[Exposition] Chapter 3: Torches of Humanity
Chapter 3: Torches of Humanity
The tale of the Meon's return spread like wildfire, igniting a fervor that swept across Roera with unprecedented speed. From the bustling ports to the highest spires of the Council chambers, a palpable energy crackled through the air. Once content with its gradual pace of life, the continent thrummed with a newfound purpose.
The Council, that august body that had steered Roera through countless crises, found itself at the heart of a storm. Their chambers echoed with impassioned arguments as factions formed and reformed. Some called for immediate action, urging the formation of a grand expedition to claim the Eternal Lands for Roera. Others, more cautious, advocated for careful study and preparation. A few voices, quickly silenced but never entirely forgotten, whispered that perhaps some doors were best left unopened.
As debates raged and preparations mounted, a subtle shift occurred in the very fabric of Roeran society. The Awakened, once viewed with a mixture of awe and unease, now found themselves the subject of intense scrutiny. Their immunity to the Reflections' influence made them invaluable for future expeditions. Yet this very immunity raised uncomfortable questions about the nature of their place in the world.
Amidst this maelstrom of activity and speculation, Amaranth underwent her own transformation. The haunted, gaunt figure that had stepped off the Meon gradually reformed to a woman of steel and purpose. The Council called upon her repeatedly for counsel. Her mind, honed by her short survival in the unforgiving Eternal Lands and her time served as infrantry in the Perennial War, was imparted on even the most skeptical of the councilors.
The Eternal Lands were now a possibility: no longer a guaranteed death sentence and with a chance to return. The Council recognized the need for a carefully planned and well-equipped expedition to the Eternal Lands. When the Council finally issued its decree, it came as an unprecedented announcement. The Council was establishing a continent-wide mission to find answers, and new questions, in the Eternal Lands. The survivor of the Meon's ill-fated voyage was appointed Primarch for the newly established expeditionary force.
The decree fell upon the populace like stones cast into a still pond, sending ripples of shock, admiration, and not a little trepidation throughout Roera. The known world suddenly seemed smaller, the horizon broader, and the future filled with both promise and peril. The Council called for the most qualified and capable Awakened across Roera. Hundreds of thousands of applications flooded the Council chambers, creating towering stacks of parchment that threatened to topple under their own weight.
For weeks, Amaranth and select Council members pored over the applications, their eyes strained in the flickering lamplight as they sought those rare individuals who might stand a chance against the horrors that awaited.
As dawn broke on the final day of deliberations, three names rose to the surface, their applications standing out like beacons in a stormy sea. Each represented an existing or newly forming faction with complex histories, born from Roera's tumultuous past and now poised to shape its future.
The Eye of Antiquity stood as a testament to the power of knowledge and the resilience of those who seek it. Born from an unlikely alliance, it united two ancient and formidable organizations: the Order of the Bloodied Horn and the secretive Watchers of Roera.
The Order of the Bloodied Horn had long been revered as guardians of wisdom, their knights standing vigil over libraries and schools, protecting seekers of knowledge and those who taught it. They were a common sight accompanying scholars on perilous field expeditions, and stood firm against book burnings and the suppression of learning. Their protection of controversial and dangerous texts led to the discovery, and resulting research, of godstongue. Eventually, the Order of the Bloodied Horn developed the methodologies to study and learn godstongue - for those with the mental fortitude to do so.
The Watchers of Roera, shrouded in mystery, pursued a loftier goal: to uncover the power of the dead gods and claim humanity's place as rightful heirs to their empty throne. Their influence was said to reach the highest echelons of government and the most prestigious universities in Roera. When the Shattered Storm broke across Roera 150 years ago, the Watchers dedicated themselves to devising a way to contain the regional storms. After years of arcane exploration and experimentation, they found a way to contain each piece of the Shattered Storm.
In historical accounts of these containments, witnesses experienced a brigade of arcane scholars and Noorians descending to the eye of a storm. A few hours later, the storms disappearance would reveal the few survivors, holding glass orbs with the storm riling within. The exact methodology was lost to the Watcher's secretive nature over time, and any final remnants of this knowledge were lost in the Great Sleep. While only one-third of Roera became Dreamers in the Great Sleep, the majority of Watchers fell into Torpor, and their ranks were effectively dissolved.
From the remains of the Watchers and the Bloodied Horn, a recent alliance emerged under a wizard named Stancyzk the Red. Once a decorated professor of magic, rumors swirled that he had climbed the ranks of the Watchers, reaching heights of influence that surpassed even his own mentors. Of the Watchers that fell into their Nightmare on the day of the Great Sleep, it's believed that Stancyzk is the only survivor to have awakened, slumbering for five decades. Only two years ago did he awaken and form the Eye of Antiquity.
Upon awakening, he found a world transformed and the Watcher’s having fallen to disarray. Without ceremony, he assumed the mantle of Grand Chancellor, leveraging his vast knowledge and remaining contacts to forge the Eye of Antiquity. Under his leadership, the faction stood poised to unravel the mysteries of the Eternal Lands, seeking knowledge that could reshape their understanding of the world.
While the Eye of Antiquity focused on discovering and preserving the past, another faction embodied the spirit of protection and martial prowess that had seen Roera through its darkest hours.
The Teeth of Noor traced their lineage to the heroes of the Shattered Storm, ordinary civilians who rose to extraordinary heights in the face of near-extinction. The Noor namesake originated in a small swamp town in Southern Roera - a Kyluga town named Noor, who banded together to journey across and save the continent, one person at a time. Over time, more joined their ranks from across Roera. Tales of Noorian's bravery - from a bard who saved villages with their music, to a family of lumberjacks who built bridges over deadly rifts - inspired generations.
The same year of the Shattered Storm, the Perennial War erupted and brought the threat of the undying gestalts. More heroes emerged under the banner of the Noorians. The legendary Shieldbearer Noor, a founding member of the Noorians, vowed to create a force to defend Roera. She called her legions the Teeth of Noor, charging them to wear gold in honor of their victories to come, and red for the blood they would shed in defense of Roera.
For decades, the Teeth stood as a large force of the stalwart defenders against the horrors of the Deadlock. But the Torpor took its toll, fragmenting their once-unified ranks. In this context, Expeditionary Captain Richtor Hadden emerged as a beacon of hope.
Hadden had served with distinction for many years as the Commander of operations in the Deadlock, and his tactical decisions during the Great Sleep stopped the gestalts from expanding outside of the Asteraduun to the rest of Roera. Even as the Torpor ravaged their ranks, Hadden stood with his soldiers and fought on the front lines. His own brush with the Great Sleep came late, awakening only two years before the call for the Eternal Lands expedition. His experience, resilience, and recent Awakening made him the ideal choice to lead the Teeth into this new frontier.
As the Eye sought discoveries of the past, and the Teeth protected the present, a third faction emerged, focusing on this new world's practical applications and economic potential.
The Hand of Tomorrow represented the innovative spirit that had seen Roera through its darkest times. Its roots lay in the Consortium of Artisans and Traders, an organization born from the cooperation between crafters and merchants during the tumultuous years of the Great Sleep.
The Consortium had its origins in the friendship between Artisan Hana Min and Master Trader Erlen Olzanti, two of the original members of the task force that contained the Shattered Storm. Their informal network of crafters and traders, established to source rare materials across Roera, became a lifeline when the Torpor struck.
As businesses collapsed and skills were lost to the Great Sleep, the Consortium stepped in. They protected the livelihoods and secrets of those in Torpor, gradually expanding their influence to shape laws and policies beneficial to merchants and craftsmen. The Consortium's actions are historically attributed as saving the continent from falling into disarray when the Great Sleep struck Roera, and their policies have protected the lives of many Dreamers over the decades.
Having been a crucial part of establishing the Consortium, Shiori Min distinguished herself as a master artisan and researcher at the School of Galdreloch. She led the groundbreaking research for a new portal design that the Consortium continued to develop. Before that research, portals were rare: they were unacceptably expensive, inefficient, and experimental. Most travel had to be done by land, and only a few dozen existed on Roera.
It's widely known that portals consume magical energy in two ways: to activate and remain open. Before the Consortium's research, portals had to be kept constantly running and consuming energy, and could only ever go in a singular direction once set up. The Consortium developed a new method to significantly lessen the magic and resources needed to activate a portal. Long-distance portals could then be closed and reopened to save consumption instead of being constantly run, and save on activation costs. Incorporated into the design was the ability to activate a portal to go in either direction, still with the limitation that it could only go one direction at a time. Today across Roera, there are thousands of portals. They are still quite expensive to utilize, but short distance portals are commonly available.
The Consortium had begun researching a way to construct a portal intended for the Eternal Lands, but could not test their theories. Shiori began researching it personally, but was interrupted when she went into torpor a decade after the Great Sleep fell. Two years ago, she Awakened to find herself in a drastically changed world. The news of the Eternal Lands reignited her passion for discovery, and with the backing of the Consortium, she founded the Hand of Tomorrow.
Under Shiori's leadership, the Hand recruited Awakened individuals from all walks of life, believing that success in the unknown lands would require a diverse array of skills. Her vision: to unlock the potential of the Eternal Lands for the benefit of all Roera.
