January 17, 2024 • 39 mins
Season 03 - Episode 03.
Alaric flees the northern provinces and enters the territory of Deadhaus.
Credits:
Alaric Von Beller - George Ledoux
Liche - Joey Sourlis
Website: http://DeadhausSonata.com
Discord: https://discord.gg/XjUXa4v
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/DeadhausGame
Created by Apocalypse Studios
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
First day of the 12th month,
220 yearsafter Thacea manned the Deadhaus Gate.
Of course, it wasn’t calledthat when the Thaceans garrisoned there.
It was the World Gate,so named for its arches
that formed a pair of handsclasping, the symbol of Malorum.
(00:21):
The structure was an artifactof a civilization
that fell longbefore the Ustilians rose to power.
With its original purpose lost to time,it became a monument for architects
and scholars; its titanic doorslay open for millennia.
Only after the fall of Ustilia,after the rise of Deadhaus,
(00:42):
did those doors swing shut, closedfrom the north by those that the Ustilians
called to for aid against the dead…and then they were trapped.
I set out from Ft.
Zaestraafter the wretched dawn had passed.
The liche tells me that travelingonly by night
slows my progress,but it can damn well wait for me.
(01:05):
The empty fort
provided me shelter from the light of day,and then, at dusk,
I set out further souththan I had been in all my life.
Fort Zaestra is the southernmost territory
of the Thacean Empire…was the southernmost territory.
Ironically, It provided a much betterbarrier against the dead
(01:26):
than Deadhaus Gate,which they seemed able to pass,
even in great number,though I know not how.
They do not go by sea,
nor have they ever mounteda direct assault on the gate itself.
The only sign of their comingwas the mist.
Where mist suddenly formed, we could besure their numbers were hidden within
(01:47):
and that they would soon pour out of itto attack the nearest settlement.
But single agents could appear anywherein the empire without warning.
As for the Thaceans,none had ever managed
to travel south of the gate and returnin my lifetime… at least, not alive.
The corpses of Thacean agents sent south
(02:08):
did sometimes reappear among the dead,marching north as one of them.
And southern voyagesby sea were similarly doomed.
No vessels ever returned,except those that gave the southern coasts
so wide a berth that their spyglassescould discern nothing.
The southern provinces
were essentially cut offfrom any possibility of intelligence,
(02:31):
half of the continent of Isotha land of the dead… my destination.
I saw Deadhaus Gate longbefore I reached it.
My preternatural sightcould discern its features
even from great distance in the dark.
Beneath the clasping hands of the arches,
the doors stood shutas walls of carven stone far taller
(02:52):
and wider than any structurefashioned by Thaceans or Ustilians.
One might have thought thema sheer cliff face,
if not for the perfectly vertical groovethat bisected them.
The closer I came to the base of the gate,the more I had to crane my neck
to find the top of it, until at lastI stood at its base
and could not see the archeswithout stumbling backward.
(03:16):
I was
utterly insignificant nextto this structure.
Thankfully, on this side of the gate,a set of winding stairs
had been carved into one of the mountainsbetween which the gate stood.
It is how the Thaceans were ableto access its inner
chambers,and how I would access its arches.
In life,I would have been quite unwilling
(03:39):
to ascend the narrow steps, yeteven though I knew they could do me
no harm in deathI was still unsettled by the prospect .
“If I fall, I will simply start over,”I told myself.
But I did not fall.
I willed myself to move,and the blood propelled my legs,
setting my feet perfectly upon each stepwithout me even looking at them.
(04:01):
I was
reminded of the way a cat moves,the way its back paws
land exactly where its front pawswere on the preceding step,
always perfectly in place without looking.
Several times I paused,unable to stop myself from second
guessing my movement, from thinkingthat I had to be more careful.
But the halting clumsiness of my ascent
(04:24):
was entirely the product of my own mind,my own thoughts,
still unable to comprehendwhat I am capable of.
It’s like that game that childrensometimes play,
where one will stand behind the other,and the first must close their eyes
and fall backward,knowing that their friend will catch them.
And even though you may trust the friendbehind you, it is still so difficult.
(04:47):
Your eyes urge you to open them,your neck tells you
to turn and check,to make sure your friend is still there.
You check again, and again,close your eyes,
start to lean back, but your legshoots out behind to catch you.
Every fiber of you tells youthat you cannot,
must not let go… but then you do.
(05:08):
You’re falling; your stomach lurches;
you will strike the ground; you will die!
And then your friend catches you.
You’re both laughing.
Now it’s their turn, you insist;they must know the fear you have known,
and you delightin their hesitation, in the
power you hold behind them.
You could step aside, if you so choose.
(05:31):
You could destroy them…Except now,
there was no other standing behind meas I rose into the mountainous reaches.
Trust me,the blood soundlessly said to me.
I will not let you fall.
I turned my gaze upward.
Still so much distance remained,
but this distance would allowfor an experiment.
(05:54):
With one last glance down, I resolvedto keep my sight off of my feet,
no matter how much my instinctstold me to look.
For these were the instincts of Alaricvon Beller,
and Alaric von Beller is dead.
I rose soundlessly, almost fluidly,
as easily as I might stroll alonga smoothly paved street.
(06:18):
The experience of vampirism
is often like being a passengerin one's own body,
propelled by reflexmore competent than conscious endeavor.
“Faster,then,” I said, and the blood surged
so that I began to run, to sprint upward
along the narrow outcrops of the stones.
I felt the night wind rushing against mein my speed,
(06:41):
sometimes buffeting mefrom one side or another, but the blood
rearranged itself within to counterbalancemy body
against the wind, even as I ran.
“Faster.”The stairs began to pass in a blur.
My sight could no longer orient me,but I did not need it to.
My body bolted ever upward, back and forthalong the winding path, perfectly
(07:05):
balanced, then all at once it stopped,and the ground was so very far below,
for I stood upon the great stonehands of the gate.
I was untired by my efforts.
My breaths came slow and steady, but
only because I consciouslycommanded them to.
Now I turned to face the south.
(07:27):
I crossed the arches, leftbehind the tunnel
that led to their inner chamber,where the gate could be controlled,
and stood at the edge,gazing out across lands I had never seen.
There were forests.
There were streams and hills and dells.
Much of what I could seeappeared only as uninhabited wilderness.
(07:50):
But farther south I spied the peak of Mt.
Sterling and, nestled in its shadow,
the faint flickers of so many torches.
But this would mean… this could not be.
According to my study of Ustilian history,there was once a trade city
at the base of Mt.
Sterling, the city of Jelrass.
(08:11):
But how could any city have survivedsouth of the gate?
Did the dead hold it?
“The dead do not keep Jelrass,”
the voice of the liche echoedfrom within my mind,
startling me from my thoughts.“How can this be?
How did they manage to resist?”
(08:32):
“Resist?
Oh no, dear Alaric,
there is no resisting death.” “Then…
they have alliedthemselves with Deadhaus?”
“Allied?
An alliance is held between equals.
Jelrass survivesbecause they pay the tithe.”
(08:53):
“And… what is the nature of this tithe?”
“Their dead, undamaged, and
a portion of their living.”
“They sacrifice themselves?”
“Oh, don’t sound so righteous.
How many times have you declaredthat you would bear any sacrifice
if it meant the survival of your people?”“That is completely different!
(09:17):
I chose only for myself.” “Someof your servants would beg to differ…
if you hadn’t killed them already.”
“Those were accidents!
I would not have--” “Yes,yes, Alaric the Just.”
“Have you contacted me just to mock me,
liche?” “To instruct you.
The river you seethere is part of the Jelrassi Triad.
(09:41):
Follow it,but avoid the gates of the city.
It is stipulated in our contractthat so long as the tithe is paid,
we shall not enterJelrass.” “Our contract?”
If you enter that city,you will be attacked on sight.
And I am contractually forbiddento intervene.
(10:03):
It would be an ignominious endfor the Grand Inquisitor
to be destroyed by cattle.”“That is how you see human beings,
as cattle!?” “This is a much kinder fatethan what awaits them north of the gate.
Regardless,
you will follow the riveruntil it meets the triad,
(10:24):
then follow the next riverwest.” “And then?”
I thought, but there was no answer.
The liche had receded into my subconsciousmind.
I gazed across the darknessto the glinting torches
in the shadow of the mountain.
The river that I was told to followdid not run into the gate,
(10:44):
but neither was it far from its base.
I peered down at the treetopsthat lay so far below.
There were no mountainsteps on this side of the gate.
“I made it up here without looking,”I told myself.
And then a thought occurred to me.
I turned away from the great precipice,
(11:05):
though still remainedperched at its edge, and closed my eyes.
“I am the only one I can trust now.
There is no other.”And then I let myself fall.
For a split second,my stomach lurched into my chest,
and I felt the cool nightair rushing past me as I plummeted.
(11:26):
Then the strangest sensation I have everexperienced began to overtake me.
It began in my chest,
a reflexive impulse to take in air,not out of biological need,
but something else.
And when I exhaled,it came as a deep sigh,
(11:46):
and with this sigh poured swirling
mists, So I had taken on in.
And these mists continue to flowas I continued to sigh far
longer than the capacity of my lungsshould have allowed.
I could feel the cool, damp
swirling from my mouth,pressing against my face
(12:06):
and shrouding my head, swaddlingmy falling body in mist.
And still I sighed as my fall flowed,
as my coat and skin and flesh and bloodbegan to dissolve.
But there was no pain.
It was like being a spoon of sugarstirred into tea
(12:27):
as if my body, my blood,even my cold, for all
comprised of innumerable grains of matterthat were forgetting themselves.
Yes, that's it.
It was like forgetting.
No more form, no more structure,no bulk nor heft.
(12:47):
It was like letting go
with the last of my thigh.
Once the last of my formdissolved entirely into a cloud of mist,
drifting slowly downward in the dark.
And though I had neither eyesnor ears, my senses
remain to me, for they are no longergoverned by physical structure.
(13:09):
It is the blood that sensesthe world around me.
The blood now spilled, suspended in vapor.
As I descended, I saw the rivers
that would lead me to generousand veiled myself toward it.
To my surprise, I felt my vaporous formimpelled through the air.
It was a meager propulsion, butI was unmistakably drifting at an angle.
(13:34):
Now, as I passedthrough the canopy of the forest,
I felt its many leaves and branchesslipping through me.
It felt almost like swallowing them,
feeling their passage throughout my body,but without taste, without pain.
Then I heard and saw the riverrunning below.
(13:54):
Found myselfdrifting toward it and strangely enough,
felt no repulsion as I hadbefore I near water.
Very well, he said.
Blood is not afraid.
It's a neither am I.
And the cloud of me sank lowuntil it came to rest
upon the surface of the river,or rather suspended just above it.
(14:17):
I filled myself towards the shoreand found that my form obeyed
so somewhat languidly by my inhuman sight.
I saw the fishthat darted below the surface, seemingly
unaware of my presenceto them, to any who watched.
I was but a fog rolling across the water,and at last that fog
(14:39):
came to rest on the banks of the riverswirling in place.
"I wish to return",I thought, but nothing happened.
"I do not wish to be fog!"
I thought again, but stillI remained as mist.
Part of me was increasingly troubledby this predicament,
but I was resolved not to worrywithout an impulse from the blood.
(15:02):
But what if I’m stuck this way forever?
The thought crept unbidden into my mind.
How shall I avenge Thacea as a cloud!?
The liche!
Perhaps it would know how to fix me.
Liche!
I focused on the thought.
Liche!
But it did not answer.
(15:22):
I had no choicebut to drift onward, to follow the river
and seek the solutionto my form in person… so to speak.
And so I did.
SometimesI followed the river along its banks,
Sometimes I drifted over its waters
simply to experiencethe strange sensation.
Any directions that I moved felt somewhat
(15:44):
like falling, albeit slowly.
There was no sense of gravityin the ways that I am accustomed.
It was more like lying in a body of water,floating without weight,
drifting this wayor that on eddies of thought.
And though my form had no physicalproportions, such as a front or back.
(16:04):
I did feel a sense of innate direction
from my field of vision,which was unchanged.
My sight was made frontor where I was pointed.
If it can be called that,if I wish to see what was behind me,
my sight would turnand then that would be my front.
Ultimately, I fear my words
(16:26):
struggled to capture the experienceof this bizarre power.
I did notice that the forest’scanopy was at times reflected
quite clearly in the waters below me,
but never the mist that comprised me.
Strange.At length, my drifting took me to a clearing in the forest,
(16:47):
and I saw the river flowedbeyond into a confluence of waters
that formed a great moat,the Jelrassi Triad.
All along the outskirts
of this moat, battered hovelssprawled in silent destitution.
The Dregs, they were called,
both as a name for themselvesand the people that dwelt within them.
(17:08):
And beyond the moat, behind fortifiedwalls, was the largest settlement
of the Ustilians outside of the capital,the city of Jelrass.
It was a tiered city.
Its widest ring, the Commons, was once
a hub of trade and commerce…perhaps it still was?
Above that,
(17:29):
the Promenade
was where the nobles dwelt,and the Acropolis above
that was for the Lucent Temple…to think that one still stood.
Surely Deadhaus would not have allowedthat.
As much I wished to investigate,to see firsthand this missing
piece of history,I felt it was far too dangerous.
(17:50):
Perhaps the people of Jelrasswould think nothing of a cloud of mist
floating about their city,but what if I changed back suddenly?
The liche seemed to believethey had the capacity to destroy me.
I’ve no doubt that is tiedto the source of Jelrass’s wealth. Mt.
Sterling, in whose shadow Jelrass lies,
was so named for its deep silver veins.
(18:13):
I recall reading that Thacea had triedto turn Jelrass to their side
against the south, but lost contactbefore they could broker an alliance.
Their silver would have beenof great use for the empire.
Still, I had to move on.
For I, like the Dregs, could only gazeupon the glimmer of the city
(18:33):
at a distance, risinglike a layered cake, forever out of reach.
I kept near the tree-line at the edgeof the clearing, skirting its perimeter
until I found the riverthat flowed west from the triad.
Once more I followed the winding
waters, though I knew not where they led.
The liche had givenno instruction past this point.
(18:57):
The river led again into forest,
and the shape of Jelrasswas shrouded by the foliage, though Mt.
Sterling always remained visible.
Sometimes I drifted into treesout of curiosity,
only to feel them slide through me,if they were thin enough.
I simply rolled around the wider ones.
(19:17):
The land and river began to rise uphill,but drifting up along
the slope was as effortlessas falling, which made me wonder.
For a time
I paused and focusedmy will on moving straight up,
toward the stars,but this produced no movement.
So I am in fact bound by gravityas mist; it’s
(19:39):
just a more relaxed contractthan when flesh.
At the crest of the hillthrough which the western river flowed,
I saw an unusual sight.
Three towers rose from the hillside,
each arching toward a center point
so that their tips almost met.
(19:59):
I was reminded of the constructionof the crucible.
But as I drifted closer,I saw their strange shapes,
not towers at all,but columns… spinal columns.
They were of greater width than three mencould encircle
with outstretched arms, and tallerthan two houses stacked together.
(20:21):
Even closer, I saw their color, fadedbrown and gray splotches,
though mostly white, as bonesbleached by the sun.
To each skeletal pillar,a dead man was bound by ropes,
hanging upsidedown, legs together, arms spread apart,
and the skin of these corpses was carved
(20:43):
with intricately interlocking geometry.
The roughly circular spacewithin these pillars
bore similar markingsdug into the dirt, and these grooves ran
carefully around an arrangement of occultdevices beyond my learning.
All of this macabre
scene was lit by the blueish lightof a Will-O’-Wisp that drifted slowly
(21:07):
through the air as if tracing the pathsthat were carved into the ground below.
And then I found something else.
Another corpse was suspended
above the carven ground, centuries old,
a shriveled husk wrapped in sorcerer’sraiment.
One arm, stunted and deformed,clutched to its chest;
(21:29):
the other hung at its side.
It hovered, unmoving,
and gazed upon a table laden with scrolls,
but as I driftednearer, it slowly began to turn.
Its head, unsupported by ligaments,lulled to one side,
and the eyeless hollows of its sunken facepeered into me.
(21:51):
Now I looked uponthe one who had haunted me
for so long in theflesh once more… my enemy.
“Alaric…
why are you in mist form?”
Its thoughts echoed in my mind.“I don’t know!”
I thought back.
“Well, it isn’t necessary.”
(22:13):
“I can’t turn back!
I am trapped like this!” A breathless sighechoed from my thoughts.
“What triggered
the transformation?” “Thefall from the gates.”
“I told you not to go anywhere nearJelrass.” “And I did not.
It was the fall from Deadhaus Gate.”
(22:36):
At this, the liche paused.
By our connection,I could sense its confusion.
“You mean to saythat you have been in mist form
since… hmm…
curious.” “What?
Why? Can you help me?” “I can.
Come this way.”
(22:56):
Its skeletal hand dangled to the side,gesturing to the center of the circle.
At this distance, I could better observeits unnatural movements.
Like me,this creature was not propelled by any
rational biological mechanism.
What little tissue clung to its boneswas blackened
and desiccated, incapable of movement.
(23:18):
Instead, it was as ifits body was being moved by an outside
force, a corpselike marionettesuspended from unseen strings.
I drifted slowly near to where itwanted me to go, but paused.
“What is this?
How will it help me?” “We can dispel
this transformationby extracting its fuel.
(23:41):
It’s quite simple.” “What does
that… can’tyou just tell me how to change back?”
“A vampire’spower is wielded by instinct, by reflex.
It cannot be taught.”
This revelation, though frustrating,
was in keeping with my own experiencesthus far.
(24:02):
Seeing little other choicethan to wander Malorum for eternity
as fog,I drifted into the center of the circle.
The liche’s marionette arm swung toward
me; its skeletal fingersunclasped and began to tremble,
and the air between uspulled tight with unseen power.
I felt a sensation of fallingfrom within, of falling without movement.
(24:27):
“Is this… going to be painful?” “Oh yes,”
and all at oncestreams of blue light began
to pour from me, strikingthe grooves below and illuminating them.
It felt like terrible cold,
like iciclesdigging into me, stealing my strength.
(24:47):
More gouts of blue escapedme, overspilling the grooves
so that the entire floor was illuminated,and I heard the bones of the liche’s
hand beganto rattle in their furious trembling.
Then the streams that had comepouring from me
were shown to bebut the cracking of a great dam.
I felt it stir within me,something I cannot quite articulate,
(25:12):
a deep well of… potential.
Blinding bolts of blue erupted from me,
a scream, my scream;I fell to my knees--my knees!
My physical form
was coalescing inside the mist,and the bolts were flung from me
into the skeletal pillars,into the corpses hung there,
(25:33):
illuminating the carvings on their flesh.
They opened their eyes, their mouths,
shining blue light, screaming with me,
and as the liche held aloftits skeletal hand,
all the light in the groovesand the corpses streamed to him,
spiraling into his handas a luminous vortex
that flung hisrobes about as if in a storm.
(25:58):
Whenthe last of the light was consumed,
the corpses lay still once more,and the liche lowered its hand.
“Most curious,”
its thoughts echoed within me.“What in the name of the gods…”
I began,now able to speak with my own mouth.
“You said it was going to be simple!”
(26:19):
“You should not havehad that much magick in your blood.”
“That’s what that was?
Magick?” “It’s just a word.
Mana, energy, power, truth.
It has many names.
Think of it as the potential for change.”
(26:39):
“So… that is why I was mist?
Because of this magick?” “Only in part.
It’s a kind of expression…
if spells are words or phrases,then magick is the voice
that speaks them.” “But I don’t know
any spells.” “No, but your blood
(27:00):
does, and the longer you exist,
the more you feed,the more it will remember.”
I noticed then, as I stood,that my left hand had returned.
I opened and closed its fingers.
No signs of injury.
Then too I noticed that my body and coatwere free of any traces of dirt.
(27:23):
I had reformed clean and whole.
The liche watched my observationsfrom where it hung above
the ground, as well as from my own mind.
“Mist is the medium through which vampiresreform themselves.
In time,you may take other forms through it.”
“I’m quite satisfied with this one.”
(27:45):
“It won’t happen by choice--notthe first time.
None of your powers will.” “Wonderful…”
“We must begin our preparations now.”
“I think you’re forgetting something!”I stepped back from the liche.
“I will not help youuntil you remove yourself from my mind.”
(28:06):
“Oh, on the contrary…I have a counteroffer.”
“There is nothingyou can offer me more valuable
than your absence.” “No?
What about intelligence on Deadhaus,its forces,
its structure, its weaknesses.”
“You would give me this?”
(28:27):
“In exchange for your cooperation.”
This gave me pause.
Why would it offer this to me?
Did it intend to destroy me beforeI could make use of such intelligence?
Or was it so arrogantto think me incapable of acting on it.
“Neither,” It said, reading my thoughts.
(28:48):
"Then why is spying on meso valuable to be worth that information?"
“There is so muchyou do not know, young Alaric,
and long is thework that is set before us.
I need to be able to access
your mindso that we may coordinate our efforts.”
“Even if it means destructionwill one day come to Deadhaus, destruction
(29:12):
set in motion by your hand?”“That will not come to pass.”
“You are arrogant.” “Doyou want the intelligence or not?”
“Very well, liche.
You do have something to offer morevaluable than your absence from my mind…
your eventual absence from this world.”
(29:33):
“Then the pact is sealed.
You will aid us in exchangefor knowledge.”
“Let’s start with you.” “So be it.”
“What is your name?
What is your rank,if you have such a thing?” “I am Amarax,
Archliche of Deadhaus.”
(29:53):
“I don’t know what that means.”
“Liches care little for hierarchy.
We are concerned only with knowledge.
An archliche is one who has attaineda great deal of knowledge.”
“Are you the highest rank
of the liches?”“There are other archliches.
(30:14):
You can think of us as the highest.”
“And how does one destroy a liche?”
“It depends on how learned the liche is.
For some,it is sufficient to destroy their bodies,
and then their phylacteries.”
“What is a phylactery?
How do I destroy one?”“They are vessels, ritual objects
(30:38):
that serve as shelter for the soul,should it become severed from its body.
To destroy them requiressome amount of magickal knowledge.”
“What do they look like?
How would I know them?”“That is much more complicated.
Liches go to great lengthsto conceal their phylacteries.
(31:00):
Some of us have more than one.”
“How is a liche created?”
“We create ourselves.”
“Explain.” “A sorcerer, a mage, a wizard,
all just namesfor those that speak words of power.
A liche begins when one such speakerattempts to prolong their life.
(31:23):
They soon discover that each extension
becomes more expensive, until the point
that all the power in Malorumcould not grant them a single day more.
Death is immutable.
It may only be prolonged, never prevented.
And so the most dedicated speakers
(31:44):
learn to amend their contract with death.
They die, as they must,
but their souls are unseveredfrom their flesh.
They become wedded to death.”
“You know…I find you much more forthcoming
than previous interrogationswith the dead.” “You mean the ghoul?
(32:06):
They are barely sentient.”
At last I saw a weakness in this creature,
one that we once shared, for only a foolwould underestimate a ghoul.
“If you are so powerful,so difficult to destroy,
why do you need my help at all?” “Theenemy too is powerful.”
“The Awakened.” “For the moment,
(32:28):
yes.” “There are others?” “There are nine
great powers that have built nineGreat Houses.
Deadhaus is youngest among them.”
“Who are the others?
The Thaceans?”
Abrupt laughter resounded in my skull,
and the liche swept its skeletal armin a jerking motion.
(32:52):
As it did, the circlein which we stood was filled with lights.
Many orbs marked with astrological symbolsmoved in circular patterns
around a central orbthat bore the mark of two hands clasping.
The Will-O’-Wisp circledalong with the others, but the liche
swatted it away, sending it higher, apartfrom the other lights.
(33:15):
“Do you know what this is?”
“The celestial spheres.” “Very good.
Show me." I approached the outer boundsof the luminous orrery,
to the orb that bore the mark of a ram’shorns.
“Haruspex,”I said, placing my hands over the orb.
“The Nameless God,whose house is Prodigium.”
(33:38):
I moved to the next sphere,
the only one comprised of shadows,rather than light.
It was marked with the sign of a serpent.
“Coluber.” “S’sa-Naraj,
The Sun Eater, whose house is Thon.” Along
the next orbit was a sphere tinged redand glaring with the mark of a mad eye.
(34:01):
“Vesania.” “Islirith, the Dreamer,
whose house is The Awakened.
The next sphere, brighter than the rest,
bore the mark of many spearsradiating outward.
“Novisol,” I said, and my blood shuddered.
“El’Sabayoth, The All-Fire,
(34:21):
whose house is Empyrean.” The orb
beyond Novisol appearedas if composed from many smaller orbs.
They bore the mark of a wave.
“Inundo.” “Uorou.
They are only Uorou.”
The next sphere was no sphere at all,
but a shape of lightbounded by only straight lines.
(34:44):
Inside this shape was a repeating pattern,
itself made from only straight lines.
“Laterum.” “Ohm, The Many-Sided,whose house is Machinarum.”
Two celestial spheres remained,and I moved to the one
closest to the central orb aroundwhich the others drifted.
(35:05):
The symbol upon it was the same as marked
the surface of the moon, visibleeven with the naked eye.
“Ruina.” “Allalmawt, The Weaver,
whose house is Deadhaus.”
I paused there, briefly.
I felt a sudden sense of smallness.
Even though I towered overthese miniscule depictions of the spheres,
(35:28):
I could not help but realize how utterly
insignificantI was next to them in that moment.
These were not merely orbsthat traversed the sky, they were symbols,
each speaking to the other in some storyI had only begun to perceive.
At last I placed my hand over the two
that clasped upon the central sphere.
(35:51):
“Malorum.”
“Malorum, The Twisted Mother,
whose house is The Pillars.”Now the liche waved his hand once more,
and the spheres rearranged themselvesinto two arching lines
above him with Malorum at their center,
a halo of spheresthat shone upon a desiccated face,
(36:13):
casting its eyelesshollows into fathomless black.
“Before this world was twisted into being,
before there were any lights,
there was eternal darkness…
and in that darkness, there was song.
The Ancients called to one another
(36:34):
across the black womb of precreation.
They devoured each other,growing stronger with each
sibling consumeduntil only eight remained.
In the stalemate of their song,none could overpower the other,
and so their songs rose
(36:54):
until reality was torn asunder
and the universe spilled forth in a
cataclysm of time and light.”
All at once, the orbs above the licheshattered,
spreading like uncountable shards of glassand filling the space of the circle.
“The Ancientsfled from the fires of creation.
(37:18):
They used the last of their songs to open
the way to realms of their own nature.
There they reign as prisoner-kings,lords of their own
domains, yet unable to escape…
unable to sing once more.
But still they may whisper,
(37:39):
and their whispersmay seep through the boundaries
between realms, into the mindsacross worlds beyond counting.
And those minds, aligned in great enough
number, can sing.
They can open the way.
That is the Ancients' War, the First War,
(38:02):
and now, on this twisted world, our war.”
The scintillating shards faded to nothing.
For a long timeI stood in silence, my thoughts reeling.
“You said there were nine.
You showed me only eight.” “Tlaquetlex,
(38:23):
the Shattered, whose house is the Others.
They will arrive in time.”
“If… if the things you have told meare true…
I do not understand how I can beany use to you.
All of this is beyond me.
I have only just learned of the Awakened.
(38:44):
My focus is on vengeance against them,
not the fate of the universe.” “That focus
is enough for my purposes, young Alaric.
The Awakened are indeed an enemy
that must be dealt with.” “Why?
What difference doesit make to you, to Deadhaus?”
“For dreams do not die,
(39:06):
and death does not dream,
and so the house of each must meetin war.”
Alaric the damned.
First day of the 12th month,
220 yearsafter Thacea manned the Deadhaus Gate.
Of course, it wasn’t calledthat when the Thaceans garrisoned there.
It was the World Gate,so named for its arches
that formed a pair of handsclasping, the symbol of Malorum.
(00:21):
The structure was an artifactof a civilization
that fell longbefore the Ustilians rose to power.
With its original purpose lost to time,it became a monument for architects
and scholars; its titanic doorslay open for millennia.
Only after the fall of Ustilia,after the rise of Deadhaus,
(00:42):
did those doors swing shut, closedfrom the north by those that the Ustilians
called to for aid against the dead…and then they were trapped.
I set out from Ft.
Zaestraafter the wretched dawn had passed.
The liche tells me that travelingonly by night
slows my progress,but it can damn well wait for me.
(01:05):
The empty fort
provided me shelter from the light of day,and then, at dusk,
I set out further souththan I had been in all my life.
Fort Zaestra is the southernmost territory
of the Thacean Empire…was the southernmost territory.
Ironically, It provided a much betterbarrier against the dead
(01:26):
than Deadhaus Gate,which they seemed able to pass,
even in great number,though I know not how.
They do not go by sea,
nor have they ever mounteda direct assault on the gate itself.
The only sign of their comingwas the mist.
Where mist suddenly formed, we could besure their numbers were hidden within
(01:47):
and that they would soon pour out of itto attack the nearest settlement.
But single agents could appear anywherein the empire without warning.
As for the Thaceans,none had ever managed
to travel south of the gate and returnin my lifetime… at least, not alive.
The corpses of Thacean agents sent south
(02:08):
did sometimes reappear among the dead,marching north as one of them.
And southern voyagesby sea were similarly doomed.
No vessels ever returned,except those that gave the southern coasts
so wide a berth that their spyglassescould discern nothing.
The southern provinces
were essentially cut offfrom any possibility of intelligence,
(02:31):
half of the continent of Isotha land of the dead… my destination.
I saw Deadhaus Gate longbefore I reached it.
My preternatural sightcould discern its features
even from great distance in the dark.
Beneath the clasping hands of the arches,
the doors stood shutas walls of carven stone far taller
(02:52):
and wider than any structurefashioned by Thaceans or Ustilians.
One might have thought thema sheer cliff face,
if not for the perfectly vertical groovethat bisected them.
The closer I came to the base of the gate,the more I had to crane my neck
to find the top of it, until at lastI stood at its base
and could not see the archeswithout stumbling backward.
(03:16):
I was
utterly insignificant nextto this structure.
Thankfully, on this side of the gate,a set of winding stairs
had been carved into one of the mountainsbetween which the gate stood.
It is how the Thaceans were ableto access its inner
chambers,and how I would access its arches.
In life,I would have been quite unwilling
(03:39):
to ascend the narrow steps, yeteven though I knew they could do me
no harm in deathI was still unsettled by the prospect .
“If I fall, I will simply start over,”I told myself.
But I did not fall.
I willed myself to move,and the blood propelled my legs,
setting my feet perfectly upon each stepwithout me even looking at them.
(04:01):
I was
reminded of the way a cat moves,the way its back paws
land exactly where its front pawswere on the preceding step,
always perfectly in place without looking.
Several times I paused,unable to stop myself from second
guessing my movement, from thinkingthat I had to be more careful.
But the halting clumsiness of my ascent
(04:24):
was entirely the product of my own mind,my own thoughts,
still unable to comprehendwhat I am capable of.
It’s like that game that childrensometimes play,
where one will stand behind the other,and the first must close their eyes
and fall backward,knowing that their friend will catch them.
And even though you may trust the friendbehind you, it is still so difficult.
(04:47):
Your eyes urge you to open them,your neck tells you
to turn and check,to make sure your friend is still there.
You check again, and again,close your eyes,
start to lean back, but your legshoots out behind to catch you.
Every fiber of you tells youthat you cannot,
must not let go… but then you do.
(05:08):
You’re falling; your stomach lurches;
you will strike the ground; you will die!
And then your friend catches you.
You’re both laughing.
Now it’s their turn, you insist;they must know the fear you have known,
and you delightin their hesitation, in the
power you hold behind them.
You could step aside, if you so choose.
(05:31):
You could destroy them…Except now,
there was no other standing behind meas I rose into the mountainous reaches.
Trust me,the blood soundlessly said to me.
I will not let you fall.
I turned my gaze upward.
Still so much distance remained,
but this distance would allowfor an experiment.
(05:54):
With one last glance down, I resolvedto keep my sight off of my feet,
no matter how much my instinctstold me to look.
For these were the instincts of Alaricvon Beller,
and Alaric von Beller is dead.
I rose soundlessly, almost fluidly,
as easily as I might stroll alonga smoothly paved street.
(06:18):
The experience of vampirism
is often like being a passengerin one's own body,
propelled by reflexmore competent than conscious endeavor.
“Faster,then,” I said, and the blood surged
so that I began to run, to sprint upward
along the narrow outcrops of the stones.
I felt the night wind rushing against mein my speed,
(06:41):
sometimes buffeting mefrom one side or another, but the blood
rearranged itself within to counterbalancemy body
against the wind, even as I ran.
“Faster.”The stairs began to pass in a blur.
My sight could no longer orient me,but I did not need it to.
My body bolted ever upward, back and forthalong the winding path, perfectly
(07:05):
balanced, then all at once it stopped,and the ground was so very far below,
for I stood upon the great stonehands of the gate.
I was untired by my efforts.
My breaths came slow and steady, but
only because I consciouslycommanded them to.
Now I turned to face the south.
(07:27):
I crossed the arches, leftbehind the tunnel
that led to their inner chamber,where the gate could be controlled,
and stood at the edge,gazing out across lands I had never seen.
There were forests.
There were streams and hills and dells.
Much of what I could seeappeared only as uninhabited wilderness.
(07:50):
But farther south I spied the peak of Mt.
Sterling and, nestled in its shadow,
the faint flickers of so many torches.
But this would mean… this could not be.
According to my study of Ustilian history,there was once a trade city
at the base of Mt.
Sterling, the city of Jelrass.
(08:11):
But how could any city have survivedsouth of the gate?
Did the dead hold it?
“The dead do not keep Jelrass,”
the voice of the liche echoedfrom within my mind,
startling me from my thoughts.“How can this be?
How did they manage to resist?”
(08:32):
“Resist?
Oh no, dear Alaric,
there is no resisting death.” “Then…
they have alliedthemselves with Deadhaus?”
“Allied?
An alliance is held between equals.
Jelrass survivesbecause they pay the tithe.”
(08:53):
“And… what is the nature of this tithe?”
“Their dead, undamaged, and
a portion of their living.”
“They sacrifice themselves?”
“Oh, don’t sound so righteous.
How many times have you declaredthat you would bear any sacrifice
if it meant the survival of your people?”“That is completely different!
(09:17):
I chose only for myself.” “Someof your servants would beg to differ…
if you hadn’t killed them already.”
“Those were accidents!
I would not have--” “Yes,yes, Alaric the Just.”
“Have you contacted me just to mock me,
liche?” “To instruct you.
The river you seethere is part of the Jelrassi Triad.
(09:41):
Follow it,but avoid the gates of the city.
It is stipulated in our contractthat so long as the tithe is paid,
we shall not enterJelrass.” “Our contract?”
If you enter that city,you will be attacked on sight.
And I am contractually forbiddento intervene.
(10:03):
It would be an ignominious endfor the Grand Inquisitor
to be destroyed by cattle.”“That is how you see human beings,
as cattle!?” “This is a much kinder fatethan what awaits them north of the gate.
Regardless,
you will follow the riveruntil it meets the triad,
(10:24):
then follow the next riverwest.” “And then?”
I thought, but there was no answer.
The liche had receded into my subconsciousmind.
I gazed across the darknessto the glinting torches
in the shadow of the mountain.
The river that I was told to followdid not run into the gate,
(10:44):
but neither was it far from its base.
I peered down at the treetopsthat lay so far below.
There were no mountainsteps on this side of the gate.
“I made it up here without looking,”I told myself.
And then a thought occurred to me.
I turned away from the great precipice,
(11:05):
though still remainedperched at its edge, and closed my eyes.
“I am the only one I can trust now.
There is no other.”And then I let myself fall.
For a split second,my stomach lurched into my chest,
and I felt the cool nightair rushing past me as I plummeted.
(11:26):
Then the strangest sensation I have everexperienced began to overtake me.
It began in my chest,
a reflexive impulse to take in air,not out of biological need,
but something else.
And when I exhaled,it came as a deep sigh,
(11:46):
and with this sigh poured swirling
mists, So I had taken on in.
And these mists continue to flowas I continued to sigh far
longer than the capacity of my lungsshould have allowed.
I could feel the cool, damp
swirling from my mouth,pressing against my face
(12:06):
and shrouding my head, swaddlingmy falling body in mist.
And still I sighed as my fall flowed,
as my coat and skin and flesh and bloodbegan to dissolve.
But there was no pain.
It was like being a spoon of sugarstirred into tea
(12:27):
as if my body, my blood,even my cold, for all
comprised of innumerable grains of matterthat were forgetting themselves.
Yes, that's it.
It was like forgetting.
No more form, no more structure,no bulk nor heft.
(12:47):
It was like letting go
with the last of my thigh.
Once the last of my formdissolved entirely into a cloud of mist,
drifting slowly downward in the dark.
And though I had neither eyesnor ears, my senses
remain to me, for they are no longergoverned by physical structure.
(13:09):
It is the blood that sensesthe world around me.
The blood now spilled, suspended in vapor.
As I descended, I saw the rivers
that would lead me to generousand veiled myself toward it.
To my surprise, I felt my vaporous formimpelled through the air.
It was a meager propulsion, butI was unmistakably drifting at an angle.
(13:34):
Now, as I passedthrough the canopy of the forest,
I felt its many leaves and branchesslipping through me.
It felt almost like swallowing them,
feeling their passage throughout my body,but without taste, without pain.
Then I heard and saw the riverrunning below.
(13:54):
Found myselfdrifting toward it and strangely enough,
felt no repulsion as I hadbefore I near water.
Very well, he said.
Blood is not afraid.
It's a neither am I.
And the cloud of me sank lowuntil it came to rest
upon the surface of the river,or rather suspended just above it.
(14:17):
I filled myself towards the shoreand found that my form obeyed
so somewhat languidly by my inhuman sight.
I saw the fishthat darted below the surface, seemingly
unaware of my presenceto them, to any who watched.
I was but a fog rolling across the water,and at last that fog
(14:39):
came to rest on the banks of the riverswirling in place.
"I wish to return",I thought, but nothing happened.
"I do not wish to be fog!"
I thought again, but stillI remained as mist.
Part of me was increasingly troubledby this predicament,
but I was resolved not to worrywithout an impulse from the blood.
(15:02):
But what if I’m stuck this way forever?
The thought crept unbidden into my mind.
How shall I avenge Thacea as a cloud!?
The liche!
Perhaps it would know how to fix me.
Liche!
I focused on the thought.
Liche!
But it did not answer.
(15:22):
I had no choicebut to drift onward, to follow the river
and seek the solutionto my form in person… so to speak.
And so I did.
SometimesI followed the river along its banks,
Sometimes I drifted over its waters
simply to experiencethe strange sensation.
Any directions that I moved felt somewhat
(15:44):
like falling, albeit slowly.
There was no sense of gravityin the ways that I am accustomed.
It was more like lying in a body of water,floating without weight,
drifting this wayor that on eddies of thought.
And though my form had no physicalproportions, such as a front or back.
(16:04):
I did feel a sense of innate direction
from my field of vision,which was unchanged.
My sight was made frontor where I was pointed.
If it can be called that,if I wish to see what was behind me,
my sight would turnand then that would be my front.
Ultimately, I fear my words
(16:26):
struggled to capture the experienceof this bizarre power.
I did notice that the forest’scanopy was at times reflected
quite clearly in the waters below me,
but never the mist that comprised me.
Strange.At length, my drifting took me to a clearing in the forest,
(16:47):
and I saw the river flowedbeyond into a confluence of waters
that formed a great moat,the Jelrassi Triad.
All along the outskirts
of this moat, battered hovelssprawled in silent destitution.
The Dregs, they were called,
both as a name for themselvesand the people that dwelt within them.
(17:08):
And beyond the moat, behind fortifiedwalls, was the largest settlement
of the Ustilians outside of the capital,the city of Jelrass.
It was a tiered city.
Its widest ring, the Commons, was once
a hub of trade and commerce…perhaps it still was?
Above that,
(17:29):
the Promenade
was where the nobles dwelt,and the Acropolis above
that was for the Lucent Temple…to think that one still stood.
Surely Deadhaus would not have allowedthat.
As much I wished to investigate,to see firsthand this missing
piece of history,I felt it was far too dangerous.
(17:50):
Perhaps the people of Jelrasswould think nothing of a cloud of mist
floating about their city,but what if I changed back suddenly?
The liche seemed to believethey had the capacity to destroy me.
I’ve no doubt that is tiedto the source of Jelrass’s wealth. Mt.
Sterling, in whose shadow Jelrass lies,
was so named for its deep silver veins.
(18:13):
I recall reading that Thacea had triedto turn Jelrass to their side
against the south, but lost contactbefore they could broker an alliance.
Their silver would have beenof great use for the empire.
Still, I had to move on.
For I, like the Dregs, could only gazeupon the glimmer of the city
(18:33):
at a distance, risinglike a layered cake, forever out of reach.
I kept near the tree-line at the edgeof the clearing, skirting its perimeter
until I found the riverthat flowed west from the triad.
Once more I followed the winding
waters, though I knew not where they led.
The liche had givenno instruction past this point.
(18:57):
The river led again into forest,
and the shape of Jelrasswas shrouded by the foliage, though Mt.
Sterling always remained visible.
Sometimes I drifted into treesout of curiosity,
only to feel them slide through me,if they were thin enough.
I simply rolled around the wider ones.
(19:17):
The land and river began to rise uphill,but drifting up along
the slope was as effortlessas falling, which made me wonder.
For a time
I paused and focusedmy will on moving straight up,
toward the stars,but this produced no movement.
So I am in fact bound by gravityas mist; it’s
(19:39):
just a more relaxed contractthan when flesh.
At the crest of the hillthrough which the western river flowed,
I saw an unusual sight.
Three towers rose from the hillside,
each arching toward a center point
so that their tips almost met.
(19:59):
I was reminded of the constructionof the crucible.
But as I drifted closer,I saw their strange shapes,
not towers at all,but columns… spinal columns.
They were of greater width than three mencould encircle
with outstretched arms, and tallerthan two houses stacked together.
(20:21):
Even closer, I saw their color, fadedbrown and gray splotches,
though mostly white, as bonesbleached by the sun.
To each skeletal pillar,a dead man was bound by ropes,
hanging upsidedown, legs together, arms spread apart,
and the skin of these corpses was carved
(20:43):
with intricately interlocking geometry.
The roughly circular spacewithin these pillars
bore similar markingsdug into the dirt, and these grooves ran
carefully around an arrangement of occultdevices beyond my learning.
All of this macabre
scene was lit by the blueish lightof a Will-O’-Wisp that drifted slowly
(21:07):
through the air as if tracing the pathsthat were carved into the ground below.
And then I found something else.
Another corpse was suspended
above the carven ground, centuries old,
a shriveled husk wrapped in sorcerer’sraiment.
One arm, stunted and deformed,clutched to its chest;
(21:29):
the other hung at its side.
It hovered, unmoving,
and gazed upon a table laden with scrolls,
but as I driftednearer, it slowly began to turn.
Its head, unsupported by ligaments,lulled to one side,
and the eyeless hollows of its sunken facepeered into me.
(21:51):
Now I looked uponthe one who had haunted me
for so long in theflesh once more… my enemy.
“Alaric…
why are you in mist form?”
Its thoughts echoed in my mind.“I don’t know!”
I thought back.
“Well, it isn’t necessary.”
(22:13):
“I can’t turn back!
I am trapped like this!” A breathless sighechoed from my thoughts.
“What triggered
the transformation?” “Thefall from the gates.”
“I told you not to go anywhere nearJelrass.” “And I did not.
It was the fall from Deadhaus Gate.”
(22:36):
At this, the liche paused.
By our connection,I could sense its confusion.
“You mean to saythat you have been in mist form
since… hmm…
curious.” “What?
Why? Can you help me?” “I can.
Come this way.”
(22:56):
Its skeletal hand dangled to the side,gesturing to the center of the circle.
At this distance, I could better observeits unnatural movements.
Like me,this creature was not propelled by any
rational biological mechanism.
What little tissue clung to its boneswas blackened
and desiccated, incapable of movement.
(23:18):
Instead, it was as ifits body was being moved by an outside
force, a corpselike marionettesuspended from unseen strings.
I drifted slowly near to where itwanted me to go, but paused.
“What is this?
How will it help me?” “We can dispel
this transformationby extracting its fuel.
(23:41):
It’s quite simple.” “What does
that… can’tyou just tell me how to change back?”
“A vampire’spower is wielded by instinct, by reflex.
It cannot be taught.”
This revelation, though frustrating,
was in keeping with my own experiencesthus far.
(24:02):
Seeing little other choicethan to wander Malorum for eternity
as fog,I drifted into the center of the circle.
The liche’s marionette arm swung toward
me; its skeletal fingersunclasped and began to tremble,
and the air between uspulled tight with unseen power.
I felt a sensation of fallingfrom within, of falling without movement.
(24:27):
“Is this… going to be painful?” “Oh yes,”
and all at oncestreams of blue light began
to pour from me, strikingthe grooves below and illuminating them.
It felt like terrible cold,
like iciclesdigging into me, stealing my strength.
(24:47):
More gouts of blue escapedme, overspilling the grooves
so that the entire floor was illuminated,and I heard the bones of the liche’s
hand beganto rattle in their furious trembling.
Then the streams that had comepouring from me
were shown to bebut the cracking of a great dam.
I felt it stir within me,something I cannot quite articulate,
(25:12):
a deep well of… potential.
Blinding bolts of blue erupted from me,
a scream, my scream;I fell to my knees--my knees!
My physical form
was coalescing inside the mist,and the bolts were flung from me
into the skeletal pillars,into the corpses hung there,
(25:33):
illuminating the carvings on their flesh.
They opened their eyes, their mouths,
shining blue light, screaming with me,
and as the liche held aloftits skeletal hand,
all the light in the groovesand the corpses streamed to him,
spiraling into his handas a luminous vortex
that flung hisrobes about as if in a storm.
(25:58):
Whenthe last of the light was consumed,
the corpses lay still once more,and the liche lowered its hand.
“Most curious,”
its thoughts echoed within me.“What in the name of the gods…”
I began,now able to speak with my own mouth.
“You said it was going to be simple!”
(26:19):
“You should not havehad that much magick in your blood.”
“That’s what that was?
Magick?” “It’s just a word.
Mana, energy, power, truth.
It has many names.
Think of it as the potential for change.”
(26:39):
“So… that is why I was mist?
Because of this magick?” “Only in part.
It’s a kind of expression…
if spells are words or phrases,then magick is the voice
that speaks them.” “But I don’t know
any spells.” “No, but your blood
(27:00):
does, and the longer you exist,
the more you feed,the more it will remember.”
I noticed then, as I stood,that my left hand had returned.
I opened and closed its fingers.
No signs of injury.
Then too I noticed that my body and coatwere free of any traces of dirt.
(27:23):
I had reformed clean and whole.
The liche watched my observationsfrom where it hung above
the ground, as well as from my own mind.
“Mist is the medium through which vampiresreform themselves.
In time,you may take other forms through it.”
“I’m quite satisfied with this one.”
(27:45):
“It won’t happen by choice--notthe first time.
None of your powers will.” “Wonderful…”
“We must begin our preparations now.”
“I think you’re forgetting something!”I stepped back from the liche.
“I will not help youuntil you remove yourself from my mind.”
(28:06):
“Oh, on the contrary…I have a counteroffer.”
“There is nothingyou can offer me more valuable
than your absence.” “No?
What about intelligence on Deadhaus,its forces,
its structure, its weaknesses.”
“You would give me this?”
(28:27):
“In exchange for your cooperation.”
This gave me pause.
Why would it offer this to me?
Did it intend to destroy me beforeI could make use of such intelligence?
Or was it so arrogantto think me incapable of acting on it.
“Neither,” It said, reading my thoughts.
(28:48):
"Then why is spying on meso valuable to be worth that information?"
“There is so muchyou do not know, young Alaric,
and long is thework that is set before us.
I need to be able to access
your mindso that we may coordinate our efforts.”
“Even if it means destructionwill one day come to Deadhaus, destruction
(29:12):
set in motion by your hand?”“That will not come to pass.”
“You are arrogant.” “Doyou want the intelligence or not?”
“Very well, liche.
You do have something to offer morevaluable than your absence from my mind…
your eventual absence from this world.”
(29:33):
“Then the pact is sealed.
You will aid us in exchangefor knowledge.”
“Let’s start with you.” “So be it.”
“What is your name?
What is your rank,if you have such a thing?” “I am Amarax,
Archliche of Deadhaus.”
(29:53):
“I don’t know what that means.”
“Liches care little for hierarchy.
We are concerned only with knowledge.
An archliche is one who has attaineda great deal of knowledge.”
“Are you the highest rank
of the liches?”“There are other archliches.
(30:14):
You can think of us as the highest.”
“And how does one destroy a liche?”
“It depends on how learned the liche is.
For some,it is sufficient to destroy their bodies,
and then their phylacteries.”
“What is a phylactery?
How do I destroy one?”“They are vessels, ritual objects
(30:38):
that serve as shelter for the soul,should it become severed from its body.
To destroy them requiressome amount of magickal knowledge.”
“What do they look like?
How would I know them?”“That is much more complicated.
Liches go to great lengthsto conceal their phylacteries.
(31:00):
Some of us have more than one.”
“How is a liche created?”
“We create ourselves.”
“Explain.” “A sorcerer, a mage, a wizard,
all just namesfor those that speak words of power.
A liche begins when one such speakerattempts to prolong their life.
(31:23):
They soon discover that each extension
becomes more expensive, until the point
that all the power in Malorumcould not grant them a single day more.
Death is immutable.
It may only be prolonged, never prevented.
And so the most dedicated speakers
(31:44):
learn to amend their contract with death.
They die, as they must,
but their souls are unseveredfrom their flesh.
They become wedded to death.”
“You know…I find you much more forthcoming
than previous interrogationswith the dead.” “You mean the ghoul?
(32:06):
They are barely sentient.”
At last I saw a weakness in this creature,
one that we once shared, for only a foolwould underestimate a ghoul.
“If you are so powerful,so difficult to destroy,
why do you need my help at all?” “Theenemy too is powerful.”
“The Awakened.” “For the moment,
(32:28):
yes.” “There are others?” “There are nine
great powers that have built nineGreat Houses.
Deadhaus is youngest among them.”
“Who are the others?
The Thaceans?”
Abrupt laughter resounded in my skull,
and the liche swept its skeletal armin a jerking motion.
(32:52):
As it did, the circlein which we stood was filled with lights.
Many orbs marked with astrological symbolsmoved in circular patterns
around a central orbthat bore the mark of two hands clasping.
The Will-O’-Wisp circledalong with the others, but the liche
swatted it away, sending it higher, apartfrom the other lights.
(33:15):
“Do you know what this is?”
“The celestial spheres.” “Very good.
Show me." I approached the outer boundsof the luminous orrery,
to the orb that bore the mark of a ram’shorns.
“Haruspex,”I said, placing my hands over the orb.
“The Nameless God,whose house is Prodigium.”
(33:38):
I moved to the next sphere,
the only one comprised of shadows,rather than light.
It was marked with the sign of a serpent.
“Coluber.” “S’sa-Naraj,
The Sun Eater, whose house is Thon.” Along
the next orbit was a sphere tinged redand glaring with the mark of a mad eye.
(34:01):
“Vesania.” “Islirith, the Dreamer,
whose house is The Awakened.
The next sphere, brighter than the rest,
bore the mark of many spearsradiating outward.
“Novisol,” I said, and my blood shuddered.
“El’Sabayoth, The All-Fire,
(34:21):
whose house is Empyrean.” The orb
beyond Novisol appearedas if composed from many smaller orbs.
They bore the mark of a wave.
“Inundo.” “Uorou.
They are only Uorou.”
The next sphere was no sphere at all,
but a shape of lightbounded by only straight lines.
(34:44):
Inside this shape was a repeating pattern,
itself made from only straight lines.
“Laterum.” “Ohm, The Many-Sided,whose house is Machinarum.”
Two celestial spheres remained,and I moved to the one
closest to the central orb aroundwhich the others drifted.
(35:05):
The symbol upon it was the same as marked
the surface of the moon, visibleeven with the naked eye.
“Ruina.” “Allalmawt, The Weaver,
whose house is Deadhaus.”
I paused there, briefly.
I felt a sudden sense of smallness.
Even though I towered overthese miniscule depictions of the spheres,
(35:28):
I could not help but realize how utterly
insignificantI was next to them in that moment.
These were not merely orbsthat traversed the sky, they were symbols,
each speaking to the other in some storyI had only begun to perceive.
At last I placed my hand over the two
that clasped upon the central sphere.
(35:51):
“Malorum.”
“Malorum, The Twisted Mother,
whose house is The Pillars.”Now the liche waved his hand once more,
and the spheres rearranged themselvesinto two arching lines
above him with Malorum at their center,
a halo of spheresthat shone upon a desiccated face,
(36:13):
casting its eyelesshollows into fathomless black.
“Before this world was twisted into being,
before there were any lights,
there was eternal darkness…
and in that darkness, there was song.
The Ancients called to one another
(36:34):
across the black womb of precreation.
They devoured each other,growing stronger with each
sibling consumeduntil only eight remained.
In the stalemate of their song,none could overpower the other,
and so their songs rose
(36:54):
until reality was torn asunder
and the universe spilled forth in a
cataclysm of time and light.”
All at once, the orbs above the licheshattered,
spreading like uncountable shards of glassand filling the space of the circle.
“The Ancientsfled from the fires of creation.
(37:18):
They used the last of their songs to open
the way to realms of their own nature.
There they reign as prisoner-kings,lords of their own
domains, yet unable to escape…
unable to sing once more.
But still they may whisper,
(37:39):
and their whispersmay seep through the boundaries
between realms, into the mindsacross worlds beyond counting.
And those minds, aligned in great enough
number, can sing.
They can open the way.
That is the Ancients' War, the First War,
(38:02):
and now, on this twisted world, our war.”
The scintillating shards faded to nothing.
For a long timeI stood in silence, my thoughts reeling.
“You said there were nine.
You showed me only eight.” “Tlaquetlex,
(38:23):
the Shattered, whose house is the Others.
They will arrive in time.”
“If… if the things you have told meare true…
I do not understand how I can beany use to you.
All of this is beyond me.
I have only just learned of the Awakened.
(38:44):
My focus is on vengeance against them,
not the fate of the universe.” “That focus
is enough for my purposes, young Alaric.
The Awakened are indeed an enemy
that must be dealt with.” “Why?
What difference doesit make to you, to Deadhaus?”
“For dreams do not die,
(39:06):
and death does not dream,
and so the house of each must meetin war.”
Alaric the damned.
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