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Someone once said, "Give me a lever long enough and a firm place to stand, and I shall move the world."
I have done all I can for them, they will soon make their final stand. Let us hope they find a long enough lever for I fear there will be no second chances.
3.5.08 - Dark Deals - As the Martyr makes her choice, yet another piece falls into place. One more choice remains, to side with Jigsaw or to destroy him. I sense the outcome will be similar either way, but one thing remains unknown to me. Can the Grand Maw truly have a weakness, securely forgotten in her only memory tower? What could possibly bring harm to such an insatiable force? Hope remains... even when reason does not.
2.27.08 - Low Tide - While Coldheart prepares to stand against Grandmother's brood, within the very city he hates, the circle dives deep into the Labyrinth to search for fragile alliances and lost relics.
A challenge is fought for an ancient weapon but Salaki, ambassador to Aluchtarch, fails to negotiate with the most wrathful of Malfean lords. Can a circle of wraiths accomplish anything more? The answer is already clear, but hope is a funny thing.
2.20.08 - The Haunted City - Stygia harbors many secrets, some good, some bad, and several that long to be discovered. Although ancient, Stygia was built long after the Grand Maw's slumber and was destroyed well before Her return. With every question the circle asks, they lose more of the precious few moments left to this place. The Grand Maw stirs, as do the ancient Onceborn, and so must humanity's final hope.
The Wasteland has remained still for too long. Even now I can feel the turmoil returning. The final Maelstrom brews within the Labyrinth, waiting only for a trigger. The final days are here. A wraith calls an old hero's name, begging for aid where there is none. They must be reminded that they are the last, and the only...
2.13.08 - The Battle for the Head - Had wraiths not aided Rabrak, would the Grand Maw be stronger for it? Sulabik exerted his unholy will throughout the hive-mind. He reached out to Rabrak's forces, turning her own soldiers against her. In all her power, she lasted mere minutes. Within the hive-mind, confusion becomes opportunity. Coldheart gave the order and his legion broke through the Brood spectres set to guard the Stair. For the first time since its founding, the capital of the Dark Kingdom of Iron is occupied.
The Underworld is changed. No longer home to the Restless, it is nothing more than a carcass waiting to be picked clean by the shadow-eaten. The Underworld belongs to them now, but it is far from the peaceful Oblivion they seek. Underworld politics is a raging tempest of dark desire and intent. It is a simple thing for a powerful wraith to make waves, waves which could have far reaching effects.
Tread lightly young spirits. Beware the ripples you cause...
2.6.08 - Gangs of New York - Vidod the Monger meets Oblivion, at the hands of a circle of wraiths. The second Malfean falls, but not the Grand Maw. Again, the Onceborn lords feel the loss of one of their own. Could they be next? Surely not. Yet these new wraiths continue to establish their place in the Underworld. They can be ignored no longer.
And as these forgotten children return to an Underworld they have never known, I will be their to guide them. I have little power, but I know many things. I know what must be done.
1.30.08 - New York Purgatory - The Martyr accepted my command while the circle rested. They prepared for a holy pilgrimage while she prepared for a holy war. Souls were saved from torment, but they must save themselves from the armies of Shades seeking the destruction of all.
The towers held secrets within smoked-filled halls. Secrets buried within painful memories and deep seated fears. After facing such horrors, the circle is made stronger. If only it is enough.
1.23.08 - The New York Necropolis - Vidod rules the last human city with heavily armored claws. The Monger clings to the power that lingers there, wishing to understand it and fearing to lose it. Though all within New York must sumbit, many do so with words alone. Even among the shadow-eaten there are . . . exceptions.
Within the cyclone of torment, angst, and pain, The Martyr heard my voice clearer than ever. And heeded my words on faith alone. She is changed though still a shade, a shattered reflection of former glory. As the Grand Maw gathers power, my own strength wanes. But one can still hear me and that may be enough...
1.9.08 - A Conclave of Hope - The warriors gathered at the Holy Rosary Church to discuss the looming battle in the Land of the Dead. Some seek information, others seek revenge, and a few long for some weapon or edge that will provide some small hope for a lost cause.
The circle has much to learn when dealing with the shadow-eaten. In the Skinlands, mortal wars have been fought over the slightest insult. In the Underworld, eons of pain ebb and flow with Malfean whim. Perhaps the circle will be fortunate and denying The Martyr access to a house of God will merely prove inconvenient.
1.2.08 - Strange Bedfellows - One Spectre will be no one's ally and holds oaths only for the fleetest moments. He will not befriend the champions of the Skinlands, but he will fight their enemy at the Nameless City.
Another Spectre's motives are not so clear. The Martyr promises to aid the circle in their quest against the Grand Maw. Why one so dark is so eager to aid the light, remains to be seen...
12.19.07 - Harrowing - Spectral guardians are not a memory tower's only defenses. An unexpected harrowing summons fierce horrors from the intruder's own psyche and is often capable of inflicting more pain than any Malfean watchdog.
After thieving the memory of a hidden weapons cache, the circle investigated followed an unnerving noise to its unlikely source, a captive Spectre. Reinforcements were called in and the Brood caravan was quickly dispatched. The circle was soon reminded war rarely has only two sides.
12.12.07 - The Memory Tower - Not all of the underworld's secrets are locked away by selfish Malfeans. Some forgotten pieces of the past are simply buried and abandoned, sometimes in the most unlikely places. It will never be possible for humanity's new champions to learn all that came before, but the scattered clues and relics that remain may yet be enough.
Though these newcomers are unwanted by Brood and Malfean Spectres alike, they may take some small comfort in knowing that the previous wardens of the Wasteland expected them... and prepared accordingly.
12.5.07 - Hell From Another Angle - The hives, fleshy protrusions of Her mass forced through the Stormwall providing a passageway between the Skinlands and the Wasteland. These paths are valuable tools, providing mobility to the shadow armies, Hers and the Malfean's alike. Yet, even as Rabrak the Inhabited claims a hive for herself, a more important prize remains unclaimed.
A haunted city, a lost city, a fallen city... the Nameless City.
11.15.07 - Crossing Over - Having known nothing but the safety of the Skinlands, it does not take long for wraiths to learn the Underworld is an unforgiving place. Between Grandmother's hives, innumerable Spectres, choking sands, bleak horizons, and shifting terrain, the Wasteland's dangers far outstrip its rewards. Still, the pioneers of this "new" frontier push deeper.
11.8.07 - Something Must Be Done - While awaiting the conclave, a circle of wraiths scoured a local refuge for clues against the Maelstrom. What they found were a few huddled enfants and a hungry doomshade looking for an easy meal.
Returning their wards to safer ground, many powerful spirits marched to the church from all over the city. A meeting was held to discuss this most recent cataclysm. Decisions were made. The majority would stay behind to heal the wound left by the Infinite Maw, protecting the defenseless public as well as their own corpus. Still, a brave few volunteered to crossover. Into the unknowable...
11.1.07 - Breach - Her oldest children led an assault against both sides of a powerful hive. A crucible intervened and expedited the Malfean victory, but the All-Consumer would not lose two hives in one day. With a grimace of pain the hive was pulled back into the safety Her infinite mass, leaving a gaping wound in the Stormwall. In reality itself.
The Undying Storm spills into the Skinlands, poisoning all it touches. Unbeknownst to the living, their ghostly champions struggle against their own ignorance. New gifts are discovered, powerful Emblems to be used in the war against Oblivion.
Interested in reviewing tales of past missions? Click here to check out the Archives page. Sometimes, remembering the past is the key to surviving the future.