The World of Via

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: The World of Via

 

^ v ^

 

Thanks! I'm pondering posting his "future plans", which are REALLY spoileriffic, but that might be too much of a temptation for my players. I think I'll just post 'em on the campaign log as they happen. ^ v ^

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: The World of Via

 

A little more, this time containing spoilers about Order of the Wish:

 

 

A couple hundred years after his defeat at the hands of Aveliel, Piercylwin emerged from his home, gambling on the fact that nobody would remember the wizard who'd been defeated, only the hero who'd defeated him. He was both pleased and a little disappointed to find this was true. While he was out, he married Eva, the black dragon, and showed her the world she'd been missing. They discussed children, and he warned her of the Church's attitude toward half-human, half-dragon hybrids, and that they would both very likely outlive their offspring.

 

Such talks led Piercylwin to ponder his own exile from the church hundreds of years before, and he told his wife of his early years. She wondered aloud how many other children had been so treated, or never even given a chance to survive in the first place because of the Church's callousness. Piercylwin grew quiet, pondering much the same thing, and what could be done about it. After all, had he never been so harshly rejected, would he ever have allowed his anger to overtake him?

 

They reached a Fae settlement next, where Piercylwin commissioned an item which allowed him to test the effects of spells without harming anyone or anything, to further allow for the possibility that he might be left in peace.

 

In the next city they came to, while he was wandering the marketplace, Piercylwin's pocket was nearly picked by a small child. He caught the boy, who immediately began to cry. Piercylwin took pity on the child, and treated him to a large, hot meal and a bath. While the boy ate, Piercylwin inquired after the child's parents, to learn that they had both died in a recent plague. This child wasn't the only one left orphaned, and the city's residents pointed him to where most of the children slept and hid. The residents barely had enough money to feed themselves and their families, they explained, and so these children were left to fend for themselves.

 

Piercylwin and Eva found similar stories everywhere they went, of children abandoned and left to their own devices. Some had found comfort with relatives or the church, but most were left to fend for themselves.

 

And so Piercylwin began buying up abandoned spaces and building large shelters. He provided money for food and supplies, and opened the doors to these poor, starving orphans. Many children were wary, at first, but as more and more children found their way into such places, they began finding others who needed what these places offered.

 

As these places filled up, Eva and Piercylwin hired teachers, to teach the children to read and write, to defend themselves, and skills they would need for apprenticeship.

 

As the first generation of these children grew up, several of the more resourceful among them tracked down their benefactor, and approached him. They asked him why he would do such a thing, and he replied that it was his wish that no child should be abandoned and left to die, because it wasn't their fault they were left alone. They declared themselves to be the result of his wish. When Piercylwin asked that his name be left out of it, they declared themselves to be the Order of the Wish, and asked how they might repay his generosity.

 

Before that moment, it hadn't even occurred to Piercylwin that what he was doing was benevolent and unselfish. He'd done it to prevent another person like himself growing up, embittered and angry and needing to be stopped. He told them to leave him be, but they wouldn't leave until he answered their question. He finally told them that, if they truly wished to repay him, they would keep the Order going, continue taking in children who needed shelter and teaching, and leave him alone.

 

They took his words to heart, continuing to take in children who needed the Order, becoming fully self-sustaining. Eventually, they expanded to the point where they were beginning to prevent tragedies that would've left children homeless and without parents. Piercylwin couldn't help but take notice then, and he went to visit the homes he'd once built. Realizing how easily the organization could be traced back to him (and how no one would believe an organization tied to the man who'd once tried to control the world could possibly be benevolent), he told them to keep the Organization's existence a secret, and to act anonymously. They asked him again (thinking he was a descendant of the original benefactor) what they might do to preserve the goodwill of their original benefactor. He told them in reply that they could continue as they were, but they had to stop being so obvious about it. If they couldn't, he said, he would have to destroy the Order.

 

And so they became more secretive and hidden. A heroes' companion emerged from the fold, then another, then a member of the Order became a hero, herself (the first woman hero, in fact). Piercylwin refrained from giving orders, content to watch from afar with pride.

 

Then one day, Piercylwin's necromantic dabblings brought him upon a spell which could bring a long-dead person back from the grave, in return for a great sacrifice of human lives. The thought began to consume him, of what he could do if he could show Aveliel all the good he'd done. It did occur to him, though, how it wouldn't do much good to first kill hundreds of people just to show an old enemy that he wasn't the same person anymore.

 

Then another spell crossed his path, this time solving the puzzle of what function Aveliel could perform, if he came back from the dead. The spell bestowed godhood upon the person casting it, and required the gathering of worshipers. And who was more worshiped in Via than Aveliel? Surely, he reasoned, another god was precisely what Via needed, as he found its Church corrupt and too mired in red tape to accomplish anything. And another god could intervene in Via more directly than the standoffish Creator.

 

And so, for the first time in four thousand years, Piercylwin gave the Order of the Wish orders to carry out. He has been both astonished and pleased to see the efficiency with which is Order is following his directive.

 

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: The World of Via

 

Damn you can write. Thanks for the spoilers.

 

Wow

 

 

QM

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: The World of Via

 

^ v ^

 

Thanks! I'm sure you can see why it's under a spoiler button.

 

I'm dropping these here as much for my reference as everyone else's entertainment value, though. I'm always afraid I'll forget important stuff or a neat idea if I don't write it down. ^ v ^

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: The World of Via

 

A mystery, explained:

 

 

In order to survive his final encounter with Aveliel, Piercylwin set up a spell. What the spell did was anchor a piece of his soul to a physical object, thereby preventing him from moving into the afterlife. The splitting of his soul triggered another spell, which tied his soul to a new body. The piece of his soul remained where it was, but the rest of it anchored to the new body. In this way, he was able to appear fully dead before Aveliel, yet go on living.

 

The other portion of his soul, however, remains trapped inside Aveliel's sword.

 

So long as that sword exists, Piercylwin remains anchored to the world of the living. Since the sword has many, many magical protections and wards on it, Piercylwin is unworried that it might be accidentally destroyed, though he has also taken precautions, so that he wouldn't die the very moment the sword was destroyed. Rather, his entire soul would be restored. His current body would be more vulnerable than it is now, and he would need to find a new anchor to ensure his immortality.

 

What Piercylwin doesn't realize is that the spell has a side effect. A soul in Via is comprised of self-awareness and consciousness; tying his soul to an object has given that object consciousness. It being his we're talking about, it's not a very nice consciousness, either.

 

It's taken tremendous self-discipline and will for Piercylwin to keep his temper under control; the sword has none of that, nor the drive to. It can only rely on those holding it to keep it in check. Luckily, Aveliel's willpower, and that of his eldest son (who inherited the sword) were strong enough to keep control of the sword, rather than the other way around. The sword was passed down the family line for generations, until finally one eldest son had to pawn off some things to pay his debts. He didn't realize the value of the dusty old sword with the scabbard half-rotted off, and so it was one of the first things to go, sold to a Fae who DID recognize the value of the object. He was also lucky enough to have sufficient willpower to maintain control, but he sold it off quickly and at a lower price than he'd wanted to when he realized his dreams had been getting darker and more disturbing only since touching the sword.

 

The man who bought the sword had none of the heroic family's willpower or goodwill; in fact, he was rather greedy and lazy. When the sword whispered to him that it could teach him magic, if only he'd use it, he seized the opportunity, never realizing that the sword's lessons would take everything from him. He wound up insane and imprisoned, his belongings confiscated, and the sword wound up in a guard's posession. The guard had no more willpower than the last man, and he, too, was posessed by the piece of Piercylwin's soul still embedded in the sword.

 

Over the years, the sword gained in strength and knowledge, using its owners, subjugating their wills, and driving all but the strongest of will utterly insane. Those who could withstand the nightmares and bloodthirsty impulses for any span of time took on the name of Piercylwin, doing evil deeds in his name, never realizing the real Piercylwin was still alive and well, and what he would do to them if he knew what they'd done in his name.

 

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: The World of Via

 

Because Williams is such a hack, when he makes a major change to the world, it can't just happen smoothly, because he sucks at transitions. Instead, the world shifts violently and dramatically, and poof!, what he wants is now done. Those who have witnessed these events call them Upheavals. The First Upheaval was the one that created the Vian, Fae and Heavenly Planes, and the Second Upheaval created life on these planes of existence. The Third Upheaval started the domino effect that motivated Aveliel to be the first hero. There have been minor events when each of the heroes came into being. The Fourth Upheaval was when the ghostwriters came on board and started shaping things the way THEY wanted them, and the Fifth Upheaval heralded the appearance of the Messiah. There's a Sixth on the way, and how badly it hits depends on the actions of the party.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: The World of Via

 

The Thornwilde region in Via is on the Southeast of the main continent, opposite the capital through the Silverdell Mountains. The territory was named for its largest city, Port Thornwilde, a trade city established in the Vian year 194. The boundaries of the region are marked by an unnamed community of dragons to the northwest, and Wolfdale to the northeast.

 

The second largest city in the Thornwilde region is Shadowdale, which is near the northern edge of the region.

Not much is known about the region to residents of Via, as its out-of-the-way location invites few visitors, and light trade. The area is marked by extreme self-sufficiency, never petitioning outsiders for aid in local problems and discouraging its residents to leave the city boundaries. That the forests are inhabited by giant spiders also discourages travel.

 

Thanks to the lack ouf outside influence, the Thornwilde region is the only place in Via untouched by the influence of heroes. Young men and women do not grow up with dreams of being the next Aveliel; they grow up fully intending to follow the example set by their parents, or to fill a need within their hometown. Any with ambition may travel to Port Thornwilde, to sign up as a sailor on a pirate ship. The port enjoys a brisk trade with those who obtain their goods illegally. In exchange, they trade many illegal goods, including slaves, dragon eggs and precious minerals mined by enslaved dwarves. The region has very few legal exports.

 

Thievery is a profitable occupation in Thornwilde, as is assassination. Priests and bards feel a distinct sense of unwelcome, and many bards who vanished without a trace were, in truth, murdered for having witnessed the evil Thornwilde residents are capable of. While there is a single church in Shadowdale, the only priests to serve in it are those who prove corruptible. Ethical members of the priesthood quickly find themselves in the middle of a scandal, or subject to fatal accidents. Head priests have learned how to phrase requests for replacements in such a way that such steps have been unnecessary in recent years.

 

A traveler visiting the region would find the residents dour and taciturn. The taverns are almost always full, but never with dancing and songs. Thornwilde residents find very little reason to celebrate their existences. A visitor would find himself watched everywhere he goes, but that any attempt at conversation would be met with cold silence. If a Thornwilde resident speaks to strangers at all, it is to tell them to mind their own business.

 

The area does have a Fae settlement, on the southwest corner. The fae who live there are often categorized by their fondness for destruction. The most deadly magical items originate from that region, though the human residents don't often visit the settlement.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: The World of Via

 

Background on a villain . . . Players forbidden from clicking until after this villain is no longer in play, for whatever reason.

 

 

Aciarren was born in Port Thornwilde in the Vian Year 2484, the son of a slave. When he was five years old, he escaped capture from the man who owned his mother, and started stealing to live. One day, he broke into a wizard's home, and was discovered raiding the man's pantry. The mage agreed to let him live, on the condition that the young boy break into his rival's home and sabotage what that mage was working on, and bring the first mage his notes. Aciarren did so, and soon thereafter became known amongst the mages as one eager to carry out their more clandestine affairs for them, often for just the price of a crust of bread and some lessons on how to read, and later, learn magic. As he got better and more noteworthy as a thief, he also began to supplement his skills with magic, and began to rival the lesser mages in power.

 

Then one day, while walking past the marketplace, a sword caught Aciarren's eye. The vendor shooed him away. Aciarren's curiosity grew, and he hung around the vendor's stall until another prospective buyer asked after it. The vendor then told the tale of how the sword once belonged to the first hero, Aveliel, but his descendants had fallen on hard times and been forced to sell this priceless artifact. Though the buyer scoffed at the story (for no one in Thornwilde cared one whit for stories about heroes), Aciarren realized he had to have it.

 

So he blackmailed a mage he'd done many jobs for, to talk him into creating a distraction in the marketplace. In the ensuing chaos, Aciarren grabbed the sword and ran off with it.

 

The blackmailed mage then hired assassins to kill the boy, not liking being taken advantage of. Aciarren, using the power of his new weapon, slew them after finding out who'd sent them. Then he tracked down the mage and killed him, too.

 

Aciarren fled the Thornwilde region then, heading north. He changed his name, taking on a name from an ancient spellbook with what he'd deemed the most useful spells.

 

He wound up in Deeplake, where he met the Lady Eireille. She, recognizing him as a poor, travel-worn young man, took him in and talked her husband into hiring him on. Unused to kindness for kindness' sake, he became smitten.

 

Over the next several years, he ingratiated himself into Lord Parin (Eireille's husband)'s good graces, while plotting how to steal Eireille for his own. He subtly worked his spells to drive them apart, and to cool Parin's affection for his lovely wife. When that didn't work, he waited until Parin had gone to Asini on business, and clumsily attempted to seduce Eireille.

 

She rejected him without so much as a thought, and expressed outrage that he should repay their kindness so. Though Aciarren apologized for the slight, he set his mind on something far more insidious. Furious at Eireille for the rejection, he devised a curse where she would be forced to choose between being alone, or being with him, for the rest of time. The curse forced her to stay in her castle except to seek him, and to feed off the lifeblood of others to live. After making sure she knew the extent of her curse, Aciarren informed Eireille he was the only one who could lift it, but he'd only ever do so if she came to him and begged. Then he left. She, fearing for her family's safety, sent them away to their second home in Starryfield.

 

Aciarren wandered a while longer, further refining his "vampiric curse," until he felt safe placing it on himself. Once it was, he did so, and was amazed to discover how much stronger and faster he felt. However, he'd been unable to remove the part of the curse that made it impossible for one so cursed to withstand sunlight, so he realized he would need to procure a permanent home. He returned to the Thornwilde region, this time to Shadowdale. There, he stayed in an inn until a local noble had the misfortune to cross his path one gloomy, cloudy day. The man had been drinking, and stumbled into Aciarren. When Aciarren demanded an apology, the noble set his guard on the young upstart. Between Aciarren's vampirism and his growth in the magical arts, he didn't even have to use his wondrous sword to kill every last one of them.

 

Fearing for his life, the noble invited Aciarren back to his home, and Aciarren accepted. There, he wasted little time in hypnotizing the noble's servants into accepting Aciarren as their master. Then he slew the noble's family, saving the noble himself for last. Him, he kept locked in the basement, forcing him to watch as Aciarren drained the blood from every last one of them. Then he killed the noble.

 

Aciarren then approached the city guard, and made an arrangement whereby he would leave them be in exchange for a small tribute: a new servant, brought to him every full moon, with no questions asked about what happened to her. When they balked at this arrangement, in a show of power, Aciarren obliterated the remaining noble's castles, and took several of their daughters captive. The guard relented, and Aciarren released the young women, but not unharmed.

 

And so it has been for 2500 years. Aciarren still grows in power, still researches magic, and has an entire city's resources at his command. He continues to wait for Eireille, but meanwhile, has become aware of an Upheaval on the horizon which will spill a horde of demons onto the living plane.

 

 

I might be able to get a character sheet for this guy posted; would anyone be interested in seeing it when it's done?

[misterdeath]

Re: The World of Via

 

 

 

Um, more please.

 

D

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: The World of Via

 

^ v ^

 

I'm still working on the character sheet, but here's some additional information my players DEFINITELY shouldn't read:

 

 

The sword in Aciarren's posession is, indeed, the sword that once belonged to Aveliel, the first hero. The sword started out as a finely-crafted blade, was imbued with magic for Aveliel's benefit, and then, when it was used to slay Piercylwin, was given another purpose.

 

Instead of just dying, Piercylwin's soul was split into pieces, a small bit of which entered the sword, to anchor the rest of his soul on the mortal plane while it sought a new vessel. This gave the sword a sentience, based mostly on Piercylwin's demonic half.

 

Luckily, Aveliel's will was strong enough that the sword never persuaded him to do evil deeds, as were the wills of his descendants who inherited the sword.

 

However, one of the descendants fell on hard times, and, to pay off a gambling debt, sold the sword without realizing just what it was. (The sword had gotten used to waiting and biding its time, awaiting a master who deserved its "gifts.")

 

The sword passed through the hands of several people, but none with the capacity to handle the unbridled evil the sword was capable of. Each died, usually at his own hand, and the sword was passed from merchant to merchant, with dire warnings of a curse on the blade.

 

The final merchant who carried the sword knew about the curse, and realized Thornwilde was the best place to be rid of the thing, since he considered anyone living in such an accursed land to begin with to already be soft in the head and deserving of whatever the sword wrought. He was relieved when it was stolen from him, and quickly departed from Thornwilde, lest someone try to give it back.

 

Aciarren doesn't realize the sword is sentient. It's never spoken to him, except in dreams. The sword feels no need to try to control its master, anyway, as the mage's bloodthirsty nature suits it nicely.

 

Though the sword is immensely powerful, it does exact a price. It drains just a little of Aciarren's power (END and STUN, specifically), but never enough that Aciarren feels weakened. It does this for the purpose of controlling its own destiny if and when it's freed from Aciarren's clutches; it has taught itself the ability to teleport, and its mind control abilities have grown much stronger since its acquaintance with the evil mage.

 

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: The World of Via

 

Aciarren's character sheet is here.

 

The spells that weren't pulled from various sourcebooks were obtained from Jack Butler's Global Guardians website, with permission.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: The World of Via

 

I've finally gotten off my butt long enough to get a finished version of the world map up and running. You can find it on the Via homepage, which is still under construction. Here's a smaller version:

 

 

Click on it to see the original size.

[Kristopher]

Re: The World of Via

 

They take sanctuary at The Church of Fleshly Concerns, where Flora learns through Father Salem (former Seraphim and her current partner) that it's standard practice for these churches to summon up Seraphim and . . . He's too embarrassed to explain further, and the party gets the gist.

 

...

 

While she sleeps that night, Flora receives a visit from the Creator in her dreams, who tells her Salem hasn't much time left on Via, and that he's owed a progeny. The Creator asks if Flora will provide it, and offers to send her to a dimension where time will flow differently, so that the gestation wouldn't interfere with their current venture. She agrees to talk it over with Salem, who seems quite pleased at the idea.

 

When the party wakes the following morning, it's to the sound of a baby crying. Flora explains what's happened, and they send the child off to Father Danaecus, where it's safe, to be cared for until Flora can do it.

 

She names her child after his father.

 

I wanted to ask about this from a worldbuilding perspective on the Immaginary Worlds forum, but I'm not sure it would fly there.

 

 

IIRC, this isn't the first mention of somewhat strange sexual goings-on in Via, and I wondered if that was a conscious decision about The Author, as part of the kind of author that Williams is supposed to be. The Author and The Creator are the one and the same, right?

 

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: The World of Via

 

I wanted to ask about this from a worldbuilding perspective on the Immaginary Worlds forum, but I'm not sure it would fly there.

 

 

IIRC, this isn't the first mention of somewhat strange sexual goings-on in Via, and I wondered if that was a conscious decision about The Author, as part of the kind of author that Williams is supposed to be. The Author and The Creator are the one and the same, right?

Hmm. It's a bit complicated, but

essentially, the Creator and John Williams (pen name: Alastair Liven) are one and the same. However, the part that recognizes what his power is remains separate from the part of him that can control it, just because of the world-changing consequence such a power could be in the hands of one who could fully control it. When a young Williams was just starting out with this potentially harmful power, he wrote a story about a "friend" who could write things, and they'd happen. Thus Liven was born, and, when Via was made real, he was sent there.

 

The Liven part of the personality recognizes what's happening, and is now able to physically manifest in Via. But he doesn't have much power of his own; mostly, he can do what Williams writes or wants to happen in the story.

 

As for the first part of your question, yes, the extremely active fertility and sexuality of people in Via is a manifestation of Williams' own unconscious wishes. He's sterile, and always has been; the only reason Michael was conceived was through an unconscious use of his power and tapping into Michael's mother's luck manipulation ability. So deep down, he wishes he could have more children. But, due to his divorce, it would never happen even with medical advances. (He's wisely realized that he's not much of a catch, so he hasn't even tried to find a second wife.) Instead, this wish manifests itself in Via, where even the spell to prevent pregnancy has been known to fail, where the first hero left over a dozen children behind (whose many generations of children's children now compose about 25% of the Vian population) when he didn't even want kids, and where a cult of sex-crazed lunatics has a sense of legitimacy.

 

 

Short answer: yes, even this is my poking fun at some of the fantasy tropes.

 

Does that answer your question?

[Kristopher]

Re: The World of Via

 

Hmm. It's a bit complicated, but

essentially, the Creator and John Williams (pen name: Alastair Liven) are one and the same. However, the part that recognizes what his power is remains separate from the part of him that can control it, just because of the world-changing consequence such a power could be in the hands of one who could fully control it. When a young Williams was just starting out with this potentially harmful power, he wrote a story about a "friend" who could write things, and they'd happen. Thus Liven was born, and, when Via was made real, he was sent there.

 

The Liven part of the personality recognizes what's happening, and is now able to physically manifest in Via. But he doesn't have much power of his own; mostly, he can do what Williams writes or wants to happen in the story.

 

As for the first part of your question, yes, the extremely active fertility and sexuality of people in Via is a manifestation of Williams' own unconscious wishes. He's sterile, and always has been; the only reason Michael was conceived was through an unconscious use of his power and tapping into Michael's mother's luck manipulation ability. So deep down, he wishes he could have more children. But, due to his divorce, it would never happen even with medical advances. (He's wisely realized that he's not much of a catch, so he hasn't even tried to find a second wife.) Instead, this wish manifests itself in Via, where even the spell to prevent pregnancy has been known to fail, where the first hero left over a dozen children behind (whose many generations of children's children now compose about 25% of the Vian population) when he didn't even want kids, and where a cult of sex-crazed lunatics has a sense of legitimacy.

 

 

Short answer: yes, even this is my poking fun at some of the fantasy tropes.

 

Does that answer your question?

 

Yeap.

 

 

EDIT: and now that I'm feeling more talkative, yes, and that's about what I was thinking you were going for.

 

 

I assume that the last one refers to the Church of Fleshly Concerns?

 

And what's this I hear about "dragon sex"?