntax: TENDERISE Properly tenderise your victim’s flesh with a direct attack from your hook. If used in tandem with the Assail ability, then the hook will ignite with hellfire and deal fire damage instead. Please see AB BRUTALITY ASSAIL for more information on the Assail ability. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Ravaging - Vinculum Anchor your soul against the infernal realm. #### Vinculum **Description**Syntax: INVOKE VINCULUM Before dealing with Perdition, you must first ensure your own soul’s safety against the hellfires of that infernal realm. This ability will create a strong anchor upon your soul, binding it to Prime to ensure it is not consumed when acting as a conduit to Perdition. This defence will also provide a measure of resistance against fire damage for as long as it is active. - Wither Consume an object in hellfire. #### Wither **Description**Syntax: INVOKE WITHER Call forth the hellfires of Perdition to incinerate an item, leaving naught behind. - Torment Scourge them with Perdition’s fire. #### Torment **Description**Syntax: INVOKE TORMENT Bring forth the torturous fires of Perdition to scourge your victim, setting them ablaze and dealing a small amount of fire damage. It will pass through any protective barriers they might have. This ability cannot be used off-balance in tandem with Delirium against denizens. - Distill Break out the hard stuff. #### Distill **Description**Syntax: INVOKE DISTILL Sacrifice a soul trapped within Perdition, distilling its essence to turn a mundane liquid into a gut-wrenching round of alcoholic soulfire. - Terrify The living shall flee. #### Terrify **Description**Syntax: INVOKE TERRIFY Even a hint of the suffering embodied by those trapped within Perdition is enough to terrify the weak. The weakest of living creatures will not be able to handle the harrowing insight and will die upon the spot as their heart seizes from fright. Otherwise, they will be inflicted with fear. - Suffering Determine how much they suffer. #### Suffering **Description**Syntax: INVOKE SUFFERING Determine the suffering inflicted upon your target by viewing the intensity of the flames engulfing them. This ability does not consume neither equilibrium or balance to use. - Prolong Don’t let them bleed out on you. #### Prolong **Description**Syntax: INVOKE PROLONG Sometimes someone might be dying too quickly for your taste. In these situations, you can prolong their suffering by using hellfires to cauterise their wounds, reducing their bleeding. Ever resourceful, you can also turn this ability upon yourself to reduce your own bleeding. - Smoulder The Earth is willing, while the flesh is weak. #### Smoulder **Description**Syntax: INVOKE SMOULDER Press your inescapable hellfire into the earth below to scourge those that attempt to hide from you, forcing them to the surface if capable. - Impressment They will do anything to free themselves from torture. #### Impressment **Description**Syntax: INVOKE IMPRESSMENT CALL IMPRESSMENT Bring forth a leashed soul from Perdition which can attack and deal fire damage to your opponent. You must have a piece of rope in your inventory in order to do this. - Hood Don the outfit of an executioner. #### Hood **Description**Syntax: INVOKE HOOD Surround yourself with the fires of Perdition, creating a truly terrifying visage that will prevent others from discerning your true features or the things you wear. The Hypersight skill will allow you to see past it. Please see AB VISION HYPERSIGHT for more information. - Begrudge Bolster any sign of weakness in your allies. #### Begrudge **Description**Syntax: INVOKE BEGRUDGE Though it may pain you to do so, you can reluctantly fortify the weakness of your allies by drawing forth a tortured soul from Perdition and expending its energy to heal them. This will slowly bounce between allies in the same location, healing them for a small amount of health and healing a random affliction. It can only bounce up to five times, at which point it will dissipate. Bounces upon yourself will not heal you of an affliction. - Ruthlessness You are an unrelenting force of terror. #### Ruthlessness **Description**Syntax: INVOKE RUTHLESSNESS Hone your ruthlessness by momentarily allowing yourself to suffer the fires of Perdition and realise that no other pain can compare. This will increase your resistance against cutting and blunt damage. - Ravage They will suffer under your every blow. #### Ravage **Description**Syntax: INVOKE RAVAGE For a short period, every blow from your fists will carry with it the flames of Perdition, setting your victims ablaze. It will last for a limited amount of time and can be activated without cost to your equilibrium or balance. Ravage will work with the following abilities: Bully, Clobber, Plexus, Haymaker, and Fisticuffs (Punch). Cooldown: 80 seconds - Denial Let no weapon deter your work. #### Denial **Description**Syntax: INVOKE DENIAL Inflicting torment can often be hindered by those that would strike you down. Let none deter your work by forming an aura of rebounding around you from the flames of Perdition, deflecting weapon attacks directed at you until destroyed or you make an agressive action. A pending aura of rebounding from smoking a pipe will be cancelled if this ability is used successfully. - Intensify Heighten their anguish. #### Intensify **Description**Syntax: INVOKE INTENSIFY Should your victim be ablaze, you may bring their anguish to new heights by instantly increasing the intensity of the flames torturing them by three levels. You can check AFFLICT ABLAZE for more information on increasing intensity. - Infuse Empower your hook with a soul. #### Infuse **Description**Syntax: INVOKE INFUSE Requires a hook. Draw forth a tortured soul from Perdition and give it new purpose by infusing its energy within your hook. This will grant you some resistance against non-physical damage while the hook is worn. - Bedevil A fresh perspective to their pain. #### Bedevil **Description**Syntax: INVOKE BEDEVIL \[REVERSE\] Ensure your victim does not grow so used to their torment that it becomes ineffective, by shifting the trauma suffered upon their limbs in a clockwise direction, giving them a new perspective on the pain. This ability only affects the arms and legs. For example, it will move a broken left arm to the right arm, and a broken right arm to the right leg. You may choose to do this anti-clockwise by using the reverse keyword. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Impenetrable Turn away projectiles. #### Impenetrable **Description**Syntax: INVOKE IMPENETRABLE Surround yourself in a palpable aura of malice that will repel any projectiles aimed towards you, causing them to drop uselessly to the ground. There is another chance you will deflect them entirely, returning the arrow from whence it came. - Lancing Their torture will not abate. #### Lancing **Description**Syntax: INVOKE LANCE While your victim is aflame, you can invoke a spear of shadowy flame to lance them through. This dark spear of heat will ensure their suffering cannot abate, preventing their flames from being cured until the heatspear is. - Criticality Your own pain is refreshing. #### Criticality **Description**Syntax: INVOKE CRITICALITY Deepen your understanding of pain to further your art of inflicting suffering upon others. Where others would falter when their pain reaches a critical threshold, you will instead feel refreshed, your wounds healing. - Branding Leave the fiery brand of the Infernal upon them. #### Branding **Description**Syntax: INVOKE BRANDING If your victim is suffering from a broken torso, you can brand the seal of the Infernal upon their ravaged body which will occasionally burst into flames and set them on fire. If you should fully damage and break any body part of your opponent while they are under the effects of the Seal, then a deadly shroud of flame will begin to form around them. When they move between locations the shroud will flare up and burn them, setting them ablaze and dealing fire damage. Additionally, if they try to form a magical shield, then the fiery shroud around them will burn it down and remove it. - Delirium Do for Perdition, and Perdition will do for you. #### Delirium **Description**Syntax: INVOKE DELIRIUM Surrender your physical form to the unforgiving intensity of Perdition as it slowly builds within your mortal coil, threatening to turn your body to ash. As you teeter on the brink of overwhelming hellfire, you will cure one random affliction, and certain abilities will no longer require balance. This state can be reached sooner by moving between locations, as long as it isn’t the direction you just came from and you are not fleeing combat. Once you have reached delirium, the following abilities will no longer require balance: Vinculum, Torment, Prolong, Lancing, Branding, Intensify, Hellfire. - Shear Share their affliction with another. #### Shear **Description**Syntax: INVOKE SHEAR Cut away a random-curable affliction your victim suffers from and form it into a skein of sheared psyche so that you may share it with another. You can then THROW the skein at someone to inflict another with the affliction you just removed, which will be masked in the process. Please see HELP RANDOM CURES for what is considered randomly curable. - Extinguish Snuff out their life. #### Extinguish **Description**Syntax: INVOKE EXTINGUISH When your victim’s suffering has reached a critical peak, you can extinguish their life in a final moment of excruciating torment. In order for this to succeed, the target must be ablaze and possess at least twelve stacks of intensity. You can check AFFLICT ABLAZE for more information on flame intensity. - Bedlam Bring the realm of Perdition closer. #### Bedlam **Description**Syntax: INVOKE BEDLAM Bring your location and Perdition closer together, allowing the torturous realm to be felt by any who enter the room. This will lower their maximum health, mana, and limb health by half so long as they remain. The effect can be broken by anyone at anytime by invoking the Kalsu word ‘vontovo’ aloud. This ability does not alter your current health and mana, only the maximum values. - Hellfire Suffering follows you. #### Hellfire **Description**Syntax: INVOKE HELLFIRE This powerful feat will continually cause hellfire to spew forth from the realm of Perdition and scour your enemies. This effect will follow you as you move. If one of their legs are crippled, then the flames will unbalance and knock them over. If they are shielded, then it will destroy the shield under the heat. - Contest A ring of fire with no escape. #### Contest **Description**Syntax: INVOKE CONTEST Encircle your target and yourself within a ring of inescapable flame, trapping the both of you until one or the other is dead. In order for this effect to become binding, the challenged must AGREE to the terms, otherwise little will come of it. Both parties must have near full health in order to invoke and agree to the terms. - Immurement Trap them within Perdition. #### Immurement **Description**Syntax: INVOKE IMMUREMENT Yawn open a rift to the realm of Perdition, trapping those that would strike others in its location. Opening the rift will require an act of concentration for you, which during this time you may not make any actions that consume balance or equilibrium, or your focus will be lost. Once complete, all those within your location that have committed an act of violence within the last minute will be drawn into the infernal realm of Perdition where they will be trapped until they find a way to escape. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Egotism - Check Ascertain how strong your ego is. #### Check **Description**Syntax: EGO CHECK Measure how strong your ego stands. As ego and psyche are intrinsically linked, your maximum ego is proportional to your maximum mana. Abilities will either increase your ego or decrease it. Based upon the percent of ego you hold, your abilities will be altered in strength. The lower it is, the faster the move becomes and the less damage they deal, whereas the higher it is, the more damage it will deal and the slower it will become. - Deathsight Watch as your lessers fall short. #### Deathsight **Description**Syntax: DEATHSIGHT \[OFF\] Using this ability, you will be linked with the Underhalls, allowing you to sense those that just weren’t good enough. - Aura Discern how their defences fall short. #### Aura **Description**Syntax: EGO AURA View their defenses and orchestrate their downfall. - Awareness You are always perceptive. #### Awareness **Description**This ability is passive. Even while meditating or sleeping, no secrets can be kept from you. You will be able to see the actions and words of others as though you were fully aware. - Moderate Too much of a good thing… #### Moderate **Description**Syntax: EGO MODERATE <1-200%> You will be able to moderate your ego levels in order to prevent burnout, or mental breakdown. Specifying a value will allow your mind to passively shift your ego levels to your desired value. - Pinpoint It is easy to know where the inferior would run. #### Pinpoint **Description**Syntax: EGO PINPOINT You can easily pinpoint the location of an inferior and broadcast their ineptitude to those in your location. - Haul Helplessly they are drawn, like a leaf in a storm. #### Haul **Description**Syntax: EGO HAUL Snatch up their puny psyche and deposit them at your feet. You will be unable to haul someone who is protected by the cloak defence. - Peak Dazzle them with your superiority. #### Peak **Description**Syntax: EGO PEAK So perturbed are others by your peaking ego, they will become momentarily afflicted with flash blindness by the sheer audacity of it. - Reconcile Take a moment to stroke your ego. #### Reconcile **Description**Syntax: EGO RECONCILE If you have set a value with Moderate, you may actively reconcile your ego levels. This will shift it towards your desired value by consuming equilibrium. - Belittle Not even the dead can escape your greatness. #### Belittle **Description**Syntax: EGO TELL REPLY You are able to communicate easily with the fallen, providing they haven’t left the Underhalls. You will have to initiate communications with them first, of course. Can’t have the unworthy pestering you. In order for the deceased to respond, they must make use of the REPLY command. - Redress Snatch away their false hope. #### Redress **Description**Syntax: EGO REDRESS Simple defences of the mind are no match for your psyche. With a single thought, snatch away the paltry defences their mind shelters behind. In addition, this will negate the effects of their levitation and speed elixir. - Trip Never let them grow too full of themselves. #### Trip **Description**Syntax: EGO TRIP A basic, offensive ability that will bring to light the inadequacies of your enemies, playing upon the weakness of their mind. Able to affect them even if they are in an adjacent room, your opponent will suffer a burst of magical damage. The damage will be increased for every ability that your opponent has on cooldown that is counted in seconds. - Exhibit Showoff a bit. You’ve earned it. #### Exhibit **Description**Syntax: EGO EXHIBIT So powerful is your strength of psyche that you are able to force inanimate objects to follow in your wake. How heavy an item you can keep in tow is dependant upon your intelligence stat. - Inadequacy Others will feel inadequate before you. #### Inadequacy **Description**Syntax: EGO INADEQUACY With just a subtle alteration of your ego, you can make your target feel inadequate in comparison to you, instilling them with indifference. This will be buried deep in their psyche, going unnoticed by them. - Boost You simply don’t have the time to deal with this. #### Boost **Description**Syntax: EGO BOOST Dismiss that which would negatively affect you with a single thought, removing a random mental affliction should you have one. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Boast Show them what they are missing. #### Boast **Description**Syntax: EGO BOAST Show them what a real ego looks like and boastfully envelop their entire mental space with your personality. This will afflict them with both agoraphobia and claustrophobia at the same time. - Expose Force an item to give up its secrets. #### Expose **Description**Syntax: EGO EXPOSE Expose the secrets of an item in your inventory and it will show you who the last person to hold it was. - Reign Observe your lessers from above. #### Reign **Description**Syntax: EGO REIGN and LAND With the sheer power of your ego, you can lift yourself from the ground and take flight in order to reign above your lessers. - Monopolise Only you need power. #### Monopolise **Description**Syntax: EGO MONOPOLISE Snatch a resource from your opponent and empower your own psyche in the process. What resource this ability will drain depends on the class of the target. What it will drain is based on the below: Alchemist – Volatility. Archivist – Bio energy. Carnifex – Stolen soul. Ravager – Ego. Revenant – Shadow essence. Shaman – Primal energy. Templar – Blade charge. Teradrim – Sandstorm power. Tidesage – Apparition power. Monk – Kai energy. Predator – Absorbed magic. Voidseer – Insight. Warden – Displaced soul. Wayfarer – Fury. Zealot – Psi. If the none of the above applies to the opponent, then it will drain their mana. - Sizeup Determine how weak they are. #### Sizeup **Description**Syntax: EGO SIZEUP Gain complete understanding of another by probing their (inferior) strengths and (overwhelming) weaknesses. This will allow you to see their current resistances plus a few other tidbits of information. - Dethrone How dare they stand over you? #### Dethrone **Description**Syntax: EGO DETHRONE If your lesser thinks to stand above you, you may remove the space between you and them and bring them crashing back to their rightful place. This will cripple both of their legs in the process. - Narcissism Everybody wants to find you. #### Narcissism **Description**This ability is passive. When someone attempts to seek out your location with an ability, you will feel their gaze for the moment it takes for them to gather the information needed to reveal your whereabouts. - Trauma The mind is a fickle thing. #### Trauma **Description**Syntax: EGO TRAUMA Direct your considerable psyche towards an opponent in your location and allow it to feed upon a mental ailment in order to deal psychic damage. This will cure the mental affliction in the process. You may perform this action while off balance. - Menace They are not worthy to bask in your presence. #### Menace **Description**Syntax: EGO MENACE So strong is your ego that you can force your inferiors to flee beneath its unfathomable weight. This will inflict your enemies with the fear affliction. - Pry Their secrets belong to you #### Pry **Description**Syntax: EGO PRY Detection difficulty modifier: 0% Keep an eye on your lessers by subtly prying the secrets from their inferior mind. Exuding the smallest part of your considerable mental prowess will allow you to tell when they are near, as well as providing insight into their menial thoughts when they use the THINK command. This will fade after a period of time if they are not in the same room as you. There is a chance of being detected when using this ability. Please read HELP DECEIT for more information. - Inflate Take a moment to remember. #### Inflate **Description**Syntax: EGO INFLATE Most of the dull masses wouldn’t know the full potential of their minds if it bit them in the arse. You’re different. With this ability, you can inflate your already considerable psyche, granting you the clarity of mind that so many live without. This will grant a bonus to your intelligence stat. - Kneel They shall be knelt. #### Kneel **Description**Syntax: EGO KNEEL By pressing the vastness of your mind against your target, you will cause them to remember their place should they attempt to shirk away from your greatness. Should you or your opponent move more than two locations away from each other, they will suffer psychic damage as a result. If your opponent is the one to flee, then they will be knocked unconscious and the damage is increased. Cooldown (when triggered): 10 seconds - Skip Revel in their ineptitude. #### Skip **Description**Syntax: EGO SKIP and ENTER GATEWAY Open a gateway to the location of someone’s dead body, which you can then enter. - Untouchable Dismiss their paltry efforts. #### Untouchable **Description**Syntax: EGO UNTOUCHABLE \[OFF\] So great is your sense of self that you can turn back the paltry ranged damage of your lessers, and reduce their dismal attack, providing they attempt to do so from a distance. If they are in the same location as you, it will have little effect. It will also help you resist telepathic attempts to form a lock upon your mind, making their efforts take longer until they succeed. This effect will drain your willpower over time. - Press Even the world will buckle before your greatness. #### Press **Description**Syntax: EGO PRESS \[RELEASE\] Press your considerable ego upon your current location and you will be able to hear any spoken word within it for a limited time. - Guts Limits were made to be broken. #### Guts **Description**Syntax: EGO GUTS Should your ego ever fall short, Gods forbid, call upon those last vestiges of confidence, allowing you to increase it by 80% in trade for temporarily lowering your constitution by 2 points. This can exceed your maximum limit of your ego, but the excess will quickly drain away. - Humiliate Only cowards run. #### Humiliate **Description**Syntax: EGO HUMILIATE \[OFF\] Bestow utmost humiliation onto anyone that attempts to shed their corporeal form within your location, preventing them from such a cowardly display. The demand upon your mind to perform such a feat will greatly tax your mana and willpower. This power can also be projected forth, locking down those in the same room as your ego form. - Narrow Bend distance to your whims. #### Narrow **Description**Syntax: EGO NARROW Narrow the distance between yourself and your target with a mere thought, allowing you to act immediately after your feat of mind. You can travel up to three rooms away by default, but this can be further changed up (or down) by the amount of ego you have. The monolith sigil will not block your attempts, however you may not step into a stockroom. - Outlaw Deny the presence of their abilities before you. #### Outlaw **Description**Syntax: EGO OUTLAW Convince your lesser for a short period of time to abandon the use of a specific ability of your choice, if they are currently prone. You may not disable core abilities to a class such as, for example, Doublestab for Syssin. Cooldown: 90 seconds - Double What’s better than one of you? Two of you. #### Double **Description**Syntax: EGO DOUBLE and EGO RETURN Additional syntax: EGO FORM \[target\] Gather enough of your considerable psyche and project it into a second entity altogether, becoming the walking embodiment of pure ego. While in this state, you will be able to speak with others and move as though normal. You also may perform a limited amount of your egotism abilities while in this form. Make sure to omit the EGO syntax from the ability when using it with form. Example: EGO FORM TRIP You may perform the following actions while in ego form: Aura, Peak, Redress, Trip, Inadequacy, Boast, Sizeup, Trauma, Menace, Pry, Press, Narrow, Outlaw, and Humiliate. You can also perform the following abilities from Vision: Aura, Sacral, Vibrations, and Traps. You will not be able to cross into an adjacent area while in your embodiment of ego, as the distance between you and your body will be too far to maintain a connection. However, if your body stands on the threshold between two areas, you will be able to cross into it providing it is not a one-way exit. Lastly, while in this state, your body will be vulnerable to the whims of others. Ensure that you leave your body behind in a safe location, or you can gamble the risks. ## Visual style and identity Ravagers are loud, crass, and undeniable on the battlefield. Their punches and kicks are savage and cruel, their butcher’s hooks swing on long chains, and hellfire follows in their wake. When a Ravager channels Perdition, you sometimes see flickers of the realm itself and hear the screams of the souls tormented inside it. Their physical work is rough rather than disciplined. Even Egotism, though a mental art, leans away from subtlety. Most ego attacks land like a boot to the face. Ravagers know it. They prefer it that way. ## Side effects of the work Perdition leaves visible marks on those who channel it too recklessly. Burn scars are common. Many Ravagers also develop an accentuated intolerance for weakness, an attitude already present in their Carnifex peers but amplified by hellfire exposure. Ego carries its own costs. A practitioner can develop a sense of self-confidence so vast that the smallest slight triggers a rage response. There is also the danger of becoming so intoxicated by one’s own will that allies turn away. The class rewards a certain kind of player. Quiet humility is not part of the package. ## Who plays this class The Ravager attracts players who want a brawler-style combat kit fused with raw infernal magic. The roleplay frame is loud, opinionated, and unapologetic. You are a bully with hellfire, and you enjoy the work. Mechanically, Ravagers reward aggression and tempo. Brutality puts you in close with a fast, dirty attack chain. If an enemy creates distance, Ravaging fills the gap with hellfire at range. Egotism layers pressure on top, turning your own attitude into a weapon. The kit is not subtle. Pick a different class if you want something understated. ## City and guild The Ravager guild is the Carnifex of [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/), the Shadow Tether’s city of undeath. Patron: Bamathis, the Lost. The guild hosts both Ravagers and their sister class, the [Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/), the soul-magic death knights who originally founded it. Joining as a Ravager means committing to Shadow. You cannot actively hold any Spirit-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Shadow classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race choice is independent of class, so you can play a Ravager of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Ravager mirror is the [Zealot](/character-classes/zealot/), Enorian’s martial devotee of the Illuminai. Both are Shadow-and-Spirit reflections of the same brawler chassis: one drawing on Perdition and ego, the other on the Daru monastic tradition and the Light. Same fight, opposite philosophy. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Ravager good for new players?** Yes. Ravagers have clear progression and a forgiving combat style for new arrivals. The Carnifex guild is one of Aetolia’s most active and offers strong mentorship. Brutality is easy to get started with, and you can learn Ravaging and Egotism as you go. **Do Ravagers use weapons?** A butcher’s hook on a long chain. Beyond that, they fight with fists, feet, and channeled hellfire. They are the closest thing Aetolia has to a pure martial-artist class on the Shadow side, except that their martial art is openly dirty rather than disciplined. **How is a Ravager different from a Carnifex?** Both are Shadow brawlers in the same guild. Carnifex lean heavy, methodical, and ritual-driven, with halberds and a soulstone. Ravagers lean fast, loud, and infernal, with fists, hooks, and hellfire. Same hall, different mood. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Ravager profile. Or see [Aetolia’s class hub](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/) Ravager’s sister class in the same guild. Heavy martial combat fused with soul magic. Pick Carnifex if you like the Ravager city and lore but want methodical soul-trapping and halberds instead of fists and hellfire. ### [Zealot](/character-classes/zealot/) The Ravager’s mirror across the Spirit-Shadow divide. Enorian martial devotees of the Illuminai who fuse Tekura monk training with Duamvi martial work. Pick Zealot if you like the Ravager combat chassis but want to fight for the Light instead of for Perdition. ### [Predator](/character-classes/predator/) An untethered brawler from a world beyond Aetolia. Knifeplay, Predation, and Beastmastery. Pick Predator if you like the dirty-fight ethos of a Ravager but want freedom from city and tether commitments. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Ravager and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Predator of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/predator/) **Published:** November 7, 2023 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Predator of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-predator-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Predator class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Predator is Aetolia’s untethered knifeplay class, a clever and brutal profession that emerged after the Creators’ Monomachy from the dark forests of a world beyond Aetolia, wielding Knifeplay (with bone sitaras), Predation (esoteric survival), and Beastmastery (dominance over wild creatures). At a glance**Tether**Untethered**City**None**Guild**None; apprentice from Sigurd Brynja in the Augerweald**Skill sets**Knifeplay, Predation, Beastmastery**Mirror class**None (untethered)**Sister class in guild**None**Signature mechanic**Sitara bone knives carved from fallen enemies**Best for**Players who want lethal grace, otherworld backstory, and animal companionsPredators emerged into Aetolia immediately after the Creators’ Monomachy, an amnesiac cadre from somewhere beyond the borders of the Aetolian universe. Their leader, Sigurd Brynja, leads the first generation from the wintry Augerweald. The full history of the order is lost: the multiversal journey scrubbed their memories on the way through. What they remember is a thirst for challenge, a campaign of vengeance against an unknown foe, and a phrase: the teachings of Qa-sital, the name they once used for their knifeplay. The rest is gone. ## Origin and lore Almost immediately following the conclusion of the Creators’ Monomachy, the amnesiac Predators set themselves to the task of testing Aetolia’s might. They sowed chaos across multiple continents in a quest to prove themselves as warriors capable of standing above all others. Eventually Sigurd Brynja made contact and offered to teach the trade to willing souls in exchange for information, aid, and supplies. The cadre cannot reconstruct its own past. What they do still observe is the sitara ritual: a sturdy knife wrought from the bones of a fallen enemy. The Predator strikes down a foe suitable for the harvest, extracts the bone, cleans and dries it, and whittles it into a personal blade. Many add notches to count the conquests of their travels. The Predator is one of Aetolia’s newer classes, born from the finale of the Worldeater saga. The trade has spread far enough that a player can apprentice into it now, but the original cadre still trains the line. ## Skill sets The Predator skill sets are Knifeplay, Predation, and Beastmastery. **Knifeplay** is the martial discipline. The sitara is a small bone knife, sleek enough to slip into a tendon or sever a nerve, sharp enough to carve someone from hip to shoulder when the right force is applied. The fighting style is fluid, calculated, and brutally efficient. Predators eschew honour in favour of stark practicality, and they have learned ways to turn aside magic and deliver brutally efficient coups de grace. **Predation** is the survival and resilience school. Submersing themselves in hostile climes to cultivate greater strength, a clever Predator employs dexterity and brawn in equal measure. They practice esoteric survival techniques and disparate disciplinary measures that allow them to overcome ailments and crushing pain. **Beastmastery** rounds out the kit. Through raw dominating struggles and wise displays of animal kinship, an experienced Predator can bring Aetolia’s most dangerous creatures to heel. The result is dogged companions and dangerous accomplices on the field. Sleek wolves, burly orgyuk, savage orel, and venomous spiders accompany those who have proven themselves worthy of wild loyalty. ## Skill abilities Knifeplay Predation Beastmastery Filter abilities Title Contents ### Knifeplay - Knifecrafting The art of the true Predators. #### Knifecrafting **Description**Syntax: STRIP CLEANUP CARVE SITARA FROM The sitara is the primary tool of the powerful Predators and the most iconic weapon of their kit. Sitaras may be carved from the bones of almost any animal, although it is a long process that requires precision, time, and focus. You will also need a dagger on hand in order to do so. Once carved, the sitara is a unique weapon to keep in mind. Due to its smooth bone surface, only a single venom will adhere to it at any time and another one cannot be applied to it mid-attack, however it can make use of the sumac and loki venoms unlike other weapons. — It is also rumoured that magnificent sitaras with unique properties of ice and fire have been carved in past times, and even more obscure rumours mention the existence of sitaras that cause damage against which there is no protection. Such rumours appear to hold no basis in reality, despite countless attempts to prove otherwise, and are often discredited as pure myth. Some colour on the sitara can be achieved through the gutting of an adventurer’s corpse, although it is not always guaranteed. - Stances Smoothly shift between the knifeplay stances. #### Stances **Description**Syntax: CHANGESTANCE Your stance is an important aspect of Knifeplay, helping you strike and flow between each blow without hesitation. These stances will also provide you with a substantial benefit to your attacks as per the list below. Stances: None – No benefit. Gyanis – A stance which improves the trauma dealt by Knifeplay. Vae-Sant – A nimble stance that speeds up all balance recovery. Rizet – A powerful stance designed to increase sitara damage. Ein-Fasit – A stance designed to bolster blunt and cutting resistance. Laesan – An agile stance enabling an extra strike when it is last. Upon completion of an attack, a sitara wielder will flow from one stance to the next, dependent on their previous stance and the attack used. Not all attacks will be as efficient when used from certain stances. You can verify your current stance on prompt at any time with the following command: CONFIG PROMPT KNIFESTANCE Flow of stances is listed in the table below. A ‘—‘ value means that the attack will be slower while in that stance. | None Gyanis Vae-Sant Rizet Ein-Fasit Laesan ——————————————————————————- Jab | Gyanis Rizet Gyanis — Vae-Sant Rizet Pinprick | Gyanis Rizet Rizet Vae-Sant — Gyanis Lateral | Gyanis Vae-Sant Ein-Fasit Ein-Fasit Laesan — Vertical | Laesan Laesan Rizet Ein-Fasit Vae-Sant — Crescentcut | Vae-Sant Ein-Fasit — Laesan Gyanis Vae-Sant Spinslash | Vae-Sant Vae-Sant Ein-Fasit Laesan — Ein-Fasit Lowhook | Vae-Sant Vae-Sant Gyanis — Gyanis Gyanis Butterfly | Rizet — Gyanis Gyanis Laesan Rizet Flashkick | Rizet Rizet Laesan — Laesan Vae-Sant Trip | Ein-Fasit Vae-Sant — Gyanis Gyanis Rizet Veinrip | — Ein-Fasit Ein-Fasit Gyanis Laesan Vae-Sant Feint | Ein-Fasit Ein-Fasit Laesan — Gyanis Ein-Fasit Raze | Laesan Laesan — Vae-Sant Rizet Ein-Fasit Gouge | Laesan Ein-Fasit Gyanis Vae-Sant Rizet — Bleed | — Laesan Rizet Ein-Fasit — Vae-Sant Swiftkick | Gyanis Laesan Ein-Fasit — Vae-Sant Rizet - Ambidexterity Focus on your offensive potential. #### Ambidexterity **Description**This ability is passive. Should the hand holding your sitara become crippled, you will be able to switch it to a free hand in order to continue attacking providing you wield nothing else. Additionally if you are not wielding a shield, your sitara attacks (except Crescentcut) will do additional damage. - Series Swiftly combine your attacks. #### Series **Description**Syntax: SERIES <\[ab\] \[param\]> <…> <\[ab\] \[param\]> \[venom\] This ability allows you to execute multiple Knifeplay attacks at once, within the same command. The attacks will be executed in the specified order against the chosen target, who can be a player or a denizen. If the attack can be targetted against a particular limb, it needs to be specified immediately after the attack name. The Pheromones skill is used in a series with the word ‘pheromones’ instead of its actual syntax. Optionally, the command can include a venom at the very end, which will be used for the first action within the combo that can deliver a venom. If no action can deliver a venom, then the venom will be ignored. Examples: SERIES LATERAL VERTICAL LATERAL target SERIES BLEED VERTICAL PHEROMONES target SERIES LATERAL VERTICAL LATERAL target ACONITE SERIES FEINT LEFT LEG CRESCENTCUT LOWHOOK RIGHT BLEED target SERIES FLASHKICK FLASHKICK FLASHKICK target - Twin Combine two attacks at once. #### Twin **Description**This ability is passive. Through careful training, you now have gained the ability to brace yourself and deliver two Knifeplay attacks in a single balance. When combining attacks, the balance recovery will be equal to the slowest attack that is used after modifiers, by adding them up and applying them after each move. You can also make use of the following attacks from Predation: Pheromones, Mindnumb, and Pindown. - Closecombat Precision in close combat is your forte. #### Closecombat **Description**Syntax: CLOSECOMBAT \[OFF\] Such is your skill with the knife that when you might miss an attack due to afflictions you are suffering from, any quickly following attacks after it will no longer miss for 1 second. This ability will drain your endurance while you focus on perfecting your close combat. - Notching A crafting skill to notch your knife. #### Notching **Description**Syntax: NOTCH SITARA Carve a notch into the blade of your sitara to acknowledge your skill with the knife. The first notch on your knife can always be carved. Once carved, you can SHOWOFF the knife to others and they will be able to see it. Apex bonus: You can continue to carve notches up to your current apex streak, allowing you to keep a permanent reminder of your skill and intimidate others. - Pommelwhip They’re easier to handle dazed. #### Pommelwhip **Description**Syntax: SITARA POMMELWHIP While hidden in the shadows, you can leap out and strike with the pommel of your sitara at your target, causing a moderate blackout. This will then remove you from hiding. This weapon attack will bypass the aura of rebounding. - Fleshbane Cause a wound to become infected. #### Fleshbane **Description**Syntax: FLESHBANE \[venom\] Utilizing your toxin-saturated spit, you may pass on the contagion known as fleshbane to a target, causing any trauma caused by your sitara to heal poorly in its wake. As such, each time you deal an instance of cutting damage to your opponent with your sitara and rip open their skin, the wounds will periodically fester and reduce the potency of a restoration poultice applied to a limb. You may use this ability while off equilibrium and can also deliver a venom with it. This weapon attack will bypass the aura of rebounding. - Triplet Attack with three hits. #### Triplet **Description**This ability is passive. Your abilities with the sitara have increased such that you are now able to perform three Knifeplay attacks in a single balance. Please see AB KNIFEPLAY TWIN for more detailed information. - Spacing Keep yourself beyond arm’s length. #### Spacing **Description**Syntax: SPACING \[OFF\] This ability will cause you to constantly attempt to keep your distance from a foe, allowing you to be more resistant to blunt and cutting damage, and granting a small bonus to your chance to dodge. - Teardown Tear apart a helpless victim on the ground. #### Teardown **Description**This ability is passive. Little chance does a fallen opponent have against deflecting a small, nimble weapon like your sitara. While they remain on the ground with a broken leg, you will be able to bypass any attempt at parrying your knife. - Trueparry Your blade makes you impervious. #### Trueparry **Description**Syntax: TRUEPARRY \[OFF\] With a careful eye and a wary pose, this ability will allow you to parry all of your limbs at once. Be warned however, that this defensive stance requires your full concentration. Should you act or become unconscious, you will cease to parry all your limbs. This powerful defensive stance comes with a hefty drain to your endurance, and will be difficult to maintain for long stretches of time. Apex bonus: For each kill you have achieved, it will reduce the endurance upkeep cost of the skill by 5. - Bloodscourge Your own essence is as good a poison as any. #### Bloodscourge **Description**Syntax: BLOODSCOURGE \[venom\] Years of constant exposure to deadly venoms have tainted your blood to the point that it is toxic to other people. With this ability, you will coat your sitara with your own blood before plunging it into your target, inflicting them with bloodscourge. Your target will then suffer from the recurring effects of your toxic blood, afflicting them periodically with random venoms, before the natural antidotes in their own bloodstream are enough to purge their body. Having a high skillrank in Antidotes will grant a higher chance of finally purifying the blood of this effect. You may use this ability while off equilibrium and can also deliver a venom with it. This weapon attack will bypass the aura of rebounding. - Triad Dispatch thrice as many. #### Triad **Description**Syntax: PERFORM TRIAD This ability will allow you to perform two random sitara attacks upon three random enemies within your location. If any of them are protected by the aura of rebounding or a magical shield, then you will attempt to destroy those defences first. Triad can select from the following Knifeplay attacks: Lateral, Vertical, Jab, Lowhook, Crescentcut, Spinslash, Gouge, Flashkick, and Trip. Apex bonus: When you have over 3 kills, you may specify up to three targets for your attacks instead of three random enemies. To use, do PERFORM TRIAD \[target 2\] \[target 3\]. - Bladesurge The spirit of the fighter fully realised. #### Bladesurge **Description**Syntax: BLADESURGE If you receive a substantial amount of damage while this ability is active, an extra boost of adrenaline will heal you for a large amount of health and will grant you the benefits of all Knifeplay stances for a short period. Cooldown (when triggered): 195 seconds - You can combine the following knife attacks into a single balance - Lateral The basic slash. #### Lateral **Description**Syntax: SITARA LATERAL A basic sitara slash, attacking the opponent and causing trauma to the target’s torso. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage SourceAgile Weapon Damage Modifier80% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)55% Set Weapon Trauma6.00% Weapon Speed Modifier80% Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 endurance to use. - Weapon must be wielded in a functional arm. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Vertical A more powerful slash. #### Vertical **Description**Syntax: SITARA VERTICAL \[venom\] A slower, more damaging attack than the lateral. It does not target a body part, but it can deliver a venom. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage SourceAgile Weapon Damage Modifier105% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)65% Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 endurance to use. - Weapon must be wielded in a functional arm. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Swiftkick A swift and accurate kick. #### Swiftkick **Description**Syntax: SWIFTKICK This swift kick will do a small amount of blunt damage to your target and can strike through magical shields. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceAgile Base Damage40 + 4% Base Damage (Denizen)200 Balance Recovery2.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Trip An effective method of bringing them down. #### Trip **Description**Syntax: TRIP With a hook of the leg and a quick elbow, this ability will allow you to throw an opponent to the ground. If their head is broken, then the jarring impact of hitting the ground will deal blunt damage and leave them dazed. - Jab A piercing blow to the arms. #### Jab **Description**Syntax: SITARA JAB \[LEFT|RIGHT\] This hooking attack will deal high trauma to the target’s arm. If no side is selected, then one will be chosen at random. - Feint Fake out your opponent. #### Feint **Description**Syntax: SITARA FEINT This attack will cause your target to shift their parry to the targeted limb and will briefly upset their balance. Cooldown: 10 seconds - Pinprick Effectively aim for their nervous system. #### Pinprick **Description**Syntax: SITARA PINPRICK This precise attack upon a target’s nerves will damage them in a way that induces a brief bout of epilepsy. - Raze Attack the defences that would keep your sitara away. #### Raze **Description**Syntax: SITARA RAZE This ability will use your sitara to tear down defensive auras and abilities that protect your target. It will raze the following in order: Reflections Magical shields Rebounding aura Speed defence - Bleed Drain the blood of your foe. #### Bleed **Description**Syntax: SITARA BLEED This quick, multiple lashing attack with your sitara will cause your target to begin to bleed for a light amount. This will cause two instances of damage and bleeding. - Flashkick A blow to leave them reeling. #### Flashkick **Description**Syntax: FLASHKICK This quick kick to the face of your target will cause a random hidden affliction to the opponent, as well as dealing trauma to their head. If they are affected by all afflictions it can give, then it will cause a blackout of the senses. This attack can give the following afflictions: Confusion, dementia, weariness, stupidity, or dizziness. - Crescentcut An attack of brute force. #### Crescentcut **Description**Syntax: SITARA CRESCENTCUT \[venom\] A slow, looping attack, this sitara attack is well known for its deadly potency and heavy damage when the opponent is hindered upon the floor. It can also deliver a venom if you so choose. The following afflictions will boost its damage: \* (+10%) Each crippled leg \* (+15%) A writhe-based affliction \* (+15%) Paresis / paralysis \* (+25%) Fallen \* (+30%) Each broken torso/head \* (+35%) Each broken arm/leg \* (+40%) Shock \* (+50%) Each mangled torso/head The afflictions are listed in order of what causes the least damage boost to the greatest, with each one stacking. Limb-based afflictions will stack for each individual one the target has. Additionally, when the attack lands, it will reduce non-natural healing by 50% for 6 seconds. This attack cannot be dodged or diverted through Avoidance. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage SourceAgile Weapon Damage Modifier120% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)100% Leg Crippled Bonus+10% damage each Writhe Bonus+15% damage Paresis or Paralysis Bonus+15% damage Fallen Bonus+25% damage Head and Torso Broken Bonus+30% damage each Arm and Leg Broken Bonus+35% damage each Shock Bonus+40% damage Head and Torso Mangled Bonus+50% damage each Non-Natural Healing Reduction–50% Reduction Duration6 seconds Weapon Speed Modifier150% Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 endurance to use. - Weapon must be wielded in a functional arm. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Lowhook Spin low to render legs useless. #### Lowhook **Description**Syntax: SITARA LOWHOOK \[LEFT|RIGHT\] This low, swooping attack will cause trauma to a target’s legs with your sitara. If no side is selected, then one will be chosen at random. - Veinrip Tear into the arteries of a victim. #### Veinrip **Description**Syntax: SITARA VEINRIP This vicious attack will aim at your opponent’s throat, using the tip of the knife to rip apart an artery within. They will bleed rapidly over the next few moments, the sudden blood loss leaving them struck with weariness and dizziness when it finally subsides. - Gouge A disfiguring slash. #### Gouge **Description**Syntax: SITARA GOUGE The wound caused by this swift cut across the face will leave your foe with a disfigurement, turning any loyal minions against them. It will cause two instances of damage and trauma for one attack. - Freefall The blade from above strikes true. #### Freefall **Description**Syntax: FREEFALL \[venom\] If your target is either in the skies or trees, and you are above them or next to them, you can dive upon them with your sitara, dragging them down to the ground. Once upon the ground, they will be thrown to the floor and stunned while you stab them multiple times. This will cause three instances of damage, the first of such delivering a venom. While this ability can be combined with Knifeplay attacks, it can only be done at the beginning of a combo. This weapon attack will bypass the aura of rebounding. - Spinslash A powerful double-cut. #### Spinslash **Description**Syntax: SITARA SPINSLASH This confusing strike will randomly attack one of the arms or legs that your target is not parrying with your sitara, dealing trauma to that limb. It will cause two instances of damage and trauma for one attack. - Butterfly A whipping acrobatic attack. #### Butterfly **Description**Syntax: SITARA BUTTERFLY \[venom\] This acrobatic and graceful attack will dismount you and let you move from an adjacent location to attack your target with your sitara, delivering a venom upon its blade. This weapon attack will bypass the aura of rebounding. - Tidalslash Use your enemy’s magic against them. #### Tidalslash **Description**Syntax: ABSORPTION \[OFF\] TIDALSLASH This ability will allow you to absorb the harmful energies of magic-typed or arcane-sourced damage directed at you and store them in your sitara. Once your sitara has absorbed enough energy and begins to glow, you may attack your enemy with the deadly tidalslash, dealing a large amount of cutting damage and a small amount of unblockable damage. Death by this ability will not leave a corpse behind. You may check to see how much magical energy your sitara has absorbed by checking it with WEAPONPROBE. Please see AB WEAPONRY WEAPONPROBE for more information on this skill. Apex bonus: For each kill you have racked up, the damage will be split more in favour of unblockable damage over cutting damage. It cannot be divided any further than 90% unblockable, 10% cutting. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Predation - Hide Conceal yourself from view. #### Hide **Description**Syntax: HIDE and EMERGE Conceal yourself from view, hiding yourself from the eyes of others within the room. You may emerge if you wish to reveal yourself and cease to hide. - Secondwind Keep those eyes open. #### Secondwind **Description**Syntax: SECONDWIND Your physical and mental conditioning are such that when you attempt to awaken from the dreamworld, it will be more easy for you. - Evade Mislead your pursuers. #### Evade **Description**Syntax: EVADE Silently slip away from your location, evading certain triggers and traps and bypassing those that might prevent you from leaving. Anyone following you when you do so will be lost. - Secret Give someone an item without their knowledge. #### Secret **Description**Syntax: SECRET TO Detection difficulty modifier: 0% Secretly slip an item to someone without them noticing. There is a chance of being detected when using this ability. Please read HELP DECEIT for more information. - Whitesight See in even the most severe blizzards. #### Whitesight **Description**Syntax: WHITESIGHT Training in the wilderness has left your senses enhanced under the pressures of survival in winter, allowing you to see in even the most severe of snowstorms. - Shadow Shadow a target in order to track them. #### Shadow **Description**Syntax: SHADOW Detection difficulty modifier: +10% By stealthily slipping into pursuit from an adjacent location, you’re able to shadow your target as they move about the land without their knowledge. This will also place you into hiding when successful. There is a chance of being detected when using this ability. Please read HELP DECEIT for more information. - Regeneration Manipulation of the body’s chemistry. #### Regeneration **Description**Syntax: REGENERATION When you are wounded, you can force your body to heal itself at the cost of some mana and willpower. No action is needed on your behalf, it will happen passively once turned on. - Envenom Coat your weapons in venom. #### Envenom **Description**Syntax: ENVENOM WITH WIPE With this ability, you may layer venoms on an edged weapon. Each time that weapon hits somebody, one venom will poison your opponent, and disappear from the weapon. Venoms work on a last-on, first-off basis, so if you put xentio on a weapon, and then put voyria on, the voyria would come off first, and the xentio second. You must possess a rag with the venom in order to apply it to a weapon. In order to get rid of the venoms on a weapon, simply WIPE . You can also in-line envenom your weapon as you attack. For example, SLASH XENTIO will slash them with xentio, providing you have a rag with the venom of course. - Fashion The ability to create deadly tools. #### Fashion **Description**Syntax: FASHION DARTS FASHION MASK Requires 1 wood and 1 iron for 40 darts. A mainstay of the Predator, this ability will allow you to take some wood and iron and fashion them into small darts. They can then be placed within your cache for safekeeping. Requires 1 cloth for a mask. You can also fashion together a simple cloth mask from a piece of cloth, which can be worn to hide the face. The mask can be dyed with a dyekit so that it will take on a colour of your choice. - Dartshot Use of the swift projectile darts. #### Dartshot **Description**Syntax: DARTSHOT \[venom\] Requires 1 dart. A long-time favourite of desert dwellers from another world, this ability will allow you to hurl a single dart from your inventory with a mere flick of the wrist at someone in your location or within line of sight. The dart is subject to rebounding aura while you are in the same location as your opponent. Apex bonus: If you have racked up at least three kills, then you will be able to fling a single dart through the aura of rebounding. - Pheromones Attraction is a powerful deterrent of violence. #### Pheromones **Description**Syntax: BLOW DUST AT Can be used as part of a Knifeplay combo. Knowledge of certain chemistries allows you to create a powder which may pheromonally alter a victim’s perception of you when inhaled. As such, the intoxicating scent will cause your opponent to be stricken with a powerful infatuation for you. - Mask Conceal your identity. #### Mask **Description**Syntax: WEAR MASK and REMOVE MASK Using a mask that you have fashioned together, your ability to remain somewhat out of attention allows you to conceal your identity while in front of others. You will be able to speak and perform certain actions without being revealed. Placing the mask on your face requires you to be alone however, it won’t be very useful if you are seen as it is put on. While the mask is worn, guards will have a harder time recognising your face when on the watch for enemies. However, lingering in front of hostile guards will slowly rouse suspicion and eventually they will see through your obfuscation. If you have visible enemies with you, you will be less suspicious to the guards as they will focus upon them. Performing aggressive actions in front of enemy guards will also greatly increase your suspicion, no matter what. Lastly, your suspicion will be forgotten if you find a location without guards and spend some time there for a while. You won’t be able to tell when it is completely gone – that is up to your own gut feeling. This ability has an additional effect related to Persuasion: It will prevent certain persuasions from revelaing your name if you were wearing the mask at the time of doing the action that would’ve recorded your name, e.g. killing a denizen. - Swifteye Improve the speed of your darts. #### Swifteye **Description**This ability is passive. With a careful eye, you can spot a lapse in defence and improve the balance time of the Dartshot and Twinshot abilities. As such, the following situations will cause you to speed up your strikes. Each effect can stack for an increased reduction in balance time: \* You miss due to a loss of accuracy. \* The target has stupidity. \* The target has recklessness. - Windwalk Walk with all the sound of a breeze. #### Windwalk **Description**Syntax: WINDWALK \[OFF\] With this in effect, you will now be able to move in and out of areas without notice. There is a minor willpower upkeep in order to maintain this ability. - Grabhold Keep a bead on those with wings. #### Grabhold **Description**Syntax: GRABHOLD With a trained eye, you can now predict the moment when your target will take to the skies, allowing you time to latch on to them and follow with them. Your focus will persist until it is used or turned off. There is an endurance cost associated with this ability in order to maintain its focus. - Entice Lead unsuspecting prey to its demise. #### Entice **Description**Syntax: ENTICE Entice your prey into following behind you, allowing you to lead them astray. Apex bonus: For each kill that you have racked up, the balance time of entice will be reduced by 0.5 seconds. - Preserval Steel yourself against the forces of nature. #### Preserval **Description**Syntax: PRESERVATION Utilising your survival experience, you may now survive in harsh environments for extended periods of time without the threat of exposure. This ability increases your fire, cold, and electric resistance to damage, and will reduce the amount of endurance and willpower you lose in extreme temperatures. - Arouse Boost your health to keep moving. #### Arouse **Description**Syntax: AROUSE Your practiced discipline in pacing yourself allows you to swiftly arouse your body with new wind in times of need. This will restore up to half your health. Cooldown: 90 seconds Apex bonus: For each kill that you have racked up, the cooldown time will be reduced by 30 seconds. It cannot go any lower than 5 seconds. - Mindnumb Knock some sense out of your foe. #### Mindnumb **Description**Syntax: MINDNUMB Can be used as part of a Knifeplay combo. With a swift elbow to the temple, leave your target with an impairment that makes it difficult to cope with situations that stun them. - Goad Sucker your enemy into a reckless frenzy. #### Goad **Description**Syntax: GOAD Your frustrating and confounding footwork will leave your victim goaded, causing them to lash out indiscriminately at others in their location when attacking for a short while. The target leaving the location will cause its effects to end early. Apex bonus: For each kill you have racked up, the length of your goading effect will be increased by 2 seconds. - Ferocity Purge your body of unwarranted afflictions. #### Ferocity **Description**Syntax: FEROCITY Can be used as part of a Knifeplay combo. Your unwavering focus allows you to overcome the effects of a random affliction, purging it from your body. While this ability can be combined with Knifeplay attacks, it can only be done at the beginning of a combo. Cooldown: 20 seconds Apex bonus: For each kill that you have racked up past your first, you will purge yourself of an additional random affliction, providing each affliction that is cured was given by a different person or denizen. - Aversion Avert your eyes from viewing deadly glyphs. #### Aversion **Description**Syntax: AVERT EYES and AVERT OFF By averting your eyes from directly peering over the top of your mask, you will keep your mind free of information around you. Through such effort, you can achieve an inner stillness which will protect you from the magical intrusions of glyphs and active aegis defences. In doing so however, you will naturally be deprived of what you might normally see within a location. There is a mana and willpower cost associated with maintaining your focus to keep yourself from accidentally looking at your surroundings. - Pindown Put your foe in their place. #### Pindown **Description**Syntax: PINDOWN Can be used as part of a Knifeplay combo. Requires 1 dart. Should you find your opponent prone, you may utilise a dart to nail them to the ground, effectively disabling them for a short period of time until they manage to writhe free of it. Should they leave the current location by any means, they will be torn from the dart, removing it but dealing cutting damage to them in the process. The time it takes to escape from the dart will be increased if their torso is mangled. While this ability can be combined with Knifeplay attacks, it can only be done at the beginning of a combo. - Daggerthrow Fling a deadly dagger at those nearby. #### Daggerthrow **Description**Syntax: DAGGERTHROW \[dagger\] PULL DAGGER FROM BODY If your target is in an adjacent location, you may throw a dagger from your inventory deep into their gut. Your opponent will begin to bleed profusely until they remove the knife from their body, but will be unable to do so unless they possess courage. If they are bleeding for more than 450 points of health when the dagger is yet to be pulled, then they will become dazed from all the blood. Only three daggers may be embedded in one person at a time, further daggers will fall to the ground. - Quickassess Watch your prey for weakness. #### Quickassess **Description**Syntax: QUICKASSESS Quickly assess your target and find out how much health they have. While does not require neither balance nor equilibrium to use, it does have a steep mana cost instead. - Defang Keep a look-out for openings. #### Defang **Description**Syntax: DEFANG \[OFF\] If you successfully parry an opponent’s attack, you will have a chance to additionally push them back and upset their balance. This skill will drain your endurance over time in order to maintain its focus. - Threadtrap A trap to keep your foe coming back for more. #### Threadtrap **Description**Syntax: LAY THREADTRAP Requires 1 cloth. Using a spool of cloth, you can strip the threads and set them over all the locations directly adjacent to your current position. Should an enemy enter any of the rooms that you have trapped, you will pull them to you with a tug of the cunningly crafted threads, and they will be thrown to the ground before your feet. It will fail if they are weighted with density. The trap will persist until you move from your location, at which point it will become useless. There is a mana upkeep associated with this ability in order to maintain your focus upon the threads. - Twinshot A double dose of darts. #### Twinshot **Description**Syntax: TWINSHOT \[venom\] \[venom\] Requires 2 darts. Using this technique, you can fling two poisoned darts at your enemy at once, though it will take you longer to recover your balance than it would with only one. They can be either in your location or within line of sight. The darts are subject to rebounding aura while you are in the same location as your opponent. - Cirisosis A thick, deadly morphing poison. #### Cirisosis **Description**Syntax: BLOODMIX Known for its ability to synergise with other venoms already present in a target’s system, this chimeric poison has earned the nickname “the morphing poison,” and is treasured by those with the skill to wield it effectively. Exclusive to the Predators, the creation of this particular mixture necessitates their unique blood for its formulation. Using a venom rag that has been soaked in loki venom, you must then slash open your palm to blend your own life essence into it to form the newborn poison. Though its thick, erratic consistency makes it unsuitable for application on hand-held weapons, it is perfectly engineered for use with your darts. Effects: If your target is already grappling with three other venom-sourced afflictions when cirisosis is introduced into their bloodstream, the poison will begin to circulate their system, drawing venom into itself to make it more potent. As such, it will cure away one venom-sourced affliction from their body when the poison is delivered. If the target’s system harbors six or more venom-sourced afflictions after a brief period, the poison further morphs to assimilate another venom, triggering a burgeoning toxic overload within the victim. Finally, if six or more venom-sourced afflictions persist beyond another short wait afterward, the poison escalates to its most potently lethal capabilities, devastating the victim’s organs and ensuring imminent death. - Hostage One may need leverage to make a bargain. #### Hostage **Description**Syntax: TAKE HOSTAGE RELEASE HOSTAGE EXECUTE HOSTAGE RIFLE HOSTAGE Deceit difficulty modifier: +50% Though it takes skill, patience, and time to pull off, taking a hostage can mean the difference between life and death in a situation which threatens your own well-being. While hiding and windwalking, you may execute this measure to try and take your target knifepoint unseen. This action will take time and focus to complete. Additionally, there is a chance you may be detected as you try to take your target hostage, which will depend on your ability to be deceitful (see HELP DECEIT). Being seen will not stop your attempt however. While you have your target held hostage, you may perform no aggressive actions, but neither may your hostage. Should your hostage attempt an aggressive action, you will give them one warning, that being your blade at their throat. Should they persist in their struggles, you will automatically slit their throat and throw them to the ground to leave them to die. Alternatively, you may expedite the process and simply execute your hostage outright. It is possible to move your hostage with you by moving normally, however this will be a slow affair. You may also make use of the ENTER verb for movement, such as with portals. You may also rifle through their possessions in an effort to steal a small amount of gold from them. However, while your attention is distracted, your hostage has a chance to escape your grip each time you do. Apex bonus: If you possess a kill count of at least three or more, you will no longer need to be hiding in order to take someone hostage. Your prowess as a killer will also create additional compliance in your hostage, lowering their chance to escape from you when rifling for gold. - Culmination The reward of all your practice and training. #### Culmination **Description**Syntax: CULMINATION The culmination of all your training in being prepared to strike and hunt others has left you with an innate ability to react to dangers in the moment. When you make use of your Avoidance skill and choose to respond to all types of attacks, the penalty suffered to your chance rolls will only be half as much. - Apex Be the predator, not the prey. #### Apex **Description**Syntax: APEX Prove yourself as the apex fighter. The more bodies that you rack up under your name, the more powerful certain abilities will become within your kit. However, if you are slain yourself, then your body count will be reduced back to zero. You can use APEX to see how many adventurers you have recently killed. Only kills in which you land the finishing blow will count. Kills in locations such as arenas or fighting pits are not counted. The same is true if you die. The following abilities are affected by the Apex skill within your class: Knifeplay: Notching, Trueparry, Triad, and Tidalslash. Predation: Goad, Dartshot, Entice, Arouse, Ferocity, and Hostage. Beastmastery: Roar, Dive, and Negate. You can use AB to learn more about these abilities. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Beastmastery - Direwolf Earn the trust of a wild direwolf. #### Direwolf **Description**Syntax: BEASTCALL DIREWOLF MOUNT DIREWOLF DISMISS DIREWOLF Long feared have been the wolves of the wild, though your time spent as a predator in your own right has given you a knowledge of how to handle them. Once you’ve called of a direwolf from the wild, a dangerous practice, you can utilise it for many actions and ride upon it if needed. Though it will not passively fight for you, the direwolf’s extraordinary sense of direction will allow you to teach it trails and commands in the future. - Beastcall Call the wild beasts to your side. #### Beastcall **Description**Syntax: BEASTCALL DISMISS The most important ability of any beast master is to know how to call and gain the trust of wild animals. As you learn more of Beastmastery, you will gain the ability to call upon the aid of several distinct beasts; the direwolf, the orgyuk, the orel, and the spider. While generally friendly when called upon, be warned that sometimes a summoned beast will be hostile and try to attack you instead. You may only have one beast at your command at a time, except for the direwolf which will always remain by your side. You may also wish to review HELP LOYALTY as it holds many commands that will be useful to you in ordering your beasts, although they cannot be ordered to attack others without specific commands from the Beastmastery skill. - Status Check the status of your beasts. #### Status **Description**Syntax: BEAST STATUS This ability allows you to discern the location and health of all the beasts under your command. - Glance Look through the eyes of your beasts. #### Glance **Description**Syntax: BEAST GLANCE This ability allows you to glance through the eyes of your loyal beast, to see what the beast sees. You may also remove BEAST from the syntax as a short hand. - Soothe Heal the wounds of your beasts. #### Soothe **Description**Syntax: BEAST SOOTHE This ability allows you to soothe the wounds of your loyal beast, healing them of health. You also omit BEAST from the syntax as a short hand. - Orel Call for the help of a mighty orel. #### Orel **Description**Syntax: BEASTCALL OREL OREL FLY and OREL LAND DISMISS OREL You are now able to control the mighty orel. These airborne predators are capable of tracking other individuals, and with proper instruction can even lift them into the air and carry them back to you. It will not passively fight for you however, not without being given active commands. Unlike your other beasts, the orel can act remotely from you, as long as it is an outdoors location in the same area as you. FLY and LAND do not consume balance, but have a shared cooldown. Cooldown (fly/land): 3 seconds - Placate Summoned beasts won’t see you as a threat. #### Placate **Description**Syntax: BEASTCALL ALPHA ALPHAHUNT The beasts of the land are known to be a vicious sort and not easily tamed. However, there is one method in which someone who seeks dominance over a beast may obtain it. Defeat an alpha of each kind, and that kind will bow to your will: \* Direwolf – the Augerweald \* Orgyuk – the Western Tundra \* Orel – Three Widows \* Spider – Luzith’s Lair Call out your challenge in the associated area above to summon an alpha beast, then defeat it in battle. You must deliver the final blow in order to claim the title of alpha from the beasts. The ALPHAHUNT command will show you which kinds you have defeated. Once you have defeated an alpha of the beast you wish to summon, you will unlock the following benefits: – That summoned animal will now arrive instantly to your call. – There will no longer be a chance that the beast will be hostile on arrival and try to attack you. – You will be able to customise your summoned beast (HELP CUSTOMIZATION). - Orgyuk Mastery over the mighty orgyuks. #### Orgyuk **Description**Syntax: BEASTCALL ORGYUK DISMISS ORGYUK You are now able to control the mighty orgyuk. These powerful beasts can cause great damage to their foes and, with proper instruction, can even viciously break apart limbs. It will not passively fight for you however, not without being given active commands. - Spider Convince the elusive spiders to come to your aid. #### Spider **Description**Syntax: BEASTCALL SPIDER DISMISS SPIDER You are now able to control the venomous spiders. These elusive beasts can inflict several dangerous venoms to their victims and utilise a web to hinder an opponent. The spider will not passively fight for you, not without being given active commands. - You possess the following abilities with the direwolf - Flank Have your direwolf flank an injured foe. #### Flank **Description**Syntax: WOLF FLANK With a thought, you can have your direwolf flank an injured denizen and bite at their hind. The denizen must not be at full health in order to be successful. This attack cannot score a critical hit and does not consume either balance or equilibrium. Cooldown: 8 seconds **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeCutting Damage SourceNone Base Damage (Denizen)5% of maxhealth Minimum Damage1 Maximum Damage300 Cooldown8 seconds Requirements - Costs 5 endurance to use. - Requires an unimpaired throat. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Redeyes Draw your prey into the direwolf’s eyes. #### Redeyes **Description**Syntax: WOLF REDEYES If your target is in your location or within line of sight of you, then you can command your direwolf to gaze at them with their red eyes. This petrifying gaze will destroy their cloak defence and leave them heavily stunned, but only if they have recently fled combat. Cooldown: 12 seconds - Heirloom A trinket to guide your direwolf home. #### Heirloom **Description**Syntax: WOLF ACCUSTOM \[REPLACING \] BURY WOLF RETURN HEIRLOOM LIST HEIRLOOM ALIAS This will allow you to accustom your direwolf to the appearance and scent of any object you so please, to the point that it can locate it anywhere in the realms, as long as it is outdoors and buried. Burying it will keep it somewhat hidden and allow you to use it as a beacon for your beast, making it possible to travel back to that point from anywhere on the continent, as long as you are riding your direwolf. For easier remembrance, you can then assign an alias to each of your heirlooms, and use it in other skills. If your heirloom is not in the same area, it will take you quite a bit longer to reach it. - Hunt Order your direwolf to track the owner of an item. #### Hunt **Description**Syntax: WOLF HUNT Accommodating your companion to an item’s scent will allow it to track down the last person who handled the object, making it rather simple to track down an enemy should one be anywhere outdoors. If they are not in the same area, it will take you quite a bit longer to reach your target. - Swifttrack Order your direwolf to track to anyone you are an ally of. #### Swifttrack **Description**Syntax: WOLF SWIFTTRACK Your direwolf has become so well-trained and mature in the ways of the wild that it can track down another, living or dead, so long as your target is outdoors and considers you their ally. If they are not in the same area, it will take you quite a bit longer to reach your target. - You possess the following abilities with the orel - Traverse Order your orel to locate its prey. #### Traverse **Description**Syntax: OREL TRAVERSE OREL TRAVERSE ME You can order your orel to seek out any individual within the same area and outdoors, and to traverse to them. You need to be in the same area as the orel to be able to successfully issue this order. This will place the orel in the skies above them. - Dive Have your orel dive down and tear their throat. #### Dive **Description**Syntax: OREL DIVE Order your orel to dive your target, tearing at their throat with its beak. The attack will deal a mix of asphyixation and cutting damage. Apex bonus: If you have a kill streak of three or more, your raptor’s strike will leave them with a crippled throat – though this will initially be hidden from the victim. - Swoop Order your orel to swoop at its prey. #### Swoop **Description**Syntax: OREL SWOOP ENVENOM TALONS OF OREL WITH <1st venom> AND <2nd venom> OREL INSPECT OREL WIPE OFF Your skill as a Predator is now such that you are able to apply a thin coat of venom to the talons of an orel under your command. Only the deft touch of one as highly skilled as yourself is able to measure out the proper amount of venom to allow for maximum effectiveness, but not harm your loyal companion. Once the bird is near your prey, you can order it to swoop down upon the unlucky victim after a short delay, causing damage and delivering the two venoms upon its talons. - Hoist The orel can lift even the heaviest mortals. #### Hoist **Description**Syntax: OREL HOIST OREL RELEASE OREL DEPOSIT If your orel is circling above another individual, you can order it to attempt to lift him off the ground. If successful, the orel can then be ordered to traverse back to you, or to another individual within the same area, dragging the unlucky victim along. You can also order the orel to hoist yourself and have it drag you along just like any other victim. You can also order your orel to fly around while grasping you in its talons. The orel is able to either deposit its victim safely back to the ground, or to release its grip, causing a nasty fall to those who are not capable of flying. - Pursue Order your orel to aerially pursue someone. #### Pursue **Description**Syntax: OREL PURSUE OREL PURSUE OFF You can order your orel to seek out any individual within the same area and outdoors, and to continue pursuing their movements from the sky. As long as the target remains outdoors and not too far away from the orel, it will follow its quarry around. Should the target move indoors or too far, the order will not be cancelled – the orel will instead wait for the target to get into its range again. - Deathroll Send your orel to bring its prey crashing to the ground. #### Deathroll **Description**Syntax: OREL DEATHROLL If your orel has a target in skies, either following a successful hoist or simply being next to it, this ability will have the orel drag them down in a death roll and slam them into the ground. - You possess the following abilities with the orgyuk - Rake Never underestimate the strength of a orgyuk. #### Rake **Description**Syntax: ORGYUK RAKE You can order your orgyuk to rake another individual, attacking them four times in a row with the orgyuk’s vicious claws. The final blow from your orgyuk will upset their balance and clear their parry. Should either arm of your target be broken when the last attack is made, then the balance upset is tripled. If the location the target is in is bloody, then the scent of blood will drive your orgyuk into a rage and double the amount of damage it deals. - Swipe A quick swipe from the orgyuk. #### Swipe **Description**Syntax: ORGYUK SWIPE Your orgyuk can swipe its paws across the skin of its victim, stripping him or her of their heightened courage. - Throw Orgyuks so enjoy playing toss-a-mortal. #### Throw **Description**Syntax: ORGYUK THROW ORGYUK THROW Your orgyuk can lift its victim into the air and slam them against the ground, causing severe damage. The orgyuk can also throw its prey to an adjacent room instead. If the target is protected by the density defence, however, the orgyuk will not be able to lift them. - Roar The roar of the orgyuk will unnerve those before it. #### Roar **Description**Syntax: ORGYUK ROAR Order your orgyuk to let forth a terrifying roar that will scatter all those who lack courage before it in a stampede of fear. It will take a short period for the orgyuk to prepare itself, and should it be attacked before it completes its roar the effect will fail. Apex bonus: If you have a kill streak of two or more, the effect will ignore their given courage. - Weaken All shall tremble before the orgyuk. #### Weaken **Description**Syntax: ORGYUK WEAKEN Your orgyuk can unleash a mighty roar, temporarily reducing the strength of its target. - Pummel The orgyuk will mangle the limbs of its target. #### Pummel **Description**Syntax: ORGYUK PUMMEL The orgyuk can crash its paws down at a specific body part of its victim, causing blunt damage and a large amount of trauma. If you direct the attack on the target’s torso, it will also leave them with cracked ribs. - Mawcrush Order the orgyuk to bite into an unlucky victim. #### Mawcrush **Description**Syntax: ORGYUK MAWCRUSH This powerful bite requires that the target’s torso is broken in order to land. If it is, it will deal cutting and blunt damage to the target, a large amount of bleeding, and will reduce their blood reserves into a bloody spray across the ground. Successfully parrying the torso will prevent this ability from landing. - You possess the following abilities with the spider - Web The spider webs are strong indeed. #### Web **Description**Syntax: SPIDER WEB Order your spider to trap its target in an ensnaring web, requiring them to writhe free before they can act again. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Intoxicate The toxic bite of a spider. #### Intoxicate **Description**Syntax: SPIDER INTOXICATE SPIDER INTOXICATE OFF You can order your spider to start attacking its target periodically, delivering a poison that renders its victim intoxicated, distorting their perception of venoms. As such, the next venom that the target is affected with from a weapon attack will become difficult for them distinguish from others. - Strands Thwart the escape of the spider’s prey. #### Strands **Description**Syntax: SPIDER STRANDS The spider is now capable of holding down its victim, preventing them from escaping the location through the use of fine strands of webbing. This will only interfere with normal movement attempts and not otherwise, and only one spider may weave strands around an individual at a time. Each time the spider blocks the target from leaving, there is a 40% chance that the strands will cease to have an effect, although it can be resumed if you so wish. - Negate A spider venom makes resisting blows difficult. #### Negate **Description**Syntax: SPIDER NEGATE Causes the spider to bite its target with a special venom that reduces the target’s ability to resist cutting and blunt damage for a short period. Apex bonus: For each kill you have made, it will slightly increase the reduction provided by this ability. - Acid Burn your target with a spider acid. #### Acid **Description**Syntax: SPIDER ACID Causes the spider to bite its target with a dose of acid that causes effects of Bloodscourge to not wear off while the acid is present. The effect will last for a short while before it will naturally wear off. ## Visual style and identity Predators are often clad in furs, pelts, and the kind of clothing necessary for harsh and unforgiving journeys throughout hostile lands. They dress light to remain flexible in combat, but their attire is otherwise as varied as the personalities that adopt the profession. Trinkets of bone or trophies taken from fallen victims often decorate their person, speaking to the violent end of those proven as prey. In combat, a Predator moves with a savage grace otherwise only seen in wild struggles between wolf and caribou, lion and gazelle, or tiger and boar. They exhibit overwhelming strength and stoic, unshakeable will. The intent is always clear: cast aside those who cannot rise to the challenge. Predators are often seen with their beast companions in tow. Their arrival within Aetolia required adaptation to new creatures within an unknown landscape, ensuring they are never alone even in the heat of battle. ## Side effects of the work While many of Aetolia’s professions adventure for glory, honour, and renown, Predators tend to seek greater tests of their boundless might and cunning. This can often mean they are competitive and boastful. They are a profession almost entirely reliant on physicality and thus will exhibit some muscle due to the constant rigours of their demanding fighting style and training techniques. Known as violent warriors and dastardly sneaks both, Predators deal with nearly as much distrust as an Infiltrator might, especially because of the dubious, otherworldly origins of their trade. Their constant search for greater challenges keeps them away from civilisation for vast tracts of time, ensuring a certain brand of ferality in the most brutish among the profession. ## Who plays this class Predators do not possess any sacred traditions, long-winded philosophical creeds, or stringent codes of honour. They recall only a thirst for challenge and the need to constantly improve themselves in the face of a hostile world. Those who grow into this profession might display prodigious ambition or even a lust for battle. Predators are as calculating as they are swift and will often exhibit a penchant for stratagem or exceptional critical thinking. They embrace the value of stealth and reject chivalric notions, viewing the world with a pragmatic eye focused upon survival and strength. Some among their kind take trophies such as fingers, ears, eyes, or teeth, revealing a near-desperate desire to prove their victory over each foe. If you want a beast-companion class with deep wilderness roleplay, look at the Sentinel. If you want the same lone-killer feel without the wilderness, look at the Infiltrator. If you want a knife-fighter from a forgotten world who carves their blades from their enemies, this is the class. ## Origin and apprenticeship The Predator has no city affiliation and no guild on Sapience. The first generation of Aetolian Predators resides within the wintry Augerweald, led by the mysterious pale warrior Sigurd Brynja. Apprenticeship costs 40 credits and is the only way into the class. Because the Predator is untethered, you can multiclass freely with either Spirit or Shadow classes and move between cities without losing the class. Race choice is independent of class, so you can play a Predator of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). ## Frequently asked questions **Is the Predator good for new players?** The class is straightforward in concept and forgiving at low rank. Knifeplay is direct, Predation is survival-focused, and Beastmastery handles the companion. New players who like rangers and beast-handlers in other games often pick up the Predator quickly. **How do I get a sitara?** You craft one. The sitara ritual requires extracting bone from a slain foe, cleaning and drying it, then whittling it into the knife. Each sitara is personal to its wielder, and many Predators add notches to count their kills. **Can I name my Beastmastery companion?** Yes, with the standard customisation rules. Beasts must resemble a natural example of the species (no unusual shades or pelts without justification). The exception is gifts from gods or other external forces, who can invest special properties or appearances at their discretion. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Predator profile. Or see [Aetolia’s full class list](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) Duiran’s forestal hunter, mirror class of the Executor. Pick Sentinel if you like the wilderness fighter with an animal companion, but want the Spirit-side roleplay of Duiran and the Pride guild structure rather than the lone wanderer frame of the Predator. ### [Wayfarer](/character-classes/wayfarer/) Untethered hardy warrior from Albedos. Pick Wayfarer if you want a similar lone-wanderer profile with handaxe combat and Fury battle-rage, plus survival skills, but prefer the Albedi wasteland heritage to the otherworld Augerweald origin. ### [Shapeshifter](/character-classes/shapeshifter/) Untethered beast-form fighter that joins one of five Packmoot factions. Pick Shapeshifter if you want to become the wild creature rather than command one. Zero lesson investment to start, total beast-form flexibility. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Predator and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Praenomen of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/praenomen/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Praenomen of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-praenomen-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Praenomen class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Praenomen are Aetolia’s signature vampire class, a Shadow-tethered class in Bloodloch that wields Corpus (physical prowess), Mentis (mental dominion), and Sanguis (blood mastery), serving as exemplars and enforcers of the Imperial Dominion. At a glance**Tether**Shadow**City**[Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/)**Guild**Imperial Dominion (Patron: Chakrasul, Goddess of Corruption)**Skill sets**Corpus, Mentis, Sanguis**Mirror class**[Akkari](/character-classes/akkari/) and [Sylvan](/character-classes/sylvan/) (jointly, Spirit)**Sister class in guild**[Bloodborn](/character-classes/bloodborn/)**Signature mechanic**The Embrace: Sire mortals into the Consanguine Bloodline**Best for**Players who want a vampire done seriously, with body, mind, blood, and lineageBorn in the covetous clasp of night, Praenomen are ruthless vampires who crave Blood and Domination. They are exemplars of the Dominion’s will: martial supremacy, ideological supremacy, and the authority to extend that supremacy across Sapience. This is the vampire class of Aetolia. If you want to play a creature of the night who Sires others into your Bloodline, drinks from mortals, and stands as enforcer for the oldest aristocracy on the continent, the Praenomen is the most direct expression of that fantasy in the game. ## Origin and lore Vampirism in Aetolia traces back to an Ankyrean conclavist named Yrtez. With the aid of Chakrasul and Severn, she enacted a ritual of incredible ambition: to harness the immortality of the Gods themselves. Through trial and error she succeeded. In blood and shadow she was reborn as Queen Belladona. The modern understanding is that an excess of elemental shadow allows for undeath. The dark element stifles, but does not erase, the spark of life essence derived from Spirit. Belladona’s first Childer was a Shallam-born man named Abhorash Nehekhara, the first Primus and founder of Bloodloch. Abhorash took Childer of his own, and from them arose the five original noble Houses of the Consanguine: Nebre’seir, Voltaire, Bahir’an, D’baen, and Bouchard. Through him, the Bloodline flourished. In the 446th year of the Midnight Age, the Imperial Dominion arose as both name and mandate. The Progenitor relinquished all claim, and the Consanguine of Sapience stood unified beneath a single banner, free to govern according to their own ancient imperatives. The Dominion today is led by the Primus, chosen by the voices of the Blood. The old Houses have given way to a broader unity, their bloodlines subsumed in reverence of the first and eldest order. Within the Imperial Dominion, weakness is neither sheltered nor forgiven, and folly earns only extinction. ## Skill sets The Praenomen skill sets are Corpus, Mentis, and Sanguis. All three are shared knowledge among Consanguine vampires. **Corpus** is enhanced physical prowess. The Praenomen body is imbued with supernatural efficacy through the use of Blood, granting preternatural speed, strength, and agility. The class fights up close, with the brutality and savage discipline that comes from a body remade by the Embrace. **Mentis** is mental dominion. The Praenomen breaks the weak wills of mortals in twain, ruthlessly and efficiently. The skill draws on the undead presence the vampire carries with them, the awesome and terrible weight that lesser beings struggle to face. Lesser undead are easily brought under their thrall. **Sanguis** is blood mastery. The Praenomen wields their own blood as an unholy weapon and uses it to Sire and Embrace others into the Bloodline. This is the skill that lets a Praenomen create new vampires, the rite at the center of what makes the class distinct from any other in Aetolia. A crimson haze tinges the air when a Praenomen works the deeper feats of blood magic. ## Skill abilities Corpus Mentis Sanguis Filter abilities Title Contents ### Corpus - Earthmeld Steal the healing powers of the earth. #### Earthmeld **Description**Syntax: EARTHMELD and RISE You may merge with the soil underfoot and enter a sleeping state in which you will recover health at an increased rate. The earth will keep you protected from the sun and from roaming monsters while you heal. You must rise once you are ready to return above ground. - Drain Drain blood from the dead. #### Drain **Description**Syntax: DRAIN Blood is the source of power for the Praenomen, and for a newborn walker of the night, one of the easiest ways to obtain it is from the dead. Simply sink your fangs into a fresh corpse – whether you hold it or it lies upon the ground – and drain whatever blood remains, drinking it for yourself. Satisfying your urge is best achieved by drinking the blood of sentient beings. While you can drink the blood of animals, it’ll be far less potent. You can drain blood from corpses even while outside the Praenomen class. However, if you do so while you are Praenomen, you will gain more blood from the act and your hunger will be eased as though you had just eaten. - Frenzy Attack in a frenzy of bloodlust. #### Frenzy **Description**Syntax: FRENZY The basic attack of the Sanguine – batter your victim in a series of frenzied blows and briefly stun them, dealing blunt damage. If they have had their blood effused, then the damage you deal against them is enhanced. This ability may be used with the TARGET ability in Weaponry to attack any part of the opponent’s body. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage230 + 11% Base Damage (Denizen)1044 Added Bonus Damage (Effused blood)x30% Stun Duration0.75 seconds Limb Trauma Dealt9.00% Balance Recovery2.70 seconds Balance Recovery (Denizen)3.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Denizen) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Chill Fill your foe with the chill of death. #### Chill **Description**Syntax: CHILL Blood cost: 10 Use the cold of undeath to great effect and chill your opponent to the bone, freezing them by one stage. - Nightsight A vampire’s natural element. #### Nightsight **Description**Syntax: NIGHTSIGHT Sharpen your vampiric sight and pierce the night with your keen eyes. - Elusion Avoid physical attacks. #### Elusion **Description**Syntax: ELUSION \[OFF\] The vampire is a powerful force in hand-to-hand combat. At cost of your endurance, you can increase your ability to dodge attacks directed at you. You can read HELP AVOIDANCE for more information. - Hide Conceal yourself. #### Hide **Description**Syntax: HIDE and EMERGE Conceal yourself from view, hiding yourself from the eyes of others within the room. You may emerge if you wish to reveal yourself and cease to hide. - Masquerade Lion among the lambs. #### Masquerade **Description**Syntax: MASQUERADE \[OFF\] Blood cost: 100 Additional syntax: DESCRIBE MASQUERADED SELF This will flush blood into your capillaries and make you appear as one of the living, concealing the outward signs of your vampiric nature. You may describe how you appear in this state as an alternate to your general description. - WolfForm Assume the body of the wolf. #### WolfForm **Description**Syntax: BECOME WOLF and REVERT Blood cost: 400 Additional syntax: DASH The Consanguine have the ability to morph themselves into a simple wolf. Your actions are limited in this form, but you will be able to DASH in a direction and will be protected from the sun. - Stalking The silence of death. #### Stalking **Description**Syntax: STALK Blood cost: 300 During the night, you may stalk the shadows and become unseen when you move about. At dawn, the shadows will fade and you will no longer be able to stalk. - Deadbreath Spew forth the air in your undead lungs. #### Deadbreath **Description**Syntax: BREATHE Summon the tainted remains within your withered lungs, and direct a poisoned stream of air at your target. This will rot the fangbarrier defence and leave them with slickness. - Clotting Reduce the level of your bleeding. #### Clotting **Description**Syntax: CLOT \[#\] This ability will allow you to partially clot your bleeding in trade for your mana. You can specify how many times you wish to clot if need be. If you input no amount, then you will try and clot away 20 bleeding by default. - Catching Inhuman reflexes. #### Catching **Description**Syntax: CATCHING \[OFF\] With this ability active, you have a chance to snatch arrows from the air before they strike you. There is an endurance upkeep associated with this ability in order to maintain your focus. - Clawing Viciously rend open that annoying mortal’s flesh. #### Clawing **Description**Syntax: CLAW Slash across your target’s chest with powerful vampiric claws to cause two instances of cutting-based damage and bleeding. If they are an adventurer, it will rip open a wound on their flesh giving them the rend affliction. If the flesh is already rended, then you will cause additional bleeding. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeCutting Damage SourceBrute Base Damage55 + 5% Base Damage (Denizen)200 Base Bleeding50 Bonus Bleeding (Rend)+50 Base Bleeding (Denizen)25 Balance Recovery3.60 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Fortify Harden your flesh against trauma. #### Fortify **Description**Syntax: FORTIFY Blood cost: 200 Your supernatural nature allows you to fortify your body against physical attacks, reducing the damage you take from both cutting and blunt damage types as though you are wearing additional armour. This bonus armour will become weaker the less blood you have. - BatForm Become the form of fear. #### BatForm **Description**Syntax: BECOME BAT and REVERT Blood cost: 400 Additional syntax: FLY and LAND You can now reform your body into that of a bat. Your actions will be limited in this form, but you will be immune to the sun and will be able to FLY if you so choose. - Celerity Supernatural swiftness. #### Celerity **Description**Syntax: CELERITY Blood cost: 150 This will half the time it takes for your movement limit to be reset, allowing you to move about the land considerably faster. - Blocking Thwart your food’s escape. #### Blocking **Description**Syntax: BLOCK and UNBLOCK Move into a position that blocks others from leaving your location should they attempt to leave, providing you are not incapacitated. Should you move, you will cease to block. - Sunder Destroy the shields of your foe. #### Sunder **Description**This ability is passive. Should you use FRENZY against a target who is protected by a magical shield, your frenzied assault will shatter their shield in a single blow. - Mistform Assume your ethereal form. #### Mistform **Description**Syntax: MISTFORM Normally only obtainable through death, you can now shed your corporeal body and assume your ethereal form. While in this form you will be immune to most attacks and the effects of sunlight, but your actions will be limited. To return to your corporeal form, you must either return to your coffin or merge with the soil where you may slowly reassemble a physical form. - Mending Repair the damage to your corpse. #### Mending **Description**Syntax: MEND Blood cost: 300 At the cost of some of your blood, this ability lets you repair a large quantity of damage done to your body. The amount of health this skill will heal will increase with the less blood you have. Cooldown: 25 seconds - Lifescent Detect nearby movement of mortals. #### Lifescent **Description**Syntax: LIFESCENT \[OFF\] Blood cost: 200 Your keen scent of smell allows you to detect when potential prey are nearby. This ability will only last a limited amount of time before the effects will fade. - Warding Steel your body against magical assault. #### Warding **Description**Syntax: WARD Blood cost: 200 Your mind is enhanced to the point that it can erect a powerful ward against magical attacks that would harm you, reducing the damage you take. - Veil A concealing veil of shadow. #### Veil **Description**Syntax: DARKVEIL Blood cost: 50 Beckon the shadows to cover you, allowing you to become hidden even when in sight of others. - Gash Gash an opponent with a mighty two-handed blade. #### Gash **Description**Syntax: GASH \[LIGHTLY\] While wielding a two-handed blade, you can strike at another and gouge them open with the cold taste of metal. This will poison them if there is any venom upon the blade, and will deal more damage than a normal weapon slash. You can also choose to gash them lightly if you wish. This will reduce the damage you deal, but it will be quicker and can be performed while one of your arms is crippled. - Envenom Coat a weapon in venoms. #### Envenom **Description**Syntax: ENVENOM WITH WIPE With this ability, you may layer venoms on an edged weapon. Each time that weapon hits somebody, one venom will poison your opponent, and disappear from the weapon. Venoms work on a last-on, first-off basis, so if you put xentio on a weapon, and then put voyria on, the voyria would come off first, and the xentio second. You must possess a rag with the venom in order to apply it to a weapon. In order to get rid of the venoms on a weapon, simply WIPE . - Fling Heave annoying mortals into the air. #### Fling **Description**Syntax: FLING While mounted, you may ride up to someone and use the momentum of your steed with your own supernatural strength to fling them into the air. This will either slam them into the ceiling above or send them sailing into the sky. Gravity will become a natural ally when making use of this skill, assuming they cannot fly. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Entomb Retreating into the grave. #### Entomb **Description**Syntax: BURY COFFIN, ENTOMB, and RISE In order to make yourself a comfy home beneath the ground, you must first purchase or obtain a coffin. Then, you must bury it somewhere with soft soil, preferably somewhere that is unlikely to be disturbed or dug up. You may only have one coffin at a time. Once you have buried your coffin, you can then entomb yourself within it, providing you stand within the same local area as your coffin. This will allow you to heal yourself or regenerate a new body much faster than earthmelding does. When you are ready to return to the land above, you can then rise. - Feed Feed upon the living. #### Feed **Description**Syntax: FEED and RELEASE Fresh blood drawn from the living is a delectable resource for one of the Sanguine, though a living target is far more difficult to feed upon than a corpse. So long as they aren’t protected by a fangbarrier, you may begin to feed upon a hapless victim while they are either prone or suffering from paresis. You will grapple them in place and slowly drain their blood reserves into your own until they writhe free, you RELEASE them, or they perish. While being fed upon, they will also suffer cutting damage when their blood is drawn from their body. - Deathlink Strengthen your tie to the grave. #### Deathlink **Description**Syntax: DEATHLINK Blood cost: 1000 To be able to use this ability, you must first have a buried coffin. Once you are standing atop it, you can link yourself to your coffin using your own blood. This will allow you to entomb from anywhere on the continent rather than being limited to the local area. The strengthened bond that you form will break should you entomb from a distant location. - Potence Supernatural strength. #### Potence **Description**Syntax: POTENCE Blood cost: 250 Your control over your body is such that you can use the potent force of your blood to empower your physical form, granting you an additional point in a stat of your choice. - Eminence Draw forth your vampiric eminence. #### Eminence **Description**Syntax: EMINENCE Blood cost: 500 Only those who have reached the peak of the vampiric form can call forth their eminence. This ability will allow you to switch your body enhancement between equilibrium, balance, and damage at will, providing you have selected one for enhancement already. For more information on enhancements, please see AB HUNTING ENHANCEMENT. - Fade Evade those who seek to harm you. #### Fade **Description**Syntax: FADE You now possess the ability to fade away from your location, evading certain triggers and traps and bypassing those that might prevent you from leaving. Anyone following you will be lost, and those that see you fade will not know what direction you left in. - Reconstruct Reanimate withered limbs. #### Reconstruct **Description**Syntax: RECONSTRUCT Blood cost: 200 Reconstruct a broken body part through force of will and blood, healing 6% trauma and restoring it toward its original form. You may heal the head, torso, left/right arm, or left/right leg. This will only work while the limb is either broken or mangled. Cooldown: 50 seconds - Purify Drive out the toxins in your blood. #### Purify **Description**Syntax: PURIFY BLOOD Blood cost: 250 An incredibly powerful ability, this will allow you to purge your body and blood of one random affliction, then another will be cured after 2 seconds. There is no prevention to this ability other than the initial mana cost and requiring balance and equilibrium to perform. Cooldown: 20 seconds Filter abilities Title Contents ### Mentis - Lifevision Detect food. #### Lifevision **Description**Syntax: LIFEVISION Your keen senses allow you to see all living things within your sight, regardless if they are hidden or not. It will additionally provide some measure of protection against illusions, allowing you to occasionally tell if they are fake. - Whisper Condition your opponent to your liking. #### Whisper **Description**Syntax: WHISPER Blood cost: 90 per whisper Whispers are the manner in which you can condition your opponent into various mental states that will grant you an advantage in on the field of battle. All whispers can be performed off balance providing you have not fallen on the ground, allowing you to attack with balance-based skill and then whisper an affliction to your opponent. You will learn new afflictions to whisper as you continue to progress in Mentis. While whispering is possible in many situations where normally you’d normally be unable to act, it is however difficult to do so while fallen and afflicted by stupidity, or while transfixed. You can type AFFLICTION to learn more about what an affliction from Mentis does. - Deathsight See the death about you. #### Deathsight **Description**Syntax: DEATHSIGHT \[OFF\] Using this ability, you will be linked with the Underhalls, allowing you to sense those who perish and pass through it. - Psycombat Battling another telepath with the psychic arts. #### Psycombat **Description**Syntax: PSYCHALLENGE Psychic combat is a telepathic battle between two players where the goal is to crumple your opponent’s mind. There is no penalty for losing, however those with deathsight will feel the moment a game is decided. There are only seven commands associated with psychic combat that may be used, and when you accept you will be transported to a special location out of harm’s way. Most other commands will not work until the game is complete. You can do the following in psychic combat: PSY BLAST: Blast your opponent’s mind and attack their mental fortitude. PSY BARRIER: Erect a barrier that protects your mind from psychic blasts. PSY WHIP: Tear away your opponent’s mental barrier if they have one. PSY SURGE: If your opponent has less than half of their mental energy, you can end the match in a surge of psychic power. This is costly to perform and could result in your own loss if misjudged. PSY PROBE: Use your mind to determine your opponent’s mental energy. PSY MEDITATE: Meditate your mind in order to recover your mental energy. This is a slow process. PSY ESCAPE: This takes some time, during which you may not do anything else. Once the ability is successful, an exit will open up, allowing you to escape. - Assess Ascertaining the health of one’s prey. #### Assess **Description**Syntax: ASSESS Determine the physical state of another individual, discovering their current health levels. Unique to Mentis, you may additionally perform this ability off balance. - Disrupt Throw off your target’s mental equilibrium. #### Disrupt **Description**Syntax: DISRUPT Blood cost: 100 Should your opponent have two mental afflictions, you may disrupt them of their equilibrium. They will not be able to recover until they CONCENTRATE. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction. - Siphon Steal your target’s mana. #### Siphon **Description**Syntax: SIPHON Blood cost: 100 With a brush of a finger, you can quickly steal mana from your opponent and bolster your own. - Mesmerize Seize control of your prey’s consciousness. #### Mesmerize **Description**Syntax: MESMERIZE Blood cost: 100 This ability allows you to capture the attention of your opponent for a short time and transfix them in place, leaving them unable to act. If they possess courage, then this ability will fail instead. - ForkedTongue Interweaving whispers. #### ForkedTongue **Description**Syntax: WHISPER The skill of the forked tongue allows you to intertwine two subvocal commands in the same whisper, inflicting both upon your target simultaneously. - Telesense Heighten your awareness of telepathic attacks. #### Telesense **Description**Syntax: TELESENSE Tune your senses to detect any telepathic attempts made on yourself or those in your location. Be warned, this will drain your mana while active. - Panic Steeds are so jittery these days. #### Panic **Description**Syntax: WHISPER PANIC Induce panic into the mind of a mount, causing it to either buck its rider off or flee from the location. You cannot interweave this whisper with another. - Contemplation Assess their mental stability. #### Contemplation **Description**Syntax: CONTEMPLATE Contemplate your opponent’s mental state and discover their mana levels. - Trill Whisper to all who might hear. #### Trill **Description**Syntax: TRILL \[affliction\] Splitting the sound of your whispers into numerous directions, you can impart subvocal commands to all enemies within your location. You can trill a second affliction as long as you have knowledge of Forkedtongue. Cooldown: 12 seconds - Lure Lure a victim to their death. #### Lure **Description**Syntax: LURE Blood cost: 250 By projecting your mental control over your surroundings, you are able to lure a target that is within three rooms of you towards your location. This will move them as though they did it of their own accord. This ability will strip the rebounding defence if it is successful in moving the target. - Annihilate Destroy a weakened mind. #### Annihilate **Description**Syntax: ANNIHILATE Blood cost: 300 If your opponent is in a vulnerable mental state with their mana reserves below 35% of their maximum, you can strike their forehead with a rush of psychic power and annihilate them with a single word. - You can whisper the following afflictions - Confusion Confuse your prey. #### Confusion **Description**Syntax: WHISPER CONFUSION Plant confusing echoes and voices into the mind of your target, afflicting them with confusion. - Fear Put the fear of you into ’em. #### Fear **Description**Syntax: WHISPER FEAR Plant unnatural dread into the mind of your target, causing them to flee in fear until they compose themselves. - Impatience Inability to concentrate on focused tasks. #### Impatience **Description**Syntax: WHISPER IMPATIENCE Reduce the attention span of your opponent, making it difficult to focus and afflicting them with impatience. - Paranoia Being paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you. #### Paranoia **Description**Syntax: WHISPER PARANOIA Instill your opponent with irrational suspicion, afflicting them with paranoia. - Stupidity Most mortals aren’t terribly bright anyway. #### Stupidity **Description**Syntax: WHISPER STUPIDITY Stupefy and slow your opponent’s mind, afflicting them with stupidity. - Agoraphobia Fear of open spaces. #### Agoraphobia **Description**Syntax: WHISPER AGORAPHOBIA Fill your opponent with a healthy fear of the outdoors, afflicting them with agoraphobia. - Masochism Stop hitting yourself! #### Masochism **Description**Syntax: WHISPER MASOCHISM Give your opponent the idea that self-harm is a fun pastime. This will afflict them with masochism. - Infatuation Utter infatuation. #### Infatuation **Description**Syntax: WHISPER INFATUATION Turn their emotions into a weapon of longing, afflicting them with infatuation. - Psychosis Fill their head with maddening voices. #### Psychosis **Description**Syntax: WHISPER PSYCHOSIS Fill their head with maddening voices that never seem to relent, afflicting them with psychosis. - Seduction Draw mana from your opponent. #### Seduction **Description**Syntax: WHISPER SEDUCTION Mentally coerce your opponent into sharing their mental reserves with you periodically. This effect will last until they escape your presence for a short time. - Epilepsy Give ’em the shakes. #### Epilepsy **Description**Syntax: WHISPER EPILEPSY Cause your opponent to spasm and twitch, afflicting them with epilepsy. - Anorexia Utter revulsion for food and drink. #### Anorexia **Description**Syntax: WHISPER ANOREXIA Implant the fear of consumption into your opponent, afflicting them with anorexia. - Amnesia Who was that masked man? #### Amnesia **Description**Syntax: WHISPER AMNESIA Confuse the thoughts of your opponent, making them forget the next action they wish to perform. - Loneliness Fear of being left on your own. #### Loneliness **Description**Syntax: WHISPER LONELINESS Make the fool crave the company of others, afflicting them with loneliness. - Dementia Spatial orientation deficit. #### Dementia **Description**Syntax: WHISPER DEMENTIA Subvert your opponent’s facility for recognizing his surroundings, afflicting them with dementia. - Mania Fill ’em with rage. #### Mania **Description**Syntax: WHISPER MANIA Fill your foe with uncontrolled rage, afflicting them with mania. - Indifference They’re easy when they don’t care. #### Indifference **Description**Syntax: WHISPER INDIFFERENCE Induce disregard into your opponent’s state of mind, giving them the indifference affliction. So mired by your mesmerising magics, their listless reactions will cause them to suffer increased limb trauma. - Vertigo Make your enemy fearful of any heights. #### Vertigo **Description**Syntax: WHISPER VERTIGO Implant a fear of heights into your opponent, afflicting them with vertigo. - Temptation Mentally drain your foe of their physical health. #### Temptation **Description**Syntax: WHISPER TEMPTATION Fill your opponent with temptation, periodically draining them of their health and adding it to your own. This effect will last until they escape your presence for a short time. - Recklessness Disregard for his own welfare. #### Recklessness **Description**Syntax: WHISPER RECKLESSNESS Influence your target to disregard his own state of health, afflicting them with recklessness. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Sanguis - Sanguine The latent power of blood. #### Sanguine **Description**This ability is passive. Although your blood grants you great power, it does not come without significant cost. The less blood you have, the more feral your strength will become, however this also leaves you susceptible to certain dangers. The following is a list of attributes you will develop the less blood you have: – Major weakness to fire damage – Resistance to cold damage – Resistance to asphyixation damage – Resistance to poison damage – Resistance to electric damage – Less intelligence – Additional strength Additionally, you will no longer suffer the effects of less natural healing that applies when you have lost blood. You can read HELP BLOOD for more information. - Expel Forcefully expel blood from your body. #### Expel **Description**Syntax: BLOOD EXPEL Blood cost: 5% to 7% Through the control of your own blood, you may choose to expel some of it from your body in order to lower it. This will cause a small amount of bleeding to yourself as well. Be warned, should you expel all your blood, you will perish. - Pervade Search out the bleeding dead. #### Pervade **Description**Syntax: PERVADE Sense the location of the dead in your local area. - Raise Raise the dead as one of your own. #### Raise **Description**Syntax: BLOOD RAISE CALL MINION SEVER MINION Blood cost: 750 By spreading the gift of your blood, you can breathe life into the dead to raise it anew. You may only raise the corpse of a common, sentient denizen. The power of your minion will scale with your level, where the higher level you are, the more damage it will deal. Any other undead minions raised by you will cease to be once a new one is summoned forth. - Rituals Perform rituals of blood. #### Rituals **Description**Syntax: RITUALS Perform rituals using the might within your vampiric blood in order to create and impart powerful magic upon the bloodline and yourself. RITUALS will give you more information on what rituals you can perform. Starting a ritual: IMBUE STONE WITH BLOOD To begin a ritual, you must then stand before the bloodstone of the Dominion and then imbue the stone with your blood. Once you have done this, you can then chant the phrase and paint the rune required for the ritual in question. Collecting blood: COLLECT BLOOD FROM BLOODLIST All rituals require you to first collect the blood of whomever your ritual intends to target. To do this you must find yourself a phial and collect their blood while they are bleeding. Clawing in Corpus is well-suited to this task. You can use BLOODLIST to view the blood you have collected. - Track Take stock of blood loss around you. #### Track **Description**Syntax: BLOOD TRACK \[OFF\] Your attunement with blood allows you to sense how much others are bleeding for within your room. This will drain your blood reserves for as long as you have it active. - Command The mindless follow your command. #### Command **Description**This ability is passive. Any undead minion you raise is now brought back to life under your command. You can view HELP LOYALTY for more information. - Thirst Even your weapon thirsts. #### Thirst **Description**Syntax: BLOOD THIRST Blood cost: 100 Effuse your weapon with a deep thirst for blood, allowing it to steal another’s upon each strike and add it to your own if they are not protected by the fang barrier defence. The amount of blood that will be drained is based upon the penetration stat of your weapon, however it will no longer drain any further blood once your target has less than half their blood reserves left. This ability can only be used on the large blade weapon class. - Regurgitate Share your precious life blood. #### Regurgitate **Description**Syntax: REGURGITATE Blood transfer: 500 Transfer blood from yourself to another vampire in one swift action. - Haze Obscure the sun with a haze of blood. #### Haze **Description**Syntax: BLOOD HAZE Blood cost: 3000 Eject a large quantity of blood from your veins to conjure a fine blood haze across the location. This will disrupt the ability of everyone in the location to go incorporeal while it lingers. Additionally, it will block the harmful effects of sunlight and will regenerate a small amount of health for all vampires that stand within. - Effusion Expel the bodily fluids of your foe. #### Effusion **Description**Syntax: BLOOD EFFUSE Blood cost: 200 By effusing your target of blood, you can cause them to bleed through the pores of their skin. Your foe will only be able to heal themselves of the effusion should they leave your presence first. - Level Determine the blood reserves of your prey. #### Level **Description**Syntax: BLOOD LEVEL Determine how much blood your target has remaining. - Gift Gift your minion with a second chance. #### Gift **Description**Syntax: BLOOD GIFT Blood cost: 500 Etch a small sigil upon the forehead of your minion, granting it a second life should it be slain by another. It will take some time before the minion will rise back up. - Mask Mask your minion from the eyes of others. #### Mask **Description**Syntax: BLOOD MASK Blood cost: 100 Mask your minion, preventing it from being seen by prying eyes. - Pulse A rush of pulsating power. #### Pulse **Description**Syntax: FRENZY Blood cost: 50 A pulse of fresh blood through your veins gives your frenzy extra power. Each ability requires that your opponent is affected by the required affliction(s) before hand, otherwise your frenzy will act like normal. Subdue: Your frenzy will additionally drain your opponent of mana if they have at least three depressant-healed afflictions. Upset: Providing your opponent has their blood effused, you will upset that process and cause a single affliction from weariness, clumsiness, or vomiting the next time the effusion affects them. The affliction is chosen in order, starting with weariness. Craze: A fury of blows will throw your opponent to the floor and strip the courage defence, as long as they have at least three antipsychotic-healed afflictions. Bodyleech: Providing they have at least three euphoriant-healed afflictions, you will sap dexterity from your opponent and add it to yourself. You can view HELP CURE ORDER for information on the various curing trees. - Seethe Invoke blood seething anger. #### Seethe **Description**Syntax: BLOOD SEETHE Blood cost: 100 Should your opponent possess both balance and equilibrium, you can direct your seething gaze upon them. If successful, it will trigger an aggressive reaction within them. This can be performed while you are off balance. - Concentration Focus and refine your sanguine powers. #### Concentration **Description**Syntax: BLOOD CONCENTRATE Refines your blood, making it more efficient. Abilities that expend blood will require less with blood concentration in effect. - Path Specialize your body and mind. #### Path **Description**Syntax: BLOOD PATH Remold your body and psyche into one of the three vampiric paths. You can select from Insidiae, the bond based subclass; Phreneses, the physical based subclass; or Rituos, the blood-magic based subclass. You can select PUROS in order to return to a pathless state. Each subclass grants five new abilities, which you learn as part of Sanguis: Insidiae Phreneses Rituos ————————————————————— Poison Ravish Wisp Strengthen Insatiable Susurro Mutation Spew Rune Blur Trepidation Shadowblow Pillar Feast Thrombus You can type AB SANGUIS to learn more about them. Cooldown: 4 hours - Affinity Bind your blood to another. #### Affinity **Description**Syntax: BLOOD AFFINITY Blood cost: 300 Bind a mutual ally with your blood to split the pain of any attack between the two of you. You must remain within the same room as the other in order to receive this bonus. Additionally, while you have bound your blood with another, you may perform any blood-related command on them normally reserved for your progeny. - Deluge Straddle the line between life and death. #### Deluge **Description**Syntax: BLOOD DELUGE Blood cost: 500 By burning your blood reserves, you can cheat death, becoming able to fall below zero health. This effect will only last for a short period, at which point any further damage will destroy you. You cannot bleed while under zero health. Cooldown: 20 seconds - You possess these abilities for furthering the blood line - Sire Sire one of the Proto-Vampires. #### Sire **Description**Syntax: SIRE CHILDERLIST \[ALL\] REJECT CHILDER Blood cost: 2000 This will bond one of the blood to you, making you their Sire, providing they do not already have one. Siring is very difficult to break, and should be entered into with caution. You may use this ability even if the Praenomen class isn’t your active chosen class. - Glance Glance through the eyes of your progeny #### Glance **Description**Syntax: BLOOD GLANCE Blood cost: 100 Glance through the eyes of your progeny and see what they do. - Vision Influence your progeny with illusory voices and visions. #### Vision **Description**Syntax: BLOOD VISION Blood cost: 200 This powerful ability allows you to send illusory visions to your blood progeny, no matter where they might be. Note: You can add a new line into your vision by using the tag $nl within the text, however there is a limit in that you may only do this five times. - Beckon Summon a progeny before you on one knee. #### Beckon **Description**Syntax: BLOOD BECKON Blood cost: 500 Summon your progeny to you on one knee from anywhere on the continent. - Will Will your progeny into action. #### Will **Description**Syntax: BLOOD WILL Blood cost: 300 You may issue a direct command to your blood progeny as long as they are in the same location as you or adjacent. - Tune Tune your mind to your Blood. #### Tune **Description**Syntax: BLOOD TUNE Blood cost: 100 By focusing on your Bloodline, you may tune yourself to their thoughts. If you are in the room with them, you may hear any entry they make by the THINK command. - Monitor Monitor the activities of your blood progeny. #### Monitor **Description**Syntax: BLOOD MONITOR Blood cost: 1000 Through the bond in your blood, you may monitor the activities of your progeny. This will only last for a limited time however. - Aegis Bestow protection upon your bloodline. #### Aegis **Description**Usage: BLOOD AEGIS Blood cost: 95% Bestow an aegis on your bloodline, granting them extra protection from the attacks of denizens. Can only be used at the dead of Midnight, when the power of the blood is at its strongest. - Invigorate Invigorate the blood lines. #### Invigorate **Description**Usage: BLOOD INVIGORATE Blood cost: 95% Invigorate the bloodlines with renewed vigour, granting all online vampires connected to you a boost to their experience gain for one hour. Can only be used at the dead of Midnight, when the power of the blood is at its strongest. - Rile Rile your bloodline to ready them for battle. #### Rile **Description**Syntax: BLOOD RILE Blood Cost: 500 per affected You heat your blood, and through focus on your Bloodline, force theirs to rile alongside yours. Your line, from you downward, will gain the defenses of Concentration, Shadowblow, and Blur with no blood cost to themselves. - Embrace Share the curse of the night. #### Embrace **Description**Syntax: EMBRACE IN BLOOD CHILDERLIST Blood cost: 5000 With this ability, you may unleash a new vampire. The process is quite draining on both those begetting and those being sworn to the Blood. The newly sworn will have a rapacious thirst for blood afterward. At this stage, you are not bound in any lasting way to the vampire who binds you to the Blood. See AB SANGUIS SIRE for more information. - Your path specialization grants the following - Poison A poison that slowly takes control. #### Poison **Description**Syntax: BLOOD POISON Blood cost: 200 By poisoning their blood stream and inducing a state of sepsis, you can make their body slow to cure, extending the time it takes as long as at least one affliction is present within the antipsychotic, euphoriant, or depressant curing tree. For each tree above that possesses an affliction, the more potent the sepsis will become. This will only affect pill, poultice, and pipe balance recovery times. You can view HELP CURE ORDER for information on the various curing trees. You may use this ability while off balance. - Wisp Summon forth a wisp of blood. #### Wisp **Description**Syntax: BLOOD WISP \[OFF\] Summon forth the blood wisp which will aid you. It will cause enemies in your location to begin to bleed and inflict them with haemophilia. This will drain your blood reserves for as long as you have it active. - Ravish Delight in the sight of fresh blood. #### Ravish **Description**This ability is passive. When making use of the Clawing ability, the sight of blood will excite you to such a degree that the next time you use a single whisper, the equilibrium recovery time will be shorter than normal. The speed increase from Ravish is refreshed each time you use this ability, and can stack up to five times. Two stacks are added instead if the target already has the rend affliction. Please see AB CORPUS CLAWING for more information on this ability. - Susurro Hush your whispers. #### Susurro **Description**This ability is passive. By flushing your enhanced blood through your tongue, you will render your whispers silent to others 25% of the time, leaving them unaware of your intentions. - Insatiable Insatiable hunger for power through blood. #### Insatiable **Description**Syntax: BLOOD INSATIABLE \[OFF\] So insatiable is your hunger for blood, that when this ability is active, you will additionally be able to Feed on a target that has at least one physical affliction. Should you then Feed or Feast from another, you will gain a short lived boost to your balance and equilibrium from the fresh blood. This effect can stack for each successful feeding you do, and is more effective if you Feast. See AB CORPUS FEED or AB SANGUIS FEAST for more information on those skills, and HELP AFFLICTION TYPES for what is considered a physical affliction. - Strengthen Strengthen your bond with your minion. #### Strengthen **Description**Syntax: BLOOD STRENGTHEN Blood cost: 100 Prepare and strengthen the holding bond of Effusion for when you place it upon another. As such, it will additionally become incurable while the target has masochism. Please see AB SANGUIS EFFUSION for more information on this ability. - Spew Coat your foe with slimy filth. #### Spew **Description**Syntax: BLOOD SPEW Blood cost: 500 Cover them in a mass of foul, reeking rot that burns the flesh and stings the senses. This will give them ringing ears to begin with and strip the fangbarrier defence. It will also do the following if they have certain afflictions: \* If they have sadness, it will give blisters. \* If they have misery, it will give impairment. \* If they have arrhythmia, it will give vomiting. While this is rather powerful ability, the bile will burn your throat in the process, removing the Forkedtongue ability until the cooldown expires. Please see AB MENTIS FORKEDTONGUE for more information. Cooldown: 15 seconds - Rune Warp their souls. #### Rune **Description**Syntax: BLOOD RUNE ACTIVATE RUNE Blood cost: 200 Place a blood rune upon your target. You can activate this at any time for a small burst in health and mana damage. - Mutation Mutate the blood of your minion. #### Mutation **Description**Syntax: BLOOD MUTATE By mutating the blood within your minion, you can gift it with new powers, making it more dangerous. Ghastly: A ghastly touch will seize the muscles causing paresis. Festering: Festering jaws will leave the target with haemophilia. Eldritch: An otherworldly gaze will cause the victim to hallucinate. Oozing: A foul, acrid ooze will rot away the fang barrier defence. - Blur Confuse predators. #### Blur **Description**Syntax: BLOOD BLUR Blood cost: 400 By forcing your blood to circulate erratically, you can create a blurring effect when others attempt to gauge your vitals by sight or knowledge. - Trepidation Induce anxiety in your enemies. #### Trepidation **Description**Syntax: BLOOD TREPIDATION \[OFF\] Exude a powerful sanguine aura from yourself to spin fear and anxiety in those around you. This will only affect up to two enemies at once. This will drain your blood reserves for as long as you have it active. Trepidation can cause the following afflictions: Arrhythmia, misery, and sadness. If they have all three afflictions, then it will strip courage from them. - Shadowblow The mystic shadow entity. #### Shadowblow **Description**Syntax: BLOOD SHADOWBLOW Blood cost: 200 Form a mystic shadow entity from your blood. It will protect you by storing up damage dealt to you, then after a certain threshold has passed, it will strike out at the mana of the next person to harm you. - Feast Insatiable appetite for blood. #### Feast **Description**Syntax: BLOOD FEAST If your target has been mesmerized into inaction, you can satisfy your lust for blood by feasting upon your prey and open a large wound that will drain them of massive amount of their blood from a single bite, restoring your own, and dealing both cutting and blunt damage at the same. - Pillar Summon forth the ancient blood pillar. #### Pillar **Description**Syntax: BLOOD PILLAR Blood cost: 2000 The earth itself can feed from your blood, allowing you to bring forth the mighty blood pillar. While in the presence of the blood pillar, anyone who receives bleeding will add a small amount of power to the pillar. Once 450 bleeding has been caused in its presence, the pillar will flare and re-afflict all your enemies of the last affliction they cured after a delay. They do not need to bleed in order for this effect to happen, any attack that creates bleeding will work. Be warned that the pillar is not immune to the wrath of your enemies. It can be attacked and destroyed. - Thrombus Deny the brain of its precious blood. #### Thrombus **Description**Syntax: BLOOD THROMBUS Blood cost: 400 By whispering an incantation of old into your opponent’s ear, you can cause the blood within their body to begin to seize. It will deal mental damage to your target three times in a row, with the final blow stunning them. The amount of mental damage this will cause is proportionate to the amount of mental afflictions the enemy has each time they are drained of mana. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction. Cooldown: 30 seconds ## Visual style and identity A Praenomen is a dramatic, intimidating sight both on and off the battlefield. Physical prowess is unmatched, having shed the imperfections and fragilities of mortal life. Fangs and forked tongues distinguish them from lesser beings, most notable when feeding or invoking the whispers of Mentis. Lesser undead trail them as shambling, mindless beings, will subsumed. Sanguis manifests in conspicuous ways, a crimson haze tinging the air around them. For all the terror they inspire, there is a distinct regality beneath it: an aristocratic bearing, slow and predatory, that belongs to something that no longer needs to hurry. ## Side effects of the work Every vampire comes to know two defining truths. The first is the tyranny of the sun. Even when satiety abates it, the sun remains a source of hate and loathing. Most Praenomen dwell underground and stalk the land at night, leaving a pallid, pale appearance. The second is the compulsive thirst. A well-fed vampire may mimic the warmth and vitality of the living, but it is a mockery of life, a facsimile maintained only by slaking the sanguine thirst. Vampires can imitate most bodily functions through conscious or subconscious control of their blood, but procreation in the mortal sense is impossible. The Bloodline expands instead through the Embrace, child by child, Sire by Childer. ## Who plays this class The Praenomen is a class for players who want the vampire archetype done seriously. The roleplay frame is aristocratic and predatory: you are Consanguine, of the old Bloodline, ranked above the cattle on which you feed. Praenomen vary widely in how they express this. One may revel in slaughter and carnage. The next may manipulate and coerce. The path matters less than the result, so long as it brings power to the Blood. Mechanically, the class rewards players who like deep mixed-discipline kits with a unique social layer. Sanguis lets you Sire others, which means the class generates downstream characters: your Childer, their Childer, a Bloodline that you build over months and years. Few classes in Aetolia have that kind of long-term legacy attached. ## City and guild The Praenomen guild home is the [Imperial Dominion](/world/bloodloch/), based in Bloodloch, the Shadow Tether’s city of undeath. Patron: Chakrasul, Goddess of Corruption. The Dominion houses both the Praenomen class and its sister class, the [Bloodborn](/character-classes/bloodborn/) (the Dominion’s sorcerous vanguard, practicing blood magic and humourist arcana rather than the martial and dominion-focused work of the Praenomen). Joining the Imperial Dominion means committing to Shadow. You will not be able to actively hold any Spirit-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Shadow classes or any of the untethered classes. The Praenomen requires vampirism. The Embrace is its own transformation, and other classes in Bloodloch can be vampiric or not. The Praenomen always is. Race choice still applies in the sense that you can pre-vampire as any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/) before the Embrace, but as a Praenomen you are Consanguine. The Praenomen mirror is unusual: it is paired with two Spirit classes jointly, the [Akkari](/character-classes/akkari/) and the [Sylvan](/character-classes/sylvan/). All three share the same underlying frame: a warrior transformed by a binding oath to something larger. The Bloodline, the Triad, Life itself. The specifics diverge sharply from there, but the mirror holds. ## Frequently asked questions **Do you have to be a vampire to play a Praenomen?** Yes. The Praenomen class requires the Embrace. Vampirism in Aetolia is a separate transformation from class selection (other Bloodloch classes can be vampiric or mortal), but the Praenomen specifically is the Consanguine signature class and is always undead. **What does it mean to Sire someone in Aetolia?** Sanguis includes the Embrace, the rite that turns a willing mortal into a new vampire. The Praenomen is the class that performs this rite. When you Sire a Childer, the new vampire joins the Bloodline as a literal in-game lineage, with the Sire’s reputation reflected in the choice of who gets Embraced. Foolish Childer reflect poorly on an established Sire. **Is the Praenomen good for new players?** The class has clear progression, active guild leadership, and a structured Bloodline that gives new players in-character mentorship. The triple-discipline kit (body, mind, blood) takes time to master, but the trial system lets you test the class without committing lessons. The roleplay frame is heavy, and new players should be ready for the moral weight of playing a predator. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Praenomen profile. Or see [every Aetolia class](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Bloodborn](/character-classes/bloodborn/) Praenomen’s sister class in the Imperial Dominion. Dark sorcerers of physiological magic. Humourism (the four humors), Hematurgy (pure blood magic), Esoterica (occult ritual). Pick Bloodborn if you like the Dominion and the vampire frame but want sorcerous spellwork rather than martial dominion as your primary mode. ### [Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/) Bloodloch’s death knights. Savagery, Deathlore, Warhounds. Pick Carnifex if you want to stay in Bloodloch and Shadow but trade vampire-aristocrat work for heavy melee, soul magic via a soulstone, and trained war beasts at your heel. ### [Indorani](/character-classes/indorani/) Bloodloch’s dark sorcerers. Necromancy, Tarot, Domination. Pick Indorani if you like the Bloodloch frame but want a magic-heavy class without guild attachments, learning from Empress Xa’azamit on the Chaos Plane rather than serving the Imperial Dominion. [Back to browse the other classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Praenomen and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Oneiromancer of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/oneiromancer/) **Published:** March 7, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Oneiromancer of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-oneiromancer-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Oneiromancer class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Oneiromancer is Aetolia’s astral dream-mage, a Spirit-aligned class with no guild that draws power from the Astral Realm and the Dreamworld, wielding Oneiromancy (fate and dreams), Hyalincuru (paper-folding raised to eldritch magic), and Contracts (bargains with Fae Nobles). At a glance**Tether**Spirit**City**[Duiran](/world/duiran/) (associated, no city guild)**Guild**None (apprenticeship through an existing Oneiromancer)**Skill sets**Oneiromancy, Hyalincuru, Contracts**Mirror class**[Indorani](/character-classes/indorani/) (Shadow)**Sister class in guild**None**Signature mechanic**Astral channeling and Noble bargains**Best for**Players who want a guildless mage with extraplanar negotiation and dreamlike combatOneiromancers awakened after 498 MA, when Omei the Imago led the Chromatic Court to conquer the Astral Realm. Since then, mortals across Sapience have begun practicing fumbling first arts by instinct, learning to fold paper into sigils and to negotiate with the Nobles of the Astral courts. This is one of Aetolia’s strangest and most personal classes. If you want to play a planar mage who answers to no guild and signs binding contracts with the Fae for power, the Oneiromancer is the only one of the 32 that lets you do it. ## Origin and lore The Oneiromancers derive their powers from the eldritch landscape known as the Astral Realm, a subsidiary realm of Chaos once ruled by Omei the Imago. The Realm is built from seven spheres of differing hues, with Yellow at the center and Red, Orange, Green, Blue, Violet, and Silver orbiting it at increasing distance. All seven spheres hang suspended within the Astral void, a ceaseless midnight sky full of stars of different colors. Oneiromancers weren’t founded. No guild convened and decided to create them. After 498 MA, people started practicing fumbling first arts by instinct, in the wake of the Chromatic Court’s conquest of the Astral. The tradition spread master to apprentice, never acquiring a center. Oneiromancers find no home in any particular guild, though they hold an association with the Council of Duiran and align with the forces of Spirit. To learn the class, an aspiring mage must apprentice to a practicing Oneiromancer. There is no Divine Patron and no formal initiation. The path is mortal and individual. ## Skill sets Three skill sets, each pulling from a different layer of the same extraplanar tradition: Oneiromancy from the Astral spheres, Hyalincuru from paper and ambient spirit, Contracts from the Fae Nobles who dwell in the Astral courts. **Oneiromancy** is the primary art: power over fate and dreams, channeled directly from the seven spheres of the Astral Realm. By opening these channels, an Oneiromancer can summon transformative extraplanar force across the multiverse, drawing on the colored variety of Omei’s domain. **Hyalincuru** is the ancient art of paper folding, elevated to eldritch magic through ambient spirit. Folded shapes serve as foci for power and ground the Oneiromancer in the present, tying their wide planar reach to specific, tactile actions. Without Hyalincuru’s tactile anchor, an Oneiromancer’s grasp on the waking world starts to drift. **Contracts** is the negotiation art. Oneiromancers bargain with the Nobles of the Fae courts in the Astral Realm, forming pacts in exchange for power over the entities that dwell there. Astral entities summoned this way share a material basis with the Indorani’s Chaos entities, so the same countermeasures that work against Indorani summons work here too. ## Skill abilities Oneiromancy Hyalincuru Contracts Filter abilities Title Contents ### Oneiromancy - Deathsight Attune yourself to the Underworld. #### Deathsight **Description**Syntax: DEATHSIGHT \[OFF\] Using this ability, you will be linked with the Underhalls, allowing you to sense those who perish and pass through it. - Fate The power to shape the future itself. #### Fate **Description**Syntax: FATE Fate is the hallmark of the Oneiromancer’s art, subtly weaving its threads in order to arrange your desired outcome. Your abilities are not limitless, however, and acts of Oneiromancy will steadily wither your power. This ability allows you to see at a glance how much power over fate you have remaining. You may also CONFIG this to show upon your prompt. - Starlight Strike with astral fire. #### Starlight **Description**Syntax: STARLIGHT “Even the smallest, most infinitesimal parts of the Astral Realm are living, aware, and capable of such boundless appetites.” Even a budding Oneiromancer has the power of the stars at their fingertips. With a simple gesture, you may direct a surge of astral fire to sear an opponent’s flesh, inflicting magic damage. The amount of damage dealt will become more powerful if you have unspooled your opponent’s threads. While this ability does not scale very well with the target’s maximum health, it deals a high level of base damage. This renders it more effective against lower health targets than most other abilities. Further, the equilibrium time incurred is reduced if the target’s constitution is less than their statpack default. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeMagic Damage SourceArcane Base Damage600 + 5% Base Damage (Denizen)1044 Added Bonus Damage (Unspooled)x5% Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Unspooled)3.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Denizen)3.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 80 mana to use. - Costs 25 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Chill Winter’s bite is cold and sharp. #### Chill **Description**Syntax: CHILL For firewalls: CHILL CHILL FIREWALL \[direction\] “They say that blue’s for skies, sorrows, solemnity, serenity, and sanctity – but no one ever called it warm.” You may compel a surge of biting cold from the Astral blue to riddle your target with frost. They will gradually freeze over time, triggering three times before the effect dissipates. The astral blue will also aid you in removing firewalls, snuffing them out with but a command of the gelid cold. - Haruspicy Gut instincts are rarely wrong. #### Haruspicy **Description**Syntax: DISSECT FROM DISSECT INTO SLICES AUTOPSY With a scalpel in hand, you can use this skill to extract organs from a fresh, undefiled denizen corpse. The organs can then be cut into smaller slices at your delight. Performing an autopsy upon the corpse will let you know what kind of organs you can extract, although you will occasionally find a tumor instead of an organ. The higher your skill in Oneiromancy, the more slices you can obtain when cutting up an organ. The organs and slices have no mechanical benefit, and are mostly for your pleasure to do with as you please. - Nightsight Nothing can hide in the darkness. #### Nightsight **Description**Syntax: NIGHTSIGHT Nightsight will allow you to see normally while under the cover of darkness. - Scry Sharpen your third eye. #### Scry **Description**Syntax: SCRY “Where we’re going, we don’t need acuity pills.” Call upon your third eye to seek out the threads of another, granting you knowledge of their precise location. So potent is the Oneiromancer’s sight, that you may sense someone from almost anywhere in the realm. - Night Create darkness in the room. #### Night **Description**Syntax: NIGHT Draw forth the deep darkness that plays at the very edges of Astral and drown your location in magical shadows. - Shroud Perform many actions in secret. #### Shroud **Description**Syntax: SHROUD Cover yourself in a shroud of concealment, preventing nearby eyes from discerning your actions. You will be able to leave and enter a location without notice, plus a few other common actions will be hidden. - Bells The tintinnabulation of the bells. #### Bells **Description**Syntax: BELLS By drawing on the orange sphere, you may bring about the vainglorious tintinnabulation of the bells. Your clamorous campanology will shatter the courage of those who possess it, and those who do not will flee from the noisome din. - Fumes Incite the air to mercurial instability. #### Fumes **Description**Syntax: FUMES and BREEZE CLOUD By murmuring the songs of the serpent, you may bring forth green fumes to infuse the air with poison. All who remain within the noxious cloud shall be poisoned and asphyxiated by it. Even you are not safe from the virulent haze, and you may summon a refreshing breeze to remove it should you so wish. - Nightmares Play upon the fears of Darkness’ servants. #### Nightmares **Description**Syntax: NIGHTMARE Fate : 250 Speak the ancient prayers of Ka-la-kai and strike down your enemy with terrible nightmares, inflicting greater pain based on time’s relative position to noon. So potent is the intermingling of the violet sphere and the blackness of the Dreamworld, that most magical barriers will be powerless to withstand your proffered nightmare. - Unspool Undo them, just a bit. #### Unspool **Description**Syntax: UNSPOOL and UNSPOOL RELEASE Fate: 100 Unspool the strands of another, rendering them more vulnerable to your dream-fashioned prescience. You may only unspool the strands of one person at a time. Once the unspooling has begun, it will take five seconds for the threads to fully come loose. At this point, the target’s maximum health and mana will be reduced by 10%, and you will find you are able to impress upon them the full weight of your fateweaving. Should you find yourself unspooled, you may MEDITATE to restore balance, or the Oneiromancer may choose to re-spool it. - Athame A blade made of dream and memories. #### Athame **Description**Usage: DRAW ATHAME FROM IMPEL ATHAME AT \[\] IMPEL ATHAME AT \[\] The athame, a ceremonial blade, is the traditional tool and weapon of the hedge mage, widely employed by occultists, shamans, sorcerers, and witches of various stripes. In the Oneiromancer’s tradition, it is associated with the element of fire. By tapping into the dreams and memories of those passed, you may bargain with the Nobles to receive the gift of a silver athame in return. Aside from its ceremonial uses, you may IMPEL it at a target to attack them. This blade may be envenomed to afflict your target, and must be wielded and bear your mark in order to be effective. Against denizens, venoms will not yield any results. To attack denizens in an adjacent location, you must specify the direction. This skill cannot be dodged, nor is it affected by the aura of rebounding. **Details**Target LocationSame location or adjacent Damage TypeMagic Damage SourceAgile Damage300 + 12% Damage (Denizen)1075 Bleeding30 Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Balance Recovery (Denizen)3.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Denizen) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Lifevision Allows you to see many hidden beings. #### Lifevision **Description**Syntax: LIFEVISION Your attunement with life essence allows you to see all living things within your sight, regardless if they are hidden or not. It will additionally provide some measure of protection against illusions, allowing you to occasionally tell if they are fake. - Misfortune ‘Break a leg’ isn’t always a figurative expression. #### Misfortune **Description**Syntax: MISFORTUNE MISFORTUNE MISFORTUNE THROAT By weaving the threads of fate just so, you may malign the fortunes of your enemies against them, causing either their limbs to become crippled or their protestations to be choked by a crippled throat. Your power is such that you may specify precisely which limb to cripple, or allow fate itself to decide based on your simple directions of the arms or the legs. The latter will cause the effect to be hidden from your target, at a cost of increased equilibrium recovery on your part. - Redoubt Specialized concealment. #### Redoubt **Description**Syntax: REDOUBT By spinning an unseen redoubt from tendrils of spirit and shadow, you may conceal your aura from those who would seek to read it. The redoubt will additionally provide some measure of defence against subjugators who may attempt to locate you. - Assimilate Consume the memories of the dead. #### Assimilate **Description**Syntax: DRAW MEMORIES ASSIMILATE MEMORIES Fate does not always yield its power freely. If you find yourself beside a corpse on the ground that has not been defiled, you may extract the memories from it. Once drawn from the body, these memories can then be assimilated and offered in trade to the Astral nobles of the green sphere, whereupon you shall be granted with refreshed power over fate. The greater the experience of the adventurer, the more replete the memories, and in turn, the greater reward in fate. Memory is ubiquitous, and you need not have brought about the death of whomever owned the corpse. - Symbol Designate an oneiric symbol. #### Symbol **Description**Syntax: SYMBOL SCRY SYMBOL Fate : 100 By tethering your soul to an object, the silver sphere will allow you to sense it from anywhere in the world. So profound is this bond that only one oneiric symbol may be designated at any one time. - Medium Communicate with the dead. #### Medium **Description**Syntax: GRAVETELL REPLY While you stand within a graveyard, you can use your closeness to death to communicate with recently-departed souls that yet linger within the Underhalls. They will not be able to communicate with you unless you initiate communication with them first. In order for one of the dead to speak back with you, they must make use of REPLY. - Diminution Give your body over to dreams. #### Diminution **Description**Syntax: DIMINUTION SOLIDIFY Fate: 100 By channeling the darker hues of the Astral spectrum, you may soften your frame to one of ghostly, star-like ephemerality. You will be able to resist up to eight attacks, and each attack will reduce the amount of protection the Astral will afford you. Periodically, your ability to resist cutting attacks will be restored back to its original state. The Astral provides nothing for nothing, however, and your health will be drained depending on how much protection was lost. - Impart Share the secrets of fate with another Oneiromancer. #### Impart **Description**Syntax: IMPART Your control over fate’s manifold threads now allows you to impart some of your knowledge upon a fellow practitioner of the arts. Utilise this ability to suffuse them with greater power at a cost of your own. This is an imprecise act, and some of the residual energies will dissipate in the process. - Intoxication Beguile, ensnare, and degrade. #### Intoxication **Description**Syntax: INTOXICATION \[OFF\] Fate : 100 Channel an intoxicating aura from the Astral Realm to ensnare and degrade enemies around you, dealing magic damage and making them ill, though maintaining it will incur a persistent drain upon your mental reserves. As such, it will give your enemies one of the following afflictions: Vomiting, dizziness, or dementia. The damage caused by your aura cannot awaken sleeping opponents. - Mask A macabre mask of memory. #### Mask **Description**Syntax: DRAW MASK FROM The use of masks in ceremony and ritual predates remembrance, expressing Immortal sublimity while humbly concealing the mortal mien. The Oneiromancer may exchange remnants of dream and memory for an Astral mask, which will slightly bolster your resistance from all types of damage when worn. - Disjunct Further separate the soul from the body. #### Disjunct **Description**Syntax: DISJUNCT Fate : 300 For each affliction blighting your target, you may disjunct their body and deprive them of constitution, causing them to become enfeebled in the Cradle’s grasp. This drain cannot remove more than 12 points of constitution, and will also give the withering affliction, providing at least one point of constitution is drained. You must have unspooled your target’s threads before you are able to disjunct them. - Inevitability Space and fate conspire to hold them fast. #### Inevitability **Description**Syntax: SUMMON FIELD OF INEVITABILITY Fate : 100 Alter the threads of fate just so, and you may bend reality towards the inevitable. While active, fate itself will – for a time – have a chance to prevent your enemies from departing. So potent is your Oneiromantic portent, that the scene of inevitability will remain even if you perish. Mercurial as ever, the chance for fate to bind your foe is conditional: Chance Requirement ======================================== 0% – The caster is not present. 50% – The caster is present and in a corporeal state. Manifesting inevitability within a graveyard will catalyse the memories of the dead, causing the bent reality to linger for considerably longer. - Glaciation A song of night and ice. #### Glaciation **Description**Syntax: GLACIATION \[OFF\] Empower your fateweaving with glacial melodies of the Astral Realm and your starlight shall become entwined with threads of white and blue, changing its damage to cold and adding a chance to freeze the opponent. While the glaciation defence remains active, you will become more resistant to fire damage. - Truesleep The Fae curse of eternal slumber. #### Truesleep **Description**Syntax: TRUESLEEP Fate : 500 Pronounce a vile curse of the Fae upon your target and condemn them to suffer the unthinkable: inevitable, eternal slumber. This curse will leech away at their soul and consciousness, dealing poison damage to them as it whittles away at their resolve. Should an adventurer perish while under the curse’s effects, they will find they are unable to save themselves through abilities that prevent death, and further leave behind a defiled corpse. After death, the curse will then spread itself to an ally of the deceased who is present, though its duration will be cut in half. This will not occur if the remaining duration is less than five seconds. **Details**Target LocationSame location Fate Cost500 Damage TypePoison Damage SourceNone Base Damage100 + 3% Armour Modifier10% Truesleep Duration60 seconds Truesleep TimerEvery 10 seconds Base Damage (Denizen)200 Truesleep Duration (Denizen)36 seconds Truesleep Timer (Denizen)Every 6 seconds Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 1000 mana to use. - Costs 500 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Reverence Meditate upon those who came before. #### Reverence **Description**Usage: REVERENCE FOR THE DEAD SCRY GRAVEYARD In certain graveyards, you may offer up prayers for the dead and extract the residual memories from the bones of the fallen. Taking in these memories will slowly regenerate your power over fate until it becomes full. In order to find a graveyard suitable to this purpose, you can SCRY GRAVEYARD to find the closest one in your area, assuming one exists. - Defiance Maybe you’ll take them with you. #### Defiance **Description**Syntax: DEFIANCE Fate : 400 Adopt a defiant posture and, while this defence remains active, you will enact vengeance upon all enemies present should you die, assailing them with beads of red energy from the Astral Realm. The capricious red will always strike the person who slew you, regardless of whether you consider them an enemy. This ability will also trigger when you are saved from death by the Remembrance skill. Please see AB ONEIROMANCY REMEMBRANCE for more information. - Continuance Renew and raise up one who has died. #### Continuance **Description**Syntax: CONTINUANCE Fate : 500 Utilising your considerable power over fate, you may manipulate the threads in order to forestall the destiny of another, weaving for them a second chance at life. Should your target fail to accept the continuance in a timely manner, their body will simply crumble away as their alternative future becomes lost to death. - Dreamwalk Assume a ghostly, astral form. #### Dreamwalk **Description**Syntax: DREAMWALK and HUMAN HAUNT Fate : 500 By calling on the grace of the violet sphere, you may cast off the fetters of corporeal existence and enter a state of dreamwalking. While your freedom is severely limited, you will find that very little can harm you. While dreamwalking, you may haunt the minds of another by plaguing them with astral nightmares. Dreamwalking is incredibly taxing upon your willpower and, should it run out, you will lose the ability to regain physical form and become scattered on the loom of fate. You may regain your body with HUMAN. - Vanquish The deathly art of Ka-la-kai. #### Vanquish **Description**Syntax: VANQUISH If you have unspooled the threads of your enemy’s fate and they suffer from four crippled limbs, you may wield shadow and starlight to vanquish them utterly in honour of Ka-la-kai. - Remembrance One bound by fate may persist past death itself. #### Remembrance **Description**Syntax: REMEMBRANCE Fate : 3000 Unshackled by the vagaries of time or death, fate transcends both and allows the fully trained Oneiromancer to spin threads of myriad colours about their soul in order to protect themselves from death. Should you fall, the Astral Realm will conspire to remember you as you were: restoring you back to full health and mana and cleansing you of any afflictions. You will not be able to use this skill if you are protected from death already, or are in cooldown from use of the starburst tattoo. Cooldown Remembrance (when triggered): 15 minutes Filter abilities Title Contents ### Hyalincuru - Reifying Simple shapes, complex lives. #### Reifying **Description**Syntax: REIFY Actualise your shapes and make real their magical potential. - Shaping Practical geometries. #### Shaping **Description**Syntax: SHAPE At the core of Hyalincuru is the art of paper shaping. This ability allows you to transform simple paper into various shapes for later use in Oneiromantic powers. - Rabbit Follow the white rabbit. #### Rabbit **Description**Syntax: UNFURL RABBIT AT Induce uncontrollable curiosity in your target by showing them the shape of the white rabbit, forcing them to follow you. - Cube What’s in the box? #### Cube **Description**Syntax: UNFURL CUBE AT “It’s not what’s inside the box, but what could be.” The cube holds many secrets, and by unfurling it you may unleash a scintillating surge of Astral inspiration, infusing yourself or your target with a boon of mana as stars permeate your vision. - Flower A force of nature. #### Flower **Description**Syntax: UNFURL FLOWER AT A symbol of growth and renewal, the flower will blossom in the target and restore some of their health. - Fire Scourge ailments from the mind and body. #### Fire **Description**Syntax: UNFURL FIRE AT There are few problems that cannot be solved with fire. With this shape, you may throw off two afflictions by searing them from your body – or that of another. If the target has paresis or paralysis, this, and only this, will be cured first. When cauterising your own maladies, there is a short period before you can utilise the cleansing fire again. Cooldown (self only): 20 seconds - Crane As the crane flies. #### Crane **Description**Syntax: UNFURL CRANE AT GROUND A whooping crane lives within the Lady of Renewal’s garden; and so, too, within the memories of the first Hyalincuru artists. Elegant and majestic, the crane will lend you some of its own agility, allowing you to move more quickly between rooms by increasing your celerity. - Star Up above the world so high. #### Star **Description**Syntax: ACTIVATE STAR UNFURL STAR AT GROUND That which lingers in the heavens guides all who walk below. Activate the star shape and you shall have your own shepherd of the night to guide you home. Once activated in a location, you may unfurl the shape of the star to return to it, provided that you do so only when no others are present at your destination. The star shall guide your path once only, after which you must activate its power again. - Top Spin it round and speak their name thrice. #### Top **Description**Syntax: UNFURL TOP AT The chaotic whirling of the spinning top will manifest a churning portal of cyan to summon an ally or someone you have afflicted with infatuation from anywhere in the local area. If you have captivated your target with a favor shape, your summoning will stretch across the continent, regardless of the above conditions. You will not be able to summon your target while they reside on a monolith sigil. - Sphere Show them a piece of the Astral. #### Sphere **Description**Syntax: UNFURL SPHERE \[affliction\] AT Assail your foe with the chromatic Sphere, inflicting upon them a malady of the body. You may select the affliction delivered, else allow the Astral to decide and it shall be random. The sphere of many colours is capable of afflicting the following: Perplexity, clumsiness, asthma, vomiting, lethargy, ringing ears, superstition, and migraine. The Sphere can be dodged by those who are focused on melee attacks. - Heart Love means not having to say you’re sorry. #### Heart **Description**Syntax: UNFURL HEART AT The quintessential symbol of love, the heart will induce your target into becoming hopelessly besotted with you. While so deeply in love, they will attempt to seek you out, so profuse is the pain of separation from the target of their infatuation. - Fan Play to the audience. #### Fan **Description**Syntax: UNFURL FAN AT With a well-placed fan, you may resist the disfigurement affliction the next time it is delivered to you or a target, and leave those in pursuit wanting more… - Wreath All right, that’s a wrap. #### Wreath **Description**Syntax: UNFURL WREATH AT This shape will bring forth a wreath to enwrap your target, pulling them to the ground if they are standing. If they are vulnerable and unable to defend themselves, the wreath will encircle their whole body, entangling them in its grip. - Hammer Walk boldly, and carry a big hammer. #### Hammer **Description**Syntax: UNFURL HAMMER \[limb\] AT The hammer is a symbol of raw strength, and by directing it at the limbs of your opponent you will cause them to eventually break from the trauma. If you do not specify a limb, the hammer will act of its own accord, choosing one at random. - Confetti Summon Astral detritus for a pleasant surprise. #### Confetti **Description**Syntax: UNFURL CONFETTI AT GROUND This shape will shower the location in colourful confetti from the Astral, leaving rubble strewn across the location which will delay anyone who attempts to leave. Movement types requiring you to dash in some manner will no longer be effective, either into or out of the room. You only may have conjured one set of rubble at a time, and must wait until it crumbles away before doing so again. - Tandem Draw out the effects of two shapes at once. #### Tandem **Description**Syntax: UNFURL \[effect\] AND \[effect\] AT When unfurling any Hyalincuru shape with a target, you may twist fate and unfurl a second shape of your choosing at the target. This cannot be the same shape twice; fate is not so easily duplicated. The following shapes may be used in combination: The rabbit, the diamond, the cardinal, the knight, the sphere, the heart, the hammer, the favor, the hourglass, the hypercube, and the chalice. - Cardinal Ask not for whom the songbird sings… #### Cardinal **Description**Syntax: UNFURL CARDINAL AT Cardinals live in the fey depths of the Morgun, guarding the border between the Prime and the Dreamworld. When unfurled, the cardinal shall take flight and circle its target, choosing three random afflictions from them, removing them from the target. After a short while, the eldritch song will reach a coda and the three afflictions chosen will befall them in a flare of red. When the cardinal returns the afflictions back on the target, if the target already has that affliction, then it will cripple a limb at random. It cannot select impatience as one of the possible afflictions. - Bowl Hold the whole multiverse in your hands. #### Bowl **Description**Syntax: UNFURL BOWL AT GROUND Unfurl the bowl and bring forth ethereal scenery from its bottomless depths, transforming the landscape around you to one of your own choosing. This effect will persist for a short time and affects everyone. The following landscapes are available to you: \* The Dreamscape: Those caught within the Dreamscape are periodically attacked by sentient nightmares. They will draw their target into sleep and then attack them from their dreams. \* The Soulscape: The land of the dead will attract souls to those still within the world of the living. Their touch will freeze the flesh of those they target. \* The Demonscape: Hell itself is brought into reality, summoning forth demonic figures that will attack and harm those that stand within. \* The Voidscape: The alien Voidscape is rife with creatures that little have heard of or even seen. They will instill the mind with madness, causing either hallucinations or mania. To end this esoteric conjuration early, anyone may attack the bowl shape at the epicentre of the shifting landscape. Once it has been struck three times, the shape will deteriorate, shattering the nascent reality. Cooldown: 3 minutes - Diamond Sharp, dangerous, and nobody’s best friend. #### Diamond **Description**Syntax: UNFURL DIAMOND AT ACTIVATE DIAMOND RIP SHAPE FROM BODY Drawing on the Astral green and silver, unfurl a venom-laced diamond at your target and strike them down with haemophilia. The diamond will embed itself in the victim’s forehead and then lie dormant in wait. After six seconds have passed, you may ACTIVATE the diamond to agitate it, afflicting your opponent with the venom you selected when unfurling it. While your enemy may RIP the diamond from their body before it is activated, they will tear their flesh and bleed heavily in the process. In addition to the regular venoms, you may also use the sumac and loki venoms with the diamond. - Knight Paladin, paladin, where do you roam? #### Knight **Description**Syntax: UNFURL KNIGHT AT The symbol of the knight will bring the curse of justice upon your foe, such is its chivalrous compulsion. - Arrow Summon Astral detritus. #### Arrow **Description**Syntax: UNFURL ARROW AT Even the detritus of the Astral Realm is resplendent. Invoke this shape to conjure a silver arrow to strike your target. The target must be within the same area and both you and the target must be outdoors. If your opponent is protected by a magical shield when the arrow strikes, the Astral detritus shall shatter it. The Arrow can be dodged by those who are focused on ranged attacks. - Chalice An overflowing cup, full with liquid. #### Chalice **Description**Syntax: UNFURL CHALICE AT The chalice will appear before your target and the liquid within will quickly begin to dry up. In doing so, it will force your opponent to clot away all that they are bleeding for at the rate of 4 mana for every 1 point of bleeding. - Hourglass Stretch the flow of time. #### Hourglass **Description**Syntax: UNFURL HOURGLASS AT Ever a historic symbol of time, the hourglass shape will bring down the curse of aeon upon your target, slowing their movement through the timestream and halting any active cooldowns they might have from counting down. Only if it successfully gives the aeon affliction will this skill go on cooldown. Cooldown (on aeon): 8 seconds - Cloud Shroud the perfection of the higher shapes. #### Cloud **Description**Syntax: UNFURL CLOUD AT ME UNFURL CLOUD AT GROUND When used on yourself, silver clouds will grant you the clouded defence, shrouding every third hypercube or sphere affliction. Unfurling the cloud at the ground will obscure the location in darkness, causing your enemies to fumble blindly until – after a short delay – the clouds cause them to trip and fall. - Favor A token of parasocial affection. #### Favor **Description**Syntax: UNFURL FAVOR AT REJECT FRIENDSHIPS The favor, a symbol of ultimate meaning to its target but of little consequence to you, will ensure their rose-eyed devotion to you. They must consciously REJECT you in order to escape your hypnotizing sway. Those who have enacted the favor will appear in your list of ALLIES, but they are not a true ally by any measurable means. - Telescope A simple tube will get you through. #### Telescope **Description**Syntax: UNFURL TELESCOPE AT GROUND TOUCH TELESCOPE CLOSE TELESCOPE Unfurl the Telescope and the world entire shall be at your fingertips, offering transport to an array of locations about Sapience. Do note, however, that even the untrained may close a formed tunnel, denying passage. The locations available to you include: – Enorian – NStrand – Duiran – Farsai – Mhojave – Nithmia – Pash – Savannah – Scidve – Tundra – Vashnar – Withmia - Faerie Be nimble, be quick… silver. #### Faerie **Description**Syntax: UNFURL FAERIE AT GROUND Lose yourself to fey impulse, shaping paper like quicksilver. Unfurling the faerie will summon one of the Astral Fae to assist you. The faerie will hasten your unfurlings when they are flung at a target by 0.9 seconds. However, for each affliction the opponent has, this boon will be reduced by 0.18 seconds. Should no benefit remain due to the number of afflictions, the faerie will inflict your current target with misery and then depart. The Astral Fae will eventually cease to assist you on its own regardless if its used or not. The faerie will have no effect on your balance if your shapes are being pointed by your mirrormask. - Hypercube They can’t handle the truth of four dimensions. #### Hypercube **Description**Syntax: UNFURL HYPERCUBE \[affliction\] AT Unleash an impossible spectrum of eldritch colours at your target as you unfurl the hypercube, plaguing their mind with the unfathomable truth of four dimensions. This will afflict them with mental maladies. You may select the affliction yourself or allow fate to decide. You can deliver one of the following afflictions with the hypercube: Stupidity, confusion, recklessness, impatience, epilepsy, mania, weariness, and anorexia. The Hypercube can be dodged by those who are focused on melee attacks. - Raven The Cycle’s turn is inevitable. #### Raven **Description**Syntax: ADJUST RAVEN TO UNFURL RAVEN AT THUMB RAVEN “An unkindness of ravens came to prey on the wounded, war-torn gore.” -Tsol’aa poem fragment from pottery, author unattested. A common harbinger of calamity, sorrow, malady, and demise, the raven of chthonic blackness will manifest an unkindness of paper carrion birds once unfurled. None can escape the flap of esoteric wings or the animate anguish of the eldritch mass once called, dying by a multiplicity of thin, sharp cuts. In order to unfurl the raven at your enemy, you must first attune the raven’s shape to their body and soul. This is done by adjusting the raven to your enemy five separate times. Once full attunement is achieved, simply unfurl it at your enemy and wait for the unkindness to arrive. You may not act while this process occurs and will be unable to dodge or divert any attacks aimed at you. In order to discern how attuned a raven is, thumb a shape of the raven to see. These adjustments will last for multiple weeks at a time and are not tethered to any one folded shape. A combat arena will have an adverse effect on the raven’s ethereality: adjustments will not transfer between it and Sapience proper, nor last as long. - Manifold A single page is an infinity of possibility. #### Manifold **Description**Syntax: OUTC SHEET AS Your skill in Hyalincuru has risen to the point where you are now able to draw blank sheets from your cache, instantly reified and folded in the shape of your choice. However, when the reification fades, so too will the shape. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Contracts - Address Negotiate with the Astral Nobles. #### Address **Description**Syntax: ADDRESS and ABORT Arguably one of the more dangerous arts for mortal adventurers to countenance, the skill of Contracts allows the Oneiromancer to summon entities from the Astral Realm, a world of chaos over which Omei, the Imago, once held sovereignty as Empress before Her demise. Practising this skill requires striking bargains and making deals with an esoteric cadre of beings known as the Astral Nobles. These Fae aristocrats are not to be trifled with; they are immensely powerful and extremely cunning, more than capable of ensnaring the unwary or careless Oneiromancer into giving far more than they receive in return. Be warned. In order to enter into an accord with one of the nobles, you must first find your way into the Astral Realm and seek them out. Once you have found the fae with whom you wish to bargain, you must request a formal audience by ADDRESSing them. Should the noble feel that you are wasting their time, some may choose to attack you. Others may simply ignore you. If the noble believes you worth their time, they will grant the audience and commence a dialogue to negotiate payment for their services. Answer these questions as you wish, but be warned that being thrifty may be viewed as an insult. You may at any time ABORT this dialogue, risking the wrath of the noble or refusal to enter further discussion for your rudeness. - Sovereignty The art of Astral command. #### Sovereignty **Description**Most contracts will result in the arrival of an entity from the Astral when you invite the respective Fae noble to uphold it. These entities can be difficult to control and many in number if your skill is sufficiently high. Your expertise in contracts affords several methods of establishing control over your horde: ENTREAT : Invite a Fae noble to aid you, summoning either the noble themself, or an entity of their preference. ENTREAT ALL CONTRACTS : Invite all Fae noble with whom you have negotiated a contract to send their entities. BANISH : Rescind the entity’s current invitation, sending them back to the Astral Realm. CALL ENTITIES : Call all invited entities to your side. You may also wish to review HELP LOYALTY as it holds many commands that will be useful to you in ordering your entourage. - Contracts Consider your existing Astral contracts. #### Contracts **Description**Syntax: CONTRACTS LIST and BREAK CONTRACT If you prove successful in your negotiations with the Astral nobles, you will now have a contract with which you may invite them to aid you in your endeavours. By reviewing your list of contracts, you can easily discern how many times one of the Fae will respond to your invitation. Should you wish to breach one of these contracts, you may do so prematurely. It is advisable to review the individual abilities under AB CONTRACTS for each noble to learn how they will aid you upon being invited. In most cases, they will send an entity to assist you, but that is not always the case. - Corridor A rainbow bridge to the Astral Realm. #### Corridor **Description**Syntax: CORRIDOR ENTER GATEWAY Using this ability, you may open a corridor that leads to Sapient Chaos – and, deeper in, the Astral Realm – allowing you to travel there and negotiate a contract with one of the Fae nobles. Entering the corridor will cause it to close behind you. In order to leave, you must seek the crossroads where Chaos once more borders upon the mundane. - Tiptoe The Astral may make itself less obtrusive. #### Tiptoe **Description**Syntax: TIPTOE Subtlety is no stranger to the entities of the Astral, and with but a command you may order them to walk unseen. While shrouded, movements in and out of locations will go unnoticed. - Cord Knowledge of the silver cord. #### Cord **Description**Syntax: ORDER MIRRORMASK CHANNEL UNFURL \[parameters\] By connecting yourself to your mirrormask with a cord of Astral silver, it is possible for you to order it to UNFURL hyalincuru shapes. You must be holding a folded shape of the type you wish to point, along with ensuring that any necessary requirements, such as it being reified, are met. The shapes which may be used through your mirrormask are: Cube, flower, fire, sphere, heart, fan, poppy, hammer, confetti, bowl, diamond, knight, arrow, hourglass, favor, telescope, and hypercube. Refer to AB HYALINCURU for more information. - You may invite the following entities to aid you - Sylphid Amsatha, the Astronomer #### Sylphid **Description**Usage: ENTREAT SYLPHID ORDER SYLPHID ACT “In order to understand the Astral void, I contract explorers capable of traveling in all three dimensions.” Amsatha will send to you a riotous sylphid to dance through the air. Ordering the sylphid to ACT will cause it to knock all players in the sky to the ground, but the sylphid cannot attack by any other conventional means. - Lamia Hraqa Silvertongue #### Lamia **Description**Usage: ENTREAT LAMIA “Listen. If you need a distraction, I know someone. C’mere…” When inviting Hraqa to aid you, the Fae will send to you a lunar lamia to seduce her target, cooing and whispering such that their mana will suffer. If the opponent’s mana falls below 80% of its maximum, the crooning of the lamia will induce stupidity. - Faunapod Vog Springfoot #### Faunapod **Description**Syntax: ENTREAT FAUNAPOD “People don’t look down unless you make them.” Vog shall send to you a flowering faunapod of the Red Sphere, that will upset their mental equilibrium through touch. - Sphere Dvovion, the Errant #### Sphere **Description**Usage: ENTREAT SPHERE ORDER SPHERE DEFEND “The best defense is lots and lots of orbital momentum!” The Errant Dvovion of the Red sphere will send you to an argent sphere which will defend a limb. This will reduce the amount of health damage you take by half when that limb is struck. Valid limbs you can choose from are: Head, torso, left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg. The sphere cannot attack others, it is only able to act in defence. It cannot prevent damage from abilities that bypass parry. - Helminth Jomunth, the Ravenous #### Helminth **Description**Usage: ENTREAT HELMINTH “Have you ever watched a mortal bleed out and die? Beautiful.” Jomunth, the Ravenous Chaos Lord of the Red Sphere, will provide aid with the services of a crimson helminth. The helminth will attach itself to the body of your enemies when ordered to attack, preventing their blood from clotting. - Hippalectryon Chelya of Garnets #### Hippalectryon **Description**Usage: ENTREAT HIPPALECTRYON ORDER HIPPALECTRYON SEAR \[direction\] “These creatures are my finest and most powerful creations. Use them wisely, the better to bring about the Age of Dawn.” The Lady of Garnets will send to you a grotesque hippalectryon of the Orange Sphere, wreathed in flame and searing with fiery force. Its attacks will set your enemies ablaze with flames so potent that their reach extends to adjacent locations. Walls of ice are nothing before the Orange, and with a simple order, the hippalectryon will sear one away. - Sentinel Ryb, the Indomitable #### Sentinel **Description**Usage: ENTREAT SENTINEL “We are alike in being guardians, although your Sentinels safeguard the wilds and mine safeguard machinery.” Ryb, the Indomitable, will send to you a chthonic sentinel to guard your other entities. When the sentinel is in the area, it will ward off attempts to banish or otherwise disturb your entourage. Its influence on mirrormasks is effective only when the two share a location. The sentinel is wholly defensive in nature; it cannot attack others. - Eye Ghel, the Beholder #### Eye **Description**Usage: ENTREAT EYE ORDER EYE REPORT “Know? You’re asking me if I know? I see everything.” Invoking your bargain with Ghel of the Yellow Sphere shall bring to you a floating eye. While you may order this entity to attack your target, its true power lies in observation: asking it to REPORT shall inform you of vital data on your target. - Blob Sha’ahanidhi Who Drinks Light #### Blob **Description**Usage: ENTREAT BLOB ORDER BLOB ENVELOP “Yes, illumination is nice, but it’s not nearly as tasty as mortal flesh.” The light drinker of the Astral green will dispatch a quicksilver blob when invited. When the blob is ordered to attack someone, it will wrap its body around them, at which point you may order it to ENVELOP the target, causing applied poultices to incur a longer recovery period for a time. Cooldown (envelop): 24 seconds - Tegalid Nkdatha, the Ochreous Emissary #### Tegalid **Description**Usage: ENTREAT TEGALID ORDER TEGALID HOME “It’s not just important to know where you are – it’s important to know where everything else is, too.” The Ochreous Emissary will send to you a celestial tegalid to help you return home. Wherever you extend the invitation will be considered home. At a later point, you may simple order the tegalid ‘HOME’ and you will return to that location. The tegalid is only capable of aiding you with this travel, it cannot attack others. - Puppeteer Mar, the Magnate #### Puppeteer **Description**Usage: ENTREAT PUPPETEER ORDER ORDER HALLUCINATE “The secret to good leadership, in my opinion, is never giving your underlings the chance to refuse.” Mar, Magnate of the Yellow Sphere, will dispatch a gilded puppeteer from the Astral to assist you. When ordered to attack someone, its manifold fronds will latch on to their body. This will allow you to either order them to perform an action against their will, or hallucinate something of your choosing. The puppeteer will take a short while before it has finished latching on, and each time it is ordered, the entity will need to spend another short while to reassert its control over the host. You may order the puppeteer while off balance. - Snaretongue Dart-tongued Ranna #### Snaretongue **Description**Usage: ENTREAT SNARETONGUE “Do you have anything to eat, mortal? Don’t worry – I can get it myself.” Inviting Ranna to aid you will bring a verdant snaretongue to your side. Ordering the snaretongue to attack will cause it to attach itself to your target’s throat, causing some of their drunk elixirs to be slurped away. Functionally, this will reduce the victim’s ability to heal from said elixirs. - Quetzal Yollotl, the Worldflower #### Quetzal **Description**Usage: ENTREAT QUETZAL ORDER QUETZAL CROON ORDER QUETZAL WINGBEAT ORDER QUETZAL SHIMMER “I understand that the quetzals on the Prime are far less interesting than mine.” Yollotl of the Astral Green will send you a quetzal to act as a fearsome battle mount. You may order the quetzal to act in three separate ways to perform a special attack on its focused target, but only every so often: Effects: \* Crooning will either shatter their courage or stun the target if they lack it. \* The wing beat will cause health damage. \* Shimmer will remove insomnia. This shall not induce sleep, however. The quetzal cannot attack players by any other means, only through ordering it to use one of its three manoeuvres. You may also ride the quetzal in battle by mounting it, and ordering it to fly via SPUR QUETZAL SKYWARD. Cooldown (order): 16 seconds - Mocker Cym of the Catacombs #### Mocker **Description**Usage: ENTREAT MOCKER “This is what you primitive, two-legged imbeciles all look and sound like to me.” Cym, when invited, will dispatch an apish mocker of the Cyan Catacombs to fight alongside you. When ordered to attack, it will babble chaotic nonsense at your target and inflict afflictions upon them. The possible afflictions are: Hollow, epilepsy, vertigo, masochism, dementia, recklessness, slickness, claustrophobia, and shyness. - Mirrormask Inasea, the Mercurial #### Mirrormask **Description**Usage: ENTREAT MIRRORMASK “Chaotic quicksilver can look like anything, anybody you want – if you will it so.” The angelic Blue Lady, Inasea, will send to you a mercurial mirrormask, which may be ordered remotely within the same area. The mask of mirrors cannot attack normally, but a range of options is available to you through its power: In order to issue remote commands, you must specify ‘mirrormask’. ORDER MIRRORMASK CLOAK \* Enshrouds the mirrormask in a cloak that obscures entry and exit. ORDER MIRRORMASK SEEK \* Seek out another player within the area. ORDER MIRRORMASK LOOK \* Look through the eyes of your mirrormask to examine the room it is in. ORDER MIRRORMASK EXITS \* Discern the exits of the room in which your mirrormask dwells. ORDER MIRRORMASK RETURN \* Return your mirrormask to you. ORDER MIRRORMASK CHANNEL \[parameters\] \* Channels an Oneiromancy ability. \* Valid abilities are: Starlight, Misfortune, Chill, Bells, Fumes, Unspool, Athame, and Vanquish. \* Refer to AB ONEIROMANCY for further details. \* The mirrormask may also channel some Vision abilities. \* Said abilities include: Aura, Sacral, Vibrations, and Traps. \* Refer to AB VISION for more information. - Huntress Eudaimonia, the Slayer of Stars #### Huntress **Description**Usage: ENTREAT HUNTRESS ORDER HUNTRESS TRACK “I made them because I remember the Nightmare. I made them to be like She once was.” The starslayer shall send to you a radiant huntress to barrage your foe with needle-thin arrows of light. Should your quarry be within a short distance, you may also order the huntress to TRACK whomever she is attacking, provided she is not already following anyone. - Bridge Diantha, Princess of the Dreaming Moon #### Bridge **Description**Usage: ENTREAT BRIDGE “The Astral’s never far away – and I know how to make it even closer.” The Princess of the Dreaming Moon will, when invited, bring you to the Astral through a bridge of her own making after a few moments’ pause. This is much faster than fashioning a bridge of your own making, but you must possess full health and mana in order to invite Diantha to aid you. - Cerberus Viskein, the Cerberus Breeder #### Cerberus **Description**Usage: ENTREAT CERBERUS ORDER CERBERUS TRACK “I bred cerberuses for the Beastlords, long ago on the Prime. Now the Beastlords are gone, I’m an Astral Lord, and I breed cerberuses for Oneiromancers instead.” Viskein, the Cerberus Breeder, will lend you one of the many-mouthed to aid you. While fearsome, these beasts have limited stamina; after a certain number of attacks, it will return to the Astral for rest. Consequently, the cerberus must be ordered individually and will not follow a blanket ORDER LOYAL(S) command. If the target of the cerberus is shielded, it will tear the barrier from them, otherwise it will attack with teeth and claws. You may also order it to TRACK, allowing the beast to track down an enemy at a distance, provided it is not already following anyone. First order it to attack your target, followed by the order to track. - Moth Ecdysia, the Illuminator #### Moth **Description**Usage: ENTREAT MOTH “Don’t let their size fool you. They’re some of the most powerful beings in the Astral Realm…” The Illuminator will send a chaos moth to aid you. When ordered to attack an enemy, the moth will seek out gaps in their defence and cripple an arm or a leg when it strikes. - Maw Calliope, the Harmonist #### Maw **Description**Usage: ENTREAT MAW SPELLBIND MAW ENTER MAW “…” Calliope, the Harmonist, mistress of the raw elements of Chaos, wields the power of the elemental maw – the ability to tear open the ground itself to reveal an Astral maelstrom. The complexity of the contract requires some time to invoke, but its rewards are considerable – agonizing suffering, and potentially death, for those you’ve declared your enemies. Once the maw has been rent open, it must then be spellbound by you in order to acquire the necessary hunger of its function. The spellbinder’s words are sacred, and you must not interrupt your focus with any ability requiring balance or equilibrium. Other Oneiromancers with knowledge of this contract may spellbind the maw as well, minimizing the time lost to an interruption. The maw hunts according to a specific pattern. The first time it attempts to devour someone, it will gain their attention: this is an attempt to freeze its prey in terror. On its second try, it will devour those whose feet rest upon the ground – only those who are standing, and under the effects of levitation elixir, will be spared. Note, however, that even an unsuccessful strike by the maw will strip the levitation defense. If three or more Oneiromancers have spellbound the maw, then it will ignore levitation, and pull them in. ## Visual style and identity Oneiromancers move as though dancing, opening their channels through expressive physical motion. Individual expression is the point: the precise details of these gestures shift between mages, each Oneiromancer embodying the forces they summon in their own way. The movements are always imitative. The visual signature is folded paper, dancing gestures, and the colored chaos of the Astral pouring through their work. Fae entities ambush from the edges of perception. Hyalincuru shapes catch the light. ## Side effects of the work Hyalincuru grounds the practitioner in the present and ties their power to tactile actions, which matters because the elements an Oneiromancer draws upon are wild and various. Drawing on ambient spirit, even with the paper anchor, may over time render a calm personality more excitable, erratic, or volatile. Heavier consequences come from Oneiromancy and Contracts. Used too extensively, both can erode the line between dreams and waking life. An Oneiromancer who pushes too far may stop being able to tell whether they are asleep, because both consciousness and dream start to feel like lucid dreams. ## Who plays this class The Oneiromancer suits players who want a magic-heavy, planar-flavored class without the rigid structure of a guild. The roleplay frame is dreamlike and individualistic. Archetypes run the range: warlocks, wandering witches, planar travelers. Some follow Omei’s Chromatic Court tradition closely; others wander outside Her purview entirely. Mechanically, the class rewards players who like layered ritual and bargained-for power. Contracts adds a negotiation dimension few other classes have. Hyalincuru’s paper magic is unusual even within Aetolia. No guild means no weekly events and no built-in social structure. If that trade-off fits the character you want to play, the Oneiromancer is the only class in the 32 that lets you do it as a guildless planar mage. ## City and guild The Oneiromancer has no guild. Aspiring Oneiromancers learn the art through apprenticeship with an existing practitioner and join the broader [Duiran](/world/duiran/) community by association rather than oath. Duiran’s Council recognizes them as Spirit-aligned allies, but the guild halls of the Pride, the Praadi, and the Sentaari remain elsewhere. Joining the Oneiromancer ranks means committing to Spirit. You will not be able to actively hold any Shadow-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Spirit classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race is independent of class, so you can play an Oneiromancer of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Oneiromancer mirrors the [Indorani](/character-classes/indorani/), the Shadow-side dark sorcerers of Bloodloch. Both are guildless planar mages with deep ties to subplanes of Chaos. Oneiromancers draw on the Astral and the Fae Nobles. Indorani draw on Corrupt Chaos and the Chaos Lords. Same combat chassis, mirrored cosmology. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Oneiromancer good for new players?** The class works, but the guildless structure makes it harder to recommend as a first class. Without a guild, you miss out on the built-in mentorship and weekly activities that anchor newer players. Most veterans suggest picking it up as a secondary class after you have learned Aetolia’s combat basics elsewhere. **Can an Oneiromancer join a guild later?** After graduating from the Academy, an Oneiromancer can communicate their interest to a guild that may accept them. The Oneiromancer class stays through any multiclassing, so guild membership and Oneiromancer practice can layer together. **What is the Astral Realm?** The Astral Realm is a subsidiary realm of Chaos, conquered by Omei the Imago’s order, the Chromatic Court, in Midsummer of 498 MA. It contains seven colored spheres suspended in a midnight Astral void. Oneiromancers form channels to these spheres to summon their power, similar in mechanism to how Indorani draw from Corrupt Chaos. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if the Oneiromancer profile interests you. Or see [the full Aetolia class roster](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Indorani](/character-classes/indorani/) The Shadow mirror, also guildless and planar. Necromancy, Tarot, and Domination. Pick Indorani if you prefer Corrupt Chaos to the Astral Realm and want to bargain with Chaos Lords rather than Fae Nobles. ### [Archivist](/character-classes/archivist/) Spinesreach scholars who treat reality as a numerological problem. Geometrics, Numerology, Bioessence. Pick Archivist if you like the esoteric-scholar frame but want a guild structure and a Shadow tether. ### [Voidseer](/character-classes/voidseer/) The Sentaari class that practices Voidgazing, Cultivation, and Enlightenment. Pick Voidseer if you want a dream-and-void mage with a monastery structure to ground you. The mirror is [Archivist](/character-classes/archivist/), not Oneiromancer, but the conceptual neighborhood is close. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Oneiromancer and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Monk of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/monk/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Monk of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-monk-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Monk class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Monk is Aetolia’s martial-arts class, an untethered class in Duiran trained in the Sentaari monastery to wield Tekura (the body), Kaido (the manipulation of Kai energy), and Telepathy (the mind). At a glance**Tether**Untethered (Sentaari guild aligns Spirit; class is mechanically free)**City**[Duiran](/world/duiran/)**Guild**Sentaari (Patron: Lexadhra, the Indelible)**Skill sets**Tekura, Kaido, Telepathy**Mirror class**None. Monk is mechanically untethered.**Sister class in guild**[Voidseer](/character-classes/voidseer/)**Signature mechanic**Kai energy generated by combat, spent to strike, heal, or stun**Best for**Players who want disciplined martial-arts combat with mental and energetic depthThe Sentaari Monastery houses a sect of Duirani monks dedicated to the defense of Dia’ruis, the Plane of Life. They train in martial arts and harness Kai, energy born from the clash of Shadow and Spirit. They are merciless when facing any that threaten the wilds or Duiran. This is the martial-artist class of Aetolia. If you want to play a disciplined fighter who builds energy by fighting and spends it to break bones, heal allies, or unravel an enemy’s psyche, the Monk is the most direct expression of that fantasy in the game. ## Origin and lore Founded centuries ago, the Sentaari are an order of monks whose traditions center on balance: in the self, through the honing of mind, body, and spirit; and in the universe at large, through the safeguarding of the Cycle. From their Monastery in the Duiran Heartwood, the Sentaari live a life free of civilization’s influence, one in which the Cycle is the first priority, and the protection of Dia’ruis, Duiran, and Sapience as a whole comes before everything else. What separates the Sentaari from hedge monks and wandering pilgrims is their focus on discipline. The rigorous training the Sentaari undertake renders them uniquely qualified to interact with the Void, the place of emptiness between the planes. Using skills practiced only at the Monastery, the Sentaari alone are capable of banishing things to the Void and drawing things out of it that were once lost, all in order to remedy imbalances in the world. Prolonged interaction with the Void takes a significant toll on the psyche. One of the greatest challenges facing the order is to avoid succumbing to this mental threat through meditation, constant vigilance, and a stable mind. The Sentaari guild aligns with Spirit, but the Monk class itself is mechanically untethered. This is unusual in Aetolia. It reflects the order’s role as a balance-keeper: they stand for the Cycle, not for Spirit’s victory over Shadow. ## Skill sets The Monk skill sets are Tekura, Kaido, and Telepathy. Each skill aligns with one part of the body-mind-spirit balance the Sentaari teach. **Tekura** is mixed martial arts. It covers punches, kicks, throws, and stances, with a ranked progression by belt color that ends in the black belts of master Tekura practitioners. The art strengthens the body and disciplines the strike. **Kaido** is the manipulation of Kai and the body’s internal energies. Kai is energy created when there is combat, specifically defined as the clash of Shadow and Spirit. It gathers up as the Monk fights and can be unleashed in many ways: to break bones, to heal allies, to stun enemies. Through Kaido, the Monk can also harden their own resilience by sheer will. The skill is what makes a Monk feel like more than a martial artist. **Telepathy** is the mental art. The Monk invades the mind of another, seeing as they see, implanting fears and afflictions, and destroying their psyche by unlacing it from the inside. Telepathy is the parallel to a Shadow class’s afflictions, channeled through mental rather than magical means. Sentaari monks carry a balance of body, mind, and spirit in their three skills, all of which require discipline and deep focus to master. ## Skill abilities Tekura Kaido Telepathy Filter abilities Title Contents ### Tekura - Combo Perform a swift combination of attacks. #### Combo **Description**Syntax: COMBO <\[ab\] \[param\]> <\[ab\] \[param\]> <\[ab\] \[param\]> This ability allows you to hone your Tekura abilities and unleash a full three-attack combo at once. You can combine stances, throws, kicks, and punches as one, including what limb they should strike. Example: COMBO DRAIMAN MNK LEFT SPP RIGHT SPP RIGHT - Katas Practising your martial form. #### Katas **Description**Syntax: KATAS DEMONSTRATE GRADERS GRADE By practising your martial art through performances known as katas, you can greatly improve your martial form and technique. Each kata requires that you first obtain a certain belt in Tekura, done by learning lessons in the skillset before you may practice it. Once you are of the required belt, you can then begin to practice the form. When you think you are ready, someone else can grade you in that kata. If you successfully complete the kata under the grading with no missteps, you will be considered a master of that form. While mastering the various katas is not a requirement, doing so will improve the damage of various attacks in your repertoire by 2%. Only someone who is either a black belt or at least three belts above you, and has mastered the kata themselves, can grade another. Belt | Kata | Bonus to —————————————————————– 1\) White | Jakata | Jab, Hook, Palmstrike, Snapkick 2\) Grey | Lisagi | Uppercut, Throatstrike 3\) Yellow | Rhee | Hammerfist 4\) Green | Philos | Sidekick, Roundhouse 5\) Blue | Tykorima | Slam 6\) Orange | Opha | Spear, Bladehand, Moonkick 7\) Red | Nexus | Wrench 8\) Purple | Kali | Backfist, Spinkick 9\) Bronze | Do-san | Axekick 10\) Silver | Rhythos | Whirlwind, Thunderkick 11\) Gold | Krull | Jumpkick, Backbreaker 12\) Black | | **Details**Kata Damage Bonus2% - Bodyblock Using your body to block blows. #### Bodyblock **Description**Syntax: BDB and UNBLOCK BODY Base chance: 25% Although bracing your muscles in the body block will be a constant drain on your mental reserves, you will attempt to reduce all cutting and blunt damage you receive by half from adventurers and denizens. **Details**Base Block Chance25% Affected Damage TypesCutting and Blunt Damage Reduction on Block50% Balance Recovery1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Evadeblock A block that attempts to completely avoid attacks. #### Evadeblock **Description**Syntax: EVB and UNBLOCK EVADE Your training in physical combat allows you a 3% chance to evade those that would try to attack you, providing you are not prone. The focus this block requires is a constant drain on both your mental reserves and willpower. **Details**Enemy Base Accuracy Reduction3% Balance Recovery1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Slam The first of the throws. #### Slam **Description**Syntax: SLT Should your opponent be upon the ground, you can pick them up and slam them painfully back into the ground. Against adventurers, this throw will also counter and end any momentum a tumbling opponent may have. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage0 + 18% Base Damage (Denizen)475 Armour Modifier30% Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Cannot be flying in the sky. - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Dash Sprint in a particular direction. #### Dash **Description**Syntax: DASH You can now dash in a particular direction, allowing you to move through multiple rooms at once. Adventurers will only follow you if they have the ability to pace themselves, or through some other means. **Details**Max Distance10 rooms Movement TypeDashing Denizens FollowYes Adventurers FollowYes\* Mounts FollowYes Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 5 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled. - Cannot have paresis or be paralysed. - Cannot be fallen. - Cannot be used while phased. - Wrench A nasty throw that breaks the target’s limbs. #### Wrench **Description**Syntax: WRT \[ \] Your strong hands can now easily grip and wrench your opponent’s limbs free of their sockets, causing tremendous trauma to that limb providing they are not standing and crippling it in the process. If the limb is already broken, then the trauma dealt is halved. If all your opponent’s arms and legs are crippled, they will be defenseless enough for you to forcefully wrench their neck and deliver a blow that will smash it completely. This will give them the crippled throat, smashed throat, and whiplash afflictions instead of trauma. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage0 + 18% Bleeding200 bleeding Armour Modifier30% Limb Trauma Dealt14.00% Broken Limb Trauma Penalty50% reduction Balance Recovery3.20 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Guarding Guarding a body part and counterattacking. #### Guarding **Description**Syntax: GUARD or GUARD NOTHING Similar to the weapon-user’s parry ability, you will guard a specific limb and effectively nullify all damage to it if you are unhindered. However, if you are standing when you guard the limb, you will also snatch your opponent’s arm and twist it, disrupting their own parry. You can guard either the head, torso, left arm, right arm, left leg, or right leg. You will be unable to guard a limb if you become prone (see HELP PRONE). Being fallen is excluded from this list. - Kipup Quickly return to your previous stance. #### Kipup **Description**Syntax: KIPUP You can kip up immediately into your last stance if someone trips you to the floor, even if you are off balance. **Details**Endurance Cost50 endurance - Legblock A block that attacks the legs. #### Legblock **Description**Syntax: LSB and UNBLOCK LEGS Base chance: 10% By focusing upon your footwork, you can look for openings to counter with a blow to your opponent’s legs when they deal damage to you. It requires at least one free leg to act and will drain your mental reserves to upkeep. The strike cannot be parried and will not break limbs on its own. You may not use the arm strike block simultaneously with this block. **Details**Base Block Chance10% Limb Trauma Dealt8.00% Trauma Damage TypeBlunt Trauma Damage SourceBrute Balance Recovery1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Armblock A block that attacks the arms. #### Armblock **Description**Syntax: ASB and UNBLOCK ARMS Base chance: 10% This block will allow you to look for openings and counter with a blow to your opponent’s arms when they deal direct damage to you. It requires at least one free arm to act and will drain your mental reserves to upkeep. The strike cannot be parried and will not break limbs on its own. You may not use the leg strike block simultaneously with this block. **Details**Base Block Chance10% Limb Trauma Dealt8.00% Trauma Damage TypeBlunt Trauma Damage SourceBrute Balance Recovery1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Tripblock A block that tries to trip outside attackers. #### Tripblock **Description**Syntax: TRB and UNBLOCK TRIP Base chance: 10% Assailants beware. With a bit of mental attention directed to your surroundings, should an opponent whom you haven’t attacked tries to score a sly hit on you, you will try and counter by tripping them to the ground. It requires at least one free leg to act and will drain your mental reserves to upkeep. This block will not work if you have recently fled combat, you must stand your ground. **Details**Base Block Chance10% Balance Recovery1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Feint Feint an attack to put your opponent off guard. #### Feint **Description**Usage: FEINT By feinting an attack towards a particular limb, you can cause your opponent to shift their parry and upset their balance in fear. Cooldown: 5 seconds **Details**Target LocationSame location Balance Upset0.40 seconds Balance Recovery3.75 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Pinchblock A special and powerful block. #### Pinchblock **Description**Syntax: PNB and UNBLOCK PINCH Base chance: 15% This powerful block searches for an opening in your opponent and strikes with a pinching blow to the neck that knocks them unconscious, but only when they deal damage to you first. You will only be successful if they are under two fifth’s of their maximum health and you have at least one healthy arm. This requires a lot of focus and will have a constant tax on your mental reserves. **Details**Base Block Chance15% Target Health Threshold40% Unconscious Duration on Block5.00 seconds Balance Recovery1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Backbreaker The ultimate throw. #### Backbreaker **Description**Syntax: BBT If your opponent is on the ground, you may lift them into the air and bring them back first down upon your knee, dealing powerful trauma to their torso. If they are suffering a crippled limb, then the force will weaken their back momentarily. If you manage to weaken their back three times in a row, then you will snap their spine and instantly kill them. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage200 + 32% Armour Modifier30% Limb Trauma Dealt20.00% Instant Death ThresholdOn 3 backbreakers Weak Back Duration20 seconds Balance Recovery3.25 seconds Left Hand Recovery3.25 seconds Right Hand Recovery3.25 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - You can utilize the following stances - Horse The most basic stance. #### Horse **Description**Syntax: HRS The most basic fighting stance, the Horse stance is taught for its balanced strength and ease of use. Tekura Modifiers: Pros Cons ——————– ——————– Kick damage: +10% Throw speed: +0.25s Kick speed: -0.5s Punch damage: +10% Punch speed: -0.5s Block chance: +5% - Eagle Stance of the soaring eagle. #### Eagle **Description**Syntax: EGS This stance is named for its incredible speed, not unlike the strike of the soaring eagle. It is however weak in damage and doesn’t provide much defense. Tekura Modifiers: Pros Cons ——————– ——————– Stancing has no balance cost. Kick damage: -30% Kick speed: -1.3s Punch damage: -30% Punch speed: -1.3s Block chance: +5% - Cat An agile, defensive stance. #### Cat **Description**Syntax: CTS At the cost of power and speed, the defensive ability of the Cat stance is unmatched, allowing for catlike reflexes. Tekura Modifiers: Pros Cons ——————– ——————– Guarding will stun. Kick damage: -20% Throw speed: -0.75s Punch damage: -20% Block chance: +50% - Bear A highly specialized stance, designed for punching. #### Bear **Description**Syntax: BRS The unrelenting might of the bear allows you to strike even if your arms are crippled. It is the pugilist stance of choice. Tekura Modifiers: Pros Cons ——————– ——————– Can punch with crippled arms. None. Punch damage: +20% Speed: -0.5s Block chance: +10% - Panda A stance for the inebriated. #### Panda **Description**Syntax: PDS The Panda stance is a fighting style that dramatically increases your striking power while drunk. Due to the nature of needing to be inebriated though, its usefulness is entirely dependant on just how well the user can stay cognizant for. Using a kick while in Panda stance will stabilise the balance recovery of the punches that you follow up with. Tekura Modifiers: Pros Cons ——————– ——————– Kick damage: Up to +50% Chance to trip and miss while drunk. Punch damage: Up to +50% Speed: -1.25s to +1.25s Block chance: +15% - Rat A well-balanced stance. #### Rat **Description**Syntax: RTS A more complex stance for the intermediate, the Rat stance is balanced and swift, often being taught as a replacement to the beginners Horse stance. It offers a sturdy fighting style. Tekura Modifiers: Pros Cons ——————– ——————– Kick damage: +10% None. Kick speed: -1s Punch damage: +10% Punch speed: -1s Block chance: +10% - Scorpion A devastatingly powerful attack stance. #### Scorpion **Description**Syntax: SCS By trading off nearly all defensive abilities, you can attack with incredible power and speed. Your kicks and punches will sting like the tail of the scorpion. Tekura Modifiers: Pros Cons ——————– ——————– Kick damage: +30% Throw speed: +0.3s Kick speed: -1s Block chance: -15% Punch damage: +20% Max kai energy: -25 kai Punch speed: -1s - Cobra A ranged stance for easier reactions. #### Cobra **Description**Syntax: CBS By keeping a safe distance, you can weave to and fro and strike with two consecutive kicks alike the cobra. While you’ll be unable to punch in this stance, it does free your hands for tools such as a shield. Note that due to the balance required to properly execute it, an axekick cannot be used as a followup. Tekura Modifiers: Pros Cons ——————– ——————– Can kick twice. Cannot punch. Kick damage: +10% Kick speed: -1s Throw speed: -1s Block chance: +10% Limb damage: +20% - Phoenix Improved clarity of mind. #### Phoenix **Description**Syntax: PHS With the clarity of the Phoenix, you can focus your mind and fluidly incorporate the Telepathic and Kaido arts into your fighting style. There is some trade off however. Tekura Modifiers: Pros Cons ——————– ——————– Kick speed: -0.5s None. Punch speed: -0.5s Telepathy speed: -0.25s Max kai energy: +20 kai Block chance: +20% - Tiger Increase the chances of breaking limbs. #### Tiger **Description**Syntax: TGS The tiger bites hard and deep. With this stance you can inflict greater damage to their limbs and muscles. However, your kicks will be weaker than other stances, and your throws will slightly suffer. Tekura Modifiers: Pros Cons ——————– ——————– Kick speed: -0.5s Kick damage: -10% Punch speed: -0.5s Throw speed: +0.5s Block chance: +5% Limb damage: +20% - Wolf A highly accurate stance. #### Wolf **Description**Syntax: WFS When you are in the Wolf stance, canine precision and execution allow you to greatly increase your accuracy against effects that might normally make you miss. Tekura Modifiers: Pros Cons ——————– ——————– Kick damage: +20% None. Kick speed: -1s Punch speed: -1s Throw speed: -0.3s Accuracy: +20% - Dragon The superior state of mind. #### Dragon **Description**Syntax: DRS The superior stance in all around power, speed, and reflexes. More of a state of mind than physical prowess, the Dragon is the culmination of the Tekura fighting art to provide the most balanced fighting style to the master. It replaces the intermediate Rat stance in all around usefulness. Tekura Modifiers: Pros Cons ——————– ——————– Damage resist: +10% None. Kick damage: +15% Kick speed: -1s Punch damage: +10% Punch speed: -1s Throw speed: -0.1s Block chance: +15% - You can perform the following punches - Hook A curving punch. #### Hook **Description**Syntax: HKP The hooked motion of this punch plants your fist firmly into your opponent’s torso, dealing blunt damage. If they are an adventurer, it will deal trauma to the torso as well. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage120 + 5% Base Damage (Denizen)170 Armour Modifier66% Limb Trauma Dealt5.50% Arm Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Jab A versatile punch. #### Jab **Description**Syntax: JBP Throw your arm forward in a quick jab at your opponent in order to deal blunt damage. It is not aimed at any body part, and thus cannot be parried. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage75 + 3% Base Damage (Denizen)125 Armour Modifier66% Limb Trauma Dealt4.50% Arm Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Uppercut An upwards hooking punch. #### Uppercut **Description**Syntax: UCP In an upward punch, deal a mighty blow to your opponent’s head, dealing blunt damage. Against adventurers, it will deal some trauma to the head as well. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage150 + 5% Base Damage (Denizen)200 Armour Modifier66% Limb Trauma Dealt5.50% Arm Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Palmstrike Strike your opponent on the solar plexus. #### Palmstrike **Description**Syntax: PMP Using your palm, you can strike your opponent directly on their solar plexus. This will cause them to lose the benefits of levitation. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage75 + 2% Armour Modifier66% Limb Trauma Dealt3.00% Arm Balance Recovery3.50 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Hammerfist A strike with your fists to the legs. #### Hammerfist **Description**Syntax: HFP \[LEFT|RIGHT\] With great hammering strength, you will bring your fist down directly on your opponent’s leg, dealing blunt damage. Against adventurers, it will deal some trauma to that leg as well. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage120 + 3% Base Damage (Denizen)170 Armour Modifier66% Limb Trauma Dealt5.50% Arm Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Spear A jabbing punch with an outstretched hand. #### Spear **Description**Syntax: SPP \[LEFT|RIGHT\] This punch is used with a rigid ‘spear’ hand to strike the arms, dealing blunt damage. Against adventurers, you’re able to hit just the right musculature spot to cause trauma as well. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage120 + 5% Base Damage (Denizen)170 Armour Modifier66% Limb Trauma Dealt5.50% Arm Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Throatstrike Disable the vocal cords of your opponent. #### Throatstrike **Description**Syntax: TSP By forming a clawed fist you can attack the throat of your opponent and dislodge their larynx, causing trauma to the head as well as a crippled throat and watery eyes. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage75 + 2% Armour Modifier66% Limb Trauma Dealt3.00% Arm Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Backfist A backhanded blow to the head. #### Backfist **Description**Syntax: BFP This backhanded blow aimed at their head will rattle your opponent and send their mind into a short-lived state of turmoil, as well as dealing damage and a small amount of trauma. During this time, any strike with Tekura will have a chance to become obscured as to which limb side was struck. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage75 + 2% Armour Modifier66% Limb Trauma Dealt3.00% Turmoil Obfuscation Chance30% on hit Turmoil Duration120 seconds Arm Balance Recovery3.50 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Bladehand Attempt to disarm your opponent. #### Bladehand **Description**Syntax: BLP \[LEFT|RIGHT\] Hand flat like a blade, you can strike out at the arms of your opponent to try and disarm them of their wielded items. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage75 + 2% Armour Modifier66% Limb Trauma Dealt3.00% Arm Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 10 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - You can perform the following kicks - Sidekick A powerful thrusting kick. #### Sidekick **Description**Syntax: SDK Twist your body and kick sideways to deliver a solid blow high on your opponent’s torso, dealing blunt damage. Against adventurers, this kick will deal trauma to the torso as well. Then, if their torso is broken, it will upset their balance and equilibrium. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage300 + 9% Base Damage (Denizen)320 Armour Modifier66% Limb Trauma Dealt9.00% Balance Upset Bonus0.75 seconds Equilibrium Upset Bonus0.75 seconds Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Snapkick A straight-forward kick. #### Snapkick **Description**Syntax: SNK \[LEFT|RIGHT\] Snap your feet in a kick aimed directly at your opponent’s legs, dealing blunt damage. Against adventurers, this will also deal trauma to that leg. Then, if that leg is broken, it will cause them to hobble when attempting to move. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage225 + 7% Base Damage (Denizen)245 Armour Modifier66% Limb Trauma Dealt9.00% Hobble Duration45 seconds Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Roundhouse A twisting kick. #### Roundhouse **Description**Syntax: RHK This sweeping kick will arc through the air and strike everyone present in your location, dealing blunt damage. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage210 + 12% Armour Modifier66% Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Sweep Attempting to sweep your opponent off his feet. #### Sweep **Description**Syntax: SWK Quickly drop onto one palm and sweep the legs of your opponent out from under them, tripping them to the ground. If they are an adventurer, they will also be left with a sore ankle. **Details**Target LocationSame location Balance Recovery4.20 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Moonkick A powerful, curving kick. #### Moonkick **Description**Syntax: MNK \[LEFT|RIGHT\] This kick, so called because the foot travels in the arc of a crescent moon, attacks the arms of your opponent, dealing blunt damage. Against adventurers, this will also deal trauma to that arm. Then, if that arm is broken, it will leave them with a weak grip upon their weapons. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage225 + 7% Base Damage (Denizen)245 Armour Modifier66% Limb Trauma Dealt9.00% Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Thunderkick A rolling kick that utilises momentum. #### Thunderkick **Description**Syntax: TNK By performing a flip into a roll, you can bring your leg over your head in quick motion and deliver a deadly blow aimed at your opponent’s head. This attack will miss your opponent, unless you have broken both their arms first. When it lands, it will deal blunt damage and some trauma to their head, and due to the powerful momentum you built up, it will also knock them unconscious. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage210 + 9% Armour Modifier66% Limb Trauma Dealt5.50% Unconsciousness Duration4 seconds Balance Recovery3.25 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Thrustkick A kick designed to push your target away. #### Thrustkick **Description**Syntax: THK Using your great leg power, you will thrust your leg out to kick your opponent away in the specified direction. Adventurers will resist your attempt to move them if they are protected by the density defence. **Details**Target LocationSame location Movement TypePhysical Denizens FollowYes Adventurers FollowYes Mounts FollowYes Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Scythekick A scything kick to destroy magical protection. #### Scythekick **Description**Syntax: SCK With an incredibly fast kick, you can shred away an opponent’s magical shield with this scything attack. **Details**Target LocationSame location Balance Recovery3.60 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Axe A kick with a chance of breaking your target’s neck. #### Axe **Description**Syntax: AXK Like the swing of an axe, this head-aimed kick is somewhat slow but with an emphasis on power. Your opponent must be fallen, else you will miss your attack. If an adventurer is suffering from a mangled head when it lands, then the blow will snap the neck and instantly kill them. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage300 + 25% Armour Modifier66% Limb Trauma Dealt9.00% Balance Recovery7.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Whirlwind A whirling kick that strikes the face. #### Whirlwind **Description**Syntax: WWK The most impressive of all kicks, this one is essentially a spinning crescent kick aimed at the head of an unlucky opponent, dealing blunt damage. Against adventurers, there are a few bonus effects based upon their state if the attack lands: \* The attack will additionally cause trauma to the head. \* If they are fallen, then it will deal even more trauma to the head. \* If the head is broken, then it will stun them for a short period. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage225 + 9% Base Damage (Denizen)245 Armour Modifier66% Limb Trauma Dealt9.00% Limb Trauma Bonus+3.50% Stun Duration1.20 seconds Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Spinkick Spin in place and deliver a powerful kick. #### Spinkick **Description**Syntax: SPK Spin to generate momentum to release a powerful kick towards your opponent’s torso, dealing more blunt damage than Sidekick would. Against adventurers, it will also deal trauma but less so than Sidekick. Please see AB TEKURA SIDEKICK for more information. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage330 + 18% Base Damage (Denizen)350 Armour Modifier66% Limb Trauma Dealt6.00% Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Jumpkick Attack someone in an adjacent room with a flying kick. #### Jumpkick **Description**Syntax: JPK \[stance\] JPK \[stance\] By starting from an adjacent location, you can launch yourself into a flying kick that will slam into your opponent’s torso. If it connects, it will deal blunt damage and leave them fallen on the floor. Against adventurers, it will also cause trauma to the torso and stun them briefly. If they have recently fled from combat, then the attack can no longer be parried and the stun will persist for longer. Against denizens, you will need specify the direction to wish to jump towards. Lastly, if you choose to specify a stance as well, then you will flow into it after your attack at no extra cost. **Details**Target LocationAdjacent location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage225 + 18% Base Damage (Denizen)245 Armour Modifier66% Limb Trauma Dealt6.00% Movement TypeDashing Denizens FollowYes Adventurers FollowYes Mounts FollowYes Stun Duration1.50 seconds Stun Duration (Fleeing)2.50 seconds Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Cannot have paresis or be paralysed. - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Kaido - Weathering Immunity to normal weather. #### Weathering **Description**Syntax: WEATHERING Your budding control over your body will assist you in keeping warm during cold weather while outdoors and mitigate damage from cold attacks. Depending on how cold the weather is, you may need extra clothing regardless. **Details**Damage TypeCold Resistance15% Felt Temperature80% felt temp, 20% average temp Requirements - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Vitality An adrenaline rush to heal your body. #### Vitality **Description**Syntax: VITALITY Providing you have full health and mana, you can call upon your adrenal glands to heal you significantly should your health drop below a quarter of its maximum. Cooldown (when triggered): 180 seconds **Details**Healing40% Health Threshold25% Cooldown (when triggered}180 seconds Equilibrium Recovery5.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 willpower to use. - Sturdiness Standing firm against attempts to move you. #### Sturdiness **Description**Syntax: STAND FIRM By concentrating on increasing your mass, you are able to gain immunity from most physical attempts to move you. Additionally, should you be feared it will have no effect while you remain firm. You will lose this defence should you move. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. Restrictions - Cannot be fallen. - Toughness Increased resistance to physical attacks. #### Toughness **Description**Syntax: TOUGHNESS By increasing the density of your skin, you are able to decrease the amount of damage you will take from physical cutting attacks. **Details**Damage TypeCutting Resistance10% Requirements - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Clotting Reduce the level of your bleeding. #### Clotting **Description**Syntax: CLOT \[#\] This ability will allow you to partially clot your bleeding in trade for your mana. You can specify how many times you wish to clot if need be. If you input no amount, then you will try and clot away 20 bleeding by default. **Details**Default Amount20 bleeding Mana Cost4 per point Willpower Cost0.25 per point - Regeneration Regain health through strength of mind. #### Regeneration **Description**Syntax: REGENERATION When you are wounded, you can force your body it heal itself at the cost of some mana and willpower. No action is needed on your behalf, it will happen passively once turned on. **Details**Healing100 Regeneration TimerEvery 6 seconds Mana Upkeep40 Willpower Upkeep15 Requirements - Costs 5 endurance to use. - Courage Calm the body. #### Courage **Description**Syntax: COURAGE A few seconds after using this ability, you will be filled with a sense of courage. **Details**Courage Delay6 seconds - Resistance Reduce the damage taken from magical attacks. #### Resistance **Description**Syntax: RESISTANCE Due to your increased bodily control, you are able to reduce the damage from magical attacks. **Details**Damage TypeMagic Resistance15% Requirements - Costs 20 willpower to use. - Nightsight Gain the ability of infravision. #### Nightsight **Description**Syntax: NIGHTSIGHT Your eyes are now keen at capturing light allowing you to see in the dark. - Enlightenment Seek your truth. #### Enlightenment **Description**Syntax: SEEK ENLIGHTENMENT After a brief delay, deep meditation will return you to the monastery. You may not do anything while you wait. - Repetition With training comes bodily control. #### Repetition **Description**This ability is passive. Through repetition of constantly taking on various stances and the addition of muscular training, your body now inherently knows how to take a stance with no effect to your balance. There is a short cooldown after taking a stance before you’ll gain the benefits of this ability a second time. Cooldown: 20 seconds **Details**Cooldown20 seconds - Restoration Healing damaged limbs by force of will. #### Restoration **Description**Syntax: RESTORE By channeling your mental power into healing energy, you are able to repair any crippled limbs within your body through force of will. Should those limbs be broken however, then you will be unable to mend them. There is a scaling equilibrium cost depending on how many limbs are healed. **Details**Mana Cost200 per limb Willpower Cost20 per limb Equilibrium Recovery2.50 seconds per limb Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. Restrictions - Cannot be paralysed. - Projectiles Avoiding many projectiles. #### Projectiles **Description**Syntax: PROJECTILES You can now heighten your bodies reflexes and improve your chances of dodging or diverting a ranged attack. This will tax your mind in order to upkeep. You can read HELP AVOIDANCE for more information. **Details**Dodge TypeRanged Dodge Bonus+25% Divert TypeRanged Divert Bonus+10% Requirements - Costs 5 endurance to use. - Constitution Maintaining your intestinal equilibrium. #### Constitution **Description**Syntax: CONSTITUTION Strengthen the constitution of your stomach, preventing yourself from becoming nauseous. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Splitting Constant meditation by splitting your consciousness. #### Splitting **Description**Syntax: SPLIT MIND and JOIN MIND By splitting your consciousness into dual parts, you will begin to meditate constantly with your second mind. Benefits include replenishment of your mental reserves and a slight reduction in all around mana use. **Details**Mana Cost Reduction15% Mana Gain5% Mana Gain TimerEvery 8 seconds Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 200 willpower to use. - Breathing Holding your breath. #### Breathing **Description**Syntax: HOLD BREATH By holding your breath, you can greatly reduce the potency of asphyxiating attacks and prevent yourself from drowning or inhaling harmful gases. You will not be able to perform any other actions while holding your breath and as long as you continue holding it your health will slowly drain away. **Details**Damage TypeAsphyxiation Resistance80% Self Damage6% Damage TimerEvery 7 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires an unimpaired throat. - Consciousness Consciousness of the self. #### Consciousness **Description**Syntax: CONSCIOUSNESS Your power of concentration is such that you will be able to heighten your consciousness of the self, boosting your wisdom by two and increasing the amount of willpower you will regenerate over time. **Details**Wisdom Bonus+2 Willpower Regeneration10 - Immunity Immunity from most poisons. #### Immunity **Description**Syntax: IMMUNITY Your increased mastery over your body allows you to control your blood flow to burn away the next venom you are poisoned with. Cooldown: 120 seconds **Details**Cooldown120 seconds Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Boosting Increasing your rate of regeneration. #### Boosting **Description**Syntax: BOOST REGENERATION This ability, when used in conjunction with regeneration, alters the rate of regeneration to a more favourable mana-to-health ratio. **Details**Healing Bonus+100 - Transmute Instantly convert mana into health. #### Transmute **Description**Syntax: TRANSMUTE <0-1000> This will allow you to instantly transmute your mana or health into the other. There is no equilibrium or balance cost associated with this. **Details**Maximum Amount1000 Willpower Cost10 per point Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. Restrictions - Cannot be paralysed. - Numbness Delaying the effects of damage. #### Numbness **Description**Syntax: NUMB With a very clever method of concentration, you are now able to numb yourself to damage received, at least temporarily. When the numbness wears off, all the damage you soaked will be received in one blow, although it will be largely reduced. If you have sensitivity, your numbness will be rendered useless and you will receive damage like normal. Bonus damage from sensitivity will not be applied while you are numb. Cooldown (after effect): 20 seconds **Details**Damage Reduction60% Numbness Duration10 seconds Cooldown (after effect)20 seconds Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 endurance to use. Restrictions - Cannot be paralysed. - You can utilize the following Kai energy techniques - Trance Entering the mystical Kai Trance. #### Trance **Description**Syntax: KAI TRANCE and BREAK TRANCE Additional syntax: KAI By focusing your mind, you will become sensitive to the flow of energy within those that reside in your location, allowing you to generate what is known as kai energy and perform feats of incredible power. To begin with, once you have assumed the necessary trance after a delay, you will obtain an initial flux of kai energy to make use of. However, as you use your kai abilities, this kai will deplete until none is left. Using KAI will allow you to see how much kai you have. Restoring this energy can be achieved by standing in the same location with those who you have declared an enemy at a passive rate. The amount of kai you gain is increased if you face up against multiple foes at once. If there are none, then your kai will slowly decay instead. Use of the trance will drain your mana over time to upkeep, and should you break your trance, you will lose all accumulated kai energy. After using an ability that consumes your kai energy, you will not be able to generate kai for a short period afterward. Be cautious of how and when you use your kai energy. Kai Generation Cooldown (after use): 800 csecs **Details**Activation Delay6 seconds Starting Kai Energy100 kai energy Kai Generation TimerEvery 3 seconds Base Kai Gain6 kai energy Per Enemy3 kai energy Kai Energy Decay1 kai energy Kai Generation Cooldown (after use)800 csecs Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires an unimpaired throat. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Choke Crush a victim’s windpipe remotely. #### Choke **Description**Syntax: KAI CHOKE Cost: 20 kai energy By manipulating the Kai energy that flows around us all, you are able to choke the life out of anyone in your local area. Should they afflicted with a crippled throat, the damage will be increased. **Details**Target LocationSame area Damage TypeAsphyxiation Damage SourceArcane Base Damage400 + 18% Added Bonus Damage (Crippled throat)+10% to proportional damage Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 25 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Nurture Nurture the limb of an ally to restore it. #### Nurture **Description**Syntax: KAI NURTURE \[limb\] Cost: 60 kai energy By utilising your kai to heal another, you can restore the state of limb trauma upon someone else. If you do not specify a limb, then it will heal the limb with the highest amount of trauma. You can use this skill on the following limbs: Head, torso, left arm, right arm, left leg, and right leg. **Details**Target LocationSame location Kai Cost60 kai energy Limb Trauma Healed50.00% Equilibrium Recovery5.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an assisting action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Cripple Cripple your target completely. #### Cripple **Description**Syntax: KAI CRIPPLE Cost: 40 kai energy By surrounding your opponent in a vice of cracking Kai, each arm and leg is slowly crushed over a brief delay. This crushing force will eventually leave every limb crippled as the Kai energy fades, the order chosen at random. **Details**Target LocationSame location Kai Cost40 kai energy Effect DelayBetween 0.2 and 0.4 seconds Equilibrium Recovery3.80 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Strike Force trauma from the body to its extremities. #### Strike **Description**Usage: KAI STRIKE Cost: 20 kai energy Draw Kai energy into your fist and land a blow against their chest. In doing so, the energy will enter their torso and begin to heal it anew. Once a few seconds pass, the energy will then surge with havoc, damaging each limb and the head with trauma for a portion of the trauma the torso originally had. Cooldown: 25 seconds **Details**Target LocationSame location Kai Cost20 kai energy Activation Delay3 seconds Trauma Division20% of total to each limb Cooldown25 seconds Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Heal Healing yourself with Kai energy. #### Heal **Description**Syntax: KAI HEAL \[ALL\] Cost: 20 kai energy An incredibly potent healing ability, you can suffuse yourself in kai energy that will heal you of nearly all wounds. You can additionally choose to heal all allies within your location instead, however the healing will be reduced and not as potent. **Details**Kai Cost20 kai energy Self Heal75% health Group Heal20% health Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an assisting action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Banish Temporarily banish your victim from time itself. #### Banish **Description**Syntax: KAI BANISH Cost: 60 kai energy An extremely powerful ability, this allows you to rip space apart at the exact location of your target. This transports him temporarily to an area between time. The amount of time they will be banished for will be 2 seconds multiplied by every enemy of yours in the same location before banishment. After you have banished a target, that same target will not be able to be banished again for a short while. **Details**Target LocationSame location Kai Cost60 kai energy Base Banish Duration0 seconds Bonus Duration (per enemy)+2 seconds Maximum Banish Duration12 seconds Banish Immunity (on target)15 seconds Equilibrium Recovery5.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Enfeeble Unleash a massive blast of kai energy at your opponent. #### Enfeeble **Description**Syntax: KAI ENFEEBLE Cost: 70 kai energy This ability will throw a massive shockwave of kai energy at your opponent, cutting his current health and mana in half and stunning him briefly. If they are shielded, then it will destroy the shield instead. **Details**Target LocationSame location Kai Cost70 kai energy Health Drain50% of current health Mana Drain50% of current mana Stun Duration1.00 seconds Mana Instant Kill Immunity (on target)5 seconds Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Deliverance Grant your enemies release from this mortal coil. #### Deliverance **Description**Syntax: KAI DELIVERANCE Cost: 80 kai energy Once activating this ability, there will be a short delay. After this time, anyone who uses an aggressive ability that targets you, or deals active damage to you, will die instantly in a massive backlash of Kai energy afterward. While in this state, your remaining Kai energy will slowly drain away. Once you run out, you will leave this heightened state of mind. **Details**Kai Cost80 kai energy Channel Time5.00 seconds Max Deliverance Duration20 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 300 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Telepathy - Sense Use your telepathic powers to seek out others. #### Sense **Description**Syntax: MIND SENSE With this ability, you are able to seek out the mind of another player, gaining knowledge of his physical location. There is no equilibrium or balance cost to perform this. **Details**Requirements - Costs 10 mana to use. - Locking Focus your telepathic power to lock minds with someone. #### Locking **Description**Syntax: MIND LOCK MIND CEASE Telepathy is a powerful ability, but it all begins by forming a mental lock with your subject first. Mind locks take time to form as you break down the mental barriers of their subconscious, however the more adept you are at Telepathy, the faster you will be able to penetrate their mind. Once you have locked minds, a mental battle will begin as you attempt to hold control of your subject. The less willpower you have compared to your subject, the more likely you will be detected and ejected from his mind. The time it takes to form a lock and the willpower cost of maintaining it is reduced when in the same location and elevation as your target. When locking minds with someone who has declared you an ally, the time it takes is reduced to 5 seconds, and the willpower drain is half that of the base rate. These values are then set and cannot be modified. **Details**Target LocationSame area Mindlock Time (Skillpoints)From 120 down to 30 seconds Minimum Mindlock Time5 seconds Willpower Drain10 + 0.1% Same Location Time Reduction50% Same Location Drain Reduction25% Set Mindlock Time (Ally)5 seconds Set Willpower Drain (Ally)50% of base drain Willpower Struggle Ejection200% more willpower Willpower Struggle Detection130% more willpower Requirements - Costs 100 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Dissolve Remove a mind lock. #### Dissolve **Description**Syntax: MIND DISSOLVE Should you have a mind lock already, this skill will allow you to dissolve it. - Glance Look through the eyes of your subject. #### Glance **Description**Syntax: MIND GLANCE Glance through the eyes of your target that you have locked minds with, allowing you to see their location as though you were there yourself. **Details**Requirements - Costs 15 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Telesense Detect attempts to mindlock you. #### Telesense **Description**Syntax: TELESENSE Due to your heightened telepathic awareness, you are able to, at the cost of a small mana drain, detect telepathic energy in the area. - Throw Mentally push a subject in any direction. #### Throw **Description**Syntax: MIND THROW By coaxing the motor cortex, you can have the target of your mind lock walk unsteadily in a direction of your choice. **Details**Movement TypeNormal Denizens FollowNo Adventurers FollowNo Mounts FollowYes Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 150 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Fullsense Seek out all minds within your reach. #### Fullsense **Description**Syntax: FULLSENSE By sending out an invisible telepathic web, you can quicky detect and find all minds within your local area. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery4.00 Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 200 mana to use. - Costs 40 willpower to use. - Listen Listen to all that your subject hears. #### Listen **Description**Syntax: MIND LISTEN and MIND UNLISTEN You are now able to direct audio sensory input of your target over the telepathic link and to your own mind. This will allow you to overhear conversations either within the location or through direct tells. Due to the ongoing effort required to maintain this ability, there is a constant loss of mental strength. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Unlisten)1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 400 mana to use. - Costs 80 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Isolate Cut remote communication off from your subject. #### Isolate **Description**Syntax: MIND ISOLATE and MIND DEISOLATE This ability will isolate a mind locked player from all mental communication they may attempt to send or receive. Normal communication such as speaking or shouting will still be heard. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Deisolate)1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 500 mana to use. - Costs 100 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Link Link minds with a fellow telepath. #### Link **Description**Syntax: MIND LINK MIND UNLINK By opening up a one way channel to another telepath, you are able to lend them some of your mental strength. This allows for telepathic feats that would otherwise be impossible. It will also speed up the time it takes to achieve a mind lock on another for the telepath you are supporting. **Details**Time to Mindlock20% reduction Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Unlink)1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an assisting action. - Cannot be frozen. - PsyCombat Battling another telepath with the psychic arts. #### PsyCombat **Description**Syntax: PSYCHALLENGE Psychic combat is a telepathic battle between two players where the goal is to crumple your opponent’s mind. There is no penalty for losing, however those with deathsight will feel the moment a game is decided. There are only seven commands associated with psychic combat that may be used, and when you accept you will be transported to a special location out of harm’s way. Most other commands will not work until the game is complete. You can do the following in psychic combat: PSY BLAST: Blast your opponent’s mind and attack their mental fortitude. PSY BARRIER: Erect a barrier that protects your mind from psychic blasts. PSY WHIP: Tear away your opponent’s mental barrier if they have one. PSY SURGE: If your opponent has less than half of their mental energy, you can end the match in a surge of psychic power. This is costly to perform and could result in your own loss if misjudged. PSY PROBE: Use your mind to determine your opponent’s mental energy. PSY MEDITATE: Meditate your mind in order to recover your mental energy. This is a slow process. PSY ESCAPE: This takes some time, during which you may not do anything else. Once the ability is successful, an exit will open up, allowing you to escape. - Probe Reach out and probe another mind. #### Probe **Description**Syntax: MIND PROBE By probing your subjects mind, you can gather a small amount of information on their mental activity without needing to form a mindlock. Your probe can reach as far as the local area. **Details**Target LocationSame area Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 150 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. Restrictions - Cannot be frozen. - Transfer Transfer a telepathic lock to a fellow telepath. #### Transfer **Description**Syntax: MIND TRANSFER Using this ability will allow you to transfer a mind lock to another telepath. The target telepath must be in the same area as you, for this is a delicate operation. **Details**Target LocationSame area Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 mana to use. - Costs 20 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an assisting action. - Cannot be frozen. - Insight View the surface thoughts of another. #### Insight **Description**Syntax: MIND INSIGHT Your ability to project psychic force allows you to view the surface thoughts of others in your location, or if you have locked minds with another. In order to see what another is thinking, they must make use of the THINK command. - Empathy Establishing a physical link through your telepathy. #### Empathy **Description**Syntax: MIND EMPATHY and MIND UNEMPATHY This ability will allow you to form an empathatic link between you and your locked target, allowing you to heal the other periodically at the cost of your own body. This ability comes with a mental drain in order to upkeep your empathatic link. **Details**Health Transfer15% of health Transfer TimerEvery 4 seconds Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Unempathy)1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 250 mana to use. - Costs 50 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an assisting action. - Cannot be frozen. - Clarity Focus on clarity of mind. #### Clarity **Description**Syntax: CLARITY Clarity of mind is a defence against a weakened psyche, protecting you one time against the effects of dementia, hallucinations, or psychosis. You will not be able to use this skill if you are afflicted by any affliction from the antipsychotic tree. Please see HELP CURE ORDER for more information on afflictions from the antipsychotic tree. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 150 mana to use. - Costs 15 willpower to use. - Command Force a subject to do your bidding. #### Command **Description**Syntax: MIND COMMAND You have gained sufficient knowledge of the workings of the mind that you can now command your mind locked target into performing a single action of your choice. Cooldown: 30 seconds **Details**Cooldown30 seconds Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 200 mana to use. - Costs 40 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Cloak Stealth telepathy. #### Cloak **Description**Syntax: MIND CLOAK Cloak your telepathy from the senses of others. This will hide you most notibly from TELESENSE and make it more difficult to be detected when you are locked with another mind. It will also make it easier to retain a mind lock, giving your opponent worse odds of ejecting or detecting your telepathy when your willpower runs low. **Details**Mindlock Struggle Bonus+10% to thresholds - Hypersense Hypersensitivity to telepathic activity. #### Hypersense **Description**This ability is passive. Your sensitivity to telepathic power has been heightened to the extreme, allowing you to make better use of Telesense. You can now see who is attempting to lock minds with another person, or yourself. Additionally they will be unable to hide themselves through cloaking their telepathy. This ability will also improve the odds that you will either eject or detect a telepath’s mind lock that is upon you. You must be maintaining your Telesense in order to receive these benefits. **Details**Mindlock Struggle Wall–20% to telepath - Clairvoyance Coordinate your mind and body. #### Clairvoyance **Description**This ability is passive. Your skill at telepathy has increased that you can now use minor telepathy attacks while off balance. Doing so however, will incur an extra equilibrium cost as compared to normal. Skills that benefit from this: Fear, Paralyse, Stupidity, Confuse, Recklessness, Epilepsy, Anorexia, Deadening, Amnesia, Divine, and Command. **Details**Added Equilibrium Recovery1.00 seconds - Barrier Throw up a telepathic barrier around your subject. #### Barrier **Description**Syntax: MIND BARRIER and MIND UNBARRIER You are now able to protect a locked player against other telepathic attempts to control him by wrapping your mind around his. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Unbarrier)1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 500 mana to use. - Costs 100 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an assisting action. - Cannot be frozen. - Scan Scan the mind of your subject. #### Scan **Description**Syntax: MIND SCAN This powerful ability will allow you scan through the mind of your locked target and gain a large amount of information about them and their inventory. **Details**Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 200 mana to use. - Costs 40 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Travel Cross great distances to your subject in a single step. #### Travel **Description**Syntax: MIND TRAVEL Requires the linked mind of a friendly telepath. An extremely complicated ability, this will allow you to create a pathway between your location and your locked target, transporting you instantly there. There is no equilibrium cost to use this maneuver. **Details**Mana Cost500 Movement TypeMagical Denizens FollowNo Adventurers FollowNo Mounts FollowNo Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 willpower to use. Restrictions - Cannot be frozen. - Reconstitute Replenish your mana and willpower. #### Reconstitute **Description**Syntax: MIND RECONSTITUTE Replenish your mana and willpower over time, at a cost in the form of a health and endurance drain. Using the ability again will turn it off. If you fall below 50% health during the process, the effect will come to an end. **Details**Health to Mana1% of max health Endurance to Willpower1% of max endurance Effect TimerEvery 4 seconds Health Threshold FailureBelow 50% health Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Wrench Forcibly deliver your target to a location of your choice. #### Wrench **Description**Syntax: MIND WRENCH This powerful telepathic ability allows you to throw whoever you have locked to a specified target. Note that this ability is powerful and will break your mind lock in the process. **Details**Target LocationSame area Movement TypeMagical Denizens FollowNo Adventurers FollowNo Mounts FollowNo Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 600 mana to use. - Costs 80 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Net Cast a mental net about your surroundings. #### Net **Description**Syntax: MIND NET At a constant mana drain, this ability throws up a telepathic net over the local area, informing you whenever anyone moves into or out of range of the net. - Sapience Instantly know your subject’s thoughts and actions. #### Sapience **Description**Syntax: MIND SAPIENCE and UNWATCH By tapping into a locked player’s cortex, you are able to see anything the player does. This is a difficult ability to control, and only a mutual ally will allow you to make full use of it. **Details**Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 250 mana to use. - Costs 25 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Clamp Set a telepathic mind clamp about your subject. #### Clamp **Description**Syntax: MIND CLAMP This allows you to reach out with your mind and clamp down on your mind locked target, reducing their maximum health, mana, and limb health by 20%. **Details**Max Health Reduction20% Max Mana Reduction20% Max Limb Health Reduction20% Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Unclamp)1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 250 mana to use. - Costs 50 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Blackout Cause a short-lived, total blackout to your subject. #### Blackout **Description**Syntax: MIND BLACKOUT By sending out a blast of rawest telepathic power, you are able to, for a short period of time, knock out all senses of your locked target. While they are under the effects of blackout, most aggressive telepathic attacks and their afflictions will be hidden from them, but not all. Excluded telepathic attacks: Command, Clamp, and Batter. Cooldown: 25 seconds **Details**Blackout Duration8 seconds Cooldown25 seconds Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 1000 mana to use. - Costs 200 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Odyssey Cross the void between you and another telepath. #### Odyssey **Description**Syntax: MIND ODYSSEY Requires the linked mind of a friendly telepath. This ability will allow you to drift through space and appear at the location of the telepath you have linked minds with. **Details**Mana Cost500 Movement TypeMagical Denizens FollowNo Adventurers FollowNo Mounts FollowNo Equilibrium Recovery2.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Cannot be frozen. - Radiance Destroy your subject with a single blast of mental energy. #### Radiance **Description**Syntax: MIND RADIANCE The most powerful attack a telepath has, this allows you to build up an awesome amount of telepathic power, then release it to your hapless victim, killing him instantly. Keep in mind that this requires a large amount of equilibrium in order to perform, and if the victim steps into the same location as you or breaks the mind lock, then your attempt will fail. It is not possible to save yourself from death if you die in this manner, nor will it leave a body. **Details**Channel Time30 seconds Channel Intervals6 Channel Interrupt TypeMovement Equilibrium Recovery30.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 800 mana to use. - Costs 140 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Mindprints Take a mindprint of your subject. #### Mindprints **Description**Syntax: MIND PRINT FORGET MINDPRINTS Once you have locked minds with a player, you are able to gain intimate knowledge of his mind, making it easier to gain a mind lock in the future. It will also make it easier to retain a mind lock, giving your opponent worse odds of ejecting or detecting your telepathy when your willpower runs low. Due to the incredible complexity of the mind, you may only hold five mindprints at once. There is a separate set of mind prints taken if you do so within the arena. **Details**Maximum Mindprints5 prints Time to Mindlock50% reduction Mindlock Struggle Bonus+30% to thresholds Equilibrium Recovery5.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 mana to use. - Costs 20 willpower to use. Restrictions - Cannot be frozen. - You can use these abilities without a mind lock - Fear Fill your target’s mind with an irrational fear. #### Fear **Description**Syntax: MIND FEAR \[target\] With this ability, you are able to throw the mind of another into a state of irrational fear. **Details**Target LocationSame location Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Hallucinate Project an illusion into the mind of your subject. #### Hallucinate **Description**Syntax: MIND HALLUCINATE \[target\] You are able to convince a target that he has seen whatever hallucination you deem fit. Note: You can add a new line into your hallucination by using the tag $nl within the text, however you may only do this twice. **Details**Target LocationSame location Maximum Lines3 lines Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Paralyse Exert mental power to paralyse your subject. #### Paralyse **Description**Syntax: MIND PARALYSE \[target\] This ability temporarily rewires the mind of another player, preventing them from properly moving. This will inflict them with paresis. **Details**Target LocationSame location Mana Cost75 Willpower Cost10 Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Confuse Cause confusion to your subject. #### Confuse **Description**Syntax: MIND CONFUSE \[target\] By directing a powerful pulse of telepathic energy into the mind of another player, you are able to short-circuit his mental processes and cause them to be afflicted with confusion. **Details**Target LocationSame location Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Suffuse Suffuse the mind of your subject with mental energy. #### Suffuse **Description**Syntax: MIND SUFFUSE \[target\] Suffuse another with mental strength by sacrificing your own. **Details**Target LocationSame location Mana Transfer20% of mana Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an assisting action. - Cannot be frozen. - Drain Draw mana from your subject’s mind into your own. #### Drain **Description**Syntax: MIND DRAIN \[target\] Almost the reverse of suffuse, this drains mental strength from your target and bestows it upon you. **Details**Target LocationSame location Mana Drain0 + 15% Equilibrium Recovery2.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 15 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an assisting action. - Cannot be frozen. - Divine Determine the health and mana levels of your subject. #### Divine **Description**Syntax: MIND DIVINE \[target\] By divining the mind, you can assert the exact knowledge of the physical and mental state of your target. **Details**Target LocationSame location Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 mana to use. - Costs 20 willpower to use. Restrictions - Cannot be frozen. - Recklessness Disregard for his own welfare. #### Recklessness **Description**Syntax: MIND RECKLESSNESS \[target\] Alter the mind of your target and make him unconcerned with his own well-being. This will afflict your target with recklessness. **Details**Target LocationSame location Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Disrupt Destroy your opponent’s mental equilibrium. #### Disrupt **Description**Syntax: MIND DISRUPT \[target\] With this ability, you may destroy the equilibrium of your target providing they have at least two mental afflictions or are suffering from blackout. They will not recover from it until they CONCENTRATE. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction. **Details**Mental Aff. Required2 afflictions Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 150 mana to use. - Costs 20 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Epilepsy Throw your victim’s nervous system into disarray. #### Epilepsy **Description**Syntax: MIND EPILEPSY \[target\] By short-circuiting some of the nervous system of another player, you are able to cause periodic spasms in them. This will afflict them with epilepsy. **Details**Target LocationSame location Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Stupidity Induce idiocy in the mind of your opponent. #### Stupidity **Description**Syntax: MIND STUPIDITY \[target\] By casting a net of psychic energy over your opponent’s mind, you will cause his mind to occasionally misfire. This will afflict him with stupidity. **Details**Target LocationSame location Mana Cost75 Willpower Cost10 Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Anorexia A lack of desire for food or drink. #### Anorexia **Description**Syntax: MIND ANOREXIA \[target\] By lowering their internal desires, you can make your opponent anorexic, giving them little desire to eat or drink. This will afflict him with anorexia. **Details**Target LocationSame location Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Amnesia Induce temporary forgetfulness into your subject. #### Amnesia **Description**Syntax: MIND AMNESIA \[target\] A simple-sounding, though extremely effective ability, this allows you to cause short-term amnesia in your locked player. He will simply fail to execute the next action he attempts, as he will forget what he is doing before he manages to do it. **Details**Target LocationSame location Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Deadening Dull your opponent’s mind. #### Deadening **Description**Syntax: MIND DEADENING \[target\] This ability will cause your opponents mind to be dull, afflicting them with deadening. **Details**Target LocationSame location Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Cleanse Command the mind to cleanse itself of impurities. #### Cleanse **Description**Syntax: MIND CLEANSE This ability can be used through a mind lock or on another in the same location. You will aid the mind in throwing off its own mental illnesses, thereby curing the target of one mental affliction. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction. **Details**Target LocationSame location Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 mana to use. - Costs 20 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an assisting action. - Cannot be frozen. - Crush Attack your subject with a crushing psychic attack. #### Crush **Description**Syntax: MIND CRUSH \[target\] This ability sends a crushing wave of mental energy at your subject, doing both psychic damage and draining their mana. For each telepath that has linked minds with you, the damage and mana drain of crush will be slightly increased. In addition, if you have locked minds with your target, your psychic might will spread to any allies of the target in the same location as them, crushing them as well. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypePsychic Damage SourceArcane Base Damage0 + 10% Base Mana Drain0 + 10% Base Damage (Denizen)825 Base Mana Drain (Denizen)5% Maximum Mana Drain (Denizen)400 Mindlinked Bonus Damage+3% per telepath Mindlinked Bonus Drain+3% per telepath Mindlinked Bonus (Denizen)+25 damage per telepath Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Denizen)3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 150 mana to use. - Costs 100 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Strip Strip the defences from your opponent. #### Strip **Description**Syntax: MIND STRIP \[target\] Your mental prowess is such that you may coax your opponent into relaxing his defences. **Details**Target LocationSame location Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 mana to use. - Costs 20 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Push Push an affliction from your mind to your opponents. #### Push **Description**Syntax: MIND PUSH \[target\] \[SILENT\] By sheer force of will, you may push a random affliction from yourself to your target. While this will usually cure yourself of the affliction, you may choose the SILENT option, which will hide the affliction you gave to your opponent but in return it will not cure it from you. There is a short period of immunity gained by the target after using this ability, where you may not use this ability on them again. **Details**Target LocationSame location Push Immunity18 seconds Equilibrium Recovery2.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 500 mana to use. - Costs 100 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Batter Devastate your opponent’s mind with an overwhelming attack. #### Batter **Description**Syntax: MIND BATTER \[up to three afflictions\] This powerful telepathic attack will stun your target and allow you to inflict them with up to three hidden afflictions. If no afflictions are selected, then it will default to stupidity, epilepsy, and dizziness. You may choose from the following: Hallucinations, paresis, confusion, recklessness, epilepsy, stupidity, anorexia, dizziness. **Details**Target LocationSame location Maximum Afflictions3 afflictions Mana Cost100 per affliction Stun Duration1.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be frozen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. ## Visual style and identity The Monk class focuses on the body and martial arts. The visual result is high physical prowess: clothes designed for movement, accessories chosen for utility rather than ornament, belt color marking Tekura rank. The visual identity is muscular, calm, and focused: a fighter who has trained for years and carries the work in their bearing. ## Side effects of the work Practitioners of Tekura spend their entire lifetimes in training, hardening their bones and growing more and more proficient. The body keeps the record. Calloused or scarred skin is common. Limbs may be gnarled from repeated breaks. A generally muscular frame develops from constant practice. The wielding of Kai also carries risk. It requires ultimate focus, and misuse may cause scars and burns on the extremities. Monks tend to be high energy, for better or worse. The Sentaari demand extreme discipline, focus, and total commitment to their assigned task, and the physically-focused training drives an outward energy that other Duirani classes do not show. ## Who plays this class The Monk is a class for players who want a serious martial-arts character with mental and energetic depth. The Sentaari demand discipline and total commitment. While the Sentinels and Shamans of Duiran draw on ancestors and direct connections to spirits, the Sentaari have only their community and the skills made through their training. The result is a guild deeply attuned to the Council of Duiran and what it needs right now. Mechanically, the class rewards players who like fast, energetic martial combat with resource management. Kai is generated by combat and spent on a wide range of effects, so Monks operate on a constant cycle of build and release. The class also benefits from the mechanical untethered status: Monks can multiclass into Spirit or Shadow classes alike, giving them flexibility that most tethered classes lack. A Sentaari monk will spend most of their time training their abilities, and what time remains assisting others, whether by gathering herbs for a ritual or by fighting alongside their allies. ## City and guild The Monk guild home is the Sentaari Monastery in [Duiran](/world/duiran/), the Heartwood city of the Cycle. Patron: Lexadhra, the Indelible. The Sentaari house both the Monk class and its sister class, the [Voidseer](/character-classes/voidseer/), which emerged after the Monomachy and focuses on Cultivation, Enlightenment (the seven chakras), and Voidgazing rather than the broader body-mind-spirit balance the Monk teaches. Joining the Sentaari aligns you with Spirit’s interests in practice, since the guild is Spirit-anchored. The Monk class itself is mechanically untethered. This means you can multiclass into any Shadow class as well as any Spirit class, and you can move between Spirit and Shadow cities without losing access to the Monk discipline. Race choice is independent of class, so you can play a Monk of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Monk has no mirror class in the Shadow/Spirit table. Most Aetolia classes pair across the tether, but the Sentaari sit outside that system. Monk and Infiltrator are both classes whose city-anchored guild aligns one way while the class itself is mechanically untethered. They have no mirror. ## Frequently asked questions **Is the Monk really untethered?** Yes, mechanically. The Sentaari guild is Spirit-aligned in its values and politics, but the Monk class itself is not gated to Spirit. A Monk can multiclass into Shadow classes (which most Spirit-tethered classes cannot do) and can be played out of any city without losing the class. The hub treats Monk as one of seven mechanically untethered classes. **What is Kai, and how does it work in combat?** Kai is energy created when there is combat, more specifically defined as the clash of Shadow and Spirit. It gathers up as you fight, and Kaido is the skill that lets you spend it. You can release Kai to break bones, heal allies, stun enemies, harden your own resilience, or perform any of the discipline’s other effects. Managing the Kai economy is part of the class’s combat loop. **Is Monk good for new players?** Yes. The class has clear combat progression (belt ranks in Tekura, which give a familiar sense of advancement), active Sentaari guild leadership, and the mechanical-untethered flexibility means you can experiment with multiclass picks without retiring the Monk. Many veterans recommend Monk as one of the most approachable starting classes alongside Carnifex, Templar, and Luminary. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Monk profile. Or see [all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Voidseer](/character-classes/voidseer/) Monk’s sister class in the Sentaari. Cultivation (psychic emotional manipulation), Enlightenment (the seven chakras), Voidgazing (drawing power from the Void). Pick Voidseer if you like the Sentaari frame but want to specialize in mental and void-touched magic rather than the broader Tekura-Kaido-Telepathy balance the Monk teaches. ### [Zealot](/character-classes/zealot/) Enorian’s martial-discipline class in the Illuminai, descended from the Daru monastic tradition. Zeal, Purification, Psionics. Pick Zealot if you like martial-arts combat but want a holier, Light-aligned frame and a clearer side in the Spirit-Shadow conflict. ### [Wayfarer](/character-classes/wayfarer/) One of the other untethered classes. Hardy warriors from the wastelands of Albedos. Tenacity, Wayfaring, Fury. Pick Wayfarer if you like the freedom of an untethered class but want a rough, axe-and-leather warrior rather than a disciplined monastic fighter. [Back to Aetolia’s full class list](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Monk and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Luminary of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/luminary/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Luminary of Aetolia warrior priest with mace and flame angel](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-luminary-hero-portrait-20260524.jpg "Aetolia Luminary class hero from Luminary-updatepng - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Luminary is Aetolia’s warrior-priest of Light, a Spirit-tethered class in Enorian that wields Spirituality (divine prayer), Devotion (ritual faith), and Illumination (sacred fire), all carried forward inside the modern Illuminai guild. At a glance**Tether**Spirit**City**[Enorian](/world/enorian/)**Guild**Illuminai (Patron: Celezor, Accord of the Righteous)**Skill sets**Spirituality, Devotion, Illumination**Mirror class**[Earthcaller](/character-classes/earthcaller/) (Shadow)**Sister class in guild**[Zealot](/character-classes/zealot/)**Signature mechanic**Guardian angel summoned via Idar’s contract with the Triad**Best for**Players who want a faith-driven cleric, mace and shield, and sacred fireThe Luminary tradition began in 97 MA, founded in the wake of the old Priests’ corruption. The guild that bore the name was dissolved in 452 MA, merging with the Daru monastic order to form the modern Illuminai. The Luminary class now lives within the Illuminai guild in Enorian, alongside its sister class, the Zealot. This is the cleric class of Aetolia. If you want a priest-knight built on mace, shield, sacred fire, and a guardian angel sworn from the Plane of Spirit, the Luminary is the most direct expression of that fantasy in the game. ## Origin and lore The first Illuminai emerged in the epoch before the Midnight Age, a southeastern movement founded in the city of Shallam (now Enorian). Their faith centered on Mebrene, the essence of fire, and they were the first practitioners of Illumination. Under the prophet Kayalenki, the Illuminai overthrew a corrupt Sultan and ran the city through spiritual and political reform. They eventually fell to internal dispute and outside threats, and the sultanate was restored. Centuries later, after the ancient Priests’ guild consumed itself in corruption and frivolity, the modern Luminaries were founded in Slyphian, year 97 MA. They combined the old teachings of Spirituality and Devotion with the rediscovered art of Illumination from the original Illuminai. For centuries, they led the war against Darkness, wielding mace, shield, angel, and sacred magics against the enemies of Light. In year 452 MA, after the War of Night, the Luminaries were dissolved by order of the prophet Kayalenki. Their members merged with the Daru monastic order to form the Illuminai reborn. The Luminary tradition became the Luminary class within the new guild. The Daru tradition became the Zealot class. The modern Luminary still teaches faith, ritual, and devotion. The legacy of the dissolved guild lives on in the Illuminai’s halls. ## Skill sets The Luminary skill sets are Spirituality, Devotion, and Illumination. **Spirituality** is prayer and communion. It draws on Rewh’va, the Plane of Spirit, and the Triad of Angels who rule it. Through that channel the Luminary calls on the divine for protection, healing, and the will to act. **Devotion** is the ritualized faith skill. It draws on the Inner Spark within every living, sentient being and on the Grand Flame, the sacred fire in Enorian that serves as a point of communion between mortality and the Gods of Spirit. Devotion is also the skill that anchors the Luminary’s angelic companion, summoned through an age-old contract between Idar and the Triad. The angel does not physically manifest. It projects its presence across the cosmos to protect, heal, and strike on the Luminary’s behalf. **Illumination** is the fiery evocation art, the legacy of the original Illuminai. Sacred fire and light. Sparks linger in the air after the working ends; light follows wherever the rite just happened. Luminaries also train with mace and shield, combining martial discipline with their spiritual power. ## Skill abilities Spirituality Devotion Illumination Filter abilities Title Contents ### Spirituality - Summon Summon your angel to your side. #### Summon **Description**Syntax: ANGEL SUMMON and ANGEL FADE ANGEL CEASE This ability will allow you to summon forth your guardian angel and call it to your side. The angel you call will always be the same one, so make sure to treat it well. If you wish to dismiss your angel, you can have it fade from view. Additionally, should it be currently using an ongoing power, you may have it cease to use it. - Touch Assess the power of your angel. #### Touch **Description**Syntax: ANGEL TOUCH By touching the heart of your angel, you can assess its current power and any abilities it might be using. When it runs out of power, it will lose its ability to maintain its physical form and disappear until its power returns. - Shine Cause your guardian angel to radiate light. #### Shine **Description**Syntax: ANGEL SHINE Angel power cost: 300 Your angel will begin radiating a blinding light, which will prevent anyone from outside glancing into your location. This will drain your angel of its power over time. - Symbols Paint the holy symbol of a god upon yourself. #### Symbols **Description**Syntax: PAINT SYMBOL OF This ability will allow you to paint the holy symbol of a god on yourself. The gods and inks required are: – Ethne: 1 goldink, 1 redink. – Damariel: 1 goldink, 1 yellowink. – Dhar: 1 goldink, 1 purpleink. – Haern: 1 goldink, 1 greenink. – Lleis: 1 goldink, 1 blueink. These symbols will imbue different bonuses, however you can only have one at a time. The bonuses are: – Ethne: Reduces Spark consumption for Illumination by 15%. – Damariel: Devotion Truth will act like an eye sigil. – Dhar: When below 25% health, you will resist attacks by 10%. – Haern: Provides a small bonus to endurance regeneration. – Lleis: Provides a small bonus to willpower regeneration. To replace an old symbol, simply paint the new one you’d like. - Sear Order your angel to sear an unlucky player. #### Sear **Description**Syntax: ANGEL SEAR Angel power cost: 150 With this ability, you may command your guardian angel to scour a player with intense heat, causing applied poultices to occasionally fail for a time as the flames leave the layer of the skin meant to absorb a salve seared and sets them ablaze. - Aura Your angel will shield you with an aura of protection. #### Aura **Description**Syntax: ANGEL AURA \[target\] Angel power cost: 100 This ability will cause your angel to raise a magical shield over whomever you choose. If you do not specify anyone, then it will raise a shield around you. - Panic Get the angel to cause terror in a chosen victim. #### Panic **Description**Syntax: ANGEL PANIC Angel power cost: 100 With this ability, you may command your angel to strike fear into the heart of another. If they do not have a sturdy grip upon their weapons, then they will drop them too. - Fortify Boost your angel’s power with your own health. #### Fortify **Description**Syntax: ANGEL FORTIFY Using this ability, you may replenish some of your angel’s power by sharing your health. You may use this ability even when your angel is not summoned. - Watch Have your angel keep watch on your enemies. #### Watch **Description**Syntax: ANGEL WATCH Angel power cost: 100 At a constant drain to your angel’s power, it will begin to report upon the movement of your enemies as they move around in the local area. You will also get a status report each time you move to a new location. - Rest Causes your angel to conserve her power. #### Rest **Description**Syntax: ANGEL REST Ask your angel to rest, ceasing any currently active abilities your angel might be using. - Drain Gain health from your angel. #### Drain **Description**Syntax: ANGEL DRAIN Angel power cost: 10% of maximum Your angel stands ready to sacrifice even its very essence for your benefit. This ability will replenish some of your health at a cost to it. - Seek Have your angel report on another person. #### Seek **Description**Syntax: ANGEL SEEK Angel power cost: 5 This ability will cause your angel to report on the whereabouts of your target, regardless of where they might be. It will tell you their location, their health and mana levels, and anyone who might be with them. Should your target be in the same room as you, then this ability will not cost equilibrium. - Mindread Your angel reports to you on local conversations. #### Mindread **Description**Usage: ANGEL MINDREAD This ability will cause your angel to report to you any tells that players in the room with you receive. - Beckon Draws in people from adjacent locations. #### Beckon **Description**Syntax: ANGEL BECKON \[target\] Angel power cost: 35 This ability will cause your angel to draw all those in adjacent locations to your location, as though they moved themselves. If you beckon a specific target, then you will only draw that person in. This ability will strip the rebounding defence if it is successful in moving the target, but only if it is targeted on a single opponent. - Strip Order your angel to strip a defence from a heretic. #### Strip **Description**Syntax: ANGEL STRIP Angel power cost: 20 You may ask your angel to strip a defence from your target. This ability will always strip rebounding first if they have it, otherwise it will strip a random defence. - Ripples Your angel watches for chaos ripples. #### Ripples **Description**Syntax: ANGEL RIPPLES Angel power cost: 15 With this ability, you will be able to see a list of all chaos entities currently on the Prime Material Plane. - Battle Command your angel to follow your directives. #### Battle **Description**Syntax: ANGEL BATTLE \[target\] Angel power cost: 25 You are now able to order your angel to afflict your opponent with a variety of afflictions. While this does require your balance and equilibrium, it consumes neither. However, your angel will require a short time to recover before being able to battle again. You may choose from the following afflictions: Anorexia, stupidity, impatience, vertigo, ringing ears, self pity, mania, or migraine. If your angel is in the process of using spiritwrack upon someone, then the next time it passively wracks their soul she will use the affliction you suggested to her through the use of battle and will mask it. There is no recovery time for your angel if it is used in this method. - Presences Searches out all in the local area. #### Presences **Description**Syntax: ANGEL PRESENCES Angel power cost: 100 Your angel will report on all those within the local area, revealing their location and their current health and mana. - Trace Have your angel report on someone’s movement. #### Trace **Description**Syntax: ANGEL TRACE Angel power cost: 25 With trace, your angel will report the location of selected target each time they move within the local area. This will slowly drain your angel of its power over time. - Sap Order your angel to sap the mental strength of an enemy. #### Sap **Description**Syntax: ANGEL SAP Angel power cost: 30 Order your angel to sap the mana reserves of your target with a piercing glance. If they possess the accursed affliction, then the amount is increased. - Contemplation Assess their mental stability. #### Contemplation **Description**Syntax: CONTEMPLATE Contemplate your opponent’s mental state and discover their mana levels. - Spiritwrack Your angel will torture the spirit of your enemies. #### Spiritwrack **Description**Syntax: ANGEL SPIRITWRACK Angel power cost: 75 You may ask your angel to wrack the soul of your target periodically, debilitating their mind and body with a number of possible afflictions. The chosen affliction will be masked from your target’s view. A list of possible afflictions: Anorexia, stupidity, impatience, vertigo, ringing ears, self pity, mania, or migraine. If your target has all of these afflictions, then your angel will begin to sap their mana. This ability will drain the power of your angel over time. - Refuge Have your angel transport you to a place of safety. #### Refuge **Description**Syntax: ANGEL REFUGE Angel power cost: 300 You can now ask your angel to take you to a place of safety. Once this ability is used, after a small delay you will be transported to Nirvana, a place of light and refuge. If you lose equilibrium or balance, or leave the location you are in before it completes, then the refuge will fail. Those with the sanction benefits of the Illuminai will be taken to a special place of transcendance, inaccessible by otherwise normal means. - Empathy Have your angel heal you regularly. #### Empathy **Description**Syntax: ANGEL EMPATHY Angel power cost: 150 With this ability, you may ask your angel to regularly heal your physical wounds. This will slowly drain the power of your angel over time. - Power Increase your angel’s power through use of mana. #### Power **Description**Syntax: ANGEL POWER You can divert your mental reserves to your angel, refilling its own power at the cost of yours. You may use this ability even when your angel is not summoned. - Sacrifice Full restoration of self at great cost to your angel. #### Sacrifice **Description**Syntax: ANGEL SACRIFICE Angel power cost: 1000 Though it will cost its physical form, your angel will make the ultimate sacrifice and restore you fully in both mind and body and heal all afflictions. You will be unable to summon it again for a short period of time afterwards. Cooldown (Summon): 10 minutes - Absolve Command your angel to tear the soul from your enemy. #### Absolve **Description**Syntax: ANGEL ABSOLVE Angel power cost: 500 Using this most powerful of angelic abilities, your angel will attempt to rip the very soul from your enemy. Should they be below 45% of their maximum mana reserves, then your angel will successfully rip out their soul and their life will end on the spot. This will also restore a portion of your angel’s power, depending on the target’s level, and can overflow your angel’s maximum power. - You can use the following shield attacks - Shieldplay Shields and how to use them. #### Shieldplay **Description**This ability is passive. Shields are one of the main tools of the Luminary, second only to their bound weapon. Most abilities that make use of your shield will have their damage and balance recovery times altered by the type of shield you use. The simplest way to look at it is that smaller shields are faster, while bigger shields deal more damage. Some abilities may have more unique effects based on your shield type, however they will be described in the relevant AB help file for that ability. Below is a list of shields from smallest to largest: Buckler or Cavalry shield Banded shield Kite or Tower shield All shields can offer the same level of protection, the only thing that matters is the size for your abilities. - Strike A simple attack with your shield. #### Strike **Description**Syntax: SHIELD STRIKE Deal a simple strike with your shield, dealing blunt damage to your target. If they are an adventurer, it will cause paresis in a flash of holy light. - Raze Forcefully cast away their protections. #### Raze **Description**Syntax: SHIELD RAZE Strip away any protective barriers from your target, such as the rebounding aura or a magical shield. - Brilliance Focus your inner spark through your shield. #### Brilliance **Description**Syntax: SHIELD BRILLIANCE Focus your inner spark through your shield to create a brilliant ray of light that shatter the courage of your opponent. - Crush Strike at your foe’s limbs with mace and shield. #### Crush **Description**Syntax: SHIELD CRUSH AND A swift combination of shield and bound weapon designed to crush your opponent’s limbs. You can target the head, torso, legs, or arms of your enemy. You may not target the same limb for both hits. The size of shield used will affect the amount of limb trauma dealt, with larger shields dealing more limb damage. You will be unable to Chasten off balance after using this move. - Facesmash Smash your shield into your foe’s face. #### Facesmash **Description**Syntax: SHIELD FACESMASH Smash your shield into your target’s face, causing them misery and shattering their courage. You will be unable to Chasten while off balance after using this move. - Crash Crash your shield into your foe’s head. #### Crash **Description**Syntax: SHIELD CRASH Make wieldly use of your shield and crash it into your foe’s head. Should they possess two mental afflictions, this will leave their equilibrium disrupted. You will be unable to Chasten while off balance after using this move. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction. - Punch Punch your shield into your foe’s stomach. #### Punch **Description**Syntax: SHIELD PUNCH Punch your shield into your opponent’s stomach, causing weariness. - Overwhelm Overwhelm your opponent with a devastating combo. #### Overwhelm **Description**Syntax: SHIELD OVERWHELM Only usable on a target who is prone, this attack will deal a vicious amount of damage and bleeding, and knock them to the floor. Along side the standard benefits of shield size, utilising a smaller shield will increase the bleeding while a larger shield will increase the damage. Additionally, if the opponent has over five curable afflictions upon them, it will drown their senses in a blackout and deal increased damage. The damage will increase by 8% for each affliction over the initial five, and up to a maximum of 80%. Afflictions not given by you will only provide half the damage bonus. Due to the overwhelming nature of the skill, the aura of rebounding has zero effect against it and cannot be dodged. - You can use the following mace attacks - Binding Bind an ordinary mace to your overflowing spirit. #### Binding **Description**Syntax: BIND Using your inherent link to the spirit world, you may bind any ordinary mace or pernach to your will, allowing you to use it for various spiritual attacks, such as Smite. This will change the weapon to deal magical damage when it strikes and it will additionally prevent others from being able to attack with your weapon. - Smite Smite down a heretic with your mace. #### Smite **Description**Syntax: SMITE \[SECRET\] Using your weapon, you may smite down another and deal damage to them. If they possess the accursed affliction, then the amount is increased. Your weapon must first be bound to you in order to use this ability. If you are part of an Order or a Congregation, then you will smite your target in your Gods name. If you wish to hide this, simply specify the SECRET command to default the message to the godless smite. Smite can also be used in combination with Targeting from Weaponry, allowing you to target a limb with your smite. You can read AB WEAPONRY TARGETING for more information. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier150% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)132% Accursed Damage Bonus+50% Weapon Trauma Modifier100% Weapon Speed Modifier–0.15 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. - Weapon must be wielded in a functional arm. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Denizen) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Call Call your mace to you when you have lost it. #### Call **Description**Usage: CALL Through sheer willpower, you will be able to summon the weapon that is bound to you if you have lost it. - Chasten Release a bolt of dark magic through your mace. #### Chasten **Description**Syntax: CHASTEN \[affliction\] By directing your bound weapon at another, you may release a bolt of dark magic that will chasten their mental faculties. You may choose the affliction it gives if you like, or a random one will be chosen. You must be wielding a shield as well as your bound weapon in order to use this ability. Possible afflictions you can give are: Anorexia, dementia, hypochondria, lethargy, self loathing, justice, paranoia, recklessness, stupidity, or agony. While chasten only requires that you have mental equilibrium, if you use it while you possess balance as well then the affliction will be hidden to the target. If the target possesses all of the above afflictions, then your bound weapon will release a bolt of magical energy that will damage them instead. - Lambaste Lambaste those who stand against you. #### Lambaste **Description**Syntax: LAMBASTE Calling upon a sacred chant, you can direct its might through your mace and that will lambaste your foe with a ripping force, knocking the wind out of them. This will deliver both asthma and haemophilia to your target. If they already had haemophilia, then it will cause them bleed in its place. - Smash Deal a crushing blow to one of your opponent’s limbs. #### Smash **Description**Syntax: SMASH This ability will allow you to crush one of your opponents arms or legs using your bound weapon with surprising power. This will cause a large amount of trauma to that limb. Cooldown: 6 seconds - Judgement Pass a sentence of death upon the evil. #### Judgement **Description**Syntax: JUDGE With your bound weapon, you may judge that a player has committed a crime punishable by death, and attempt to deal out your sentence. This is a channeled ability and you may not do most actions during it, otherwise it will be interrupted. The last moment before judgement is delivered cannot be stopped by the opponent other than by escaping your reach. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Devotion - Enlightenment Look into the soul of someone. #### Enlightenment **Description**Syntax: PERFORM ENLIGHTENMENT \[target\] Maximum amount of devotion: 65,000 Devotion is a skillset that channels your connection to the Divine, enabling you to perform small miracles – either for your benefit or to the detriment of your enemies. It also serves as the resource that powers these abilities, with most requiring a cost to perform. With this skill, you can determine the amount of devotion that you, or another, have at the time of use. If you supply no target, then it will instead show your devotion by default. Each dawn in Aetolia, 8000 of your devotion is restored whether you are online or not. Later on, you will be able to restore it through abilities that you will learn deeper into the skillset. - Hands Lay hands on a person to heal him. #### Hands **Description**Syntax: PERFORM HANDS \[target\] Devotion cost: 150 This ability will allow you to lay hands on another and heal them. If no target is supplied, then you will heal yourself. It will additionally heal a random affliction if the target is not yourself. Should your target have the Devotion skillset then they will gain more health. If they have Necromancy, then they will gain less. If they are undead, then this ability will have no effect. - Parting Water will pull apart to make way for your blessed self. #### Parting **Description**Syntax: PERFORM PARTING Devotion cost: 100 In true religious tradition, you will now be able to part the water in a direction, allowing safe and dry passage. - Truth Dispel illusions with the power of your devotion. #### Truth **Description**Syntax: PERFORM TRUTH Devotion cost: 100 By making a plea for truth, you can see through magical illusions designed to fool you. There is a chance that your truth will fade after seeing through an illusion. - Rites List what rites are active. #### Rites **Description**Syntax: RITES You can now see any active rites that have been enacted within your location. - Inspiration Gain an infusion of divinely-inspired strength. #### Inspiration **Description**Syntax: PERFORM INSPIRATION Devotion cost: 750 You can now pray for inspiration in order to increase your strength and deliver powerful blows. - Bliss Give a player a glimpse of paradise. #### Bliss **Description**Usage: PERFORM BLISS \[target\] Devotion cost: 200 This will give you or a target momentary glimpses of true bliss. This will restore both willpower and endurance, until they are attacked or the effects fade. - Purity Damage the Unholy. #### Purity **Description**Syntax: PERFORM PURITY Devotion cost: 250 This will purge someone with spirit energy, dealing more damage the higher the sun is in the sky. It is worth noting that purity can be used through most forms of magical barriers. - Peace Impart new sensibilities into your foe. #### Peace **Description**Syntax: PERFORM PEACE Devotion cost: 150 Will the aggression right out of a foe, instilling an adventurer with peace. Against denizens, it will mollify them for 6 seconds instead. - Supplication Recover your devotional energies through prayer. #### Supplication **Description**Syntax: PERFORM SUPPLICATION By kneeling before the shrine of a God in supplication, you may increase the intensity of your devotion by engaging in prayer. - Focus Focus your energies to anchor yourself to the ground. #### Focus **Description**Syntax: PERFORM FOCUS Devotion: 900 By using this ability, you are able to use your devotion and faith to anchor yourself to the ground, which will prevent most forms of movement as long as you are not prone. In order to release the anchor, you must perform it once more. - Hellsight Give a player a glimpse of Hell. #### Hellsight **Description**Syntax: PERFORM HELLSIGHT Devotion: 600 Open the mind of your victim, allowing visions of Hell to haunt and torment them. Prolonged exposure to hellsight will place incredible stress upon the mind, afflicting them with a variety of debilitating effects. Such afflictions include: Vomiting, dizziness, epilepsy, confusion, slickness, hallucinations, stupidity, and vertigo. - Dazzle Confuse and dazzle an opponent. #### Dazzle **Description**Syntax: PERFORM DAZZLE Devotion cost: 250 You can direct dazzling bright light at a target which will cause confusion and dizziness within him. - Severance Sever the holy energies of your rites. #### Severance **Description**Syntax: PERFORM SEVERANCE This rite will sever all your holy rites across the world, or just of a certain type. - Constitution Strengthen your constitution. #### Constitution **Description**Syntax: PERFORM CONSTITUTION Devotion cost: 100 Strengthen the constitution of your stomach, preventing yourself from becoming nauseous. - Force Make another follow your wishes. #### Force **Description**Syntax: PERFORM FORCE Devotion cost: 2000 By the strength of your devotion and faith, you may force another to bend to your will and carry out an action. You can command another through most magical barriers. - Intercession Intervene and destroy a vibration. #### Intercession **Description**Syntax: PERFORM INTERCESSION Allows you to intervene and destroy a random vibration within the room, granting a small amount of devotion in the process. - Deliverance Deliver a target unto you. #### Deliverance **Description**Syntax: PERFORM DELIVERANCE Devotion cost: 1200 This will allow you to summon any target across the continent as long as they consider you an ally. - Resurrection Grant life anew to a slain believer. #### Resurrection **Description**Syntax: PERFORM RESURRECTION Devotion cost: 1000 One of the holiest of abilities, this ability will attempt to grant life anew to the target player. You must possess their corpse in hand in order to do this. If they choose to not accept the resurrection in a timely manner, then the body will crumble away. - You can perform the following rites - Sustenance The Gods will provide for you. #### Sustenance **Description**Syntax: PERFORM RITE OF SUSTENANCE Devotion cost: 1500 With this ability, you may feed yourself or others. You need to be holding a bowl in order for this to work. Upon performing the rite, your bowl will be filled with Divine manna, which will provide you with great sustenance. You will have to wait a period of time before you can refill your bowl once more. Cooldown: Until the Howling - Pilgrimage Travel to someone in a Rite of Pilgrimage. #### Pilgrimage **Description**Syntax: PERFORM RITE OF PILGRIMAGE PERFORM PILGRIMAGE Devotion cost: 500 and 750 By performing the rite of pilgrimage, you grant the ability for yourself and others to instantly transport themselves to a person within the same location as the rite. Upon arrival, any allies in the location will be healed by a small amount of health and mana. - Well-Being A rite to keep those nearby fed and rested. #### Well-Being **Description**Syntax: PERFORM RITE OF WELL-BEING Devotion cost: 200 The rite of well-being is a beneficial rite to all in the room. While in it, one will not grow any hungrier or sleepier by natural means. It will last considerably longer than your standard rite. - Demons Summon demons to torment the unrighteous. #### Demons **Description**Syntax: PERFORM RITE OF DEMONS Devotion cost: 600 This rite will cause your enemies to be tormented by vengeful demons, either harming their health or draining their mana. - Allsight Gain insight into all movement into and out of holy areas. #### Allsight **Description**Syntax: PERFORM RITE OF ALLSIGHT Devotion cost: 300 When placed, this rite will inform you whenever any of your enemies enters or leaves the location that it is placed in. It will also notify you of any undead or vampires that cross its boundaries, regardless if they are an enemy or not. - Convocation Call to you someone in a Rite of Convocation. #### Convocation **Description**Syntax: PERFORM RITE OF CONVOCATION PERFORM CONVOCATION Devotion cost: 1000 for rite, 100 to summon By placing a rite of convocation, anyone that stands within it can be summoned by you after a short delay, providing they do not leave the boundaries of the rite. You will not be able to summon those with the density defence, however attempting to summon them will strip it. You may only attempt to summon another up to six times, after which the rite will fade. - Healing A powerful healing ability. #### Healing **Description**Syntax: PERFORM RITE OF HEALING Devotion cost: 600 This ability will cause a rite to spring into existence which will occasionally heal an affliction from you and your allies that are in the room. - Prayer Pray for the salvation of your congregation. #### Prayer **Description**Syntax: PERFORM RITE OF PRAYER At the break of dawn, you may perform a rite of prayer, granting experience to everybody that attends and restoring some of their devotion. The amount of experience gained and devotion restored is increased based on number of attendants. If you perform the rite before the Grand Flame of Enorian, you will also gain an ongoing experience bonus and your celerity will be increased. - Banishment Send the unholy Chaos entities back to their hell. #### Banishment **Description**Syntax: PERFORM RITE OF BANISHMENT Devotion cost: 750 This rite will occasionally attempt to destroy a chaos entity within the location, providing there is nothing protecting it. - Damnation A rite which ensures no safety in death. #### Damnation **Description**Syntax: PERFORM RITE OF DAMNATION Devotion cost: 2000 This terrible rite will ensure that there is no safety when the final blow is dealt out and that no corpse is left behind for revival. Be warned that this will affect anyone in the room, including you. - Calling Bring your holy rites with you. #### Calling **Description**Syntax: PERFORM RITE OF CALLING PERFORM CALLING Devotion cost: 500 for rite, 250 for calling Focus your devotional energies to summon any active rites you have to your side. It will move any rite that resides in the same location as your Rite of Calling to your current location and will refresh the timer of all rites afterward. - Piety Bind those around you with the force of ultimate piety. #### Piety **Description**Syntax: PERFORM RITE OF PIETY Devotion cost: 1000 This rite will bind your enemies to its location by your piety, granting a chance to hold them still should they try and flee for as long as its magic can remain. The chance it will hold them still will depend on the following: Chance Requirement ======================================== 20% – Devotion user is not present 60% – Devotion user is present and corporeal 80% – 6+ afflictions on target and caster is present/corporeal Filter abilities Title Contents ### Illumination - Nightsight See in the dark. #### Nightsight **Description**Syntax: NIGHTSIGHT Call on the power of light within you to pierce the darkness, allowing you to see. - Touching Check your inner spark. #### Touching **Description**Syntax: TOUCH SPARK Your inner spark is what drives many abilities within Illumination, and the maximum amount of spark you will be able to hold will scale with your constitution. This ability will allow you to see how much spark you currently possess. - Glow Bring light to a location. #### Glow **Description**Syntax: EVOKE GLOW Spark cost: 70 With this ability, you can craft an illuminating orb to brighten up a location. Anyone present will be able to see despite the dark. - Fire Use the fire to harm your enemies. #### Fire **Description**Syntax: EVOKE FIRE \[SHIELD|AURA\] Spark cost: 20 The flames of your inner spark have many useful applications. They can be used to burn away protective barriers around a target, which will additionally burn them and ignite them on fire. You can specify a certain barrier to burn that away first if you choose. - Lightshield Use the light to protect you. #### Lightshield **Description**Syntax: EVOKE LIGHTSHIELD Spark cost: 300 Call upon the light to shield you from certain forms of light-based attacks, such as magical, electrical, and fire damage. - Meditate Regenerate your spiritual reserves. #### Meditate **Description**Syntax: MEDITATE ON FLAME This ability allows you to regenerate your inner spark through meditation at the Grand Flame. You can PATH FIND FLAME to locate it within the City of Enorian. - Fireblock Protect yourself from other fire. #### Fireblock **Description**Syntax: EVOKE FIREBLOCK Spark cost: 30 Using your mastery over flame, you can prevent yourself from being set ablaze half of the time. Additionally, should the skill prevent the flames, you will absorb them and gain a small portion of spark in return. - Warmth Warm your body with your inner fire. #### Warmth **Description**Syntax: EVOKE WARMTH Spark cost: 20 Protect yourself from the cold by providing adequate insulation to your body. - Enflame Wreathe a weapon in flame. #### Enflame **Description**Syntax: EVOKE ENFLAME and EXTINGUISH Spark cost: 40 Calling upon your inner light, you can wreathe a weapon in flames, causing it to set ablaze adventurers that you strike. You will be unable to apply venoms to the weapon while it is enflamed. Against denizens, it will set them aflame 50% of the time and only with Smite. Please see AB SPIRITUALITY SMITE for more information. Anyone may extinguish their weapon if it is enflamed. - Evaporate Melt the frozen walls from around you. #### Evaporate **Description**Syntax: EVOKE EVAPORATE Spark cost: 20 The burning power of your inner spark can evaporate any icewall blocking your path. - Flare Cause sparks around your target. #### Flare **Description**Syntax: EVOKE FLARE Spark cost: 40 Using your control over the flame, you can ignite an opponent’s pipes, emptying them of substance. Cooldown: 15 seconds - Blindness Blind your enemy. #### Blindness **Description**Syntax: EVOKE BLINDNESS Spark cost: 15 By calling forth the radiance of your inner spark you may burn the eyes of another, leaving them horrifically blind. - Traps Discover hidden traps. #### Traps **Description**Syntax: TRAPS With the power of light, all things hidden are made clear. This ability allows you to find hidden traps. - Infusion Heal yourself through the light. #### Infusion **Description**Syntax: EVOKE INFUSION Spark cost: 30 Infuse yourself with flame, restoring a portion of your health and mana reserves. - Blaze Burn off the lingering effects of darkness. #### Blaze **Description**Syntax: EVOKE BLAZE Spark cost: 100 Using the power of fire, you can destroy magical darkness within the room and set it ablaze with dazzling light. - Consume Claim landed fire for yourself. #### Consume **Description**Syntax: CONSUME FIRE CONSUME FIREWALL With this ability you are able to remove fire burning within a location and pull it within yourself, refreshing your spark. - Shine Burn those around you with the light. #### Shine **Description**Syntax: EVOKE SHINE \[END\] Spark cost: 80 With this ability, you will emanate the full glory of the light, burning your enemies standing near you. Additionally, your light will cause one of the following afflictions: Disfigurement, dizziness, stiffness, weariness, and ablaze. - Cleansing Purge diseases from yourself with flame. #### Cleansing **Description**Syntax: EVOKE CLEANSING Spark cost: 40 Engulf yourself in purifying flames, curing a random affliction that you have. Cooldown: 25 seconds - Heatwave Cause a mind melting heatwave. #### Heatwave **Description**Syntax: EVOKE HEATWAVE Spark cost: 40 Inject a heat wave into the skull of your foe, overheating their brain and causing them hallucinations and mania. This ability can bypass the magical shield defence. - Boilingblood Boil your blood to improve accuracy. #### Boilingblood **Description**Syntax: EVOKE BOILINGBLOOD \[OFF\] Spark cost: 100 Your mastery of fire lets you boil your very blood, allowing you to overcome accuracy lowering effects when using shield attacks in Spirituality. - Firewall Raise a wall of fire. #### Firewall **Description**Syntax: EVOKE FIREWALL Spark cost: 40 Calling forth the flame that burns within, you may create a wall of fire in a chosen direction that will burn any who attempt to traverse it, setting them ablaze and melting away the density defence. - Fear Cause creatures to fear the light. #### Fear **Description**Syntax: EVOKE FEAR Spark cost: 70 Fear all non-sentient denizens out of the location with a fiery stare that will grasp the terror deep within their soul. Those that are loyal to an adventurer won’t budge if their owner is standing with them. - Illuminate Discover what is hidden. #### Illuminate **Description**Syntax: EVOKE ILLUMINATION Spark cost: 200 With the power of light, all things hidden are made clear. The ability reveals all beings within your location, regardless of their elevation and ability to hide. You can also detect beings out of phase with reality using this ability, however you will not know who or how many. - Firebomb Create a fiery orb to exterminate the shadow. #### Firebomb **Description**Syntax: EVOKE FIREBOMB Spark cost: 500 By summoning forth a great conflagration into your will, you will, after a short period, unleash a mighty burst of fire and destruction upon all within your location, dealing fire damage and setting everyone ablaze. Embers will be scattered into the location for a short while afterward. Note that while you are summoning the flames, your fire resistance will be reduced to zero and you will take some damage upon releasing them. **Details**Spark Cost500 spark Firebomb Delay7 seconds Resistance TypeFire Set Resistance0% Damage TypeFire Damage SourceArcane Self Health Loss1000 (non lethal) Damage500 + 30% Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 500 mana to use. - Costs 200 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Lightning Call upon the heavens to aid you. #### Lightning **Description**Syntax: EVOKE LIGHTNING Spark cost: 50 This power allows you to channel your inner spark as lightning, directing it at an unlucky foe and dealing electric damage. If they are an adventurer, it will also stun them briefly, and give them the allergies affliction. There is no spark cost when you target a denizen with this ability. **Details**Target LocationSame location Spark Cost50 spark Damage TypeElectric Damage SourceArcane Damage300 + 14% Damage (Denizen)900 Stun Duration0.25 seconds Equilibrium Recovery3.50 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Denizen)3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Denizen) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Severance Banish minions of the shadow and darkness. #### Severance **Description**Syntax: EVOKE SEVERANCE Spark cost: 40 By severing the link holding them, you can instantly destroy any creature that has been bound in servitude through blood. - Solace Protect your limbs with warming solace. #### Solace **Description**Syntax: EVOKE SOLACE Spark cost: 40 Use your inner light to suffuse your limbs with warming solace that will protect them from harm, reducing any trauma you receive by half for a short period of time. You must have at least 95% of your health and mana to cast it. Effects that cause instant breaks are unaffected. Cooldown: 120 seconds - Transfixion Hold the gaze of your target. #### Transfixion **Description**Syntax: EVOKE TRANSFIXION Spark cost: 100 By conjuring a swirling ball of flames, you can forcibly hold the attention of your opponent and transfix them into inaction. If they possess a heightened sense of courage, then the ability will fail. - Sear Burn their flesh too deeply to heal. #### Sear **Description**Syntax: EVOKE SEAR Spark cost: 100 If the opponent has either the agony or accursed affliction, this power will allow you to release your inner spark to scorch an enemy’s skin so strongly that the healing powers of the tree tattoo will be of no avail. - Lightform Becoming an untouchable mote of light. #### Lightform **Description**Syntax: EVOKE LIGHTFORM and REFORM Spark cost: 500 Your mastery of your inner spark is such that now you can disperse into mere motes of light. While your freedom of action will become limited, you will also be protected from harm by most normal means. Be wary though, as it takes significant toll on your willpower reserves, and if you find yourself without the means to keep yourself together, you will face death. You can REFORM back into your normal body at any time. ## Visual style and identity Luminaries are well-armored, formidable presences in battle, forgoing extraneous movement in favor of powerful, direct strikes with magic and shield. The mace is withheld for targeted strikes and expressions of light and fire. Even devotional rites tend to be restrained: small motions, controlled gestures, deliberate piety. Light and sparks often linger about them during and after the fiery evocations of Illumination. The aesthetic is priest-knight: armor, mace, shield, angel, and the slow steady glow of holy work. ## Side effects of the work Spirit is the most lively and energetic of the elements. Over time it shifts the personality of anyone who draws on it regularly. Even calm Luminaries may become more excitable, more extreme, or harder to read. That sits awkwardly alongside the controlled piety the class also demands. There is a second pattern. Discipline, faith, and repetition pull Luminaries toward ritualized everyday behavior. The shape varies: a blessing spoken before meals, a particular way of washing hands, a specific way of walking home or preparing for bed. The rituals are how a Luminary stays grounded. Some find this comforting. Others find it constricting. Either way, the class leaves a mark on the routines of the body, not just the work in the field. ## Who plays this class The Luminary is a class for players who want the cleric or priest-knight archetype done seriously. Spirituality and Devotion are skills that imply worship of the Gods of Spirit. Illumination ties the Luminary specifically to Enorian and to Mebrene. Most Luminaries directly worship one of the Spirit Gods, though faith does not require a single named patron. All of them work to bring about the end of the Midnight Age and the prophesied Age of Dawn. Mechanically, the class suits players who like managing a companion alongside their main combat kit. The angel is a genuine support tool, not a cosmetic. Mace-and-shield is a clean starting point; the magic side has enough depth to keep most players busy well past the early game. ## City and guild The Luminary guild home is the Illuminai, based in [Enorian](/world/enorian/), the Hammer of Dawn. Patron: Celezor, Accord of the Righteous. The Illuminai houses both the Luminary class and its sister class, the [Zealot](/character-classes/zealot/) (martial devotees descended from the Daru monastic tradition who fight with Zeal, Purification, and Psionics rather than mace, shield, and angel). Joining the Illuminai means committing to Spirit. You will not be able to actively hold any Shadow-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Spirit classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race is independent of class, so you can play a Luminary of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Luminary mirror is the [Earthcaller](/character-classes/earthcaller/), Bloodloch’s warrior-priests of Azvosh, the Plane of Earth. Both are warrior-priest classes that channel a plane through ritual. The Luminary draws on Rewh’va and the Grand Flame. The Earthcaller draws on Azvosh and the bone-art of Subjugation. Same priest-warrior chassis, opposite tether. ## Frequently asked questions **Is the Luminary good for new players?** Yes. The mace-and-shield combat is straightforward, the guild leadership is active, and the documentation is solid. The faith-driven roleplay is clearly framed, which helps newcomers settle into the character. Many Aetolia veterans recommend Luminary as one of the more approachable Spirit-side starting classes. **Do you have to be religious in roleplay to play a Luminary?** You do not have to worship a specific Spirit God, but the class is built on faith and the cause of Light. Most Luminaries directly worship one of the Spirit Gods (commonly Celezor or Mebrene), and the work of the class assumes you are devoted to ending the Midnight Age. Atheist Luminaries are rare and need a strong roleplay justification. **What is the angel and how does it work?** Every Luminary can summon a guardian angel through an age-old contract between Idar and the Triad. The angel does not physically appear. It projects its presence to protect, heal, and strike on the Luminary’s behalf. Over time, as the bond between Luminary and angel strengthens, the projection takes on a more distinct form and unique character. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Luminary profile. Or see [the complete class roster](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Earthcaller](/character-classes/earthcaller/) The Luminary’s Shadow mirror. Warrior-priests of Azvosh, the Plane of Earth. Subjugation (bone magic and croziers), Tectonics (lava and stone), Apocalyptia (the Earthen Dirge). Pick Earthcaller if you like the priest-warrior chassis but want to channel earth and undeath rather than spirit and light, and want to play out of Bloodloch instead of Enorian. ### [Zealot](/character-classes/zealot/) The Luminary’s sister class in the Illuminai. Zeal (fused Tekura and Duamvi martial work), Purification, Psionics. Pick Zealot if you like the Illuminai’s faith frame but want martial-arts combat and psionic discipline rather than mace, shield, and angel. ### [Templar](/character-classes/templar/) Enorian’s heavy martial knight. Battlefury, Righteousness, Bladefire. Pick Templar if you like the holy-warrior chassis but want disciplined weaponry and Bladefire-empowered steel rather than the mace-shield-priest expression of the Light. [Back to the complete class index](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Luminary and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Infiltrator of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/infiltrator/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Infiltrator of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-infiltrator-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Infiltrator class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Infiltrator is Aetolia’s signature assassin class, an untethered class housed in the Spinesreach-based Syssin guild that wields Assassination (dirks, whips, and long-range bowmanship), Subterfuge (stealth and reconnaissance), and Hypnosis (implanting maladies in a victim’s mind). At a glance**Tether**Untethered (Syssin guild is Shadow-aligned; the class is free to move)**City**[Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/)**Guild**Syssin (Patron: Tanixalthas, the Sun Drinker)**Skill sets**Assassination, Subterfuge, Hypnosis**Mirror class**None (untethered)**Sister class in guild**[Executor](/character-classes/executor/)**Signature mechanic**Phasing out of reality and stalking unseen**Best for**Players who want stealth, precision strikes, and mental manipulationCenturies ago, Severn, God of Artifice, chose a select few mortals as defenders of Spinesreach, gifting them with guile and deception. The Syssin trace their lineage back through the founding of the city and the height of the Ankyrean Order. Today’s Infiltrators carry that mandate forward, opposing the Shadowbound and the Shadow Mother in a war known only to the guild and its patron. The Infiltrator is for players who want subtlety and precision over brute force. If you like picking your target, picking your moment, and disappearing before anyone notices, this is the class. ## Origin and lore The Infiltrator lineage begins with the Shadowsnakes, an experiment of the ancient Ankyreans engineered as a covert workforce to defend Spinesreach. The original Shadowsnakes were physically serpentine, capable of producing venom from glands within their own bodies. They served Spinesreach and Severn with fierce loyalty, and many of those oaths still hold within the modern Syssin. Modern Infiltrators have shed the serpentine physiology, but the loyalty to Spinesreach and to Severn, and the deep reverence for the dead and the past of the guild, remains intact. After the Shadowbound emerged onto the Prime Material Plane, Tanixalthas commanded the Syssin to oppose them and their creator, the Shadow Mother. That war continues, fought in shadow and silence rather than on open battlefields. A Syssin works differently from a sorcerer or a sword-knight. Where Sciomancers wield Shadow magic and Archivists chase the world’s mysteries through numbers, the Infiltrator’s craft is the study of people: direct and indirect observation, hypnotism, post-hypnotic suggestion, and a sleight-of-hand so refined that an outsider often mistakes it for magic. ## Skill sets The Infiltrator skill sets are Assassination, Subterfuge, and Hypnosis. **Assassination** is the martial discipline. Infiltrators train with dirks, whips, and long-range bowmanship, choosing finesse over brute strength. Every strike is meant to count. Where a heavy class breaks an opponent open, an Infiltrator finds the gap nobody else can see and slides a blade through it. **Subterfuge** covers the stealth toolkit. Masters of the art live in the Shadows, weaving in and out of the battlefield and gathering reconnaissance without ever revealing themselves. The signature ability of the school is the power to phase completely out of reality and walk the world unseen and near-inviolate. **Hypnosis** is the mental side of the trade. An Infiltrator can manipulate a victim’s mind and body, implanting maladies and even defined actions into their brain. Combined with Assassination, it means the target can be made to fail before the knife ever moves. ## Skill abilities Assassination Subterfuge Hypnosis Filter abilities Title Contents ### Assassination - Envenom Coat a weapon in venoms. #### Envenom **Description**Syntax: ENVENOM WITH WIPE With this ability, you may layer venoms on an edged weapon. Each time that weapon hits somebody, one venom will poison your opponent, and disappear from the weapon. Venoms work on a last-on, first-off basis, so if you put xentio on a weapon, and then put voyria on, the voyria would come off first, and the xentio second. You must possess a rag with the venom in order to apply it to a weapon. In order to get rid of the venoms on a weapon, simply WIPE . - Dash Sprint in a particular direction. #### Dash **Description**Usage: DASH You can now dash in a particular direction, allowing you to move through multiple rooms at once. Adventurers will only follow you if they have the ability to pace themselves, or through some other means. **Details**Max Distance10 rooms Movement TypeDashing Denizens FollowYes Adventurers FollowYes\* Mounts FollowYes Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 5 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled. - Cannot have paresis or be paralysed. - Cannot be fallen. - Cannot be used while phased. - Shiv A quick stab with the blade of your dirk. #### Shiv **Description**Syntax: SHIV While wielding a dirk or stiletto in hand, you can perform a quick blow to your target by thrusting the blade of your weapon into their gut. This will deal a small amount of damage and, if they are an adventurer, it will knock them briefly off balance. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage SourceAgile Weapon Damage Modifier50% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)50% Balance Upset0.40 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Weapon must be wielded in a functional arm. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Doublestab Quickly administer two venoms to a target. #### Doublestab **Description**Usage: DSTAB \[\] \[\] If you are wielding a dirk or stiletto that has been envenomed with more than one venom, you can quickly prick your target twice and deliver two venoms simultaneously to them. The pricks are shallow and will deal no damage to the target, however it will cause them to bleed. **Details**Target LocationSame location Set Weapon Bleeding60 bleeding per hit Weapon Speed Modifier+0.40 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. - Weapon must be wielded in a functional arm. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Flay Flay away protective defences using your whip. #### Flay **Description**Syntax: FLAY \[\] \[\] Using a whip, you will be able to flay a number of defences from an opponent. If you do not specify a defence, then it will strip one in the given order. You can flay the following defences: Shield, rebounding, fangbarrier, speed, and cloak. Additionally, it will deliver a venom to the opponent afterward, but keep in mind that it will not if: \* They are affected by hypnosis and you were unsuccessful in stripping a defence. \* They have either rebounding or shield after stripping a defence. **Details**Target LocationSame location Balance Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Weapon must be wielded in a functional arm. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Recuperating Heal your wounds in the safety of darkness. #### Recuperating **Description**Usage: RECUPERATE While standing in the shadows, you can regain endurance, willpower and health while also curing afflictions. It must either be night time or you must be surrounded by magical darkness. **Details**Channel EffectEvery 10 seconds Channel TypeSafe Health Gain150 to 250 Willpower Gain100 Endurance Gain100 Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Warding Pray to your comrades to protect you from harm. #### Warding **Description**Usage: WARDING Those devout in prayer towards their fallen comrades will find their comrades will protect their bodies from harm. As a result, you will take less damage from physical and magic attacks. **Details**Damage TypeCutting, Blunt, and Magic Damage Resistance10% Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 endurance to use. - Finesse Hone your reflexes to avoid a rebounding aura. #### Finesse **Description**Usage: FINESSE By focusing on wielding your blade with finesse, you can quickly stop your attacks before they will bounce off a rebounding aura. This can protect you two times before the defence will fade. **Details**Finesse Stacks2 Balance Recovery1.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 5 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Yank Use a whip to pull an opponent into your room. #### Yank **Description**Syntax: YANK YANK While wielding a whip, you can attempt to yank someone from an adjacent location into yours. Adventurers can resist your attempt with the density defence, however if they are bound then it will have no effect. When you successfully pull them to you, it will upset their balance. To yank a denizen in an adjacent location to you, you must specify the direction that denizen is in. **Details**Target LocationAdjacent location Movement TypePhysical Denizens FollowNo Adventurers FollowNo Mounts FollowNo Balance Upset2.00 seconds Balance Recovery2.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Swinging Swinging up to a higher vantage point. #### Swinging **Description**Usage: SWING When in a location with either trees or in an urban setting, you may swing yourself up onto the rooftops or into the trees. **Details**Movement TypeSwinging Denizens FollowYes Adventurers FollowYes Mounts Follow (Up)No Mounts Follow (Down)Yes Balance Recovery (Up)1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - (Up) Costs 30 endurance to use. - (Up) Requires both arms functional. - (Down) Costs 20 endurance to use. - (Down) Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled. - Cannot have paresis or be paralysed. - Cannot be fallen. - Seize Grab an unwary victim and drag him up to your footing. #### Seize **Description**Usage: SEIZE While in the trees or on the rooftops, you may seize someone on the ground below you and bring them to your elevation. It will not be prevented by effects like density. **Details**Target LocationAbove or below your location Movement TypePhysical Denizens FollowNo Adventurers FollowNo Mounts FollowNo Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Bowmanship Use of the valued projectile weapon. #### Bowmanship **Description**Using a bow: SHOOT \[type|venom\] SHOOT SWITCH Using a quiver: INSPECT QUIVER or IQ INQ ARROWS OUTQ ARROWS Use a longbow to shoot someone in a line-of-sight location from you. First you must find yourself a longbow, some arrows, and a quiver. Place the arrows you wish to use within your quiver using INQ, and then while wielding your bow, you can SHOOT a target within line-of-sight of you. You can use SWITCH to choose which of your arrows you will shoot by default. In addition to the regular venoms, you may also use the sumac and loki venoms with a bow. Against denizens, you must also supply the direction that you wish to shoot in. You may only use normal arrows and no venoms when targeting a denizen. - Garrote Choke the life out of a target with your whip. #### Garrote **Description**Usage: GARROTE By using your whip, you can slip behind a target and choke the life out of them. Should your opponent be prone, then your damage will be amplified. Against denizens, they must have been knocked over to gain the damage amplification. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeAsphyxiation Weapon Damage Modifier100% Weapon Damage Prone Bonus+70% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)122% Weapon Damage Fallen Bonus (Denizen)+50% Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Block Obstructing departure with your body. #### Block **Description**Syntax: BLOCK and UNBLOCK Move into a position that blocks others from leaving your location, providing you are not incapacitated or feared. Should you move, you will cease to block. **Details**Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Cannot be used while phased. - Bowstance Wield bows fluidly. #### Bowstance **Description**Usage: BOWSTANCE While wearing a bow, you can fluidly move it into your hands. - Shove Sending a hapless victim crashing to the ground. #### Shove **Description**Usage: SHOVE While in the trees or on the rooftops, you may shove someone to the ground below and cripple their legs as they hit the ground, dealing blunt damage, and upsetting their balance. Should they be clinging to the trees, you will be unsuccessful. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceNone Armour Modifier10% Damage100 + 15% Bleeding50 bleeding Movement TypePhysical Denizens FollowNo Adventurers FollowNo Mounts FollowNo Upset Balance3.00 seconds Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Aiming Increase your accuracy in shooting. #### Aiming **Description**Usage: AIM AIM Increase the accuracy of your bow by aiming at your target first. As long as they remain within the trajectory of the arrow, it will always hit them, even if they move from their original location. Against denizens, you must specify the direction to aim in. - Marking Mark your opponent for a critical blow. #### Marking **Description**Syntax: MARK Direct your will to create a dark mark on your chosen foe, who must be in the same location as you. You can use this skill from above or below your opponent, in addition to being on the same elevation. Once the mark is applied, the next time the foe takes damage from a non-passive source it will be a critical hit. Against adventurers, this will result in double damage, but only yourself or an ally may trigger this effect. **Details**Target LocationSame location or different elevation Marked Duration30 seconds Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 300 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Fangs Use of the iconic assassin’s fangs. #### Fangs **Description**Syntax: BITE The iconic assassin’s fangs is the trademark calling card for the members of the Syssin. When worn, one can make use of any venoms within their fluidcache and inject them into an unwilling target, even if they are shielded. Those with the fangbarrier defence will be immune to your fangs until the substance is removed. Any venom may be used with your fangs, except for cirisosis. It is recommended you look into AB TOXICOLOGY to learn more about each venom. HELP TOXICOLOGY has a short-form list of what each venom does. When it comes to using the sumac & camus venoms with your fangs: – Damage from these venoms will be agile-sourced instead of none. – Against denizens, these are the only two venoms you can use. You can additionally target your bites towards a limb by using the targeting ability within Weaponry. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage Source ModifierAgile Balance Recovery2.00 seconds Balance Recovery (Denizen)3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 40 endurance to use. - (Denizen) Costs 30 endurance to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Camus A more potent version of the sumac venom. #### Camus **Description**Syntax: SHADOW INFUSE An assassin has many tools and sometimes the basic venoms aren’t enough. With this ability and a rag of sumac venom in hand, you can whisper a word of infusion and guide the shadows to corrupt the venom into a more potent version of itself – the camus venom. While it cannot be applied to hand-held weapons, it can be utilised through your fangs and will cause poison damage over time on the target that you inflict it with. If you bite a limb with the camus venom, it will deal trauma to that limb. Against denizens, it will simply deal all its damage at once. **Details**Damage TypePoison Damage SourceNone Armour Modifier30% Initial Damage300 + 10% Initial Damage (Denizen)930 Limb Trauma Dealt11.00% Poisoned TimerEvery 3 seconds Poisoned Instances3 Poisoned Damage85 + 4% - Slit Cut the throat of a helpless victim. #### Slit **Description**Usage: SLIT \[\] While wielding either a dirk or stiletto, you can slit the throat of an opponent who is prone. This will cause a large amount of bleeding based upon their maximum health and can deliver a venom. Additionally, for each affliction below the bleeding will be increased: Asleep, hypersomnia, narcolepsy, and writhe bind. **Details**Target LocationSame location Base Bleeding4% bleeding Bonus Bleeding+4% bleeding per affliction Balance Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Binding Hog-tie an unconscious or sleeping opponent. #### Binding **Description**Usage: BIND If your target is sleeping or unconscious, and you have a length of rope ready, you can hog-tie your opponent. **Details**Target LocationSame location Balance Recovery3.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Scaling Agilely climb over a wall. #### Scaling **Description**Usage: SCALE If there is some kind of wall in your way, you can quickly scale over it and to the other side. If there is water in your current location, you won’t be able to scale the wall. **Details**Movement TypeIgnore walls Denizens FollowNo Adventurers FollowNo Mounts FollowNo Balance Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Pacing The ability to anticipate and keep pace with others. #### Pacing **Description**Usage: PACING At a constant endurance drain, you will be able to tense yourself to follow those that take off in a sudden dash. **Details**Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 endurance to use. - Shrugging Shrug off the effects of certain venoms. #### Shrugging **Description**Usage: SHRUG VENOM Your experience with poisons allows you to shrug off one of many afflictions that can occur from a venom, the affliction does not need to be sourced from a venom however. Please see HELP AFFLICTION TYPES for more information on venom-type afflictions. Cooldown: 20 seconds **Details**Cooldown20 seconds Balance Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 200 endurance to use. - Scan Scanning the area for potential targets. #### Scan **Description**Usage: SCAN While in the trees or on the rooftops, you can scan the area and spot those upon the ground. **Details**Balance Recovery1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 endurance to use. Restrictions - Cannot be blind. - Darkbows Using the infamous darkbows of lore. #### Darkbows **Description**This ability is passive. The famous darkbows are both expensive and powerful, requiring well-refined technique in order to use competently. Your proficiency in the arts of the assassin has granted you the skill to use it. Refer to AB ASSASSINATION BOWMANSHIP on how to use a bow. - Noose Covert and deadly assassination from above. #### Noose **Description**Usage: CRAFT NOOSE NOOSE In order to noose someone, you must first craft yourself one using a piece of rope in your inventory. Once you have crafted a noose, you can attempt to hang a target by climbing above them either in the trees or on the nearby rooftops and quietly slipping the rope around their neck. This will take time to complete, and should you be successful, they will be hoisted from the ground and left unable to defend themselves. This cannot be performed if there is anyone else but your target present during the attempt. **Details**Target LocationAbove or below your location Channel Time12 seconds Channel Intervals4 Channel Interrupt TypeAll Damage TypeAsphyxiation Damage SourceNone Damage0 + 80% Armour Modifier10% Damage TimerEvery 3 seconds Damage Instances10 Balance Recovery10.00 seconds (unmodifiable) Requirements - Requires both arms functional. - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Does not bounce off magical shields. - Weaving Twist and dodge to avoid attacks. #### Weaving **Description**Syntax: WEAVING At the cost of your mental reserves, you can mimic the cobra and boost your ability to dodge an attack. Read HELP AVOIDANCE for more information. **Details**Dodge Chance Bonus+15% Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 endurance to use. - Backstab Plant your dagger into an unsuspecting victim. #### Backstab **Description**Usage: BACKSTAB \[\] While wielding a dirk or stiletto, you may plunge your weapon into the back of an unsuspecting victim. As your victim recovers from being backstabbed, their movement will be delayed for a short time. The first backstab to land will deal unblockable damage. Subsequent blows while they are backstabbed will cause it to default to the weapon’s damage type. Lastly, whenever a victim falls by your hand by any method, if your Backstab ability is on cooldown, the cooldown will be reset. You must have your dirk or stiletto in hand. Cooldown: 30 seconds **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeUnblockable Set Weapon Damage0 + 17% Set Weapon Damage (Denizen)1020 Set Weapon Bleeding200 bleeding Set Weapon Speed2.25 seconds Backstab Duration15 seconds Cooldown30 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 200 endurance to use. - Weapon must be wielded in a functional arm. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Snipe The ability to sharpshoot. #### Snipe **Description**Syntax: SNIPE \[type|venom\] SNIPE Your ability to sharp shoot has improved, allowing you to use your bow quickly and efficiently on the fly. Sniping will grant you all the bonuses of using the Aiming ability as well as granting a small amount of extra damage. If you manage to slay your mark, then you will be left anonymous to their eye and others. - Keeneye Perceptional awareness of your opponent. #### Keeneye **Description**This ability is passive. Your perceptive abilities have reached such a point that you are now able to passively discern the effects of random curing abilities used in the room with you. You can additionally view HELP LONGFORM AFFS to see a list of afflictions with altered names utilised by Keeneye. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Subterfuge - Signs Knowledge of the secret hand language. #### Signs **Description**Syntax: SIGN SIGN CODE The sign language of the Syssin was well known to keep the secrets of the Defenders safe. Use it to communicate privately with your allies. You will able to understand and use the sign language even while you are in a different class, providing that you maintain ownership over this skill. You can also set a code upon your signed message, leaving your signs obscured to anyone else who doesn’t have the code. - Hide Conceal yourself from view. #### Hide **Description**Syntax: HIDE and EMERGE Conceal yourself from view, hiding yourself from the eyes of others within the room. You may emerge if you wish to reveal yourself and cease to hide. **Details**Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Cannot be used while phased. - Illusion Create an illusion of your choosing. #### Illusion **Description**Usage: CONJURE ILLUSION Cause everyone in your location to witness an illusion. If you choose to direct the illusion at someone, only that person will see it. Note: You may use the $nl character to force a newline, however you may do so three times per illusion. **Details**Target LocationSame location Maximum Lines3 lines Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 50 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Targeted) This action cannot be redirected. - (Targeted) Cannot be prevented by any protective state. - Lipread The ability to understand what is said while deaf. #### Lipread **Description**Usage: LIPREAD Read the lips of others to understand their speech, no matter how quiet they keep it. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 20 willpower to use. - Shadow Shadowing a target in order to track them. #### Shadow **Description**Syntax: SHADOW Detection difficulty modifier: +10% By stealthily slipping into pursuit from an adjacent location, you’re able to shadow your target as they move about the land without their knowledge. This will also place you into hiding when successful. There is a chance of being detected when using this ability. Please read HELP DECEIT for more information. **Details**Target LocationAdjacent location Detection Difficulty Modifier+10% Movement TypeNormal Denizens FollowNo Adventurers FollowNo Mounts FollowNo Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Concealment Conceal an item from view. #### Concealment **Description**Usage: CONCEAL \[pose\] You can conceal an item in the room from sight, preventing anybody except fellow Syssin from seeing it. If the item is in your inventory, you will drop it and conceal it. This only hides the item from casual observation. The item can still be interacted with if someone knows it is there. You can supply an optional ‘pose’ text which will be appended to the end of the item’s room description. e.g. ‘conceal package12345 fastened to the bottom of the bench’ would show up in the room as ‘You spy a package fastened to the bottom of the bench.’ - Evade Misleading your pursuer. #### Evade **Description**Syntax: EVADE Silently slip away from your location, evading certain triggers and traps and bypassing those that might prevent you from leaving. Anyone following you when you do so will be lost. **Details**Movement TypeDashing Denizens FollowNo Adventurers FollowNo Mounts FollowNo Evasion PropertiesYes Balance Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 25 endurance to use. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled. - Cannot have paresis or be paralysed. - Cannot be fallen. - Cannot be flying in the sky. - Forge Seal a letter with a fake sigil #### Forge **Description**Usage: SEAL AS This will allow you to seal a letter, while forging the mark of another in place of your own, if you so wish to do so. A bribe might be necessary to truly make your letter anonymous with the postal clerk before delivery. Please see HELP MAIL for more information. - Secret Give someone an item without their knowledge #### Secret **Description**Syntax: SECRET TO Detection difficulty modifier: 0% Secretly slip an item to someone without them noticing. There is a chance of being detected when using this ability. Please read HELP DECEIT for more information. **Details**Target LocationSame location Detection Difficulty Modifier+0% Balance Recovery1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Cannot be used while phased. - Lightwall Create a palpable wall of light. #### Lightwall **Description**Usage: CONJURE LIGHTWALL This will conjure a wall of pure light that will flash blind any passing through it with searing white, save for yourself. **Details**Lightwall Duration600 seconds Flash Blindness Duration5 seconds Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Palming The use of sleight of hand to conceal. #### Palming **Description**Usage: PALMING \[OFF\] With clever use of sleight of hand and some magical trickery, you can conceal what you wield from others. **Details**Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 5 endurance to use. - Shadowsight Focus your vision on those hiding within the shadows. #### Shadowsight **Description**Syntax: SHADOWSIGHT Train your eyes to see through deception, granting you the ability to spot illusions for what they are half of the time. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 20 willpower to use. - Ghost Give yourself a ghostly appearance. #### Ghost **Description**Usage: CONJURE GHOST Give yourself a ghostly appearance to mask your movement as you move about the lands. **Details**Ghost Duration2200 seconds Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Listen Detect conversation and action nearby. #### Listen **Description**Syntax: LISTEN Use your auditory acuity to listen in on spoken conversations in an adjacent room. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery3.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 willpower to use. Restrictions - Cannot be deaf. - Dispel Rid your environment of illusions. #### Dispel **Description**Usage: DISPEL HERE DISPEL Dispel many illusions or magic associated with your location, yourself, or another person. **Details**Target LocationSame location Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Targeted)3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. - (Targeted) Can be used on yourself. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Waiting Awaiting a target to be shadowed. #### Waiting **Description**Syntax: AWAIT Detection difficulty modifier: 0% Slip into the shadows and silently wait for your target to arrive. When they do, you will begin to secretly follow them. There is a chance of being detected when using this ability. Please read HELP DECEIT for more information. **Details**Target LocationSame continent Detection Difficulty Modifier+0% Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Cloak Hide your actions from others. #### Cloak **Description**Usage: CONJURE CLOAK \[target\] Conjure up a shroud of invisibility that will disguise many actions from most observers. **Details**Target LocationSame location Shroud Duration1800 seconds Shroud Duration on Self2400 seconds Balance Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Can be used on yourself. Restrictions - Considered an assisting action. - Eavesdrop Listen even through closed doors. #### Eavesdrop **Description**This ability is passive. Your ability to Listen in on conversations has improved to the point where you can hear through doors and other forms of prevention. Read AB SUBTERFUGE LISTEN for more information. - Subtext A hidden message in every action. #### Subtext **Description**Usage: SUBTEXT S(ECRET)SUBTEXT You can now supplement your emotes with a hidden subtext only discernable to other assassins, similar to Signs. Your hidden message will appear the next time you emote. Syssin guild members or those with Syssin guild sanction benefits can choose to SSUBTEXT or SECRETSUBTEXT instead, which will only display the message to other Syssin guild members or sanctioned Infiltrators. If you possess the Infiltrator class, you will be able to read subtext even when not currently utilising it. - Banish Banish the denizens of the Shadow Plane. #### Banish **Description**Usage: SHADOW BANISH After a delay, you will attempt to banish any denizens of the Shadow plane in the same room as you from the Prime Material plane. Cooldown: 5 minutes - Appraise Quickly measure your foes offensive capability. #### Appraise **Description**Syntax: APPRAISE Detection difficulty modifier: 0% Check the inventory of your target and see what items they possess. There is a chance of being detected when using this ability. Please read HELP DECEIT for more information. **Details**Target LocationSame location Detection Difficulty Modifier+0% Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 willpower to use. - Bedazzle Distract your opponent into losing his thought. #### Bedazzle **Description**Syntax: BEDAZZLE By sprinkling some silver powder over your target, you can bedazzle them, eliciting two of the following effects at random: Vomiting, stuttering, watery eyes, dizziness, weariness, or laxity. Your victim will not be able to immediately discern which afflictions they have suffered. **Details**Target LocationSame location Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Phase Alter your status in space-time itself. #### Phase **Description**Usage: PHASE and UNPHASE This is the most effective form of concealment attainable by most mortals. By vibrating your body to superphysical speeds, you can phase yourself out of reality leaving yourself effectively intangible. While you will be able to perform most actions, only those who are phased as you are will be able to interact with you. If you attempt to attack someone who is not phased, then you will be brought back into alignment with reality. It takes quite the toll on the body to remain phased, and overtime your endurance will slowly drain away. If you run out of endurance, then you will fall back into alignment with reality. **Details**Channel Time5 seconds Channel TypeSafe Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Unphase)3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 mana to use. - Costs 100 endurance to use. - Costs 50 willpower to use. Restrictions - Cannot be fallen. - Darkflood Flood your location with magical darkness #### Darkflood **Description**Usage: CONJURE DARKFLOOD Conjure up magical shadows to swathe your location in darkness. **Details**Darkflood Duration300 seconds Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Phasesense Find a phased target. #### Phasesense **Description**Usage: PHASESENSE After a five-second channel, during which you may do nothing, you will divine the location of a phased target. The target will be notified of your efforts. The channel time to sense other phased targets will be faster if you are phased yourself. **Details**Channel Time5 seconds Phased Channel Time0.5 seconds Channel TypeAll Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Abduct Abduct a victim into phase-time. #### Abduct **Description**Usage: ABDUCT While phased, you can grasp ahold of another and pull them from reality. This will bring them into phase with you, allowing you to interact with them without disrupting your own alignment with reality, and draining a portion of their mana to do so. They will only be able to remain phased for a short duration before they will fall out of phase and return back to the normal time stream. After being abducted, the target will be immune to being abducted again for 2 minutes. **Details**Target LocationSame location Mana Drain20% Abduct Duration30 seconds Abduct Immunity120 seconds Balance Recovery2.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 500 mana to use. - Costs 50 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Phaseveil Hide yourself when phased. #### Phaseveil **Description**Usage: PHASEVEIL \[OFF\] When phased, you can hide yourself from those who might PHASESENSE you. This ability will significantly increase the drain upon your endurance while in phase. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds - You can utilize the following wormhole abilities - Seek Sense for dimensional wormholes. #### Seek **Description**Usage: WORM SEEK Seek out wormholes in your location, if there are any, and where they lead. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 15 willpower to use. - Must be upon the ground. - Channel Hurl an object through a dimensional wormhole. #### Channel **Description**Usage: WORM CHANNEL Throw an object in your possession through a dimensional wormhole and to the other side. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Must be upon the ground. - Echo Detect presences through wormholes. #### Echo **Description**Usage: WORM ECHO By observing a wormhole, you are able to determine if anyone is at the other end by the echoes of their movements beside it. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Warp Open and enter a dimensional wormhole. #### Warp **Description**Usage: WORM WARP When in the presence of a wormhole, you can hurl yourself through it to reach the other side. Due to the spatial nature of warping through a wormhole, you will not be detectable to skills that can sense movement. **Details**Movement TypePhysical Denizens FollowYes Adventurers FollowYes Mounts FollowYes Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 20 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. - Must be upon the ground. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled. - Cannot have paresis or be paralysed. - Cannot be fallen. - Resonance Allow sounds to resonate through a distant wormhole. #### Resonance **Description**Usage: WORM RESONANCE Open a gap in a wormhole, allowing the sounds of nearby conversation to resonate back through. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Must be upon the ground. - Cancel Destroy a wormhole. #### Cancel **Description**Usage: WORM CANCEL Destroy a wormhole if there is one in your location. It is not a short process at all, as it is an extremely complicated matter to close a dimensional wormhole. **Details**Channel Time300 seconds Channel Intervals10 Channel Interrupt TypeBalance Interval Willpower Cost50 Equilibrium Recovery5.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Must be upon the ground. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Will force you to unphase if able to. - Vortex Suck an unwilling target into a wormhole. #### Vortex **Description**Usage: WORM VORTEX Suck someone, willing or not, from the opposite side of the wormhole who is either in the same location or adjacent to its end, providing they do not have the density defence. The process will cause the wormhole to tear at their body, dealing magical damage to them if they are a declared enemy of yours. If your target is bound, then density defence will have no effect. **Details**Target LocationSame continent Damage TypeMagic Damage SourceArcane Damage320 + 24% Movement TypePhysical Denizens FollowNo Adventurers FollowNo Mounts FollowNo Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 500 mana to use. - Costs 100 willpower to use. - Must be upon the ground. - Sources Sense out all dimensional wormholes. #### Sources **Description**Usage: WORM SOURCES Sense out all wormholes in your area and discern where they each connect to. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery3.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 200 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Splice Create a dimensional wormhole. #### Splice **Description**Usage: WORM SPLICE Splicing a new wormhole is a lengthy process that will require two proficient people to work in tandem. The two people splicing the wormhole will need to each go to a different location, which will be the two places the wormhole will connect. Each person must then attempt to splice to the other to begin the process. Providing that no actions that require neither balance or equilibrium are taken, the wormhole will successfully form after a time, and will be then ready for use. **Details**Target LocationSame continent Channel Time180 seconds Channel Intervals18 Channel Interrupt TypeBalance Interval Willpower Cost30 Equilibrium Recovery5.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 willpower to use. - Must be upon the ground. Restrictions - Considered an assisting action. - Will force you to unphase if able to. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Hypnosis - Hypnotise Begin the process of hypnosis. #### Hypnotise **Description**Syntax: HYPNOTISE This ability will allow you to begin the process of hypnotism. Once you have your target in a vulnerable state, you will be able to implant suggestions within his mind. If you leave the location of your target before they have been sealed, then suggestions will slowly begin to fall off the target until none remain. This will happen faster if you have recently fled combat. While your hypnosis attempt will generally be hidden to your target, an opponent who is vigilant will be able to detect your intrusion upon his or her mind. You can read AB HYPNOSIS SUGGEST for how to implant suggestions after hypnotising them. **Details**Target LocationSame location Suggestion Fall Off TimerEvery 8 seconds Suggestion Fall Off Timer (Fled)Every 2 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 300 mana to use. - Costs 60 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Suggest Implant a victim with a suggestion. #### Suggest **Description**Syntax: SUGGEST This ability allows you to implant various suggestions within the mind of your target, providing they are already hypnotised. You may use SUGGEST while you are off balance. Most abilities within Hypnosis will not have associated help files with them, as they tend to only give an affliction. You can learn what each affliction does by using AFFLICT SHOW. There are still however a few that do more than an affliction and they are: Amnesia, Carefree, Trigger, Ebbing, Eradicate, and Action. **Details**Target LocationSame location Maximum Suggestions30 suggestions Equilibrium Recovery2.40 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 100 mana to use. - Costs 20 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Seal Seal and activate your hypnotic suggestions. #### Seal **Description**Syntax: SEAL <3-60 seconds> SNAP Once you have implanted all the suggestions that you wish, you can then seal the target, and then snap your fingers at them to activate the hypnosis. Depending on the timer you set when you sealed their mind, it will take a few moments for the hypnosis to begin. This will cycle them through all the suggestions you have made, starting from your first suggestion, and then finally end once there are none left. **Details**Target LocationSame location Minimum Delay3 seconds Maximum Delay60 seconds Hypnosis Effect TimerEvery 2 to 6 seconds Equilibrium Recovery2.40 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 150 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Sleights Subtly manipulate shadow to bewilder foes #### Sleights **Description**Syntax: SHADOW SLEIGHT Bend the shadows to perform your bidding. Sleights cannot be performed while you do not possess shadow balance. Effects ——- Dissipate – Knock the target off pill balance. Abrasion – Knock the target off poultice balance. Invasion – Knock the target off pipe balance. Pall – Deal scaling psychic damage based on afflictions from hypnosis. Blank – Gives the target amnesia, then once more later on. Pall only requires the affliction to be deliverable by hypnosis, but it does not necessarily need to come from hypnosis. It will also not awaken sleeping opponents with its damage. **Details**Target LocationSame location Dissipate Pill Balance Knock0.90 seconds Shadow Balance Recovery (Dissipate)3.75 seconds Abrasion Poultice Balance Knock0.50 seconds Shadow Balance Recovery (Abrasion)2.50 seconds Invasion Pipe Balance Knock0.70 seconds Shadow Balance Recovery (Invasion)3.00 seconds Pall Damage DtypePsychic Pall Damage SourceArcane Pall Base Damage80 Pall Damage Bonus35 + 1% per affliction Shadow Balance Recovery (Pall)5.00 seconds Blank Relapse Timer3 seconds Shadow Balance Recovery (Blank)4.50 seconds Requirements - Costs 150 mana to use. - Costs 50 willpower to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Umbrix A long lasting shadow effect #### Umbrix **Description**Syntax: SHADOW UMBRIX Place a mark of shadow upon another, providing they aren’t protected by the fangbarrier defence. The mark will last indefinitely as long as they stand within magical darkness, otherwise it’ll quickly fade. Effects ——- Thorns – Thorns will cause them to bleed when they eat. Fatigue – Mental fatigue will slow their focusing down. Numbness – Numbed skin will make the tree tattoo slower. A target may only bear one mark at any time. Placing another will clear any previous marks. During Persuasion battles, this ability will additionally double the duration of the informant persuasion. **Details**Target LocationSame location Thorns Bleeding25 bleeding Balance Recovery (Thorns)2.00 seconds Fatigue Focus Cooldown Malus+5 seconds Balance Recovery (Fatigue)3.00 seconds Numbness Tree Cooldown Malus+5 seconds Balance Recovery (Numbness)3.00 seconds Shadow Balance Recovery6.00 seconds Persuasion Informat Durationx2 Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 200 mana to use. - Costs 150 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Analyse Discover the implanted suggestions in someone. #### Analyse **Description**Usage: ANALYSE ANALYSE ME Using this ability, you will be able to sort through the subconscious mess of another player and see what hypnotic suggestions lie dormant there, if any. You cannot, of course, successfully analyse yourself. **Details**Target LocationSame location Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Can be used on yourself. - Cleanse Clean another of suggestions. #### Cleanse **Description**Usage: CLEANSE With this ability, you may remove hypnotic suggestions from someone which have been implanted but not yet triggered. **Details**Target LocationSame location Equilibrium Recovery5.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Ethergaze Perform hypnosis from the curtain of phase. #### Ethergaze **Description**This ability is passive. With experience you are now able to HYPNOTISE, SUGGEST, and SEAL from behind the veil of phase. You will not however be able to activate the hypnosis without being on the same phase level as your target. - You can hypnotise the following states of mind - Amnesia Causes the victim to forget to do his next action. #### Amnesia **Description**Syntax: SUGGEST AMNESIA This will cause them to forget the next command they attempt to perform. - Carefree A carefree mind is light and free. #### Carefree **Description**Syntax: SUGGEST CAREFREE Induce your target with carefree thoughts, stripping the density defence from them as they feel lighter. - Trigger One mere word is all you need. #### Trigger **Description**Syntax: SUGGEST TRIGGER This special suggestion will instill a trigger word into your opponent. By speaking this word out loud after sealing your opponent, you will be able to trigger the hypnosis. This offers no benefit over snapping your fingers in front of the target, however it does offer a different kind of satisfaction to the hypnotist. - Ebbing Ebb their mind of their mana. #### Ebbing **Description**Syntax: SUGGEST EBBING This suggestion will dull your chosen target’s mind, draining their mana. **Details**Mana Drain10% - Eradicate Eradicate a mental affliction from the mind. #### Eradicate **Description**Syntax: SUGGEST ERADICATE This powerful suggestion – more helpful than harmful – will allow you to convince the target to eradicate a random mental affliction from their own mind. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction. - Action The ability to suggest an action of your choice. #### Action **Description**Syntax: SUGGEST ACTION Perhaps one of the most important abilities in the kit of hypnosis is the ability to command your target to perform any action you so desire. With this ability, you are able to bend the will of your target to your whims. - You can hypnotise the following afflictions - Clumsiness Inability to use weaponry effectively. #### Clumsiness No further details available. - Impatience Unable to focus in the moment. #### Impatience No further details available. - Addiction A terrible addiction to pipes. #### Addiction No further details available. - Masochism The love of your own pain. #### Masochism No further details available. - Loneliness Fear of being left on your own. #### Loneliness No further details available. - Claustrophobia Fear of enclosed spaces. #### Claustrophobia No further details available. - Stuttering Anxious difficulty with speech. #### Stuttering No further details available. - Hallucinations Vivid hallucinations to plague your foe. #### Hallucinations No further details available. - Bulimia An inability to stomach food for long. #### Bulimia No further details available. - Hypersomnia A condition that prevents insomnia. #### Hypersomnia No further details available. - Dementia Hugely distorts victim’s perception of the world. #### Dementia No further details available. - Deadening Weakening of the mind. #### Deadening No further details available. - Epilepsy Throw your victim’s nervous system into disarray. #### Epilepsy No further details available. - Agoraphobia Fear of open spaces. #### Agoraphobia No further details available. - Paranoia They are out to get you, believe me. #### Paranoia No further details available. - Recklessness Ignorance of health and disregard for well-being. #### Recklessness No further details available. - Vertigo Fear of heights. #### Vertigo No further details available. - Indifference Who really cares? #### Indifference No further details available. - Hatred Irrational hatred. #### Hatred No further details available. - Narcolepsy A constant need for sleep. #### Narcolepsy No further details available. - Lethargy A distinct lack of energy. #### Lethargy No further details available. - Anorexia Loss of desire to eat. #### Anorexia No further details available. - Hypochondria The conviction that one is constantly afflicted. #### Hypochondria No further details available. - Confusion Causes the mind to become confounded. #### Confusion No further details available. - Stupidity Abject, stumbling idiocy. #### Stupidity No further details available. - Mania Drive them into a furious rage. #### Mania No further details available. ## Visual style and identity A singular visual style is somewhat difficult to define for the Infiltrator. Training is what defines the work, not appearance. A brawny Minotaur is as capable of the subtle arts as an agile Mhun. The Lord of Artifice Himself is perhaps the most renowned wielder of subterfuge in history, and He dwells in the form of a Minotaur. Infiltrators are not honourable knights or chivalrous warriors. They wield dirk and wear scale, and their style is a subtle and tricky one, favouring wit, precision, and cunning over the application of raw strength or direct confrontation. In everyday life, some try to go unnoticed and blend in. Others are flamboyant and eye-catching, whether by nature or as part of some scheme they are running. ## Side effects of the work The work is solitary. While many of Aetolia’s professions adventure for glory, honour, and renown, Infiltrators tend toward the opposite, often keeping to themselves. This can create a lonely, isolated existence for those who choose not to ply their trade through gossip and networking. Infiltrators also deal with significant distrust and suspicion from those outside their close-knit groups, and this can foster similar mistrust in return. Few Infiltrators enjoy the company or spectacle of large crowds. Many are more at home stalking a single target than partaking in the social niceties of a group. ## Who plays this class The Infiltrator suits players who like to think before they strike. The mechanical kit rewards setup, patience, and reading your opponent. There is no faceroll: a sloppy Infiltrator dies fast. A careful one outlives the rest of the fight. The roleplay frame is broader than the archetypal sneak-thief. Sweet talking, espionage, and observation are as valid as the knife in the back. The Syssin recognise three umbrellas of operation: Artifice, Influence, and Intimidation. Rarely do two Infiltrators imitate one another. Players who want to charge in and crack skulls should look at the Carnifex or the Templar. For everyone else, the ones who want to leave before anyone clocks they were there: this is the class. ## City and guild The Syssin guild is anchored in [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/), the Shadow-tethered city of artifice and Republic of the north. Patron: Tanixalthas, the Sun Drinker. The guild houses both the Infiltrator class and its sister class, the [Executor](/character-classes/executor/), Severn’s old Ankyrean-hunting cadre, reawakened after Severn’s death when Spinesreach mortals followed his cryptic legacy to Nuunva and rekindled their memories. Although the Syssin guild itself is Spinesreach-anchored, the Infiltrator class is mechanically untethered. That means you can play an Infiltrator without committing to the Spirit-Shadow divide that gates most of Aetolia’s 32 classes. You can multiclass freely with either side, though changing your city allegiance still costs Spinesreach citizenship. Race choice is independent of class, so you can play an Infiltrator of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). ## Frequently asked questions **Is the Infiltrator a good first class for new players?** It can be. The class rewards patience and planning, so if you like puzzle-solving more than reaction speed, you will pick it up faster than someone who wants pure twitch combat. The trial system lets you test it for free before committing lessons, which is the best way to find out. **Why is the Infiltrator untethered if the Syssin guild is Shadow-aligned?** The guild itself sits in Spinesreach and aligns with Shadow, but the class skills are not gated by tether. Your character will hold Spinesreach citizenship while in the guild. The class itself can be multiclassed alongside Spirit-side classes if you later leave Spinesreach. **What is the difference between Infiltrator and Executor?** Both share the Syssin guild and Spinesreach home, but their kits are very different. Infiltrators lean on dirks, whips, bows, and Hypnosis. Executors wield ringblades, conjure inked creatures, and set ambushes through Subversion. Infiltrator is untethered; Executor is Shadow-tethered. Many Syssin members hold both. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Infiltrator profile. Or see [Aetolia’s class hub](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Executor](/character-classes/executor/) Infiltrator’s sister class in the Syssin guild. Pick Executor if you like the Spinesreach setting and the Syssin guild structure but prefer ringblade work and inked-creature conjuration over dirks, whips, and Hypnosis. Executor is Shadow-tethered, where Infiltrator is untethered. ### [Bard](/character-classes/bard/) Untethered performer-assassin from Djeir’s Theater of Shadows. Pick Bard if you want the lone-killer dynamic but prefer acrobatic falchion work and song-powered attacks over dirks and Hypnosis. The Bard’s Grace of the Empress, attro ca pa’sa, gives legal cover for assassinations that the Syssin have no equivalent for. ### [Predator](/character-classes/predator/) Untethered knife-fighter from a world beyond Aetolia. Pick Predator if you want the lone-killer feel of an Infiltrator but prefer wilderness savagery and animal companions to urban Shadow politics. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Infiltrator and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Indorani of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/indorani/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Indorani of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-indorani-hero-portrait-20260524.jpg "Aetolia Indorani class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Indorani are Aetolia’s dark sorcerers, a Shadow-tethered class associated with Bloodloch that wields Necromancy (life-essence magic), Tarot (the Major Arcana), and Domination (pacts with the Chaos Lords of Corrupt Chaos). At a glance**Tether**Shadow**City**[Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/) (no city guild)**Guild**None. Learn from Empress Xa’azamit in the Chaos Plane (40 credits)**Skill sets**Necromancy, Tarot, Domination**Mirror class**[Oneiromancer](/character-classes/oneiromancer/) (Spirit)**Sister class in guild**None (class has no guild)**Signature mechanic**Chaos entities summoned via pacts with Chaos Lords**Best for**Players who want broad spellcraft, occult lore, and the freedom of a guildless classThe Indorani’s original guild fell in 476 MA, cursed by Severn the Manipulator for betraying Sapience and the Prime. The remnants scattered. Today, anyone who wants the class apprentices to Empress Xa’azamit on the Chaos Plane and learns directly from her. This is one of Aetolia’s most magic-heavy classes and one of the few that does not require guild membership. If you want broad, versatile spellcraft with deep occult lore and no guild politics attached, the Indorani is one of the strongest picks on the Shadow side of the game. ## Origin and lore The historical Indorani were a great group of occultists whose traditions stretched back across the epochs. They sought to bring about an end to all things save a sheer and utter dominion: a revival of the old Dark Empire. The modern Indorani guild formed when members of the Occultists’ guild of Ashtan embraced their historical roots and journeyed to Bloodloch no later than the year 116 MA to reconstruct the old traditions. After centuries of service to the cause of Shadow, the Indorani guild succeeded in bringing about its own ruin. Pride had taken hold. They betrayed Sapience and the will of Severn, the Manipulator. In the year 476 MA, the guild was cursed and dissolved. Though the guild is gone, the power of the Indorani lives on. The remnants spread across the continent, lacking a central authority, serving many different causes of Shadow. Today, anyone who wants to walk the path of the Indorani must seek out Empress Xa’azamit on the Chaos Plane. She accepts apprentices for 40 credits. The lore passes from her to the student directly, outside the city-guild structure that holds most other classes in place. The class is still associated with Bloodloch, and most modern Indorani align with the city. But the formal guild is gone, and that absence shapes the roleplay. ## Skill sets The Indorani skill sets are Necromancy, Tarot, and Domination. **Necromancy** lets the Indorani manipulate life essence to despoil and ravage enemies. Life essence is drawn from the Inner Spark of the dead, a wellspring of spirit and fire that the Indorani either absorbs passively or harvests from their victims. The class also structures ambient shadow into spellwork through this discipline. **Tarot** is the second pillar. The Indorani infuses ambient shadow into the Major Arcana, producing a diverse range of magical effects. Some cards heal allies. Others harm enemies. The deck functions as both spell library and ritual device, and the card draws shape how a fight plays out. **Domination** is the most distinctive of the three. The Indorani bargains with the Chaos Lords, demonic denizens of Corrupt Chaos, in exchange for the power to command an army of horrific chaos entities. These entities are not summoned creatures in the conventional sense. They are many chaotic individuals united into a single whole, possessed of animal sentience, incapable of cohesive form without their summoner. They often ambush their marks from the shadows. ## Skill abilities Necromancy Tarot Domination Filter abilities Title Contents ### Necromancy - Essence Seek out the power that burns within. #### Essence **Description**Syntax: ESSENCE Life essence fuels many of your abilities within Necromancy, and this will allow you at a glance to see how much you have remaining. Those that embrace undeath will find that they will consume less essence than those of the living. You can also CONFIG this to show in your prompt. - Deathsight Attune yourself to the Underworld. #### Deathsight **Description**Syntax: DEATHSIGHT \[OFF\] Using this ability, you will be linked with the Underhalls, allowing you to sense those who perish and pass through it. - Decay Causing your opponent’s flesh to decay. #### Decay **Description**Syntax: DECAY You have gained the magical touch of a necromancer, allowing you to wither the flesh of a chosen victim with a brush of the finger, causing magic damage. The amount of damage dealt will become more powerful should they be suffering from a leeched aura. Decay does not scale as much with the target’s max health, but has a high base damage, making it more effective against low max health than other skills. Additionally, the equilibrium time is reduced if the target’s constitution is lower than their statpack default. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeMagic Damage SourceArcane Base Damage600 + 5% Base Damage (Denizen)1044 Added Bonus Damage (Leeched aura)x5% Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Leeched aura)3.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Denizen)3.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 80 mana to use. - Costs 25 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Dissect Gather vital organs. #### Dissect **Description**Syntax: DISSECT FROM DISSECT INTO SLICES AUTOPSY With a scalpel in hand, you can use this skill to extract organs from a fresh, undefiled denizen corpse. The organs can then be cut into smaller slices at your delight. Performing an autopsy upon the corpse will let you know what kind of organs you can extract, although you will occasionally find a tumor instead of an organ. The higher your skill in Necromancy, the more slices you can obtain when cutting up an organ. The organs and slices have no mechanical benefit, and are mostly for your pleasure to do with as you please. - Chill Send the cold of the grave to plague an opponent. #### Chill **Description**Syntax: CHILL For firewalls: CHILL CHILL FIREWALL \[direction\] Summon a deep chill from the beyond and instill it into your target. This will slowly cause them to freeze over time, blooming three times before dissipating completely. You may also use this ability to put out firewalls. - Nightsight Nothing can hide in the darkness. #### Nightsight **Description**Syntax: NIGHTSIGHT Nightsight will allow you to see normally while under the cover of darkness. - Sense Seek out the life force of another being. #### Sense **Description**Syntax: SENSE Seek out the very life essence of a player, gaining you the knowledge of his or her location. You can sense another from nearly anywhere in the realm. - Night Create darkness in the room. #### Night **Description**Syntax: NIGHT Draw forth the cover of darkness and swamp your location in magical shadows. - Shroud Perform many actions in secret. #### Shroud **Description**Syntax: SHROUD Cover yourself in a shroud of concealment, preventing nearby eyes from discerning your actions. You will be able to leave and enter a location without notice, plus a few other common actions will be hidden. - Screech The shriek of the banshee. #### Screech **Description**Syntax: SCREECH Let loose a powerful screech with the might of the banshee. The sound will shatter the courage of those who possess it, and those who do not will be driven out from the location. - Belch Spew forth a noxious gas. #### Belch **Description**Syntax: BELCH and INHALE CLOUD Belch forth a cloud of noxious gas that will poison and asphyxiate everyone that breathes it in, including yourself. If you so wish, you may INHALE the cloud in order to remove it. - Taint Attack the living. #### Taint **Description**Syntax: TAINT Essence cost: 250 This ability will strike your enemy with shadows, dealing more damage the closer to midnight it is. It is worth noting that taint can be used through most forms of magical barriers. - Leech Leech away the life aura of your target. #### Leech **Description**Syntax: LEECH and LEECH RELEASE Essence cost: 100 Leech away the life aura of another, making them further vulnerable to your dark powers. You may only leech away one aura at a time. Once leeched, it will take 5 seconds for the aura to fully dissipate into your grasp. At this point, their max health and mana will be reduced by 10%, and you’ll be able to harm them with the full power of your sorcery. If your aura has been leeched, you can MEDITATE to restore it or have the necromancer release it. - Bonedagger Draw forth a dagger of bone from the dead. #### Bonedagger **Description**Usage: DRAW BONEDAGGER FROM FLICK BONEDAGGER AT \[\] FLICK BONEDAGGER AT \[\] Your eldritch talents permit you to draw forth a bone dagger that may be envenomed to afflict your target with venoms, either in the same room or in an adjacent location. The dagger must be wielded and bear your mark to be effective. Against denizens, venoms will not yield any results. To attack denizens in an adjacent location, you must specify the direction. This skill cannot be dodged, nor is it affected by the aura of rebounding. **Details**Target LocationSame location or adjacent Damage TypeMagic Damage SourceAgile Damage300 + 12% Damage (Denizen)1075 Bleeding30 Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Balance Recovery (Denizen)3.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Denizen) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Lifevision Allows you to see many hidden beings. #### Lifevision **Description**Syntax: LIFEVISION Your attunement with life essence allows you to see all living things within your sight, regardless if they are hidden or not. It will additionally provide some measure of protection against illusions, allowing you to occasionally tell if they are fake. - Shrivel Cause your opponent’s limbs to shrivel up. #### Shrivel **Description**Syntax: SHRIVEL SHRIVEL SHRIVEL THROAT Use necromantic energies to draw vital strength from the very muscles of your foe, your enervating might either causing their limbs to become crippled or their very voice to be muted by a crippled throat. If you choose the more ambiguous target of arms or legs, the side of their body it will cripple will be random, but so too will it be hidden from your opponent. Be warned that this comes with a slight increase to your equilibrium recovery. - Soulmask Conceal your aura from prying eyes. #### Soulmask **Description**Syntax: SOULMASK With this ability, you may mask your aura from those who would read it. It also provides some measure of protection against angels who might seek you out. - Cannibalism Rip out and consume the heart of your victims. #### Cannibalism **Description**Syntax: DRAW HEART CONSUME HEART Life essence does not always come freely. If there is a corpse on the ground that has not been defiled, you may draw the heart from it and hold it in hand. Then, in an orgy of gastronomic pleasure, you may consume it to refill your life essence. The more experienced the adventurer you pull the heart from, the greater your gain in life essence will be. You can do this from any player corpse, it does not need to be one you personally slew. - Medium Communicate with the dead. #### Medium **Description**Syntax: GRAVETELL REPLY While you stand within a graveyard, you can use your closeness to death to communicate with recently-departed souls that yet linger within the Underhalls. They will not be able to communicate with you unless you initiate communication with them first. In order for one of the dead to speak back with you, they must make use of REPLY. - Ectoplasm Coat an object in your ectoplasm. #### Ectoplasm **Description**Syntax: ECTOPLASM SENSE OBJECT Essence cost: 100 By coating an item you possess with your ectoplasm, you can sense the location it is within from anywhere across the realm. You can only coat one object at a time. - Putrefaction Cause your flesh to decay and melt. #### Putrefaction **Description**Usage: PUTREFACTION SOLIDIFY Essence cost: 100 By turning your flesh into semi-liquid, rotting state, you can gain some measure of immunity against cutting-based attacks. You will be able to resist up to eight attacks, and each attack will reduce the amount of protection your flesh will afford you. Periodically, your flesh will liquidate with fresh rot, restoring your ability to resist cutting damage back to its original state, but it will drain your health depending on how much it was lost in order to do so. - Darkhand Drain your life essence into another Necromancer. #### Darkhand **Description**Syntax: DARKHAND With this ability you can transfer life essence from yourself to another necromancer. Unfortunately, it is not a perfect transfer and some life essence will be lost in the process. - Deathaura Surround yourself in a miasma of evil. #### Deathaura **Description**Syntax: DEATHAURA \[OFF\] Essence cost: 100 This ability will create an aura of death and evil that will harm your enemies around you, dealing magic damage and making them ill, but it will drain your mental reserves to maintain it. As such, it will give your enemies one of the following afflictions: Vomiting, dizziness, or dementia. The damage caused by your aura cannot awaken sleeping opponents. - Bonehelm Draw forth a helm of bone from the dead. #### Bonehelm **Description**Syntax: DRAW HELM FROM A powerfully enchanted helm of charred bone pulled from the corpse of something dead, this may be worn to bolster your resistance slightly against all forms of damage. - Deform Exacerbate the physical deformities of another. #### Deform **Description**Syntax: DEFORM Essence cost: 300 For each affliction upon your target, you will further deform their body and sap their constitution, leaving them enfeebled under shadow’s grasp. This drain cannot remove more than 12 points of constitution, and will also give the withering affliction, providing at least one point of constitution is drained. Your target must be suffering from a leeched aura before you can use this ability. - Gravehands Summon the hands of the grave to hinder your opponents. #### Gravehands **Description**Syntax: SUMMON HANDS OF THE GRAVE Essence cost: 100 The ability will cause rotting hands to rise up from the ground to grab at the ankles of any enemy who tries to escape for a limited time. The hands of the dead will persist even if you perish. The chance it will hold them still is dependant on the following: Chance Requirement ======================================== 0% – Summoner is not present 50% – Summoner is present and corporeal If this ability is used in a graveyard environment, then the hands of the dead will remain under your command for considerably longer. - Gravechill Let the chill of the grave spread to your foe. #### Gravechill **Description**Syntax: GRAVECHILL \[OFF\] Empower your necromantic arts with the chilling power of the grave. When you use the Decay ability on another, it will be transformed into cold damage and have a chance to freeze your opponent. While you have this defence active, you will also receive bonus resistance against fire damage. - Rot Bestow the horrific curse of Farag’s Rot upon your victim. #### Rot **Description**Syntax: ROT Essence cost: 500 Expel a vicious cloud that will bestow perhaps what is one of the most terrible of curses: Farag’s Rot. This curse will cause the flesh to decompose under a powerful toxin that will circulate the blood stream, dealing poison damage periodically. Should an adventurer perish while under its effects, then they will be unable to save themselves with abilities that protect one from death and leave behind a defiled body. Once dead, the curse will then spread to an ally of the deceased in the location, cutting the duration in half. If the duration is lower than five seconds, then it won’t spread. **Details**Target LocationSame location Essence Cost500 Damage TypePoison Damage SourceNone Base Damage100 + 3% Armour Modifier10% Rot Duration60 seconds Rot TimerEvery 10 seconds Base Damage (Denizen)200 Rot Duration (Denizen)36 seconds Rot Timer (Denizen)Every 6 seconds Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 1000 mana to use. - Costs 500 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Desecration Defile the buried dead for your own needs. #### Desecration **Description**Usage: DESECRATE THE DEAD SENSE GRAVEYARD At specific graveyards, you may desecrate the dead and steal the dormant life essence within their decaying bodies in order to empower your own. This will slowly regenerate your life essence until it is full. In order to find a graveyard suitable to this purpose, you can SENSE GRAVEYARD to find the closest one in your area, assuming one exists. - Vengeance Revenge with your dying breath. #### Vengeance **Description**Syntax: VENGEANCE Essence cost: 400 Upon your full death, if you have activated this ability, you will exact revenge on all enemies in the room, impaling them with spears of bone. It will always strike the person who slew you, regardless of declaring them an enemy. This ability will also trigger when you are saved from death by the Soulcage skill. Please see AB NECROMANCY SOULCAGE for more information on this ability. - Regeneration Regenerate a body with your necromantic powers. #### Regeneration **Description**Syntax: REGENERATE Essence cost: 500 Using the inherent power of the necromancer, you may instill life essence into the corpse of a fallen combatant to raise them from the dead. If they choose to not accept the resurrection in a timely manner, then the body will crumble away. - Blackwind Assume the form of the deadly blackwind. #### Blackwind **Description**Syntax: BLACKWIND and HUMAN CHOKE Essence cost: 500 This allows you to shed your corporeal body and take the form of the deadly blackwind. Although you find your freedom is severely limited, there is very little that can interact with you in a harmful way. You can also choke another if you so choose by slipping into their lungs and depriving them of their breath. This ability is incredibly taxing upon your willpower and it will quickly drain. Should you run out of willpower, then you will lose the ability to return to your body and become scattered upon the wind. You may return to normal by using HUMAN at any time. - Vivisect Rip your victim’s chest open and torture him to death. #### Vivisect **Description**Syntax: VIVISECT If your enemy suffers from a leeched aura by your hand, and all four of their limbs have been crippled, you may release them from this life by splitting your victim from chin to belly and pinning them to the ground with their own sternum. - Soulcage Harness your life essence to escape death itself. #### Soulcage **Description**Syntax: SOULCAGE Essence cost: 3000 This is perhaps the greatest of the necromantic abilities, and carries with it the greatest life essence cost. It allows you to forge a cage of life essence around your very soul, protecting it in the off chance that you suffer death. You will be restored back to full health and mana, and any afflictions upon you will be cured, effectively granting you a second chance at life. You will not be able to use this skill if you are protected from death already, or are in cooldown from use of the starburst tattoo. Cooldown Soulcage (when triggered): 15 minutes Filter abilities Title Contents ### Tarot - Inscribing Inscribe blank cards with images. #### Inscribing **Description**Syntax: INSCRIBE With this ability, you may inscribe blank tarot cards with the various images of the Major Arcana. - Charging Charge your cards with mystical energy. #### Charging **Description**Syntax: CHARGE Charge a tarot card with the energy required to bring its magical potential into reality. - Cardpacks Use the handy cardpacks for easier storage. #### Cardpacks **Description**Syntax: IND\[ECK\] \[#\] OUTD\[ECK\] \[#\] IND\[ECK\] CARDS DECKLIST Cardpacks are an alternative way to storing tarot cards if you choose not to use your cache. You must first obtain a deck before you can make use of these commands. Be warned that your cards within the deck will disappear when the deck itself decays or is destroyed. - Emperor Create the compulsion in others to follow you. #### Emperor **Description**Syntax: FLING EMPEROR AT The Emperor is a symbol of leadership and power. With this card, you will force other players to recognize your leadership and follow you. - Magician Replenish mana with the might of the Magician. #### Magician **Description**Syntax: FLING MAGICIAN AT The Magician represents the power of magic and the power of the mind. This card will replenish the mana of the target it is thrown at. - Priestess Heal wounds with the benevolence of the Priestess. #### Priestess **Description**Syntax: FLING PRIESTESS AT The Priestess represents benevolent healing. Flinging this card will restore some health to the intended target. - Fool Shrug off afflictions with blind courage. #### Fool **Description**Syntax: FLING FOOL AT The Fool is pictured rife with youthful confidence and an indefatigable stride. With this tarot you may throw off two afflictions by denying their existence. If you or another has either paresis or paralysis, then it will cure only that affliction first. When used on yourself, there is a short period before the Fool may be used once more. Cooldown (self only): 20 seconds - Chariot Call the Chariot to increase your speed. #### Chariot **Description**Syntax: FLING CHARIOT AT GROUND The Chariot will increase your celerity, allowing you to move quicker room-to-room. - Hermit Teleport to an uninhabited location. #### Hermit **Description**Syntax: ACTIVATE HERMIT FLING HERMIT AT GROUND The Hermit is a solitary person. When you activate the Hermit card, it will bind your current location to your soul. Then, when you fling the Hermit, you will be transported to that location, provided there are no players at your destination. The effect will be then lost until activation once more. - Empress Summon your friends to you. #### Empress **Description**Syntax: FLING EMPRESS AT With this ability, you may summon an ally or someone you have afflicted with infatuation from anywhere within the local area. If you have flung the Lust tarot at your intended target and they have not rejected you, then you can summon that person from anywhere on the continent, regardless of the above conditions. You will not be able to summon your target while they reside on a monolith sigil. - Sun Inflict physical ailments. #### Sun **Description**Syntax: FLING SUN \[affliction\] AT The Sun tarot will give your enemy one affliction associated with the body. You may choose the affliction it gives, if you so wish, otherwise a random affliction will be selected. You can deliver one of the following afflictions with the Sun: Perplexity, clumsiness, asthma, vomiting, lethargy, ringing ears, superstition, and migraine. The Sun tarot can be dodged by those who are focused on melee attacks. - Lovers Create a strong love for you in your target. #### Lovers **Description**Syntax: FLING LOVERS AT The Lovers tarot will inspire your target to fall deeply in love with you. While they suffer from this forced infatuation, he or she will attempt to seek you out should you be apart. - Hierophant Protect yourself from becoming disloyal. #### Hierophant **Description**Syntax: FLING HIEROPHANT AT The trusty Hierophant will protect your target one time against the disfigurement affliction, resisting its effects. - Hangedman Hinder your opponent with a mass of ropes. #### Hangedman **Description**Syntax: FLING HANGEDMAN AT The Hangedman will burst into a mass of ropes, attempting to trip your opponent if they are standing. If they are vulnerable and unable to defend themselves, then the ropes will entangle them instead. - Warrior Strike at your opponents limbs. #### Warrior **Description**Syntax: FLING WARRIOR \[limb\] AT The Warrior is well known for his strength on the battle field. By flinging this tarot at your opponents limbs, you can cause them to eventually break from the trauma. If you do not specify a limb, a random one will be selected for you. - Tower Cause a crumbling tower to appear in your location. #### Tower **Description**Syntax: FLING TOWER AT GROUND The Tower card will cause a crumbling tower to appear in your location, which will then collapse, leaving rubble strewn across the location, delaying anyone wishing to leave. Movement that requires you to dash in some manner will no longer be possible in or out of the room. You only may have conjured one set of rubble at a time, and must wait until it crumbles away before doing so again. - Twofold Impart and fling two tarot cards at once. #### Twofold **Description**Syntax: FLING \[effect\] AND \[effect\] AT Whenever you fling any tarot card with a target, you have the choice to fling an additional card of your choosing at the target. You cannot use the same card twice in a single fling. Only the following cards may be used in combination: The Sun, the Moon, Justice, the Lovers, Aeon, Lust, the Emperor, the Warrior, the Adder, the Wheel, and Temperance. - Wheel Spin the wheel and take your chances. #### Wheel **Description**Syntax: FLING WHEEL AT When flung, the Wheel will hover in the air before your target and choose three random afflictions from them, removing them from the target. After a period of time, the Wheel will bestow misfortune upon them, and the three afflictions originally chosen will be placed upon the victim. When the Wheel bestows the afflictions back on the target, if the target already has that affliction, then it will cripple a limb at random. It cannot select impatience as one of the possible afflictions. - Creator Create your own pocket reality. #### Creator **Description**Syntax: FLING CREATOR AT GROUND The Creator tarot will shift the landscape within the room you stand in, and the adjacent locations nearby, to a place of your choosing. This will last for a set time and affects everyone. You can choose from the following landscapes: \* The Dreamscape: Those caught within the Dreamscape are periodically attacked by sentient nightmares. They will draw their target into sleep and then attack them from their dreams. \* The Soulscape: The land of the dead will attract souls to those still within the world of the living. Their touch will freeze the flesh of those they target. \* The Demonscape: Hell itself is brought into reality, summoning forth demonic figures that will attack and harm those that stand within. \* The Voidscape: The alien Voidscape is rife with creatures that little have heard of or even seen. They will instill the mind with madness, causing either hallucinations or mania. To end the sorcery early, anyone may attack the Creator tarot within the central room of the landscape. Once it has been struck three times, the card will shatter, destroying the newborn reality. Cooldown: 3 minutes - Adder The Adder waits to strike. #### Adder **Description**Syntax: FLING ADDER AT ACTIVATE ADDER RIP CARD FROM BODY The Adder will attach itself to your target once flung, giving them haemophilia, and then lie torpid in wait. After six seconds have passed, you may ACTIVATE the Adder to attack your opponent balance free with the chosen venom you flung it with. Your opponent may RIP the card from their body before the Adder is activated, however doing so will cause them to tear their flesh and bleed heavily. In addition to the regular venoms, you may also use the sumac and loki venoms with the Adder. - Justice Bring justice to the unjust. #### Justice **Description**Syntax: FLING JUSTICE AT The Justice tarot will bring the curse of justice upon your foe. - Star Strike down a foe with a flaming meteor. #### Star **Description**Syntax: FLING STAR AT The Star tarot will bring down a flaming meteor upon your unlucky foe’s head. Your foe may be anywhere within the area but both you and he must be outdoors. Should the opponent be protected by a magical shield when the meteor hits, then it will be shattered. The Star tarot can be dodged by those who are focused on ranged attacks. - Temperance Temper and dull the mind of a bleeding foe #### Temperance **Description**Syntax: FLING TEMPERANCE AT The Temperance tarot will temper the wounds of your opponent, forcing them clot away all that they are bleeding for at the rate of 4 mana for every 1 point of bleeding. - Aeon Curse your foe with the flux of time. #### Aeon **Description**Syntax: FLING AEON AT The Aeon tarot will give the curse of time to a target, slowing his passage through time and halting any active cooldowns they might have from counting down. Only if it successfully gives the aeon affliction will this skill go on cooldown. Cooldown (on aeon): 8 seconds - Eclipse Cast a shadow over your Sun and Moon. #### Eclipse **Description**Syntax: FLING ECLIPSE AT ME FLING ECLIPSE AT GROUND When used on yourself, the Eclipse tarot grants the Eclipse defence, which masks every third Sun or Moon tarot affliction. When thrown at the ground, a darkness will overcome the room, tripping all enemies after a delay. - Lust Cause an opponent to hopelessly lust after you. #### Lust **Description**Syntax: FLING LUST AT REJECT LUSTED With the Lust tarot, you can create such a burning desire within your target that the Empress tarot will now summon them regardless of their consideration of you. In order to remove this desire, you must reject the person who holds sway over you. Those who have flung the Lust tarot at you will appear in your ALLIES, although they are not technically a real ally by any means. - Universe Transport yourself around the land. #### Universe **Description**Syntax: FLING UNIVERSE AT GROUND TOUCH MAP CLOSE MAP The Universe tarot will allow you access to the world of Aetolia, giving instant transport to a number of locations. Anyone may close an open map before them. You can currently use the following locations: – Bloodloch – NStrand – Mhojave – NIthmia – Pash – Savannah – Spinesreach – WIthmia – Vashnar – Scidve – Tundra – Farsai - Devil Call a Devil to serve you, though no more than once. #### Devil **Description**Syntax: FLING DEVIL AT GROUND When you fling the Devil tarot at the ground, a devil will be summoned. The devil will serve you in exchange for limited control over your body. This devil will hasten your tarot flings when they are flung at a target by 0.9 seconds. However, for each affliction the opponent has, this boon will be reduced by 0.18 seconds. Should no benefit remain due to the number of afflictions, the devil will inflict your current target with misery and then depart. The devil will eventually fade on its own regardless if its used or not. The devil will have no effect on your balance if your cards are being flung by your doppleganger. - Moon Bestow the maladies of the moon upon your enemy. #### Moon **Description**Syntax: FLING MOON \[affliction\] AT The Moon tarot will give your enemy one affliction associated with the mind. You may choose the affliction it gives, if you so wish, otherwise a random affliction will be selected. You can deliver one of the following afflictions with the Moon: Stupidity, confusion, recklessness, impatience, epilepsy, mania, weariness, and anorexia. The Moon tarot can be dodged by those who are focused on melee attacks. - Death Call down Death itself to claim the soul of your enemy. #### Death **Description**Syntax: RUB DEATH ON FLING DEATH AT SNIFF DEATH The Death tarot is not a card to be trifled with, bringing about a swift end to anyone who tries to oppose it once flung. There is nought that can stop the figure of Death once summoned, although some claim the dreamworld has some effect. In order to fling Death at your opponent, you must first attune the Death card to their body and soul. This is achieved by rubbing it upon your enemy five times. Once it is fully attuned, simply fling it at your opponent and wait for his arrival. You may not perform any actions during this process and will be unable to dodge or divert any attacks aimed at you. In order to see how many rubs you have accumulated, you can sniff a card of Death to see. Rubs will last for multiple weeks at a time, and aren’t attached to any one card. Do note however, a combat arena will have an adverse effect on the Death card, and any rubs gained will not transfer between it and Sapience. Neither will they last as long. - Imprint Instantly charge and inscribe your tarot cards. #### Imprint **Description**Syntax: OUTC BLANK AS OUTD BLANK AS So powerful is your skill in Tarot, you are able to pull your cards from your cache or deck, instantly charged and imprinted them with the style of your choice. Be warned, when the charge fades, so will the imprint. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Domination - Dominate Dominate the entities of Chaos #### Dominate **Description**Syntax: DOMINATE and ABORT Domination is without question the one of the most dangerous arts within Aetolia. It involves the summoning of entities from the Chaos Plane by dealing with ethereal beings known as the Chaos Lords. You risk your life and your very soul in dealing with them, for they are powerful and not to be trifled with. To gain the services of a Chaos Lord, you must first discover a way into the Chaos Plane. Once there, search them out and attempt DOMINATE them. You can use the chaos portals located in the plane to quickly move between the various Chaos Lords. If the entity feels you are wasting its time, it may choose to attack you or it may simply ignore you. However, if it feels it can gain something, it will begin a bargaining dialogue with you, asking how you intend to pay it for its services. Answer the questions as you like, but be warned that cheapness can have its own punishment. At any time during the bargaining, you may ABORT to end the dialogue. The entity may grow enraged at this, however, or may simply refuse to bargain further with you. - Pact Manage your pacts with the Chaos Lords. #### Pact **Description**Syntax: PACTS BREAK PACT If you were successful in your bargaining with the Chaos Lords, you will now possess a pact with which you may call upon. You can see how many times a Chaos Lord will respond to your summoning by viewing your pacts. You can also choose to break a pact in order to end it early. You will need review the individual skills within AB DOMINATION for each Chaos Lord to see how they will aide you upon summoning. Most will send a minion known as an entity to help you, although this will not be true for all. - Control Control your entities of Chaos. #### Control **Description**Most pacts will result a minion, known as a chaos entity, that is summoned when you call upon a Chaos Lord. These minions can become many, and can sometimes be difficult to control. Through your expertise, you have a few methods of controlling these entities: SUMMON : Summon an entity or one of its servants. SUMMON ALL PACTS : If the pact sends a minion, it will summon it. BANISH : Banish an entity back to the plane of Chaos. CALL ENTITIES : Call all summoned entities to your side. You may also wish to review HELP LOYALTY as it holds many commands that will be useful to you in ordering your entities. - Transcendence Open a gateway to the Plane of Chaos. #### Transcendence **Description**Syntax: TRANSCENDENCE ENTER GATEWAY Using this ability, you will open a gateway to the Chaos Plane, allowing you to go there and bargain for the services of the Chaos Lord. Once the gate is opened, you may enter it to reach the plane, and it will close behind you. To leave you must seek the exit, which is hidden in the Whirlpool of Chaos. - Mask Conceal the movement of your chaos entities. #### Mask **Description**Syntax: MASK This ability will cause all the chaos entities in your entourage to become cloaked. While cloaked, their movement in and out of rooms will not be seen. - Link The ability to link yourself to your doppleganger. #### Link **Description**Syntax: ORDER DOPPLEGANGER CHANNEL FLING \[params\] By linking yourself with your doppleganger, you can now order it to FLING tarot cards from the skillset Tarot. You must be holding the card you wish to fling, along with any necessary requirements such as being charged. Cards that can be used by your doppleganger: The Magician, the Priestess, the Fool, the Sun, the Lovers, the Hierophant, the Warrior, the Tower, the Creator, the Adder, Justice, the Star, Aeon, Lust, Universe, and the Moon. You can look at AB TAROT for more information. - You can summon the following entities with a pact - Dervish Gaoithe, the Disrupter #### Dervish **Description**Usage: SUMMON DERVISH ORDER DERVISH ACT When you call upon the aid of Gaoithe, he will send you a whirling dervish. You can order the dervish to ACT, which will knock all players in the air to the ground. The dervish cannot attack other players through normal means. - Sycophant Yozik, the Lustrous #### Sycophant **Description**Usage: SUMMON SYCOPHANT Yozik, when called, will send to you a sycophant, which will constantly praise its target causing them to lose mana. If their mana falls below 80% of its max, then it will cause stupidity. - Gremlin Titum, the Travail #### Gremlin **Description**Usage: SUMMON GREMLIN When you raise Titum, he will send to you a foul little gremlin, who will jeer at your opponent and cause them to occasionally lose equilibrium. - ChaosOrb Zaigon, the Bastion #### ChaosOrb **Description**Usage: SUMMON CHAOSORB ORDER ORB DEFEND Zaigon, the Bastion is the Guardian of the new Court of Chaos. When called upon, he will send you a chaos orb which you can use to defend a limb, reducing the amount of health damage you take by half when that limb is struck. Valid limbs you can choose from are: Head, torso, left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg. It cannot attack other players, only defend your limbs. It cannot prevent damage from abilities that bypass parry. - Bloodleech Taosc, the Parasite #### Bloodleech **Description**Usage: SUMMON BLOODLEECH Taosc, the Parasite, is lord of those creatures in Chaos. He will assist you by sending a bloodleech to you. When ordered to attack another player, it will first attach itself to that player, and once attached, that player will be unable to clot. See AB SURVIVAL CLOTTING for more information. - Firelord Doite, the Charred #### Firelord **Description**Usage: SUMMON FIRELORD ORDER FIRELORD SEAR \[direction\] Doite will send a firelord minion to assist you in battle. The firelord can attack with burning flames that set opponents on fire. It can even reach adjacent locations. If you are blocked by an icewall, you can order your firelord to SEAR it away. - Minion Siphelia, the Specter #### Minion **Description**Usage: SUMMON MINION Siphelia, the Specter is Mistress of Form in Chaos. When summoned, she will send forth a chaos minion. When your chaos minion is in the area, it will protect your chaos entities from being banished or otherwise disrupted by enemy tactics. Its influence on dopplegangers stretch only as far as the location it is in. The chaos minion cannot attack other players, it can only protect your entities. - Worm Gormuk, the Pestilent #### Worm **Description**Usage: SUMMON WORM ORDER WORM REPORT When called upon, Gormuk will send you a chaos worm, which you may order to attack other players. Once the worm is attached, you will be able to have it REPORT back, which will show you vital information about that person. - Slime Mokpoth, the Massive #### Slime **Description**Usage: SUMMON SLIME ORDER SLIME ENVELOP Calling Mokpoth will have it send you a piece of its own Chaos Slime. Upon being ordered to attack someone, the slime will wrap itself around them. At this stage, you may order it to ENVELOP the target, which will for a period of time cause applied poultices to take slightly longer to recover from. Cooldown (envelop): 24 seconds - Pathfinder Gehenna, the Destination #### Pathfinder **Description**Usage: SUMMON PATHFINDER ORDER PATHFINDER HOME When called upon, Gehenna, known as the Destination, will send to you a pathfinder entity. Wherever you summon the pathfinder entity will be home to it. Later, you may simply order it to take you home, and you will return to where it was summoned from. The pathfinder cannot attack other players, it can only bring you home. - Soulmaster Kaivan, the Soul Leech #### Soulmaster **Description**Usage: SUMMON SOULMASTER ORDER ORDER HALLUCINATE Kaivan will send to you a soulmaster entity. Once ordered to attack someone, it will possess their body, allowing you to either order them to perform an action, or hallucinate something of your choosing. It will take a while before the target is fully possessed, and each time you order something, the soulmaster will need to wrestle for control once more. You can order your soulmaster to act while off balance. - Humbug Bampair, the Insatiable #### Humbug **Description**Usage: SUMMON HUMBUG Bampair will send to you a humbug when summoned. The humbug, when ordered to attack, attach itself to the throat of the target and suck out as much of as any elixirs they try to drink. This will reduce their ability to heal from elixirs. - Chimera Janorex, the Splicer #### Chimera **Description**Usage: SUMMON CHIMERA ORDER CHIMERA ROAR ORDER CHIMERA HEADBUTT ORDER CHIMERA GAS You may order one of the chimera’s three heads to perform an attack on its focused target, but only every so often. Effects: \* The lion’s head will roar at the target, shattering their courage or stunning the target if they lack it. \* The goat’s head will ram the target, dealing damage. \* The dragon’s head will exhale gas that strips the target’s insomnia. It will not put them to sleep. The chimera cannot attack players under normal means, unless you order one of the heads. You can also ride your chimera by MOUNTing it, and order it to fly by doing SPUR CHIMERA SKYWARD. Cooldown (order): 16 seconds - Bubonis Nurgleeki, the Warlock #### Bubonis **Description**Usage: SUMMON BUBONIS Nurgleeki will, when called, send to you a bubonis entity. When ordered to attack someone, it will transfer ailments to them. The possibilities are: Hollow, epilepsy, vertigo, masochism, dementia, recklessness, slickness, claustrophobia, and shyness. - Doppleganger Tel-Muzaan, the Skinwalker #### Doppleganger **Description**Syntax: SUMMON DOPPLEGANGER When you summon Tel-Muzaan, he will send to you a doppleganger of yourself. The doppleganger is different from other entities in that it can be remotely ordered within the same area. It cannot attack normally. The following is a list of extra things you can do with your doppleganger: In order for remote commands to work, you must specify ‘doppleganger’. ORDER DOPPLEGANGER CLOAK: – Puts up a cloak that will mask entry and exit. ORDER DOPPLEGANGER SEEK : – Seeks out a player within the area. ORDER DOPPLEGANGER LOOK: – Look at the room your doppleganger is in. ORDER DOPPLEGANGER EXITS: – This will show you the exits in the room. ORDER DOPPLEGANGER RETURN: – Returns the doppleganger to you. ORDER DOPPLEGANGER CHANNEL \[params\]: – Channels a Necromancy ability. – Valid abilities: Decay, Shrivel, Chill, Screech, Belch, Leech, Bonedagger, and Vivisect. – Read AB NECROMANCY for more information. – Can also channel some Vision abilities. – Valid abilities: Aura, Sacral, Vibrations, and Traps. – Read AB VISION for more information. - Storm Paimon, the Candlekeeper #### Storm **Description**Usage: SUMMON STORM ORDER STORM TRACK Paimon will send to you a chaos storm. When ordered to attack, it will either spew flames, shoot lightning, or throw bolts of light at your target. You can also order it to TRACK down someone if the distance isn’t too far and it is not following anyone. First order it to attack your target, then order it to TRACK. - Gatekeeper Gatekeeper Ni’toks’i #### Gatekeeper **Description**Usage: SUMMON GATEKEEPER Gatekeeper Ni’toks’i will, when called upon, bring you to the Chaos Plane after a few moment’s wait. It is much faster than using TRANSCENDENCE, however, you must be on full health and mana to use this. - Hound Kerbos, the Pit Hound #### Hound **Description**Usage: SUMMON HOUND ORDER HOUND TRACK Kerbos, the Pit Hound, will send to you a chaos hound. This fearful beast has a limited number of attacks before its energy is depleted and it is returned to the Chaos Plane. Note that because of this, it will be omitted from ORDER LOYAL(S), you must order it individually. Should your target be shielded, it will tear the shield from them, otherwise it will attack with its claws. You can also order to TRACK, doing so will allow the beast to track down a player from a distance, providing it is not following anyone. Simply order it to attack someone, then order it to TRACK. - Crone Gulyara, the Decrepit Spinster #### Crone **Description**Usage: SUMMON CRONE Gulyara will send a withered old crone to you when summoned. The crone has the ability to wither the arms and legs of your opponents, crippling one of them when you order it to attack. - Pit Empress of Chaos, Xa’azamit #### Pit **Description**Syntax: SUMMON PIT Additional syntax: ENSORCELL PIT and ENTER PIT The Empress of Chaos, Xa’azamit, has taken over the powers that Golgotha once held. When you summon her, you will tear open a hole to the fabled Pit of Xa’azamit, where your declared enemies will be sucked into and swarmed upon by a mass of creatures from the Chaos Plane. It is no simple feat however. In order to draw your enemies into its maw, you must ensorcell the Pit with your might which will require your concentration as you do so – you may not perform an action that uses balance or equilibrium. You will begin to automatically ensorcell the Pit upon summoning. Additionally, any Domination user that can summon the Empress may ensorcell the Pit, lessening the impact of interruption should it occur. The first time the Pit attempts to pull an enemy in, it will capture their attention. Following that, those with levitation will avoid the draw of the Pit, however the defence will be destroyed if they resist its pull. If the target is fallen upon the ground or there are at least three Domination users ensorcelling the Pit, then the levitation defence will be ignored. ## Visual style and identity Indorani spells and gestures are chosen for dramatic, intimidating effect. Their work consists of gruesome displays of decay, destruction, and the corruption of physical and mental stability. Fell light and choking shadow intermingle in their sorcery, smearing the air around them to a chaotic blur and making them difficult to distinguish in combat. Chaos entities ambush from the shadows and fade away again in the moment after the attack lands. The aesthetic is Chakrasulian Despair made manifest: cards, decay, gestures, and entities pulled from somewhere worse than the world. ## Side effects of the work Repeated use of shadow leaves visible marks. The eyes become black and nearly solid, with corruption sprawling outward in the veins. Fingertips darken. Skin texture changes from something porous and organic to something strange and irregular. Whispering voices may grow more present in the back of the head, speaking in a language the Indorani does not understand. Over decades, the world loses its sense of color. Color blindness of varying severity can set in. The class does not pretend the work is clean. The body keeps the record. ## Who plays this class The Indorani is a class for players who want broad, versatile spellcraft and the freedom of operating outside a guild. The roleplay frame is occult: warlocks, witches, hedge-sorcerers, and dark scholars. Most align with Chakrasul, the Dark Mother, though not all do. Without a central tradition, individual Indorani vary widely in what they actually believe. Mechanically, the class rewards players who like deep magic kits with several power sources to juggle. You manage life essence, ambient shadow, the Tarot deck, and your pact with the Chaos Lords all at once. The class is one of the most spell-heavy on the Shadow side and one of the few that lets you skip guild membership entirely. ## City and guild The Indorani are associated with [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/), the Shadow Tether’s city of undeath, but the formal guild dissolved centuries ago. The class is now learned directly from Empress Xa’azamit on the Chaos Plane for 40 credits. This makes the Indorani one of the few Aetolia classes that does not require joining a guild to play. Playing an Indorani still commits you to Shadow. You cannot actively hold any Spirit-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Shadow classes or any of the untethered classes. Race is independent of class, so you can play an Indorani of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Indorani mirror is the [Oneiromancer](/character-classes/oneiromancer/), Duiran’s astral dream-mage. Both wield broad magic built on three distinct power sources, but the Indorani draws on Corrupt Chaos and the Dark Mother while the Oneiromancer draws on the Astral Realm and Omei the Imago. The chassis is the same; the alignment and tone are opposite. ## Frequently asked questions **Do you need to join a guild to play an Indorani?** No. The Indorani is one of the few Aetolia classes without a city guild. The original Indorani guild dissolved in 476 MA after the Severn curse. To learn the class today, find Empress Xa’azamit in the Chaos Plane (v24112) and apprentice to her for 40 credits. **What does the Tarot skill actually do?** Tarot is a magic system built around the Major Arcana. The Indorani infuses ambient shadow into symbolic cards, each card producing a distinct magical effect ranging from healing to direct harm. In combat, the deck functions as a spell list with a deliberately ritualistic frame. **Is Indorani hard for new players?** The class is magic-heavy with three distinct power sources to manage (life essence, ambient shadow, Chaos Lord pacts). New players can focus on one skill set first and grow the rest as they go. The trial system lets you test the class before committing lessons, so you can see how the deck and the entities feel before paying for them. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Indorani profile. Or see [Aetolia’s full class list](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Oneiromancer](/character-classes/oneiromancer/) The Indorani’s Spirit mirror. Same broad magic-class chassis, opposite alignment. Oneiromancy (fate and dreams), Hyalincuru (paper-folding as eldritch magic), Contracts (bargains with Fae Nobles of the Astral Realm). Pick Oneiromancer if you like the planar-bargaining frame but want to play on the Spirit side under Omei rather than under Chakrasul. ### [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/) Spinesreach’s Shadow mages. Sciomancy, Sorcery, Gravitation. Pick Sciomancer if you like dark magic-heavy work but prefer a structured guild, a research-driven culture, and the Plane of Shadow as your power source rather than Corrupt Chaos. ### [Praenomen](/character-classes/praenomen/) Bloodloch’s vampire signature class. Corpus, Mentis, Sanguis. Pick Praenomen if you want to stay in Bloodloch and Shadow but trade Chaos magic for a deep vampiric kit and the ability to Sire others into the Bloodline. [Back to the Aetolia class roster](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Indorani and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Executor of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/executor/) **Published:** November 20, 2023 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Executor of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-executor-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Executor class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Executor is Aetolia’s Shadow-tethered Syssin class, an ancient assassin cadre wielding Shadowdancing (ringblades and partner-paired killing work), Artifice (inked creatures and stealth charms), and Subversion (traps, bolts, and ambush craft) from Spinesreach. At a glance**Tether**Shadow**City**[Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/)**Guild**Syssin (Patron: Tanixalthas, the Sun Drinker)**Skill sets**Shadowdancing, Artifice, Subversion**Mirror class**[Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) (Spirit)**Sister class in guild**[Infiltrator](/character-classes/infiltrator/)**Signature mechanic**Inked creatures summoned from primal fears**Best for**Players who want graceful, partner-paired killing and shadow-magic stealthAs the final years of the Age of Conflict closed, Severn engineered the Second Ankyrean War to exterminate the Ankyreans. The Executors were his cadre of assassins, assigned to hunt down those Ankyreans who fled or saw through his deceit. When the work was done, Severn enacted the Grand Artifice, robbed the world of its memory, and granted his killers a quiet new life in the village of Nuunva as Indyuk warriors. After Severn’s demise centuries later, the inheritance he left to Spinesreach guided the mortals to Nuunva. The Executors’ dormant memories were unearthed and rekindled. The trade is back. ## Origin and lore For most of recorded Aetolian history, the Executors did not exist as a known order. Severn’s veil hid them. The Grand Artifice that ended the Second Ankyrean War also erased the cadre from collective memory, and the few who remained settled into the Indyuk warrior tradition of Nuunva for centuries. When Severn finally fell, his legacy did not vanish with him. The trail he left for his city of Spinesreach pointed mortals to Nuunva, where the buried memories were dug up. Modern Executors carry the same purpose as their predecessors: they hunt with precision, and they do so on behalf of the Theocracy. The Executor has no place in a line formation. They are not sent into crusades. They are dispatched against a specific quarry, named in advance, that requires Shadowdancing’s precision and Artifice’s psychological warfare to bring down. ## Skill sets The Executor skill sets are Shadowdancing, Artifice, and Subversion. **Shadowdancing** is the martial discipline. Executors wield ringblades, annular weapons unique to the class, and practice the art in tandem with a partner. Each movement is calculated: the ringblade shifts the Executor’s shadow into position to lash out alongside the strike. Consummate masters can separate from their shadow for a brief time, effectively doubling their killing prowess in legendary displays of bellicosity. **Artifice** is the deceptive-charm and creature-conjuring side. An Executor renders accomplices through ambient shadow and mental imagery, fabricating terrifying beings rooted in mortal minds’ deepest psychological fears. The conjured creatures are unstable and vicious, never considered friends or allies, controlled through banishment and binding charms rather than trust. **Subversion** rounds out the kit. This is the ambush, trap, and toxin school. Archery techniques, mechanical traps, and alchemical poisons all fall under it. The doctrine is to bleed an enemy into weakness before engaging directly, ensuring no Executor is ever locked into a fair fight. ## Skill abilities Shadowdancing Artifice Subversion Filter abilities Title Contents ### Shadowdancing - Dance Move with midnight’s sleek grace. #### Dance **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE DANCE This ability allows you to unleash a swift combination of attacks with a single command. - Repose Rest in the embrace of cool shadow. #### Repose **Description**Syntax: REPOSE By embracing the cooling sanctuary of darkness, you allow your body to recover endurance faster. You may only enter such a state when within a natural environment, which are limited to: Forests, Mountains, Hills, Beaches, Grasslands, Valleys, Swamps and Rivers. Any other area is not suitable for an Executor to seek such a bountiful state of rest. - Lithe Fight and dance with grace. #### Lithe **Description**Syntax: LITHE In a fight it is essential to stay on your feet. Using this skill, you will be able to occasionally avoid being knocked to the ground. This will tax your mana and willpower in order to upkeep. - Envenom Apply deadly venoms to your ringblade. #### Envenom **Description**Syntax: ENVENOM WITH WIPE With this ability, you may layer venoms on an edged weapon. Each time that weapon hits somebody, one venom will poison your opponent, and disappear from the weapon. Venoms work on a last-on, first-off basis, so if you put xentio on a weapon, and then put voyria on, the voyria would come off first, and the xentio second. You must possess a rag with the venom in order to apply it to a weapon. In order to get rid of the venoms on a weapon, simply WIPE . - Blocking Prevent movement in certain directions. #### Blocking **Description**Syntax: BLOCK and UNBLOCK Move into a position that blocks others from leaving your location, providing you are not incapacitated or feared. Should you move, you will cease to block. - Limberness Escape entanglement easily. #### Limberness **Description**Syntax: LIMBERNESS From your constant training you have learned how to remain limber even in the face of adversity. While under the effects of an affliction that lengthens balance recovery, they will only extend your balance by half as much. - Poise Gracefully handle your deadly ringblade. #### Poise **Description**This ability is passive. Your proficiency with the ringblade has heightened to the point that you can strike successfully with a single crippled arm. Having both arms crippled will still leave you helpless, however. Additionally, should your target have the arrhythmia affliction, then any attack with your ringblade cannot be parried. - Contravene Disregard defense. #### Contravene **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE CONTRAVENE If your opponent parries your attack you can instantly answer with another, though it will be weaker. This ability cannot deliver venoms. - Somersault Soar through the air with deadly grace. #### Somersault **Description**Syntax: SOMERSAULT By tensing your legs, you can somersault away the next time you successfully dodge an attack, providing you dodge within the next few seconds of activation. You will leave in the direction you originally came from, bypassing any obstructions in your way, however if you were magically transported or were moved in a fashion that wasn’t through an exit then you will be unable to somersault. - You can use the following single attacks - Brandish A vicious, swift strike against a foe. #### Brandish **Description**Usage: RINGBLADE BRANDISH After utilising certain abilities, you may follow the attack with a swift slice of your ringblade in a graceful motion. You may make use of this ability while off equilibrium for no extra cost. Brandish will work with the following abilities: Artifice: Verglas, Accost, Pester. Subversion: Kindle. - Incise Cut into their legs with a sweeping slash. #### Incise **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE INCISE With this single attack you are able to target one of your opponent’s legs. This will first cripple the limb, and then if it is left untreated, it will then break it causing damage to the bone. - Dissever Wound their arms with an arcing swing. #### Dissever **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE DISSEVER This skill can be used to target arms and cripple them. This first strike will leave the arm crippled, then if left untreated, the second will completely break the arm and damage the bone. - Brutalise Slam the side of your blade into your opponent. #### Brutalise **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE BRUTALISE \[venom\] RINGBLADE HAUL If your opponent is prone, you can use this ability to drive a sharp side of your ringblade deep into their stomach and deliver a venom. Your victim will be unable to act until they writhe free. Once impaled, you may drag them in a direction if you so wish. You may WITHDRAW RINGBLADE to remove your ringblade from your opponent should they be unable to writhe free, allowing you to act once more. - Terminate The killing stroke. #### Terminate **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE TERMINATE This move can be used to deliver a whirling coup de grace to your opponent, finishing them off in an efficient spectacle of crimson violence. To be able to use it, the opponent must be prone, suffering from confusion and arrhythmia and have both feeble arms and feeble legs. - Twinraze Tear through two layers of protective auras. #### Twinraze **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE TWINRAZE With this swift move, you can raze two of your opponent’s defences at once. The second raze will only work on rebounding aura or magical shields. It will raze the following in order: Reflections Magical shields Rebounding aura Speed defence - Stifle Silence their mewls of terror. #### Stifle **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE STIFLE By forcefully slamming your ringblade against your opponent’s throat you can efficiently remove his ability to swallow properly. Their destroyed throat will additionally prevent the Fitness ability from being used, should they have it. - Saw Run your ringblade through their innards. #### Saw **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE SAW If you have someone impaled upon your ringblade, you can saw through their innards to cause significant damage. - Pirouette Become a whirlwind of violence. #### Pirouette **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE PIROUETTE This difficult manuever will first strike your opponent with your ringblade, similar to Beguile or Contrive. After a short delay, and while you are off balance, you will strike them again – leaving only a small window before your next attack. If you are hindered while performing this advanced motion, the second attack will not strike. Should your opponent’s rebounding aura come up, or should he shield, then the second strike of Pirouette will raze it instead. - You can use the following initial attacks - Contrive Weave forward in a violent dance. #### Contrive **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE CONTRIVE \[venom\] Your deceptive dance allows you to draw near enough that you can run your ringblade along the exposed flesh of your mark. The attack will position you for a follow-up attack with the other blade. This will deliver a venom if they are an adventurer. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier75% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)70% Weapon Trauma Modifier145% Balance Recovery1.70 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Ploy Blind them with a tricksome ploy. #### Ploy **Description**Usage: RINGBLADE PLOY With a very precise cut above your opponent’s eyes, you can nick their nerves as cause them to see phosphenes in their vision. Afterwards you can easily position yourself for a follow-up attack. - Ruse Sow discord and confusion with your shadowy dance. #### Ruse **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE RUSE By simply threatening to strike and moving forward in a complex motion of the vaunted shadowdance, you can sow confusion within your mark’s mind. Your movements also make it possible to strike with a follow-up attack, allowing you to continue your graceful onslaught. This ability deals no damage, cannot be dodged, cannot miss, and is not affected by the aura of rebounding. - Gambit Leave them reeling amidst your deadly grace. #### Gambit **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE GAMBIT Using the the flat of your ringblade, deliver a brutal slap that leaves your mark momentarily stunned. This will allow you to follow-up with another attack. - Phlebotomise Let loose rivers of your mark’s blood. #### Phlebotomise **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE PHLEBOTOMISE This long slice across the target’s body will cause substantial damage. If the target is an adventurer, the slice will induce impairment into their body. If the target is already impaired, then it will induce addiction instead as well as additional bleeding. This will position you for a follow-up attack afterward. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier100% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)121% Weapon Trauma Modifier155% Bonus Bleeding40 Balance Recovery1.60 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Impair Sever nerves and bring weakness. #### Impair **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE IMPAIR Striking your foe’s arm muscles induces lethargy while striking either leg removes their ability to dodge for 10 seconds. This positions you for a follow-up attack. Abilities that clear Avoidance dodge cooldowns will allow the target to resume dodging early. - Shave Shear through your mark’s pitiful defenses. #### Shave **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE SHAVE This attack will allow you to strip the defences of your foe, prioritising magical shields and then the aura of rebounding. Afterwards it will strip at random. This attack will position you for a follow-up strike. - Gambol Leap forward and topple your opponent. #### Gambol **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE GAMBOL Tangling your weapon between your opponent’s legs is a sure way to make him fall. This will allow you to make a follow-up attack afterwards. - Perplex Confound and perplex with your lethal agility. #### Perplex **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE PERPLEX Spinning your weapon, you can strike them in the head with the flat of your ringblade causing blunt trauma. This advanced motion will create confounding, shadowy shapes, causing the epilepsy and laxity afflictions in your opponent. You may perform a follow-up attack afterwards. - Waylay None shall escape your killing prowess. #### Waylay **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE WAYLAY \[venom\] RINGBLADE WAYLAY This ability allows you to attack your opponent from an adjacent location, destroy the aura of rebounding if they are protected by one, and then follow-up with a second attack. Against a denizen, you must specify the direction of your target. This will deliver a venom if they are an adventurer. **Details**Target LocationAdjacent location Movement TypeDashing Denizens FollowYes Adventurers FollowYes Mounts FollowYes Weapon Damage Modifier100% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)70% Balance Recovery2.10 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled. - Cannot have paresis or be paralysed. - Cannot be fallen. - You can follow up your first blow with these attacks - Beguile A deceptive flourish. #### Beguile **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE BEGUILE \[venom\] Only after an initial attack can you manage this quick slash at your opponent. This will deliver a venom if they are an adventurer. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier75% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)70% Weapon Trauma Modifier105% Balance Recovery0.90 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Wile Let rivers of blood flow in the wake of your blade. #### Wile **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE WILE \[venom\] Positioning yourself properly with an initial attack, you can smoothly direct the other edge of your blade towards your opponent’s torso to cause massive bleeding and deliver a venom. - Inveigle A deceptively destructive follow-up strike. #### Inveigle **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE INVEIGLE \[venom\] This brutal, saw-like slash into the opponent’s torso will hack into them with the edge of your ringlade. If they are an adventurer, it can can additionally deliver a venom and if they are suffering from arrhythmia, it will knock their pill balance. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier110% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)121% Weapon Trauma Modifier140% Pill Balance Knock0.50 seconds Balance Recovery0.80 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 15 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Conciliate Pacify and disarm your mark. #### Conciliate **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE CONCILIATE Using sharp blows to the wrist, you are able to pry your opponent’s weapon from his hands. You need to position yourself properly with an initial attack to be able to use this attack. - Muddle A vertiginous strike to the head. #### Muddle **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE MUDDLE Cause impatience in your victim with clever movement as your deceptive dance becomes a blow to the head that causes damage and a small amount of trauma. - Desolate Shear through their ribcage. #### Desolate **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE DESOLATE You can shear into your target’s ribcage with this brutal blow, inducing arrhythmia. - Razor A swift, bloody slice of the razor’s edge. #### Razor **Description**Syntax: RINGBLADE RAZOR This very precise follow-up attack will strike the neck and leave your victim with a crippled throat, making it difficult to speak or make use of abilities that require the voice. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Artifice - Hide Conceal yourself in the shadows. #### Hide **Description**Syntax: HIDE and EMERGE Throughout their clandestine work, Executors of old learned to merge their very beings with the shadow and lie in wait for their renegade prey. By emulating their technique, you too can blend into your surroundings. This will allow you to quickly conceal yourself from common view, assuming no others stand in your location. If you wish to no longer hide, then you can emerge from your hiding place. - Tradecraft Communicate to fellow operatives via coded language. #### Tradecraft **Description**Syntax: TRADECRAFT It is often said that Syssin operatives possess a language all their own that allows swift communication between agents. Though the ancient speech fell out of favour in favour of the modern era’s hand signs and secretive signals, the traditional codespeech of the Executors lives on in defunct record and mouldy library all the same. Masking your words, you can communicate in secrecy across the area. - Climbing Clamber up into the trees with ease. #### Climbing **Description**Syntax: CLIMB UP and CLIMB DOWN It takes a knowing hand and eye to move through the treetops, finding purchase in every lofty bough and making sure the wind doesn’t buffet you from your perch. Should there be trees in your location, you may climb up into their treetops. You can then climb down if you wish to leave them. - Stoicism Reject danger and uplift rationality. #### Stoicism **Description**Syntax: STOICISM Through their intense mental training, Executors were known to deceive themselves by uplifting their rational thoughts above base panic, danger, and sensations related to inclement weather. In so doing, they possessed a supernatural tendency to shrug off injuries related to cold or even poison due to their cool demeanor and rugged mentalism. - Gird Form a protective layer of seething shadow. #### Gird **Description**Syntax: GIRD Cloak yourself in a protective layer of churning darkness, granting bonus resistance to physical damage. This resistance is greater when standing in a forest or blighted environment. - Coagulation Use your knowledge of healing to reduce bleeding. #### Coagulation **Description**Snytax: COAGULATION Anyone who spends time in the wilderness understands the value of a basic knowledge of first aid. Using this technique, you will cause your bleeding to passively clot while active, though it does drain mana in order to maintain. - Conceal Obscure your identity as you prowl. #### Conceal **Description**Syntax: CONCEAL By masking yourself in the shadows, you will be able to mask your movements to and from locations, concealing your identity from those who see you dart away. This defence lasts far longer when used within a forest environment. - Kinesics Leave a mark for your fellow operatives. #### Kinesics **Description**Usage: KINESICS CREATE KINESICS MAINTAIN KINESICS CLEAR Subtly altering the natural environment around you will allow you to leave a message that only Executors may read. This message will last only a few months, though you may maintain it to reset this timer. Alternatively, you may simply clear the present message. You may only clear messages you have placed. - Bounding Leap and stride throughout the land. #### Bounding **Description**Syntax: BOUNDING You are capable of moving through the forest with incredible ease, granting you bonus celerity in any natural outdoor environment and an additional bonus within forests. - Inspirit Draw upon your inner reserves for a second wind. #### Inspirit **Description**Syntax: INSPIRIT Usable only so often, you can call upon your inner reserves to refresh your body, granting you a temporary bonus to both your strength and constitution. If you use this skill within the limits of a city, you will also refresh a hefty portion of your endurance. Cooldown: 60 minutes - Tent Protect yourself from the elements. #### Tent **Description**Syntax: TENT SETUP TENT COLLAPSE TENT LOCATE Commodities: 3 rope, 3 wood, and 3 cloth. With the right commodities you will be able to construct a simple tent. The tent can only be put up outside and in fitting environments, these being: Forest, Valley, Hills, Plains, Desert, Mountains, Grassland and Jungle. When a tent is collapsed, you will only recover a portion of the commodities. Patrons are permitted to change the descriptions of your tent, as long as the description maintains that you are indeed inside a small, simple tent. - Campfire Build a campfire to soothe the body and soul. #### Campfire **Description**Syntax: CAMPFIRE BUILD CAMPFIRE STOKE Commodities: 3 wood to build 1 wood to stoke By building a campfire, you can keep yourself and others warm in the cold. Additionally, your craftsmanship will help regenerate the endurance and willpower of those that linger by the flames. When the fire starts to burn out, you may stoke it with extra wood to keep it alive. - Gloam Conjure terrifying shadows to assault your foes. #### Gloam **Description**Syntax: GLOAM While in a plant lush environment, you may call upon their natural shade to create a storm of dangerous, stinging shadow, damaging any enemy that is within your location. These thorns will additionally afflict your opponent with the loki venom. You may use this ability in the following environments: Forest, Jungle, Swamp, or Grasslands. It is possible to use gloam within a blighted location caused by an Alchemist, however you will find that the damage is reduced. - Bloodlust Revel in the weakness of prey. #### Bloodlust **Description**Syntax: BLOODLUST When you spill the blood of another, you will recover a portion of the damage you dealt as health. Critical hits do not affect the amount returned. - Ascertain Study the land for disturbances. #### Ascertain **Description**Syntax: ASCERTAIN As in ancient days, it is easiest to track spellcasters by the way they affect the sites they have visited. By relying on this knowledge while standing in a natural environment, you are able to spot disturbances such as fires or exterminated plant-life in the local area. - Trail Order a loyal creation to trail your mark. #### Trail **Description**Syntax: TRAIL While mounted on one of your summoned beasts, you may track to an outdoor opponent, moving you to their location after a short delay. - Grit Overcome ailments through sheer courage and will. #### Grit **Description**Syntax: GRIT Gather your courage and press on, purging yourself of a random affliction. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Revivify Scour any trace of desecration. #### Revivify **Description**Syntax: REVIVIFY In elder days, Executors utilised a spell that allowed them to pass without trace and leave no evidence of camp or simple travel. Though much of that incantation is lost to time’s amnesiac sands, yet some remains: the ability to restore damage of the land. Conveniently, this includes magical damage, allowing you to restore the state of a natural location that has been exterminated by a necromancer’s sorcery. - Vitality An adrenaline rush to heal your body. #### Vitality **Description**Syntax: VITALITY Providing you have full health and mana, you can call upon your adrenal glands to heal you significantly should your health drop below a quarter of its maximum. Cooldown (when triggered): 180 seconds - Campsite Expand your hunting ground into a fortified campsite. #### Campsite **Description**Syntax: CAMPSITE CONSTRUCT CAMPSITE REMOVE SCOUT You may convert your tent and campfire into a full campsite, granting you several bonuses exclusive to its presence. This process takes a bit of endurance and concentration as you set up the surrounding area, and may only be done in a forest environment. You will receive the following effects while remaining at your campsite: – Your campfire will no longer require stoking. – The title of your location will be temporarily changed to match your site. – Remaining in the treetops of your location will mask the presence of any allies, hiding them from sensing. – You may SCOUT while in the treetops, discerning the presence of any outdoor denizen or animal in the area. A campsite will last for one Aetolian week. - Facade Hide your accomplices from the watchful gaze of others. #### Facade **Description**Syntax: FABRICATE FACADE You may hide your accomplices via rudimentary artifice, concealing them mostly from view. - You have the following accomplice abilities - Illustrate Fabricate accomplices with ambient shadow. #### Illustrate **Description**Syntax: FABRICATE DISMISS CALL ACCOMPLICES ACCOMPLICES Executors of old displayed their grasp of fear and subtlety by way of fabricating beings that embodied such primal sensations. Utilising shadow and motion as reagents, this once-lost art forged dangerous accomplices that provided aid when conducting the Manipulator’s assigned purposes. Early students of this art are only capable of illustrating and commanding up to two accomplices at once. Consult AB ARTIFICE for a list of the accomplices you are capable of drawing into your employ. Fabricating an accomplice has no delay if used in a forest, as its shady gloam serves to heighten the binding process, but will otherwise impose a short delay if used in a non-urban environment, and a long delay otherwise. If you get separated from your accomplices you can CALL ACCOMPLICES at any time to return them to your side. ACCOMPLICES will let you see what beings you have summoned, as well as their current location. - Lurker A tricksome, irritating accomplice to lead them astray. #### Lurker **Description**Usage: FABRICATE LURKER Call forth a tenebrous lurker to confound your enemies, playing upon their fears of getting lost or poor navigation. Its tricksome lantern light will occasionally instill idiocy into the poor sap that it surrounds. - Wardpeeler An invasive, handsy accomplice that eats magic. #### Wardpeeler **Description**Usage: FABRICATE WARDPEELER An invasive little creature that plays upon physical discomfort or reticence for close proximity. The wardpeeler will try and strip away general defences. If they have the aura of rebounding, it will try and prioritise that first. - Lightdrinker An enigmatic being of shadow that manipulates light. #### Lightdrinker **Description**Usage: FABRICATE LIGHTDRINKER The enigmatic lightdrinker is a frightful creature that dances upon the air and consumes light for its own nefarious purposes. Though it does so without your bidding, it will often reach the limits of its hunger and expel some of its stolen effulgence as waves of refreshing energy that will heal you and your allies in the same location as it. It will heal either health or mana – but not both – as long as you are below 90% of your respective maximum. In addition, it will seek to protect other accomplices in your entourage, generating transient prismatic barriers that prevent aggression against them. - Murder An accomplice channeling primal, cataclysmic fear. #### Murder **Description**Usage: FABRICATE MURDER A being of ancient and modern fear alike, this sleek accomplice evokes a cosmic fear: the shape of the Worldrender, Dejaani. Crafted from corvid parts and inky shadow, it will swoop down and occasionally succeed in knocking a foe off balance. - Darkhound A canine accomplice of brutal demeanor. #### Darkhound **Description**Usage: FABRICATE DARKHOUND ORDER DARKHOUND LEAP The great darkhound will allow you to leap over any obstacle while mounted – should you also possess the Leaping ability in Horsemanship, it will become significantly faster. Additionally it will maul your opponents when it attacks, causing large amounts of bleeding and damage. Note that you cannot leap while inside of or into an indoors location. - Pilferer A many-legged accomplice with insectile pincers. #### Pilferer **Description**Usage: FABRICATE PILFERER While not as powerful as other accomplices, the pilferer plays to a common, childish fear: that of insects. It makes up for what it lacks in sheer strength with ingenuity – when an opponent attempts to consume a pill, it has a chance it will simply steal it away with its wicked pincers. It will also bolster the chance of Entrapment slightly. Please see AB SUBVERSION ENTRAPMENT for more information on this skill. Cooldown (on proc): 15 seconds - Monstrosity A sinuous, betentacled accomplice. #### Monstrosity **Description**Usage: FABRICATE MONSTROSITY This slithering, serpentine accomplice of brutal tentacles acts as mount and surprisingly powerful minion both, and will periodically ram your opponents, knocking them to the ground. - Throatripper A shrieking accomplice of talons and flesh. #### Throatripper **Description**Usage: FABRICATE THROATRIPPER This aerial accomplice will not hesitate to lacerate your victims, cutting their flesh with deadly talons and causing disfigurement. - Brutaliser A hulking, violent fabrication. #### Brutaliser **Description**Usage: FABRICATE BRUTALISER ORDER BRUTALISER RAMPAGE ORDER BRUTALISER RAMPAGE This bristling beast of an accomplice serves a hulking mount and brutal enforcer alike, its inky constituency making it no less heavy when tossing around your marks. While mounted, you may rampage a direction to bypass any blockers while simultaneously applying a stun to them. You can also choose to rampage a prone victim to deal blunt damage and cause a crippled limb, cracked ribs, or a crippled throat at random. This can give all of these afflictions at once, however it becomes less and less likely the more are given from a single rampage. About two is expected. When ordered to attack an opponent, it will deal some cutting damage. Should the brutaliser attack an opponent that is prone, its bulk will crush their chest and leave behind a light wound. - Cohort Animate three accomplices. #### Cohort **Description**This ability is passive. You may now fabricate and control up to three accomplices at a time. - Mount Your accomplices will hasten your pursuit. #### Mount **Description**Usage: MOUNT You may now mount several of your larger accomplices to use them as a steed. Not only are they usable with any associated Horsemanship abilities, but several of the accomplices possess unique abilities only usable while mounted. - Accost Accost their mind with fright and shadow. #### Accost **Description**Syntax: ORDER ACCOST A quick command to your accomplice will cause them to assail your target’s psyche, startling them with a mental affliction. Using this ability will open up the opportunity for a shadowdance brandish. Darkhound: Claustrophobia Brutaliser: Agoraphobia Eviscerator: Loneliness Terrifier: Mania - Pester Pester their body with fear and shade. #### Pester **Description**Usage: ORDER PESTER You may order a winged accomplice to swoop from above, striking your target and producing a specific effect depending on their type. Using this ability will open up the opportunity for a shadowdance brandish. Throatripper: Bleeding Lightdrinker: Upsets equilibrium Murder: Upsets balance - Eviscerator An accomplice embodying bloodlust. #### Eviscerator **Description**Usage: FABRICATE EVISCERATOR The scything claws of this terrible eviscerator inflict not only physical trauma, but can weaken the target’s very body, causing one of clumsiness or weariness. You may not control an eviscerator while a terrifier is in your entourage, for they are too opposed in nature to leave your coterie intact. - Rimestalker An accomplice wrought from night and frost. #### Rimestalker **Description**Usage: FABRICATE RIMESTALKER This accomplice born of ancient folklore will constantly plague your foe with chilling touches, causing cold damage while occasionally freezing them. This creature’s icy prowess is so great that it can freeze even the handsomest Minotaurs to death. - Terrifier An accomplice that cavorts within the mind. #### Terrifier **Description**Usage: FABRICATE TERRIFIER This horrifying accomplice, evocative of nyctophobian torment, assaults the mind of your enemy, instilling one of dizziness or epilepsy with each strike, alongside psychic harm. You may not control a terrifier while an eviscerator exists within your entourage, for their opposing natures would rend your coterie to shreds. - Verglas A spray of bone-chilling cold from a rimestalker’s palm. #### Verglas **Description**Usage: ORDER RIMESTALKER VERGLAS You may command your rimestalker to project a cone of tundral wrath at someone, chilling your victim. Using this ability will open up the opportunity for a shadowdance brandish. - Coterie Many hands make light work. #### Coterie **Description**This ability is passive. A master of shadow animation, you may now wilfully control up to four accomplices at a time. - Exploit Strike terror into the hearts of prey. #### Exploit **Description**Syntax: EXPLOIT For a limited duration you may order your accomplices to watch their target, looking for moments to strike. Their attack speed will be doubled for the duration of the effect. Cooldown: 60 seconds Filter abilities Title Contents ### Subversion - Bowmanship Kill from afar with a bow and arrow. #### Bowmanship **Description**Using a bow: SHOOT \[type/venom\] SHOOT SWITCH Using a quiver: INSPECT QUIVER or IQ INQ ARROWS OUTQ ARROWS Every hunter begins their journey with the basic longbow. First you must find yourself a bow, some arrows, and a quiver. Place the arrows you wish to use within your quiver using INQ, and then while wielding your bow, you can SHOOT a target within line-of-sight of you. You can use SWITCH to choose which of your arrows you will shoot by default. In addition to the regular venoms, you may also use the sumac and loki venoms with a bow. Against denizens, you must also supply the direction that you wish to shoot in. You may only use normal arrows and no venoms when targeting a denizen. - Adhere Adhere toxins to the edge of your arrows. #### Adhere **Description**Syntax: SHOOT You now possess the ability to adhere a toxin to your arrow, in order to coat your opponent with it. This will consume your normal arrows. - Warningshot Threaten your foe with a warning shot. #### Warningshot **Description**Syntax: WARNINGSHOT Fire a warning shot using your bow with the intent to threaten. This will consume your normal arrows. - Bowstance Wield bows fluidly. #### Bowstance **Description**Syntax: BOWSTANCE While wearing a bow, fluidly move it into your hands. - Fireshot Ignite toxins on a distant target. #### Fireshot **Description**Syntax: SHOOT FIRESHOT You may light your arrow before firing it, causing it to ignite any toxins on contact and set your target on fire. This will consume your normal arrows. - Delivery Attach an item to your arrow. #### Delivery **Description**Syntax: DELIVERYSHOT Attach an item to your arrow, delivering it to your target. The item cannot be too heavy. This will consume your normal arrows. - Crossbows A tool of deadly efficiency. #### Crossbows **Description**This ability is passive. Known for its mechanical ingenity, the crossbow is the chosen weapon for assassins all around the land due to its short reload time and ease of use. It takes a knowledgable mind to fully appreciate and use the weapon, and your proficiency with traps has helped you learn it quicker than most. Unlike other bows which are agile-sourced, the crossbow will alter the damage you deal with arrows to be knowledge-sourced. Refer to AB SUBVERSION BOWMANSHIP on how to use the crossbow. - Heavyshot A dense projectile that can push enemies. #### Heavyshot **Description**Syntax: SHOOT HEAVYSHOT Attaching a lead weight to your arrow will push your target out of the room with the momentum of the arrow. This will consume your normal arrows. - Scenttrails Seek out the scents of those nearby. #### Scenttrails **Description**Syntax: SCENTTRAILS A basic means of tracking, you can determine the location of those in the local area and in adjacent areas. - Splatter Splatter a dose of toxin with a fire source. #### Splatter **Description**Syntax: TOXIN SPLATTER AT Quickly smear a toxin on someone in your location by heating it until you can splatter someone with it. This requires you to have a fire source in your inventory, such as a tinderbox. If the opponent already has ignited toxin upon their body, then splattering a toxin upon them will smother the flames and consume the remaining toxin, as well as applying a new layer. Essentially this allows you to perform a reset. - Aiming Increase your accuracy in shooting. #### Aiming **Description**Syntax: AIM AIM Increase the accuracy of your crossbow by aiming at your target first. As long as they remain within the trajectory of the arrow, it will always hit them, even if they move from their original location. Against denizens, you must specify the direction to aim in. - Powershot Strike a target with a stunning shot. #### Powershot **Description**Syntax: SHOOT POWERSHOT By overdrawing your string, you can release a powerful shot that will stun your opponent briefly. This will consume your normal arrows. - Kindle Instantly set fire to toxins in your vicinity. #### Kindle **Description**Syntax: TOXIN KINDLE By releasing a small cloud of volatile ignition agent, you will rapidly change the flashpoint of any toxins on your target, causing them to instantly combust. If the target already has a kindled toxin, then using this ability will cause the toxin to burn through three cycles worth of material, potentially causing a hot burn. Using this ability will additionally open up the opportunity for a shadowdance brandish. - Marksense Follow your mark unerringly. #### Marksense **Description**Syntax: MARKSENSE Once a toxin is ignited upon someone, you can track their location, health, and mana from anywhere in the local area. It will also show any toxins upon their body and how many cycles they have left. This skill will bypass any sort of cloaking they may have. - Precision Snipe your enemies from distant treetops. #### Precision **Description**This ability is passive. Providing you are above the ground, such as in the trees or sky, your training and incredible sight allows you to aim and strike at anyone in the local area with your bow. Your arrows will take slightly longer to reach your target due to the distance and there is a slightly increased endurance cost to do so. - Quickshot Fire off a shot with inhuman reflexes. #### Quickshot **Description**This ability is passive. As long as you have a bow on hand, you can shoot it as though you are wielding it. - Deception Deceive the senses and lie in wait. #### Deception **Description**Syntax: DECEIVE SENSES At a periodic minor cost to your mana and willpower, you may mystically suppress your scent, preventing anyone from picking up on it. - Efficiency Economy of action. #### Efficiency **Description**Syntax: EFFICIENCY This ability will prepare yourself to hunt your mark, granting nimble fingers when performing certain actions. Whenever you next shoot an arrow, lay a trap, or splatter a toxin, it will cost significantly less balance in order to do so. This will last for three uses at which stage your efficiency shall be spent. Note that any arrows you shoot will deal less damage then normal while under the effects of efficiency. - You can use the following trap abilities - Traps Discern the presence of traps in your location. #### Traps **Description**Syntax: TRAPS \[ALL\] This ability will search for traps in the room, giving you information about them. You can also search for all traps in the land laid by you. - Clothesline Thin rope that will slice your victim. #### Clothesline **Description**Syntax: LAY CLOTHESLINE Commodities: 1 rope This trap will cut the jugular of any enemy of yours that passes by, slitting their neck and causing them to bleed. - Darts Pierce your foe with twin poisonous darts. #### Darts **Description**Syntax: LAY DARTS Commodities: 1 wood The darts trap shoots out a dart when sprung, and then a second one a few moments later. It does no damage, but may be coated to poison the victim. This trap can only be sprung by your enemies. - Coat Coat your traps in toxins or venoms. #### Coat **Description**Syntax: COAT WITH WIPE OFF TRAP You now posess the ability to coat a trap in either venoms or deadly toxins. Only certain kinds of traps can be coated with either a venom or toxin. In addition to the regular venoms, you may also use the sumac and loki venoms with your trap. Traps that can be coated: Darts, Spike, and Launcher - Incendiary An explosive trap that ignites toxins. #### Incendiary **Description**Syntax: LAY INCENDIARY Commodities: 1 iron This simple trap will burst into hot sharpel when an enemy treads on it, lighting them on fire and igniting toxins that have adhered to them. If burning toxins are already present on the target, then it will melt away the top layer and induce a hot burn. - Disarming Quickly take traps apart. #### Disarming **Description**Syntax: DISARM Using this ability, you will attempt to disarm a trap that has been laid. If the trap was set by you, you will recollect the commodities used in its creation, if any were used. If the trap was not laid by you, then it will take time and concentration to disarm it. You may not perform any actions while you disarm the trap, or it will be sprung upon you. - Smokescreen Take cover beneath smoke when your foe arrives #### Smokescreen **Description**Syntax: LAY SMOKESCREEN HERE Commodities: 2 diamond dust An explosive trap that lets loose a smokescreen, improving your ability to dodge and divert drastically by weaving through the smoke. This effect remains active for a short period within the room it is triggered in. - Horseshoe A trap that stuns its victims with a head strike. #### Horseshoe **Description**Syntax: LAY HORSESHOE HERE Commodities: 1 iron A few seconds after this trap has been sprung by an enemy, a horseshoe will fall down from above and strike them in the head, giving them a nasty stun for a short period. - Noose Catch your prey in an entangling trap. #### Noose **Description**Syntax: LAY NOOSE Commodities: 2 rope This trap will snare your enemy in a noose of ropes, strangling them and dealing asphyxiation damage until they writhe free of its grasp. - Catapult Send your victim flying across the area. #### Catapult **Description**Syntax: LAY CATAPULT HERE LAY CATAPULT HERE SKYWARDS Commodities: 1 rope, 1 wood The catapult trap launches an enemy in the specified direction or straight up into the sky, should they not have the density defence. Multiple catapults can be chained together to move an enemy a number of rooms, however only three catapults will activate in a single instance. Any further catapults triggered will break. - Alarm Put an alarm on a trap. #### Alarm **Description**Syntax: SET ALARM You can set an alarm on your trap to notify you of who springs it or disarms it, including what kind of trap it was, and its location. - Spike A hidden spear beneath the earth. #### Spike **Description**Syntax: LAY SPIKE HERE Commodities: 1 rope, 1 wood, 1 iron The spike trap is a delayed trap that activates after a few seconds, launching a iron-tipped spike into your opponent from below. It can be coated to poison your target as well. **Details**Damage TypeCutting Damage SourceKnowledge Base Damage600 + 18% Armour Modifier20% Bleeding8.33% of damage Base Damage (Denizen)800 Spike Delay4 seconds Balance Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Cannot be used while phased. - Cannot be flying in the sky. - Launcher A mechanism for spraying toxins onto foes. #### Launcher **Description**Syntax: LAY LAUNCHER HERE Commodities: 1 rope, 1 wood Once coated with a toxin, this mechanical trap will launch its payload into the air when triggered. This will adhere one layer of toxin to not only the enemy who triggered it, but all enemies within the location as well. - Entrapment Steer an opponent into one of your traps. #### Entrapment **Description**This ability is passive. The skill with which you lay out a trap now allows you a chance to steer an opponent into it, should they dodge an attack. This will only work on traps laid in your location and not on traps that are armed upon exits. This chance is increased if they are suffering from the arrhythmia affliction or a pilferer is aiding you. Base chance: 30% Arrhythmia: +30% Pilferer assistance: +10% - You may create and use the following toxins - Toxins Prepare toxins from ink and plantlife distillate. #### Toxins **Description**Syntax: TOXIN PREPARE IN COLLECT SAP FILL FROM FLUIDCACHE CONSUME To begin preparing adhesive toxins, you must first have access to a preservation room, have a chunk of hardened plant sap and inks to use as a base, and a cauldron to house the resultant final product in. First you must COLLECT yourself some toxic plants from any forest room, which will be enough for one mixture of toxic material. Each toxin will also require a specific amount of inks, which will depend on the toxin you are trying to make. Once you have these two ingredients, you can then begin to PREPARE your toxin, which will create the mixture in short order. Each batch will contain enough toxin to FILL three vials. There are two layers which can be adhered to a target’s body with one toxin application needed to create a single layer. The first layer, when ignited, will burn slowly and heat up over time, causing a negative effect on the target until it finishes burning. Once the first layer burns away, the second layer will ignite in a powerful reaction. This reaction is short lived and lasts little more then a couple seconds, but is generally more powerful. For each toxin, you can view their corresponding help file (AB SUBVERSION ) to find out more. - Flammable A sticky, flammable toxin with explosive potential. #### Flammable **Description**Inks: 3 red A basic toxin taught to all beginners, the flammable toxin is well known for being able to burn for long periods of time, gaining intensity the longer it is alight. This was especially effective for burning down settlements or charring away all evidence from the scene of a crime. Cold burn effect (12 cycles): Flammable toxins will scorch the lungs with heated fumes periodically, dealing fire damage. Hot burn effect: The toxin will combust in a tower of horrific flames, burning the unfortunate victim coated in it. The less health they have when it activates, the more damage they will take. - Coagulating A toxin that coagulates amidst heat. #### Coagulating **Description**Inks: 2 purple, 1 blue Unlike others in its classification, this toxin emits no heat or fumes when burnt. However, it will quickly harden and form a tough shell, making movement difficult. In ancient times of the first Executors, this toxin was employed to restrict the movement of arms at the wrist, ensuring somatic spellcasting could not proceed. Cold burn effect (8 cycles): A tough shell will begin to form, reducing the target’s ability to dodge and divert while it burns. It will also improve accuracy against the target by 10%. Hot burn effect: The toxin will rapidly harden into a solid state, forming a shell that will hinder movement for a few seconds before breaking away. - Hallucinatory A deadly neurological toxin. #### Hallucinatory **Description**Inks: 3 yellow This slick toxin produces powerful fumes when ignited, causing harmful effects to those that inhale it. As it reaches high temperature, the fumes become powerfully toxic to a weakened mind. Large swathes of this toxin were often employed to disable Ankyrean renegades, ensuring their destructive magics did not obliterate teams of Executors trailing them. Cold burn effect (9 cycles): If the opponent is suffering from dizziness, then the fumes will cause the faintness affliction. Hot burn effect: The toxin will release powerful toxic fumes as it burns away, applying a stun to the target for a time based on each euphoriant cured affliction they have yet to heal. - Adhesive An oily toxin that melds to and scalds flesh. #### Adhesive **Description**Inks: 3 blue Highly viscuous in nature and slow to burn, adhesive toxins will reveal minute motions of the target through its smoky fumes. It has been known to deeply char the skin once it reaches high temperatures. The Executors of old would often employ this toxin in an attempt to hamper the intense healing capabilities of their demigod adversaries, though records as to its effectiveness look to be scoured away by the sands of time. Cold burn effect (14 cycles): The smoky fumes will reveal which limb the target shifts their parry to. Hot burn effect: Burns the skin deeply, giving the burnt skin affliction making poultices useless until cured. - Choking A toxin that exacerbates physiological response. #### Choking **Description**Inks: 2 red, 1 yellow This strangulating toxin is a potent chemical that releases a thick, choking smoke as it burns. The smog will cause an irritant that will agitate the effects of allergies, increasing its potency while the resin remains. At higher temperatures where it reaches a vapor point, it will completely knock out the senses. Combined with large sources of fire, Executors often employed this toxin to create a narrow window of opportunity to assassinate their marks in one fell swoop before grand arcana could be turned upon them. Cold burn effect (10 cycles): The tarry smoke will increase the severity of allergies by one extra stack each time it painfully spreads its rash. This effect only works during the first stage of allergies, before it becomes particularly severe. Hot burn effect: Induces a short-lived blackout in the target. - Septic A fast-acting, deadly toxin. #### Septic **Description**Inks: 1 green, 2 yellow This toxin possesses a uniquely low melting point, ensuring that it will liquify and seep into any open wounds on the target while burning and react with left over traces of venom. Though their marks were resilient demigods, ancient Executors employed this toxin in hopes of outlasting and overwhelming their foes. Cold burn effect (8 cycles): The target will take increasing poison damage, proportional to the amount of venom-sourced afflictions present. Hot burn effect: For each venom-sourced affliction present on the target, they will become afflicted with an instance of loki. You will be informed of each venom it delivers and it won’t give afflictions the target already has. - Paralytic A toxin that heightens paralytic process. #### Paralytic **Description**Inks: 2 red 1 purple Though this toxin possesses a saccharine scent, the fumes from the concoction are known to induce a muscle-clenching physiological reaction in those that breathe them in. As the toxin climbs in temperature, the fumes can begin to mess with the target’s mind. Swift to combust into conflagrant potency, Executors trusted this toxin to hamper the complex gestures and intense focus necessary for their mark’s spellcasting. Cold burn effect (6 cycles): Reduces the time of paresis to transform into paralysis by half. Hot burn effect: Powerful fumes will leave the target with paresis, impatience, and confusion. If they already have paresis, it will give an arrhythmia instead. If they have impatience, it will give hallucinations instead. If they have confusion, it will give stupidity instead. ## Visual style and identity Executors clothe themselves for clandestine operations. No hanging fabric, nothing that snags during infiltration, sturdy footwear meant for long journeys. Jewellery and trinkets that make a wearer identifiable were forbidden in the elder days. The modern era allows magical rings or amulets as a compromise, but cosmetic embellishment stays minimal. They favour dark materials that blend into the shadows they manipulate, including the metal of their ringblades. In combat, an Executor moves with chilling grace and terrifying efficiency. Every movement serves a purpose, because each movement manipulates the shadow that is their silent companion. Flourishes, heel turns, clever feints, and trickster slashes conspire into the ancient shadowdance, tearing an opponent into bloody tatters with successive strikes. The fighter’s shadow shifts independently, creating distractions and confusion that allow yet more dangerous assaults. Each Executor is accompanied by constructs born from mortality’s primal fears. They lurk within the master’s shadow as a fierce coterie, capable of breaking the body, mind, and spirit of whomever the Executor stands against. ## Side effects of the work The constant association with primal embodiments of terror takes a toll. An Executor might display behaviour others would describe as unnerving or on edge. Haunted by the constant presence of these beings, they often grow desensitised to normally terrifying displays or topics. They are utterly at home in darkness and might recognise shapes or patterns where there is naught but absolute black. Subversion’s constant ambush-craft means Executors tend toward single-minded, mechanical thinking. Early students find their hands burn or scar from freshly concocted toxins, or they injure their fingers when catching them in trap components. The need for stealth and subtlety often leaves Executors as private, closed-off individuals who divulge very little of their feelings, thoughts, or plans. This can make them standoffish in social situations. ## Who plays this class The Executor suits players who want a fluid, partner-based fighting style and don’t mind the psychological dressing of summoned terrors. The kit is graceful where the Carnifex is brutal. Both kill efficiently, but the Executor does so with grace. Roleplay-wise, Executors are soldiers in service to the Theocracy. Chivalry and negotiation are not part of the mandate. They are dispatched, and they finish the job. Some Executors maintain ties to a god or goddess as an echo of the days when Severn dictated every move. Others operate freelance within the guild’s broader mandate. If you want a frontline brawler, look at the Carnifex or the Ravager. If you want to be the surgeon Spinesreach sends after a single named target, this is the class. ## City and guild The Syssin guild is anchored in [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/), the Shadow-tethered Republic of the north. Patron: Tanixalthas, the Sun Drinker. The guild houses both the Executor class and its sister class, the [Infiltrator](/character-classes/infiltrator/), Severn’s older line of city defenders. Joining the Executor class means committing to Shadow. You cannot actively hold any Spirit-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Shadow classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race choice is independent of class, so you can play an Executor of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Executor mirror is the [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/), Duiran’s forestal hunter. Both are graceful, mobile killers with companion mechanics. Executors use ringblades, partner-paired shadow work, and inked creatures from primal fear. Sentinels use the dual-bladed dhurive, bows and traps, and feral animal companions from the wild. The mechanics mirror each other; the worldview does not. ## Frequently asked questions **Is the Executor good for new players?** It can be, but the Shadowdancing partner-paired combat takes more setup than a solo melee class. If you have a friend playing another Syssin, the partner mechanics shine. Solo, the kit still works, but it is harder to learn. The trial system lets you test it free. **What is the difference between Executor and Infiltrator?** Both share the Syssin guild and Spinesreach home. Infiltrators wield dirks, whips, and Hypnosis, and the class is untethered. Executors wield ringblades, conjure inked creatures, and the class is Shadow-tethered. Many Syssin members hold both. **Can I play an Executor in a Spirit city?** No. Executor is Shadow-tethered, so joining a Spirit city quits the class. You can hold Executor while holding any other Shadow class or untethered class. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Executor profile. Or see [every Aetolia class](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Infiltrator](/character-classes/infiltrator/) Executor’s sister class in the Syssin guild. Pick Infiltrator if you like Spinesreach and the Syssin culture but prefer the untethered Hypnosis-and-bow style over Shadowdancing ringblades and inked-creature conjuration. ### [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) The Executor mirror on the Spirit side, anchored in Duiran’s forests. Pick Sentinel if you want graceful skirmisher combat with an animal companion but prefer the wild and the Cycle to Shadow and Severn’s legacy. ### [Bard](/character-classes/bard/) Untethered performer-assassin from Djeir’s Theater of Shadows. Pick Bard if you like the assassin frame and acrobatic combat but want falchion work, Songcalling magic, and the Grace of the Empress instead of shadow conjuration. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Executor and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Earthcaller of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/earthcaller/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Earthcaller of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-earthcaller-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Earthcaller class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Earthcallers are Aetolia’s warrior-priests of the Earth, a Shadow-tethered class in Bloodloch that wields Subjugation (bone manipulation paired with shield and crozier), Apocalyptia (the holy verses of the Earthen Dirge), and Tectonics (lava and stone in battle). At a glance**Tether**Shadow**City**[Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/)**Guild**Apostles (Patron: Arvelis, the Jackal)**Skill sets**Subjugation, Apocalyptia, Tectonics**Mirror class**[Luminary](/character-classes/luminary/) (Spirit)**Sister class in guild**[Teradrim](/character-classes/teradrim/)**Signature mechanic**Apocalyptia dirge (psychic verses drawn from the Earthen collective)**Best for**Players who want a war-priest with bone magic and a holy textThe Earthcaller order originated in the great city of Azvosh Rakar, a caste of warrior-priests serving the Earthen Lord through martial discipline and the weaving of holy verse. On the Prime they share the Apostles guild with their sister class, the Teradrim, and stand the same vigil: keeping the Sorcerer-Kings bound to the Pillars of the Earth so the world does not break. If you want to play a warrior-cleric who fights with a shield and crozier, manipulates bone in combat, and sings verses from a holy text against enemies, the Earthcaller is one of Aetolia’s most distinctive religious classes. ## Origin and lore Earthcallers are jailers and wardens by calling. Their charge is to maintain a solemn vigil over the Pillars of the Earth and the Sorcerer-Kings bound there, guardian against the oblivion that would come should those prisoners break free and bring about the breaking of the world. The theology is rooted in Azvosh, the Elemental Plane of Earth, the source of the elemental earth that forms part of the Prime Material Plane. Its nature is strength and absolute purity, glory in battle, violent conquest, and endurance without end. Ivoln, the Earthen Lord, instilled these values into the Earthen when He conquered the plane in ages past, and the modern Earthen memorialise that conquest through disciplined war dances. The Pillars themselves are ancient cthonic structures formed in a long-forgotten age, residing in the yawning void between Azvosh and the Prime. They are the shoulders of the world: uncountable in number, fathomless in size, mighty monoliths that keep the two planes from colliding. The Sorcerer-Kings tried to steal the Pillars’ power for themselves. They were bound for eternity, drained of strength as they strive to break free, and the prison must be fed regular offerings of blood to stay stable. ## Skill sets The Earthcaller skill sets are Subjugation, Apocalyptia, and Tectonics. All three draw on the earth for strength in different ways. **Subjugation** is the martial-and-bone discipline. An Earthcaller wields shield and crozier as weapons of choice, and uses the skill to call up fragments of bone from the earth and to manipulate bone directly: grafting, swarming, suffusing. The work is overtly forceful and direct. **Apocalyptia** is the holy art. By tapping the collective memories of the Earthen, an Earthcaller joins their voice to the Earthen Dirge, an eternal, timeless song composed of the voices of all Earthen. The verses are drawn from the holy text of the same name, and the skill is largely psychic in nature, directed by exertion of mind. What audible verses exist range from whispered prayers to full-throated chants. **Tectonics** is the lava and stone art. An Earthcaller rouses the earth itself to action, wielding stone and lava in battle. The skill operates with the same forceful, conspicuous register as Subjugation. Prolonged Tectonics work scars the body from extreme heat. ## Skill abilities Subjugation Apocalyptia Tectonics Filter abilities Title Contents ### Subjugation - Count Count the bones within your collection. #### Count **Description**Syntax: OSSO COUNT An Ossomancer can observe the power of their collected bones and the assaults they carry out with them with but a glance. - Ossomancy The earth will provide the tools of your trade. #### Ossomancy **Description**Syntax: OSSO DRAW and OSSO RELEASE OSSO CEASE This ability will allow you to call forth fragments of bone from the very earth itself, drawing upon the remains of all who have been wrapped in its embrace. Should you be utilising these bones for an ongoing power, you may cease its use. - Swarm A swarm of bone fragments to obscure sight from without. #### Swarm **Description**Syntax: OSSO SWARM Fragment cost: 300 Manipulate your collection into a swarm of fragments that engulf your immediate area, preventing anyone outside it from glancing in. This will drain your collection of fragments over time. - Anointing Anoint yourself with Earthen runes. #### Anointing **Description**Syntax: ANOINT RUNE OF This ability will allow you to anoint your face with the Earthen runes of power to boost your abilities. The runes and inks required are: – Geor: 1 goldink, 1 redink. – Meath: 1 goldink, 1 yellowink. – Ragh: 1 goldink, 1 purpleink. – Baen: 1 goldink, 1 greenink. – Zhop: 1 goldink, 1 blueink. These runes will imbue different bonuses, however you can only have one at a time. The bonuses are: – Geor: Reduces impurity gained for Tectonics by 15%. – Meath: Apocalyptia Revelation will act like an eye sigil. – Ragh: When below 25% health, you will resist attacks by 10%. – Baen: Provides a small bonus to endurance regeneration. – Zhop: Provides a small bonus to willpower regeneration. To replace an old rune, simply anoint the new one you’d like. - Dust Scour their flesh with explosive bone dust. #### Dust **Description**Syntax: OSSO DUST Fragment cost: 150 By shredding slivers of bone into fine dust and applying friction, you may cause an explosion around your target, setting them ablaze and causing any applied poultices to have a chance to fail for a short time – the sudden flare leaving the layer of skin that would typically absorb the salve seared. - Ribcage A thickened ribcage to protect from harm. #### Ribcage **Description**Syntax: OSSO RIBCAGE \[target\] Fragment cost: 100 This ability will allow you to form a ribcage of hardened bone around whomever you choose. If you do not specify anyone, then you will raise the ribcage around yourself. - Visage Manipulate your bone fragments into a terrifying visage. #### Visage **Description**Syntax: OSSO VISAGE Fragment cost: 100 Amass your bone fragments into a terrifying visage that will strike fear into the heart of your target. Should your opponent have a loose grip upon their weapons, they will drop them. - Resorption Shear your own bones to suffuse your fragments. #### Resorption **Description**Syntax: OSSO RESORPTION Though a painful process, you may shave fragments of bone from your own skeleton to suffuse your accumulated mass. You may use this ability even when you have drawn no bones. - Scatter Scatter fragments in the air to gaze upon your enemies. #### Scatter **Description**Syntax: OSSO SCATTER Fragment cost: 100 At a constant drain to your assembled fragments, they will begin to alert you to the movements of your enemies in the local area. You will also get a status report each time you move into a new location. - Hoard Hoard your fragments for later use. #### Hoard **Description**Syntax: OSSO HOARD Hoard your fragments that remain, ceasing any currently active abilities they may be performing. - Ossification Grow your own bones with the help of your fragments. #### Ossification **Description**Syntax: OSSO OSSIFICATION Fragment cost: 10% of maximum You may recall some of your accumulated bone fragments into your body, replenishing some of your health by means of ossification. - Glean Their bones will reveal their secrets. #### Glean **Description**Syntax: OSSO GLEAN Fragment cost: 5 You may attune your fragments to the resonance of an opponent’s own bones to decipher the whereabouts of your target, regardless of where they might be. You will glean their location, health and mana levels, and the presence of any who many be with them. Should your target be in the same room as you, then this ability will not cost equilibrium. - Ossicle A beacon of bone to resonate intercepted sounds. #### Ossicle **Description**Syntax: OSSO OSSICLE Launch a sliver of bone skyward to act as a beacon attuned to mental wavelengths, allowing you to decipher the tells that players in the room with you receive. - Lurch Grasp an opponent’s bones and lurch them towards you. #### Lurch **Description**Syntax: OSSO LURCH \[target\] Fragment cost: 35 This ability will allow you to violently pull upon the skeletons of those around you, causing them to lurch towards you. If you choose a specific target, then you will only pull that person in. This ability will strip the rebounding defence if it is successful in moving the target, but only if it is targeted on a single opponent. - Incisor Imbue an incisor with the power to strip their defenses. #### Incisor **Description**Syntax: OSSO INCISOR Fragment cost: 35 Congeal your fragments into an enormous incisor to assault your opponent’s defences, stripping one. This ability will always strip rebounding first if they have it, otherwise it will strip a random defence. - Clamour Clamour your fragments to reveal Chaos entities. #### Clamour **Description**Syntax: OSSO CLAMOUR Fragment cost: 15 Clamour your bone fragments together to create a resonance that will reveal to you a list of all chaos entities currently on the Prime Material Plane. - Spur Coax spurs to grow from their skull. #### Spur **Description**Syntax: OSSO SPUR \[target\] Fragment cost: 25 You may cause spurs of bone to periodically form from your opponent’s skull, debilitating their mind in a myriad of ways as their brain is punctured at your command. While this does require your balance and equilibrium, it consumes neither. However, due to the focus required on this scale, you will need to wait a short while before using it again. You may choose from the following afflictions: Anorexia, stupidity, impatience, vertigo, ringing ears, self pity, mania, or migraine. If your fragments are in the process of infiltrating an opponent, then the next time they passively take effect it will use the spur affliction chosen and will mask it. There is no recovery time if it is used in this method. - Disperse Disperse your fragments throughout the local area. #### Disperse **Description**Syntax: OSSO DISPERSE Fragment cost: 100 You may disperse fragments of bone throughout the local area to assess that which is around you; you will discern all within the area, their location, and their current health and mana levels. - Oracle Know their passage by their bones and yours. #### Oracle **Description**Syntax: OSSO ORACLE Fragment cost: 25 You may attune your fragments to your opponent’s skeleton to create a resonance between it and you, revealing their steps within the local area. This will slowly drain your fragments of bone over time. - Bleach Bleach the nutrients from their body, leaving them weak. #### Bleach **Description**Syntax: OSSO BLEACH Fragment cost: 30 You may draw forth the nutrients from your opponent’s bones, weakening them and diminishing their mental capacity. If they possess the accursed affliction, then the amount is increased. - Contemplation Assess their mental stability. #### Contemplation **Description**Syntax: CONTEMPLATE Contemplate your opponent’s mental state and discover their mana levels. - Infiltrate Use bone dust to infiltrate your enemy’s body. #### Infiltrate **Description**Syntax: OSSO INFILTRATE Fragment cost: 75 You may turn your fragments of bone into a fine dust that infiltrates your opponent’s body and bloodstream to wreak havoc from within. The chosen affliction will be masked from your target’s view. A list of possible afflictions: Anorexia, stupidity, impatience, vertigo, ringing ears, self pity, mania, or migraine. If your target has all of these afflictions, then the infiltration will drain your opponent’s mana. This ability will drain bone fragments over time. - Wyrmyard Seek shelter within the earth’s embrace, guided by bone. #### Wyrmyard **Description**Syntax: OSSO WYRMYARD Fragment cost: 300 You may form your accumulated bone into a cocoon around you that is then called back to the earth as a place of refuge in its embrace. Once this ability is used, after a small delay you will be transported to the wyrmyard, a cemetery for the great wyrms that exists beyond Azvosh in the Prime Material Plane. If you lose equilibrium or balance, or leave the location you are in before it completes, then the cocoon will shatter. Those with the sanction benefits of the Apostles will be taken within the hollowed skull of one such wyrm, inaccessible by otherwise normal means. - Graft Continuously graft fragments to heal your weary body. #### Graft **Description**Syntax: OSSO GRAFT Fragment cost: 150 With this ability you may graft fragments from your collected mass onto your skeleton to heal your physical wounds. This will slowly drain your fragments over time. - Splinter Magnify your fragments by force of sheer will. #### Splinter **Description**Syntax: OSSO SPLINTER Albeit mentally taxing to do so, you may shave splinters from your assembled bone fragments and grow them into new ones, increasing the number of them at your disposal. - Endoskeleton Create for yourself a new and invigorated skeleton #### Endoskeleton **Description**Syntax: OSSO ENDOSKELETON Fragment cost: 1000 Though it will render the entirety of your collected fragments inert, you may create for yourself an entirely new and invigorated skeleton. This will completely restore your body and mind, and free yourself from all afflictions in the process. You will be unable to draw bones from the earth again for a short time afterwards. Cooldown (Draw): 10 minutes - Fragmentation Tear the skeleton from your wretched enemy. #### Fragmentation **Description**Syntax: OSSO FRAGMENT Fragment cost: 500 The zenith of your ossomancy abilities: the ability to turn your foe’s skeleton into naught but bloodsoaked fragments. Should your opponent be below 45% of their maximum mana reserves, they will be utterly unable to resist your might, leaving you to pull their bones painfully through their flesh, killing them instantly. This will also restore a portion of your assembled fragments, depending on the target’s level, and can overflow your swarm’s maximum power. - You can use the following shield attacks - Shieldplay Shields and how to use them. #### Shieldplay **Description**This ability is passive. Shields are one of the main tools of the Earthcaller, second only to their calcified weapon. Most abilities that make use of your shield will have their damage and balance recovery times altered by the type of shield you use. The simplest way to look at it is that smaller shields are faster, while bigger shields deal more damage. Some abilities may have more unique effects based on your shield type, however they will be described in the relevant AB help file for that ability. Below is a list of shields from smallest to largest: Buckler or Cavalry shield Banded shield Kite or Tower shield All shields can offer the same level of protection, the only thing that matters is the size for your abilities. - Strike A simple attack with your shield. #### Strike **Description**Syntax: SHIELD STRIKE Deal a simple strike with your shield, dealing blunt damage to your target. If they are an adventurer, it will cause paresis from an Earthen rune. - Raze Forcefully cast away their protections. #### Raze **Description**Syntax: SHIELD RAZE Strip away any protective barriers from your target, such as the rebounding aura or a magical shield. - Horrification Force them to look upon what awaits. #### Horrification **Description**Syntax: SHIELD HORRIFY By holding your shield aloft, you may torment your foe with an image of their terrible fate: broken before you and reduced to ash. So powerful is your coalesced vision that they will be forced to look upon it, shattering the courage of your opponent. - Crush Strike at their limbs with crozier and shield. #### Crush **Description**Syntax: SHIELD CRUSH AND Strike with a swift combination of shield and calcified weapon aimed to crush your opponent’s limbs. You may target the head, torso, legs, or arms of your enemy, but you may not target the same limb for both hits; your dexterity is not infinite. The size of shield used will affect the amount of limb trauma dealt, with larger shields dealing more limb damage. You will find you are unable to Subdue while off balance following this move. - Facesmash Smash your shield into your foe’s face. #### Facesmash **Description**Syntax: SHIELD FACESMASH Smash your shield into your target’s face, causing them misery and shattering their courage. You will find that you cannot Subdue while off balance following this move. - Crash Crash your shield into your foe’s head. #### Crash **Description**Syntax: SHIELD CRASH Crash your shield into your foe’s head with a mighty blow. Should they suffer from two mental afflictions, this will leave their equilibrium disrupted. You will find that you cannot Subdue while off balance following this move. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction. - Punch Punch your shield into your foe’s stomach. #### Punch **Description**Syntax: SHIELD PUNCH Punch your shield into your opponent’s stomach, causing weariness. - Deface Brutalise a weakened opponent with merciless fury. #### Deface **Description**Syntax: SHIELD DEFACE Effective only on a prone target, you may brutally deface them with a vicious amount of damage and bleeding, and knock them to the floor. Along side the standard benefits of shield size, smaller shields deal more bleeding, while larger shields inflict more health damage. Should your opponent suffer from over five curable afflictions, their senses will be drowned in a blackout and they will suffer increased damage. The damage will increase by 8% for each affliction over the initial five, and up to a maximum of 80%. Afflictions not given by you will only provide half the damage bonus. Your overwhelming strength will ignore the aura of rebounding, and bypass any attempts to dodge. - You may use the following crozier attacks - Calcify Reinforce an ordinary crozier and bind it to you. #### Calcify **Description**Syntax: CALCIFY Drawing on your innate link to Azvosh, you may calcify an everyday crozier or warpick to your will, allowing you to utilise it for acts of Subjugation. The weapon will become altered in the process, dealing magic damage with each strike. Further, none but yourself may use it. - Quash Put an end to their accursed ways. #### Quash **Description**Syntax: QUASH Using your weapon, you may ruthlessly quash rebellion and quell falsehood from your foes, dealing damage to them. If they possess the accursed affliction, then the amount is increased. The weapon must first be calcified to enact this method of Subjugation. If you are skilled enough in Weaponry to know the Targeting ability, you may target a limb with your strike. See AB WEAPONRY TARGETING for details. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier150% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)132% Accursed Damage Bonus+50% Weapon Trauma Modifier100% Weapon Speed Modifier–0.15 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. - Weapon must be wielded in a functional arm. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Denizen) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Call Call your weapon to your hand. #### Call **Description**Syntax: CALL If you have lost your calcified weapon, you may summon it to yourself. - Subdue The minds of the faithless are easily broken. #### Subdue **Description**Syntax: SUBDUE \[affliction\] By levelling your calcified weapon at an enemy, you may invoke the power of the Earthen to subdue their mental faculties and strike them down with maladies. Your power is such that you may choose the affliction yourself or allow the earth to guide your hand. The jailer’s subdual will not be effective unless you are also wielding a shield. The afflictions available to you are: Anorexia, dementia, hypochondria, lethargy, self loathing, justice, paranoia, recklessness, stupidity, or agony. Subduing a target only requires that you possess equilibrium, but should you use it while you also have full balance, the affliction will be concealed from the target. Should you attempt to subdue a foe that already labours beneath all your subjugated maladies, the earth will instead damage them in health. - Beset Beset your foe with a wave of Earthen force. #### Beset **Description**Syntax: BESET Direct the might of the Earthen through your crozier, sending forth an unstoppable force that will slam into their chest with a powerful punch. This will deliver both asthma and haemophilia to your target. If they already had haemophilia, then it will cause them bleed in its place. - Obliterate Devastate one of your enemy’s limbs. #### Obliterate **Description**Syntax: OBLITERATE Focusing the fury of the earth into your calcified weapon, you may deliver a brutal assault to one of your enemy’s arms or legs, dealing a large amount of trauma. Cooldown: 6 seconds - Execution The irredeemable must be put down. #### Execution **Description**Syntax: EXECUTE Some who would stand against are you truly irredeemable, and there is no sentence more befitting of such feckless scum than death. Executing a foe in this manner is a channelled action that will require almost all of your concentration. Should your foe not flee your solemn verdict in time, there will be no escape from the earth’s justice. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Apocalyptia - Fervour Without strength, we are nothing. #### Fervour **Description**Syntax: DIRGE FERVOUR \[target\] Maximum amount of fervour: 65,000 Fervour is the resource that fuels many of your abilities in Apocalyptia. Without fervour, you possess little connection with the dirge and your powers will be subdued. By invoking this verse of the eternal song, you may scrutinise the intensity of your fervour, or that of another. If you supply no target, then it will instead show your fervour by default. Each dawn in Aetolia, 8000 of your fervour is restored whether you are online or not. Later on, you will be able to restore it through abilities that you will learn deeper into the skillset. - Reinforce Find succour in stone. #### Reinforce **Description**Syntax: DIRGE REINFORCE \[target\] Fervour cost: 150 The Earthen cannot falter, for in failure lies the doom of worlds. Should you or another be injured in glorious battle, you may call upon the earth for succour and healing. It will additionally heal a random affliction if the target is not yourself. If your patient is a fellow Earthcaller, their wounds will close more quickly. Healing will have no effect upon the foul Duamvi, and be lessened against any who do not share your Tether. - Diverge Sundered in twain by the might of earth. #### Diverge **Description**Syntax: DIRGE DIVERGE Fervour cost: 100 As the great warbands of Azvosh Rakar did rend the land, so too can you command the earth to splinter, diverting water away from the specified direction. - Revelation All shall bear witness. #### Revelation **Description**Syntax: DIRGE REVELATION Fervour cost: 100 Azvosh eternal and brutality incarnate. By cleaving t’ward this fundamental truth, the Dirge shall banish falsehood and reveal illusions for what they are to you. There is a chance your truth will fade after seeing through an illusion. - Verses Its words were turned loose. #### Verses **Description**Syntax: VERSES You may now discern any active verses which have been sung into existence at your location. - Battlehymn Power and might did flow forth. #### Battlehymn **Description**Syntax: DIRGE BATTLEHYMN Fervour cost: 750 By singing one of the mythical battle hymns of Azvosh Rakar, your body shall become a vessel of the unforgiving earth. Drink from the overflowing cup of its unfathomable might and grow powerful with increased strength. - Euphoria Exult in the glory of war. #### Euphoria **Description**Syntax: DIRGE EUPHORIA \[target\] Fervour cost: 200 The Earthen are the people of war, and by invoking the memories of ancient battles, the Dirge shall bestow a glimpse of true glory upon yourself or your target. Willpower and endurance shall be restored, so potent is the euphoric revelry. The effects will fade after a certain amount of time, or until the target is attacked. - Execration May impurity be scoured from the sacred lands. #### Execration **Description**Syntax: DIRGE EXECRATION Fervour cost: 250 Raw strength is the signature characteristic of the Earthen, and a demonstration of such is a simple feat. By calling on this verse of the eternal song, you may assail your pitiful foe with a blast of shadow energy, imposing more damage upon them should midnight grip the land. Most magical barriers shall be powerless to withstand your assault, rendered ineffectual by so potent and focused a strike. - Lull To staunch the wounds and mend the skein. #### Lull **Description**Syntax: DIRGE LULL Fervour cost: 150 As the Sorcerer Kings of old were sapped of their power and will, so too shall your target. If they are an adventurer, it will give them the curse of peace. Against a denizen, it will mollify them for 6 seonds. - Wardance In remembrance of the Great Father’s conquest of old. #### Wardance **Description**Syntax: DIRGE WARDANCE Mightiest of all the Gods, the Great Father did bring conquest to the ancient foes of old and subjugate them to His supernal will. Dance the dance of spears and swords before a holy shrine and be renewed of fervour. For all are but extensions of the Immortal Earth. - Ground We would never again kneel. #### Ground **Description**Syntax: DIRGE GROUND Fervour cost: 900 To be one with the earth is to enjoy strength unconquerable, and by drawing upon your unshakeable resolve, the earth shall anchor you in place. While you remain standing you will be nigh immovable, a true bulwark of stone and sand. To release the anchor you must call upon this verse a second time, and the earth shall set you free. - Reckoning And it will be the End. #### Reckoning **Description**Syntax: DIRGE RECKONING Fervour cost: 600 Open the mind of your foe, that they may look upon the unknowable empty and be granted a vision of the fate that awaits should you fail your duty. The weak cannot withstand prolonged exposure to hellsight, and they will be struck down with debilitating maladies. Afflictions include: Vomiting, dizziness, epilepsy, confusion, slickness, hallucinations, stupidity, and vertigo. - Hysteria Gibbering madness is their lot. #### Hysteria **Description**Syntax: DIRGE HYSTERIA Fervour cost: 250 All with an affinity to earth have felt the touch of insanity brush against their minds. You may harness this madness and direct it at your wretched foe, atrophying their mind as confusion and dizziness take hold. - Censor Voices stilled to loath quiescence. #### Censor **Description**Syntax: DIRGE CENSOR Though the song of war is an eternal one, not all its verses befit all situations. By invoking this ability, you may end all your verses of a certain type that exist in the world, or still them all entirely. - Constitution The will of the Earthen is unyielding. #### Constitution **Description**Syntax: DIRGE CONSTITUTION Fervour cost: 100 It is said that the atrocities of war would turn the stomachs of all who look upon the carnage of the battlefield. By beseeching the earth for enhanced constitution, your gut shall never know the nausea endured by lesser beings. - Ordain Enforce the will of the earth. #### Ordain **Description**Syntax: DIRGE ORDAIN Fervour cost: 2000 The minds of the faithless are easily bent to your implacable will. Call forth the verse of ordination, and your foe shall obey your command. Magical barriers will be no obstacle to the earth, its solemn will be done. - Paean A song of all voices and none. #### Paean **Description**Syntax: DIRGE PAEAN Use the verses of the Dirge to drown out and destroy a random vibration within the room, granting a small amount of fervour in the process. - Marshal Gather the warbands and sound the clarion call. #### Marshal **Description**Syntax: DIRGE MARSHAL Fervour cost: 1200 The warbands of Azvosh Rakar are mighty indeed, and though you cannot match their legendary throngs, this verse of the Dirge shall resound across the continent and allow you to summon an allied soldier to your side. - Imperishable The strong prevail, and the weak are remade by the earth. #### Imperishable **Description**Syntax: DIRGE IMPERISHABLE Fervour cost: 1000 If you are not strong, then you are dead. Should one of the faithful fall, you may remake them in the mould of the earth, granting them a chance at redemption on the field of battle. Their corpse must be in your possession in order to enact this verse, and should they fail to accept your offering in a timely manner, the body shall crumble to dust. - You may recite the following verses - Providence Know its grace and taste its bounty. #### Providence **Description**Syntax: DIRGE VERSE OF PROVIDENCE Fervour cost: 1500 Those who keep faith in the earth shall suffer neither hunger nor thirst, for the bounty of Azvosh will provide for its own. With a bowl in your possession, invoking this verse of the Dirge will fill it with bone broth and you will know great sustenance. The earth does not surrender its gifts frivolously, however, and you may not request sustenance again without first showing patience. Cooldown: Until the Howling - Earthcall The footfall of armies mustered. #### Earthcall **Description**Syntax: DIRGE VERSE OF EARTHCALL DIRGE EARTHCALL Fervour cost: 500 to create the verse, 750 for the act of travel When the drums of war sound across the great expanse, none can resist the call to battle. Bring forth this verse within a location and, should you find yourself separated from the soldiers of your mighty warband, you may travel to any who stand within it. Upon arrival, any allies in the location will be healed by a small amount of health and mana. - Resolute With hearts of stone and minds of steel. #### Resolute **Description**Syntax: DIRGE VERSE OF RESOLUTE Fervour cost: 200 You are a jailer of the accursed; your solemn duty is without end. Resolute you must remain, and so shall this verse of the Dirge repel fatigue and turn back hunger while you stand within its embrace. So crucial is your vigilance that this verse will linger for longer than all others when invoked. - Enervation And they would know only weakness and torment. #### Enervation **Description**Syntax: DIRGE VERSE OF ENERVATION Fervour cost: 600 The strength of the Sorcerer Kings must be kept sapped to slake the thirst of ages. By wielding a tithe of the earth’s power, you may command the Dirge to leave behind an echo of this terrible sentence. Enemies who remain within it shall be assailed with shadow damage or drained of mana as they taste but a sample of the earth’s vengeance. - Transgressions Vigilant without refrain. #### Transgressions **Description**Syntax: DIRGE VERSE OF TRANSGRESSIONS Fervour cost: 300 Ever must we cast our gaze upon the inscrutable empty and maintain watch over an insidious, unrelenting foe. While this verse persists, enemies who trespass upon your hallowed ground shall alert you of their coming. - Sentencing Summoned to face judgement before the earth. #### Sentencing **Description**Syntax: DIRGE VERSE OF SENTENCING DIRGE SENTENCE Fervour cost: 1000 to create the verse, 100 for the summoning Those who trespass against the earth shall not go unpunished. Any who remain within the location of this manifested verse may be summoned and after a short delay, will stand before you to face judgement. The density defence shall forestall your imminent sentencing, though the attempt will remove it from the accused. Should you fail six times, the verse shall fade and be no more. - Empowerment And so the Earth provided. #### Empowerment **Description**Syntax: DIRGE VERSE OF EMPOWERMENT Fervour cost: 600 The earth must remain pure, free of taint and toxins that would mar its fathomless perfection. While you or your allies stand within the Verse of Empowerment, afflictions shall on occasion be driven from your bodies. - Dogma Glory to the unforgiving earth! #### Dogma **Description**Syntax: DIRGE VERSE OF DOGMA The Dirge began at the dawn and transcends time. At the sunrise, you may recount the dogmatic verses, granting experience to all who attend and blessing them with restored fervour. Larger audiences to behold the glory of earth shall convey correspondingly larger amounts of experience and renewed fervour. Should you proclaim the dogmatic verses before one of the five great monoliths, you will be blessed with an ongoing bonus to experience and increased celerity. - Primordial All shall return to Chaos. #### Primordial **Description**Syntax: DIRGE VERSE OF PRIMORDIAL Fervour cost: 750 The consequence for failure is oblivion, and it must never come to pass. By bringing forth the death knell of the worldspine, your verse will periodically destroy an unprotected entity of chaos and return it to the primordial whence it came. - Libation And thus the earth shall have its due. #### Libation **Description**Syntax: DIRGE VERSE OF LIBATION Fervour cost: 2000 The earth must be fed, for it is a vast and hungry beast, pitiless and cold. While this verse lingers, the corpses of all who fall shall be swallowed by the jaws of Azvosh, and be denied revival. None are exempt from the blood price, and the earth will feast indiscriminately, even on one of its own. - Eternity May we never know peace. #### Eternity **Description**Syntax: DIRGE VERSE OF ETERNITY DIRGE ETERNITY Fervour cost: 500 for the verse creation, 250 for the summoning Battle unending is the dream of the Earthen, and so shall it be made manifest. By focusing your energies and extending your fervour outwards, all active verses that linger amidst a Verse of Eternity will be brought to you, then all verses in your location will have their timers refreshed. And war shall reap its harvest evermore. - Imprisonment Bound in blood, bound in bone. #### Imprisonment **Description**Syntax: DIRGE VERSE OF IMPRISONMENT Fervour cost: 1000 From blood and bone is the everlasting prison of the damned forged. You may attempt to fashion a gaol of your own making through this verse of the Dirge. The earth will attempt to hold your foes in place and deny them escape for as long as the shackle abides. The chance that this will occur varies: Chance Requirement ======================================== 20% – If you have broken your vigil and fled the scene of their incarceration. 60% – If you stand present and command a corporeal form. 80% – If your foe suffers from six or more afflictions and you stand before them whole. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Tectonics - Impurities Check your earthen impurities #### Impurities **Description**Syntax: IMPURITIES Using many of your Tectonic abilities will increase the impurities of the earth, and the maximum amount of impurity you can sustain will scale with your constitution. Once you reach complete impurity, you will be unable to make use of your tectonic might. Using this ability will let you see how impure you are. - Nightsight See in the dark. #### Nightsight **Description**Syntax: NIGHTSIGHT The plane of Azvosh is a place of unwielding darkness, with little natural light beyond its lava flows. An Earthcaller is adapted to the darkness, able to see in low light that most others cannot. - Pressurise Leave behind a superheated rock. #### Pressurise **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC PRESSURISE Impurity gained: 70 Crush a rock within your mighty grasp, putting it under such immense pressure that it will become superheated and brighten the location. Anyone present will be able to see despite the dark. - Spew A spray of lava to blister and burn. #### Spew **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC SPEW \[SHIELD|AURA\] Impurity gained: 20 Bring about a fracture in the earth and cause gouts of lava to spew forth to eradicate any protective barriers surrounding your target. The molten onslaught will also set your opponent on fire in the process. You may specify which barrier your lava should assail first, if you so choose. - Heatshield Surround yourself with an aura of protective heat. #### Heatshield **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC HEATSHIELD Impurity gained: 300 Tap into your tectonic power to release an aura of heated pressure around you, protecting you from magic, electricity and fire damage. - Stabilise Expel impurity and stabilise your body. #### Stabilise **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC STABILISE Before one of the great monoliths of Azvosh, you will be able to banish the encroaching impurities from your form, allowing you greater capacity to wield Tectonics powers. - Smothering Your body will attempt to smother flames. #### Smothering **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC SMOTHERING Impurity gained: 30 In this state, you can prevent yourself from being set ablaze half of the time as your tectonic activity smothers them out. Additionally, should the skill prevent the flames, you will demonstrate the superiority of earth over a lesser element and reduce your impurity. - Insulation A layer of insulating earth. #### Insulation **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC INSULATION Impurity gained: 20 Coat your body in a thin layer of earth that will insulate your body against the cold. - Lavacoat Coat a weapon in a layer of lava. #### Lavacoat **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC LAVACOAT and EXTINGUISH Impurity gained: 40 Coat your weapons in a layer of lava, causing it to set ablaze adventurers that you strike. You will be unable to apply venoms to the weapon while it is coated. Against denizens, it will set them aflame 50% of the time and only with Quash. Please see AB SUBJUGATION QUASH for more information. Anyone may extinguish their weapon if it is coated. - Crumble Destroy walls that stand before you. #### Crumble **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC CRUMBLE Impurity gained: 20 By stomping the ground, your power is such that you may generate a potent shockwave, causing walls of ice to crumble before your might. - Fossilise Fossilise their cures and render them useless. #### Fossilise **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC FOSSILISE Impurity gained: 40 By wielding a precise flow of superheated lava, coat your opponent’s pipes in magma such that their contents become fossilised and deprived of useful substance. Cooldown: 15 seconds - Spray Deprive them of their sight. #### Spray **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC SPRAY Impurity gained: 15 By opening a narrow crack in the earth and forcing a tapered stream of lava through it, you may direct it in a focused spray and blind your opponent. - Traps Discover hidden traps. #### Traps **Description**Syntax: TRAPS With your tectonic senses, you can easily locate any hidden traps within the room. - Mould Restore your wounds with the earth. #### Mould **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC MOULD Impurity gained: 30 Mould your body with the earth, allowing it to heal your wounds to restore a portion of your health and mana reserves. - Geyser Force a spout of lava from the earth. #### Geyser **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC GEYSER Impurity gained: 100 Force a lingering geyser of lava from the earth, setting the surroundings awash with a bright light that will destroy any magical darkness within the room. - Dominance Exert earth’s dominance over the lesser elements. #### Dominance **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC DOMINANCE FIRE TECTONIC DOMINANCE FIREWALL Prove that earth is the mightiest element by using it to smother a fire raging within the room. Demonstrating dominance in this form strengthens the earth, reducing your impurities. - Seismicity Emit seismic waves to superheat the air. #### Seismicity **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC SEISMICITY \[END\] Impurity gained: 80 Using your tectonic power, you can turn your very body into a bastion of seismic activity. While active, you will emit pressure waves that will superheat the air near your enemies, burning them. Additionally, your pressure waves will cause one of the following afflictions: Disfigurement, dizziness, stiffness, weariness, and ablaze. - Thermics Boil away diseases from yourself. #### Thermics **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC THERMICS Impurity gained: 40 Release a gout of thermic energy from the ground to briefly engulf you, quickly raising your body temperature to boil away a random affliction that you have. Cooldown: 25 seconds - Vent Release gases sealed within the earth. #### Vent **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC VENT Impurity gained: 40 Vent heated gases trapped within the earth, burning your foe and afflicting their mind with hallucinations and mania. This ability can bypass the magical shield defence. - Unbending Become unbending like the earth. #### Unbending **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC UNBENDING \[OFF\] Impurity gained: 100 Becoming unbending like the very earth itself, granting you immunity to accuracy lowering effects when using shield attacks in Subjugation. - Firewall Open a pit of lava to obstruct a direction. #### Firewall **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC FIREWALL Impurity gained: 40 Split open a pit upon the ground, allowing a wall of fire to erupt forth across a chosen direction. Any that choose to pass through it will be burned and ignited in the process, setting them ablaze and burning away any additional density they might possess. - Rumbling Send lesser creatures fleeing. #### Rumbling **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC RUMBLING Impurity gained: 70 Since the dawn of time, all animals have gained a primal instinct to flee when the earth quakes. Send a rumbling through the location to elicit this effect, making non-sentient denizens flee in terror. Those that are loyal to an adventurer won’t budge if their owner is standing with them. - Motions Gain an understanding of your location. #### Motions **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC MOTIONS Impurity gained: 200 Pay attention to the vibrations caused by others, revealing to you all beings within your location regardless of their elevation or ability to hide. You can also detect beings out of phase with reality using this ability, however you will not know who or how many. - Pyroclasm Explosive friction to scour away life. #### Pyroclasm **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC PYROCLASM Impurity gained: 500 By drawing masses of fragments from the earth and whirling them on an axis, you may generate immense heat and speed before finally unleashing it in a harrowing pyroclasm to scourge all who stand before you, dealing fire damage and setting them ablaze. Embers will be scattered into the location for a short while afterward. While you are summoning the earth, your fire resistance will be completely neutralised and you will suffer damage upon its release. **Details**Impurity Gained500 impurity Pyroclasm Delay7 seconds Resistance TypeFire Set Resistance0% Damage TypeFire Damage SourceArcane Self Health Loss1000 (non lethal) Damage500 + 30% Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 500 mana to use. - Costs 200 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Ashfall Bury them in clouds of ash. #### Ashfall **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC ASHFALL Impurity gained: 50 Cause a thick cloud of heated ash to fall upon your opponent, generating volcanic lightning that will strike them with electric damage. If they are an adventurer, it will also stun them briefly, and give them the allergies affliction. There is no impurity gained when you target a denizen with this ability. **Details**Target LocationSame location Impurity Gained50 impurity Damage TypeElectric Damage SourceArcane Damage300 + 14% Damage (Denizen)900 Stun Duration0.25 seconds Equilibrium Recovery3.50 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Denizen)3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Denizen) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Swallow Return the undead to the earth. #### Swallow **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC SWALLOW Impurity gained: 40 Call upon the earth to consume any creature that has been bound in servitude through blood. - Scoria Harden your limbs like volcanic rock. #### Scoria **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC SCORIA Impurity gained: 40 By invoking tectonic force, you can suffuse your limbs with the endurance of volcanic rock, reducing any trauma you receive by half for a short period of time. You must have at least 95% of your health and mana to cast it. Effects that cause instant breaks are unaffected. Cooldown: 120 seconds - Transfixion Create hypnotic oscillating patterns. #### Transfixion **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC TRANSFIXION Impurity gained: 100 By creating oscillating patterns upon the earth, you can force the gaze of your opponent and transfix them into inaction. If they possess a heightened sense of courage, then the ability will fail. - Fault Reveal the impurities of their existence. #### Fault **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC FAULT Impurity gained: 100 If your foe suffers from the agony or accursed affliction, you may amplify their torture by revealing the impurities of their existence. In this state, the tree tattoo, a symbol of life and impure earth, will cease to function for them. - Ashcloud Slough away this prison of flesh and become ash. #### Ashcloud **Description**Syntax: TECTONIC ASHCLOUD and REFORM Impurity gained: 500 Incite the air around you to become pressurised with sweltering friction, allowing you to slough away your prison of flesh and bone and become ash. While your freedom is significantly limited in the form of the ash cloud, you will be protected from harm by almost all standard means. Maintaining this form incurs a significant toll on your willpower reserves; should you find yourself bereft, you will soon find yourself dead. You may REFORM to be restored to your lesser body at any time. ## Visual style and identity The earth prizes strength above all else, and the Earthcaller embodies that in every skill. Subjugation and Tectonics are overtly forceful and direct in execution, eliciting very noticeable and conspicuous effects whenever they fire. Apocalyptia runs differently. The Dirge is almost wholly psychic in nature, directed by less overt gestures and wielded largely through looks and exertion of the mind. Prolonged recitation takes a toll on the psyche, requiring willpower and resolve to push through fatigue. The Earthcaller silhouette pairs both: a heavy-shield warrior with a crozier in hand, and a head bent in psychic communion with an ancient holy text. ## Side effects of the work Connection to Azvosh carries the same innate risk as Teradrim practice: the threat of succumbing to the madness that plagues the Sorcerer-Kings. The earth is hungry, demanding respect and consistent offerings of blood to maintain favour. Disrespecting the earth breaks the bond, and the Earthcaller who breaks faith finds themselves bereft of strength. Subjugation’s ossomancy can be an imprecise art. In-the-moment bone grafts and manipulations carry real cost, and incorrect work leaves an Earthcaller with dislocations or misshapen bone structure. Prolonged Tectonics use introduces impurities into the body, and constant lava work scars the skin from heat exposure. The Dirge has its own cost: an Earthcaller who strays too long without joining their voice to the song suffers withdrawal effects that resemble madness. ## Who plays this class The Earthcaller attracts players who want a war-priest archetype with weight. The roleplay frame asks for a strong sense of duty, a love of conflict and conquest, and a deep, pious reverence for the earth and for Ivoln, known to the Earthen as the Great Father. Undeath is viewed as the purest expression of Azvosh’s gift, so many long-term Earthcallers cross over. Mechanically, the class rewards players who enjoy a blended kit: shield-and-crozier martial work, bone-based area pressure, lava strikes for tempo, and a psychic dirge layer that punishes patience as much as aggression. ## City and guild The Earthcaller guild is the Apostles of [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/), the Shadow Tether’s city of undeath. Patron: Arvelis, the Jackal. The Apostles house both the Earthcaller class and its sister class, the [Teradrim](/character-classes/teradrim/), earth warrior-mages who lean on golems, flails, and direct elementalism. Joining as an Earthcaller means committing to Shadow. You cannot actively hold Spirit-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Shadow classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race choice is independent of class, so you can play an Earthcaller of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Earthcaller mirror is the [Luminary](/character-classes/luminary/), Enorian’s Light-faith warrior-priests of the Illuminai. Both are religious classes built around martial duty and faith, just on opposite sides of the tether. Earthcallers fight for the earth and Ivoln; Luminaries fight for Spirit and the Light. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Earthcaller good for new players?** Yes. The class has clear identity, strong guild structure, and active leadership inside the Apostles. The combat kit is approachable, and the religious roleplay frame gives new players a clear story hook from day one. **How is an Earthcaller different from a Teradrim?** Both are earth-focused classes inside the Apostles guild. Teradrim lean on golems and flails and treat earth as an elemental weapon. Earthcallers lean on bone, shield-and-crozier, and the holy verses of the Earthen Dirge. Same vigil, different toolkit. **Do Earthcallers worship Arvelis or Ivoln?** Both, in different ways. The Apostles guild’s patron is Arvelis, the Jackal. Earthcaller theology centres on Ivoln, the Earthen Lord, known to the Earthen as the Great Father. Practitioners hold both relationships at once. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Earthcaller profile. Or see [the full Aetolia class roster](/character-classes/). ### [Teradrim](/character-classes/teradrim/) Earthcaller’s sister class in the Apostles. Earth warrior-mages who wield Terramancy, Animation (golems), and Desiccation. Pick Teradrim if you like the Apostles guild and earth theology but prefer a flail, a golem companion, and pure elementalism over religious verses. ### [Luminary](/character-classes/luminary/) The Earthcaller’s mirror across the Spirit-Shadow divide. Enorian warrior-priests of Light and Spirit, wielding Spirituality, Devotion, and Illumination with mace, shield, and a guardian angel. Pick Luminary if you like the war-priest chassis but want to fight for the Light. ### [Runecarver](/character-classes/runecarver/) Duiran’s priests of mortality, decay, and the rot beneath life. Malediction, Runecarving, Sporulation. Pick Runecarver if you like the nature-priest archetype with a ritual edge but want to serve the Cycle on the Spirit side rather than vigil duty on the Shadow side. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Earthcaller and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Carnifex of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/carnifex/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Carnifex of Aetolia armored death knight figure wielding a glowing maul](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-carnifex-hero-portrait-20260524.jpg "Aetolia Carnifex class hero from Carnifex-updatepng - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Carnifex are Aetolia’s death knights, a Shadow-tethered class in Bloodloch that wields Savagery (heavy martial combat), Deathlore (soul magic powered by a soulstone), and Warhounds (trained war beasts). At a glance**Tether**Shadow**City**[Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/)**Guild**Carnifex (Patron: Bamathis, the Lost)**Skill sets**Savagery, Deathlore, Warhounds**Mirror class**[Warden](/character-classes/warden/) (Spirit)**Sister class in guild**[Ravager](/character-classes/ravager/)**Signature mechanic**Soulstone economy (capture and spend souls)**Best for**Players who want heavy melee, ritual lore, and serious moral weightThe modern Carnifex emerged from the ritual at the village of Jaru, when the returned soul of Lord Roan Seluno renamed and remade the old Infernal Knights, ordering them to shed their chivalric ideals and feed on the souls of those they kill. This is one of Aetolia’s signature classes. If you want a warrior anchored in death ritual, soul capture, and the unambiguous moral weight of holding souls hostage from the Cycle, the Carnifex is the heaviest option on the Shadow side. ## Origin and lore Centuries ago, the Infernal Knights came into existence under the tutelage of Lord Roan Seluno. Through the decades, they grew renowned for wielding Necromancy alongside their blades. When Verkai the Usurper shattered the barrier between the Soul plane and the Prime Material, souls began to flood free of their exile, though no one understood the full consequences yet. Twenty-five years after the Usurper’s defeat, the soul of Lord Roan appeared among the present-day Infernals. He led them to the village of Jaru and gave the order. Every villager died that day except four. As Roan began the ritual, the slaughtered souls rose to the sky. He then ordered the four spared villagers killed, their blood completing his ascension back into corporeal form. Roan instructed his followers to abandon the name of the Infernal Knights and to cast aside chivalry. He renamed them Carnifex: bringers of death who scoff at the Underking’s influence and harness the souls of the very innocents they butcher, ripping them from the Underhalls to further their own cause and power. The modern Carnifex guild carries that mandate forward in Bloodloch. ## Skill sets The Carnifex skill sets are Savagery, Deathlore, and Warhounds. **Savagery** is the martial discipline. Carnifex fight with halberds, bardiches, and mauls, leaning on brute strength rather than finesse. The class is built for heavy, forceful movements: the crack of bone, the end of a fight. **Deathlore** is the soul magic. A Carnifex carries a soulstone, a magical device that captures souls skimmed from the space between the Prime Material and Dhar’s realm. Captive souls become a power reservoir, fueling attacks and weakening enemies through pain inflicted at distance. The master soulstone in the Carnifex hall was forged in the original ritual of Jaru, and every individual stone is bound to its bearer for life. **Warhounds** rounds out the kit. Trained war beasts fight alongside the Carnifex on the battlefield. They are living weapons, varying by lineage and honed through intense, brutal training. ## Skill abilities Savagery Deathlore Warhounds Filter abilities Title Contents ### Savagery - Raze Attack the defences that would keep your weapons out. #### Raze **Description**Syntax: POLE/HAMMER RAZE With raze, your weapons will become a tool of destruction, removing the protective auras and barriers that would turn away your blade. It will raze the following in order: Reflections Magical shields Rebounding aura Speed defence - Fearless Carnifex do not know terror. #### Fearless **Description**Syntax: FEARLESS This ability will allow you steel your resolve and render you immune to the effects of fear. - Fluidity Favor two weapons in battle. #### Fluidity **Description**Syntax: WEAPON FAVOR As a master of both bladed and blunt weapons, you are now able to reserve a second weapon in either your inventory or a weaponbelt that can be drawn effortlessly. When wielding one of your two favored weapons, if you attempt to do an attack that cannot be performed with the current weapon, you will draw the second weapon and strike automatically. There is a slight balance penalty associated with this usage if drawn from your inventory instead of a weaponbelt. - Block Obstructing departure with your body. #### Block **Description**Syntax: BLOCK and UNBLOCK Move into a position that blocks others from leaving your location, providing you are not incapacitated or feared. Should you move, you will cease to block. - Envenom Coat a weapon in venoms. #### Envenom **Description**Syntax: ENVENOM WITH WIPE With this ability, you may layer venoms on an edged weapon. Each time that weapon hits somebody, one venom will poison your opponent, and disappear from the weapon. Venoms work on a last-on, first-off basis, so if you put xentio on a weapon, and then put voyria on, the voyria would come off first, and the xentio second. You must possess a rag with the venom in order to apply it to a weapon. In order to get rid of the venoms on a weapon, simply WIPE . - Irongrip Grip your wielded items in a deathlock. #### Irongrip **Description**Syntax: IRONGRIP and RELAX IRONGRIP By gripping your weapons tightly, you can prevent others from disarming you of your precious weapons. - Mastery Become an expert of your art. #### Mastery **Description**Usage: MASTERY SHOW MASTERY WEAPON MASTERY TALENT This grants you the ability to select a hammer or polearm you wish to become proficient in, and a talent you wish to focus your abilities upon. Once every so often, you will be able to change the weapon you are proficient in, and the talent you have chosen. You can choose to master the halberd, bardiche, warhammer, or greatmaul. The benefits of a talent require you to be wielding the correct weapon archetype, otherwise no bonus will be bestowed. Polearms \* Shocking : Upsets the balance of players when using Hook. \* Expertise : Decreases the balance penalty from Furor. \* Shredder : Triples the bleeding from wrench in Skewer. \* Tormentor : Carve additionally causes a lightwound. Hammers \* Demolishing : Lowers the balance recovery of the Raze ability. \* Rattling : Increases the chance of Herculean rage to proc. \* Powerful : Gutcheck will stun instead of upsetting balance. \* Overhand : Batter will give blurry vision instead of watery eyes. Cooldown (mastery): 60 minutes Cooldown (talent): 60 minutes - Stalwart Guard your exit with tenacity. #### Stalwart **Description**This ability is passive. When blocking a direction and an enemy attempts to walk past you, you will shove them to the ground and knock them off balance, causing a small amount of blunt damage. You can refer to AB SAVAGERY BLOCK for more information. - Cruelty Bolster your strength for your cruel deeds. #### Cruelty **Description**Syntax: CRUELTY Providing you are wearing suitable armour, you may let out a battle shout and rattle your armour. This will bolster your strength for a limited time. Anyone within three rooms of your current location will be able to hear your warcry when you use this ability. - DoubleTarget Attack two body parts at a time. #### DoubleTarget **Description**Syntax: TARGET WITH This ability will allow you to target two separate body part locations with the Doublebash and Spinning abilities. - Furor Throw yourself into a bloody rage. #### Furor **Description**Syntax: FUROR You may throw yourself into a blood furor, causing your attacks to temporarily deal significantly more damage against adventurers, but strike with decreased speed. While active, your strikes will also drain twice as much soul. Cooldown: 60 seconds - Charging Charge after those who flee. #### Charging **Description**Syntax: PREPARE TO CHARGE CANCEL CHARGE Prepare yourself to charge after your opponent should they attempt to flee before your might, causing you to strike them with your weapon and knock them off balance. If your opponent attempts to fly away from you, you will jump up after them and knock them back to the ground, skewering them if wielding a polearm. - Reveling Derive pleasure from their pain. #### Reveling **Description**Syntax: REVELING At a moderate willpower drain, you may learn to truly savor your victim’s agony – whenever the damage you have done reaches a threshold, you will be invigorated and refreshed of health. - Reckless Ignore hinderances in a reckless fury. #### Reckless **Description**Syntax: RECKLESSNESS You may enter a state of reckless rage in battle. While in this state, paresis will take twice as long to transform into paralysis and you will be able to use two-handed weapon attacks even with a crippled arm. - You can use the following hammer attacks - Bash The most basic of hammer strikes. #### Bash **Description**Syntax: HAMMER BASH Smash your opponent with a basic hammer attack. - Swatting Knock your foe towards an adjacent location. #### Swatting **Description**Syntax: HAMMER SWAT Knocks a target towards the specified direction. If there is an obstruction in the way, then the target will slam into it. - Crush Focus greater damage on specific body parts. #### Crush **Description**Syntax: HAMMER CRUSH Only when your target has fallen or is frozen, you can slam your hammer into a specified location, causing a variety of effects. This attack cannot be parried. Knees: Gives the crushed kneecaps affliction. This will cause the victim to periodically fall over if one of their legs is crippled. Elbows: Gives the crushed elbows affliction. This can cause abilities that require the arms to occasionally fail and hurt them in the process. Chest: Gives the cracked ribs affliction, then the crushed chest affliction if it is left uncured upon a second strike. Crushing their chest will periodically cause asthma. - DoubleBash Rain down a flurry of strikes. #### DoubleBash **Description**Syntax: HAMMER DOUBLEBASH Strike your opponent twice in succession with your hammer. There is some additional bonus limb damage applied that will scale with the base damage stat of your weapon. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier55% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)42% Base Weapon Trauma5.50% Bonus Damage Stat Trauma+5/3rds of damage stat to percentile Endurance Cost (Per Bash)20 Set Weapon Speed Range2.70 to 3.30 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - HammerThrow Projectile hammers. #### HammerThrow **Description**Syntax: HAMMER THROW Hurl your hammer towards a target with great speed, slamming into them and briefly stunning them. You can throw your hammer at a target in an adjacent location to you as well as in your current location. - BruteForce The force of your blows will even damage those who block. #### BruteForce **Description**Syntax: HAMMER FORCE For a limited time your hammer blows will become so powerful, that even if they are parried, the enemy will still be harmed. Additionally, your Swatting ability will be able to move those with the density defence for a single use. - GutCheck Set up a hammer strike with a blow to the gut to stun. #### GutCheck **Description**Usage: HAMMER GUTCHECK Slamming your weapon into your target’s gut will cause them great pain and upset their stomach. A few seconds later, they will collapse to the ground and develop gnawing and anorexia. If they are also frigid, it will upset their balance. - HerculeanRage Your rage shall empower your blows. #### HerculeanRage **Description**Syntax: HAMMER RAGE At a willpower drain, you will give your hammer attacks the chance to bring your opponent to their knees. If they are already prone, they will be knocked off balance, or further off balance. - Batter Treat their head like a melon. #### Batter **Description**Syntax: HAMMER BATTER Batter the target’s head with your hammer. This will initially afflict them with watery eyes. For each 20% of the target’s health that is missing after the damage is dealt, you will deal an additional affliction in the following order: 20% Indifference 40% Stuttering 60% Blackout - Pulverize Beat a weakened body into a bloody pulp. #### Pulverize **Description**Syntax: HAMMER PULVERIZE If your target is fallen or frozen, and has a crushed chest, then you may finish them off by pulverizing them into pulp. This will instantly kill your target. - You can use the following polearm attacks - Hack A basic chop with a long-weapon. #### Hack **Description**Syntax: POLE HACK Cut into your target with the most basic of polearm attacks. - Carve Hit the arteries to induce heavier bleeding. #### Carve **Description**Syntax: POLE CARVE You may drive your polearm through a target’s arteries, causing them to bleed and delivering a venom. The amount of bleeding done will be determined by the penetration stat of your weapon. - Sweep Trip all those in range with a low sweep. #### Sweep **Description**Syntax: POLE SWEEP \[ALL\] Sweep your polearm in a low arc, tripping everybody too close to you with the pole’s shaft. This will only hit people who have attacked you recently unless you choose otherwise. - Spinning Slash and spin your weapon for another strike. #### Spinning **Description**Syntax: POLE SPINSLASH Attack your target twice with two slashes from your polearm. **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier42% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)45% Weapon Trauma Modifier42% Endurance Cost (Per Slash)20 Set Weapon Speed Range2.50 to 3.20 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Razehack Raze and hack at the same time. #### Razehack **Description**Syntax: POLE RAZEHACK Like raze, this will destroy any protective auras and abilities that may prevent you from striking your target. However you will additionally strike at them afterwards with your polearm. It will raze the following in order: Reflections Magical shields Rebounding aura Speed defence - Skewer Pin your foe with the mighty blade of your weapon. #### Skewer **Description**Syntax: POLE SKEWER POLE WRENCH WITHDRAW POLE When an enemy is prone, you can skewer them upon your polearm. You may then wrench your pole, brutally shredding their insides for heavy damage. The damage will be increased based upon how much trauma their torso has suffered. If they are entangled or bound, then your blade will cut through their bindings and free them when you wrench your polearm. - Precision Precise enough to nick their ears. #### Precision **Description**This ability is passive. When an enemy that is afflicted by dizziness dodges your polearm, you will have a chance to nick them with the tip of your blade. This will deliver any effects upon the blade. - Hooking Catch their feet with the end of your weapon. #### Hooking **Description**Syntax: POLE HOOK Drive your polearm between a target’s legs and trip them with its shaft. If they are mounted, you pull them from the mount to the ground. - Whirlwind A high arc of your weapon to slice all in range. #### Whirlwind **Description**Syntax: POLE WHIRLWIND A crude, yet effective technique allowing you to spin with your polearm, becoming a whirling tornado of death. You will hit everybody in the room three times over a short duration. If you are making use of Soulthirst, this attack will only drain soul from whomever you last drained soul from. - Dismember Amputate the limbs from your foe. #### Dismember **Description**Syntax: POLE DISMEMBER In a show of true cruelty, you can simply lop your foe’s limb off, leaving behind an amputated bloody stump. Striking the severed limb with any targeted attack will open the wound and cause profuse deep bleeding. Your target must have a mangled limb in order to amputate it. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Deathlore - Summon Summon your soulstone back to you #### Summon **Description**Syntax: SOUL SUMMON Your soulstone is bound to you for life. Should you happen to lose it, it is a simple matter to call it back to you. - Gaze See how full your soulstone is #### Gaze **Description**Syntax: SOUL GAZE Gaze into your soulstone and determine the depths of its power. - Consumption Summon forth souls for your soulstone. #### Consumption **Description**Syntax: SOUL CONSUMPTION Additional commands: SOUL CULL SOUL STRIKE SOUL EXPEL By feeding your own soul to your soulstone, you can utilize it to summon nearby souls to your location, ripe for the harvest to increase your soulstone’s reserves. There are two types of souls known to appear: – Swarms of weak souls – The deadly wraiths In order to combat them, you have three skills: Culling – This will hit up to five random souls in the location. Strike – This will hit a single target and heavily harm them. Expel – This will drive away all weak souls from your location. Culling is better suited to swarms of souls, while Strike will be more effective against wraiths. Note that in order to use Cull, Strike, and Expel, you will require a soul cleaver. Additionally, utilizing this method of reaping souls while in a graveyard environment will add a small bonus to your gathering. When you are finished harvesting souls, simply summon your soulstone back to you to cease the consumption effect. - Deathsight Attune yourself to fallen souls #### Deathsight **Description**Syntax: DEATHSIGHT \[OFF\] Using this ability, you will be linked with the Underhalls, allowing you to sense those who perish and pass through it. - Cleaver Fashion a bardiche from your soul. #### Cleaver **Description**Syntax: SOUL CLEAVER An extension of your soul, the soul cleaver is a polearm to serve a Carnifex’s basic needs. While nowhere near as effective as a forged weapon, it is a good weapon to fall back on when no other is available. - Hound Summon a spirit hound. #### Hound **Description**Syntax: SOUL HOUND By parting with a portion of your soul, you can form a simple spirit hound that can perform basic tasks and abilities within the Warhounds skill as long as you possess no active hound. Using HOUND DISMISS upon it will cause it to disperse. If you are within a fighting pit or using the classpick arena mod, then the hound will have its level boosted to 10 and your spirit hound will have access to any warhound trait. - Shroud Shroud your presence amongst souls #### Shroud **Description**Syntax: SOUL SHROUD Soulstone cost: 50 Obscure your presence by shrouding it with a cloak of souls. You will be able to leave and enter a location without notice, plus a few other common actions will be hidden. - Wail The anguished wails of souls will disrupt your foes. #### Wail **Description**Syntax: SOUL WAIL \[direction\] The piercing wail of souls will strike fear and amnesia into the most hardened of foes. This will affect only your enemies. - Barrage Barrage your enemy with souls #### Barrage **Description**Syntax: SOUL BARRAGE Send forth a barrage of souls to rip and tear at a target, dealing magical damage to their body. When used against an adventurer, the damage will be staggered into three strikes. - Harvest You will store the souls of anybody you kill #### Harvest **Description**Syntax: SOUL HARVEST SOUL HARVEST With this defence on, you will automatically extract the souls of those you slay and store them in your soulstone. You can also choose to directly harvest a soul from one of the dead. When harvesting denizens, it will only work against those that were sentient. - Sense Sense the whereabouts of another’s soul #### Sense **Description**Syntax: SOUL SENSE Soulstone cost: 10 Where the soul lays, so does the body. This ability will reveal the location of another, no matter where they might be within the realm. - Torture Torture your captured souls #### Torture **Description**Syntax: SOUL TORTURE Torture your captured souls, inflicting psychic harm upon the enemies within your location. The damage dealt will scale to the amount of soul stolen from your victim, increasing significantly if they are below 50% soul. - Soulshield A wall of souls to prevent attacks #### Soulshield **Description**Syntax: SOUL SHIELD \[target\] Soulstone cost: 50 Summon forth several souls to deflect incoming attacks, forming a magical shield of protection. If no target is supplied, then it will be cast upon yourself. - Rust Send forth souls to rust your opponent’s weapon #### Rust **Description**Syntax: SOUL RUST \[LEFT|RIGHT\] Rusts a target’s wielded weapon, temporarily lowering the amount of damage it does. This will scale depending on the amount of soul stolen from the target. Cooldown: 5 minutes - Enfrost Cover your weapon with vicious frost. #### Enfrost **Description**Syntax: SOUL ENFROST and EXTINGUISH Soulstone cost: 50 Cover your weapon with a layer of souls, causing a 40% chance of frost when you land a blow upon another. This chance will be doubled if they have fallen. You will be unable to make use of venoms while your weapon remains enfrosted. Anyone may extinguish their weapon if it is enfrosted. - Taint Taint the soul of your victim #### Taint **Description**Syntax: SOUL TAINT Soulstone cost: 100 With your mastery over the soul, it is a simple matter to taint the souls of others. This will purge them of two defences that do not originate from themselves and deal a small amount of magical damage. - EmbedBody Harden your body with the soulstone’s power. #### EmbedBody **Description**Syntax: SOUL EMBED IN BODY Embed your soulstone into your body, allowing its power to harden your skin against physical attack. If you wish to retrieve your soulstone, you simply need to summon it. - Malice Cripple their limbs with the grip of the dead. #### Malice **Description**Syntax: SOUL MALICE Soulstone cost: 100 Call forth a series of spectral hands to grip the arms or legs of your target, and crush them until they are left crippled. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Spiritsight Looks for the souls of those in hiding #### Spiritsight **Description**Syntax: SOUL SPIRITSIGHT Soulstone cost: 80 Extend your vision to see those who roam the lands as a soul or are being cradled by the earth. - Soulbind Protect your soul from those seeking to control it. #### Soulbind **Description**Syntax: SOUL BIND Soulstone cost: 80 With this ability, you may bind your soul to your will, preventing others from forcing you to perform an unwanted action for a single time. - Consume Consume souls for health or mana #### Consume **Description**Syntax: SOUL CONSUME FOR Soulstone cost: 100 Pull a soul from your soulstone and snack upon it, restoring either your health or mana. This can raise your health and mana above their maximum, however it will have a diminishing effect the further you extend beyond it. - Presences Reveals all souls in your room #### Presences **Description**Syntax: SOUL PRESENCES Soulstone cost: 150 Seek out souls that reside in your location, no matter their elevation or how they might choose to hide. You can also detect beings out of phase with reality using this ability, however you will not know who or how many. - EmbedWeapon Embed your soulstone into your weapon for greater damage #### EmbedWeapon **Description**Syntax: SOUL EMBED IN Embedding your soulstone in a weapon will empower that weapon’s damage so long as you are the one wielding it. If you wish to retrieve your soulstone, you simply need to summon it. - Souldrain Slowly drain away someone’s soul #### Souldrain **Description**Syntax: SOUL DRAIN Soulstone cost per: 50 Quickly leech away someone’s soul, at a far faster pace than your weapons could steal it. Using STOP or doing most actions will stop process. - Sacrifice Sacrifice your health to strengthen your blow. #### Sacrifice **Description**Syntax: SOUL SACRIFICE Soulstone cost: 100 Sacrifice a portion of your health to bolster the next weapon attack you land against an opponent. This will increase the damage of the strike and briefly stun them for one time only. - EmbedArmour Embed your soulstone into your armour for magic resistance #### EmbedArmour **Description**Syntax: SOUL EMBED IN Embed your soulstone in your armour to envelop it an aura of magical protection that will reduce incoming magic damage. If you wish to retrieve your soulstone, you simply need to summon it. - Fracture Split your soulstone three ways. #### Fracture **Description**Syntax: SOUL FRACTURE and SOUL UNIFY You may neatly split your soulstone into thirds, embedding a part of your stone within your body, weapon, and armour. The effects you would gain from this are, however, halved. See the abilities EmbedBody, EmbedWeapon, and EmbedArmour for more information on them. - Fortify Fortify your soul, increasing your constitution #### Fortify **Description**Syntax: SOUL FORTIFY Soulstone cost: 60 Fortify your own soul, and in turn strengthen your body. This will increase your constitution by a single point. - Alertness Awareness of nearby souls #### Alertness **Description**Syntax: SOUL ALERTNESS Soulstone cost: 50 Attune yourself to the movement of nearby souls and detect their passage through surrounding locations. - Soulstorm Drive animal spirits away #### Soulstorm **Description**Syntax: SOUL STORM This ability will allow you to try and banish a Shaman’s spirit familiar, or an Alchemist’s live experiment, providing it is isn’t protected from harm. It is most effective when the Shaman or Alchemist are not present. - Purge Purge your body and empower the soul. #### Purge **Description**Syntax: SOUL PURGE Soulstone cost: 50 Purge your soul of a physical affliction, cleansing the weakness entirely from your body. Once purged, your soul will be charged and grant you a balance reduction for a short period of time depending on how many afflictions remain. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a physical affliction. You may not purge your soul in such a manner if your body is afflicted with paralysis. Cooldown: 18 seconds - Erosion Send forth souls to erode barriers that would keep you out #### Erosion **Description**Syntax: SOUL ERODE Soulstone cost: 50 Send forth souls to erode the protective barriers surrounding your victim. This will remove prismatic barriers, magical shields, and the aura of rebounding. - Calling Call forth someone’s soul to reinhabit their body #### Calling **Description**Syntax: SOUL CALL Soulstone cost: 1000 Your power over Souls is so great, you can pull someone’s soul back from the brink of death and force it back into their body. You must have the corpse to do this however. If they choose to not accept the resurrection in a timely manner, then the body will crumble away. - You may utilize stolen soul for these abilities - Discern Assess the state of someone’s soul. #### Discern **Description**Syntax: SOUL DISCERN Assess someone’s soul to see how much of it has been stolen. You can additionally check your own soul if you wish. - Soulthirst Your weapons will hunger for souls. #### Soulthirst **Description**Syntax: SOUL THIRST When others think of the Carnifex as an enemy, it is their weapon’s hunger for soul that drives fear foremost to their mind. While this ability is active, each hit your weapon lands upon an opponent will slice and consume a portion of their soul. The amount of soul stolen will scale with the base penetration stat of your weapon, with more soul being stolen the higher it is. Using this soul, you can then perform a number of abilities to bend their existence to your will. How you choose to utilise their weakened soul is up to you. - Wraith Tear their protections apart. #### Wraith **Description**Syntax: SOUL WRAITH Target soul: Below 85% Soul restored: 5% Plant a malicious soul within your opponent that will lie dormant until the next time they protect themselves with a magical shield. Once this occurs, the wraith will strike from within, tearing apart the magical shield. Additionally, while under the effects of the wraith, soul that you have stolen from the target will not passively return to them due to time. This ability can be performed off-balance, but consumes equilibrium. - Poison Poison someone’s soul #### Poison **Description**Syntax: SOUL POISON Target soul: Below 85% Send forth a scourge of souls to infect and possess your target. For a short duration, the souls will periodically attack the target, dealing more damage based on how afflicted he is. The duration is extended should they have less than 50% of their soul. Cooldown: 90 seconds - Disease Weaken their immune system. #### Disease **Description**Syntax: SOUL DISEASE Target soul: Below 80% Soul restored: 10% This ability will weaken their immune system, increasing the length of pill balance recovery, including the anabiotic pill. The duration of this effect is extended should they have less than 50% of their soul. This ability can be performed off-balance, but consumes equilibrium. - Bloodburst Make them bleed. #### Bloodburst **Description**Syntax: SOUL BLOODBURST Target soul: Below 80% Soul restored: 8% Soul restored (when effect is triggered): 20% Raise the blood pressure within your opponent, afflicting them with bloodburst. While affected, the next time they are impaled they will begin to bleed profusely. This effect may be stacked up to three times, with the entire process being consumed upon a successful impalement. However should they recover their soul in full or a period of time elapses since the first application, then the effect will fade. The amount of bleeding caused is based upon the amount of soul missing upon the time of application, with the application that had the most amount of soul missing taking priority. It is then increased by the number of stacks applied upon being triggered. It cannot cause someone to bleed more than 2000 health points. This ability can be performed off-balance, but consumes equilibrium. - Frailty Shatter their limbs. #### Frailty **Description**Syntax: SOUL FRAILTY Target soul: Below 80% Soul restored: 8% Make the limbs of your opponent as brittle as glass, increasing the amount of limb damage they will receive upon the next blunt-based attack. This effect will only last for a short period of time and is consumed shortly after a successful blow. This ability can be performed off-balance, but consumes equilibrium. - Puncture Make his soul bleed out of him. #### Puncture **Description**Syntax: SOUL PUNCTURE You can puncture a void in your target, causing their soul to rapidly escape. This effect will only work if your target has a broken torso, and will persist until their torso is cured. You must be wielding a polearm in order to use this ability. - Soulroot Root an opponent’s soul to this area #### Soulroot **Description**Syntax: SOUL ROOT Soulstone cost: 1000 Target soul: Below 80% With your knowledge of the soul, you can bind someone to the very area they stand for a limited amount of time. While bound, they will be unable to leave the area boundaries by any means – physical or magical. Cooldown: 180 seconds - Distortion Distort your victim’s soul. #### Distortion **Description**Syntax: SOUL DISTORT Target soul: Below 90% Soul restored: 6% Distort their soul, causing your next hammer attack to strip their rebounding and bypass their parry. This will last for a limited time or until it is consumed upon attack. Note that this effect is exclusive from the effects of the Frailty skill, both cannot be used at the same time. This ability can be performed off-balance, but consumes equilibrium. Cooldown: 8 seconds - Implant Plan your venoms. #### Implant **Description**Usage: SOUL IMPLANT SOUL IMPLANT CLEAR Target soul: Below 75% Soul restored: 15% This ability allows you to place a silent disease in your opponent’s soul tuned to a specific venom. When that venom enters the blood stream, the disease will flare up, coming to life, and releasing an extra venom and some poison damage upon your opponent. This will last for 45 seconds, increasing to 60 seconds if your target is below 50% soul when cast. This effect is then consumed once it is triggered. This ability may be performed off-balance, but consumes equilibrium. Cooldown (when triggered): 30 seconds - Reave Reave the souls of your foes. #### Reave **Description**Syntax: SOUL REAVE With a warhammer or polearm in hand, you can reave the very soul of an opponent in one fell blow. You may not, however, perform any actions while attempting to do so. If their current health percent is lower than 20% plus the percentage of missing soul, then the duration it takes to reave your opponent will be cut in half. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Warhounds - Hounding Manage your kennel of warhounds. #### Hounding **Description**HOUND REQUEST – Request a hound from the kennels. Must be used at a kennel. HOUND LIST \[\] – Lists all Warhounds under your dominion. Optionally filter by trait. HOUND LIST DETAILS – See the full overview of all your hounds. HOUND INFO \[\] – Get detailed information on a specific hound. HOUND REJECT – Destroy an unworthy hound within a kennel. HOUND LIST – List possible hound traits. HOUND – See details about a hound trait. You may only have up to twenty hounds in your kennel at once. - Ordering Understand basic warhound commands. #### Ordering **Description**The below are some basic commands you can do with your hound, once it has been taken out from the kennels and is in your direct care. HOUND GLANCE \[hound\] – Glance to your hound’s current location. HOUND RECALL – Recall a warhound from the kennels. Can be used anywhere. HOUND DISMISS – Send a warhound back to the kennels. Can be used anywhere. Warhounds can also be ordered like most other loyal critters, as outlined in HELP LOYALTY, although they will not attack on their own. They will require special commands on your behalf. - Naming Name your warhound. #### Naming **Description**Syntax: HOUND NAME Give your hound a unique name to distinguish it from the other mutts. Renaming it, should it already have a name, will cost 1,000 gold to do so. - Whistling Order your hounds back. #### Whistling **Description**Syntax: HOUND WHISTLE \[ALL|hound\] A sharp, high-pitched whistle that will call your active hound, or the specified hound, to your side. The warhound must be outside of its kennel. - Scent Sniff out another. #### Scent **Description**Syntax: HOUND SCENT If the target is in the same area, your hound will be able to pick up their scent and discern where exactly they are. - Bloodtrace Learn of another’s passage through their blood. #### Bloodtrace **Description**Syntax: HOUND BLOODTRACE If another’s blood has recently been spilled in your room, your hound may detect the injured’s identity. - Digging Dig and bury items. #### Digging **Description**Syntax: HOUND DIG and HOUND BURY The canine is an experienced digger, and can quickly dig up or bury items for you. - Preservation Your hounds will never die. #### Preservation **Description**This ability is passive. Being a master of souls, you can preserve the soul of your warhound from death itself. If slain, your warhound will eventually revive after a period of time, however it will lose some of its accumulated experience. - Flanking Intercept the cowardly. #### Flanking **Description**Syntax: HOUND FLANK Your hound will intercept cowardly denizens that flee before your blows, preventing their escape. - Openings Strike during opportunistic moments #### Openings **Description**Syntax: HOUND OPENINGS When fighting denizens, your hound will create openings for you by attacking their flank. This will allow your next blow to deal bonus damage. - Rearing Rear your hounds into fearsome beasts. #### Rearing **Description**Syntax: HOUND REAR HOUND MAJOR LIST HOUND MINOR LIST Your budding knowledge of hound training will now allow you to rear your active hound to learn a trait of your liking. A hound can have up to a maximum of two major traits and five minor traits of choice. In order to train multiple traits, your hound requires at least one level for each trait that you wish to have. Major traits cannot be learned until the hound reaches level five. - Initiative Your hound will choose its own attacks. #### Initiative **Description**Syntax: HOUND INITIATIVE HOUND INITIATIVE CEASE Your warhound will decide its own attacks, attacking the target without any commands from you. - Target Attack specific limbs. #### Target **Description**Syntax: HOUND TARGET Direct your active hound to attack a specific limb when making use of the Bite ability, dealing a small amount of trauma. You can view AB WARHOUNDS BITE for more information. - Courser Handle three hounds at once. #### Courser **Description**Syntax: HOUND SWITCH You are now capable of controlling up to three hounds in the fray at once. Simply make sure you take out additional warhounds from your kennel in order to do so. Traits will generally work with your active hound only, unless otherwise specified. You will need to switch out your active hound in order to make use of your full rotation. - Report Get details about the hound’s location. #### Report **Description**Syntax: HOUND REPORT You may not only see through the eyes of your hound, but do so with greater discernment – allowing you to gauge the health of those present as well. - Deliver Like reverse fetch. #### Deliver **Description**Syntax: HOUND DELIVER Order your hound to carry an item to someone on the same continent as you. - Sleuth Scent out the location of an item. #### Sleuth **Description**Syntax: HOUND SLEUTH \[target\] Your hound will attempt to seek out a specified item in your current location, notifying you if anyone present carries it. You may optionally target a specific person to search. - Retrieve Actual fetch. #### Retrieve **Description**Syntax: HOUND RETRIEVE Order your hound to pick up an item from its location. - Track Send your hound to find and follow. #### Track **Description**Syntax: HOUND TRACK Your hound will ruthlessly track down the victim you specify, moving quietly to their location. If they are an enemy of yours, it will pin them down and stun them when the hound reaches them. - Soulpact Advance your hound in an instant. #### Soulpact **Description**Syntax: HOUND SOULPACT Soul cost: 3000 Forging a pact between souls will allow you to unlock your warhound’s potential, maximising its level, and preventing it from losing experience should it die. It will require a significant amount of souls from your soulstone in order to do so. Only hounds that have been soulpacted are eligible for customisation. - Develop Develop physical traits in your hounds. #### Develop **Description**Syntax: HOUND DEVELOP HOUND MINOR LIST Mutating your hound is not as simple as a quick smack and some harsh words. In order to obtain physical traits, you can now command your active hound to fight with the corrupt hound, Abietatve, utilising its body-drenched essence to warp and change your hound to your liking. The same restrictions apply as listed within AB WARHOUNDS REARING if you seek multiple traits. - Leading Your hound will bring others to you. #### Leading **Description**Syntax: HOUND LEAD Order your hound to attempt to lead a target – your hound will first track to that target, and then motion your target to follow. For the next two minutes, the target will be able to PATH FIND HOUND in the room with the hound to reach you. After two minutes, the hound will return to you. - Outfit Protect your hound with armour. #### Outfit **Description**Syntax: HOUND OUTFIT Outfit your hound in canine battle armour, increasing the percentage of damage reduced when it is struck by another. - Sniff Sniff the air for those nearby. #### Sniff **Description**Syntax: HOUND SNIFF Your hound will report the traces of all scents it picks up nearby, showing you all denizens within a five room radius. - Focus Your hound will focus its attention. #### Focus **Description**This ability is passive. The focus of your warhound has improved to a point where certain abilities now have a secondary effect should the opponent already be afflicted by the primary. The following is a list below: Poisonclaw – Causes hypotension if they have blisters. Shock – Causes hallucinations if they have epilepsy. Acidspit – Causes lameness if they have weariness. Stare – Causes impairment if they have mania. Growling – Causes recklessness if they have dizziness. - Beastmaster Command complete authority of your hounds. #### Beastmaster **Description**This ability is passive. Your mastery of hounds will now allow you to teach one final major and minor trait to a hound, increasing the total to a maximum of three major traits and six minor traits. Please see AB WARHOUNDS REARING and AB WARHOUNDS DEVELOP for more information. - Your hounds may perform the following attacks - Howl A piercing cry. #### Howl **Description**Usage: HOUND HOWL Your hound’s howl will have an adverse effect upon your opponent, draining them of their mana. - Bite Sink your teeth in. #### Bite **Description**Syntax: HOUND BITE Order your hound to chomp down on your victim, causing cutting damage. - Shatter Shatter an enemy shield. #### Shatter **Description**Usage: HOUND SHATTER Order your hound to go forth and shatter your opponent’s magical shield, destroying it in the process. - Ululate Hit the high notes. #### Ululate **Description**Syntax: HOUND ULULATE An emotional mourning howl that will cause all those who hear it to tear up, making their eyes water. - Terror Send their entities fleeing. #### Terror **Description**Syntax: HOUND TERROR Send animals fleeing with a terrifying bellow. ## Visual style and identity Carnifex do not slash neatly or strike pressure points. They pulverize. The class leans into heavy, forceful movements and the disorientation of soul-weakening at range. Where a [Templar](/character-classes/templar/) holds the line with disciplined formation work, a Carnifex breaks the enemy and feeds on the leftovers. The visual identity is brutal, domineering, often armored. Heavy weapons, a bound warhound at the heel, the soulstone close to the chest. Carnifex are immediately recognizable in a crowd. ## Side effects of the work The class is not free. Practitioners of Deathlore run the risk of madness from the saturation of death and the lingering memory of the souls they reap. The pull is not constant, but the emotional residue of captive souls can surface in moments of stress. There is a broader cost too. Every soul held in a soulstone is one that cannot be reborn into the Cycle. Souls eventually return to the Underhalls with diminished experience, weakening the Tempering of the new generation. The Carnifex understand this and do not care. Strength matters. The Cycle does not. ## Who plays this class The Carnifex is a class for players who want serious moral weight and heavy lore. The roleplay frame is dark fantasy at its most uncompromising: you are not a misunderstood antihero. You are a Carnifex. You take souls because strength demands it. Mechanically, the class rewards players who like heavy melee combat with magical depth. The soulstone gives Carnifex a resource economy tied to killing that most martial classes do not have, and Warhounds adds living weapons, trained war beasts that vary by lineage and fight alongside your attacks. If you want subtlety, the Carnifex is the wrong class. If you want a death knight that earns the title, this is it. ## City and guild The Carnifex guild is anchored in [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/), the Shadow Tether’s city of undeath. Patron: Bamathis, the Lost. The guild houses both the Carnifex class and its sister class, the [Ravager](/character-classes/ravager/) (brutish brawlers who fight with hellfire and ego rather than soul magic and steel). Joining the Carnifex means committing to Shadow. You will not be able to actively hold any Spirit-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Shadow classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race choice is independent of class, so you can play a Carnifex of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Carnifex mirror is the [Warden](/character-classes/warden/), Duiran’s ancestral clan warrior. Both are heavy martial classes built around city-defining lore. Carnifex draw on stolen souls and the legacy of Roan Seluno. Wardens draw on the Bear, Serpent, and Raven clans and the spirits of their dead. Same combat chassis, opposite ideology. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Carnifex good for new players?** Yes. The class has clear progression, active guild leadership, and strong documentation. The combat style is forgiving for beginners learning Aetolia’s affliction-based PvP system. You can also focus on the Savagery skill set early for a more straightforward martial experience before exploring Deathlore’s complexity. **Can a Carnifex be a vampire?** Yes. Bloodloch is the vampire capital, and many Carnifex are Consanguine. Vampirism is a separate transformation handled through the Imperial Dominion’s Embrace, but the two work together naturally. Some Carnifex stay mortal. Many do not. **How does the soulstone work in combat?** The soulstone is your power reservoir. As you capture souls during play, they fill the stone and become the fuel for Deathlore abilities. You can release captured souls back to the Cycle, but every active Deathlore technique depletes the reservoir. Managing soul economy is part of the class’s mid-fight decision making. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Carnifex profile. Or see [all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Ravager](/character-classes/ravager/) Carnifex’s sister class in the same guild. Where Carnifex is methodical and ritual-heavy, the Ravager is overwhelming. Brutality (dirty martial arts), Ravaging (soulfire from Perdition), Egotism (will made manifest). Pick Ravager if you like the Carnifex city and lore but prefer brawling to soul magic. ### [Templar](/character-classes/templar/) Enorian’s heavy martial knight. Battlefury, Righteousness, Bladefire. Pick Templar if you like the heavy-armor, city-defining warrior frame but want to fight on the Spirit side as a holy crusader rather than a death knight. ### [Praenomen](/character-classes/praenomen/) Bloodloch’s vampire signature class. Corpus (body), Mentis (mind), Sanguis (blood). Pick Praenomen if you want to stay in Bloodloch and Shadow but trade heavy melee for a deep vampiric magic kit and the ability to Sire others. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Carnifex and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Bloodborn of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/bloodborn/) **Published:** March 18, 2023 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Bloodborn of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-bloodborn-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Bloodborn class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Bloodborn are Aetolia’s blood mages, a Shadow-tethered class in Bloodloch that wields Humourism (sorcery rooted in the four humours of the body), Esoterica (occult runic and ritual magic), and Hematurgy (specialised mastery of blood as a magical medium). At a glance**Tether**Shadow**City**[Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/)**Guild**Imperial Dominion (Patron: Chakrasul, the Dark Mother)**Skill sets**Humourism, Esoterica, Hematurgy**Mirror class**[Ascendril](/character-classes/ascendril/) (Spirit)**Sister class in guild**[Praenomen](/character-classes/praenomen/)**Signature mechanic**Humour-balance manipulation (yellow bile, phlegm, black bile, blood)**Best for**Players who want visceral, anatomical, slightly revolting magicThe modern Bloodborn re-emerged in the year 508, when the Imperial Dominion rediscovered fragments of a bygone tradition and restored it to active practice. The class is unapologetically gross: burning bile, frigid spittle, blood-borne spellwork, and ritual scripts no one outside the guild can read. If you want to play a sorcerer whose magic comes from the inside of bodies rather than from elements or planes, the Bloodborn is one of the most distinctive Shadow casters in the game. ## Origin and lore Bloodborn practice is older than its modern revival. Centuries ago, a small tradition of blood mages worked the edges of Aetolian scholarship before fading into footnote status. The Imperial Dominion of Bloodloch recovered those old texts and rituals in the year 508 and reconstructed the class around current Dominion theology. The core idea is anatomical. Bloodborn theory holds that humanoid bodies are made from a precise balance of the six elements, with four of them (fire, water, air, spirit) regulated by the four humours: yellow bile, phlegm, black bile, and blood. Imbalance in this system explains states like vampirism, Ivolnite undeath, Duamvi symbiosis, and Akkari transfiguration. Where ordinary scholars study these cases as exceptions, the Bloodborn study them as recipes. Their patron, Chakrasul, the Dark Mother, embodies decay and despair. Bloodborn work is visceral and repulsive by design. Their guildmates in the Imperial Dominion include the Praenomen (the vampire signature class) and the wider Consanguine bloodline first ordered by Abhorash. ## Skill sets The Bloodborn skill sets are Humourism, Esoterica, and Hematurgy. **Humourism** is the foundational sorcery. A Bloodborn taps the latent elements regulated by black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood, often expelling magic through their own mouth or pores. Burning acidic bile, frigid spittle, and viscous attacks are typical. Black bile manipulation extends the work outward, letting the caster disrupt the humour balance inside an enemy and inflict massive harm at distance. **Esoterica** rounds out the kit with occult ritual and arcane invocation. A Bloodborn uses Esoterica to empower runic script, fuel rituals, and ensorcell their crystal aegis. It is the cleanest of the three skills, in relative terms. Nothing about Bloodborn work is actually clean. **Hematurgy** narrows focus to blood alone. The skill is so deep that it accounts for nearly as much study as the other three humours combined. A Hematurgist works with a personal blood well, requires intimate knowledge of circulatory anatomy, and at high levels can produce effects that replicate a beating heart or a complete vascular system in miniature. ## Skill abilities Humourism Esoterica Hematurgy Filter abilities Title Contents ### Humourism - Align Align yourself to greater awareness of humours. #### Align **Description**Syntax: ALIGN DIVEST Additional syntax: ALIGNMENTS In order to manipulate your humours or the humours of your foes, you must first align yourself to detecting them and their latent power. Once you are aligned, you will be able to manipulate those humours via your awareness of them in the bodies of your victims. You can divest yourself of your awareness of these crucial substances if you so wish. There is no cost to keeping them active. - Implement Imbue magical might into a focus. #### Implement **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR EXTRACT FOCUS EMBED FOCUS IN Excise a focus from the Dominion’s bloodstone while you are standing before it, and then embed it into either a staff, a dagger, or a sceptre. Practitioners without access to the Dominion’s bloodstone must take matters into their own hands, and may obtain a suitable surrogate by venturing to the Fractal Bloom, where they may CHIP a CRYSTAL from among those that grow there. This nascent chunk must then be RAISEd within the diminutive torture chamber of Fengard’s Torturer, Naggamantex, before it can be properly embedded within your chosen weapon. Should you be wielding such an object containing a focus crystal, you will be able to command the elements with greater ease. Your spells will no longer require both hands, only a single hand. Additionally, parrying an attack will charge your focus crystal with magical energy, restoring a portion of your mana instantly. - Prowess Exhibit mastery of bodily humours. #### Prowess **Description**Syntax: PROWESS Using this ability, you can simultaneously align yourself with all four humours. - You may manipulate yellow bile in the following ways - Singe A simple manipulation of yellow bile. #### Singe **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR SINGE This simple sorcery will cause their yellow bile to betray them, causing blisters and impairment to develop within their body. - Parch Reduce traces of water to mere vapor. #### Parch **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR PARCH By evoking your own yellow bile’s potential, you can evaporate the water within your location should it be unnaturally flooded. - Retch A terrible swathe of black fire. #### Retch **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR RETCH RETCH RETCH \[\] Using your yellow bile, summon forth a torrent of black fire into your throat for a limited time. Once prepared, you can then raise a cupped hand to funnel the black fire in a stream towards your target, either in your location or within line of sight, causing fire damage. You can only do this up to four times before the spell will lose its potency. If they are an adventurer, your black fire will also set them ablaze. Each time you retch black fire at someone, it will use the balance from one of your arms instead your equilibrium. As such, you will be able to retch black fire twice at the same time if you so choose. You can also retch your black fire at denizens, however if you wish to strike a denizen in a particular direction you must include it in the syntax. **Details**Target LocationSame location or line of sight Damage TypeFire Damage SourceArcane Base Damage150 + 7% Base Damage (Denizen)300 Fireburst Duration120 seconds Fireburst Stacks4 Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Arm Balance Recovery (Attacking)2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 80 mana to use. - Costs 20 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. - (Attacking) Requires equilibrium. - (Attacking) Requires core balance. - (Attacking) Costs 5 mana to use. - (Attacking) Costs 2 willpower to use. - (Attacking) Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Attacking) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Twist Cripple them with a surge of bilious fire. #### Twist **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR TWIST This swift sorcery will awaken someone’s yellow bile and curse it with a foul twist. Should they be the target of non-natural healing, the curse will activate and cause the veins in their legs to burst into infernal fire, crippling them so that they fall to the ground. - Brimstone An unstoppable inferno of black fire and odorous brimstone. #### Brimstone **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR BRIMSTONE This sorcery brings forth a bodily emanation. You may only cast this sorcery at a target in your location. Summon a column of bilious fire in your location that will periodically burn your chosen target with its heat. Should they be ablaze, it will draw the flames from them and burn even hotter, permanently dealing additional damage at an exponential rate based on the stacks it has. Once cast, the brimstone column will follow your target should they move from its current location and spread embers in its wake, however it can only travel three locations from its point of creation, otherwise it will lose strength and extinguish itself. Striking the brimstone column with a fire-based attack will cause it explode with black fire, dealing fire damage to everyone in the location. If you have already created a bodily emanation, then summoning this one will cause the other to die out. - Disgorge Assault your foe with burning bile. #### Disgorge **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR DISGORGE Cause an explosion of black fire, dealing fire damage to your target and shattering their courage. If your bloody well is aspected with yellow bile, then it will set them ablaze. - Sulphur Conceal your presence in foul sulphur. #### Sulphur **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR SULPHUR Conjure a malodorous cloud of sulphur from your humours, obscuring attempts that make use of their scent to obtain information about the surroundings. - Roil Catalyse your burning bile. #### Roil **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR ROIL Incite the yellow bile in your body so that the next yellow bile sorcery you cast, the equilibrium recovery time is cut in half. There is a short delay after casting before this sorcery becomes effective. - Feverflare Weave impending doom from sickly light. #### Feverflare **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR FEVERFLARE \[target 2\] Form a lance of foul magic that will, after a delay, bathe an opponent whom recklessly attacks with abandon, dealing a burst of fire-based damage to them. If a given target has both balance and equilibrium when the lance falls, then they will step or roll out of the way and come away unharmed. Protective shields and barriers will offer no respite from the malignant power of this sorcery. - Acidveins Burn them inside and out. #### Acidveins **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR ACIDVEINS Requires and consumes aspected yellow bile. A deadly sorcery wielded by the most vile of humourists in the land. By getting up close and personal to your opponent, you can release a torrent of yellow bile point-blank into their face. This will cause trauma to the head and will deal fire-based damage to them if they are not parrying their head. Additionally, based on certain conditions, this sorcery will become more potent: \* They are on fire – This attack can no longer be parried. \* No arcane defence – Doubles the amount of damage dealt. \* They have blisters – Triples the amount of trauma dealt. \* Brimstone in room – This spell will also stun the opponent. - Obliteration Reduce your foe to naught. #### Obliteration **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR OBLITERATION Requires and consumes aspected yellow bile. Weaponise your yellow bile into a catalysed destructive force that you can, after a short channel, release into a wave of all-consuming inky flames. This mix of liquid, flame, and sorcery will chew through your opponent, dealing a large amount of unblockable damage to them and will destroy all defences that help them resist damage. After being bathed in flame, their consumed flesh will also smoulder for a little while afterwards, dealing periodic unblockable damage and reducing their maximum fire resistance to 20%. Failing the channel will still result in your aspected yellow bile being consumed. - You may manipulate phlegm in the following ways - Frostwrack Slow their very thoughts. #### Frostwrack **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR FROSTWRACK \[target\] By manipulating the phlegm and ambient water all around you, you will plunge the surroundings into chaos, freezing all your enemies in the location by two levels. If you pick a target, they will be hit regardless if you have declared them an enemy or not. - Mist Conjure obfuscating mist. #### Mist **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR MIST With the aid of your body’s reservoir of elemental water, you may coax moisture into the air and cause an obscuring mist to envelop the room. Those outside the mist will be unable to see into the location. - Flense Carve through their flesh with phlegmatic wrath. #### Flense **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR FLENSE Employ your phlegmatic prowess by conjuring a chilling, sorcerous spike at your target that causes cold-based damage. Any enemies in the location will be additionally knocked off balance temporarily if they are shivering. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeCold Damage SourceArcane Base Damage225 + 10% Base Damage (Denizen)900 Balance Upset1.10 seconds Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 60 mana to use. - Costs 20 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Uprising Launch someone into the air. #### Uprising **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR UPRISING Launch a dangerous seed of phlegm at the feet of your target, that will explode into a torrent of chilling water, drenching the target and leaving them wet. The foul sorcery will also drain their mana, draining more depending on if they’re shivering, frigid, and/or frozen. - Direfog A foul fog wrought from icy sorcery. #### Direfog **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR DIREFOG This sorcery conjures a bodily emanation. You may only cast this sorcery at a target that is within line of sight of you. Wheeze forth a gelid cone of icy phlegm, birthing a living emanation that will drift across the ground and freeze the earth underneath it, seeking out its given target. Once it reaches its target, it will pulse with a baleful chill, dealing cold damage and freezing the feet of everyone in the location a single time, then cease to drift. If you have recently fled combat, then the amount of time their feet remain frozen is heavily reduced. Should anyone in the location with the emanation be fallen excluding yourself, they will take passive cold damage until they stand up once more. Additionally, if they have used neither balance nor equilibrium, then the damage dealt is doubled. Striking the direfog with cold-based damage will cause it to expand, dealing cold damage to everyone in the location. If you have already created a bodily emanation, then summoning this one will will cause the other to die out. - Frostbite The gelid grip of winter. #### Frostbite **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR FROSTBITE This maladious sorcery will begin to cause their phlegm to crystallise, freezing them by one level and afflicting them with budding frostbite. Should they be knocked to the ground, the frostbite will spring to life and worsen, dealing cold damage and giving them the mindfog affliction. - Overflow Convert your own phlegmatic essence into a flood. #### Overflow **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR OVERFLOW Draw upon your own precious phlegmatic essence and vomit forth a tide of watery bile to flood your surroundings. This sorcery has no aspected effects. - Rimespear Run them through. #### Rimespear **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR RIMESPEAR Spit forth saturnine phlegm that will crystalise into three spears of rime, hovering in the air above you and follow you as you move. Periodically, a spear will be launched at your target aimed at their torso. Should the icy spear strike its target, it will deal trauma to the torso and cold damage. - Fragment Shower them in rime-riddled agony. #### Fragment **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR FRAGMENT Once you have brought forth the Rimespear magic, you may cause the spears it launches to fragment into three smaller chunks of frigid phlegm for each spear left over. After a delay, the shards will spread in apart and fly at the original target all at once, shredding their arms and torso at random. While the attack is spread over multiple body parts, this will cause less cold damage than if the spears had remained whole. Once a limb is broken, the chunks of phlegm will only be able to deal half the usual trauma to that limb if struck. After fragmentation, the ice shards will become detatched from you and will linger behind if you move. Please see AB HUMOURISM RIMESPEAR for more information about this ability. - Gelidbreath Unleash the frigid fury within your lungs. #### Gelidbreath **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR GELIDBREATH Requires and consumes aspected phlegm. Heave forth a chilling breath of cold from your lungs, draining your opponent of their mana and potentially freezing them in a variety of ways. Additionally, based on certain conditions, this spell will become more potent: \* No speed defence – This spell will leave them iced over. \* They are fallen – Recover equilibrium more quickly from this spell. \* They are frigid – They will become hobbled. \* Direfog in room – It will give them frozen feet. The mana drain of this ability will also be increased for each condition you meet. - Marrowchill An act of grand, gelid sorcery. #### Marrowchill **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR MARROWCHILL Requires and consumes aspected phlegm. By channeling this sorcery for a brief period, you will cause fell magic to stir within the phlegm of your enemies nearby and seep a terrible, unwavering cold into their bones. While effected, their mana will be quickly depleted by the cold and will drain additional mana if those afflicted by this curse remain together in the same location. Should a target run out of mana due to this effect, they will become not only frozen, but completely iced over, unable to act until they writhe free. Failing the channel will still result in your aspected phlegm being consumed. - You may manipulate black bile in the following ways - Befoul Lance through protective shields with a blackened bolt. #### Befoul **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR BEFOUL \[target 2\] \[target 3\] With great expenditure of your own black bile, you can generate a terrible, perforating bolt of dark energy and launch it, striking all your given targets. This will destroy any magical shield in its way in the process. If they are an adventurer and no shield is present, the befouling bolt will electrocute them as they are knocked to the ground, giving them whiplash in the process. - Revolt Repel a target with simple bilious manipulation. #### Revolt **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR REVOLT Send your target flying from your location in the direction of your choice with a manipulation of your own black bile. The density defense will prevent this. - Murkspark Fry their synapses with thunderous sorcery. #### Murkspark **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR MURKSPARK \[target 2\] Form a scattered shower of actualised black bile and rain it down upon two different targets, shocking them with powerful surge of electrical damage. If a target is an adventurer, then it will also numb their body and give them paresis. If they already have paresis, then it will be immediately transformed into paralysis. **Details**Target LocationSame location Maximum Targets2 targets Damage TypeElectric Damage SourceArcane Mana Cost Per Target60 Willpower Cost Per Target15 Damage Per Hit300 + 14% Damage Per Hit (Denizen)1200 Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Equilibrium Interfere with their internal equilibrium. #### Equilibrium **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR EQUILIBRIUM Upend their humoral equilibrium by displacing your victim’s black bile, and striking them with vertigo and confusion. If your bloody well is aspected with black bile, then it will give them laxity as well. - Bilesphere Deny egress with sorcerous bile. #### Bilesphere **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR BILESPHERE This sorcery conjures a bodily emanation. You may cast this sorcery at a target in your location or adjacent. Conjure a ball of black, smoking bile that will hover toward your chosen target and chase after them if they leave, charging the field with unnerving static as it moves. Should the given target try and leave a location where the emanation is present with less than 75% health or mana, it will delay their ability to leave by a short amount and drain a small portion of mana. If they are suffering from either shock or burnout, then it will prevent their escape entirely. Striking the bilesphere with electric-based damage will cause it to release vile lightning, dealing electric damage to everyone in the location. If you have already created a bodily emanation, then summoning this one will will cause the other to die out. - Stupor Drive your foe into a stupor with imbalanced biles. #### Stupor **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR STUPOR Engulf your foe with a cascade of catalysed black bile, battering them with dizziness and stupidity, and dealing some electric damage. If they lack courage, then it will additionally afflict them with confusion. - Oppress A sorcerous whirlwind born of your own bile. #### Oppress **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR OPPRESS Manifest a wave of concussive force from your melancholic biles, knocking down everyone in the skies or trees that are above in your location or adjacent. - Traumatise Inflict lethal trauma with a sudden shock. #### Traumatise **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR TRAUMATISE Send a surge of destructive black bile to rise into the mind of your target, causing a complete lapse in consciousness. Providing they are below or equal to 30% of their maximum mana, the opponent will enter a state of unconsciousness for a period of time depending on how much mana they are missing. If they are suffering from the burnout affliction, then the duration is increased by 25%. Be warned, casting this sorcery will restore your target’s mana back to full. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Impediment Impede their thoughts and motions. #### Impediment **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR IMPEDIMENT Manipulate your humours to form fell magic around you that will, on the fifth casting of a black bile spell with a target, release a wave of nauseating energy that will disrupt your target. There is a slight delay before the magic will fully form, and then will eventually fade in due time. Non-adventurer targets will not count towards the required total, nor set off its effect. - Synaptopathy Sizzle every nerve within their mind. #### Synaptopathy **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR SYNAPTOPATHY Requires and consumes aspected black bile. Fry their synapses with this powerful spell, causing their bile within to crackle painfully and strike after a delay of either 4 or 8 seconds, depending on if you pick fast or slow. After the delay, the pain will overpower them, striking them down and dealing blunt-type damage. Additionally, based on certain conditions on strike, this spell can become more potent: \* Dizziness and vertigo – The bile will form delayed lightning and stun them. \* Stupidity and confusion – The harsh shock will leave them dazed. \* Have a broken torso – It will strip the speed defence. \* Bilesphere in room – It will bypass the shielded and barrier defences. - Catastrophe Wreak havoc and ruin with infernal lightning. #### Catastrophe **Description**Syntax: HUMOUR CATASTROPHE Requires and consumes aspected black bile. After channelling this spell for a short amount of time, it will release a catastrophic wave of bilious energy upon the battlefield, perodically striking your enemies that linger in the location. The first target struck, the electrical damage will be somewhat weak, while each strike afterward will cause the damage from the spell to increase in power limitlessly. Should any target either have the same or more health after being struck by this sorcery, or should die, then the catastrophe will end. Failing the channel will still result in your aspected black bile being consumed. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Esoterica - Victimise Torment your foes with stray sorcery. #### Victimise **Description**Usage: UNLEASH VICTIMISE \[target 2\] \[target 3\] \[target 4\] Unleash a wave of energy upon your foes that can strike a given target or targets up to four times. You can choose a target for each wave, if you so like. For any remaining waves with no target, they will strike your last hit mark. **Details**Target LocationSame location Maximum Targets4 targets Damage TypeMagic Damage SourceArcane Damage Per Hit75 + 3.5% Damage Per Hit (Denizen)300 Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. - (Per wave) Costs 10 mana to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Per wave) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - (Per wave) Does not bounce off magical shields. - Geminate A protective simulacrum. #### Geminate **Description**Usage: UNLEASH GEMINATE \[target\] Enact a ritual that summons a sanguine simulacrum as a reflection of a target. Each time you enact this ritual, the ability will consume a charge that will take time to recover. Only one charge may recover at a time. Once you use three charges, you will be unable to cast any further simulacrums. Cooldown: 15 seconds per - Panoply Gird yourself by arcane aegis. #### Panoply **Description**Usage: UNLEASH PANOPLY Free the ambient elements from their bonds and commandeer them to create a protective encasement around your body, helping you resist blunt and cutting damage. - Ascend Claim the skies as part of your domain. #### Ascend **Description**Syntax: UNLEASH ASCEND LAND Unleash a ritual invocation of flight, allowing you to ascend to the skies. - Besmirch Stain your foe’s flesh with the mark of a target. #### Besmirch **Description**Usage: UNLEASH BESMIRCH Mark someone as a ritual sacrifice, making them visible across the battlefield for some time. The target can then be targetted using the name of the symbol marking them. You can only have one marker in existence at a time. - Indulge Revel in your own superiority. #### Indulge **Description**Usage: UNLEASH INDULGE <10-1000> Indulge in your mastery of occultic forces and arcane ritual, replenishing your mind at the cost of mental stability. This will deplete your willpower proportional to how much mana you choose to recover. - Forestall None shall threaten the purity of your humours. #### Forestall **Description**Usage: UNLEASH FORESTALL Secure invisible arcane wards to your form, granting you a 2% chance to turn aside venoms used by your opponent. If you are channeling a skill or action, then this chance is increased to 20%. - Illusion Call forth an illusory image of your own creation. #### Illusion **Description**Syntax: UNLEASH ILLUSION UNLEASH ILLUSION AT A mainstay of ritualists everywhere, simple illusions can astound your allies and confound your enemies. Note: You can add a new line into your illusion by using the tag $nl within the text, however you may only do this once. - Proscribe Magic is yours to dismiss at will. #### Proscribe **Description**Syntax: UNLEASH PROSCRIBE HERE UNLEASH PROSCRIBE UNLEASH PROSCRIBE Undo the spellwork that has left any lingering effects in a location. This will not dispel symbols unless they are specifically targetted, and dispelling your own runes will not consume your equilibrium. It will also dispel any bodily emanations that has been cast by you within the world at large. You can also cast the dispel upon an aegis to remove the specified symbol from it, though the protective magic of the aegis will make this process take some time. Note: a symbol is any glyph or rune. - Acumen Empower your boar tattoo with ritual energy. #### Acumen **Description**Syntax: UNLEASH ACUMEN \[target\] Enact a ritual that will imbue your boar tattoo with occultic energies, boosting its effects upon your health regeneration. You can additionally supply a target to give someone else this benefit. - Ensorcell Empower an arcane aegis with your ritualism. #### Ensorcell **Description**Usage: UNLEASH ENSORCELL An aegis typically needs to be attuned to the land so that it can draw upon the mana it needs to operate its defences – but a mage has ways around this. By giving it a constant supply of mana from your own reserves, you can have the aegis’ defences work wherever you happen to be holding it. This is a channeled operation and most other actions will interrupt the process. - Embellish Weave colour into your illusions. #### Embellish **Description**Syntax: UNLEASH ILLUSION \[AT \] COLOUR: Add some flair to your ritualism with illusions presented in vivid colour. There is an increase in equilibrium cost for this effect. - Alluvion Push them away with a tide of blood. #### Alluvion **Description**Usage: UNLEASH ALLUVION You may impel droplets of blood to create a river of force from a rift, intermittently pulsing with power. It will constantly push everyone present, up to five rooms away, in a line after an initial delay in the chosen direction. The push of this spell is negated by the density defense, though the presence of one of your clarity glyphs in the target’s room will give it a 1 in 20 chance to bypass this each pulse. The effect will end after a short duration, or if the rift it creates is destroyed by being attacked. Cooldown: 10 seconds - Sozedeti The power of a high ritualist. #### Sozedeti **Description**Syntax: UNLEASH GEMINATE \[3-10 seconds\] This ability adds the extra functionality of having a geminated reflection appear after a delay to the Geminate skill. Please see AB ESOTERICA GEMINATE for more information on this skill. - Egress A skyward retreat beyond barriers and reach. #### Egress **Description**Syntax: UNLEASH EGRESS A refined version of an amateur ritual, you can position yourself to fly in a direction of your choice, taking you into the skies above the room in your targeted direction. - Mania Mass hysteria. #### Mania **Description**Syntax: UNLEASH MANIA UNLEASH MANIA ON AEGIS Manifest mass hysteria by unleashing a ritual of unsettling energy. Anyone who enters a room with such delusions attached to it will see the illusion upon entry. Only a single illusion may reign in the room, and subsequent casts will overwrite the previous. Such delusions can also be attached to an attuned crystal aegis, where it will persist forever or until dispelled. It will only be shown to targets of the aegis in this situation. Spells like Proscribe and Dispel can be used to clear the illusion prematurely. - Shadebind Bind an opponent in shade, obscuring vision. #### Shadebind **Description**Usage: UNLEASH SHADEBIND Unleash a living tendrils of shade to wrap around the head and obscure their eyesight. The shade will make it difficult to see, lowering their physical accuracy by 15% for a short duration. You must target exactly three people with this spell, no more or less. - Blear Blear their eyes with a haze of misty blood. #### Blear **Description**Syntax: UNLEASH BLEAR Unleash the power of a blearing ritual that will mask the presence of all in your location. Such an illusion will not prevent anyone from attacking others should they know they are there. Abilities like Dispel or Proscribe can remove effects like this. - Attunement Bind an aegis within your city. #### Attunement **Description**Syntax: ATTUNE AEGIS HERE DAMPEN AEGIS CEDE AEGIS In an impressive feat of spellcraft, you can attach a crystal aegis to the land around you. By attuning it to the leylines that course all throughout the continent, you can keep the aegis permanently supplied with the energy it needs to keep its defences activated. Such an act takes a considerable length of time, and requires your utmost concentration. Once attuned in place, the aegis cannot be moved. You cannot attune an aegis to a room if there is another attuned aegis already placed within a two-room distance. An attuned aegis will only have four of its glyphs activated when set up in this state. Within a city, the help of its pylon can further increase it to all six. During a period of stable activity of the leylines however, an attuned aegis will become dormant due to a lack of energy. Please see AB REFINING FLUXATIONS for more information. To remove an aegis, you can focus on dampening its connection to the leylines. This act will take a much shorter time than attuning, but your utmost concentration is still required. As a mage, you can perform this feat significantly faster than the Survival skill equivalent. Once completed, the crystal aegis will shatter into pieces, destroying it completely. You can also cede ownership of an aegis to any organisation, so long as the aegis has been attuned upon a location that belongs to that organisation. Cities, however, can hold ownership of up to five aegises beyond their home territory. Once the ownership has been ceded, the aegis will instead attack enemies of that organisation, instead of your personal enemies. - You can sketch the following runes - Observation Detect those who trespass upon its location. #### Observation **Description**Syntax: SKETCH OBSERVATION SKETCH OBSERVATION ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz Type: Triggered The observation rune will alert you when it is triggered, informing you of the location and who did it. If sketched onto an attuned aegis, this rune will alert the owner of the aegis when a caravan passes through its location (HELP PRODUCTION). If sketched onto an attuned aegis that also has its ownership set to an organisation, the observation rune will instead make an alert over that organisation’s channel. - Runes Sketch magical runes upon your surroundings. #### Runes **Description**Runes are eldritch symbols sketched through the air with gem dust and infused with mana. Each rune has a different effect depending on the runic script sketched and the gem dust used to create it. There are currently two types of runes: persistent runes, and triggered runes. Persistent runes will last for a short duration and impose a constant effect upon their location, until they fade from their magic being depleted. Triggered runes will hang in the air until an enemy of yours enters the location, at which point their effect will trigger and the rune will dissipate as its magic depletes. The clarity defence will protect an enemy from being affected by most triggered runes. Each room can only contain two runes, for any more than that would cause the magics to disrupt each other. Both runes must be different. Runes can additionally be sketched onto the facet of a crystal aegis, instead of in the air. When upon an aegis, runes will be permanently powered and no longer fade. Some runes may have a different effect when upon an aegis. An aegis can exist alongside runes sketched in the room. - Portal Journey vast distances with runic symbology. #### Portal **Description**Syntax: SKETCH PORTAL SKETCH PORTAL ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz Type: Persistent (room), Triggered (aegis) Sketch the outline of a portal and it will open soon after, leading between you and your target. If sketched onto an aegis, the portal rune will attack the limbs of your enemy, randomly leaving one crippled. - Destruction Unleash arcane mayhem upon them. #### Destruction **Description**Syntax: SKETCH DESTRUCTION SKETCH DESTRUCTION ONTO Required dust: 1 ruby Type: Triggered The destruction rune will attack the physical form of your enemy with spears of terrible energy, damaging their health. - Vainglory Irritation made real. #### Vainglory **Description**Syntax: TRACE VAINGLORY TRACE VAINGLORY ONTO Required dust: 2 topaz Type: Triggered The vainglory glyph will cause a surge of grandiosity in your enemy, afflicting them with hubris. - Addling Eat away at the bonds of their sanity. #### Addling **Description**Syntax: SKETCH ADDLING SKETCH ADDLING ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz, 1 emerald Type: Triggered The addling rune will corrupt the mind of your enemy, afflicting them with dementia. This rune will work regardless of the clarity defence, and will strip the defence from your target. If sketched onto an aegis, the addling rune will always be the first rune to fire. - Entrapment A rune of entrapment. #### Entrapment **Description**Syntax: SKETCH ENTRAPMENT SKETCH ENTRAPMENT ONTO Required dust: 2 ruby Type: Triggered The entrapment rune will send magical ropes to entangle your enemy. - Slumber A rune of somnolent influence. #### Slumber **Description**Syntax: SKETCH SLUMBER SKETCH SLUMBER ONTO Required dust: 1 diamond Type: Triggered The slumber rune will instill a lulling drowsiness into your enemy as it attempts to put them into a deep sleep. If sketched onto an aegis, the slumber rune will always be the last rune to fire. - Arrogance Symbolic arrogance. #### Arrogance **Description**Syntax: SKETCH ARROGANCE SKETCH ARROGANCE ONTO Required dust: 1 emerald, 1 ruby Type: Triggered The rune of arrogance will bolster your own pride, giving you the egocentrism affliction. - Leaching Feed upon the mana of your victims. #### Leaching **Description**Syntax: SKETCH LEACHING SKETCH LEACHING ONTO Required dust: 2 emerald, 1 ruby Type: Triggered This powerful glyph will draw upon the mental strength of your enemies, draining mana from them. - Gravity Tear down the skies. #### Gravity **Description**Syntax: SKETCH GRAVITY SKETCH GRAVITY ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz, 2 emerald Type: Triggered The rune of gravity will pull anybody above the ground elevation back to earth after a short delay. This affects everybody into the room, regardless of enemy status. After a period of time, the rune will fade on its own if not sketched on an aegis. - Clarity A mark of eldritch mastery. #### Clarity **Description**Syntax: SKETCH CLARITY SKETCH CLARITY ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz, 1 diamond Type: Persistent This powerful glyph will empower your spells while you stand in its presence, concentrating unrefined magic into a deadlier form. Your arcane-sourced spells will do 15% more damage, while ALL mana costs will be increased by 25%. Only the creator of this glyph will be affected by it. After a period of time, the glyph will fade on its own if not sketched on an aegis. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Hematurgy - Well Draw forth a well of blood. #### Well **Description**Syntax: WELL DRAW WELL STATUS Draw upon the power of blood to summon forth a blood well, a source of power capable of bringing about numerous debilitating effects. Your blood well will be constructed within your body, suffused within your own veins. As such, where you go, it will go. - Forewarn Your blood well will alert you of your enemies. #### Forewarn **Description**Syntax: WELL FOREWARN Your mastery of blood will allow you to detect ripples across your well’s surface, alerting you whenever anyone enters its location with this ability active. The effect is temporary and will eventually end on its own in due time. - Submerge Submerge items within the depths of your blood well. #### Submerge **Description**Syntax: WELL SUBMERGE WELL RETRIEVE WELL PROBE Store up to five items within the depths of your blood well; protected by blood as they are, these items will decay at half the normal rate. It is impossible to force you to store or retrieve any items in this manner. - Aspects Align your well with the humours of your sorcery. #### Aspects **Description**This ability is passive. Should you have a blood well with you, you are now able to use it to draw in latent humours that fuel your sorcery. Casting two Humourism spells in a row from the same humour will cause your well to become aspected with it. Once fully aspected with a humour, some Humourism spells require it in order to be cast. Please see the AB help files in Humourism to find out if it is a requirement to cast. Any aspected humour within your well will eventually lose its efficacy if it isn’t used shortly. - Suffusion Recall your bloodied well into you. #### Suffusion **Description**Syntax: WELL SUFFUSION Requires your blood well to be free of your veins. Draw your extended blood well back into your body at the cost of your equilibrium, providing it is in the same location as you. - Varicose Extend your veins and power. #### Varicose **Description**Syntax: WELL VARICOSE Extend your blood well from your veins to encompass the physical space of your current location as a bloodied haze. This grants you access to certain abilities that require it. Not all abilities require you to expand your blood well, but more powerful abilities will. In addition, when you expand it, the following will happen once after a delay: All enemies still in the same location will take a pulse of damage, and then become afflicted with the etherflux affliction. The type of damage dealt depends on your aspected humour, otherwise it is physical damage. This skill does not cost balance nor equilibrium to use. - Vein Expel your blood, and with it your afflictions. #### Vein **Description**Syntax: WELL VEIN Your mastery of blood allows you to exchange your tainted and afflicted blood for the pure and clean blood of your well, relieving yourself of two afflictions in the process. Should you have paresis or paralysis, then you will cure that first and nothing else. You will be unable to use this ability again for a short period afterwards. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Resurface Cause your blood well to emerge in someone’s presence. #### Resurface **Description**Syntax: WELL RESURFACE Requires your blood well to be free of your veins. Shift your extended blood well to the location of another in your local area. There is a short channel for this effect that is apparent to your target, and movement will disrupt it. - Bloodcry An ominous sending. #### Bloodcry **Description**Syntax: WELL BLOODCRY Your mastery over blood allows you to communicate across vast distances, carrying the message on dark whispers that only the recipient can hear. By drawing your blood well into your body, you can use it to deliver a message to another who is in the realm, regardless of their location. - Reel Reclaim your drifting power. #### Reel **Description**Syntax: WELL REEL Requires your blood well to be free of your veins. With intense concentration, you can remotely draw your extended blood well back into your body from anywhere in the world. This action requires you to remain within the same location you began this sorcery or it will fail. - Overlap Allow your vicious arcana to overflow. #### Overlap **Description**Syntax: WELL OVERLAP Cause your blood well to overflow, its spilled fluids draining small amounts of health from all enemies in its location that it touches, transferring that vitality to you for a limited duration. - Severance Plague them with arcane agony. #### Severance **Description**Syntax: WELL SEVERANCE Your blood well will passively emit powerful waves of dark sorcery that will attempt to sever the connection between body and soul of your enemies, afflicting them with various hidden maladies. Severance will cause one of the following hidden afflictions: Misery, recklessness, masochism, stupidity, or impatience. - Descry Divine the state of your foe. #### Descry **Description**Syntax: WELL DESCRY Requires your blood well to be free of your veins. Channel the power of blood through your well to divine the state of any who stand in its presence. Your descrying will reveal their health and mana levels, as well as any afflictions currently affecting them. There is no balance or equilibrium cost associated with this ability, though it requires a significant amount of mana. You may use this ability upon yourself as well. - Disparity Awaken disparate humours within your foes. #### Disparity **Description**Syntax: WELL DISPARITY Your blood well can now cause a dangerous disparity of humours in your enemies that reside in the same location as it. This imbalance first consumes their arcane defence, stripping it from them. If they do not restore the defence, their own imbalanced humours will then turn against them, dealing damage from all three primary humours – yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm – as fire, cold and electric damage. - Primacy The primacy of blood outmatches all. #### Primacy **Description**This ability is passive. Providing that you have your blood well with you, you can assert the primacy of blood over the other humours. After you have cast an emanation, you can morph its makeup by striking it with a damaging spell from Humourism. Using yellow bile sorceries will turn it into a Brimstone inferno. Using phlegm sorceries will turn it into Direfog. Using black bile sorceries will turn it into a Bilesphere. Any states or conditions associated with the emanation will be carried over should you transform it back into that form. Please see AB HUMOURISM for more information on the various emanations and what they do. - Atrophy Infuse your well with atrophic magic. #### Atrophy **Description**Syntax: WELL ATROPHY Requires your blood well to be free of your veins. This powerful ability will cause the blood of your enemies to atrophy when they leave the presence of your blood well. This will cause them to take periodic shadow damage for a short while. This effect can stack with itself if triggered multiple times by the same person. - Surfeit Drown them in vile humours. #### Surfeit **Description**Syntax: WELL SURFEIT Requires and consumes aspected humour of the matching type. Create an excess of one of three humours within your target by utilising the stored aspect held within your blood well. The humours you can choose from are choleric, phlegm, and melancholic, each offering different effects. Choleric (Yellow bile): A choleric excess will cause your further manipulations of the target’s yellow bile to burn even hotter. Each time you strike an opponent affected by this excess using fire damage from a Humourism spell, the intense heat will afflict them with clumsiness. If they are already clumsy, they will develop weariness. Phlegm (Phlegm): The chilling nature of excess phlegm will periodically chill your opponent, applying one level of chill to them. Should they become frozen, they will develop hypothermia. Melancholic (Black bile) A melancholic excess will interfere with their pill balance recovery by lengthening the duration before they can eat another. It will also cause Focusing to drain health equal to the initial mana cost on use. Each excess can stack with the others and will last for a limited time before fading. - Contaminate Infuse your blood well with the power of humours. #### Contaminate **Description**Syntax: WELL CONTAMINATE WELL PURIFY By sheer force of bodily will you may contaminate your blood well with black bile, phlegm, or yellow bile, aspecting its power to the humour chosen. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Thrombose Clot the blood within their veins. #### Thrombose **Description**Syntax: WELL THROMBOSE Requires your blood well to be free of your veins. Your blood well will cause clots to form in the blood of everyone in its vicinity, including yourself. This will cause sipping either a health or mana elixir to shift its healing properties, restoring health or mana over time rather than immediately. - Circulate Delivery upon sanguine tides. #### Circulate **Description**This ability is passive. Your mastery of blood magic has deepened, allowing you to maintain a constant circulation between yourself and your blood well. As such, you can now control your extended blood well from a distance with little more than a thought. This affects the following abilities: Resurface, Descry, Imbrue, Profane, Suffocate. A cube sigil placed in the same location as your blood well will interfere with your ability to command it remotely. - Immerge Find sanctuary within your crimson crucible. #### Immerge **Description**Syntax: WELL IMMERGE Requires your blood well to be free of your veins. In times of grave danger, you may sink into blood well, temporarily shifting your physical form into its sanguine depths and making yourself untargetable briefly. Cooldown: 25 seconds - Actualise Actualise their humours with your well. #### Actualise **Description**Syntax: WELL ACTUALISE Should you have caused an excess of humours within your target, you can draw upon these excessive humours to instantly bring forth a burst of sorcerous power related to that humour, and relieve their excess in the process. Excess choleric will bring fire damage, excess phlegm will bring cold damage, and excess melancholic will bring electric damage. If the opponent has the etherflux affliction, the excess fluids will be drawn into your blood well, giving it an aspect of the associated humour. This ability requires equilibrium and balance to use, but does not consume either. - Suffocate Choke them with a sanguineous haze. #### Suffocate **Description**Syntax: WELL SUFFOCATE Requires your blood well to be free of your veins. By drawing upon the essence of black bile, you unleash a terrible miasma from your blood well. This noxious cloud will envelope the location of your blood well, draining mana from all caught within, stripping them of three random defences, and leaving the air charged with a static, melancholic energy. Due to the potent nature of this ability, there is a short delay before it can be used again. Cooldown Congealment (on room): 30 seconds - Imbrue Drown them in a sea of blood. #### Imbrue **Description**Syntax: WELL IMBRUE Requires your blood well to be free of your veins. By channeling the essence of phlegm through your blood well, you unleash a devastating deluge of tainted blood that floods your location and surroundings. This torrent will carry away everyone around you in a random direction from your blood well. Adventurers will be pushed in the chosen direction until there is nowhere left to go, potentially moving them through multiple locations. The flood will also push anyone else standing in its path. Every location affected by this spell will be left flooded. Due to the potent nature of this ability, there is a short delay before it can be used again. Cooldown Congealment (on room): 30 seconds - Profane Elicit terrible heat from your sanguine well. #### Profane **Description**Syntax: WELL PROFANE Requires your blood well to be free of your veins. Channel the essence of yellow bile through your blood well, creating a profane conflagration that will engulf your surroundings. Once cast, your blood well will release waves of searing, bile-infused blood five times, burning everyone in the same location as your blood well and adjacent to it. Each wave will grow in intensity, becoming more powerful, and will spread embers in the affected locations. Performing this ability will require your complete focus. If you attempt any other action during its channel, the profane energies will dissipate, bringing it to an early end. Cooldown Congealment (on room): 30 seconds - Permeate Fill them with the blood of your well until they burst. #### Permeate **Description**Syntax: WELL PERMEATE This gruesome act will allow you to draw your target deep into the depths of your blood well to meet a grisly fate. Your intended victim must be prone, and you may perform no other actions while the well seeks to permeate every pore of their body with an overabundance of viscous lifeblood. Success will destroy your blood well in the process, however failure will only purge it of its humour aspects. If your target is affected by an excess of humours associated with your well’s current aspected humour, the prone requirement is waived and the permeation will be hastened. Your target will not be able to save themselves from death with second life abilities if slain in this manner. ## Visual style and identity The life of a Bloodborn is messy by design. Burning bile erupts from their mouth, floods of frigid spittle crash in their wake, and at their command, blood splatters across whatever surface is available. Eldritch invocation and unknowable script are part of standard practice. Ornate staves, daggers, and sceptres show up in the hands of experienced humourists, often as expressions of arrogance as much as power. Bloodborn do not wear armour. They protect themselves through magic, and they garb themselves in materials that wash out easily. ## Side effects of the work Mastery of blood and humours leaves a Bloodborn unusually sensitive. They register heartbeats, circulatory rhythms, and the scent of blood at a level mortal peers do not. They detect imbalance and illness in others and in themselves, sometimes as a useful signal, sometimes as a relentless distraction novitiates struggle to work through. Mortal Bloodborn pay a physical price too. Repeated bile-expelling produces blisters and burns. Skin scars from the inside out. Many mortal practitioners eventually accept undeath or vampirism, partly to end that suffering. Consanguine Bloodborn trade the burns for a different problem: low blood states hit them harder, mixing the rage of hunger with feelings of profound emptiness. ## Who plays this class The Bloodborn attracts players who want a magic kit that reads as occult, scholarly, and slightly horrifying. The class fits arrogant intellectuals and visceral ritualists. Dominion loyalty and a taste for body horror are the constants. Either flavour works inside the guild. Mechanically, Bloodborn favour mid-range pressure. Humourism gives you anatomical attacks. Hematurgy adds a deep blood-control layer. Esoterica brings ritual utility, including the crystal aegis. The class rewards players who enjoy resource management and the strategic application of debilitating effects. ## City and guild The Bloodborn home is the Imperial Dominion of [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/), the Shadow Tether’s city of undeath. Patron: Chakrasul, the Dark Mother. The Dominion houses both the Bloodborn class and its sister class, the [Praenomen](/character-classes/praenomen/), Aetolia’s vampire signature class. Joining the Dominion as a Bloodborn means committing to Shadow. You cannot actively hold Spirit-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Shadow classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race choice is independent of class, so you can play a Bloodborn of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Bloodborn mirror is the [Ascendril](/character-classes/ascendril/), Enorian’s Spirit-element mages. Both are scholar-sorcerer archetypes, but the comparison ends there. Ascendril channel the four elemental planes through a fulcrum and treat Spirit as the organizing principle of life. Bloodborn work from the inside out: body chemistry, humour imbalance, and the residue most mages would refuse to touch. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Bloodborn good for new players?** Yes, with one caveat. The roleplay tone is heavy on body horror and ritual cruelty, so the class is a better fit for players who lean into dark themes. Combat is approachable. The Imperial Dominion is one of Aetolia’s largest and most active guilds. **Do all Bloodborn become vampires?** No, though many do. The physical costs of mortal practice push a lot of long-term Bloodborn toward undeath or Consanguine status. Some stay mortal and accept the scars. **How does Bloodborn magic differ from other Aetolia mage classes?** Most Aetolia mages channel an elemental plane: Spirit, Shadow, Fire, Water, Earth, or Air. Bloodborn channel the body. Their magic comes from internal chemistry rather than from a plane, which gives the class a feel closer to occult biology than to traditional arcana. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Bloodborn profile. Or see [the complete class roster](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Praenomen](/character-classes/praenomen/) Bloodborn’s sister class inside the Imperial Dominion. Vampires who command body, mind, and blood through Corpus, Mentis, and Sanguis. Pick Praenomen if you want the Dominion guild and Shadow alignment but prefer playing a full vampire with the ability to Sire others. ### [Ascendril](/character-classes/ascendril/) The Bloodborn’s mirror across the Spirit-Shadow divide. Light mages who channel Fire, Spirit, Water, and Air through a fulcrum. Pick Ascendril if you like the scholar-mage frame but want to fight for the Light rather than dissect bodies for the Dark Mother. ### [Alchemist](/character-classes/alchemist/) Spinesreach’s chemistry-and-experimentation class. Alchemy, Experimentation, Botany. Pick Alchemist if you like the scientific-magic angle of Bloodborn but want a colder, lab-coated frame instead of visceral body magic. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Bloodborn and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Bard of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/bard/) **Published:** December 22, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Bard of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-bard-hero-portrait-20260524.jpg "Aetolia Bard class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Bard is Aetolia’s untethered performer-assassin: a class trained in the Djeirani Theater of Shadows. Acrobatic falchion work, light-shaping magic, and Songcalling combine to serve both spectacle and the kill. At a glance**Tether**Untethered**City**None (origin: Djeir’s Theater of Shadows)**Guild**None on Sapience; learn from Haratos in the Theater**Skill sets**Weaving, Performance, Songcalling**Mirror class**None (untethered)**Sister class in guild**None**Signature mechanic**Grace of the Empress (legal assassination under Da’ath Nievva)**Best for**Players who want acrobatic combat, dramatic flair, and ritualised killingBards are performers and assassins both, working out of the Theater of Shadows in the Undercity of Djeir. The art originated as a brutal blend of drama and bloodsport. It survived a civil war, a goddess’s wrath, and centuries of imperial politics. Outsiders could not study it until the year 502 MA, after the Grand Tragedie nearly ended the profession entirely. The Bard is one of the most distinctive classes in Aetolia. If you want a swordfighter who sings legend into reality and operates under a royal license to kill, this is the only place to find it. ## Origin and lore The Bard tradition began as theater. The Undercity of Djeir hosted plays that blended drama and bloodsport in front of paying audiences. When civil war broke out following the death of Empress Jy’rilia Garilicci, the Theater emerged as a political power, extending its skills from entertainment into aristocratic assassination. So great was its influence that it managed something rare: it united the noble houses of Djeir against it. The houses planned the slaughter of the Theater. Vascsce, a low-born actor and lover to Nueciale Garilicci, learned of the plan and walked into the noble quarters humming. He felled each house head in a single deadly performance, pouring his soul into his work and stumbling onto the magical art of Songcalling along the way. By dawn, Nueciale was Empress. She granted Vascsce attro ca pa’sa, the Grace of the Empress, which forgives any crime committed under Djeirani law. The Concordat she established made the sitting Empress patron of the Theater. In exchange, the Theater accepts no contracts on the throne. The accord still stands. In 501 MA, Master Bard Teclah Neri tried to stage an assassination during a play for Nalibhtavi, the Replete. The goddess took it as a desecration and slaughtered almost every Djeirani Bard. After that, Haratos, Master of the Theater, opened the doors. Outsiders can now learn the craft from him for 40 credits. ## Skill sets The Bard skill sets are Weaving, Performance, and Songcalling. Weaving is the class’s magical school: an ancient Djeirani discipline that shapes light into illusory objects and effects, drawing on ambient spirit. A skilled weaver can produce countless props, falling stars, and the orbiting globes of light that are the signature of the form. Onyx jewellery helps mitigate the dithering exhaustion that comes from prolonged light-work. Performance covers the physical half. A Bard wields the falchion with acrobatic flair, finding ways to throw off an opponent’s pace. The skill covers acting, disguises, charm work, and dramatic histrionics in addition to the swordplay. Every traditional Bardic activity falls under Performance. Songcalling is the voice as a weapon. Each song of power belongs to a collection called The Eminent Ensemble, ballads of legend and myth whose lyrics have impacted people across the ages. By using their soul as a catalyst, a Bard can tap into this musical legendarium and shape the emotions of an audience. Instrument selection is deeply personal: a portion of the Bard’s soul is imbued into the chosen instrument to allow simultaneous play and song. ## Skill abilities Weaving Performance Songcalling Filter abilities Title Contents ### Weaving - Handtrailing Trailing light from your hand. #### Handtrailing **Description**This ability is passive. Trailing is a method by which one is able to begin creating light, the first step of weaving. To begin, it requires a single hand free of items, allowing light to form within the palm of your hand. However, being a rather ancient and crude method of magic, it will exhaust your body of its natural energy, requiring that you move your body a certain number of times before you may weave another spell. This is known as a state of dither, and when looking at Weaving spells that you may use, they will be listed with a dithering value. After casting a spell, you will need to use a number of balance-taking actions equal to the dithering value before you can cast another spell. The amount of balance recovery time does not matter, simply using your balance and recovering it is enough. Your state of dither will eventually recover on its own, even if you don’t utilise your balance. **Details**Dithering Recovery Time100 seconds - Tearing Strike at their essence. #### Tearing **Description**Syntax: WEAVE TEARING Dithering effect: 3 Weave glowing threads through your opponent and then tear them apart with a simple gesture. This will deal cutting damage to their body and additionally cause them to bleed. **Details**Target LocationSame location Dithering Effect3 Damage TypeCutting Damage SourceArcane Armour Modifier20% Damage400 + 16% Damage (Denizen)1020 Bleeding110 Bleeding (Denizen)50 Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Denizen)3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 25 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Denizen) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Threads Sense where your woven items are. #### Threads **Description**Syntax: THREADS Should you have woven together an item through an act of Weaving, you can sense where that item is and how long until it crumbles apart. **Details**Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Glimmer Distracting your opponent with light. #### Glimmer **Description**This ability is passive. While your ability to weave isn’t under the effects of dithering, your glowing hand can serve as a distraction to your opponent. It will unintentionally act as a focal point, drawing the opponent’s eyes, and allows you to better dodge your opponent’s attacks. **Details**Dodge Bonus+5% - Sheath Sheathe yourself against harm. #### Sheath **Description**Syntax: WEAVE SHEATH Dithering effect: 1 Spin together a subtle sheath around yourself that will help you resist harm against physical attack. In addition, every sixth instance of damage will be negated completely. **Details**Dithering Effect1 Damage TypesCutting and Blunt Resistance10% Damage NullificationEvery 6th hit Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Image Create a lifelike mirror image. #### Image **Description**Syntax: WEAVE IMAGE \[target\] Dithering effect: 3 Create a lifelike image of your target. This image will be treated like a real person when a skill calculates how many people are within a room. If no target is specified, then you will create an image of yourself. **Details**Target LocationSame location Dithering Effect3 Image Duration5 minutes Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. - Can be used on yourself. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Scatter Scatter woven light into nothing. #### Scatter **Description**Syntax: UNWEAVE With a clench, you can cause any woven object or effect to crumble apart. This will remove all objects or effects of its kind that you have created. The only exception to this is the Boundary ability. You may scatter any Boundary in your current room, no matter who it belongs to. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery (Globes)2.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Runeband)2.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Boundary)5.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Items)2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Nullstone Weave together a destructive stone. #### Nullstone **Description**Syntax: WEAVE NULLSTONE Dithering effect: 2 Weave together a stone of annulment, that you can hold in your free hand. Should an enemy strike you while this stone is wielded, it will shatter and destroy two defences that they have in the process. **Details**Dithering Effect2 Maximum Creatable2 at once Life Time120 seconds Defences Stripped2 Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 mana to use. - Costs 20 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Soundblast Create a blast of sound with a clap. #### Soundblast **Description**Syntax: WEAVE SOUNDBLAST Dithering effect: 3 With a mighty clap of your hands, you can annihilate the hearing of those around you. This will cause a case of ringing ears and leave them afflicted with clumsiness. **Details**Dithering Effect3 Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Signage Use starry light to form words. #### Signage **Description**Syntax: WEAVE SIGNAGE Dithering effect: 1 Pull light into your grasp and shape it into large, floating text that is sure to bring attention to whatever grandiose announcement you have to make. Your message cannot be longer than 11 characters. **Details**Dithering Effect1 Maximum Text Length11 characters Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 15 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Facsimile Recreations of everyday objects. #### Facsimile **Description**Syntax: WEAVE FACSIMILE Dithering effect: 1 Conjure forth ordinary everyday objects. They can be a few things of choice and will last longer than other woven items. Types: Cup, chair, table, cane, rock, chest, soapbox, sword, pole, springboard, ladder, barrel, or fence. **Details**Dithering Effect1 Maximum Creatable10 at once Life Time3600 seconds Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 200 mana to use. - Costs 40 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Globes Illusionary globes to encircle your foe. #### Globes **Description**Syntax: WEAVE GLOBES Dithering effect: 1 Bring forth three illusionary globes to encircle a target of choice. Should that target move to a different location, one of them will become charged and zip back to you, reducing your accumulated dithering by one. Once enough time passes and at least one of the globes is still upon your foe, they will crash into your target, causing dizziness, confusion, and then perplexity in that order for each remaining globe. Bonus effect: Weaving an ability that triggers this bonus effect will consume a globe if they have one, then cause either dizziness, confusion, and then perplexity in that order upon the target. **Details**Dithering Effect1 Number of Globes3 globes Globes Crash Timer180 seconds Dithering Reduction1 on globe return Equilibrium Recovery2.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 15 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Patchwork Restore the well-being of an ally. #### Patchwork **Description**Syntax: WEAVE PATCHWORK Dithering effect: 3 Through probing strands of light, you can utilise them to heal two random physical afflictions from a target by stitching together injuries found within the body. If they are an ally, it will also cure a random mental affliction and restore some health. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a physical and mental affliction. **Details**Dithering Effect3 Ally Health Gain15% Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 150 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an assisting action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Aurora Empower your sorcery against others. #### Aurora **Description**Syntax: WEAVE AURORA Dithering effect: 1 When any arcane-sourced attack you make takes form, it will become empowered if it strikes someone who has been recently hostile to you. This will allow that attack to deal 50% more damage to them. **Details**Dithering Effect1 Damage SourceArcane Damage Boost50% Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 15 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Horologe Detonate and remove protective auras. #### Horologe **Description**Syntax: WEAVE HOROLOGE and TURN Dithering effect: 3 Weave together a faded hourglass into your free hand. Once turned, the hourglass will burst into a flash of light after five seconds and whoever holds it will be struck by magical damage, and have their shielded defence and rebounding defence destroyed. If the aura of rebounding is in the process of coming up, it will be prematurely ended. **Details**Dithering Effect3 Maximum Creatable1 at once Life Time120 seconds Detonation Timer5 seconds Damage TypeMagic Damage SourceKnowledge Damage240 + 11% Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - (Weaving) Costs 150 mana to use. - (Weaving) Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. - (Turning) Costs 5 endurance to use. Restrictions - (Weaving) Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Swindle Steal a defence for yourself. #### Swindle **Description**Syntax: WEAVE SWINDLE Dithering effect: 5 This will activate the bonus effect of Globes. By weaving light to penetrate your opponent’s defences, you may steal one of them for your own benefit. The defence is chosen at random from those currently active on the target, and will expire after a set amount of time. **Details**Target LocationSame location Dithering Effect5 Swindled Defence Duration45 seconds Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 15 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Goblet Weave a goblet of ebony blight. #### Goblet **Description**Syntax: WEAVE GOBLET Dithering effect: 3 Drinking from this goblet will cause you to double over in pain, vomiting up whatever you eat next. Although usually most people wouldn’t drink from this cup, if the person who holds it has the addiction affliction, they will be unable to help themselves from drinking it instead of something else. **Details**Dithering Effect3 Maximum Creatable3 at once Life Time120 seconds Blight Sips10 sips Damage TypePoison Damage SourceKnowledge Damage300 + 18% Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 150 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Starfall Bring down terror from above. #### Starfall **Description**Syntax: WEAVE STARFALL Dithering effect: 2 Bring down stars of multicoloured light five times to strike your foes providing you are outside. Deals either magical, cold, or fire damage to random enemies within the location, but will only strike up three enemies per wave. The magical light will also destroy the arcane defence when it collides with an enemy. **Details**Dithering Effect2 Starfall TimerEvery 3 seconds Starfall Waves5 waves Maximum Enemies Hit3 Damage TypesMagic, Cold, or Fire Damage SourceArcane Damage150 + 8% Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 150 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Barbs Sharp barbs that draw upon mana. #### Barbs **Description**Syntax: WEAVE BARBS Dithering effect: 3 This will activate the bonus effect of Globes. Split a globe surrounding your opponent into deadly anti-magical rods that will plunge into their body. Each time they use or lose some mana, the manabarbs will draw blood to the surface and cause them to bleed proportionally to the amount of mana consumed. After a certain amount of mana is used or lost, the rods will disintegrate into nothing. **Details**Dithering Effect3 Manabarbs Duration360 seconds Manabarbs Mana Threshold2000 Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 15 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Onyx Utilisation of the onyx stone. #### Onyx **Description**This ability is passive. You now possess understanding of how to utilise onyx in order to reduce the magical fatigue on your body caused by weaving. While wearing any jewelcraft with a gem of onyx upon it, the immediate effects of dithering will be reduced by one. If this effect reduces the dithering effect to zero or below, you will able to cast another weaving spell in succession if you so choose. **Details**Dithering Cost Reduction1 - Boundary Mark the location with a boundary of light. #### Boundary **Description**Syntax: WEAVE BOUNDARY Dithering effect: 3 Form a destructive boundary over the current location that will only visible to those who have engaged hypersight. Anyone who crosses the boundary will be subject to its destructive effects. For each ability on cooldown that is counted in seconds, one defence will be lost. Bonus effect: Weaving an ability that triggers this bonus effect will empower the boundary, preventing enemies from leaving your location for a short while. **Details**Dithering Effect3 Boundary Duration6 minutes Boundary Charged Duration8 seconds Balance Upset1.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 mana to use. - Costs 20 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Headstitch Detach their magical sources. #### Headstitch **Description**Syntax: WEAVE HEADSTITCH Dithering effect: 2 This will activate the bonus effect of Globes. Grasp their head and stitch together their mouth and mind with conjured strands of light. This will interfere with their conscious mind, leaving them in a state of magical besilence and mental deadening. **Details**Dithering Effect2 Equilibrium Recovery2.60 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 10 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Anelace A small blade to inject hollow emotion. #### Anelace **Description**Syntax: WEAVE ANELACE and STAB Dithering effect: 3 Weave together a sharp anelace engraved with runes of apathy and dolour. Once wielded, anyone may stab this blade into their opponent to drive a hollowness into their soul, making them swirl with hollow thoughts and unrelenting narcolepsy, after which it will quickly crumble apart. Since the anelace is a small weapon, you will be able to stab with it during Rhythm. Please see AB PERFORMANCE RHYTHM for more information on this skill. **Details**Dithering Effect3 Maximum Creatable2 at once Life Time120 seconds Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Target Location (Stab)Same location Crumble Delay (Stab)1 seconds Balance Recovery (Stab)2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - (Weaving) Costs 150 mana to use. - (Weaving) Costs 30 willpower to use. - (Weaving) Requires both arms functional. - (Stab) Costs 40 endurance to use. - (Stab) Weapon must be wielded in a functional arm. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Polarity Draw another into your grasp. #### Polarity **Description**Syntax: WEAVE POLARITY Dithering effect: 3 This will activate the bonus effect of Boundary. Shift a target and yourself to a random location within three rooms. If there is a monolith sigil in the target’s room or the destination, then you will be stricken with magical forces working against you, causing damage and stripping the cloak defence after movement. **Details**Target LocationSame location Dithering Effect3 Room Radius3 rooms Movement TypeMagical Denizens FollowNo Players FollowNo Mounts FollowNo Damage TypeMagic Damage SourceArcane Monolith Self Damage450 + 16% Monolith Target Damage150 + 8% Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 200 mana to use. - Costs 40 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Impetus Death follows the black star. #### Impetus **Description**Syntax: WEAVE IMPETUS Dithering effect: 4 Wreathe your falchion or rapier in black light that will mark your opponent when you land a blow upon them. Upon three consecutive blows in quick succession, the light will hold upon the opponent and mark them with a blackstar. This may only be achieved through the use of the Tempo into Rhythm combination. Venoms cannot be imparted from your blade’s edge to your opponent while this effect is upon your sword. **Details**Dithering Effect4 Impetus Duration30 seconds Next Strike Window3 seconds Blackstar Duration30 seconds Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 15 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Effigy Link your opponent with an effigy. #### Effigy **Description**Syntax: WEAVE EFFIGY Dithering effect: 4 This will activate the bonus effect of Boundary. By utilising a placed boundary upon the ground, you can draw upon it to weave together an effigy of your opponent. Once created, you can strike this effigy with an attack and any damage dealt to it will be transferred to your opponent, no matter how far away they might be. **Details**Target LocationSame location Dithering Effect4 Maximum Creatable3 at once Life Time120 seconds Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 200 mana to use. - Costs 40 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Runeband Glimmering band of encircling runes. #### Runeband **Description**Syntax: WEAVE RUNEBAND Dithering effect: 3 Surround your opponent with a band of shifting runes, wrought from magical light and drifting in a clockwise pattern around them. While active, the confusing marks will afflict your opponent every so often with one of following afflictions in the specified order. They will additionally be unable to use abilities that dispel illusionary magic. List of afflictions given by Runeband in order: Stupidity, paranoia, ringing ears, loneliness, exhaustion, laxity, and clumsiness. If the opponent is no is no longer in the same location as you, the band will collapse, unless they are currently fleeing. While they are fleeing, it will not deliver any afflictions. Bonus effect: Weaving an ability that triggers the bonus effect will alter the spin of the band, afflicting the enemy in reverse order instead. **Details**Target LocationSame location Dithering Effect3 Runeband TimerEvery 8 seconds Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 15 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Thurible Choke your opponent with billowing smoke. #### Thurible **Description**Syntax: WEAVE THURIBLE Dithering effect: 5 Weave together a golden thurible that will begin to emit smoke. Any enemy of yours in the location will choke and cough on the smoke, knocking their pipe balance. If they inhale the smoke three times, then it will cause asthma instead. The smoke will only occur if the thurible is either wielded or placed upon the ground. **Details**Dithering Effect5 Thurible TimerEvery 4 seconds Pipe Balance Upset0.75 seconds Asthma Bonus ThresholdAffected 3 times Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 mana to use. - Costs 20 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Bladestorm Conjure terrifying daggers. #### Bladestorm **Description**Syntax: WEAVE BLADESTORM Dithering effect: 3 This will activate the bonus effect of Runeband. Summon three daggers to hover around your target. Every time someone uses a weapon attack against the target, there is a 1 in 3 chance a dagger will plunge down from the skies and deliver the loki venom. If the weapon attack does not originate from the Performance skillset, then the chance is lowered to 1 in 8. The venom that the loki attack delivers from this skill will be visible to you. **Details**Dithering Effect3 Maximum Creatable1 at once Life Time30 seconds Bladestorm Charges3 Dagger Chance12.5% Dagger Chance (Performance)33.33% Dagger Launch Delay0.10 seconds Damage TypePoison Damage SourceNone Damage100 + 5% Bleeding30 Equilibrium Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 150 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Talisman A trusted source of luck. #### Talisman **Description**Syntax: WEAVE TALISMAN Dithering effect: 5 Once woven, this wooden talisman will grant any holder extra luck while they possess it. Magical effects that alert your presence to another on entry will become nullified while it remains in your inventory. **Details**Dithering Effect5 Maximum Creatable1 at once Life Time120 seconds Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 150 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Ironcollar Woven iron to choke the throat #### Ironcollar **Description**Syntax: WEAVE IRONCOLLAR Dithering effect: 3 This will activate the bonus effect of Runeband. Weave together the runeband upon your opponent to create an iron collar, which will constrict their throat by snapping shut shortly after creation. When the iron collar is latched closed, they will find it difficult to smoke their pipes quickly, and they will unable to FLY or SWING into the trees. An opponent can remove the collar from themselves to escape its grasp before it becomes trapped around their neck. **Details**Target LocationSame location Dithering Effect3 Maximum Creatable10 at once Life Time120 seconds Locks Shut Timer2 seconds Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 150 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Heartcage Bind their heart in a locket. #### Heartcage **Description**Syntax: WEAVE HEARTCAGE and BREAK LOCKET Dithering effect: 6 This will activate the bonus effect of Boundary. If the opponent is bound by an iron collar and their primary emotional state is over 50% in strength, you can tie their heart to the pinnacle of weaving; the heart-cage locket. Once begun, it will begin to form upon the ground after a short delay. During its formation, the locket can be attacked and destroyed to prevent its creation. Once the locket is fully formed, you will be able to break it in order to slay your opponent instantly at your leisure, though be warned it will only last for five minutes before crumbling. **Details**Target LocationSame location Dithering Effect6 Maximum Creatable5 at once Life Time300 seconds Primary Emotion Threshold50% Woven Form Timer2 seconds Formation Max Health1000 health Heartcage Final Timer3 seconds Balance Recovery (To Break)1.50 seconds Equilibrium Recovery5.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 500 mana to use. - Costs 100 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Masterstroke Put on a grand show of your weaving all at once. #### Masterstroke **Description**Syntax: WEAVE MASTERSTROKE Dithering effect: 8 Begin your opening act in a dazzling display of mastery, earned through relentless training and effort, and perfect your art in weaving light into form. This ability allows you to seamlessly combine the effects of Globes, Boundary, and Runeband into a single performance. While this comes at a higher dithering cost, it compensates with faster equilibrium recovery compared to weaving each effect together individually. Please see AB WEAVING for more information on Globes, Boundary, and Runeband. **Details**Target LocationSame location Dithering Effect8 Equilibrium Recovery5.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 500 mana to use. - Costs 100 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Performance - Rouse No time for sleep. #### Rouse **Description**Syntax: ROUSE Performers need to be ready at all times. Rouse yourself from the clutches of sleep by splashing your face with nearby water and in the process become less tired. **Details**TirednessSet to 150 of 255 Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Tempo Thrust forward with steel. #### Tempo **Description**Syntax: TEMPO \[venom\] While wielding either a falchion or a rapier, you may attempt to thrust it into your opponent, utilising your dexterity to boost it unlike traditional weapon attacks. Against adventures, you can also inflict them with a venom of choice and it will deal a small amount of bleeding. If they also suffer from self loathing, it cannot be dodged. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage SourceAgile Weapon Damage Modifier120% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)112% Weapon Trauma Modifier130% Set Weapon Bleeding20 to 40 bleeding Weapon Speed Modifier–0.20 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Weapon must be wielded in a functional arm. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Flair Add a little extra flair #### Flair **Description**Syntax: WITHFLAIR This ability will let you perform a pre-defined emote in a manner that will consume a small amount of balance. Helpful to those who want to eliminate their dithering when making use of Weaving! See EMLIST for a list of potential emotes. **Details**Balance Recovery0.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Tackle Tackle another to the ground. #### Tackle **Description**Syntax: TACKLE Tackle your opponent by the legs, bringing them to the floor along with yourself. **Details**Target LocationSame location Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Charisma Exert your charming charisma. #### Charisma **Description**Syntax: CHARISMA The benefits of charisma are well known by many, often bestowing you with the generosity of the common people. This particular ability will have unique interactions while you are actively questing throughout the land. In addition, any vermin you trade in (HELP VERMIN) will reward you with extra gold. Be warned however, the consequences of charisma are not always kind and can sometimes result in jealousy or other unfortunate circumstances. It is not always a boon worth retaining. This ability has an additional effect in Persuasion: All Pathos appeals cost less Acumen with charisma active. **Details**Persuasion Pathos Acumen Reduction15% Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 40 endurance to use. - Pierce Pierce through their defences. #### Pierce **Description**Syntax: PIERCE This ability will use your falchion or rapier to pierce through defensive auras and abilities that protect your target. It will pierce the following in order: Reflections Magical shields Rebounding aura Speed defence **Details**Target LocationSame location Balance Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 endurance to use. - Weapon must be wielded in a functional arm. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Seduce An act of seduction on another. #### Seduce **Description**Syntax: SEDUCE One of many basic talents in the performer’s arsenal – with a little charm, you can make your opponent remove an item of clothing from their body. If they are wearing armour, it is removed first. If you are scantily-clad or their emotional state is predominately happiness, then your performance will also cause intense infatuation. **Details**Target LocationSame location Clothing Threshold100 warmth Balance Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 40 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Tolerance Legends will speak of your tolerance. #### Tolerance **Description**Syntax: TOLERANCE Still your disgestive system when consuming alcohol, delaying its inhabilating effects until much later on. Although you might find yourself able to drink plenty, you aren’t immune from your gluttony forever. **Details**Tolerance Duration600 seconds Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 endurance to use. - Mimicry Speak as though you are another. #### Mimicry **Description**Syntax: MIMIC Every talented performer knows how to imitate another and you are no exception. With this ability, you may adopt the demeanour of another person within your location. Once you have begun to mimic them, your ability to SAY and TELL will appear as though they are the one speaking instead. You can cease to mimic others by using MIMIC NOONE and return to your regular voice. **Details**Target LocationSame location Mimicry Duration1200 seconds Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 endurance to use. - Requires an unimpaired throat. - Tumbling Tumble past obstructions. #### Tumbling **Description**Syntax: TUMBLE STOP Your body is agile enough that you are able to escape nearly any predicament by tumbling out of the room, although it will be rather slow. Once you have successfully tumbled, your vigourous movement will strip away the cloak defence. If you are ablaze, you will tumble slightly faster than usual. Perhaps being on fire isn’t so bad after all. **Details**Movement TypeUnblockable Denizens FollowNo Adventurers FollowNo Mounts FollowNo Movement Delay4.00 seconds Movement Delay (ablaze)3.00 seconds Balance Recovery6.00 seconds Equilibrium Recovery6.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 endurance to use. - Costs 75 willpower to use. Restrictions - Cannot be flying in the sky. - Guilt Guilt your enemies into mercy. #### Guilt **Description**Syntax: GUILT If you are in a state of shock or mental burnout, you can guilt your enemies around you providing your voice remains intact. This will upset their balance and also either cause them to start shivering or burden their mind with weariness or mercy – any of which will initially be hidden from them. **Details**Balance Upset0.25 seconds Balance Recovery2.25 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. - Requires an unimpaired throat. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Ridicule Ridicule your opponent’s efforts. #### Ridicule **Description**Syntax: RIDICULE Ridicule your opponent’s efforts loudly and mockingly. Against adventurers, this will instill them with a sense of self loathing. If they have three or more afflictions, then they will double-down in an attempt to recoup their pride by adopting a handicap to display their boundless magnanimity. Against denizens, this will leave them vulnerable for 3 seconds. If they have three or more afflictions, then the duration will be increased by a further 2 seconds. **Details**Target LocationSame location Affliction Bonus Threshold3 afflictions Vulnerable Duration (Denizen)3.00 seconds Vulnerable Bonus Duration (Denizen)+2.00 seconds Balance Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. - Requires an unimpaired throat. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Bootstrap Borrow a horse for a brief moment. #### Bootstrap **Description**Syntax: BOOTSTRAP Providing its owner is not present, you may mount up on their noble steed and command it as though it were your own. **Details**Balance Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Cannot be used while phased. - Crackshot A small pellet that packs sound. #### Crackshot **Description**Syntax: FASHION CRACKSHOTS CRACKSHOT Requires 1 elemental ash for 50 crackshots. Hurl a small pellet that will explode upon contact with your opponent, generating a large flash and unruly sound – casting them into a bout of dizziness and perplexity. This will also stun them for a short period. **Details**Target LocationSame location Stun Duration0.75 seconds Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Whistle Draw intrigue to your location. #### Whistle **Description**Syntax: WHISTLE CALL Produce such an intriguing whistle that nearby aggressive denizens and/or guards will be drawn to the sound, and will come investigate the cause. **Details**Balance Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 endurance to use. - Requires an unimpaired throat. - Frugality The frugal life is the only life for me. #### Frugality **Description**Syntax: FRUGAL and MODEST By becoming intentionally frugal, you can prevent others from making you give up precious items and resources unwillingly, while still being able to do so of your own accord. **Details**Equilibrium Recovery0.50 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Modest)0.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Equipoise Concentration and poise. #### Equipoise **Description**Syntax: EQUIPOISE With grand poise, you are now able to follow another even while off equilibrium. This ability will tax your mind of its mana while active. **Details**Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Needle Throw a vicious needle with venom. #### Needle **Description**Syntax: FASHION NEEDLES NEEDLE Requires 1 iron bar for 50 needles. Fashion a small needle that you can hurl at your target, bypassing rebounding and inflicting a venom of choice. The venom will take 4 seconds to circulate the blood stream before it affects the opponent. Further flung needles will have no effect until the current venom circulates. In addition to the regular venoms, you may also use the sumac and loki venoms with a needle. Cooldown (only on hit): 200 csecs **Details**Target LocationSame location Bleeding15 bleeding Venom Delay4 seconds Cooldown (only on hit)200 csecs Balance Recovery1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 20 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Unwind Relax and enjoy the local tavern. #### Unwind **Description**Syntax: UNWIND While at a public tavern, pub, or inn that serves alcohol, you can choose to unwind there, refreshing your endurance and willpower somewhat. You will also become slightly tipsy, but such is the price to pay for comfort. Cooldown: 60 minutes **Details**Endurance Gain20% max endurance Willpower Gain20% max willpower Alcohol Intake25 drunkenness Cooldown60 minutes Balance Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 5 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Rhythm Sway and dance with the blade. #### Rhythm **Description**This ability is passive. Brilliant swordmanship requires an understanding of tempo and rhythm, and the swordplay of a performer is no different. After striking with the Tempo ability, you will proceed to followup with limited number of extra strikes afterward on a delay. Each successive strike will require conditions to be met in order to land the next blow. The condition must be met right before the strike will land and is not required before. Against adventurers, each strike requires the following affliction to perform: – (Followup strike) Paresis or paralysis. – (Second strike) Shyness. – (Third strike) Besilence. Against denizens, the conditions are a little more lax: – (Followup strike) Any denizen affliction. – No second or third strike. The first followup will happen 1.2 seconds after using Tempo, and then each strike afterward will occur 1.8 seconds after the last. All blows dealt by Rhythm will have the same attributes as Tempo did except: – They will ignore the aura of weapon rebounding. – Against adventurers, the bonus from self loathing no longer applies. – Against denizens, the damage is halved compared to Tempo. While you are under the throes of Rhythm, you will not be able to attack with a weapon of your own accord. Using STOP will allow you to make use of them once more, or until Rhythm cannot deliver any more strikes. Please see AB PERFORMANCE TEMPO for more information on this ability. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage Reduction (Denizen)50% Rhythm Delay Timer (first hit)1.2 seconds Rhythm Delay Timer (other hits)1.8 seconds Requirements - Costs 5 endurance to use. - Weapon must be wielded in a functional arm. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Deflect Deflect an attack intended for you. #### Deflect **Description**Syntax: DEFLECT With clever positioning and flexibility, you can deflect an attack with your weapon onto another target within your location. The target must be different from the attacker, or it will fail. **Details**Target LocationSame location Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - This action cannot be redirected. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Cannot be prevented by any protective state. - Quip Unleash a nasty quip about their mother. #### Quip **Description**Syntax: QUIP Call forth memories of your budding adulthood and unleash a quip that’ll be sure to destroy your opponent’s psyche. In doing so, you will give the opponent hatred and, if their intelligence is lower than yours, mania. If their current emotional state is predominately filled with anger, then your intelligence won’t matter. **Details**Target LocationSame location Balance Recovery2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. - Requires an unimpaired throat. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Will bypass magical shields. - Will bypass prismatic barriers. - Harry Chase after your opponent. #### Harry **Description**Syntax: HARRY \[venom\] With a brazen flip, you can chase after an adjacent opponent while evading any traps in the process. Upon landing next to your foe, you will strike them with your falchion or rapier and deliver a venom. For each curable affliction on your opponent, the time it takes to recover balance from this skill will be reduced. You may use this ability while off balance. **Details**Target LocationAdjacent location Movement TypeDashing Denizens FollowYes Adventurers FollowYes Mounts FollowYes Damage SourceAgile Weapon Damage Modifer130% Target Switch Lockout Timer3.00 seconds Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Balance Reduction Bonus–0.25 for each affliction Balance Recovery Minimum1.25 seconds Requirements - Requires equilibrium. - Costs 50 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled. - Cannot have paresis or be paralysed. - Cannot be fallen. - Stretching Loosen your limbs against attack. #### Stretching **Description**Syntax: STRETCHING When healing an affliction that is cured by the mending salve, you will also restore a small amount of trauma that has been caused to the limb as well. This ability will drain you of your endurance while it is active. **Details**Trauma Healed2.00% Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Bilingual Speak in a second language. #### Bilingual **Description**Syntax: BILINGUAL SHOW BILINGUAL LEARN Your need to perform on a daily basis puts you in contact with many different races, as such you have now become able to learn a second language of choice. You will continue to understand the language even if you are in a different class, providing that you maintain ownership over this skill. Select your language carefully, you may only choose once. See HELP LINGUISTICS for a list of languages you can learn. - Sock Throw hands with your fist. #### Sock **Description**Syntax: SOCK With a free hand you can sock an opponent right in their face, leaving them dizzy. If they are already dizzy, it will daze them instead and you will be able to move while off balance from this skill. If the target is holding a thurible of your own making, then socking them will cause it to be dropped. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Damage30 + 7% Balance Recovery2.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Hiltblow The hilt can be just as effective. #### Hiltblow **Description**Syntax: HILTBLOW Slam the hilt of your blade into your target’s stomach, letting pain cloud their senses with clumsiness and misery. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceAgile Weapon Speed Modifer–0.20 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. - Weapon must be wielded in a functional arm. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Bravado Spurn injury and proclaim your mettle. #### Bravado **Description**Syntax: BRAVADO \[venom\] While wielding either a falchion or rapier, you can summon forth a burst of bravado and attack your opponent, rejecting any afflictions you may have to cure one of them at random. This attack will utilise your strength and cannot be dodged. Cooldown: 10 seconds **Details**Target LocationSame location Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)105% Cooldown10 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled. - Cannot be fallen. - Gossipmonger You know all the secrets. #### Gossipmonger **Description**Syntax: GOSSIP GOSSIP SPREAD A bard is ever-attuned to the local gossip, and when handled right it can be a weapon as deadly as any other. Through the careful sifting of gossip, bards learned the movements of the great houses of Djeir, and with a word or two in the right ear, they would draw their targets into the open. You must be at least slightly tipsy in order to loosen your silver tongue, both allowing you to pick up gossip with more clarity than other people, and spread new gossip. Gossip spread in this way will be local to the current area, and last a lot shorter than natural gossip. Gossip can only be spread once every hour – any shorter than that and you risk being outed as the source. - Reprisal An eye for an eye. #### Reprisal **Description**Syntax: REPRISAL While wielding either a falchion or a rapier, you can attempt to retaliate against an opponent by slashing back with your blade. As such, after taking brute-sourced damage, you will automatically strike them while you remain focused. Such an act requires concentration, should you perform any action then you will cease your focus. **Details**Damage SourceAgile Balance Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - (Setup) Requires balance and equilibrium. - (Setup) Costs 100 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - (Setup) Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Cannot be fallen. - Mundane Blend in with the mundane population. #### Mundane **Description**Syntax: MUNDANE \[disguise\] and UNVEIL Blend in with the crowd as one of the mundane, trying not to draw attention. While you are actively trying to be mundane, you will appear as a simple peasant. Should you be attacked, then the disguise is lost and you will be stunned. Should you have a better disguise on hand, you may utilise that in place of adopting a peasant-like appearance. Act with care, as your disguise only works so long as you do not draw attention yourself – most actions will still show you for who you are. Only emotes and says will convey your disguise otherwise. This ability will fool even guards, but keep in mind that if you perform an aggressive action, it will lose its effects at once. Maintaining the mundane disguise will incur a moderate willpower and endurance cost. **Details**Disguise Broken Stun3.00 seconds Disguise Broken Damage Multiplierx2 damage taken Balance Recovery5.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 250 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. - Requires both legs functional. Restrictions - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Cannot be flying in the sky. - Cadence Glitz your foe with a baleful blow. #### Cadence **Description**Syntax: CADENCE \[venom\] This mesmerising blow will deal increased damage to your opponent with your falchion or rapier, but at a longer balance cost than usual. Against adventurers, it can also deliver a venom upon your blade and if they are under the effects of the blackstar from Impetus, it will also cause a vast amount of deep bleeding to them. Please see AB WEAVING IMPETUS for more information on the Impetus ability. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage SourceAgile Weapon Damage Modifier200% Weapon Damage Modifier (Denizen)200% Deep Bleeding (blackstar)33.33% of max health Weapon Speed Modifier+1.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 100 endurance to use. - Weapon must be wielded in a functional arm. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Songcalling - Voice Power of the voice. #### Voice **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF The first step that most learn toward music is using the voice. It is with your voice that you will first learn to elicit effects upon those who hear you. Each song will take a short while of singing before its effect will be felt by those you direct it towards. You may move or act during a song once started, however you may not speak. If a song requires it to be held, then you must cease all actions once the first part of the song is heard. Only one song may be sung at a time. Since you are using the voice, do note that any damage to your throat will prevent you from completing your song. Ensure that it remains healthy so that your song will have its intended effect. - Audience Sing for your audience. #### Audience **Description**Syntax: AUDIENCE and AUDIENCE Some song’s effects may only be directed toward a single person. The song’s target, in such cases, will be the person whom you have designated as your audience. You may alter your intended audience at any time, including while a song is being sung – except if the song is held. When you choose a denizen as your audience, they must be in the same location as you. - Songward Musical protection from harm. #### Songward **Description**This ability is passive. While in the middle of a song, you will gain 10% accuracy with your attacks and 10% resistance to all types of damage until the song is complete. - Coldread Read into their emotional state. #### Coldread **Description**Syntax: COLDREAD \[target\] \[emotion\] Perform a cold read of your target to deduce their current emotional state. Their emotions must first be awakened to make full use of this ability. If no target is supplied, then you will read yourself. Please see AB SONGCALLING AWAKENING for more information on awakening their emotional state. - Discordance Twisted sounds of discordance. #### Discordance **Description**Syntax: DISCORDANCE Each time you begin a song, you will inflict a hidden affliction of either hallucinations, masochism, or mania into any enemies in your location that hear your song. Your song must not interrupt another song for the effects to apply. You are not able to benefit from the effects of Euphonia and Discordance at the same time. - Instrument Imbue an instrument with your soul. #### Instrument **Description**Syntax: IMBUE WITH SOUL PLAY SONG OF Imbue a single instrument with a fragment of your soul, allowing you to entrance those around you with its musical power. While wielding your instrument, you can PLAY instead of SING, allowing you to play and sing one song for each at a time. A played song will also elicit its effect sooner than if you had sung it. You must continue to wield your instrument until the song is finished, otherwise it will fail. - Euphonia Soothing melody will revive your allies. #### Euphonia **Description**Syntax: EUPHONIA Each time you begin a song, you will restore a small amount of health and mana to yourself and any allies in your location that can hear your music. Your song must not interrupt another song for the effects to apply. You are not able to benefit from the effects of Euphonia and Discordance at the same time. - Induce Induce an emotion to the forefront. #### Induce **Description**Syntax: INDUCE Providing that their emotions have been awakened to manipulation, you can induce an emotional reaction of your choosing in anyone in the same location as you through a short string of notes. This will bring the chosen emotion to the forefront of their mind, causing it to become their primary emotion. While affected by a primary emotion, certain afflictions will become more potent. Here are the emotion types and their effects: Sadness (shyness) – Instills a 5% chance of missing physical attacks. Happiness (perplexity) – Pipe curing balance is increased by 0.5 seconds. Surprise (dizziness) – Causes an inability to dodge attacks. Anger (hatred) – Prevents the ability to shield. Stress (masochism) – Attacking yourself via masochism stuns yourself. Fear (self loathing) – Thoughts caused by the self-loathing affliction give the hopelessness anxiety. Disgust (besilence) – Improves besilence so that it blocks any ability requiring mana. While under the effect of an induced emotion, the corresponding emotional level of those effected will slowly deplete over time and neither can it be further increased. They will also be occasionally afflicted with the associated affliction as their inducement wears down their emotions. For more information on awakening emotional states, please refer to the AB SONGCALLING AWAKENING. There is no balance or equilibrium cost associated with this ability, but it is placed on cooldown for a short period. Wielding your instrument will cause the cooldown to be shorter. Cooldown (sung): 10 seconds Cooldown (played): 7 seconds - Inspire Inspire your allies to perform their best. #### Inspire **Description**Syntax: INSPIRE Infuse a single note with evocative energy, inspiring your allies in your location to dodge the next attack directed at them with complete certainty as well as immediately restoring a small amount of health and mana. Their dodge cooldown will also be reset when they gain the inspired defence. There is no balance or equilibrium cost associated with this ability, however it is placed upon cooldown for a short period. Wielding your instrument will cause this cooldown to be shorter. Please read HELP AVOIDANCE for more information on dodging. Cooldown (sung): 10 seconds Cooldown (played): 6 seconds - Halfbeat Speed up the beat of your songs. #### Halfbeat **Description**Syntax: HALFBEAT \[OFF\] At the cost of your willpower, you may perform your songs in half-beats, preserving their intrigue while shifting the source of their tempo. One half of the time, it will quicken any song that you have sung, while the other half of the time it will quicken songs played with an instrument. - You can play the following songs of the Eminent Ensemble - Origin Home is where your heart is. #### Origin **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF ORIGIN Target: Self. This miraculous song will engulf you in its nostalgic tune, returning you to your city entrance. If you are citiless, then the song will return you to the shores of Djeir, ancestral home of all bards. - Charity Enliven others with altruism. #### Charity **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF CHARITY Target: Enemies. Sing a song of charity, filling the air with notes of altruism that will instill your enemies with a sense of peace. - Fascination Capture their attention. #### Fascination **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF FASCINATION Target: Audience. Fascinate a target, making them unable to escape by normal means, but still able to attack. This will hold them in place until it is writhed from. - Youth Restore the youth in your allies. #### Youth **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF YOUTH Target: Allies and self. This youthful song will merge the present physical body with its memory of the past, restoring some health to your allies and self. If your chosen audience is healed by this effect, it will additionally cure them of a random affliction. - Feasting A feast fit for a king. #### Feasting **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF FEASTING Target: All except self. Those who hear your song will be unable to help themselves, devouring an assortment of edible items from within their inventory or edible items upon the ground. - Decadence Draw forth primal craving. #### Decadence **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF DECADENCE Target: Enemies. The song of decadence will awaken depraved symptoms within your audience, inflicting them with a perverse addiction. - Unheard Your music will be heard. #### Unheard **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF THE UNHEARD Target: Audience. Use your sonorous voice to cause psychic damage the mind of others with your attention-demanding song, utilising your constitution to bolster its strength. Against adventurers, this song will always reach them if they are in the same area as you, however it will never have any effect regardless of where they are unless they afflicted by either ringing ears or sensitivity. - Sorrow Swelling, sorrowful tones. #### Sorrow **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF SORROW Target: Audience. The sorrowful notes of this song will capture your audience’s attention and thoughts, driving them into the depths of grief. It will instill them with a miserable migraine and leave their ability to call upon magical teleportation completely squelched. - Merriment Lighten the hearts of those around you. #### Merriment **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF MERRIMENT Target: All adjacent (Held). This uplifting song will lighten the hearts of those who hear its joyful notes. While under its calming spell, they will find themselves afflicted with a lightheart and their density defence will cease to provide meaningful benefit. - Doom The musical call of impending doom. #### Doom **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF DOOM Target: Audience. Draw an inescapable doom down upon your audience through your music, placing a mark of destruction on them at the song’s completion. When two seconds have passed since the end of the song, they will be dealt half of all damage taken during the mark’s lifetime as magical damage. Against denizens, this damage cannot cause a critical hit. - Foundation Steel your allies against sword and fist. #### Foundation **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF FOUNDATION Target: Allies. The song of foundation will instill your allies with resilience. This will prevent some damage from brute-sourced attacks until it fades. - Destiny Reach for your destiny. #### Destiny **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF DESTINY Target: Self. The flow of destiny will favour you as this song reaches its completion. The next time you weave together a certain effect, it will be free of any equilibrium cost. The skills include: Globes, Boundary, Runeband, Horologe, Thurible, Bladestorm, Anelace, and Masterstroke. See AB WEAVING for more information on each skill above. - Tranquility None will be able to war. #### Tranquility **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF TRANQUILITY Target: All except self (Held). This entrancing song will beguile the hearts of those who hear it. While it is in effect, those in the same location as you will be unable to commit aggressive actions except against yourself. This song is a channeled action once active and requires your full attention to remain in effect. - Awakening Awaken the emotions within. #### Awakening **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF AWAKENING Target: Enemies. This stirring song reaches toward the deeper instincts of those against which it is directed, leaving their emotions awakened and able to more easily affect their decision making. As such, their emotional levels will begin to rise when the following occurs: Sadness – When mana is consumed or drained. Happiness – When afflictions are cured. Surprise – When they are stunned. Anger – When taking damage. Stress – When they bleed. Fear – When observing an object being weaved. Disgust – Moving out of combat. Act quickly as given enough time, their state of awakening will eventually fade away. - Harmony Bring harmony to your allies against the elements. #### Harmony **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF HARMONY Target: Allies. The song of harmony will give your allies resistance against the elements. This will prevent some damage from arcane-sourced attacks until it fades. - Remembrance Draw back the fatigue of the body. #### Remembrance **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF REMEMBRANCE Target: Self. Remind your physical form of its original state, completely obliterating any residual dithering that may have been accumulated within your body. This will reduce your dithering to nothing, allowing you to weave once more. Please see AB WEAVING HANDTRAILING for more information on what dithering is. - Hero Sing forth the guard of heroism. #### Hero **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF THE HERO Target: Audience (Held). While this song is being played, your chosen target will become infused with the courage of heroes past. While under its musical effect, they will become unable to perish through the effects of damage and will obtain a 20% boost to any sourced damage they deal, but only when up against other adventurers. While you may not perform any other actions while this song is held, your target can move as they please and the effect will persist as long as the song continues. Should your target lose the touch of heroism or leave the same area as they received it, then you will cease your song. - Mythics Trade your soul with another. #### Mythics **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF MYTHICS Target: Audience. Perform the song of mythics to another who is mutual allies with you. Upon hearing its uplifting notes, your soul will drift into and swap with the other, allowing you control over them, and them control over you. Either person may use the command UNPOSSESS to end the control. - Fate None may escape the ribbons of fate. #### Fate **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF FATE Target: Audience. Call upon musical notes of fate to consume your foe. Every so often, one of their exits will become shrouded in darkness. Should they leave through this exit and enter the darkness, they will suffer severe unblockable damage for attempting to defy fate. This effect will persist until only one exit is safe, at which point it will then fade not long after. - Oblivion Cast all who hear into the void. #### Oblivion **Description**Syntax: SING SONG OF OBLIVION Target: All and adjacent (Held) This terrifying song will bring an end to all that hear it. It will affect those in your location and those in adjacent locations once it begins in earnest, however the song is long, requires concentration, and will take time to complete. There is no method to prevent the void that awaits those that hear its first notes, other than to cease the song from reaching its closing and final note. Should the song be denied its finale – whether by failure or choice – it will lash out against the user and transfix them in place, for only success will please it. ## Visual style and identity To properly fulfil their obligations and invoke attro ca pa’sa, a Bard must work with dramatic flourish and elaborate effect. Despite the supposed mundane physicality of Performance, dexterous acrobatics and skilled swordplay are well-honed to provide entertainment and spectacle. Weaving ranges in intensity from pinpricks of light to great shows of illumination depending on the complexity of the act. Among its most distinguishable creations are the globes of bright light which orbit a victim, and the falling stars that signal a serious working. Selection of one’s instrument is an extremely personal choice. Imbuing a portion of one’s soul into the instrument makes it a prominent feature of the Bard’s ballads and tunes. The hands of a master playing their bonded instrument are a captivating sight. ## Side effects of the work Constant physical exertion wears on the body, and a Bard must respect their limits, taking time to rest and to warm up before any particularly taxing endeavour. The risk of physical exhaustion and injury is intensified by the dithering effect that comes from prolonged Weaving. Complex light-work is extremely taxing and difficult, though its effects can be mitigated by wearing jewellery made from onyx. Bards cover a wide range of archetypes. Charming rogues, swashbucklers, lively brawlers, and combinations of all three are equally valid reads on the class. Rarely are any two alike given the vast platform for expression that theatrics provide. Murder is an omnipresent facet of even the most sophisticated societies, and a Bard adheres to no strict alignment or morality, choosing their own way. ## Who plays this class The Bard suits players who want a class with strong roleplay theming. The Grace of the Empress is a unique mechanic: it allows legal, ceremonial assassinations through the Ceremony of the Rose, also known as Da’ath Nievva. The ritual is elaborate: a black rose presented to the target, who may accept it (denying the spectacle) or refuse it (committing to a dramatic, legal kill). After the strike, the Bard lays the rose on the corpse, bows, and verbally invokes the Empress’s Grace. Mechanically, the class rewards players who like to mix acrobatic melee with magical control. Songcalling and Weaving give the Bard a versatile second layer that most other classes do not have. Songcaller burst and falchion finesse mean the Bard can pivot between roles depending on the fight. Essential, however, is a love of the dramatic and a fondness for stories, whether a grand saga delivered in royal chant or a bawdy tale shared over the spit and sawdust of a seedy inn. ## Origin and apprenticeship The Bard has no city-anchored guild on the continent of Sapience. The Theater of Shadows sits in Djeir, the Undercity ruled by the Garilicci line. The Empress remains the Theater’s patron under the Concordat, and the Bards remain immune from prosecution for assassinations carried out under the Ceremony of the Rose. Outsider apprenticeship became possible after the Grand Tragedie of 501 MA. Haratos, Master of the Theater, teaches the craft to those willing to invest 40 credits and learn. He is the only path to the class for non-Djeirani players. Because the Bard is mechanically untethered, you can multiclass freely with either Spirit or Shadow classes and move between cities without losing the class. Race choice is independent of class, so you can play a Bard of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). ## Frequently asked questions **Is the Bard good for new players?** The roleplay frame is rich and the skills are forgiving at low rank, but the class rewards setup. If you like learning a kit slowly through trial play, the Bard will reward the time. If you want a straightforward melee class, look at a martial like the Wayfarer or Templar first. **What is attro ca pa’sa, the Grace of the Empress?** It is the legal cover for assassinations carried out by Bards under the Concordat. Invoking it requires the Ceremony of the Rose: presenting a black rose to the target, who can accept (no kill) or refuse (legal kill follows). After the strike, the Bard lays the rose on the corpse, bows, and verbally invokes the Empress’s Grace. The Bard must also avoid returning to the Theater until the following day. **Why does the Bard have no guild on Sapience?** The Theater of Shadows is in Djeir, the Undercity. It is the historical home of the class. After the Grand Tragedie, the Theater opened to outsiders rather than reconstituting as a Sapient guild. The class remains tied to the Theater, not to any of the four Sapient city-states. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if you like the Bard profile. Or see [Aetolia’s class hub](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Infiltrator](/character-classes/infiltrator/) Untethered (mechanically) Syssin assassin class with dirks, whips, and Hypnosis. Pick Infiltrator if you like the assassin frame but want the urban Shadow politics of Spinesreach instead of Djeirani theater, and if you prefer mental manipulation to Songcalling. ### [Predator](/character-classes/predator/) Untethered knife-fighter with sitaras and beast companions. Pick Predator if you want a similar untethered killer profile but prefer the wilderness, raw physicality, and animal kinship to performance and stagecraft. ### [Shapeshifter](/character-classes/shapeshifter/) Untethered beast-form class that joins one of five Packmoot factions. Pick Shapeshifter if you want maximum class flexibility (zero lesson investment to start) and a transformation-based fighting style. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Bard and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Alchemist of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/alchemist/) **Published:** December 22, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Alchemist of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-alchemist-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Alchemist class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Alchemist is Aetolia’s chemistry scientist, a Shadow-tethered class that wields Alchemy (chemical compounds and transmutation conduits), Experimentation (live test subjects and the scientific method), and Botany (corrupted blighted plantlife), based at the Archivists guild in Spinesreach. At a glance**Tether**Shadow**City**[Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/)**Guild**Archivists (no Divine Patron)**Skill sets**Alchemy, Experimentation, Botany**Mirror class**[Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) (Spirit)**Sister class in guild**[Archivist](/character-classes/archivist/)**Signature mechanic**Alchemical conduit, blighted foliage, sentient experiments**Best for**Players who want a Shadow scientist with chemistry, mutation, and corrupted natureThe Alchemists joined the Archivists in 503 MA, bringing expertise in the natural sciences to the Archivium’s repertoire. Where Archivists pursue numerological abstraction, Alchemists work in the more material end of the lab: minerals, compounds, plant biology, and the live test subjects that make their botany and combat work possible. This is one of Aetolia’s most morally complicated classes. If you want to play a scientist who corrupts nature, grows aberrant blight wherever they go, and treats sentient experiments as both tool and combat asset, the Alchemist is the class for that work. ## Origin and lore Alchemists joined the Archivists guild in 503 MA, leveraging their expertise in the natural sciences to complement the Archivium’s numerological scholarship. The merger formalized a working relationship that had existed informally for years among Spinesreach’s scientific community. The blight that defines much of Alchemist combat originated with Litrix, a Xorali scientist in the employ of Spinesreach. Prolonged experimentation transformed once-natural flora into something quite unnatural and distinct: a morass of aberrant foliage, vividly colored and almost sentient. The blight is composed largely of shadow element, and it constantly seeks to expand. Feirenz Ourborian later succeeded in altering the fundamental elemental composition of Litrix’s creation, granting Alchemists the power to control blighted plantlife as an extension of their own influence. Modern Alchemists can coax the blight to overrun regions and claim it as part of their own domain. ## Skill sets The Alchemist skill sets are Alchemy, Experimentation, and Botany. **Alchemy** takes notes from chemistry. Using minerals from the earth in conjunction with an alchemical transmutation conduit, an Alchemist creates virulent compounds that crystallize when inhaled, manages volatile chemical reactions, and unleashes crackling lightning and violent explosions. This is the most flashy and direct skill in the Alchemist’s arsenal. **Experimentation** draws from the scientific method. Dutifully-trained live test subjects, each created to serve specific purposes, will fearfully heed an Alchemist’s call. These specialized experiments draw on their artificially altered state to elicit certain deadly effects in combat. Compounds applied to an alchemical conduit can also produce a slew of inhibiting and helpful effects. **Botany** is, in the eyes of an Alchemist, a replication and improvement on a Shaman’s command of nature. Rather than relying on magic, Alchemists bend, corrupt, transform, and subjugate nature through serums, chemicals, and pheromones. Field labs let an Alchemist set up a remote workstation out of view, free from urban interference. ## Skill abilities Alchemy Experimentation Botany Filter abilities Title Contents ### Alchemy - Volatility Capitalise upon the volatility of chemical reactions. #### Volatility **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY VOLATILITY Volatility is a natural side effect that accompanies the mixing of compounds and chemical reactions; a trained Alchemist can both measure and capitalise on this. Volatility is measured in units with 5 being the maximum, and unless utilized, will fade to diminishing levels over time. Most abilities will make use of volatility, however the effects are not always as obvious as it might seem. The below will provide a common guide for most abilities. Effects for the following keywords: Generate – Generates volatility, adding it to the available pool. Reduces – Consumes volatility, removing it from the available pool. Threshold – Having less then the threshold lengthens equilibrium use. Requires – You must have equal to or more than the volatility required. Reducing volatility does not need you to have the full amount, unless it is marked as required. You will need to read each AB file in Alchemy for further information on how it will interact with volatility. - Conduit Fashion a transmutation conduit for use in scientific endeavours. #### Conduit **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY CONDUIT While standing within a mountainous location, you may draw metals from the earth and transmute them into an alchemical conduit. This signature weapon of the Alchemist is a multifaceted piece of equipment, capable of transmuting chemical formulae, agitating gaseous compounds, and even conducting electrical currents. - Recall An Alchemist’s weapon is never far from reach. #### Recall **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY RECALL Provided your conduit lies upon your current continent, you may recall it to your hand as needed. - Static Channel static through your conduit. #### Static **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY STATIC Generates 1 volatility (except when catalysed). By utilising your conduit as a catalyst, you may gather the latent static energy from the air and channel it as an arc of lightning to strike at your enemy. Catalysed effect: The damage will be greater and, if the target is not a denizen, the equilibrium time will be shorter. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeElectric Damage SourceArcane Base Damage100 + 15% Base Damage (Denizen)1035 Added Bonus Damage (Catalysed)x10% Equilibrium Recovery3.75 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Catalysed)3.25 seconds Equilibrium Recovery (Denizen)3.50 seconds Generated Volatility (Not Boosted)1 volatility Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 75 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. - Requires at least one leg functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Denizen) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Clarify Clear the air of obfuscations. #### Clarify **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY CLARIFY If there is fog within the atmosphere, you may simply transmute it into clear air, dispersing the obscuring mist. - Catalyse Utilise a catalyst to induce the effects of volatility. #### Catalyse **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY CATALYSE Requires 1 volatility. Reduces volatility by 1. Capitalise on the volatility present by introducing a catalyst into the equation, eliciting greater reactions from your various abilities. This ability requires equilibrium but does not consume it. To see the effects of a catalyst used on any given ability, check that ability’s AB file. - Corrosive A corrosive gas capable of shredding barriers. #### Corrosive **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY CORROSIVE Threshold of 1 volatility. If your opponent is protected by a magical shield, you can send forth a corrosive gas that will greedily dissolve it. If they are not protected by a shield, then the gas will instead strip a random defence from them. Catalysed effect: The formula will corrode the flesh, dealing cutting-based damage and causing bleeding. - Virulent Diffuse a venom into your crystallised gas. #### Virulent **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY VIRULENT \[venom\] Generates 1 volatility (except when catalysed). Assault your foe with a poisonous gas that will crystallise upon inhalation, causing cutting-based damage, delivering a single venom diffused through the gas, and making them bleed. The bleeding and armour penetration is increased for each crystallised fragment embedded in their skin. \* If no venom is specified, it will deal the loki venom by default. \* No rags of venom are needed in order to make use of the venom component. Catalysed effect: The equilibrium recovery time is reduced. If there are at least 3 units of volatility present when striking with the catalysed effect, the virulent gas will plunge crystallised fragments into the target. If they obtain 3 fragments in total, then it will give them haemophilia and be uncurable while 3 fragments remain. You may only embed a maximum of 3 fragments in your target. Fragments may be removed by attempting to PULL FRAGMENTS FROM BODY. - Upset Muddle their balance, sending them sprawling. #### Upset **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY UPSET \[6-12 seconds\] Threshold of 3 volatility. Reduces volatility by 1. By utilising your conduit as a focus, you may elicit an alchemical explosion which will upset your target’s balance and knock them to the ground. Catalysed effect: The effect is delayed by the amount of time specified and will additionally knock them off balance. If no time is specified, it will default to six seconds. - Intrusive A compound that binds with elixirs, reducing their efficacy. #### Intrusive **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY INTRUSIVE Threshold of 2 volatility. Generates 1 volatility. The intrusive compound is one that binds itself to elixirs when present, reducing their efficacy when consumed. For a short time after inhaling this compound, the target will find that recovery by elixirs will be reduced, and non-natural healing will be reduced even more. Catalysed effect: The impact of the compound will also cause plodding in your target. - Electroshock Therapy comes in many forms. #### Electroshock **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY ELECTROSHOCK Threshold of 3 volatility. Reduces volatility by 1. Focus your conduit on delivering a potent electric shock to the target, fraying their nerves such that they will suffer paresis and stupidity. A short while later, if the subject remains plagued with stupidity, they will suffer a burst of electric damage. Catalysed effect: The shock will fry the target’s nerves even further, causing a short blackout. - Incendiary An ignitable gas that takes but a small spark to wreak havoc. #### Incendiary **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY INCENDIARY By liberally wafting flammable gases towards any target that is in line-of-sight from your current location and then igniting it with a spark from your conduit, the ensuing explosion will deal fire-based damage to your opponent. For your own safety, they must not be in the same location as you. Catalysed effect: The damage will be increased, set your target ablaze, and knock them off their feet with the force of the explosion. - Malignant A malignant formula capable of poisoning curatives. #### Malignant **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY MALIGNANT Threshold of 2 volatility. Generates 1 volatility (except when catalysed). By administering this malignant formula to your target, they will be infected with the vitalbane affliction, causing the consumption of curative pills or poultices to inflict the target with the loki venom half of the time. The vitalbane affliction will only fade after it has inflicted the target with loki at least two times, otherwise it will persist until it does so. Catalysed effect: The impact of the bane will also cause idiocy in your victim. - Discorporate When the mind is broken, the body soon follows. #### Discorporate **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY DISCORPORATE Your prowess in the field of physiological studies is such that when facing a target beset with mental maladies, you may induce significant failure in their body’s vital systems, eventually causing death. In order to achieve this, the target must first be significantly weakened in their state of mind, afflicted by at least five phobias and suffering from a dreadful prognosis (see AB EXPERIMENTATION PROGNOSIS). The prognosis must originate from you. The following afflictions count as phobias: Fear, agoraphobia, claustrophobia, nyctophobia, vertigo, loneliness, shyness, paranoia, or superstition. Once cast, the target becomes disabled and there is a short delay before they are slain. If they leave their current location through some form of means, then the ability will fail. - Fulmination Bring forth a fulminated lightning strike. #### Fulmination **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY FULMINATION Threshold of 3 volatility. Reduces volatility by 2. Cause a localised thunderstorm over your target to form with three charges. Every so often, the fulmination will expend one of its charges to release a blast of electricity, dealing minor electric-based damage. If you strike them with the Alchemy-ability Static while the target is plagued by the fulminant thunderstorm, it will boost the damage of the skill by 20%, stun the target, and consume a charge. Using Static to trigger the bonus effects will reset the time before the next passive discharge from the thunderstorm. Catalysed effect: Instead of improving Static, any non-passive electric damage you deal will be boosted by 20%, stun the target, and consume a charge from the thunderstorm. Please view AB ALCHEMY STATIC for more information on this ability. - Neurotic A formula designed to strike at mental function. #### Neurotic **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY NEUROTIC Threshold of 3 volatility. This formula, when administered, will rapidly degrade your target’s mental faculties, causing confusion and impatience. Catalysed effect: In addition to the aforementioned afflictions, the target will also begin to suffer from hallucinations, though they will not be aware that they are so plagued. - Overcharge The lightning has to go somewhere. #### Overcharge **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY OVERCHARGE Threshold of 3 volatility. Reduces volatility by 2. By overcharging your conduit with a massive amount of electrical energy, discharging it towards a target will cause the focused lightning to violently attempt to ground itself, leaping to five additional random enemies in your location. This will inflict electrical damage to them all. When used against a denizen, the additional leaps will only target other denizens who are currently attempting to fight you, otherwise no extra leaps will occur. Catalysed effect: Adventurers struck by the additional arcs will receive up to two random afflictions that are shared from the main target. The afflictions will be hidden from their knowledge. - Condensate Imbue gas with elemental ice to create rain-bearing clouds. #### Condensate **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY CONDENSATE By infusing the locale’s natural gases and latent energy with elemental ice, the reaction will bring about an increase in air pressure, causing rain clouds to form across the sky. This will cause the weather in your locale to rain for a short while, but only if the skies are already clear of phenomena. - Currents They will complete your circuit. #### Currents **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY CURRENTS Threshold of 3 volatility. Reduces volatility by 1. Combine a conductive mixture with an explosive discharge of electrical energy to shock your foe and inflict a random mental malady from a wide selection of choice. While the conductive mixture remains in effect, the target shocked a second after some time passes. If the first time it picks an affliction is one that the target already has, then it will try again, but only one extra time. List of possible afflictions it can give: Egocentrism, stupidity, epilepsy, peace, paranoia, hallucinations, psychosis, dizziness, mania, infatuation, laxity, hatred, claustrophobia, vertigo, faintness, loneliness, agoraphobia, masochism, recklessness, weariness, impatience, confusion, dementia, and nyctophobia. Catalysed effect: The current will activate one additional time before fading and the afflictions will become masked. - Resuscitation Reinvigorate your body when it is on the brink of death. #### Resuscitation **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY RESUSCITATION Your expertise in physiology is such that you may prepare your conduit to revive you when your body suffers heavy damage. Should you find yourself near death, your conduit will become enlivened and shock you back to life, granting you one volatility while your wounds rapidly regenerate. Cooldown (when triggered): 180 seconds - Parity Your wounds are also theirs. #### Parity **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY PARITY Threshold of 4 volatility. Reduces volatility by 2. By diagnosing your own wounds, you may quickly estimate the level of pain you suffer from and accurately twist your target’s physiology to inflict shadow damage to them equal to the amount of health you are missing. This attack may not exceed 40% of the target’s maximum health. Catalysed effect: Parity now confers a negative effect as well, bestowing the justice affliction upon your hapless victim. This will be hidden from their view. - Infiltrative A susceptible foe is one that falls faster. #### Infiltrative **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY INFILTRATIVE Threshold of 1 volatility. Generates 1 volatility. The infiltrative serum is an insidious one, infesting your target with a disease that causes their nervous system to become volatile and agitated. The Alchemist may then utilise this extraneous volatility to empower themselves. When attacking a target suffering from this infiltrative infestation, volatility will not be reduced by abilities that typically consume it. Catalysed effect: The target is no longer infested immediately. Instead, the affliction is delayed for 4 seconds after casting. - Rousing Awaken the senses with a rousing compound. #### Rousing **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY ROUSING Threshold of 1 volatility. This salt-based formula will drastically heighten the senses of its target, rousing an ally from injury or overwhelming an enemy’s courage and leaving them with ringing ears. Be warned that it will harm yourself in the process. Catalysed effect: On an ally, this formula will additionally cure them of a random affliction. Otherwise, it will stun the target and deliver sensitivity instead of ringing ears. - Pathogen Concoct a deadly pathogen to blight your enemy. #### Pathogen **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY PATHOGEN Threshold of 1 volatility. Generates 1 volatility. By concocting a deadly pathogen, you may then transmute the contents into something far more volatile and deadly, infecting your target with a blight that will harm their body with poison when they move to a new location. Catalysed effect: The target is no longer blighted immediately. Instead, the affliction is delayed for 4 seconds after the ability is used. - Asphyxiant A fusion of expedited growth, to asphyxiate the hapless. #### Asphyxiant **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY ASPHYXIANT Threshold 3 volatility. Reduces volatility by 1. By soaking plant cuttings in a noxious formula, with the aid of your conduit you can bring forth unnaturally expedited growth, causing the specimens to transmutate into bulbous creeper vines that will latch on to a prone enemy in an attempt to strangle them to death until they writhe out. If your target is labouring under the effects of crystallised fragments from a virulent concoction, they will suffer dramatically more damage and also bleed. Catalysed effect: This will allow your creepers to overcome the flame tattoo without being affected. - Accelerant Induce a burst of volatility to rapidly attack. #### Accelerant **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY ACCELERATE Requires 5 volatility. Reduces volatility by 5 when used. Infuse your conduit with an accelerant, causing the next three Alchemy abilities used against the specified target to incur their catalysed effects and be cast as if at maximum volatility. Activating this will consume all your accrued volatility, and you will not be able to gain volatility while it is in use. The defence will fade if you are not in the same room as your target for longer than ten seconds. - Preparation Prepare a compound for use at a moment’s notice. #### Preparation **Description**Syntax: ALCHEMY PREPARE ALCHEMY EDUCE As a master Alchemist, you are fully cognisant of the benefits that adequate preparation can provide. As such, you are now able to prepare an alchemical attack in advance, storing it for ease of use at a later point. Once said preparation is made, you may then educe the effect upon your target for one time only, after which you will need to prepare another. Educed abilities will deal half the damage and bleeding of a standard attack. The following abilities may be prepared in advance: Static, Virulent, Intrusive, Malignant, Currents, Electroshock, Pathogen, and Infiltrative. You may educe an ability while off equilibrium, however there is still an equilibrium cost attached in doing so. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Experimentation - Extispicy Study entrails to discern your target. #### Extispicy **Description**Syntax: DERIVE EXTISPICY Extispicy is a foundational aspect of biological sciences, and by carefully dissecting parts of a corpse carried about your person, you may utilise the entrails to divine knowledge of your target’s location – whether friend or foe. If they are within the area with you, you will be able to discern their current state of health. - Ignition A simple chemical reaction to inspire animalistic fear. #### Ignition **Description**Syntax: DERIVE IGNITION To run from fire is an animalistic response ingrained in most creatures; a simple concoction, when ignited, can burst with a harrowing boom and a flash of flame. While admittedly little more than a flashy chemical reaction, this display will drive your target into a state of panic, afflicting them with fear and forcing them to flee from the room in an instinctive act of self-preservation. - Obfuscation Smoke from your conduit will make you harder to strike. #### Obfuscation **Description**Syntax: DERIVE OBFUSCATION A pinch of minerals coating your conduit will produce a billowing black smoke that obscures your form. Enemies that seek to harm you with either cutting or blunt damage will find their attacks less effective thanks to their impaired vision. This defence will protect you so long as you wield your conduit, but be warned: dropping or ceasing to wield it will forsake its protection. - Dissolution Sever the ties that bind Chaos entities to the Prime. #### Dissolution **Description**Syntax: DERIVE DISSOLUTION The proper combination of chemicals and minerals thrown precisely at the anchor point of a doppleganger or mirrormask entity will create a reaction that quickly and cleanly severs their ties to this plane, banishing them. - Gasmask Transform remains into a protective gas mask. #### Gasmask **Description**Usage: DERIVE GASMASK A trained Alchemist is precisely aware of the tools provided to them by their surroundings; by utilizing scraps pulled from a corpse, as well as a handful of ink, you can fashion together an effective gas mask to protect you from the noxious effects of the world at large. While anyone can wear the mask, its fit is dependent on the sizing fashioned by the creating Alchemist, and thus will offer only them the maximum protection. Inks: Fire: 1 red ink, 1 yellow ink. Magic: 1 red ink, 1 green ink. Cold: 1 blue ink. Electric: 1 yellow ink. Poison: 1 green ink. Psychic: 1 purple ink. Asphyxiation: 1 gold ink. - Crutch Utilise your conduit as a crutch. #### Crutch **Description**Syntax: DERIVE CRUTCH \[OFF\] By utilising your conduit as a protective crutch, it will protect the limb you are currently parrying by deploying a minor field of electricity to surround it. Maintaining this will drain mana so long as it is active. If an enemy moves to strike that limb, the conduit will electrocute the attacker, and if that limb is broken, then it will deliver a masked mental affliction. List of possible afflictions it can give: Egocentrism, stupidity, epilepsy, peace, paranoia, hallucinations, dizziness, mania, infatuation, laxity, hatred, claustrophobia, vertigo, faintness, loneliness, agoraphobia, masochism, recklessness, weariness, impatience, confusion, dementia, and nyctophobia. Cooldown (on proc): 2 seconds - Cognisance Outliers stick out like sore thumbs. #### Cognisance **Description**Syntax: DERIVE COGNISANCE It is an Alchemist’s duty to be acutely aware of the status of their experiments, thus it comes as no surprise that you possess an unrivaled ability to perceive your opponent and their symptoms. While you are cognisant of your opponent, any loki effects that strike your foe will report their afflictions to you while keeping them unaware. Additionally, any loki venom that you inflict upon others will no longer deliver effects the target already suffers from. - Disciplines Recall knowledge of your specialised studies. #### Disciplines **Description**Syntax: DISCIPLINES DISCIPLINE RECALL DISCIPLINE DISMISS DISCIPLINE DISMISS ALL While expected to be exceptional in all scientific pursuits, some Alchemists may display a particular affinity for certain disciplines. Through rigorous study in these different fields, you will find yourself capable of recalling your teachings in a time of need. Be warned, however, that actively recalling teachings from a discipline will take a mental toll that is multiplied by the number you try to simultaneously keep at the forefront of your mind. Available disciplines are: [Field Studies] Grants forestwalking and health regeneration in blighted and forest rooms.[Research] Offers a 2% chance to resist mental afflictions you receive.[Compounding] Enhances Alchemy, causing catalysts to have a 25% chance to not reduce volatility.[Biology] Enhances healing, causing both blighted and forest rooms to periodically heal an affliction so long as you are not suffering from paralysis.[Experimentation] Enhances the abilities of your experiment, causing it to strike faster.[Procedure & Protocol] So aware are you of standard procedure and protocol, force abilities and effects will have no effect on you.[Chemistry] Allows you to completely negate an elemental attack on a 20-90 second cooldown. - Prognosis Instill dread with the knowledge of future ailments. #### Prognosis **Description**Syntax: DERIVE PROGNOSIS Your critical eye is easily able to assess a target’s physiological state and, by providing to them a detailed prognosis of their future maladies, you are able to instill them with dread. While affected by this state of dread, a victim will be unable to cure themselves of the effects of the infiltrative compound, nor will they be able to cure the blighted effects of your pathogen skill. The prognosis effect may only be removed by leaving the source – the Alchemist that derived it – for a long enough time, or focusing one’s mind while unaffected by any other mental affliction. - Expeditions Arrange for expeditions to points of interest. #### Expeditions **Description**Syntax: DERIVE EXPEDITION ESTABLISH DERIVE EXPEDITION FORFEIT DERIVE EXPEDITION LIST DERIVE EXPEDITION TRAVEL Insofar as field studies are concerned, Alchemists will often find themselves tracing the same paths and studiously observing for changes along the way. Establishing a route as a formal expedition ingrains the way so effectively in an Alchemist’s mind that traversing it comes as second nature, allowing focus to be paid instead to more eruditious endeavors. You can create up to three expeditions, the likes of which are formally marked with a stake of wood at its endpoint. There is no use in attempting to establish multiple expeditions to a single area. - Lifevision The ability to see the life force of others. #### Lifevision **Description**Syntax: LIFEVISION Your rapt attentiveness has developed over time to allow for the ability to notice all living things within your sight, regardless of attempts to hide. You will additionally find yourself capable of occasionally spotting illusory attempts to trick you. - Delegation Send another off to complete your expedition for you. #### Delegation **Description**Syntax: DERIVE DELEGATE Much to your chagrin, it is sometimes necessary to rely on others to complete tasks for you. You may delegate an expedition to another of your choice, sending them off to your expedition marker. - Hallucinogen So frail are mortal minds already; this substance may not help. #### Hallucinogen **Description**Syntax: DERIVE HALLUCINOGEN \[phobia\] So long as your target has at least three mental afflictions, you can slip them a powerful hallucinogen that is sure to compound their existing mental fragility; by doing so, you will inflict their mind with a phobia, and drain it of some mana. You can inflict the following phobias: Fear, agoraphobia, claustrophobia, nyctophobia, vertigo, loneliness, shyness, paranoia, or superstition. Additionally, the equilibrium cost for this skill is reduced for each mental affliction the target has. However, it will not obtain any further benefit after the fifth mental affliction. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction - Causality Perfect the timing of cause and effect for precision in science. #### Causality **Description**Syntax: DERIVE CAUSALITY \[IN <6-12>\] A practiced Alchemist is more than capable of educing chain reactions through the knowledge of compounds and the precise timing required for each to properly interact effectively. Provided the Alchemist has three compounds in their conduit, they may specify a time (six seconds is the default if none is provided) in which a flagrant reaction of causality will bombard their foe and deal unblockable damage to them. Certain afflictions bestowed by the Alchemist will multiply the damage from the causality when it is initially set off, each of them greatly increasing its power and allowing it to reach a near lethal state when all are present. Curing or obtaining these afflictions after the synchronous reaction is set will not alter its potency. The following are the afflictions that will increase its potency: Paranoia, infestation, blight, and stormtouched. If they had all four of the above afflictions when it is cast, then the causality is enhanced further, shattering any magical shields protecting them and heavily stunning them. - You have the following experiment related abilities - Lacerating A barbed and clawed experiment made for rending flesh. #### Lacerating **Description**Syntax: EXPERIMENT REQUEST LACERATING Request an experiment with twisted flesh and barbed claws primed for evisceration. Occasionally, one of its swipes will cause one of impairment, watery eyes, or clumsiness and will be masked from their view. - Requesting Request a particular experiment for your needs. #### Requesting **Description**Syntax: EXPERIMENT REQUEST EXPERIMENT DISMISS EXPERIMENT RECALL Additional syntax: EXPERIMENT HIDE and EXPERIMENT REVEAL Request a suitable experiment for your current needs. If it happens to wander off, as they want to do, they have been painstakingly conditioned to return when called. Should you wish to hide your experiment from prying eyes, it is capable of this as well. Refer to HELP LOYALS for more information on leading your familiar, such as ordering it to attack and other useful commands. - Transfusion Lend your experiment some of your lifeblood. #### Transfusion **Description**Syntax: EXPERIMENT TRANSFUSION At a cost of your own wellbeing, you may begin a transfusion with your experiment to heal it from damage taken over the course of your studies. - Wailing An experiment with a disconcerting habit. #### Wailing **Description**Syntax: EXPERIMENT REQUEST WAILING Modified vocal cords mixed with an unfortunate demeanor come together to create a wail capable of dealing psychic-based damage to your enemies, or inciting volatility for your own advantage in Alchemy. - Toxic Toxic secretions make for an effective attacker. #### Toxic **Description**Syntax: EXPERIMENT REQUEST TOXIC Toxic secretions will lend this experiment a potent edge when it bites an opponent, delivering both poison damage and the loki venom. Be warned, however, that it may not always bite; these particular experiments are equally fond of strangulation. If you are strangled, it will deal asphyxiation damage and sap two points of wisdom. - Preservation Safeguard your experiment from harm. #### Preservation **Description**Syntax: EXPERIMENT PRESERVATION At a cost of a small willpower drain, you may focus on the preservation of your experiment. You will deflect orb sigils that seek to banish it, and if it is attacked when not by your side, the experiment will return immediately to you. - Articulation Make it speak as if it had thoughts. #### Articulation **Description**Syntax: EXPERIMENT ARTICULATE So conditioned is your experiment that it can pick up on subtle cues and movements well enough to articulate what it is you have on your mind through its own mouth. - Witness Witness that which your experiment sees. #### Witness **Description**Syntax: EXPERIMENT WITNESS Your experiment will relay to you what it is they see, quickly providing you with all in their location. - Arachnidal It’s no Chiav, but the next best thing. #### Arachnidal **Description**Syntax: EXPERIMENT REQUEST ARACHNIDAL Study shows that Djeirani subjects, grafted precisely with spinnerets and fangs, can mimic the physical dexterity of a true spider. Each venomous bite that this rabid experiment makes will cause periodic poison damage and silently deliver allergies, vomiting, or disfigurement. After a set number of attacks, it will spot an opportunity to cover your unlucky foe in a sticky web instead, entangling them. - Interposition Your experiment will intercept blows against you. #### Interposition **Description**Syntax: EXPERIMENT INTERPOSITION Though directing it to do so will cost some willpower, you can instruct your experiment to do its best to intercept a portion of that which would harm you. - Tumefactive Weighty tumours make for acceptable bludgeons. #### Tumefactive **Description**Syntax: EXPERIMENT REQUEST TUMEFACTIVE It goes to show that even failed experiments have their purposes; calcified tumors, utilized by a motivated experiment, can cripple the limbs of your opponent and deliver blunt damage. - Immolative Utilise Xoran features to induce fire. #### Immolative **Description**Syntax: EXPERIMENT REQUEST IMMOLATIVE Experiments equipped with transposed Xoran biological elements allow for a devastating breath of fire that can set enemies ablaze, stun them, or simply singe them quite severely. - Reconfiguration Reconfigure your experiment to suit your needs. #### Reconfiguration **Description**Syntax: EXPERIMENT RECONFIGURE You may reconfigure the form of your experiment to bring about new physical features for you to utilize on a whim. It will also recover any missing health the experiment had. Cooldown: 20 seconds - You have the following compound related abilities - Compounds Certain compounds when burnt can elicit harrowing effects. #### Compounds **Description**Syntax: COMPOUND CREATE COMPOUND LIST The creation of compounds is a cornerstone element of an Alchemist’s studies. Once a compound has been created, you must apply it to your conduit and expose your opponent to it in order to unlock their potential. See AB EXPERIMENTATION AUGMENTATION and AB EXPERIMENTATION EXPOSURE for more details. Compounds are complicated creations that are typically activated by your target meeting a specific criteria, known as a trigger condition. When the condition is met, the compound will activate, and then enact a persistent effect. When the same criteria is met a second time or the threshold no longer applies, the compound will be rendered inactive. Careful consideration of compound effects is important, as your conduit is only capable of containing three at a given time. The creation of compounds differs according to which one you are attempting to create. Some compounds require you to be standing in a certain environment type, while others will require a raw material on hand to synthesize. The list is as follows: Anesthetic: Forest environments Intoxicant: Beach environment Inhibiting: Hills or mountains environment Galvanic: An eagle feather OR the corpse of an eagle Exhilarant: A piece of stag’s horn OR the corpse of a stag Toxoid: An elemental ice commodity Caustic: Bone powder OR an animal corpse Invigorant: A crocodile’s tooth OR an animal corpse Anticoagulant: A lion’s claw OR an animal corpse Diagnostic: An animal corpse - Exposure Expose your enemy to the effects of your deadly compounds. #### Exposure **Description**Syntax: COMPOUND EXPOSE and COMPOUND EXPOSE NONE By exposing your enemy to the gaseous form of your compounds, you may subject them to their inhibiting effects. - Exhilarant Flare your synapses with an exhilarant of the mind. #### Exhilarant **Description**Activator: Self. Trigger condition: The exhilarant compound is activated by passing the threshold of 3 volatility – this can be done by gaining volatility, or by depleting it past that mark. Target: Self. Activation effect: The volatility around you will be converted into mental fortitude, restoring a small amount of mana and willpower to yourself. - Augmentation Augment your conduit with additional compounds. #### Augmentation **Description**Syntax: COMPOUND AUGMENT <\[compound 1\] \[compound 2\] .. \[compound nth\]> COMPOUND REMOVE COMPOUND REMOVE ALL You may augment your conduit with up to three different compounds. To ensure quality, you may only utilize compounds of your own creation, and only one of any single type can be utilized at once. In some cases, it may be possible have more than three compounds at once. Please refer to AB EXPERIMENTATION to learn more. - Toxoid Their sickness is your route to health. #### Toxoid **Description**Activator: Self. Trigger condition: The toxoid compound is activated by the Alchemist dropping below 50% of their maximum health. This can be accomplished both by being damaged, or by causing self harm. You will be unable to heal up past 50% of your health while in this state. Target: Exposed target. Activation effect: The toxoid compound will bestow upon your opponent the spiritbane affliction for as long as the compound is active, preventing natural passive health regeneration. Alchemy attacks against the target that deal non-passive electric damage will also heal you for 30% of the damage dealt. - Invigorant Just a whiff is all you need to continue your fight. #### Invigorant **Description**Activator: Self. Trigger condition: The invigorant compound is permanently activated once strung by the Alchemist, providing you wield your conduit. Target: Self. Activation effect: While active, the invigorant compound will act as an anesthetic of sorts, numbing the Alchemist to the pain of the crippled limbs and allowing them to use any Alchemy abilities without the requirement of working arms. - Caustic Erode the barriers that protect them. #### Caustic **Description**Activator: Exposed target. Trigger condition: The caustic compound is activated by a target breathing it in using a shield tattoo or any other means of forming a temporary barrier. This does not apply to the prismatic barrier generated by using a lyre or other such means. Target: Exposed target. Activation effect: The next time your opponent attempts to form a shield, the compound will engulf and erode it whilst simultaneously delivering a masked mental affliction from the antipsychotic tree in the process. The compound will then go inactive once more. You can view HELP CURE ORDER for more information on afflictions in the antipsychotic cure tree. - Anticoagulant Their blood was already flowing; let it flow more. #### Anticoagulant **Description**Activator: Attuned target. Trigger condition: The anticoagulant compound is activated by a bleeding target that breathes the compound – achieving at least 200 bleeding will activate the effect. This effect can only be triggered once each time your foe passes 200 bleeding, not if they continue to bleed. Target: Exposed target. Activation effect: While active, shards from the Virulent ability will more effectively be embedded into your opponent’s flesh, preventing them from being removed by any means. - Diagnostic Some patients will insist on diagnosing themselves. #### Diagnostic **Description**Activator: Exposed target. Trigger condition: The diagnostic compound is activated whenever the Exposed target uses the Diagnose ability to check their afflictions. You can view AB SURVIVAL DIAGNOSE for more information. Target: Self. Activation effect: Generate 1 volatility when the compound activates for use in Alchemy. - Anesthetic A numbing agent, to counteract pain centres. #### Anesthetic **Description**Activator: Self. Trigger condition: The anesthetic compound is activated by the Alchemist receiving a cumulative amount of damage – roughly about 2000 damage. Once this amount of damage has been passed a second time, the compound will deactivate. Target: Self. Activation effect: The revitalizing effects of the anesthetic compound will flood your body, numbing you to a portion of all damage received. - Inhibiting Motor functions are often the first to fail. #### Inhibiting **Description**Activator: Exposed target. Trigger condition: The inhibiting compound is activated by a Exposed target having Causality cast upon them. Target: Exposed target. Activation effect: Upon activation, the inhibiting compound will afflict the target with an inhibiting aroma. This effect will occasionally infiltrate your opponent’s body and wreak havoc upon their motor functions – preventing them from leaving, and knocking them prone and off balance. - Intoxicant Overconfidence is the drunk’s downfall. #### Intoxicant **Description**Activator: Exposed target. Trigger condition: The intoxicant compound is activated by a Exposed target attempting to focus their mind to cure mental maladies. The condition will only be achieved if the opponent is both capable of focusing and consumes the proper balance. Target: Exposed target. Activation effect: While the intoxicant compound is active, your victim will find themselves incapable of precisely touching their tree tattoo to any practical effect. - Galvanic A dash of bottled lightning. #### Galvanic **Description**This compound does not count towards your maximum allowed limit of augmentations. Activator: Exposed target. Trigger condition: The galvanic compound is activated by a Exposed target attempting to cure two afflictions from the same curing tree in a row through the use of curative pills. You can review HELP CURE ORDER to learn more about the various curative trees. Target: Exposed target. Activation effect: After three seconds of exposure to the compound, your foe will be afflicted with the stormtouched affliction, which nullifies the usefulness of their electrical resistance. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Botany - Lift Force nature to lift you into the trees. #### Lift **Description**Syntax: BOTANY LIFT Climbing trees is primitive and crass, and a skilled Alchemist need not bother themselves with such banalities. Should you wish to ascend to the canopy, you can simply force nature to lift you up, ignoring disabling effects such as paresis. - Diffuse None but you shall hold sway. #### Diffuse **Description**Syntax: BOTANY DIFFUSE Should you find yourself surrounded by domains that are not blight, such as the dense fogs of a Tidesage or the sands of a Teradrim, you may invoke a potent acid to corrode it away and sterilise the area. If the domain’s creator is present, there will be a slight delay before the fog disperses. - Camouflage Attend your studies unseen. #### Camouflage **Description**Syntax: BOTANY CAMOUFLAGE By twisting the natural plantlife to your whims, you may coerce the foliage to conceal you, ensuring privacy when studying. This camouflage is only effective while standing in a forest location. - Quills In your hands, nature is vengeful indeed. #### Quills **Description**Syntax: BOTANY QUILLS \[target\] By forcibly amalgamating cuttings from a variety of foliage, you have learned to produce unnaturally strong quills. Harvesting these for armour will provide you, or a target of choice, substantial protection against physical damage, while ensuring the deadly points will puncture those who strike you, returning the mitigated damage to the attacker. There is also a 33% chance that your quills will give the loki venom to the attacker, although this venom is not hidden like usual. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Subversion Subvert the healing energies of nature for your own use. #### Subversion **Description**Syntax: BOTANY SUBVERT Subvert the will of the Cycle to aid in your own restoration, relieving you of one random malady. If you are standing within a forest or a location with aberrant foliage, you can tap into nature even further and cure a second affliction from you. Nature abhors those who subvert its will, and you will only be able to cure a second affliction every 35 seconds, even if you use this skill again. This ability is not usable while you suffer from paresis or paralysis. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Sterilisation Necromantic blight does not a proper research station make. #### Sterilisation **Description**Syntax: BOTANY STERILISE Requires elemental ice. Damaged working conditions simply will not do, and by utilising elemental ice, you may restore the natural state of an environmental location that has been transformed in some way. This ability typically costs a single ice to carry out, but if the locale has been exterminated by dark magic, the price will be tenfold. - Pheromones Coax the forest into diffusing pheromones through its boughs. #### Pheromones **Description**Syntax: BOTANY PHEROMONES By imposing your scientific will on the natural world, your enemy shall become nature’s enemy. Foes of yours that stand within forestal locations, or those infested with your blight, will have their magical shields destroyed, and suffer additional damage from natural weather effects. Only one target may be afflicted at a time and it will have little effect if you are in the same location as the target. The effect will fade if they no longer stand within a location with blight or a forest. - You may utilise the following laboratory-related abilities - Claim Lay claim to an area to set up a field lab. #### Claim **Description**Syntax: LAB CLAIM Stake an intrusive claim upon the forests in your location, seizing it as your personal field laboratory. You may not claim a laboratory in a location someone else has already taken. - Assessment Spot the telltale signs of a field lab. #### Assessment **Description**Syntax: LAB ASSESS Discern whether a location has been marked as the property of another in some fashion. - Dismantle Dismantle your field lab, and any evidence that it ever existed. #### Dismantle **Description**Syntax: LAB DISMANTLE Dismantle your laboratory that you may claim a new one elsewhere. There is a short delay associated with the dismantling. - Surveil Monitor the presence of another. #### Surveil **Description**Syntax: LAB SURVEIL Utilise your specialist laboratory to surveil another adventurer, taking a glimpse through the forests at someone standing within one. - Barricade Give yourself some peace and quiet. #### Barricade **Description**Syntax: LAB BARRICADE LAB RESCIND Bar entry to and from your field laboratory, preventing others from moving through it for a temporary period of time, or until you rescind it. Additionally, the barrier will prevent many line of sight abilities while within your makeshift greenhouse. - Dictation Relay your findings to another. #### Dictation **Description**Syntax: LAB DICTATE From the safety of your field laboratory, you may dictate your thoughts to another; they will not know who is speaking. - Reconnaissance Discern the presences of any within the woodland realm. #### Reconnaissance **Description**Syntax: LAB RECONNAISSANCE Detect the presence and whereabouts of all people who stand within a forested location. - Specimen Coerce additional specimens to grow. #### Specimen **Description**Syntax: LAB SPECIMEN While within your laboratory, you may force the surrounding plantlife to flourish, growing a variety of wild flowers instantly. Cooldown: Until a new Aetolian month - Withdraw Withdraw to the privacy of your laboratory. #### Withdraw **Description**Syntax: LAB WITHDRAW You may return to your laboratory from any forested location after a short delay. This is a channeled action and will require your full attention until it is complete. - Fecundity Chemically accelerate the renewal of body and mind. #### Fecundity **Description**Syntax: LAB FECUNDITY By infusing some of your laboratory specimens with chemical accelerants, you may bring forth a garden of your finest samples and avail yourself of their unnatural fecundity. This will last for one quarter of an Aetolian day and grant willpower and endurance regeneration for everybody within your lab. Cooldown: 4 hours - Consultation Consult with your laboratory partner. #### Consultation **Description**Syntax: LAB CONSULT You may easily travel between two laboratories that have agreed to collaborate. Refer to AB BOTANY COLLABORATION for information on how these accords are formed. - Collaboration Establish a collaborative research effort with a trusted partner. #### Collaboration **Description**Syntax: LAB COLLABORATE By agreeing to share your research with a trusted partner\*, you may open your laboratory for easy access to theirs. Once so linked, any Alchemist will be able to consult from your laboratory to end up at the collaborator’s. \* They must be an ally. - Selfdestruct Start again from scratch. #### Selfdestruct **Description**Syntax: LAB SELFDESTRUCT Nature’s sanctity is hardly a concern for you, and in times of dire need you must simply burn it all down and start again. At the cost of your laboratory and the surrounding foliage, you can completely destroy all in your location in a single devastating chemical reaction, dealing an incredibly large amount of shadow damage. Eliciting this reaction is a complex endeavour that requires your concentration for a short period, but once the deed is done, your laboratory will be destroyed. Once the deed is done, the forests will reject your touch and prevent you from claiming a new laboratory for at least one full season. Cooldown (Claim): Until a new Aetolian season - You possess the following Blight-related abilities - Blight Your version of nature is far more exciting. #### Blight **Description**Syntax: BOTANY BLIGHT BOTANY BLIGHT LIST While standing outdoors in a non-urban environment, you may simultaneously subjugate and transform nature to work on your behalf. This will cause a surge of rapid growth, but in place of healthy flora, your chymical prowess will bring forth unnatural, blighted foliage to encompass your surroundings, warped and twisted for your own ends. Blighted locations will allow numerous abilities to be used, many of them remotely. Leaving a blighted location will not cause the growth to recede, though each blight beyond the first will place a toll on your willpower. - Recede Direct your blight to recede. #### Recede **Description**Syntax: BOTANY RECEDE \[HERE\] Though it may pain you to dismiss your terrible creations, you may command all blighted locations you control to recede at once. Blight you are standing in personally will not be affected unless you specify HERE, in which case only the blight at your specific location will recede. - Interlopers View those who trespass upon your domain. #### Interlopers **Description**Syntax: BOTANY INTERLOPERS List all those who currently stand upon your blight, along with their location. - Containment Contain those who would leave by air. #### Containment **Description**Syntax: BOTANY CONTAINMENT Requires a location with blighted plantlife. Command the foliage surrounding you to contain would-be flyers, preventing anyone in your location from departing by air. - Clutching The blight can be jealous indeed. #### Clutching **Description**Syntax: BOTANY CLUTCH Requires a location with blighted plantlife. Rope-like vines will come forth from your blight and writhe about your legs, securing you to the ground in a manner similar to the density defence. - Frequencies Direct nature to hum a frequency incompatible with thought. #### Frequencies **Description**Syntax: BOTANY FREQUENCIES Requires a location with blighted plantlife. While standing within your blight, you may command the twisted foliage around you to begin humming a discordant noise. This disruptive frequency will interfere with the work of telepaths, increasing the time required to form a mind lock on those in your location. Only one such frequency can be maintained at any one time. - Bloodsap Allow the blight to feed on passersby. #### Bloodsap **Description**Syntax: BOTANY BLOODSAP Requires a location with blighted plantlife. By releasing part of the control you hold over your aberrant foliage, you may allow the blight to feed on any who pass through the location, tearing open their flesh with vicious thorns and infecting them with loki. This effect will end faster if there is no blight in the room and/or you do not remain with it. - Distractions Sense distracting movement within your domain. #### Distractions **Description**Syntax: BOTANY DISTRACTIONS At a significant drain to your willpower, you may track all movement in and adjacent to your blight. - Wander Wander through the blight towards your target. #### Wander **Description**Syntax: BOTANY WANDER Requires a location with blighted plantlife. While standing upon your blighted foliage, you may instantly travel to anyone else within your domain. - Alluring A tantalising scent that’s difficult to ignore. #### Alluring **Description**Syntax: BOTANY ALLURE Requires a location with blighted plantlife. By corrupting nature to your own whims, dispatch a profusion of writhing vines and sweet perfume to draw an adventurer into your location, provided they stand adjacent, or, in the event they too stand amidst the blight, in line of sight. While targets that are too dense may resist your preternatural allure, you will be able to overcome it if they are suffering from exposure to your pheromones. - Curtail Synthesise enormous hedges to bar movement. #### Curtail **Description**Syntax: BOTANY CURTAIL Requires a location with blighted plantlife. Chemically enhance your surroundings and bring forth a rapid growth of monstrous hedges that will indiscriminately hinder all movement – including your own. - Fronds Defend yourself with soldiers green. #### Fronds **Description**Syntax: BOTANY FRONDS Requires a location with blighted plantlife. Infuse your blight with unnaturally accelerated life, causing enemies standing within it to be struck by violent fronds, dealing cutting damage and inflicting them with the loki venom. - Propagate Rapidly spread your blight elsewhere. #### Propagate **Description**Syntax: BOTANY PROPAGATE Requires a location with blighted plantlife. While standing within your blight, you may begin a reaction that will cause it to surge towards a target, moving it rapidly through every room between you and them. This may only be performed within the same area, and only within a limited range. - Medicinal Infuse your blight with healing properties. #### Medicinal **Description**Syntax: BOTANY MEDICINAL Requires a location with blighted plantlife. Infuse your local blight with a medicinal formula, slowly healing your allies in the area that stand within it for the next few seconds. - Perspective Make them see it your way. #### Perspective **Description**Syntax: BOTANY PERSPECTIVE Requires a location with blighted plantlife. Your experimentation with nature often draws the ire of those ignorant to the exquisite workings you enact. While standing in your blight, you may instantly switch locations with any other standing within your domain, ensuring they see things from your perspective, while you grudgingly see things from theirs. - Decompose Eradicate your blight to induce volatility. #### Decompose **Description**Syntax: BOTANY DECOMPOSE Requires a location with blighted plantlife. Instantly cause the blight in the location to decompose, but only if it was brought about by you. Doing so will generate 3 volatility for use in Alchemy. Blightbringer will not cause the warped foliage to reappear after decomposition; you must move first. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Envelop Envelop an ally in a protective shield. #### Envelop **Description**Syntax: BOTANY ENVELOP Usable from forest rooms or blighted locations, this will bring forth a mass of golden pollen which you may then transmute into both a magical shield and a prismatic barrier to protect a target other than yourself, in the local area, provided they stand within blight or forest. - Blightbringer Your every footfall is a botanical marvel. #### Blightbringer **Description**Syntax: BOTANY BLIGHTBRINGER Though it will incur a heavy toll on willpower, your footsteps will spread blighted foliage wheresoever you may step, provided you linger there. This blight is an ephemeral one, however, and will recede again when you leave the location. ## Visual style and identity Alchemy is flashy and immediate. The telltale signs of crackling lightning and violent explosions are never far from a working Alchemist. The transmutation conduit, an electrical metal implement, is the constant prop. Compounds in glass vials, mineral powders, and ongoing chemical reactions fill the workspace. Experimentation brings the sentient experiments to the field. Botany covers the Alchemist in the colors of blight: vivid, unnatural hues of mutated plant life that spread wherever the Alchemist sets up shop. The class reads as a lab coat that has seen too many explosions and walks among aberrant foliage that follows it everywhere. ## Side effects of the work Alchemy is as much a balancing act as it is an art. Imprecise measurements and failed timings can result in volatile explosions, chemical burns to the Alchemist, or accidental electrocution from mishandling the conduit. The lab is dangerous. Experimentation brings additional maladies. Sentient experiments motivated by fear sometimes turn on their handler, attempting to seek freedom. Depending on the experiment type, these incidents can result in lacerations, burns, broken limbs, or fatal poisoning. Constant exposure to blight, and to its associated Botany work, can cause breathing and skin issues. Extended physical contact with blighted flora requires decontamination protocols to remove mutated spores and plant secretions. ## Who plays this class The Alchemist suits players who want a Shadow-aligned scientist with morally heavy combat. A strong mind is a prerequisite: the creation of compounds and the balancing of chemical reactions is not for those easily distracted or imprecise. Where others rely on magic and physical acumen, the Alchemist treats the mind and the scientific process as their primary armaments. Mechanically, the class rewards players who like resource management and prep-heavy combat. Compounds, conduits, experiments, and blight all require setup. Once set up, the Alchemist becomes one of the most distinctive combat presences in Aetolia, layering chemistry, mutated flora, and trained test subjects into the same fight. Pragmatism helps. Botany involves the deliberate corruption of nature, which many in Sapience consider abhorrent. Experimentation involves live sentient test subjects. Neither is a class for players who want a clean conscience. Knowledge has its price. ## City and guild The Alchemists work from the Archivium in [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/), the city of artifice and the Shadow Tether’s scientific bastion. Patron: none (the Archivists guild has no Divine Patron, which is unusual in Aetolia). The Architect of Progress, Legyn, leads the guild, with Curators Solen and Semyon overseeing the divisions. The guild houses both the [Archivist](/character-classes/archivist/) class and the Alchemist class. Joining the Alchemists means committing to Shadow. You will not be able to actively hold any Spirit-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Shadow classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race is independent of class, so you can play an Alchemist of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Alchemist mirror is the [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/), Duiran’s nature-bound priest class. Both work with nature in their primary art, but the relationship is opposite. Shamans commune with Dia’ruis and the Guardians, bending nature gently. Alchemists corrupt nature with serums and pheromones, growing blight where Shamans grow forests. Same chassis, opposite ethics. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Alchemist good for new players?** The class is workable for newer players, especially those drawn to scientist roleplay. The prep-heavy combat style takes some learning, but the Archivists guild has active leadership and strong documentation for both classes. Alchemy’s flashy explosions also give new players clear, visible feedback as they learn the mechanics. **Can an Alchemist customize their conduit?** Yes, within limits. The conduit must remain metallic so it can conduct electricity, and it must be of reasonable appearance and design. The customisation system supports creative variants as long as they stay within the scientific-implement frame. **Is being an Alchemist evil?** Not necessarily. Alchemists range from cruel and amoral to coldly pragmatic. The class requires accepting that botany corrupts the natural world and that live sentient experiments are part of the work, but individual Alchemists vary widely in how they hold those costs. Some are villains. Some treat it as a price of progress. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if the Alchemist profile interests you. Or see [the full Aetolia class roster](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Archivist](/character-classes/archivist/) The sister class in the Archivists guild. Geometrics, Numerology, Bioessence. Pick Archivist if you want the same guild, the same lack of Patron, and the same scholar frame but prefer numerological abstraction and tokens to chemistry, conduits, and blight. ### [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) The Spirit mirror. Primality, Shamanism, Naturalism. Pick Shaman if you want the same nature-focused chassis but prefer Duiran’s reverence-and-Cycle frame to the Alchemist’s pragmatic corruption-of-nature approach. ### [Bloodborn](/character-classes/bloodborn/) Bloodloch’s dark physiological mage. Humourism, Esoterica, Hematurgy. Pick Bloodborn if you want a Shadow scientific-magic class that focuses on the body itself rather than chemistry and flora, working with humours and blood rather than minerals and pheromones. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Alchemist and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Akkari of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/akkari/) **Published:** December 22, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Akkari of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-akkari-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Akkari class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Akkari are Aetolia’s Duamvi holy warriors, a Spirit-tethered class from the Spirit Plane of Rewh’va that wields Ascendance (Triad-fueled spirit magic), Dictum (vocalized holy condemnation), and Discipline (sacrament-trained will), serving alongside the Templars at the Vigil in Enorian. At a glance**Tether**Spirit**City**[Enorian](/world/enorian/)**Guild**Templars (Patron: Celezor, Accord of the Righteous)**Skill sets**Ascendance, Dictum, Discipline**Mirror class**[Praenomen](/character-classes/praenomen/) (Shadow), jointly with Sylvan**Sister class in guild**[Templar](/character-classes/templar/)**Signature mechanic**Twin-bladed manta, Triad communion, Duamvi transformation**Best for**Players who want a transfigured holy warrior with extraplanar lineageThe modern Akkari Host formed on Prime in 504 MA, when the Exarchs Berrad, Aban, and Saebi ascended after a sacred communion with the Angelic Triad and passed their gift to the Duamvi citizens of Enorian, creating a new Host distinct from their Rewh’van kin. This is one of Aetolia’s most unusual classes. If you want to play a Spirit-Plane holy warrior who has been transfigured by the Triad and wields a twin-bladed weapon while standing alongside Templars in the breach, the Akkari is the class for you. ## Origin and lore The Akkari Host hails from Rewh’va, the Spirit Plane, where Dejaani the First Flame and the Triad of angels rule as custodians of the holy light. The Triad consists of Nyasia the Sage, Ubarin the Shield, and Ael’mael the Blade. Access to Rewh’va from the Prime Material Plane is guarded by Celezor, Accord of the Righteous, who ensures only the worthy can cross. For centuries, the Akkari Host fought from Rewh’va against the creatures of Czjetija, the Plane of Shadow. The original Host comprises Duamvi, a symbiotic race created by the Triad. Then in 504 MA, the Exarchs Berrad, Aban, and Saebi underwent a sacred communion with the Triad and ascended, passing the Akkari gift to the Duamvi citizens of Enorian. A new Akkari Host on Prime was born. The Prime Host organizes into four sects: Dosan, Naarak, Ila’hji, and the newly created Vuakkya, founded after the Host arrived in Sapience. Each sect is overseen by a High Commander. The Grand Crusader Benedicto leads all four. Their base is the Vigil in Enorian, shared with the Templars guild. ## Skill sets The Akkari fight through three distinct arts. Ascendance draws on Rewh’va and the Triad to raise the faithful through Spirit, channeled through the twin-bladed manta to spill the blood of infidels and heretics. Dictum turns sacred speech into a battlefield weapon: speaking holy condemnation aloud purges heresy and breaks the resolve of those who defy the Light. Discipline anchors both: a regimen of prayer, sacraments, and zealous training steels the will against Shadow’s influence, since neither holy light nor sacred speech holds in a wavering practitioner. ## Skill abilities Ascendance Dictum Discipline Filter abilities Title Contents ### Ascendance - Inhume Anchor yourself to the bones of the world. #### Inhume **Description**Syntax: INHUME and MANIFEST You may inhume yourself and form an anchor with the stable ground of the Prime Material. While inhumed, the earth will shield you from the effects of the dark star, and from any roaming aggressive entities. When you are ready to return to the world, you may simply MANIFEST again. - Lustrate Partake of holy sacrament. #### Lustrate **Description**Syntax: LUSTRATE The dead do not always pass cleanly. A fresh corpse still clings to the last traces of spirit, and those remnants can be gathered through rite and prayer. Simply lay your hands upon a corpse – whether you hold it or it lies upon the ground – and perform the final rite, delivering it from corporeal bonds and drawing its purified essence into your lifeblood and your symbiote. True nourishment is best achieved from the lingering imprint of a once-sentient soul. Lesser remnants may still answer your rite, but they are far less potent. You may lustrate corpses even while outside the Akkari class. However, if you do so while within it, the rite will restore your life blood more fully and nourish you, easing your need as though you had just eaten. - Denounce Bring justice to the wicked with your raw strength. #### Denounce **Description**Syntax: DENOUNCE Many are the crimes of the wicked, and ever must you stand against them. By concentrating your raw strength, you may deliver a denouncing strike of such force that they will be stunned, dealing blunt damage. If they have had their blood effused, then the damage you deal against them is enhanced. This ability may be used with the TARGET ability in Weaponry to attack any part of the opponent’s body. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeBlunt Damage SourceBrute Base Damage230 + 11% Base Damage (Denizen)1044 Added Bonus Damage (Effused blood)x30% Stun Duration0.75 seconds Limb Trauma Dealt9.00% Balance Recovery2.70 seconds Balance Recovery (Denizen)3.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 endurance to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Denizen) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Ague They shall feel no warmth. #### Ague **Description**Syntax: AGUE Blood cost: 10 Deny your opponent the warmth of fire and the comfort of light, freezing them by one stage. - Nightsight The darkness is no bar to your discerning eye. #### Nightsight **Description**Syntax: NIGHTSIGHT Those who stalk the night are among your most hated foes. Your eyes shall penetrate the darkness, allowing you to hunt them more efficiently. - Transience Their blows cannot conquer you. #### Transience **Description**Syntax: TRANSIENCE \[OFF\] By relaxing part of your ascended consciousness, you may, at a cost of endurance to maintain it, bring about a state of transience. While active, this will increase your ability to dodge attacks directed at you. See HELP AVOIDANCE for more specific information. - Hide Conceal yourself in times of need. #### Hide **Description**Syntax: HIDE and EMERGE Conceal yourself from view, hiding yourself from the eyes of others within the room. You may emerge if you wish to reveal yourself and cease to hide. - Impersonate Mask your holy spirit. #### Impersonate **Description**Syntax: IMPERSONATE \[OFF\] Blood cost: 100 Additional syntax: DESCRIBE IMPERSONATED SELF There are times when you must walk among men and beasts without the bright radiance that is your ascended self. While so masked, impersonated as one of the common folk, none will be able to tell your status as a holy Akkari, and you may describe your state thusly as an alternate to your standard appearance. - Symayda Assume the form of the great prowler. #### Symayda **Description**Syntax: BECOME SYMAYDA and REVERT Blood cost: 400 Additional syntax: DASH By altering your ascended consciousness just so, you may take on the form of the symayda, the great prowlers which guard the realm of Spirit. While your actions are limited in this form, you will find yourself able to DASH, and the dark star shall bring you no harm. - Muffle Muffle your footsteps. #### Muffle **Description**Syntax: MUFFLE Blood cost: 300 There are times when you must hunt with stealth as well as fervour. During the night, you may muffle your footsteps, becoming unseen when you move. At dawn, this effect will fade, for there is no need to hide from the light. - Penitence Heavy weighs the crime. #### Penitence **Description**Syntax: PENITENCE By reciting a list of your target’s crimes, you can induce within them a profound guilt that will make them sweat. This will remove the fangbarrier defence and leave them with slickness. - Clotting Reduce the level of your bleeding. #### Clotting **Description**Syntax: CLOT \[#\] This ability will allow you to partially clot your bleeding in trade for your mana. You can specify how many times you wish to clot if need be. If you input no amount, then you will try and clot away 20 bleeding by default. - Catching Your reflexes are sublime. #### Catching **Description**Syntax: CATCHING \[OFF\] With this ability active, you have a chance to snatch arrows from the air before they strike you. There is an endurance upkeep associated with this ability in order to maintain your focus. - Bloodlet Let the blood of the unholy spill free. #### Bloodlet **Description**Syntax: BLOODLET Open bleeding wounds in your enemy’s chest by causing two instances of cutting-based damage and bleeding. If they are an adventurer, it will rip open a wound on their flesh giving them the rend affliction. If the flesh is already rended, then you will cause additional bleeding. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeCutting Damage SourceBrute Base Damage55 + 5% Base Damage (Denizen)200 Base Bleeding50 Bonus Bleeding (Rend)+50 Base Bleeding (Denizen)25 Balance Recovery3.60 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 10 endurance to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Relentless You shall not break. #### Relentless **Description**Syntax: RELENTLESS Blood cost: 200 Your devotion is unrelenting, and thus you must endure. By fortifying your body against physical attacks, you may reduce the damage you take from cutting and blunt sources as though you were wearing additional armour. This bonus armour will become weaker the less life-blood you have. - Hyriamah Take on the form of the flaming hawk. #### Hyriamah **Description**Syntax: BECOME HYRIAMAH and REVERT Blood cost: 400 Additional syntax: FLY and LAND By assuming the form of the hyriamah, the great hawks of fire, you may take to the skies and FLY. While in this form, your actions will be severely limited, but the dark star will not harm you. - Celerity Hunt evil with alacrity and speed. #### Celerity **Description**Syntax: CELERITY Blood cost: 150 This will halve the time it takes for your movement limit to be reset, allowing you to move about the land considerably faster. - Block They shall not escape justice. #### Block **Description**Syntax: BLOCK and UNBLOCK Move into a position that blocks others from leaving your location should they attempt to depart, providing you are not incapacited. Should you move, you will cease to block. - Quell Break through the shields of your foe. #### Quell **Description**This ability is passive. When denouncing a target who is protected by a magical shield, your zeal will drive you to greater fervour, quelling their defence in a single blow. - Dissipate Eschew corporeality and set free your consciousness. #### Dissipate **Description**Syntax: DISSIPATE Typically only possible through death, you may now shed your body and return to your ascended consciousness. While in this form you will be immune to most attacks, and the effects of the dark star, but your actions will be severely limited. To return to your body, you must inhume yourself or return to your bunker. - Vivify Reinvigorate your corporeal form. #### Vivify **Description**Syntax: VIVIFY Blood cost: 300 At the cost of some of your spirit, you will be able to mend a large amount of damage done to your body. The amount of health this skill will heal will increase with the less life-blood you have. Cooldown: 25 seconds - Acuity Sense the movement of others nearby. #### Acuity **Description**Syntax: ACUITY \[OFF\] Blood cost: 200 Your sharpened senses will allow you to detect when others are nearby. This ability will only last a short time before its effects fade. - Resolve No harmful magic shall break you. #### Resolve **Description**Syntax: RESOLVE Blood cost: 200 By strengthening your resolve, you may ward yourself against magical attacks that would harm you, reducing their damage. - Dim Mute the glow of your heavenly radiance. #### Dim **Description**Syntax: DIM Blood cost: 50 Though it may pain you to do so, you may suppress the fervour that burns bright within you, concealing you from sight even when beside others. - Censure Punish the evildoers with a two-handed blade. #### Censure **Description**Syntax: CENSURE \[LENIENT\] While wielding a two-handed blade, you may censure an evildoer with your weapon and gouge them open. This will poison them if there is venom present on the blade, and the strength of your zeal will ensure the strike does more damage than a standard blow from a weapon. You can choose to show lenience in your censure if you wish. This will reduce the damage you deal, but it will be quicker and can be performed while one of your arms is crippled. - Envenom Coat a weapon in venoms. #### Envenom **Description**Syntax: ENVENOM WITH WIPE With this ability, you may layer venoms on an edged weapon. Each time that weapon hits somebody, one venom will poison your opponent, and disappear from the weapon. Venoms work on a last-on, first-off basis, so if you put xentio on a weapon, and then put voyria on, the voyria would come off first, and the xentio second. You must possess a rag with the venom in order to apply it to a weapon. In order to get rid of the venoms on a weapon, simply WIPE . - Crusade Let none stand in your way. #### Crusade **Description**Syntax: CRUSADE At times, infidels may seek to bar you from your duty, and this simply cannot be permitted. While mounted, you may charge one such infidel and combine the momentum of your steed with your own strength to cast them aside, hurling them into the air. This will either slam them into the ceiling above or send them sailing into the sky. Gravity will become a natural ally when making use of this skill, assuming they cannot fly. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Bunker Fortify a dugout to retreat to in times of need. #### Bunker **Description**Syntax: BURY ICON, RETREAT, and MANIFEST In order to establish a secure bunker, you must first purchase a holy icon, and bury it somewhere with soft soil, somewhere unlikely to be disturbed or dug up. You may only have one icon and one bunker at a time. Once the icon is buried, the act will consecrate the ground and become a bunker, allowing you to retreat to it provided you are within the same area. This will allow you to heal yourself or regain your physical body much faster than inhuming. When you are ready to return to the land above, you must manifest. - Deliver Deliver all from evil. #### Deliver **Description**Syntax: DELIVER and RELEASE Attempt to deliver a target from the evil which plagues them, coaxing their inner demons to come forth and face the light’s judgement in a grappling hold. The target must be prone or suffering from paresis for this to take effect, and will be unable to suffer the truth of their transgressions if they have the fangbarrier defence. By performing such a holy act of purification, you will find yourself nourished in spirit, your life blood restored at the expense of the evildoer until they either writhe free, you RELEASE them, or they perish. While being delivered, they will also suffer cutting damage until they escape. - Entrench Secure your bunker. #### Entrench **Description**Syntax: ENTRENCH Blood cost: 1000 To utilise this ability you must have established an underground bunker. While standing atop it, you may link your spirit to it, allowing you to retreat to the dugout from anywhere on the continent, rather than only the local area. However, doing so at a distance will break the spiritual bond. - Ardour Through faith and fervour shall you be lifted up. #### Ardour **Description**Syntax: ARDOUR Blood cost: 250 The power of your faith and devotion to your sacred cause is such that you are able to take advantage of that burning ardour and enhance your physical form, granting you an additional stat of your choice. - Intuition Intuition grants you flexibility. #### Intuition **Description**Syntax: INTUITION Blood cost: 500 Flexibility is the greatest tool at a warrior’s disposal. Your honed intuition allows you to switch freely between speed enhancements for balance, equilibrium, or damage, however you must have selected one of the three already. For more information on enhancements, please see AB HUNTING ENHANCEMENT. - Disengage Carry out a tactical withdrawal. #### Disengage **Description**Syntax: DISENGAGE There are times when withdrawal is the sensible option, and you may now disengage from battle, evading certain triggers and traps and bypassing those that may prevent you from leaving. Those following you will be lost, and any who see you disengage will not know the direction. - Rekindle Restore your damaged limbs. #### Rekindle **Description**Syntax: REKINDLE Blood cost: 200 By force of will and expenditure of your life blood, you may renew a damaged body part, healing it of trauma by 6% and restoring it toward its original form. You may heal the head, torso, left or right arm, or left or right leg. This will only work while the limb is either damaged or mutilated. Cooldown: 50 seconds - Succour Expunge that which ails you. #### Succour **Description**Syntax: SUCCOUR Blood cost: 250 Turn your pious spirit inwards, expunging one random affliction from your body, then another will be cured after 2 seconds. There is no prevention to this ability other than the initial mana cost and requiring balance and equilibrium to perform. Cooldown: 20 seconds Filter abilities Title Contents ### Dictum - Lifevision Your perception is vast. #### Lifevision **Description**Syntax: LIFEVISION Your keen senses allow you to see all living things within your sight, regardless if they are hidden or not. It will additionally provide some measure of protection against illusions, allowing you to occasionally tell if they are fake. - Dictate Dictate maladies in your opponent. #### Dictate **Description**Syntax: DICTATE Blood cost: 90 per dictation Dictations are the method by which you can punish your foe with a variety of mental maladies, allowing you to vanquish them more easily. All dictations may be performed off balance providing you are not fallen on the ground, allowing you to utilise a balance-based attack and then instill an affliction. While dictating is possible in many situations where you would normally be unable to act, it is however difficult to do so while fallen and afflicted by stupidity, or while transfixed. You will learn new dictations as you progress in this skill, and you can type AFFLICTION to learn more about what an affliction does. - Deathsight Keenly sense any and all death. #### Deathsight **Description**Syntax: DEATHSIGHT \[OFF\] Using this ability, you will be linked with the Underhalls, allowing you to sense those who perish and pass through it. - Psycombat Test your mind against another’s. #### Psycombat **Description**Syntax: PSYCHALLENGE Psychic combat is a telepathic battle between two players where the goal is to crumple your opponent’s mind. There is no penalty for losing, however those with deathsight will feel the moment a game is decided. There are only seven commands associated with psychic combat that may be used, and when you accept you will be transported to a special location out of harm’s way. Most other commands will not work until the game is complete. You can do the following in psychic combat: PSY BLAST: Blast your opponent’s mind and attack their mental fortitude. PSY BARRIER: Erect a barrier that protects your mind from psychic blasts. PSY WHIP: Tear away your opponent’s mental barrier if they have one. PSY SURGE: If your opponent has less than half of their mental energy, you can end the match in a surge of psychic power. This is costly to perform and could result in your own loss if misjudged. PSY PROBE: Use your mind to determine your opponent’s mental energy. PSY MEDITATE: Meditate your mind in order to recover your mental energy. This is a slow process. PSY ESCAPE: This takes some time, during which you may not do anything else. Once the ability is successful, an exit will open up, allowing you to escape. - Assess Determine the health of your enemy. #### Assess **Description**Syntax: ASSESS Determine the physical state of another individual, discovering their current health levels. As a benefit of Dictum, you may additionally perform this ability off balance. - Disrupt Throw off your target’s concentration. #### Disrupt **Description**Syntax: DISRUPT Blood cost: 100 Should your opponent have two mental afflictions, you may disrupt them of their equilibrium. They will not be able to recover until they CONCENTRATE. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction. - Tithe They shall fuel your holy works. #### Tithe **Description**Syntax: TITHE Blood cost: 100 With ease, you may carve away a portion of your opponent’s mana and utilise the tithe to bolster your own. - Exhort Command their attention with a sacred exhortation. #### Exhort **Description**Syntax: EXHORT Blood cost: 100 Capture the attention of your opponent for a short time by speaking rousing words and performing a holy exhortation. These words will transfix them in place and leave them unable to act. Should you try to exhort an opponent brimming with courage, then the ability will fail instead. - Dichotomy Twinned dictations. #### Dichotomy **Description**Syntax: DICTATE Your skill is such that you are able to hold two dictations in your thoughts at once, bestowing both afflictions upon your target simultaneously. - Telesense Heighten your awareness of telepathic attacks. #### Telesense **Description**Syntax: TELESENSE Tune your senses to detect any telepathic attempts made on yourself or those in your location. Be warned, this will drain your mana while active. - Disturbance Panic an opponent’s steed. #### Disturbance **Description**Syntax: DICTATE DISTURBANCE You may create a disturbance in the mind of a mount, causing it to either throw its rider off its back or flee outright from the location. This dictation cannot be combined with another via use of dichotomy. - Contemplation Determine an opponent’s mental capacity. #### Contemplation **Description**Syntax: CONTEMPLATE Contemplate your opponent’s mental state and discover their mana levels. - Proclamation Dictations for the masses #### Proclamation **Description**Syntax: PROCLAIM \[affliction\] By focusing your efforts, you may project your dictations in all directions, imparting afflictions on all enemies within your location. You may proclaim a second affliction so long as you have knowledge of Dichotomy. Cooldown: 12 seconds - Dejemashai Insist on the presence of your quarry. #### Dejemashai **Description**“dejemashai”; summon, muster Syntax: DEJEMASHAI Blood cost: 250 By exerting your considerable will, you are able to insist on the presence of your quarry, beckoning them towards you provided they are within three rooms of you. This will cause them to move as though they did so of their own accord. It will also strip the rebounding defence if the target successfully moves. - Dumavai Your condemnation will break their weakened mind. #### Dumavai **Description**“dumavai”; flaw, blemish, break, condemn Syntax: DUMAVAI Blood cost: 300 If your opponent is in a vulnerable mental state with their mana reserves below 35% of their maximum, you can issue a righteous condemnation, slaying them outright. - You can dictate the following effects - Kuhinait Incite confusion of the mind. #### Kuhinait **Description**“kuhinait”; negation of knowledge Syntax: DICTATE CONFUSION Plant confusing echoes and voices into the mind of your target, afflicting them with confusion. - Iljamashai Instill them with the desire to flee. #### Iljamashai **Description**“iljamashai”; flee Syntax: DICTATE FEAR Plant unnatural dread into the mind of your target, causing them to flee in fear until they compose themselves. - Adhakalat Distractions will leave them unable to focus. #### Adhakalat **Description**“adhakalat”; distractions Syntax: DICTATE IMPATIENCE Reduce the attention span of your opponent, making it difficult to focus and afflicting them with impatience. - Kuhinurai They will see enemies everywhere. #### Kuhinurai **Description**“kuhinurai”; mislead Syntax: DICTATE PARANOIA Instill your opponent with irrational suspicion, afflicting them with paranoia. - Ku’init Ignorance shall be their downfall. #### Ku’init **Description**“ku’init”; ignorance Syntax: DICTATE STUPIDITY Stupefy and slow your opponent’s mind, afflicting them with stupidity. - Qudubru Fear of open spaces. #### Qudubru **Description**“qudubru”; fear of open spaces Syntax: DICTATE AGORAPHOBIA Instill your opponent with a fear of the outdoors, afflicting them with agoraphobia. - Sa-ivanurati Make them their own worst enemy. #### Sa-ivanurati **Description**“sa-ivanurati”; you will hurt \[yourself\] Syntax: DICTATE MASOCHISM Afflict your opponent with masochism, causing them to periodically do themselves harm. - Kkasadu Create an infatuation. #### Kkasadu **Description**“kkasadu”; to love Syntax: DICTATE INFATUATION Cause your opponent to become infatuated with you, afflicting them with infatuation. - Kuinrahakal Fill their head with maddening voices. #### Kuinrahakal **Description**“kuinrahakal”; mind without light Syntax: DICTATE PSYCHOSIS Fill their head with maddening voices that never seem to relent, afflicting them with psychosis. - Ujakkdamvat Induce weakness of the mind and spirit. #### Ujakkdamvat **Description**“ujakkdamvat”; remorse, regret Syntax: DICTATE REMORSE Instill a deep remorse into the mind of your opponent, causing them to periodically offer up their mental reserves in an act of penance. This will last until they leave your presence for a short while. - Damvemadi Introduce flaws into their body. #### Damvemadi **Description**“damvemadi”; flawed body Syntax: DICTATE EPILEPSY Cause your opponent to spasm and twitch, afflicting them with epilepsy. - Dabrumurad The sickness of emptiness. #### Dabrumurad **Description**“dabrumurad”; empty ailment, sickness Syntax: DICTATE ANOREXIA Implant the fear of consumption into your opponent, afflicting them with anorexia. - Ua’akalainit Make them forget. #### Ua’akalainit **Description**“ua’akalainit”; to forget Syntax: DICTATE AMNESIA Confuse the thoughts of your opponent, making them forget the next action they wish to perform. - Dubur Fear of being left on your own. #### Dubur **Description**“dubur”; absence Syntax: DICTATE LONELINESS Cause your opponent to crave the company of others, afflicting them with loneliness. - Hakalamurad Stray thoughts shall consume. #### Hakalamurad **Description**“hakalamurad”; ailment of thought Syntax: DICTATE DEMENTIA Subvert your opponent’s facility for recognising their surroundings, afflicting them with dementia. - Napamat They shall wax wroth. #### Napamat **Description**“napamat”; wrath, anger, rage Syntax: DICTATE NAPAMAT Fill your foe with uncontrolled rage, afflicting them with mania. - Kufsa-hakalai Unthinking, uncaring, apathetic. #### Kufsa-hakalai **Description**“kufsa-hakalai”; you will not think \[about it\] Syntax: DICTATE INDIFFERENCE Induce disregard into your opponent’s state of mind, giving them the indifference affliction. As thought and reaction become disjointed, they will struggle to defend themselves – suffering a vulnerability to limb trauma. - Qushamim Fear of the soaring sky. #### Qushamim **Description**“qushamim’; sky-fear, fright of the air Syntax: DICTATE VERTIGO Implant a fear of heights into your opponent, afflicting them with vertigo. - Dajimashva Atrophy the body. #### Dajimashva **Description**“dajimashva”; contrition, penitence Syntax: DICTATE CONTRITION Induce contrition in your enemy, weighing them down with such heavy guilt that they will periodically lose health and gift it to you. This effect will last until they leave your presence for a short while. - Ua’akemadet They shall forget themselves. #### Ua’akemadet **Description**“ua’akemadet”; self-forgetting Syntax: DICTATE RECKLESSNESS Bring about a state of recklessness in your target, causing them to disregard their own state of health. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Discipline - Discipline The power of the holy spirit. #### Discipline **Description**This ability is passive. Blood and spirit are inextricably intertwined, and while drawing on your spirit in the form of your life’s blood grants great power, it also carries a significant cost. As you deplete your lifeforce, you will become less controlled and more feral in strength. However this also leaves you susceptible to certain dangers. The following is a list of attributes you will develop the less lifeforce you have: – Major weakness to fire damage as your comfort with the sacred flame diminishes – Resistance to cold damage – Resistance to asphyixation damage – Resistance to poison damage – Resistance to electric damage – Reduced intelligence – Additional strength Additionally, you will no longer suffer the effects of less natural healing that applies when you have lost blood. You can read HELP BLOOD for more information. - Expel Drain your body of its lifeforce as needed. #### Expel **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT EXPEL Blood cost: 5% to 7% Your discipline has granted you the ability to expel your own lifeforce – your blood – at will, if you feel it might benefit you. This will cause a small amount of bleeding to yourself as well. Be warned, should you expel all your blood, you will perish. - Charnel Forget not those who have fallen. #### Charnel **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT CHARNEL Open your mind, sensing the dead in your local area. - Recruit They will stand against the darkness. #### Recruit **Description**Syntax: ASK FOR PROMISE SPIRIT RECRUIT CALL SQUIRE DISCHARGE SQUIRE Blood cost: 750 By showing them the virtues of the path of the light, you may recruit a sentient, common denizen to your cause as your personal squire. The power of your recruit will scale with your level, where the higher level you are, the more damage it will deal. Any squire already in your service must first be dismissed before a new one can be recruited. You can only recruit common denizens from the following areas: Arbothia, Jaru, Tainhelm, Mitrine, Arurer Haven, Kald, Mournhold, Saluria, Torston, Moghedu, Siha Dylis, Yuzurai and Masilia. You may also ask a village denizen for a promise, allowing you to recruit a squire from it later on. This promise will form as a mote of spiritual light that is held within your inventory. - Faith Strengthen your faith to work holy miracles. #### Faith **Description**Syntax: PRAYERS Drink deep of the well of your own holy spirit and find renewed faith, allowing you to carry out a number of miraculous feats. PRAYERS will provide more details about what you can perform. Performing a miracle prayer: STOKE PYRE WITH FAITH To begin a prayer, you must stand before the great pyre of the Akkari and stoke the flame with your faith. When this is done, you may chant the holy words and anoint the people, or the ground, in question. Collecting blood: COLLECT BLOOD FROM BLOODLIST All of these prayers-turned-miracles will require your own blood or that of the intended recipient in order to enact them. In order to collect said lifeblood, you will need to use a phial, and their blood must be spilling freely, either via use of Ascendance Bloodlet or some other means. - Perceive Perceive the flows of life. #### Perceive **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT PERCEIVE \[OFF\] Your affinity with the flow of life’s blood will allow you to sense how much others are bleeding for in your location. This will incur a periodic drain upon your own spirit while it remains in effect. - Command Your squire shall obey. #### Command **Description**This ability is passive. When you recruit a new squire, it will now be enlisted under your direct command, allowing you to issue orders. You may view HELP LOYALTY for more information. - Passion Your blade yearns for justice. #### Passion **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT PASSION Blood cost: 100 Infuse your weapon with some of your own zeal for justice, allowing it to reap the blood of another if they are not protected by the fang barrier defence. The amount of blood that will be drained is based upon the penetration stat of your weapon, however it will no longer drain any further blood once your target has less than half their blood reserves left. This ability can only be used on the large blade weapon class. - Transpose Sacrifice your own life-force to another. #### Transpose **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT TRANSPOSE Blood transfer: 500 Sacrifice your precious life-blood to another Akkari, bolstering their own reserves. - Prism Form a prism of brilliant light. #### Prism **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT PRISM Blood cost: 3000 Expend a large volume of your own spirit to form a brilliant prism of light across the location. The prism’s radiance will disrupt all attempts to shed corporeal form while it lingers. Additionally, it will deny any harmful effects of the dark star, while regenerating a small amount of health for all Akkari within it. - Exsanguinate Their life’s blood shall slowly drain away. #### Exsanguinate **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT EXSANGUINATE Blood cost: 200 By carrying out exsanguination, your target shall bleed through the pores of their skin, causing them to suffer a blood effusion. Your enemy will find they cannot cure the effusion unless they first flee your holy presence. - Assay Determine the life-force of another. #### Assay **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT ASSAY Determine how much blood the target has remaining. - Revival Allow your squire a second chance to prove themselves. #### Revival **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT REVIVAL Blood cost: 500 Bestow a fraction of your own spirit upon your squire, granting them a second life should they be slain by another. It will take some time before your squire revives, however. - Mask Conceal your squire from prying eyes. #### Mask **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT MASK Blood cost: 100 Order your squire to conceal themselves, hiding them from prying eyes. - Repent Induce repentance through your sombre denouncement. #### Repent **Description**Syntax: DENOUNCE Blood cost: 50 The horrific crimes of your enemy can inspire your denounce ability to greater power, your zeal for justice forcing them to repent. This requires that your opponent is affected by the required affliction(s) beforehand, else your denouncement will behave as normal. Evil: Your denounce will additionally drain your opponent of mana if they have at least three depressant-healed afflictions. Corruption: Providing your opponent has their blood effused, you will upset that process and cause a single affliction from weariness, clumsiness, or vomiting the next time the effusion affects them. The affliction is chosen in order, starting with weariness. Strife: A fury of blows will throw your opponent to the floor and strip the courage defence, as long as they have at least three antipsychotic-healed afflictions. Darkness: Providing they have at least three euphoriant-healed afflictions, you will sap dexterity from your opponent and add it to yourself. You can view HELP CURE ORDER for information on the various curing trees. - Provoke Provoke a violent reaction. #### Provoke **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT PROVOKE Blood cost: 100 Should your opponent possess both balance and equilibrium, you can attempt to provoke them. If successful, it will trigger an aggressive reaction within them. This can be performed while you are off balance. - Ascetic Your expenditure shall be slight. #### Ascetic **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT ASCETIC Though your zeal is great and your sacrifices many, your life-blood, your precious spirit, has its limits. By adopting an ascetic outlook, abilities that call on your life-blood will expend less of it. - Host Specialise in a devoted Sect. #### Host **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT HOST Devote yourself to one of the three Sects which comprise the Akkari’s Dauntless Host. You may select from Il’ahji, the squire-based Sect, Dosan, the physical-oriented Sect, or Naarak, the magic-focused Sect. You can select NONE in order to return to a Sectless state. Each Sect grants five new abilities, learned as part of Discipline: Il’ahji Dosan Naarak ————————————————————— Bane Adjudicate Exaction Bolster Transcend Verity Doctrine Attend Pariah Suppress Light Retaliation Font Exorcism Inquisition You can type AB DISCIPLINE to learn more about them. Cooldown: 4 hours - Camaraderie Form a bond with another. #### Camaraderie **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT CAMARADERIE Blood cost: 300 Establish a blood bond with a mutual ally to split the pain of any attack between two, provided you remain in the same room. Additionally, while this focused camaraderie persists, you may perform any spirit-related command on them typically reserved for your subordinates. - Unbroken You shall not falter. #### Unbroken **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT UNBROKEN Blood cost: 500 Your zealous fervour burns so hot that you can fight on even when others would perish, allowing you to fall below zero health. This effect will only last for a short period, after which any further damage will slay you. You cannot bleed while below zero health. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Symbiosis Grant another symbiosis with one of the Duamvi. #### Symbiosis **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT SYMBIOSIS Through steadfast zeal, you may help hone the mind, body, and soul of a living mortal, scourging sin and shadow amidst the Grand Flame until they serve as a living conduit of Spirit. At the completion of this process, this individual shall become vessel to an entity of Spirit, a dual-natured being known as a duamvi. The Spirit-symbiote shall maintain the flow of Spirit, preventing it from overwhelming and destroying the newly-made duamvi. The process of symbiosis must be performed before and within the Grand Flame – no lesser vahait shall do. - Your specialist Sect grants the following - Adjudicate A seamless flow of judgement. #### Adjudicate **Description**This ability is passive. When making use of the Bloodlet ability, you will begin a seamless flow of judgement. As such, the next single dictation you utilise will have the equilibrium recovery time reduced. The speed increase from Adjudicate is refreshed each time you use this ability, and can stack up to five times. Two stacks are added instead if the target already has the rend affliction. Please see AB ASCENDANCE BLOODLET for more information on this ability. - Bane Turn their filth against them. #### Bane **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT BANE Blood cost: 200 By manipulating the target’s bloodstream and inducing a state of sepsis, you may render their body slow to cure, extending the time it takes as long as at least one affliction is present within the antipsychotic, euphoriant, or depressant curing tree. For each tree above that possesses an affliction, the more potent the sepsis will become. This will only affect pill, poultice, and pipe balance recovery times. You can view HELP CURE ORDER for information on the various curing trees. You may use this ability while off balance. - Exaction Your faith demands a toll of blood. #### Exaction **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT EXACTION \[OFF\] Your faith demands tribute from those around you. As such, any enemies in your location will begin to slowly bleed and be stricken with haemophilia. While performing this act, your life blood will suffer an ongoing drain. - Transcend Transcend limitations in times of great need. #### Transcend **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT TRANSCEND \[OFF\] So great is your faith, that you can approach a state of transcendence. While in this state, you will additionally be able to Deliver another from evil if they have at least one physical affliction. Should you also Deliver or use Exorcism on another, you will gain a short-lived boost to your balance and equilibrium from the fresh blood. This effect can stack for each time you are successful, and is more effective if you use Exorcism. See AB ASCENDANCE DELIVER or AB DISCIPLINE EXORCISM for more information on those skills, and HELP AFFLICTION TYPES for what is considered a physical affliction. - Bolster Strengthen your squire against harm. #### Bolster **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT BOLSTER Blood cost: 100 Prepare and bolster the effectiveness of Exsanguinate for when you place the effect upon another. As such, it will additionally become incurable while the target has masochism. Please see AB DISCIPLINE EXSANGUINATE for more information on this ability. - Verity The principles of faith. #### Verity **Description**This ability is passive. Through the principles of faith, you can render your dictations silent to others 25% of the time, leaving them unaware of your intentions. - Pariah Brand them with the mark of the hated. #### Pariah **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT PARIAH SPIRIT VILIFY Blood cost: 200 By marking your target with the brand of the pariah, you may later vilify them at any time for a small burst of health and mana damage. - Attend Their eyes will see; their ears shall hear. #### Attend **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT ATTEND Blood cost: 500 Heretics will ever seek to close their hearts and minds to the way of the light, but your holy words shall not be stymied. This will initially give them ringing ears and strip the fangbarrier defence. It will also do the following if they have certain afflictions: \* If they have sadness, it will give blisters. \* If they have misery, it will give impairment. \* If they have arrhythmia, it will give vomiting. While this is rather powerful ability, your shouting will weaken your voice in the process, removing the Dichotomy ability until the cooldown expires. Please see AB DICTUM DICHOTOMY for more information. Cooldown: 15 seconds - Doctrine Enhance your squire’s training with focused doctrines. #### Doctrine **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT DOCTRINE By properly training your squire, you can grant them new powers that make them more dangerous in battle. Disruption: Their touch will cause paresis. Battlerage: They will cause haemophilia. Feinting: They shall cause hallucinations. Enfeebling: Your squire will erode the fang barrier defence. - Suppress Suppress your vital signs. #### Suppress **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT SUPPRESS Blood cost: 400 By properly manipulating your life-force, you can obscure your vital signs from others, preventing them from accurately gauging your state of being. - Retaliation The light will strike back at those who harm you. #### Retaliation **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT RETALIATION Blood cost: 200 Call upon the light’s vengeance and strike back at those who harm you. It will store up the damage until it passes a certain threshold, and then strike at the mana of the next person who hurts you. - Light They shall live in fear of your terrible radiance. #### Light **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT LIGHT \[OFF\] Exude a powerful aura of brilliant light to induce fear and anxiety in your profane opponents. This will affect up to two enemies at once, and will drain your life-force so long as it remains active. Your aura of light can cause the following afflictions: Arrhythmia, misery, and sadness. If they have all three afflictions, then it will strip courage from them. - Exorcism Rivers of their blood shall purge them of evil. #### Exorcism **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT EXORCISE If you have successfully commanded your target’s attention via exhortation, you may attempt to exorcise the evil from their spirit and purify their blood by opening a large wound which will cause them to lose a mass amount of blood, dealing both cutting and blunt damage at the same. This act will both nourish your symbiote on the freshly cleansed blood, restoring you and it in spirit. - Inquisition Unleash the wrath of the righteous. #### Inquisition **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT INQUISITION Blood cost: 400 Undertake an inquisition against your enemy, causing considerable mental damage to them as your judgement echoes in their mind. It will deal mental damage to your target three times in a row, with the finale stunning them. The amount of mental damage this will cause is proportionate to the amount of mental afflictions the enemy has each time they are drained of mana. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Font Bring forth a font of light. #### Font **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT FONT Blood cost: 2000 At a significant cost to your own spiritual life-blood, you may bring forth a font of light in the location. While in the font’s presence, anyone who receives bleeding will empower it by a small amount. Once 450 bleeding has been caused in its presence, the font will flare with a brilliant radiance to torment your enemies, re-afflicting them with the last affliction they cured after a delay. They do not need to bleed in order for this effect to happen, any attack that creates bleeding will work. Be warned that the font is not immune to the machinations of your enemies. It can be attacked and destroyed. - The following abilities interact with the chain of command - Enlist Enlist an aspirant into your chain of command. #### Enlist **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT ENLIST SUBORDINATES DISMISS SUBORDINATE Blood cost: 2000 This powerful ability will enlist one of the Akkari into your own chain of command, making them your subordinate and you their superior, provided they are not already overseen by another. Making such a bond is very difficult to break, and should be entered into with extreme caution. Enlistment may be carried out regardless of whether you are currently in the Akkari class or not. - Inspect Carry out an inspection of your subordinates. #### Inspect **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT INSPECT Blood cost: 100 By performing a routine inspection, you may see what your subordinate sees. - Convey Convey an image to your subordinates. #### Convey **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT CONVEY Blood cost: 200 No matter where your subordinates may be, you are able to convey an image to them, forcing them to see what you instruct. Note: You can add a new line into your illusion by using the tag $nl within the text, however there is a limit in that you may only do this five times. - Muster Command your subordinates to assemble before you. #### Muster **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT MUSTER Blood cost: 500 Issue a call to muster, and bring your subordinate to you from anywhere on the continent. - Decree Issue a command to your subordinates. #### Decree **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT DECREE Blood cost: 300 You may issue a direct order to your subordinate so long as they are in the same location as you, or adjacent. - Oneness Become one with your chain of command. #### Oneness **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT ONENESS Blood cost: 100 Concentrate on your chain of command, becoming one with their thoughts. If you are present in the location with them, you may hear anything they THINK. - Oversight Oversee the actions of your subordinates. #### Oversight **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT OVERSIGHT Blood cost: 100 Through the authority vested in you, you may oversee the activities of your subordinates for a limited time. - Rampart You and yours shall be as fortresses. #### Rampart **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT RAMPART Blood cost: 95% Bolster the strength of all in your chain of command, granting them extra protection from the attacks of denizens. This may only be used at the dead of Midnight, when the forces of evil are at their most threatening. - Enlighten Grant enlightenment to all in your chain of command. #### Enlighten **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT ENLIGHTEN Blood cost: 95% Confer the gift of enlightenment upon all within your chain of command, granting them a boost to their experience gain for one hour. This may only be used at the dead of Midnight, when the forces of evil are at their most threatening. - Deploy Ready your chain of command for battle. #### Deploy **Description**Syntax: SPIRIT DEPLOY Blood cost: 500 per person affected Organise your chain of command for battle. All in your hierarchy, from yourself downwards, will gain the defences of Retaliation, Ascetic, and Suppress, at no cost to themselves. - Evangelism Bring them into your holy legion. #### Evangelism **Description**Syntax: EVANGELISE SUBORDINATES Blood cost: 5000 With this ability you may make someone into an Akkari while helping them become an ascended duamvi. This process is quite draining on both superior and subordinate, and the newly inculcated subordinate will suffer an extreme need for renewed lifeblood afterwards. They will need to already be a duamvi in order for this to be possible. At this stage, you are not bound in any lasting way to the Akkari who swears you as an ascended duamvi. See AB DISCIPLINE ENLIST for more information. ## Visual style and identity The Akkari wield the twin-bladed manta with martial grace, their movements drawn from Rewh’van combat tradition. Sacred speech and holy light follow them into battle. The Triad’s blessing renders Duamvi Akkari visibly distinct from mortal Templars, their forms touched by the Spirit Plane. The visual signature is the twin-bladed manta, the radiant Spirit-Plane light of Ascendance, and the bearing of a soldier who answers to angels. Akkari stand alongside Templars at the Vigil but always read as something more than mortal. ## Side effects of the work Akkari draw heavily on Rewh’va and the Triad. Channeling Spirit at this intensity tends to render even calm personalities more excitable, extreme, or volatile over time. The element is the most lively of all six, and it leaves marks on those who use it constantly. The Duamvi transformation itself is irreversible. Not all races can become Akkari, since the Triad’s gift only takes hold in mortals capable of housing the symbiotic Duamvi presence. Those who accept the gift gain holy power and lose the option of stepping back into ordinary mortal life. ## Who plays this class The Akkari suit players who want serious religious roleplay and a transfigured-warrior identity. The class is built around faith, sacrament, and martial duty in roughly equal measure. You are not a Templar, exactly, but you fight beside them and answer to the same gods. Mechanically, the class rewards players who like the heavy-spirit-magic combat style with a strong vocal-attack component through Dictum. Ascendance’s manta-based combat is distinct from the Templar’s mace-and-shield work, so the two play differently even sharing a guild. If you want a Spirit-tethered warrior with deep extraplanar lore and a twin-bladed signature weapon, the Akkari is the only class that fits. ## City and guild The Akkari Host is based at the Vigil in [Enorian](/world/enorian/), the Hammer of Dawn and Spirit Tether’s religious bastion. Patron: Celezor, Accord of the Righteous. The Templars guild houses both the Templar class and the Akkari class, with the Grand Crusader Benedicto leading the Akkari sects and the Lord Marshal Sryaen overseeing the Templars. Joining the Akkari means committing to Spirit. You will not be able to actively hold any Shadow-aligned classes alongside it. You can multiclass into other Spirit classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race choice matters here, since the Duamvi transformation only works for certain races, so check race compatibility before locking in your Akkari character. The Akkari mirror is the [Praenomen](/character-classes/praenomen/), jointly with the [Sylvan](/character-classes/sylvan/). All three are transfigured warriors bound by oath to a higher power: Akkari to Dejaani and the Triad, Sylvan to Life, Praenomen to the Consanguine bloodline. Same combat chassis, opposite cosmology. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Akkari good for new players?** The class is workable for newer players, especially those drawn to religious roleplay. The Templars guild has strong active leadership and clear documentation, and the sister-class structure means Akkari benefit from a fully populated guild even if their specific Host is smaller. Combat progression is straightforward. **What is the difference between an Akkari and a Templar?** Both share the Templars guild and the Vigil. Templars are mortal holy knights of Celezor with Battlefury, Righteousness, and Bladefire. Akkari are Duamvi-transfigured warriors from Rewh’va with Ascendance, Dictum, and Discipline. The skill chassis differ. The shared faith does not. **Can any race be an Akkari?** No. The Duamvi transformation requires specific elemental compatibility. Confirm race compatibility before character creation if Akkari is your target class. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if the Akkari profile interests you. Or see [all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Templar](/character-classes/templar/) The sister class in the Templars guild at the Vigil. Battlefury, Righteousness, Bladefire. Pick Templar if you want the same Enorian faith and the same Patron but prefer a fully mortal knight with mace, shield, and disciplined formation work over a transfigured Duamvi. ### [Sylvan](/character-classes/sylvan/) The joint Spirit mirror to Praenomen alongside Akkari. Extirpation, Caprice, Glamours. Pick Sylvan if you want a transfigured warrior bound by oath but prefer Duiran’s Praadi guild and a fae-bestial frame over Enorian’s Triad-and-light frame. ### [Zealot](/character-classes/zealot/) Enorian’s other martial-discipline class, in the Illuminai guild. Zeal, Purification, Psionics. Pick Zealot if you want a Light-aligned martial artist with a monastic feel, descended from the old Daru tradition and based in the Illuminai. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Akkari and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Ascendril of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/ascendril/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Ascendril of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-ascendril-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Ascendril class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Ascendril are Aetolia’s Light elemental mages, a Spirit-tethered class that channels Fire, Spirit, Water, and Air through a fulcrum, wielding Elemancy (direct elemental channeling), Arcanism (ambient elements), and Thaumaturgy (the fulcrum itself). At a glance**Tether**Spirit**City**[Enorian](/world/enorian/)**Guild**Ascendril (Patron: Slyphe, the Dauntless)**Skill sets**Elemancy, Arcanism, Thaumaturgy**Mirror class**[Bloodborn](/character-classes/bloodborn/) (Shadow)**Sister class in guild**[Tidesage](/character-classes/tidesage/)**Signature mechanic**Fulcrum focus, four-element channeling**Best for**Players who want a scholarly elemental mage with strict scientific roleplayThe Ascendril Order traces its tradition through the Ankyrean-age Naldareth and the old Magi, refined into the modern Order by centuries of disciplined study. Where most of Sapience uses theology or philosophy to seek answers, the Ascendril focus on the process of questioning itself. This is one of Aetolia’s signature classes. If you want a Light-tethered mage with scientific roleplay, four-element command, and a sworn opposition to Spinesreach’s Sciomancers, the Ascendril is the textbook pick. ## Origin and lore In the beginning, Varian the Celestine asked nothingness a question, and the words of His question were existence itself. Ever since, the people of Sapience have sought answers. Some use philosophy. Others use science. The pious look to the Gods. Few consider the process of questioning itself. The Ascendril Order alone devotes itself to that process. Their tradition stretches from the Ankyrean-age Naldareth, through the old Magi, into the present. Rather than employing theology or abstract philosophy as the basis for their thinking, Ascendril view the world in terms of the process of questioning itself: answers require deliberation, action, and material transformation. Central to their work is the element of Spirit, the driving force of all living creatures. Recognizing that Shadow threatens Spirit itself, the Order halts Shadow’s spread, opposing undead, vampires, and particularly their mage nemeses the Sciomancers. The Patron is Slyphe, the Dauntless, and the guild houses the Tidesage class as a secondary research arm. ## Skill sets The Ascendril skill sets are Elemancy, Arcanism, and Thaumaturgy. **Elemancy** is the primary art: direct channeling of the four elemental planes of Fire, Spirit, Water, and Air. Ascendril are defined by their mastery of Spirit specifically, manipulating it directly with mathematical precision. The other three elements provide range and variety. Spirit is the anchor. **Arcanism** is the ambient art. Where Elemancy reaches into the elemental planes directly, Arcanism manipulates the ambient elements already present in the world. Gestural, expressive movements gather elemental force from the air around the Ascendril, drawing inspiration from how fire and water move in nature. **Thaumaturgy** is the fulcrum work. A fulcrum is a device formed from the element of Spirit that grants Ascendril greater control over their elemental magic. Embedded within a staff, sceptre, or dagger, the fulcrum acts as both focus and amplifier. Without it, an Ascendril’s reach into the elemental planes drops sharply. ## Skill abilities Elemancy Arcanism Thaumaturgy Filter abilities Title Contents ### Elemancy - Channel Open conduits to the Elemental Realms. #### Channel **Description**Syntax: CHANNEL SEVER Additional syntax: CHANNELS In order to harness the power of the elements, you must first open a channel to one of the elemental realms at your call: Fire, Water, Air, and Spirit. Once you have opened a channel to that realm, you will be able to make repeated use of spells that require those elements. You can close your channel to the elements at any time by severing them. There is no cost to keeping them active. - Focus Create a magical focus for easier spellcasting. #### Focus **Description**Syntax: CAST CREATE FOCUS EMBED FOCUS IN Although the crystals extracted from the Master Crystal no longer appear to be suitable for Crystalism, it has been found they make controlling the elements slightly easier. Excise a focus from the Master Crystal while you are standing before it, and then embed it into either a staff, a dagger, or a sceptre. Practitioners without access to the Master Crystal must forge their own path, and may obtain a suitable surrogate by venturing to the Fractal Bloom, where they may CHIP a CRYSTAL from among those that grow there. This nascent chunk must then be RAISEd within the elemental vortex in Mournhold before it can be properly embedded within your chosen weapon. Should you be wielding such an object containing a focus crystal, you will be able to command the elements with greater ease. Your spells will no longer require both hands, only a single hand. Additionally, parrying an attack will charge your focus crystal with magical energy, restoring a portion of your mana instantly. - Simultaneity Parallel channeling. #### Simultaneity **Description**Syntax: SIMULTANEITY Using this ability, you will simultaneously open channels to the Water, Fire, Air and Spirit realms. - You know the following Fire spells - Spark Render them scorched with a snap of your fingers. #### Spark **Description**Syntax: CAST SPARK This simple spell will cause a flash of flames, forming blisters on your target and causing bodily impairment. - Evaporate Remove traces of water from your location. #### Evaporate **Description**Syntax: CAST EVAPORATE By heating the air, you can evaporate the water within your location should it be unnaturally flooded. - Fireburst Send a burst of fiery projectiles at your foe. #### Fireburst **Description**Syntax: CAST FIREBURST FIREBURST FIREBURST \[\] Conjure forth a focal point of fire upon your palms for a limited time. Once prepared, you can conjure balls of fire and shoot them directly at a target in your location or within line of sight, causing fire damage, but only up to four times before the spell will end early. If they are an adventurer, your balls of fire will also set them ablaze. Each time you fling a ball of fire at someone, it will use the balance from one of your arms instead your equilibrium. This will allow you to cast two fire bursts from both hands at once, if you so choose. You can also cast your balls of fire at denizens, however if you wish to strike a denizen in a particular direction you must include it in the syntax. **Details**Target LocationSame location or line of sight Damage TypeFire Damage SourceArcane Base Damage150 + 7% Base Damage (Denizen)300 Fireburst Duration120 seconds Fireburst Stacks4 Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Arm Balance Recovery (Attacking)2.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 80 mana to use. - Costs 20 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. - (Attacking) Requires equilibrium. - (Attacking) Requires core balance. - (Attacking) Costs 5 mana to use. - (Attacking) Costs 2 willpower to use. - (Attacking) Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Attacking) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Ashenfeet A gout of flame will cripple their legs. #### Ashenfeet **Description**Syntax: CAST ASHENFEET This quick spell will place an invisible shroud of flames around the target. Should they be the target of non-natural healing, then both their legs will burst into flames and cripple them so that they fall to the ground. - Blazewhirl A blazing tornado of fire. #### Blazewhirl **Description**Syntax: CAST BLAZEWHIRL This spell conjures an elemental phenomena. You may only cast this spell at a target in your location. Conjure a tornado of fire in your location that will periodically burn your chosen target with its flames. Should they be ablaze, it will draw the flames from them and burn even hotter, permanently dealing additional damage at an exponential rate based on the stacks it has. Once cast, the blazewhirl will follow your target should they move from its current location and spread embers in its wake, however it can only travel three locations from its point of creation, otherwise it will lose strength and extinguish itself. Striking the blazewhirl with a fire-based attack will cause it explode with flames, dealing fire damage to everyone in the location. If you have already created an elemental phenomena, then casting this one will cause the other to die out. - Conflagrate Bolster the flames upon their body. #### Conflagrate **Description**Syntax: CAST CONFLAGRATE Cause an explosion of flames, dealing fire damage to your target and shattering their courage. If your fulcrum also resonates with fire, then it will set them ablaze. - Cinder Obscure scents in smoky cinder. #### Cinder **Description**Syntax: CAST CINDER Conjure floating cinders to drift among the air of your area. While this cinder is in effect, the smoky smell will obscure attempts that make use of their scent to obtain information about the surroundings. - Afterburn Burn them with lingering, smoldering embers. #### Afterburn **Description**Syntax: CAST AFTERBURN Heat up your body so that the next fire spell you cast, the equilibrium recovery time is cut in half. There is a short delay after casting before this spell becomes effective. - Sunspot Engulf foes with a radiant burst of light. #### Sunspot **Description**Syntax: CAST SUNSPOT \[target 2\] Call down the flames of the skies upon your given targets after a short delay to destroy an opponent whom recklessly attacks with abandon, dealing a burst of fire-based damage to them. If a given target has both balance and equilibrium when the flames erupt, then they will step or roll out of the way of the flames and come away unharmed. Protective shields and barriers will offer no respite from the fury of this spell. - Pyroclast Apply directly to the face. #### Pyroclast **Description**Syntax: CAST PYROCLAST Requires and consumes resonance of fire. One of the more powerful spells at a mages disposal. By getting up close and personal to your opponent, you can release a torrent of flames point-blank into their face. This will cause trauma to the head and will deal fire-based damage to them if they are not parrying their head. Additionally, based on certain conditions, this spell will become more potent: \* They are on fire – This attack can no longer be parried. \* No arcane defence – Doubles the amount of damage dealt. \* They have blisters – Triples the amount of trauma dealt. \* Blazewhirl in room – This spell will also stun the opponent. - Disintegrate Release a fiery beam of destruction. #### Disintegrate **Description**Syntax: CAST DISINTEGRATE Requires and consumes resonance of fire. This powerfully destructive spell will, after a short channel, release a ray of focused flames at your target. Its destructive nature will deal a large amount of unblockable damage to the target and will destroy all defences that help them resist damage. After being struck, their melted flesh will also smoulder for a little while afterwards, dealing periodic unblockable damage and reducing their maximum fire resistance to 20%. Failing the channel will still result in your fire resonance being consumed. - You know the following Water spells - Coldsnap A chilling burst to deaden the mind. #### Coldsnap **Description**Syntax: CAST COLDSNAP \[target\] This frosty spell will plunge the surroundings into deep cold, freezing all your enemies in the location by two levels. If you pick a target, they will be hit regardless if you have declared them an enemy or not. - Fog Conjure up an obscuring fog. #### Fog **Description**Syntax: CAST FOG With the powers of water, you may coax moisture into the air and cause an obscuring fog to envelop the room. Those outside the fog will be unable to see into the location. - Iceray Cast forth a ray of extreme cold. #### Iceray **Description**Syntax: CAST ICERAY This spell will cast a ray of frost at your target, releasing a powerful burst of cold-based damage. Any enemies in the location will be additionally knocked off balance temporarily if they are shivering. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypeCold Damage SourceArcane Base Damage225 + 10% Base Damage (Denizen)900 Balance Upset1.10 seconds Equilibrium Recovery3.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 60 mana to use. - Costs 20 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Drench Release a spray of freezing cold water. #### Drench **Description**Syntax: CAST DRENCH Cast a spell that will release a torrent of icy water at your target, drenching them and leaving them wet. The icy water will also drain their mana, draining more depending on if they’re shivering, frigid, and/or frozen. - Glazeflow Create a powerful flow of ice. #### Glazeflow **Description**Syntax: CAST GLAZEFLOW This spell conjures an elemental phenomena. You may only cast this spell at a target that is within line of sight of you. Conjure living ice that creeps across the ground and freezes it, seeking out your given target. Once it reaches its target, it will pulse with ice, dealing cold damage and freezing the feet of everyone in the location a single time, then cease to move. If you have recently fled combat, then the amount of time their feet remain frozen is heavily reduced. Should anyone in the location with the phenomena be fallen excluding yourself, they will take passive cold damage until they stand up once more. Additionally, if they have used neither balance nor equilibrium, then the damage dealt is doubled. Striking the glazeflow with cold-based damage will cause it to expand, dealing cold damage to everyone in the location. If you have already created an elemental phenomena, then casting this one will cause the other to die out. - Direfrost A creeping, perpetual chill. #### Direfrost **Description**Syntax: CAST DIREFROST More of a curse than a spell, this magic will place a sheet of frost upon the target that will linger upon them, freezing them by one level and giving them the direfrost curse. Should they be knocked to the ground, the direfrost will spring to life and grow across their body, dealing cold damage and giving them the mindfog affliction. - Flood Cover your surroundings with water. #### Flood **Description**Syntax: CAST FLOOD Draw upon your connection to the plane of Water and conjure a deluge of water to flood your surroundings. - Icicle Pierce their body with frigid spikes. #### Icicle **Description**Syntax: CAST ICICLE Conjure up three icicles that will begin to hover in the air in your location, following you. Periodically, an icicle will be launched at your target aimed at their torso. Should the icicle strike its target, it will deal trauma to the torso and cold damage. - Shatter Shatter your icicles into smaller projectiles. #### Shatter **Description**Syntax: CAST SHATTER Once you have conjured the Icicle spell, you may cause projectiles it launches to shatter into three jagged shards of ice per icicle. After a delay, the shards will spread in apart and fly at the original target all at once, shredding their arms and torso at random. While the attack is spread over multiple body parts, this will cause less cold damage than if the icicles had remained whole. Once a limb is broken, the ice shards will only be able to deal half the usual trauma to that limb if struck. After casting this spell, the ice shards will become detached from you and will linger behind if you move. Please see AB ELEMANCY ICICLE for more information about this ability. - Crystalise Encase them in an ice crystal. #### Crystalise **Description**Syntax: CAST CRYSTALISE Requires and consumes resonance of water. This vicious spell will attempt to crystalise your opponent, draining their mana at the same time. Additionally, based on certain conditions, this spell will become more potent: \* No speed defence – This spell will leave them iced over. \* They are fallen – Recover equilibrium more quickly from this spell. \* They are frigid – They will become hobbled. \* Glazeflow in room – It will give them frozen feet. The mana drain of this ability will also be increased for each condition you meet. - Winterheart Tendrils of winter will sap their strength. #### Winterheart **Description**Syntax: CAST WINTERHEART Requires and consumes resonance of water. Requiring you to channel this spell for a short amount of time, its completion will cause wave of icy tendrils to reach forth and grip the hearts of your enemies. While effected, their mana will be quickly depleted by the cold and will drain additional mana if those afflicted by this spell remain together in the same location. Should a target run out of mana due to this effect, they will become not only frozen, but completely iced over, unable to act until they writhe free. Failing the channel will still result in your water resonance being consumed. - You know the following Air spells - Windlance Send a spear of air to pierce their shields. #### Windlance **Description**Syntax: CAST WINDLANCE \[target 2\] \[target 3\] With great exertion, you can generate a razor-sharp lance of wind and launch it, striking all your given targets with a piercing slash that destroys any shield in your way in the process. If they are an adventurer and no shield is present, the wind lance will electrocute them as they are knocked to the ground, giving them whiplash in the process. - Gust Knock your target from your location. #### Gust **Description**Syntax: CAST GUST Conjure a burst of wind to send your target flying from your location in the direction of your choice, providing they are not protected by the density defence. - Arcbolt Shock your victim with a burst of electricity. #### Arcbolt **Description**Syntax: CAST ARCBOLT \[target 2\] Form a bolt of lightning to hurl at two different targets, shocking them with a powerful surge of electrical damage. If a target is an adventurer, then it will also numb their body and give them paresis. If they already have paresis, then it will be immediately transformed into paralysis. **Details**Target LocationSame location Maximum Targets2 targets Damage TypeElectric Damage SourceArcane Mana Cost Per Target60 Willpower Cost Per Target15 Damage Per Hit300 + 14% Damage Per Hit (Denizen)1200 Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Requires both arms functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - Pressurize A sudden shift in local air pressure. #### Pressurize **Description**Syntax: CAST PRESSURIZE Manipulate the air around your target, squeezing their body from all directions, and striking them with vertigo and confusion. If your fulcrum resonates with air, then it will give them laxity as well. - Electrosphere Make egress an impossibility. #### Electrosphere **Description**Syntax: CAST ELECTROSPHERE This spell conjures an elemental phenomena. You may cast this spell at a target in your location or adjacent. Conjure a ball of lightning that will hover toward your chosen target and chase after them if they leave, releasing a field of static energy as it moves. Should the given target try and leave a location where the phenomena is present with less than 75% health or mana, it will delay their ability to leave by a short amount and drain a small portion of mana. If they are suffering from either shock or burnout, then it will prevent their escape entirely. Striking the electrosphere with electric-based damage will cause it to release electricity, dealing electric damage to everyone in the location. If you have already created an elemental phenomena, then casting this one will cause the other to die out. - Thunderclap Crush them with the roar of the storm. #### Thunderclap **Description**Syntax: CAST THUNDERCLAP Engulf your foe with a cascade of momentous thunder, battering them with dizziness and stupidity, and dealing some electric damage. If they lack courage, then it will additionally afflict them with confusion. - Cyclone Pull them from the skies. #### Cyclone **Description**Syntax: CAST CYCLONE Send a spout of wind into the air, knocking down everyone in the skies or trees that are above in your location or adjacent. - Feedback A crack of static feedback. #### Feedback **Description**Syntax: CAST FEEDBACK Issue forth destructive electrical static that will ripple and overwhelm a weakened mind. Providing they are below or equal to 30% of their maximum mana, the opponent will enter a state of unconsciousness for a period of time depending on how much mana they are missing. If they are suffering from the burnout affliction, then the duration is increased by 25%. Be warned, casting this spell will restore your target’s mana back to full. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Capacitance Capture electricity and turn it into a weapon. #### Capacitance **Description**Syntax: CAST CAPACITANCE Form a conductive shield about yourself that will, on the fifth casting of an air spell with a target, release a shock of electricity that will disrupt your target. There is a slight delay before the shield will fully form, and then will eventually fade in due time. Non-adventurer targets will not count towards the required total, nor set off its effect. - Aeroblast Release a dual burst of violent wind, tossing them asunder. #### Aeroblast **Description**Syntax: CAST AEROBLAST Requires and consumes resonance of air. Launch a blast of compressed wind to either side of you, circling around on your target and smashing into them from either side after a delay of either 4 or 8 seconds, depending on if you pick fast or slow. When it strikes, the tumuluous wind will flip them over and smash them against the ground, knocking them down and dealing blunt-type damage. Additionally, based on certain conditions on strike, this spell can become more potent: \* Dizziness and vertigo – Lightning will strike after a delay and stun them. \* Stupidity and confusion – The harsh winds will leave them dazed. \* Have a broken torso – It will strip the speed defence. \* Electrosphere in room – It will bypass the shielded and barrier defences. - Stormwrath Form a monsterous storm of falling lightning. #### Stormwrath **Description**Syntax: CAST STORMWRATH Requires and consumes resonance of air. After channelling this spell for a short amount of time, it will release the wrath of the storm upon the battlefield, periodically striking your enemies that linger in the location. The first target struck, the lightning damage will be somewhat weak, while each strike afterward will cause the damage from the spell to increase in power limitlessly. Should any target either have the same or more health after being struck by this spell, or should die, then the storm will calm itself and dissipate. Failing the channel will still result in your air resonance being consumed. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Arcanism - Missiles Batter your foes with errant arcane missiles. #### Missiles **Description**Usage: CAST MISSILES \[target 2\] \[target 3\] \[target 4\] Raise a hand and cast a spell that will release a barrage of four magic missiles at a target of choice. You can choose a target for each missile, if you so like. For any remaining missiles with no target, they will strike your last hit mark. **Details**Target LocationSame location Maximum Targets4 targets Damage TypeMagic Damage SourceArcane Damage Per Hit75 + 3.5% Damage Per Hit (Denizen)300 Equilibrium Recovery4.00 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires both arms functional. - (Per missile) Costs 10 mana to use. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Per missile) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - (Per missile) Does not bounce off magical shields. - Reflection Create a distracting illusion of yourself. #### Reflection **Description**Usage: CAST REFLECTION \[target\] Create an illusion of yourself or another that will protect you against certain attacks. Each time it is cast, the ability will consume a charge that will take time to recover. Only one charge may recover at a time. Once you use three charges, you will be unable to cast any further reflections. Cooldown: 15 seconds per - Arcaneskin Draw an ethereal cloak to guard you from harm. #### Arcaneskin **Description**Usage: CAST ARCANESKIN A thin layer of protective magic on your body will absorb some damage from physical attacks, helping you resist blunt and cutting damage. - Flight A spell to allow you control of the skies. #### Flight **Description**Syntax: CAST FLIGHT LAND Manipulate the air around you to ascend into the skies above. - Mark Mark a target with a battlefield designation. #### Mark **Description**Usage: CAST MARK Mark a target with an illusory symbol, making them visible across the battlefield for some time. The target can then be targetted using the name of the symbol marking them. You can only have one marker in existence at a time. - Manatap Tap into your reserves to restore some mana. #### Manatap **Description**Usage: CAST MANATAP <10-1000> Through sheer force of will, you can replenish your mana reserves. This will deplete your willpower proportional to how much mana you choose to recover. - Countercurrent Protect yourself from venoms. #### Countercurrent **Description**Usage: CAST COUNTERCURRENT Wrap a thin current of energy around your body, giving you a 2% chance to wick away a venom before it pierces your skin. If you are channeling a skill or action, then this chance is increased to 20%. - Illusion Conjure an illusion of your choice. #### Illusion **Description**Syntax: CAST ILLUSION CAST ILLUSION AT A mainstay of magicians everywhere, simple illusions can astound your allies and confound your enemies. Note: You can add a new line into your illusion by using the tag $nl within the text, however you may only do this once. - Dispel Destroy traces of magic. #### Dispel **Description**Syntax: CAST DISPEL HERE CAST DISPEL CAST DISPEL Undo the spellwork that has left any lingering effects in a location. This will not dispel glyphs unless they are specifically targetted, and dispelling your own glyphs will not consume your equilibrium. It will also dispel any elemental phenomena that has been cast by you within the world at large. You can also cast the dispel upon an aegis to remove the specified glyph from it, though the protective magic of the aegis will make this process take some time. - Vivacity A lively body improves your boar tattoo. #### Vivacity **Description**Syntax: CAST VIVACITY \[target\] Infuse your body with animated life and boost the effects of the boar tattoo upon your health regeneration. You can additionally supply a target to give someone else this benefit. - Ensorcell Enact an arcane aegis in your location. #### Ensorcell **Description**Usage: CAST ENSORCELL An aegis typically needs to be attuned to the land so that it can draw upon the mana it needs to operate its defences – but a mage has ways around this. By giving it a constant supply of mana from your own reserves, you can have the aegis’ defences work wherever you happen to be holding it. This is a channeled operation and most other actions will interrupt the process. - Chromatics Infuse your illusions with vibrant color. #### Chromatics **Description**Usage: CAST ILLUSION \[AT \] COLOUR: While little more than a parlour trick, chromatic illusions can astound those present with vivid color. There is an increase in equilibrium cost for this effect. - River Create a forceful tide of arcane magic. #### River **Description**Syntax: CAST RIVER You may draw upon the aether around you to create a pulsing, flowing magical force in your location from a small rift. It will constantly push everyone present, up to five rooms away, in a line after an initial delay in the chosen direction. The push of this spell is negated by the density defense, though the presence of one of your clarity glyphs in the target’s room will give it a 1 in 20 chance to bypass this each pulse. The river will end after a short duration, or if the rift it creates is destroyed by being attacked. Cooldown: 10 seconds - MirrorDelay Have a reflection appear after a given delay. #### MirrorDelay **Description**Syntax: CAST REFLECTION \[3-10 seconds\] This ability adds the extra functionality of having a cast reflection appear after a delay to the Reflection skill. Please see AB ARCANISM REFLECTION for more information on this skill. - Soar Fly into the sky and past barriers. #### Soar **Description**Syntax: CAST SOAR A variation on flight, you can position yourself to fly in a direction of your choice, taking you into the skies above the room in your targeted direction. - Phantasm A lingering illusion. #### Phantasm **Description**Syntax: CAST PHANTASM CAST PHANTASM ON AEGIS Form a lingering phantasm from the local energies that will persist for a few minutes before dissipating. Anyone who enters a room with a phantasm attached to it will see the illusion upon entry. Only one phantasm can exist in the room, and subsequent casts will overwrite the previous. The phantasm can also be attached to an attuned crystal aegis, where it will persist forever or until dispelled. It will only be shown to targets of the aegis in this situation. The dispel ability can be used to remove a phantasm prematurely. - Colourspray Release a spray of blinding colour. #### Colourspray **Description**Usage: CAST COLOURSPRAY Release a spray of coloured light at your given targets. The blinding light will sting their eyes, lowering their physical accuracy by 15% for a short duration. You must target exactly three people with this spell, no more or less. - Mirage Cloak the identities of all present. #### Mirage **Description**Syntax: CAST MIRAGE Drawing upon your mastery of illusioncraft, you may create a powerful mirage that will mask the presence of all in your location. Such an illusion will not prevent anyone from attacking others should they know they are there. The Dispel ability can remove a mirage. - Attunement Secure an aegis within your city. #### Attunement **Description**Syntax: ATTUNE AEGIS HERE DAMPEN AEGIS CEDE AEGIS In an impressive feat of spellcraft, you can attach a crystal aegis to the land around you. By attuning it to the leylines that course all throughout the continent, you can keep the aegis permanently supplied with the energy it needs to keep its defences activated. Such an act takes a considerable length of time, and requires your utmost concentration. Once attuned in place, the aegis cannot be moved. You cannot attune an aegis to a room if there is another attuned aegis already placed within a two-room distance. An attuned aegis will only have four of its glyphs activated when set up in this state. Within a city, the help of its pylon can further increase it to all six. During a period of stable activity of the leylines however, an attuned aegis will become dormant due to a lack of energy. Please see AB REFINING FLUXATIONS for more information. To remove an aegis, you can focus on dampening its connection to the leylines. This act will take a much shorter time than attuning, but your utmost concentration is still required. As a mage, you can perform this feat significantly faster than the Survival skill equivalent. Once completed, the crystal aegis will shatter into pieces, destroying it completely. You can also cede ownership of an aegis to any organisation, so long as the aegis has been attuned upon a location that belongs to that organisation. Cities, however, can hold ownership of up to five aegises beyond their home territory. Once the ownership has been ceded, the aegis will instead attack enemies of that organisation, instead of your personal enemies. - You can trace the following glyphs - Glyphs Trace arcane glyphs in your location. #### Glyphs **Description**Glyphs are arcane inscriptions traced through the air with gem dust and infused with mana. Each glyph has a different effect depending on the pattern traced and the gem dust used to create it. There are currently two types of glyphs: persistent glyphs, and triggered glyphs. Persistent glyphs will last for a short duration and impose a constant effect upon their location, until they fade from their magic being depleted. Triggered glyphs will hang in the air until an enemy of yours enters the location, at which point their effect will trigger and the glyph will shatter as its magic depletes. The clarity defence will protect an enemy from being affected by most triggered glyphs. Each room can only contain two glyphs, for any more than that would cause the magics to disrupt each other. Both glyphs must be different. Glyphs can additionally be traced onto the facet of a crystal aegis, instead of in the air. When upon an aegis, glyphs will be permanently powered and no longer fade. Some glyphs may have a different effect when upon an aegis. An aegis can exist alongside glyphs traced in the room. - Observation Detect those who trespass upon its location. #### Observation **Description**Syntax: TRACE OBSERVATION TRACE OBSERVATION ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz Type: Triggered The observation glyph will alert you when it is triggered, informing you of the location and who did it. If traced onto an attuned aegis, this glyph will alert the owner of the aegis when a caravan passes through its location (HELP PRODUCTION). If traced onto an attuned aegis that also has its ownership set to an organisation, the observation glyph will instead make an alert over that organisation’s channel. - Portal Open a portal to someone. #### Portal **Description**Syntax: TRACE PORTAL TRACE PORTAL ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz Type: Persistent (room), Triggered (aegis) Trace the outline of a portal and it will open soon after, leading between you and your target. If traced onto an aegis, the portal glyph will attack the limbs of your enemy, randomly leaving one crippled. - Destruction Break apart their physical form. #### Destruction **Description**Syntax: TRACE DESTRUCTION TRACE DESTRUCTION ONTO Required dust: 1 ruby Type: Triggered The destruction glyph will attack the physical form of your enemy with spears of arcane energy, damaging their health. - Vainglory An overwhelming sense of pride. #### Vainglory **Description**Syntax: TRACE VAINGLORY TRACE VAINGLORY ONTO Required dust: 2 topaz Type: Triggered The vainglory glyph will cause a surge of grandiosity in your enemy, afflicting them with hubris. - Addling Corrupt their clarity of mind. #### Addling **Description**Syntax: TRACE ADDLING TRACE ADDLING ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz, 1 emerald Type: Triggered The addling glyph will corrupt the mind of your enemy, afflicting them with dementia. This glyph will work regardless of the clarity defence, and will strip the defence from your target. If traced onto an aegis, the addling glyph will always be the first glyph to fire. - Entrapment Bind your foe with arcane ropes. #### Entrapment **Description**Syntax: TRACE ENTRAPMENT TRACE ENTRAPMENT ONTO Required dust: 2 ruby Type: Triggered The entrapment glyph will send arcane ropes to entangle your enemy. - Slumber Send them into a deep sleep. #### Slumber **Description**Syntax: TRACE SLUMBER TRACE SLUMBER ONTO Required dust: 1 diamond Type: Triggered The slumber glyph will instill a lulling drowsiness into your enemy as it attempts to put them into a deep sleep. If traced onto an aegis, the slumber glyph will always be the last glyph to fire. - Arrogance Egotism as its finest. #### Arrogance **Description**Syntax: TRACE ARROGANCE TRACE ARROGANCE ONTO Required dust: 1 emerald, 1 ruby Type: Triggered The glyph of arrogance will bolster your own pride, giving you the egocentrism affliction. - Leaching Great minds think alike. #### Leaching **Description**Syntax: TRACE LEACHING TRACE LEACHING ONTO Required dust: 2 emerald, 1 ruby Type: Triggered This powerful glyph will draw upon the mental strength of your enemies, draining mana from them. - Gravity Prevent others from taking flight. #### Gravity **Description**Syntax: TRACE GRAVITY TRACE GRAVITY ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz, 2 emerald Type: Triggered The glyph of gravity will pull anybody above the ground elevation back to earth. This affects everybody in the sky, regardless of enemy status. After a period of time, the glyph will fade on its own if not traced on an aegis. - Clarity Greater precision with greater magics. #### Clarity **Description**Syntax: TRACE CLARITY TRACE CLARITY ONTO Required dust: 1 topaz, 1 diamond Type: Persistent This powerful glyph will empower your spells while you stand in its presence, concentrating unrefined magic into a deadlier form. Your arcane-sourced spells will do 15% more damage, while ALL mana costs will be increased by 25%. Only the creator of this glyph will be affected by it. After a period of time, the glyph will fade on its own if not traced on an aegis. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Thaumaturgy - Fulcrum Create and carefully tend a rift between planes. #### Fulcrum **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM CONSTRUCT FULCRUM STATUS Calling upon your knowledge of planar bonding, you can weave together threads of the elemental planes under your control and bind them together through Spirit. Known as a fulcrum of power, this bridge between the planes can be used to bring about many feats of power. Your fulcrum will be constructed within your body, melded with your own spirit to begin with. As such, where you go, it will go. - Echoes Draw a rippling echo through your fulcrum. #### Echoes **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM ECHOES You may create a planar echo within your fulcrum, alerting you whenever anyone enters or leaves the location with it active. The effect is temporary and will eventually end on its own in due time. - Storage Hide your valuables from detection. #### Storage **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM STORE FULCRUM RETRIEVE FULCRUM PROBE You can now sustain a pocket of reality in your fulcrum, allowing you to store away up to five items. These items will decay at half of the normal rate. It is impossible to force you to store or retrieve any items in this manner. - Resonance Let your fulcrum resonate with elements you channel. #### Resonance **Description**This ability is passive. Should you have your fulcrum with you, it will begin to accumulate latent elemental energy within it as you cast spells from Elemancy. After casting two spells in a row from the same element, it will fully resonate with the element in question. Once fully resonating with an element, some elemental spells with require it in order to be cast. Please see the AB help files in Elemancy to find out if it is a requirement to cast. Any elemental resonance within your fulcrum will eventually lose its potency if it isn’t used shortly. - Interfuse Interfuse your fulcrum. #### Interfuse **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM INTERFUSE Requires your fulcrum to be expanded. Draw your physical fulcrum back into your body at the cost of your equilibrium, providing it is in the same location as you. - Expand Expand your fulcrum. #### Expand **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM EXPAND Expand your fulcrum from within your body to encompass the physical space of your current location, granting you access to certain abilities that require it. Not all abilities require you to expand your fulcrum, but more powerful abilities will. In addition, when you expand it, the following will happen once after a delay: All enemies still in the same location will take a pulse of damage, and then become irradiated with the etherflux affliction. The type of damage dealt depends on your elemental resonance, otherwise it is magical damage. This skill does not cost balance nor equilibrium to use. - Restore Purge afflictions from your body. #### Restore **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM RESTORE By calling upon the healing powers of your fulcrum, you can restore yourself of two afflictions. Should you have paresis or paralysis, then you will cure that first and nothing else. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Push Move your fulcrum to another. #### Push **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM PUSH Requires your fulcrum to be expanded. Concentration on the magics controlling your fulcrum’s existence, and relocate it to the room of another in your local area. There is a short channel for this effect that is apparent to your target, and movement will disrupt it. - Planarlink Speak with others across planes. #### Planarlink **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM PLANARLINK Your expertise with the planes has granted you the ability to communicate with others across their vast reaches. By drawing your fulcrum into your body, you can use it to deliver a message of choice to another who is in the realm despite where they may currently reside. - Callback Call back your fulcrum. #### Callback **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM CALLBACK Requires your fulcrum to be expanded. With great focus, you can remotely draw your fulcrum back into your body should it be physically present in the world. This action requires you to remain within the same location you began this spell or it will fail. - Convergence Converge your fulcrum. #### Convergence **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM CONVERGENCE This will quickly drain small amounts of health from all enemies in the location of your fulcrum and pass the health to you for a limited duration. - Schism Cause a schism with your fulcrum. #### Schism **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM SCHISM Your fulcrim will passively emit a powerful magic pulses that will cause a schism through the spirits of your enemies, afflicting them with one of a variety of maladies that will be difficult for them to discern. Schism will cause one of the following hidden afflictions: Misery, recklessness, masochism, stupidity, or impatience. - Detect Analyze those in your fulcrum’s presence. #### Detect **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM DETECT Requires your fulcrum to be expanded. Channel your spirit element through your fulcrum, and discern the state of any who stand in its presence. Your detection will reveal their health and mana levels, as well as any afflictions they’re currently affected by. There is no balance or equilibrium cost associated with this ability, though there is a significant mana cost. You may use this ability upon yourself as well. - Imbalance Create an imbalance. #### Imbalance **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM IMBALANCE Your fulcrum can now also cause an imbalance of elemental energy in your enemies that reside in the same location as it is. At first, the imbalance will consume their arcane defence, stripping it from them. Then if they do not restore the defence, it will deal damage to them from all three elements – fire, cold, and electric. - Alterspell Alter a cast phenomena. #### Alterspell **Description**This ability is passive. Providing that you have your fulcrum with you, you can morph the makeup of an elemental phenomena that was cast by you. All it requires is that you strike the phenomena with a damaging spell that uses the element you wish it turn it into. Using fire damage will turn it into a Blazewhirl. Using cold damage will turn it into a Glazeflow. Using electric damage will turn it into an Electrosphere. Any states or conditions associated with the phenomena will be carried over should you transform it back into that form, such as the bonus damage originally absorbed by a Blazewhirl, and similar mechanics. Please see AB ELEMANCY for more information on the phenomena spells and what they do. - Degradation Churn the spirit of your enemies. #### Degradation **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM DEGRADATION Requires your fulcrum to be expanded. This powerful ability will degrade the soul of your enemies when they leave the location of your fulcrum. This will cause them to take periodic spirit damage for a short while. This effect can stack with itself if triggered multiple times by the same person. - Branding Brand them with the elements. #### Branding **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM BRANDING Requires and consumes resonance of the matching element. Cast one of three brands upon your target, by utilising the stored elemental power held within your fulcrum. The brands you can choose from are the Emberbrand, Frostbrand, and the Thunderbrand, and each brand offers different effects. Emberbrand (Fire): The Emberbrand will cause your fire spells to burn hotly. As such, each time you strike an opponent with the Emberbrand using fire damage from a spell in Elemancy, the heat emitted will instill them with clumsiness. If they are already clumsy, then they will develop weariness instead. Frostbrand (Water): The chilling bite of the Frostbrand will periodically chill your opponent, applying one level of chill to them. Should they be frozen already, then it will give them hypothermia. Thunderbrand (Air): The Thunderbrand crackles with electric force, interfering with their pill balance recovery by lengthening the duration before they can eat another. It will also cause Focusing to drain health equal to the initial mana cost on use. Each brand can stack with each other, and will last a limited amount of time before fading on its own. - Enrich Draw latent planar energies to empower your fulcrum. #### Enrich **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM ENRICH FULCRUM EMPTY By momentarily concentrating on your link with the elemental planes, you can infuse your fulcrum with resonant fire, water, or air. Cooldown: 30 seconds - Spiritrift Slow their ability to heal themselves. #### Spiritrift **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM SPIRITRIFT Requires your fulcrum to be expanded. Using your fulcrum, form a rift in the spirit of those standing in the presense of your fulcrum. This rift will change the way in which a healing elixir will restore health, delaying the heal over time rather than immediately. Keep in mind, this effect will also affect you. - Bind Full control over your fulcrum from a distance. #### Bind **Description**This ability is passive. Your mastery of planar forces it holds has embolded you with heighted skill, binding your fulcrum to you through your will. As such, you can now control your expanded fulcrum from a distance with little more worry than a thought. This affects the following abilities: Push, Detect, Maelstrom, Inferno, Typhoon. A cube sigil placed in the same location as your fulcrum will interfere with your ability to command it remotely. - Shift Shift your presence, protecting you from harm. #### Shift **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM SHIFT Requires your fulcrum to be expanded. Should you be in grave danger, you may allow your fulcrum to temporarily and instantly shift your plane, making you untargetable for a short period of time. Cooldown: 25 seconds - Catalyst Use your fulcrum to catalyze brands. #### Catalyst **Description**Syntax: Syntax: FULCRUM CATALYST Should you have placed an elemental brand on your target, you can draw from these magics to instantly bring forth a burst of elemental power related to that brand and consume it in the process. Ember will bring fire damage, frost will bring cold damage, and thunder will bring electric damage. If the opponent is suffering from the etherflux affliction, then the resulting overload of elemental energy will be drawn into your fulcrum and turned into a resonance of the associated element. This ability requires equilibrium and balance to use, but does not consume either. - Typhoon A glimpse of Air, creating a catastrophic storm. #### Typhoon **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM TYPHOON Requires your fulcrum to be expanded. A planar glimpse of Air is a destructive force to behold. By pulling a glimpse of it through your fulcrum, you can unleash a terrible storm upon the location of your fulcrum. Everyone caught within the thunderous typhoon will find that their mana will be drained, stripped of three random defences, and the air will be left with a static charge. Due to the powerful nature of this glimpse, there is a short delay before it can be fully opened after using this ability. Cooldown Glimpse (on room): 30 seconds - Maelstrom A glimpse of Water, capable of drowning your victims. #### Maelstrom **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM MAELSTROM Requires your fulcrum to be expanded. By pulling forth a planar glimpse of Water through your fulcrum, this powerful effect will deluge your location and surroundings in a rush of rolling water that will carry away everyone around you in a random direction from your fulcrum. Adventurers will be pushed in that chosen direction until there is nowhere left to go, potentially moving them to multiple locations, and the waves will also push anyone else standing upon the path. It will also flood every location affected by this spell with water. Due to the powerful nature of this glimpse, there is a short delay before it can be fully opened after using this ability. Cooldown Glimpse (on room): 30 seconds - Inferno A glimpse of Fire that incinerates foes. #### Inferno **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM INFERNO Requires your fulcrum to be expanded. There is no simpler way to incinerate your foes by simply bringing forth a planar glimpse of Fire through your fulcrum. Once cast, your fulcrum will begin to release flames from the Plane of Fire five times, burning everyone in the same location as your fulcrum and adjacent to it. Each time it releases flames, the strength of the flames will slightly grow and become more powerful, and will spread embers in the affected locations. Performing this ability will require your complete focus, as such, if you attempt any other action during its channel, the glimpse will lose its potence and come to an early end. Cooldown Glimpse (on room): 30 seconds - Enrapture Send an affixed target beyond this realm. #### Enrapture **Description**Syntax: FULCRUM ENRAPTURE This powerful ability allows you to tether your fulcrum directly to a target, allowing you to directly pull them to one of the elemental planes – where no Prime life may exist. Your intended victim must be prone, and you may perform no other actions while the fulcrum seeks to enrapture them. Success will destroy your fulcrum in the process, however failure will only purge it of its resonance. If your target is affected by the brand associated with the currently enriched elemental plane, the prone requirement is waived and the enrapture will be hastened. Your target will not be able to save themselves from death with second life abilities if slain in this manner. ## Visual style and identity Continual use of Spirit produces vital, healthy bodies and even the formation of visible auras, particularly following ascension. Ascendril employ gestural, expressive movements to gather ambient elemental force and to lend further precision to their fulcrum-based efforts, drawing inspiration from the movement of fire and water in the natural world. The visual signature is the staff, sceptre, or dagger with the embedded fulcrum, the Spirit aura, and the visible play of the four elements at the Ascendril’s gestures. They read as scholars in mid-experiment, not as wizards in stage robes. ## Side effects of the work Owing to a disproportionate focus on the dynamic elements of Air, Fire, and Water, Ascendril tend to hold excess amounts of them in their frames. Less practiced Elemancers can suffer catastrophic escape of magical energy into the surrounding environment, while more practiced Ascendril have to employ more restraint to control their abilities when emotions run deep. Channeling the elements also affects state of mind. Water induces calm, fire fuels passion, air breeds restlessness, and Spirit leaves a lingering euphoria. An Ascendril’s daily mood is, to some extent, tuned by what they last channeled. ## Who plays this class The Ascendril suit players who want a scholarly, scientific approach to magic, more interested in process than in faith. Ascendril do not dismiss faith entirely, but it receives secondary focus compared to many other servants of the Light. Some Ascendril are easily distracted by the forces they harness. Others become overly focused on their pursuits. Mechanically, the class rewards players who like elemental magic with strong defensive options and the precision of fulcrum-based combat. The Ascendril guild has long been one of Aetolia’s iconic Light mage homes, with active leadership and clear progression for newer players. If you want to swear yourself to the cause of Light through study rather than martial duty, the Ascendril is the class for it. ## City and guild The Ascendril guild is anchored in [Enorian](/world/enorian/), the Hammer of Dawn. Patron: Slyphe, the Dauntless. The guild houses both the Ascendril class and the [Tidesage](/character-classes/tidesage/) class, with the Archmage Eliadon leading both. The Tidesages joined the Ascendril guild in 503 MA as researcher-mages of the lost isle of Keltund. Joining the Ascendril means committing to Spirit. You will not be able to actively hold any Shadow-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Spirit classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race is independent of class, so you can play an Ascendril of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Ascendril mirror is the [Bloodborn](/character-classes/bloodborn/), the Imperial Dominion’s dark blood mages. Both are magic-heavy classes built around scholarly study of arcane forces. Ascendril channel Spirit through the fulcrum and oppose Shadow’s spread. Bloodborn manipulate the humours and treat the body itself as a magical instrument. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Ascendril good for new players?** Yes. The class has clear progression, active guild leadership, and one of Aetolia’s longest-running mage traditions. The four-element kit gives newer players a lot of magical variety to play with, and Thaumaturgy’s fulcrum work adds a defensive layer that makes early combat more forgiving than some glass-cannon mage classes. **Why do Ascendril fight Sciomancers specifically?** The Ascendril Order recognizes Shadow as a threat to Spirit itself. The Sciomancers are Spinesreach’s specialist Shadow mages, deliberately channeling the element the Ascendril oppose. The rivalry is doctrinal, not just political, and it runs deep through both guilds’ history. **What is the fulcrum?** A fulcrum is a Thaumaturgy-forged device made of Spirit element, embedded in a staff, sceptre, or dagger. It serves as both focus and amplifier for the Ascendril’s elemental magic. Crafting and maintaining the fulcrum is the third skill set of the class. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if the Ascendril profile interests you. Or see [Aetolia’s full class list](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Tidesage](/character-classes/tidesage/) The sister class in the Ascendril guild. Wavebreaking, Synthesis, Inundation. Pick Tidesage if you want the same guild and the same Patron but prefer ocean magic and Keltundian researcher roleplay to direct four-element channeling. ### [Bloodborn](/character-classes/bloodborn/) The Shadow mirror. Humourism, Hematurgy, Esoterica. Pick Bloodborn if you want the same magic-heavy chassis but prefer the Imperial Dominion’s blood-and-humours physiology magic to the Ascendril’s elemental-plane channeling. ### [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/) The Order’s sworn lore enemies in Spinesreach. Sciomancy, Sorcery, Gravitation. Pick Sciomancer if you want the opposite end of the elemental mage spectrum, channeling Shadow with the same scholarly intensity Ascendril bring to Spirit. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Ascendril and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [The Archivist of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/archivist/) **Published:** March 8, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![Archivist of Aetolia class portrait](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-class-archivist-hero-portrait-20260524-1.jpg "Aetolia Archivist class hero - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Archivist is Aetolia’s numerological scholar, a Shadow-tethered class that treats reality as a math problem to be solved, wielding Geometrics (psychic energy through geometric tokens), Numerology (the fundamental arithmetic of existence), and Bioessence (physiological mutation through ambient shadow), housed at the Archivium overlooking Spinesreach. At a glance**Tether**Shadow**City**[Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/)**Guild**Archivists (no Divine Patron)**Skill sets**Geometrics, Numerology, Bioessence**Mirror class**[Voidseer](/character-classes/voidseer/) (Spirit)**Sister class in guild**[Alchemist](/character-classes/alchemist/)**Signature mechanic**Codex and tokens, Spheres of Influence**Best for**Players who want a scholar class with mutagenic combat and math-as-magicThe Archivists were established by Sneak the Numerologist on the 1st of Lanosian, 464 MA, amid the chaos of the Crystalline Void. Today, the Archivium nestles within a fortified cliff face overlooking the Republic of Spinesreach, safeguarding old relics and innovative curios alike. This is one of Aetolia’s most distinctive classes. If you want to play a scientist who treats numbers as the foundation of reality, mutates their own body with ambient shadow, and answers to no god (the Archivists guild has no Divine Patron, which is unusual in Aetolia), the Archivist is the only class with that exact combination. ## Origin and lore Sneak the Numerologist founded the Archivists in 464 MA in the Crystalline Void. The guild gathered iconoclastic academics, methodical scholars, confident outcasts, and obsessive lunatics, all united by an obsession with enlightenment and progress. The Archivium is built into a cliff face overlooking Spinesreach, holding both old relics and new curios. Archivists treat reality as a numerological problem. The universe is ordered and manipulated through numbers, also known as the Spheres of Influence. The Spheres are: - **Yuef (1)**: the Individual - **Ef’Tig (2)**: Pairs and Relationships - **Rafic (3)**: Place and Location - **Jherza (5)**: Physicality - **Yi (7)**: Mystery and Magic - **Jhako (11)**: Balance - **Lgakt (13)**: Chaos and Uncertainty An eighth number, the Immortal Number, is hypothesized but has eluded contemplation. All previous attempts to grasp it have ended in disaster. The Patron slot in the Archivists guild is empty by design, an unusual feature in Aetolia where most guilds answer to a god. ## Skill sets The Archivist skill sets are Geometrics, Numerology, and Bioessence. **Geometrics** is the primary art. Archivists manipulate psychic energy through geometric tokens and a codex, using shapes as a stable focus for arcane algorithms. The codex provides a stabilized foundation for purposeful expressions of will. Tokens are malleable, movable reference points that extend the Archivist’s reach in combat and ritual alike. **Numerology** is the foundation. By contemplating the Spheres of Influence, the Archivist can elicit changes and effects depending on which number they hold in mind. Geometrics expands this work into stable shapes. The two skills are tightly linked, but Numerology is where the raw work happens. **Bioessence** extends the math into the body. By using ambient shadow to break the order Spirit imposes on living forms, an Archivist augments and amalgamates how the elements work within mortal bodies. The skill lets them mutate themselves and others, plaguing enemies with dreadful mutagens by rejecting physiological restraints. ## Skill abilities Geometrics Numerology Bioessence Filter abilities Title Contents ### Geometrics - Incite Incite a shape. #### Incite **Description**The act of inciting is performed by visualising a shape within your mind, and then pressing it upon an object or person in order to cause a change in the world. Each incitiation will cause a different effect depending on the shape, and how clearly the shape is held within your mind. Thus it is often ideal to possess a physical representation of that shape in order to avoid the pitfall of relying purely upon your recollection. As each shape is a little different to incite, you will be unable to utilise them until you have full knowledge of their practical use. By typing AB GEOMETRICS you can learn how each shape will act once incited. Incitement will require your codex in hand in order to visualise from, however if you are blind, you will be unable to do so. - Codex Bind together a codex. #### Codex **Description**Syntax: GEO CRAFT CODEX Additional syntax: READ CODEX Additional syntax: GEO MARK Components: 2 wood The Codex of Shapes is a hand-sized book containing simple diagrams of each shape in order to help visualise the distinct imagery required in order to incite a shape. Without it, attempting to utilise the shapes becomes beholden to the memory of the user and can often result in harmful failure. Anyone may read the codex in order to view what each shape looks like, as long as they are holding it. If you obtain a codex from another source, for example a Papercrafter, you can instead mark that codex as your own. - Token Craft a token to hold a shape. #### Token **Description**Syntax: GEO CRAFT TOKEN \[SPHERE|CUBE|PYRAMID\] Components: 1 wood A geometric token is generally a small wooden trinket with an unmarred surface designed to hold impressions of more complex shapes. As long you hold your geometric token within your hands, it will help you focus and bestow a small boon to the regeneration of your willpower. You have the decision of choosing what shape your token should take, or you can choose none in order to receive a random shape. The shape of your token has no effect beyond cosmetic value. - Impress Impress your token with a shape. #### Impress **Description**This ability will allow you to impress your token with one of the complex shapes, with each shape having a different effect that will trigger in differing scenarios. In order for your token to have an effect, it will need to be placed upon the ground. You can learn more about the complex shapes and their effects by typing AB GEOMETRICS . You will need to have learned about the shape before you can impress it upon your token. - Afterimage Burn a shape into their mind. #### Afterimage **Description**This ability is passive. After inciting one of the five basic shapes upon a target, the incitation will leave behind a sharp impression that will linger upon the subconscious. Once a few seconds have passed and if the opponent is completely alone, the impression will stir itself from the depths of the mind and the original effects of the shape will relapse upon the target. If they are affected by the patterns affliction, then it will trigger regardless if they are alone or not. - Invert Make your token untouchable. #### Invert **Description**Syntax: GEO INVERT By inverting the existential nature of your token, it will blend with the non-physical in such a way that it will turn into a permanent fixture of the current location it resides in. If anyone attempts to pick up or destroy your token, they will find themselves unable to do so. Using this ability once more will unbind it from the non-physical and return it to normal. - Trace Trace a connection. #### Trace **Description**Syntax: GEO TRACE \[target|NONE\] Trace your token to the existential signature of another, ensuring that your token will always be not far behind them should they attempt to leave. This will only trigger as long as your opponent stays still momentarily and remains within the same area as you. You can additionally trace your token to yourself, either by specifying your own name or omitting a target. - Conjoin Obfuscate a shape with another. #### Conjoin **Description**Syntax: GEO CONJOIN By conjoining the Triangle, Square, and Circle together as one, you can hide any notions about the shape you are inciting upon your opponent. This will cause the previously mentioned shapes to have their effects hidden for a limited time and deal a small amount of psychic damage. Additionally, it will hide the effects of Afterimage, however no damage will be caused. Cooldown: 20 seconds - Pattern Reveal an unseen world. #### Pattern **Description**Syntax: GEO PATTERN You can alter the chemistry of another to see patterns and shapes where there are none, often to their own detriment. This will allow Afterimage to affect your opponent when they aren’t alone until it is cured. Note that afflictions cured with panacea pills will make pill balance recovery take twice as long. You can read AB GEOMETRICS AFTERIMAGE to learn more about this skill. - Sealing Seal the effects of a shape. #### Sealing **Description**Syntax: GEO SEALING If the opponent is mind-riddled completely by a shape, you may seal the effects and prevent them from curing those afflictions through pills for a limited time, even if those afflictions are reapplied at a later stage. Sealed shapes will also boost the damage of the Crux ability. While the sealing only lasts for a limited amount of time, successfully sealing a shape once more will refresh the timer of all seals upon the target. Abilities such as the tree tattoo will still be able to cure the sealed afflictions. - Matrix Multiple shapes at once. #### Matrix **Description**Syntax: GEO MATRIX You can twist the order of the world into your favour by subconsciously implanting the Triangle, Square, and Circle in the mind of your opponent all at once. This will trigger the Afterimage effect upon your opponent for all three of these shapes. You can read AB GEOMETRICS AFTERIMAGE to learn more about this skill. - The basic shapes - Crux Clashing logic. #### Crux **Description**Shape: The Crux. The Crux is a shape that can cause termination to a logical process, such as thought. Syntax: INCITE CRUX When incited upon another, it will deal psychic damage as it severs the current train of thought. The damage is further increased for each sealed shape that exists upon the target. Please see AB GEOMETRICS SEALING for more information. **Details**Target LocationSame location Damage TypePsychic Damage SourceArcane Base Damage340 + 12% Base Damage (Denizen)1035 Added Bonus Damage (Per Seal)50 + 3% Equilibrium Recovery3.50 seconds Requirements - Requires balance and equilibrium. - Costs 50 mana to use. - Costs 30 willpower to use. - Requires at least one arm functional. Restrictions - Considered an aggressive action. - Cannot be entangled, paralysed, or fallen. - (Denizen) Considered a basic attack against denizens. - Fork Routed action. #### Fork **Description**Shape: The Fork. The Fork is similar to the Crux, however it allows for a graceful end rather than utilising force. Syntax: INCITE FORK When incited, it will disperse the magical shield defence, causing a small amount of mana loss to the target if successful. - Triangle Burning desire. #### Triangle **Description**Shape: The Triangle. The Triangle has the ability to set alight passion and emotion within others, bringing them out in their fullest. Syntax: INCITE TRIANGLE When incited upon another, it will first cause laxity, followed by infatuation, peace, and lastly magnanimity. This order is sequential, depending on what afflictions the opponent already has. - Square Shrinking boundries. #### Square **Description**Shape: The Square. The Square will encapsulate thought and produce mental boundaries that will spread discord within. Syntax: INCITE SQUARE When incited upon another, it will cause dizziness, then faintness, epilepsy and lastly shyness. This order is sequential, depending on what afflictions the opponent already has. - Circle Altered rationality. #### Circle **Description**Shape: The Circle. The Circle is known to bring out neurotic habits and behaviours, removing rationality as an inhibitor. Syntax: INCITE CIRCLE When incited upon another, it will cause mercy, then masochism, mania, and lastly recklessness. This order is sequential, depending on what afflictions the opponent already has. - The complex shapes - Swirl Sinking feeling. #### Swirl **Description**Shape: The Swirl. The Swirl will cause a sensation of falling, either physically or mentally, depending on the intention. Syntax: INCITE SWIRL If your opponent is above or below you, you can instill them with a hidden sense of vertigo. Syntax: GEO IMPRESS SWIRL Should an enemy fall over, their mental stability will sink with them. This will give them the delirium affliction. - Arrow Forced choice. #### Arrow **Description**Shape: The Arrow. The Arrow allows for a certain amount of control, letting you define how something should procede. Syntax: INCITE ARROW This will allow you to implant a subsconscious direction to take when your target attempts to move. You can stack multiple directions, up to a total of ten. Once they move, the actions you have implanted will fade after a short time if they stand still. Syntax: GEO IMPRESS ARROW When an enemy leaves the location, they will be struck with an intense compulsion to remain where they are. This will deal psychic damage as they leave. - Lens Focal point. #### Lens **Description**Shape: The Lens. The Lens can serve as a focus for yourself, or for the distortion of focus within another. Syntax: INCITE LENS If you possess a token, then this ability will squeeze it through space and back into your hands. If the token is inverted at the time, then it will additionally remove the effect. Syntax: GEO IMPRESS LENS Any enemy who tries to GLANCE or SQUINT into a location with your token will find that the horizon will never end. - Wave Extraneous thought. #### Wave **Description**Shape: The Wave. The Wave is a tool that can be utilised to cleanse or increase the difficulty of abnormal abilities. Syntax: INCITE WAVE This will cleanse the mind of any abnormal sensory abilities the target might have. This includes: Mindseye, Thirdeye, Lifevision, Shadowsight, Spiritsight, Hypersight, and Truth. Syntax: GEO IMPRESS WAVE When an enemy attempts to FOCUS their mind, it will cost them more mana than normal. - Bloom Eruption from within. #### Bloom **Description**Shape: The Bloom. The Bloom brings forth deeply buried thoughts and notions, forcing them to the surface. Syntax: INCITE BLOOM This will allow you to judge the feelings of another and determine if they consider you a friend or foe. Syntax: GEO IMPRESS BLOOM Once an enemy gains a total number of mental afflictions that is divisible by six, they will begin to manifest a case of vomiting. - Rod The proud. #### Rod **Description**Shape: The Rod. The Rod has the ability to deny another from their intended destination, baring their actions. Syntax: INCITE ROD The Rod will seal a door or container providing it is shut. If the object is then opened, then a magical explosion will occur that will stun and damage the person who opens it. The seal will only last a limited amount of time. Syntax: GEO IMPRESS ROD Whenever an enemy uses an ability that will let them magically teleport, they will be prevented from doing so. - Crescent Of one half. #### Crescent **Description**Shape: The Crescent. The Crescent will act as a gate to two paths, changing if it is acting upon the singular or plural. Syntax: INCITE CRESCENT After a delay, if the target stands in the same location as you, their senses will thrown into a blackout and struck with psychic damage, otherwise they will be briefly stunned and be drained of some mana. The damage and secondary effect will be increased for each sealed shape upon the opponent. Syntax: GEO IMPRESS CRESCENT When an enemy assists another, they will begin to feel their ego grow. This will give them the egocentrism affliction. - Hex Spiteful influence. #### Hex **Description**Shape: The Hex. The Hex will cause deterioration as time moves forward, increasing in potency depending upon if there is a conscious ability to resist. Syntax: INCITE HEX Inciting the hex will slightly unhinge your target, dealing psychic damage over time for a short period. If they have dementia, hallucinations, and paranoia when taking damage, they will receive a random physical affliction. Syntax: GEO IMPRESS HEX When an enemy successfully performs a diagnosis on themselves, their confidence will wane and they will become stricken with hypochondria. - Star Bright and distracting. #### Star **Description**Shape: The Star. The Star represents important moments in time, such as birth and death. It allows one to replicate their effects on a limited scale. Syntax: INCITE STAR This will allow you to reform yourself in the location of your token, swapping places with it after a short delay. Syntax: GEO IMPRESS STAR When an enemy crosses below 75%, 50%, or 25% health, they will find that their body will fall numb. This will afflict them with paresis. - Lemniscate Infinite action. #### Lemniscate **Description**Shape: The Lemniscate. The Lemniscate has a strong effect on the time stream, allowing minor changes to how it is perceived by others. Syntax: INCITE LEMNISCATE The effects of the Lemniscate will trap your target within a small loop of time. Each time an Afterimage affects the target, it will relapse without any effort on your behalf. The effects of the Lemniscate will remain as long as they have at least one affliction from either the Triangle, Circle, or Square. There is a grace period of nine seconds before the Lemniscate will fade after casting. Once fifteen total Afterimage loops have occurred, the affliction will expire. Loops that occur when the target is not the same room as you will count as three, instead of one. Syntax: GEO IMPRESS LEMNISCATE The Lemniscate will stretch time and space, delaying the movements of your enemies. This will only work as long as you are not present within the same location and they are afflicted with patterns. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Numerology - Primality Contemplate a single number. #### Primality **Description**Syntax: CONTEMPLATE Additional syntax: NUMBERS With Primality, you now have the ability to contemplate a single number in order to elicit Numerological effects based upon its nature. The known, stable numbers that one can contemplate are: Yuef, 1, the number of self. Ef’tig, 2, the number of pairs. Rafic, 3, the number of place. Jherza, 5, the physical number. Yi, 7, the number of mystery. Jhako, 11, the number of balance. Lgakt, 13, the number of uncertainty. Each of these numbers has its own sphere of influence which can be learned about by reading through AB NUMEROLOGY . You will not be able to contemplate multiple numbers at first, but as you learn more you will begin to understand the process behind utilizing them. You can check NUMBERS any time to remind yourself of what numbers you are currently contemplating. - Forget Stop contemplating a number. #### Forget **Description**Syntax: FORGET This will remove a number from your contemplation. - Duality Divide your focus upon two numbers. #### Duality **Description**This ability is passive. You are now experienced enough in the art of Numerology to contemplate two numbers at once. - Triunity Balance the power of three numbers. #### Triunity **Description**This ability is passive. Your knowledge of Numerology has now advanced to a state that you can contemplate up to three numbers at once. - Spheres Tap into the music of the spheres. #### Spheres **Description**Syntax: CONTEMPLATE SPHERES and FORGET SPHERES Contemplating all the numbers at once, you can temporarily tap into the rhythms of the universe. Once complete, you will be able to harness the powers of Numerology without the need to contemplate, although this will come at a continuous effort of will to maintain your sanity. Be warned that once you begin, you must see it through or you will suffer heavily for it. - Empower Empower a sphere of influence. #### Empower **Description**Syntax: EMPOWER You are now intimate enough with the various numbers that you can bolster the influence of one when eliciting an effect to produce a slight variance in the final result. You can review the AB files for each ability to see the potential effects empowering a number might cause. Note that not all abilities may be affected by an empowered number. In order to empower a number, you must first be contemplating it. If you are unable to continue contemplating the number you have empowered then the empowerment will be lost. Cooldown: 16 seconds - You can elicit the following effects - Fix Fix your position solidly to the ground. #### Fix **Description**Syntax: ELICIT FIX Required numbers: Rafic. By fixing yourself to the ground, you can prevent yourself from moving from the location by your own means or another’s, providing you are not prone. Simply recast this ability in order to release yourself. - Settle Settle the stirred air around you. #### Settle **Description**Syntax: ELICIT SETTLE Required numbers: Rafic. If there is obscuring fog in the atmosphere around you, you may settle the air and cause the fog to disperse. - Position Find the path to another. #### Position **Description**Syntax: ELICIT POSITION Required numbers: Ef’tig. Will tell you an immediate direction to travel to find another player within a large radius. Empower effect (Ef’tig): Invoking a desire for pairing will additionally reveal their location to you. - Collapse Erase an object from the physical plane. #### Collapse **Description**Syntax: ELICIT COLLAPSE Required numbers: Jherza. Collapse the threads that tie an item to reality. This can only be used on items that are being held by you. Empower effect (Jherza): The left over energy will be entwined into your own physical being, restoring a small portion of health. - Oneness Discover what ails you. #### Oneness **Description**Syntax: ELICIT ONENESS \[END\] Required numbers: Yuef. By contemplating the self, you can periodically reveal hidden afflictions you are burdened with. This requires a constant upkeep on your behalf and will tax your mind. - Retrieve Pull another to your location. #### Retrieve **Description**Syntax: ELICIT RETRIEVE Required numbers: Yi, Rafic. Retrieve another from the same area and bring them to you, providing that they are not protected by the cloak defence. Empower effect (Yi): Shreds all mystery from their form if successful, removing defences that might hide them. - Glimpse Take a glimpse into your victim’s location. #### Glimpse **Description**Syntax: ELICIT GLIMPSE Required numbers: Rafic, Yi. Glimpse through the threads of the world and pull forth the location and area of your target for a brief moment. You can glimpse any target you choose from across the globe. Empower effect (Rafic): If you are in the same area, you will also be able glean detail about their surroundings. This will act as though you are there. - Absorb Absorb afflictions from another. #### Absorb **Description**Syntax: ELICIT ABSORB Required numbers: Ef’tig, Jherza. Absorb an affliction from each ally within your location, allowing you to transmute its harmful effects into a small amount of mana for each one removed. Empower effect (Jherza): Increases the amount of mana restored for each affliction absorbed. - Ascent Lift yourself into the skies. #### Ascent **Description**Syntax: ELICIT ASCENT and LAND Required numbers: Jherza. Bend the laws of gravity to lift yourself into the skies and out of reach. - Veil Hide your location from prying eyes. #### Veil **Description**Syntax: ELICIT VEIL Required numbers: Rafic, Yuef. Pull a fragment of the void around you and obscure yourself from prying individuals attempting to glimpse your location. Should you move, your veil will be lost. - Changeheart Change someone’s feelings about you. #### Changeheart **Description**Syntax: ELICIT CHANGEHEART Required numbers: Ef’tig, Yuef. This will force your target to reconsider how he or she values you. Empower effect (Ef’tig): Forcing allyship will also afflict them with infatuation, forcing enemyship will afflict them with hatred, and forcing neutrality will afflict them with indifference. - Bloodwork Spread your blood. #### Bloodwork **Description**Syntax: ELICIT BLOODWORK Required numbers: Jherza, Yuef. Through your will, you can recall life-giving blood into your veins, replenishing your blood reserves should you be low. Cooldown: 30 seconds Empower effect (Jherza): Should you be bleeding, then you will find yourself bleeding for less. - Sublimation Steel your mind against psychic attack. #### Sublimation **Description**Syntax: ELICIT SUBLIMATION \[target\] Required numbers: Yuef, Rafic, Yi. Form a powerful shield around your mind that will mitigate psychic damage directed at you. You can also protect the mind of another if you so choose. - Weakness Exploit a weakness in your foe. #### Weakness **Description**Syntax: ELICIT WEAKNESS Required numbers: Jherza, Lgakt. By considering their defenses, you can determine their weakest resistance and further reduce it for a limited time. Cooldown: 30 seconds Empower effect (Lgakt): Increases the amount of time the instilled weakness will linger for by a random amount. - Formation Terraform the environment. #### Formation **Description**Syntax: ELICIT FORMATION Required numbers: Rafic, Jherza, Lgakt. You can now tear away the very environment around you and rebuild it in your own vision, however this is no ordinary feat and will put great strain on your mind and body. This change to the environment is temporary and will eventually revert to its true form. You can choose from the following environments: Forest, Desert, Hills, River, Valley, Swamp, Mountains, Tundra, Garden, Temple, Ice, Graveyard, Loose Terrain, Cliffs, or Cavern. Cooldown: 120 seconds Empower effect (Rafic): Increases the radius of your landscape to the surrounding locations. - Stream Form a bond between you and them. #### Stream **Description**Syntax: ELICIT STREAM Required numbers: Ef’tig, Yi. By forming a mental link between yourself and your subject, you can begin to quickly drain them of their mana and add it to your own. If they leave the location, then the stream will be broken. Empower effect (Ef’tig): Increases the range of the streaming effect so that it will continue to draw mana even if the target leaves to an adjacent location. Empower effect (Yi): If the target leaves the location, then it will cause a brief stun when the stream is broken. - Affliction Throw an affliction onto your foe. #### Affliction **Description**Syntax: ELICIT AFFLICTION Required numbers: Jherza, Yi, Lgakt. You can fabricate a random affliction upon your target, simply by eliciting it. This affliction will be hidden to the target. You can also do this from afar, providing you stay within line of sight. Empower effect (Yi): The affliction that you elicit upon your target will be revealed to you. - Dilation Magnify the influence of the stars. #### Dilation **Description**Syntax: ELICIT DILATION \[target\] Required numbers: Jhako, Lgakt. By dilating the star light around you, you can increase the magnitude of the stars influence upon your body for a limited amount of time. This will double both the positive and negative effects. If you so choose, you may use this ability on another however the duration is much shorter. You can read HELP ASTRONOMY for more information on the stars and their effects. - Symphony Call upon the symphonic nature of the heavens. #### Symphony **Description**Syntax: ELICIT SYMPHONY Required numbers: Rafic, Yi, Jhako. The mind is a frail object for a numerologist. Thus, to bolster your mental strength and replenish your will to function, you may enter a trance, of which allows you to meditate upon the continuous symphony of the spheres. - Syncopate Interfere with their internal rhythm. #### Syncopate **Description**Syntax: ELICIT SYNCOPATE Required numbers: Jhako, Ef’tig, Yi. The rhythm of the body is a vital instrument to any living creature, it helps regulate their body and governs many functions. With this ability, you may disrupt their internal rhythm and increase any ability on cooldown by three seconds. This will increase by an additional second for each mental affliction upon the target. Cooldowns not counted in seconds upon your target will not be affected by this ability. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental affliction. Cooldown: 40 seconds - Link Link your health and mana. #### Link **Description**Syntax: ELICIT LINK <0-50%> Required numbers: Yi, Jherza, Jhako. Form a powerful bond between your mind and body that will link them together as one. While this persists, any health lost will be reduced by the percentage specified and then three quarters of that will be redirected as mana damage. This will happen after damage reductions and will not affect health that is lost through direct means such as bleeding. You can select to reduce 0% of damage in order to turn this ability off if you so choose. - Return Bind another to always return. #### Return **Description**Syntax: ELICIT RETURN Required numbers: Ef’tig, Rafic, Jhako. Lock an opponent to your current location, causing them to eventually return after 3 to 10 seconds depending on what you choose. You can use this ability on yourself if you wish. Empower effect (Jhako): The mental fatigue of being shifted through space and time will unbalance the mind, giving your target a migraine providing they are an enemy. - Madness Fill another mind with a terrible madness. #### Madness **Description**Syntax: ELICIT MADNESS Required numbers: Ef’tig, Jherza, Jhako. Cause your target to become riddled with madness, giving them dementia, hallucinations, and paranoia in one hefty mental blow. Cooldown: 8 seconds Empower effect (Jhako): This will bring the mind of your target back to a neutral state by removing the clarity defence first. - Unravel Weak in mind, weak in body. #### Unravel **Description**Syntax: ELICIT UNRAVEL Required numbers: Rafic, Jherza, Lgakt. The ultimate destructive ability is to unravel another from the face of Creation. To pull this off on an unwilling opponent, you must first have your target in a state where they have three mental afflictions, three physical afflictions, and infected with an active mutagen of your own design. If successful, then they will be unravelled and instantly slain. Empower effect (Rafic): You may attempt to unravel your opponent as long as they remain within the same area as you. Look at HELP TYPES for more information on what is regarded as a mental or physical affliction. - Direcall Make a direcall to the whims of fate. #### Direcall **Description**Syntax: ELICIT DIRECALL Required numbers: Rafic, Yuef, Lgakt. Reach and tug upon the sphere of uncertainty to sweep you from the location you stand and swap places with another. Anyone across the land not within indoor safety or upon a monolith are vulnerable to the unpredictability of this ability. There is a moment of delay before this ability activates, during which you may do nothing else. - Recollection Restore your body and mind. #### Recollection **Description**Syntax: ELICIT RECOLLECTION Required numbers: Yuef, Jhako, Yi, Jherza. This ability will allow you to advance slightly through time in order to speed up your internal rhythm, reducing all abilities on cooldown by three seconds. The equilibrium cost of this ability cannot be modified. Cooldowns not counted in seconds will not be affected by this ability. You will be unable to utilize this skill if afflicted by paresis. Empower effect (Yuef): Increases the reduction of cooldowns to five seconds instead of three. Filter abilities Title Contents ### Bioessence - Jolt Jolt yourself with a surge of adrenaline. #### Jolt **Description**Syntax: BIO JOLT Consumes 1 energy. By jolting your adrenal gland, you can enhance your perception of time and grant yourself the speed defence. - Energy See how much energy you have. #### Energy **Description**Syntax: BIO ENERGY In order to perform certain feats, it is required that you possess the biological means to maintain them. This is denoted by the amount of energy your inner core can sustain, of which everyone begins with three. This command will tell you how much energy you have on hand. Some abilities will consume energy while others will completely expend it. Consumed energy will return after a limited amount of time, while expended energy will be consumed until the related effect expires. Cooldown (when consumed): 20 seconds per - Diagnose Check the physical health of a subject. #### Diagnose **Description**Syntax: DIAGNOSE or DIAG \[target\] You can now quickly diagnose yourself or another of any afflictions, hidden or otherwise. - Infection Infect another with a mutagen. #### Infection **Description**Syntax: BIO INFECT WITH Expends 1 energy. This ability allows you to infect another with a mutagen you have formulated and marked as complete. It will eventually fade once its potency runs out, or if the target leaves the same area you are within. Utilising Dome from Manipulations will terminate all active mutagens. - Preservation Preserve a specimen. #### Preservation **Description**Syntax: BIO PRESERVE Consumes 1, 2, or 3 energy. Depending on the severity specified, you can cause the formation of black frost upon your opponent. This will either completely freeze or simply chill your subject. - Tension Superior tension within your arms. #### Tension **Description**This ability is passive. Through advanced knowledge granted by your abilities, you can now maintain high tension within your arm muscles allowing you to utilise a shield as a tool to parry an incoming attack upon one of your limbs. - Knitting Knit together wounds over time. #### Knitting **Description**Syntax: BIO KNITTING \[target\] Consumes 1 energy. Bestow enhanced regeneration upon another, making their wounds knit and heal themselves over time. - Flare Flare an infection into life. #### Flare **Description**Syntax: BIO FLARE Consumes 1 energy. If your target is currently affected by a mutagen implanted by you, you can cause it to flare brilliantly with a moment of extreme development. This will cause the next cycle of your mutagen to occur early. - Steroid Tap into the potential of your body. #### Steroid **Description**Syntax: BIO STEROID Consumes 1 energy. By inducing a surge of hormones into your body, you can tap into the hidden potential of your muscles and hasten the recovery of your balance. This will require you to be off-balance in order to obtain the benefits of this effect. - Probe Probe the abilities of your subject. #### Probe **Description**This ability is passive. When you diagnose another person, if they happen to have any abilities on cooldown, you will see how much longer they have before they are available once more. - Adaptation Adapt your body. #### Adaptation **Description**Syntax: BIO ADAPT and BIO ADAPT END Expends 1 energy. If you are holding the corpse of an adventurer and they are of a different race to you, you may adapt your body to take on their racial traits. This will grant you access to their racial abilities along with the ones you already know. If they are one of the endgame races, then you will absorb the traits of their heritage instead. - Osmosis Balance or instability. #### Osmosis **Description**Syntax: BIO OSMOSIS Consumes 2 energy. Swap the health and mana of your target. - Stimulant Quicken the recovery of the mind. #### Stimulant **Description**Syntax: BIO STIMULANT Consumes 1 energy. The mind can be stimulated by sending an increased amount of energy to your brain for consumption. This will allow you to hasten your mind’s ability to recover when you lack equilibrium. You must be off-equilibrum in order for you to obtain the benefits of this effect. - Ethereal Shed your physical form. #### Ethereal **Description**Syntax: BIO ETHEREAL \[target\] Consumes 2 energy. By partly shedding your physical form, you or an ally can enter an ethereal state that is trapped between the physical and the ether for a short period of time. In this state, opponents have a chance to miss you with physical attacks and you gain increased resistance against physical damage. This will slowly diminish over time until it no longer has an effect. - Catabolism Draw forth the power of your inner core. #### Catabolism **Description**Syntax: BIO CATABOLISM \[OFF\] Grants 1 energy. By driving your inner core into an exhaustive frenzy, you can gain an extra point of energy for use towards other abilities. This will lower the maximum health of your body and mind, but only while the defence remains active. - Ameliorate Heal yourself and those around you. #### Ameliorate **Description**Syntax: BIO AMELIORATE \[OFF\] Expends 1 energy. Ramp up your healing factor, allowing you to periodically heal one random affliction every so often. This will additionally affect nearby allies. - Growth Form twisted growths within another. #### Growth **Description**Syntax: BIO GROWTH Consumes 2 energy. Providing your opponent has been infected by a mutagen, this ability will form a growth within them that will reach maturity after a few seconds. If they possess any of the afflictions the current mutagen can give once it reaches maturity, then it will give them all possible effects that mutagen can cause and they will fall onto the ground. If the opponent has at least two afflictions from the antipsychotic tree, then the energy cost is reduced by one. You can view HELP CURE ORDER for information on the various curing trees. - Autonomy Remove the reliance upon yourself. #### Autonomy **Description**This ability is passive. The first mutagen you infect another with will no longer have an energy cost upon you. Instead, it will feed upon its host in order to sustain itself. - Nexus Shared suffering at your command. #### Nexus **Description**Syntax: BIO NEXUS and BIO NEXUS END BIO ADVANCE Expends 1 energy when a mutagen is advanced. This powerful ability will infect everyone who actively damages you, or comes in contact with you through an emote, with a dormant mutagen of your choosing. Once infected, you may advance the dormant mutagen within a target and bring it to life. Advancing a mutagen out of dormancy can be done while you are off balance and/or equilibrium. While you are employing this ability, there is a steady willpower and endurance drain to keep it active. - Your mutagen may be modified in the following ways - Mutagen Concoct a deadly mutagen. #### Mutagen **Description**Syntax: MUTAGEN NEW MUTAGEN LIST MUTAGEN POTENCY MUTAGEN EFFECT MUTAGEN COMPLETE MUTAGEN DELETE MUTAGEN TERMINATE Mutagens are agents capable of infecting the core and soul of an opponent, mutating their genetics over time into less than desirable outcomes depending on how it is concocted. Each mutagen placed upon another that is not dormant will expend your energy, and will fade if both you and the host with your mutagen are in separate areas. If you wish to end the lifespan of any active mutagens, you can terminate them at will. You only may include up to three effects within a single Mutagen. It will cycle through the effects one by one then start from the first effect once more. Delivery of a mutagen is performed by certain skills, you can read AB BIOESSENCE INFECTION for the basic method of doing so. - Depressant Dark thoughts within the mind. #### Depressant **Description**Type: Effect This mutagen effect will target the mind, filling it with bleak and dispiriting thoughts. This will bestow the sadness affliction upon the host. - Acute Powerful but short lived. #### Acute **Description**Type: Potency An acute mutagen is one that has had its ability to harm heightened, but as a result it will last for a much shorter time than other mutagens. - Somnolent Sluggish response to threat. #### Somnolent **Description**Type: Effect Sluggishness will creep into the bones of the host, turning their actions lethargic and sloth-like. The end result is the host gaining the lethargy affliction. - Psychoactive Draw out the depths of depravity. #### Psychoactive **Description**Type: Effect A giddy euphoria will poison the mind, imparting the host with a rich desire to harm him or herself in order to feel alive. This will afflict the host with the masochism affliction. - Virulent Weak at first, stronger later. #### Virulent **Description**Type: Potency A virulent mutagen is weaker than normal in the beginning, however as the mutagen reaches the end of its lifespan, it will become much stronger and deal more damage before expiry. - Reactive Severe allergic reaction. #### Reactive **Description**Type: Effect By mutating the immune system, the body will begin to turn upon its self. The skin will flush red and quickly become deadly the longer it is left alone. This will afflict the host with the allergies affliction. - Narcotic Addictive reliance upon elixirs. #### Narcotic **Description**Type: Effect The body will begin to crave elixirs to the detrement of the host, and will cause them to throw away reason just to achieve the next fix. This will give them the addiction affliction. - Chronic Repetitive and lasting #### Chronic **Description**Type: Potency A chronic mutagen is one that can persist indefinitely, although it will have a weaker effect than normal when it damages its host. - Degenerative Inability to utilise bodily function. #### Degenerative **Description**Type: Effect The body will begin to suffer severe degeneration as it mutates, afflicting the host with the impairment affliction. - Malignant Cause the formation of blisters. #### Malignant **Description**Type: Effect Malignant mutations will begin to form beneath the skin, culminating into bulbous blisters that ache and weep whenever duress is placed upon the body or mind. The blisters affliction will be bestowed upon the host. - Sporadic Increased speed but random. #### Sporadic **Description**Type: Potency A sporadic mutagen either triggers its effects more quickly than normal, or slightly slower. The odds favour it being faster than normal. - Atrophic Weakened muscles and mind. #### Atrophic **Description**Type: Effect The muscles within the host will begin to fray and their mind will become weaker and fatigued. The end result is the host gaining the weariness affliction. - Morphic Let nature take its own path. #### Morphic **Description**Type: Effect Morphic mutagens will take the form of any pre-existing effect at random, allowing for a whole cycle of different effects. There is however no control over what it might choose. This effect is not considered when utilising the Growth ability in Bioessence. ## Visual style and identity Archivists follow precise but fluid movements as they work, drawing power and direction from their codex and materializing effects with their tokens. The visual signature is the codex held open, the float of geometric tokens, and the subtle play of shadow as Bioessence mutations take hold. The class reads as a scientist mid-experiment, neither robed wizard nor armored knight. Costume varies wildly across Archivists. The tools, the codex and the tokens, are the constant. ## Side effects of the work Numbers, wielded with enough reckless mastery and power, could unravel all of Sapience. Archivist tradition keeps the most dangerous techniques tightly held. Tales abound of Numerologists who unwittingly erased themselves from existence. Caution is built into the curriculum. Bioessence carries different risks. The skill produces irreparable and unexpected consequences if not handled carefully, since the nature of shadow is unpredictable. Practitioners who push too hard can find their physical form deviating in ways they did not plan for, sometimes permanently. ## Who plays this class The Archivist suits players who want a scholar class with serious magical depth and mutagenic combat. Not necessarily all bookworms, but a good number tend to be. Archivists, like their Cabalist predecessors, often have an affinity for one Sphere over the others, and that affinity shapes both temperament and combat style. Mechanically, the class rewards players who like layered, tool-based combat. The codex and tokens system gives Archivists a different feel from most Aetolia mages. Bioessence’s self-mutation options also make this one of the few classes where transforming your own body is a core combat mechanic, not a side feature. If you want a Shadow-aligned mage who answers to math instead of a god, the Archivist is the class. ## City and guild The Archivium overlooks [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/), the city of artifice and the Shadow Tether’s scientific bastion. Patron: none. The Architect of Progress, Legyn, leads the guild, with Curators Solen and Semyon overseeing the Classics and Neoterics divisions. The guild houses both the Archivist class and the [Alchemist](/character-classes/alchemist/) class, which joined in 503 MA. Joining the Archivists means committing to Shadow. You will not be able to actively hold any Spirit-aligned classes alongside it, though you can multiclass into other Shadow classes or any of the seven untethered classes. Race is independent of class, so you can play an Archivist of any [Aetolia race](/the-races-of-aetolia/). The Archivist mirror is the [Voidseer](/character-classes/voidseer/), the Sentaari’s Void-gazing scholars in Duiran. Both are esoteric scholar classes, but where the Voidseer manipulates the mind and gazes into the Void, the Archivist treats reality as math and mutates the body with shadow. Archivists treat reality as a math problem and mutate the body with ambient shadow. Voidseers study the Void and work the mind through chakras. The combat mechanics mirror each other, but the cosmology is opposite. ## Frequently asked questions **Is Archivist good for new players?** The class is workable for newer players who enjoy scholar-roleplay and don’t mind a steeper learning curve on combat mechanics. The codex-and-tokens system has more moving parts than a simple martial class. The Archivists guild has active leadership and clear documentation, but the class itself rewards study. **Why does the Archivists guild have no Divine Patron?** The empty Patron slot reflects the Archivist worldview. They believe true progress has no final state and no fixed authority, only an unending iterative process. The guild rejects divine direction as another form of restraint to be removed. This is one of the few major Aetolia guilds where no god holds influence. **What is the Immortal Number?** A hypothesized eighth Sphere of Influence. Numerologist tradition holds that any mortal who fully grasps it would transcend mortality and become like unto the Gods. Previous attempts to contemplate the Immortal Number have ended in disasters significant enough that no contemporary Archivist openly pursues it. ## Other classes to consider Three classes worth a look if the Archivist profile interests you. Or see [every Aetolia class](/character-classes/) for the rest of the roster. ### [Alchemist](/character-classes/alchemist/) The sister class in the Archivists guild. Alchemy, Experimentation, Botany. Shadow-aligned scientist, but using chemical reactions, blighted plantlife, and live subjects rather than numerological abstraction. ### [Voidseer](/character-classes/voidseer/) The Spirit mirror. Cultivation, Enlightenment, Voidgazing. Duiran’s Sentaari monastery instead of Spinesreach’s Archivium, chakras and Void work instead of math. ### [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/) The Spinesreach Shadow mage neighbor. Sciomancy, Sorcery, Gravitation. If you want a Shadow mage in the same city without the tools-and-math setup, Sciomancer channels the Plane of Shadow more directly. [Back to all 32 Aetolia classes](/character-classes/) | [Aetolia beginner’s guide](/newbie-guide/) | [Create your Archivist and play free](https://play.aetolia.com/?create=true) --- ### [Aetolia Races: All 24 Playable Races](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/) **Published:** June 2, 2017 **Author:** Varian **Content:** ![A vampire wielding a scythe in a dark crimson chamber the cover image for Aetolias playable races index](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-races-hub-hero-20260526.jpg "Aetolia Races All 24 Playable Races - Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Aetolia has 24 playable races, and they range further from the human baseline than most fantasy worlds dare. Winged Atavians and shrieking Harpies share the skies. Fire-breathing Xoran and ice-breathing Arqeshi share a planet but barely a climate. Insectoid Horkval click in places where the Imp grins and the Nazetu hunts. The fox-folk Seyda, only just returned from millennia in magical stasis, walk Sapience for the first time in living memory. Your race is the first real decision you make about your character in Aetolia. It shapes your three racial skills, frames your appearance, and anchors your roleplay in centuries of cultural baggage. It is not a small choice. But it is also not a final one. You can reincarnate, and as long as you are still a newbie, the next race is one command away. Below is a guide to all 24. If you already know which race you want, jump to its page. If not, read on. ## Why your race choice matters (and where it doesn’t) Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race shapes lore and roleplay, not the mechanics you can pick. A Vampire Templar is forbidden by the class lore, not the race lore. A Mhun Carnifex is unusual but not blocked. A Seyda Indorani is rare but valid. What race actually changes in Aetolia: - **Three racial skills.** Each race learns one skill at level 1, one at level 31, and one at level 61. They range from passive perks (Mhun Tremor Sense for underground awareness, Human Blood Reserves for sustain) to active abilities (Xoran Fire Breathing, Atavian Flight, Horkval Leap). - **Appearance and identity.** A Troll stands seven feet tall. A Gnome stands four. A Horkval has a carapace where you would expect skin. Other characters react to what they see, and your roleplay starts in their reaction. - **Cultural alignment.** Most Aetolia races carry a centuries-long political history that pulls them toward one of the four city-states: [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/) (Shadow, vampire-led), [Enorian](/world/enorian/) (Spirit, devoted), [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/) (Shadow, scholarly), or [Duiran](/world/duiran/) (Spirit, wild). The alignment is cultural, not mechanical. Your character can defy it or embrace it. - **Religious texture.** Several races (Mhun, Arborean, Seyda) have deeply developed religious traditions that other characters will recognise. Lean into one of those if you want roleplay handed to you from day one. What race does not change in Aetolia: which class you can pick, which city you can join, which guild accepts you, or your long-term combat ceiling. The class you pick and the time you put in will shape your character far more than your starting race. After you pick your race, you also pick a statpack: one of twelve named distributions that sets your five base stats (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Constitution, Wisdom). Stats are not tied to race in Aetolia. The two systems work independently, and you can mix any race with any statpack. Run `STATPACKS` in-game to see the full list. ## The 24 races of Sapience Listed alphabetically. Click any race name to read its full page. ### [Arborean](/the-races-of-aetolia/arborean/) The Arborean are tree-folk, with bodies of bark and fused root, created by Yanai the Earthmother in an age beyond memory. The world forgot them over the long centuries they were gone, and they only returned when Yanai herself did. Their bark comes in a wide range of colours, from ruddy redwood to dark mahogany to the pale hues and green tones of young oak, and the oldest of them grow moss, lichen, and small ecosystems in the grain. They are genderless, and they hold life sacred, children most of all. Death does not frighten them; they see it as one more part of the turning seasons, and some still feel out of place in a world that carried on without them. ### [Arqeshi](/the-races-of-aetolia/arqeshi/) The Arqeshi were Nazetu once, until they were cleansed of Chakrasul’s Corruption. Now they serve the Light, though they kept the build of their old kin, tall and strong, and the same pull toward the sea. Chakrasul is gone from the world now, but the corruption she bred into the bloodline did not die with her, and the Arqeshi still fight the temptations that surface in their sleep. The unconverted Nazetu exiled them for turning, so the Arqeshi live scattered, most of them in the southeast, keeping the old culture even as their faith sets them apart from it. ### [Atavians](/the-races-of-aetolia/atavian/) Atavians descend from the birdlike Atav, and they look almost human, apart from their wings: large, feathered, and coloured to match their hair, skin, and eyes. They are slight and delicate, and they are masters of the air. Much of the continent still distrusts them, clinging to old stereotypes that portray Atavians as licentious and dishonest. They have little unified culture of their own, having drifted far from the Atav, and many have surrendered their heritage just to win acceptance. ### [Djeirani](/the-races-of-aetolia/djeirani/) The Djeirani owe their existence and their intelligence to Llazuth, a spider demon, and they live deep beneath the earth. Adapted from arachnids long ago, they tolerate poison, sense the faintest vibration, and see well in the dark. Colour decides everything in their society: the closer a Djeirani’s black skin and amethyst eyes are to the ideal, the higher their caste. Their culture fuses beauty with death. Their swordplay is all dancelike footwork and distracting flourishes, and the blades themselves are ornamental, studded with jewels. ### [Dwarves](/the-races-of-aetolia/dwarf/) Stout, clannish mountain folk who came out of the Vashnar peaks epochs ago. They were once the Hlugna, and “Dwarf” began as a mockery before they made it their own name. Clan divisions still run deep, and so does a split in their faith between the gods Dhar and Ivoln. Across all of it, Dwarves share a love of fine craft and a fondness for home, hearth, and celebration. ### [Gnomes](/the-races-of-aetolia/gnome/) Small, sharp-witted, and ancient, the Gnomes branched off the old Zao Sazi stock, the same line that produced Kobolds, Imps, and Pixies. For centuries they stayed close to home in Gorshire, farming, raising geese and sheep, and using their cleverness for magic. Their enchanters are well known, and the Gorshire University has a reputation across the continent. Gnomes are stubborn and resistant to change, and only recently have they begun letting their young leave the valley at all. ### [Grecht](/the-races-of-aetolia/grecht/) The bat-like Grecht inhabit the Dehkay Plateau, high above the icy reaches of the northern tundra. Lithe and thin, stark black to slate-grey, they are well-suited to the high, thin atmosphere of their homeland. Wing-flaps of skin connect their arms to their bodies, giving them limited flight, enough to soar. Those Grecht who reside on the continent of Sapience tend to hail from the Siroccian mountains or one of its cities, and they have slowly begun to assimilate into its culture. ### [Grook](/the-races-of-aetolia/grook/) Grook are amphibious, froglike folk, scattered across the continent after the Horkval destroyed their island home of Ulangi. With no homeland left, they settled in the cities, where their high literacy and scholarship made them valued in the city-states and centers of learning. Grook prize education above almost everything, and that includes the study of magic and mysticism. They vary widely in height. Their skin runs green, brown, or grey, often in some combination. ### [Harpies](/the-races-of-aetolia/harpy/) The Harpies scattered across Sapience when their island home of Polyargos was destroyed. They are loud, cunning avian humanoids and cousins to the Atavians, both descended from the Atav, though Harpies look far more bird-like: talons, a beaked nose, feathers. They organize into flocks led by the strongest and most cunning, with alliances that shift constantly and respect that goes to the loudest and most assertive. Harpies are female or non-binary; they nest and lay eggs, and they live by raiding and noise. ### [Horkval](/the-races-of-aetolia/horkval/) The Horkval are an insectoid people, cooperative and disciplined, and they have grown powerful in Aetolia. Their chitin gives them natural armor no other mortal race can match, and their strong legs carry them to places others cannot reach. Bred for teamwork inside the hive, those who leave it tend to become fiercely individualistic. All that armored biology comes at a cost, though: the Horkval struggle with magic. ### [Humans](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) Humans originated in the southwest and spread quickly across the continent, and they are now its most numerous and influential race. They are short-lived next to the other races, and they have long favored risky work as traders, mercenaries, and criminals. The Ankyrean Order favored them at its peak. Their numbers grew then and stayed high for centuries after the Order fell. They vary widely in looks, lighter-skinned in the north and darker-skinned in the south. ### [Imps](/the-races-of-aetolia/imp/) Imps are the favored race of Khepri, the dead Goddess of Mischief, created as her servants to spread mischief, trickery, and chaos across the continent. They were nomadic at first, then entered the central region of Sehal, warred with the native Pixies, and won, founding a royal Imp line in the process. The race is regarded as high-strung and mischievous, and also dangerously clever and unrelentingly vicious. They are remarkably short, with horns, tiny tails, and vestigial wings, and their colouration varies considerably. *Twelve down, twelve to go. If something here has already hooked you, [pick that race and start playing](https://play.aetolia.com). You can reincarnate later if you change your mind.* ### [Kelki](/the-races-of-aetolia/kelki/) Sleek and smooth-skinned, the Kelki are a fishlike people and the favored race of Slyphe, the formless sea god. They were once the most populous race in the east, until Ankyrean experiments cut their numbers and forced them back into the Beryl Sea. When their great city of Kelsys fell to the rising Kerrithrim, the survivors scattered along the eastern coast, and most now live in Mournhold. Their scales come in shades of grey and blue. ### [Kobolds](/the-races-of-aetolia/kobold/) Kobolds are small, canine humanoids, children of Khepri the Trickster, kin to the Goblins and prototypes to her favored Imps. They were driven from their homeland early for being seen as inferior, and later served as mercenaries to the dark mages of the Indoron Empire, where they developed their lasting skill in spellcraft. Working alongside the Goblins, they are expert stonecutters, gemcutters, and tinkerers. They build for practical results over appearance. ### [Mhun](/the-races-of-aetolia/mhun/) The Mhun are long-suffering survivors of countless conflicts and regimes in Aetolia’s southwest. They stand shorter than Humans and taller than Dwarves, dark of skin, eye, and hair, and they have grown adaptable, frugal, and cunning. Originally from the Mhojave desert, they fell under Bloodloch’s influence for a long time before their exodus to the Siroccian mountains, where their homeland now lies. Religion is central to them, built on seven Spirits whose true nature has only recently come to light. ### [Minotaurs](/the-races-of-aetolia/minotaur/) Minotaurs were once dull, dying beasts, until the god Severn took pity and granted them cunning in exchange for their loyalty. Most still worship him, and the Minotaurs of old Sterion are more attuned to Shadow than any other race. They are brash, stubborn, and quick to fight, but far sharper than their size suggests and very pragmatic. Some feel an older urge toward the wilds instead. ### [Nazetu](/the-races-of-aetolia/nazetu/) Slimy-skinned, broad, and foul-smelling, the Nazetu were created by Chakrasul as agents of corruption and decay. They first came to Sapience in a failed invasion of Ashtan, and the ones who stayed have grown apart from their island origins. Their faith still centers on Chakrasul, their Mother and creator. Most live along the eastern coast, with the largest, mostly assimilated, community in Bloodloch. ### [Ogres](/the-races-of-aetolia/ogre/) Ogres are huge and grey as stone, created by the Goddess of Corruption alongside their Orc cousins. They started as cave-dwellers who preyed on travelers, and a dark empire later used them as shock troops. Even so, many Ogres are deeply religious, with a special reverence for the earth and a part in worship across the pantheon. Their men record their lives in ritual scars, with the designs carried down through families. ### [Orcs](/the-races-of-aetolia/orc/) Green-skinned and tusked, the Orcs were another creation of the Goddess of Corruption, kin to the Ogres and more distant cousins to the Trolls. They were nomadic hunters before they joined the Ogres to take Dun Valley, where they showed their cunning for war early on. A dark empire later enslaved them as soldiers. The reputation for corruption and fear stuck, though conversion to the Light has tempered it in some. They have a long record of military innovation, and like the Ogres, their men mark their coming of age with scars. ### [Rajamala](/the-races-of-aetolia/rajamala/) Rajamala are upright, striped tiger-folk from the Itzatl Rainforest. They descend from Farsai, a once-great empire brought down by the Dark Empire, internal corruption, and the malign power of Ati, and most now trace their line to immigrants across the continent or to Saluria, the last native Rajamala village in the Itzatl. They look much like bipedal tigers, with bifurcated eyes and fur that runs tawny, red, and brown under dark streaks. ### [Seyda](/the-races-of-aetolia/seyda/) The Seyda are fox-folk created by Lleis, the Lady of Renewal, and they were long thought all but extinct. Their numbers recovered when their ancestral village of Vimuna returned, freed from the magical stasis the sorcerer Morvaethe had held it in for millennia. The Seyda who came back remember their old lives only in fragments, and their ages were rewritten to fit the modern era. Their goddess no longer walks among them, but their faith endures, built on community and the cycle of the seasons. They are the newest race in Aetolia. ### [Trolls](/the-races-of-aetolia/troll/) Trolls come from the frigid northlands: powerfully built, leathery-skinned, and famously stubborn. They are close kin to the Orcs and Ogres, and their skin runs most often to grey, green, or brown, though some are paler, darker, or redder. Their appetite is boundless, which fuels their legendary powers of regeneration. Troll culture places little value on learning, so most take up martial, mercenary, or criminal work. Many also speak a nonstandard dialect of Aetolian, which leads the other races to write them off as unintelligent and easily fooled. ### [Tsol’aa](/the-races-of-aetolia/tsolaa/) Tsol’aa are lithe, pointy-eared, and long-lived, close to human in shape, with brown skin in varying hues and eyes that range from dark brown through hazel to green. Only a couple thousand remain, most of them within the Duiran Council and the rest living elsewhere or wandering the land. The grand majority of the race died when a Dreikathi weapon destroyed the Aalen forest. The same weapon then spread an infection that killed many Tsol’aa who came to help their kin. Since that loss, their culture has turned closed and inward, built on a reverence for nature and the worship of Life and the dead Goddess Lleis. ### [Xoran](/the-races-of-aetolia/xoran/) Xoran are bipedal reptilians from the eastern reaches of Sapience, and they were the foremost warriors of the early southeast. They are versatile and powerful, and remarkably varied in size and colour: every shade of the rainbow is within reach, and more. Alone among the races, they can breathe fire, the trait they are best known for. Today they can be found all across the continent. ## How to choose your race The honest answer: pick the one whose story you want to live in. Race in Aetolia matters less than people new to the game tend to think. The three racial skills are real but modest, and your statpack matters at least as much for your numbers. There is no race that locks you out of high-level play, no race that is objectively best, and no race-class combination that is forbidden. A few practical notes: - **You can reincarnate.** While you are still a newbie, you can reincarnate as many times as you want at no cost. After that, you get one free reincarnation, and additional ones can be purchased. Your first pick is not your last pick. - **Roleplay first, stats second.** Aetolia’s races carry deep cultural and religious traditions. A Mhun character can build their whole arc around faith, oppression, and the long road back to power. A Seyda can play a refugee from time itself. An Arborean can play something that simply does not think like other races. If that texture interests you, lean in. If not, pick something closer to the human baseline. - **Stats come from statpacks, not races.** After you pick a race, you choose a statpack that sets your five base stats (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Constitution, Wisdom). The two choices are independent. You are not locked into any stat distribution by your race. - **Gender across races.** No race is strictly male-locked or female-locked in Aetolia. Harpies are predominantly female and non-binary, with trans-male Harpies being rare. Arboreans are genderless by biology. Every other race is open to any gender. - **Tekal at level 99.** When your character reaches level 99, they become Tekal, and their mortal race becomes their Heritage. It is far away when you are starting out, but it is a real mechanic, and it means your race is not even forever in the very long game. If you cannot decide, the safe defaults are Human (least friction, most familiar) or Mhun (deep lore, plays well in any role, real religious roleplay available). Both let you focus on learning the game rather than learning your race’s quirks. The [new-player guide](/newbie-guide/) walks through statpacks, classes, and the first hour in-game. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Can I change my race later in Aetolia?** Yes. While you are still a newbie, you can reincarnate as many times as you want at no cost. After that, you get one free reincarnation. Additional reincarnations after that can be purchased. Your first race is not a permanent commitment. **Does my race determine what class I can play in Aetolia?** No. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. The 24 races and the [32 classes](/character-classes/) are independent systems. A Horkval Templar, a Seyda Indorani, a Xoran Bard: all valid. The combinations that read as unusual become someone’s favourite roleplay angle. **What’s the best race for new players in Aetolia?** There isn’t one objectively. The races are balanced enough that no choice is wrong. If you want the least friction, pick Human (no exotic mechanics to learn) or Mhun (deep lore, plays well in any role). Then focus on learning your class and the combat system, which will matter far more than your race. **Are any Aetolia races gender-locked?** No Aetolia race is strictly male-locked or female-locked. Harpies are predominantly female and non-binary, with rare trans-male Harpies. Arboreans are genderless by biology. Every other race is open to any gender at character creation. **Do races affect roleplay in Aetolia?** Yes. Aetolia’s setting is the Midnight Age, where Spirit and Shadow have fought for centuries, and most races carry political and religious history that other characters will read into your bearing. Mhun carry generations of oppression. Vampires (a sub-race, not a base race) tilt toward Bloodloch. Arborean and Seyda both have strong religious traditions. If race-driven roleplay interests you, lean into a more distinctive race. If you want a clean slate, Humans give you the most flexibility. **How much do racial stats actually matter in Aetolia?** Less than people new to the game expect. Stats come from your statpack, not your race, and the three racial skills are real but modest. Far more important: which class you pick, which statpack you choose, and how much time you put into combat and roleplay. Two players with identical races and identical classes can end up wildly different based purely on who put more time in. --- ### [The Xoran of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/xoran/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![A reptilian Xoran with scaled skin and fire breathing presence one of Aetolias signature races](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-xoran-hero-20260526.jpg "The Xoran of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Xorani are bipedal, reptilian, and can breathe fire. Their colours run the full spectrum, their builds vary more than any other race in Aetolia, and their lineage traces back to the foremost warriors of the early southeast. If you want a race whose silhouette reads as draconic on sight and whose signature ability is one of the most visually dramatic in the game, the Xorani fit. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**The east reaches of Sapience**Cultural home**Spread across the continent today; volcanic-tied in origin**Spiritual frame**Loosely tied to the early Priests’ inclination toward light, by way of the Xorani’s fiery breath**Distinctive trait**Fire-breathing reptiles with the most varied colouration of any Aetolian race**Suits play styles**Warrior identity, dramatic visual roleplay, volcanic and elemental themes**Gender lock**None## Xoran lore and origin The Xorani emerged from the east reaches of Sapience, with the HELP files naming the Drakt, [Grook](/the-races-of-aetolia/grook/), and [Kelki](/the-races-of-aetolia/kelki/) as their closest kin. They were the foremost warriors of the early southeast, and their fire-breathing was striking enough that it likely informed the early Priests’ philosophical leanings toward light. That one trait of Xoran anatomy probably shaped how the region’s early clergy thought about the sacred. The race is called the Xorani in the plural. The warrior history sits in the background of most Xoran characters even when they have chosen another life. A Xoran scholar or priest still carries the look of an old combatant, so the martial history tends to colour how other players read the character before it is ever spoken. If you want a race whose lore positions you as someone who walks in inheriting a martial tradition, even if your individual character has no interest in that tradition, the Xorani give you a starting frame other players will recognise immediately. ## Xoran appearance Xorani are bipedal and reptilian, with full scaled bodies and a build that varies more dramatically than any other Aetolian race. Height, weight, and physical aptitude all run a wide range. The colour palette is the broadest in the game. Every hue of the rainbow appears on Xoran scales, and beyond the rainbow there are iridescents, metallics, and mixes that no other race can claim. That visual variety creates a roleplay advantage worth using. Two Xoran characters can look completely different from each other while still reading as the same race. Pick a colour scheme that says something about your character before you ever speak. Colour does a lot of the characterisation work. A red-scaled Xoran carries one impression, a green-scaled one another, and scales shading toward black or grey suggest something darker again. ## Xoran racial abilities The Xoran have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. The package is unified around heat: resistance to it, defence from it, and the signature ability to produce it. - **Cold Blooded** (available at character creation). Passive. You absorb heat more easily than other races, which keeps you cooler in hot climates. The effect feels like wearing less clothing in the heat than you actually have on. - **Scales** (unlocks at Level 31). Passive. The hardened scales across your body resist fire-based damage by 2%. A small but always-on buffer against an entire damage type. - **Fire Breathing** (unlocks at Level 61). Syntax: `BREATHE FIRE AT `, `BREATHE FIRE `, or `BREATHE FIRE AT ICEWALL`. You exhale flame at a target, burning them and setting them ablaze. The same breath melts ice walls and can substitute for a tinderbox when you need to light a pipe or heat a forge. The level-61 unlock matters. Fire Breathing is one of the most visually dramatic racial abilities in the game, and it has utility outside combat as well. The wait rewards staying with the race long enough to reach it. ## Xoran base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength13Dexterity10Intelligence14Constitution9Wisdom13Xorani lean into Intelligence, Strength, and Wisdom, with average Dexterity and a slightly fragile Constitution. The profile comes across as a thinking warrior or a learned priest more than a nimble duellist or a tank. Your statpack does most of the actual work, so the racial baseline is flavour rather than a constraint. ## How to roleplay a Xoran in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** The east reaches of Sapience for origin, the whole continent for present-day reality. Today’s Xoran might be from anywhere, but the warrior heritage of the early southeast sits behind the character whether they engage with it or not. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Open. Xorani are not city-locked. Many gravitate to [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/) on the Shadow side, where the warrior pedigree finds a comfortable home, and many also settle in Spinesreach where intellect and scholarship are valued. Spirit-side Xorani exist too, often leaning on the historical tie between Xoran fire and the early Priests’ light. Pick the alignment that fits the character you want, then let the visual silhouette carry the room. - **Religious and spiritual texture.** The lore that Xoran fire-breathing influenced the early Priests’ inclination toward light is one of the most usable hooks in the race. A Xoran character can carry that history with reverence, with skepticism, or with pride, and any of those positions reads naturally. The race has a stake in the religious history of Sapience even if your individual Xoran does not practice. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will assume “warrior” on sight, and many will assume “dramatic” because the fire-breathing is dramatic. Lean into the reading or play against it. A quiet, contemplative Xoran whose flame stays sheathed for years at a time is just as valid as the obvious volcanic temperament. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Xoran Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Xoran lore, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Zealot](/character-classes/zealot/) Soulfire and channelled flame out of Enorian. Zealot’s whole identity runs on burning conviction, and a Xoran whose racial breath already produces literal fire is the most obvious fit for the class on the Spirit side. The class drives the metaphor of fire as faith, and the race brings the physical proof. ### [Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/) Bloodloch’s plate-armoured warrior class with a Necromantic edge. Carnifex inherits the “foremost warriors of the early southeast” lineage in the most direct way available. A Xoran Carnifex reads as the ancient warrior tradition pulled forward into the present and rebuilt around Shadow. ### [Templar](/character-classes/templar/) Enorian’s other warrior pillar, built around Battlefury and consecrated combat. The lore tie between Xoran fire-breathing and the early Priests of light maps onto Templar’s holy-warrior frame almost line for line. A Xoran Templar carries the historical resonance the race name keeps gesturing at. ### [Ravager](/character-classes/ravager/) Brutality, soulfire, and the hellfire of Perdition. Ravager is the Shadow-side counterpart to Zealot’s fire. A Xoran Ravager comes across as a warrior whose flame has been turned toward Corruption instead of light, and a fire-breathing brawler channelling Egotism is an easy thematic fit. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Xoran good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, especially for players who want a race that reads as exotic and dramatic from the first room description. Xoran abilities ramp toward a memorable level-61 payoff in Fire Breathing, so the early-game racial kit is mostly passive while you grow into the character. If you want a heavier starting kit, [Mhun](/the-races-of-aetolia/mhun/) gives you Digging from character creation. **What stats do Xoran have in Aetolia?** Xoran start with Strength 13, Dexterity 10, Intelligence 14, Constitution 9, and Wisdom 13. Lean toward Intelligence, Strength, and Wisdom, with lower Dexterity and Constitution. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Xoran in Aetolia?** Xoran have three racial abilities. Cold Blooded is passive at character creation and lets you absorb heat more easily, so hot climates affect you less. Scales unlocks at Level 31 and gives a 2% passive resistance to fire-based damage. Fire Breathing unlocks at Level 61 and lets you breathe flame at a target, set them ablaze, melt ice walls, or substitute for a tinderbox when lighting something small. **Where are Xoran from in Aetolia?** Xoran originated in the east reaches of Sapience, with the Drakt, [Grook](/the-races-of-aetolia/grook/), and [Kelki](/the-races-of-aetolia/kelki/) as their closest relations. They were the foremost warriors of the early southeast. Today they live all across the continent, with no single city-state holding a Xoran majority. Many find a cultural home in [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/) or Spinesreach. **Can a Xoran play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Kelki](/the-races-of-aetolia/kelki/) Xoran lore names Kelki directly as one of the Xorani’s closest relations, alongside Drakt and Grook. Both are scaled, both are tied to a specific element (Xoran to fire, Kelki to the sea), and both come out of the east of Sapience. Pick Kelki if you want the same exotic non-human silhouette with a water-and-survival frame instead of fire and warrior pedigree. ### [Horkval](/the-races-of-aetolia/horkval/) Aetolia’s other distinctly non-mammalian race. Horkval are insectoid where Xoran are reptilian, chitinous where Xoran are scaled, and disciplined where Xoran are dramatic. Pick if you want the same “your body is alien” payoff in roleplay but a colder, more communal cultural frame. ### [Imp](/the-races-of-aetolia/imp/) The other horned race with a fire-and-chaos undertone. Imps were created by the dead Goddess of Mischief and bring trickery and viciousness where Xoran bring warrior gravity. Pick if you want a small, sharp, dark-touched silhouette instead of a tall, scaled, fire-breathing one. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Tsol'aa of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/tsolaa/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![A Tsolaa elf kin figure with white hair and a blue energy whip ancient survivor of Aalen](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-tsolaa-hero-20260526.jpg "The Tsolaa of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Tsol’aa are Aetolia’s pointy-eared survivors, an elven-like race of roughly two thousand people who outlived the destruction of their forest homeland. Their culture closed inward after that calamity, anchored on reverence for nature and the worship of a dead Goddess. If you want a long-lived race that survived the near-destruction of its people and built its faith around what it lost, the Tsol’aa fit. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**The Aalen forest (destroyed); most survivors now in the Duiran Council**Cultural home**[Duiran](/world/duiran/) (forest city of nature and the Cycle)**Spiritual frame**Reverence for nature; worship of the dead Goddess Lleis and Life itself**Distinctive trait**Long-lived, elven-like survivors of a race-wide catastrophe with a closed culture and a faith for the fallen**Suits play styles**Survivor roleplay, nature-bound faith, grief and renewal, scholarly elegance**Gender lock**None## Tsol’aa lore and origin The Tsol’aa are lithe, pointy-eared, Human-like creatures with brown skin in varying hues and eyes that range from dark brown through hazel to green. Of the couple thousand still alive, most live within the Duiran Council, with a smaller number wandering Sapience or settling elsewhere. They are vaguely inspired by elves in the broader fantasy sense, but their identity in Aetolia is shaped by something more specific: the destruction of their homeland. The Aalen forest was the Tsol’aa heartland until a Dreikathi weapon shattered it. The initial impact killed every Tsol’aa living there. Worse, the weapon left a plague behind. It infected and killed the Tsol’aa who came afterward to mourn their dead and rescue survivors, so the race lost a second wave on top of the first. What remains is a fragment of what was: scattered families, a few thousand people, an old culture trying to remember itself. The Tsol’aa once held reverence for Lleis, the Lady of Renewal, whose tenets emphasised the seasons and the Cycle. Lleis is dead now. Her essence was ripped apart by Dendara’s corruption in a final act of sacrifice that brought one last resurgence of life to the Great Oak of Duiran. The Tsol’aa keep her memory as worship: a faith for the fallen Goddess and for Life itself, observed in the seasonal cycle she once watched over. Some still mark the year by hunts in summer and rituals across the changing seasons. Mooncakes are a traditional food. If you want a faith built on mourning and seasonal ritual rather than the worship of a living god, the Tsol’aa offer it. A new Tsol’aa character will not necessarily know all of this. After the Aalen, many Tsol’aa grew up without a strong connection to the culture of their forebears. Some seek to rediscover lost ties and rites. Others reject them outright. Both are legitimate paths. ## Tsol’aa appearance Tsol’aa are slender and pointy-eared, with brown skin in varying shades. Their eyes run from dark brown through hazel and into green. They are roughly Human in proportion but lighter of build, with the slighter frame of a people who tend to live long lives. Descendants of survivors of the Aalen plague sometimes carry physical imperfections or markings as inherited side-effects of the weapon’s lingering corruption. That is a roleplay hook, not a fixed trait; some Tsol’aa show no scars at all. ## Tsol’aa racial abilities The Tsol’aa have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. - **Meditator** (available at character creation). Syntax: `MEDITATE`. While meditating, you gain additional mana and willpower regeneration compared to others. - **Foraging** (unlocks at Level 31). Syntax: `FORAGE`. Experience with nature lets you occasionally find edible food in non-urban locations, reducing hunger. In fertile locations, you are guaranteed to find food, and it restores more nutrition than normal. - **Lucidity** (unlocks at Level 61). Syntax: `LUCIDITY`. Quiet your mind and let your secondary senses act for you. You can cure the blackout affliction at a cost of 25% of your maximum mana. Cooldown: 900 seconds. The package leans into mental discipline and quiet woodcraft, which suits the lore. Meditator gives a Tsol’aa class with mana or willpower demands a constant edge. Foraging keeps the race independent in the wilderness, which echoes their reverence for nature. Lucidity is a long-cooldown panic button against blackout, worth the level 61 wait if you fight in the kinds of fights where blackout actually lands. ## Tsol’aa base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the Tsol’aa racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength11Dexterity14Intelligence11Constitution13Wisdom10Tsol’aa lean hardest into Dexterity, with solid Constitution and average Strength and Intelligence. That profile reads as agile survivors more than as brute warriors or pure scholars, though your statpack does most of the actual work. ## How to roleplay a Tsol’aa in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** The Aalen is gone. Most living Tsol’aa carry that as a defining piece of their identity, whether by tradition or by reaction against it. The Duiran Council is the modern centre of Tsol’aa population, so a default Tsol’aa is a forest-dweller raised among others who share at least some of that history. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Duiran by default. The forest-city of nature and the Cycle suits Tsol’aa reverence for the natural world and worship of Life itself. The alignment is cultural, not mechanical; a Tsol’aa can join any city without breaking lore, but a Bloodloch Tsol’aa or a Spinesreach Tsol’aa is making a statement. Independent Tsol’aa wander Sapience. - **Religious texture.** Worship of the dead Goddess Lleis runs deep, and so does devotion to Life as a principle that outlasts any one deity. Seasonal observance is the most visible expression: hunts in summer, rituals at the changing seasons, the practice of leaving offerings. Some Tsol’aa instead push toward general helpfulness to those in need. Others have rejected the old faith after the Aalen and follow other Gods, or none. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will read a Tsol’aa as long-lived, somewhat reserved, and shaped by old grief. Lean into that, or play against it. A loud, gregarious Tsol’aa who refuses to grieve is just as valid as a quiet survivor with a ritual for every season. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Tsol’aa Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Tsol’aa lore, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) Forestal hunters of Duiran. Sentinels walk the wilds, bond with animal companions, and hunt anything that breaks the Cycle. Tsol’aa reverence for nature and post-Aalen attachment to the forest map onto Sentinel work as directly as any pairing in Aetolia. ### [Sylvan](/character-classes/sylvan/) Nature-bound Duiran class drawing on Fae magic, with claws, fangs, and a blood oath to Dia’ruis. The Tsol’aa relationship with the forest is the cultural foundation Sylvans build careers on. A Tsol’aa Sylvan reads as someone who turned grief over the Aalen into a sworn defence of every other living place. ### [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) Spirit-led Duiran class anchored in ancestry, ritual, and the unseen. Tsol’aa worship of the dead Lleis and the everyday observance of seasons gives a Shaman of this race a personal liturgy other Shamans do not automatically have. The dead-Goddess piece fits Shaman work especially well. ### [Bard](/character-classes/bard/) Untethered class that uses Songcalling to shape reality through music. The Tsol’aa origin myth tells of a young man named Sironn who taught the Canopy what a song was, and how his people became “the Song of the Canopy” in answer. A Tsol’aa Bard can lean on that origin in a way no other race can. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Tsol’aa good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, especially for new players who want a quiet, grief-aware survivor character with deep nature-faith roleplay. The Tsol’aa come with their tragedy already written, so other characters will treat you as carrying it before you say a word. If you want a lighter start, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) is the cleaner pick. **What stats do Tsol’aa have in Aetolia?** Tsol’aa start with Strength 11, Dexterity 14, Intelligence 11, Constitution 13, and Wisdom 10. Highest in Dexterity, solid in Constitution, average elsewhere. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Tsol’aa in Aetolia?** Tsol’aa have three racial abilities. Meditator is available at character creation and gives bonus mana and willpower regeneration while meditating. Foraging unlocks at Level 31 and lets you find food in non-urban locations, guaranteed in fertile ones. Lucidity unlocks at Level 61, cures the blackout affliction for 25% of your maximum mana, and has a 900-second cooldown. **Where are Tsol’aa from in Aetolia?** Tsol’aa came from the Aalen forest, which was destroyed by a Dreikathi weapon. The initial strike killed most of the race, and a plague born from the weapon killed many who came to help. Roughly two thousand Tsol’aa remain. Most now live within the [Duiran](/world/duiran/) Council, with smaller numbers elsewhere or wandering Sapience. **Can a Tsol’aa play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Mhun](/the-races-of-aetolia/mhun/) The other Aetolia race built around survival of catastrophe. Mhun outlived enslavement; Tsol’aa outlived the Aalen. Both carry closed cultures shaped by what was done to them. Pick if you want a survivor race with active political grievance and a religious renaissance instead of a quiet, grief-anchored faith. ### [Arborean](/the-races-of-aetolia/arborean/) A tree-like race recently restored to the world after ages of absence, deeply tied to nature. Arboreans share the Tsol’aa thread of an old people returning to a world that has forgotten them, but their origin runs through Yanai the Earthmother rather than Lleis. Pick if you want the nature reverence without the elven framing. ### [Seyda](/the-races-of-aetolia/seyda/) The other race Lleis created. Seyda were lost to magical stasis for ages and have only recently returned to a Sapience where their Goddess is dead. The shared dead-Lleis faith is the closest thematic mirror to the Tsol’aa anywhere in the game. Pick if you want the same religious frame in a vulpine, community-first culture instead of an isolated forest one. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Trolls of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/troll/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![A seven foot Troll brawler with intimidating frame corruption born from the frigid northlands](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-troll-hero-20260526.jpg "The Trolls of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Trolls are seven feet of leathery muscle, boundless hunger, and stubborn pride. They come from the frigid north, share blood with the Orcs and the Ogres, and were shaped in the First Mortal Epoch by the Goddess of Corruption herself. If you want a race that other characters underestimate to their cost, and that regenerates faster than almost anything else on the continent, the Trolls fit. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**The frigid northlands of Sapience**Cultural home**No single city; widespread across the continent, often near [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/) for the warrior-culture pull**Spiritual frame**Corruption-born lineage (with Orcs and Ogres); some Trolls drift toward Spirit**Distinctive trait**Brawler frame, legendary regeneration, infamous stubbornness**Suits play styles**Martial roleplay, mercenary or criminal arcs, outsider characters, brute-force combat texture**Gender lock**None## Troll lore and origin Trolls came out of the frigid northlands of Sapience and have always been a martial people. They share a creation story with the Orcs and the Ogres: all three races were shaped in the First Mortal Epoch through the machinations of the Goddess of Corruption. That ancestry still colours how other races read a Troll on sight, and a Troll character will run into that reputation often. Troll culture does not put much weight on books or scholarship. Most Trolls go into martial work, mercenary contracts, or the kinds of jobs the more civilised races prefer not to take. The body is the trade. A Troll who turns to scholarship is rare enough to be a character hook in itself. The race is famously stubborn. Other races treat Trolls as easily fooled because many of them speak a nonstandard dialect of Aetolian, but that’s a stereotype the smarter Trolls have used against people for centuries. If you want a race with a real edge of outsider grievance and a body that just won’t quit, the Trolls give you both. ## Troll appearance Trolls are powerfully built, often topping seven feet, with rough, leathery skin and a frame heavy enough to make the smaller races feel like prey. Skin tone ranges widely: most often some shade of gray, green, or brown, but lighter, darker, and red-skinned Trolls show up across the population. The leathery skin is part of why they shrug off damage that would put another race down. The Troll appetite is famously boundless and feeds directly into their regeneration. Trolls eat enormous amounts because their bodies are doing constant repair work. That same regenerative engine is why Trolls have a reputation for being hard to kill, and why their racial abilities lean toward staying upright and damaging. ## Troll racial abilities Trolls have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. - **Large Size** (available at character creation). Passive. Your large frame lets you handle heavy objects with no penalty as long as you are wielding the item in question. You are also less vulnerable to the effects of alcohol because your larger body requires more of it to feel anything. - **Intimidation** (unlocks at Level 31). Syntax: `INTIMIDATE `. By performing an open display of intimidation toward your target, you can instill fear in them. - **Hemostatic** (unlocks at Level 61). Passive. Your enhanced blood naturally clots on its own, reducing the amount of bleeding you receive from denizens by 3%. The package fits the lore. Large Size sells the brawler frame from day one, and Intimidation gives a Troll a social-pressure tool by mid-level. Hemostatic is a quieter, always-on reward for reaching level 61: a Troll bleeds less, which stacks with the race’s regenerative reputation. ## Troll base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength15Dexterity11Intelligence9Constitution12Wisdom11Trolls have one of the highest Strength baselines in the game, with low Intelligence and average everything else. That profile reads as a frontline brawler before you ever touch a statpack. The Intelligence dip is where the race’s dim reputation comes from, and players who lean into a sharper Troll character get to play against type all day. ## How to roleplay a Troll in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** The frigid northlands of Sapience. Most Trolls grew up far from the major city-states and came south for work, war, or trouble. There is no Troll mountainhome or Troll capital, which means individual Troll characters have a lot of latitude in how they relate to the rest of the world. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** No hard lock. Trolls share their corruption-born lineage with Orcs and Ogres, and that history pulls many of them toward [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/) and the Shadow-aligned warrior culture there. Others have followed the Orc pattern of drifting toward Spirit and finding work in [Enorian](/world/enorian/) or further afield. A Troll character can lean into the dark-fantasy bruiser archetype or play hard against it. - **Outsider texture.** Other races read Trolls as unintelligent and easily fooled, partly because many Trolls speak a nonstandard dialect of Aetolian. That stereotype is a roleplay gift. A Troll character can use being underestimated as a deliberate tactic, or wear the dialect as a point of cultural pride, or shed it entirely as a deliberate break from origin. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will assume mercenary, criminal, soldier, or brute. Lean into one of those for a clean read, or play against all of them: a Troll scholar, a Troll priest, a Troll who refuses every fight is just as valid as the seven-foot enforcer. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Troll Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Troll lore and culture, which can make for naturally cohesive characters. ### [Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/) Bloodloch’s frontline warrior class: heavy armour, heavy weapons, undead-tinged martial discipline. The Carnifex frame matches Troll culture’s emphasis on the body as the trade, and the city alignment matches the corruption-born lineage. A Troll Carnifex is the most direct read of the race’s stereotype, which is exactly what some players want. ### [Bloodborn](/character-classes/bloodborn/) Bloodloch’s vampiric melee tradition. Trolls regenerate; Bloodborn drain. Stacking those two recovery engines gives a character who is genuinely hard to put down. The political fit also reinforces the dark-fantasy frame the race carries. ### [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/) Shadow magic out of Spinesreach. A Troll Sciomancer plays directly against type: the race’s reputation is brute force, and Sciomancer is intellect and arcane control. That tension makes the character interesting from the first room someone meets them in. ### [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) Wilderness mastery out of Duiran. Trolls came from the cold north, where survival was the first skill anyone learned. A Troll Sentinel reads as a character who chose the wilds over the city-states, which is its own quiet statement against the corruption-born inheritance. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Trolls good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, especially for new players who want a clear, physical roleplay frame from day one. Trolls have a strong cultural read (martial, outsider, corruption-born), the highest Strength baseline in the game, and a regeneration-themed ability package that pays off over time. If you want a race with a less loaded reputation, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) is the lighter pick. **What stats do Trolls have in Aetolia?** Trolls start with Strength 15, Dexterity 11, Intelligence 9, Constitution 12, and Wisdom 11. One of the highest Strength baselines in the game, with low Intelligence and average everything else. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Trolls in Aetolia?** Trolls have three racial abilities. Large Size is available at character creation and removes weight penalties on heavy items and reduces the effects of alcohol. Intimidation unlocks at Level 31 and lets you instill fear in a target with an open display (`INTIMIDATE `). Hemostatic unlocks at Level 61 and is a passive 3% reduction in bleeding from denizens. **Where are Trolls from in Aetolia?** Trolls originate from the frigid northlands of Sapience. They share their creation story with Orcs and Ogres: all three races were shaped in the First Mortal Epoch through the machinations of the Goddess of Corruption. Trolls have no single capital or mountainhome, so individual characters often drift south for martial work, often ending up near [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/). **Can a Troll play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Ogres](/the-races-of-aetolia/ogre/) The Troll’s closest cousin. Ogres share the corruption-born creation story and the oversized frame, but where Troll culture turned toward martial and mercenary work, many Ogres turned toward religion and magic in spite of their size. Pick if you want the giant-kin frame with a more thoughtful or devout angle. ### [Orcs](/the-races-of-aetolia/orc/) The third corruption-born sibling. Orcs are slightly smaller, sharper, and more tactically minded, with a long history of military innovation and ritual scarification. The Troll-Orc-Ogre triangle is one of the cleanest race clusters in the game, and Orcs are the warrior twin to Troll’s brawler. ### [Minotaurs](/the-races-of-aetolia/minotaur/) The other oversized warrior race, from an entirely different lineage. Minotaurs share Trolls’ Strength 15 baseline and the brawler-frontline read, but their cultural anchor is Severn the Manipulator and the village of Sterion in the Tarean mountains. Useful if you want the heavy-hitter frame without the corruption-born history. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Seyda of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/seyda/) **Published:** May 27, 2026 **Author:** ironrealms **Content:** ![A Seyda vulpine fox folk figure recently returned from magical stasis faith of dead Lleis](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-seyda-hero-20260526.jpg "The Seyda of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Seyda are Aetolia’s newest playable race and one of its oldest in lore: a whole village of vulpine fox-folk lost in magical stasis for thousands of years. They walked back into Sapience in 12 AC when an ancient sorcerer was finally defeated. Their Goddess died while they slept. Old Witch Tala had to scrape the worst of their memories away to keep their minds intact. If you want a race that is grieving, disoriented, and rebuilding from a hole in its own history, the Seyda fit. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**Vimuna, where the Aureliana Forest meets the Liruma Scrubland**Cultural home**Vimuna (independent village, newly restored from magical stasis)**Spiritual frame**The dead Goddess Lleis and the philosophy of the Cycle**Distinctive trait**Newest playable race, freed from millennia of stasis with fragmented memories**Suits play styles**Grief and rebuilding roleplay, faith-after-death, refugee-out-of-time, seasonal ritual**Gender lock**None## Seyda lore and origin The Seyda were created by [Lleis](/the-races-of-aetolia/tsolaa/), the Lady of Renewal, in ages past. By the time anyone in modern Sapience had reason to remember them, they were thought all but extinct: scattered families in forest pockets, a name in old religious texts, a footnote. Their ancestral village of Vimuna had been trapped in stasis by Morvaethe, the Curator, an ancient sorcerer who froze the village at the height of its prosperity. The Seyda inside never aged, never moved, never noticed. The stasis lasted thousands of years. When Morvaethe was finally defeated in the Year 12 AC, Vimuna came back. So did everyone in it. They walked into a world that had moved on, where their Goddess was dead and their civilisation existed only in fragments. The release was not clean. After thousands of years frozen, the weight of those centuries would have crushed any mind that woke up carrying them. Old Witch Tala intervened. She drew the Seyda’s suffering away from them and transferred it to Morvaethe, who was already losing. The Seyda kept their sanity at the cost of their pre-stasis memories. A Seyda who lived three thousand years ago now celebrates a birthday a few decades past, and their mind accepts that as natural. The gap is real. They just don’t feel it the way they should. If you want religious roleplay built around loss rather than devotion, the Seyda give you a lot to work with: a faith whose god is gone, kept alive through the seasons. ## Seyda appearance Seyda are bipedal fox-folk, four and a half to five and a half feet tall, with elongated vulpine muzzles, dark noses, and large triangular ears that swivel to track sound. Fur colour ranges widely: russet, silver, sable, golden, cinnamon, dark, snow, brindle, flame. Lighter coloration commonly appears at the ear tips, tail tips, and around the muzzle. Eye colours include amber, grey, black, hazel, light-green, mahogany, umber, silver, and green. Long, bushy tails are highly expressive of mood. Sharp claws grow on both hands and feet, though most Seyda keep them trimmed for daily life. Males tend to slightly larger builds and may grow manes that extend from head to shoulders. Females tend toward more slender frames. ## Seyda racial abilities The Seyda have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. The set leans toward recovery and the slow climb back from a setback, which fits a race that lost everything and started over. - **Digging** (available at character creation). Syntax: `DIG` or `BURY `. Your hands are rugged enough to dig a hole in the ground without needing a shovel. - **Bodyheat** (unlocks at Level 31). Passive. Your body produces extra warmth, giving you a 2% resistance to cold-based damage. - **Renewal** (unlocks at Level 61). Passive. If you fall below your highest recorded level and experience, you gain 3% more global experience while climbing back. Renewal is unique to the Seyda. No other race gets an experience bonus for climbing back after a loss. The name points straight at Lleis, the Lady of Renewal: you recover faster after falling behind. ## Seyda base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrengthTBDDexterityTBDIntelligenceTBDConstitutionTBDWisdomTBDThe default statpack offered to Seyda players in-game is Limber, which suits a build that leans on Dexterity. That’s a statpack hint rather than a race-stat fact, so read it loosely. Your statpack does most of the actual work; race-level numbers nudge but do not determine your final stats. ## How to roleplay a Seyda in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** Vimuna, where the Aureliana Forest meets the Liruma Scrubland. Most modern Seyda either walked out of Vimuna’s stasis in 12 AC or come from the small, scattered family groups that survived outside it. A Vimuna-born Seyda is freshly thawed out of millennia. A scattered-family Seyda grew up watching the world from a forest pocket. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Independent by default. Vimuna isn’t pledged to any city. Spiritually, the closest fit is [Duiran](/world/duiran/), which centres nature and the legacy of Lleis. Per HELP SEYDA, some Seyda who could not accept their Goddess’s death have joined “societies antithetical to their traditional values,” so a Bloodloch or Spinesreach Seyda reads as a character in crisis. That’s a legitimate angle. - **Religious texture.** Seyda culture is built around the philosophy of the Cycle: spring (birth), summer (growth), autumn (harvest), winter (death and renewal). Many Seyda associate themselves with a particular season, and that association can change as they age and renew. For most, the seasonal rituals are how they find the divine without their Goddess. For others, the absence is unbearable. Pick a posture. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will read a Seyda as freshly arrived from somewhere very old, grieving a deity they may not remember well, and more comfortable in a small community than a city. Lean into the dislocation, or play against it. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Seyda Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Seyda lore, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Sylvan](/character-classes/sylvan/) Forestal communion and the slow cultivation of a grove. Sylvan reverence for the wilds maps onto Seyda reverence for the Cycle. A Sylvan Seyda reads as a Lleisian devotee carrying their Goddess’s domain forward by hand, season by season. ### [Warden](/character-classes/warden/) Clan-bound combat that calls on the Bear, Serpent, and Raven, and on the strength of one’s ancestors. For a Seyda whose pre-stasis past survives only in fragments, a Warden’s practice of drawing power from ancestral memory reads as a way to fight with a history they can no longer fully recall. The Warden is a Duiran class, like the Sylvan, Shaman, and Sentinel. ### [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) Spirit-led, ancestor-aware roleplay rooted in Duiran. For a Seyda whose pre-stasis memories are fragmented, a Shaman’s relationship with ancestral spirits is a way to reach back through the gap Tala had to cut. ### [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) Wilderness mastery and beast-bonded combat. A Sentinel Seyda reads as a hunter who treats Vimuna’s surroundings the way their ancestors treated the world they no longer remember: as the entire scope of what matters. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Seyda good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, especially if you want a built-in roleplay arc from day one. The whole race is freshly out of stasis, missing chunks of memory, and mourning a dead Goddess. Other characters will read all of that into a Seyda on sight. If you want a cleaner slate, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) is the lighter pick. **What stats do Seyda have in Aetolia?** Aetolia uses five base stats: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Constitution, and Wisdom. Per-race baseline numbers for Seyda are pending confirmation. The default in-game statpack offered to new Seyda characters is Limber, which suggests a Dexterity lean. Your statpack is a separate choice from your race and does most of the actual stat work. **What are the racial abilities of Seyda in Aetolia?** Seyda have three racial abilities. Digging is available at character creation (`DIG` or `BURY `, dig without a shovel). Bodyheat unlocks at Level 31 and gives passive 2% cold-damage resistance. Renewal unlocks at Level 61, a passive 3% bonus to global experience whenever you are below your highest recorded level. **Where are Seyda from in Aetolia?** Seyda originated in Vimuna, a village now restored where the Aureliana Forest meets the Liruma Scrubland. For thousands of years Vimuna was trapped in magical stasis by Morvaethe, the Curator. When he was defeated in 12 AC, the village came back and the Seyda walked into the modern world for the first time in living memory. A small population also survived outside the stasis in scattered forest communities. **Can a Seyda play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Tsol’aa](/the-races-of-aetolia/tsolaa/) The closest cousin. Like the Seyda, the Tsol’aa keep the dead Goddess Lleis at the centre of their faith, and they too lost most of their race to catastrophe, a Dreikathi weapon in their case. The Tsol’aa have had centuries to settle into the grief; the Seyda are still raw from it. ### [Arborean](/the-races-of-aetolia/arborean/) Another ancient nature race that returned to a world that had forgotten it. Arborean culture is built around chlorophyll, photosynthesis, and a rooted plant-kin worldview rather than seasonal ritual, and their faith centres on Yanai the Earthmother, not Lleis. Pick if you want religious roleplay that is alive and growing rather than mourning a loss. ### [Rajamala](/the-races-of-aetolia/rajamala/) The other prominent beast-folk race. Rajamala carry the tiger-stripe and predator frame, a useful contrast to Seyda fox-folk. Rajamala lean into pride and territory; Seyda into community and renewal. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Rajamala of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/rajamala/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![A Rajamala tiger folk warrior with striking feline features and beast kin bearing](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-rajamala-hero-20260526.jpg "The Rajamala of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Rajamala are Aetolia’s bipedal tiger-folk: descendants of the lost empire of Farsai, scattered across Sapience after their homeland in the Itzatl Rainforest fell to the Dark Empire and the corrupting power of Ati. They are striking on sight, with bifurcated eyes and fur in tawny, red, brown, black, or rare pure white, often dashed with dark streaks. Want a character who stands out on sight and carries the memory of a fallen kingdom? The Rajamala give you both. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**Itzatl Rainforest (origin); now scattered across Sapience**Cultural home**Saluria, the last indigenous Rajamala village in the Itzatl**Spiritual frame**The Goddess Omei (their creatrix) and a Rajamala pantheon**Distinctive trait**Bipedal tiger-folk descended from the fallen empire of Farsai**Suits play styles**Hunter and stalker roleplay, religious texture, diaspora identity, visually distinct characters**Gender lock**None## Rajamala lore and origin The Rajamala come out of the Itzatl Rainforest, where they once held the empire of Farsai. Farsai was destroyed by the Dark Empire, by corruption inside the kingdom, and by the malign power of Ati, spawn of the Shadow Mother. Most Rajamala alive in the present day are descendants of immigrants who left the Itzatl before or during that collapse, or natives of Saluria, the one indigenous village still standing in the rainforest. Their origin runs deeper than Farsai. According to the tale told by Klaana, the Rajamala were once mortals who looked to the great cats of the Itzatl for guidance during the time of the great unknowing, when intellect had not yet settled on the world. The Goddess Omei smiled upon that hunger and reshaped them: shorter fingers, curved claws, powerful legs, sharp senses, tail and paws. They became tigers in truth, and their fur was the pure orange of sunset. Then a second deity intervened, furious that mortals had been remade as beasts, and tore the Rajamala apart from the inside. One half kept the shape of tiger and walked on four legs. The other half regained two legs and the capacity for speech, but kept the tail and the fur, now streaked with black where the orange had been torn away. That second half are the Rajamala of today: the people of the Curved Claw, the Raja Mala in the Oldest Tongue. Religion sits close to the centre of Rajamala life. Omei remains their creatrix, and a pantheon of other Gods, some of them analogues of more widely known deities and others devised by Omei herself out of dreams and belief, defends the people. These myths and stories still shape Rajamala culture, even in scattered diaspora communities far from the Itzatl. For religious roleplay, the Rajamala give you a clear creator-goddess, a remembered fallen kingdom, and an active mythology to build a character on. ## Rajamala appearance Rajamala read as human-like felines on a tiger frame. They are bipedal but unmistakably cat: curved claws on the hands, a long tail, fur covering the body. Their eyes are bifurcated, an unsettling detail up close. Fur ranges across tawny gold, deep red, warm brown, sometimes purest black, occasionally rare white, and most often a tawny or red base dashed with dark streaks running through the coat. Build sits somewhere between Human and feline. Many Rajamala are physically active and play with the predator’s reflexes that come with the heritage. They are easily distractible, given to long naps and sudden bursts of energy, and inclined toward play. None of that is purely flavour: it is how the race actually moves in the world. ## Rajamala racial abilities The Rajamala have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. - **Fur Coat** (available at character creation). Passive. Your fur coat provides extra insulation and keeps your body warm. It works as though you were wearing additional clothing in colder climates. - **Grooming** (unlocks at Level 31). Syntax: `GROOM \[target\]`. You can groom yourself or someone else to remove any stink picked up on your travels. - **Scent** (unlocks at Level 61). Syntax: `SCENT`. Your nose has evolved to the point where you can detect individual scents within the same area coming from other adventurers, though not their precise location. Scent does not pick up adventurers who are cloaked from detection or hiding their scent. The package leans into the feline body itself. Fur Coat handles cold climates passively from level 1. Grooming is mostly flavour but a nice piece of roleplay texture. Scent at level 61 is a soft tracking ability that pairs naturally with stalker and hunter roleplay. ## Rajamala base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength10Dexterity15Intelligence13Constitution11Wisdom9Rajamala lean hard into Dexterity, with solid Intelligence, average Constitution, and lower Strength and Wisdom. The profile reads as fast, alert hunters more than crushing front-liners. Your statpack does most of the actual work, so the racial baseline is a flavour signal, not a class barrier. ## How to roleplay a Rajamala in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** The Itzatl Rainforest, fallen Farsai, and the village of Saluria. Most Rajamala carry some version of diaspora identity: scattered descendants of a kingdom that died long before the modern age. A Rajamala raised in Saluria reads differently from one born to immigrant parents in a coastal city, and both are valid. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Independent by default. The Rajamala have no mechanical lock to any of the four major city-states, and the diaspora has carried them into every faction. A Saluria-raised traditionalist might naturally drift toward [Duiran](/world/duiran/) for its wilderness reverence; an urban-raised Rajamala could just as easily settle in [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/), [Enorian](/world/enorian/), or [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/) without breaking the lore. - **Religious texture.** Omei the creatrix sits at the centre of traditional Rajamala faith, supported by a pantheon of other Gods, some genuine and some shaped by Omei herself out of belief and dream. Klaana’s origin tale is part of that mythology. If you want religious roleplay tied to a living goddess rather than a dead one, Omei works as one of the better living-goddess anchors for religious roleplay. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will read a Rajamala as a hunter, a stalker, or a scattered survivor of Farsai. Some will assume the playful, easily distractible, nap-prone temperament described in the lore. Lean into that, or play against it. A Rajamala scholar buried in Spinesreach archives is just as valid a character as a Saluria-born tracker who has never left the Itzatl. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Rajamala Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Rajamala lore, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Predator](/character-classes/predator/) Knife-fighter with Knifeplay, Predation, and Beastmastery. Predator’s whole identity is the hunter who closes the distance and finishes the kill, which is the Rajamala’s whole identity too. Untethered, so the character is free to settle in any city. ### [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) Wilderness mastery and beast-bonded combat out of Duiran. Sentinel’s reverence for the wilds maps onto a Rajamala raised in or near the Itzatl, and the Woodlore skill set, which bonds the Sentinel to feral animal companions, reads as natural for a tiger-folk character who already moves like a predator. ### [Shapeshifter](/character-classes/shapeshifter/) Beast-form transformation across five Packmoot factions. A Rajamala Shapeshifter leans into the half of the Klaana tale that the modern Rajamala lost: the four-legged tiger shape, recovered through the discipline of the class rather than reclaimed from the divine. ### [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) Spirit-led, ancestor-aware roleplay rooted in Duiran. The Omei pantheon and the Klaana origin myth give a Rajamala Shaman a deep well of personal ritual and ancestral memory that other Shamans do not automatically have access to. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Rajamala good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, especially for new players who want a visually distinctive character with built-in religious and hunter roleplay hooks. The Itzatl origin, the fallen Farsai empire, and Omei’s pantheon all give a new Rajamala plenty to work with on day one. If you want a less specific cultural starting point, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) is the lighter pick. **What stats do Rajamala have in Aetolia?** Rajamala start with Strength 10, Dexterity 15, Intelligence 13, Constitution 11, and Wisdom 9. The profile leans heavily into Dexterity with solid Intelligence and average Constitution. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Rajamala in Aetolia?** Rajamala have three racial abilities. Fur Coat is available at character creation (passive, treats you as wearing extra clothing in cold climates). Grooming unlocks at Level 31 (`GROOM \[target\]`, removes stink from yourself or another character). Scent unlocks at Level 61 (`SCENT`, detects other adventurers’ scents in your area, but not their location, and not when they are cloaked or hiding their scent). **Where are Rajamala from in Aetolia?** Rajamala come from the Itzatl Rainforest, where they once held the empire of Farsai. Farsai fell to the Dark Empire, internal corruption, and the work of Ati, spawn of the Shadow Mother. Most modern Rajamala are scattered descendants of that diaspora, or natives of Saluria, the last indigenous Rajamala village still standing in the Itzatl. **Can a Rajamala play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Seyda](/the-races-of-aetolia/seyda/) The other prominent beast-folk race. Seyda are vulpine fox-folk, recently restored after a millennia-long stasis, with their own creator-goddess (the dead Lleis) and a community-rooted seasonal culture. The shared theme with Rajamala is survival of a near-extinction and a faith centred on a specific goddess, but where Omei still walks and shapes her people, Lleis no longer does. ### [Nazetu](/the-races-of-aetolia/nazetu/) The contrast pick. Nazetu are another created race, but where the Rajamala were shaped by Omei out of beasts that already lived in the world, Nazetu were created by the dead Chakrasul as agents of corruption and decay. Both are striking on sight; the religious flavour pulls in opposite directions. Useful if you are choosing between a goddess-blessed hunter race and a goddess-cursed coast race. ### [Xoran](/the-races-of-aetolia/xoran/) Bipedal reptilian to the Rajamala’s bipedal feline. Xorani are diverse in size, colour, and aptitude, with fire breathing as their signature ability at level 61. Pick if you want the same “visually striking, non-baseline humanoid” niche the Rajamala fill, but in a different elemental and cultural direction. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Orc of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/orc/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![An Orc warrior figure with cunning bearing and battle ready posture Bloodloch aligned](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-orc-hero-20260526.jpg "The Orcs of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Orcs are Aetolia’s tusked, green-skinned warriors, created by the Goddess of Corruption alongside their Ogre and Troll cousins in the First Mortal Epoch. They took Dun Valley by force, served as the muscle of the Indorani Empire, and never quite shook the reputation that empire left behind. If you want a race where the world expects you to be a soldier and you get to decide what you do with that, the Orcs fit. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**Dun Valley jungles**Cultural home**[Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/) (historical Shadow alignment; foot-soldiers of the city’s armies)**Spiritual frame**Created by the Goddess of Corruption; Rahnite philosophy of scarification**Distinctive trait**Cunning, endurance, and might bundled into a single warrior package**Suits play styles**Frontline combat, soldier roleplay, redemption arcs, scarred-veteran characters**Gender lock**None## Orc lore and origin Orcs were created by the Goddess of Corruption, the same hand that shaped Ogres and Trolls, in the First Mortal Epoch. They began as nomadic hunter-gatherers. They moved on Dun Valley with the Ogres and drove out the human tribes already settled there. Their cunning for war shows up this early. The Indorani Empire is the second turning point. Enslaved Orcs made up a significant minority of the imperial military, and when that dynasty fell, the Orcs inherited the reputation: corruption, destruction, fear. The Children of Despair were gone, but the Orcs carried what other races remembered of them. That stigma still shapes how strangers read an Orc on sight. The race has a long history of military innovation. Whether an Orc or a Dwarf forged a given technique first is the kind of argument that has run for centuries with no one conceding. Orcs lean destructive and warlike because of how they were made, but their cunning runs underneath the brute force. Some Orcs have since converted to the Light, which has tempered the older warlike default for the part of the race that took that road. The rest stayed soldiers. For most Orcs, the soldier identity is the starting point, not a costume they put on. ## Orc appearance Orcs are large and angular, with two of their lower teeth grown into tusks and skin in mottled, lush green. That colour started as camouflage for the valley jungles where they evolved. Their features tend to be pronounced and sharp, without the gracefulness other humanoid races carry. Orc men carry ritual scarification across their bodies, with designs passed down through families and additional scars marking battle, wisdom, priesthood, and other honoured vocations. Scarification begins young, and finishing it (often with the most painful scars administered last) marks a man’s coming of age. Ogres practice the same custom with different designs, since both races found resonance with Rahnite philosophy during the Indorani period and kept the practice after the empire fell. More contemporary Dunnite thinkers object to the practice, but it persists in the diaspora. ## Orc racial abilities Orcs have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. The trio is a warrior package: a permanent weapon proficiency from Cunning, more endurance from Enduring, and a small brute-damage bump from Might. - **Cunning** (available at character creation). Syntax: `CUNNING SELECT ` or `CUNNING SHOW`. Pick a single weapon and gain proficiency in it. The choice is permanent, so think before you lock it in. See `HELP PROFICIENCY` in game for more. - **Enduring** (unlocks at Level 31). Passive. Your endurance is unmatched by other races, raising your maximum endurance by 5%. - **Might** (unlocks at Level 61). Passive. No race is mightier in physical combat. Brute-sourced damage you deal is increased by 1%. The package reads as a warrior who picks one weapon early, outlasts opponents through Enduring, and hits a fraction harder once Might unlocks. It rewards staying with the race long enough to reach 61 and committing to the weapon you picked at creation. ## Orc base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength14Dexterity13Intelligence10Constitution10Wisdom12Orcs lean heavily into Strength, with solid Dexterity and below-average Intelligence and Constitution. That profile reads as a fast, hard-hitting frontline fighter rather than a tank or a caster, though your statpack does most of the actual work. The Cunning weapon proficiency naturally extends the Strength-Dexterity bias. ## How to roleplay an Orc in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** Dun Valley jungles. Whether your Orc grew up there or in the post-Indorani diaspora, the valley shapes the family stories and the scars they carry. Family scarification patterns are an easy hook for a backstory: who taught you the designs, which scars are yours, and which you inherited. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Historically tied to [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/) and the Shadow. Orcs served the Indorani as soldiers and slid into Bloodloch’s orbit after the empire collapsed, and that lineage still pulls most Orc characters toward the city. The lore also notes that conversion to the Light has tempered the warlike default for some, so an Orc who broke ranks and ended up in [Enorian](/world/enorian/) is canon-supported if you want the harder roleplay arc. - **Reputation you inherit.** Other characters will read an Orc as dangerous, ex-military, and probably loyal to Bloodloch on sight. The race’s reputation for corruption and destruction was earned during the Indorani period and never really shed. Lean into the stereotype, or play against it. A scholar-Orc or a redemption-arc Orc lands harder precisely because the default expectation is “soldier.” - **Common archetypes.** Frontline warrior, scarred veteran, ex-Indorani descendant, Bloodloch enforcer, redemption-arc convert. The race carries more military backstory than almost any other, which means an Orc who has never held a weapon also reads as deliberately interesting. ## Which Aetolia classes fit an Orc Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Orc lore and culture, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/) The Bloodloch warrior class, brutal and direct. Carnifex maps onto the default Orc frame so cleanly that it almost feels like the lore was written for it: a tusked foot-soldier serving the corruption-aligned city, hitting hard, taking punishment, and outlasting opponents. The Cunning weapon pick plus Enduring plus Might stacks well into Carnifex’s combat identity. ### [Indorani](/character-classes/indorani/) The direct lore tie. Orcs filled the Indorani Empire’s military as slaves, and the modern Indorani class carries the empire’s legacy forward into the present. A modern Orc Indorani reads as someone reclaiming the role their ancestors were forced into, which is one of the richer roleplay setups in the race-class space. ### [Ravager](/character-classes/ravager/) Shadow-tethered berserker. If Carnifex is the disciplined soldier-Orc, Ravager is the unchained one. The class leans into raw destructive force, which matches the warlike default the lore says the race was built around. Works for an Orc who never bought into Indorani discipline or Bloodloch’s command structure. ### [Templar](/character-classes/templar/) The conversion-to-Light arc. Templars serve [Enorian](/world/enorian/) and the Spirit; the lore explicitly says some Orcs have walked that road and have been tempered by it. An Orc Templar is the redemption-arc character, carrying the scars and the reputation of the race while standing in the city that hunts everything Bloodloch sends north. That friction is the whole appeal of the build. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Orcs good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, especially for new players who want a frontline warrior identity and a built-in reputation to play with or against. Orcs come with centuries of military lore, a strong stat profile for melee classes, and a clear faction-cultural pull toward Bloodloch. If you want a cleaner slate without an inherited stigma, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) is the lighter pick. **What stats do Orcs have in Aetolia?** Orcs start with Strength 14, Dexterity 13, Intelligence 10, Constitution 10, and Wisdom 12. Strong physical baseline, weaker in Intelligence and Constitution. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Orcs in Aetolia?** Orcs have three racial abilities. Cunning is available at character creation and lets you pick a single weapon to gain permanent proficiency in (`CUNNING SELECT `). Enduring unlocks at Level 31 and is a passive 5% boost to your maximum endurance. Might unlocks at Level 61 and is a passive 1% bonus to brute-sourced damage. **Where are Orcs from in Aetolia?** Orcs come out of Dun Valley, which they took from the human tribes there in the First Mortal Epoch alongside their Ogre cousins. After the Indorani Empire collapsed, the Orcs were left with the empire’s reputation and most of them slid into [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/)‘s orbit, where they still serve as foot-soldiers of the city’s armies. **Can an Orc play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Ogre](/the-races-of-aetolia/ogre/) The Orcs’ direct cousins, created by the same Goddess of Corruption and present in Dun Valley with them from the start. Ogres are bigger, slower, and tilt more religious and contemplative than Orcs, but they share the scarification practice and most of the same post-Indorani diaspora story. Pick if you want the warrior-cousin frame with more weight on faith and stone than on cunning and steel. ### [Troll](/the-races-of-aetolia/troll/) The third of the corruption-created trio, most closely related to the Orcs and Ogres. Trolls are physically the most imposing of the three and share the warlike origin, but their culture sits further outside settled society. Pick if you want the corruption-cluster identity without the Indorani military backstory. ### [Minotaur](/the-races-of-aetolia/minotaur/) The contrast pick. Minotaurs are also physically formidable warriors, but their lore sits outside the corruption-created cluster entirely. Useful if you are choosing between a soldier-Orc with inherited stigma and a soldier-character without one. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Ogres of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/ogre/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![An Ogre brawler figure with stone skinned slow moving bulk built to absorb punishment](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-ogre-hero-20260526.jpg "The Ogres of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Ogres are the biggest race in Aetolia and the slowest. Their skin runs in shades of stone grey, their eyes are small and black, and they win fights by outlasting whatever is trying to bring them down. If you want a character who wears punishment rather than dodges it, and who carries a complicated history of religion, magic, and military service under a dead empire, the Ogres fit. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**Dun Valley (after origins in caves and mountains)**Cultural home**None central; Ogres scattered as a diaspora after the Indorani Empire collapsed**Spiritual frame**Broad pantheon worship with strong reverence for the earth**Distinctive trait**Stone-grey skin and a build engineered for absorbing damage**Suits play styles**Tank roleplay, religious texture, ex-imperial soldier history, slow-and-deliberate combat**Gender lock**None## Ogre lore and origin Ogres, like their cousin Orcs, were created by the Goddess of Corruption in the First Mortal Epoch, and both bear a distant relation to the Trolls. They started as cave-dwellers who preyed on travelers along the roads through their territory, then moved into Dun with the Orcs and used their size to crush the humans of the valley. Their early identity was simple: big, strong, and a problem if you crossed their road. That changed when the Indorani Empire rose. Ogres were drafted as shock troops, valued for their bulk and their lumbering, unstoppable advance. They served in the imperial military alongside Orcs through the work of enslavement and subjugation that defined that regime. When the Empire collapsed, the Ogres collapsed with it. They were left destitute and villainized by the other humanoid races, the same way ex-soldiers of any failed empire tend to be. What sets Ogres apart from their Orc cousins is what they did with the rest of their time. Many Ogres were devoutly religious, paying homage to a wide span of the pantheon and revering the earth in particular. Their travels gave them an unusual breadth of religious influence: Theran Humans, Salurian Rajamala, Ophidians, Xorani, and others all left fingerprints on how Ogres read the Aetolian pantheon. So in the culture that came out of Dun, the Ogres pulled toward religion and magic in spite of their great size. If you want a character whose body suggests one story and whose mind tells another, the Ogres give you that gap to work in. ## Ogre appearance Ogres are massive in both height and girth, with angular, imposing features and small black eyes. Their skin runs through hues of stone grey, which lets them blend into cave walls, mountain sides, and rocky outcroppings well enough that other races sometimes mistake a still Ogre for landscape. Ogre men carry ritual scarification across their lifetimes. Scars from battle get incorporated into the design. Family patterns pass down through generations, and additional scars mark wisdom, priesthood, and other honored vocations. The practice starts young, and its completion in adulthood involves the most painful scars and signifies a man’s coming of age. Orc men follow the same practice with different designs. Both came out of the Indorani period, when marks on the flesh were both punishment and identity, and both endured after the Empire fell. ## Ogre racial abilities Ogres have three racial abilities, all built around absorbing hits and staying upright. They unlock at character creation, level 31, and level 61. - **Brawler** (available at character creation). Passive. Your body is built for rough housing, which triples the power behind your basic punches and kicks. Pairs with the Survival skill Fisticuffs. - **Sturdiness** (unlocks at Level 31). Syntax: `STAND FIRM`. By concentrating on increasing your mass, you become immune to most physical attempts to move you, and fear has no effect while you stay firm. The defence drops the moment you move. - **Overcome** (unlocks at Level 61). Syntax: `OVERCOME`. Surprising blows are no match for your internal rage. You can push through and remove a stun, but it costs you 25% of your maximum health, and the ability has a 15-minute cooldown. The package reads as anti-disruption. Brawler is always-on damage for an unarmed Ogre. Sturdiness locks your feet to the ground when someone wants to throw you across the room. Overcome is the emergency button that gets you out of a stun at the cost of a chunk of life. None of these abilities save you from a bad fight, but each one buys you the second or two you need to keep absorbing. ## Ogre base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength13Dexterity10Intelligence14Constitution9Wisdom13The profile is unusual for a giant race. Strength and Intelligence both sit at the high end, with Wisdom close behind, while Constitution and Dexterity sit lower. The numbers match the lore: a big, religiously inclined people who are slow on their feet but sharp in the head. Your statpack still does most of the actual work, so treat this as flavour rather than fate. ## How to roleplay an Ogre in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** Dun Valley as ancestral ground, the Indorani military as inherited memory, scattered settlement across Sapience as present-day reality. Most Ogres do not live in any single homeland. The scattered settlements across Sapience are the closest thing they have to one. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Independent and varied. Ogres do not have a city the way Mhun have Moghedu or Atavians have Enorian, so any of the four city-states is a plausible home depending on which thread of the lore you pull. An Ogre in [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/) leans into the corruption heritage, while one in [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/) plays up the religious and magical bent. [Enorian](/world/enorian/) turns the same character into a redemption arc; [Duiran](/world/duiran/) makes it a story about reverence for the earth. Pick the city that gives you the friction you want to play. - **Religious texture.** The breadth of Ogre worship is the hook. Few races came out of so many cultural mixings, and an Ogre priest, scholar, or pilgrim has more legitimate texture to draw on than most. Reverence for the earth is the common thread. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will expect a slow, dim brute. Lean into that and be the silent absorber who never quite gets read right, or play directly against it as the soft-voiced Ogre theologian who happens to weigh as much as a horse. Both reads are equally lore-supported. ## Which Aetolia classes fit an Ogre Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Ogre lore, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. For an Ogre, that resonance lives in the durability frame: classes that want to stand in the front and stay there. ### [Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/) Bloodloch’s death-knight class, built around taking hits, leveraging tainted blood, and refusing to fall. The corruption heritage in Ogre lore folds directly into Carnifex’s frame, and the slow, deliberate combat suits a race that wins by lasting longer than its opponent. ### [Warden](/character-classes/warden/) Duiran’s ancestral guardian class, the Spirit mirror to Carnifex. Wardens lock down the front line through ancestry and battlefury rather than corruption. For an Ogre who reads the earth-reverence side of the lore as the real one, Warden gives a frame to defend the wilds without ever joining Bloodloch. ### [Teradrim](/character-classes/teradrim/) Earth elementalism and animated stone constructs. Teradrim’s whole identity is built around stone and earth, which is exactly where the Ogre’s religious bent points. For an Ogre who leans on the religious, earth-revering side of the lore, Teradrim is the most on-theme class in the game. ### [Monk](/character-classes/monk/) Untethered, telepathic, built around unarmed strikes through Tekura. Brawler triples basic punch and kick damage, which is the exact register Monk plays in. The slow contemplative side of Monk also fits the Ogre theologian read better than people expect from a race this large. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Ogres good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, especially if you want a slow, durable character whose roleplay is anchored in being noticeably large in every room. Ogres carry inherited history (the dead Indorani Empire, the corruption-creation arc, the scarification tradition) so other characters will read you on sight. If you want a lighter starting frame with fewer assumptions, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) is the cleaner pick. **What stats do Ogres have in Aetolia?** Ogres start with Strength 13, Dexterity 10, Intelligence 14, Constitution 9, and Wisdom 13. High Intelligence and Wisdom alongside above-average Strength, with lower Constitution and Dexterity. The profile is more scholar-giant than dumb-brute, even if other players assume the second one first. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. **What are the racial abilities of Ogres in Aetolia?** Ogres have three racial abilities. Brawler is passive from character creation and triples basic punch and kick damage. Sturdiness unlocks at Level 31 and grants immunity to forced movement and fear while you stay still. Overcome unlocks at Level 61 and lets you push through a stun at the cost of 25% of your maximum health, on a 15-minute cooldown. **Where are Ogres from in Aetolia?** Ogres originated as cave-dwellers and moved into Dun Valley in the First Mortal Epoch, where they joined the Orcs in taking the valley from its human tribes. They served as shock troops for the Indorani Empire until its collapse, after which they scattered across Sapience as a diaspora. Ogres have no central homeland in current canon, which gives a player room to pick the city or settlement that fits their character. **Can an Ogre play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Trolls](/the-races-of-aetolia/troll/) The third member of the corruption-cousin giant cluster. Trolls share the same creation by the Goddess of Corruption and read as the most overtly monstrous of the three. Pick if you want a giant frame with a wilder, less imperial history. ### [Minotaurs](/the-races-of-aetolia/minotaur/) Another large brawler race, but a different mythic path. Minotaurs are bound to Severn and centred on Sterion’s caste society, which gives a sharper city anchor than Ogres carry. Useful if you want size and combat presence without the diaspora frame. ### [Orcs](/the-races-of-aetolia/orc/) The direct cousin race. Orcs and Ogres share Dun heritage, ex-Indorani military identity, and the same ritual scarification practice with different designs. Pick Orcs if you want the leaner, faster, more overtly warlike read on the same creation lineage. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Nazetu of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/nazetu/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![A slimy skinned Nazetu humanoid figure broad and tall born of Chakrasuls corruption](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-nazetu-hero-20260526.jpg "The Nazetu of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Nazetu are slime-skinned, foul-smelling, and tall. Their creator, the Goddess of Corruption, is dead. What’s left is a people built for corruption with no living patron, a calendar of holy revelry that nobody answers, and a city full of Bloodloch neighbours who tolerate them. The Nazetu suit players who want dark religious roleplay and a body other characters react to with disgust: tall, slime-skinned, foul-smelling, and built to serve a goddess who no longer exists. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**Nazedha Isle (western seas); now scattered along Sapience’s eastern coast**Cultural home**[Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/) (mostly assimilated); outlying settlements at Ollin and Huanazedha**Spiritual frame**Chakrasul, the Goddess of Corruption (now dead); the sacred month of Chakros still observed**Distinctive trait**Slime-secreting bodies, naval heritage, and a religion built around a creator who no longer exists**Suits play styles**Dark religious roleplay, post-faith grief, Bloodloch politics, naval and pirate-adjacent backgrounds**Gender lock**None## Nazetu lore and origin The Nazetu came out of Nazedha Isle in the western seas. They were made by Chakrasul, the Goddess of Corruption, as agents of decay. In 111 MA they arrived on Sapience in a failed attempt to invade Ashtan. The invasion broke, but the diaspora stayed. Over the centuries since, mainland Nazetu have grown apart from their Nazedha source, defined now by a culture and religious practice that centres on Chakrasul. Most live on the eastern coast. The largest concentration is in [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/), where they are mostly assimilated. A small number cling to outposts of their own: Ollin started as a military camp and hardened into a permanent settlement, while Huanazedha sits on the ruins of fallen Ashtan, a rickety half-drowned hamlet of vice that trades in slaves, meat, booze, drugs, and brothels. Mainland settlements are poor. Nazetu tend to occupy ruins built by other peoples, not new construction of their own. The fact every Nazetu lives with is that Chakrasul is dead. She sacrificed herself in the Ysmali fusion event, and the Mother they were built to serve no longer exists. The month of Chakros stays sacred to her people, an extended holiday of revelry, indulgence, wanton destruction, and corruption, but the prayers reach no one now. The Nazetu give you a faith shaped by recent, permanent loss, where the rituals continue out of inheritance and identity rather than answered prayer. ## Nazetu appearance Nazetu are tall and broad-built, with dark, densely-coiled hair. Their skin is slimy: every Nazetu secretes a layer of viscous, foul-smelling ooze that keeps the skin moist and helps them swim. Older Nazetu can shed the slime for short periods, but it always returns. The smell is part of the race. Players are encouraged to decide whether their Nazetu reads as sweaty, rotten, fermented, acidic, fishy, or something else entirely, and to bake that into how other characters react. Skin blemishes are common: warts, lesions, blisters, boils. Some Nazetu carry other physical malformations, like extra fingers or toes. The race is not beautiful by the standards of the lighter-aligned peoples, and most Nazetu know it. That gap between how they appear and how they see themselves is good roleplay material. Diet runs heavily to the sea. Shellfish, fish, seaweed, crabs, and whatever else lingers along the coastline all end up in the stew pot, usually finished with strong spices. Bread tends toward cram and hardtack, a holdover from the naval heritage. Inland Nazetu have adapted, but most retain a keen taste for red meat. ## Nazetu racial abilities The Nazetu have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. - **Trawling** (available at character creation). Syntax: `TRAWL` and `EAT `. Your time spent in the water gives you the ability to trawl for edible food in watery environments. Fertile locations guarantee a catch and restore more nutrition than normal. You can also eat raw fish on hand. - **Enduring** (unlocks at Level 31). Passive. Your endurance is unmatched by other races, increasing your maximum endurance by 5%. - **Slime Spit** (unlocks at Level 61). Syntax: `SLIME `. The glands in your mouth produce a lightly acidic slime you can spit at a target. The effect varies on each use: a small amount of poison damage, blurry vision from slime in the eyes, or a foul odour that leaves the target stinky. The package leans into the naval and biological identity of the race. Trawling is a quality-of-life ability that matters more on long expeditions than in city play. Enduring is a quiet but always-on boost that rewards endurance-hungry classes. Slime Spit lands later but pulls the racial flavour into combat: a literal expression of what the Nazetu’s body is doing to everyone around it. ## Nazetu base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength15Dexterity11Intelligence9Constitution12Wisdom11Nazetu lead with Strength, sit at average on Constitution and Wisdom, and dip below average on Intelligence and Dexterity. That profile reads as physical aggressors and frontline brawlers more than scholars or nimble skirmishers, though your statpack does most of the actual work. ## How to roleplay a Nazetu in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** Most Nazetu grew up in Bloodloch and are functionally Bloodloch citizens with a Nazedha bloodline. A smaller share come from Ollin or Huanazedha, or trace their line directly to a Nazedha raider. The decision of how close your character sits to the Nazedha source, and how close to mainland assimilation, is one of the more interesting early choices for a Nazetu player. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/) and Shadow. The corruption Nazetu were made to spread is the same corruption Bloodloch trades in, so the fit is natural. Nazetu are not welcome in [Enorian](/world/enorian/) or [Duiran](/world/duiran/) without first shedding their corruption ties and becoming Arqeshi, the lighter-aligned counterpart race. - **Religious texture.** Chakrasul is dead. The Nazetu still observe Chakros, still see themselves as her children, and still inherit her gifts of fear, despair, malice, avarice, and might. The worship continues, but there is no one on the other end of the prayer. Some Nazetu deny this. Others embrace it as a sharpening: corruption is the inheritance, the practice does not need a living patron to mean something. Others quietly turn toward other shadow-aligned gods or fall into apathy. Pick a stance. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will read a Nazetu as a Bloodloch local with a difficult body, a complicated relationship with a dead goddess, and a militaristic naval lineage. Pirates, raiders, slavers, sages, and devotees of a dead faith all map cleanly. Lean into one, or play deliberately against it: a Nazetu who is trying to leave Bloodloch behind, or a Nazedha purist who never assimilated, both work. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Nazetu Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Nazetu lore, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/) Bloodloch’s brutal warrior-priest tradition, devoted to Bamathis the Warlord. Carnifex maps onto Nazetu’s militaristic side and ties the character into the dominant Bloodloch power structure. Plays against the dead-Chakrasul thread by giving the character a living patron god. ### [Bloodborn](/character-classes/bloodborn/) Bloodloch’s vampiric class, built around corruption of body and spirit. Bloodborn shares the slow-decay framing that defines the Nazetu identity. A Nazetu Bloodborn fits twice over: corruption by creation plus the slow vampiric decay of the class. Both halves of the character point the same way. ### [Praenomen](/character-classes/praenomen/) The other Bloodloch vampire class, scholarly and arcane where Bloodborn is visceral. A Nazetu Praenomen reads as a sage from the Nazetu religious tradition who has turned to vampirism for permanence the dead goddess could no longer offer. ### [Shapeshifter](/character-classes/shapeshifter/) Wilderness-anchored beast shifting tied to Duiran. The thematic pull is the opposite of the others: a Nazetu Shapeshifter has to leave Bloodloch behind, become Arqeshi, and answer to Spirit instead of Shadow. The character arc is the appeal. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Nazetu good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes for new players who want dark religious roleplay from day one and don’t mind playing a body that other characters react to with disgust. The slime, the smell, the visible blemishes are constant roleplay material. If you want a cleaner first character, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) is the lighter pick. **What stats do Nazetu have in Aetolia?** Nazetu start with Strength 15, Dexterity 11, Intelligence 9, Constitution 12, and Wisdom 11. Strong but not nimble or scholarly. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Nazetu in Aetolia?** Nazetu have three racial abilities. Trawling is available at character creation (`TRAWL`, lets you fish for food in watery locations, and lets you eat raw fish). Enduring unlocks at Level 31 and is a passive 5% boost to maximum endurance. Slime Spit unlocks at Level 61 and lets you spit acidic slime at a target for small poison damage, blurry vision, or a stinky-status effect. **Where are Nazetu from in Aetolia?** Nazetu originated on Nazedha Isle in the western seas and arrived on Sapience in 111 MA during a failed invasion of Ashtan. Since then, the mainland diaspora has grown apart from the island source. Most Nazetu now live in [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/), mostly assimilated. Smaller settlements exist at Ollin and Huanazedha, the latter built on the ruins of fallen Ashtan. **Can a Nazetu play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Mhun](/the-races-of-aetolia/mhun/) The contrast pick. Mhun are another displaced people with a heavy religious history, but where Nazetu serve a dead goddess of corruption and live in Bloodloch, Mhun fled Bloodloch and built their own independent city. If you’re weighing a faith-anchored character, Mhun gives you the renewal version of that story and Nazetu gives you the grief version. ### [Imp](/the-races-of-aetolia/imp/) A fellow dark-aligned creation. Imps were made by Khepri, the Goddess of Mischief, to spread trickery and chaos, so the bond is mischief rather than corruption. Pick if you want a smaller, quicker body and a dark-touched culture at a lighter, more playful register. The religious depth is shallower than the Nazetu’s, but the shadow-side alignment is real. ### [Rajamala](/the-races-of-aetolia/rajamala/) A different kind of survivor people. They descend from Farsai, a fallen empire brought down by the Dark Empire, internal corruption, and the power of Ati, and they still carry the marks of that collapse. Same theme of survival after near-catastrophe, less Bloodloch-aligned, more independent. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Minotaurs of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/minotaur/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![A horned Minotaur with broad bovine features and mountain clan markings](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-minotaur-hero-20260526.jpg "The Minotaurs of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Minotaurs are Aetolia’s Shadow-touched bovines, six- to seven-foot bipeds with hooves, mangy fur, and horns that match the size of their reputation. Severn the Manipulator pulled them back from extinction and gave them cunning in exchange for their loyalty, and most of them still worship Him for it. If you want a race with a defined faith, a defined enemy, and a homeland that was burned down inside the last in-game era, the Minotaurs fit. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**Tarean mountain range, near Mount Gallows**Cultural home**Sterion (destroyed during the second War of Night); Kisaut Landing as the surviving enclave; many serve at the Shadow Keep**Spiritual frame**Severn the Manipulator; older Haernite nature-affinity in a quieter minority**Distinctive trait**Shadow-attuned warrior race, brash and brutally pragmatic, with a sharper cunning than their bulk suggests**Suits play styles**Shadow roleplay, post-cataclysm grief and rebuilding, warrior-caste characters, religious devotion to Severn**Gender lock**None## Minotaur lore and origin Haern made the Minotaurs as one of his thousands of species, and at first they were dull, weak, and on the edge of extinction. Severn pitied them, took an interest, and gifted them the spark of cunning. The price was loyalty. Most Minotaurs of Sterion paid it without hesitation, and their settlement grew up around the physical link between the Shadow Plane and the Prime, deep in the Tarean mountain range near Mount Gallows. Guarding that fissure was their sacred duty for generations. Sterion was destroyed during the second War of Night. The shaman-caste seers had warned the elders before the disaster came, and the elders had sent their youngest out into the world to search for the signs. After the fight against the Leviathan ended with nearly all of Sterion’s warriors dead, the surviving elders sent the remaining young to the Carnifex of Spinesreach for training. Those new warriors now march the Shadow Keep with greatbows and a culture of Savagery the older Minotaurs would have recognised, if not entirely approved of. The survivors who had been away from Sterion during its scouring drifted back to the ruins to mourn. They settled near Kisaut and built a small enclave there, and many of them now think of themselves as Kisauti more than Sterionese. The old shaman-caste lessons live on with the older members; the younger ones are building new traditions without the shamans to guide them. Without the sacred duty Severn gave them, every Minotaur on Sapience is figuring out what comes next. If you want a race in active religious and political flux, this is the one with the freshest wound. ## Minotaur appearance Minotaurs stand six to seven feet tall, with thick corded muscle, mangy fur that protects them from cold and rain, large horns, and a long snout-like nose. Pelts run black and brown most commonly, greying with age. Eyes are usually black or brown, occasionally bluer, greener, or yellower. Their legs are unguligrade and end in hooves, so a Minotaur stands like a bull stands, not like a Human stands. There is sexual dimorphism: males have manes that begin at the top of the head and extend to the shoulders, while females tend to have smaller horns. Neither is a mechanical gender lock. Aetolia Minotaurs are full bovine from head to toe, without udders, with humanoid breasts and mammary glands. The grey in a Minotaur’s pelt is a subtle way to describe an older character in your description without ever stating their age. ## Minotaur racial abilities Minotaurs have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. - **Irongrip** (available at character creation). Syntax: `IRONGRIP` and `RELAX IRONGRIP`. By gripping your weapons tightly, you can prevent others from disarming you of your precious weapons. - **Intimidation** (unlocks at Level 31). Syntax: `INTIMIDATE `. By performing an open display of intimidation towards your target, you can instill fear in them. - **Headbash** (unlocks at Level 61). Syntax: `HEADBASH `. Slam your head into your target’s skull in a mind-numbing blow. The attack deals a small amount of recoil damage to yourself. If your target is an adventurer, you can begin the attack from an adjacent location, and it will also drain one point of intelligence from both yourself and the target. The package reads as fight-first, fight-loud. Irongrip locks your weapons in place from your first level; Intimidation gives you a fear lever in the mid-game; Headbash is a long-game finisher that rewards staying with the race to level 61. ## Minotaur base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength15Dexterity11Intelligence9Constitution12Wisdom11Minotaurs lead with Strength and trail in Intelligence. That profile reads as front-line brawler more than scholar or finesse fighter, though your statpack does most of the actual work in the end. ## How to roleplay a Minotaur in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** Sterion was the centre of Minotaur identity until it burned. A Minotaur character either remembers Sterion firsthand, grew up hearing about it from the survivors at Kisaut Landing, or was born elsewhere with a vaguer Shadow-leaning background. The destruction is recent enough that almost every Minotaur carries some version of it. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Strong Shadow tilt, most often [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/). The Carnifex pipeline that absorbed Sterion’s youngest is the most visible institutional connection, and the Shadow Keep is where the new Minotaur warriors march. A minority lean into the Haernite nature-heritage instead and end up around Duiran, where their wild-aligned older blood finds room. Sterion’s traditionalists looked down on Minotaurs with other allegiances as cowards or feral wanderers; the destruction has softened that judgement somewhat, but not entirely. - **Religious texture.** Most Minotaurs of Sterion worshipped Severn exclusively, and the race is more attuned to Shadow than any other. The relationship is transactional in the way old gift-debts are transactional. The shaman-caste tradition layers on top of that with vision-smoke, prophecy, and reverence for elders. After Sterion’s destruction, both threads sit in question for the first time in generations. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will read a Minotaur as a brash, pragmatic warrior with a temper and a sacred grudge. Lean into that, or play against it. The “cunning underestimated by everyone else at the table” character writes itself, because Aetolia’s other races genuinely do underestimate Minotaur intelligence. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Minotaur Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Minotaur lore, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/) The lore-explicit fit. After the second War of Night, the elders of Sterion sent the surviving youngest to the Carnifex for training, and those Minotaurs now march the Shadow Keep with greatbows. A Minotaur Carnifex is the textbook current-era version of the race: Shadow-aligned, rage-trained, and rebuilding their warrior tradition inside [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/) rather than around the ruins of Sterion. ### [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) The other lore-explicit fit. The shaman-caste was the older, the maimed, the otherwise unsuited members of Sterion who carried prophecy, ritual, and the vision-smoke. A Minotaur Shaman reads as someone keeping the older tradition alive while the younger warriors lean into rage. The vision-smoke detail gives a Minotaur Shaman descriptive material no other Shaman has. ### [Indorani](/character-classes/indorani/) Tarot, demonic pacts, and patronage out of Bloodloch. The thematic resonance is the gift-and-debt frame: Minotaurs trade loyalty for cunning, Indorani trade service for power. A Minotaur Indorani character can interrogate that pattern from the inside, especially one who has rejected Severn but still understands what it feels like to owe a being for your intelligence. ### [Teradrim](/character-classes/teradrim/) Earth elementalism out of Bloodloch. Less directly tied to Sterion than Carnifex or Shaman, but the mountain-and-stone identity reads naturally for a Minotaur whose home was carved into the Tarean range. The political tension is real, since Teradrim is Bloodloch-tethered while most Minotaurs orbit Spinesreach, and that tension makes the character interesting. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Minotaurs good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, particularly for new players who want a clear religious and political position from day one. A Minotaur character has a defined faith (Severn), a defined home (Sterion, or what is left of it), and a defined faction lean (Spinesreach and the Shadow Keep). If you want something with less baked-in alignment, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) is the cleaner-slate pick. **What stats do Minotaurs have in Aetolia?** Minotaurs start with Strength 15, Dexterity 11, Intelligence 9, Constitution 12, and Wisdom 11. They lead with Strength and trail in Intelligence. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Minotaurs in Aetolia?** Minotaurs have three racial abilities. Irongrip is available at character creation (`IRONGRIP` and `RELAX IRONGRIP`, prevents disarming). Intimidation unlocks at Level 31 (`INTIMIDATE `, instills fear). Headbash unlocks at Level 61 (`HEADBASH `, a mind-numbing blow that drains one intelligence from both attacker and target if the target is another adventurer, and can be started from an adjacent location). **Where are Minotaurs from in Aetolia?** Minotaurs originated in the Tarean mountain range, in and around the village of Sterion near Mount Gallows. Sterion was destroyed during the second War of Night, so the surviving population now centres on Kisaut Landing (the post-destruction enclave) and the Shadow Keep (where the new Carnifex-trained warriors are stationed). Smaller numbers can be found in Duiran, where their older Haernite nature-heritage finds room. **Can a Minotaur play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Trolls](/the-races-of-aetolia/troll/) The other giant. Trolls and Minotaurs share the large-frame, brute-force-built-in body type, and other players will read both as physically intimidating before they read either as cunning. Pick a Troll if you want the giant silhouette without the Severn pact and the Sterion grief. ### [Ogres](/the-races-of-aetolia/ogre/) Another large-bodied warrior race with a heavy Indorani-era shadow on their history. Ogres were used as shock troops by the old Empire and never fully shook the reputation, which gives them some of the same “stronger than people expect, sharper than people assume” texture Minotaurs carry. Pick if you want a brute-frame race whose grievance is older than the Minotaur one. ### [Orcs](/the-races-of-aetolia/orc/) The other classic shock-troop race out of the same Indorani-era cluster. Orcs share scarification traditions and Rahnite-philosophy roots with Ogres, and they share the “feared, underestimated, dismissed” arc with Minotaurs. Pick an Orc if the Indorani-fall backstory pulls harder than the Severn pact does. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Mhun of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/mhun/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![A Mhun underground survivor figure dark of skin and hair Mhojave born refugee resettled in Moghedu](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-mhun-hero-20260526.jpg "The Mhun of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Mhun are the long-suffering people of Aetolia’s southwest, dark of skin, eye, and hair, shorter than Humans and taller than Dwarves. They built their refuge underground because every empire that came near them tried to enslave them, and they have outlived all of those empires. If you want a race that carries a real history of oppression and a religion that recently turned out to be older than anyone alive remembers, the Mhun fit. ## At a glance At a glance**Origin / homeland**Mhojave desert (origin); Siroccian mountains (now)**Cultural home**Moghedu (independent underground city-state in the Siroccian mountains)**Spiritual frame**The seven Mhun Spirits, recently revealed as Gods of Albedi origin**Distinctive trait**Underground survivors with deep religious roleplay and centuries of grievance**Suits play styles**Religious roleplay, faith reborn after schism, refugee-political, underground exploration**Gender lock**None## Mhun lore and origin The Mhun came out of the Mhojave desert and fell under Bloodloch’s sphere of influence early on. Vampires hunted them for slavery for generations, which is why most Mhun still do not mechanically join Bloodloch. Their exodus ended in the Siroccian mountains, where they carved Moghedu out of the rock. Moghedu’s recent history is unstable. Before 422 MA it was not even an independent state. After liberation, a strict theocracy took control and enforced conformity through invasive, telepathic conditioning. That regime lasted until 456 MA, when the High Priestess died and a monarchy formed. Then in 481 MA, Bamathis the Warlord declared the Mhun faith heresy. The monarchy collapsed, and the official worship of the Albedi Gods inside the mountainhome ended with it. Religion sits at the centre of Mhun life. The traditional faith was built around seven Spirits, but recent discoveries revealed those Spirits to be Gods of Albedi origin: real deities, not abstractions. That revelation kicked off a renaissance in Mhun religious thought. Some Mhun follow the renewed traditional faith. Others worship the Gods of Sapience. If you want religious roleplay that ties into ongoing in-game history, the Mhun give you more material than almost any other race. ## Mhun appearance Mhun are dark-skinned, dark-eyed, and dark-haired, with a build that sits between Human and Dwarf in stature. They tend toward frugal, cunning, and adaptable as a people. Names often end with the suffix “-tesh,” meaning earth, or “-entesh,” a Dwarf-influenced form meaning “of the earth.” Both reflect the sacred reverence Mhun hold for stone. The old saying “Entesh, untesh” translates as “From the earth, back to the earth.” The Mhun language is deliberately irregular, shaped to keep outsiders from following along. Outside influences include Ankyrean, Dwarven, Kalsu, Jaziri, and common Aetolian. ## Mhun racial abilities The Mhun have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. - **Digging** (available at character creation). Syntax: `DIG` or `BURY `. Your hands are rugged enough to dig a hole in the ground without needing a shovel. - **Tremor Sense** (unlocks at Level 31). Syntax: `TREMORSENSE`. Your feet have become sensitive to the vibrations of the earth. You can sense if there are adventurers burrowing through the ground in the area below. - **Might** (unlocks at Level 61). Passive. No race is more mighty than you in physical combat. When dealing brute-sourced damage, it is increased by 1%. The package is grounded and earth-themed, which suits the lore. Tremor Sense in particular ties into the underground identity. Might is a small but always-on combat bump that rewards staying with the race long enough to reach level 61. ## Mhun base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength13Dexterity11Intelligence13Constitution11Wisdom12Mhun lean slightly into Strength and Intelligence, with average Wisdom and lower Dexterity and Constitution. That profile leans toward sturdy thinkers over nimble duellists, and your statpack does most of the real work anyway. ## How to roleplay a Mhun in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** Moghedu, an independent underground city in the Siroccian mountains. Most Mhun grew up there or carry its memory. Mhun born outside the mountainhome range from strictly traditional to fully assimilated. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Independent by default. Moghedu is its own state, neither Spirit nor Shadow. Mhun historically mistrust [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/) because vampires hunted them for slavery, and that continuity stretches back through the Dark Empire and the ancient Dwarf empire. Since 481 MA, [Enorian](/world/enorian/)‘s conversion efforts have pulled some Mhun toward Spirit. - **Religious texture.** The traditional faith centred on seven Spirits, now known to be Gods of Albedi origin. The reveal triggered a religious renaissance that is still ongoing. Other Mhun worship the Gods of Sapience. The last Great Mhunna, Nesventesh, freed the Mhun from oppression and reawakened their historical sense of self. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will read a Mhun as carrying generations of grievance, religious depth, and a complicated relationship with Bloodloch. Lean into that, or play against it. A fully assimilated Mhun who has never seen Moghedu is just as valid as a traditionalist with a “-entesh” name. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Mhun Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Mhun lore, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) Wilderness mastery and beast-bonded combat out of Duiran. Sentinel’s reverence for the wilds maps onto Mhun reverence for stone, even though the terrain differs. A Mhun Sentinel reads as a survivor who chose the forest after Moghedu. ### [Teradrim](/character-classes/teradrim/) Earth elementalism and animation of stone constructs. Teradrim is built entirely around stone and earth, the same ground the Mhun stand on. The political tension is real (Teradrim is Bloodloch-tethered, and most Mhun mistrust Bloodloch), and that tension makes the character interesting. ### [Earthcaller](/character-classes/earthcaller/) Earthlore, evocation, and geometrics out of Spinesreach. A scholarly mirror to Teradrim with the same stone foundation but a different city and worldview. Earthcaller reads naturally for a Mhun who left Moghedu to study rather than fight. ### [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) Spirit-led, ancestor-aware roleplay rooted in Duiran. The seven Spirits of the traditional Mhun faith give a Mhun Shaman a well of personal ritual that other Shamans do not automatically have access to. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Mhun good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, especially for new players who want religious or political roleplay from day one. Mhun carry a recent religious renaissance, centuries of oppression, and a complicated relationship with Bloodloch, so other characters will react to a Mhun on sight. If you want a cleaner slate, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) is the lighter pick. **What stats do Mhun have in Aetolia?** Mhun start with Strength 13, Dexterity 11, Intelligence 13, Constitution 11, and Wisdom 12. Slightly above average in Strength and Intelligence, slightly below in Dexterity and Constitution. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Mhun in Aetolia?** Mhun have three racial abilities. Digging is available at character creation (`DIG` or `BURY `, lets you dig without a shovel). Tremor Sense unlocks at Level 31 and lets you sense adventurers burrowing through the ground below. Might unlocks at Level 61 and is a passive 1% bonus to brute-sourced damage. **Where are Mhun from in Aetolia?** Mhun originated in the Mhojave desert in Aetolia’s southwest. After generations under [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/)‘s sphere of influence, they made an exodus to the Siroccian mountains and built Moghedu, an independent underground city-state aligned with neither Spirit nor Shadow. **Can a Mhun play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Dwarves](/the-races-of-aetolia/dwarf/) The other classic underground race. Dwarves and Mhun share stone as a cultural touchstone, but the histories collide: the ancient Dwarf empire enslaved the Mhun, and that weight still sits between the two peoples. Pick if you want underground texture without the religious renaissance arc. ### [Tsol’aa](/the-races-of-aetolia/tsolaa/) Long-lived survivors of a near-extinction. The Tsol’aa lost most of their race to a Dreikathi weapon and centre their culture on reverence for nature and worship of the dead Goddess Lleis. The shared theme with Mhun is survival of catastrophe and a closed, faith-anchored culture. ### [Nazetu](/the-races-of-aetolia/nazetu/) The contrast pick. Nazetu were created by Chakrasul as agents of corruption and live mostly in Bloodloch. Where Mhun’s religious renaissance is restorative, Nazetu religion is destructive. Useful if you are choosing between an independent religious race and one tied to a specific city’s dark faith. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Kobolds of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/kobold/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![A small Kobold reptilian kin tinkerer figure sister race to Goblins descendant of Khepri](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-kobold-hero-20260526.jpg "The Kobolds of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Kobolds are the hare-brained tinkerers and stone-cutters of Sapience, short canid humanoids whose history stretches back to the First Epoch and whose creator goddess is centuries dead. If you want a race built on hare-brained inventiveness and casual mischief, with a dead creator goddess nobody can quite live up to anymore, the Kobolds fit. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**Sehal (origin); later dispersed across Sapience**Cultural home**Two settlements: Rock Bottom (near the Great Rock) and Siha Dylis (caverns beneath Azdun)**Spiritual frame**Children of Khepri the Trickster (now dead); some retain spellcraft inherited from the Indoron Empire**Distinctive trait**Small canid tinkerers and scavengers with a sister-race bond to Goblins and a kinship to Imps**Suits play styles**Mischief-driven roleplay, tinkering and crafting, scholarly magic, underground exploration**Gender lock**None## Kobold lore and origin Kobolds appeared as early as the First Epoch as the children of Khepri the Trickster. Along with their sister race the Goblins, they were prototypes she made before her favored Imps, and Sehal drove them out for what was judged as inferiority. Khepri herself is long dead. Kerrithrim swallowed her after she claimed his rampage as her own work, and a later attempt to return as Ysmali fell apart, leaving only a monster behind. The Kobolds have outlived their creator by ages. Through the Second Epoch they hired on as mercenaries and lackeys to the dark mages of the Indoron Empire. That history left a residue: today’s Kobolds still inherit a knack for spellcraft, even though full-blood Indoron descendants are vanishingly rare. They were spread wide across Sapience, seen as far south as El’Jazira and as far north as the Great Rock, where they warred against the Ophidians. Eventually something pulled them together and compelled them to dig out the underground castle now called Azdun. Modern Kobolds live in two main settlements, and the split says a lot about how the race plays. The Rock Bottom Kobolds, tucked under the Great Rock with their old Ophidian rivals turned allies, trend rat-faced and lean hard into tinkering and rough magical contraptions. They sit politically close to Bloodloch and Spinesreach after the war of the Liruma. The Siha Dylis Kobolds, beneath Azdun, trend dog-faced and practice elemental and spiritual magery alongside the Goblins, fighting off the encroaching Chiav. Many of them train through Enorian’s Beacon guilds. Picking a settlement is most of picking a Kobold concept. ## Kobold appearance Kobolds resemble tailless, humanoid canines, bipedal with a distinct hunch to their backs. They run four to four and a half feet tall (roughly 1.1 to 1.4 metres), which is small enough that other races consistently underestimate them and large enough that the assumption gets people hurt. Eye colours run through golds, browns, and greys, with green appearing rarely. Pelts come in ivory, greys, browns, russets, and black. Across the Epochs the race has drifted in two directions: Rock Bottom Kobolds trend toward rat-like faces, while Siha Dylis Kobolds trend toward dog or hyena-like ones. Both forms are equally Kobold, and conflating either with the actual animal is a fast way to draw a grumpy reaction. “Puppy,” “rat,” “vermin,” “yapper,” and “fog” are all known offences. Petting unfamiliar Kobolds, even the affable-looking ones, is rolling the dice. ## Kobold racial abilities Kobolds carry three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. - **Hoarder** (available at character creation). Passive. Fast fingers make for greater treasures. You can pick up an extra 25 items at once. - **Scavenge** (unlocks at Level 31). Syntax: `SCAVENGE `. Take apart a crafted item for a chance to recover some of the commodities used in its construction, destroying the item in the process. The chance is higher when more time remains until the item decays. - **Tinkering** (unlocks at Level 61). Passive. A quick mind spots the best use case for bombs and traps, so your knowledge-sourced damage is increased by 1%. The package is built around scavenging, crafting, and inventive combat through bombs and traps. Hoarder rewards Kobolds who haul. Scavenge gives a real reason to take apart old crafted gear instead of just selling it. Tinkering only triggers for knowledge-sourced classes, so it pays off best for Kobolds who go down the magical and trap-laying paths their lore points at. ## Kobold base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength13Dexterity10Intelligence14Constitution9Wisdom13Kobolds lead with Intelligence and Wisdom, with a respectable Strength and a low Constitution. That profile reads as a clever, durable-enough caster or trapsmith rather than a heavy-armour brawler. The fragile Constitution rewards Kobolds who keep range or fight from behind a contraption. ## How to roleplay a Kobold in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** Pick a settlement first. Rock Bottom Kobolds are rat-faced tinkerers under the Great Rock, allied with the Ophidians and politically close to Bloodloch and Spinesreach. Siha Dylis Kobolds are dog-faced mages under Azdun, allied with the Goblins and trained through [Enorian](/world/enorian/)‘s Beacon guilds. Both work for a new character, and the settlement choice is where most Kobold roleplay starts. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Kobolds stay independent in the broad sense, but Rock Bottom Kobolds lean toward [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/) and [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/) while Siha Dylis Kobolds lean toward Enorian. None of this is a mechanical lock. A Rock Bottom Kobold can defect to Spirit, a Siha Dylis Kobold can take Shadow service, and either choice opens roleplay. - **Religious texture.** Khepri is dead. Kobolds remember her, and the loss colours the race’s relationship with chaos and mischief, but no living deity claims them the way Severn claims the Minotaurs or Khepri once claimed the Imps. Some Kobolds carry on Khepri’s principles of disorder and trickery anyway. Others find a Goddess of Sapience to follow. - **Common archetypes.** Other players expect a Kobold to be loud, curious, mischievous, and short on impulse control. Kobold roleplay leans hard into the endlessly curious type: pokes everyone about everything, no brain-to-mouth filter, with mischief that tends toward the destructive end. Lean in or play against it. A quiet, methodical Kobold archivist who fact-checks her own race’s stereotypes is just as Kobold as the bomb-happy one. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Kobold Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Kobold lore and culture, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/) Shadow magery out of Spinesreach. The Indoron Empire’s old dark mages worked Kobolds as mercenaries, and that lineage still echoes in Kobold spellcraft. A Rock Bottom Kobold Sciomancer reads as a clean expression of that inherited tradition, transplanted into the modern Spires. ### [Indorani](/character-classes/indorani/) The closest possible link to the Kobolds’ Second Epoch. Indorani draw directly on the Indoron Empire’s tarot and chaos magic. A Kobold Indorani is, in a real sense, picking up the work their ancestors did under that empire. ### [Archivist](/character-classes/archivist/) Knowledge-sourced casting and scholarly magery. Kobolds are tinkerers and inventors, and the Tinkering ability itself buffs knowledge-sourced damage. An Archivist Kobold gets both the lore fit and the strongest mechanical payoff from the level 61 racial. ### [Earthcaller](/character-classes/earthcaller/) Earthlore, evocation, and stone-shaping out of Spinesreach. Kobolds were expert stone and gemcutters in their distant past, and Earthcaller takes that craft to its magical extreme. Good fit for a Kobold who wants to work stone instead of just digging through it. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Kobolds good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, if you want a race with built-in mischief licence and two distinct settlement traditions to pick from. Kobolds are short, curious, and loud, so other characters react to them immediately, which is good for new players looking for roleplay hooks. The low Constitution means newer players should avoid front-line melee builds until they get a feel for the curing system. If you want a heartier starter, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) or [Mhun](/the-races-of-aetolia/mhun/) are easier on the chin. **What stats do Kobolds have in Aetolia?** Kobolds start with Strength 13, Dexterity 10, Intelligence 14, Constitution 9, and Wisdom 13. Strong in Intelligence and Wisdom, low in Constitution. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Kobolds in Aetolia?** Kobolds have three racial abilities. Hoarder is passive and available at character creation, letting you pick up an extra 25 items at once. Scavenge unlocks at Level 31 and lets you break down crafted items (`SCAVENGE `) for a chance to recover commodities. Tinkering unlocks at Level 61 and is a passive 1% bonus to knowledge-sourced damage. **Where are Kobolds from in Aetolia, and how old is the race?** Kobolds were created by the now-dead Goddess Khepri and first appeared in the First Epoch, which makes them one of the older races in Sapience. They were driven out of Sehal early on, served the Indoron Empire’s dark mages through the Second Epoch, and were eventually compelled to dig the underground castle of Azdun. Today they live primarily in two settlements: Rock Bottom near the Great Rock, and Siha Dylis beneath Azdun. **Can a Kobold play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Imps](/the-races-of-aetolia/imp/) Imps are Khepri’s favored creation, made after the Kobolds and Goblins as a refinement. Canon is clear on the order: Kobolds and Goblins came first as prototypes, and Khepri’s favored Imps came after. Pick Imps if you want the dark-touched cousin angle with a smaller, more concentrated framework of mischief. ### [Gnomes](/the-races-of-aetolia/gnome/) Gnomes are the other small humanoid tinkerers. They share the inventor-scholar profile with Kobolds but come at it from a very different cultural angle, with no canid identity and no dead trickster goddess in the background. Pick if you want the tinkering archetype without Kobold political baggage. ### [Mhun](/the-races-of-aetolia/mhun/) Mhun are the other underground-dwelling race with deep history. They centre on stone, religious renaissance, and survival against repeated empires, while Kobolds centre on tinkering, mischief, and a dead creator goddess. Useful if you are choosing between two small underground races and want to weigh religious depth against inventive chaos. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Kelki of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/kelki/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![A Kelki aquatic humanoid figure with sea themed features born of the deep](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-kelki-hero-20260526.jpg "The Kelki of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Kelki are Aetolia’s sea-people: sleek, scaled, fishlike, and favored by Slyphe, the amorphous sea god. They used to be the most populous race in the east of Sapience, and then Ankyrean experiments and the destruction of their great underwater city of Kelsys cut them down to a diaspora. The Kelki are for a player who wants the ocean as their whole identity: a people the sea itself shaped and reshaped, attempt after attempt, until one design survived. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**The Beryl Sea (origin); now scattered along the eastern coast**Cultural home**Mournhold (largest current settlement), and the sunken ruins of Kelsys**Spiritual frame**Worship of Slyphe, the amorphous sea god; the Muse and the creation myth as theological texture**Distinctive trait**Fully aquatic at higher levels; a once-vast people scaled down to a diaspora**Suits play styles**Ocean-tied roleplay, post-catastrophe identity, religious devotion to the sea, scavenger texture**Gender lock**None## Kelki lore and origin The Kelki are the favored creation of Slyphe. The Origin tells it as three attempts: a first beast that drowned in moments, a many-tentacled second that also perished, and then a creature with skin smooth as a porpoise and a mind sharp as coral. That third design was the Kelki. The Muse called them lovely. The seas were pleased. The Kelki worshipped back, and they built Kelsys, a great city beneath the waves where they researched and frolicked in equal measure. For a long time the Kelki were the dominant people of the eastern Beryl Sea. Then came the Ankyrean experimenters, whose meddling sharply diminished Kelki numbers and pushed the survivors back into deep water. Worse followed. The rise of the Kerrithrim destroyed Kelsys outright. The city the Kelki had built as their pride sank into wreckage, and the surviving population scattered across the eastern coast. Mournhold now holds the largest concentration of Kelki on land, but the diaspora reaches anywhere a Kelki can find brackish or salt water close at hand. There is an older shadow in the Origin doc that Kelki rarely talk about: the abandoned ones, the “tyrill,” an earlier sea-creature the gods cast away in disgust before settling on the Kelki design. Some Kelki scholars argue another hand intervened to keep the tyrill alive. Most Kelki prefer the cleaner story of Slyphe’s three attempts and their own status as the lovely third. If you want religious roleplay with cosmological weight, the gap between those two readings of the Kelki creation myth is a real one to lean into. ## Kelki appearance Kelki are sleek and smooth-skinned, with scales that vary through shades of grey and blue. Their build is fishlike in silhouette but humanoid in proportion. They birth live offspring, despite rumours to the contrary that surface from time to time among the inland races who have never seen a Kelki up close. Beyond that core silhouette, Kelki appearance is unusually open. A player can lean into webbed fingers, gill slits, fin ridges along the spine, head-tentacles instead of hair, bioluminescent markings, or any other detail drawn from a real water-dwelling creature. Kelki born with hair tend to grow it light in infancy, from white through bright blonde to pale teal, and the colour darkens with age until it goes entirely black. The breadth of possible appearance is a roleplay tool: a Kelki described in scene as adjusting their gill slits when nervous reads very differently from a Kelki who keeps their tentacles tucked under a hood. ## Kelki racial abilities The Kelki have three racial abilities, all keyed to the water and to the diaspora’s scavenger habits. They unlock at character creation, level 31, and level 61. - **Aquatic** (available at character creation). Syntax: `SWIM `. You can swim across rivers and bodies of water freely, and tread upon the surface without drowning. While underwater, you won’t drown from a lack of air. - **Scavenge** (unlocks at Level 31). Syntax: `SCAVENGE `. Take apart a crafted item for a chance to recover some of the commodities used in its construction. The crafted item is destroyed in the process, and the chance to recover commodities is higher when the item has more time left before decay. - **Waterborn** (unlocks at Level 61). Passive. No other race understands the nurturing qualities of water quite like you do. While underwater, any healing to your health is increased by 2%. The set rewards staying with the race long enough to reach the deeper unlocks. Aquatic alone is useful from day one for any character who travels between coasts or islands. Scavenge is more situational and leans into the Kelki’s resourceful, post-catastrophe identity. Waterborn is a small but always-on buff that becomes meaningful if you do meaningful play time underwater. ## Kelki base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your final base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength9Dexterity12Intelligence10Constitution12Wisdom15Kelki are wisdom-heavy, with average dexterity and constitution and a low strength score. The profile reads as patient, perceptive, faith-aligned characters rather than direct brawlers. Statpacks do most of the actual stat-setting work in Aetolia, so the racial baseline matters less mechanically than it does as a starting flavour signal. ## How to roleplay a Kelki in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** Most modern Kelki are diaspora. The largest land settlement is Mournhold, but a Kelki can credibly hail from any stretch of the eastern coast, the Beryl Sea, or one of the smaller scattered enclaves. The collective memory is of Kelsys: a city beneath the waves that was the centre of Kelki life, now a ruin. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Independent and varied. Kelki are not city-locked. Some root themselves in a coastal city for the trade and the libraries; others stay close to the sea and travel between settlements; others worship at the wreck of Kelsys directly. The cleanest faction-cultural anchor is religious, not political: a Kelki who worships Slyphe carries that frame regardless of which city’s gates they pass through. [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/), [Enorian](/world/enorian/), [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/), and [Duiran](/world/duiran/) all have Kelki residents in small numbers. - **Religious texture.** Slyphe sits at the centre of Kelki religious life. The Origin doc gives a Kelki priest or laywoman real material to work with: the Muse, the rejected tyrill, the three creation attempts, the silence of the seas after each failure. A Kelki who is openly religious is rarely a generic devotee. They usually have a specific theology, often shaped by whether they accept or doubt the official line on the abandoned ones. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will read a Kelki as ocean-aligned, religiously devout to Slyphe, displaced from a homeland that no longer exists, and possibly a scavenger by habit. Lean into the archetype with a soft-spoken sea-priest, or play against it with a Kelki who has never seen open water and grew up in a Spinesreach library. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Kelki Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Kelki lore, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) Spirit-led, ancestor-aware roleplay rooted in Duiran. Kelki religious tradition gives a Shaman direct material to work with: the Muse, Slyphe, the lost city of Kelsys, the abandoned tyrill. A Kelki Shaman carries sea-rites into a wilderness practice. ### [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/) Shadowmancy and arcane manipulation out of Spinesreach. A more scholarly mirror: the Kelki survived Ankyrean experimentation, so a Kelki who turns toward arcane study and the long view of magical history comes from a people who already learned the cost of meddling first-hand. ### [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) Wilderness mastery and beast-bonded combat out of Duiran. Kelki who anchor to the natural world rather than to a city find a fit in Sentinel’s reverence for the wilds. The Kelki version of “the wilds” tends to be the coast and the kelp beds rather than the deep forest, but the underlying instinct is the same. ### [Sciomancer or Indorani](/character-classes/indorani/) Indorani draws on the lingering legacy of the Indoron Empire and dark magic. A Kelki whose lineage suffered most under Ankyrean experimentation makes an interesting Indorani: a character who took up the cursed art that once unmade her people, and now wields it knowingly. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Kelki good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, especially for new players who want a race with strong religious texture and a clear sense of place. Kelki carry a defined faith (Slyphe), a defined homeland (the sea), and a defined wound (the loss of Kelsys), so other players will react to a Kelki on sight. If you would rather avoid those built-in hooks, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) is the lighter pick. **What stats do Kelki have in Aetolia?** Kelki start with Strength 9, Dexterity 12, Intelligence 10, Constitution 12, and Wisdom 15. Wisdom-heavy with low strength, average dexterity and constitution. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently, so you can build a high-strength Kelki if your statpack supports it. **What are the racial abilities of Kelki in Aetolia?** Kelki have three racial abilities. Aquatic is available at character creation (`SWIM `, swim across water freely, no drowning underwater). Scavenge unlocks at Level 31 and lets you take apart a crafted item for a chance to recover its commodities. Waterborn unlocks at Level 61 and gives a passive 2% boost to health-healing while underwater. **Where are Kelki from in Aetolia?** Kelki originated in the Beryl Sea, in the east of Sapience, where they built the underwater city of Kelsys. After Ankyrean experimentation reduced their numbers and the rise of the Kerrithrim destroyed Kelsys, the Kelki scattered along the eastern coast. The largest current settlement is Mournhold, though the diaspora reaches anywhere there is salt water and a place to call home. **Can a Kelki play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Grook](/the-races-of-aetolia/grook/) The other water-tied race. Grook are amphibious frog-folk whose island home of Ulangi was destroyed by the Horkval, and they have lived as a scholarly diaspora ever since. Pick if you want the displacement-and-libraries side of Kelki life without the deep-ocean and sea-god religious anchor. ### [Nazetu](/the-races-of-aetolia/nazetu/) The contrast pick. Nazetu came out of Nazedha Isle in the western seas, and their identity is coastal and corruption-aligned to Chakrasul rather than ocean-aligned to Slyphe. Useful if you are choosing between a sea-tied race favored by their creator and a sea-tied race created as agents of decay. ### [Tsol’aa](/the-races-of-aetolia/tsolaa/) Long-lived survivors of a near-extinction. The Tsol’aa lost most of their race to a Dreikathi weapon and centre their culture on reverence for nature and worship of the dead Goddess Lleis. The shared theme with Kelki is survival of a catastrophe that closed off an old way of life, and a closed, faith-anchored culture that grew up afterwards. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Imps of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/imp/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![An Imp lower planar troublemaker with red horns green glow eyes and a raven companion](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-imp-hero-20260526.jpg "The Imps of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Imps are small, horned, winged tricksters with a reputation for being dangerously clever and unrelentingly vicious. The Goddess who made them is dead, the war they won against the Pixies is centuries past, and most of Aetolia still treats them as a problem waiting to happen. If you want a race that walks into every room already on someone’s bad list, imps fit. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**Sehal (central Sapience), after their nomadic period**Cultural home**No single homeland; widely scattered, often drawn to [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/)**Spiritual frame**Servants of the dead Goddess of Mischief, Khepri; no current divine patron**Distinctive trait**Short, winged, horned tricksters with a deep cultural relationship to chaos**Suits play styles**Trickster roleplay, shadow-aligned chaos, Bloodloch politics, outsider energy**Gender lock**None## Imp lore and origin Imps were created by Khepri, the Goddess of Mischief, to spread mischief, trickery, and chaos across the continent. They started out as a nomadic people, and that wandering eventually brought them into the central region now known as Sehal. The Pixies were already there. The long war between the two races ended with a decisive imp victory and the establishment of a royal imp bloodline, which is the foundation of what passes for imp political memory. Khepri is no longer a presence in Aetolia. She was swallowed by the Almighty Kerrithrim and ended there. Her lingering essence was later fused with the dying Goddess Chakrasul into a single being, Ysmali the Sanguine, but that fusion came undone, and what was left of Khepri returned only as a monster, unable to reach godhood again. What that means for present-day imps is that their creator-Goddess is gone, the cosmological reason for their existence is past tense, and the religious thread other races lean on for identity is not available to them. For some imps that absence reads as freedom. For others it is a quiet loss most of the continent never notices. Imps are not the only race Khepri shaped. The Kobolds and Goblins are her older children, prototypes who preceded the imps as her favored race. The official line, recorded in the Kobold help file, is that the Kobolds were driven from Sehal because they were seen as inferior. The imps know this. So do the Kobolds. It is the kind of family history that does not heal cleanly. If you want a race whose lore is built around mischief as a worldview rather than mischief as a personality quirk, imps fit. ## Imp appearance Imps are remarkably short, with horns, vestigial wings, and tiny tails. Their coloration varies more than almost any other Aetolian race. The basic red is common, but canary yellows, lurid greens, and deep purples are all valid choices, and the in-game roleplay tips actively encourage players to lean into the wilder end of the spectrum. The vestigial wings are part of the silhouette but not really part of the toolkit. Imps can hover, not fly, and the wings read more as inheritance from their lower-planar origin than as a functional limb. Combined with the horns, tail, and size, an imp in a room of Humans, Atavians, and Trolls looks unmistakably non-native, which is exactly what the design intends. ## Imp racial abilities Imps have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. - **Hover** (available at character creation). Syntax: `HOVER` and `SETTLE`. Your wings let you hover slightly above the ground, granting you the levitation defence. - **Heatsight** (unlocks at Level 31). Syntax: `HEATSIGHT`. Your superior eyesight senses the heat of your prey, briefly revealing those who would otherwise be hidden. - **Mischief** (unlocks at Level 61). Passive. Tricks and mischief are part of your nature. When performing a deceitful act, the difficulty modifier is a flat 5% less. See `HELP DECEIT` for how that system works in detail. The package reads as trickster from top to bottom. Hover keeps you off the ground (and so off any traps that key on ground contact), Heatsight strips concealment off a hidden opponent, and Mischief is a small but always-on bonus that rewards staying with the race long enough to hit 61. ## Imp base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength10Dexterity15Intelligence13Constitution11Wisdom9Imps lean hard into Dexterity, with solid Intelligence, average Constitution, and low Strength and Wisdom. That profile reads as quick, clever, and physically fragile, which matches the lore. Your statpack does most of the actual work, so the racial baseline is a starting point rather than a ceiling. ## How to roleplay an Imp in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** No single homeland. Imps won Sehal centuries ago but were never tied to one city the way Mhun are to Moghedu or Atavians to their isolated villages. That rootlessness gives a player flexibility. An imp can be Sehal-born aristocracy with a claim on the royal bloodline, an opportunist who drifted into [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/), or a wanderer with no ties at all. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Shadow-leaning by default, and Bloodloch is the natural home for an imp who wants city politics. The corruption-aligned frame of the city absorbs the imp temperament more easily than [Enorian](/world/enorian/)‘s Spirit purity does. That said, plenty of imps have crossed the line into Spirit cities for personal reasons, and the contrast tends to play interestingly at the table. - **Religious texture.** Khepri is dead. An imp can carry that as a private wound, ignore it entirely, or transfer their worship to one of the living Gods. There is no current divine framework that claims imps the way Slyphe claims Kelki or the Mhun Spirits claimed Mhun. That gap is roleplay material. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will read an imp as a trickster, an instigator, or a small dangerous thing best watched carefully. The official roleplay tip is worth repeating: mischief is not always evil and not always innocent. It is a broad concept covering subversive behavior across the moral spectrum. Lean into the variety, or play the one imp in town who is sincerely trying to be helpful and finds it constantly going wrong. ## Which Aetolia classes fit an Imp Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with imp lore, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Infiltrator](/character-classes/infiltrator/) Spinesreach’s assassins, built around stealth, hypnosis, and venom (the Syssin guild’s class, but mechanically untethered). The Infiltrator and the imp share the same instinct for working sideways through a problem, and an Infiltrator imp leans into the trickster identity without softening it. The Spinesreach guild home sometimes pulls against the Bloodloch default for imps, which makes for tension worth playing. ### [Indorani](/character-classes/indorani/) Bloodloch’s pact-wielders, drawing on demonic and shadow-bound entities to fight. The lower-planar resonance is direct: an Indorani imp reads as a creature returning to a tradition older than their race, calling on the kinds of forces that shaped imps in the first place. Mechanically intricate, narratively heavy. ### [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/) Spinesreach’s shadow mages, working illusion and entropy from the arcane side rather than the assassin side. Sciomancer takes the imp instinct for misdirection and runs it through a scholar’s lens. A Sciomancer imp reads as a trickster who decided to study the craft rather than just live in it. ### [Praenomen](/character-classes/praenomen/) Bloodloch’s vampires. The frame works for an imp who has gone fully into shadow corruption and traded what was left of Khepri’s legacy for undeath. Mechanically very different from the other three picks, but thematically a strong fit for a player who wants to commit to the Bloodloch arc. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Imps good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, especially for players who want a built-in roleplay hook from day one. Imps are short, horned, and visibly non-human, so other characters will react before you say a word. If you want a quieter introduction to the continent, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) is the easier pick. If you want every conversation to start with someone already deciding what to think about you, imps deliver. **What stats do Imps have in Aetolia?** Imps start with Strength 10, Dexterity 15, Intelligence 13, Constitution 11, and Wisdom 9. Strong Dexterity, solid Intelligence, low Strength and Wisdom. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Imps in Aetolia?** Imps have three racial abilities. Hover is available at character creation (`HOVER` and `SETTLE`, grants the levitation defence). Heatsight unlocks at Level 31 and briefly reveals hidden opponents through their body heat. Mischief unlocks at Level 61 and is a passive 5% reduction to the difficulty modifier on deceitful acts. See `HELP DECEIT` for the underlying system. **Where are Imps from in Aetolia?** Imps were created by the dead Goddess Khepri as her servants on the continent. After a nomadic period, they entered Sehal in central Sapience and won a long war against the resident Pixies, which established a royal imp bloodline. Today they have no single cultural home and often drift toward [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/) for its shadow-aligned politics. **Can an Imp play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Kobolds](/the-races-of-aetolia/kobold/) The sister race, and the older one. Kobolds and Goblins are the prototype children of Khepri, driven out of Sehal before the imps were favored. The shared lineage gives a player options: a Kobold who resents the imps, or an imp who quietly knows their existence is built on someone else’s exile. Pick if you want the trickster identity in a heavier, more grounded frame. ### [Atavians](/the-races-of-aetolia/atavian/) The other winged race, though Atavian wings work and imp wings mostly do not. Atavians get the airborne lifestyle the imp toolkit only gestures at. The shared roleplay anchor is the wings themselves: how they fit in cramped spaces, how they read as props, how they shape the silhouette. Useful comparison if you want to think about non-human bodies as roleplay material. ### [Horkval](/the-races-of-aetolia/horkval/) The chitinous insectoid race. Horkval and imps share the experience of being visibly other in any room, but the cultures could not be more opposite. Horkval are cooperative, disciplined, and built around the hive. Imps are individualists with a chaos streak. Pick Horkval if you want non-humanoid roleplay without the trickster baggage. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Humans of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![A Human figure the most adaptable race in Aetolia depicted in standard fantasy attire](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-human-hero-20260526.jpg "The Humans of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Humans are the most numerous people on the continent, the race other races measure themselves against. They live shorter lives than most, so they spend them harder: trade, crime, mercenary work, anything with risk in it. If you want a starting point that drops into any city or class without asking the world to make room for you first, Humans are the default lens. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**The southwest of the continent (origin); now spread throughout Sapience**Cultural home**None specific; Humans live in all four city-states**Spiritual frame**Whatever the character chooses; no single Human pantheon**Distinctive trait**The default lens. Most numerous, most influential, most adaptable race**Suits play styles**New players, blank-slate roleplay, political flexibility, anything goes**Gender lock**None## Human lore and origin Humans originally came out of the southwest of Sapience and spread fast. Their lives are short next to most other races, so the work they took on tended toward risk: trade, crime, mercenary contracts, anything that paid quickly. Many of the continent’s traders, criminals, and mercenaries were and are Human. The Ankyreans favoured Humans during the height of the Order’s power, and that patronage pushed Human numbers and influence up at a pace no other race could match. Even centuries after the Order’s demise, Humans remain the most numerous and influential race on the continent. Human appearance varies by region. Light-skinned Humans tend toward [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/) and the north. Dark-skinned Humans live mostly in the southern reaches of the continent, in places like the Mhojave, the Liruma, and [Enorian](/world/enorian/). Unlike the Mhun or the Tsol’aa, Humans never built one cultural home; they took the whole continent instead. If you want a race the world never treats as an outsider, Humans are it. ## Human appearance Humans cover a wider range of builds, skin tones, and features than any other race in Aetolia. There is no canonical Human look. Light or dark skin, slight or broad build, bald, scarred, tattooed: every combination of those lands inside the race. The live page’s roleplay tip puts it plainly: you don’t have to be boring. Be unique. Be bald. Be rail thin. Be girthy. Be massively muscular. Because Humans are the baseline race, the description work falls on the player. Where an Atavian player can lean on wings or a Mhun on stone-themed names, a Human character carries whatever quirk you give them: a particular tic, a distinctive scar, a regional accent, a piece of jewellery they never take off. The race is a blank canvas, so the description work falls to the character you build on it. ## Human racial abilities Humans have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. The set leans into the everyday: better sleep, more blood, a small global experience boost. None of it is flashy, but it is always on and it stacks well with everything. - **Deep Sleeper** (available at character creation). Syntax: `SLEEP` and `WAKE`. When sleeping, your tiredness lifts faster, and you gain additional health and endurance regeneration compared to other races. - **Blood Reserves** (unlocks at Level 31). Passive. You possess more blood than others, giving you 20% more blood in your system. Relevant whenever blood loss matters: combat bleeding effects, vampiric drain, certain afflictions. - **Moderate** (unlocks at Level 61). Passive. Only an average race can make the most of the average day. You gain 1% more global experience than others. If you have also picked the Normal statpack, that bonus increases to 3%. The Moderate-plus-Normal synergy is worth a note. Aetolia’s [statpacks](/newbie-guide/) are a separate choice from race, and the Normal statpack pairs with the Human’s Moderate ability to triple the experience bonus. If you plan to play a Human past level 61 and you do not need the specialised stats of another pack, Normal is the natural fit. ## Human base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength12Dexterity12Intelligence12Constitution12Wisdom12Humans are the only race with a flat 12 in every stat. That balance is the point: no race-driven specialisation, no built-in weaknesses, and full freedom to lean your character in any direction through your statpack choice. ## How to roleplay a Human in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** None specific. Humans live in [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/), [Enorian](/world/enorian/), [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/), and [Duiran](/world/duiran/), and the cities shape Human characters more than Human ancestry does. A Spinesreach Human reads as a scholar or a magnate. An Enorian Human reads as a faithful servant of Spirit. A Bloodloch Human is usually a willing partner to a darker power. A Duiran Human is closer to the wilds than to any city’s politics. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Adaptable. Humans are the most politically flexible race in Aetolia, found in every city in every guild. There is no Bloodloch-leaning bias the way Nazetu carry, no Enorian conversion arc the way some Mhun walk, no independent state the way Mhun and Atavians have. Pick a city; a Human fits. - **Religious texture.** No single Human pantheon. The Ankyrean Order historically patronised the race, but the Order is long gone, and modern Humans worship whichever God or Spirit the character chooses. That openness gives a Human character real religious weight rather than a blank: a Human who chose Spirit reads very differently from one who chose Shadow. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will read a Human as the baseline, which you can use in two directions. Lean into the everyman frame and let your character’s actions define them, or play against it: a Human noble more entitled than any Atavian, a Human assassin colder than any Imp. Because the race has no built-in props, every quirk you give the character lands harder. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Human Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Human adaptability, which can make for naturally cohesive characters. Humans are the easiest race to pair with any class because they carry no racial mythology that has to be argued with. The classes below are not “best for Humans” in any mechanical sense; they are classes where the Human’s everyman framing slots cleanly into the class fantasy without friction. ### [Bard](/character-classes/bard/) Words, runes, and influence over the crowd. Bard’s whole identity is human-scale storytelling, and a Human Bard reads as the archetypal travelling poet who learned the runes the hard way. No race-specific lore to negotiate around. ### [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/) Shadow magic and bone work out of Spinesreach. A Human Sciomancer reads as a scholar who walked into the dark on their own initiative, which is the cleanest version of that character. The race carries no pre-loaded reason to be there, so the choice has to be earned. ### [Templar](/character-classes/templar/) Heavy armour, holy duty, and Spirit-aligned roleplay out of Enorian. The classic Human knight. A Templar from a race with stronger built-in mythology often has to reconcile their heritage with the order; a Human Templar just is one. ### [Monk](/character-classes/monk/) Unarmed combat and discipline out of Duiran. A Human Monk reads as a person who put in the work, since the race carries no innate gift for the form. The class fantasy of relentless practice fits the Human everyman frame better than it fits most other races. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Humans good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes. Humans are the easiest race to start with. They have no gender lock, no faction-cultural bias, no race-specific roleplay obligations, and a flat 12 in every base stat. If you do not yet know which city or class you want, a Human gives you the widest range of options without committing to a particular cultural frame. **What stats do Humans have in Aetolia?** Humans start with 12 Strength, 12 Dexterity, 12 Intelligence, 12 Constitution, and 12 Wisdom. They are the only race with a flat statline. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Humans in Aetolia?** Humans have three racial abilities. Deep Sleeper is available at character creation: your tiredness lifts faster while sleeping, and you gain extra health and endurance regeneration. Blood Reserves unlocks at Level 31 and gives you 20% more blood. Moderate unlocks at Level 61 and is a passive 1% bonus to global experience, increasing to 3% if you also pick the Normal statpack. **Where are Humans from in Aetolia?** Humans originally came from the southwest of the continent but spread quickly across all of Sapience. They have no single cultural home today. Light-skinned Humans tend toward [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/) and the north; dark-skinned Humans live in the southern regions, including the Mhojave, the Liruma, and [Enorian](/world/enorian/). Humans live in all four city-states. **Can a Human play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Mhun](/the-races-of-aetolia/mhun/) The other southwest race. Mhun came out of the same southwestern corner of the continent, but their history split off into oppression, exodus, and a religious renaissance that Humans never went through. Pick Mhun if you want a similar humanoid build with centuries of grievance and a faith story attached. ### [Tsol’aa](/the-races-of-aetolia/tsolaa/) The other ancient humanoid kin. Tsol’aa are long-lived, forest-dwelling survivors of a near-extinction caused by a Dreikathi weapon. Their reverence for nature and for the dead Goddess Lleis gives them a closed, faith-anchored culture that Humans, by contrast, do not have. Pick Tsol’aa if you want the texture Humans lack. ### [Dwarves](/the-races-of-aetolia/dwarf/) The other familiar mortal race. Dwarves are stout, clannish mountain folk who came out of the Vashnar peaks epochs ago, with deep clan divisions and a long history of their own. They fill a similar “everyone knows what a Dwarf is” recognition slot to Humans, but with more cultural baggage to lean on or play against. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Horkval of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/horkval/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![An insectoid Horkval with chitin carapace and mandibles the most visibly alien race in Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-horkval-hero-20260526.jpg "The Horkval of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Horkval are Aetolia’s insectoid race: chitin-armoured, click-tongued, red-eyed, and the only people on the continent who look at a sheer cliff and treat it as a suggestion. Some characters will never get past the carapace. That reaction is the roleplay. Their otherness shows in the first scene, before they say a word. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**Hive settlements scattered across Sapience**Cultural home**The hives (no single city-state)**Spiritual frame**Varian (the Satus), who cursed the race into being; the mantis-bound origin myth**Distinctive trait**Chitinous insectoid body, click-language, terrain-ignoring legs**Suits play styles**Visible-otherness roleplay, hive-culture vs individualist contrast, raw-physicality archetypes**Gender lock**None## Horkval lore and origin Horkval were not born of a willing creation. According to HELP ORIGIN OF THE HORKVAL, the first of them was a woman in the great unknowing, before purpose and forethought existed in the world. She killed her sleeping mate by a forest pool and fed her unborn child on his blood. Varian, the Satus, watched and spoke a single line of judgement: “Like the Mantis, who eats her mate, so shall you and your offspring be.” Her skin hardened. Her limbs thinned and plated. Her eyes widened and reddened with the blood still on her hands. The race began there. The cooperative, disciplined Horkval of today are descendants of that curse. Inside the hives, the race is known for determination and teamwork, with social structures that prize the collective above the individual. Outside the hives, most Horkval are strongly individualist and self-aware, and that gap between hive-Horkval and lone-Horkval is one of the more interesting tensions the race carries into roleplay. A hive-raised Horkval comes across as part of a larger machine. One who left, or never had a hive, looks like someone who chose their own shape against the grain. Their chitin armours them, their legs carry them over terrain others cannot cross, and their eyes show the world in red. Every physical gift came at a cost: Horkval are markedly less suited to magic than other races, with a low starting Intelligence. The body does most of their talking. ## Horkval appearance Horkval are bipedal but unmistakably insectoid. Chitinous plating covers the body in segments, with the colouration ranging across the spectrum that hardened insect carapaces span: deep blacks, oxidised reds, polished bronzes, mottled greens. The eyes are wide and faceted, often red from the founding myth’s bloodstain, though hive lines vary. Mouthparts are mandible-set rather than human-jawed. Antennae or sensory bristles are common. Limbs are thin, plated, and stronger than they look. The race’s voice is the click-language: a percussive, rhythmic mode of speech rendered through carapace clicks rather than human vocal cords. Horkval can speak common Aetolian when they need to, but among themselves the clicking is the natural register, and many Horkval find it more expressive. Other races who learn the Horkval clicking can join in. Most never bother. ## Horkval racial abilities The Horkval have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. - **Clicking** (available at character creation). Syntax: `CLICK `. You can speak the Horkval clicking language, which lets you communicate with anyone else who can understand it. - **Hardy** (unlocks at Level 31). Passive. Your chitin makes you difficult to bruise or pierce with minor blows. Any blunt or cutting attack that would deal less than 30 damage is blocked completely. - **Leap** (unlocks at Level 61). Syntax: `LEAP `. Your abnormal strength lets you leap over obstructions that would otherwise block your way. The set is physically themed and works with the race’s lore. Clicking is a social ability with persistent roleplay weight. Hardy is a meaningful damage floor against the kind of small chip-damage that wears characters down outside dedicated combat. Leap rewards Horkval who push into terrain other characters cannot follow them through. ## Horkval base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength12Dexterity12Intelligence9Constitution15Wisdom11Horkval lean hard into Constitution, with balanced physical stats and a low starting Intelligence. On paper the base stats favour durability over magic, but your statpack drives most of the real difference. ## How to roleplay a Horkval in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** The hives. Horkval who grew up inside one carry the cooperative-and-disciplined imprint from HELP HORKVAL. Horkval who left, or who were born outside, lean individualist and self-aware. Pick the side of that line your character sits on, because other Horkval will read your stance quickly. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Independent. No major city-state is Horkval-coded, so a Horkval character can serve [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/), [Enorian](/world/enorian/), [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/), or [Duiran](/world/duiran/) without a contradiction. The ORIGIN myth’s violence resonates with Shadow factions if you play into it. Spirit factions can take Horkval discipline and hive-loyalty as virtue. Both readings are valid. - **Visible-otherness texture.** The most polarising part of the race in roleplay. Some characters will not get past the chitin. Others will be fascinated by it. A Horkval who walks into a tavern in Enorian is going to draw a reaction before they order. Plan for that, and write into the scenes other races cannot have. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will read a Horkval as tough, alien, click-tongued, and hard to read. Some characters play straight into that; others build against it. A scholar Horkval who works through the Int 9 starting penalty by sheer effort is a richer character than the hive-warrior default. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Horkval Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Horkval lore, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/) Bloodloch’s heavy-armour butcher class, built around brute physical violence and a deep relationship with bone, flesh, and dismemberment. Horkval chitin and raw physicality fit Carnifex’s frame perfectly, and the mantis-bound origin myth gives a Horkval Carnifex a personal mythology to lean on. ### [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) Wilderness mastery and beast-bonded combat out of Duiran. A Horkval Sentinel comes across as a hive-departed loner who returned to the wilds the curse first found their people in, with a deep affinity for the kind of terrain Leap exists to cross. ### [Monk](/character-classes/monk/) Unarmed-strike discipline and body-as-weapon training. Horkval physical primacy and hive-trained discipline map cleanly onto Monk’s philosophy. The chitin replaces the armour a Monk forgoes, and the click-language adds an unusual texture to a class often defined by silence. ### [Praenomen](/character-classes/praenomen/) Bloodloch’s psychic-affliction class, built on raw mental dominance. A Praenomen for a race that starts with Intelligence 9 sounds wrong on paper, and that’s exactly why it can work in roleplay. A Horkval who fights through the racial bias toward physicality to master mind-work makes for a sharp character. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Horkval good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes for new players who want their character’s otherness to be visible from the first scene. Horkval get reactions in any room they walk into, which gives a new player something to work with immediately. The flip side is that some characters will refuse to engage past the chitin, and your starting Intelligence of 9 makes some learning curves steeper. If you want a race other players read as “default human,” [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) is the lighter pick. **What stats do Horkval have in Aetolia?** Horkval start with Strength 12, Dexterity 12, Intelligence 9, Constitution 15, and Wisdom 11. They are built for Constitution and weak on Intelligence. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Horkval in Aetolia?** Horkval have three racial abilities. Clicking is available at character creation and lets you speak the Horkval clicking language with anyone who can understand it. Hardy unlocks at Level 31 and is a passive that blocks any blunt or cutting attack dealing under 30 damage. Leap unlocks at Level 61 and lets you jump over obstructions other races cannot cross. **Where are Horkval from in Aetolia?** Horkval were created by Varian’s curse on a woman who killed her sleeping mate, per HELP ORIGIN OF THE HORKVAL. The race’s hives are scattered across Sapience rather than tied to one city, so Horkval have no single regional homeland. The hive is the cultural home; the geography is wherever the hive sits. **Can a Horkval play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Imps](/the-races-of-aetolia/imp/) The other non-mammalian race created by a divine hand, in their case the dead Goddess Khepri. Imps share the Horkval’s “small physical form, large reputation” frame, though Imps lean into mischief and chaos where Horkval lean into discipline and chitin. Pick if you want non-mammalian texture in a smaller, trickier package. ### [Xoran](/the-races-of-aetolia/xoran/) Reptilian, fire-breathing, and the other Aetolia race that comes across as visibly non-human on sight. Xoran share the Horkval’s “your physiology is part of every scene” weight, but with scales and breath weapons instead of chitin and click-language. Pick if you want distinctive non-human biology with a magical edge. ### [Arboreans](/the-races-of-aetolia/arborean/) Tree-people created by the Goddess Yanai and recently returned to the world. Arboreans share the Horkval’s uncanny-biology slot, with the same “this character is genuinely not like other characters” presence in a scene, plus a similar Strength 12 / Dexterity 12 / Constitution 15 stat profile and the same Hardy ability at Level 31. Pick if you want visible otherness without the mantis-origin weight. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Harpies of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/harpy/) **Published:** August 9, 2023 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![A Harpy female coded feathered hunter with avian features and a piercing gaze](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-harpy-hero-20260526.jpg "The Harpies of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Harpies are humanoid avians who lost their island, scattered across Sapience, and brought their raid-and-conquest culture with them. The Harpies treat silence as weakness, so they scream, and every flock runs as a line of would-be queens scheming for the top. If you want a race built on raw strength, manipulation, and the politics of who screeches loudest, the Harpies fit. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**Polyargos (destroyed in the late Midnight Age); now scattered across Sapience**Cultural home**Mount Klox in the Tarean range, plus dispersed flocks across the continent**Spiritual frame**Mythology attributes their creation to Khepri (now dead), but the Harpy faith has no living patron god**Distinctive trait**Flock-living avian raiders who treat noise, mockery, and manipulation as currency**Suits play styles**Loud roleplay, hierarchical flock politics, raid culture, shadow-aligned manipulation**Gender lock**None mechanically. In lore, Harpies are female or non-binary by sex; trans males exist but are rare## Harpy lore and origin Harpies originated on the island of Polyargos, but Polyargos was destroyed in the late Midnight Age. The diaspora landed Harpies across Sapience and made them a far more common sight on the continent than they had ever been before. They are a cousin race to the Atavians: both descend from the Atav, the lofty winged people. The Atavian line stayed graceful and Human-adjacent. The Harpy line did not. Mythology says the Harpies were not created on purpose. They were a cruel trick the Goddess Khepri played upon the Atav before her own death. Khepri herself was eaten by the great beast Kerrithrim, so the deity behind the joke is long gone. The Harpies remain, and they do not treat their own origin as a joke. Harpy society organises into flocks, each led by whoever is strongest and most cunning. Power shifts constantly, alliances move with the wind, and a flock’s queen survives by reading the politics around her better than any rival. The current queen, Kru’lax, has reigned for centuries because she is exceptionally good at this. She incites discord between her own subordinates, lets the factions tear at each other, and stays on top because no challenger lasts long enough to consolidate. Mount Klox in the Tarean range is her seat, and the flocks loyal to her raid the nearby settlements for wealth. For all the bickering, Harpies value their communal bonds. They are loud together, they raid together, and they take real pride in being insufferable to outsiders. If you want a race that wears its chaos openly and treats decorum as a weakness in others, Harpies are the pick. ## Harpy appearance Harpies stand four to five feet tall. Their nose is a beak. Their hands and feet end in large twisted talons, with grip strength built for hooking prey off the ground. Skin is tough and rugged, broken up by flaps, folds, and patches of feathers, with colours ranging from dirty brown to off-white and grey. Eyes are amber, yellow, or sometimes brown, but never blue. Wings are large and almost always scarred from scrapping with other Harpies. They look far more avian than their Atavian cousins. The usual description is a large carrion bird with a Human woman’s chest and torso. They often slouch or walk in a crouch, partly because their build leans that way and partly to mislead opponents about their reach. Most Harpies refuse to bathe and take pride in their filth; the few who have settled among other races sometimes adopt the practice, mostly to stop their flatmates from complaining. In sex, Harpies are female or non-binary. Trans males are rare but do exist. The race nests, lays eggs, and never gives birth to non-Harpies. ## Harpy racial abilities Harpies have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. - **Nesting** (available at character creation). Syntax: `NEST HERE`. In cliffs, mountains, ruins, or forested rooms, you can build yourself a nest. Sleeping in the room with your nest boosts your endurance regeneration. You only get one nest, but you can remake it whenever you want. - **Shrieking** (unlocks at Level 31). Syntax: `SHRIEK AT `. You let loose a piercing shriek at a target, draining their mental reserves. - **Flight** (unlocks at Level 61). Syntax: `FLY` and `LAND \[TREES\]`. Your wings give you flight, provided there is room to use them. The package leans into the Harpy identity. Nesting rewards picking a cliffside, mountain, or ruin as your home base. Shrieking turns the cultural love of noise into a usable tactic. Flight at 61 is the late payoff that makes hard-to-reach terrain feel like yours. ## Harpy base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength10Dexterity15Intelligence13Constitution11Wisdom9Harpies lean heavily into Dexterity, with solid Intelligence, average Constitution, and low Strength and Wisdom. The profile reads as a quick, agile striker rather than a frontline brawler, though your statpack does most of the heavy lifting on final numbers. ## How to roleplay a Harpy in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** Polyargos is gone, so most Harpies you meet are either part of Kru’lax’s Mount Klox flock, a splinter group from one of the dispersed flocks, or an outlier who has tried to make peace with continental civilisation. Roleplay the loss of the homeland or roleplay against it, but the diaspora is the baseline. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Often [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/). The Shadow city’s hierarchy, raid culture, and tolerance for manipulation map onto Harpy instincts more cleanly than any other faction. A Bloodloch Harpy is the default expectation. A Harpy who has gone to Enorian, Spinesreach, or Duiran is making a deliberate choice, and that tension drives the roleplay. - **Religious texture.** Thin by Aetolia standards. Khepri made the Harpies as a joke and is dead. The race has no living patron, no widespread cult, and no inherited theology. Some Harpies adopt other gods after leaving the flock; most stay irreligious. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will assume a Harpy is loud, crass, manipulative, and either currently in a flock power struggle or recently kicked out of one. Lean in or play against. Playing a quiet, reserved Harpy reads as a deliberate choice, since the loud, crass default is so strongly established. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Harpy Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Harpy lore, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Ravager](/character-classes/ravager/) Bloodloch raiders built around brute combat and the bloodlust of a horde. Ravagers are Bloodloch raiders who treat conquest as their trade, which is exactly how Harpy flocks operate. The cultural overlap is about as direct as it gets. ### [Carnifex](/character-classes/carnifex/) Bloodloch’s Shadow knight order, organised by hierarchy and ritual cruelty. A Harpy Carnifex reads as a flock queen’s enforcer transplanted into a structured military order. The power-struggle instincts carry over intact. ### [Praenomen](/character-classes/praenomen/) Shadow magic and manipulation rooted in Bloodloch. The Harpy’s instinct for inciting discord and shifting alliances maps onto Praenomen’s social and psychological tools more naturally than any other race’s would. The fit is strong for any Harpy drawn to influence over brute force. ### [Bard](/character-classes/bard/) Voice and sound as combat tools. Harpies already weaponise noise socially through shrieks, mockery, and constant cacophony. A Harpy Bard takes the cultural love of loud chaos and gives it a stage and a discipline. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Harpies good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, if you want a race that drops you into roleplay friction from your first scene. Harpies are loud, abrasive, and culturally distinctive enough that other characters will react to you on sight. New players who prefer to ease into a setting before standing out should pick [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) instead. **What stats do Harpies have in Aetolia?** Harpies start with Strength 10, Dexterity 15, Intelligence 13, Constitution 11, and Wisdom 9. Heavily Dexterity-leaning, solid Intelligence, low Strength and Wisdom. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Harpies in Aetolia?** Harpies have three racial abilities. Nesting is available at character creation (`NEST HERE`, build a nest in cliffs, mountains, ruins, or forests to boost endurance regen while sleeping there). Shrieking unlocks at Level 31 and drains a target’s mental reserves with a piercing shriek. Flight unlocks at Level 61 and lets you `FLY` and `LAND` when there is room. **Where are Harpies from in Aetolia?** Harpies originated on the island of Polyargos, which was destroyed in the late Midnight Age. The race scattered across Sapience after the destruction. The dominant flock today is based on Mount Klox in the Tarean range, ruled by the long-reigning queen Kru’lax. Many Harpies align with [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/), though no city locks the race in. **Can a Harpy play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Atavians](/the-races-of-aetolia/atavian/) The cousin race. Atavians and Harpies both descend from the Atav, but the two lines diverged. Atavians kept a graceful, Human-adjacent look, while Harpies went fully avian and harsh. Pick Atavian if you want winged identity without the raid culture, and pick Harpy if you want the raid culture above all. ### [Grecht](/the-races-of-aetolia/grecht/) The other winged race. Grecht are chiropteran rather than avian, isolationist rather than expansionist, and rooted in the Dehkay Plateau high above the Northern Tundra. Pick Grecht if you want flight and mountain heritage without the loud-flock-politics layer that Harpies carry everywhere. ### [Rajamala](/the-races-of-aetolia/rajamala/) The other beast-folk diaspora. Rajamala lost their homeland of Farsai centuries ago and live scattered across Sapience, much like Harpies after Polyargos. Both races carry the weight of a homeland that no longer exists. The difference is tone: Rajamala lean reserved and feline where Harpies lean loud and avian. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Grook of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/grook/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![A Grook amphibious humanoid with mottled skin jungle magic origins scholarly bearing](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-grook-hero-20260526.jpg "The Grook of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Grook are Aetolia’s amphibious scholar-folk: froglike, diasporic, and over-represented in libraries for their size. Their home island of Ulangi was destroyed by the Horkval, and the survivors scattered across Sapience. Most of them ended up in cities, because cities have books. If you want a race whose distinguishing trait is “smarter than you and not subtle about it,” the Grook are the pick. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**The isle of Ulangi (destroyed); now scattered across Sapience**Cultural home**None central. Most common in [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/) and other city-states**Ancestral kin**The Drakt, [Kelki](/the-races-of-aetolia/kelki/), and [Xoran](/the-races-of-aetolia/xoran/), per the southeastern lineage**Distinctive trait**Amphibious scholar-mages with the joint-highest baseline Intelligence in the game (Intelligence 16, tied with the Gnome)**Suits play styles**Scholarly roleplay, arcane caster builds, refugee-diaspora arcs, water-and-library characters**Gender lock**None## Grook lore and origin The Grook came out of Ulangi, an island that no longer exists. The Horkval destroyed it, and the Grook population scattered across the continent in the aftermath. There is no central Grook settlement today. The diaspora shapes most Grook characters: every Grook either remembers Ulangi or descends from someone who fled it after the Horkval destroyed the island. In the deepest mythology, the Grook are older than most surface races. The Kelki origin myth places them in the freshwater long before the salt seas held any intelligent life: “Long ago had the Grooks begun to populate the fresh waters.” So a Grook walking into a Spinesreach library is the descendant of a freshwater people who pre-date most of Sapience. The Xoran race-history puts the Grook in the early southeastern lineage alongside the Drakt, Kelki, and Xoran, so the race has continental kin even if Ulangi is gone. Modern Grook culture is insular and bookish. They value education above almost anything else, and magic, mysticism, and slow accumulation of knowledge are central. The race shows up in cities at much higher rates than in wilderness, because cities have the schools and archives that Grook actually want. If you want a race that carries a “scattered survivors who became indispensable to other peoples’ institutions” arc, that’s the Grook. ## Grook appearance Grook are amphibious and froglike, with broad mouths, large eyes, and skin that ranges through greens, browns, and grays, often mottled. Height varies widely from one Grook to the next: short, average, and tall all exist within normal range. Build runs slighter than human and noticeably less muscled than the warrior races of the southeast. Their amphibious nature matters in play. A Grook can swim across rivers, walk on the surface of standing water without sinking, and stay under indefinitely without drowning. That mobility is a real practical advantage when a Bloodloch swamp or a Mournhold sea-shore is a normal travel route. ## Grook racial abilities The Grook have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. - **Aquatic** (available at character creation). Syntax: `SWIM `. You can swim across rivers naturally, walk on the surface without drowning, and stay underwater without running out of air. The most practical low-level travel utility of any racial ability in the game. - **Scholar** (unlocks at Level 31). Passive. When taking lessons from a teacher, you can learn an extra 10 lessons at once compared to other races. Lessons unlock new class abilities, so this compounds across a character’s entire career. - **Arcanist** (unlocks at Level 61). Passive. Any arcane-sourced damage you deal is increased by 1%. Most Intelligence-based caster classes deal arcane damage, so this bonus stacks naturally with the Grook stat profile. The three abilities line up with how most Grook play: swim everywhere from level one, learn faster from level 31, and hit harder with magic from level 61. ## Grook base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength9Dexterity10Intelligence16Constitution10Wisdom13Grook share the highest baseline Intelligence in Aetolia (16, tied with the Gnome), paired with low Strength. That profile reads as a pure caster archetype: arcane damage scales on Intelligence with no diminishing returns. Strength at 9 is a real weakness for melee builds, so a Grook committing to a Carnifex or Sentinel is choosing flavour over numbers. Your statpack still does most of the work. ## How to roleplay a Grook in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** Ulangi is gone. Every Grook either remembers the island, was born in exile, or grew up in a city archive that took the family in. The race’s culture is portable: it lives in libraries and study circles, not in a homeland. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Independent by default. No city owns the Grook. [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/) is the most common natural fit because Spinesreach is the scholarly Shadow city, with institutional support for arcane study and academic ambition. Duiran also attracts Grook who prefer wild freshwater and primal magic over urban arcane. Bloodloch and Enorian have Grook populations too, but those characters often read as outsiders. - **Religious texture.** Grook religion is light-touch. The race does not have a single creator god the way Kelki revere Slyphe or Mhun revere their Albedi-origin Spirits. But the deep-time mythology gives a Grook character a quiet claim to ancient witness, an inheritor of a memory older than most active gods. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will assume a Grook is intelligent, soft-spoken, bookish, and possibly insufferable. The “frog scholar” reputation is real and earned. You can play it straight or play against it: the Grook brawler who got tired of being underestimated, the Grook smuggler who reads philosophy at night. Both work. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Grook Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Grook culture and abilities, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Archivist](/character-classes/archivist/) The pure scholar-mage class out of Spinesreach. Archivists draw on Geometrics, Numerology, and Bioessence, walking the line between brilliance and breakdown in pursuit of universal knowledge. A Grook Archivist is the canonical fit: Intelligence-primary, scholarly, and Spinesreach-native. ### [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/) Shadow mages out of Spinesreach, working with the destructive plane of Czjetija. Same Intelligence-primary stat profile as Archivist, same city, but trades introspective study for active shadow combat. ### [Tidesage](/character-classes/tidesage/) Water-based fighters out of Enorian, drawing on Wavebreaking, Synthesis, and Inundation. The thematic case is obvious: Grook are amphibious, Tidesages weaponise the sea. The mechanical case is rougher because Tidesage is Strength-primary, so a Grook Tidesage trades numbers for flavour. ### [Voidseer](/character-classes/voidseer/) Spirit-aligned scholars out of Duiran, the Archivist’s mirror across the Spirit-Shadow line. A Grook Voidseer reads as a freshwater scholar who chose primal study and Duiran over Spinesreach institutional life. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Grook good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, especially for new players who want a caster character. The Intelligence 16 baseline supports arcane damage well, and Aquatic removes water-crossing as a navigation problem from level one. The downside is low Strength, so a new player set on a melee character should pick a different race. For the easiest start overall, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) is the lighter pick. **What stats do Grook have in Aetolia?** Grook start with Strength 9, Dexterity 10, Intelligence 16, Constitution 10, and Wisdom 13. Intelligence 16 ties the Gnome for the highest racial Intelligence in the game, paired with low Strength. Your final stats depend on your statpack, a separate choice from race that works independently. **What are the racial abilities of Grook in Aetolia?** Grook have three racial abilities. Aquatic is available at character creation and lets you swim across water, walk on the surface, and breathe underwater. Scholar unlocks at Level 31 and lets you learn 10 extra lessons at once from any teacher. Arcanist unlocks at Level 61 and is a passive 1% bonus to arcane-sourced damage. **Where are Grook from in Aetolia?** Grook originated on the isle of Ulangi, destroyed by the Horkval. The survivors scattered across Sapience, and there is no central Grook settlement today. In the deeper mythology, the Kelki origin myth records Grook populating the freshwater long before the salt seas held any intelligent life. **Can a Grook play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Kelki](/the-races-of-aetolia/kelki/) The other aquatic race, and the Grook’s closest mythological cousin. Where Grook took to the fresh waters and ended up in cities, the Kelki built a sea kingdom and lost it to the Kerrithrim. Pick if you want salt water and Mournhold over freshwater scholarship and Spinesreach. ### [Gnomes](/the-races-of-aetolia/gnome/) The other small, scholarly, scattered race. Gnomes share the “diaspora intellectuals over-represented in libraries” profile, but they lean toward invention and tinkering rather than pure arcane study. Pick if you want the scholar archetype with a maker’s bent. ### [Arborean](/the-races-of-aetolia/arborean/) The wood-tied counterpart. Arboreans are nature-bonded and Duiran-aligned, sharing the Grook’s distance from city politics but rooted in forest rather than freshwater. Pick if you want a slower, more contemplative cousin to the Grook’s bookish urbanism. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Grecht of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/grecht/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![A Grecht stone skinned humanoid figure with chiropteran wing flaps](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-grecht-hero-20260526.jpg "The Grecht of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Grecht come from the Dehkay Plateau, a raised mass of land in the far north of Sapience that almost nobody else has ever seen. They are chiropteran: lithe, thin, stark grey to black, with wing-flaps that stretch from arm to body and let them soar. From a distance, a Grecht reads as carved rather than born. Up close, the wings give it away. The Grecht arrived on Sapience already strange and have stayed that way. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**The Dehkay Plateau, far north of Sapience, above the Northern Tundra**Cultural home**Distributed. Grecht on Sapience hail from the Siroccians or one of the cities**Spiritual frame**Largely unknown. The race’s origins are explicitly “shrouded in mystery”**Distinctive trait**Chiropteran build with full flight unlocked at Level 61**Suits play styles**Outsider roleplay, aerial scout, isolationist scholar, slow-burn cultural assimilator**Gender lock**None## Grecht lore and origin The full origins of the Grecht are unknown. Their HELP file is one of the shortest in the game, and what it gives you is geography: the Dehkay Plateau, a raised mass of land in the far north of Sapience, sits above the Northern Tundra and holds the bulk of Grecht culture. Most Grecht who live on the plateau never come down, and most adventurers on the continent have never been up to see it. Some Grecht did come down. Those who reside on Sapience tend to hail from the Siroccian mountains or one of the cities. They speak a mutually intelligible dialect of the Grecht tongue and have begun to assimilate into continental culture. A Grecht walking around Spinesreach or Enorian chose to leave the homeland, or their family did generations back. That choice carries weight other races’ faction pulls do not. The Plateau itself is still functionally a closed culture. There is no Moghedu-style story of exodus, no Mhojave catastrophe driving the Grecht south. The Plateau just is, and the Grecht who live there largely stay. Their unanswered questions are the whole hook. The most interesting Grecht stories tend to be about the gap between the Plateau and the world below. ## Grecht appearance Grecht skin runs from stark black to slate-grey. They are lithe and thin, well-adapted to thin mountain air and to long stretches in flight. The wings are not separate limbs. Thin flaps of skin stretch from arm to body and let a Grecht soar when there is room to do so. On the ground, folded against the body, those wings can read almost as a cloak. The carved look comes from the silhouette and the colour palette together. A grey humanoid with a sharp profile and folded wings, standing still in a city square, can pass for a statue until it moves. Some Grecht play into that. Others find it tiresome. ## Grecht racial abilities The Grecht have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. The set leans toward stamina, climate resilience, and eventual flight. - **Deep Sleeper** (available at character creation). Syntax: `SLEEP` and `WAKE`. When you sleep, your tiredness lifts faster, and you gain extra health and endurance regeneration compared to other races. - **Bodyheat** (unlocks at Level 31). Passive. Your body produces extra warmth, giving you an additional 2% resistance to cold-based damage. - **Flight** (unlocks at Level 61). Syntax: `FLY` and `LAND \[TREES\]`. Your wings let you fly, so long as there is room to do so. The package fits the climate. Bodyheat is exactly what you would expect from a race that evolved on a frozen plateau, and Flight is the headline ability the wings imply from level one. Deep Sleeper is easy to overlook but useful: out of combat, a Grecht recovers tiredness, health, and endurance faster than most races, so rest breaks go further. ## Grecht base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength10Dexterity15Intelligence13Constitution11Wisdom9Grecht are Dexterity-led with solid Intelligence and noticeably low Wisdom. The profile reads as a nimble scout or aerial duellist, light on their feet (and in the air) but not a heavy hitter. Wisdom 9 is the lowest in the kit and worth knowing about: in Aetolia, Wisdom shortens how long stun and blackout effects hold you, so a low-Wisdom race shakes off those control effects a little slower than average. Your statpack does most of the actual work, but the racial baseline tilts you a particular way. ## How to roleplay a Grecht in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** The Dehkay Plateau is the homeland, but most other characters have never been there. A Grecht walking around the continent is almost always either a defector, an exile, or the descendant of one. That gives you a lot of room. Plateau-born Grecht carry the strangeness of an outsider culture. Siroccian-born or city-born Grecht have already gone through some of the cultural translation work, and they often carry the friction of being the only one of their kind in the room. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** None by default. The Grecht did not align with [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/), [Enorian](/world/enorian/), [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/), or [Duiran](/world/duiran/) as a people. Individual Grecht who came down off the Plateau drift to whichever city’s culture clicked for them, but it is always an individual decision, not a racial one. - **Religious texture.** Mostly open. The HELP files do not specify a Grecht pantheon, and the race’s origins are explicitly shrouded in mystery. That gives you space to either play a Grecht who carries unwritten Plateau traditions, or one who picked up Sapience religion after coming down, or one who quietly does not care about either. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will read a Grecht as the quiet aerial outsider. Lean in by playing the strange one who watches from the rooftops, or play against it by writing a chatty, fully-assimilated city Grecht who has been in Enorian longer than half the Humans in the room. Both work. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Grecht Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Grecht lore and physique, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) Wilderness mastery and animal-bonded combat out of Duiran. The Grecht’s high-altitude origin and aerial scouting role map well onto Sentinel’s reading of the land. A Grecht Sentinel reads as a Plateau-trained tracker who came south. ### [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/) Shadow elementalism out of Spinesreach. The combination of scholarly distance and dark aesthetic suits a Grecht who left the Plateau for the city’s library culture. Sciomancer’s restraint also fits the carved-statue read. ### [Monk](/character-classes/monk/) Monk’s discipline-based unarmed combat and emphasis on trained physical control fit the Grecht’s lithe build and watchful temperament. A Grecht Monk reads as a flier who took the slow, grounded path to mastery on purpose. ### [Infiltrator](/character-classes/infiltrator/) Assassination, hypnosis, and rooftop work out of Spinesreach (the Syssin guild’s class, but mechanically untethered). A Grecht who can sleep deep, ignore cold, and eventually fly is already most of the way to an Infiltrator’s profile. The wings let a Grecht Infiltrator reach and leave rooftops other classes have to climb to. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Grecht good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, especially if you want a race that visibly stands out from level one. The wings, the grey skin, and the carved-statue silhouette give you a lot of roleplay to work with before you have even unlocked Flight. The trade-off is that Grecht arrive culturally rootless on Sapience, so you will need to write your own cultural detail rather than inheriting a city’s playbook. If you want a more anchored starting point, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) or [Mhun](/the-races-of-aetolia/mhun/) carry more pre-built cultural texture. **What stats do Grecht have in Aetolia?** Grecht start with Strength 10, Dexterity 15, Intelligence 13, Constitution 11, and Wisdom 9. Dexterity-led with solid Intelligence and the lowest Wisdom in the kit. In Aetolia, a low Wisdom means stun and blackout effects hold you a little longer than average. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race, and the two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Grecht in Aetolia?** Grecht have three racial abilities. Deep Sleeper is available at character creation (`SLEEP` and `WAKE` recover tiredness, health, and endurance faster). Bodyheat unlocks at Level 31 and gives you a passive 2% resistance to cold damage. Flight unlocks at Level 61 (`FLY` and `LAND \[TREES\]`) and lets you fly anywhere there is room to do so. **Where are Grecht from in Aetolia?** Grecht originate from the Dehkay Plateau, a raised land mass in the far north of Sapience, above the Northern Tundra. Most Grecht on the continent below hail from the Siroccian mountains or one of the cities. The Plateau itself remains largely closed off, and the race’s deeper origins are explicitly shrouded in mystery. **Can a Grecht play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Atavian](/the-races-of-aetolia/atavian/) The other established winged race, and the one most often compared to Grecht. Atavians descend from the Atav, carry a feathered-wing aesthetic, and sit closer to the centre of Sapient culture. Pick if you want flight without the closed-culture outsider story. ### [Harpy](/the-races-of-aetolia/harpy/) Harpies are also winged, but their culture runs on chaos, raiding, and constant power struggles, the opposite of the quiet, watchful Grecht. The shared thread is flight and a non-Human silhouette. Pick Harpy if you want winged and aggressive instead of winged and watchful. ### [Horkval](/the-races-of-aetolia/horkval/) Insectoid, chitinous, cooperative. The shared theme with Grecht is a body that other races read as uncanny on sight. The contrast is that Horkval culture is tightly disciplined and hive-rooted, where Grecht culture is closed and largely unspoken. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Gnomes of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/gnome/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![A diminutive Gnome figure with sharp intelligent eyes scholarly arcane setting](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-gnome-hero-20260526.jpg "The Gnomes of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Gnomes are Aetolia’s small, sharp, magic-inclined homebodies. They stand two to three feet tall, live almost entirely in one secluded valley, and run a university famous across the continent for enchantment work. If you want a race that leans on intelligence and craft instead of muscle, with centuries of insularity quietly cracking open in current canon, the Gnomes fit. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**Valley of Lodi, near the Putoran Hills**Cultural home**Village of Gorshire (independent)**Spiritual frame**Largely secular; sceptical of the Gods. Spirit-magic scholarship is the closest thing to a religious tradition**Distinctive trait**Small, sharp, arcane-inclined offshoot of the ancient Zao Sazi heritage**Suits play styles**Scholarly roleplay, enchantment and tinkering, isolationist-cracking-open arc, magic-tech**Gender lock**None## Gnome lore and origin Gnomes were created during the First Immortal Epoch as an offshoot of the Zao Sazi, the progenitor heritage they share with Kobolds, Imps, and Pixies. Where those sister races spilled out into the tumult of the world, the Gnomes did the opposite. They picked a sheltered valley, settled in, and stayed. That valley is Lodi, near the Putoran Hills. The Village of Gorshire is the only real civilisation the race produced, ruled in name by an elected mayor and held together by a small constabulary. Elections happen rarely, because nothing much changes and the people generally prefer it that way. For most of Gnomish history, a Gnome leaving Gorshire for good was a scandal worth gossiping about for a season. Current canon is the part where that starts to break. The mines under the Putoran Hills are largely tapped out. To launch the Gorshire Mining Syndicate and look for new reserves, the Gnomes had to swallow their isolationism and accept help from outside adventurers. Under pressure from the people, mayor Gorbert agreed to let young Gnomes leave the valley and adventure on their own. If you want to play a Gnome, you are playing one of the first generations to step outside Lodi as a matter of policy rather than scandal. A Gnome character carries that tension by default: centuries of “we keep to ourselves” against a present where the home culture is finally cracking open. ## Gnome appearance Gnomes stand between two and three feet tall, with knife-like pointed ears and eyes that run through browns, blues, and hazel, with green showing up only rarely. Heads tend to be more square than round. Limbs and extremities sit in odd proportions compared to taller humanoids, and Gnomish hands have thick, almost web-like fingers that separate further along the knuckle than a Human’s would. Male Gnomes grow profuse facial hair after puberty: full beards, moustaches, heavy eyebrows. Female Gnomes get a wider range of natural hair colour than the males do. Despite their natural dexterity in fine work, Gnomes walk with an awkward, inelegant gait. The small frame, the odd proportions, and the awkward gait read as “Gnome” before a character says a word, which gives roleplay an instant visual hook. ## Gnome racial abilities Gnomes have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. - **Small Size** (available at character creation). Passive. Your smaller frame lets you ride mounts that would crush a Human or larger rider. The trade-off is that alcohol hits a small body harder, so a Gnome gets drunk faster and hiccups a little differently when speaking after a few drinks. - **Willful** (unlocks at Level 31). Passive. Gnomish willpower is legendary in the common stories, and the mechanics back it up: your maximum willpower is increased by 5%. Useful for any class that burns willpower as a resource. - **Arcanist** (unlocks at Level 61). Passive. A natural affinity for magic that raises your arcane-sourced damage by 1%. Small, but always on, and it stacks with everything else an arcane class brings. The package rewards intelligence and willpower over brute force. Small Size opens a real mount option from the start, Willful is broadly useful for caster classes, and Arcanist is the late-unlock reward for staying with the race long enough to reach level 61. ## Gnome base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength9Dexterity10Intelligence16Constitution10Wisdom13That spread leans hard into Intelligence, with respectable Wisdom and weak Strength. The profile reads as a caster or scholar archetype more than a duellist. Your statpack does most of the actual mechanical work, but the racial baseline tells the story of who Gnomes are: smart, willful, physically slight. ## How to roleplay a Gnome in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** The Valley of Lodi and the Village of Gorshire. Most Gnomes were born and raised there, with a simple lifestyle, farmland, geese and sheep, and a deep contentment with the status quo. Gnomes living outside Lodi are still rare enough that other characters will ask why. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Gorshire is independent, but Gnomish temperament pulls toward [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/). The scholarly habit, the enchantment work, the Gorshire University, the comfort with arcane study: all of it overlaps with Spinesreach’s culture more cleanly than with Enorian’s Spirit-faith, Bloodloch’s Shadow-corruption, or Duiran’s wildkin. Some Gnomes go elsewhere, including the rare daring scholars who chase Shadow and usually regret it. - **Religious texture.** Mostly secular. There are no chapels in Lodi, mistrust of the Gods is widely considered healthy, and most Gnomes treat the divine with scepticism rather than reverence. Gnomish religious roleplay tends to be either quietly devout in defiance of cultural norms or openly contemptuous of the Gods. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will read a Gnome as a scholar, an enchanter, or a tinker first, with a stubborn streak and a habit of preferring tradition. Lean into the type or play against it. A Gnome warrior is unusual enough to be its own roleplay hook. A Gnome who chases Shadow is a Filwin cautionary tale waiting to happen. A note on Enchanter Filwin: the standard cautionary tale taught at the Gorshire University. He tried to design new enchantments by channelling directly from Shadow, succumbed to the Shadowbound plague in the mid fifth century, and was executed. Most Gnomish scholars know the story, and many will quote it. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Gnome Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Gnomish lore, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Ascendril](/character-classes/ascendril/) Enorian’s primary arcane class: structured elemental magic, scholarship, and the discipline of light-aligned spellwork. Two Gnomes were founding members of the Enchanter’s Society of Mournhold, and the race runs the Gorshire University on the strength of exactly this kind of work. A Gnome Ascendril is the most on-the-nose pairing for the race, and the cleanest one. ### [Archivist](/character-classes/archivist/) Memory, knowledge, and the careful preservation of arcane lore out of Spinesreach. Gnomish culture rewards study, tradition, and a long view of the past. An Archivist Gnome reads as the keeper of records the Gorshire University would actually keep employed for life. ### [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/) Shadow scholarship for the daring Gnome who decided the Filwin warning was a challenge rather than a deterrent. Sciomancer’s deep, dangerous magic creates real tension against Gnomish culture’s general scepticism of Shadow. ### [Earthcaller](/character-classes/earthcaller/) Bone magic, lava, and stone evocation out of Bloodloch. The political tension is real (Earthcaller is Bloodloch-tethered, and few Gnomes naturally drift toward Bloodloch), and a Gnome who crosses it is choosing the stone over the valley’s politics. The Gorshire Mining Syndicate and Gnomish life under the Putoran Hills give Earthcaller real cultural footing for a Gnome who took the stone work seriously enough to follow it across the political line. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Gnomes good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, especially for new players who want a caster, scholar, or enchanter from day one. The Intelligence-heavy stat profile and the arcane racial ability set support that lane cleanly, and Small Size gives you a usable mount perk from character creation. If you want a melee bruiser, a race with stronger Strength and Constitution is a better fit. **What stats do Gnomes have in Aetolia?** Gnomes start with Strength 9, Dexterity 10, Intelligence 16, Constitution 10, and Wisdom 13. Heavy Intelligence, decent Wisdom, weak Strength. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Gnomes in Aetolia?** Gnomes have three racial abilities. Small Size is available at character creation and lets you ride mounts that would crush larger riders (with the trade-off that alcohol hits harder). Willful unlocks at Level 31 and raises maximum willpower by 5%. Arcanist unlocks at Level 61 and is a passive 1% bonus to arcane-sourced damage. **Where are Gnomes from in Aetolia?** Gnomes are an offshoot of the ancient Zao Sazi heritage they share with Kobolds, Imps, and Pixies. Almost all Gnomes live in the Valley of Lodi near the Putoran Hills, with the Village of Gorshire as their primary settlement. Gorshire is independent, though Gnomish scholarly temperament pulls toward [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/). **Can a Gnome play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Kobolds](/the-races-of-aetolia/kobold/) The sister race to Gnomes in the Zao Sazi heritage. Kobolds are also small humanoids with a tinkering streak, but their history bent toward chaos and tribalism where the Gnomes bent toward seclusion and study. Pick if you want the Zao Sazi lineage with a more openly mischievous cultural texture. ### [Dwarves](/the-races-of-aetolia/dwarf/) The other small, hardy, mining-and-metalwork people. Dwarves bring underground texture and an ancient empire’s weight where Gnomes bring an isolated valley and an arcane scholarship. Pick if you want mining-and-craft roleplay without the secular, arcane lean. ### [Grook](/the-races-of-aetolia/grook/) The other small, scholarly race. Grook share the small-frame, thoughtful, magic-curious profile with Gnomes, though their cultural roots differ. Useful if you like the Gnomish flavour but want a different cultural anchor. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Dwarves of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/dwarf/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![A red bearded dwarf with muscular arms lifting a massive stone golem above his head](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-dwarf-hero-20260526.jpg "The Dwarves of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Dwarves of Aetolia came down from the Vashnar mountains in the southwest, took a name that started as an insult, and made it stick. They favour stone, hearth, and clan over the wider continent’s quarrels, and their craftsmanship has been a point of friction with the Orcs for generations: each side claims the credit for half the forge-techniques currently in use. If you want a race grounded in clan loyalty, mountain culture, and a long memory for who did what to whom, the Dwarves fit. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**Vashnar mountains (origin); now widespread across mountains and highlands**Cultural home**No single city; clan-anchored across the Vashnars and Sapience’s highland regions**Spiritual frame**Dhar and Ivoln, two Gods who were once a single deity the Dwarves revered**Distinctive trait**Clan-bound mountain-folk with a centuries-deep tradition of craft and feast**Suits play styles**Clan roleplay, crafting, religious tradition, faction-flexible characters**Gender lock**None## Dwarf lore and origin The first Dwarves emerged from the Vashnar mountains some Epochs ago and began migrating northward and eastward during the rise of the Dark Empire. They were known then as the Hlugna. The name “Dwarf” started as a slight from outsiders. The Hlugna took the slur and made it their own name, which fits a race with a long memory for who said what. Dwarven culture leans toward sophisticated arts and crafts, with a deep appreciation for home, hearth, and celebration. That softer side coexists with a long history of military innovation, and the running argument with Orcs about who invented which forging technique or which weapon prototype has never really been settled. Clan divisions still run deep. Dwarves identify with their clan first and the race second, which makes “speaking for all Dwarves” a thing no Dwarf actually does. The ancient Dwarf empire is also part of the race’s modern reputation, because that empire once enslaved the Mhun. The continent remembers. So do the Mhun. A modern Dwarf character can lean into that history, distance themselves from it, or pretend it never happened, and other players will read each choice differently. If you want a race whose lore gives you real material to work with, the Dwarves carry centuries of it. ## Dwarf appearance Dwarves resemble short, stocky Humans. Eye, skin, and hair colours vary as widely as they do in Humans, since the two populations have lived alongside each other and intermarried for a long time. Build is the strongest racial marker: low centre of gravity, broad shoulders, dense bone. A Dwarf in armour is a different silhouette from a Human in the same armour. Clan markings, beard styles, and craft-jewellery carry far more cultural weight than physical features. A Dwarf reading another Dwarf at a tavern is reading the braids, the rings, and the clan tokens, not the face. ## Dwarf racial abilities The Dwarves have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. - **Alcohol Consumer** (available at character creation). Passive. When you consume alcohol, it acts like food and satiates your stomach. The amount of nutrition depends on the strength of the drink. The whole race takes its evenings seriously, and the system reflects it. - **Tremor Sense** (unlocks at Level 31). Syntax: `TREMORSENSE`. Your feet have become sensitive to vibrations in the earth, so you can sense if there are adventurers burrowing through the ground in the area below you. Useful in mountains and underground regions where players actually try to slip past you. - **Goldluck** (unlocks at Level 61). Passive. Luck is not always on your side, but when it comes to gold, it tends to find you. When you defeat denizens of the realm and they drop gold, you find an extra 1 to 5 gold on top. The package is grounded, mountain-themed, and gently mercantile. None of these abilities are flashy in combat, but they fit the race’s identity, and Goldluck in particular rewards staying with a Dwarf past level 61. ## Dwarf base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength10Dexterity9Constitution14Intelligence12Wisdom14Dwarves lean hard into Constitution and Wisdom, with average Intelligence and lower Strength and Dexterity. That profile reads as durable and slow to anger, which fits the lore. Your statpack still does most of the actual work. ## How to roleplay a Dwarf in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** Clan first. A Dwarf character’s clan name, hearth-region, and family craft do more for roleplay than their birthplace. The Vashnar mountains are the historical homeland, and many Dwarves still trace their line there, but the diaspora is broad. The ancient Dwarf empire enslaved the [Mhun](/the-races-of-aetolia/mhun/), so a modern Dwarf travelling in Mhun country may carry weight whether they want to or not. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Independent and varied. Dwarves are not pinned to any of the four city-states. You’ll find them in [Enorian](/world/enorian/), [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/), [Duiran](/world/duiran/), and even [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/), with each clan and family making its own choice. The migration during the Dark Empire era left a long memory of resisting tyranny, but that memory cuts in different directions depending on whose tyranny you think is current. - **Religious texture.** Most Dwarves divide their reverence between Dhar, the Underking, and Ivoln. The two were once a single God whom the Dwarves revered together, and the split is treated as a defining theological event in clan tradition. Some clans favour one over the other. Some try to hold both. Some have set the question aside since Ivoln sacrificed His presence to support the Plane of Earth. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will read a Dwarf as clan-bound, craftsman-leaning, fond of drink, and stubborn about old grudges. Lean into that or push against it. A wandering Dwarf with no clan ties is a striking character precisely because the default cultural read assumes the opposite. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Dwarf Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Dwarven lore, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Teradrim](/character-classes/teradrim/) Earth elementalism and stone constructs. Teradrim’s whole identity is built around stone, which is the Dwarves’ whole cultural identity. The Bloodloch tether creates real tension for clans with long memories of resisting the Dark Empire, and that tension is good roleplay material. ### [Archivist](/character-classes/archivist/) Memory, geometric magic, and the careful preservation of arcane knowledge out of Spinesreach. Dwarven culture rewards long memory, painstaking craft, and the discipline of taking generations to do a thing right. An Archivist Dwarf reads as the clan-keeper of records who chose study over the forge. ### [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) Wilderness mastery and beast-bonded combat out of Duiran. Sentinel maps onto the highland Dwarf who left the mountain hall for the wilds. The reverence for stone shifts toward reverence for the wider natural world without losing its core. ### [Monk](/character-classes/monk/) Disciplined unarmed combat, training, and tradition. Monk pairs well with the Dwarven preference for craft, discipline, and the kind of skill that takes a lifetime to build. A clan-trained Monk reads as someone whose discipline came from family before it came from any monastery. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Dwarves good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes. Dwarves are one of the most newcomer-friendly races because the cultural defaults (clan, hearth, craft, mountain) are easy to grasp without deep lore reading. Other players will read a Dwarf at face value, which gives a new roleplayer breathing room. If you want a cleaner slate with no historical baggage, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) is the lighter pick. **What stats do Dwarves have in Aetolia?** Dwarves start with Strength 10, Dexterity 9, Constitution 14, Intelligence 12, and Wisdom 14. Strong in Constitution and Wisdom, slightly below average in Strength and Dexterity. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Dwarves in Aetolia?** Dwarves have three racial abilities. Alcohol Consumer is available at character creation and lets alcohol satiate your hunger like food. Tremor Sense unlocks at Level 31 and lets you sense adventurers burrowing through the ground below you. Goldluck unlocks at Level 61 and is a passive bonus of 1 to 5 extra gold from denizens who drop gold. **Where are Dwarves from in Aetolia?** The first Dwarves emerged from the Vashnar mountains in southwest Sapience and migrated northward and eastward during the rise of the Dark Empire. They were known then as the Hlugna. There is no single Dwarven city today. Clans are spread across the continent’s mountain and highland regions, and individual Dwarves are independent of any specific city-state. **Can a Dwarf play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Mhun](/the-races-of-aetolia/mhun/) The other underground race, and the one with the most direct historical link. The ancient Dwarf empire enslaved the Mhun, and the memory hasn’t faded on either side. Pick if you want underground texture with a religious renaissance arc instead of a clan-and-craft frame, or if you want a Dwarf-Mhun character pairing with real history behind it. ### [Gnomes](/the-races-of-aetolia/gnome/) The other small race, isolationist by temperament where Dwarves are clan-bound by temperament. Gnomes centre on Gorshire, the Valley of Lodi, and enchantment magic, while Dwarves centre on the mountains, the forge, and clan tradition. Useful if you want diminutive stature without the Dwarven clan structure or the historical baggage. ### [Troll](/the-races-of-aetolia/troll/) Another race anchored in the continent’s deep mortal history, with a culture built around endurance and a different relationship to the wilds. Trolls share with Dwarves a sense of being older than most of the political alignments around them. Pick if you want ancient-mortal-race weight without the mountain-and-mercantile framing. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Djeirani of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/djeirani/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![A Djeirani figure with dark skin and amethyst glow eyes desert shaped and meditative](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-djeirani-hero-20260526.jpg "The Djeirani of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Djeirani are an old race shaped from spiders by the demon Llazuth, and they have lived deep beneath Azdun in the cavern city of Djeir for so long that sunlight is a foreign experience to most of them. If you want a race built around quiet, patient endurance, toxin resistance, and a rigid caste system that drips with political intrigue, the Djeirani fit. Their strength is patience, not force. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**The Black Lake and the cavern city of Djeir, beneath Azdun**Cultural home**Djeir (independent subterranean city)**Spiritual frame**Worship of Llazuth, the spider demon they call the Dark Lady, who once served the now-dead goddess Chakrasul**Distinctive trait**Spider-blooded subterranean nobles with toxin tolerance, dark vision, and a strict caste system**Suits play styles**Political intrigue, caste roleplay, meditative scholar archetypes, subterfuge, beauty-and-death aesthetics**Gender lock**None## Djeirani lore and origin The Djeirani trace their history as far back as the Second Mortal Epoch, though their actual making is much darker than most outsiders know. Chakrasul sent her proxy Llazuth into Azdun to shape spiders into the first Djeirani in secret, and most of Djeir worships Llazuth without knowing of the deity who worked through her. They named Llazuth the Dark Lady and have worshipped her exclusively ever since. Djeir itself sits beneath Azdun, around the subterranean territory of the Black Lake. It is a city built from cavern stone, carved into a society as ornate as it is closed. For most of its history, Djeir was sealed off from the surface entirely. In recent years famine forced the issue: the city’s fungi fields ran dry, the Black Lake’s fish populations crashed under overharvesting, and Djeir sent delegations to each surface city to open trade. Even now, surface food is expensive enough that mostly the nobility ever taste it. Djeirani culture fuses beauty with death. Djeirani swordplay is celebrated for its distracting flourishes and dancelike footwork, and the weapons used are almost always ornamental, with jewel-studded blades and knives forged from precious metals. The aristocracy stages grand theatre, while the criminal underbelly runs quieter dramas of poisoned wine and political assassination. Court intrigue, ritual violence, and centuries of refinement underground all share one vocabulary here. If that mix appeals to you, the Djeirani give you a lot to work with. ## Djeirani appearance Physical coloration carries an enormous amount of cultural weight for the Djeirani because it determines caste. The “ideal Djeirani” has pure black skin and smouldering amethyst eyes, and the closer a Djeirani comes to that ideal, the higher their social standing. Nobility tend toward violet eyes and dark lilac skin. Peasants are almost always green-eyed with reddish or pinkish skin, and can pass for Human at a distance. Other eye colours exist (blue is read as neither noble nor peasant), but those are usually treated as minor genetic deviations rather than markers of standing. Hair runs almost universally white, with red or brown considered rare and exotic. All Djeirani hair darkens to black with age. Higher castes set themselves apart further with facepaint, tattoos, and an arms race of increasingly elaborate jewelry, and the nobility keep their hair long and their faces clean-shaven. Lower castes are more relaxed about appearance, allowing for beards or body fat that the aristocracy would consider grotesque. ## Djeirani racial abilities The Djeirani have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. - **Meditator** (available at character creation). Syntax: `MEDITATE`. When meditating, you gain additional mana and willpower regeneration compared to non-Meditator races. - **Antivenin** (unlocks at Level 31). Passive. Your unique racial heritage allows you to resist deadly venoms more easily, granting you 2% resistance against poison damage. - **Subversion** (unlocks at Level 61). Syntax: `SUBVERT `. Through your entrancing eyes, you can subvert a target’s perception and instill an anonymous thought directly into their mind. There is a chance of detection while using this ability, so it rewards careful timing. The set rewards patience. Meditator is useful from the first hour, Antivenin softens the venom-heavy parts of Aetolia’s combat as you climb, and Subversion gives you a roleplay tool with real teeth at the level cap. ## Djeirani base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength9Dexterity12Intelligence10Constitution12Wisdom15Djeirani carry the highest Wisdom score of any playable race in Aetolia, with the lowest Strength to match. That profile reads as meditative scholars and subtle infiltrators more than front-line brawlers, though your statpack does most of the actual work. ## How to roleplay a Djeirani in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** Djeir, the cavern city beneath Azdun. Almost every Djeirani grew up there, and most have never seen the surface until they leave it. Sunlight is a shock to them, rain is mesmerising, and open sky can feel deeply unnerving. New players sometimes play a Djeirani who spent their first day on the surface staring at clouds, because that is a believable culture shock for a race born underground. - **Caste obsession.** The caste system shapes how a Djeirani sees other Djeirani at first glance. Skin and eye colour matter. Jewelry matters. Hair length matters. You can play that obsession straight (a noble who never quite trusts a green-eyed Djeirani in the room) or play against it (a high-caste exile who repudiates the system entirely). Both are common and both are rich. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Independent by default. Djeir is its own city-state, not aligned with [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/), [Enorian](/world/enorian/), [Spinesreach](/world/spinesreach/), or [Duiran](/world/duiran/). When Djeirani do emigrate, Bloodloch is the most common destination, since it is cavernous and shadow-friendly and avoids the sunlight problem. Djeirani who lean toward scholarship sometimes settle in Spinesreach instead. - **The Moreith and the Eithaga.** Djeir’s politics run on two parallel forces: the Eithaga (the nobility’s secret police, enforcing the caste system) and the Moreith (an organised rebellion working to tear down the puppetmasters behind the throne). A Djeirani with anti-establishment roots will know Santini, the Moreith leader, and Irda, his right hand. A Djeirani with loyalist roots will know Grand Inquisitor Serkhat, the real power behind Empress Malieh. You can pick a side, or stay deliberately neutral and let other players guess. - **Religious texture.** Llazuth, the Dark Lady, is the spider demon who shaped the first Djeirani. She is the only deity Djeir worships, and the city does not generally know that Chakrasul was working through her. High Priest Barin has stated publicly that he would worship whatever Divine the Dark Lady was beholden to, if Djeir ever learned the truth. That ambiguity is a real roleplay hook. - **Beauty and death.** The fusion is core to Djeirani aesthetics. Art, literature, swordplay, and assassination all share the same vocabulary. Lean into it. ## Which Aetolia classes fit a Djeirani Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Djeirani culture, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Bard](/character-classes/bard/) Performance, weaving, and songcalling. Bard is the canonical Djeirani fit, the performer-assassin archetype that mirrors the Djeirani fusion of beauty and death. A Djeirani Bard reads as a noble who turned the city’s love of ornate spectacle into a weapon, or a Moreith infiltrator using stagecraft as cover. ### [Indorani](/character-classes/indorani/) Necromancy, tarot, and domination out of Bloodloch. Indorani is the natural pick for a Djeirani who left Djeir for a cavernous neighbour city. The shadow lineage maps onto the Djeirani’s secret heritage through Llazuth and Chakrasul, and Bloodloch’s politics give a displaced Djeirani noble somewhere to be ruthless. ### [Sciomancer](/character-classes/sciomancer/) Shadowmancy, necromancy, and numerology out of Spinesreach. The scholarly mirror to Indorani. A Djeirani Sciomancer reads as the noble caste’s intellectual archetype taken to its conclusion: caste obsession becomes academic obsession, and the shadow itself becomes the subject of study. ### [Teradrim](/character-classes/teradrim/) Earth elementalism and stone animation out of Bloodloch. Teradrim’s whole identity is built around stone and underground, which is the Djeirani’s entire physical world. A Djeirani Teradrim reads as a cavern-dweller who decided to make the cavern itself fight on their behalf. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Djeirani good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes if you want roleplay heavy with caste politics, religious mystery, and subterranean culture shock from day one. Djeirani come with a built-in society of Eithaga enforcers, Moreith rebels, and a Dark Lady whose true origin is hidden from her own worshippers, so other players will read your character through that lens immediately. If you want a cleaner start with less baked-in context, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) is the lighter pick. **What stats do Djeirani have in Aetolia?** Djeirani start with Strength 9, Dexterity 12, Intelligence 10, Constitution 12, and Wisdom 15. That is the highest Wisdom score of any race, paired with the lowest Strength. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Djeirani in Aetolia?** Djeirani have three racial abilities. Meditator is available at character creation (`MEDITATE`, grants extra mana and willpower regeneration). Antivenin unlocks at Level 31 and gives a passive 2% resistance to poison damage. Subversion unlocks at Level 61 and lets you instill an anonymous thought directly into a target’s mind through their eyes, with a chance of detection. **Where are Djeirani from in Aetolia?** Djeirani come from the cavern city of Djeir, beneath the dungeon of Azdun, around the subterranean territory of the Black Lake. Djeir is an independent city-state aligned with neither Spirit nor Shadow as a faction, though the race itself was shaped by the spider demon Llazuth working in secret as a proxy for the goddess Chakrasul. **Can a Djeirani play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Arqeshi](/the-races-of-aetolia/arqeshi/) The climate opposite. Arqeshi live in the icy southeast and have been cleansed of Chakrasul’s Corruption, while Djeirani still worship a deity who was Chakrasul’s proxy. Both races carry corruption-adjacent ancestry, but the Arqeshi response is purification and the Djeirani response is reverent ignorance of the original source. ### [Tsol’aa](/the-races-of-aetolia/tsolaa/) The other Meditator race. Tsol’aa share the meditative archetype and the worship of a deity who is no longer present (in their case the dead Goddess Lleis). Where Djeirani culture is closed because it lives underground, Tsol’aa culture is closed because most of the race died in the Aalen catastrophe. ### [Mhun](/the-races-of-aetolia/mhun/) The other patient subterranean survivor race. Mhun and Djeirani both built independent city-states underground rather than join a major faction, and both carry centuries of grievance under the surface of daily life. Mhun lean toward earth and stone reverence. Djeirani lean toward beauty, caste, and quiet venom. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Atavians of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/atavian/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![A winged Atavian humanoid in golden armor mace raised with a glowing solar figure behind](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-atavian-hero-20260526.jpg "The Atavians of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Atavians are the winged descendants of the Atav, Human in shape but built for the sky. They look like Humans with vast feathered wings in startling colours, slight and delicate where a Human is solid. Most Atavians never see another Atavian growing up, because there is no Atavian capital and no shared culture to fall back on. If you want a race whose signature trait changes how you move through the world, the Atavians fit. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**Scattered across Sapience; no central homeland**Cultural home**A handful of isolated Atavian villages; many live in [Enorian](/world/enorian/)**Spiritual frame**Historically Spirit-aligned; descendants of the avian Atav**Distinctive trait**Powerful feathered wings that unlock true flight at Level 61**Suits play styles**Aerial roleplay, displaced heritage, Spirit-coded characters, vivid wing-colour identity**Gender lock**None## Atavian lore and origin The Atavians descend from the Atav, an ancient birdlike race that no longer walks Sapience. What is left of that lineage is the wings. Atavians are otherwise Human in shape, slight and delicate, with skin, hair, and eyes that come in the same striking palette as their wings. The Harpies share that same ancestry, which is why the two are called cousin races, but they have nothing else in common any more. There is no unified Atavian culture. The race is far enough removed from its Atav ancestors that the connection is heritage rather than community, and Atavians have spent generations being asked to set their heritage aside in exchange for being accepted by other peoples. That ask shows up everywhere they live. Some Atavians comply quietly. Some refuse and pay for it. A few small Atavian villages still exist, each with its own customs and its own opinions about who belongs and who doesn’t. The reputation does not help. Atavians get stuck with stereotypes about being licentious and untrustworthy, and the stereotypes outlast the people they were aimed at. A character who looks delicate and has wings will get read that way before they speak. You can lean into that, push against it, or build a character whose whole arc is escaping it. The Atavians carry that outsider tension without belonging to any city or faction by birth, which is most of the draw. ## Atavian appearance Atavians are slight and Human-like in build, with skin and eye colours that range as widely as any Human’s. What sets them apart is the wings: large, feathered, and often coloured in ways that have nothing to do with brown earth tones. Pastels, vivid blues, sunset oranges, mottled greens, and motley patterns are all canon. For wing colours, real birds are a good place to start. A lilac-breasted warbler scheme is just as valid as the classic white-and-gold. The wings are not small. They need space, and a thoughtful Atavian player works that into scenes. A cramped corridor means walking sideways. A low ceiling means folding the wings tight and hating every second of it. A subconscious wing-stretch when the character is nervous, or a tight fold when they are cornered, gives you a roleplay prop most races never get. ## Atavian racial abilities The Atavians have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. The set leans into the wings. - **Deep Sleeper** (available at character creation). Syntax: `SLEEP` and `WAKE`. When sleeping, your tiredness lifts faster, and you gain extra health and endurance regeneration compared to other races. - **Hover** (unlocks at Level 31). Syntax: `HOVER` and `SETTLE`. Your wings let you hover slightly above the ground, which grants you the levitation defence. - **Flight** (unlocks at Level 61). Syntax: `FLY` and `LAND \[TREES\]`. Your wings carry you in true flight, as long as there is room to do so. The progression is the whole point of the race. Hover changes how you handle ground-based hazards. Flight, when it unlocks, changes how an Atavian moves through the world entirely. At that point you fly to most places instead of walking, which changes how the whole game feels to play. That shift is what most Atavian players are working toward when they pick the race. ## Atavian base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength13Dexterity11Intelligence13Constitution11Wisdom12Atavians lean slightly into Strength and Intelligence, with average Wisdom and lower Dexterity and Constitution. That profile reads as versatile rather than specialised, which suits a race with no single cultural mould. Your statpack does most of the actual mechanical work. ## How to roleplay an Atavian in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** No central homeland. Most Atavians grew up in a mixed community, a small Atavian village, or as the only Atavian in their family. The race carries a real history of being asked to assimilate, and your character’s relationship to that ask is the most interesting hook you have. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Spirit-coded historically, and [Enorian](/world/enorian/) holds the largest urban Atavian population. That said, Atavians turn up everywhere. A Bloodloch Atavian, a Spinesreach Atavian, and a wandering independent Atavian are all internally consistent. The lack of a homeland means the race has no political default the way an Arborean or a Mhun does. - **Wings as a roleplay prop.** Use them. A nervous wing-flutter, a defensive fold, an accidental bump into a doorway, an awkward shuffle into a cramped tavern. Atavians who travel mostly by air are graceful in flight and clumsy on the ground, which is a fun characterisation hook on its own. Watch how real birds move and borrow the gestures. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will read an Atavian as either a flighty rogue (because of the old stereotype) or a Spirit-coded acolyte (because of the Enorian association). Lean into one reading and subvert the other. A stoic Atavian warrior who has never once told a lie reads as a deliberate rebuke of the stereotype, and that contrast is itself the character. ## Which Aetolia classes fit an Atavian Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Atavian lore, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Luminary](/character-classes/luminary/) Spirit-aligned out of Enorian, with a focus on light, healing, and protective magic. Atavians who follow the typical Spirit-coded path land naturally in Luminary. The wings reinforce the iconography. A winged Luminary in white robes is one of Aetolia’s classic visual archetypes. ### [Wayfarer](/character-classes/wayfarer/) Wandering martial discipline with no strict city tie. Wayfarer fits an Atavian who never put down roots, who flies between cities because no city feels like home. The class rewards mobility, and a Flight-capable Atavian Wayfarer travels on a different axis than the rest of the party. ### [Bard](/character-classes/bard/) Untethered performance and stage magic out of Djeir, with no city tether. Atavians have the colourful, expressive presence that Bards trade on, and the licentious-trickster stereotype the race carries gives a Bard plenty of material to play against or play into. A Bard Atavian can use the prejudice as part of the act. ### [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) Wilderness mastery and beast-bonded combat out of Duiran. An Atavian who chose the wilds over a city reads naturally as Sentinel. The wings and the forest can be tense together, since Sentinels operate mostly on the ground, but the contrast makes the character interesting rather than incoherent. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Atavians good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, especially for new players who want a strong visual identity and a clear progression goal. Wings give you something to roleplay around from day one, and Flight at Level 61 gives you a long-term thing to work toward. If you want a race with deeper political and cultural roleplay baked in, [Mhun](/the-races-of-aetolia/mhun/) or [Tsol’aa](/the-races-of-aetolia/tsolaa/) carry more built-in conflict. **What stats do Atavians have in Aetolia?** Atavians start with Strength 13, Dexterity 11, Intelligence 13, Constitution 11, and Wisdom 12. Slightly above average in Strength and Intelligence, slightly below in Dexterity and Constitution. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Atavians in Aetolia?** Atavians have three racial abilities. Deep Sleeper is available at character creation and gives you faster recovery from tiredness plus extra health and endurance regeneration while sleeping. Hover unlocks at Level 31 and grants the levitation defence. Flight unlocks at Level 61 and lets you actually fly, as long as there is room to do so. **Where are Atavians from in Aetolia?** Atavians descend from the Atav, an ancient avian race no longer present on Sapience. They share that ancestry with the [Harpy](/the-races-of-aetolia/harpy/), their cousin race. There is no central Atavian homeland in the modern era, though a few small Atavian villages still exist, and the largest urban Atavian population lives in [Enorian](/world/enorian/). **Can an Atavian play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Harpy](/the-races-of-aetolia/harpy/) The cousin race. Atavians and Harpies both descend from the Atav, but the two have evolved in opposite directions. Where Atavians lean delicate and assimilation-minded, Harpies lean raucous and territorial, and they nest in mountains rather than cities. Pick if you want the wings without the diplomatic baggage. ### [Grecht](/the-races-of-aetolia/grecht/) The other winged race in the cluster. Grecht are chiropteran rather than avian, with bat-like wing-flaps connecting arms to body, and they hail from the Dehkay Plateau in the far north. The shared theme is limited flight and a homeland most other races never see. Different vibe, similar mechanical territory. ### [Imp](/the-races-of-aetolia/imp/) The other hovering race. Imps get Hover at character creation rather than at Level 31, and they trade flight for mischief. Useful contrast if you are choosing between a delicate aerial race with a long climb to true flight and a small chaotic race that hovers from day one. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Arqeshi of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/arqeshi/) **Published:** December 20, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![An Arqeshi figure with pale slate skin and dark dreadlocks ice and Light aligned warrior of the cleansed Nazetu](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-arqeshi-hero-20260526.jpg "The Arqeshi of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")The Arqeshi look almost identical to Nazetu and share the same bloodline, but they have been cleansed of Chakrasul’s Corruption and now serve the Light in the southeast. The Arqeshi were Nazetu once, then cleansed of Chakrasul’s Corruption. They carry a conversion story and a diaspora identity, and they still fight the pull of that Corruption every night. Pick them if you want religious roleplay with that tension built in from the start. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**Nazedha Isle (origin); now scattered along Aetolia’s southeast coast**Cultural home**Southeastern coastal communities serving the Light (no single capital; diasporic)**Spiritual frame**Cleansed of Chakrasul; many serve the Gods of the Light. Chakros is observed as a month of fasting, not festival**Distinctive trait**Cleansed Nazetu: powerful, slimy builds with a religious conversion at the centre of their identity**Suits play styles**Redemption arcs, religious roleplay, sea-going characters, diaspora politics**Gender lock**None## Arqeshi lore and origin The Arqeshi began as Nazetu. Same origin, same physiology, same coastal seafaring heritage. The split happened in 452 MA, after the War of Night, when the prophet Kayalenki converted a population of Nazedha invaders. Any Arqeshi born before that year is by definition a convert: a Nazetu, from the mainland or the Nazedha islands, who chose to renounce Corruption. Chakrasul is gone from the world in current canon, but the Corruption she bred into the bloodline did not die with her. Even today, Arqeshi report temptations and nightmares, the kind that try to drag a sleeper back toward the Corruption their bloodline was built from. That struggle shows up in religious practice. While most Nazetu treat the month of Chakros as a sacred time of revelry, indulgence, and worship of their Mother, the Arqeshi treat the same month as a season of caution. They fast. They refrain from indulgence. They read the Nazedha religious canon out loud and pull it apart, contrasting old doctrine against what they have chosen to become on the mainland. If you want a race whose religious life is built around active rejection rather than passive worship, this is it. ## Arqeshi appearance Physically, Arqeshi and Nazetu are nearly indistinguishable. Both are tall and powerfully built, with a layer of slime that keeps the skin moist and helps with swimming. The smell is part of the package: oily, briny, sometimes outright rancid, and older Arqeshi can shed the slime for a little while before it inevitably returns. Skin blemishes are common across both peoples, from mild discolouration to warts, lesions, and the occasional extra finger or toe. The visual cues that mark someone as Arqeshi rather than Nazetu tend to be cultural. Dress aligned with the Light, iconography of the southeast, a hardtack-and-shellfish diet eaten at a more disciplined cadence than a Nazedha pirate would bother with. To a Nazetu, those cultural markers signal betrayal. To an Arqeshi, they are the outward sign of a conversion that happened on the inside. ## Arqeshi racial abilities The Arqeshi have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. - **Trawling** (available at character creation). Syntax: `TRAWL` and `EAT `. Your time in the water lets you trawl for food in any watery environment; in fertile spots you are guaranteed a catch, and you can eat raw fish straight from the line. - **Willful** (unlocks at Level 31). Passive. The legendary willpower of your race lifts your maximum willpower by 5%. Useful for any class that drains willpower on big abilities or sustained casting. - **Ice Breathing** (unlocks at Level 61). Syntax: `BREATHE ICE AT `, `BREATHE ICE AT GROUND`, `BREATHE ICE AT FIREWALL`. Your breath turns icy, dealing cold damage and chilling targets. You can also lay a sheet of ice on the floor that trips anyone without levitation defence, or freeze out an enemy’s wall of fire. The Arqeshi mirror the Xoran on climate: the southeastern Xorani breathe fire, the Arqeshi breathe cold. Trawling and the ice-on-the-ground trip round out a maritime kit. Of the three, Willful matters most, because a 5% willpower boost helps almost any class. ## Arqeshi base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength13Dexterity11Intelligence13Constitution11Wisdom12Arqeshi sit slightly above average in Strength and Intelligence, with average Wisdom and lower Dexterity and Constitution. The spread is identical to the Mhun and reads as a generalist profile: a body capable of both physical work and arcane study, without leaning hard either way. Your statpack does most of the real work. ## How to roleplay an Arqeshi in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** A diaspora, by definition. The largest Arqeshi community is in Aetolia’s southeast, but there is no single homeland. Every Arqeshi character carries either a personal conversion or descent from one of Kayalenki’s original converts. The decision to leave Corruption behind sits at the centre of who you are. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Independent on paper, gravitationally Light in practice. Most Arqeshi communities serve the cause of the Light, which puts them naturally near [Enorian](/world/enorian/). They are not welcome in [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/), where Nazetu are the majority and Chakrasul’s worship was once the local religion. An Arqeshi in Bloodloch is either a target, a missionary, or a story waiting to go wrong. - **Religious texture.** Most Arqeshi roleplay runs through their faith. The month of Chakros is observed as fasting and study, not celebration. The Nazedha religious canon is read and reinterpreted against what your character now believes. The temptations and nightmares left behind by Chakrasul’s Corruption are canon, so a tortured-sleep subplot is always available. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will assume an Arqeshi is a former Nazetu (or descended from one) with a redemption story, treated as a traitor by their former kin, and welcomed cautiously by the Light. Lean into that, or play against it. A second-generation Arqeshi born on the mainland and raised in Enorian, who has never met a Nazetu in their life, reads very differently from a first-generation convert who still dreams about Nazedha. ## Which Aetolia classes fit an Arqeshi Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Arqeshi lore, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Tidesage](/character-classes/tidesage/) Ocean mages out of Enorian, fixed on the sea and on water-shaping arts. The maritime heritage that Arqeshi inherit from their Nazedha ancestors finds an obvious home in the Tidesage tradition, and Ice Breathing at level 61 layers a personal cold weapon onto a class already built around water. A Tidesage Arqeshi is a former islander turned scholar of the same sea their ancestors raided. ### [Luminary](/character-classes/luminary/) Warrior-priests of the Light in Enorian. If your Arqeshi’s conversion story is the centre of their identity, Luminary is the cleanest fit: a class built around worship of the Light, played by a race defined by turning away from Corruption. ### [Templar](/character-classes/templar/) Holy knights of Enorian under the patronage of Celezor. A more martial expression of the same Light alignment. An Arqeshi Templar reads as a convert who took the militant route: the body that was bred for Nazedha raiding turned toward defence of the Light instead. ### [Zealot](/character-classes/zealot/) Light-aligned martial artists at the Illuminai guild. The Willful racial ability and Zealot’s psionic conditioning share a theme: the mind held against pressure that wants to break it. For an Arqeshi who treats the nightly fight against Chakrasul’s pull as a discipline, Zealot frames that discipline as a way of life. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Arqeshi good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, especially for players who want religious or redemption roleplay from day one. Arqeshi carry an active conversion story, ongoing tension with their unconverted Nazetu kin, and a defined religious calendar built around resisting a dead Goddess. Other characters will react to an Arqeshi on sight, which gives a new player something to hang their first roleplay scenes on. If you want a more neutral start, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) is the lighter pick. **What stats do Arqeshi have in Aetolia?** Arqeshi start with Strength 13, Dexterity 11, Intelligence 13, Constitution 11, and Wisdom 12. Slightly above average in Strength and Intelligence, slightly below in Dexterity and Constitution. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. Race and statpack work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Arqeshi in Aetolia?** Arqeshi have three racial abilities. Trawling is available at character creation and lets you forage food in any watery environment (and eat raw fish). Willful unlocks at Level 31 and raises your maximum willpower by 5%. Ice Breathing unlocks at Level 61, deals cold damage, chills targets, lays ice on the ground that trips anyone without levitation, and can extinguish enemy walls of fire. **Where are Arqeshi from in Aetolia?** Arqeshi share their origin with the Nazetu on Nazedha Isle in the western seas. The split came in 452 MA after the War of Night, when the prophet Kayalenki converted a population of Nazedha invaders and freed them of Corruption. Today Arqeshi live as a diasporic population, with the largest community on Aetolia’s southeast coast, generally serving the cause of the Light. **Can an Arqeshi play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Nazetu](/the-races-of-aetolia/nazetu/) The unconverted brethren. Same origin, same bodies, opposite religious choice. Nazetu serve Chakrasul (or her memory) and celebrate the month of Chakros that Arqeshi fast through. Pick Nazetu if you want the Corruption side of the same maritime heritage rather than the redemption side. ### [Xoran](/the-races-of-aetolia/xoran/) The climate mirror. Xorani are the bipedal reptiles of the southeast who breathe fire at level 61; Arqeshi breathe ice at the same level. Both races run a slow-burn lore around their elemental breath. Useful if you want the breath-weapon roleplay without the conversion arc. ### [Kelki](/the-races-of-aetolia/kelki/) The other waterborn race. Kelki are the favoured race of the sea god Slyphe and live mostly along the eastern coast. Where Arqeshi are diasporic converts on the southeast coast, Kelki are an ancient maritime people with their own religious centre of gravity. Pick Kelki if you want sea identity without the Nazetu past. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [The Arboreans of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/arborean/) **Published:** January 12, 2023 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ![An Arborean plant folk figure with bark skin and long limbs holding a staff in a forest setting](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/aetolia-race-arborean-hero-20260526.jpg "The Arboreans of Aetolia - Race Hero Banner - Aetolia the Midnight Age")Arboreans are tree-folk. Bark for skin, fused roots for limbs, lichen and small ecosystems living between their inner and outer layers. They were created by Yanai in an age beyond memory, vanished from the world for so long that no living race remembered them, and returned in the Year 501 of the Midnight Age when Yanai herself returned. If you want a race that wakes up genuinely out of time, with no shared history with anyone else on the continent and a body that runs on sunlight, the Arboreans fit. ## At a glance At a glance**Native region**The Greenwood (lost to memory); now the Cantor’s Copse in the Kalydian**Cultural home**Cantor’s Copse (forest settlement, Duiran-aligned)**Spiritual frame**Yanai (Earthmother, Font of Life), reverence for Life and the natural cycle**Distinctive trait**Tree-folk created by Yanai; only race that runs on chlorophyll; can be living, undead, or rarely vampiric**Suits play styles**Out-of-time newcomer roleplay, nature-reverent characters, slow-burn pacifism, isolation from continental history**Gender lock**Genderless. Arboreans have no gender and no hair, with bark covering the whole body.## Arborean lore and origin The Arboreans were created by Yanai, called variously the Earthmother, the Font of Life, and the Evergiving. They lived in a forest called the Greenwood, a sprawling woodland where Yanai worked her wonders of Life. Then they were gone. For so long that no region called the Greenwood exists today and no other race on the continent remembers them. The Arboreans themselves only know fragments. Even the Elder of the Copse, gifted some minor recollections when brought back, can describe the Greenwood only as a lush and far-reaching place. The race came back into the world in the Year 501 of the Midnight Age, when Yanai returned and her Eternal Song was recomposed. Modern Arboreans are unique because they share no heritage and no history with any other Sapient race. They are an old people made new, walking into a continent that has forgotten them and that they do not yet understand. Religion sits at the centre of Arborean life. The Arboreans owe their reverence for Life directly to Yanai, who made them. Children and saplings are sacred, the future of a race that almost did not have one. Death is treated with the same weight as Life, accepted as inevitable, and aging Arboreans return home to die so their deadwood can be used in acts of creation by those who still live. If you want religious roleplay grounded in a real, named creator and a culture that has thought hard about the meaning of every living thing, the Arboreans give you that. Not every Arborean stays on the benevolent path. Some have struggled with the weight of being lost out of time, deprived of memory, and without Elder Life to guide them. A few have taken drastic measures to anchor themselves. Undead Arboreans exist. Vampiric Arboreans, while rare, exist too. Both are minority arcs, but the lore supports them: a tree that has turned away from the seasons and refuses to die. ## Arborean appearance Arboreans are bipedal humanoids made of wood, with arms and limbs of fused roots and a thick slab of bark covering the whole body. Bark colour varies: ruddy redwood, dark mahogany and blackwood, the pale and green tones of young oak, or a green cast from excess chlorophyll. Eyes are small, shiny, and brown, black, amber, green, or hazel. Never blue. Ears are boreholes or small divots. The torso is the shortest part of the body, and the gait is heavy and lumbering because Arboreans have no joints. Living Arboreans can be flower-bearing, fruit-laden, or utilitarian, depending on the individual. Older Arboreans accumulate lichen, mosses, and fungi on their bark, and small ecosystems thrive in the gap between inner and outer layers. Undead Arboreans look different: bare, ossified, almost petrified, stripped of the life and foliage that grows on their living counterparts. Sizes range from 2 to 9 feet, an enormous spread that reflects the variety of trees the race draws from. Arboreans are genderless and hairless. There is no he or she in Arborean biology, and roleplay should use “they” or another non-gendered pronoun in keeping with character preference. ## Arborean racial abilities Arboreans have three racial abilities, unlocked at character creation, level 31, and level 61. The set is themed around being a tree: drawing from sunlight, resisting damage from a body that runs on wood, and rooting in place. - **Photosynth** (available at character creation). Passive. If you are outdoors and in sunlight, your natural hunger drain runs at half the rate. Arboreans literally photosynthesise. - **Hardy** (unlocks at Level 31). Passive. Your bark is tough enough that any blunt or cutting attack which would deal less than 30 damage is blocked completely. Small hits glance off. - **Enroot** (unlocks at Level 61). Syntax: `ENROOT` and `UPROOT`. While in a forested location, you can put down your roots and settle into a state of low activity. This hides you from view, and from heatsight and lifevision. A direct search will still find you, and you cannot walk until you uproot, but you sit invisible to most ways of being spotted. The best place to hide a tree is in the forest. The package rewards staying in your element. Photosynth wants you outside in the sun. Enroot wants you in a forest. The race plays best for someone who is comfortable choosing terrain rather than fighting from open ground. ## Arborean base statistics Aetolia uses [statpacks](/newbie-guide/), a separate choice from race that sets your five base stats. The values below are the racial baseline before statpacks apply. StatValueStrength12Dexterity12Intelligence9Constitution15Wisdom11Arboreans lean hard into Constitution, with average Strength and Dexterity and below-average Intelligence. That profile reads as a durable, slow-moving frame that absorbs punishment, which fits the wooden body. Your final stats depend on your statpack, so Arboreans built for casting or for nimble combat are entirely valid. ## How to roleplay an Arborean in Aetolia - **Cultural anchor.** The Cantor’s Copse, a region of the Kalydian that once lay in ruin until it was healed and transformed. The settlement is built entirely from natural materials, with no iron or stone, around a natural spring at the centre. Most Arboreans either grew up there since the return in Year 501, or remember the Greenwood in fragments and orient toward the Copse as the closest thing to home that still exists. - **Faction-cultural alignment.** Forest-aligned, with the strongest natural pull toward [Duiran](/world/duiran/) and Spirit. Duiran’s reverence for the wilds matches Arborean reverence for Life. That said, the lore explicitly supports Arboreans who anchor themselves through darker means, including undeath and vampirism. A vampiric Arborean in [Bloodloch](/world/bloodloch/) is rare but canonical. - **Religious texture.** Worship of Yanai, the Earthmother who made the race and whose return brought them back. The Eternal Song is the cosmological frame; Life and Death are both sacred parts of it. Children and saplings are treated as gifts to be protected without exception. A character who has lost faith in Yanai, or who has watched too many of their kin die after being remade, has somewhere interesting to go. - **Common archetypes.** Other players will read an Arborean as nature-reverent, slow to anger, pacifistic in disposition, and likely to be aligned with Duiran or unaligned. Playing into that gives you a coherent character. Playing against it (an Arborean who has embraced undeath, who refuses to return home to die, who has joined Bloodloch) gives you a character with a real arc. A note on roleplay tools: Arboreans have a sound palette other races do not. Rustling and crunching leaves, groaning and splintering wood, heavy footfalls, the slow creak of a body that does not move quickly. Lean into it. The ambient texture of being a tree is half the character. ## Which Aetolia classes fit an Arborean Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out. Some [class](/character-classes/) archetypes share a thematic resonance with Arborean lore, which can make for a naturally cohesive character. ### [Shaman](/character-classes/shaman/) Duiran’s nature-bound priest class, working with Dia’ruis and the Guardians, bending nature gently. The match is direct: an Arborean Shaman is a tree-person who reveres Life, calling on nature to defend life, in the city that holds Life as a Spirit value. No class lines up with Arborean lore more directly than Shaman. ### [Sentinel](/character-classes/sentinel/) Wilderness mastery and beast-bonded combat out of Duiran. Sentinels live in and fight from the forest, which is also where Enroot works and where an Arborean is most at home. The reverence for the wilds maps onto Arborean reverence for the natural cycle. ### [Monk](/character-classes/monk/) Duiran’s untethered class, contemplative and disciplined. The Arborean body is patient and slow, the culture is reflective, and the long view that comes with being almost-immortal trees fits a monastic frame. A Monk Arborean reads as someone who has used the centuries to find stillness. ### [Bard](/character-classes/bard/) Yanai’s gift to the Arboreans included her Eternal Song. Bards work in weaving and song. An Arborean Bard pulls a direct line back to creation: every performance is, in some sense, a fragment of the music that brought their race back into the world. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Are Arboreans good for new players in Aetolia?** Yes, especially for new players who want a built-in “out of time” frame. Arboreans woke up in the Midnight Age with no shared history with any other race, which means a new player and a new Arborean are both confused about how the world works, and that confusion is canon. If you want a race with deeper continental history to draw on, [Human](/the-races-of-aetolia/human/) or [Tsol’aa](/the-races-of-aetolia/tsolaa/) are lighter picks. **What stats do Arboreans have in Aetolia?** Arboreans start with Strength 12, Dexterity 12, Intelligence 9, Constitution 15, and Wisdom 11. Heaviest in Constitution, with below-average Intelligence. Your final stats depend on your statpack, which is a separate choice from your race. The two systems work independently. **What are the racial abilities of Arboreans in Aetolia?** Arboreans have three racial abilities. Photosynth is available at character creation and halves your natural hunger drain when you are outdoors in sunlight. Hardy unlocks at Level 31 and blocks any blunt or cutting attack that would deal less than 30 damage. Enroot unlocks at Level 61 and lets you put down roots in a forested location to hide from view, heatsight, and lifevision, at the cost of being unable to walk until you uproot. **Where are Arboreans from in Aetolia?** Arboreans were created by Yanai in an age beyond memory, and originally lived in a forest called the Greenwood that no longer exists. They returned to the world in the Year 501 of the Midnight Age, when Yanai herself returned. Today the race lives in the Cantor’s Copse, a healed region of the Kalydian forest, building everything from natural materials around a central spring. The cultural pull is toward [Duiran](/world/duiran/). **Can an Arborean play any class in Aetolia?** Yes. Any race in Aetolia can play any class. Race never locks you out of a class. The class you choose and the time you put in matter far more than your starting race. ## Other races to consider ### [Tsol’aa](/the-races-of-aetolia/tsolaa/) The other ancient forest-folk on the continent. Tsol’aa nearly went extinct after a Dreikathi weapon destroyed the Aalen forest, and their culture is now closed, isolated, and built around reverence for nature and worship of the dead Goddess Lleis. The shared theme with Arboreans is survival of catastrophe and a faith-anchored relationship with the natural cycle. The difference: Tsol’aa worship a Goddess who is gone; Arboreans worship a creator who came back. ### [Seyda](/the-races-of-aetolia/seyda/) The other recently-returned race. Seyda are vulpine fox-folk created by Lleis, locked in temporal stasis for ages, and only restored in the Year 12 AC. Their lore arc mirrors the Arboreans most closely of any race: long disappearance, recent return, fragmented memories, and a world that has changed past recognition. Pick the Seyda if you want the same “out of time” frame in a smaller, more agile body. ### [Grook](/the-races-of-aetolia/grook/) The other nature-coded race, but in a very different register. Grooks are amphibious frog-folk from the destroyed isle of Ulangi, now scattered across the continent as a diasporic scholarly people. They share the Arborean closeness to nature but lean toward magic, mysticism, and education rather than reverence and ritual. Useful if you want a nature-bound character with a city life and a library, instead of a forest. [← Back to all races](/the-races-of-aetolia/) --- ### [Aetolia Lore and History](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/) **Published:** December 27, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** Aetolia is a living world with a history that keeps being written. The story spans the creation of the divine, wars that reshaped continents, and mortal civilizations whose choices left permanent marks on Sapience. ## Story Events and Aetolian Lore Detailed summaries and analyses are available for the following major events in Aetolia’s history. Many tie directly to specific [Aetolia character classes](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/) whose lore is built around them. - [Creation of the Gods](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/creation-of-the-gods/)The fundamental myth of creation, in which the Celestine gives birth to the original Gods of Sapience. - [The Shattered Souls Saga](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/shattered-souls/)A saga filled with Elder Gods, the nature of Death, and startling revelations about the Creator. - [The Apocalyptia of the Earthen](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/the-apocalyptia/)The sacred text of the Earthen of Azvosh Rakar, relaying the ancient history of a people of war. - [The First War of Night](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/the-first-war-of-night/)A telling of the major story event that took place in mid 2015. - [The Fragments of Time Saga](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/fragments-of-time/)A telling of the major story event that took place in late 2021. - [The Leviathan](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/the-leviathan/)The story of Jox, the Leviathan, and its release during late 2018. - [The Second War of Night Saga](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/second-war-of-night-saga/)The escape of Ohlsana, the Shadow Mother, from her prison in Czjetija, the Shadow Plane. ## Timeline and Maps An expansive timeline covers Aetolia’s history from its earliest days to the present. Maps of both continents are also available. [View Timeline](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/timeline/) [Sapience Map](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/sapience-map-updated-scaled.gif) [Albedos Map](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/albedos-map-scaled.gif) ## Explore Further Aetolia’s lore is inseparable from its races, cities, classes, and gods. Each has its own place in the story. [Races of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/) [Cities of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/world/) [Character Classes](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/) [The Gods of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/) ## Frequently Asked Questions **Is Aetolia’s story still being written?** Yes. Aetolia is a living world with an ongoing story. Major events are added regularly and the outcomes are often shaped by player choices. The lore pages here cover past events. New chapters are still in progress. **Where do I start if I want to understand Aetolia’s history?** Start with Creation of the Gods, which covers the origin myth of the world, then follow the timeline for a chronological overview. The saga pages cover specific major events in detail. **Do I need to know the lore to play Aetolia?** No. New players can jump in without any background knowledge. The lore is there for players who want to engage deeply with the story and roleplay. The beginner’s guide is the better starting point if you are new. --- ### [What to Do in Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/game-features/) **Published:** December 21, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** Aetolia is a text-based RPG with over two decades of depth behind it. Whether you are looking for brutal PvP competition, political maneuvering, intricate crafting, or a dark fantasy story to get lost in, the game has a system for it. ## Aetolia PvP: Player vs. Player Combat With a combat environment over 20 years in the making, Aetolia offers a deep player vs. player experience. Take up sword and spell against players all across the world and become a champion duelist in the Sect of Blades, or lead your fellow devotees in righteous holy war. With daily duels and cities rushing to secure precious ylem, you will never want for opponents. [Full PvP Guide](https://www.aetolia.com/player-vs-player-combat/) ## 20+ Character Classes and Skill Sets Play as a powerful spellcaster that manipulates the elements or a stoic warrior in service of their home. With [32 character classes](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/), and more to come as the story unfolds, Aetolia gives you room to build the character you want to play. [See the Classes](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/) ## The Races of Aetolia Sapience is home to more than twenty playable races, each with four racial skill sets that unlock as you level up. From the tree humanoid Arboreans to the winged Atavians, your race shapes how your character fits into Aetolia’s world. If you change your mind, a free reincarnation lets you start over in a new body without losing your progress. [Explore the Races](https://www.aetolia.com/the-races-of-aetolia/) ## Dungeons, Bosses, and Level 200 Classes Triumph over the nightmare beneath the tundra and relive the terrors of a dying world in Aetolia’s dungeon encounters. Raid the Royal Vaults of Glandor in a solo, rogue-like experience and battle unique bosses in detailed open world areas. Those with the greatest resolve can ascend to the highest levels of mortal power as an Adherent, or plumb the depths of Chaos to become an extraplanar Noble through Aetolia’s Level 200 classes. ## Explore the World of Aetolia Aetolia spans two continents shaped by centuries of conflict, discovery, and divine interference. Sapience is the heart of it: a land recovering from the Grand Artifice and a terrible Revelation, where four player-run city-states compete for control of ylem and push the story forward with every conflict. Albedos lies beyond, discovered when flying Dreikathi war machines crossed the sky and revealed a continent of gods and rival empires. [Explore the World](https://www.aetolia.com/world/) ## The Cities of Aetolia Aetolia’s four city-states sit at the center of its politics, religion, and conflict. Bloodloch and Spinesreach are Shadow-aligned: one a city of strength, undead, and unyielding will; the other a scientific bastion devoted to the study of Shadow itself. Enorian and Duiran hold the Spirit side, with Enorian driving toward righteousness and the Light, and Duiran committed to protecting the cycle of life and the natural world. Which city you join shapes your alliances, your enemies, and the story you get to tell. [See the Cities](https://www.aetolia.com/world/) ## City Governance and Player-Run Politics Govern a city or serve on its ruling council to leave your mark on a constantly evolving story. Lead guilds and cities to war and take stands that will be remembered in Aetolia’s persistent world. With a political and election system rooted in each city’s story, your character can find a home in amoral northern theocracies, militant desert empires, staunch protectorates, or dark, ritual-laden nature communes. [Guilds](https://www.aetolia.com/guilds/) ## Divine Orders and God Roleplay Join a divine order and see the will of the gods made manifest in Aetolia. With a pantheon presiding over numerous domains, there are goals to pursue in every direction. Become a noble underling of a prideful Dragon, a dedicant of Astral or Corrupt Chaos, or a zealous crusader of the Light. Then join the roleplaying community built around those divine orders. [Explore the Pantheon](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/) ## Crafting: Forge, Cook, Sew, and Build Aetolia’s crafting skills let you build statues, cook food, mix drinks, sew clothing, forge arms and armor, and create restorative pills and elixirs. Every creation can carry your personal touch through the game’s customization system. [Skills and Abilities](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/) ## Farming, Mining, and Player-Run Shops Aetolia’s agriculture systems let players prospect and grow their own materials. Take up Farming and Mining to build a self-sustaining merchant empire and sell your wares out of your own shop. ## Aetolia’s Story and Lore Aetolia is a living world with a history that keeps being written. The continent of Sapience carries the scars of the Grand Artifice, a catastrophic event that fractured civilization and set the four city-states against one another. Major story sagas, a full timeline, and detailed lore archives are available for players who want to dig into the history behind the world they are playing in. [Explore the Lore](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/) ## Frequently Asked Questions **Is Aetolia free to play?** Yes. Aetolia is completely free to play and we do not run third-party ads. You can purchase optional credits to speed progress toward certain in-game goals, but they are not required. Anything you can get with credits you can get by playing without spending anything. **What kind of game is Aetolia?** Aetolia is a text-based RPG set in a dark fantasy world. It is a multiplayer game where thousands of players share the same persistent world in real time. There are no graphics — the world is described through text, and your imagination fills in the rest. Players from all over the world, including visually impaired players, can play using any device with a browser or a MUD client. **How many classes and races are there?** Aetolia has more than twenty playable classes and more than twenty playable races. New players get unlimited chances to try different classes before committing to one. If you later want to change your race, a free reincarnation is available once per character lifetime. **Do I need to download anything to play?** No download is required. You can play Aetolia directly in your browser through the Nexus client at aetolia.com. Dedicated MUD clients are also supported for players who want a more customizable experience, but they are optional. --- ### [Aetolia PvP: Player vs. Player Combat](https://www.aetolia.com/player-vs-player-combat/) **Published:** June 2, 2017 **Author:** Varian **Content:** ## Aetolia Combat: How PvP Works Aetolia’s combat runs on a balance system. Every action costs physical balance, mental balance, or both, and leaves you unable to act again until that balance recovers. There are no round timers and no cooldown hotbars. The pace of a fight is set entirely by what you and your opponent choose to do and when. Each class has access to hundreds of abilities in PvP. Effects range from straightforward damage to broken limbs, sickness, and psychological pressure designed to make the person behind the screen make mistakes. Aetolia uses a limb damage system where breaking specific limbs opens up kill routes unique to certain classes. How you finish a fight depends on your class. Some classes tear a soul from its body. Others ambush from shadows and trap their target in a noose. Every class has a different path to victory. What sets Aetolia apart from other IRE games is static curing. When multiple afflictions share a single cure, the order of operations follows the same logic every time. There is no random element. You track what affects your target and what affects yourself, build a plan, and execute. The only variables are your choices and your opponent’s. [Afflictions and Defences](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/afflictions-and-defences/) ## Choose Your Fighting Style Aetolia has [32 character classes](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/), each with its own approach to PvP combat. If you find more than one that interests you, multiclassing is available. Newbies get unlimited chances to try different classes before committing to one. Whether you want to fight with shadow and spell, call down holy fire, or ambush from the dark, the class system is built to support a wide range of fighting styles. [See All Classes](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/) ## Sect of Blades The Sect of Blades is an honor-bound organization of warriors located near Esterport, outside the southern city gates. Members prove their worth by accruing marks of triumph earned for fights performed without assistance. Killing your target or surviving an aggressor using only your own tools is what the Sect values above all. Those who rise in rank gain access to the organization’s inner membership and perks, including the ability to identify champions and enter the Hall of Blades. Those who reach the highest levels of honor can personalize their deadliest techniques, including a unique beheading and a custom deathsight. Council members who bear the greatest honors may compete for a legendary Ankyrean artifact said to bring omniscience to those surrounded in battle. ## The Duel Held in the Fields of Valor in Esterport, the Duel is a long-standing tournament run in a double-elimination format. Combatants rise by defeating opponents in single combat, with seeding based on Sect of Blades standing and minor adjustments at the host’s discretion. The last warrior standing is honored with fame across Sapience and granted the Rapier of the Master Duelist, a powerful artifact capable of singling out enemy fighters and challenging them to a one-on-one fight to the death. ## The Hunting Grounds The Hunting Grounds are sacred to Lord Haern, the Hunter. Access them by kneeling before the cairn stones scattered throughout the wilds of Sapience. Inside, beasts and other adventurers compete for dominance. Only the top hunter reaps the rewards, which include assistance in seeking ylem and leylines. The ancient artifacts found there cannot be given away or taken except by death, making every bearer a target at all times. ## The Orrery Twice per in-game year, on the 10th of Variach and the 10th of Midsummer, the Orrery activates for roughly 40 hours. Spirit and Shadow essence spawns in a radius around it. Pick up the essence aligned to your tether and infuse it into the Orrery inside the Observatory area. Each infusion pushes alignment toward your side. At midnight each day during the active period, whichever tether holds alignment earns an attunement point and the Orrery resets to neutral. When it locks on the 20th, the tether with the most attunement points controls the Orrery until the next season. One warning: essence is volatile. Once picked up it deals increasing damage to its holder over time. Globes on the ground for more than five minutes respawn automatically. Dropped globes respawn within a minute. ## Frequently Asked Questions **What makes Aetolia’s PvP different from other text RPGs?** Two things: the balance system and static curing. Actions cost physical or mental balance with no round timers, and the curing order for afflictions is always consistent. There is no RNG in Aetolia’s PvP. Skill and preparation determine the outcome. **Do I need to commit to one class for PvP?** No. Multiclassing is available, and new players get unlimited class trials before committing. You can explore different fighting styles before settling on one. **Where do I go to fight other players?** Several options: open world PvP anywhere in Sapience if you are flagged for combat, the Sect of Blades near Esterport for honor-based dueling, the Fields of Valor for tournament play, the Hunting Grounds for Haern’s domain, or the Orrery during its active seasons. **What is static curing?** When multiple afflictions share a single cure, the order in which they are cured follows the same logic every time. This makes Aetolia’s combat fully skill-based: you can track afflictions reliably and plan around them without guessing. --- ### [Privacy Policy](https://www.aetolia.com/privacy-policy/) **Published:** May 25, 2018 **Author:** ironrealms **Content:** This policy covers how Iron Realms Entertainment, LLC (“Iron Realms “) treats personal information that it collects and receives, including information related to your past use of its products and services. Personal information is information about you that is personally identifiable like your name or email address that is not otherwise publicly available. ### Information Collection and Use Iron Realms collects personal information when you register with one of its games, when you use its products or services, and when you visit its pages. Iron Realms may combine information about you that we have with information we obtain from business partners or other companies. When you register we ask for information such as your name, email address, birth date, etc. Once you register with Iron Realms you are not anonymous to us. Iron Realms collects information about your transactions with us. Iron Realms automatically receives and records information on our server logs from your browser, including your IP address, Iron Realms cookie information, and the page you request. Iron Realms collects information about your in-game actions for statistical purposes. Iron Realms uses information for the following general purposes: to customize the content you see, fulfill your requests for products and services, improve our services, contact you, conduct research, and provide anonymous reporting. ### Information Sharing and Disclosure Iron Realms does not rent, sell, or share personal information about you with other people or nonaffiliated companies except to provide products or services you’ve requested when we have your permission, or under the following circumstances: - We respond to subpoenas, court orders, or legal process, or to establish or exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims. - We believe it is necessary to share information in order to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person, violations of Iron Realms’ terms of use, or as otherwise required by law. - We transfer information about you if Iron Realms is acquired by or merged with another company. In this event, Iron Realms will notify you before information about you is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy. ### Cookies Iron Realms may set and access Iron Realms cookies on your computer. ### Communications from Iron Realms Certain communications from Iron Realms are part of Iron Realms membership. You may not opt out of receiving them. Required communication include account deletion notices and system notifications. All remaining communication is optional and controlled by the user. Optional communication includes announcements, in-game messages, newsletters, and similar content. ### Confidentiality and Security Your Iron Realms information is password-protected and encrypted. We take security seriously and make our best efforts to prevent compromise of your personal information. In the event of a serious security breach, we will alert our registered users. --- ### [Bardic - October 2021](https://www.aetolia.com/bardic/bardic-october-2021/) **Published:** November 8, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ## Bardic – October 2021 ### Entries [1st Place: Caitria](#) [*Expand*](#) **Of blood, death, and guilt told by Caitria** A Fortnight Past The ground rumbled and shook like a great beast sloughing water off its hide. Aeson came awake in a panic. His heart thumped headily in his chest. And when he opened his eyes, he thought he was blind. The dark was thick and cloying, a blindfold lashed tightly over his eyes. Quickly he touched the rawhide bracelet on his wrist, tapping the allsight enchant within. Still, his vision didn’t clear. Where was he? The usual comfort of his younger brother whom he shared a bed with was missing. Instead, the hard ground – barely softened by a blanket – bruised his young body. “Shh,” Father said. Though Aeson couldn’t see him, he felt him close as he crouched beside his bedroll. “Shh, son. You need to be quiet now.” Memory came slowly as his father’s soothing tones tamped down the panic trembling through him. He remembered now. They were on a journey and had made camp on the edge of Dun Valley, far enough away that the ogres, orcs, and odd demonic creatures that father warned him about wouldn’t smell them or their fire. Through his fear, the acrid sting of smoke funneled into his nostrils, but there was no light. Why wasn’t the fire lit? “Dad..” His father’s palm snared his mouth, silencing him swiftly. “Ylem hunters,” he cautioned. A different kind of fright wormed through Aeson’s belly. He nodded, and eventually the pressure eased from his mouth. Eventually, Aeson’s night vision brightened. What had been pitch-blackness, now showed signs of grey. He saw his father then, at least his silhouette, as the older Tsol’aa laid on his belly on the border of their campsite. Another pulse rattled the earth beneath Aeson, followed swiftly by the aggressive baying of warhounds. At least three of them howled into the early autumn air, their canine voices eerie and mournful; the pitches blurred together at times, before others seemed to pull apart from their song, evoking a surge of battling emotions inside Aeson. Carnifex. Slowly, he shook free of his leather bedroll, and belly-crawled to his father. If they were sighted within the area, there was nothing from stopping them from killing Aeson and his father. Strength in slaughter was the Carnifex motto, especially when they were drinking the chaotic lifeblood of Sapience from a source. The uniformed shape of a knight stood above a glowing fissure. Ylem leaked from the line the leyline, absorbed in a rivulet into the odd-looking gauntlet clasped to the Carnifex’s arm. He watched, mesmerized. When the Ylem hunters came close to his village in the Ithmia forests, he was forced inside, the villagers choosing the sanctity of wooden walls against fighting a Ylem Hunter. And the odd creatures that formed in the ley. A crackle like lightning flashed from the center of the open leyline, before the ylem seemed to take on a emerald-encrusted shape. Hungering, mindless, and savage, the eld suddenly burst toward the Carnifex, clawing at the knight with its skittering claws. Laughter boomed from the ylem-wreathed figure. In a motion far too swift for Aeson to follow, they pulled free a massive warhammer and swung at the creature. Spikes that looked like bone bristled from the sides of the weapon’s head. The dance of war was shockingly savage. This was a battle of life-or-death, not the respectful rite of hunter and prey. The Carnifex battered at the Eld, pummeling it into tiny, crystalline pieces. As the Eld fell, the leyline collapsed around the Carnifex, leaving the valley eerily quiet. Aeson held his breather until the Carnifex secured their weapon, and agile mounted a giant ant-like creature. The pair – and the hounds – heading towards the path that would take them into the Vashnar Mountains. “It’s safe now,” Father said as he sat back. “Try to rest some more. We have a long day ahead of us.” Aeson obediently laid down, but his mind refused to quiet. Fright and superstition tangled inside of his chest, a deep foreboding that the Carnifex would be the least of their troubles on their pilgrimage. As his eyes closed, Aeson thought Father should have listened to the Bakers. —— The Morning of Firelight painted the back of Aeson’s lids. He came awake slowly, aware of the crackling of flame in the hearth and soft murmurs of conversation. It was that time before he and his younger siblings awoke, where his parents began their morning ritual: chores, breakfast, and bonding. Often, he woke just like this, long before daybreak, stirring in the small bedroom set in the far corner of the kitchen that he shared with his younger brother, and groggily listened to the world awaking. As the eldest, he would soon be following in his father’s steps. His father was a ranger who hunted game for the village before the sun’s first rays touched the skies over the Northern Ithmia and patrolled the forest borders closest to Duiran in exchange for spices and metal. He drifted, buoyed by the sounds of the household. The soft melody of mother sweeping the floor, porridge burbling in the pot over the fire, and the occasional giggle as father said something to make her laugh; the noises diffused by the curtain which divided his bedroom from the rest. A soft clop of hooves on the stoop, followed by a quiet tap on the front door brought Aeson closer to wakefulness. He shifted on the straw palette of his bed and tugged aside the corner of the curtain. Gazing out, he saw the Baker’s – a Satyr couple surnamed thus because they baked for the village. “Jhaan,” Mother greeted with surprise. “Amedee.” Mrs. Baker passed a small basket to Mother. The scents of fresh journey rolls and warm kawhe seeped into the kitchen, invading his bedroom like a stealthy Syssin. He hated the acrid smell of kawhe and wrinkled his nose. “Tidings,” Jhaan said. He shifted upon his goatish hooves as Mother welcomed them inside. “What brings you by this early,” Father asked. “We have heard murmurs that your son and husband will be journey to the lost forest.” “Yes, this is right.” Tension and steel blended with Mother’s airy voice. Over the many weeks, others had visited just like this – questioning Father about returning to the blighted land. “They shouldn’t,” Mrs. Baker whispered. “Amedee, calm,” Mr. Baker murmured. “There is no harm to be had. The Bloom has long been cured by the Hunter.” “We have all put that accursed land behind us. We have welcomed the Tsol’aa refuges with us and started anew. So many were lost…” “You do not have children,” There was a slight creak as Father stood from his chair. “When you do you will understand. They should know where they – we – have come from.” “Can you guarantee that you will not bring any spores back? That what happened to the Aalen will not carry here?” “Jhaan, we cannot live in fear. If the Gods will it…” Mother worshipped Haern, the Hunter, and faithfully followed the tenants of the Rhythm. What lives must die. Aeson had not yet decided on his faith and had been learning much about the different Gods from the Illuminai that often visited the settlement. “Your children are Bloom babies; they do not need to know it!” The slur caught everyone by surprise. Mother’s breath hitched, and she pressed a hand to her throat. Amongst the long-lived Tsol and the displaced population of the Aalen, there were many ‘bloom babies’, an attempt to rebuild the generations that had been lost, and honor those who had died during the plague. Though he was the eldest now, he had not been his parent’s first, or even second, child. “We thank you for your offering to our journey, it’s time for you to be on your way,” Father yanked open the front door, standing like a Sentinel beside it. Mrs. Baker wept softly as she turned into her husband’s arms, the pair departing into the brightening dark. The sudden BANG of the door slamming startled Aeson. His elbow knocked against the sleeping form of his younger brother, who only groaned and rolled away. “She is just scared, Erlan,” Mother said as she gathered Father into her embrace. “She lost as much as we did to the Bloom.” Sleep stole Aeson away, carrying him off into the Imago’s color-streaked realm. Time passed anew until a gentle shake on his shoulder brought Aeson swimming from his dreams again. He blinked against the brightness of the grey dawn seeping through the curtains. “It’s time to wake, son. We have a long journey ahead of us.” Excitement burst inside of Aeson. He swung off his bed, earning a bleating sound from his younger brother in the process. “I’m ready, Father.” “There will be danger for us, son.” Father’s emerald eyes were like steel. “I’m ready for anything.” At the time, Aeson truly believed he was. —— The Approach The bright fingers of dawn teased the horizon, though night had not yet broke. The jagged angles of the Vashnars had gradually disappeared, leading into a gentle sloping hill that Aeson and his father had made camp upon. In the near distance, an ancient, grey forest spread before them. “This used to be the home of all Tsol’aa,” Father said as he cradled a tin cup of kawhe between his hands. The bitter aroma turned through Aeson, adding to horror-induced nausea in his gut. “Wh-what are those.” Aeson couldn’t believe his eyes. While he had seen many things growing up in a land as magical and war fraught as Sapience tended to be, nothing could have prepared him for this. Apparitions drifted through a thick mist that clotted the forest ground. Their sobbing, wailing, and mournful screams were so filled with pain, that each time they rose in a cacophony toward the barren, wrecked boughs, goosebumps popped painfully on his arms and legs. Aeson huddled in on himself, watching the mass of lingering spirits as they wove in and out of the darkened trees. “Those are your ancestors.” “Why do they sound like that?” Aeson had seen spirits before. The Wardens of Duiran often brought their ancestors with them, spectral as they were, they did not make sounds as if they were being tortured; their faces had seemed jovial, not the pained rictus the spirits of the Aalen wore. Father was silent for a time. “When I was younger, a few years wed to your mother, Sapience was invaded by a warring species called the Dreikathi. They had conquered their own continent, that of Albedos, and then set their sights on us.” “They were the first of the Ylem Hunters, having spent centuries learning the ability to siphon it, and utilize it. When they came here, they came with bombs and abilities that left us with little hope of victory. The Dreikathi rained a foul purple sludge the Aalen, leaving ruin within their horrific wake of destruction. Mutations and sickness spread like a wildfire throughout the forest and our people.” Father’s chest rattled in a swallowed sound of grief. “Your first sister and brother were victims of their attack. We were dying, painfully, swiftly. And when we thought all was lost, the Hunter came to us and attempted to clean away the sludge left by the Dreikathi bombs.” A grim smile flickered across father’s face. “Unfortunately, it backfired. On the Hunter. On the Aalen. The Hunter’s link to the Dendaric plane was shattered and a sudden flood of energy ignited the Aalen Forest into a firestorm of destruction. From within the remnant sludge that yet coated the forest soil, numerous stalks of fiery crimson began to grow upward, their bulbous heads growing ripe with discontent. From these stalks, clouds of virulent spores spread throughout the air.” “The Bloom did not remain only in the Aalen. It spread, ravenous and terrible, past the borders of the forest and out into the world. What had begun here, became our legacy beyond our borders. The Bloom consumed, and many, many died before a cure was concocted. What was left of the Tsol’aa people dispersed. Some, like us, resettled in already established villages. The Satyrs of Abelaas welcomed us with open arms. Others seemed to vanish into the forests, hostile to the idea of outsiders.” Father finished the rest of his kawhe in one gulp. “We thought that was the end of it. But the Aalen had always been a magical place. The very forest writhed in pain. The dead were restless, their fates sealed by the Hunter and His flame. They seethed and howled their suffering, as you see them now. Their very presence altered the once lush greenery of Aalen.” Father waved a roughened hand toward the blood-tinged leaves and the odor of death that lingered in the air. “The Bloodwood, awaiting the return of its remaining children.” His found found Aeson’s. “Us.” Panic carved a home beneath his ribcage. Tears swam in his eyes. Aeson’s quiet sobs were nothing compared to the ghoulish howls of the seething dead. Father wrapped his arm around Aeson’s shoulders. Time passed. Dark turned into a weak grey. Night broke, and slowly, with the touch of the sun, the spirits vanished. In the brightness of daybreak, amidst the barren and autumnal forest, a spot of forest green caught Aeson’s eye. “Who is that?” “That is Keeper Alia. She is our hope to find a way to settle these restless spirits and return them to the Underking where they belong.” Father rose, and Aeson stood alongside him. He felt older than his thirteen-years. The weight of the Tsol’aan legacy pressed down upon him. “It is safe to walk the ruins in daylight.” Together, father and son left the safety of the mountains and entered the Bloodwood. —— Five Years Gone By The pained sobbing of the spirits clawed at Aeson. Ghostly fingers yanked at his cloak. They tangled in the trinkets and feathers braided in his hair. Surprisingly corporeal fingers passed painfully against the Sentinel’s chainmail-clad chest. He was older now. No longer the gangly teenager who had witnessed his people’s blood-soaked and haunted legacy. It had taken him years to understand why Father had chosen to tell him the story of what came before their home in Abelaas. He knew now. Keeper Alia’s wan visage was tilted up to Aeson. The dark circles beneath her eyes made her gaze seem like pits. “I am Aeson son of Erlan,” he said in a voice like a storm; deep and rolling. “I am Alia, once child of the Aalen, and now a keeper of the Bloodwood. Will you bring my people their release?” the Keeper said. Her voice was without judgement and tinged with a thread of hope. Solemnly, Aeson nodded. “I will.” Alia’s eyes closed briefly. Regret warred with the burdens of what must be done. “Bring me their essence, and through it they will find peace.” Aeson gripped his dhurive tightly and turned to face the spirits that gathered like a pallid cloud around him. His nightingale song a soothing tune upon his shoulder. He would help Alia, and all the remaining Tsol’aa, write a new legacy – for the Bloodwood, and the lost Aalen. The End [2nd Place: Teani](#) [*Expand*](#) As legacies go, we are most of us keen to leave behind marks of who we have been. Our actions, our deeds, remembered well as part of a story that someone will tell. Not all become heroes, but there are a few who managed to rise to the top and stand true. Stories of those are meant to inspire to make those who listen wish to reach higher. Now to set the scene of legacy born let’s speak of a time when the world was torn. The east coast forever changed on the map and like stitches, the bridges now criss-cross the gap. Rising up from the depths of the world from the Abyss, this enormous horror unfurled. Kerrithrim, almighty, warred with the Gods while people below tried to even the odds. Catapults brought the edge they would need to get close enough that they could succeed. That is when heroes rose to the task Without anyone even having to ask. Almighty though the creature might be, it likely could not ever foresee that against tiny mortals it best beware for our heroes came sailing through the air. After scaling the beast, they entered its core, fighting their way through plenty of gore. With skill and precision, a true work of art, they severed the strings of the monster’s heart. Missari and Mazzion can both make this claim, enough for librarians to bolster their fame. As legacies go, there are stories to tell and this one among all has truly aged well. [3rd Place: Blodwyn](#) [*Expand*](#) **Yretz // Belladona – A legacy Composed by: Grand Duchess Blodwyn Nehekhara**Lulled from the dark and distant past, veiled by the Grand Artifice. Votarient, enticed, slipped free from magic and was recast. A simple nudge, a carefully placed clue, led astray from book-learning. Down a treacherous path she would rue, seeped in sanguine yearnings, toward a tenebrific end; power amassed, exiled into tragedy. Eons come and gone, the facade unwoven from mortal memory. What secrets obstructed, now astounds in an immortal torrent. Dawn forsaken for the cool embrace of eternal night, and the heady delight of unhallowed, hungering debase. The mysterious lady established upon a spiteful throne. Belladona, the Queen, bloody and regally possessed. Groomed, thrall, the first of us, Abhorash her childer. Conveying a legacy of the elegant Undead, four royal houses arose; Progenitor. Souls unfettered from life, darkly purebred by a blood-drenched kiss. From the Consanguine’s motionless hearts, a bastion conceived, constructed, nestled at the heart of the Vashnar Mountains, rooted by coveting veins; Bloodloch – the Sanguine Fist. A quintet of rubicund jewels, behold, upon Bloodloch’s craggy brow. Sovereignty, the Imperium rules over this stronghold of the blood. The politics of Undeath harsh yet schools, a usurper vies for the throne. A cold conflict erupts with arrogance; blood thrashes against blood. Schemes and statecraft toil in a macabre dance, until all but one dashes. Conniver befouls the most royal lineage; cleansed. Our Queen, immortality besmirched, torn from her coffin and throne. Belladona, what sly trickery ruins you? A fanged Lord, Zsarachnor, once adored; now abhorred. No longer the mysterious lady with a mouth of red and fanged kiss. Mortality beckons, her heart quickes anew, the Embrace a broken thread. In egress, heinous deeds reap the Queen into history. Yretz, from your legacy the Dominion prevails. [Runner Up: Rebra](#) [*Expand*](#) The years were once splashed in brightness: the sands of the Mhojave reflecting the sun’s heat. A farmer girl, freckled in red, sought the fire mountain that was darkness. Houses steeped in story, hidden in caverns carved by blood, beckoned with promises of forever: taken from the sun, the sweat, the impermanence of mortality. To be a servant was to toil, head bowed, mind set upon glory unpromised. To impress pallid masters with slit wrist, life draining into the graven earth, undeath awaiting. To be a thrall was to thirst, back bent, will unyielding, for the favour of fickle peerage. The lightless eyes of unbreathing nobility fixed upon her fate: to remain as refuse or to rise into eternity, uplifted by an embrace pierced in fangs. Drained of daylight, she hungered for the darkness that filled her in a bleeding pedigree from the nights of Yrtez. Head high, she was the pallor that trod on the skulls of the lesser living. Earth and shadow and mist: the stuff of undreaming. The years were once splashed in blood: Abhorash’s childer vying for favour in countless Houses. A countess of the consanguine, pale in red, slept the crimson centuries awash in earth. Naked under sun, burning with unbalmed flesh, she awoke in the Mhojave sands: taken from mouldered coffin, from Bloom, from slow years of torpor To learn again the toil of nobility amidst the dominion of shadow. To covenant with pallid mistresses in devoted words, blood draining into the panther’s fanged lips, crown awaiting. To learn once more the unyielding thirst for blood in spreading strength. To rise amidst hissing impertinences to impress the titanium-crowned beauty whose blood flows unbroken: a heartpulse for the pulseless, unbidden, and so her hand taken in eternity, clasped amidst blooms of splintered darkness. Drowned in spirals, she despaired of the jade that broke her in a cascade of butterflies fluttered in pointed malice. Head low, she was the poet that slew her words for a mighty Goddess. Might and avarice and fear: ungifted, unpromised. The years are now splashed in darkness: flickers of wakening in evenings of shadowed cold. A once empress, bedecked in red, delves deep for veins of the earth, forsaking brightness. --- ### [Bardic - June 2023](https://www.aetolia.com/bardic/bardic-june-2023/) **Published:** June 13, 2023 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Bardic – June 2023 ### Entries [1st Place: Nimiphi](#) [*Expand*](#)**A recounting of a Minotaur’s escape from Sterion – the day the Duirani breached the gates, by Nimiphi** It was late in the night, but an hour or two from dawn, when things stirred in his Sterion home. Ever vigilant in their sacred duty of safeguarding the portal to Czjetija, the Minotaurs had been holding on for weeks against the Duirani incursions to conquer the mountain village, and now, after all this time, the conclusion of the war seemed imminent. His mother shook him awake amidst the great rattle of a fight. The scream of battle, the clop of hooves hastily taking to the streets, and the distant, enraged low of warriors all filled the humble abode with a commotion they had never experienced before. From the Shrine of Bells rose the peal of the bells – a desperate cacophony of striking metal if there ever was one-, bringing the village to a brusque awakening, at least for those that still managed to sleep through the many fraught nights of the recent weeks. “You have to go!” Came his mother’s voice, filled with fear and urgency. “Take your sister!” He rose in a frightful daze, his eyes blinking open to the sight of his lifelong home in disarray. Brothers and sisters rushed this way and that, slaves scrambling to gather what little they might in the poor light of a couple flickering candles. He wasn’t old enough for combat, though he’d begun his training barely weeks before and, thus, he had been spared from reinforcing the gates, unlike his older kin, surely to perish in the ongoing war with the forest savages. “You MUST go!” His mother’s voice came again, this time accompanied by a physical handling – hands upon his form to pull him up to his feet. What was happening was hard to understand; all his life, the notion that he must fight and defend the rift to Czjetija had been drilled into his mind and spirit: the sacred duty of the Minotaur of Sterion an inescapable fate for all of the village’s young. If he survived such an endeavor, perhaps one day he might live the life of the shamans or the elders, but if he didn’t, at least he might have lived with honor in fulfilling his divine-given destiny. But now, his mother urged him to go. Was she sending him to the gates to help the others? Why would he take his sister to such a deadly destination? If he must die in his inexperience, surely he must do it alone. No, what was happening could not be right. His littlest of sisters now held his large hand with her rather small one, and his mother ushered him through the back door of the abode. “I will not be a coward!” He resisted, and the noise of battle grew nearer and nearer as his hooves scraped the wooden floors of the home, trying to arrest the forceful shove of not only his mother, but of the slaves under the woman’s command, a small group forcing the pair out the back door. Such an imposing figure, his mother, large and still a sight to behold – a mountain of a woman by Human standards, and tall even for a Minotaur, with her sandy, battle-scarred fur nicked in countless places. “You will be alive!” He couldn’t believe his eyes. His mother was pleading with him. The rough, tough woman that had raised him and his many siblings, and who had recently suffered the loss of many of them due to the Duirani assault, now begged him to save himself, and his sister. Why him? Why them? Could it be that they were the younger two? No reason was given, just more violent ushering out the back door. The door slammed behind the pair after a final shove sent them crashing to the rough gravel of the small yard. The noise of things being piled against the door, surely to prevent them from coming back inside, created a chaotic symphony that somehow blended into the song of battle that grew closer and closer; blurred in their passing, he could see everyone through the window going this way and that, barricading not only the back door, but the entrance to the house too, just a few meters across. He hesitated; he could go now as his mother had told him, or try to fight his way back inside and have the life of a Sterion warrior in this war, even if it should end that very night. Less than a minute passed as these hurried thoughts crossed his mind, with his young sister clinging to him, both huddled together against a chilly breeze, and, under the cover of darkness, what he saw through that same window next shocked him. The screech of not a creature, but rather that of hundreds of them filled his ears. A sound so shrill that it caused him and his sister both to shrink and look about with confusion. A bright light irrupted into the abode, as if the sun had suddenly risen within, and as he stared through the glow, he could make out numerous alien beings. Something he had not seen before, something not of this realm, he thought, small as a babe’s hand, and winged, and ravenous. The battle had been lost, he realized, perhaps the war too. The foreigners from the forests had invaded their home and now they would have to surrender. They had failed in their sacred duty, and now they would have to live with the consequences of such defeat. How wrong he was. He saw his family’s surrender; his mother and the slaves on their knees. Surely it would be over, and he and his sister would come back inside and join in with the others, resigned to a life surely of slavery themselves, or at least of shame and destitution. But that opportunity never came. He never went back through the back door announcing his defeat, nor he joined his mother – not ever again. For before the second minute passed, that shrill, feral screech filled his ears again, and he found himself instinctively clutching his little sister close, covering her eyes to the horror transpiring within the abode. For as he made to step toward the door, swarms of those fae creatures took to a vicious assault, ravaging all within his home with claws, teeth and radiant light, tearing them apart to their deaths in a ruthless attack that filled his mountain home and the village with despairing cries of defeated victims. That radiant light coming from the creatures was momentarily tinted crimson, as if a bloody sunset to announce the passing of not only his family, but of many others so close just beyond that house he had called a home all his life. By the third minute, he was running, practically sliding down a slope behind the house to flee such cruel death, if not for himself, at least for his sister. He shushed her frightened cries hastily, clutching her small hand tightly, and practically hauled her whole as he made the descent down the mountain. No matter how high he must jump or fall, surely it might be a better destiny than under the merciless assault of the hungry fae. By minute four, he had stopped thinking. A Minotaur on an instinct to get away, to survive, away from not only the mountains, but away from the forest – forever away from the cruel forest. [2nd Place: Wjoltyr](#) [*Expand*](#) **Title: A War in the Life as Strategos** **Author: Wjoltyr Togwick**Page 1 This work is, at least as far as the author is concerned, unlike any other in Sapience. It utilizes an interactive approach, one where the reader is not merely a passive observer but an active participant. At the bottom of each page you may be presented with options as to where to take your story. Your decisions will dictate its course. It would be ill advised to read this book by simply turning each page in sequential order like a normal book. Turn to page 2 to start your first day as Strategos of Spinesreach. Page 2 You insert the brass key into the locking mechanism on the door and turn it. With militaristic precision you are rewarded with an audible \*click\* as the lock disengages and you enter the Office of the Strategos. A musty mahogany desk rests in one corner of the office while the majority of the room is dominated by a strategic map table of Sapience. A pile of volcanic ash to the south amidst some sand must represent the seat of the Empire: Bloodloch. A distasteful wrinkle of your nose is elicited while you note a few brown leaves in a haphazard pile near the eastern border of the continent. “A fitting marker for those heathens,” you think to yourself before identifying a lone ivory rhinoceros horn as the marker for Enorian. Raising your hand, you call in your Aide-de-Camp. A young Grecht scurries in and snaps to attention before delivering a crisp hand salute. “Yes, Strategos?” he shouts. Wincing at the excessive volume you try to remain focused and gesture to the map table. “Let’s find something a little more professional to represent these regions of interest, yes?” The Grecht’s eyes dart among the random objects, though they quickly return to a fixed point on the wall across the room before barking his response, “Of course, Strategos, right away!” His hand falls down to his side, followed by a sharp about face before departing your office. ‘Well, at least it isn’t dusty,’ you muse before considering your next actions. To perform a Pass in Review, turn to page 13. To read the unopened envelopes on your desk, turn to page 43. To perform an inspection of the Armory and Barracks, turn to page 21. Page 3 After the rout of the Oakenguard upon the Dry Plains, you divide your forces to conquer the territories of Duiran with haste. Divisions of troops protected by your militia force their way into the pathetic fortifications of the territories of Duiran. You order defensive aegises to be attuned to the expected points of conflict and prepare for the grueling campaign ahead. There will be no lull in the fighting, only death and destruction until one side emerges victorious. With a makeshift table in your command tent set up with a map of the Ithmias you plan your attack. “General, I want you to lead your troops here, to cut off any attempts by the Oakenguard to attack our rear guard,” you indicate with your riding crop. The woman’s head bobs up and down in an approving nod. “And what about us, Strategos?” intones another General. “Yessss, what about the resssst of us?” inquires a second General. Decisions must be made. To divide your forces and attack two territories simultaneously, turn to page 16. To keep your forces unified and attack Duiran proper, turn to page 49. Page 4 “Sciomancers, take down the glyphs on these aegises! I don’t feel like taking a nap in this nasty dirt when we return with troops to conquer the city!” Nodding with understanding, several of your fighters set to work. With strict discipline, your army stands their ground and does not engage in risky, wanton destruction despite the obvious desire to humiliate and demoralize the Duirani. Your Sciomancers make quick work of the glyphs, leaving the aegises intact. You’re certain that the Oakenguard are too confident to look at their aegises with any regularity and recognize that there are no glyphs until it is far too late. Not wanting to overstay your welcome, you order the departure of your fighters once the glyphs have been removed from the defensive aegises within the enemy city. Sonic portals are summoned and your raiding party is whisked to safety just as a division of durdalis emerge from the undergrowth of the Oaken Grove to trap the raiders within the city. To mobilize all of your forces to lay siege to Duiran, turn to page 33. To instead march on the territories of Duiran, turn to page 17. Page 5 Understanding that you’re at a numerical disadvantage that is unlikely to prevail, you provision new recruits and order hasty training. The refugees from the Second War of the Night that remained within Spinesreach are sufficient enough to outfit two whole divisions. Unfortunately, time is not a resource that the Theocracy has to spare. While you are overseeing the training, the Oakenguard strike at the territories of Spinesreach and bring them under their control. In under a day, Duiran forces a surrender and your tenure as Strategos is at an end. To bring your army back to full strength and try again, turn to page 2. Page 6 “Spireans, pair off. We’re going to harass the enemy and attack their supply trains, demoralize their militia and gain incremental advantages while we plan our next move. Take whatever victories you can and don’t give them a chance to rest. Make them pay for their treachery! Now move out!” one of your Northern Generals bark out to your soldiers. The command is met with grim nods of acknowledgment and pairs of Spireans darting off in different directions. You motion to the Generals present to follow you to your office. The strategic map table has been updated to indicate the current reported locations of Duirani and Spirean troops alike. One division of hoplites sits just south of Rimewatch while a division of durdalis sits upon both Bravestarr Homestead and Stormcaller Crag. Narrowing your eyes, you call upon your Generals for their tactical assessments. Clearing her throat, the General to your right speaks, “Strategos, our four divisions in reserve outnumber theirs. I propose a swift counterattack in two days’ time. We will march hoplites to Vintal Glade and Abelaas while a division of dragoons breaks off to attack Cantor’s Copse. We will then amass our fighters to intercept any troop movements they may try to make and end this war swiftly.” “Ahem, Strategos, that won’t work. Instead, I propose we move a division of dragoons to Nuunva and another division will divide and take Bihrkaen, Craneskull, and Salma Settlement. This will give us a long-term advantage, and we can grind their forces to dust and win by attrition.” This elicits a laugh from your third General who scoffs at the idea, “Forget that. Run all four divisions in reserve into their city. Burn their precious city to the ground. We have a small troop advantage. The only way to achieve our ultimate goals is to capture Duiran proper.” To march troops against the territories of Duiran, turn to page 10. To capture neutral villages to attempt to gain a long term advantage, turn to page 50. To march on Duiran proper, turn to page 30. Page 7 “General, take a Bard with you to try and harry their forces. Conjure an icewall and protect them while they try to bring death upon them with Oblivion. I will take the rest of our forces and move against the Duirani attacking Stormcaller Crag.” Your General responds with a sibilant, “Yessss, Sssstrategos.” They motion to one of the assembled fighters and move out swiftly. You personally lead the second force against the Duirani incursion into the sovereign territories of the Theocracy and you have a plan. You set up your forces adjacent to the division of the Duradlis that are entrenching themselves for the siege. Using your Lycanthrope’s ability to beckon unsuspecting soldiers with their howls, your forces even the odds as a few unsuspecting Oakenguard members stumble into the ensorcelled aegises set up by your Sciomancers. From there, the rest of your forces make quick work. Amidst the fighting, your attunement to the Underking’s realm allows you to sense a tremendous victory for Spinesreach in Stormcaller Crag as the plan to serenade the invaders with a Song of Oblivion worked to perfection. A full five fighters fall instantly. A slight smirk tugs at your lips as you savor the visualization of the carnage. Hapless Duirani claw at an icewall in a vain attempt to stop the final notes of the Bard’s song from coming. You shake away the mental image to focus on the here and now. To send troops to attack the vulnerable Stormcaller Crag position, turn to page 12. To call in troops to aid in your retaking of Bravestarr Homestead, turn to page 20. Page 8 “We could secure Abelaas, but it would be much sweeter to capture Duiran proper. Onward, to Duiran!” you announce with a dramatic flourish of your longsword. Your reserve troops march monotonously through the Ithmias towards the main gates of Duiran. There is a growing sense of impending ruin as you approach. Without warning, the holy orders of Dhar and Haern spring forth as the surrounding forest erupts in a worldfire. An inferno fueled by divine essence licks at your army and in under a minute you and your forces are reduced to ashes. Everything you have accomplished is purged from this world in a single moment. To make sure you aren’t overcooked on one side, turn to page 2. Page 9 “I wonder what the Dhasan of Science and Nature has whipped up for us. Surely they’ll have something to help us with this impending attack,” you wonder aloud before setting out to meet with the Conclave leader. You wander into a vast scientific complex with laboratories filled with alembics, burners, rows upon rows of flasks filled with untold ingredients and experimental results. Other rooms have highly controlled singularities and others still are covered in blight. Numerological markings cover the walls in other laboratories. After wandering through several hallways you finally find the lab coat wearing Dhasan. “Dhasan, I was hoping you might have some sort of weapon we could employ against Duiran?” you ask hopefully. Your question elicits a single sharp laugh. “HA!” the Dhasan lets out while their hands move to grab at their belly to mimic a stomach laugh. Seeing the look upon your face, they stop and reply in a quieter voice, “… oh wait, you’re serious.” They clear their throat and continue, “Um, no. Anything we do have is too experimental and HIGHLY CLASSIFIED.” A sideways glance is cast upon you before they turn to return to the task at hand before they were so rudely and pointlessly interrupted. Suddenly, reports begin to flood your mind from your field scouts. Duiran’s troops are on the move. Two of your Northern Generals rush into the complex and render hand salutes and await your orders. Any advantage you may have gleaned has been squandered. Duian marches on Rimewatch and Bravestarr Homestead! To mobilize your forces to protect Rimewatch, turn to page 44. To mobilize your forces to protect Bravestarr Homestead, turn to page 22. Page 10 Confident in the small advantages you’ve gleaned from the unrelenting harassment of the Oakenguard and their war efforts, you direct your forces to move against the territories of the Heartwood. With your forces keeping the Oakenguard’s attention elsewhere, the troop movements have gone undetected. A full three divisions of hoplites arrive uncontested into the Ithmias and await further orders. “Strategos, scouts confirm a division of wolfine have entrenched themselves in Cantor’s Copse. Abelaas and Vintal Glade are unprotected save a handful of villagers who might throw themselves at us in an effort to slow us down. No meaningful resistance would occur at either location. What are your orders?” reports one of your scouts. To lead a division of hoplites into Cantor’s Copse and destroy the wolfine defending there, turn to page 31. To divide your forces and march on Abelaas and Vintal Glade simultaneously, turn to page 16. Page 11 “We won’t win this war by turtling up! We must lay waste to the Ithmias!” you declare. Sensing your intent, the Generals at your command move to make preparations. The troops lost trying to regain your territories leave you outnumbered and you have little room for error. Still, a fighting chance is better than assuredly losing. With a combined field army of less than 300 troops, you lead them into the Ithmias. While making camp for the night, a division of wolfine are marched out of Duiran and launch a lightning strike against your forces. The effect is devastating, the wolfine destroying nearly two of your troops for every one of theirs lost. The damage is swift and lasting. With no defensive positions left and no standing army, the Theocracy is doomed to fall at the hands of the Oakenguard. To try again, turn to page 2. Page 12 Without losing focus on the fighting at hand, your mind reaches out to your Northern General in Stormcaller Crag and you issue the order: “March a division of Dragoons to Stormcaller Crag and eliminate the enemy entrenched there.” An affirmative response promptly follows and the plan is enacted. While your troops are marching to Stormcaller Crag, the Duirani that had been slain return from the Mirror and regroup, assaulting your vulnerable troops. The attack is repelled but the casualties have been inflicted. The troops make it to Stormcaller Crag and are unable to break the defensive lines of the division of durdalis there. A stalemate will ensue as each side fights for supremacy, but the distance to Stormcaller Crag from Duiran will allow Spinesreach to wear Duiran down by attrition alone. Unfortunately, you lack the forces to launch both a counter-offensive and secure Bravestarr Homestead as a result. To march to secure Bravestarr Homestead, turn to page 32. To plan a counter-offensive instead, turn to page 26. Page 13 Frowning, you concentrate on sending your message across the city, “Militia, report to the Inner Gate at precisely one hour before dusk on the 14th of Lanosian. Those eligible to command a division, prepare your troops for a Pass in Review for the Regent and myself.” With a deft flick of your wrist, you brush a few bits of untidy lint from your crisp uniform and adjust the campaign medals upon your chest. A deep flexing of your shoulders draws a crack from your spine. Your back easily finds the fully upright position befitting an esteemed Northern General as yourself and you stride confidently out of your office. The door slams shut and locks behind you as the rhythmic striking of your heel against the cobblestone floor echoes down the empty hallway. Your thoughts drift to the agreement made with Bloodloch. They will lift the surrender agreement any moment now, allowing Spinesreach to finally move her troops about Sapience as they see fit. In return, they asked for a pittance of information that is outdated and of no use. ‘The Regent’s cunning will be on display for all to see,’ you think with a smirk. As you arrive at the Inner Gate of Spinesreach, the deep tones of the Oakenguard warhorns reverberate across Sapience. The shouts of the Presiding Voice reach your ears, a harsh awakening to your new reality. “PREPARE TO TASTE DEFEAT AGAIN, SO-CALLED DRAGON OF THE NORTH! THE HUNT IS ON! LONG LIVE THE CYCLE!” Several scouts rush along the roadway and frantically search the crowd, each in turn dashing up and offering a quick salute before reporting Duirani troops on the move. “A cluster of durdalis are marching upon Bravestarr, Strategos!” one scout gasps. “And on Stormcaller Crag!” the second scout adds. “… and a pack of wolfine move on Rimewatch!” a third concludes. A runner dashes along the road proclaiming the bad news, “The Duiran Council has declared war on the City of Spinesreach!” “Pit!” you curse beneath your breath and consider your options. To mobilize troops against the division moving against the southern territories, turn to page 22. To mobilize troops against the division moving against Rimewatch, turn to page 44. Page 14 You order your soldiers to take cover in the foliage and have a Sciomancer lay down a mirage to mask your army’s presence. Surely Duiran will come to liberate their precious Vintal Glade. For good measure, you order one of your Triarii to massacre the villagers. Their cries for help go unanswered, and only too late do you realize that Duiran has not taken the bait and instead used the opportunity to march their own troops to claim your territories. By committing all of your forces to a trap that failed means Spinesreach will be forced to surrender to Duiran. To accept defeat and try again, turn to page 2. Page 15 Having established control of the battlefields, both divisions of dragoons and a division of hoplites march towards the Ithmias. Therein lies the targets – Abelaas, Cantor’s Copse, and Vintal Glade. The Theocracy’s Northern Generals are systematic in their advance, skillfully marching multiple divisions simultaneously while fending off desperate attempts to stop the all but inevitable surrender of Duiran. A few hoplites are slain as the guerrilla tactics utilized offer the tiniest glimmer of hope for the Oakenguard. You will not be deterred by a few troops lost. You must act decisively to ensure victory! You carefully consider your options. To lead forces personally into Cantor’s Copse, turn to page 23. To lead your forces in a split assault against Abelaas and Vintal Glade, turn to page 16. Page 16 “We need to end this war quickly, onward to Abelaas and Vintal Glade!” you order and your militia divides itself into pre-planned strike teams and your field commanders take over. You decide to swing up into the tree tops with a small contingent of reserve fighters in order to respond to wherever the enemy may decide to strike, if at all. Your suspicion is confirmed as the sounds of battle can be heard off in the distance coming from Vintal Glade. Within moments, your response team is in motion. You leap and swing from the dense foliage and arrive at Vintal Glade in moments, flying the short distance across the Myesis River to descend upon the battle. Four of your fighters are engaged with the enemy and you make quick work of the hodge podge fighters. As you tend to the wounded, another contingent of Spirean militia arrives, drawing confused looks. “Why aren’t you in Abelaas?” you demand. “We came rushing to help reinforce here!” comes the response. You shake your head vigorously and order your reinforcements and response team to double time it back to Abelaas. The touch of the Underking allows you to sense the crescendo of the fight in Abelaas as what fighters were left are completely destroyed. The full division of hoplites are found brutally destroyed with bodies littering the ground. The savages have won this round. To reinforce the importance of following orders and try again, turn to page 2. Page 17 Your armies close in on your current objective: Abelaas. You approach cautiously from the northeast and lay waste to a field where a handful of sprung rabbit traps are. Not wanting to waste the opportunity to remind the villagers of Abelaas of the misery that is about to ensue, you crush one of the crude contraptions under the massive paw of your polar bear mount. Your hoplites arrive in the village center and begin lowering the flag of Duiran that flies over the area. The control you have established over the battlefield allows for small strike teams to intercept any scouting attempts made by the Oakenguard. Half a dozen corpses are brought to Abelaas as trophies by such strike teams. In just under a day, the territory is fully under your control. An emissary from Duiran reaches out to you and requests to negotiate terms of surrender. To negotiate the terms of surrender with the emissary, turn to page 42. To tell them where they can shove it, turn to page 35. Page 18 Having secured Rimewatch, you set your Sciomancers to work to make the Oakenguard’s job of moving more troops into position to contest your final territory. Aegises are erected and glyphs are traced, and the lessons from fighting the War of Sterion will be learned once more by the Oakenguard. One careless Feylord’s psyche is unlaced by the magical powers of the Theocracy’s dreaded Sciomancers. Your fighters descend on the unsuspecting durdalis, who crumble like limestone under the acidic touch of your Alchemists and their blight. The assassins of Spinesreach run amok, sowing chaos amongst the Oakenguard. A meeting of their War Council is interrupted by the final notes of a Song of Oblivion as the Feylords are committed back to the Cycle. Other members of Duiran’s militia meet gruesome ends as they try to go about their day, choked to death with the line from their fishing poles while others succumb to a mining pick through their skull. To begin marching troops into the Ithmia, turn to page 15. To march troops directly to Duiran, turn to page 28. Page 19 “We move on Bravestarr, lets go!” you bellow with a furious rage, drawing your envenomed longswords with the intent to drive back the main Duirani force at their first primary target in Bravestarr. Within minutes your group has moved into position in the Dry Plains outside of Bravestarr. Reaching out with your mind, you farsee one of the Oakenguard Feylords and sense nearly a dozen fighters protecting the division of durdalis fortifying their position at the center of Bravestarr Homestead. Without hesitation, you move forward with your combatants and trace the prism tattoo on your right arm. In a matter of moments, your group is magically transported into the fray. As the surroundings come into focus, the last thing you remember seeing is a Duirani concentrating on ensorcelling a crystal aegis. Entering the proximity of the aegis causes the glyphs traced upon it to flare up, entangling your group and instantly setting you all to sleep. Your counter attack was over before it even started as the Oakenguard militia completely and utterly destroyed your forces in the single most embarrassing military defeat of all time. As your thoughts drift upon your return from the Mirror, the embarrassment of your failure is too great. You try and will yourself to remain dead but the cursed Cycle touted by the Duirani is a cruel mistress. Groggily you blink away the death’s embrace and find yourself in front of the Ard-Dhasan Himself. His expression remains unreadable but the disdain in His voice is too great for all of the Artifice in Sapience to obfuscate: “You have failed Me, rellyw.” You shrink in subservience as your Conclave memberships are stripped from you and two Ironmaw guards seize you by your arms to drag you from Severn’s presence. Your failure warrants returning to Page 2. Page 20 A runner slips your orders into his satchel and dashes off to the barracks. Orders relayed, a division of hoplites is moved into position to assist your soldiers in retaking Bravestarr Homestead. A thought occurs to you that the Oakenguard will be expecting a direct frontal assault, so you take the extra time to skirt the periphery of the territory and approach from the direction of Fengard Keep. While sound in strategy, the maneuver is far too slow, taking nearly a full day longer. More than enough time for the Oakenguard to detect your movement and adjust their defenses. No doubt the extra time drags on the readiness of your troops, and they are unable to match the seemingly endless stamina of the Oakenguard. The Theocracy’s forces fail miserably to retake Bravestarr and you leave the gate open to invite the savages to complete their conquest of Spirean territories. To surrender in an attempt to save face and try again, turn to page 2. Page 21 You decide to make your way to the Armory and Barracks to inspect the armies of Spinesreach under your command. The walk is short and you arrive at the barracks in minutes. A pair of Northern Guards flanks the massive doors to the building. In unison, they render a hand salute, which you return promptly. Stepping inside you mentally note the three divisions of hoplites and two divisions of dragoons. You reach out telepathically to contact the Cardinal and demand, “Cardinal, why are the Dragon’s troops walking without any Divine blessing?” Before you can finish your thought, you spy the long flowing robes of the Cardinal flit in the air currents disturbed by their passing. Raising their hand, they murmur a Draconic prayer and the five hundred troops are basked in the glowing blessing of Tanixalthas. “Is there anything else? Strategos?” the Cardinal asks. Shaking your head you offer a curt dismissal. Out of habit your thumb and index finger find their way to your chin as you stroke your jawline in contemplation. The thoughts are interrupted by the air reverberating with the low droning of Duirani warhorns. Telepathic reports begin to flood your mind as your scouts report multiple divisions being mobilized against you. All three of your territories are being encroached upon: Bravestarr Homestead, Stormcaller Crag, and Rimewatch. To order troops into defensive positions, turn to page 37. To assemble your fighters without mobilizing any troops, turn to page 19. Page 22 You point at one of your Northern Generals and command, “Take a division of hoplites out the north gate to intercept the wolfine moving on Rimewatch. There is a natural choke point on the path to Rimewatch and it is much more easily defended than Stormcaller or Bravestarr. Once we’ve dispatched the wolfine, take a second fresh division to fortify the path to Rimewatch.” The Northern General renders a crisp hand salute before turning on her heel to carry out your orders. You rub your temples in frustration as you realize you wasted precious time conducting a pointless errand and allowed Duiran to get the drop on you. All in your first day of being Strategos! Still, there is a glimmer of hope for you to demonstrate your military prowess and excellent strategic mind. Maybe even enough of a glimmer to avoid the Ard-Dhasan smiting you and removing you from your office. With a quick shake of your head, you take off at a sprint to the nook to gather your fighters. There’s blood to be had. Eyes adjusting to the magical darkness infiltrating the underground gathering space, you bark out an order, “Spireans, on me!” With militaristic discipline that would make the Imperial Armies of Bloodloch envious, your fighters fall into formation behind you and await further direction. You mentally make note of the composition of your fighters: a Bard, two Sciomancers, a Revenant, a Monk, two Archivists and a Lycanthrope. To split your forces and attack the encroaching divisions simultaneously, turn to page 7. To keep your forces unified and attack the main Duiran division at Bravestarr, turn to page 19. Page 23 You decide to move your forces into Cantor’s Copse to capture the territory in a slow plod towards victory. The dismembering of the Oakenguard on the Dry Plains has your enemy scattered to the wind. A few probing attacks result in minor victories and more trophies for your fighters, but it would appear their will to fight has been broken. Their resorting to attempting guerrilla tactics confirms that. Your hoplites march into the center of the village and begin fortifying. A few Arboreans amble through and a pair of Wayfarers decide to have a tree chopping competition, felling Arboreans with a flurry of their axes. The stiff wooden corpses litter the copse as it claimed in the name of the Theocracy. Victory is surely near. To split your field armies and march to Abelaas and Vintal Glade, turn to page 16. To continue through to Duiran proper, turn to page 49. Page 24 You quickly muster your fighters and with a simple utterance the entire Spirean militia is high above the clouds, set to descend with murderous intent upon Duiran. The gates of the city are flung wide open as the savages welcome your army into their homes. The strike is unexpected and swift. Just inside the gate, a burly Centaur crossbowman makes a noise that sounds like a braying donkey before he is cut down with a ruinous shadowy blast from a Sciomancer towards your right. The alarm is sounded by the Centaur’s dying breath and the guards of Duiran swarm to defend their city. Magical darkness is conjured and an inky veil fills much of the area. With spectres at the ready, scores of Sciomancers make an utter embarrassment out of the mighty warriors of Duiran. Several Alchemists deploy their blight upon the wooded homeland while the Syssin work to string up women and children from the branches of the trees that had once provided them shelter. A pathetic attempt by the Sentaari to drive back your forces is met with voracious laughter as the Monks stand before your forces, obviously radiating incredible amounts of Kai energy. Worried looks cross their faces as the deadly Kai was unsuccessful in delivering any of your well-disciplined troops to the Mirror. As their feeble attempt falters, a pack of Lycanthropes pounce and grab an ankle or a wrist in their mouths and yank violently in opposite and perpendicular directions. The effect is horrifying as blood sprays from the severed limbs and broken bodies alike, a veritable orgy of wanton violence that sends the remaining Duirani fleeing into the woods for their lives. To destroy their defensive aegises, turn to page 4. To infiltrate their barracks, turn to page 27. Page 25 You order a temporary aegis to be ensorcelled and other defensive preparations to be made. Unfortunately, the haunting dirge of the Song of Oblivion fills your ears as you scream in rage to engage the Bard threatening your forces. The Spirean militia abandons the Sciomancer attuning the aegis to remove the threat from the Bard to the south, offering the Oakenguard the opening they needed. A Wayfarer leaps down from the treetops and deftly executes the defenseless Sciomancer. Your attempt to gain a significant advantage has failed. Duiran harries your forces until you are eventually forced to withdraw from the battlefield. During that time, they position troops and capture your territories simultaneously and Spinesreach is forced to surrender. To hopefully make more prudent choices and try again, turn to page 2. Page 26 With a division of hoplites under your command, you decide to march them straight into the Ithmias. As you approach Abelaas you are reminded of the history of the area. You think of the days long gone, how the mighty city of Hashan once stood proud in this area and how the mighty Hashan has fallen, all that they had accomplished forgotten to the annals of time and now this sad excuse for a city-state exists in their stead. Suddenly, an arrow flies from the treetops and strikes your Aide-de-Camp in the chest. Blood gurgles up from his throat as his eyes go wide from shock. A second arrow skewers him clean through, and he falls off his donkey into a heap upon the ground. “Ambush!” you yell, as if that wasn’t obvious. Your historical daydreaming has resulted in you walking straight into an Oakenguard ambush. Your militia attempts to fight back, but your loss of focus has cost the Theocracy dearly. Surely this war is now doomed to end in failure. To try and rewrite history and start anew, turn to page 2. Page 27 “General, take several Syssin and infiltrate their barracks while we’ve got them on the back foot. Let’s do some serious damage!” you order. Only a few minutes later the Northern General steps out of phase and materializes in front of you. “Strategos, the barracks were… empty.” You blink incredulously. “W-what?” you manage to stammer. “Empty. No divisions. At all.” Your mind races to comprehend this information but it dawns upon you far too late that the Oakenguard had a contingency planned to punish your hubris. The ground rumbles beneath your feet as a division of durdalis trundles out from the underbrush of the Oaken Grove and press in on your militia. Without hoplites to engage with them, your militia will be unable to retreat to the safety of Spinesreach! A small handful of your fighters recognized the danger and fled before their escape was cut off, but the majority of your combatants were cut down within the walls of Duiran. Demoralized at being outfoxed, most of your militia sulk off to go about their business. An uninspiring Strategos can have that effect. To regroup your forces and try again, turn to page 2. Page 28 With the Oakenguard’s morale wavering under the unrelenting onslaught of oppression by your forces, you seize the opportunity to march a division of troops to Duiran directly. The Myesis River turns a color of putrid red, the ichor frothing pink upon the rapids of the tributary. A close call when an Oakenguard Bard managed to successfully obliterate your war party with a Song of Oblivion threatened to halt your advance, but the double-edged sword of such a tactic left Duiran without sufficient fighters to threaten your hoplites before you could regroup. After a grueling march through the Ithmias, the gates of Duiran come into view. The tall wooden structures shaded under the foliage of the Oaken Grove are a stark reminder of the daunting foe you face upon the battlefield. “Orders, Strategos?” the lead hoplite inquires. To attempt to capture the city, turn to page 48. To sack and raze the city, turn to page 35. Page 29 Not wanting to press your advantage, you order your hoplites and dragoons into defensive positions at the entrances to your territories. During the night, the craven cowards from Duiran marched their forces under the cover of darkness and obliterated your defensive positions while all others slept. With no troops remaining in reserve, it is a matter of time until Duiran captures your territories and forces the Theocracy to surrender. Before you can deliver the bad news to the Regent and the Ard-Dhasan, you find yourself being replaced as Strategos. Perhaps a less timid leader will command the Spirean Armies to victory. To try again, turn to page 2. Page 30 You issue the order to march the bulk of your forces direct to the gates of Duiran. Without proper planning or setup, you’ve marched into an indefensible position. The troops stationed by Duiran to protect their territories march on your army’s camp in the Oaken Grove. You’re completely surrounded. The cackling voice of a particularly boisterous Duiran rings throughout Sapience, “HAHAHA! YOU BETTER PRAY TO YOUR MANIPULATOR FOR A MIRACLE, CAUSE YOU’VE DONE MESSED UP! HAHAHAHAHA! IDIOT SPIREANS! HAHAHAHA! COW WHORES! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Unwilling to wave the white flag, the command is given for a final stand to be made. The army of the Theocracy marches against overwhelming odds and is predictably crushed. Your shoulders slumped as you flee from the battlefield, wondering if Enorian has use for a stable hand or Bloodloch has use for a slave. To resolve not to give up hope and try again, turn to page 2. Page 31 “We need to destroy part of their field army while they’re disorganized. We’ll take out the wolfine at Cantor’s Copse,” you proclaim and issue the command. The hoplites march double time and arrive at Cantor’s Copse. Not wanting to waste the element of surprise, you order them to engage the wolfine head on. Fighting with the fury of a raging fire, wolfine after wolfine is cast down. One hoplite charges recklessly at a wolfine who pauses to howl at the moon and skewers it through the chest with their spear. She discards the shish kebab and takes up the spear of one of her fallen comrades to continue the fighting. Within fifteen minutes, the wolfine are completely wiped out and the order is given to take up defensive positions and begin capturing the territory. Not a single member of the Oakenguard responds to the dying howls of their wolfine. They left their soldiers to die like a child carelessly and thoughtlessly left a toy outside to be destroyed by the elements. Surely victory is at hand. To march a division against Abelaas, turn to page 17. To press your advantage and march a division of Duiran, turn to page 8. Page 32 You decide to march two divisions of hoplites to Bravestarr Homestead to secure the territory. The superior demonstration of force is successful in driving the Oakenguard from their defensive positions in Bravestarr Homestead. Cheers ring out among your hoplites and militia and you leave it to your commanders to shore up your defenses among your territories while you call a meeting of your Generals. “We’ve suffered tremendous casualties to secure our territories. We have a single division of dragoons left in reserve. By comparison the Duiran army outnumbers ours three to one.” “Hah! Admirable odds for any Spirean!” one General quips. You make a mental note to test the guillotine on that one following their demotion, assuming you can retain your position as Strategos by leading the Theocracy to victory. “We need a plan. How can we best use our one division?” To march the remaining division to one of Duiran’s territories, turn to page 41. To recruit and outfit additional divisions, turn to page 5. To withdraw from your defensive positions and go on the offensive, turn to page 11. Page 33 Your armies are maneuvered into position to lay siege to Duiran. Catapults are brought in and fire upon the city with their range enhanced by the ingenious utilization of singularities to reverse gravity immediately upon firing. Far outranging Duiran’s own siege weapons, their defenses are decimated by the superior intellect of Spinesreach. The siege lasts only a matter of days before you see the Oakenguard forming up to charge out to fight you in an obvious hope to break the siege. “Spireans, now is our chance, attack!” you order, leaping atop your polar bear who bounds forward in a loping sprint. You can see the joyous glint in the eyes of the Feylords as they assume defensive positions just within their gate. ‘Almost there… almost there…’ you think to yourself. As you cross over the threshold of where the defensive aegises would have afflicted you and your army horribly, the careful advantages you have gained pay off. The disdainful smirk is wiped off the face of every member of the Oakenguard as they stand dumbfounded, their simple minds working furiously to process just exactly how you are barreling down upon them unhindered. A few heads turn to survey the aegises they had hoped would bring them salvation. Their eyes are stuck wide open in shock as they are struck down by the unstoppable force that is your army. An emissary senses the inevitability of the defeat at your hands and requests a cessation of hostilities to negotiate terms of surrender. To call off the slaughter and negotiate the terms of surrender, turn to page 42. To ignore the plea for mercy, turn to page 35. Page 34 Your forces move into a defensive position to protect the Sciomancer as he toils and concentrates at connecting an aegis to the leylines. A mere stone’s throw from Duiran’s main gate, the bold risk could pay immense dividends going forward. Revenants with their shields leveled block the entrance to the south while scouts remain on high alert. A single member of the Oakenguard militia steps into view. The overwhelming size of your forces leaves him momentarily stunned. Just as his eyes begin to blink from being frozen wide, the tip of a dirk protrudes from his throat. Blood splatters across the shields blocking the path with additional droplets spurting out onto the ground in pulsatile fashion as the life is snuffed out before you. The Syssin responsible for the remarkable display steps into the position previously held by the now dead militiaman. “He probably raised the alarm, one way or another,” the shadowy assassin mutters. To assume defensive positions and prepare for an attack, turn to page 25. To buy time for the Sciomancer to finish by creating a distraction, turn to page 39. Page 35 As your veteran armies descend on the defenseless city of Duiran, an emissary of the Council begs and pleads with you to spare the city. You kindly remind them who started this war and emphatically underscore the dire predicament they find themselves in by concluding your response with, “… and I’m going to finish it.” Turning to your hoplites you give the order, “Sack this dung heap and raze everything to the ground!” A unified and resounding “HROAGH!” echoes throughout the forest canopy as the full force of the Spirean military is unleashed upon the forest city. Axes are brought in to fell trees, shops are looted and burned, dainty forest creatures are slain one after another. The waterways run red with blood. The Grand Dynamist runs in and hands you several heavy leaded vials. With an arched eyebrow you offer a questioning glance. “Black ylem. Extremely toxic. Been saving it for a rainy day,” he responds with a wicked grin. You nod approvingly and the Gnome sets out to contaminate the Great Oak with the exceedingly toxic substance. The carnage is so intense that women are found in front of totemic shrines within homes, sacrificing their own children to the various spirits worshiped by the Duirani in a vain attempt to conjure a respite from their impending doom. Your armies are laden with plundered wealth and thick, acrid smoke rises from the city in the trees as a warning to all of Sapience. The Theocracy is not one to be trifled with so long as you remain Strategos. Congratulations! You have successfully waged war against Duiran and won! You may wish to explore how other options end by turning to page 2. Page 36 “You four, move and engage those Oakenguard to the north! NOW!” you bellow and with instant willing obedience your soldiers charge headlong into the far superior Oakenguard flank. You wince as the result is a catastrophic loss of life as the overgrowth conjured by the Shaman engulfs your forces and Wayfarers make quick work and execute them ruthlessly. The gambit works. While your fighters valiantly sacrificed themselves to protect your flank, your two best Generals descend from high above the clouds ready to rejoin the fray. Raising a finger and pointing to the overgrowth encroaching on your flank you utter to them with all the coldness of the tundral winters, “Compost this filth.” The two Generals look at one another and nod once as they set to work. With supermassive singularities at their sides, they deftly wield elemental Shadow drawn from Czjetija and systematically make an utter embarrassment of the absolute best Duiran has to offer. A Sentinel falls, terrified of the shadows conjured by the duo. A Shaman and a Warden are frozen solid by the inky black shadelings summoned forth by the pair while the Wayfarer’s axes are intercepted through gravitational manipulation and slingshotted around the singularities and directly into her chest. The solar plexus explodes in a frothy pink viscera as the incredible velocities generated by the Sciomancers eviscerates the remaining Oakenguard Feylord. To combine your field remaining divisions and march on Cantor’s Copse, turn to page 23. To launch a coordinated assault on each territory simultaneously, turn to page 3. Page 37 As a division of hoplites begins entrenching themselves along the narrow coastal road leading to Rimewatch, you nod with satisfaction. Not far off in the distance are the wolfine mobilized against your northern flank. A wry smirk crosses your face and you realize you acted just in time. Rimewatch is secure. The darkness of night creeps over your troops as they finish their defensive posturing, spears dug into the ground forming a makeshift palisade. The obviously inexperienced Duirani commander offers a halfhearted battle cry as they order their wolfine to engage. Their tactical disadvantage is far too great to overcome and their defeat is swift. Their commander fumbles with their weapon amidst the slaughter. Their eyes grow wide as their mistake is realized far too late. With ease, you cull every last bit of Shadow from their very existance and commit them back to their precious Cycle. Grabbing one of the spears from the palisade, you stake the corpse of your enemy in a display of dominance and elicit a rallying cheer from your hoplites. The guttural bellow of a Duirani Feylord silences your troops, “PAWN TAKES KNIGHT, BUT ROOK TAKES BOTH BISHOPS! BRAVESTARR AND STORMCALLER CRAG ARE OURS AND SOON YOU WILL BE DEFEATED!” The jubilation is immediately dispelled from your troops. Grabbing a rag from your belt you wipe the foul blood of your enemy from your blade and plan your next move. To launch an immediate counter-offensive, turn to page 40. To set up glyphs and aegises throughout the Dry Plains and Ithmias, turn to page 18. To engage in guerrilla tactics while planning a tactical response, turn to page 6. Page 38 Moving swiftly, you join your armies in the field. An order is issued to combine the remaining hoplites into a single division numbering ninety strong. ‘Of our enemies, only Enorian can boast of actual military discipline amongst their ranks,’ you note to yourself while thinking of the mindless durdalis, feral wolfine, clawed horrors and other mindless thralls employed by the other city-states. Atop your polar bear you survey the army before raising your longsword over your head. A sharp drop of your arm lowers the weapon to shoulder height in front of you and perfectly parallel to the earth. The armies of Spinesreach march on Vintal Glades. Halfhearted resistance is all that is offered in the day it takes for your hoplites to march to the first territory of Duiran. Fortifications are established at the city center as the glorious flag of Spinesreach is hoisted above the home of the faeries. One particularly boisterous faerie flies out and appears as though she’s about to give you an earful. You hold up a hand to her and gaze down at her in disdain. “If you’re about to squeak something about how we’re barbarians, I can make that a reality. Triarii,” you say and indicate one of your soldiers with a gesture, “… if this formerly Duirani villager so much as makes a sound, rip her wings off and hang her by her arms in the city square.” Blood rapidly drains from the faerie’s face and her mouth is frozen agape in horror at your statement. Within the hour your forces have secured Vintal Glade and you gather your Northern Generals to determine your next move. To march a division of hoplites to Cantor’s Copse, turn to page 47. To set up an observation and entrapment aegis in Oaken Grove, turn to page 34. To lay in wait for Duiran to come liberate Vintal Glade, turn to page 14. Page 39 “We need to distract them, so they need to prioritize where to send their response. Everyone move out, leave a mirage for the Sciomancer here. Split into two groups and have one group posture as a raiding party at the rear gate of Duiran, the other follow me, and we’ll attack Abelaas directly! Move!” you bellow to you army and the spring into action. Moments after, the Oakenguard vanguard arrives and sees nothing is amiss, their sight clouded by the mirage. Before they are able to investigate more thoroughly or sense anything, they are drawn away by the cries of help from Abelaas. A few minutes later, the aegis is successfully ensorcelled and the Sciomancer is whisked away by a portal they have conjured. You receive word of the success of your mission and order you strike teams to regroup. “We have a tactical advantage. Vintal Glade is ours, and we can control their militia’s movement in and out of their city. We must trike at Cantor’s Copse and Abelaas to secure the victory for the Theocracy!” you proclaim loudly. Affirming nods greet you as you survey the expressions of your war council. “Let move out!” To march on to Cantor’s Copse, turn to page 47. To march on Abelaas, turn to page 17. Page 40 Weighing your options, you realize that having secured Rimewatch buys Spinesreach the opportunity to take the fight to Duiran and their territories. You quickly issue the orders. Two divisions of dragoons ride south from the Inner Gate of Spinesreach while a division of hoplites marches double time behind them. Their movement immediately draws the attention of the Oakenguard fortifying their position in Bravestarr Homestead. A bloody battle ensues as the Oakenguard of Duiran trades blows with the Spinesreach Militia. The vulnerability of your troops is an undeniable liability and your forces fight valiantly to protect them. Syssin armed with darkbows take up position on a nearby bluff and rain meteor arrows down on the unrelenting Duirani forces. Suddenly you are alerted to an attempted maneuver under stealth by the Oakenguard to reposition and exploit a weakness on your right flank. Several casualties will be returing from the Mirror to rejoin the fight any moment now but you need time to get your best fighters back into the fray! To direct your Syssin to concentrate their fire on the Oakenguard flanking you, turn to page 45. To order a squad of militia to sacrifice themselves to the flanking maneuver, turn to page 36. Page 41 In a desperate bid to gain a foothold in Duiran’s territory, you marshal your forces and set out to capture one of Duiran’s territories. The move reeks of despondency and is reflected in the morale of your troops. After you cross the shadow drained remains of the Northern Road and cross into the forest proper, you’re met by the full force of the Oakenguard. They are prepared for your sad attempt to cling to power and are more than happy to oblige your internal monologue begging to be put down. With a halfhearted “Hroagh!” you spur your polar bear mount into a gallop as you race towards your demise. The Oakenguard executes their battle strategy with practice precision and the army of the Theocracy is cut down like the invasive weeds they are. To try once more, turn to page 2. Page 42 The diplomat for Duiran arrives at the Inner Gate, head hung low as they offer a bow to you and the Regent. With a grand gesture you usher them on to the table set up for negotiations. The demands of the Regent are presented: reparations of a few million gold, observational access to rituals as well as a full scientific survey of the location where Senator Holbrook was mercilessly murdered. Provisions for the return of territories at the end of the surrender, and of course the installation of an Occupational General. When queried on who might fill that roll, the Regent simply replies with a grin. Clearing your throat you make the demand known, “Only a Minotaur from Sterion would be acceptable.” The blood drains from the emissary’s face as the sins of the Heartwood are brought into focus. Meekly they nod in agreement to your terms and the treaty is signed. Celebratory fireworks light up the sky as the war has ended in a glorious victory for the Theocracy! HROAGH! Congratulations, you have successfully navigated this tenure as the Strategos of Spinesreach. To explore other options for how war in Aetolia may turn out, turn to page 2. Page 43 Your nose wrinkles in distaste at the paperwork sitting on your desk. The beauracracy of the Republic was supposed to die with it. Heaving a sigh you sort through the envelopes. A tactical summary of terrain from the Conclave of Seers. Performance reports on spars from the Conclave of Devotion. Weapons development from the Conclaves of Science and Magic. Uniform proposals from the Conclave of Arts. An otherwise unmarked envelop catches your eye and you curiously tear the wax seal and read the contents. “Strategos, our spies have learned the Oakenguard intend to mobilize troops to take advantage of our troops being confined under the surrender agreement with Bloodloch. The Regent has negotiated a deal to remove those terms of surrender early to allow for the element of surprise on our behalf. The Syssin are at your disposal. -Director of Shadows.” Reflexively you clench a fist around the letter, crumpling the parchment easily. You hastily move to act upon this intelligence. To set up a trap at choke points identified by the Conclave of Seers, turn to page 46. To set up defensive positions around your territories, turn to page 37. To investigate the weapons being developed by the Conclaves of Science and Magic, turn to page 9. Page 44 Jamming a thumb in their air towards the north you command one of your Northern Generals, “We need to defend Rimewatch at once! Take a division of hoplites and cut them off!” Nodding to the other General you turn sharply to exit the complex. You call to them behind you and order, “Follow me, we need to work quickly!” You rally your soldiers and prepare for a fight. The hoplites move into position barely in time to cut off the wolfine marching towards the Spirean territory. A prolonged and bloody battle ensues with the hoplites unable to capitalize on defensive fortifications they typically rely on. The cunning of the Oakenguard Feylords dispatch scores of your fighters and while the wolfine are repelled, the battle is all but lost. Stormcaller Crag and Bravestarr Homestead are taken uncontested and sufficient troops are in position to take advantage of the poor distribution of your own forces. You may opt to start anew by turning to page 2. Page 45 Using your knowledge of Syssin signing, you order an issue to the Captain directing the darkbow wielding archers to concentrate their fire on the advancing Oakenguard threatening your flank to slow them down. Nearly instantaneously the meteors raining down on the main Duirani force dissipates and newly manifested meteor arrows provide an unnatural light to the sky as destruction is brought down upon the Oaknguard Feylords. The nimbleness of the attackers allow them to easily dodge your feeble attempt to stop them. You find yourself overcome by a Shaman’s overgrowth and pulled to the ground. The last thing you see is a fury-filled Wayfarer leaping high into the air to descend upon you with a precise axe strike that executes you. Lacking leadership, your forces are overrun and every division on the battlefield is obliterated. Spinesreach has lost. You may wish to try again, turn to page 2. Page 46 When your Aide-de-Camp returns with the objects you requested, you explain the strategic advice offered by the Conclave of Seers. Riding crop in hand, you move a pair of hoplite figurines to positions identified by the Dhasan of Seers as vulnerable. The enthusiastic aide nods his head, yet a blank stare is all that you are rewarded with. “Pearls before swine!” you curse beneath your breath. A dismissive wave of your hand sends the aide running off to tend to the next tasking. You grab two pieces of parchment and detail the battle plans for each division and send them off to your Northern Generals to execute. Within the hour, reports are pouring in from the couriers of the predicted war coming to fruition. With your troops meticulously hidden by a mirage conjured by your Sciomancers, the Duirani march into the traps laid for them. Clearly unprepared for your cunning, their commanders scramble to respond to the threat but it is too late. Giddy chatter fills the city medium as your forces gleefully cut down the hubristic savages. The pained cries of a Oakenguard Feylord rises above the land, “CURSE YOU, BLOODLOCH! WHY DO YOU HELP THESE WORMS? HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE ENORMOUS QUANTITIES OF YLEM THEY STOLE FROM YOU?” A chorus of voices representing the Empire respond in kind: “HELP? THEY NEGOTIATED AN EARLY RELEASE FROM THEIR TERMS OF SURRENDER!”, “YOU FIGHT WORSE THAN YOU SMELL!”, and “SOUNDS LIKE YOU WANT ANOTHER BOOT UP YOUR ARSE! WE’D BE HAPPY TO OBLIGE!” To combine your field armies and march immediately on Vintal Glade, turn to page 38. To set up defensive positions, turn to page 29. To raid Duiran directly, turn to page 24. Page 47 Having secured major victories throughout the Ithmias, you level your sights on Cantor’s Copse. A full division of hoplites moves in to the wooded area filled with Arboreans and no meaningful resistance is mounted and your army quickly secures the territory for the Theocracy. As night decends upon Sapience, your troops fell several sentient Arboreans to use as fuel for their campfires. Their dying cries a sorrowful dirge to their unfortunate lot in life being a protectorate of Duiran. As the morning sun rises, a white dove flies in and drops a letter into your hands. You quickly open it and read its contents. The Speaker of the Heartwood would like to negotiate their terms of surrender. You give pause for a moment and consider your options. To accept the offer to negotiate a surrender, turn to page 42. To instead march on to Abelaas and capture the remaining territory, turn to page 17. Page 48 “Onward, we capture Duian today!” you shout and spur your forces forward. The fighting at the gate of Duiran is fierce, but your forces manage to gain a foothold. Centaur crossbowmen take pot shots at your hoplites from the trees, but their defensive positions manage to get established without a total loss of the division. In the prolonged time to fully occupy the city, the Oakenguard manages to regroup and with the home field advantage manage to defeat your militia guarding the hoplites. Free to bring troops in to engage yours, the hoplites are sent to the Mirror. Every advantage you had is now squandered and Spinesreach will surely lose an extended conflict with Duiran. To have another chance at victory, turn to page 2. Page 49 Sensing an opening, you order your troops to bypass Vintal Glade and Abelaas and proceed on to Duiran’s main gate. It’s no secret that the will to fight is quickly restored when one’s home is threatened. The Oakenguard has regrouped and prepared to meet your forces in the Oaken Grove. Without the proper setup, your forces simply cannot compete against the forces of Duiran. Certainly not on their own turf. Your troops put up a valiant fight but are ruthlessly cut down by dhuriv and crushed by war gauntlets alike. The crackling energy of Dai’ruis intensifies as the forest floor is bathed in the blood of your army. To retreat and try again, turn to page 2. Page 50 “We need to plan for the long game. March on the neutral territories and capture them so we can start building a healthy reserve. We’ll bleed them of their advantages and grind them to dust through attrition!” you exclaim loudly. Your war council nod in obedience and set out to carry out your commands. As your troops descend on Craneskull Village, your General fails to note the flag of Bloodloch flying above the village. A division of clawed horrors lope in from the east and utterly destroys the hoplites. A horribly flawed plan from the onset, you’ve inadvertently started a second war with Bloodloch. As weak as the Empire is, Spinesreach is unable to contend with a war against two opponents. The only saving grace is that you’re able to surrender to Bloodloch instead of Duiran. To negotiate another early termination of your surrender to Bloodloch and try again, turn to page 2. [3rd Place (tie): Lenoriel](#) [*Expand*](#)**A Hoplite’s Marching Song, by Lenoriel** Within the fields of ice and snow A mighty beastie lies It does not often stir its head For things that lie outside But when that beast is stirred to wrath Its enemies can’t ignore The blood will run the rivers red…. When the Dragon roars The Dragon’s claws are sharp and keen Its teeth are black as night It heeds no bounds of man or God And ne’er gives up the fight. Come hoplites, onward, charge the foe, As we beat the drums of war The very hills will quake and rend…. When the Dragon roars So rise up men- and ladies too! We turn no hands away With science, magic, and cussedness, We’ll always win the day Pick up your arms and gird yourselves There’s vengeance now in store They’ll rue the day they learned what comes… When the Dragon roars The very hills will quake and rend – When the Dragon roars! We’ll never give up what we defend – When the Dragon roars! Now grab a drink and steal a kiss from the lover you adore~~ You never will forget the sound When the Dragon roars! [3rd Place (tie): Sekeres](#) [*Expand*](#)**The Age of Sorrow by Sekeres Dark-Wing** This poem paints a dystopian future for mortals who have submitted and withered away after the coming of the Age of Dawn. A single Akkari waits for the embrace of Death, who cannot. This is a reflection of his thoughts. Empty winter, blowing cold Light in moon, stars behold A whisper soft upon the air Cry of wolf, so lonely there Snow in veils, ice-flowers it wreathes A single flame, in the distance breathes Where a soul has followed thence a grizzled face, in cragged recompense He who waits recalls but few the midnight age, all but tears of dew for what wrought the end of life is pride that blinded nature’s knife “Yeleni yomed veb wudu azudim.” Translation: “A cruel life without death.” How long has it been, since life has gone? The seasons roll, an emerald veld undone Cycles turn, no more, no beat He who waits, waits not for rebirth’s repeat Empty winter, blowing cold Light in moon, stars behold No touch, no warmth In this single flame Where glory, bottles, brewed in fame Animals have long been slain A spear no more, its point to train In the avarice of sunlight pure the winter’s snows untouched demure “Ilbur Dia’ruis azu de ena Dejaani.” Translation: “The children of the Wilds were the last to be purged.” Nomads roam and speak of ‘membered times where children ran and laughed in rhyme and flowers spouted from the ground the faces varied in balance found He who waits recalls but few the midnight age, all but tears of dew for what wrought the end of life but blinded natures and prides a knife The battlements of pure white of towers where beacons burned eternal bright the lighthouse sketched across the bank now a crumbling edifice, blank “Naryu dulba sota dor valda desa.” Translation: Its towers stood but zeal defiled them. Empty winter, blowing cold Stars that burn of bargains old A trade for one, in black and white He who waits, waits now for night There is no truth, but death or life Survive or not, there is no blight upon the dark, the light of moon For the stars, ‘neath ice do bloom And all consumes in flame or mire no one shall escape death’s desire a cradle, a shadow, of a mirror’s wound in shepherd’s crook, a father’s boon What bitter tears wailed and gnashed What bell was rung, and Light was thrashed Ohsalana’s chain wove thrice-around Damariel wept hopeless against its shroud Tasj adheva ti, perdu kuy. Translation: “A sorrowers hope, a dying truth.” He who waits did witness there the blackest pit of Truth’s despair Shadow’s infamy, pitch-pillar blazed in hunger awaiting the sun’s beams to be cast asunder The toll of hollowness across the land Rung by the emblazoned maiden’s hammering hand Did not arouse the Eye in fear Their weapons rose, the Generals did sneer Empty winter, blowing cold Light was fated from this cast and mold Where shaped by Virtue it was struck Did summon Dejaani by some sheer luck He who waits, he does remember How the wind-blotted darkness did ember Shriveling against the blinding light Of its justice, scouring against eternal night “Neno manro jav abdal.” Translation: Where light has burned across the earth. The Malevolent Strategist in one last trick fell subverted the vice of the Shadow Mother’s spell Unwove the bindings of her cruelty’s thorn Though Argent Strife’s sword struck in scorn Crusaders were born upon this peal Of Dejaani’s ever-burning seal He who waits was one of them He accepted Their savior of all as friend “Fa du rarir iseli abdal, ebse orar.” Translation: “The old lands cried out for mercy, what remained was ash.” Scars had cast upon his face Where eyes no longer saw But the last he witnessed was the sight of Ohsalana’s maw Writhing, screeching from the arch Where it shuddered there His sword was raised, his heart emblazon’d as battle-tides grew fair Seasons rose, and Empires fell, and he did choose to embrace the light whose life was a greater design than Varian could make For years he toiled, and judged the many who stood in his way Until the land is as he knows it, On this winter’s day How many were felled for this age, at Dejaani’s pleasure For within the angelic piece, of him could he never sever “Omeryu tekal, oyivri sibre.” Translation: A hollow victory, no quest will save. Upon his withered lips, there is no judgment left to pass Against the righteous whose dye had been cast Where are the angels, that were promised in this order new? All the promise of his hearts, fallen, as the shadows all he slew? No more children whose seeds are scattered By the barren wind To share in this joy, at last All cleansed of those who sinned Instead this tale, instead this rote, upon his burning fire An empty winter, burning cold, death his one desire For nothing can bring salvation now as mourn has come Shadowless, lifeless, hopeless, heartless, dawn has begun “Atele adehva.” Translation: Sorrow’s Omen. [Runner Up: Trynt](#) [*Expand*](#)**Birth Amid Blood, by Trynt** The threat of a storm hovers amidst heavy clouds, their weight almost palpable as it presses down on the clearing below. In that rare calm before the storm, the odd shard of sunlight breaks through the cloudbank to scatter faint illumination on a single slim redwood, its strange spine crooked as though it would brace itself against its own knees breathlessly. Spindly roots crawl outward, seeking sustenance, in a tumult of tubers tunneling through the turf as frail, nearly-bare branches sway, wearing only a scattering of white needles. Standing as a sightless, stalwart sentry, the tree looms over the opening, nestled in an eerie, presiding silence. A subtle pulse ambiently enters into the fray: the steady strumming of a heartbeat, the thrumming growing in an audible contrast against the fleeting quiet of the moment as noise filters back into the field. Metal screeches against metal in a jarring underscore, the noise sending the thrum of the pulse to a rapid gallop before the sounds sweep in: swords singing as they sever the fragile bonds of the air, clashing sounding out in the grating slip of metal on metal, a dozen heartbeats racing with fear and adrenaline, a cacophony of voices raised in fury, and somewhere, a soft sobbing The battle is a vociferous, many-throated, bloody-eyed thief as attention is stolen in any which way: pulled to the unseeing gaze of an Atavian soldier with a blade thrust through his gut; torn towards the white teeth bared in a snarl on the face of a Tsol’aa woman as she presses her advantage; before dropping bonelessly to the Grook sprawled limply across the ground, blood sinking into the earth below them. Sights and sounds churn together in a torrent of emotion and heat as things come to a head, brief collisions flaring up only to taper to a conclusion of corpses and conquerors. As sparse limbs drift breezily in the aftermath, movement begins to snake out from the foot of the strange, pale-needled redwood. Coiling through red, wet mud and ensnaring the slick, scarlet flesh of the fallen, the roots twist and writhe as they reside resolutely in rubescent refreshment. Time passes in a series of silences and ruckuses – but the wearing away of sand in a glass means little to a tree. Again and again after each battle, recurring as they often are, the redwood ekes out its nutrition, slaking their thirst on the mire made of blood saturating the ground. This staggered unlife so unlike its brethren forces the tree’s isolation, the desperate sprawl of its summation slowly strengthening deadened limbs. One day amid the darkness of the evening, an aureate glow overtakes the tree, swamping its roving roots in sublime sense: slowly, sentience overtakes where only natural instinct existed before as first an arm pries itself free of the stubborn stand. Lanceolated digits claw outward, bark encircling each limb as they are pulled fully free, its armored touch coiling ‘cross the back of the nascent being, ruddy and rough. What little ‘skin’ appears visible is shadowed, mired in murk as the features of this Arborean come into life, its maw spreading wide to groan a subdued creak. They pull themselves free of the roots, what little remains left of the crooked tree coming to life as the tangles fall about their shoulders, still reaching, still grasping for nutrients. Thus life carried on, as it ever had and ever would – roots slaked in sanguine succor upon fighters’ false-sworn follies, the forest floor the final furtive witness of many a shepherded [Runner Up: Myrnma](#) [*Expand*](#)**\*From the journal of Nesveti Myrnma, the Imago’s Timbrel, edited as per request for the sake of story-telling and clarity\*** For a fleeting, panic-filled moment they thought all the rumours of war where about to materialize upon them-they still knew little of what people called shadowbound, or of shadows, but they had an acute experience with hunger and knew the ways of it, and that was one thing all the rumours agreed on. The Shadow Plane was a ceaselessly hungry thing. But it was only the fickle silence of the Morgun that met their ears when they catapulted into wakefulness. All was still, or as still as it ever was on the bewitching forest, what with the constantly-ambulating trees and the wafting notes of melancholy music. Myr pushed away from their thin, thoroughly-patched bedroll and inched towards the edge of the nearby gully, squinting across Urubamba to the darkened northern bounds of the forest, their heart still hammering to the remembered beat of their dreams. They had never seen an army, but Myr figured it would be a noisy, bulksome beast. No such thing could be spied upon the horizon. Then again, much of the horizon was swathed in pale mist, so maybe that was not saying much. So focused were they upon these thoughts, they only noticed the Nayar by the time the nymph sat crouched by their side. It was one of the musicians, their features as melancholy as their music, all lean, pale limbs and long, black hair. Before they could speak the fae creature fixed his green eyes upon them. “The trees desire the attendance of the wandering song,” he said in the tongue the Djeiri had called Sylvan, the stress on each word there and gone as if each sentence was the line of a song. — Myrnma recalled the Sylvan lessons had in the ostentatious halls of the Theatre of Shadow in Djeir. The words, with their odd inflection and poetic cant, had always reminded them of the racial ongue their parents had insisted they learn along with the wider speech of the road. It had eased things a great deal. It was in Djeir, a few short weeks after their arrival, when they had first heard about an inevitable war, thought in the Undercity every piece of gossip during those first days had possessed the flair of drama, and so for a while everything was very easy to ignore. Duiran, everyone said, in rushed and hushed tones, or grand, obnoxious proclamations, had murdered the people of Sterion and in their bloodlust left unguarded the very gate by which Shadow could attain access to the Prime. And the Shadow, it was said, had noticed. For a while everyone within the city reacted to these news as if it was but the latest fashionable play, but things had deteriorated quickly. Far-off screams started to be heard at nocturnal hours, and then eventually at diurnal ones as well. The affected, dramatic jolliness of troupe and patrons alike gave way to something nastier, a tightly-reined something that saw the Tsol on the receiving end of glares suspicious or angry or fearful. Not long after that the few acquittances they had made started evading them, refusing conversation or even to meet their eyes. In the end, it had been Haratos who had approach them, charismatic as usual and yet also stern. His shoulders were taut and stressed, and though he smiled sadly, his gaze made plain he would broker no argument. “It pains me to inform you, young student, that the Theatre must need ask you to vacate the premises.” This was said rather loudly, the words stiff and clipped and thoroughly unfriendly, perhaps to the benefit of the many eavesdroppers crowded around the foyer. Myrnma could certainly see and feel the glances shot their way, only to be met by Haratos’ no-nonsense expression as he stared back, a subtle quirk to an eyebrow that reminded everyone to tend to their own businesses. This little bit of spectacle done, the Master of the Theatre roughly grabbed Myrnma’s forearm and marched them to a deserted, dim-lighted hallway. No one dared to follow. “You must leave Djeir today, my friend,” Haratos said the moment they were past earshot, the words lower now, more urgent. His hand released the Tsol’s forearm and instead clasped their shoulder. “It is not safe. Not for a great deal of Djeirani, but specially not for you. Do you understand?” As it happened, they did not, but Haratos must have read the befuddled, quizzical expression blossoming on their face because he waved impatiently, his tone grown fiercer as he talked right over them. “You have been a most excellent student of the Theatre, but the Theatre cannot protect you. I cannot protect you, but I would rather not see all that effort in learning wasted by people riding the wave of fear. You will go today, before I am forced to surrender you.” These words were accompanied by a fierce glare that did not lessen until Myrnma had finally, unsteadily nodded, and then Haratos was walking past, either unwilling or uninterested in any potential objections. That night Haratos and two of the eldest actors of the troupe, violet-skinned Djeirani with striking violet eyes and the gait of royalty, once more marched Myrnma, this time across the deserted, silent streets of the Undercity, all but shoving them onto a barge and exchanging a few stern words and a handful of coins with the stevedore. The next thing they had known, the ruddy sailorwoman was shoving away from the banks of the Black Lake, sailing counter-current on the waters of the Perilaus. “You are luckier than many,” she had said without looking at them, her blue eyes scanning always the distance, pupils sparkling in the dim light of her ship’s lantern. “The Eithaga would not have been kind to you.” Shortly thereafter the barge had hit the banks of the lower reaches of Azdun. Without another spared word, the bulky woman had helped carry their meagre belongings to land, and then turned her ship around. Myrnma had never seen her again. — It was the Nayar’s music that stirred Myrnma from their faraway thoughts, almost causing them to faint as they found themself not at all where they had made camp. The Nayar, it seemed, had took it upon himself to guide them somehow, luring them with either song or spell whiel their mind wandered. Now, large, imponent trees crowded close on all sides. Most stood still, but Myrnma could not notice five which faintly stirred every so often, bark creaking and canopies whispering even in the utter absence of wind. “We see you, wandering song,” said one of them, or perhaps it was all of them at once. The words were a rough, creaking poem, the voice gravelly with age and yet despite it giving no impression of weakness. It was like the sound of all rustling eaves given voice at once. “The nymphs listen to your dreams, and our branches guard you while you sleep. We, like you, have heard of what comes, and would gladly offer you refuge here.” “But here we cannot guard you. That which would devour us and devour you might come, or it might not, but we would not see the song of our kin fall. But there is a place, loathsome with the lack of trees, were the kin that is not your kin holds some mastery of our enemy. Seek them. Far to the north.” [Runner Up: Oridez](#) [*Expand*](#)**The vicious vampire and judgemental frog, written by Oridez.** \[Any similarity to actual persons, living, dead, or undead, or actual events, is purely coincidental.\] \[The beginning of an unexpected friendship.\] Violence in the air, permeating through the wind, the shouts of fear and bloodlust. So much pressure, pushing everything and everyone, a force all on its own. Chaos. I stand on a battlefield, surrounded by death. I am used to this. The familiar metallic scent paired with the sight of massive piles of bodies would likely overwhelm most of the living. For myself? I almost struggle with the excitement and hunger; though I am not one to lose control, a good battle does increase the intensity. The longing. I find myself nearly devoid of thought, walking slowly through the carnage. Avoiding the crunch of bone, the whimpers of those still dying, I shrug off any distractions. For one such as myself, one incapable of true death, the memory and effort means everything. Winning helps, but of course I won. I didn’t even have to meld with the earth in this battle. I experienced the structured struggle of both armies as they collapsed into madness, too much to focus on. The Empire feels they won, because War is winning. The Hammer will shout their propaganda and spin another story. The fleeting hubris of my peers has never been something I have envied, but to fight, to kill, to better myself? I’ll use any of their forced battles started by ideas I care little about. What matters to me is that I strengthen myself, I improve, and while I do serve Father, I am an ancient being that thrives in my growth. Countless bodies have fallen due to the overwhelming focus and effort I put into my craft. As I continue, I hear an unknown sound. Not that of someone dying, or calls for aid. Not that of stragglers or bandits searching the corpse piles for valuables. A small sound, reverberating slightly. From high pitched whirring, to a deep popping sound, then suddenly an insect-like chirp. Unphased but slightly curious I allow myself to once again focus on my surroundings. Pretending to not care, I begin looking at the ground. Between piles of bone and sinew left from what were likely once a human I found a dark green, oddly shaped frog. Almost too big, are they usually this big? The frog was staring at me in what I can only describe as being filled with judgment and also…hope? Mostly judgment, though. “Well, are you going to respond or just stare at me?” asked the frog. Taken aback, I tilted my head and stared back. I decided to add a little hostility to my gaze and folded my arms in front of me. “Rude, much? Do you just ignore my calls? Why do my calls not work? What are you, anyways?”, asked the frog hastily, clearly annoyed. I have no idea what the frog is talking about. Or why the frog could talk? I opened up my senses once more and noticed a far too potent scent radiating from the frog. A mix of stale seawater and sewage? I couldn’t place it completely. Shaking my head I decided to move on, what use is a judgemental frog, anyways? The frog exclaimed, “Hey! Does your rudeness know no bounds? I spent my time this entire battle perfecting my call and you just look all broody and walk away?!” Small, consistent thuds followed me as I casually walked, not speeding up to avoid talking, just normal walking speed as normal people do. I tuned out the sounds of judgment and scolding but could not help but be impressed at the speed this frog could follow while nonsense spewed from his mouth. He must be from the Hammer. While I called the Empire my home I did not see them as my family. Even my peers in the Order of my Father were just more bodies to sculpt in battle, to fine tune my craft. I have some fondness, situationally, but I did not have a place beside anyone, or a home to go back to. I walked, the consistent thudding following me, though the incessant shouting seemingly gone, until I found a damp, empty cave. I placed a torch on the wall and lit it with my tinderbox, grimacing slightly at the fire before I moved some shrubbery to block the entrance, and started to prepare a small, adequate camp for the night. As I prepared my space with habit and repetition guiding my movements I heard the shrubbery moving. I paused, glancing over to notice the frog, looking annoyed and put out, struggling through. Speaking with a bemused tone the frog said, “A bit of shrubbery, eh? Really poor quality barricade. I wonder if I’ll get to watch you die overnight. Can’t say I would be too sad about it, since you’re so rude.” Thud. Thud. The frog moved onto my bed and settled in on my pillow before looking away from me. Perched comfortably as if it were on a throne, the frog became even more noticeably strange, very oddly shaped and oversized. It took up the whole pillow? Is that normal for frogs? I do not know much about frogs, they taste terrible and provide no true sustenance to me. I shook my head and continued my task, ignoring the frogs’ obvious discomfort on my bed. Do I need to burn my bed now? “Terrible bed, by the way. Do you normally sleep on rocks? Can’t say I’m surprised, being such a terrible whatever you are. Ignoring my calls, treating me with disrespect as I teach you some manners. You still haven’t said anything, did you know that? Or maybe you have no brain, being whatever you are.”, the frog said with an annoyed tone. I continued to ignore the frog and began to count out my supplies. I did not need to sleep or eat food, truly, though I would likely need to fill my blood reserves so that I do not lose control in the next battle, which during a war could be quite soon. I had my vials, my bandages, my pipes. All in fine condition. I instinctively touched the tattoos on my body, each still working, adequately strengthened to keep me on my feet long enough to create more corpse piles. I would spend the night here while the beasts, birds, and feral lycan feasted on the aftermath of the battle. A storm was likely in this part of the world and it would take at least the night before the battle continued. The true fight, one of attrition, would not end anytime soon but both sides in a conflict would need rest and to adjust their strategy. Communication on my role would come to me telepathically. I would miss nothing so I could sit and ensure that I was properly prepared for more murder. As if understanding that I planned to meditate and continue to ignore, the frog started to make those odd sounds from earlier. Eyes closed, I sat down and crossed my legs, leaning against a wall, avoiding my bed, I listened. It was terrible. The closeness of the cave walls created an experience no one, at any point in their lives, could possibly enjoy. Stuck on the deep, baritone portion for what must have been hours, the frog eventually quieted. I glanced over to see its eyes closed, it was asleep. I thought about killing it here but it would serve no purpose, just dirty my hands and who knows what that horrid odor would become in death. The pillow was already wasted, I could see the slime and imagine the fabric had become one with the smell. I didn’t want to set up a second camp, either. The possibility of the slime and scent existing with me for years because of my choice to kill it aided me and I instead settled into a deep meditation, allowing myself to rest. \[A few hours later\] “Everyone, prepare yourselves! We will continue the battle at our strongest! As the dark, all powerful night reigns over the world we will strike at the weak, pathetic leftovers of the Hammer! No soul shall survive, no corpse will be unsullied, and no mercy will be given! For the Empire!”, the thought went straight to my mind, stirring me from my focused rest. Allowing myself to pay attention to more pieces of information on where the camp was, I began to gather myself. Keeping quiet I packed up my supplies, making sure my hook was unstopped and ready for more carnage. My fists clean and ready to be bloodied. My boots tightened so that with each kick I was not delayed in displaying and fine tuning my craft. Hope began to consume me with increasing hunger, would today provide a better fight? A better opponent? Most of the camp would be haggard and unprepared but there were a few more stout, competent warriors that I would seek out should they be near enough to respond. Or if I was lucky, more than one. A few would be nice. It had been too long since someone forced me to really try. Months? Years? The hunger overwhelmed my senses, bloodlust reaching my eyes as they began to glow ever slightly before I shook my head. Ah, I need to take care of that. I reached out and touched a talisman I meticulously tended to. A pristine corpse appeared and I began to feed on the blood. My lips and fangs following a practiced routine, wasting not a drop of blood. As I fed, filling my reserves to make certain I would not lose control and make any mistakes, a small shifting sound inside the cave reached me. I glanced over to see the frog once again staring at me with those ever judging eyes. “That looks disgusting. You have no manners and poor taste in food, too? Who would even want to exist like that, honestly?”, chirped the frog. I paused and opened my mouth to say, “Lucky I didn’t eat you while you slept on my pillow, frog.” “Well, that would have been another terrible idea so I am surprised you didn’t go with that option, honestly. I taste horrendous, I am sure. Probably better than that corpse, but only because that looks disgusting. Truly awful, really the worst thing I’ve seen anyone willingly eat. And look at me, eh? I eat bugs and drink flower tea that tastes like week old water that corpse was found in.”, disgust evident as the frog preached at me. The frog continued in its tirade while I finished feeding before abruptly changing the subject, “Oh, you responded to me! Aha! I knew my hard work on my call had finally paid off. I’ve been denied for years but finally, it worked. Perhaps soon you’ll have a real conversation with me and I will be able to truly help you improve your state of affairs, as you so obviously need assistance. Living in caves, eating bodies…and not even good looking bodies. Did I say disgusting, by the way?” Standing up and looking at the frog with a vicious gaze I responded, “What do you know of me, frog? You followed me here. I didn’t ask for this.” “Well, you can’t really ‘ask’ anything if you don’t talk, weird one. Do you eat anything else? Have you tried bugs, tea, or maybe even cake? Does the cake have to be rancid and aged for you to consume it? Maybe you like eating terrible things because you hate yourself. Can’t blame you there, though.”, the frog was talking mostly to itself by now. Fixated on my prep work I replied, “I am going to battle and I require stealth until I find my prey. Do you intend to follow me? You’re awfully loud, I believe you’d likely die. You might want to stay. You can keep the pillow, though.” Bellowing proudly the frog did not miss a beat, “Oho! Rudeness once again. You can’t escape me that fast, weird one. I haven’t found out if you eat cake, yet. I also must continue to fine tune my call. I will be coming with you! I avoided trouble in the last battle, I will be fine in the next!” With a deep sigh I exerted my ego just slightly. I lifted the frog and had it float just behind my left shoulder. To my surprise, the frog beamed with excitement, or perhaps the look on its face was out of hunger, it was hard to tell with the shape of its face. “Why did you make me hop last time?! This is so much better. Onwards, to disgusting places for disgusting weird things! And maybe cake!.”, the frog exclaimed happily. \[After a lengthy run through forests, avoiding notice, we arrived at the camp.\] We arrived just at the onset of the massacre. As I expected, most of the Hammer was ill prepared for a night raid. Likely due to diminished morale, low body count, and oft-used lack of proper fear and preparation for the Empire. I stayed on the edges, uninterested in easy prey. Screams of fear and desperation consumed the air, filling the void of night quite thoroughly. Fires were set to tents and crates, enough to create a beautiful scenery of death and despair, the dancing lights creating artwork only those with proper taste and years of experience could truly appreciate. The frog, horrified but unable to look away, whispered, “Are you going to help them? Are you here to find a disgusting body to steal away? Why did we come if you plan to just creep around all awkwardly and do nothing?” Whispering back, I said, “I am here for better prey, frog. I am hoping the unhinged torture of these doomed souls will drive out someone stronger, someone worthy of my time.” As if spurred to action by our short discussion, a warhorn sounded behind some tents nearby. A call to rally followed, with very weak, very tired shouts for help accompanying all the chaos. I eagerly walked around the tents to better see who was rallying. I allowed the battle hunger to rise within me. I kept the frog floating behind me as I went. Once clear of the tents I saw more death and despair, but not too far from me stood a tall man in white, almost shining armour. He was carrying two longswords, one on fire and another shining with light. He stood back, ordering a small band of templars into action. A majority of them were beneath me, but from the arms blazoned on his fieldplate I knew he was worthy. It was finally time. I allowed him time to act his role out fully while watching. I did not care too much if any stepped in but I would not take him unawares, I wanted my prey to fight back, afterall. There was no glory here, this night, only the song of hope being crushed in the burning fires of the Empire’s perversion. None of the Hammer would escape. That much I would make sure of. \[Battle waged on for a while. The tall, shining templar not once lifting his swords, focusing instead on guiding the fight, to no avail.\] Once retreat was likely I stepped in and made myself known. Without a word I placed myself in sight of the large templar, my prey for the night. He noticed me quickly, fire dancing lights between us. The troops and dead were too distant to be involved. Perfect. “So, it is my time to fight after all. What cowardly tactics, attacking only when it’s beneficial to you. The Empire is filled with filthy mongrels too afraid to fight in the Light. We are the Dawn, I will remind you of that, vampire!”, exclaimed the templar. He brandished his longswords, both brightened sharply, one bursting with fire, one glowing with light. I said nothing. I shifted my weight to ensure I would be ready. I felt for my hook around my waist, loosening it slightly. I whispered a few words to Father before I ran straight for the templar. He shouted something in a language I did not know and lunged at me as I reached him, engaging me fiercely. \[From the frog’s point of view, the fight was a blur and hard to follow, but what he did see, he could not keep his eyes away from.\] The weird one utilized her fists and feet as if they were weapons. And based on the damage done, the frog would agree with the assessment that they were indeed weapons. The templar was strong and was constantly whispering and causing fire, light, and power to deflect and press the weird one. Based on nothing but instinct, the frog assessed that the weird one was winning. Blood was following the steps of the templar, the weird one was bashing repeatedly into his legs and chest. The fieldplate on the torso was cracking with each hit. The weird one would parry a sword and then retaliate with a strong, overhand punch to the chest. Each hit from the weird one was precise, calculated. Eventually, the templar began to react quicker and quicker. It didn’t take the frog much effort to see that desperation was driving him. He had wounded the weird one, cuts and bruises were appearing, but not enough to deter her onslaught. She was relentless and as the frog was starting to wonder if there was tea or cake in any of these crates, something changed. The weird one made a sudden, direct movement and in one motion she shattered the left leg of the templar, sweeping him to the ground before driving a kick into his torso, shattering the armor completely. Fire leapt from her and, as far as the frog understood, seemed to lance into his very body. She was now glowing, fire reaching out from her in waves, consuming his body as she continued to punch, kick, and drive her hook into him. In a matter of seconds the fire was a blaze so bright the frog had to squint, with an unknown word and quick, perfected movement the weird one seemed to breathe in the fire before it exploded in fury. The templar was gone. \[After a brief respite, the world seemed to return to the vampire.\] “Well, that was fun.”, I said. I looked back to see the frog looking at crates. Annoyed, I asked, “Did you not watch, frog?” “Oh, I did. But if you wanted me to watch you should not have made it so bright. Did you think about that, eh? It was quite dramatic, though. Do you think there’s any tea or cake in these crates? You can’t eat ash, can you? I’m hungry.”, the frog spoke, completely unphased. Shaking my head I said, “I guess this is my life now. Let’s find you some cake.” – \[The beginning of an unexpected friendship.\] [Runner Up: Ulo](#) [*Expand*](#) **Aetolia at War, by Ulo** In the realm where memory dwells, A cataclysm unfolds, the tale it tells. Incarnate Light and Incarnate Darkness clash, In a battle fierce, the world’s fate to snatch. With radiant brilliance, Light ascends, A celestial force, its power amends. Its ethereal glow ignites the skies, Guiding souls and hope, where darkness lies. But Darkness too, a formidable might, Shrouded in shadows, consuming all light. Its depths bewitching, secrets untold, A force of chaos, relentless and bold. Their clash resounds through time and space, An eternal struggle, no resting place. For Light, in its quest to save the land, Causes irreplaceable damage, a heavy hand. Countless lives are lost, the cost immense, In the wake of battle, a shattered sense. The world trembles beneath their might, In this grand sacrifice, both wrong and right. For Light, a beacon of hope and grace, Brings life and growth to every place. Yet in its brilliance, fires scorch and burn, Leaving scars upon the earth, a painful churn. And Darkness, with its ominous might, Frees hearts from chains, hidden from sight. But as it spreads its cloak of night, It engulfs souls in despair, a daunting plight. They wage their war, a dance of extremes, Shaping destinies, shattering dreams. Their purpose clear, to save the world, Yet their methods cruel, their flags unfurled. In this tale of cosmic strife, We find reflection in each life. For battles fought within our soul, May bring salvation, make us whole. Incarnate Light and Incarnate Darkness, In their clashing, bring a profound starkness. But from this clash, a world can rise, With scars as reminders, truths to recognize. For memory holds the echoes of pain, And the lessons learned in battle’s reign. In the fragile balance, hope survives, As Light and Darkness shape our lives. [Runner Up: Dynos](#) [*Expand*](#)**A Warning to Duiran, A Call to Arms – by Dynos** O hark! See two twinned powers now at war: The northern Dragon and southern moor. The frozen lands of Shadow, Shade and spell Match wit and arms against the woodlands fell. Spinesreach, O city mine, of ice and dark, Bring Shadow forth to snuff the foeman’s spark! Bring dirk and whip, and crux and gravity – Root villains to the spot, see how they flee! O Duiran, home of nature’s vaunted might, A dim new Cycle comes: an endless night Wolfine and Sentinel, attendants all – Beneath Ohlsana’s shadow shall they fall! The two great powers clash, and neither yields, ‘Til Duiran’s forests, soil and brush be peeled To scoured wasteland, as was done before – Until the Dragon’s pride is is whole once more. --- ### [Bardic - November 2018](https://www.aetolia.com/bardic/bardic-november-2018/) **Published:** December 7, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** ## Bardic – November 2018 ### Entries 1st Place: Priscellia A Poem of Avareti, in Balanced Numerology -Priscellia One Lonely Battle-born Her aid They implored With Her, it was defeated Welcomed, exulting in the serpent’s demise This family was Her fantasy! Such ecstasy! Another great battle, perhaps a reprise From Her, siblings retreated Her pleas left ignored Battle worn Only One 2nd Place: Aymah A tetrad of the Leviathan Inspired by various sources, of thoughts and experiences throughout these trying times. By Aymah Adesso Doubts of a young hunter Uncertain. We watched amidst agitation. We hesitated. I was brought up with a dhurive. Grown to be a swift hunter. Fast, to run along the wind. Sharp, to never miss a trail. In this ancient barrow, we stood, in the shadows. As voices called our name, we stepped back. We were supposed to be brave. We were supposed to be swift. We didn’t answer the call. And the seal – it broke. Once verdant with Dendaric energy, now it lay shattered. It splintered, once shieldbark, but no more. Would it have changed things? Prayers of a devoted Indyuk With what haste it built, with such fury. From a tremor to a quake, from a breeze to a storm. And then You, You tore the tundra, cracked our Great White. Ought not to name You, we, elude Your name, snake, else power to You. But to our Dreamer we turn. Akkyla, we pray. Shall this beast wake You? Will Your Dream end, for our own to begin? Is this the Great Morning? Perhaps this is what is coming, Your Dream finished, at last, for us the Nightmare, instead. Already the White warns us, warped creatures, they roam, free they are, while we hide, They wreck our beloved tundra. and to Tonrar, we pray, hold our Nuunva safe. Keep above our ceilings. do not let Alaqsii drift, that the floes remain. Spare the mugyik and the faex, shelter the orgyuk and the tinyok. Guard Your gifts, Qyutituk. Grant us ice and snow to tread on, to us use Muupisii’s teachings, so that we honor the spear. To Alaqsii’s bounty we turn, too, ice waters of treasure. That we may hunt again. To mourn at the Widow’s Crack, to ache one more time, under Your watch, Kiittuu. We cherish all pain, even this violent one, even if to Oosilik we go, and all of us in time shall. Spare us from the Nightmare, Akkyla, that we remain Dream, we pray. The Eye in the Nightmare In a freezing bed I fall, amidst violet sleep, intoxicated, in my head a ringing buzz. The dull marching sound, growing, magnified, blasting now in my ears. The distant sound of battle, now the cacophony of war. They march toward me, under a dark, tainted sky. Warped, worn soldiers, or something else. I feel it in my bones, it creeps deep in my gut, torturing me within. They surround me by the hundreds, crawling maws threatening me, rabid to shred me apart. And the sounds, cutting my ears, that disturbing scraping, along my spine, I shiver. The yowl of something dying, consumed and agonizing, over and over again. What might have been seconds, an eternity. What I might have called frightening, horrors from the depths of my mind. And then, there it watched me, boring through me. Glimmering and primal, raw and ruthless. Like a dark, gaping abyss, inescapable, the eye. Life as we knew it Come, unbelievers, all of you who had no faith. The name of the Father, but a whisper in past times, as if He had never been. As if only a rumor, told in stories, once every other decade. Many saw Him, not a speck of doubt remains, not anymore. In the minds of those old, those who heard His name oft, a spark was fueled. A fire blazes now, renewed conviction that He created us. As the Moon shattered, so did all our resistance. As the beast was repelled, cast back in its prison, the lock on our disbelief unraveled, stomped on by His might. And yet as our awe heightened, much more was to overwhelm us still. The torment of our broken Moon brief, for there we saw it, a great unknown, knitting it together. As if merely a broken vase, like a curious puzzle, pieced back in minutes. Who, or what, has done this? Once only whispered, Varian, Our faith resurges. But is He the only one? Such might, could it be, anyone else’s but His? He, flinger-of-titans, He, Whom with the flick of a wrist, Wrests divinity into being. Nothing anymore as it seems, tables have turned, balances offset. And in what little we perceive, in our small world, in our limited scope, we no longer whisper with doubt, but speak His name, Varian – and wonder, curious, the name of Another. 3rd Place: Iatan 25th of Lanosian, 475 MA Many, many events have transpired since my last entry. The world grew to know a grave threat, one which even our Pantheon feared. I dare not write Its name, lest I anger the Gods or awaken the Leviathan itself. This beast was as long as the ocean, Its maw could swallow a village whole. Its gaze… my Gods Its gaze. My hand trembles at the thought. When I first learned of the threat, the first thought that crossed my mind was of if my Lord, Lord Damariel, would survive. I know He and Lord Severn are the two strongest Gods I know. Even so, the stories of this Beast were enough to make us all, Gods included, quake in our boots. The city of Spinesreach drafted a document that would serve as a temporary peace treaty for all the cities, while we all dealt with the threat. Enorian and Bloodloch agreed easily, yet Duiran held onto their hate for the Shadow. They delayed the inevitable by holding a vote, which was delayed in itself. Lord Slyphe came down, speaking to us all. They told us what we needed to hear, that even Lord Damariel was working with His Brother, who is a Shadow god. Even so, there was still lots of discontent around the city. I took it upon myself to try and help everyone see why we needed to help, and why we -needed- help. My manners may have been… unconventional, but it was getting the job done. After awhile, each seal holding the Beast in would shatter. Lord Damariel would do His best to hold them closed, but all He could do was slow them down. One seal called for us to feed it with blood from the animals we hunt. Each city organized hunting parties, and groups to butcher the creatures and run the buckets of blood to Lobyl. We surprised even our Gods above, who knew not how capable we were of bloodshed. After that seal eventually broke, there remained only one seal. Crafted from the combined efforts of all of our old Pantheon, when it was at its strongest, it was the most powerful seal of them all. However, the Goddess Omei wanted to free this Beast, or perhaps It was manipulating Her to free It. Either way, She stole Lord Damariel’s leg, which was crafted of the same material as the seal, so she could let loose this Serpent on all of Sapience. Us mortals caught her, as Lord Damariel arrived. I felt overly relieved to see His graceful figure striding across the West Tundra, albeit with a slight limp. He handled his Sister fairly, taking back his leg and keeping the Leviathan at bay for a few more days. Now, reader, the next part I tell of may not be the most accurate, but you must forgive me. I was resting during these events. The Serpent, that vile, disgusting snake, eventually freed Itself from Its prison. With It arose a great army of Dregs, and a Commander to lead them. This army was no match for the Four Cities, and we dealt with them swiftly and efficiently. We had crafted bombs, and little thingimawhatsits to heal us as we went. Our Pantheon arrived in a great show of force, Lord Damariel and His Kin doing what They could to smite this Beast. Yet Their combined power was not what it used to be. The Leviathan let loose a roar which rippled across Sapience, killing a great many of its Creatures. This roar reached into the heavens, destroying our moon. At the sound of this destruction, Varian, the Creator of all things, came down to save us all. He struck the Beast, knocking it unconscious, and trapping It back in Its prison. He turned to our Pantheon, and spoke to Them of how They had failed us. “How will You protect them if You cannot fight one beast?” He may have said. “I will create another of You, One who will fight these Beasts.” And so, He turned Lobyl into a god, Bamathis the Warlord. I have met Him, when He was a mortal. Quite an imposing man, He was. I haven’t seen Him since, yet it would be nice. There are still creatures lying dead around Sapience, and it is our duty to find them and burn them on a pyre. I am fond of walking, yet with all these corpses I find myself unable to journey far. Nothing escaped the Serpent’s wrath, everything was affected even if it wasn’t killed. I don’t know what will become of us, or if this event will just go down in history as yet another cataclysmic event that was diverted. I cannot stand the fact that it took such a devastating event to bring the cities together, and that even now they are splitting apart. I have spoken my opinion many a time, and it will do me no good to write them here. Perhaps we can work together in the future, as we have done now. There is great opportunity for the Four Cities, if we can look beyond our petty squabbles and our religious hatred of each other. Your Brother, The Axeslinger Runner Up: Phoenecia It was a busy night at The Shining Trident, the day’s work done, and every table occupied by merchants, fishermen, arena folk, and even adventurers trying to relax and take their minds off their troubles. It was a scene all too familiar to Brock – he was practically a permanent fixture in this establishment, handing out contracts to adventurers braving the Vortex. But tonight was different. For the number of people in this common room, it was awfully quiet. A palpable, sobered atmosphere that he could see in many of the patrons’ faces. Even the boorish drunks laughing and singing. Seemed like everyone knew what was coming. How could you not know? The distant rumbles and roars from the distant tundra. The stories the adventurers brought back with them of the dreg hordes. The horrors of the Nightmare. The whispers of an Albedi god sealed beneath the ice. The Leviathan. Every Howling for the past few weeks, Brock had seen adventurers file into the tavern, weary, bloodied, and some even a little bit scared. But it was never more apparent than in the faces he’d seen in the past few hours. This whole ordeal was nearing its end. And for some adventurers, it seemed like they were facing the prospect that they might not come back from this fight. The final battle to protect Sapience from the Leviathan. One such adventurer walked into the tavern just then, and Brock found himself straightening up in his seat at the bar. A pretty thing, she was. A regular, too, that would stop by and have a drink and a chat. She was covered almost entirely in heavy armor, save for her head, and she wore the same grim, tired expression all the other adventurers he’d seen today had. He mustered a smile and gestured to the empty stool next to him as he ordered her a drink. “Hello, miss. Couldn’t stay away? Have a seat.” She smiled back at him. “You always use that line,” she noted wryly, shifting her armor and weaponry as she took as seat in the offered stool. “Well, you’ve not asked me to stop yet,” he pointed out. His response was met with an exasperated sigh, and a rolls of her eyes, but from the look in her eyes, the lightness was appreciated. She smiled faintly at Brayth as a drink was slid across the bar to her, a morose silence settling in once more. Brock allowed time for everything to settle in before he asked her a question he already knew the answer to. “Heading up north with the rest of these fellas to fight the dreg army?” The woman took a sip of her drink and nodded grimly, but voiced no verbal reply. “How long?” Though he didn’t say it outright, his tone implied the question of ‘How long have we got left before the world might be destroyed?’ The woman’s shoulders dropped, and she let out a deep sigh. “Soon… Perhaps a few hours from now. Maybe sooner. The dreg have been appearing before Howling – sooner every time. The seal won’t hold much longer.” Brock took a drink from the flagon he’d been nursing for the past while. He grimaced. . “Enjoying one last drink?” She lifted her flagon to her lips, only to stop halfway, shooting Brock an odd look. And then she let out a laugh, shaking her head. “A last drink? No.” She took a long, deep sip, her eyes fluttering shut as she savored it. “I don’t intend for it to be the last. I’m…not going to say any goodbyes. I don’t like going into anything thinking it might be the end, even if it really might be.” The armor-clad woman tilted her head, offering him a warm smile. “Have to have a little hope, right?” He didn’t say anything to that. Not that he didn’t believe in hope or anything, but in his line of work, he’d seen far too many fresh and eager faces accept contracts from him only to never return. Shrugging, he returned to his drinking, though his gaze didn’t drift far from the adventurer. “Well, if it does end up being your last, I’m definitely not letting you be the one to pay for it, miss.” Brock slid a few coins across the bar – more than enough for several drinks rather than just one. The woman’s mouth opened to protest, but he waved his hand in dismissal. He wasn’t going to let her get a word in edgewise. He smiled cheekily, even as Brayth slid a fresh set of drinks in front of the pair. “Tell you what, miss,” he went on to say, leaning in towards the woman. “If you and the rest of the Accord or whatever you’re all calling it manage to emerge victorious, you can return the favor and buy ME a drink. Sound fair?” She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him, but eventually she smiled. “You, sir, have a deal.” Brock smiled triumphantly. “Don’t go dyin’ on me, alright? I want that drink.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes again, but made no further protests. The night wore on, and more drinks and conversation were had until the woman left along with many of the other adventurer patrons. The call had come to gather for the final battle. The Shining Trident was close to empty now save for the usual barflies like himself. He found himself staring out one of the windows towards the northern horizon, watching the skies and listening to the shouting between the gods, all while in the process of downing another drink. There was a massive rumble as the ground shook, and in the far off skies he could see the titanic shape of a serpent emerging from the earth beneath the distant tundra. The Leviathan had awoken. Brock watched the battle unfold in the sky in a drunken stupor. Watched the gods attack in a coordinated effort, his flagon clenched tightly in his hand. “C’mon, kill that son of a unicorns.” But it was all for naught. Each god was repelled one by one. And then he heard the warning from the Earthen Lord. “COVER YOUR EARS, MORTALS!” Despite having had more than a few drinks and being plastered beyond belief, he stuck his fingers in his ears to block out all sound. But it didn’t prepare him for what he heard next. A bellowing roar echoed across the land, shaking the earth. Even though dulled by his plugged ears, the sound echoed through his head, and he could feeling himself screaming as his brain pulsed and throbbed from the assault. And then it all went dark. He wasn’t sure how long he had been out for, but when his senses returned to him, he could hear voices. “Hey! This one’s still alive over here!” He felt the floorboards beneath him shift and creak, and the shadow of a presence kneeling over him. “Hey, you alright there? Say something if you can hear me.” Brock cracked open his eyes and found himself greeted by a familiar sight. He was lying on the floor of the Shining Trident in the same place he’d been standing before he passed out. Kneeling over him was another familiar sight. She looked tired and battle worn, but it was the same woman he had had a drink with before the Leviathan showed up. She smiled wearily down at him, offering a hand up. “Hey, Brock. Good to see you’re still alive.” Brock flashed her a weak grin. “Nice to see you still alive too, Miss.” He’d have said more, but when he took her hand to sit up, his head spun and throbbed. It felt like his brain had liquefied. The sight of another man lying on the floor nearby caught his eye. His body was in the process of being hauled out by another adventurer. From the blood seeping from his ears and the lack of movement, he was very much deceased. And he wasn’t the only one in the tavern. There were a few others. Brock was one of the lucky ones. The woman noticed his gaze and smiled grimly, but then nodded to the tankard still clutched in his hand. “Having one last drink?” He followed her gaze to the tankard and let out a laugh. “Nah, Miss. You still owe me one!” The woman laughed a little in return. “That I do. I’ll buy you a round once I’m done here?” she offered, tilting her head towards the other bodies in the tavern. “I think I could use a nice, strong one after this.” Brock flashed her a grin. “I’ll help ya out.” He tried to get up again, only for his head to throb some more, and he collapsed onto his back. “Just, uh…give me a minute here.” The woman smiled and shook her head, and then patted him on the shoulder before leaving his side to help finish clearing the rest of the bar of the dead and checking on other survivors. Brock squinted into the tankard in his hand. There was still some alcohol left in it. No use letting a drink go to waste. --- ### [Bardic - January 2022](https://www.aetolia.com/bardic/bardic-january-2022/) **Published:** February 4, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Bardic – January 2021 ### Entries [1st Place: Caitria](#) [*Expand*](#) **‘Boom’ goes the Tarea told by Caitria** DAF Hunter’s Talon shot across the cerulean sky with the Tyrant in swift pursuit. While the Talon was the fastest ship in Duiran’s Aerial Fleet, it was no gunnery match for Bloodloch’s flagship. Both were self-propelled vessels powered by the tick-and-whir of cogwheels, gears, and steam engines. Plumes of white vapour vented from the engines trailed behind the airship, before dissipating into the gauzy cloud cover. Due to its larger size, the Tyrant also bore an enormous air-filled bladder that kept the dirigible steady, allowing it to gain upon the Talon; a crimson-armoured behemoth with a nose crafted to ram and impale smaller ships. The two vessels drew close as the first ‘SCHNICK’ from the Tyrant’s ballista releasing launched a bolt toward the darting Talon, barely missing the Duirani as the airship speedily turned into the wind. This was the way of the ylem hunt. Ylem resources were scarce since the drought, some century-now past. Any leyline found across the war-shattered landscape of Sapience was violently fought over, leaving many of the villages around the more frequent ylemfields uninhabitable. Many meters below the aerial dogfight, the ethereal motes of a weak leyline scarcely illuminated the narrow wedge of the Mamashai Grasslands; a slice of arid greenery that laid tucked between two snow-dusted peaks of the Tarea Mountains. Captain Mulariad frowned down at the touch of crackling blue as it spilled pallidly amid the grey rock, the eyeglass she held letting her see the foci clearly. It was barely worth fighting for, but allowing Bloodloch to harvest even this trifling yield would allow the Republic to utilize larger bombs than the half a millennium antiques everyone employed in dire moments. Nobody had any crystals, shards, or enough ylem reserves for even the simplest modifications, let alone enough to empower enormous bombs. The world was in a war of attrition, both tethers limping along while trying to find another resource that would let them maintain their current rate of technology, and not slide all the way back into the pre-ylem times before the Midnight Age. “Turn aft,” Captain Mulariad barked to the helmsman. Now that the Talon was right above the leyline, they needed to stand their ground–air. From this distance, she could not discern which city had initially begun the extraction on the leyline. Only that it now felt as if the entire world had converged to menace the air above the Tarea’s craggy peaks. The Talon swung about, dancing gracefully amid the wispy clouds that claimed dominion this high in the atmosphere. She offered a triple prayer – one to Enzu, the Zephyr, one to Gallhak, God of the Western Wind, and one to Haern, the Hunter to grant her safe return to the Rhythm should she fall. Praying to the Air and Western wind – thought by many to be the kindest to travelers – was beginning to feel normal. Two ‘new’ Divinities existed in a realm Maghak, the Sovereign once ruled. Both Gods emerged from the scattered essences of long-fallen Gods when mortals took to the skies. It made mortals feel secure that the Pantheon watched over the sky and winds, much like the Maelstrom monitored the oceanic deeps and the Hunter and His Tiarna an-Kiar guarded Dendara. The helmsman, Hunter Cardinalis of the Sentinels, spun the many-spoked wheel and brought the airship about, revealing a selection of bomb-throwers and ballistae which bristled like porcupine quills from the flank of the Talon. The latter’s resin-tipped darts were ready to shoot straight through the Tyrant’s balloon, and hopefully ignite it into a giant, debilitating fireball, the type that would make Mulariad’s Ascendril mother proud. Another ship appeared in the far distance, a finned gargantuan in the sun-streaked sky bearing the tri-colours of Spinesreach. It hulked above the crackle of ley that glowed ominously from a narrow crack in the earth. In the distance, the jagged peeks of the Tarea Mountains watched over the opening salvo of the aerial battle. Far below, Enorian’s colours rippled in azure, gold, and white as troops mustered, marching toward the the Spirean ground troops and reinforcements that plummeted from the mothership above; their weapons flashed like the metallic tails of a plummeting comet. A Sciomancer guided their fall, alternating their trajectory if the got too close to the mountains, with the occasional pulse and shimmer of Shadow magic; the sudden strong gravitational pull of an emerging singularity brought them to berth on solid footing. Mulariad didn’t get a chance to issue her next command – the one to fire. The top of the Tarea blew off in a sudden eruption. A shockwave annihilated a cadre of Spirean troops still in the air, disintegrating them into a haze of viscera and tattered clothing. The invisible rings of the detonation shoved Captain Mulariad and her crew backward, the silence of the moment broken by the piercing screams of crewmen from all three ships falling to their death. Thankfully, the worst of the horror and the ‘thump’ of bodies landing on unforgiving earth was muted by the ringing in her ears. Mulariad laid on the deck blinking at the sky. There was no active volcano in the Tarea. Grabbing onto the railings which surrounded the helm, she peered over the side of the Talon and down into the smoky chaos below. What emerged from the cleaved peak was the wrong color to be magma. Her mind clicked like clockwork. The wrong colour. The wrong place. The wrong /everything/. All fighting ceased. The metallic odours of blood and sulphur commingled into the unmistakable stink of battle and death, a familiar bouquet of this War Age; the Midnight one long ended in the annals of history . Crackling whips like tendrils made of azure lightning filled the sky, brighter than even the sun. Then, a contorted shape turned day into dusk, and filled the sky with a hailstorm of debris. Captain Mulariad could not recollect the last time anyone had seen all but the weakest of elds crawling amid the ley. The colossal, and even the eld swarm in the Iernian Fracture, had vanished around the decade-mark of the drought. A mountain-sized eld emerged from the broken skin of the Tarea’s alp. Boulders the size of planets rolled down as pebbles from its great, heaving frame. Bellowing its fury, the titanic eld roared at the fighters above and below him. Lifting a fist that looked to be the size of the Tyrant itself, it slammed the ground, the stunned fighting forces tumbling like pawns on a chess board. For a single, horrible second, the screaming was overtaken by breaking, the sharp, rapid crunch of decimated bones and crushed bodies popped like firecrackers. A mindless monstrosity. Hunger incarnate. Captain Mulariad wondered if this abomination was not the source of the drought all along. Pushing away from the railing, Mulariad staggered to the ship’s wheel. Helmsman Cardinalis still laid in a daze beside it, trying to shake away the near-blackout that kept him down. Bracing herself in a wide stance, she navigated the Talon from its drunken lurching, all but spinning the ship about. The trajectory of the Talon changed. Instead of fleeting the Tyrant, it now launched as a green-clad spear toward the titanic eld. Another bellow pierced the air, the cacophony of what had to be millions of eld screaming, tore through Mulariad’s head in a psychic projection. She felt a trickle of warmth leak from her nose, blood probably, and ignored it as she leaned into the wheel. In the distance, she saw the Tyrant right itself from its death-spiral, moving slower in the ways of a newly waken Dragon, but gaining speed as Bloodloch too went to battle the eld. When it came to what was the good for Sapience, insipid things like trying to blow each other up were easily forgiven. Below, the surviving Enorianite and Spirean troops pivoted away from the leyline. They would be no match in melee range from the living earthquake. The titanic eld had not fully freed itself from the pulverized summit, but it was close. Its arms swung against the stone, sundering it with each barrage of its fist battering against it, paired with the writhing, heaving vibrations of its ylem-resonating body. Mulariad did not have the confidence that they, the entire might of Sapience, could kill the monstrosity if it freed itself. As she considered a plan, something hastily thrown together, a familiar telepathic voice encroached upon her mind. >> Captain Mulariad. A wry smile crossed her lips. Arcan-Seirath, of course it was. Only the Tyrant would helm the Tyrant. << Greetings, Navarch Arcan-Seirath. It seems we have something concerning before us. >> We do, indeed. Do you have a plan? << One that won’t get my entire ship smashed into pieces? No. Do you? >> Yes. We are going to ram it. Mulariad barked out a short laugh the audacity of her Shadow compeer. << Did you say you were going to ram the eld? >> Mmhmm. Will you be able to lend assistance if we survive? Captain Cardinalis on the Lion’s Paw is ready as well. Mulariad pulled away from the wheel, and once plucked free the telescopic length of her spyglass. It took a few sweeps to find what she was looking for, and then gauged the distance between what would be the titan eld’s free foot, and the half-extracted leyline. Perhaps, there would be enough ylem left for a slapdash bombing?. A moment passed as Mulariad looked over the faces of her crew who could still stand on their own. More were missing from their stations then she’d realized, some who may never return from the mirror. If they did not stop the eld here, would anyone have a home left to come to? Mulariad made up her mind. [2nd Place: Teani](#) [*Expand*](#)The hatch creaked as it was opened, an ominous sound in the stillness of the morning, and Sain peeked outside. Dust particles filled the air as a wind chased across the open wasteland known as Liruma, creating a slight haze that diffused the faint light. Other than that there were no movements. Off-loading all the necessary equipment next to the opening did not take long, and soon the hatch was closed and secured again. After standing up, one look across the open space revealed that no threats were close by, so there would be time enough to tie everything in place before heading out. To the south, the massive Bloodpit volcano spewed a massive ashcloud into the air, still raging after its massive eruption centuries ago. That whole area was dangerous, filled with elementals and the angry ghosts of those who had once occupied the caverns that used to be there. This hatch shelter was bordering on being too close to all that, but it was also the best point of access to the Vashnar mountains, where there was plenty of water. However, to reach that one had to brave the blackstorms, a sooty combination of ashes and sand that stirred all across the ever-spreading desert. “I’ve had enough of sand,” Sain thought, even as fingers lingered on the precious waterskin tied to the waist. The peaks of the range could barely be seen from this location, but what had once been a relatively lush region had changed after the Great Rending, a series of events that had pretty much altered the entire world long ago. Brought on by the conflict with the Drakkenmont forces, the war had lasted a full century, with the cities working together to survive. It had not worked out as planned. It had started as small tremors in Enorian, which had soon graduated into persistent earthquakes. No one knew why. Before they were able to ask the Teradrim for help, however, the vibrations culminated into a thundering crack as the bedrock split, causing the whole city to vanish into a massive sinkhole. Bordering the Beryl sea as it was, it was quickly swallowed under water. It had all happened in less time than it took people from the other cities to race to the location. By the time they got there, the few survivors were dragging themselves onto the shore, which was now located much farther north than before. The Earth mages would likely not have been able to help, though, since they were preoccupied with their own concerns in Bloodloch. For some reason, the previously dormant volcano that lay beneath their cave city was becoming agitated, and they were doing their best to calm it down. Carnifex soldiers captured one of the enemy engineers as they were attempting to flee through the Festering Wastes, but by the time they managed to pry the answers out of their prisoner it was too late. The machine they had installed in the depths had been working continuously to stir the ground into action for the better part of a decade. Their work had been completed, and they were leaving to escape the inevitable. The huge volcano erupted before anyone could be evacuated, burying the entire community in lava. In the north, Drakkenmont had made use of the elemental forces of the tundra, simply bringing about a more permanent state of chill to the region. All of Spinesreach’s attempts to stave off the cold were for naught, and they had been stumped as to the reason behind it. It was not until years later that survivors found evidence of a massive apparatus that the enemy had secretly installed in the eastern, less accessible regions of the tundra during the early stages of the war. Pipes froze, stones cracked as the cold intensified and soon a massive vortex of arctic cold dropped atop the city of Spires, practically freezing everything solid. As if to make sure the job was done, soldiers of the Empire were sent in to turn the entire place into ruins by shattering every single rock of the Citadel, and every bone of its residents, using siege engines, hammers, and chisels, leaving nothing behind but a rubble-filled pass between the mountain crags. At this point, the enemy took over Esterport, fortifying it beyond recognition, and making the whole eastern coast impossible to live in. Being seen out in the open was a death sentence for anyone not of the Empire. For the longest time, Duiran remained the last stronghold of Sapience, but it did not take long for them to realize why they had been spared for last. All the recent changes to the world had caused a huge disruption in the weather patterns, threatening nature as they all knew it. The ice kept creeping further south, covering the plains and causing the wildlife to migrate in search of food or stay and freeze to death. The ash clouds from the new volcano in the desert blocked out the sun of most of the central regions for a very long time, enough to make the forests begin to wither and die and create vast wastelands. Farther south, the clouded sky gave way to heavy rains that drenched the Vashnar mountains in water. The Itzatl forests, despite being used to rain, became a massive bog. To make matters worse, the Drakkenmont forces brought back the sludge that had contaminated large portions of the continent before, a new variant that was even more resilient than the previous one. It now covered most of the areas in the far west, all to drive the people into their arms for easy slaughter. Sapience had to adjust. Suddenly races had advantages again. The downpours up in the Vashnars could only be survived by Kelki, who had made a home in Dun Lake, a deep water-filled bowl in the middle of the mountain range. A few Grook survivors had settled down in Itzatl Boglands, but even they complained that the area was difficult to live in. Atavians took advantage of their wings and occupied the northern regions, from where they could easily make their way south by air and find game without having to worry too much about enemy contact if they stayed out of the east. Most other mortals had turned into moles, seeking out tunnels and caves. This gave the Mhun community an advantage, at least until the Siroccians collapsed on top of them, burying them under piles of rock. All that was left there was a deep gorge that no one had ever dared to enter for fear of what they would find below. It had taken less than two years for the world to fall into ruin. Two years of chaos and death. Mortals were resilient, however, and soon there were pockets of resistance hiding under ground in what they called hatch shelters. They were surviving, even growing in numbers again. Maybe one day, they would be ready to reclaim their home, such as it was, broken and rent asunder. It hadn’t happened yet, and as far as the Midnight Age went, they were entering a new millennium. With a deep sigh, eyes turned northwest and heavy feet trudged down a small ravine to keep out of sight and away from the wind. Gathering resources would be quite a chore until the latest blackstorm relented. “Maybe the Urubamba River was clear enough to allow refilling a few jugs of clean water,” Sain pondered. “At least enough to last for a few days, until the blackstorm has faded.” They weren’t quite ready with their work underground. Not yet. Soon. The end [3rd Place: Blodwyn](#) [*Expand*](#) **A millennium to follow Written by Blodwyn**It came from beneath the Eastern seas, cresting with a mighty bellow, that which Copperhead found; then unstirred. The end drew nigh not in a clash of Albedi, Spirit or Shadow, but in an extinction-level colossal now spurred. Caught in a crash of sand and tidal waves, the Esterport shallow ‘bore the behemoth’s assault; the first to be interred. Sapience arose, unified and in accord to quell this seaborne fiasco, but despite their best efforts it remained undeterred. Soon, to Spinesreach the creature swirled with an earth-shattering tempo, ‘fore the Lion was capsized by mortal losses; fatally incurred. Bloodloch’s mighty warband marched, hopeful that they would see the morrow, until water trumped earth and the Empire sank; submerged. Enorian, the fire-lit Beacon and its zealous-minded manifesto, was swept away from Beryl Bay to Jaru as the creature surged. To the last landlocked hopefuls and protectors of Dendara, Duiran’s deathblow came with a horrible crescendo; the Great Oak’s fall unheard. The Midnight Age shuddered to a cataclysmic conclusion as a monster’s memento. As one era ended, another epoch arose from the brine as mortals revealed their bravado, preparing for another five-hundred years to follow. [Runner Up: Nipsy](#) [*Expand*](#) Walking against the cycle of life The dirge of the desert, the kiss of decay in every step Bones of bleak carrion, stripped of sensation Exposing the faith beyond the Light. We are considered worms in the expiring fruit The most forbidden fruit of disease and pestilence A thousand years of midnight, unkept from dying Lost within the memories of fear. An idol of the Hunter’s cycle The animals of the land feed the war But we, the outcast of the Light Taking our revolution in the dirges’ name. The glassy look of eyes Too deep for living souls to stomach Images of the afterworld Held upon high within the creation of ruin. We tread through the doorway of nothing Born of the Earth through Ivolnite faith Indulging in the fears of the living We exist as a mystery of ungodly ascent. Consume unto vanity, material power Mortal idealism deemed a living myth A shattered prism of Spirit Undead bodies soar within the vast nothingness. Bearing the fruit of living failure Earth leads our rebirth into the nothing The darkness bleeds throughout the sky like a plagues Unfettered from disease and imperfections. Inhale this freedom, justify our existence For when all has met its end It is we who persist For we never knew peace. [Runner Up: Teotl](#) [*Expand*](#) The greatest war of Astral Fae Those sudden rains of hungry claws Brought tints and hues of vast array Oh, how the eldritch beasts did prey But unforgotten was the cause The greatest war of Astral Fae Entire landscapes weak and grey Though victory by trade and clause Brought tints and hues of vast array Not one but many minds did fray Last moments grasped with failing paws The greatest war of Astral Fae Chromatic blades and poison spray Each, Prime-bound, shattered without pause Brought tints and hues of vast array Mundane and tepid thoughts gave way As colors bled through tight-wrapped gauze The greatest war of Astral Fae “It wasn’t worth it,” some might say Others will smile and give applause The greatest war of Astral Fae Brought tints and hues of vast array --- ### [Artisanal - June 2023](https://www.aetolia.com/artisanal/artisanal-june-2023/) **Published:** June 13, 2023 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Artisanal – June 2023 ### Entries [1st Place: Collateral Damage (Akarn)](#) [*Expand*](#)[![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/collateral-damage-akarn-1005x1024.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/collateral-damage-akarn-scaled.jpg) [2nd Place: The Hammer Faces Oblivion (Mahar)](#) [*Expand*](#)[![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/the-hammer-faces-oblivion-mahar-823x1024.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/the-hammer-faces-oblivion-mahar-scaled.jpg) [3rd Place: Wrath of the Woods (Sibatti)](#) [*Expand*](#)[![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wrath-of-the-woods-sibatti-782x1024.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wrath-of-the-woods-sibatti-scaled.jpg) [Runner Up: Spirean Recruitment Poster (Wjoltyr)](#) [*Expand*](#)[![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/spirean-recruitment-poster-wjoltyr-789x1024.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/spirean-recruitment-poster-wjoltyr-scaled.jpg) [Runner Up: Damariel and the Bell (Church)](#) [*Expand*](#)[![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/damariel-and-the-bell-church.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/damariel-and-the-bell-church.jpg) --- ### [Artisanal - March 2026](https://www.aetolia.com/artisanal/artisanal-march-2026/) **Published:** March 25, 2026 **Author:** Razmael, the Synthesist **Content:** ## Artisanal – March 2026 ##### Theme: Favourite NPC ### Entries Winner: Tala Mossflower, Old Witch of the Woods (Aolin) *Expand*![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisanal_aolin_tala-1024x813.webp) Winner: Kayalenki fio Kelsys (Mahar) *Expand*![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisanal_mahar_kayalenki-961x1024.webp) Winner: Wraithlord Gruxmal Beneath the Houndswood Tree (Akarn) *Expand*![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisanal_akarn_gruxmal-968x1024.webp) Runner Up: Thane (Bhadjur) *Expand*![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisanal_bhadjur_thane-1024x1005.webp) Runner Up: Heiress Rashemi (Astriah) *Expand*![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisanal_astriah_rashemi-1-768x1024.webp) Runner Up: Easy Katy (Vinson) *Expand*![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisanal_vinson_easykaty-748x1024.webp) Runner Up: Minotaur Fisher of Kisaut (Mikau) *Expand*![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisanal_mikau_minotaurfisher-1024x945.webp) Runner Up: Esterport’s messenger boy (Pietre) *Expand*![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisanal_pietre_messengerboy-1024x768.webp) Runner Up: Luzith (Aren) *Expand*![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisanal_aren_luzith_final-653x1024.jpeg) Runner Up: Telnari of the Shady Boughs (Morraine) *Expand*![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisanal_morraine_telnari-715x1024.webp) Runner Up: Underdog (Edhain) *Expand*![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisanal_edhain_underdog-762x1024.webp) Runner Up: Kayalenki fio Kelsys (Devereux) *Expand*![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisanal_devereux_kayalenki-1024x624.webp) Runner Up: Diantha, Princess of the Dreaming Moon (Galilei) *Expand*![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisanal_galilei_diantha-659x1024.webp) Runner Up: Tanjos and the Sea (Inthirath) *Expand*![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisanal_inthirath_tanjos-1024x768.webp) Merit: Mr Frisky (Wjoltyr) *Expand*![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisanal_wjoltyr_frisky-1024x733.webp) Merit: Durdalis (Aneriam) *Expand*![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/artisanal_aneriam_durdalis-817x1024.webp) --- ### [Artisanal - January 2022](https://www.aetolia.com/artisanal/artisanal-january-2022/) **Published:** February 4, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ## Artisanal – January 2022 ### Entries [1st Place: Eld Hunter (Qelres)](#) [*Expand*](#) [2nd Place: Sapience in the Year 1000 (Teani)](#) [*Expand*](#) --- ### [Artisanal - October 2021](https://www.aetolia.com/artisanal/artisanal-october-2021/) **Published:** November 8, 2021 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** ## Artisanal – October 2021 ### Entries [1st Place: Catapult legacy (Teani)](#) [*Expand*](#) [2nd Place: Buried Beneath (Roux)](#) [*Expand*](#) [3rd Place: Shipbreakers (Qelres)](#) [*Expand*](#) [Runner Up: Nine of Wands (Galilei)](#) [*Expand*](#) [Runner Up: Midsummer Night’s Minia (Isia)](#) [*Expand*](#) [Runner Up: Suicide Mice (Oba)](#) [*Expand*](#) --- ### [Artisanal - November 2018](https://www.aetolia.com/artisanal/artisanal-november-2018/) **Published:** December 7, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** ## Artisanal – November 2018 ### Entries 1st Place: Louse The Seal Shattered 2nd Place: Teani Jox Wrecking the Tundra 3rd Place: Phoenecia Runner Up: Mariena Fezzix takes a final puff from a lit bronze cigar and then flicks the spent stogy onto the ground, the ice melting briefly around its smoldering tip before freezing over just as quickly. The Idreth turns to scan the gathered crowd of combatants, ready to die, with a stone-faced expression. “I’m not much for speeches,” he grunts, reaching up to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand. “You all know what’s at stake. We’ve prepared for this as best as we can.” He gives a grim yet resolute nod and turns to face the endless, white expanse of the Tundra at the front of the group. “I’ll be damned if I let them have their way with me and my home.” Runner Up: Remedy Runner Up: Mimotesh --- ### [An Interlude for Chaos](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/an-interlude-for-chaos/) **Published:** June 17, 2019 **Author:** ironrealms **Content:** ## An Interlude for Chaos ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-10-1024x539.jpg)During the previous week’s events at the seal of Chaos, the Azdi-a of the Indorani, Vyxsis Qizzeke, posed a question to the Gods Severn and Damariel: “Was Jox a threat to Chaos?” Severn answered, claiming the Court would bring their wrath down upon Sapience should they find out about the seal of Chaos. Damariel agreed, counseling that such an action would not be wise. The Manipulator’s patience quickly wore thin as Vyxsis sought clarification that she shouldn’t inform the Court of Chaos and its Emperor, Golgotha. He seized Vyxsis by the neck, informing her in no uncertain terms that He would personally destroy the Indorani should they inform the Lord of Chaos. Members of the Indorani gathered later to discuss their discontent at Severn’s treatment of their leader, some even urging her to inform the Emperor. Vyxsis disappeared to her haven, sitting in pensive silence as she considered her move. On the 16th of Arios, 476 MA, the Emperor of Chaos Jy’Barrak Golgotha descended upon the Prime Material Plane. The events that followed led to a fierce battle between Emperor and the Gods, and Golgotha eventually fled back to Chaos amidst claims that the entire Court would descend upon Sapience at a later date. Afterwards, Severn declared the Indorani guild traitors to Sapience and brought down the wrath of Shadow, dismantling the guild. The events, as recorded by the monks of the Grand Aetolian Library, proceeded as follows: Reality gives a tremble, and a distorted emanation pervades through the leylines. Several dark points manifest in the skies above Sapience, and then a gruesome, mawlike tear opens, sundering the sky. Beyond it lies the Chaos Plane, the infinite Pits beyond fain to madden those who stare overlong. Two gauntlet-shod hands tear the rift wider, making way for a tremendous form: Jy’Barrak Golgotha, Emperor of Chaos claws through, doom burning in his fiendish eyes. The Emperor is immediately flanked by Arctar and Dameron, moving as one with their sworn liege. The sound of heavy, rapid drumming reverberates across the heavens as the whole of the Court of Chaos step into Prime, forming behind the Emperor in glittering rank and file. The drumming rises to a cacophonous crescendo, peaking at a rhythmic, bone-rattling intensity that rattles. It goes on and on until finally the Emperor raises a single hand – and just as soon as it’s done, the drums come to an immediate stop. The Court of Chaos depart in single file, each bowing before the imperious form of Golgotha – only Arctar, Dameron and the Emperor remain, commanding the silence that follows. The very skies shudder queasily as Jy’Barrak Golgotha, Emperor of Chaos bellows, “WORMS OF SAPIENCE, KNOW THAT YOU HAVE BROUGHT DOOM UPON YOUR OWN HEADS. YOU ARE FOOLS TO THINK YOU COULD HIDE YOUR TREACHERY FROM ME, AND YOUR LAND SHALL PAY THE CONSEQUENCES. NOW CHAOS ITSELF DESCENDS UPON YOUR FIELDS, YOUR BASTIONS, AND YOUR HOLDINGS, DELIVERED PERSONALLY BY MY HAND – THE FULL MIGHT OF MY COURT IS NOT NEEDED TO MATCH YOUR PITEOUS FORCE. YOUR CITIES SHALL CRUMBLE! YOUR HUSBANDS SHALL BE SLAUGHTERED! YOUR CHILDREN SHALL BE FED TO MY HOUNDS! AND CHAOS SHALL CONSUME YOU ALL.” Each word from the Lord of Chaos sets reality rumbling, and the Emperor is cloaked by sheer, palpable rage. The stench of ozone fills your nose as the sky itself begins to explode, traces of blue consumed in hellish fire. Below, fires begin to spontaneously appear in forests but even still the Emperor’s words continue to roll forth. Rivers rise and surge, and the oceans roil beneath his terrible fury. Datlotl the Conclavist shouts, “GLORIOUS!” Reality quivers while the Emperor takes another breath. “BRING ME THE GREATEST OF FALSE VARIAN’S GET – BRING ME THE TWO MAGGOTS KNOWN AS SEVERN AND DAMARIEL! THEY SHALL KNOW TERROR, THEY SHALL KNOW FEAR, AND THEY SHALL KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO KEEP SECRETS FROM THE LOOOOOORD OF ALL CHAAAAAOOOOS!” he booms aloud. Somewhere in the Vashnars, a prominent mountain peak splits right down the middle, as though to punctuate his pronouncement. As Jy’Barrak Golgotha awaits a response, Arctar brings forth a black helm and secures it upon his Emperor’s head. Now fully armoured, the enraged Emperor beckons Dameron forward – he crosses as Arctar steps back, head bowed; Dameron kneels at his father the Emperor’s side and offers up a massive greatsword. Seizing it in but a single terrible hand, the Emperor brandishes it aloft. His two attendants step back, bow, and return to the Plane of Chaos. Datlotl the Conclavist shouts, “The Glory of Chaos, here before our eyes. Blessed, fellow mortals!” The morning sun darkens as Severn makes His presence known. With the Blade of Artifice held in His only hand, He streaks across the skies to meet the Chaos Emperor. “AH!” cries Jy’Barrak Golgotha. “HELLO, USURPER OF SHADOW! I HAVE LONG ITCHED TO MAKE YOUR SKULL MY DRINKING VESSEL!” Brilliant against the sky, Damariel departs His coastal temple, the calls of rukhs following the Divine into the sky. Light suffuses His blade of dawn and armaments. “A MATCHING SET OF TWO! FOR ME AND MY FAVORITE WIFE OF THE MINUTE!” the Emperor cackles aloud. The hollow voice of Severn, the Manipulator echoes through the air, “Emperor, this need not happen now. Let Us parley.” “THE ONLY PARLEY WILL BE THE PARLEY BETWEEN MY SANDALLED FOOT AND YOUR FLAYED SKULL, ARTIFICER,” retorts Golgotha. Severn offers only a begrudging nod. He did not expect any different answer. The hollow voice of Severn, the Manipulator echoes through the air, “Brother, leave this to Me. You must conserve Your strength for the real threat to come.” “OH, LOOK. LOVE. WE HAVE NO NEED OF LOVE WHERE I COME FROM.” Another flash of light signals the Unbound’s discontent, though He remains at the ready, dual blades in hand. The seas roar and clash against the land as Slyphe, the Maelstrom, makes Its presence known, soaring across the skies astride a rainstorm steed and clad in misted armor of war. “To You alone, Brother Shadow? I would not miss such a fight. Flames spark through the atmosphere, the heat of the summoned inferno gathering into the form of Ethne, the Rekindled, axe and shield in hand. “Nor would I, You have My support, Brothers.” The ground rumbles as Ivoln, the Earthen Lord wakes from His slumber and rises from the earth. He reaches forth to grasp an enormous half-spider, half-woman monstrosity – none other than Iosyne, the Malevolent. “GO FORTH, SISTER!” He bellows as He grips the spider-like woman in both His bulky hands, twisting His torso in a hurried spin that sends the Malevolent Goddess flinging through the air at impossible speeds toward the Chaos Emperor. “IN ANY CASE,” the Emperor bellows, “I WON’T WAIT WHILE YOU GET THE OTHER… TWO OF YOU? THREE OF YOU? YOU SAPIENT GODS ARE DROPPING LIKE FLIES LATELY, AREN’T YOU? LET’S KEEP THAT GOING!” Golgotha lunges, his greatsword scything through the air. His attention is fixed upon Severn, the Manipulator – Chaos crackles about him as his power gathers, and he swings, a crimson lightning wracking at the tortured air. Severn meets the blow with grit teeth, snout puling back in a vicious snarl. A resounding ‘clang’ sends shockwaves through the land as the Blade of Artifice and the Emperor’s greatsword clash. A nightmarish whirlwind of flying arachnid legs, the Malevolent Goddess latches onto Golgotha’s helmet, skittering rapidly across as She bares countless rows of fangs, scratching and biting at everything in reach. “OFF WITH YOU!” screeches the Emperor, flailing madly with one hand even as he attempts to hold off the God of Artifice with the other. “SINCE WHEN DO YOU WORK TOGETHER?!” Its footfalls thunderclaps, Slyphe’s rainstorm steed charges the Emperor, the God of Water unleashing a vicious lance of pressurized water as He advances. The Rekindled Goddess arcs Her arm skyward, flames wreathing around the massive greataxe cocked in Her grip. Taking aim, She hurls it, full force, at the Emperor of Chaos. Severn quickly gains distance from the Emperor of Chaos under the distraction of His siblings, choosing to operate at a distance more suited to the God. Shadowy tendrils escape from every inch of the Manipulator’s body as He pulls back, lashing around the Emperor to restrict his movements. “ACH! PTECK!” sputters Golgotha. Water and fire meet – not only as the Goddess’ flaming axe meets with the Maelstrom’s torrential assault, but as Golgotha’s fire rises, a mirage-like array of chaos. He soon reappears, the Goddess Iosyne in hand – and hurls Her forcefully toward the ground, much as She was hurled upon him to begin with. “BEGONE.” Iosyne is sent spinning in the other direction now, away from Golgotha. Shortly before impacting the ground, the Goddess abruptly morphs, taking on Her centipede form as She transitions from falling to burrowing, disappearing beneath the earth. The very earth groans as Ivoln’s sonorous voice rumbles across the land, “MEDIOCRE, SISTER!” “CORRECT.” The Unbound impatiently watches the battle, pacing across the sky over the barrow. “Finish it!” He calls out to His Kin. “We do not have the time!” Sea-green essence floods the sky, streaming towards the Maelstrom from all directions – with that, the Goddess clenches a fist, shifting Her rainstorm steed into a snowstorm – the temperature drops and spears of ice fling themselves at Golgotha from every direction. A Nightmarish roar emerges from the sky, and the Goddess Omei lunges toward Golgotha’s turned back. “DIEEEEEE!” She screeches- -the Emperor grabs the flailing Nightmare out of the sky, holds Her steady, and punches Her to earth with a force that rattles the whole of the plane. All that can be seen in the wake of the Chaos Lord’s blow are a few raccoons, tumbling head over heel toward the ground. Golgotha soon after blunts the spears of ice with a swing of his sword, glaring as he sights a new target among the Siblings. With the force of a swarm descending across the land, Vyxsis buzzes, “Indorani, display your fealty – direct your life essence to the Emperor!” The ground rumbles as tendrils of essence snake up, wrapping around the mortal assistance. Even more tendrils erupt forth from the Lord of Shadows as He attempts to tighten His hold on the Emperor’s movements. Though Golgotha initially struggles with the added restraints, the raw strength of the Lord of Chaos slowly overcomes the bindings. “I’M DONE PLAYING GAMES, YOU THRICE-HATTED COZENER!” bellows the Emperor. The Emperor, with a twist of his immense frame and another swing of his sword, stirs the air to such fury and threads it through with such raw Chaos that the Gods about him fall away like battered leaves. He charges, footfalls splitting the air like thunder, bearing down upon the Manipulator and heedless of the other Gods. Severn raises His blade to meet the charging Emperor, squaring up with grim determination. Heedless of the God’s weapon, Golgotha barges shoulder-first into Him with concussive force that throws Severn away. Dust rises in the distance, a muffled crash resounding as Severn lands into a mountain. “A NEW DISTANCE RECORD!” The Maelstrom is battered away from the battle for mere moments, steadying Herself above Duiran. With a raised hand, She calls upon the rivers, the lakes, and the clouds, drawing water to herself which is quickly formed into a gargantuan, barbed trident of ice, one which is promptly hurled full-strength at Golgotha. Jy’Barrak Golgotha turns to deflect the waters of Sapience; but they are too much even for his Chaotic might. Back, he flies, back and windmilling, until he abruptly stops in midair – struggling to move with a roar that wakes the earth. His eyes glow – and moments later, lances of fire spit from them, scorching the sky and searing downward toward Sapience. A glimmer of thread is the only warning before Golgotha crashes into a web of titanic proportions. As the Emperor is caught in its grasp, the web lights up, glowing with Divine power. The Malevolent Goddess makes Her return, erupting out of the ground. Iosyne shifts back into Her spider form as She alights on Her web, carefully stalking towards Her entangled prey. “OH, THE SPIDER!” cackles Golgotha as he struggles. “YOU WERE PRETTIER BEFORE YOUR SISTER BROKE YOUR HEART!” “MY EMPEROR,” cries out Dameron, the prince of Chaos as he descends towards his father, “You are outnumbered, let me prove my strength as your son and join you in battle!” “ANY CHANCE YOU COULD CUT ME FREE, YOU BEAUTIFUL MONSTER?” the Emperor cries. “LEAVE THIS WRETCHED FAMILY. MARRY ME! BE MY SEVEN-HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FIRST WIFE! I CAN PROVIDE FOR YOU!” He turns, distracted by Dameron. “BOY, CAN’T YOU SEE I’M PREOCCUPIED? I HAVE THEM ON THE ROPES!” He yanks, hard, at his weblike bindings. “NOW STOP BEING AN IDIOT AND LOOSE ME FROM THIS ARACHNID ENTANGLEMENT!” Like a caged beast, the Unbound continues to pace across the sky, His light following him like a second sun. His unrest and conflict between His Kin and duty is palpable, grip loose and ready upon His blades. “Cut,” Iosyne agrees, Her voice vibrating – almost like a purr. The Goddess advances – still warily – ignoring Dameron. “Of course, father.” Dameron brings out his dagger, moving in quickly to free the Emperor. But as he approaches, the prince’s form quickly sheds as the Lord of Artifice reveals His guise. Without wasting a second, He plunges the dagger between the cracks in Golgotha’s armour and drives it in deep. Voice reverberating like the howl of a maelstrom, Slyphe bellows, “NOW, Siblings! Strike to fell the beast!” Severn twists and drives the dagger in deeper, the Emperor’s blood gushing out to taint the land below. Ethne reappears in the sky above Golgotha. Keeping Her gaze fixed on the Chaos Lord, the light around Her shivers. Overhead, the sun dims as the Goddess of Fire focuses, bending its will to the palm of Her hand. She looses the bolt of flame into Golgotha, causing his blood to sizzle and tearing the wound deeper. The Earthen Lord springs into action once more, planting a foot into the ground before launching His colossal form skyward. He puts all His weight into a stony fist, reeling back and thrusting it forward as He aims a devastating punch toward Golgotha’s head. Seeing Her opening, Iosyne surges forward, all hesitation gone. The Goddess latches onto Golgotha’s neck, Her offensively, impossibly wide smile visible for an instant before countless rows of jagged fangs sink into the Emperor’s neck. “AAAARGH!” screeches Emperor Golgotha, enduring nothing less than an utter beating beneath the Gods of Sapience. He flails, to no avail, for several moments – until his eyes come alight once again, and the beams of fury that fly from them strike fast and true. The web burns and falls around him, and he claws free, leaping skyward and cutting the last of the web from him. Gods topple around him as though they were scrubland before an unstoppable borders – blind with rage, he turns and demands: “A FAIR DUEL!” His voice resounds: “NO FOX’S TRICKS!” He thunders, as he vanishes into the air: “IT WILL BE YOUR FINAL DESTINATION, COWARDLY GET OF A COWARDLY FATHER!” He leans back out, just for a moment: “SPIDER! BE MY BRIDE, OR DIE ALONGSIDE THE REST! YOU HAVE UNTIL I RETURN WITH MY COURT TO RECONSIDER, BECAUSE AFTER THAT, I WILL WIPE THIS PLANE CLEAAAAAAAAAAAN!” The rift to Chaos closes up as the Emperor retreats through it. Severn strides across the skies, joining Damariel where He waits upon the edge of the battlefield. The Manipulator offers His Brother the dagger, bathed red with Golgotha’s blood. The hollow voice of Severn, the Manipulator echoes through the air, “You know what to do with this, Brother. I have unfinished business to attend to.” The Unbound grips the dagger with a grim nod, and turns down towards the barrow. “It will be done.” He states. The tang of iron and something indecipherable but sickening rises in the air, the seal of Chaos crackling as it is fed the Emperor’s blood. The Manipulator watches His Brother depart and then darts across the sky, His Divine frame looming across Bloodloch. The hollow voice of Severn, the Manipulator echoes through the air, “Hear Me, traitors – you have chosen pride and ego over the safety of the realm. Not only have you placed all My Siblings in Immortal danger, but so too have you threatened My Father’s creation. So be it, Indorani! Let Shadow blot you out as Light once did! Sapience has no further need of you.” The God of Shadow lifts His sole arm, a contemptuous sneer painted across His Minotaur’s face. His fingers pierce the fabric of Prime like needles, finding purchase in reality with a strained and sickening squelch. The God tears open a rift to Czjetija, and blackness fills the sky, roiling Shadow briefly revealing itself. He seizes hold of an indescribable black mass, roiling and pulsing with Shadow’s primeval fury. Out comes the dread hand, the mass within twisting and fighting in the God’s hand – ancient, withered – and then He turns His fingers and drops it. Down it falls. Down, down like a blighted raindrop, carving through the rock of Bloodloch like a Luminary’s enflamed mace through butter; it tears off a side of the mountain, carves downward, and stops only when a surge of lava scores the skies. This plume, Shadow-tainted, is barely brighter than an ember, rising and falling from the impact in eerie silence before fuller quiescence reigns. Abominations of Shadow surge forward from the depths of the Shadow Plane, some ridden by vague-faced Shadowbound. Dread warcries shriek forth from the depths of the rift, and no sooner are they heard than Severn has snapped the portal shut once more. The severed tip of a Shadowy lance tumbles from the sky and falls to ground amidst the lava-filled crater which now lies far below. Damariel mot Lanosaryon, the Unbound’s voice rings out across the land like the falling of hammers, “Severn! Do not let Your fury risk Us all! You imbalance this Plane with your recklessness!” The hollow voice of Severn, the Manipulator echoes through the air, “It is done, save your strength for the Leviathan. We have other battles to fight, and another traitor to find.” A tension dims and flickers the light of the heavens, but the Unbound falls to silence. The lingering note of unfinished business is clear. #### [The Leviathan: Part One](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/) Upon the 24th of Severin, 476 MA, there came a sudden burst of energy in the Western Tundra, and as it lingered the far northern skies were lit with a colourful display. Adventurers rushed to investigate, and quickly located the source of the disturbance: it came from within an ancient barrow which the Ankyreans once used to inter their dead… [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/knight-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/)#### [The Leviathan: Part Two](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/) In the following weeks, Lobyl worked with adventurers to fight back the dregs that appeared within the tundra at each interrupted Howling. He requested weapons to help fight these nightmarish enemies, claiming that the materials used to forge in this era were too pitiful to withstand his vigorous usage… [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-07-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/)#### [An Interlude for Chaos](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/) During the previous week’s events at the seal of Chaos, the Azdi-a of the Indorani, Vyxsis Qizzeke, posed a question to the Gods Severn and Damariel: “Was Jox a threat to Chaos?”… [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-10-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/)#### [The Leviathan: Part Three](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-05-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/) #### [The Leviathan: An Interlude](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/paper-02-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) #### [The Leviathan: Part Four](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/) #### [The Leviathan: Origin](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/leviathan-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/) #### [The Chaos War](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) It had been several months since Golgotha promised his coming, his heralds harassing the realm relentlessly. He sought revenge for the slight of ancient mortalkind using the corpses of his court to seal away the trapped Albedi entity, Jox. [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/skull-04-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) --- ### [The Leviathan: An Interlude](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) **Published:** June 17, 2019 **Author:** ironrealms **Content:** ## The Leviathan: An Interlude ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/paper-02-1024x539.jpg)The Grand Aetolian Library cannot, regretfully, give a full and accurate accounting of what transpired concerning Omei, the Nightmare and Her theft of the starmetal leg of Damariel mot Lanosaryon, in the month of Midsummer, amidst the business with the Leviathan. This monk’s sole account of the events emerges from the hand of a Troll worker, whose command of Aetolian was suspect, whose grasp of writing – in both a literal and metaphorical sense – was yet worse, and whose distance from the events was such that even a Syssin of reasonable skill might have been challenged by the same circumstances. Owing to these reasons, the parchment from which I am to compile a summary is marred by ink, misspellings, the worst grammar outside of the Nazedha isles, and worst of all, an offensively colloquial tone. Therefore it is with full apologies that we present, for the historical record, the words of Wngroct Hamgrist. We have corrected all that we can, and censored an explicative that is fully present in the source text: Once upon a time during the business with the Leviathan, OMEI shows up in the western Tundra. SHE is about to sneak down into the seal, except, when trying to soothe the nightmare prison SHE built, IT HISSES AT HER! and SHE says Shhh but it is too loud, too late- and just like that: ADVENTURERS show up, the great adventurers, the sort you want your children to grow up to be. Hey, Fezzix says. OMEI. Isn’t that DAMARIEL’s leg? No, says Omei. Why Would You Think That, says Omei. Because it’s DAMARIEL’S leg, says Fezzix. Shut Up, says Omei. I Would Kill You, says Omei, (If it wouldn’t draw MY SIBLINGS’ attention.) Just then, DAMARIEL awakes. Where Is My Leg, he shouts. \[An explative spoken by the Goddess Omei has been cleverly disguised by calligraphy, such that it resembles the shape of a unicorn in mid-leap.\] OMEI, asks one of the people. Why Do YOU Have The Leg? No Reason, says Omei. For The Seal? Oh dear, says Fezzix. Oh dear, says Toz. YOU’RE the Traitor, they say together. Yes, says Omei: That seal will soon be broken. And you know what? I feel sorry for the Leviathan! I feel so, so sorry for the thing we imprisoned! I don’t even remember what I did! I can’t even control this nightmare thing I made! I DON’T REMEMBER MAKING IT! WHY SHOULDN’T I FEEL A LITTLE SORRY FOR I- And Damariel appears. SISTER, says Damariel, who limps upon a leg that is worse than His usual leg: I Want MY Leg. Okay, says Omei, and gives it to Damariel before She keeps crying more, She says: I’m Sorry, I’m Sorry. Damariel says, It Is Fine. (He is very angry, but says it anyway.) Omei says, I Only Wanted To Fix The Gate. Damariel knows this. He is angry but He forgives Her because He is Damariel the Unbound and greatest among forgivers. (I am a follower of Damariel mot Lanosaryon, so I like Him very much.) I’m Scared, says Omei. Will The Leviathan Crush Us? Damariel thinks so, but tells Her they are going to fight. Omei says, Then I Will Prepare For War. And off She goes, turning into raccoons. Damariel stayed, but there were only mortals, and we were uninteresting. So He left. I do not blame him. THE END #### [The Leviathan: Part One](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/knight-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/) #### [The Leviathan: Part Two](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-07-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/) #### [An Interlude for Chaos](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-10-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/) #### [The Leviathan: Part Three](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-05-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/) #### [The Leviathan: An Interlude](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/paper-02-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) #### [The Leviathan: Part Four](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/) #### [The Leviathan: Origin](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/leviathan-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/) #### [The Chaos War](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/skull-04-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) --- ### [The Leviathan: Part Four](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/the-leviathan-part-four/) **Published:** June 17, 2019 **Author:** ironrealms **Content:** ## The Leviathan: Part Four ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-1024x539.jpg)In the weeks and months following the destruction of the seal of Chaos, mortal and Immortal alike began preparations for the fight to come, and sought means by which to oppose the dregs – hideous creatures of nightmare arising from the tundral deeps: - Damariel, the Unbound guided His people to Liri, a Seyda and former priestess of Lleis. With her help, as well as a clipping from the First Elder, adventurers constructed healing ampoules that aided them in the fight against the dregs. - Rhulin, the Engineer of Enorian came forward to set up a workstation at which dreg-destroying kola bombs could be constructed. These decimated large groups of dregs when thrown. - Iosyne, the Malevolent bestowed one Divine-infused egg each upon Bloodloch and Spinesreach, and tasked them to feed the eggs with the corpses of the mightiest foes they could find and slay. These eggs would later hatch into two hulking creatures – Eggward and Semomti – each taking on the physical attributes of the corpses they’d devoured. The creatures took to the Western Tundra, easily dismantling any dreg that crossed their path. - Slyphe, the Maelstrom took to the high seas with Enorian and their Duiranite allies upon Its great ship, the Radiant Admiral. Deep out in the ocean, they hunted one of Jox’s spawn, the leviathan Torax. The adventurers manned massive ship-mounted ballistae and hooked the massive sea creature with the chained harpoons. After all the hooks had sunk into the leviathan’s flesh, Slyphe pulled the beast aboard the ship; and together mortal and Immortal united, they slew the beast. Haern, the Hunter joined His Brother and the mortals on the voyage, although He spent most of His time vomiting over the ship’s side. - Abhorash, Consanguine progenitor, gifted a powerful bloodstone to the Imperial Dominion. By sating the stone with their blood, the Consanguine empowered themselves with new abilities to counter the dregs. - Severn and Tanixalthas held a tense meeting in Spinesreach. In exchange for gifting Her the former Spire of Mystery – now the mighty Dragon Spire – and teaching Her how to properly wield Her Divine powers, the Manipulator Severn brought the Dragon-Goddess onto the advisory of Spinesreach, and into an alliance with the Sapient Pantheon. - There were further rumours of dealings involving the enigmatic God of Artifice, but it remains uncertain what the nature of those machinations might have been. - Ethne’s forge stayed lit day and night as Her Voice, Rasani, labored tirelessly to smith several weapons worthy of the Gods’ use. - Haern, the Hunter led Duiran, along with their Enorianite allies, on a hunt for a monstrous boar. Having supped upon the blood of Golgotha – spilled from recent battle – the boar had transformed into a hulking demonic creature. The adventurers battled the beast and its spawn, eventually driving it to the Hunter, Who lay in waiting with a large pitfall to trap the beast. From the boar’s bone, Runecarver Rhydderch fashioned a new spearhead for His God, while Haern communed with the Great Oak to derive His weapon’s new shaft. Iosyne’s own Divinely-spun spidersilk would serve as the spear’s binding, completing the weapon. - Chakrasul, the Dark Mother had the Carnifex train Abietatve, Her warhound, by infusing it with hearts dipped in the essence of Corruption. She would later have the Teradrim control the temperature of Her forge, ensuring that the molten lava would be infused with Her essence; these, and black diamonds, were used to construct Her battle-armour. - The city of Spinesreach called upon their allies, the Ophidian Empire, to aid in the battle against the dregs. The Empire offered its unconditional support – both to honour their alliance and to confront the risks posed to the continent. Scores of Ophidian warriors would die in the skirmishes across the Western Tundra, though the Empire earned their allies’ newfound respect for their valiant efforts. The starmetal seal of the Divine would shatter as the sun rose on the 19th of Midsummer 476 MA, signalling the start of a fierce battle between mortalkind and the dregs. Leading an unrelenting assault, the Polemarch Daimoxoth took to the field once more alongside his enthralled dregs, and met the Gray Accord – mortalkind’s united front – in another harrowing clash. With the assistance of the Ankyrean warrior Lobyl, the Gray Accord forced the Dreikathi to flee as they had done before, but – yet again – the nightmare-tainted Daimoxoth dispersed into a fog and slipped away through the cracks in the tundra. Once the battle quieted, the Accord descended into the barrow. The Twin Gods awaited them at the final seal, beyond the shattered seal of starmetal. It was revealed by the Two that this seal was produced with the bones and blood of countless Ankyrean sacrifices, then reinforced with a layer of venantium. Lobyl turned upon the Gods, anger flashing in his eyes as the nature of the Ankyrean seal was revealed. His anger, however, came not from the sacrifice of his kind, but instead from the reluctance of the Twins to reveal the seal’s nature to him until now. The Gods had doubted his resolve – a grave insult to a member of the Conclave of Devotion. Nonetheless, Lobyl – known for his intense piety – offered up his body so that his bones could reinforce the seal but his zeal was rebuked by the Twins; the sacrifice of a single Ankyrean would make little difference, and his prowess was still needed for the fights to come. Following the revelation of the Ankyrean seal, mortalkind spent the weeks until its inevitable destruction focusing upon the tasks the Gods had set for them and continuing to defend the barrow from the dregs. At Lobyl’s request, allies of the Accord brought him modern enchantments to study. Using these enchantments as a basis, he spent his free time devising a countermeasure to the Dreikathi Daimoxoth’s ability to flee the field of battle. Thus the days progressed until, at last, dawn broke on the first day of Autumn in the year 476 MA. Damariel was the first of the Sapience Gods to arrive in the skies over the Western Tundra, flanked immediately by His Twin Severn. Shining out as beacon for the rest of His Siblings, the Unbound’s voice rang out across the continent, rallying all of Sapience to endure united against the foes that would threaten the continent. Grim, resigned, and girded for war, the Sapient pantheon arrived, each of Spirit, each of Shadow: Ivoln, the Earthen Lord; Haern, the Hunter; Ethne, the Inferno; Iosyne, the Malevolent; Tanixalthas, the Sun Driker; Slyphe, the Maelstrom; Chakrasul, Lady of Corruption; Dhar, the Underking; and Omei, the Nightmare. Foreign yet resident, only the Goddess of Symmetry, Avareti, still lingered apart from the rest of Gods – Her place was not yet certain. Upon the ice below the Gods, the banner of Gray Accord fluttered in the crisp wind of the tundra as Sapience’s mightiest warriors likewise assembled under the symbol of their unified defence. Joined by the Ankyrean Lobyl, and led by Fezzix Sicarius, the Accord had mustered a force of strength unseen for centuries upon the Aetolian continent. A vent of hissing energy escaped the barrow as the Ankyrean seal entered the final stages of its decay and the Western Tundra shuddered with splintering cracks. Innumerable hordes of dregs burst out of the fresh vents, the Polemarch Daimoxoth at the fore of their charge. Conserving essence for Their own fight, the Gods watched on from Their lofty vantages as the forces of mortalkind clashed with the Dreikathi and his dregs. Time itself almost seemed slowed by the chaos of the ensuing battle and many Sapients lost their lives to the singular might of the ancient Dreikathi. Daimoxoth carved a path through the battlefield with an antiquated spear that bore a tattered Dreikathi standard, using a combination of sheer martial prowess and Nightmare-infused abilities to match the strength of dozens of Sapience’s strongest. Ultimately, Sapience’s forces proved too steadfast for the lone Dreikathi. As he attempted to flee, Lobyl held forth his countermeasure: a gilded, nightmarish eye sigil that prevented the Polemarch from becoming incorporeal. Daimoxoth fell, once to Ceirnis Bouchard, a Consanguine who laid into the draconic foe with a frenzy of blows. Then, shortly after bursting back to life by ancient magic, to the Knight Rasani Morrog, who finished the Polemarch with a decisive double-struck blow. The sun had begun to set, the luminous moon taking its place in the heavens as evening marked the end of mortalkind’s battle. Pairing off, the Gods of Sapience took to Their positions over the Western Tundra as the seal’s destruction became imminent. Avareti still lurked on the fringes until Severn, the Manipulator finally addressed Her hesitation. “Avareti,” called Severn, as His gaze lanced across the tundra: “If You are to claim a place among Us, then You must perform those duties to which We are bound. Either stand back and be a pantheon of one, or join Us and become Our Sister. The mortals of this land shall forever reckon You by the choice You make here, therefore make it wisely.” The Goddess of Symmetry needed no time to make Her decision as She unfolded Her geometric codex and prepared for the battle. She was a Goddess born during a time of great strife for the Continent – the War of Night – and at the core of Her being was a desire to see innocent life protected from such horrors. So decided, She advanced to join the rest of the Sapience Pantheon, replying to Severn as She did: “Do not dangle Siblinghood before Me like a bauble. Either trust Me or don’t, Artificer, and don’t make a game of it. No, I won’t fight, not for the lies You and Your Kin would tell Me… but instead, to spare this land more devastation and bloodshed.” At the urging of the Gods, mortals fled as far south as south went, taking with them the badly wounded Lobyl. Only one mortal, whose curiosity far outweighed his common sense, remained in the Tundra: the Archivist Steele, soon to perish in the coming calamity. The stillness of night hung in the air for a passing moment, but was then sundered by a cataclysm of unfathomable destruction that shattered the entire Western Tundra. The mighty Serpent arose, erupting from its prison below the ice, cloaked in chaos and fury. What little tundra remained struggled to hold the truly gargantuan bulk of Jox, and its form cast an immense shadow that blotted out the very sky. The Serpent’s eyes, larger than a ship of war, opened and glowed an angry red as they beheld all yet to be shattered by its rage. The outline of the beast was miles long, and only visible due to the debris thrown up in the sky upon its sudden arrival – the entire destroyed Western Tundra and surrounding coastline, which hung in the air as motes of dust and detritus. The sound of its ascent blasted forth like sundering Fire – its palpable rage hung in the air like an oppressive miasma and emanated from every inch of its world-devouring body. The Gods of Sapience acted without hesitation. Working together in a unison hitherto unseen in this current age of Midnight, They unleashed a deadly combination of attacks – each taking Their turn at striking great wounds upon the Leviathan. Yet in the end, Their efforts were for naught. Jox, while bloodied from the onslaught, had hardly seemed deterred in its fury once its initial distraction faded. As its eyes rose, it glared fiercely at the attacking Sapient Gods as though they were naught but flies. With a lazy, but air-sundering swat of its mighty tail, the great serpent scattered half of Them at once. Those that remained were quick to close ranks and push Their assault, encouraged by Severn’s shout of “Remember the plan!”. The words had no sooner left Severn’s mouth than did Jox’s monstrous maw opened wide. The Earthen Lord Ivoln was first to realize the coming threat, His sonorous voice rocking the continent with a simple instruction to mortalkind: “Guard your ears!” Incensed by the tiny Divine that were still biting at its impossible might, Jox reared back and pulled yet more of its body out of the Tundra in the process. Sapience quaked, but not nearly so fiercely as the air, sundered by the Leviathan with a continent-shattering roar! Mountaincaps shattered, buildings crumbled, and millions of mortals, beasts, plants, and other living things perished on the spot as the rage of the Serpent made itself heard in every corner, in every cave, in every recess and shadowed corridor of mortalkind. The Immortals of Sapience reeled as They were cast aside by the terrible, obliviating din. They attempted a fighting retreat, doing little to perturb the looming Leviathan as its wounds began to rapidly regenerate. As the sheer force of that raw fury blasted away the detritus created by Jox’s every movement, the sky cleared and revealed the argent light of the full moon, which gazed down like an immense eye upon the destruction. Jox swung its head towards this bright target, and a new roar rumbled deep in its gullet, echoing against the mountains. The low roar grew into something not unlike a scream, the very noise cracking what little tundral ice had been left unbroken. Its mouth opened, silhouetted against the stars, and essence began to gather in its maw, coalescing into a huge ball and drawn from all across the sky – the waters of Sapience and beyond rose up to answer Jox’s call, lending it their essence, even as Slyphe fell from the sky, limp and unconscious. Color all across the continent seemed to dim as Shadow’s essence joined Water’s within the Leviathan’s jaws, and its noise fell to a terrible, swift silence. Jox vomited forth its gathered power in a beam of concentrated essence, cracking the sky with a horrific, explosive boom and scarring the starry void. The stream of essence slammed into the moon far, far above the world and shattered the argent orb into dozens of chunks, continuing onward until it was lost to mortal sight. Eventually, Jox’s cavernous maw slammed shut and the lance came to a stop. The thing’s gurgling, hideous laughter sounded like thunderclaps across the Western Tundra as it gazed upon its sundering of the celestial sphere. When the last of the stream of essence was swallowed by the void, the stars seemed to wink back into existence – then what appeared to be stars began to move, forming the outline of a truly massive celestial being, composed of swirling nebulas of myriad colors. What must have been Its great hands cradled the fragmented moon and gathered each shattered piece with loving tenderness as the Cosmic Being began to piece the moon back together, carefully aligning the shattered chunks with one another. \[Scribe’s interjection: The Grand Library would like to dispel any rumours that this Being was Odravh, the Abyssal. The recorded descriptions of Odravh and this still-unknown Cosmic Being do not match up, nor do They match the descriptions of any other Being we currently have on record. We urge the people of Sapience to cease any further written inquiries to us on the subject of the unidentified Cosmic Being.\] Bellowing with pure rage at the sight of the Cosmic Being, the mighty Serpent heaved itself upward and surged through the sky, towards the faraway, shattered moon and the Cosmic Being that coiled about the broken sphere. Its immense form seemed as though it would never end as league after league of furious Leviathan ascended from the depths of its destroyed prison. Then, its maw hung wide open in a vicious snarl, the hideous noise underscored by another din – the wailing of survivors as they mourned the many dead brought about by the Serpent’s mind-melting roar, their grief all but lost amidst the beast’s vengeful outcry. A featureless figure of radiant silver rapidly descended from the heavens and hovered over the great Leviathan, blocking its ascent. The figure raised an outstretched hand and a radiant spray of multicoloured lights burst forth; raw Divine essence painted the night sky in a brilliant aurora of varying shades. The essence, powerful and unyielding, slammed into the massive Leviathan, who reeled from the blow and released a strained growl as the silvery Being drove the Albedi God back from whence it came, beneath the cold, dark tundral ice. Raw essence continued to pour forth from the Being’s palm as He descended, and the leylines and firmament shook as though they were about to burst forth from the overflow of power. The Being descended, though in such a fashion that it seemed as if the world and all its contents had moved about Him, rather than He through they. Whether the eyes which beheld Him were mortal or Divine, His identity was fully evident: Varian, the Celestine. Varian was radiant, almost blindingly so. He gestured with a lazy hand, and reality itself knitted together beneath His finger. Once more from naught, the Western Tundra returned whole: a vista that unfolded like an immense, silvery quilt, and loomed across the splayed Leviathan. Though the dread serpent gave a flail or two, there beneath the Celestine’s mask-like and unrelenting stare it could not avail itself. It was soon lost to sight, imprisoned once more beneath frost and desolation, as though the serpent were but a ray of light upon which a window had been decisively shuttered. The rippling echoes of the Divine feat faded, and the air began to settle, shot through with brilliant, resplendent light. Severn looked upward at the eldritch Cosmic Being which still loomed across the moon in repair. Terror filled the Artificer’s face, spilling over as He turned His gaze instead upon the sharp brilliance of the Celestine. “Father,” He breathed, boyish for a moment in His trepidation. “It’s not safe for You to be here.” He pointed upward with His one good arm. “There’s danger in the skies.” Varian surveyed His gathered children and replied, in a mixture of modern Aetolian and ancient Kalsu. “The Serpent’s sundering of the lunar sphere has provided Me with a small distraction – yet Sevren! Sevren, Efvi wo De,” He implored, calling Severn ‘Son of Mine’; using His Kalsu name, as well. “What has become of Kepri! Les? Aryon, Urlani wo Eja Tolya! What have You done this time?” Varian continued, now calling upon His fallen Children in their Kalsu names: Khepri, Lleis, and Arion, the Honour of Aetolia. Then last, He volleyed in a wounded tone: “Followed Your dear sister Lurli’s lead?” Lurli, the Kalsu name of Omei, once had a lengthy period of disobedience against Her Father that ultimately resulted in Her imprisonment and deprivation, and sparked the feud between Her and the Goddess Iosyne owing to the latter’s perceived theft from the former. Severn started to answer but soon stuttered to a halt – for Varian held up a shining hand, glided past Him, and instead turned to Damariel. The Unbound Lord approached, a growing smile upon His face. “Ah!” said He most Immortal as He took Damariel mot Lanosaryon by the shoulder and laughed in recognition. “Lanos. Of course! Congratulations, My Son, upon Your most remarkable recovery. Now where is Doharivolin-” He broke off at once and a deep frown cut across His radiant features as He took brief note of Dhar and Ivoln, who stood at a far distance from One Another. Dhar and Ivoln had once been unified by Varian Himself into the God known as Dhaivol, the Underking – or Doharivolin in the Kalsu tongue. “There is much amiss,” Varian noted darkly. “Efvi wo De,” He addressed Damariel, “My Son, I entrusted You and Sevren to maintain My realm while I was unable to. Did this task,” He sighed heavily, “prove beyond You both?” Damariel also tried to reply, but no sooner had He begun than He is stopped by the rise of His Father’s hand. Varian had already moved on to His next Child, and the next after that – greeting each, receiving Their homage one by one, and then continuing on. He spoke with gentle encouragement, and paused, pleasantly surprised, when He observed one of His Daughters: “Iyosin! What a beautiful new form! Malevolent and terrifying. You have always known how to please Me.” Once more referring to the Goddess, Iosyne, by Her Kalsu name. The compliment paid, He moved on – He wore a soft, pitying smile for Chakrasul, and passed by a waiting Omei with the faintest of sneers. One Goddess, however, drew His eye. There stood Avareti, Goddess of Symmetry. She was the odd Goddess out between the other two Divine camps: at Spirit’s front, Damariel mot Lanosaryon, and at Shadow’s, Severn the Manipulator, each watching Their Father as He approached. Neither spoke as His featureless face fixed upon Her. “Sevren! Lanos!” Varian spat as He lifted a trembling, Immortal hand. His finger came to a point, the radiance from it crackled as His fury gathered. “Hie to Me at once.” The Twin Gods scurried from Their Siblings and approached Their Father with trepidation. “Explain this defe zaya du – this Albedi offal! – which playacts at being one of You.” Varian, calling Avareti an ‘evil thing’ in the Kalsu tongue, referring to Her origins during the War of Night wherein She was created from the dregs of essence left behind by Lanu Du’s stirring. Avareti started to explain Herself with hopeful intent but was interrupted by Severn. “Varyan, Yunva wo Desa,” He began, saying ‘Varian, My Father’ in His most cautious and imploring Kalsu tones. “She knew nothing of Her true nature. Nothing. So long as She knew not, She became not. When Chaos forgets itself, it becomes Order – it becomes Symmetry. Just as it is with rain to snow, so too can the things of Our enemies become Our weapons instead-“ Up rose a radiant hand, cutting short Severn’s defence. Varian did not speak immediately, though His empty face glared like the hellish fires of the Pit. “Dissemblance,” whispered He. “Now I begin to recall! You speak this to Me boldly, like My dear Efvi Sevren wo Veyej, My Son of Reason and Purpose, ought to-” He paused, and pride turned to fury in a moment. “And yet, did not Your brilliant wirso with the Kerrithrim fail so badly that mortals had to finish Your work for You? The Nazetu, and the Nazedha who followed them? What of the escape of Odravh, My Abyssal foe?” \[Varian addressed Severn by His original epithet from a history long forgotten: Veyej, the Kalsu word for reason and purpose, which He was known by before His current titles of Artificer and Manipulator. The Grand Library presumes that the brilliant wirso – strategy – disparaged by the Celestine was in reference to His attempt to deceive the Kerrithrim into docility – a failed plan that ultimately led to a crippled Severn becoming imprisoned by the Shadow Mother’s minions. While imprisoned upon the Shadow Plane, the Dreikathi invaded Ashtan and He was the only Being known to have cohesive knowledge of them. The Grand Library regrets it was unable to draw links between Severn and the various invasions from the Nazetu race and we could only assume the Father considered this a neglect of Severn’s tasked duties. The escape of Odravh falls under a similar assumption.\] “Father, We tried Our best to stop it-” Damariel, the Unbound tried to cut in but His words were overridden. Varian berated Severn still: “The reawakening of the Great Mhunna? The renaissance of heretical Albedi temiy, that You and Your Twin promised Me had been forgotten upon this continent thousands of years hence? The War of Night, too – surely You, Efvi wo De, wouldn’t hide away while a mere kadu kelo wo Olsana pillages My creation? And now, the Court of Chaos brings suit against You, and one among You is traitor to Me!” He laughed sharply as He glowered upon Severn the Manipulator. “You wear a dress before Me now, Sevren, and it is spun from yet more of Your kuysa du! You have lied, and lied, so much that mortals as well as I name You Artificer!” His contemptuous gaze trailed across the Sapient pantheon, Who cowered away from their Father. None dared to interrupt His tirade as He accused Severn of kuysa du – lies – and blamed Him for the rising Albedi temiy – worship. \[The kadu kelo wo Olsana, or bloodhound of Ohlsana, the Grand Library presumes to be in reference to Ati, who was a prominent foe during the War of Night.\] “I work veyej, and I receive kuy du! I work kuy and urlane and I receive buvri yot kadusa – kadusa Albedi!” Varian continued to bellow in outrage, stating that He worked purpose and received falsehood. That He worked truth and honour, and received peace for His Albedi enemies. “Where I spin white into reality, My progeny are bound and determined to spin it black against My wishes! No,” He scoffed, with a cruel glare, “I will have no more of this. My firstborn have failed Me. You have fallen so far, My Children, that You are no longer capable of producing serviceable shells to house Your glory. I shall make another – and ensconce Him within one of the few fit mortals remaining upon this continent!” Varian’s hand separated cleanly at the wrist, and formed into a perfect, pale sphere in the air. As soon as He was done, the Celestine One produced a new hand and reached out with both to sculpt the freed essence. “Efvi wo De,” He pronounced, blank face aglow, “I send You, because otherwise My Children shall fail.” The essence gave a slow thrum as it hung in midair, and the leylines pulsed in answer as they responded to the Celestine’s primal act of creation. “Reri, Nu vonla De.” After saying ‘War, I name You’ He paused and His tone became fonder when He continued: “Sopa elnur Nu ozidmu bujevsa eja…” He declared that all mortals will know You, and then His empty face turned down upon the wounded figure of Lobyl. The Ankyrean’s gaze lifted upward. He faced His Maker with no trace of fear nor gladness; all that was reflected in the Ankyrean’s face – save for Varian, the Celestine’s brilliant light – was unerring piety and resolve. Lobyl rose amidst the Celestine’s hand, as tiny there as if he was a child’s toy. Cautious, careful and with a strange gentleness that belied the gruesomeness of the procedure, Varian tore asunder and then remade the mortal’s form as He fused essence and shell together into a new God. “Arise, Reri Efvi wo De,” spoke the Father to His Son of War: “Let Sapience call You Bamathis, the Warlord! I charge You with maintaining order among My children, and purging the Albedi taint from My realm.” The voice of Bamathis, the Warlord resonated across the land as it boomed with a harsh fervor, “At the center of My being is strife, and a purpose to protect Sapience from every threat. You will know Me as Bamathis, the Warlord. The time of tolerance and heresy has come to an end. Those who oppose My Father’s realm will perish.” “Good,” rumbled Varian, the Celestine. He placed Bamathis, the Warlord within the sky, where He stood unsupported and ordered, “Slay the Albedi filth.” Damariel’s gaze rose in alarm, fixed upon Varian; Severn, grim-faced, began to draw the Blade of Artifice from its sheath. Yet as soon as He was done, Bamathis stood beside Him; the Warlord took the hilt in hand. “Hold, Sevren,” said Bamathis. “Father speaks to Me, now.” He gently dislodged the Manipulator’s grasp from His weapon and advanced upon Avareti, Goddess of Symmetry as He claimed the sword for His own. Avareti stood Her ground as best as She could, even given Her tiny and diminutive frame. Her batlike wings flared forth and gave Her some impression of size; Her arms folded, and She stared up at the Warlord, many times taller than She, with anger and sorrow both penned upon Her features. There, too, was a mounting terror, but even this didn’t overshadow the enormity of Her grief: “Why do You turn Your faces from Me, My Siblings? Why do You stand idle while He advances? What hands but these Grecht-hands wrought You from coals, Ethne? Would the sun yet hang in the Sapient sky had I not acted? What hands but these Grecht-hands sought balance in a war-torn land? This one sent to kill Me is more an impostor than I! Please! I know not what I was, but I know what I am now – I am Your Sister! And I love You, My Siblings! Please! Please, won’t one of You do something?!” None of Them did. Despite Her best efforts to fend off His blows, Bamathis cut Avareti once: Her arm contorted, gravely wounded, and blood spilled forth. It served at first to cloak the wound’s metamorphosis into something eldritch and alien- and She screeched in horror, “No! I’m not- I can’t be- please, help Me!” Distracted by Her own arm splitting into a multitude of Chaotic tentacles, Avareti was left open for an undaunted Bamathis to pursue. After a brief, futile struggle from the Goddess, Bamathis impaled Her through upon the Blade of Artifice and parted Her body in twain. The last vestiges of Her Grecht frame collapsed into an abominable, eldritch tangle and Her blood stained Bamathis’ weapon with the telltale mark of Chaos and the wrath of Lanu Du. Varian, the Celestine seized the Goddess’ body, lifted it to His maw and devoured Her remnants whole. In but three quick bites, He had consumed the whole of what was once Avareti’s essence. “This!” spat Varian the Celestine, in a tone cut through with Immortal disgust: “This, You would have had Me call My Daughter!” Then He turned – and took note, again, of a Goddess He had not quite noticed before. There, beneath His vengeful and unseen eye, was the figure of Tanixalthas, the Sun Drinker. His frown begins to deepen once more and contempt entered His countenance as a silence reigned, long and tense, between the two Divine figures. Tanixalthas reared Her head and faced the Father and the Warlord defiantly, poised to strike. “You,” spoke Varian after a great pause, “You are of Me, and yet not of Me. You are not wholly Mine, but the greater part of You is.” He lifted His hand and waved an ever-ready Warlord back: “Forbear, Son of Autumn.” Then His attention returned to the Dragon. “I shall permit You to persist for now, but should this relyu taint rear its head above You, Vilya? I will destroy You, just as I destroyed this other pretender. You shall obey Me, or You shall be voldara – nothing.” Here Varian used ‘relyu’ the Kalsu form, and origin, of the Ankyrean word ‘rellyw’, and called Tanixalthas by the essence She wields – Vilya. After having addressed the issue of the dragon, He turned His face upwards to the moon. The ardent sphere hung overhead and the looming celestial figure of swirling nebulas was knitting it back together more and more quickly. “I must go,” said Varian, and He turned His gaze from the moon back to Bamathis: “Reri, Efvi wo De, Deov dal Aransa – I charge You to rule over My progeny, and to defend My creation from My enemies’ subversion.” And so did Father task His Son, addressing the Warlord as ‘War, My Son, First among Gods’. Bamathis, the Warlord, with the bloodied Blade of Artifice at His side, raised His fist to His Father and gave a crisp salute. “With that strength which You forged in Me, Yunva Varyan,” said Bamathis, “I shall oppose Your challengers!” Satisfied, Varian the Celestine stretched forth into a blazing pillar of light and lanced upward toward the heavens of Aetolia towards the repaired moon and the swirling celestial being. He was quickly lost to view, naught but a radiant and focused beam bursting upward from the Western Tundra that soon faded into departing motes. After His Father’s departure, Bamathis cast His silvery gaze over each of the Sapient Gods. “Do not let My youth hinder your allegiance to Me.” He began. “Our Father has created Me to make right where You have failed so grievously.” He continued on and paced a few leisurely steps back and forth before the gathered Pantheon. “We must ready for the coming battle with the Chaos Court; an endeavor which I will personally spearhead. I expect each of You to fall in line.” Damariel mot Lanosaryon, the Unbound’s voice rang out across the land like the falling of hammers, “We shall follow You as Father has bid Us, but I must ask of You – do not win Our victory through Shadow, for this land is plagued by it. Our pantheon has long been divided concerning its use, and You might decide the matter – I pray You, Brother, command Us to the course of Spirit.” Severn bristled and fixed a glare upon Damariel, but before He could answer the Warlord’s booming reply came, “I do not have time for Your conscience, nor for those petty squabbles which have thus far constituted the bulk of Your vain efforts. I will stand where I am best able and do as Father bid Me. If I must use Shadow to kill vermin, then I shall, and so be it. In the coming weeks, I will visit and assess each of your cities to determine your readiness for war. Firstborn Children, make ready to grant Me audience, for You, too, shall be evaluated.” With that, Bamathis dismissed each of the Gods, and responded to Severn’s public request for the return of His Blade of Artifice with a succinct rejection: “No. Dismissed.” As each of the Pantheon went to Their respective corners of Sapience, the Twin Gods, Damariel and Severn, returned one final time to the barrow to investigate the repair wrought by Their Father. Following Varian’s departure, luminous glyphs had briefly glimmered into relief above the ancient barrow, winking and shining in signal of a strange new phenomenon. Within, the two Gods and the those mortals curious enough to follow found that although all the seals still laid broken, a new blindingly white barrier of Divine energy now sealed the Leviathan within its nightmare. Damariel and Severn tasked mortalkind to maintain a vigil on the barrow; to venture within the barrow when necessary and face the horrors within to ensure the beast remained in an unstirring, placid sleep. ——————- In the period that followed these events, mortalkind would see to their fallen, and many would hold observances to remember them. The Leviathan’s realm-shaking roar left countless bodies littered across the continent, and the efforts to repair and rebuild took many months for most. Bamathis, the Warlord would go on to form the Argent Legion – His following. He willed into a being a mighty fortress around the great Yggdrasil, in anticipation of its needed defence against the forces of Chaos, and new followers would flock to Him daily. In record time, the newest God of the Sapience Pantheon had gathered one of the strongest Orders. In time, He made good on His promise to inspect what each city and God had to offer to the defence of Sapience. Severn, the Manipulator was forced to disband His Order, ordered by Bamathis to join the Argent Legion as its Spymaster. Threats were made against the Mhun of Moghedu by the Warlord and His following. Where the Gods of Sapience were empowered by acts of sacrifice and essence, the Albedi Gods were empowered by acts of worship and faith. Thus the worship of the Mhun’s seven Spirits was deemed heretical, as these Spirits were in fact Albedi Gods. Finally, many people remain convinced that the traitorous Immortal responsible for the damage to the seals was Omei, and certainly the evidence would point to this being the case. Others suspected Her actions after the seals had already been damaged were but a momentary fit of madness, and that She was not mentally equipped to carry out the insidious subterfuge required of the initial tampering. Notably in this latter camp, the God Severn has publicly stated His doubt that it could have been Omei. Only time will tell whose opinion is correct. #### [The Leviathan: Part One](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/knight-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/) #### [The Leviathan: Part Two](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-07-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/) #### [An Interlude for Chaos](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-10-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/) #### [The Leviathan: Part Three](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-05-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/) #### [The Leviathan: An Interlude](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/paper-02-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) #### [The Leviathan: Part Four](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/) #### [The Leviathan: Origin](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/leviathan-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/) #### [The Chaos War](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/skull-04-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) --- ### [The Leviathan: Part Three](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/the-leviathan-part-three/) **Published:** June 17, 2019 **Author:** ironrealms **Content:** ## The Leviathan: Part Three ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-05-1024x539.jpg)Upon the 8th of Khepary, the seal of Chaos finally fell – mortalkind’s penchant for bloodletting had surprised even the Divine and Their war-weary eyes, granting the seal more time than They had anticipated. Jox gave another colossal heave as the next binding on His mind was destroyed, and the tundral sheet split open in protest. Nightmarish dregs clawed their way up from beneath, spilling from the gas-spewing vents that opened up across the breadth of the Western Tundra – and new behemoths strode out alongside them, inspiring the dreg hordes to a frenzy with thunderous roars. The Nightmare gas lured many into its chilling visions – and it was stronger than before, the visions having grown more intense than the previous weeks’. Many sought protection from the fumes through the use of the filter masks employed by the salvagers of Stormcaller Crag, which proved a little useful; soon, though, the filters wore through, and no replacements lay at hand. A harsh voice rose out amongst the din of the following battle, the gravelly tones of its language familiar to some old enough to remember: the speaker was a Dreikathi, the Polemarch Daimoxoth, who had just entered onto the field of battle. Now freed from the Nightmare, this ancient adversary of Lobyl’s shouted commands to the dreg hordes – and they obeyed his word. A further legion of dregs separated the Dreikathi from Lobyl and the group of adventurers, and though Lobyl charged the Dreikathi with terrifying speed, the Polemarch quickly departed the field once more. After clearing out the last of the dregs, the mortals gathered before the next seal of the barrow. This seal was made from the rarest of all metals, starmetal; and the Twin Gods explained that it was also the strongest of all the seals – forged with the unified strength of the entire Pantheon, in a bygone age when Their powers had been far greater. The Ankyrean Lobyl expressed his amazement at the quantity of the starmetal, known to him as ‘astenel’, a Kalsu word meaning ‘skymetal’; he had never seen so much of it in one place before. Like the seal of Chaos before it, the seal of the Divine also had its own defences: those who entered were soon reduced to ash by Divine power. Only those bearing the blessing of a God were protected from destruction. The Twins remained tight-lipped on the nature of the final seal that lay beyond the Divine one, saying merely that the seal of the Divine was beyond mortal influence. Instead, They bid the mortals to complete two tasks: firstly, to prepare for the fight against the Dreikathi, for the Sapient Pantheon held no influence over the Albedi races and Their powers would not be able to oppose the threat which the powerful Dreikathi posed; and secondly, see to their own Gods. The Gods of Sapience prepared for the inevitable battle against Jox, and many of Them would have need of mortal help in the preparations to come. #### [The Leviathan: Part One](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/) Upon the 24th of Severin, 476 MA, there came a sudden burst of energy in the Western Tundra, and as it lingered the far northern skies were lit with a colourful display. Adventurers rushed to investigate, and quickly located the source of the disturbance: it came from within an ancient barrow which the Ankyreans once used to inter their dead… [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/knight-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/)#### [The Leviathan: Part Two](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/) In the following weeks, Lobyl worked with adventurers to fight back the dregs that appeared within the tundra at each interrupted Howling. He requested weapons to help fight these nightmarish enemies, claiming that the materials used to forge in this era were too pitiful to withstand his vigorous usage… [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-07-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/)#### [An Interlude for Chaos](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/) During the previous week’s events at the seal of Chaos, the Azdi-a of the Indorani, Vyxsis Qizzeke, posed a question to the Gods Severn and Damariel: “Was Jox a threat to Chaos?”… [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-10-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/)#### [The Leviathan: Part Three](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/) Upon the 8th of Khepary, the seal of Chaos finally fell – mortalkind’s penchant for bloodletting had surprised even the Divine and Their war-weary eyes, granting the seal more time than They had anticipated… [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-05-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/)#### [The Leviathan: An Interlude](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) The Grand Aetolian Library cannot, regretfully, give a full and accurate accounting of what transpired concerning Omei, the Nightmare and Her theft of the starmetal leg of Damariel mot Lanosaryon, in the month of Midsummer, amidst the business with the Leviathan… [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/paper-02-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/)#### [The Leviathan: Part Four](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/) In the weeks and months following the destruction of the seal of Chaos, mortal and Immortal alike began preparations for the fight to come, and sought means by which to oppose the dregs – hideous creatures of nightmare arising from the tundral deeps… [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/)#### [The Leviathan: Origin](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/) During the battles that took place between the Gray Accord and the dregs in the Western Tundra, many soldiers recounted terrifying visions that they saw when under the influence of the nightmare-gas… [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/leviathan-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/)#### [The Chaos War](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) It had been several months since Golgotha promised his coming, his heralds harassing the realm relentlessly. He sought revenge for the slight of ancient mortalkind using the corpses of his court to seal away the trapped Albedi entity, Jox. [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/skull-04-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) --- ### [The Leviathan: Part Two](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/the-leviathan-part-two/) **Published:** June 17, 2019 **Author:** ironrealms **Content:** ## The Leviathan: Part Two ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-07-1.jpg)In the following weeks, Lobyl worked with adventurers to fight back the dregs that appeared within the tundra at each interrupted Howling. He requested weapons to help fight these nightmarish enemies, claiming that the materials used to forge in this era were too pitiful to withstand his vigorous usage. Many supplied him with an arsenal that was quickly put to use – and just as quickly dismantled – through his martial efforts. This prompted Lobyl to put forth a challenge for the realm’s forgers to supply him the most durable, functional weapon they were able; Belgarion, Phoenecia, Kanivara and Toz all answered this call. He spoke with many adventurers, and ended up visiting his old home: Spinesreach, once proud capital of the Ankyrean race. Lobyl proved unimpressed by its state, claiming that the city had possessed far more grandeur in his era; he spoke of lost magics that once gave the city a far different image. On the 10th day of Arios, the lumenite seal of Spirit that lay within the barrow finally gave way. Splintering like lightning, the tundra around the Leviathan’s prison cracked as He stirred in His sleep beneath. Vents opened all across the tundra, spewing forth violet gas of Nightmare that induced sleep in all those who breathed it in. Adventurers from all cities rallied together outside the barrow, united under the banner of the freshly signed Accord, while the Twin Gods descended into the barrow to assess the next seal. Dregs soon erupted all across the tundra, creeping forth from every vent, crevice and crack. A violent battle erupted between Sapience’s adventurers and the vicious beasts. The Ankyrean Lobyl demonstrated his preternatural strength and speed, slaying scores upon scores of dregs for each one slain by another mortal. As the group attempted to stomp out the gas-spewing vents, many fell victim to its lulling effects, and some reported nightmarish visions as they fell asleep: they described a great glimmering eye, its primeval gaze staring at them with an intensity great enough to shock them back into wakefulness. Once the last of the dreg threat had been dispatched, the mortals gathered together before the now-broken seal of Spirit, where the Twin Gods, Severn and Damariel, awaited them. Although the Two cautioned the mortals not to proceed any further, many did nevertheless: they discovered only a toxic atmosphere that seared both skin and lung. The Gods described this place as the seal of Chaos, and unlike the previous seals it was not tied to any God. It was constructed from cinnabar and thick corrosive fumes filled the room, wafting up from pools of quicksilver; rows of demonic-looking skeletons were secured to each of the walls of the chamber, their structure warped by the millennia spent in the toxic environment. The Twins, each more haggard and tired than the Other, went on to explain that They’d spent the weeks since the seal of Spirit’s reinforcement to strengthen the seal of Chaos as well as the two beyond it, by any means They could. Severn gave an estimate that Their work would hold the seal for another four weeks, and that the adventurers could help buy another three or four. He instructed the mortals to collect buckets of blood, so that the life-essence could be used to fuel the chamber’s grisly skeletons. After the mortals described the events immediately prior to their entry into the barrow, the Gods offered them caution: Jox’s power would grow as the seals which bind His mind continue to break, and They speculated that the nightmarish visions witnessed by the mortals were from both Jox and the Nightmare, indistinguishable from one another. The Gods also confirmed the mortal’s own observation that the dregs moved with singular purpose towards the barrow, as though being controlled by another force. With a parting warning that the Nightmare gas would only grow in intensity as the seals continued to break, the Gods and mortals parted ways, each taking care of their own preparations. #### [The Leviathan: Part One](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/) Upon the 24th of Severin, 476 MA, there came a sudden burst of energy in the Western Tundra, and as it lingered the far northern skies were lit with a colourful display. Adventurers rushed to investigate, and quickly located the source of the disturbance: it came from within an ancient barrow which the Ankyreans once used to inter their dead. [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/knight-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/)#### [The Leviathan: Part Two](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/) In the following weeks, Lobyl worked with adventurers to fight back the dregs that appeared within the tundra at each interrupted Howling. He requested weapons to help fight these nightmarish enemies, claiming that the materials used to forge in this era were too pitiful to withstand his vigorous usage… [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-07-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/)#### [An Interlude for Chaos](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-10-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/) #### [The Leviathan: Part Three](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-05-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/) #### [The Leviathan: An Interlude](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/paper-02-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) #### [The Leviathan: Part Four](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/) #### [The Leviathan: Origin](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/leviathan-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/) #### [The Chaos War](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) It had been several months since Golgotha promised his coming, his heralds harassing the realm relentlessly. He sought revenge for the slight of ancient mortalkind using the corpses of his court to seal away the trapped Albedi entity, Jox. [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/skull-04-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) --- ### [The Leviathan: Part One](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/the-leviathan-part-one/) **Published:** June 17, 2019 **Author:** ironrealms **Content:** ## The Leviathan: Part One ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/knight.jpg)Upon the 24th of Severin, 476 MA, there came a sudden burst of energy in the Western Tundra, and as it lingered the far northern skies were lit with a colourful display. Adventurers rushed to investigate, and quickly located the source of the disturbance: it came from within an ancient barrow which the Ankyreans once used to inter their dead. Those already familiar with the barrow soon noticed something awry: the ancient lead seal that had previously barred the barrow’s deeper reaches lay destroyed. As the adventurers went inward, they were greeted by a reanimated Ankyrean warlord standing in eternal vigil before a second seal fashioned from shieldbark and infused with Dendaric energies. Immediately apprehensive, the reanimated construct demanded that the gathered ‘rellyw’ present the proper authorization for being within the barrow. Despite many attempts to sway the Ankyrean to reason, it remained singular in its purpose even as the seal behind it began to strain and give way. After a brief and fierce battle, the reanimated Ankyrean was laid to final rest. The Minotaur God Severn soon came upon the scene, demonstrating His intimate knowledge of the site as He rushed to examine the decaying shieldbark seal. He turned to the people of Duiran, urging them to infuse the seal with Dendaric energies in an attempt to reinforce it. The people of Duiran hesitated, for the Manipulator’s reputation as well as His blatant elusiveness towards questions on the seals left the forestals mistrustful of His intentions. As Aloli and Lirael resolved themselves to infuse the seal of Dendara, it finally ruptured in a shower of splinters. Their help came too late to save the seal – although as further events unfolded, it became doubtful that anything might have been done to prevent it. As the adventurers proceeded past the destroyed seal deeper into the barrow, they came upon a third seal: this one was wrought of forged metals, and another reanimated Ankyrean warlord was its warden. Described as the seal of Fire by Severn, it too was straining, in threat of giving way. The Manipulator, losing His calm, declared the present situation impossible and urged the citizens of Enorian to begin reinforcing the seal of emberite, iron, and copper with their Fire. Yet in light of considerable historical precedent, Enorian had even less reason to trust Severn than Duiran, and remained united behind their Vanguard Lexen’s opposition of Him. Resigning Himself to allow the seal’s destruction take its course, Severn announced that the fourth seal was of Earth and ordered its Shadow-tethered wielders to prepare. In the next chamber, Zenobia and Akaryuterra were quick to move to the quartz seal of Earth and begin reinforcing it under the Manipulator’s direction, and others soon joined. The reanimated Ankyrean warlord was of questionable sanity, and resistant to attempts at conversation. The Ankyrean-incarnate Mazzion was brought in to try and calm down the deranged warden, but after he failed a spoken test in Kalsu, the reanimated warlord launched its assault upon the gathered group and was promptly put to final rest. The Earth-wielders continued to channel their power into the seal – but it was clear to all their power alone was not enough. At Severn’s urging, the Teradrim Zenobia chanted out an impassioned prayer to the Earthen Lord Ivoln – and though it was promptly answered, the Earthen Lord putting in His strength, even the combined might of He and other mortals was not enough to stem the seal’s damage. Soon, it too exploded in a shower of crystalline shards. The Underking Dhar arrived before Severn could announce the fifth seal as Death, for His Order had brought the barrow’s events to His attention. Although the God of Death claimed no prior memory of the seals, He still intuitively recognized the anaxagorite seal as one of His own making. Without further prompting, the Underking immediately set to reinforcing it, calling His Wardens – Lexen, Wylliam, Belgarion, and Iames – to join Him in the task. The rest of the mortals dealt with the seal’s undead guard, who was more insane still than the previous. Damariel mot Lanosaryon, the Unbound came then, before the work upon the fifth seal was yet completed – like the Underking, His Order had caught His attention. Recognizing the seals, Damariel rounded upon Severn and demanded to know how they had broken. The Manipulator dismissively claimed ignorance, saying that the situation was still too fresh to investigate. Despite the best efforts of Dhar and His Order, however, the anaxagorite seal could not be mended. Though they had managed to slow down its decay considerably, they could not stem it entirely. Noting the inevitable fate of the seal, Severn urged His Twin to begin gathering His strength – the seal of Spirit would be Their last hope. Slyphe, the Maelstrom was the next Divine to arrive, intrigued by a gathering of Its Siblings. Startling at the God of Water’s sudden appearance, the Twins moved with eerie synchronization to shove Their Sibling away from the seal, demanding that It leave the barrow at once. In spite of initial protest, Slyphe took note of Its Brothers’ warning and departed. Shortly thereafter, the anaxagorite seal entered its final stages. Cracks broke out across its surface with increased severity. Damariel instructed Dhar to conserve the remainder of His essence and allow the seal to meet its fate. No sooner had Dhar and His Wardens stepped back from the seal than it exploded into thousands of tiny metallic shards. Past it lay the way deeper into the barrow. The adventurers pressed on, coming to the sixth seal of Air that had been constructed from skysilver. As Damariel settled in to meditate and focus His strength, Severn noted the Dragon Goddess Tanixalthas, wielder of Air, was probably slumbering and would be unlikely to help Them either way – this seal was a lost cause. Toz, Kelliara, Akaryuterra, and others of Tanixalthas’ loyal following still made an effort to slow its degradation and wake their Goddess, but the seal continued to strain loudly, heedless of their efforts. The remaining mortals took down another gibbering reanimated Ankyrean guard, still madder than the others – and the Divine conserved Their essence. Following the seal of Air’s explosion, the adventurers went into the next chamber, where the seventh seal awaited them. Damariel approached the lumenite seal of Spirit and began channeling His essence into it with intense focus, His followers Aloli and Tenshyo supporting Him however they could. Watching His Brother work, Severn decapitated this seal’s reanimated Ankyrean out of irritation, demanding silence from the room so that Damariel could focus. But even the unmatched might of the God of Spirit was not enough to fix the damaged seal, which strained still against His work. With a grunt of finality, Severn readied Himself for battle and ordered His Siblings to follow suit – the next three seals after Spirit were not so easily slowed. Yet Damariel still resisted, “Down arms!” He ordered His Siblings and then urged Them to lend Their essence to Him, claiming to be close to a critical point in its stabilization. Dhar came to His Brother immediately, and Ivoln soon followed. Severn hesitated but soon joined His Brothers. With the essence of His Brothers channeled through Him, and mortals helping where they could, Damariel redoubled His efforts upon the seal. Blinding light and crackling air filled the room as the seal’s corrosion fought the combined power of the Gods, finally subsiding as the seal temporarily stabilized. The tundra rumbled and quaked in immediate response – the angered throes of the being imprisoned behind the seals. Outside the barrow, muffled voices joined together in a series of indistinct, groaning screams. Haggard and diminished in stature from the depletion of Their essence, the Gods ordered the mortals outside to investigate while They looked to the remaining seals to determine the cause of what had transpired. Outside the barrow, the mortals found a small horde of nightmarish dregs that had crawled their way up from cracks in the ice formed by the quakes. Along with these dregs came Lobyl, a living Ankyrean commander, and he slew the warped creatures alongside the adventurers. Sickly and confused by his surroundings, Lobyl at first thought he was stuck in ‘another nightmare’. He demanded of the ‘rellyw’ gathered before him, asking for reports on the war – not yet realizing he was a man out of his time. This talk was interrupted by the Severn and Damariel’s arrival. Both Gods stopped short at the sight of Lobyl, for he was familiar to Them. Lobyl – albeit with mild hesitation, for the Gods were no longer familiar to him – took the knee before the Twins, frantically relaying a report on the war in which he had been fighting. Severn interrupted, explaining to Lobyl that a span of years well over a thousand had passed since that war, and that Lobyl’s information was no longer relevant. In the conversations that followed between Gods, Ankyreans, and others of mortalkind, three key facts were revealed: firstly, that Lobyl was from the Second Immortal Epoch – a time long before the formation of the Ankyrean Order which Qeddwyn and Yrtez has served. Secondly, that the Ankyreans had been engaged in a great war against the Dreikathi, whilst the pantheons of Sapience and Albedos clashed in cataclysmic battles. Thirdly, that the last thing Lobyl remembered was fighting against a cunning Dreikathi Polemarch in the Tundra when the great Leviathan Jox, a God of the Albedi, dwarfed the sky with Its immensity. Before Its maw could devour both armies, the world shook with a blinding light: there had been a great shattering of the heavens, and Jox was stunned. Seizing this opportunity, the Goddess Omei had descended upon the great serpent and sealed Him in an unending nightmare below the tundra. Lobyl and the armies of the Ankyrean and Dreikathi were inadvertently caught in the nightmare and sealed alongside Jox. Severn speculated that Lobyl and the dregs were thrown from the nightmare by the thrashing rage of the Leviathan within Its prison. The dregs themselves are thought to be those ancient Ankyreans and Dreikathi, warped beyond recognition over millennia by the Goddess’ nightmare. But the most shocking fact was delivered by the God of Truth Himself – Sapience had been betrayed by a God of its own pantheon. Jox’s mind was bound quiescent by the seals in the barrow, designed to leave Him unable to struggle against the nightmare; and those seals had been sabotaged by one of Varian’s children. Essence, of the kind shared by all of Sapience’s Gods, lingered upon the place like fingerprints. Severn corroborated His Twin’s story and immediately moved to accuse Dhar of treachery. The immediate bickering that followed was broken by an exclamation from Lobyl as the night sky crept its way in- Stars had not been a common sight in Lobyl’s era. Still weary from Their efforts on the seals, the Gods let the matter of the traitor drop for now. As They departed, They warned the mortals that the seal of Spirit was only temporarily held fast, and that its eventual destruction would still occur when the strain became too much for Damariel’s reinforcement. The Gods would try whatever They could to reinforce the three remaining seals, but they’d been damaged beyond repair, and the knowledge of how to build them was a long-lost product of Lobyl’s time. The release of the Leviathan – the incarnation of rage – was inevitable. Although Severn estimated Jox could be stopped if They joined together, He judged that if this came to pass, most of Sapience’s Gods would perish in the effort. #### [The Leviathan: Part One](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/knight-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/) #### [The Leviathan: Part Two](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-07-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/) #### [An Interlude for Chaos](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-10-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/) #### [The Leviathan: Part Three](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-05-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/) #### [The Leviathan: An Interlude](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/paper-02-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) #### [The Leviathan: Part Four](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/) #### [The Leviathan: Origin](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/leviathan-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/) #### [The Chaos War](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/skull-04-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) --- ### [The Leviathan: Origin](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/the-leviathan-origin/) **Published:** June 17, 2019 **Author:** ironrealms **Content:** ## The Leviathan: Origin ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/leviathan-1-640x1024.jpg)During the battles that took place between the Gray Accord and the dregs in the Western Tundra, many soldiers recounted terrifying visions that they saw when under the influence of the nightmare-gas. Having interviewed several soldiers for accuracy, the Grand Library would like to record these visions for posterity: Your thoughts descend, crushed beneath terrible force – there is naught but darkling shadow and suffocation, the sea’s power infinite and inescapable as it devours you. There can be no movement within such dread, only the sea’s slow constriction as it seeks to bury you amidst the deeps. Like some lava vent at first, but then like the mouth of a volcano, a glimmering eye opens forth. Its immensity blots you into mere shadow, and its gaze accuses you, demands of you – as though charging you with crimes beyond all mortal or Immortal reckoning. Your mouth opens wide, as though to scream, but water chokes the noise from you such that you can only hang suspended in silence. You struggle to break away, but the fearsome eye turns from you. The immense sea which crushes down upon you is stirred to motion, dragging you forward, forward, blotting out your protest as though you were naught but a mote of dust. An unspeakable force halts your tumbling course, and you rise upward out of that dark and midnight sea. There are figures three, and nothing more can be told of them save that they are great entities. These three are cast in blackened silhouette by a moon which stands far aback, its rays like bristling, argent spears. Chains fall upon you in a raucous clatter. You struggle, you fight, you roar with breathless lungs toward the moonlit heavens; surging, raging, demanding, even begging – you seek absolution from the inevitable, but still the bindings fall, imprisoning you and all your kin. The realization of defeat falls upon you, and you rage, rage, in a red and vicious fury, thrashing salt and ice and water into foam until there is naught but darkness and stillness… forever. Forever, until forever ends. A great clash that any could sense, even the lowliest of mortals – and you are no such thing! You wait with eagerness and bloodlust as Shadow falls upon you, choking you, cloaking you; but as it creeps in, your bonds sunder, and so too does your mid. In desperation, in horror, you turn and seek to tear the blot from yourself. You strike true, teeth a-tearing, and with revulsion see the other half of yourself falling away, away, down into crushing blackness. And yet, in spite of this terrible wound, you live. You live, and you are strong, and the other darkling half of you has fled you to coil and slither along the fresh waters of the continents, far away from you. You are aware of yourself, as you were not before – JOX, you are called, JOX, JOX – and those infinitesimal wretches that live in mortal fear of you name you LEVIATHAN! There amidst the oceans you twine like emberous rage embodied, arising to claim the ocean’s great beasts, the ships of merchants and sailors and pirates that dare to cast their puny shadows upon you! The ocean is yours and no other Deity’s, and you defend your wyrm’s claim with the deepest and cruelest of your dread powers. They insult you, mock you, by their mere existence – and they must be smote asunder unto the briny depths. Yet there is a great war a-raging, there yonder upon the islands and continents which remain alien and anathema to you; a great war, whose deities do not pay heed to claims nor dominion. Heretofore they had kept from your waters, but now they spill across it like offal, offending your senses, staining your waters with their awful miasma. Rage, rage, red and bloody – up you rear from the dread depths of the sea, and forward you lash like the whip of a mortal slavedriver; forward, attacking, your serpent’s form carving ice in twain. Ready for war, ready for conquest, you think to set the tundra a-boiling, to drown it and the dark spires that lie at its borders. Then pain – pain, agony, yet enduring, not fain to be so easily shrived. Your eye turns, and you glimpse the sky itself parting, veined like lightning, cracked like a cerulean mirror. An existential fire seethes through the breaks and downward, and in that moment, SHE strikes – She, the stripling, that weakling and opportunist! “Father,” She calls in the plaintive, squealing tongue spoke by Her ilk, “Father, I’ve felled it! Look!” Her spear is a tower stretching from the deep earths to the high and unmade heavens; Her eyes are empty, two bloody voids which gaze down upon You with bright and shining triumph. Each second, an eternity; each eternity, a torment. You are nothing but a worm, a wretched beetle, a maggot – the worst of all Their insults! When clarity occurs to you, you arise from it, coiled, bound, and seething with humiliated contempt. “Dream,” She whispers, and Her voice creeps across you, fills you to your very brim, and you sink, down, down… Time passes, slow and sibilant, whispering at the edges of your mind, and that terrible warp which the She-Stripling wove persists. Soon, like a plague, it infects you; soon, like an obsession, it steals across your mind, and robs you from yourself amidst a storm of dreadful dissemblance. Time – time! Inescapable and hateful time! Would that you could escape it, break it, just as you wish you could break She that speared you here! You can taste it, so near, so near… …the mortals are coming to feed you. #### [The Leviathan: Part One](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/knight-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/) #### [The Leviathan: Part Two](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-07-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/) #### [An Interlude for Chaos](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-10-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/) #### [The Leviathan: Part Three](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-05-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/) #### [The Leviathan: An Interlude](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/paper-02-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) #### [The Leviathan: Part Four](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/) #### [The Leviathan: Origin](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/leviathan-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/) #### [The Chaos War](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/skull-04-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) --- ### [The Chaos War](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/the-chaos-war/) **Published:** June 17, 2019 **Author:** ironrealms **Content:** ## The Chaos War ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/skull-04.jpg)It had been several months since Golgotha promised his coming, his heralds harassing the realm relentlessly. He sought revenge for the slight of ancient mortalkind using the corpses of his court to seal away the trapped Albedi entity, Jox. As Bamathis examined His War table, contemplating His next move, so, too, did His Sister make moves of Her own, after the Warlord struck a deal with the Lady of Corruption. After bargaining with the favored wife of Golgotha, Xa’azamit, the Goddess of Corruption gifted Her fallen necromancers with a focus that would reveal a pocket of Chaos wherein they would find the Queen of Chaos. Tasked with a quest for redemption, the forsaken necromancers approached Xa’azamit. Her request of the Ashes of the Indorani was simple in theory, yet difficult to execute. In return for a promised pocket of Chaos, the necromancers were to sever the Queen’s pact with Golgotha himself freeing her; in death. Presenting a tincture that would both poison her, and allow her will to imprint on a mortal coil, the Ashes of the Indorani’s successfully fulfilled their promise in part only; her reformation was yet to be seen. With the last breath escaping his favored wife, Golgotha flew into a fit of rage at the severance of their pact. He ranted and raved, promising the destruction of Sapience in seven weeks and the devouring of the realm’s minipets. Chaos rifts began to open across the continent due to the instability between the planes, which adventurers dilligently sought out and closed. The seven weeks over, Golgotha returned with Golrath – the former traitor to the throne of Chaos, the Chaos Emperor promising Golrath his freedom in exchange for the destruction of Sapience. Golrath brought with him his court, which he sent to assault Sapience over the next weeks. Sapience would not break nor bend to the will of Chaos, thwarting each Chaos challenger one after the other. Enraged to new heights, Golgotha finally took matters into his own hands and descended upon the Prime Material Plane alongside Golrath and Dameron. Bamathis rose to the skies to meet the threat, flanked by the Sisters He bargained with; Chakrasul and Omei. Golgotha sent a devastating blast of energy to sear at the roots of Yggdrasil, which sustained damage and leaked extraplanar energies into Prime. The Twins, Damariel and Severn, moved urgently to tend to the root while Golgotha sent Dameron to deal with the mortals. The forces of mortalkind dispatched the Prince of Chaos, Dameron, and Bamathis rejoined His Sisters in the sky – only for Golrath to summon forth the entire might of Chaos to surround the trio of Sapient Gods. Omei and Chakrasul set to fighting the horde of countless warped Chaos Lords with Divine efficiency while Bamathis endured serious punishment from Golgotha and Golrath. The essence of Strife allowed the God to power through the pain and maintain His strategy, trading blows with the two immensely powerful Chaos Lords. Spotting an opening in the thinned horde, Bamathis proceeded with His plan. He preyed upon the will of Golgotha by invoking the unity of Sapience, calling forth for mortals to volunteer themselves to be thrown onto Golgotha’s body. Mortalkind answered the Warlord’s call, the words ‘For Sapience!’ ringing across the land as numerous clung to the body of the Chaos Emperor, wailing away at him. Golgotha flailed and sweated, smacking himself in the face over and over to rid himself of the pesky mortals clinging to his massive head. Eventually, he grew disoriented thanks to the brave sacrifices of the individuals who rose to the cause. Bamathis spotted the opening, calling for the mortals to jump off. The Warlord lunged forward, poised to strike. The Chaos Emperor nearly dodged the attack, only for his opportunistic cohort, Golrath to betray him at the last second – plunging a dagger into the back of the Emperor and allowing the attack of Bamathis to connect. The War-God’s stab connected, skewering Golgotha straight through the head and causing Jy’Barrak Golgotha to dissolve into nothingness alongside the rest of his court, his will and purpose broken. The forces of Chaos defeated at last, the Warlord divided the realm of Chaos between Omei and Chakrasul, fulfilling His end of the bargain. The two Sisters used their intrinsic relation to Chaos to warp and shape the realm to Their wills. Chakrasul appointed the tumultuous Queen, Xa’azamit as the new ruler of Chaos. Defeated, Golrath was sent back to whence he came and allowed his freedom in exchange for betraying Golgotha. Golrath’s court was left behind, to serve the new ruler of Chaos. At the conclusion of the battle, Bamathis, bloody and beaten returned the Blade of Artifice to His Brother, Severn, with a newfound respect for the difficulty being a God brings. #### [The Leviathan: Part One](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/) Upon the 24th of Severin, 476 MA, there came a sudden burst of energy in the Western Tundra, and as it lingered the far northern skies were lit with a colourful display. Adventurers rushed to investigate, and quickly located the source of the disturbance: it came from within an ancient barrow which the Ankyreans once used to inter their dead. [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/knight-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-one/)#### [The Leviathan: Part Two](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-07-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-two/) #### [An Interlude for Chaos](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-10-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/an-interlude-for-chaos/) #### [The Leviathan: Part Three](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/space-05-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-three/) #### [The Leviathan: An Interlude](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/paper-02-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-an-interlude/) #### [The Leviathan: Part Four](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mage-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-part-four/) #### [The Leviathan: Origin](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/) [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/leviathan-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-leviathan-origin/) #### [The Chaos War](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) It had been several months since Golgotha promised his coming, his heralds harassing the realm relentlessly. He sought revenge for the slight of ancient mortalkind using the corpses of his court to seal away the trapped Albedi entity, Jox. [![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/skull-04-300x158.jpg)](https://www.aetolia.com/the-chaos-war/) --- ### [Trade Skills](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/trade/) **Published:** August 23, 2025 **Author:** Keroc, the Starborn **Content:** ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") ## Trade Skills NOTE: Most trade skills don’t have a large variety of skills as the rely upon design shops in the game to purchase templates from. It is from these base templates that most various kinds of items are crafted, and dictate what kind of items you can create. There are some exceptions, like Ceramics and Cosmetics. - Woodcrafting - Tailoring - Jewelcrafting - Cooking - Brewing - Furniture - Ceramics - Cosmetics Woodcrafting Those who can craft useful items from wood are highly sought after for some of the basic staples of adventuring life, as well as some more esoteric objects. Vials, pipes, coffins, and elixir pots are some of the items frequently requested of skilled woodcarvers. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Tailoring The tailor’s art is that of transforming regular cloth, leather, and thread into magnificent vestments fit for an archon, fearsome uniforms of elite fighting units, or modest coverings to warm old bones on frigid nights. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Jewelcrafting Jewelcrafting is making rings and trinkets for adventurers to wear and show off themselves. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Cooking Cooking is both a utilitarian skill and an art form. While the mess cook prepares pot after pot of nutritious sludge for armies, a master chef may use many of the same skills to craft delicate works of culinary delight. Both are sought after in different circles, and in times of need one may endeavor to substitute for the other. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Brewing The skill of brewing is one that transforms ordinary ingredients into drinks of flavoursome variety; from the warm cup of kawhe during the winter nights, to the sweet wine of weddings and to mass produced rum for the rowdy soldiers. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Furniture Nothing says extravagance like a fancy set of furniture! From the simplest of chairs, to intricately carved armoires and beds, the craft of making furniture is an art of patience and skill. Brighten up any room and show off your wealth with a myriad of furniture sets. Impress your friends and family while making your enemies jealous! Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Ceramics Put together a variety of tools utilizing Ceramics, like glass eyes or chamber pots. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Cosmetics Craft a variety of cosmetic items such as lipstick, wigs and more to make sure you always look your best! Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") --- ### [Skills and Abilities](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/) **Published:** June 2, 2017 **Author:** Varian **Content:** # Skills & Abilities Much of your life in Aetolia will revolve around your skills. Skills are either sets of abilities or a single ability representing how well you do something (like dodge arrows and sword blows, for instance). Furthermore, many skills have anywhere from 20 to 50 abilities within the skill. An ability could be an individual spell, or something like a particular type of kick or swordstroke. Crafting skills contain abilities to craft specific items like blades or armor, bombs, papercraft, and eventually the ability to submit your own design to be made part of the game. Class skills are exclusive to each class, and are better described in our [Classes section](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/) of the site. If you want to see a list of afflictions and defences the game has, please check our [Afflictions & Defences section](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/afflictions-and-defences/). ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png) ## General Skills General skills are skills that everyone in Aetolia has access to from the moment they finish the introduction. They’re full skillsets in and of themselves, but separate from your selected player class. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/general/) ![avoidance](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/avoidance-circle.png "avoidance")### Avoidance As you train in Avoidance, you will learn the art of controlling your prana-musculature in order to quickly avoid a physical attack, or divert it in a manner that makes it less effective. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/general/) ![survival](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/survival-circle.png "survival")### Survival Survival deals with outdoors issues as well as general survival issues. Abilities in it include being able to swim, climb trees, attack dimensional wormholes, heal your limbs by force of will alone, and many other useful abilities. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/general/) ![hunting](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/hunting-circle.png "hunting")### Hunting Different from the others, Hunting is learned while you level. Its abilities help you further in PvE, and ensure that your abilities grow as you do. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/general/) ![tattoos](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/tattoos-circle.png "tattoos")### Tattoos As you learn higher in the skill of Tattoos, you will be able to place more and more tattoos on your body, until such time as you are able to place two tattoos on each body part. It also includes the inking of said tattoos. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/general/) ![dramaturgy masks](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/dramaturgy-masks-600x600-circle.png "dramaturgy masks")### Persuasion Persuasion is a general skill that allows you to engage in social combat with the denizens of Aetolia through carefully crafted arguments and appeals. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/general/) ![vision](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/vision-circle.png "vision")### Vision Vision is a selection of abilities all related to your perception of the world around you. Vision seeks to primarily increase your visual acuity. Starting with simple tricks of observation, Vision will eventually give you more advanced abilities. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/general/) ![weaponry](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/weaponry-circle.png "weaponry")### Weaponry Weaponry is a skill that everyone acquires. Although anyone may use any weapon in Aetolia, those untrained in weaponry, and without proficiency in that weapon, will find it difficult to be effective with it. ## Mercantile Skills Mercantile skills are unique skillsets focused on the creation and sometimes customization of items essential to characters in Aetolia. Each character may possess one and only one Mercantile skill, so choose wisely! [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/merchantile/) ![forging](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/forging-circle.png "forging")### Forging The skill of creating weapons and armour. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/merchantile/) ![apothecary](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/apothecary-circle.png "apothecary")### Apothecary The ability to produce elixirs and poultices. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/merchantile/) ![toxicology](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/toxicology-circle.png "toxicology")### Toxicology The ability to create and sell venoms. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/merchantile/) ![enchantment](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/enchantment-circle.png "enchantment")### Enchanting Enchanting & creating items with magical powers. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/merchantile/) ![herbalism](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/herbalism-circle.png "herbalism")### Herbalism The skill to create healing pills from herbs. ## Trade Skills Trade skills are skills that can be obtained by purchasing a permit from a craft guild office found in any major city. They deal with crafting new items from designs, and eventually, your own unique designs! Almost everything in Aetolia is made by players with Trade skills, and all of it custom. It is important not to confuse Mercantile skills with Tradeskills, of which you can learn as much and as many as you please. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/trade/) ![woodcraft](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/woodcraft-circle.png "woodcraft")### Woodcraft Carve a multitude of things like vials, pipes, dice, etc. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/trade/) ![cooking](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/cooking-circle.png "cooking")### Cooking Everyone’s got to eat, but it doesn’t need to be hardtack. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/trade/) ![ceramics](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/ceramics-circle.webp "ceramics")### Ceramics Create useful tools & implements made from ceramics. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/trade/) ![tailoring](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/tailoring-circle.png "tailoring")### Tailoring Make clothing, let out your inner fashion diva. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/trade/) ![brewing](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/brewing-circle.png "brewing")### Brewing What’s eating without drinking? Become a brewmaster instead. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/trade/) ![cosmetics](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/cosmetics-circle.webp "cosmetics")### Cosmetics Look your best with items such as lipstick, eyeliner, wigs and more! [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/trade/) ![jewelcraft](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/jewelcraft-circle.png "jewelcraft")### Jewelcraft What is a life without exquisite jewelry? No life we’d want to live. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/trade/) ![furniture](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/furniture-circle.png "furniture")### Furniture Can’t do all that eating and drinking standing up, can we? ## Agricultural Skills Practical skills provide alternate means of experience gaining or economic value. They have an initial cost to purchase and require use to increase. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/agriculture/) ![farming](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/farming-circle.png "farming")### Farming Farming is the ability to keep a field that can be utilized to grow crops, trees, or keep animals. Outside of some raw materials set aside for commodity production, the produce that is harvested or acquired on a field can be sold for profit. [](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/agriculture/) ![aetolia mining photo](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/aetolia-mining-photo-circle.png "aetolia mining photo")### Mining Mining is the ability to extract metal ores from the earth. It is a fully realized skillset centered around establishing and staffing your own mining operations and navigating the dangers of the under-deeps in order to harvest resources from the earth. ## Talents Talents can provide you with some extra abilities that will bring unique qualities to your life in Aetolia. Talents work much the same as many other skills, however once a Talent is acquired, you have no need to learn any further. You can [click here](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/talent/) to see the full skill list. Available Talents include: - Floristry - Fletching - Pyrotechnics - Luthier - Ventier - Linguistics - Bombcrafting - Fumology - Tambourier - Papercrafting - Taxidermy - Barding - Perfumery ## Practical Skills Practical skills provide alternate means of experience gaining or economic value. They have an initial cost to purchase and require use to increase. You can [click here](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/practical/) for the skill list. Practical Skills include: - Fishing - Provisioning ## Hobbies Hobbies are a mix of small and large skillsets purchased with lessons, then learned by practice. Included are RP tools to make your character unique and change how you RP in groups. You can [click here](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/hobbies/) for the skill list. Current Hobbies include: - Gaming - Ylemnics ## Mini Skills Mini skills take far fewer lessons than traditional skills, but are still available to all by default. Most possess only a single ability within, but are related to damage resistances. Refining and Horsemanship, however, are filled with abilities related to their subject matter. You can [click here](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/miniskill/) for the skill list from Refining and Horsemanship. Mini skills include: - Antidotes - Constitution - Frost - Fitness - Galvanism - Horsemanship - Philosophy - Refining - Thermology --- ### [Artisanal](https://www.aetolia.com/artisanal/) **Published:** December 7, 2018 **Author:** Tiur **Content:** ## Artisanal Contests ### [ November 2018 ](https://www.aetolia.com/artisanal-november-2018/ "November 2018") ### [ October 2021 ](https://www.aetolia.com/artisanal-october-2021/ "October 2021") ### [ January 2022 ](https://www.aetolia.com/artisanal-january-2022/ "January 2022") ### [ June 2023 ](https://www.aetolia.com/artisanal-june-2023/ "June 2023") ### [ March 2026 – Favourite NPC ](https://www.aetolia.com/artisanal-march-2026/ "March 2026 - Favourite NPC") --- ### [Latest News](https://www.aetolia.com/latest-news/) **Published:** March 3, 2026 **Author:** ironrealms **Content:** ## Latest Posts --- ### [News](https://www.aetolia.com/news/) **Published:** March 10, 2017 **Author:** Varian **Content:** ### Aetolian Game News --- ### [Afflictions and Defences](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/afflictions-and-defences/) **Published:** January 19, 2026 **Author:** Keroc, the Starborn **Content:** ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## Afflictions & Defences Within Aetolia, there are dozens upon dozens of afflictions and defences that you might encounter. The vast majority of them you might not ever see, however we provide a list so that you might look through and imagine the possibilities. [ Afflictions ](#) [ Defences ](#) Afflictions Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Defences Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") --- ### [General Skills](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/general/) **Published:** August 19, 2025 **Author:** Keroc, the Starborn **Content:** ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Skills [ Avoidance ](#) [ Hunting ](#) [ Persuasion ](#) [ Survival ](#) [ Tattoos ](#) [ Vision ](#) [ Weaponry ](#) Avoidance As you train in Avoidance, you will learn the art of controlling your prana-musculature in order to quickly avoid a physical attack, or divert it in a manner that makes it less effective. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Hunting Different from the others, Hunting is learned while you level. Its abilities help you further in PvE, and ensure that your abilities grow as you do. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Persuasion Persuasion is a General skill that allows you to engage in social combat with the denizens of Aetolia through carefully crafted arguments and appeals. Through mastery of this skill, you can convince others to perform various tasks, from simple acts of charity to more complex manipulations of behaviour. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Survival Survival deals with outdoors issues as well as general survival issues. Abilities in it include being able to swim, climb trees, attack dimensional wormholes, heal your limbs by force of will alone, and many other useful abilities. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Tattoos As you learn higher in the skill of Tattoos, you will be able to place more and more tattoos on your body, until such time as you are able to place two tattoos on each body part. It also includes the inking of said tattoos. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Vision Vision is a selection of abilities all related to your perception of the world around you. Vision seeks to primarily increase your visual acuity. Starting off with simple tricks of observation, Vision will eventually give you more advanced abilities too. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Weaponry Weaponry is a skill that everyone acquires. Although anyone may use any weapon in Aetolia, those untrained in weaponry, and without proficiency in that weapon, will find it difficult to be effective with it. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") --- ### [Credits](https://www.aetolia.com/credits/) **Published:** December 11, 2017 **Author:** ironrealms --- ### [The World of Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/world/) **Published:** October 21, 2016 **Author:** ironrealms **Content:** # The World of Aetolia For hundreds of years, Aetolians thought that their continent, dubbed Sapience, was the only land mass on their planet. They fought among themselves over religious differences, petty squabbles, and the ever-useful resource ‘ylem’. Then, flying death machines filled the air, piloted by malicious Dreikathi, and Aetolians discovered a new world: Albedos. Some on this mysterious continent were open to learning their ways, and embraced them cautiously. Others sought only to subjugate the Sapient nations and do them harm. Now, as the Albedi pantheon of Gods stirs from a long and terrible slumber, those with their eyes to the future have plenty to fear from the new lands. **Maps of Sapience:** [View interpretation by Aolin](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Sapience-scaled.webp) [View interpretation by Teeh](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/sapience-map-updated-scaled.gif)**Maps of Albedos:** [View interpretation by Teeh](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/albedos-map-scaled.gif)The world of Aetolia is constantly expanding, [check here for a constantly expanding preview of destinations](https://www.aetolia.com/ship-destinations-previews/) that will soon be available by ship! ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## The City States of Sapience ### The Duiran Council Tucked away in the forests of Sapience, Duiran is a place for protectors and lovers of nature to safeguard the woodlands from all that would seek to do them harm. While they do not oppose or subvert civilisation, they are committed to the cycle of life and death, charged with no less than maintaining the sanctity of Dia’ruis: the Plane of Life itself. **Government:** Player triumvirate, appointed by individual Guilds. **Tether:** Spirit-aligned [ Learn More ](https://www.aetolia.com/world/duiran/ "Click Here")### Enorian, the Hammer of Dawn Enorian styles itself the moral compass of Sapience, a place of righteousness and devotion to the Gods. Driven to do good works and cleanse the world of its manifold evils, Enorian will stop at nothing to bring the world into the way of the Light – and those who oppose them may repent, or burn. **Government:** Democratically-elected player council **Tether:** Spirit-aligned [ Learn More ](https://www.aetolia.com/world/enorian/ "Click Here")### Spinesreach, Dragon of the North Spinesreach is a scientific bastion on Sapience, where physical force falls second to attempts to subvert reality itself. Home to Archivists, Sciomancers, and Syssin, the city is deeply entrenched in the study of Shadow. Defectors have even told tales of an attempt to escape reality altogether. **Government:** Theocracy **Tether:** Shadow-aligned [ Learn More ](https://www.aetolia.com/world/spinesreach/ "Click Here")### Bloodloch, the Sanguine Fist Bloodloch, born of blood and tyranny under Emperor Abhorash Nehekhara, is a city where darkness reigns supreme. Strength and unyielding will are the cornerstones of life, crushing weakness and instilling fear. Within its shadowed streets, both the living and undead thrive in a relentless pursuit of power and domination. **Government:** NPC-led authoritarian state. Elected player council. **Tether:** Shadow-aligned [ Learn More ](https://www.aetolia.com/world/bloodloch/ "Click Here")## Known Civilizations of Albedos ### The City of Delve The first city to make peaceful contact with Sapience after the incursion of Dreikathi forces. Players are able to travel to Delve to do business and explore the rest of the continent. On most matters, their official policy is neutrality. ### Drakkenmont The mysterious home of the Dreikathi. While its emissaries have come to torment and abuse Sapience, no player has discovered the enclave itself. --- ### [Newsletters](https://www.aetolia.com/newsletters/) **Published:** August 20, 2025 **Author:** Razmael, the Synthesist **Content:** ## Newsletters ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")### October 2025 [It’s our 24th birthday!](https://newsletters.ironrealms.com/w/QP0mZ2wljnMHEx44a3aiyQ) ### August 2025 [Of Sylvans and Seawater](https://newsletters.ironrealms.com/w/aNPoVfJ0qqvCEF0E56XVaw) ### May 2025 [Aetolia: A Special Sneak Peek! ](https://newsletters.ironrealms.com/w/m763892o8I763763z2g6VlshzAOUeA) ### February 2025 [Persuasion and Celebrations!](https://newsletters.ironrealms.com/w/ROao892As5ykWtRYQ2xXk2WA) ### October 2024 [Aetolia turns 23!](https://newsletters.ironrealms.com/w/gSWFISWDk9k0bKzp6BOHww) ### July 2024 [Exciting updates in Aetolia: The Deepest City, Ascendril revamp, Ceramics and more! ](https://newsletters.ironrealms.com/w/WtGNI9CuQmY8rNxmrxvBuA) ### March 2024 [Enmity Unveiled: Dive into Aetolia’s Latest Storyline](https://newsletters.ironrealms.com/w/EvpNnabFBy4A763oHdNPdefg)### November 2023 [Three New Classes and End of the Midnight Age?!](https://newsletters.ironrealms.com/w/ncUQebbZ9oDpLro7KE011A) ### October 2023 [Major Content Release on Aetolia](https://newsletters.ironrealms.com/w/LfsNtsymYCB6M7636VHuF4WA) ### May 2023 [Get Ready for the Epic Celebration on Aetolia](https://newsletters.ironrealms.com/w/AxCwCMayocSWO0j3ssa8yA) ### March 2023 [Two New Classes on Aetolia](https://newsletters.ironrealms.com/w/i892qfxr1YnA4xX0rhSVP2Mg) --- ### [Merchantile Skills](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/merchantile/) **Published:** August 23, 2025 **Author:** Keroc, the Starborn **Content:** ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## Merchantile Skills [ Apothecary ](#) [ Enchantment ](#) [ Forging ](#) [ Herbalism ](#) [ Toxicology ](#) Apothecary The Apothecary skill utilizes knowledge of local fauna, and the medicinal properties of the parts of their body, in order to produce elixirs and poultices. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Enchantment Enchantment is the skill of either enchanting pre-existing items with magical powers, or creating magical items. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Forging Forging is the skill of creating a wide assortment of weapons and armour, ranging from the chipped-obsidian throwing dagger, to the venerable longsword, to impressive suits of fieldplate armour. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Herbalism The skill of Herbalism utilizes the knowledge of various herbs and plants, particularly with respect to their medicinal properties. Through study and refinement of the more beneficial properties, a practiced Herbalist may create small, easily consumable pills. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Toxicology Toxicology is the art and science of poisons, rendered from beasts and plants found across Sapience. Often used as a weapon, many combatants use the venoms derived from the possess to envenom their blades and arrows in order to incapacitate and slay their enemies. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") --- ### [Miniskills](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/miniskill/) **Published:** August 23, 2025 **Author:** Keroc, the Starborn **Content:** ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## Miniskills NOTE: Only the miniskills of Refining and Horsemanship have abilities. Other miniskills only provide resistance against different damage types and some other small benefits. [ Refining ](#) [ Horsemanship ](#) Refining Brought about by the knowledge of Delve, Refining is a crude method of manipulating ylem energy, particularly that which flows from an active leyline focus point. Through study of this technique, one may learn how to empower themselves with the residual energy that flows from an extraction, learning to detect subtle changes in the leylines and recognize the chaotic presence of primal eld. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Horsemanship Horsemanship is a miniskill that provides the user of it abilities pertaining to riding and caring for a steed. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") --- ### [Practical Skills](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/practical/) **Published:** August 23, 2025 **Author:** Keroc, the Starborn **Content:** ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## Practical Skills [ Fishing ](#) [ Provisioning ](#) Fishing Inspired by the Gulleyes of Esterport, Aetolians everywhere may try their hands at the sport of fishing in the many watery patches of Sapience. While not every area of water is home to fish, most do have creatures living below the surface. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Provisioning You will find markets in every village or city, but the truest market is that of Esterport. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") --- ### [Hobbies](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/hobbies/) **Published:** August 23, 2025 **Author:** Keroc, the Starborn **Content:** ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## Hobby Skills [ Gaming ](#) [ Ylemnics ](#) Gaming Gaming is a Hobby skill centred around gambling, games of chance, puzzles, and various competitive activities. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Ylemnics Ylemnics is the art of putting together thaumizers to create what is essentially electrical systems. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") --- ### [Talent Skills](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/talent/) **Published:** August 23, 2025 **Author:** Keroc, the Starborn **Content:** ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## Talent Skills [ Barding ](#) [ Bombcrafting ](#) [ Fletching ](#) [ Floristy ](#) [ Fumology ](#) [ Linguistics ](#) [ Luthier ](#) [ Papercrafting ](#) [ Perfumery ](#) [ Pyrotechnics ](#) [ Tambourier ](#) [ Taxidermy ](#) [ Ventier ](#) Barding The Barding talent deals with the creation of a mount’s barding from saddles and saddlebags to horseshoes and armour. These items can be equipped upon your noble steed, and rearranged to modify its appearance. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Bombcrafting An art pioneered far from the lands of Sapience, the talent of bombcrafting hails from the distant shores of Albedos. While the Dreikathi forces have been able to use it to yield the most devastating results, the researchers in the port city of Delve have also learned its ways, tempering the explosive ingredients to yield a variety never before seen. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Fletching The talent of Fletching enables those who have learned it to craft a variey of bows, as well as the arrows shot from them. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Floristy The talent of Floristry allows you to create a number of floral arrangements that can be used for decoration, as gifts, or as accessories to your favorite outfit. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Fumology The Fumology talent deals in the use and creation of fragrant blends from a variety of herbs that can be used to create packets suitable for use in cigars, cigarillos, blunts, and cigarettes. These blends may also be used in hookahs created by other crafters within Aetolia. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Linguistics One of the many talents one can acquire, Linguistics will let you study and analyze other languages so that you can master them. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Luthier The talent of Luthier is the time-honored craft of creating stringed instruments, as well as the tools to play them. If you have ever dreamed of mastering the guitar, harp, or violin, then this talent is for you! Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Papercrafting Papercrafting is the art of making various paper goods – ranging from the Dwarven bolgsack to the Tsol’aa art of Hyalincuru. The talent allows you to create a number of these goods and customize several of them to your particular color desires or style. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Perfumery The Perfumery talent deals in the creation and use of essential oils from a combination of base oils, waxes and butters. Essential oils are the staple ingredient for these talents and they can be used to create products such as perfume, cologne, lotions, balms and various other, scented, goods. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Pyrotechnics The Pyrotechnics talent deals in the use of explosives for a variety of effects. Principally, pyrotechnic goods are made for a purely aesthetic quality, however some of the items created from this talent have some uses outside the aesthetic sphere. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Tambourier The talent of Tambourier is the craft of building and constructing percussion instruments. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Taxidermy The talent of Taxidermy involves preserving kills as trophies. \[aetolia\_skills skillset=”taxidermy” mode=”inline” search=”true”\] Ventier The talent of Ventier is the time-honored craft of creating wind instruments, as well as reeds. The fifer and the bugler of your wartime military units have now been gifted with the means to stir your militia to battle! Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") --- ### [Agricultural Skills](https://www.aetolia.com/skills-and-abilities/agriculture/) **Published:** August 23, 2025 **Author:** Keroc, the Starborn **Content:** ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## Agricultural Skills [ Farming ](#) [ Mining ](#) Farming Farmi[ng](https://client.aetolia.com/#) is the ability to keep a field that can be utilized to grow crops, trees or keep animals. Outside of raw materials being able to be sent to a city for commodity production, the produce that is harvested or acquired on a field can be sold to various trades. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. Mining Mining is the ability to extract metal ores from the earth. It is a fully realised skillset centred around establishing and staffing your own mining operations and navigating the dangers of the under-deeps in order to harvest resources from the earth. Skill List: please set a Base URL in Settings or provide the `data_url` attribute. ![footer-hr](http://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") --- ### [Game Help](https://www.aetolia.com/game-help/) **Published:** June 2, 2017 **Author:** Varian **Content:** --- ### [Guilds](https://www.aetolia.com/guilds/) **Published:** January 28, 2023 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Guilds in Aetolia Guilds are player-run organizations bound together by an ideology and class where characters can come together to achieve common goals, hone their skills and build lasting relationships. They’re an important part of this world, offering a sense of camaraderie and community to players of all levels and backgrounds. From fierce warriors to cunning mages, guilds provide a platform for players to come together and conquer the challenges of Aetolia. Whether you’re looking for a group of like-minded individuals to take on epic plots, or a clan of battle-hardened veterans to conquer the world, there’s a guild out there for you. From the brutal and savage Carnifex to the mystical Illuminai, each guild offers a unique experience and a chance to carve out your place in this world. With different ideologies, beliefs, and objectives, the choice of guild can define your character’s path and shape your adventure in this world. ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## The Guilds of Aetolia ![archivist_guild_image](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/archivist_guild_image-square.png "archivist_guild_image")### Archivists A studious assembly of scientists, alchemists, and scholars seeking to unravel the mysteries of Creation. ![aetolia_ascendril](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/aetolia_ascendril-square.png "aetolia_ascendril")### Ascendril The foremost pioneers of planar physics and wielders of potent elemental magic in the service of the Hammer of Dawn. ![aetolia_carnifex](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/aetolia_carnifex-square.png "aetolia_carnifex")### Carnifex The sadistic reapers of souls and masters of terrible hellfire that march beneath the Sanguine Fist’s tyrannical banner. ![aetolia_dominion](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/aetolia_dominion-square.png "aetolia_dominion")### Dominion Once a handful of noble houses of undeath, the Dominion represents the great collective of vampires that terrorize mortals in Aetolia’s Midnight Age. ![aetolia_illuminai](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/aetolia_illuminai-square.png "aetolia_illuminai")### Illuminai An ancient order of mystics, missionaries, and militant zealots bound by an ancient accord with the planes of Spirit and Fire. ![aetolia_shamans](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/aetolia_shamans-square.png "aetolia_shamans")### Praadi A circle of spiritual intermediaries and enigmatic mystics that commune with the plane of Dia’ruis and Her ominous Guardians. ![aetolia_sciomancers](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/aetolia_sciomancers-square.png "aetolia_sciomancers")### Sciomancers A cabal of sorcerers that harness the terrible might of Czjetija, the Fundamental Plane of Shadow. ![aetolia_sentaari](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/aetolia_sentaari-square.png "aetolia_sentaari")### Sentaari Guardians of balance and budding students of the mysterious Void, the Sentaari Monastery serves as a collective of telepaths and martial artists in service to the Heartwood. ![sentinels_guild](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/sentinels_guild-square.png "sentinels_guild")### Sentinels Representatives of the long dead warrior tribes of the Ithmia, the Sentinel Pride employs aggressive ambushes, clever traps, and peerless archery to hunt the hated undead. ![aetolia_syssin](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/aetolia_syssin-square.png "aetolia_syssin")### Syssin A shadowy syndicate of assassins, thieves, and spies in service of the Northern Theocracy’s dark aims. ![aetolia_templars](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/aetolia_templars-square.png "aetolia_templars")### Templars Once known as the paladins, this martial order of knights is pledged to the Light and the Hammer of Dawn’s zealous aims. ![teradrim_guild_art](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/teradrim_guild_art-square.png "teradrim_guild_art")### Teradrim A brutal band of warrior-priests charged with warding the prison of the dreaded sorcerer-kings of Azvosh. ## Joining a Guild For novices, guilds are tied to individual classes. You will be granted membership within a guild once you have completed your city’s Academy (HELP ACADEMY). You may change your class at any time while a novice, using REPICK CLASS. However, you may need to seek Aaranu in Esterport if the class is tied to a different city. NOTE: If you are a [Wayfarer](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/wayfarer/), [Indorani](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/indorani/), or [Shapeshifter](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/shapeshifter/), you will need to speak to a guild’s leadership to join, as these do not have their own class-focused guild. Some guilds may have certain requirements you must meet before being able to join their ranks. HELP will tell you who is online and able to assist. ### Joining a Guild After Novicehood If you decide a guild isn’t for you and you have already graduated, you will need to speak to a guild’s leadership. Aaranu will only assist novices. It is possible to be a member of a guild and yet hold a different class. Read HELP MULTICLASS for more information. ## Changing Guilds In Aetolia, there are several possible avenues someone can take when quitting a guild: - Quitting a guild without class. - Quitting a guild with class - Quitting a guild as a novice. When quitting a guild, you should first check to see if you are an apprentice in your class or if you have obtained class. Type SCORE and see if you “have the class of ” or if you are an apprentice in that class. You can also check your class status through CLASS LIST. It will note apprentice if you are still one. ### Quitting a guild without class (Apprentice) If you quit your guild as an apprentice in your class and are no longer a novice then you will automatically lose class when you leave your guild, causing you to lose your three guild skills. You will, however, get approximately 90% of the lessons you put into the class skills back. Once you are ready to quit your guild, simply do QUIT . After quitting your guild you are then free to join another one. ### Quitting a guild with class If you quit your guild and have class in it then you will keep all of your skills without any penalty. Quitting a class will result in a 50% loss of lessons. In order to ‘have class’ you must achieve rank 2 in your guild. ### Quitting a guild as a novice If you quit your guild as a novice then you will lose your two guild skills, but regain 100% of your lessons spent in those particular skills. ### Summary If you quit your guild as a novice, you will lose the two guild skills you have, and get back approximately the number of lessons you put into them. If you quit your guild without having gained permanency in your class, you will lose your guild skills and get back 90% of the lessons you put into them. If you quit your guild having gained permanency, your skills will be unaffected. --- ### [Bloodloch](https://www.aetolia.com/world/bloodloch/) **Published:** December 26, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Bloodloch, the Sanguine Fist ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") ![Bloodloch](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_bloodloch.png "aetolia_bloodloch")Nestled deep within the Vashnar Mountains, it is a city rooted inexorably in blood. The ancestral city of the Consanguine, it was founded by Emperor Abhorash Nehekhara, and today stands as the stronghold of those who uphold the ways of Strength as well as unyielding will to promote that amongst all its citizens, living or undead. Brutally efficient and utterly free of the pathetic weaknesses of nature and light, Bloodloch is home to the Apostles, Carnifex, and Consanguinic Dominion. It is a city that prides Strength in all its forms, and gives no quarter to those who stand against it. Warded by the vast Mhojave Desert to the west, and by the bleak Shamtota Hills to the east, Bloodloch stands center within Sapience, a still, unbeating heart that extends its power far across the realm. Its warriors are among the fiercest, its will is by far the strongest, and its wrath as unquenchable as the seething volcano the city is built around. The flag of Bloodloch is ominous in its overt plainness – a stark, featureless cloth of purest midnight. While not considered part of its official vexillology, the flag itself is often stained red with blood and embellished with grim adornments such as bone and sinew. ## City Information ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")### General - They were founded by Abhorash Nehekhara in the year 53 MA. - They are aligned with Tyranny and all its aims. - The Carnifex are their brutal vanguard in war. - The Consanguine of the Imperial Dominion write law in blood and magic. - The Teradrim Warband keep the faith of undeath. - They are home to the Nocturns. ### Fame - They were the homeland of the ancient Hlugna. - The Dark Empire of old claimed their tunnels, driving the Hlugna into exile. - They re-anchored Earth to the Prime and discovered the Apocalyptia. - They brought Ati, the Shadow to heel in a great ritual. - Their armies held the front line for months during the Second War of Night. - They lent their aid to Chakrasul in felling Shadow General Sanaz. - They were betrayed by Nega-Iosyne and subsequently sentenced Her to die. - The village of Helba was liberated by their efficient tactics. - In a display of shameless treachery, they have broken their word in official treaty on one occasion. - By way of chaotic ritual, they compelled the Eschatonic Tree to bear fruit. - They forged an ephemeral alliance with the Dreikathi, opposing Empires briefly marching in unison. - Through martial campaign and blood ritual, they laid bare the defences of the Celestine’s Tree. - They stood alongside the Hegemonist in shaping and binding the God of Pestilence. ### Divine Advisory [ ![Abhorash, the Hegemonist](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_abhorash-300x300.png "aetolia_abhorash") ](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/abhorash/) Abhorash, the Hegemonist [ ![Chakrasul, Goddess of Corruption](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_chakrasul-300x300.png "aetolia_chakrasul") ](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/chakrasul/) Chakrasul, Goddess of Corruption [ ![Arvelis, the Jackal](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/arvelis_profile.png "arvelis_profile") ](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/arvelis/) Arvelis, the Jackal [ ![Ivoln, the Earthen Lord](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_ivoln.png "aetolia_ivoln") ](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/ivoln/) Ivoln, the Earthen Lord ## Explore More Cities --- ### [Spinesreach](https://www.aetolia.com/world/spinesreach/) **Published:** December 26, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Spinesreach, Dragon of the North ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") ![Spinesreach](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_spinesreach.png "aetolia_spinesreach") In a pass within the Tarean Mountains, nestled between the Dry Plains and the frozen Tundra, stands Spinesreach, the ancient fortress citadel of the Ankyreans. Steeped in Artifice, history’s annals tell of the soaring spires and boundless innovations, and the fallen Order’s legacies – of science, art, culture, magic, guile, and ingenuity without parallel – remain as the cornerstones of Spirean ideals. Though the city has dallied with democracy and republicanism over the centuries, invariably does a singular truth reemerge: Spinesreach is Severn’s city, and the Manipulator has ever been known to take what is His. So it was that in the year 506 of the Midnight Age, the Republic was dissolved and the theocratic state – established in all but name eons beforehand and oft-whispered in the dark places of the citadel – reasserted itself beneath the gaze of the Minotaur God and the wings of the great First Dragon – Tanixalthas, Pride Incarnate. Eschewing the trivial notions of morality, honour, and justice, the Spirean mandate is one of progress without restraint, the newborn Conclaves encapsulating a myriad of fields in which merit alone wins out. It is to these ideals of progress and excellence that Spinesreach’s three native guilds – the Archivists, Sciomancers, and Syssin – adhere. The Ankyrean subjective exists now as the Spirean objective: ascension, beyond the heights of even the Citadel’s topless towers to grasp at the might of the Gods Themselves in hopes to one day supplant their divine overseer and seize power for their own. The flag of Spinesreach is known as the Tricolour; three vertical stripes of green, white and yellow. Historically, the flag has sometimes been depicted with a lion rampant within center. In modern times, this symbol has been replaced by a dragon volant, representing the city’s current moniker. The flag can be depicted with or without this draconic heraldic symbol. The three stripes are presented vertically, referencing the spires of the city that stretch towards the heavens. Each colour in the tricolour represents a different aspect of the city: green for the outer city fields, white for the snow and tundra, and yellow for the sun rising over the Tareans. ## City Information ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")### General - They were founded in antiquity by the Ankyrean Order. - They are aligned with Science and Shadow. - The Sciomancers are their conduit to Czjetija’s stygian energy. - Their will is enforced by vigilant Syssin operatives. - Cosmic mystery is theirs to unravel with the Archivists’ aid. - They are home to the Glacians. ### Fame - The proud Ankyreans met a final demise within its dark walls. - They braved the labyrinthine cogmind to quell Copperhead’s ire. - They house the mighty Dragon Spire. - Through wit and science, they created the aberrant blight. - They orchestrated the heist of a hundred million ylem. - They brought about the Rending of Czjetija in the year 505. - They destroyed half the Liruma Scrubland to end the lives of two Czjetijan Generals. - Their Republican dreams died by Artifice’s design. - Delve’s famine was stymied by their Conclaves. - They have successfully crashed one airship. - They replaced Varian’s image with that of their Divine Zenith. - They sacrificed hundreds of enemy troops to call down Lanu Du. ### Divine Advisory [ ![Tanixalthas, the Sun Drinker](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_tani-300x300.png "aetolia_tani") ](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/tanixalthas/) Tanixalthas, the Sun Drinker [ ![Arvelis, the Jackal](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/arvelis_profile.png "arvelis_profile") ](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/arvelis/) Arvelis, the Jackal [ ![Chakrasul, Goddess of Corruption](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_chakrasul-300x300.png "aetolia_chakrasul") ](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/chakrasul/) Chakrasul, Goddess of Corruption [ ![Bamathis, the Lost](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_bamathis.png "aetolia_bamathis") ](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/bamathis/) Bamathis, the Lost ## Explore More Cities --- ### [Duiran](https://www.aetolia.com/world/duiran/) **Published:** December 26, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Duiran Council, Heart of the Great Oak ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") ![Duiran](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_duiran.png "aetolia_duiran")The Duiran Council sits in the heart of the Great Oak, the massive tree in the center of the vast Ithmian forests. Home to forestal people both feral and fey, the denizens of the Heartwood are savage defenders of the wilds whose calling is maintaining the balance between Life and Death – the Rhythm, the ever-changing flow of Nature. Created from the sacrifice of a Goddess, the Duiran council considers the ancient Heartwood forest a sacred grounds, touched by the spirit-plane of Dia’ruis and infused with its essence. Many a natural wonder and an assortment of strange, spiritual creatures alike are found within the forest and the other areas nestled within the mountainous Hollow. The council is home to wielders of the mystical powers of Life and Death, the [Shamans](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/shaman/) and the [Runecarvers](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/runecarver/) respectively who enact the will of the Guardians of Dia’ruis, as well as the fate-fueled magi of the [Oneiromancers](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/oneiromancer/). Fighting alongside them are the martial Sentaari [monks](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/monk/), [Sentinel](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/sentinel/) warriors, and tribal [Wardens](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/warden/), disciplined combatants dedicated to preserving the Balance through fist, dhurive or wargauntlet. The Duiran Council is uncompromising in its stance against the threat of all that is unnatural to the wilds. It is a bastion of freedom and spirit, home to those who forge through the untended paths of the world, into strange territories others fear to tread. Above all, they fight to ensure the wilderness is allowed to run its due course by any means necessary. The flag of Duiran is defined by a single, vibrant green oak set against a wooden brown background. The oak emblem is dense with intricate whorls, its branches and roots stretching towards all the borders of the canvas. Though the flag is obvious in its symbolism of the Great Oak that marks the center of Council ground, the whorls of its branches and roots represent the endless Cycle of life, death and rebirth that Duiran holds sacred. ## City Information ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")### General - They were founded in ancient times by the Viridian Order. - They are aligned with the Eternal Cycle. - They stand as stewards to Dia’ruis, the Plane of Life. - The Shamans of the Praadi an-Kiar guide their steps. - Ancestral wisdom of the Sentinel Pride grants them Severity. - They tread the line of harmony under the guidance of the Sentaari. - They are home to the Tiarna an-Kiar. ### Fame - They brought new growth and renewal to the scoured Bloodwood. - They laid over 300 citizens of Delve to rest in the traditions of the east. - They lured the Withered Jokach into a trap, ensuring its demise. - They brought down the very moon from the sky in the ritual of Dia’ruis’ birth. - They fed Sterion’s people to the soliad, ushering in the Second War of Night. - They repelled the Cult of Kaarn in an attempt to free their master. - Alshek and his tainted brood were vanquished by their hand, allowing Srahda’s birth. - They felled Valakris the Bellower, a corrupted Guardian of Dendara. ### Divine Advisory [ ![Haern, the Hunter](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_haern-300x300.png "aetolia_haern") ](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/haern/) Haern, the Hunter [ ![Lexadhra, the Indelible](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_lexadhra.png "aetolia_lexadhra") ](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/lexadhra/) Lexadhra, the Indelible [ ![Dhar, the Underking](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_dhar-300x300.png "aetolia_dhar") ](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/dhar/) Dhar, the Underking ## Explore More Cities --- ### [Enorian](https://www.aetolia.com/world/enorian/) **Published:** December 26, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Enorian, the Hammer of Dawn ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") ![Enorian](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_enorian.png "aetolia_enorian")Along the south-eastern coast of Sapience, sits the jewel of the south – the city of Enorian. Previously destroyed in year 452 of the Midnight Age during the first War of Night, it has since been rebuilt into the bastion of faith it is today. Enorian is home to those who hold the cause of Light above all others. Adhering to the ways of the Gods of Spirit and the teachings of their forebears, they are a determined and resilient people, who stand firm and true to their ideals whilst pursuing the coming of a new Age: The Age of Dawn. Believing that the centuries-old prophecy of the Age of Dawn will only come to pass by their own hands, the citizens of Enorian face the uncertainty and darkness of coming days with unwavering fervor and conviction. Abandoning the long-held moniker of the ‘Beacon of Light’ in 504 MA, the City of Enorian rose with a renewed sense of vigor and purpose – akin to a phoenix rising from the ashes – to become Enorian, the Hammer of Dawn. With righteous fury wielded in one hand and tempered mercy in the other, the Enorianites relentlessly pursue the coveted future that was promised to them. Enorian claims three guilds: The Illuminai, an ancient order of fiery guardians of the Light who stand against Corruption, wielding might and faith in equal measure against the darkness. The Templar, knights who guard the people of Enorian and serve as Her protector and strong right arm by culling the wicked and shadow-tainted. And the Ascendril Order, who serve through an unparalleled command of the elements and a thirst for knowledge, unyielding in their mission to prevent Shadow’s ravenous advance. While Enorian promises redemption for worthy supplicants, Her people stand on the front lines of the ongoing conflict against Shadow and darkness where only one thing remains true for enemies of these Dawnbringers: repent or be put to the sword. The flag of Enorian features two horizontal stripes in shades of azure and gold. The twin colors symbolize the break of dawn, mirroring the city’s pursuit of a new Age. The azure stripe adorning the top half of the flag represents the expansive sky, while the gold stripe illuminating the bottom half is a tribute to the rising sun. ## City Information ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")### General - They were founded in ancient times in the guise of Shallam. - They are aligned with Spirit and Fire. - The Templar Knights shield their protectorates. - The Ascendril guide them through the world’s web of mystery. - Sacred covenants of the Illuminai bolster their faith. - They are home to the Seraphs. ### Fame - Their exultant cries brought forth Accordant Earth, healing the Mamashi Grassland. - They brought Marcello Relovec to a final end and burnt down his dark demesne. - They freed the Child through faithful prayer and masterful elemancy. - By way of passionate ritual, they adorned the Eschatonic Tree with fiery flowers. - Through fervent faith and ancient magic, they cleansed Delve of parasitic illness. - When all seemed lost, they summoned Fire and Wrath in the form of Dejaani. - They rediscovered the Heavenly Peal during the Second War of Night. - They laid siege to Isalemei’s encampment, exposing her to the wrath of Ael’mael. - They reignited ancient tradition, communing with the Angelic Triad of Rewh’va. - Their flagship, the Dawnbreaker, repelled Haekathi influence from Sapience. - They re-anchored Air, Fire, and Water to Prime following a dark gambit gone awry. - They rebuilt following the aftermath of Lanu Du’s destruction. - Their forebears are the ancient forces of Idar Karif, hated enemy of the Indorani. ### Divine Advisory [ ![Celezor, Accord of the Righteous](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Celezor-icon-photo.png "Celezor-icon-photo") ](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/celezor/) Celezor, Accord of the Righteous [ ![Slyphe, the Maelstrom](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_slyphe.png "aetolia_slyphe") ](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/slyphe) Slyphe, the Maelstrom ## Explore More Cities --- ### [About Aetolia](https://www.aetolia.com/about/) **Published:** January 3, 2023 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # About Aetolia ## ![](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png) ## What is Aetolia? Aetolia is a Multi User Dungeon (MUD), a text based roleplaying game situated in a dark, gothic fantasy setting. The game originally opened on October 7th 2001 as a splinter game from Achaea (Iron Realms’ founding MUD) and 21 years later is still here and thriving! What separates Aetolia from other games in the genre is our commitment to deep and meaningful roleplay. The story comes first in Aetolia and while many games claim to have a living, evolving world, we make good on that promise. Our major events are second to none in this regard, often altering the world in direct response to the way the players write the story. Aetolia boasts several hundred active users, with a typical average of 75-80 logged in at any one time. That number significantly increases during events (for instance, the War of Night finale saw 150+ players). ## Meet the paid staff Aetolia is lucky enough to have three paid staff on the development team: ![raz](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/raz-circle.jpg "raz")### Razmael: Lead Producer Razmael joined the team in January 2012 and has been a titan of the Iron Realms coding staff for over ten years. Having recently returned as Lead Producer after some years, he is responsible for some of the game’s most popular and ambitious additions such as mining, hardcore mode, and the inquisition arena game – though these are just the tip of the iceberg. Razmael is also Aetolia’s resident lorekeeper, and the mastermind behind many of the game’s major story events. ![keroc](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/keroc-circle.jpg "keroc")### Keroc: Assistant Producer, Coder & Head of Combat Keroc joined the team in October 2015 and in that time has singlehandedly wrestled with the never-ending pursuit that is combat balance – something he’s doggedly dedicated to even in the face of terrible ideas from the rest of the staff! His skills as a class designer are represented in the major update to Zealot and the entire Bard class – Aetolia’s most recent neutral class released in 2022. Beyond that, Keroc is also responsible for keeping all of our conflict systems fresh and up to date, having recently made major updates to every single one of them! ![emellan drama masks](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/emellan-drama-masks-circle.png "emellan drama masks")### Emellan: Assistant Producer, Content Creation The newest addition to the staff, Emellan joined the team in December 2022. With a great amount of Iron Realms player experience under their belt, Emellan’s primary role involves content creation – from quest making and area building to script writing and everything in between. In the short time they’ve been here, they’ve spearheaded much of the “Will of the Helm” story event, built a large expansion to the Mannaseh Swamp, and toiled away at countless other things behind the scenes! ## Accessibility Aetolia is proud to be particularly accessible to visually impaired users with a fully operational screenreader mode which minimises the amount of superfluous text and streamlines the experience to ensure ease of use. In addition to that, much of Aetolia’s colour scheme is fully adjustable, and the game offers dozens of configurable settings to customise your experience for maximum convenience and comfort. ## Diversity & Inclusion At Aetolia, and at Iron Realms as a whole, we’re fully committed to diversity in our community. By its very nature, the MUD audience is a niche one, and our game world is open and inclusive to everyone. - Players in Aetolia can configure their pronouns to their own preference at will - One of our races (Arborean) is a fully non-binary race option - Our marriage system is fully open, including options for polygamy and multiple marriages - We have thorough representation of LGBTQ population across story arcs and game characters - Our community is by far one of the most inclusive and welcoming of any MUD online Iron Realms also has a zero tolerance policy for hate speech or harassment – you won’t find those here for long. ## Contact The Aetolia support team can be reached by email via support@aetolia.com. Alternatively, you can file an ISSUE in game for more immediate attention, or contact one of the staff directly via @aetolia.com, e.g razmael@aetolia.com. ## Frequently Asked Questions #### What is Aetolia, and how is it different from other MUDs? Aetolia is a roleplaying game set in a gothic fantasy setting with a high emphasis on the roleplay side of things. What sets Aetolia apart from other MUDs? For starters, we have a large playerbase, and our roleplaying atmosphere is hard to beat. We have all of the quality of life mechanics of a large commercial game, and a quality of roleplay typically only seen in much smaller games. #### How do I create an account and log in to the game? Creating an account is simple! You can log into the game by clicking the “Play” button on our homepage, or by connecting via your favorite MUD client at aetolia.com port 23. After completing the newbie tutorial you’ll be invited to register your character, thus completing your account creation process! #### What kind of software do I need to play Aetolia? Aetolia is a game that can be played 100% from your internet browser of choice with no additional software necessary. If you’d prefer not to play on your browser, you can play on your favorite MUD client, or on your phone using the Iron Realms Entertainment Nexus app. #### Does Aetolia cost money to play? Aetolia is a completely free to play game – anything purchasable in game is capable of being acquired without spending a single real-life cent. We do have a premium currency called Credits that can be purchased with real-life money if you’re looking to speed up the process, but Credits can also be acquired in-game by using Gold (in-game earnable currency), or with our Milestones system. Milestones exist to give every player the opportunity to earn up to 20 free credits per day for completing quests, killing certain NPCs, and accomplishing certain achievements. Credits can also be earned by leveling up in game, or by earning them through your organizations. #### How do I navigate and interact with the game world? MUDs are made up of rooms, most of which you can see using the MAP command in game. Further rooms appear in the cardinal directions; if you see a room to the north, simply type north to move into that room – the same goes with every other direction. One of the biggest benefits of MUDs is their open-ended nature and the numerous possibilities for interaction within them. To interact with the game world, simply type what you’d like to do. Example: You see a Goblin in the room with you. You can type: - Say hi to goblin - Wave goblin - Punch goblin …and so on and so forth. Just be aware that the game is a living one, and your actions may have consequences – don’t go around just punching every Goblin you see! #### What is the game’s setting and plot? Aetolia has a vast history with lots of lore that has been established over the course of its 15+ year history. You can get a general overview of many pieces of it from our [lore hub](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/). In a nutshell, Aetolia is set in a gothic fantasy setting where Gods, mortals, and vampires alike fight and struggle for power. The discovery of another continent, Albedos, and their own pantheon of Gods has led to conflict innumerable as mysteries are unraveled as to who they are, and what claim they may hold. #### How does the game’s economy and crafting system work? As a text-based game, Aetolia’s economy and crafting system is 100% in the hands of the players. Our game has over 20 different crafting skills and talents ranging from fletching bows and arrows, to brewing beverages and ales for other adventurers. Our robust crafting system allows for the creation of nearly anything your imagination can come up with, and the addition of new talents and tradeskills on a near-yearly basis ensures no shortage of things to make. If a setting-appropriate item exists that players would like to make, and it fits within one of our existing tradeskills or talents, players may submit ideas to the administration at any time to request their addition. Finally, players can own and manage shops to sell all of these crafted items to other adventurers if they so desire. Player shops, much like their crafted wares, can be whatever they can come up with – from taverns to boutiques, there’s a place for every aspiring entrepreneur. #### How do I participate in the game’s roleplay and storylines? As a living and breathing world, Aetolia is a place where roleplay is always on and constantly happening – you respond how your characters would in situations and plots. To participate in the game’s roleplay and storylines, simply show up and interact! An entire 3-month event ([the War of Night](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/second-war-of-night-saga/)) was a result of players deciding to act. Speak to other players you see, interact with the mobs in rooms you encounter, and create a place for your character – you might just start the next near-apocalypse! #### What are the game’s major factions and guilds? The major factions in Aetolia tend to be broken down into 3 primary categories: - Cities - Orders - Guilds While cities and guilds are fairly self-explanatory, Orders are organizations devoted to the worship of a particular God or Goddess in Aetolia. You can read more about the game’s [player-run cities here](https://www.aetolia.com/world/), or more about the [game’s Gods here](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/). #### How do I join a group or organization? When creating a new character you’ll be given the option to choose your city straight away during the character creation process. For most classes (there are a few exceptions), you’ll also be given the opportunity to select a guild. If during playing you realize you don’t like the organizations you’re part of, you may quit that organization and seek out a new one. Doing so is as simple as checking HELP and seeing who can induct you, or in the case of guilds heading to Esterport and visiting Aaranu. #### How do I fight and engage in combat? Every [character class](https://www.aetolia.com/character-classes/) in Aetolia has different strategies for combat based on the skills they have access to. Engaging in combat typically comes down to finding a reason to do so and jumping in! Due to the number of classes in the game, and the intricacies of each class, a primer on fighting is a bit beyond the scope of this FAQ, but you’re bound to receive support in this area either in our Discord, or in-game! #### What are the game’s social norms and etiquette? As a roleplaying game in a dark and perilous setting, social norms can vary depending on the city you’re a part of. Generally speaking, some social norms and etiquette for playing as a whole would include: - Always be in-character – it’s a roleplaying game after all! - If you need to chat with somebody out of character while in the game, make sure to get permission first. The NEWBIE channel exists to ask questions out of character if you can’t find anyone to ask. - Have a reason before attacking other players - Gods within the game are there for roleplay purposes – administrative questions should be handled by messaging Ictinus, or by filing an issue #### How do I report bugs or issues? Aetolia has a thorough bug system – simply type BUG followed by your message in the game to report a bug. If you feel that the bug is one that’s game-breaking, has affected something you’ve purchased, or is otherwise an emergency, you can ISSUE ME followed by your message to create an issue, which is typically reserved for higher-priority issues. #### How do I get help or support if I have a problem? Depending on the nature of your problem, you have a few routes: **Problems with purchases:** Message Ictinus, email support, or file an issue in game. **Encountering a bug:** BUG the issue, or submit an issue if it’s an emergency. **Question about the game:** You can ask questions on the newbie channel, or visit our Discord to ask other players. #### What is the game’s player-killing policy? While the game has a wide variety of rules as to what constitutes valid cause for killing players as outlined in HELP PK in game, the general rule of thumb is simple: **if a player has given you a valid roleplay reason to kill them, you may kill them.** Actions in Aetolia have consequences, and player-killing is one of them. With that being said, we have no place for griefers or trolls; if you find that you’re being repeatedly killed for no reason, make sure to file an issue in game to have the situation looked into. #### How do I communicate with other players in the game? It wouldn’t be a living world if you couldn’t communicate with other players in the game! Communication can be broken down in several different ways: **Says and emotes**: These are visible only to the other players physically in the room with you. Simply SAY or EMOTE and other payers in the room will see it. **Tells**: Consider these similar to whispers, or DMs – tells can be sent to any player on the same continent as you by typing TELL . **Channels:** Most organizations have a dedicated channel, whether they’re cities, guilds, orders, or clans. Each of these have a specific command to communicate to that particular channel, but these messages will go out to every other member of that particular organization. **Remember: Interacting in these ways is all to be done in character! If you need to speak out of character (OOC) with another player, get permission first, and then try to limit it to a tell so that others don’t have their immersion thrown off.** #### How can I access the game’s forums and community? You can find the [game’s forums here](https://forums.aetolia.com/), but most players tend to spend more time on our Discord. You can find a [link to join our Discord here](https://discord.gg/x2s7fY6). #### How can I get involved in the game’s development and community management? Outside of a handful of paid staff, Aetolia’s administration is made up of volunteers called Celani. Celani help to create world events, control NPCs and plots, create and release new areas, and eventually even (if desired) take on a God role! Celani calls, open periods where players may apply to be a Celani, are held periodically as need demands. If you’d like to become a Celani, keep an eye on the game’s announce posts for the next opportunity! #### How can I suggest new features or give feedback? Aetolia has an idea system specifically for the purpose of suggesting new features – while in game, simply type IDEA followed by the idea you’d like to present. Other players can then see that idea, and support it if they agree. Ideas are regularly gone through and implemented by the administration, so make sure to make your voice heard! Feedback can be given either by messaging or emailing the game’s administrators, or by chatting on Discord. #### How can I learn more about the game’s lore and worldbuilding? We’re expanding [the lore section](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/) of our website to include more information – this can serve as a starting point as it grows! Aside from that, the game’s HELP system while in game can help you find much of what you need. You can also find books, or ask other players – both of these are easy hooks to find yourself some roleplay while you’re at it! #### How do I gain experience and advance my character’s skills and abilities? Gaining experience in the game is primarily accomplished through a few different routes: questing, killing NPCs (usually referred to as hunting, or bashing), and killing other players. Advancing your skills, for the most part, is done with lessons. Different skills require different amounts of lessons to progress them, and lessons are acquired by leveling up or converting credits to lessons. #### How do I acquire and use items and equipment in the game? The vast majority of items and equipment you’ll use in the game are created by other players via the use of tradeskills and talents, thus acquiring these items can be accomplished by asking other players, or purchasing them in a shop. #### How does the game’s political system work? Unique among roleplaying games to MUDs, Aetolia’s political system is entirely player-run – as a result, expect some politicking! It’s not abnormal to experience campaigning for city leader positions, tales of intrigue and drama among city leaders, and more. Getting involved in politics in game is as simple as starting conversations with the people in charge and making the right connections, making yourself useful, and making a reputation for yourself! #### How does the game’s quest system work? Aetolia has over 1,000 unique quests scattered throughout the world with more being added every month. While some NPCs will alert you to an available quest when you enter their room, others require a bit more digging – generally speaking, GREETing and interacting with the game’s various NPCs will be your best bet for discovering quests. Once you’ve discovered a quest it’ll be added to your quest log. When in game, take a look at HELP QUESTS for more information. #### How do I access the game’s achievements and leaderboards? Aetolia’s closest parallel to achievements would be considered honors lines – you can HONORS while in the game to take a look at that particular player’s general information and fame lines. Honors lines can be acquired by completing certain quests, participating in story events, and killing certain difficult NPCs. As far as leaderboards go, Aetolia has a RANKINGS system that’s broken down into multiple categories ranging from experience to exploring. HELP RANKINGS while in the game will expand on the different leaderboards available in this regard! #### How do I access the game’s housing system? To purchase your own house within Aetolia you’ll want to reference HELP CASTLES – these typically cost credits, and require an initial administrative process to place. Once your initial house is placed, housing additions are as simple as inputting a few commands in the game! If you’re not looking to spend credits for housing, some cities have apartments available for rent using gold – check out your city’s help files to see if this amenity is available to you. Finally, Havens exist as a private space similar to a house that become available upon reaching level 100. Receiving experience beyond level 100 awards players with haven points that can be used to further expand your space if so desired. --- ### [Gods](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/) **Published:** December 23, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # The Gods of Aetolia In order to better shape and govern the constituent elements of the world, Varian, either through His direct influence or by setting processes in motion, created the Gods of Sapience. These are powerful and inscrutable beings, paid respect by almost all denizens of Aetolia. Each God or Goddess influences Their own realm, Their purposes and goals differing dramatically from one another. The following Gods walk among the denizens of Sapience today, and have their own Orders, temples, and shrines. Gods of Spirit are closely aligned with guilds and cities commonly believed to be “good” (protecting the sanctity of life, espousing Truth, etc.), though Their motives range from gentle, to intolerant, to sinister and controversial. Gods of Shadow claim as Their domain guilds and cities considered “evil” by most (reveling in murder, partaking in undeath, weaving lies and deception), although they may be anything from outwardly bloodthirsty to subtle and unpredictable. ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") [](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/abhorash) ![Abhorash, the Hegemonist](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_abhorash.png "aetolia_abhorash")## Abhorash **The Hegemonist** [](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/bamathis) ![Bamathis, the Lost](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_bamathis.png "aetolia_bamathis")## Bamathis **The Lost** [](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/arvelis) ![arvelis_square](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/arvelis_square.png "arvelis_square")## Arvelis **The Jackal** [](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/celezor/) ![celezor-profile](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/celezor-profile.png "celezor-profile")## Celezor **Accord of the Righteous** [](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/chakrasul) ![Chakrasul, Goddess of Corruption](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_chakrasul.png "aetolia_chakrasul")## Chakrasul **Goddess of Corruption** [](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/dhar) ![Dhar, the Underking](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_dhar.png "aetolia_dhar")## Dhar **The Underking** [](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/euthymius) ![euthymius main profile](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/euthymius-main-profile.png "euthymius main profile")## Euthymius **The Heart of Sapience** [](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/haern) ![Haern, the Hunter](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_haern.png "aetolia_haern")## Haern **The Hunter** [](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/lexadhra) ![Lexadhra, the Indelible](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_lexadhra.png "aetolia_lexadhra")## Lexadhra **The Indelible** [](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/slyphe) ![Slyphe the Dauntless Cropped (1)](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Slyphe-the-Dauntless-Cropped-1.png "Slyphe the Dauntless Cropped (1)")## Slyphe **The Dauntless** [](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/tanixalthas) ![Tanixalthas, the Sun Drinker](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_tani.png "aetolia_tani")## Tanixalthas **The Sun Drinker** [](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/zyrialith) ![profile-photo-zyrialith](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/profile-photo-zyrialith.png "profile-photo-zyrialith")## Zyrialith **The Virulence** ## Departed Gods The following Gods existed in one form or another at some point in Aetolia’s history, but have either deceased, or changed so as to become unrecognizable. - Avareti, Goddess of Symmetry - Arion, the Truthseeker - Auresae, Goddess of Fire - Damariel, the Unbound - Dhaivol, the Underking - Ethne, the Rekindled - Khepri, the Seething Chaos - Iosyne, the Malevolent - Ivoln, the Earthen Lord - Lanos, Lord of Truth - Lleis, the Verdant - Maghak, the Sovereign - Niuri, the Ultraist - Omei, the Imago - Rahn, God of Fire - Severn, the Manipulator - Ysmali, the Sanguine - Varian, the Celestine [](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/damariel) ![Damariel, the Unbound](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_damariel.png "aetolia_damariel")## Damariel **The Unbound** [](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/ivoln) ![Ivoln, the Earthen Lord](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_ivoln.png "aetolia_ivoln")## Ivoln **The Earthen Lord** [](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/severn) ![Severn, the Manipulator](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_severn.png "aetolia_severn")## Severn **The Manipulator** [](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/ethne) ![Ethne, the Rekindled](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_ethne.png "aetolia_ethne")## Ethne **The Rekindled** [](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/omei) ![Omei, the Imago](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_omei.png "aetolia_omei")## Omei **The Imago** --- ### [Euthymius](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/euthymius/) **Published:** December 27, 2023 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Euthymius, the Heart of Sapience Born anew from the raised spirits of Sapience, the virtue of Morale assumes many titles – the Caretaker, the Uplifter, the Heart of Sapience. In the cosmic dance of energies, Morale is a harmonious melody that resonates through individuals and communities alike. It is the wellspring of courage that turns challenges into triumphs and adversity into opportunities for growth. At its core, Morale stands as a testament to the resilience of the mortal spirit and the boundless potential for those opportunities. To follow Morale, to heed Their call, is to pledge one’s life to lifting, raising, and bolstering the spirits of others. The Chosen of Morale serves as a guiding light for those who have spiralled too deeply, lost in the misery and mire, offering a path back to the uplifting embrace of shared optimism and encouragement. Notably, Morale is not war-adverse. Instead, it sees war as another stage, another facet of the collective journey. Morale is the rhythmic beat of war drums, the unwavering standard bearer in the heat of conflict, and the comforting letters from home that inspire courage in the face of battle. It embraces the challenges of war as opportunities for the indomitable spirit to shine forth, weaving tales of valour and resilience into the grand tapestry of existence. ![euthymius main profile](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/euthymius-main-profile.png "euthymius main profile") ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Information They were born in the new era through the will of Sapience. They embody the long-forgotten Virtue of Morale. They have no mortal shell. They wander as They see fit. ## Fame They cast away the despair felt by Sapience. ## Description They are an Immortal, conceived from the combined spirit of Sapience to form a singular entity. They are neither bound by flesh nor the fleeting breaths of time; instead, They are a nebula of energy so concentrated you can see it before your eyes. Their countenance bears no eyes, for the God possesses no face. Instead, a carved wooden mask with two holes for eyes approximates where a face might be, hovering in place. Around their spectral silhouette sits a cloak of green, resting just under the mask and reaching towards the ground where it drags along to follow where the God takes Themself. (Placed where a head might be) : a wood-carved mask (Worn where the shoulders would be) : a green cloak ## Explore More Gods --- ### [Abhorash](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/abhorash/) **Published:** December 24, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Abhorash, the Hegemonist At the conclusion of the second War of Night, the Malevolent Goddess fell at the hands of the Warlord, Her Being scattered to the four winds. With Iosyne’s essence too damaged to take form for centuries yet, the Progenitor of the Consanguine elected to subsume the former Goddess; eschewing the traditional role of mortal shell, Abhorash’s immense power instead devoured the Divine essence, His unmovable will binding the Virtue to His command. Thus did the vampire ascend to join the Pantheon in year 505 of the Midnight Age. Taking on the mantle of Hegemonist, Abhorash casts a shadow of domination, seeking to annex all under His iron fist. The Progenitor God recognises only strength and the authority it grants; neither quarter nor mercy are found in His purview, whether for foes or followers, and His hegemony enforces utter subjugation upon His conquests. Such domination is achieved through strategy, drawing upon the realm once held by Iosyne in ages long forgotten: direction, plans, and preparations are painstakingly crafted to leave no doubt in the pursuit of absolute and crushing victory, for nothing less is acceptable to Him. Blood is His legacy, its sanguine vitality the catalyst for His own indomitable strength and ascension. Though Abhorash retains many of the vampiric traits of His heritage, His evolution, capped by His Divinity, has transformed Him into something wholly alien from the Consanguine birthed from the Dark Mother’s rituals. His followers, whether vampiric, Undead, or living, strive to unlock the unlimited potential within the blood. Indeed, those who manage to earn His favour – no small feat – may be offered a taste of His Gift to stand as His progeny, bespoke weapons fit to march alongside the domineering God. While Abhorash’s roots run deepest within Bloodloch, His following remains open to any with the strength to seize the dominance that He champions. The God welcomes any able to hone – or, indeed, challenge – the strength of the Empire He founded. ![Abhorash, the Hegemonist](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_abhorash.png "aetolia_abhorash") ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Information He was 470 years old when He ascended to Divinity in 505 MA. He is aligned with strength and domination. He is the Founder of Bloodloch. His temple is Bloodloch and all its vassal states. His power is beyond mortal measure. ## Fame He consumed the damaged essence of Iosyne to ascend to Godhood. He oversaw the rise of the Thronekeepers in Bloodloch. He empowered the Dominion with his bloodstone to combat nightmarish dregs. He released the Dominion. He was the only chosen of Belladona. He is the progenitor of the Consanguine after Belladona’s demise. He survived an assassination attempt by the Gaes cult. He drank of Ati, the Shadow and ended its reign of terror. ## Description He is an Immortal and stands at a moderate height, pale as snow and with a slender, powerful frame. His thin fingers end in long, vicious claws, and deadly fangs curl over His lips, which are generally given to a derisive sneer. His face seems as if it has been carved from marble – high cheekbones, a powerful jawline, and a long nose define His visage, and beneath His tall brow His glacier blue eyes glow with the intensity of Divine essence. His blonde hair, cropped short, has been swept back from his face and parted at the middle. A cloud of dark shrouds the Hegemonist, creeping hungrily outwards to consume the light of His surroundings. (dashingly cinched at the throat) : a stygian silk cravat (a pall of utter blackness) : an enveloping cape of ravenous shadows (trimly fitted and elegant) : an umbral patterned waistcoat of vivid claret (a handsome fall of linen) : a finely tailored dress shirt of cold-black linen (creaseless and dapper) : classically fit trousers of unbroken ebon (worn on the feet) : polished wingtip shoes ## Explore More Gods --- ### [Arvelis](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/arvelis/) **Published:** November 14, 2023 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Arvelis, the Jackal An everpresent truth resounds within the very core of Arvelis, the Jackal: for every light there must be darkness. Formed not directly by but in response to Echatonic manifestation, the essence that is housed within the once-Caentoi was there from the moment Accordant Fire was remade. The fundamental laws of Creation must be maintained, even within the realm of Sapience far outside the Eschaton’s original design. The shell of Albedi-make that now hosts Incarnate Darkness, a man once called Tepevra, lived a life filled with taking risks, walking into the awaiting maw of danger, and was unafraid to raise his ambitions ever higher. His is the eye that measures all risks. His is the hand that tilts the scales in favour of the ambitious. Urging His closest to go forth and strain for ever greater heights, it is His followers that seek opportunity at every corner, mold potential to suit their aims and fulfill their goals, and to take risks for the possibilities that lie beyond them. Empowered by Eschatonic design, the Jackal commands full control of shadow upon the continent. Wielding shadow as its uncontested warden, Arvelis regulates its balance in an effort to maintain Sapience’s cohesion, its forbidding murk at His beck and call. ![arvelis_square](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/arvelis_square.png "arvelis_square") ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Information He manifested in the Age of Technology. His mortal shell is Tepevra, a Caentoi of the Bonro Sands. He is the warden of Shadow upon Sapience. He seeks only the ambitious within His ranks. His power matches that of bygone Elders and ancient forces. ## Fame He held Ozeroth, the Firstborn at bay with but a single claw. ## Description He is an Immortal figure of sleek lines and masculine planes, features carved into Divine sharpness and immaculate contours the likes of which His Caentoi lineage has never known. Triangular ears begin to shape His muscular silhouette, they and His entire frame covered in a sleek, ebony-hued coat that enwraps Him like a shadow-wrought second skin. Crisply-shaded eyes of oceanic blue slant subtly toward the Jackal’s muzzle, their sclera naught but voids of deepest midnight, further framing each iris into stark relief of twin beacons that cut through the everdark. He holds Himself with a commanding presence, exuding an air of refined, predatory grace and the limitless potential of devastation that resides within His domain. Each motion He makes draws darkness from all directions inward, a king’s demand of subservience answered without hesitation. The God’s steps part and merge with shadows in equal measure as the gloom yearns to become one with His unknowable penumbra, if only fleetingly. (hanging from the shoulders) : the white cloak of Yanda Seluno (tied with a crimson silk belt) : loose-fitting robes of silk-lined charcoal wool ## Explore More Gods --- ### [Slyphe](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/slyphe/) **Published:** December 24, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Slyphe, the Dauntless In the heart of the churning sea, Slyphe, the Dauntless, stands sovereign. Her very being sings with the cadence of crashing waves, a testament to the eternal dance of might and mastery. The Immortal mariner, whose essence is carved from the bedrock of the deep, summons the brave to stand against the storm’s roar with a smile upon Her lips. To follow Slyphe is to embark upon an odyssey where valor breathes life into the sails of destiny. She is the beacon for those who find solace in the eye of the hurricane, whose spirits are kindled by the exhilarating drumbeat of the tempest’s challenge. Her laughter rings above the din of battle, a harmonious anthem for the intrepid heart. In Her divine realm, a paradise is forged not from idle whimsy but through the crucible of endeavor. Slyphe’s Chosen, the Heroes, are artisans of their own fate, sculpting a world where the sunlit shores of tomorrow are bathed in the glory of today’s courage. Bear aloft Her symbols-the mighty trident, the wise astrolabe, the relentless shark-as you navigate the sea of life. They are the sigils of a legacy that transcends the horizon, the very icons that declare one’s soul a vessel for the Dauntless’s indomitable will. Slyphe calls to the stalwart, to those unyielding before the vast unknown. Embrace the tempest, for in the heart of the gale, the Dauntless awaits, Her hand outstretched. ![Slyphe the Dauntless](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Slyphe-the-Dauntless.png "Slyphe the Dauntless") ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Information Her essence was created by Varian in the first epoch. Her mortal shell is Captain Ralir, the Rogue She achieved Their current form in the year 0 AC. She is aligned with the water and the seas. Her temple lies upon the isle of Libec Cay. Her High Priestess is Evira. Her power is beyond mortal measure. ## Fame She danced with Death and lived to tell the tale. She battled Life and evaded His feral wrath. She risked Herself to defend Enorian from certain destruction during the second War of the Night. She consumed a portion of Maghak’s heart, gaining control over Elemental Air for a time. She provided the heart of Maghak to Tanixalthas, ending Their time as the Tempest. She has been lost within Omei’s dream realm and lived to tell the tale. She created the Kelki, tailoring them for intelligence and creativity. She has presided as a guest judge of the Iron Epicurean. She is said to have once slain more people than the Kerrithrim with a single Immortal croak. ## Description She is an Immortal, Her form commanding yet graced with an agile elegance, a narrative of resilience echoing the storied trials of a sea-weathered life. Her gaze, deep sea-green and cloaked in mystery, radiates an unshakable resolve, the quintessence of boundless courage shaped in the forge of ceaseless tides. Her azure skin, a tapestry of entrancing mottled blues, mirrors the ocean’s profound depths, each hue a note in the eternal symphony of the deep. Indistinct cerulean tattoos dance across Her lithe frame, their pulsating designs whispering of ancient secrets held in the ocean’s embrace. Thick aquamarine tendrils frame Her visage with an elegant sway, a silent ode to Her Kelki heritage. ## Explore More Gods --- ### [Zyrialith](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/zyrialith/) **Published:** November 7, 2023 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Zyrialith, the Virulence With the aid of the Empire of Bloodloch, Zyrialith was forced into existence in the Lich Scriptorium on the 637th day of the Creator’s Monomachy, 513 MA, by the Progenitor God; emerging from the abyssal depths of heretical ambition, Zyrialith’s very genesis serves as testament to the Hegemonist’s unslakable hunger for power. Synthesised from a horrific fusion of plagues, blood rituals, and twisted research and experimentation of mortal and Divine nature alike, the Virulence roams the land as a deadly pathogen – It is pestilence’s author, the malignant architect of myriad diseases both known and unknown. The God’s blasphemous origin is not the sole factor that demarcates It from the rest of the Pantheon: created for singular purpose, the Entity is bereft of the burden of sentience, existing with the sole directive of annihilation as a weapon enslaved to Abhorash’s will. Forged from threads of Creation stolen from Celestine and Eschaton alike, the Virulence occupies a fabricated shell – an imperial wargolem, broken and rebuilt for purpose, the synthetic God’s essence anchored to the hundreds of tormented souls infused within this shell. Blood baptised Its birth, blood sustains Its form, and blood reigns in Its wake. Zyrialith wields this imbued legacy of Its Creator as sustenance and ordnance alike, drowning the Hegemonist’s enemies in torrential deluges of crimson contagion. ![profile-photo-zyrialith](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/profile-photo-zyrialith.png "profile-photo-zyrialith") ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Information Its essence was stolen from Celestine and Eschaton alike. It was forged in the Lich Scriptorium. Its shell is an imperial wargolem, infused with subjugated souls. It is bereft of sentience, enslaved by Abhorash, the Hegemonist. Its power is beyond mortal measure. ## Fame It engulfed Omei in a maelstrom of virulent rot, sealing Her demise. It is a synthetic God, given blasphemous life. ## Description It is an Immortal of living pestilence wearing the skin of a desiccated humanoid effigy. Every inch of its withered semblance seems to be woven from decay itself: emaciated limbs, gaunt cheeks, and a skeletal frame, all wrapped in a membrane saturated with aeons of affliction. All across this exsiccated shell runs a tapestry of engorged veins, bloated and sanguine, each bloody conduit pulsating with a frenzied, uneven beat. These veins, saturated with ichor the hue of deepest crimson, writhe and twist, constricting the Deity with the shackles of Its Creator’s dominion. Beneath the Virulence’s hollowed and sunken brow, eyes empty as voids gaze out, harbouring the darkness of the blackest abyss. From within these depths, eruptions of sickly red and green occasionally radiate, emulating the very plagues this wretched God breathes into existence. No hair graces Its emaciated skull, the smooth pate broken only by the same tangled chains of veins that snake across the rest of Its form. A cocoon of pure malaise envelops Zyrialith; it rolls and heaves, an ever-shifting miasma of pestilences. In stark juxtaposition to the withered form of the God, the maelstrom of contagion that shrouds It is ripe with life, each organism an unspoken promise of fatal virulence that yearns to touch, to tarnish, to torment, to terminate. ## Explore More Gods --- ### [Bamathis](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/bamathis/) **Published:** December 24, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Bamathis, the Lost Created by Varian after the horrors inflicted upon Sapience by the Albedi entity Jox, Bamathis’ entire existence was devised with a singular purpose: to lead Varian’s Children against the Albedi menace and ensure Sapience’s survival against what was then perceived as an all-consuming threat. While His devotion to duty was laudable and unwavering until the very end of the Creators’ Monomachy, the majority of Bamathis’s tenure as Sapience’s Warlord was fraught with strife and internal conflict. Dissent reigned across the city states of Aetolia on whether even to acknowledge His purpose as a just one, and in some extreme cases extended to outright heresy against the Celestine and interdiction of Bamathian worship or adherence. Following Varian’s absconsion from Aetolia in the final hours of the Monomachy and, having witnessed the Eschaton’s return to Its position as supreme Creator, the weight of His Siblings’ betrayals – particular Severn and Damariel – have left Him a grief-stricken, broken God. Though He yet retains dominion over the realm of Strife, the Lord’s purpose going forward is a mystery, His thoughts lost to grief and introspection after the unravelling of all He once believed as true. ![Bamathis, the Warlord](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_bamathis.png "aetolia_bamathis") ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Information He was created by Varian on the 10th of Lanosian, 476 MA. His mortal shell is Lobyl, the Ankyrean commander. He is aligned with Sapience. His temple has been built around the roots of Yggdrasil. He has yet to choose a High Priest. His power is beyond mortal measure. ## Fame He destroyed Avareti, Goddess of Symmetry. He led the armies of Sapience against Chaos and defeated Golgotha. He holds the #1 ranked score for Tilt amongst the Divine. He led the slaughter of Skythrone. He resurrected the ancient tradition of Memonaransa, the Court of the Gods. He slew the corrupted Adherent Agrimarha, claiming the first victory over Ohlsana’s Generals. He clove in twain the traitorous God Nega-Iosyne. ## Description He is an Immortal and stands as the pinnacle of His Ankyrean embodiment. Pointed ears peek out from His long hair, midnight dark with a predator’s gleam which drapes down His back and shoulders. Cut like almonds and cast in eerie silver, His eyes set the severe tone of His angular, slender face. Tall with a muscular physique, His light complexion has a nearly metallic undertone, as if His being was merely a pleasing veneer over venantium. A perfectly circular burn is set high up and center of His chest, a blackened mass of flesh roughly wrist width. (sculpted to His frame) : a gleaming cuirass of argent venantium (covering the torso, reaching His knees) : a long tunic cut from strange black cloth (secured over His shins) : polished venantium greaves (strapped tight) : a warrior’s reinforced sandals ## Explore More Gods --- ### [Severn](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/severn/) **Published:** December 24, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Severn, the Manipulator (Departed) Originally Varian’s son of Reason and Purpose, Severn came to be more well known to mortals as the Artificer and Manipulator. Second only in grand designs to His Creator, Severn’s name is woven throughout all recorded history as footnotes to nearly every major event that has transpired across the continent of Sapience. Given dominion over Shadow on Sapient soil, He cultivated the people of Spinesreach from Ankyrean to Republic to Theocracy, with an eye always kept out for those across the land who displayed specific talents in Artifice, Influence, Intimidation and Subversion. His greatest work finally came to light in the waning moments of the Creator’s Monomachy, wherein He attempted to do battle with both Varian and the Eschaton to take the place of Creator for Himself. Hundreds of years of planning, scheming and pulling on the strings of various forces within the realm led to His final act – emulating His own Father’s desperate attempt to become all-powerful by draining the entire world of its combined might. To His surprise, however, it was His very opposite – now in the form of Damariel – that was His undoing, killing Him before His plan could be fully realised. His myriad works yet remain in some capacity throughout the world, the far-reaching touch of the attempted Monomachial usurper having long-lasting effects upon the denizens and adventurers of Aetolia. It is perhaps only fitting that Reason’s legacy be felt forevermore, the name Severn carved into the very annals of time. ![Severn, the Manipulator](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_severn.png "aetolia_severn") ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Information His essence was created by Varian in the first epoch. His mortal shell is Argas, the minotaur captain. He achieved His current form in the year 295MA. He is aligned with Shadow. He is the Ard-Dhasani of Spinesreach. His temple is located in the Siroccian mountains. His power is beyond mortal measure. ## Previous Help File The divinity, Severn, is the embodiment of shadow on the continent of Sapience. While His chosen form can vary wildly from encounter to encounter, recently He seems to be taking the appearance of a large Minotaur, a race which has a special affinity for Him. The reasons for Severn’s actions are as difficult to judge as one would expect. Following the twisting labyrinth of obscured actions and misdirection have tended to be fruitless efforts for mortals seeking to find His motives. Some may conclude that Severn’s means might be His only ends, but the clever observer tends to notice patterns from what is generally known about the influence that point to some unknown goal. The Artificer is known for His love of bargaining and will never back out of a deal, although one may not always find this to be in their favour. Severn’s order is the hand employed to carry out His will and His tenets are the preferred tools with which they work. Artifice, Influence, Intimidation, and Subversion are found to be the most efficient means to shift and change most situations to His liking; those loyal to Him always keep an eye out for persons with talent in those areas. ## Fame He brought the Indorani to an end for their treason against Sapience. He plotted the events leading to the death of Lanos. He was branded ‘Artificer’ by the Celestine for His transgressions. He enacted the Grand Artifice. He orchestrated the end of the Ankyreans. ## Description He is a Minotaur God, and always seems to tower over any who are present. The bulk of His imposing, bovine form is equipped with an abundance of thick, corded muscle, attesting to His immortal strength. Savagely long, a glossy black horn sits on either side of His head, protruding from the spot where His ears would sit if He had any. Two rows of razor-sharp teeth fill His bestial maw, their immaculate white contrasting sharply with the caramel tuft of fur that descends from His chin. Similar coloured fur adorns the God’s back, like a mane, starting at the base of His neck and ending a short distance above His waist. Pupilless, yellow eyes gleam piercingly, like a lantern in fog, from within the dark brume that enshrouds the Manipulator. Shadowy tendrils snake out in all directions from His black iron hooves, responding to even the faintest motion or movement. His right arm is conspicuously absent, truncating in a fleshy stump. (hanging from the shoulders) : a night sky scarf (draped over the stump of His right arm) : Umbrael, the cloak of Midnight (obscuring His form) : a haze of writhing shadows ## Explore More Gods --- ### [Omei](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/omei/) **Published:** December 24, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Omei, the Imago (Departed) Imago. Empress. Beast-Queen. Nightmare. Instinct. The story of Omei was one of struggle, growth and transformation. Known to mortals by names as diverse as the colours upon Her Astral Realm, Omei carried one singular truth within Her – the instinctual understanding that Varian, Her own Creator, would one day betray Her and all of His creations. Her disdain for Varian took shape in many forms, including actively working against Him and His supporters up to and in the moment of Her ultimate demise. It was She that wounded the Celestine in battle in the final hours of the Creators’ Monomachy, Her promise for vengeance fulfilled even though it cost Her life. Omei presided over the virtue of Instinct, though it was not often She associated with that aspect of Herself directly. Instead, She chose to utilise various other paths through Her life that moved with and helped to shape the world today. There are two among these that are most notable to mortals; firstly, Her reign as Empress of a portion of the Chaos Plane known as the Astral Realm, a place where She was unquestionably feared and respected alike by the Astral Lords within. Secondly, and just as notable, was Her many years spent embracing the Nightmare, a fiendishly cunning and deadly outlook on Her virtue that drove fear into the hearts of Her enemies and emboldened Her followers to new heights. The followers of Omei, under any of Her many guises, were varied and devout. Few of the Pantheon were and are able to cultivate as deep a reverence as what the Chromatic Court, Her closest followers, held for Her. Warriors, artists, politicians and poets, all were loved by Her, so long as they embraced the chaotic, creative aspects that She ruled over. ![Omei, the Imago](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_omei.png "aetolia_omei") ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Information Her essence was created by Varian in the first epoch. Her mortal shell is Hioma, a Rajamala girl. She achieved Her current form in the year 486 MA. She is aligned with Spirit. She claims the Seer’s Wood for Her sacred dominion. Lady Diantha of Silver is Her crown princess. Her power is variable. ## Previous Help File Many-named, richly-storied, and widely divisive, Omei claims countless titles to Her name, but two in particular bespeak Her fullest glory: Imago of the Dreamworld, and Empress of the Astral Realm. Reigning over instinct, chaos, and dreams, She is a Goddess of emotion, perception, and will, encouraging those who seek to earn Her favor to prove their worthiness by strength and self-knowledge. The architect of both tantalizing wonderlands and terrifying nightmares, She draws Her chosen – beloved and victim alike – into Her domains, dredging up their deepest desires and darkest fears, forcing Her followers to face what lurks in the corners of their own minds. In the cold, harsh light of the Dreamworld, hidden hopes become tangible, the path to achieving them laid bare, while lurking terrors take on physical forms for followers to battle and overcome, lest they succumb to their own nightmares. Her path is one for the bravest, for those unafraid of the darkness within their own minds, and it was precisely this harsh, demanding aspect that placed Her in high regard by the Rajamalas of which She holds a special affinity for. Warriors and artists, politicians and poets, all are loved by Her, so long as they embrace the chaotic, creative lands She is Queen of – for that reason, the Undead are anathema, for their very nature is a slumberless, dreamless one, and She reviles them for shunning Her gift. Her symbols are the moth, moon, and raccoon, and Her colors are violet and silver. ## Fame Her sevenfold aspects are Artist, Beast Queen, Dreamer, Empress, Imago, Maiden, and Nightmare. Her domains are art, dreams, emotion, thought, and sensation. She created – and was once imprisoned within – the Dreamworld. She is one of the Diarchs of Sapient Chaos. She was once punched so hard that She turned into moths. She was once bum-rushed so hard that She turned into raccoons. She plays the Moonlight Calliope, birthing the dreams of mortals. She conspired with Maghak to slay the Muse and steal Her eyes. ## Description She is an Immortal ensconced within a Rajamala shell of unexceptional, middling height. Her huntress’ frame is young and vital despite the undeniable power She carries, pale tigerlike stripes painting her slender, sable-furred shape. Strong, wiry muscle belies Her prowess as a huntress; swirling motes of light curl through the air about Her. Despite their muted, subdued quality, they seem to catch and burn bright about the corners of Her violaceous eyes: clever, narrow, and refulgent with Immortal fire, an unmistakable tell of Her Divine nature. Her furred features are dark as night but for the silver strands of Her whiskers. The hair upon Her head grows just past shoulder length, its thick midnight mass trailing across Her porphyrous gaze and violet-lipped maw more often than not. Otherworldly eyes of vibrant violet shine forth from Her face, the irises and sclerae alike refulgent and luminous with fey, eldritch light. The mark of a rose-red moth stands out upon Her neck. (across Her face) : a sleek blue mask (winding across Her as vines) : pearlescent, elaborate dath of chaotic color (set around Her neck) : a choker with moon phase charms (slung over Her shoulder) : a bow wrought from chaos (across Her torso) : an iridescine chain shirt (slung across Her back) : a dhurive of multiplicitous colors (upon the back of Her right claw) : a white star tattoo (left to stretch down to Her knees) : a blue silk loincloth ## Explore More Gods --- ### [Ivoln](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/ivoln/) **Published:** December 24, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Ivoln, the Earthen Lord (Departed) Eternity. This is the way of Ivoln, the Earthen Lord, who resides now in solitude away from the view of mortals and immortals alike. It was He that created and perfected the way of Undeath, granting those who embraced its purity freedom from sickness, age and the fickle Cycle that other mortals are shackled to. It was He that conquered the Earthen and bound the Sorcerer-Kings, reigning over Azvosh Rakar as Dominar and Warmaster. It was He that rent the land in two, creating a bottomless grave to swallow whole the corpse of the great god-killer: the Kerrithrim. As the Creators’ Monomachy edged on finality, the Eschaton saw to releasing each of the Albedi Pantheon from Their Sapient-Divine-made prisons, reserving only accursed Ilimos and sundered Aechros to remain sealed within. Balgraug, true to His epithet, immediately began devouring the pillars that just moments before held His mind imprisoned; these same pillars that ensured the plane of Earth did not come cataclysmically crashing into the Prime Material Plane. It is He that now singly holds the plane of Earth aloft, ensuring Aetolia does not meet this damned fate. It is by His sacrifice and continued efforts that those who yet remain do so without the constant threat of planar collision. His legacy is writ in every breath the world takes, and in every Undead that seeks to bring about His unending glory to the masses. ![Ivoln, the Earthen Lord](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_ivoln.png "aetolia_ivoln") ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Information His essence was created by Varian in the first epoch. His mortal shell is Haafnak, an ancient Hlugna. His temple is located in the Mhojave Desert. He is aligned with Shadow. His High Priest is Orvast, Blade of the Throne. He has no consort. His power is beyond mortal measure. ## Previous Help File The undead call Him Father, for it is His essence that tethers them to this realm, granting those that would embrace the Lord of Earth the gift of eternity – freedom from sickness, age, and the fickle confines of the ever-turning Cycle. Although any may pursue His gift of immortality, those that follow Him closely often find themselves repaying Him for His generosity in tokens of flesh and bone. His followers pursue a purity rivaled only by the earth, eschewing dependence upon that which lives and is beholden to the Cycle in favor of materials oft found within His realm. They take on the qualities of the rock, the unhewn ore, or the bleached bone, finding the cleansing of life both symbolic and pragmatic alike in its freedom from physical and metaphysical mortal limitation. His most fervent seek to bring about an existence purged entirely of life, those who preserve it, and its associated hindrances, leaving only themselves and their God to rule over what remains after their goal is achieved. His symbols include an egg of marble, creations of bone, and an Earthen wyrm. ## Fame He rules over the Earthen of Azvosh Rakar as Dominar and Warmaster. He hurled Niuri, the Ultraist into the Source of Knowledge. He has presided as a guest judge of the Iron Epicurean. He has been divorced once. He crushed the core of Shadow General Diyomexas in a fatal blow. ## Description He is an Immortal of broad, stocky stature. His frame is built thick, closest resembling the Hlugna of old in spite of His immense height. The muscles which cord His frame underlies skin of stone, dark weathered slate and impossibly smooth to the touch. No hair crowns Him, although a magnificent beard frames His jaw, terminating in several separate braided sections which end in clasps fashioned from bone. His eyes are deep-set and eerie, bereft of iris and pupil – all they are is pale ivory sclerae, giving no indication as to where the God’s attention might fall at any given moment. (the bones resting upon His chest) : a macabre necklace of bones (embedded into His skin) : a desiccated medal of the Duiran campaign (wrapped around His waist) : a wrapping sand-hued loincloth ## Explore More Gods --- ### [Ethne](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/ethne/) **Published:** December 24, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Ethne, the Rekindled (Departed) After Auresae sacrificed Herself during the first War of Night, Ethne was born from the actions of Avareti by joining Mebrene, the spirit of Fire with an Ogress of Enorian. A dual natured Goddess, Ethne invoked both the productive and destructive elements of fire in Her efforts to temper mortalkind into more refined versions of themselves as either the Rekindled or the Inferno. She embodied the spirit of a forger, often working tirelessly on creations for Divine or mortal alike at Her forge within the Siroccian mountains. It was only fitting that Ethne would prove vitally important in the second War of Night, forging into existence a gargantuan bell of pure dejanite. With it, Damariel was able to call forth the might of the Guardian of the First Flame, Dejaani, and save Sapience from Immortal Darkness’ reign upon the Prime. She was murdered in cold blood by Haern, the Hunter in the waning hours of the Creators’ Monomachy. ![Ethne, the Rekindled](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_ethne.png "aetolia_ethne") ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Information Her essence is the spirit of Fire, Mebrene. Her mortal shell is Katshkele, formerly of the Templars. She was united with Her current form by Avareti, Goddess of Symmetry. She is aligned with Fire and Spirit. She is sometimes known as gera-Makve. ## Previous Help File The invasion of Ati, the Shadow in 451 MA led to the sacrifice of Auresae, Goddess of Fire, heralding an endless night as the sun was banished from Sapience. Seeking to restore balance to the world, Avareti joined Mebrene, the spirit of fire, with a simple Ogress smith living in Enorian. From that union was born Ethne, the Rekindled. A dual natured Goddess, Ethne reflects both the productive and destructive elements of fire. True to the mold of Her vessel, She remains deeply connected to Her Forge, which can be found within the Siroccian mountains. From there, She watches over Enorian and dwells in relative isolation. There are whispers, however, that to draw Her ire is to ignite something far more devastating – the furious entity known as the Inferno. Her symbols include the forge, the hammer and the flame. ## Fame She burned the body of Valakris, paving the way for renewal. She forged a bell of great import, capturing the sound of the Heavenly Peal. ## Description She is an Immortal with slate gray skin and the towering, powerful build of an adult Ogress. Dashing here and there throughout the skin are lines that brighten and dim from time to time, just like embers from a forge. These look similar to those that might come from heat scarring, done in intricate runic patterns. She has shaved Her hair to within an inch of Her broad scalp, the hue of the remaining strands in varying shades of ash. Her face is like an anvil, narrow starting at the top and staying as much to the chin, keeping a consistent width across. This provides space for a pair of deeply set, dark eyes that rest beneath bushy brows, a broad nose between and extending slightly below them, and a wide mouth set with many teeth. The rest of Her frame is thick and muscular with broad shoulders, long limbs, and matching long digits upon them. (covering the body) : a radiant suit of armour (worn on the hands) : a pair of radiant gauntlets (worn on each foot) : knee-high armored boots (pressed above Her right breast) : a large, glowing handprint (carved into the skin) : intricate ritual scars ## Explore More Gods --- ### [Damariel](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/damariel/) **Published:** December 24, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Damariel, the Unbound (Departed) His mortal shell, Danerran, grew up in the now-Memoryscape territory of Ashtan as a farmer, taken into slavery by the Drakkenmont Empire during their original incursion in the Midnight Age of Sapience. Eventually slain at Severn’s command by his own shadow, it was Danerran’s corpse that the essence of Lanos filtered into when the Axiom was sundered. The same shackles that once bound him, those same chains that Danerran wielded when standing up to the Manipulator, became a symbol of freedom and triumph for Him and the devoted Crusaders who carried His principles of Truth, Valor and Spirit throughout the land. Damariel’s actions throughout history showcase a Divine who held true to the very end of His notions of redemption and destruction just the same. He was oft at the forefront of battles greater than those of mortal-make, fighting alongside and against His own twin, Severn. It was He that sundered the Manipulator’s greatest plan – an ascension to Creator – by swiftly killing Him during the last day of the Creators’ Monomachy. A staunch ally of the Eschaton, Damariel worked without compare to ensure Varian, His own Father, would fail in His efforts to overthrow Aetolia’s Creator and be denied the opportunity to reign supreme in the Creators’ Monomachy. In His final act of defiance against the Celestine, Damariel unwove His own existence into essence to tip the scales into the Eschaton’s favour. ![Damariel, the Unbound](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_damariel.png "aetolia_damariel") ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Information He was formed through the sacrifice of Arion to strengthen Lanos’ essence. His mortal shell is Danerran, the freeman. He achieved His current form in the year 338MA. He is aligned with the Light. His temple is atop the tidal island Barre Arevat, east of the mainland. His power is beyond mortal measure. ## Previous Help File Plagued by the Revelation bestowed upon Sapience in the year 501 by Lexadhra, the Indelible, the God of Truth has made clear a singular goal: the protection of Sapience through Spirit by any means necessary. He is the embodiment of Truth, Valor, and Spirit, these principles wrought into existence by the Divine essence of Lanos, and the memories of Arion that fuel His form. His call is heard by the soldier that would unflinchingly face down an enemy no matter the odds. The scholar that would deign to uncover the singular Truth in a web of artifice and lies. The healer that would tirelessly work themselves ragged for the betterment of others. Though zealous in the pursuit of His goal, He ascribes to His followers the instruction that all are to be offered the chance for salvation. He is the promise of redemption if so sought, yet equally the promise of swift and merciless destruction if denied. Those that would follow the Lord of Valor do so bearing broken shackles; a symbol of freedom and triumph that harkens back to the enslavement of His mortal shell, Danerran, a farmer from Ashtan. His throne is just off the Mostyn coast, sat upon the tidal island Barre Arevat. He is oft represented by a broken chain, and favors the colors blue and silver. ## Fame He has singlehandedly closed a rift to the Shadow Plane. He unwittingly recovered Maghak’s dice from the Shadow Plane. He lost His leg to Odravh, and wears a construct forged of starmetal. He summoned forth the Merciless Light to banish the Immortal Darkness. ## Description He is an Immortal timeworn by valour and burdened with truth. His unwavering adherence to the sanctity of all life has forged an implacable discipline that is as unbreakable as His starmetal prosthesis. Strength and indomitable perseverance clad His venerable frame like plate armour, defying the expectations of age, and conveying Him forth with the vigour of much a much younger being. Regardless of His stamina, the archives of His unremitting battles score Him. The intensity of a cloudburst shines in His storm-grey eyes, leaden by Divine knowledge and forced reticence. An encroachment of crow’s feet spread out from around His eyes into battle trenches toward His ash-touched temples. His nose is hooked, a slight bump on the bridge from a long-healed break a remnant of His host’s fight for freedom. Beneath, a close-cut beard peppered with salt encompasses His lower face, the once neatly groomed facial hair grown longer and bristled, though remaining clear of His lips often thinned in consideration. Taken as a whole, His features are that of a grizzled soldier, ready to rest, but prepared to fight on. Shorn short in a militaristic style, the burrs of His raven black hair are stippled with silver. All across the rugged, nigh leathery texture of His flesh, is the story of survival, a veteran’s roadmap of scars and vicissitudes that have turned pearly white with age. Some past conflict has stolen His left limb, but as further testament to His unyielding nature, He has replaced it with the silver-gold effulgence of starmetal, neatly affixed to the long-healed stump. (gleaming over His being) : radiant splintmail of the aureate dawn (covering His torso) : a plain tunic (around both wrists) : a pair of blackened steel manacles (worn on His legs) : a pair of woolen breeches (buckled to His right knee) : a knee-high leather boot (balancing His left side) : a taloned leg forged of starmetal ## Explore More Gods --- ### [Tanixalthas](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/tanixalthas/) **Published:** December 24, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Tanixalthas, the Sun Drinker Tanixalthas is the Sapience God of Air, Who came into Her power after devouring the heart and essence of the former God of Air, Maghak. She is known by many names and titles, including the Sun-Drinker, She Who Hungers, the Star of Midwinter, and Sky Dreaming. Tanixalthas is the first and eldest of the great Dragons that owned the world before the Ankyreans, Dreikathi and mortalkind flourished. She had slept for millennia beneath the Cradle of Fire after the shattering of the planes that stripped away the magical flux that the eldest dragons fed on. Never cautious, She is not afraid when faced with a challenge, instead tackling any adversity unassisted and with a brutal violence that is worthy of Her name. Although She is often impetuous, rarely having a plan of action when making Her decisions, Tanixalthas is obligated to fulfill the promises She makes. Her word is Her bond. Tanixalthas dominates the sky and the storm, wielding the element of air as a weapon instead of Its essence using Her as a shell. Her symbol is a cracked wyrm tooth. ![Tanixalthas, the Sun Drinker](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_tani.png "aetolia_tani") ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Information Her shell has never been mortal. She achieved Her current form before time was counted. She is aligned with Dragonkind. Her High Priestess is Rahlyeh, the Lucid Dreamer. She has no Consort. Her lair is located on the Isle of Asper. Her power is beyond mortal measure. ## Fame She is known as the Heart of Winter. She has devoured thousands of Her own progeny. She has broken the heart of Mountain Sleeping. She is one of the First and known as Dragon Pride. She has successfully solved her puzzle cube. She triumphed over Shadow General Murgraxis in the Battle for Saluria. ## Description She is an Immortal of ancient heritage, an immense mass of blue-black scales, dark hide, and terrible malignance wreathed in the impetuous fury of sky and storm. Armoured with natural plating, Her craggy form easily dwarfing most settlements, Her serpentine bulk supported by four powerful limbs bedecked with vicious claws capable of rending flesh or stone with equal terrifying ease. Ablaze beneath a raking crest of black bone rearing up from Her brow, four silver eyes burn with the unfathomable intensity of Dragon-made-Divinity, a glint of primordial wisdom transcending time or tedium with the quartet’s implacable glare. Her wings shadow acres beneath their enormous span, gelid hoarfrost dusting the scythe-claw tips of each colossal pinion in a patina of frozen rime. Great spikes burst from Her spine, lining Her arched back and long tail with wicked points while a mass of blue-white fire smoulders in the heart of the Dragon God’s chest, snaking tendrils of Air forming a frigid penumbra about Her body. Though monstrously proportioned in size and stature, the Sun Drinker’s presence nonetheless exhibits a profound beauty, Her massive form glittering with all the majestic brilliance of the midwinter sky in myriad shades of black and blue and shimmering white. (gilding Her form) : a mantle of eerie, blue-green fire ## Explore More Gods --- ### [Lexadhra](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/lexadhra/) **Published:** December 24, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Lexadhra, the Indelible Devoured by the Source of Knowledge in the Year 407, the Goddess once known as the Ultraist, Lady of Knowledge and Mystery, is no more. With Her essence shredded and dispersed throughout the ley after Ivoln’s great betrayal, the Goddess dwelt a near-century in this fractured state, tortured and driven to the brink of madness by knowledge unending and the Source’s impossible gift. No more does She go by the name of Niuri – a moniker She shuns and reviles in the modern era. In Her place presides Lexadhra, the Indelible Goddess. She alone has bestrode the past in its entirety, uncovered every secret, solved every mystery, and heard every story spun a thousand times and more. In the guise of five Elder Gods did She bring to bear Her reformation, reborn by sheer force of will as a Virtue – sovereign to the realm of memory. Cursed as She is with nigh omniscience of the past and all its bloody histories, Lexadhra yearns for new experiences, fresh sagas and tales to slake Her unending appetite for story. She thirsts for heroes and hungers for villains, drawn to individuals whose lives will become storied legends, their legacies permanent, their mark on history’s weave undisputed. Caring little for morality or honour, the Goddess prizes fame and infamy in equal measure. She finds the dramas of life and death, Shadow and Spirit, the perfect springboard for intrigue and histrionics. She eschews traditional values or tenets in favour of one singular demand: be interesting. Entertain Her with the melodrama of existence and all that is inspired from it. The dull and the meek will find no favour with the Indelible Goddess, nor does She endorse peace; to be at rest is death, and the greatest of fables are wrought in times of revolution and conflict. ![Lexadhra, the Indelible](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_lexadhra.png "aetolia_lexadhra") ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Information Her essence was shredded and rewoven by the recondite ley. Her shell is the notorious assassin-bard Teclah Neri. She appropriated Her new realm in 501 MA. She is aligned with knowledge, fame, and infamy. She scorns all that is beholden to the Earthen Lord. Her temple is an ephemeral vista in the Dyisen-Ashtan Memoryscape. She was once known as Niuri, the Ultraist. Her power is beyond mortal measure. ## Fame She was irrevocably altered by the Source of Knowledge. She initiated the Revelation of Oblivion’s Portent. She deciphered the Celestine’s true design. She adopted the guise of ancient elders and claimed Shadow General Saglozol’s soul. ## Description She is an Immortal ravaged by betrayal and made whole from the Source. A century of tragedy has wrought Her nimble frame into an enduring story, athleticism granting Her an ascetic poise and jaded interest. Her mauve skin, whilst resembling amaranthine velvet, is naught more than the parchment upon which the record of Her myth turned lore is scribed. Splattered in djerite-black rivulets of dashes, quill-thin lines, and teardrops, the apologue of Her persistence is like so much spilled ink sopped into paper. The body paint once worn by Her host is inextricable, the markings modified into illegible tattoos that cite the invisible scars which linger still upon Her quintessence. An argent fall of nacreous white hair sluices around Her assassin-trained physique, the featherweight ends performing acrobats in the air without need for wind. Starstone bands act as millstones for the tiny, intricate plaits purled behind Her elfin ears. Void-black eyes bear strokes and flecks of violet and viridian as if Her irises were hewed from black opals. Oftentimes those fragments of iridescent colour are dulled with boredom, casting Her deific countenance into harsh, disinterested planes and saturnine shadows. Yet when She is captivated, those who receive Her interests would be arrested by the skein of Her attention, nigh compelled to entertain Her until the tale’s denouement. (covering the body) : a bone-white toga daubed in amaranthine stripes (adorning Her hair) : a miniature, sand-crusted timepiece ## Explore More Gods --- ### [Haern](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/haern/) **Published:** December 24, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Haern, the Hunter The Rhythm is the ever-changing, never static, flow of Nature. The Way of the Hunter is as complex as the Rhythm itself, but is known by three names – The Way of Defiance, The Way of Destruction, and The Way of Severity. This rhythmic balance is the realm of Haern, as He is the force that keeps the Rhythm in motion. The hunt is about sacrifice – clean and merciful, a conscious and deliberate choice of a greater good over a lesser good. Good, to the Hunter, is this application of force in the appropriate time, space and proportion. Evil is the misapplication of such force, or the unwillingness to act at all. It is a virtue to know one’s place in the natural order of Aetolia. To allow another to dictate this to you is a vice. Haern finds virtuous these traits of strong will, severity and destruction, and seeks a balance of rhythm, rather than of stability. It takes courage to not fear dissolution and to know that all spiritual principles are indestructible. His realm encompasses all animals, and He harbors a respect for the prey as well as for the skilled hunter. He is intolerant of transgressions and is known to bring swift action against any creature that oversteps its bounds, or any abomination that has no place in Nature. His followers include a mixture of those who strive for a strict balance in Nature, those who value strife as an agent of growth, diversity and harmony, and those who see themselves as passionate advocates of the wilderness and the wild. As fresh blood on the cold, pure snow, the colours of Haern are crimson and ivory. His symbols are a red bone claw on a field of white, and the open triad, a three-branched knot reminding of the Ways. The bear, the serpent, and the raven are held sacred by those who follow Him. ![Haern, the Hunter](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_haern.png "aetolia_haern") ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Information His essence was created by Varian in the first epoch. His mortal shell has been forgotten amidst the dregs of time. He is aligned with the Eternal Cycle. He has abandoned His temples to wander the Wilds. He has no High Priest. He has no consort. His power is beyond mortal measure. ## Fame He made war on the people of Tasur’ke and obliterated their home. He survived the blight of the Aalen Bloom. He opened the way to Dendara to the mortals of Sapience. He took part in the battle against Alshek, the Sky-Darkener. He slew Valakris, the Bellower. He wrested the Moon from celestial orbit, allowing the birth of Dia’ruis eternal. ## Description He is an Immortal, weathered by centuries of struggle and made whole by life’s renewal. A hulking beast of a God, He looms more than stands, a mass of rippling musculature and unfathomable strength towering over even the tallest of mortals in a posture simultaneously lumbering and dangerously adept. Manifest vitality thrums within Him, His heart pounding in His chest as if the pulse of the rhythm itself were given voice. Horned protrusions fan out from His brow and yield to short curves of yellowed ivory reaching far past His head, framing His savage features in a wild crown. His eyes, once hollow and consumed by grief, now blaze with the fel green of nature’s flame, passion and vigour reignited like a verdant phoenix risen anew from viridescent ashes. Jagged tusks peel back His lower lip to reveal crooked teeth jutting out at awkward angles, the rest of His face bedecked with partially healed wounds, a feral snarl worn near permanently upon His mouth. Lashings of bristly black hair erupt from His back like a coarse, tangled mane, sweeping the length of His massive arms to a pair of ursine hands, black claws tipping each finger. Scars and tattoos decorate the rest of His frame in a tapestry of carnage, trophies of wild hunts uncountable warring with each other across the chaotic battlefield that is His pockmarked flesh. Yet for all that ravages His body, Haern’s demeanour bespeaks neither discomfort nor pain, rather a predator’s confident, pragmatic air as He abides, shorn of a terrible weight and gifted the unthinkable: a future. (cinched neatly) : an unornamented hide loincloth ## Explore More Gods --- ### [Dhar](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/dhar/) **Published:** December 24, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Dhar, the Underking Lord Dhar is the embodiment of inevitability. All that exists must eventually come to an end, and all that truly lives must die. The Underking keeps a vigilant watch over His domain; the Underhalls, realm of souls. Represented by a crown bound by chains symbolic of duty and responsibility, His worshippers in the world of the living are tempered weapons. They follow the Underking’s path, which largely promotes self-improvement. His most loathed aspect of humanity is desperation, which He believes to be the source of mortal degradation: corruption, undeath or undying, and apathy. To choose what is easy over what is right is His antithesis. To escape or mock the Cycle is foolishness. ![Dhar, the Underking](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_dhar.png "aetolia_dhar") ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Information He was created by Varian in the first epoch. He exists without a mortal shell as raw essence. He is aligned with the Eternal Cycle. His temple is located within the Oaken Grove. His power is beyond mortal measure. ## Fame He is the first soul. He rules over the Underhalls. He obliterated Verkai, the Usurper from existence. He obliterated Roan Seluno from existence. ## Description He is an Immortal with an imposingly towering form, His spindly frame clad in an aged, tattered robe. A thick hood is drawn over His head, His hands appearing vaguely humanoid in form, despite being made up of a very wispy, dark ethereal matter. Nothing definitive could be discerned when attempting to gaze past His encompassing robe, though frequently one could observe what would appear to be their own contorted features peering out from behind the impenetrable blackness of His eerie visage. (hanging from His neck) : a heavy length of anaxagorite chain (draped about His form) : a tattered, wispy robe ## Explore More Gods --- ### [Celezor](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/celezor/) **Published:** November 7, 2023 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Celezor, Accord of the Righteous Birthed by Eschatonic will in His first act of Creation since the waning days of the Great Theomachy, Celezor is the first Sapient-Albedos hybrid, a divine entity wrought from the triplefold quintessence of Mebrene, Lanos, and Seelis. From the ashes of Damariel’s heroic sacrifice in the closing chapter of the Creators’ Monomachy, Celezor exists now as the Accord of Fire – Lord of Light, Sovereign of the Sun, Patron of the Zealous, and Unwavering Fist of Righteous Justice. Shorn of His prior incarnation’s naive hope for mankind, set free from His self-imposed restraint, and released from the bygone shackles of tolerance, forbearance, and pity, Celezor’s prerogative is that of righteous, cleansing flame – a driving will to rid the world of all its evils by any and all means necessary in order to actuate a true Age of Dawn. His is the blade that carves through the lies of the wicked and profane. His is the flame that cleanses the soul and purges the rot of evil. His is the promise of the Good and the Just: that those who forsake the light shall be cast down beneath the smiting hand of the sun’s golden wrath. The time for repentance is ended. Only one choice remains for those who dwell in darkness: burn. ![celezor-profile](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/celezor-profile.png "celezor-profile") ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Information He was forged in the Age of Technology per the Eschaton’s ineffable will. He arose from the darkness, when all other lights went out. He is Accordant Fire, sworn to oppose the destroyer known as Yvalamon. He is aligned with the Merciless Light. His place of worship is anywhere touched by the dawn. He wields the greatsword Daybreak as His instrument of justice. His power matches that of bygone Elders and ancient forces. ## Fame His coalescence rekindled Sapience’s sun. ## Description He is an Immortal, shaped by Eschatonic will and aglow with the blessing of Light Fundamental. Defined by shimmering boundaries of righteous spirit and lit from within by an unending font of holy conflagration, this raw gathering of judgemental essence adheres to the archetype of a humanoid being but lacks all the definition and musculature that would constrain the boundaries of a mortal’s frame. As much pellucid silhouette as divine incarnation, His very presence manifests the warm glare of an unending dawn, bathing all He looks upon with the ineffable radiance of a promised new age. Whorls of alabaster and aureate incandescence rage around His unyielding frame in an accord of two righteous elements bound together for the purposes of the excisive cleansing of a realm long since given over to the rot of evil. Twin points of chilling cobalt crackle instead where eyes might abide within the mundane, evocative of the blessed radiance of the Merciless Light’s punitive gaze. (limning His calescent silhouette) : a seething vortex of aurulent and alabaster flame ## Explore More Gods --- ### [Chakrasul](https://www.aetolia.com/gods/chakrasul/) **Published:** December 24, 2022 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** # Chakrasul, Goddess of Corruption Throughout the epochs, the Goddess of Corruption has stalked the lands, preying on and drawing in those easily swayed by dreams of power and greatness, those who eagerly accept the darkest corners of their souls. She has engendered some of the tragedies of the ages, tainted the greatest of sages, warriors, and defenders of the light. Not even the Grand Artifice could erase the fear stirred by Her deeds. Within every mortal exists a penchant of selfish focus, a fertile soil in which the seeds of Corruption may take root. Also known as the “Dark Lady” or simply the Kalsu “Esityi”, Chakrasul bestows the Gifts of Corruption upon those who embrace Her: Fear, Despair, Malice, Avarice, and the glorious depths of Might. Those seeking to walk Her path will find Her Gifts through relinquishing their inhibitions and surrendering to their vices. Her throne can be found upon on Her Isle of Despair, Tiyen Indoron, and that is where She holds audience so Her Chosen may pay their respects. Her sacred symbol is the funereal duskywing butterfly, and jade and onyx often colour creations and tributes in Her name. ![Chakrasul, Goddess of Corruption](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/aetolia_chakrasul.png "aetolia_chakrasul") ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr")## General Information Her essence was created by Varian in the first epoch. Her mortal shell is Alkonost, beloved of Tobias. She is aligned with Shadow. Her High Priestess is Laesae, Priestess of the Spiral. ## Fame She compelled the presence of the Pit of Xa’azmit to consume Shadow-General Sanaz. She allowed Her Chosen to wield Her jade fire against the Shadow. She betrayed Idar Karif and laid claim to his castle. She moulded the Slyphian Grotto into the Spiral of the Corrupt. She freed the trapped souls within the Isle of Despair. She created the Nazetu to act as Her agents of corruption. She created the Djeirani people to rival the Ankyrean. She cursed Ulgar, who would become the first Troll. She created the race of Orcs. She created the race of Ogres. ## Description She is an Immortal, and Her eyes make it eminently clear that it is so; with no typical iris, pupil or whites, there is nothing to detract from the gem-toned green light that emanates from within. She is gently illuminated by their lustrous glow, the viridescent hue accentuating the sharp lines and curves of Her facial features. Twined up into a slim headband, a single braid serves to draw Her lush onyx tresses back from Her face. The curtain of smooth, atramentous locks flow beyond wings and shoulders, ending a luxuriant cloud past Her waist. Living duskywing butterflies are pinned intermittently across the headband, the fluttering of their helpless wings drawing attention to their plight and framing Her features. Rising high above Her slender, pale body are feathered wings of glossy onyx, arcing gracefully away from the muscles of Her upper back. Elegant hands are tipped with long, slender nails of glossy onyx, each sharpened to a perfect point. (crowning Her head) : the Circlet of Corruption (draped from the shoulders) : an armoured gown of rippling sanguineous shades (snugly belted beneath the bust) : a blood-red sash of sinuous kagamine filigree (clinging from toes to thighs) : thigh-high boots of blooded suede ## Explore More Gods --- ### [Terms of Service](https://www.aetolia.com/tos/) **Published:** July 20, 2018 **Author:** Tecton **Content:** The following are the Terms of Service (“Terms”) that will govern your use of our website at [www.aetolia.com](https://www.aetolia.com), and any services provided via it or the telnet-accessible multi-user game, Aetolia, Dreams of Divine Lands, operated by Iron Realms Entertainment, LLC (“the Company”). ## 1. Our Services. Aetolia is a multiplayer, Internet-based, persistent game that allows you to assume a fictional persona (“Character”) and participate in the provided world, plots, and other in-game activities. There is also a website closely tied to the game. (collectively, “Services”). ## 2. Access. In order to access the Company’s Services, you must have access to a functioning Internet connection. The Company reserves the right to ban any portion of its Services to any party at its sole discretion. You must be at least 13 years of age to use our services ## 3. Registration. If you accept the Terms, the Company will request that you fill out a registration form in order to identify yourself. You agree that the information you place in the registration form is at all times true, accurate, current, and complete, and you further agree to maintain that information as such, by updating the data as necessary. You will then be asked to choose a character name (“Character ID”). You are not permitted to select any name that violates a third party’s copyright, trademark right, or other proprietary right, or which the Company determines to be vulgar or offensive. Said determination will be made solely at the Company’s discretion. The Company reserves the right to require you to change any Character ID we deem offensive or vulgar, to change your Character ID for you, or to delete your character. If your representations are found to be false, or the Company has reasonable grounds to suspect the representations are, the Company has the right upon notice to suspend or terminate your license and this agreement, and to refuse and block your current or future use of these Services. You will also be asked to choose a password (“Password”). It is recommended that the User choose a password consisting of both letters and numbers, and avoid anything a third party might be able to guess. User shall be solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the Password and shall be liable for any damages resulting from disclosing or allowing disclosure of such Password or from the use, authorized or unauthorized, by any person of such Password to gain access to User’s Character. ## 4. License. Subject to all of the Terms, the Company hereby grants you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access the Services and to use the Services solely for your personal entertainment purposes. You may not use the Services to generate revenue for yourself or any third party, in any way, without prior written permission from the Company. ## 5. Conduct Deemed Unacceptable. User may not engage in any conduct or communication while using the Services which is unlawful or which restricts or inhibits any other User from using or enjoying the Services. User agrees to use the Services only for lawful purposes. The Company reserves the right to terminate User’s license and Character if it determines, in its sole discretion, that the User has engaged in unacceptable conduct. The list of prohibited conduct set forth in Subsections (a) through (g) below provides a few examples of unacceptable conduct. This list is by no means exhaustive, and the Company reserves the right, but not the responsibility, to restrict the capability to perform acts or series of acts which the Company deems, in its sole discretion, to be harmful to individual users, damaging to the Services provided, or in violation of the Company’s or any third party’s rights. The Company reserves the right to prohibit or delete characters, or to ban users from the Services, or to delete or alter any communication deemed likely to harm individual users, or the Services. The Company explicitly declaims responsibility for screening communications in advance. 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The User hereby agrees to be completely and fully responsible for maintaining the security of his or her password. ## 8. Privacy. We reserve the right to monitor, preserve, or disclose any and all communications made or received by you while accessing or using the Services. The Company disclaims responsibility for ensuring that communications are kept private from third-party snoopers, packet sniffers and any other method of intercepting communications. You acknowledge that the Company reserves the right, but not the responsibility, to inform law enforcement authorities of any actions illegal in the opinion of the Company. The Company will fully cooperate with law enforcement authorities in any related investigation. ## 9. Purchases. We sell various digital goods called, variously, credits, tokens, and other things that we may add or remove from the game as we choose over time. 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IN NO EVENT WILL THE COMPANY, ITS AFFILIATES, LICENSORS OR SUBCONTRACTORS BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY LOSS OF USE OR COSTS OF SUBSTITUTE SERVICES, HOWEVER CAUSED, WHETHER FOR BREACH OF REPUDIATION OF CONTRACT, TORT, BREACH OF WARRANTY, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHER THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER OR NOT THE COMPANY, ITS AFFILIATES, LICENSORS OR SUBCONTRACTORS WERE ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH LOSS OR DAMAGES AND NOTWITHSTANDING THE FAILURE OF ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF ANY LIMITED REMEDY STATED HEREIN. IN JURISDICTIONS THAT DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, THE COMPANY’S, ITS AFFILIATES’, LICENSORS’ AND SUBCONTRACTORS’ LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. ## 14. Indemnification. User agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company from all liabilities, damages, costs and expenses, including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees, arising from or related to any breach of this Agreement by User, or in connection with transmissions by or through User’s various licenses or Characters. The Company reserves the right, at User’s expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by User hereunder, and in such event, User shall have the obligation to provide indemnification for such matter and reimbursement of all reasonable attorneys’ fees incurred by the Company in defending such claim. ## 15. Termination. Either the User or the Company may terminate a license and Character and this agreement without notice at any time without further obligation to the other. Further, the Company reserves the right to terminate the Services, or any part thereof, at any time without notice and without further obligation to you. IN NO EVENT SHALL YOU BE ENTITLED TO A REFUND OF ANY FEES, CREDITS, OR OTHER PRODUCTS OR SERVICES PURCHASED FROM THE COMPANY OR ITS SUBCONTRACTORS, AFFILIATES, OR LICENSORS. UPON TERMINATION OF THIS AGREEMENT, YOUR ACCESS PRIVILEGES TO THE SERVICES WILL TERMINATE AND YOU WILL FORFEIT ANY UNUSED CREDITS AND LESSONS. The following sections shall survive termination: 6, and 9-18. ## 16. Amendment. The Company may amend the Terms in its sole discretion at any time and in any way by posting revised Terms on the Site, and you agree to regularly review the Terms. If any such revision is unacceptable to you, you may terminate your license and this agreement as provided in Section 15 (“Termination”). Your continued access and use of the Services three (3) days after posting of the revised Terms shall constitute your acceptance of the same. Except as expressly set forth herein, the Terms may not otherwise be modified or amended. ## 17. Reservation of Rights. The Company hereby reserves any rights not expressly granted herein. ## 18. General Provisions. You may not sublicense, rent, sell, assign or otherwise transfer the rights or obligations granted to you in this agreement, and any such attempted transfer shall be void. If any provision of this agreement is held to be unenforceable for any reason, such provision shall be altered or reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable, and such decision shall not affect the enforceability of: (i) such provision under other circumstances, or (ii) the remaining provisions hereof under all circumstances. The Company’s failure to enforce at any time any provision of this agreement shall in no way be construed to be a present or future waiver of such provision, nor in any way affect the right of any party to enforce each and every such provision thereafter. The express waiver by the Company of any provision, condition or requirement of this agreement shall not constitute a waiver of any future obligation to comply with such provision, condition or requirement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, no default, delay or failure to perform on the part of the Company shall be considered a breach of this agreement if such default, delay or failure to perform is shown to be due to causes beyond the Company’s reasonable control. This agreement is governed by and construed under California law without regard to its conflict of law principles, and you agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the courts located in Marin County, in the State of California, U.S.A. for the resolution of any dispute arising from or related to this agreement. In any action to enforce this agreement, the prevailing party shall be awarded its costs and fees (including reasonable attorneys’ fees), including such fees and costs incurred in enforcing and collecting any judgment. All notices given by you shall be in writing and addressed to Iron Realms Entertainment LLC, 936-B Seventh Street, #188, Novato, CA, 94945, USA. The Company may give notice to you at the e-mail address you provide in the Registration Data. This agreement represents the entire agreement between you and the Company with respect to the subject matter referenced herein. --- ### [The Second War of Night Saga](https://www.aetolia.com/lore/second-war-of-night-saga/) **Published:** January 20, 2023 **Author:** Brax Celani **Content:** The Second War of Night was an epic story event that took place over the summer of 2022, involving the escape of Ohlsana, the Shadow Mother, from her prison in Czjetija – the Shadow Plane. This sprawling saga, which unfolded over the course of three months, was the biggest event in the history of Iron Realms, and potentially across the MUD community. **Despite the scope and scale, the Second Night War was an entirely unplanned event.** It began with the actions of a few intrepid adventurers from [Duiran](https://www.aetolia.com/world/duiran/) declaring war on the City of [Spinesreach](https://www.aetolia.com/world/spinesreach/) over custody of the shadow gate. From there, the rest, as they say, is history… ## Player Testimonials > “I have never been so engaged with Aetolia, where the end of the world felt so frantic and alive. Nothing was out of bounds, no idea was too crazy. All that mattered was survival against the inevitable encroachment from our darling mother, Ohlsana…” > > *Elene* > In over twenty years of playing MUDs, the four or so months of the Second War of Night were some of the most gripping and organic storytelling I’ve ever had the privilege to witness. Some games claim to have a living world, **but few go so far as to bring said world to a hair’s breadth from its total end to keep that promise like Aetolia has**. > > *A screaming pelican (Linne)* > The War of Night is an exemplary example of the very best MUDs have to offer. Organic storytelling, player-driven narratives, all of it on a massive scale that no other medium could ever manage. Quite literally one of my favorite gaming experiences of all time. > > *Tetchta* > The War of Night is the best example of how player decisions and actions can shape the course of the game, springing up to be something much larger than anything we could have imagined and turning into the single largest event that I’ve witnessed and been part of to date, with lingering impacts on so much of the game world. > > *Jhura* > The War of Night was one of the most inspirational storylines in a MUD I have ever had the pleasure to participate in. It was a tapestry of events where everyone had a part to play, no faction, playstyle, or identity was left without an avenue for enjoyment and interaction throughout the entirety of the months long period. Truly an unprecedented colaboration between player and admin initiatives alike to create a saga that will go down in Aetolian history as an engaging, apocalyptic masterpiece. > > *Whirran* > There has never been a time that Aetolia felt more alive, and more real, than it did during the second coming of the War of Night. Every action had a consequence, there were unexpected twists and turns, devastating consequences, and some of the best content that I have ever seen. We saw new classes introduced, vital characters introduced and killed off, amazing and intricate mechanics that required even the worst of enemies to work together. The story was never predictable with each event leading up to the final battle being more devastating or empowering than the one before. 10/10 fantastic. > > *Kalena* ## Trivia First and most important: only one loyal follower sent an email to Mother, and it was Markos! Most of the team had no idea what was going to happen in the finale, and were just as shocked as you! The max number of people I saw online during the finale was 148. That is the highest I’ve ever seen in Aetolia. Saluria was only picked as the site of the first shard due to a bug very early on in the event that caused shadowspawn to appear there, which some people latched onto with speculation. The months frequently lining up with their Gods in the story was completely coincidental. At one point in August I woke up to absolute pandemonium and panic in the Pools because Google had locked us out of our docs (where most of the planning, including both mirrors, were stored) 1468 rooms were overtaken by shadowrot. Hippos were devoured by the rot on 73 occasions. 47 of these were Iesid’s. 96 people became Shadowbound, as well as most NPCs across the game showing as shadowbound in their names. In total, 47 shadowbreaks were carried out (Lenoriel was present at 43 of them, the most by far!) Only one (1) reclusive mystic was harmed in the making of this event. 21648 corpses (Tetchta: 16178!), 6713 units of blood (Xarian 2440!), and 1008 ores (Kurak 731!) were used in the ritual to bind Ati. Ati cleared 70 rooms of rot (Sheryni cleared the most with Abhorash claiming the most chiav kills) Bloodloch raised 990 troops in their army of slaves for tower defence (credit goes to Gryph for raising 101 of them himself). 118 attempts were made by the Archivists before Linne succeeded in producing an artificial Shard of Truth. Enorian forged a total of 449 bells (props to Sryaen here for forging 166 of these himself!). The Illuminai forged a total of 670 dejanite to repair Ethne’s bell (honourable mention to Annerissa for making 176 of them!). Enorian gathered a total of 12809 sand for Rhulin (Eliadon personally brought him 5929(!!!)) and made 276 glass (Damonicus wins this one with 152!) Spinesreach gathered a total of 7544 sand for Burkhart (Feirenz #1 with 2290!) and made 458 glass (Lenoriel wins with 214!) Duiran offered more than 5000 corpses to empower the Guardian Totems, which equated to 447698 totem essence. (Valorie wins both of these with 1295 and 149239 respectively!) \* The numbers are actually higher than this but the log cuts off at 5000 unfortunately. Spinesreach infected a total of 1152 eld (this was almost a tie between Aros, Legyn, and Lenoriel who did 698 between them!) Out of those 1152 infected eld, 425 of them were slain and absorbed into the pylons (Sheryni wins this with 67!). Spinesreach processed more than 5000 refugees. 3163 approved, 909 of which were shadowbound infiltrators. 1837 denied, 318 of which were shadowbound. Enorian processed a total of 2822 refugees. 2029 approved, 594 of which were shadowbound. 793 denied, 115 of which were shadowbound. Bloodloch processed a total of 2251 refugees. 852 approved, 235 of which were shadowbound. 1399 enslaved, 337 of which were shadowbound. The planning doc for this event is currently at 43482 words, and only includes about half of the actual event content since a LOT of the event was just us responding to things that happened. Raz informs us that the total event post length exceeds 60k. We decided to tie the Akkari and Ravager releases in before the event had even started, after only about 10 minutes persuasion from Raz. ## Part I: The War For Sterion Long has shadow been a source of grief and consternation for those of a forestal persuasion. Countless stories tell of its destructive ways, its unending hunger, and its capacity for ruin when left unchecked. Still appalled by the events at Farsai and freshly stirred to renewed grief at the Hunter’s sorrowful reminder of Dendara’s continued degradation, the Duirani had had enough. Enough of playing bystander. Enough of playing helpless victim, powerless but to watch yet more horrors befall them. Seeking to draw a line in the sand and strike back against that which had tormented them for so long, the leaders of Duiran turned their minds to Sterion. Sweeping into the village, the Duirani cut down the Minotaur without mercy and declared their intent to seize control of the portal to Czjetija – which had long been under the watchful eye of the Shaman Castes – for themselves. Sadako, the Venerable and Inscrutable, responded swiftly, refusing the demands for surrender while reminding Duiran and the world at large of their sacred duty: to safeguard the rift between Prime and Shadow, and the danger that would befall the realm should that work be prevented. In response to these demands, Severn, the Manipulator, issued a dire warning to the Senators of Spinesreach, echoing Sadako’s words about the dangers of letting Sterion’s rift go improperly guarded. With war on the horizon, the Sciomancers and Spinesreach at large continued to pursue a diplomatic resolution, earnestly attempting to convince Duiran of their sincerity on the subject of shadow and the dangers of the rift. Their words went unheeded, and war came swiftly on the heels of a Durdalis cluster dying at the hands of Spirean hoplites. The war’s opening skirmishes were short and brutal, early victories going to Duiran whose well-practiced and experienced veterans commanded the field with aplomb under the command of Valorie Aresti. Despite their accomplishments on the battlefield, however, the gates of Sterion held fast, and the Spireans began to rally, a resurgence largely owed to the leadership of Nisavi of Kemau. Encouraged by Vanguard Milihion to prepare a full assault on the Sterion gates, the Duirani set up a war camp in the Three Widows and began to re-strategise. Spinesreach, their numbers bolstered and their spirits resolute, prepared a counter assault on Duiran’s encampment, and the sieges began. Pitched battles continued to play out across Sterion and the Three Widows as each side fought desperately to lead their troops against the others’ gates. Though Duiran drew the first blood, death soon came for all sides as blades swung, spells flew, and the Song of Oblivion droned out its doleful notes. Duiran claimed the early advantage once again, and if not for a valiant and risky raid organised by Feirenz, all would have been lost in so little time. But the Spireans persisted. And the Duirani fought harder and harder. After five weeks of uncountable carnage, with both gates barely holding on, Sterion’s fell, and Duiran had won the war. Vanguard Milihion gleefully swarmed into the village alongside a group of their Soliad, rounding up the surviving Minotaur. Rihrin Silverain once again demanded Sterion’s surrender, and Sadako once again refused, spitting at the ground in disgust. Milihion requested permission to feast, and Lady Sapphire gave her assent. The fae creatures descended upon the captured Minotaurs in a vicious frenzy, stripping the flesh from them and leaving nothing behind but sheared bones. As the Duirani fanned out through Sterion in an effort to free the slaves housed there, Milihion informed the Speakers that the Soliad would secure the village and attempt to uncover its secrets. Within a week, the Soliad had rooted out any remaining Minotaur and consigned them to the same fate as the others. A monstrous effigy now stood in the village centre, built of the bones of man, woman, and child-calf in tribute to the gruesome conquest. In the weeks following the war’s conclusion, the Duirani awaited news from the Soliad while the Sciomancers rushed to distribute literature and information on the effects of the Shadowbound Plague. Milihion soon gathered the Duirani before the Shrine of Bells, and, praying for the return of the Hunter, with His aid they breached the defences of Sterion’s lower tunnels. At the end of the snaking, subterranean passageway, stood the great gate, the archway that acted as the portal to Czjetija. They each of them peered into the inky-black void. And the void peered back. Merely a tiny pinprick glimmered in the enveloping darkness, a speck of dusky violet whose size belied its significance. Barely weeks had passed since the conquest of Sterion, but it was enough. Absent the Minotaurs sworn to maintain it, the rift to Shadow had been breached. ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") ## Part II: After The Conquest In the wake of Sterion’s conquest and the subsequent murder of its Minotaur population, news of the rift’s breach began to spread. Trepidation gripped the land with the anticipation of a second War of Night and the knowledge that Sapience barely survived the first. In place of despair, however, there was hope, and resolute determination. The Shadowguard, formed by Kagura of Spinesreach as a neutral, globally-inclusive point of communication, saw its numbers swell as the cities of Sapience began to rally for the imminent incursion of Shadow into the Prime Material. Dozens flocked to stand vigil over the rift at Sterion, chief among them Ardent Riahl of the Sciomancers, who doggedly sought to quell the inevitable dissent and disagreement that would come from so disunited and dissimilar a coalition. No less than six Gods had visited the rift, each of Them grave in tone and uncharacteristically united in Their message: that Shadow would come, and that the breach could not be closed. The best anyone could do, They advised, was to prepare for war, and perhaps slow the oncoming tide. With preparations underway and vigils being held, Duiran, under the guidance of Runemaster Olto, strove to do just that. Inspired by a suggestion from Esrytesh Sibatti dur Naya involving Shamanic songlines, the Runemaster posited that with enough power focused on the effort, it might be possible to confuse the planar pathway between Shadow and Prime and slow the encroaching darkness in a labyrinth. The Councillors turned to the Dendaric Guardians as a potential source of that power, and in the following weeks an audience was arranged. The meeting that followed was something that had occurred only a handful of times in living memory. Responding to the calls for aid, the Guardians attended the Ancient Valley in person, accompanied by their voices. While the Duirani made their case and gave their plea, the primordial spirits spoke of how the worship and sacrifice that had once been commonplace had declined. Demanding an unspecified price in exchange for their power, some of the Duirani hesitated, wary of promising a cost they did not know. Sibatti, Illikaal, and Aisling held no such qualms, immediately stepping forward to spill their blood in solemn oath. The Guardians gave their accord, and a bargain, a promise of future aid or service, was struck. Returning to Sterion, the Runemaster set the Councillors to the task of establishing spiritual totems through the village, one each for Srahda, Griash, Rhulvok, Kree-sa, Takaros, and Vo’acha. For days they toiled in the act, first erecting the totems and then empowering them with a monumental amount of sacrificed corpses. A week hence, Olto was ready to put theory into practice, but was troubled. Songlines, he explained to the gathered Councillors, were an accumulation of memories, the histories and traditions and cultures of a place. Tapping into their magic held some similarities to the Sentinels’ Ancestral Communion, and the Duirani would need to form a similar resonance with the memories of Sterion. The scope of their task, escalating beyond simple travel and transport to obscuring the very link between planes of reality, would require a communion so deep and vast that he did not believe it possible without aid. He turned to Iesid Mulariad then, the Champion of Lexadhra. Who better, the Runemaster posited aloud, than the Goddess of Memory Herself? Prayers went out and the Indelible soon answered, arriving in Sterion to give Her response in person. Foregoing Her usual insouciance given the gravity of the situation, She spoke instead of the Minotaur, an ancient people, an enduring people, a people charged with an ancient duty to guard Shadow’s rift. Moved by whatever it was She sensed, She agreed to assist, informing all present of Her intention to gather the collective memories of all the Minotaurs, and take that fathomless weight of history into Herself, that she may act as a filter for the gathered mortals to safely do their work. She settled Herself on the ground and bid Iesid to do the same, and began Her own communion, while Iesid beat a steady rhythm on a ritual drum brought for the purpose. Pale mist surrounded the area as the Goddess worked in silence, Her eyes rolling back in Her head as the full tide of memory past was drawn into Her. As the ritual drew to a conclusion, She began to sing, Her lilting notes a manic, indecipherable recitation of generations uncountable, of distant past and recent bygones, of the ancient dead and those recently interred. Staggering under the force of so much history, the Goddess climbed unsteadily to Her feet and turned the swath of swirling mists on Iesid, imbuing him with so much of that accumulated past that a single drop more would have destroyed him. After She had left to rest, Olto instructed them on their next step. By praying to the Guardian Totems and receiving the spirits’ protective blessings, coupled with the gift of memory, they would be able to commune with the dead of the area and create more potent songlines. They fanned out and toiled for an entire day, praying, blessing, and empowering the songline totems while Shamans planted them in the ground. When over twenty stood in the area of Sterion, Olto called them back for a final prayer. Calling out their praise for the Guardian Spirits of Dendara, a web of green flame soared into the sky from each totem, coming together as a single web of Dendaric energies. As it settled, the encroaching shadow stretched out to an impossibly thin strand, its approach to Prime temporarily stalled, confused and thrown off course by the songlines. Relief was palpable as anomalies ceased to emerge from the rift. But they, and everyone else, knew it was but a temporary reprieve. ~ ~ ~ In Enorian, the Unbound had commanded the city to prepare for war, impressing upon them the gravity of the situation and counselling hope. At a meeting before the Grand Flame, Qayanehe, the Djinn Keeper of Lore who had remained on Prime following Jezriel’s ascension as a Seraph, proposed that the city construct bells to ward off the shadowspawn. Damariel confirmed that the Shrine of Bells in Sterion, while ineffective against Ohlsana Herself, was a potent defence against the shadowbound, crafted ages prior to protect the village. In conference with the Djinn, and with the aid of recovered memories from the Indelible, Ethne agreed to travel to Rahiela to learn the ancient art of bellforging. Ever one for action over words, She departed through Her volcano without fanfare while Enorian hurried to amass coal, wood, and iron in anticipation of Her return. ~ ~ ~ In Bloodloch, the Thronekeepers met to discuss the coming battle and their part to play therein. Upon learning of a proposal to contact Dejaani, the Albedi entity of Spirit and the Sun, Thronekeeper Whirran made a daring proposal to the Empire: to forego any and all alliances in favour of fighting on their own terms. Bloodloch’s government found themselves in agreement, and the Sanguine Fist began making their own preparations for war. On the advice of Abhorash, recalling his own triumph over Ati, the Shadow, in the first War of Night, the Bloodlochians began establishing shrines in and around Sterion. Deploying troops of their own to secure the area, they set to work as the Progenitor promised to devise a way to use his blood in tandem with the shrines in order to beat back the shadow. ~ ~ ~ Meanwhile, the Goddess of Corruption descended on the Isle of Despair, gathering Her followers closer. Attired for war, She instructed Rijetta Alhazrad, Asaraii, Feirenz Ourborian, Legyn, and others of Her faithful on the severity of the breach. With little fanfare – but an unexpected aggression – She granted those closest to Her the ability to wield Her jade fire. a measure that would be found to disperse shadow creatures to little but motes at a great expense of will. ~ ~ ~ In Spinesreach, the Lion held the largest share of vigils at the arch, while the Syssin worked to banish encroaching shadowspawn and the Sciomancers delved into all their ancient research in search of ideas. Inspired by their recent work on elemental composition and the creation of the Blight, the Spireans conspired with Litrix to begin work on developing their own ordnance. With the aid of the Ascendril, that work continues… ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") ## Part III: The Shrines, The Bells, And The Dragon Determined to make the most of the borrowed time bought by Duiran’s work with the songlines, the adventurers of Sapience lost no steam in the weeks following the Shamanic rituals, steadfastly continuing their efforts in defence and resolved to continue preparing for war. In Bloodloch, the promised machinations of Abhorash began to bear fruit. Following the Progenitor’s instructions, the citizens of the Empire began drawing on their amassed quantities of slaves, lashing them to the shrines in Sterion. The goal was simple: corrupt the soul, the blood, and the sanity of the slaves such that the Divine might imbued within the shrines would wash over them, infusing them with the power of Bloodloch’s Gods and raising them up from mere chattel into soldiers of purpose. Experiments began in earnest under the eyes of Yettave, Rijetta, Almol, Kurak, Nipsy, and Dreadnaught, though more eagerly joined the effort soon after. Many were lost in the search for the correct balance to satisfy each God, and fighting soon erupted on the streets of Sterion as the forces of Enorian and Duiran, outraged by Bloodloch’s callous disregard for life, sought to stymie the Empire’s efforts. With both sides’ noses bloodied in the pitched battles that followed, the Empire persisted, hurriedly marshalling each new soldier home. Redoubling their efforts in the weeks after, their armies continued to grow, faceless legionnaires, shifting horrors, brutish rockfiends, and sentient, tainted ashes joining the Imperial Horde. The Empire spare none the whip, and training of their legions goes on… ~ ~ ~ In Enorian, the Beacon eagerly prepared evacuation plans for their innocent citizens while awaiting the return of the Rekindled Goddess. In conference with Rhulin Glintspear, once again forced to abandon his dreams of retirement, plans were made to hasten the repairs of their defunct Lance of the Gods, aimed not at destroying undead or Haekathi, but to burn the shadowbound to ash. The Engineer set the Beacon to collecting sand for the purposes of glassblowing, and they scoured the beaches and deserts of Sapience in preparation for the work to come. The return of Ethne came in the form of an enormous, fire-fretted gateway opening in Enorian’s Garden of Dawn. Thousands of Djinni Bellguards poured into the Prime from the holy lands of Rahiela, a Bellkeeper at the procession’s head. The soldiers fanned out around the Garden in protective formations, and moments later the Forge Maiden arrived, Her Ogrish presence draped in an aura of brilliant flames. Foregoing long conversation as is Her wont, Ethne recanted what She had learned in the forges of Rahiela, summoning Rhulin to Her side. The Goddess showed off a brilliant white metal known as dejanite, and made known Her intentions to forge a singularly large bell from the holy material while the adventurers worked at mass producing bells for the city’s – the world’s – protection. Passing instructions on the bellforging process to the Engineer, She bid him to construct for Enorian a specialised forge for the purpose, and he immediately set about the task. While the Beacon awaited news, Bellkeeper Kayaazim had more to say. With the assent of Ethne, the Djinn began to recite the words of a prophecy, a series of ominous verses foretelling great tragedy, disaster, and the victory of the shadow, along with – it was presumed – predictions made of events that had already occurred. The Bellkeeper assured those gathered that it was incomplete, but that the work of Paimri’s scholars in the translation was accurate. Further discussion was interrupted by Rhulin’s declaration that the forge was complete. They hurried to the industrial district where the Engineer presented to them a massive foundry, equipped with an enormous furnace and similarly impressive crucible. The forge was outfitted with everything they could need, including detailed instructions on the Djinn’s process of forging specialist bells. Opting to christen the forge personally, the Rekindled Goddess lit the furnace with some of Her own fire, and, expertly working the metal in a technique blending that of the Djinn with Her own considerable expertise, soon produced the first hand bell. Rasani Morrog received the first bell with reverence, and, following Ethne’s departure to Her own forge, began to learn. Firing up the furnace and working the crucible, the Godsmith followed the steps with care, imbuing some of her own spirit into the craft. Bolstered by her Duamvi host and her devotion to Damariel, Rasani concluded the process by anointing the bell with holy oils, the task complete. Vanguard Sryaen immediately began drawing up plans and assessing the resources on hand to maximise their efforts at the bellforge. With Rasani, Roux, Jhura, and others experimenting with harmonics, spirit, and durability and the efforts of Damonicus, Eoros, Ranae, and Kalena put forth on blowing glass for Rhulin, a busy atmosphere prevails in Enorian, the city galvanised in preparation for what is to come… ~ ~ ~ In the north, Spinesreach worked in a frenzy, pursuing a variety of projects. While still maintaining the largest share of Sterion’s vigil, work continued with Litrix on developing spirit-laced ordnance to drive back the shadowspawn. The Ascendril and the Spireans had conspired to produce countless bulbs of raw elemental spirit, and the city was eager to begin. Initial experiments proved highly volatile, with Lenoriel Ali’vani-Ourborian discovering the indiscriminate nature of spirit, finding herself reordered into a horrific – albeit highly structured – mass of tumours. Undeterred, Litrix bid them to find ways of protecting themselves against the raw spirit and discussed plans for imbuing it into blades, explosives, and other weapons of war. Working with Chairman Inkh in his rare moments of freedom from the news boards, Litrix also began making arrangements for a preservation facility. Requesting donations of steel and elemental ice, the Xorani promised a large facility, aimed at housing seed and life samples for future growth in the event of mass loss of life. The donations came in force, thousands of commodities offered up for the cause, and, with Burkhart Straton once again employed for the task, construction has begun. All the while, debate raged fiercely throughout Spinesreach on a singular topic: The Dragon’s Boon. A request was made to the Sun Drinker to lend Her aid to Spinesreach’s war efforts in the form of harnessing part of Her storms. Dragons do not engage in charity, however, and the topic of a price for the First’s gift was rampant on the city channel and in the news. A town hall was hastily convened and negotations for the power of the storm were underway. The Spireans agreed to build for the Sun Drinker a temple worthy of Her impressive might, as well as to allow Priests of the Dragon Cult of Dehkay Plateau to preach within the city’s walls, the latter a personal requirement added to the negotiation table by the First Dragon Herself. Not only would Spinesreach honour Tanixalthas materially and spiritually, however, but with an additional promise of Legacy. Thus did the Lion of the North abandon its long-standing moniker, publicly affirming themselves as the City beneath Her Wing and restyling themselves Dragon of the North. With Sky Dreaming satisfied by this accord, She consented to allow the Spireans a way to harness Her power. Nizrea, the Star-Gazer would be their contact for this endeavour, and the Spireans have begun plotting out locations to erect massive pylons in order to channel the wrath and fury of the unfettered storm… ~ ~ ~ Though the network of songlines in Sterion continued to waylay the breach, shadowspawn soon began entering the Prime through the rift, stretched out to impossible thinness by the totemic arrangement but soon taking on their most robust forms the instant they broke free. Duiran continued to hold sentinel over the Guardian Totems as one continued to inexplicably lose power, which they tirelessly sought to shore up with each passing day. With the influx of shadowspawn chaotic and unpredictable, vigil remains steadfast, and the world stands on the brink of open war with Czjetija. When the rift will eventually breach in full, none can say… ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") ## Part IV: The Shadowrot Though they knew their efforts at forestalling Shadow’s encroachment were temporary at best, none expected the situation to deterioriate quite as fast as it did. Beset with eerie visions of Vo’acha, the Shadow, Sibatti and Jhura hurried to the Guardian’s totem at Sterion while the rest of the Council followed shortly after. Runemaster Olto met them beside Vo’acha’s totem, having apparently received the same vision: of the great serpent coiling around his totem while black filth and rot bubbled up from below. Heated discussion ensued about what the vision could mean while the Runemaster attempted to examine the area, in particular the water of the frozen lake which seemed to feature in what he had seen. Arguments broke out when Olto requested the aid of a scientist to analyse a water sample, and discussion threatened to boil over into full out conflict as Bloodloch arrived at the scene demanding to know what was taking place. Finally, Sibatti called on Inkh’s services and asked that he analyse the water sample. Taking it to the megasizer device, with the aid of Litrix they discerned that there were traces of excess shadow in the water, far beyond what could be considered normal parameters. The Xorali scientist accompanied the Chairman back to Sterion and conferred with the Runemaster to bring himself up to date on the situation. Litrix quickly performed a survey of the area with a strange array of tools and instruments, concluding the likely existence of a cavern or crevice below the frozen lake. With his makeshift expedition crew in tow, he paced the lake and breathed fire into the largest sheet of ice, melting it away to reveal an opening below. Both within and adjacent, thick layers of rot presided, dominating the cavern network with shadowy filth. As adventurers explored, Litrix called on Aisling dur Naya to perform psychometry, hoping for some insight into how the rot had formed so far from the rift and, as far as anyone was concerned, so deep below the ice and out of sight and mind. Aisling’s mental inspection yielded only images in black and grey, impressions of death, dozens of expiring shadowspawn, and the taint growing more foul with each one. This seemed to confirm some theory held by Litrix as he immediately made known his belief that the totem was not responsible, putting paid to some theories about the power of the Guardians. The Xorali posited that each shadowspawn killed at the arch by mundane means was congealing in this cave instead of having itself dispersed to harmless essence. According to Litrix, such a thing should not be possible unless the Shadow had outside help. This ominous declaration set in motion another slew of theories and accusations, none of which have yet bore any fruit. He went on to theorise that the rot ran far deeper than this single layer, and responded to concerns about killing more shadowspawn with a reserved, bitter comment that the damage was almost certainly already done. It would spread, beyond the cave, perhaps even beyond Sterion, Litrix stated in bleak tones. And it did. As midnight fell across the land, the rot emerged from the cave and claimed its first foothold in Sterion proper. Though its advance was slow, nothing survived contact with it, shrines and creatures and all other ephemera consumed into the black mass. All who stood within it felt sickened and weak, Duamvi far more than others. Large bells were brought forth by Enorian in an effort to repel the taint, but the pealing chimes served only to make it angry and more resolute. Each subsequent night brought more of the same: the rot advancing further into Sterion and devouring all in its path. As the songline totems fell, followed by the totem of Vo’acha, the web of Dendaric energy and the labyrinth established by Duiran began to falter, bringing forth dozens of shadowspawn through the rift at once. And so it continued. In the early days of Variach, after both Vo’acha and Kree-sa’s totems had fallen to the rot and almost a full third of Sterion lay in the Shadow’s grip, the Unbound Lord appeared beside the Shrine of Bells. Damariel’s presence enraged the cloying darkness which twice tried to attack Him, lashing tendrils repelled by His brilliant aura of light. Visibly disgusted by the taint, Damariel spoke of Ohlsana’s struggle against Her prison, and how the Shadow Mother was spending all Her will on driving the rot forward. Infused with intelligence from Her, and bound so tightly to Her mind, there was little even the Gods could do against it, so-said the Unbound Lord, inwardly musing on a time where the Gods were far more powerful, and perhaps could have done more. As ever, Damariel counselled hope – He believed that as the rot spread, Ohlsana would not be able to maintain Her iron will over all of it at once, offering some scant relief as He insisted that She was not limitlessly powerful. Upon hearing of someone – or Someone – lending aid to the Shadow, Damariel mused that He would not suspect any of His own kin of being responsible, troubled by the information. Still He projected hope, even while stating that the time of a united Pantheon had long passed and inwardly blaming Varian for the fact. As another assault by the darkness was rebuffed, Docent Eliadon asked of the Unbound God His thoughts on freeing Dejaani, Guardian of the First Flame, to combat Ohlsana. He offered no opinion on the idea, save to share that the Albedi Divine were entirely unlike the Sapience Pantheon, more akin to forces of nature than individual people. As midnight drew nearer, Damariel assured those present that a weakness would present itself in time, and that when it did, they would fight back. Leaving the group with these final words, the Unbound Lord took His leave and was gone, the adventurers regrouping beside the arch in preparation for the midnight hour… ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") ## Part V: The End Of The Beginning Within days of Damariel’s meeting beside the Shrine of Bells, the creeping rot, which by now had swallowed over a full half of Sterion, at last began to near the arch. While crazed preachers and adventurers traded proclamations of doom and despair, and others celebrated with drink and revelry in anticipation of their final days, others still yet clung to hope, the vigil at Sterion unerring in its determination. Come the midnight hour did, and with it a black wave of darkness sweeping over the iron gate. Where once only a pinprick glimmered in that bleak night, now thousands more shimmered in the empty firmament, violet specks aglow with the influence of Ohlsana. A shriek resounded across the world as shadow met metal, a wail of entropy unleashed quashing all and sundry beneath its outpouring of wrath. As the last echoes faded, only gloam remained behind, a lightless sense of something insatiable falling with malice upon the Prime Plane. Within moments, the outpouring of shadow wreaked its terrible toll upon the former village of Sterion, twisting it, warping it, corrupting it, and transforming the very land on which it stood into something utterly else. Gone was Sterion, and in its place exists now the Primal Eye of Czjetija — Ohlsana’s first foothold in the Prime Material Plane. In the wake of this transformation, shadowspawn swarmed through in the hundreds, ruthlessly murdering everything in their path. Tenebrous horrors, monstrous shadow beasts, spinners, and many-winged ghasts joined the familiar creepers and wisps that had been seen before. Dozens of adventurers fell in the hordes’ opening onslaught, each one they felled replaced with two more in short order. Chaos reigned throughout the village, the combination of rot and seemingly endless monstrosities overwhelming in their assault. Kagura of Spinesreach, founder of the Shadowguard, rallied the collective forces of Sapience together to retaliate, doggedly attempting to push back the oncoming tide. Though they cleared themselves a path, losing many in the process including a brush with horror itself as Orhm was swallowed up by the rot and swiftly recovered, whole divisions of shadowbound soldiers had now begun to assemble at the breach. Unable to repel the soldiers without troops of their own, the matter of Bloodloch’s blockade resurfaced, arguments breaking out on the best course forward. Then, the voice of Shadow Lord Murgraxis rippled through the arch, booming out for all to hear as he declared the inevitable victory of Shadow and predicted Severn’s imminent fall. As the swarms of soldiers continued to multiply and hundreds more shadowspawn poured out through the Primal Eye, the adventurers of Sapience were forced to accept the truth: Sterion was lost, and Ohlsana’s invasion had barely even begun… ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") ## Part VI: The Primal Eye Of Czjetija In the wake of Sterion’s fall and the swarming of shadowspawn en masse in what once was the Minotaur Village, Sapience would see unprecedented unity as adventurers across the world – some even foregoing Bloodloch’s self-imposed state of splendid isolation to join the fray – rallied together to fight against the overwhelming numbers. Elene and Whirran were the first to launch an offensive against Ohlsana’s troops directly, marching divisions of horrors through the creeping rot and sending them into battle. Though the horrors fell in droves, eventually expiring to the corruption plaguing the area, they were able to eradicate the first of the shadowbound divisions, finally lifting their blockade so that others could do the same. Motivated by the knowledge that the legions were not unbeatable, Valeria and Saltz spearheaded the larger resistance effort, organising dozens of their peers to cut a path through the seemingly infinite hordes of aberrations, that their own troops may sally forth and do battle with those loyal to Ohlsana. Though a monstrous death toll ensued, the adventurers pressed on with unbreakable resolve, cutting down thousands of shadowspawn no matter their own loss of life. Gifted Eulogy, a flyssa known as the Omen of Judgement, from the Underking’s personal armoury, Benedicto Silverain brought the divinely-inspired weapon to bear against the hordes. Though his initial efforts faltered in a valiant, if misguided effort to cut down a whole division with Dhar’s sword, he soon mastered its usage, passing sentence on countless monstrosities as troops began to march their way towards the arch. Enorian and Duiran soon mobilised their Knights and Durdalis to work in tandem against the shadowbound, while the divisions of Spinesreach have not yet taken the field. Though the adventurers realised with horror that some of the fallen found themselves raised up as shadowbound to fuel the Shadow legions, they eventually prevailed, clearing Sterion of trained soldiers. Despite this victory, however, the shadowspawn continued to swarm in uncountable volumes, and as the week went on, the death toll only rose higher and higher as the adventurers adapted their strategies, with Bloodloch fielding an army of Bards for the task of keeping their allies alive, and others hurling hundreds of daggers from places of safety. A week hence and another shadowbound division had emerged from the arch. The resistance pushed forward once again with troops of their own but losing too many in the process. As new plans and strategies were hastily formed, with arrangements of large bells as close to the rot as possible and clever Archivists enabling the creation of woodlore tents, resolve remained high. But then the Shadow Lord came. Heralded by violet smoke fouling the sky over what was Sterion, Murgraxis came forth bellowing threats and arrogant predictions of victory for the Shadow. He took up a battle station near the rift to Czjetija and began to guard it with murderous intent, repelling all comers as he held aloft the Blade of Artifice, laughing triumphantly all the while. This writer would like to take the opportunity to remind readers that Murgraxis acted as Ohlsana’s primary general in the first War of Night. Partnered with Ati, the Shadow, Murgraxis laid waste to the mainland, battling Gods and mortals alike with ease. After Ati was slain by Abhorash in a gruelling duel, the combined might of Sapience and its Gods pushed Murgraxis back into the Shadow Plane, where he had presumably lingered ever since. Held off from entering the Prime until now by the considerable efforts of Severn, the Artificer, this ominous turn of events begs the question: “If Murgraxis is here, what has become of Severn?” ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") ## Part VII: The Dauntless Host Of The Akkari As dawn on the 10th day of Severin touched the sky with the makings of its radiant glow, it quickly became clear that more than the sunrise alone would cast its blazing touch across the awakening firmament. Twin beams of effulgent flame pierced through the daystar’s bore to streak violently towards the ground, eventually colliding with the earth directly before the shining gates of Enorian. Adventurers from across the land soon converged upon the Raphaelan Highway, bringing together residents of the frozen north, Duirani Councillors, and even Imperial citizens to join the Beacon’s investigation party. All present gawked at the two figures who had alighted, one an Ogre, the other a Rajamala, both surrounded in an aura of sacred light. Awkward silence lingered before the Ogre woman, a magnificently strong and bold figure, stepped forward, bellowing “EXARCH! SHOW YOURSELF, HAND OF IL’AHJI!” for all to hear. While her Rajamalan companion stood grimly at the woman’s side, his mistrust for those pushing in all around clear in his thoughts, she waited for Aban – for that was who she called out to – to arrive on the scene. The Exarch arrived with sweat beading on his brow, sprinting in to meet his companions. With eyes for none but those gleaming figures of light, he came to a stop before both with a stark expression on his face. There they stood for a tense moment, Ogre towering over Rajamalan, who in turn loomed above the human, each individual betraying nothing of whatever thoughts might lie within. Finally, in a voice growing suddenly warm with familiarity, the woman declares, “You’re getting old, Exarch.” Sombre attitudes vanishing, the newly arrived man and woman both wasted little time in engaging warmly with their old friend. Introductions came swiftly, the taciturn Rajamala stirring from his thoughts of loathing and revulsion of ‘darkweavers’ as he put it, to make himself known as Berrad, Exarch of the Naarak. The Ogress offered her name more openly; known as Saebi, she introduced herself as the Blood of the Dosan sect, and conversation soon turned towards more pressing matters. Aban invited his fellow Exarchs into Enorian, where they reconvened away from prying eyes at the Temple of the Gods. Perplexed by how they could afford to be here, away from the battle fronts on Rewh’va, Aban hastily enquired into the purpose of their visit. With little pleasure in their voices, Saebi and Berrad recounted how all but one of the Shadow’s generals had withdrawn from the breaches and rifts elsewere, leaving only one – Ozeroth, the Firstborn – behind to hold the Shadow’s line alone. Names were exchanged that were unfamiliar to the onlookers, including Saglozol, Agrimarha, Irgech, and Sanaz, presumably the monikers of other Shadow Generals that the three Exarchs knew well – to their great chagrin. Berrad, infused with passionate zeal and holy fervour, stated the obvious: they were aware the Primals, as he called them, were under attack, and that they would now have twelve Generals to fight. “Eleven,” came Aban’s quick correction, recanting the fall of Ati to Abhorash, the Progenitor. Happiness at Ati’s death soon yielded to rage at what had prevailed over it — unaware with vampires, learning of their existence only roused the Exarch to greater righteous indignation. Preliminary enquiries were made as to what the Primals were doing to prepare for war, followed by further discussion on the Shadow, the imminent dangers, and more. Berrad informed Aban that the Host of Akkari were assembling and would soon be arriving on Prime to lend their aid on the field, while Saebi informed the Primals that the Dauntless Host were bringing them a problem – a problem they were to solve. Remaining coy when questioned, Saebi suggested they relocate to more open ground to make room for the army’s imminent arrival. To the Garden of Dawn they went then, and the three Exarchs worked as one to open a blazing bright portal, visions of geometric cities, perfectly ordered landscapes, and ruins flickering in and out of view as it anchored itself in place. Akkari soldiers soon poured in through the portal, thousands of troops drawn from the Dosan, the Naraak, and Il’ahji swiftly arranging themselves in tight, patterned formations. As the last of the Host filed through, the problem that Primals would have to solve soon became clear. Flanked on either side by an elite honour guard, a cage of spirit was brought forth from Rewh’va, thick and shimmering webs of woven light holding an animalistic captive. Battered, bruised, and weakened by injuries uncountable the figure’s identity was at first obscured. Then, as He lifted His head to regard the gawking crowd with disdain even in captivity, Severn the Manipulator had returned to the Prime, brought forth as the Akkari’s prisoner. With grudging respect, Exarch Saebi recounted how they had captured Severn near the breach to Spirit, and that He had fought – and was still fighting – shadowspawn up until the moments of his captivity. Under the eye of the Angelic Triad, judgement was passed: the Manipulator was a criminal of the Prime, and the question of His fate fell with the Primals, specifically those of Enorian. As the horns of Holy War between Haern, the Hunter and Ivoln, the Earthen Lord sounded out, a suspenseful quiet overtook Enorian for a moment as the gravity of the decision facing Sryaen and his Heralds struck home… ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") ## Part VIII: The Crossroads In strangely appropriate form, so it was that in the month of the Shadowed God’s namesake, his fate would be decided. The silence broke with the throes of fierce debate erupting in the Garden of Dawn where thousands of Djinn and Akkari soldiers held their vigil without comment. The Exarchs offered little save Saebi’s reassurance that this was the Primals’ choice to make alone, and Berrad inwardly wishing death and damnation on the captive God. While most seemed to lean towards mercy, among them Rasani, Kalena, and Sryaen who cited Severn’s usefulness against Ohlsana and the importance of the greater threat, dissent among the ranks was rife. Docent Eliadon and Xavin, supported by Iesid of Duiran, were the loudest voices of opposition, recanting the Manipulator’s seemingly endless crimes and calling for His head once and for all. On went the debate, the two sides equally confident in their opinions. Suggestions to hold a trial for Severn by Rasani were shot down swiftly, first by the contemptuous expressions of the Manipulator Himself, silenced by the cage of spirit though He was, and secondly by the Exarchs, reminding those gathered that Severn had already been tried, and that only judgement now remained. Indefatigable, the Godsmith instead made a plea to Severn to forsake His fealty to Bamathis and serve instead under Damariel, which only deepened the Artificer’s scorn. Tension hung in the air with the scarcely restrained tautness of a nocked bowstring, threatening to spill over at any moment. Those demanding mercy were as zealous and resolute as those insisting Severn deserved none, and as the back and forth continued to rage with more and more voices joining the already considerable number, Vanguard Sryaen raised his voice and made the final call: the Manipulator was to be set free. Enraged by the decision and fully aware of his Lady Indelible’s feelings on the matter, Xavin Taziyah brought his blade up, attempting to visit justice on the Manipulator himself by cleaving Him in twain. Though Severn’s laughter failed to penetrate the bindings holding Him, despite the peculiar ability of a winged bat carrying an athame on behalf of Maeve Visara to do so, the derision was plain in His face. Sryaen’s decision lit the spark on yet another round of furious debate, and the arguments resumed in force while Holy War between Hunter and Earth still raged across the land and the flames of chaos were stoked to ever greater fervour as Iesid attempted to clear the Garden with a Song of Oblivion and, presumably in so doing, leave a clear path to the Manipulator’s execution. It was then that Haern, the Hunter joined them, appearing in the midst of a fiery green conflagration. “Cowards!” He bellowed at those opting for mercy, the fathomless rage of a betrayed God evinced in His every word, His every quivering, trembling, violent motion. Few can claim – whether God or mortal – to have felt Severn’s touch of betrayal more keenly than the Hunter, and He came insisting, nay, demanding, the justice He had so long deserved. With nothing but scorn for what He deemed weak sheep willingly leading themselves to slaughter, He drew His knife, meaning to pass sentence of His own. As He lunged toward the cage, the click-click-click of a starmetal leg announced Damariel’s arrival on the scene, His jaw set in grim stillness as His eyes quickly took in the events around Him. Exhaustion in His face, He laid a hand against Haern’s arm in an attempt at kindness, attempting to defuse the situation with a reminder that He Himself had fought to give the mortals free will, and that this was a necessary consequence. Utterly inconsolable, the Hunter’s fury continue to roil, spitting at Damariel as He tore Himself free of the elder brother’s grasp. Ignoring Truth’s insistence that without Severn, the suffering Ohlsana would visit upon Sapience would be even greater, Haern named Enorian a pretender city, instructing Iesid to follow His lead as He readied Himself to act. As Damariel ordered the Exarchs to lower Severn’s shield, the web of spirit faded with their assent, upholding their mission from the Triad to put judgement in the Primals’ hands. Visibly outraged by the order, Berrad assented as Saebi tried to soothe him, the Manipulator soon stepping free of His bonds to embrace Damariel, whispering something into His Twin’s ear that none other could hear. Haern lunged then, uncoiling like a snake with blade in hand as He roared, knife ready to strike. With speed defying His apparent age and fatigue, Damariel positioned Himself between the two Gods, manifesting an aegis of brilliant light to protect both Himself and His Twin from harm. With little sympathy to spare for Severn, the Unbound God told Him to get out of His city, His tone one of bleak, uncharacteristically cold finality. As Severn fled, His escape slowed by the dozens of wounds hindering Him, the Hunter, still enraged by the notion that any would see fit to set the Manipulator free, gave chase. His bestial howl shook the continent as He began His hunt, bellowing condemnations with ire and loathing in His voice. But even Haern’s powerfully rumbling voice could not drown out the Dragon. Taking flight amid a thunderous sonic boom, the ascent of Tanixalthas drowned Spinesreach in shadow beneath the enormity of Her wing span as Severn neared the Citadel with Haern in close pursuit. The firmament shuddered with Sky Dreaming’s own roaring proclamation: that Her oath was to the Shadowed One, and none other, and without Him, She would have no reason to show anyone Her benevolent mercies. The First Dragon’s threat hung in the air for barely a moment before Haern’s fury once again replaced it, unbridled rage causing Him to shake with the sheer intensity of His furor. Unmoved by the Sun Drinker’s words, Haern retorted with a threat of His own, an offer to demonstrate why He alone is named the Hunter. Piping notes momentarily broke the tension, the Warlord now joining the rapidly growing number of Gods. With Caelestis burning like silver flames in His hands, Bamathis ascended in full battle regalia, ready to make war beside Tanixalthas. Bamathis lent His support to Damariel’s earlier words, insisting that Severn’s death would doom Them all while castigating Haern for His emotions. Lexadhra rose then in support of the Hunter, Her scorn for Enorian’s decision plain in Her call for Severn to be immediately executed, put down once and for all. Many mortals lifted their voices to join the embattling Gods, Architect Legyn of the Archivium bellowing a vicious invective at Haern in a valiant effort to distract Him long enough for Severn to escape, and Chairman Inkh invoking the vengeful ire of the Indelible with his pleas for peace. Reality itself shivered with the outpouring of divine might, Haern once again declaring His refusal to show Severn mercy as the air crackled with a tension threatening to boil over into open war. A weary sigh cut through the bubbling powder keg, laden with unfathomable weight. Silent until now following Severn’s escape, Damariel’s voice, strengthened by His considerable might, boomed out in a reverberating tone thick with manifest authority and commanding gravitas, radiant energy sparking out around Him to silence all and sundry with its magnitude. Reluctantly taking control of the situation, Damariel yet again condemned the wisdom of infighting and squabbles while the Shadow was – is – at Sapience’s door. His grave counsel spared none, His grim voice portending the Shadow’s victory should the Gods persist with Their grudges. Though Tanixalthas dismissed His words with a statement that She would only withdraw when Severn was no longer threatened, Bamathis was first to make concord, sheathing His blade in agreement with the Unbound Lord. Haern’s retort came in the form of a blistering condemnation of Enorian and Damariel both, fury still burning in the Hunter’s mind. As He turned to depart to Dendara to vent His rage, He declared Damariel to be no brother of His, remarking with disgust that Enorian’s light had been swallowed by the Shadow. With the battle apparently curtailed, Lexadhra’s seething fury made itself known again as She faded away with a scream of frustration, Tanixalthas returning to the Dragon Spire shortly after. Having finally arrived at Spinesreach, albeit in many pieces, Severn entered the Spire of Artifice, raw Divine essence spilling from His wounds onto the street below. As He settled into His throne with a weary sigh, Severn’s last words were for Murgraxis, and that He would be coming to retrieve His sword. While the Gods mostly fell silent save for the occasional roar from Haern and vindictive barb from Lexadhra, the Exarchs who had, for the most part remained silent during the exchange, looked to Aban for a place to rest. Saebi departed with kindly words to the adventurers while Berrad, disgusted with their decision, left without a sound, Aban close behind. While political turmoil and holy war continued to play out in the aftermath, Ohlsana’s creeping rot has begun to encroach upon the Shadow Keep of Mount Gallows. While the Carnifex desperately dig trenches laced with innumerable conquered souls in an effort to defend their keep, the world remains on the brink of open war. Countless shadowspawn now roam the Tarea Mountains, and the ever-advancing taint will soon find several more precious targets within its reach. ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") ## Part IX: The Battle For Kald, Part I While most were focused on the scorching arguments between the Gods and dealing with the ensuing aftermath, Ohlsana’s rot continued to creep forward almost unabated. Slowed by the tens of thousands of souls laid out in trenches by the Carnifex, defence of the Shadow Keep was in full force, but it seemed inevitable that within only a few short weeks, the encroaching taint would reach, not only the Underking’s spear in Kentorakro, nor just the Monolith of the Apocalyptia in the Mamashi, but the Village of Kald, too. Forgotten by many save those with a penchant for perfume, and save by Warden Reave Lavalde who stood eternal vigil over her home town beside her people, Kald had been busy with preparations of their own. Townsmen and farmers, most with no experience in battle or warfare whatsoever, nonetheless arranged themselves into a ragtag militia, mobilising to guard the borders of their home. The people of Kald are a proud people. A stubborn people. A hard people. Drawn by local gossip, a number of adventurers flocked to the village in an effort to help them evacuate. Led largely by Lenoriel, the visitors implored the Kald villagers to flee, to save themselves, and to save their children, counselling the indiscriminate and seemingly inconquerable nature of the rot. To a man, they each of them point blank refused, claiming that to abandon their home was to abandon who they were. More voices joined in support of Lenoriel, insisting that there was no hope, and no purpose in staying only to meet inevitable doom. Kald would hear none of it, only digging their heels in further with each request for them to leave, even as nearby Mrenadh was making plans for a hasty evacuation. Inspired by Kald’s defiant refusal to give up their homes, members of the Carnifex, the Templars, and the Sentinels – between them, making up the three Seluno-founded organisations – began stockpiling weapons to arm the villagers, reasoning that if they couldn’t convince them to leave, they could at least put spear and sword and bow in their hand and give them some basic training. As the week wound on and the adventurers provided countless supplies, the villagers, who had so far proven reluctant to accept even material help, finally sent a representive forward from their militia to negotiate. The chosen representative agreed to accept training on the grounds that it was given unconditionally, and that those sent to offer tutelage would be accepted as Kald’s own people so long as they remained, and so long as they respected the village’s customs. Though they were inexperienced and untrained, they were eager and willing, and already counted two expert hunters among their numbers – Ater, and Beadr. Agreeing to the terms, Commander Mjoll and the Carnifex dispatched Reaper Avrax to the village, who immediately began teaching them about discipline and organisation. The eager Kobold took to the task with excitement, immediately barking orders too loud for his size as Lord Rijetta Alhazrad looked upon the young Carnifex with a hint of pride. True to the orders given to him by Rijetta, he has managed to avoid killing a single villager. So far. Rasani started instructing a tanner upon the correct formation for a shield-wall while waiting for the Pentarch Kalena to bring back Jermar, a wingless Templar Knight, to train the militia further. Some minor arguments about the appropriateness of arming untrained militia men with a shield were soon stifled as the trainees took to the task with aplomb. To protect Jermar for the invasion ahead, Rasani generously bestowed her holy vestments – blessed armour from Damariel – upon him to wear in the battle. Prideleader Eaku grilled the archers on tactics and their ability to utilise the village’s highground and rooftops. Satisfied with their answers, and at the request of further training from the militia, he sent Iesid to retrieve Huntleader Tomor in order to bestow training in the bow. Concerns about the Satyr’s one-armed status was soon put aside as the grizzled ranger commenced expert drills in proper aiming and nocking techniques. As the training began in earnest against a backdrop of Rijetta’s zealous proselytising about the Lady of Corruption, the villagers busied themselves with practice and preparations, doggedly determined to face the incoming Shadow with heads – and now, bows, spears, and shields – held high. ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") ## Part X: The Battle For Kald, Part II Ohlsana’s rot continued to expand outwards, though it was noted by some particularly keen observers that the spread, once reliably all-encompassing, was no longer so guaranteed now that it had reached the wide expanses beyond the narrow confines of the mountains. As Severin grew late, the creeping taint nevertheless drew nearer to the Underking’s spear in Kentorakro, and to the Monolith of the Apocalyptia in the Mamashi Grasslands. While training and preparations in Kald continued at a rapid pace, the Underking made known His presence, and with no small measure of resignation announced His intent to withdraw the colossal spears embedded in the earth, weapons empowered with death essence set to bind the Earthen Lord and heavily restrict His power. Shuddering as their guardian souls shimmered pale blue, with a crack of sound the spears shattered into pure white essence, streaming back to the God of Death in a single motion and infusing Him with regathered might. A great heaving from the bones of the earth followed, the very land itself shuddering in triumphant quakes as the Earthen Lord shook free that which had restrained Him and He returned to His full strength. Under the guidance of Earthcaller Khuzrol, the Earthen Kin, among them Yettave, Almol, Everly, Nipsy, Kurak, and Alela, took advantage of this situation to begin reinforcing the Apocalyptia Monoliths, etching the five primal runes of the earth upon the edifices before reinforcing them with copious volumes of ashes and obsidian and finally letting their blood spill freely to feed the hungry stone and reinforce it against the encroaching rot. The sun set on the 20th day of Severin, and the Malevolent’s Emissary spoke up, notifying Bloodloch of stirring within Czjetija’s Primal Eye. The Empire began to scout a suitable place for their forces to make a stand against the Shadow’s armies. The split in the Tarea Mountains near the Shadow Keep was chosen as an advantageous chokepoint, and Bloodloch quickly mobilised to prepare the battlefield. War Minister Bulrok and Lord Rijetta Alhazrad took time to plan out the best use of the soldiers they had raised up from slavery and transformed by the power of their Gods. Together, they formed strategies, debated battle plans, and discussed what combinations of soldiers to use and under what circumstances. Their expertise would soon be put to the test. Bellowing out across the land once again in that imperious voice, Shadow Lord Murgraxis called for the razing of Kald, dismissing the Empire’s amassed defences as a pitiful effort. Massive pressure radiated then from the Primal Eye as shadowspawn poured through the gate in massive numbers, preparing to march out of Sterion and into the mountains. At the vanguard, three monstrously large shadow beasts led the charge, and the army started to push forward. At the peak of the Tarea Mountains, the vanguard met a lone figure, solitary and resolute against the incoming tide. The Progenitor of the Consanguine watched with his customary smirk, his pale frame remaining upright even as rockslides shook the mountain range. The presence of Abhorash fomented great rage in Murgraxis, who, reminded of the Progenitor’s defeat of Ati, promised that doom was coming for him. The trio of beasts descended upon the peak with inhuman speed, and only then did Abhorash finally stir, extending a slender hand to slit open his own palm, a drop of blood falling to imbue the mountaintop. A massive stalagmite of blood erupted from the earth, impaling the nearest of the beasts clean through its midsection before exploding in tremendous force, tearing its quarry apart. Splinters of blood flew through the air like shrapnel in its detonation, damning the second creature to death in a flurry of sanguine spears. The third lunged at Abhorash, who blurred into supernatural motion in an elegant sidestep, the beast barely missing his face. Tri-claws of crystallised blood sprang forth to shred the beast, the force of their collision sundering the mountain peak on which they both stood. As the beast fell and Abhorash regained his footing on the ground, the roiling horde continued to swarm, undeterred by the felling of their vanguard. The Progenitor then called on Thronekeeper Whirran to lift his trumpet, the piping blast echoing across the realm as a single deafening note mustering the forces of the Sanguine Fist to war. The volcano shook as the stomping footsteps of rockfiends, the slithering of shifting horrors, the keening wail of tainted ashes, and the steady marching of faceless legionnaires echoed through Sapience, the army of Bloodloch mobilising for battle and meaning to match the invading shadowspawn hordes head on. Under Bulrok and Rijetta’s command, so it was that Mjoll, Almol, Alela, Ehtias, Elene, Yettave, Taj, Kurak, Nipsy, Paxe, Tina, Whirran, Tetchta, and Naadu stepped into the battlefield to make war. Soldiers clashed in a cataclysmic battle, the enhanced troops of Bloodloch going blow for blow with the shadowspawn. The Empire’s forces fought relentlessly and without any hint of mercy, felling everything that dared cross their path. While the battle raged on in the Tarea Mountains, Valeria led an incursion into the Primal Eye itself, issuing a challenge to Murgraxis for all the world to hear. Taunting and belittling the Shadow Lord, joining Valeria were Saltz, Jezriel, Xavin, Iesid, Jhura, Aisling, Cinnamae, and Eaku, clearing the streets of as many shadowspawn as they could cull in an effort to reach the rift, which, so far as they knew remained barred, shielded by Murgraxis’s web of gloam. Their provocations proved successful as Murgraxis let down his shield of darkness, challenging the primitives, as he named them, to come and face him. Though he easily triumphed over all nine of them, including cameo appearances from Linne and Corvo, Duiran had bloodied his nose and, intentionally or otherwise, distracted him from the conflict on the larger stage. On the field, Mjoll held the western flank while Whirran held the east, Elene and Taj patrolling the centre carrying out scouting manouevres and relaying updates and information. As their troops collided violently again and again, the remainder of the Empire’s forces patrolled the brink, mopping up any interlopers that made it past their front lines. Whilst carnage reigned, much of the losses were on the side of the Shadow, though one particularly diligent refreshment Goblin fell to the rot in the midst of serving his last meal. Meanwhile, midnight fell across the land, and the rot made its move, seeping into the Urubamba river mere steps away from Kald’s doorstep. Ruthless storms and sand and soil rose across the Mamashi, the wrath of the earth manifesting to protect the Apocalyptia Monolith from harm. Driven forward by the ruthless authority of the Shadow General, the darkspawn advanced into Kald, meeting a resistance they could not possibly have fathomed. Even with Bloodloch’s armies holding back the bulk of their invading forces, Shadow’s numbers swelled, gathering in groups before the village. Reaper Avrax led the warcry of the Kald resistance, shouting the familiar Carnifex axiom, “STRENGTH IN SLAUGHTER!” The militia, having spent a week learning under the young Kobold Carnifex, screamed back in turn, “YES REAPER!”, standing ready with their bardiches and warhammers, confident in spite of their inexperience. Jermar the Templar Knight, donned in the gleaming vestments of the Varouk-saad, banished the gloom of the highest darkness, his trainees grim-faced yet resolute, wielding both tower and spear. Adopting a shield-wall formation under the Templar’s orders, they stood firm and determined to see the coming dawn. Huntleader Tomor, having arranged his archers on the rooftops and stairs for the best vantage positions, told his forces to focus on the flyers and to ready their bows. Surveilling the battlefield, the veteran Kald hunters, Ater and Beard, alongside the Duiran Ranger’s many students, took up bows as one, nocking arrows and waiting for the order to loose. As Avrax pounded his chest armour and Jermar’s righteous aura flared bright, the order from Tomor finally came, archers loosing their bows and letting fly a rain of arrows toward the enemy. Though many missed, some found purchase, and the twin shots of the veterans drew the first blood of the engagement: puncturing a shadow-ghast and claiming the monstrosity’s life. On the front lines stood Roux, Jondyrr, Molotok, Lenoriel, Eaku, Feirenz, Linne, Knigi, Reave, Pentas, Pietre, Eliadon, Alystrine, Jhura, Xavin, Kalena, Valeria, Aisling, Iesid, Sryaen, Teani, Saltz, Teramasce, Keldrad, Myrnma, Orhm, Sheryni, and Rasani, the massed group fiercely throwing themselves into battle alongside the Kaldian militia. Great silver bells rang out under Rasani’s direction, their booming chimes ripping through countless shadowspawn even while the adventurers wielded sabre and spirit bomb, Guardian blessing and jade fire all working in tandem to repel the threat. Battle now raged on two fronts, and chaos truly reigned. With the trio of Seluno guild tutors screaming words of encouragement and commands to hold the line, and the Bloodlochians in the north shouting violent exhortations of their own, the clamour of battle had never sounded more loudly and more fiercely. The enhanced soldiers of the Empire continued laying waste to the darkspawn, seemingly losing no ground while scores more fell on the edges of Kald to the gathered might of bell and spell and magic and melee arrayed against the darkness. Finally, with roars of triumph, the Shadow’s line broke within the Tarean battlefield, the last of their committed forces decimated, crushed by Bloodloch’s powerful host. Victory in the north inspired the resistance, and, despite Murgraxis’s dismissive shouting and attempts to muster Rhyot – whose Shadowlord moniker momentary confused the General for one of their own – to his side, on they fought, Avrax and Jermar and Tomor lending their voices in defiance of the Shadow’s claim. Rejoined by Bloodloch following their victory on the field, Kald and its ragtag militia, its farmers and its fisherman, had done the impossible: held the line. With the first glimmers of light peeking over the horizon’s edge, the threat of dawn and dwindling numbers committed to the effort conspired to force the Shadow to withdraw, the last of the aberrations cut down without mercy or restraint. And yet among the raucous shouts of triumph and celebratory yelling from all sides, exultation in victory waned as the adrenalin began to fade, the cost of their victory and the price of the butcher’s bill becoming plain. Soon, all that could be heard were the cries of mothers parted from their sons, children torn fom their families, and husbands bereft of their wives. For many, nay, most among them, this was the first they seen of war, many of them vomiting or screaming in shock from the experience. The villagers began seeing to their dead, doing their work in muted silence. While a great victory had been won in Kald, few wanted to state the obvious: that the Shadow would return, and in force, before long. ![footer-hr](https://www.aetolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/footer-hr.png "footer-hr") ## Part XI: The Battle For Kald: Part III Some weeks had passed since Bloodloch’s decisive victory in the north and Kald continued to stubbornly survive, with only token raids and skirmishing parties sent forth from the Eye to test the defences. The Seluno guilds pressed their trainees even harder, while others still berated the ragtag militiamen in an attempt to convince them to abandon their defence and flee their home. They refused. In another twist of apposite coincidence, the situation at the Carnifex Keep grew more dire in the month of Lady Malevolent’s namesake, and She lent Her own heart to the effort of sparing its destruction. While Bloodloch harvested countless mortal hearts to feed the defence efforts, Murgraxis once more made known his presence when midnight fell on the 8th day of the month. Promising Kald that their days were – quite literally – numbered, the Shadow Dragon made known his intent to bring a final siege to the village when next the midnight hour fell. Dozens gathered in the small village, ready to give their lives for the defence. What had begun as Reave’s lone vigil had swiftly become a rallying point – a beacon for the greater good, a promise of hope, and of the world’s survival. Night fell and swaths of shadowspawn, enlivened and motivated by the coming darkness, converged at the Eye’s edges, monstrous beasts, ghasts, aberrations, and all manner of monstrosities arranging themselves into an angular formation as they prepared to march. Once more did Bloodloch’s armies step forth to meet them in the theatre of the Tarean Mountains, their divinely-engineered soldiers pressing forward under the Empire’s lash. From Enorian, a sonorous sound rang throughout the city, and the Exarchs Aban, Berrad, and Saebi, emerged from their Bastion, clad in polished armour and resplendent light, ready for the battle to come. Their arrival at Kald raised no small few number of eyebrows, but most were glad of the support. Quickly taking stock of the situation, they conferred among themselves and counselled resolve to all present, of trust and faith in the light, and confidence in vanquishing the darkness. Night deepened and the hordes poured down the mountains like a cresting wave of black. The enhanced soldiers of the Empire roared with battle lust, and the two armies clashed, Bloodloch determined to give absolutely no ground. Yet despite their efforts, the numbers of the shadowspawn swelled to hideous proportions, endless swarms pushing past even the considerably well-defended battle lines of the Empire to regroup at the outskirts of Kald. Murgraxis raised his voice again, ordering Ohlsana’s armies forward. And forward they went. Echoing their first battle, Reaper Avrax bellowed orders to the militia, who hastened to comply, returning his thunderous cry of “STRENGTH IN SLAUGHTER!” with one of their own, the rest of the Carnifex soon joining them. Templar Jermaw hurried to arrange a shield-wall, insisting on no gaps in the line. While the men clamoured to get their towers up, he let fly a call that had recently begun to take root in the heart of the Beacon; “Until the dawn, WE ARE THE LIGHT!” came his booming voice, but it was not alone. Vanguard Sryaen and Pentarch Kalena lifted their own voices, and the rest of Enorian followed suit. The Exarchs joined in with warcries of their own, and the shield-wall came together. Atop a nearby farmhouse, Huntmaster Tomor called for his archers to raise bows and, in a moment of pause that felt like a lifetime, the dozens of adventurers, the three Exarchs, the Seluno tutors, and the militia, all held a breath, girding themselves for what was to come. Cutting their losses to join the battle below, Bloodloch entered the fray and, following the swift execution of a would-be saboteur by Exarch Berrad and an accident involving a spirit bomb that left half the Empire’s forces dead and the other half hell bent on revenge, open war between the defenders was thwarted only by the larger threat pressing in, coupled with Saebi’s manta beheading several of the Bloodlochians that had violent intentions in mind. The shadowspawn pushed forward, determined to sack Kald once and for all and, in the throes of countless arrows soaring forth from the high ground, the invasion of Kald began in earnest. Hundreds of monstrosities fell in the clamour as the combined efforts of Sapience stood their ground, more than ably supported by Aban’s whirling shotel and Berrad’s castigating mace, while Saebi cut down dozens effortlessly, letting none gain ground. Wave after wave after wave fell in the carnage, and still the shadowspawn continued swarming. In the midst of the battle, the voice of Murgraxis pierced the din again, ordering the armies to withdraw and bellowing a command for Kolgrik, a lieutenant in Ohlsana’s Swarm known as The Grindstone, to bring the battle to an end. Brief moments of respite allowed the militiamen to take a breath and regather their nerve, the roaring commands of their tutors keeping them in line. From the mountains came a towering figure, a lumbering mass of muscle and raw st