The Pilgrimage
What follows is a summary of almost 1 year of IRL lore:
Key background: Religion in Vaul.
While local spirits, deities and forces of natures are worshiped across Vaul, the main continent is dominated by two major deities – the twin brothers Namthar and Kossos. It is from these to the major common language curses (“By the twins”, “Black twin” etc) arises, as does local mythology of the two moons, the seasons, and most of the natural order of the world.
Namthar is the patron deity of Namburg, a glistening city of steps and steeples in the thundra of the north. A highly structured and policed church, it has spawned priests, bishops, the Judges, towering cathedrals and a vast lexicon of rules and regulations that must be followed to the word to save your eternal soul.
Kossos is the patron of Kossos strangely enough, known by most as “Salt in Wounds”. Within the vast sprawling metropolis ( the biggest city in Vaul) a gargantuan behemoth lies chained to the earth by sacred harpoons. Salt in Wounds is divided as to what actually this titan really is – some say a protector left by Kossos to guard the city, others claim it is the hound of Namthar, chained as punishment, others still whisper this is their god himself made flesh. Disagreement forms the basis of religious and political discourse in the city. Regardless , it doesn’t stop all life from revolving around the monster.
Key background: The century war
Almost 1000 years ago, a catastrophic war raged between the twin brothers , known as “the century war”. Every race splintered and took sides , families and clans were sundered by the division. The cause of the war is speculative at best, each religion claiming casius belli and that they fought for moral and spiritual justice. A holy war of just and excellent cause. Subdivisions of the subdivisions of religions have legions of scholars ready to present their thesis on why Holy Namthar needed to purge the blasphemers from Vaul, or why Kossos purified the very land by spilling the black blood of the Namtharites, but the wisest shrug and admit, that for such a cataclysmic war that took generations to recover from, worryingly little is known.
Key background: The Herald/St. Etricht.
The gang became aware of the Herald a few weeks into their adventure, as a man responsible for much of the discord and chaos they were encountering. They have been pursuing him since, as he seems responsible for much of the party’s woes.
Etricht was once a campaigner with an adventuring group known as the “lightbringers” much like sub Optima. Perhaps more optimal. Actually, almost certainly more optimal. Other members are known to include Conan the librarian, and at least 2 others. ( Its interesting to note that Conan is a decrepit old man, whereas Etricht when the gang encountered him looked middle aged at best). They famously captured Beausang, a notorious Elder vampire, and disbanded after a number of successful and suitably heroic adventures, citing artistic differences ( although Conan hinted there was quite some discord within the group once ). Etricht became quite religious and joined the church.
Etricht quickly excelled in his campaigning duties and became a hero within the Church of Namthar, was ordained a saint, and founded the Judges leading them on multiple expeditions and crusades.
A number of decades ago, the pious Etricht set off on a pilgrimage to Ashenkirk, a place which was thought to be either inaccessible at best, or a legend at worst. He returned a changed man, and became withdrawn, sullen and confrontational. He fell out with most of the hierarchy of the church, and began secretive expeditions without approval, and surreptitious meetings in the shadows of the great statue of Namthar in the captial. He quickly fell from grace and after escalating theological conflicts with the archbishop he was eventually excommunicated under classified circumstances.
He has since been made an apostate.
Key known offenses include:
Engineering the redrot which has decimated the elves, and involved goblins as a result
Inviting the Nileth beneath Porta Verde to incapacitate the orcs ( and resulting in Celeste’s Death)
Manipulating the red dragon into immolating a major elven city
Awakening the dream-eater to terrorise Vicetina
Installing Maggie in the ivory tower, thus preventing the elves accessing the winding path
Was involved in Walpurgis night, wherein he attempted to close the winding path by force with a small force of judges, but resulted in a large scale demonic ravaging of the elves. He seems to have a very personal distaste for elves.
Potential roles hinted at include:
The fall of the dwarves, who now are enslaved underground by Night elves in the sunless sea. Alawyn is the last dwarf left above. ( currently in porta verde)
Ongoing conflict between the 2 major human kingdoms.
Involvement with the necrophage project, which caused dead to reanimate and terrorise the northwest
His involvement with other events, such as Ernies personal summoning catastrophe etc are unknown.
The pilgrimage
Descending the stairs into the buried temple, the gang follow the Heralds footsteps, and walk the ancient and long forgotten pilgrimage route, learning the forgotten history of the world, perhaps they are the only living souls to learn such things aside from their quarry…
Chamber 1:
And so the scholars came, to reap what they had sown, to learn by consuming, to restart the process, and the planet waited to be reborn.
But this cycle was different – they met resistance. Men, Orcs and Elves had united, formed great armies to oppose their creators.
If it is the dream of the drop to join the river, these drops would rather remain a puddle. The scholars were taken aback, this rarely happened when the time came to gather the harvest. These peoples had been forewarned of their coming. They suspected a traitor in their midst… one of the scholars would have to die.
The collapsing roof and too few coffins, The room calls for the death of one, as the scholars had done.
Namthar couldn’t not abide by the bloodshed, to spill the blood of a fellow scholar. Instead Namthar convinced his Elder brother to bind the youngest – Kossos and to chain the traitor to the rock and leave him to suffer for all eternity while the planet rose and fell around him with each harvest. As the remaining two would grow wiser and more powerful, Kossos would grow hungry and bestial
Chamber 2:
And so war began… The peoples of Vaul realised they were strong as one, yet even separated, and opposed to each other, the scholars proved formidable, for they had encountered resistance before, they were always prepared. The 3 brothers fought, two against one. United the people stood, yet divided the scholars stood even taller
The cobalt dias, requiring the party to divide as the scholars had to proceed
Chamber 3
Who would have guessed, after millennia of experimenting, consuming, growing, that one of the scholars would begin to ask the wrong questions?
To wonder whether they were but the harvest for something yet larger, for a greater mind still.
And for the first time since the birth of the stars, a scholar felt pity. And having tricked his brother into trapping Kossos, the traitor -Namthar finally revealed himself to his Elder brother. And so the century war began, he people of Vaul blinded by faith, fervour and fear choose sides and fought amongst themselves, the rivers of Vaul ran red with the blood of the scholars – blood drawn from the treacherous blade of their own brother.