A fantasy world of infinite potential rooted in speculative evolution. The physical planet is known as erith, and the mythical dimensions parallel to their reality makes up the universe: Phenuxia. At the peak of this mythology are ‘Phoenyxes’, ‘Dragons’, ‘Krakens’, and ‘Scarabs’, whose influence is apparent in everything. This planet is populated by a species of massive creatures called ‘Titans’ capable of supporting multiple diverse biomes; with a major focus of my storytelling taking place on the largest known titan, Incontinence. ( Go ahead and laugh, everything in this world has multiple meanings. This wont be the Last time ;P )
Erin the Humble
Erin the humble was a good man. He was always hard-working and kind, and never failed to provide for his family. When he was only a boy, he slew a rabid wolf that had attacked the girl he loved with all his heart.
Those two grew up and started a family and were happy together. However, they had earned some enemies, who plotted revenge in the shadows. It began with a simple mugging, from which Erin valiantly protected his family, before sending the muggers scurrying back to their boss.
Clearly furious at Erin’s persistent survival, their secret enemy conspired with an ogre. Together with his goblin minions, the ogre set upon Erin’s hometown, intent to reduce it to rubble. Erin rallied the villagers and fought off their attackers, challenging the ogre to a one-on-one duel at the climax. He conquered his mighty foe before all his neighbors, but the day was not victorious.
For in the commotion, Erin’s family had been kidnapped and was being held hostage by a wulver, a wolf-person, who claimed Erin had killed his son. Erin confronted the wulver in his lair and easily bested him in combat. He offered to spare his life if he left his family alone. The wulver declared that he would rather die than live in a world where his kin were considered rabid beasts.
Although the victory was bittersweet, Erin returned home a hero to his people. That night there was a great celebration to commemorate his triumphs. The people were merry, and his family reunited. It was a moment of peace, the calm at the eye of the storm. Suddenly, laughter and jubilation turned to terror and screams as an army rode into town. Rejoicing was drowned in bloodshed as the citizens were slain in their streets and beds.
Erin kneeled, in the center of it all, cradling the limp lifeless bodies of his wife and children as his village burned around him. He glared defiantly at the pale, dark-haired man who rode up on his noble stallion, and dismounted before him. King Astor squatted down in front of Erin, slowly drawing his blade from its sheath. The last thing Erin saw was Astor’s satisfied smirk as he drove the sword through his heart.
King Astor stood up, wiped a tear from his eye, cleaned off his blade with a fancy handkerchief, and sheathed it.
“These people have given their lives for the sake of humanity; I will not let their sacrifice be in vain!”
He then ordered his men to establish a new camp on the ashes of the destroyed village. Over time it was redeveloped into a successful Astorian settlement.
King Astor went on to conquer many peoples, depriving them of their symbol of hope before resettling their land with the violently competitive regime of his followers. His name was one that was feared in all kingdoms and eventually despised by history.
His people came to making sport of his conquests, pitting their victims against one another, and experimenting on them in their own pursuit of greater power. He had his own sick pleasures, “collecting” rare and unique races as if they were a prize of war. His ‘science’ became well known, as he rebelled against the arcane, endeavoring instead to dissect what made supernatural creatures tick. His ultimate goal, however, was the greatest mystery.
This nearly century-long war came to its climax when Astor, in his audacity, believed he could conquer the desert, and found himself a devastating defeat at the unfathomable power of an ancient dragon. The king withdrew into solitude, and for the first time in decades, there was a moment of peace while the Astorians awaited his return.
Seizing this opportunity, all the subjugated peoples of Incontinence who cried out for justice came together to form The Collective. For the first time in history, The Collective, The Pursuit of Knowledge, and The Order of Three allied against their oppressive common foe.
Even the heavens seemed to cry out with the desperate hope for retribution, as the five kingdoms of mortals across the six regions, rose together in battle against the human empire. Many lives were lost, and more still gave in to the darkness before a few heroes finally broke into Astor’s Chambers. His city had been razed to the ground, his army in shambles, but the king had disappeared. The flag of victory was raised as the dawn set on a new era for Incontinence. For those who survived, however, the triumph was bittersweet. Their kin who had been held prisoner had all been slain. Nothing was left of Astor’s empire but rubble, and a flock of ravens, circling like a storm above its corpse. The King was never heard from again, but legend still says he lurks in the shadows, so if you ever see a flock of ravens be very, very, wary.
The Silver Snake
After the fall of the human empire Astorel, their rival kingdom of Tarthsbane was rendered leaderless. A snake from Astor’s court claimed the throne as his own, igniting the disapproval of the people. They had lost generations of allies, and the realm was in chaos as the Snake had no true interest in ruling. Those who were still loyal to the crown collapsed into a heated debate about succession with no rightful heir. While one side argued for a return to their original traditions, the other side argued that the folly of the old ways had led to this great violence in the first place and instead championed a restructuring of their entire system.
One voice rose above all the rest for each cause, giving a symbol to their movement. Although these two individuals were merely widely regarded philosophers, their words inspired many to action against one another. These were the debates of Magnus and Adrian. No matter how deeply they were understood, they could never convince their followers to stop fighting with words. So, one day they decided to meet in private, and discuss where none could interpret their conversation with violence. They spent a long time together, just chatting, and came to enjoy each other’s company dearly. They finally agreed to a compromise that would suit both their values while still ending the conflict.
Adrian and Magnus ventured forth to each of the former allies of Tarth, braving perilous circumstances to earn their favor once more. As a symbol of their renewed connection, each ally gifted them with a subseed, a symbolic gesture of trust.
When finally they returned to the humans with a headband that had all six Subseeds woven together, their new friendship was clear. This left many confused, as they faced their own conflicting values. Neither side was willing to fully offer loyalty to the opposing philosopher, thus Adrian stepped up and addressed his disciples.
“I have decided to support Magnus in his succession of the throne.”
This did not fully quell the people’s unrest, but at last a resolution was agreed upon by all. Through Adrian’s guidance and friendship, they rebuilt the kingdom together and both their ideals were fully accepted for any to decide for themselves their own path.
The Snake would not forsake the throne so easily, however, and set forth a wicked plot to reclaim it. One day he went before the new regency deigning to swear his fealty.
“As proof of my loyalty I ask you to send me on a quest. Four Treasures I shall bring to you; of the Sea, the Sky, the Land, and lastly of Life itself. Then your names shall truly ring throughout all the world!”
Adrian was hesitant to trust the Snake, but Magnus was enamored by the idea of gaining new allies through this quest. Believing the Snake might “accidentally” meet his end on this journey, Adrian finally agreed.
Now, Felix Silvertongue has always remained a mysterious fellow. He glides with each step like a serpent, using his quick tongue to easily navigate politically charged waters. Where he came from is its own mystery, for by the reckoning of the Xeia he is not human, and he was not born on Incontinence. His mannerisms in deeds bear striking resemblance to the old Tarthian wives’ tale of a trickster deity named Fi’extii. Fi’Extii knew all the buttons to press to cause a household to collapse into disarray. No doubt he had the ability to find the weak point in a kingdom. Felix’s skin was pale as moonlight, both his eyes and hair shimmered silver. His pupils were serpentine, and his sharpened teeth concealed his forked, silver tongue. Despite his ominous appearance, his charisma was unmatched, and every word dripped from his mouth like honey.
First, he traveled to The Golden Ring where the ashes of the Ravnetyr’s Extinction were still fresh where he stole the Skull of Kogo from a primal that was guarding it. This primal was a goliath-sized ravnetyr with hollow eyes reflecting the infinity of The Existence. Its claws were long, razor sharp teeth had grown around the creature’s beak, and its tail was a plume of black smoke. It wore the fallen Xeia’s skull like a mask, clearly drawing power from it. Surely, Felix had known this was one of the sacred beasts before he’d sought it out, and with an uncanny swiftness, mounted the creature’s neck and ripped the mask off. As he did, the beast crumbled to ash and faded away like a black wind. The Skull was the first gift Felix gave to Tarthsbane, “to reconnect them with the sky”.
Next, he traveled to a settlement of beastkin outside of the Ancient Jungle that bordered the southwest corner of the wasteland known as Desert Styx. Here a rat and a weasel were telling foxes and vultures what to do. Something was clearly off about these people, and Felix was determined to “fix their problem”. He found an old gray fox who shared his sensibilities and a crazy vulture doomsayer swearing the village was “circling its own death.” When Felix asked for more details he was told the town was infested with beetles that kept eating anything they tried to plant, and they were claiming to be speakers for a scarab slumbering beneath the sands. Felix theorized that this scarab, like his previous conquest, was a powerful primal and would terrorize their village infinitely, replacing their leaders once the former’s loyalty wavered.
He offered to free them of this burden. The two outcasts didn’t seem to care either way, but the fox led him to a mysterious hole in the sand that seemed bottomless. The sound of something very large snoring gave the ground a slight rumble, grains of sand ever-shifting.
“I doubt you’ll survive, but it’s the only way down. Good luck!”
The gray fox left him to his fate, while the doomsayer took to the sky. He was circling the hole before Felix even jumped in. At first, It truly felt like he would be falling forever, the only reassurance of a bottom being the low growl coming from the creature. As he descended further into darkness and the light grew further away, he felt himself getting lighter and lighter until he landed solidly on the rocky bottom, like a feather reaching the end of its descent. After his eyes adjusted, he found himself in a massive cavern peppered with tunnels that led to who knew where. The Sacred Beast towered over him, nearly touching the ceiling as it lay on its side.
Thinking this an excellent opportunity with its stomach exposed, Felix moved to strike, but his first step echoed loudly around the cavern. He surged forward and drove his little blade into its belly, but before he could slice it open, the scarab roared awake and raced down one of the tunnels. Felix was holding on to the hilt for dear life, being lodged in its exoskeleton. The scarab fled upwards, until the tunnel it had entered came to a dead end. Without hesitation it burst through the loose sand that had fallen over the entrance and out into the blazing heat of the open desert.
It tried to fly upwards towards the sun but the thorn in its side was clearly taking its toll. It crashed down onto the dunes, the impact of the rough landing loosing Felix’s grip and sending him flying. Struggling back to his feet he found himself face to face with the Sacred Beast. It reared up on its hind legs, making a loud buzzing noise with its underwings to threaten him. Most humans would have been stunned, not only by the unstable footing, but seeing such a colorful creature standing taller than any building they’d ever seen.
Felix, however, was swift, skilled, and determined. As it reared up he sprinted forward, seizing the hilt of his weapon. He held tight as the scarab landed back on all six legs. Instinctually, it started skittering backwards to get away from him. Taking that as his cue, and with a firm grip, he forced his body to move forward, slicing open the creature’s shell. It was like trudging through molasses, but the creature’s own movements assisted his efforts before it realized and stopped.
He had sliced its belly good, and its movements grew sluggish. It tried once again to fly, Felix’s blade sliding out, and it took off without him. It didn’t get far though, and fell back to the ground not far away. Felix ran towards it, jumped and landed firmly on its head. He started stabbing relentlessly until it stopped moving completely. He carved into its body through the slit in its abdomen, digging out its heart, a polished stone shimmering with all the colors of its decorative wings. He brought this Pearl back to Magnus, leaving the village to clean up the body. Magnus was in awe of the stone’s beauty and this was the second treasure Felix gave to him, “to keep you grounded, and remind you always of the gravity of your decisions.”
At this point, Adrian grew even more suspicious and organized a team of scouts to shadow Felix on his next journey and report back on his activities. Felix was not ignorant of this but played along for his own amusement. Even he was unsettled by what he must face in the next step of his journey. He went forth to the Ashvale Swamps in the East, to board an accursed ship, and paid them to sail into a storm. When he discussed their curse with any of the sailors, many recounted that they had nothing left to live for, and we’re already dead men walking, hence the name of the ship, ‘The Charon’. The storm was either a release from suffering or a chance at salvation for them. Felix was not surprised at his good fortune in discovering them but remained troubled as to how to overcome this next feat.
It is very difficult to spy on someone and remain inconspicuous at sea. No matter how grand the vessel, they’re bound to cross paths eventually. Felix himself was not a naive man, and was calculating his foes into his devious new plan. As their ship grew closer to a spinning squall making residence far off the Southeastern coast, the spies were the only ones who regretted their course, and negotiated for a tactical return. Their pleas fell on deaf ears, Felix’s gold already weighing heavy in the cursed sailors’ pockets. At last, once they had entered the storm, their fate was sealed. Felix declared that he would get the escape boats ready if they would take the time to bring any gunpowder alcohol and other explosives to the deck. He instructed the sailors to prepare every cannon on board. Adrian’s men were the first to discover why Felix was arming them for battle, as massive tentacles reached out from the miasma of swirling ocean, winding their way around the ship. With their final moments, everyone on board fired up their munitions.
Felix was safely rowing away in the dinghy when the ship’s kamikaze explosion created a wave that catapulted him away and in the direction of the shore. He waited there for seven days, selling any loot that washed up from the wreck to passers by. Finally, the beasties’ charred corpse itself washed ashore, burying all the scars of the forgotten battle. Felix plucked out the eye of the great, Storming Kraken, and made his return to Tarthsbane. The fleshy orb solidified into a deep azure crystal when it came into contact with sunlight, trapping a tiny electrical storm inside. This too, he gave to Magnus as the third gift, “to remind him of the ever-changing nature of the sea.”
By this point, Magnus had to have his own squad of elite fighters specifically assigned to the safe keeping of these sacred treasures. Adrian was now certain of his mistrust of Felix after the “accidental” disappearance of his men. He devised a network of traps and puzzles that only Magnus’ trained men would know, to secure it from even Felix. Now, Felix was treating with Magnus and Adrian before the new council of allies they had gained from his adventure. Rumors had begun to spread through the citizenry that a dragon had been cited over the mountains, and they feared it would come to them. Felix grinned slyly, reminding the court of his conquests thus far. This dragon would be no different. As his final gift to New Tarthsbane, he would slay the mythical creature and rid the kingdom once and for all of its monster problem. The king and his counsel cheered for Felix’s declaration, but Adrian was stunned. How much power this “hero” still had, long after “abdicating” his throne.
“I will not let you face this alone,” Adrian declared, standing up and moving next to Felix. “I once freed this kingdom from war by journeying with my dear friend Magnus. I can lay my life down once more when that very kingdom is under siege. Together, our victory will be certain!”
The draconic behemoth that came forth shimmered emerald in the clear blue sky. Two powerful wings stirred the air so that fierce winds buffeted the ground below. Felix and Adrian took horses and rode out to the furthest area of the kingdom they could reach before the dragon landed heavily in front of them. Adrian stared in awe, recognizing the total majesty of this creature. This dragon was intelligent and it had come to them with a purpose. Felix boldly decreed that the dragon would terrify these people no longer, but it ignored him and addressed Adrian.
“How young and foolish humanity has grown when they can no longer tell friend from foe.”
“Enough riddles, Dragon, be gone or be slain!” Felix let out a mighty battle cry and ran after the dragon’s foot. The dragon picked it up to itch his chin, sending the silvery man tumbling. Adrian was still so confused, but it seemed like the battle was starting. He was fierce and decisive with his strikes, patiently outstepping each swipe from the dragon. Felix struggled to keep up on foot, leaving Adrian to do most of the work wearing it down. Before he could strike a mortal blow, the dragon flapped its wings, aiming to put distance between them.
“Stop! You do not know what you’re doing!” The Beast bellowed, seeming the most animalistic it ever had.
“Killing a devil!” Exclaimed Felix, flinging his dagger into the beast’s eye. “Now!” He exclaimed as the dragon reared back clutching its wound. Being the decisive warrior he was, Adrian already knew what the moment called for. He drove forward, sinking his sword into the dragon’s underbelly. It lurched a few more times and fell still. Felix plucked the scale that was covering where the dragon’s heart would be, glowing with a magical rune. Adrian was nowhere to be seen. After pocketing his prize, Felix sauntered over to a pool of blood gathering under the dragon’s body. Adrian had been crushed under its last seizure. He gathered the blood of the fallen champion, and returned to the dragon, pouring it on the hole where the heart scale had been. Slowly, a blood-red tinge spread out over the creature’s scales, until at last it righted itself, and disappeared in a cloud of gold smoke. Felix returned to Magnus with the Heart Scale won valiantly by Adrian’s heroic sacrifice. This was the final treasure, “a reminder of just how precious life truly is”. Magnus offered Felix to take his side in Adrian’s place, but Felix declined saying he was leaving, now that he’d had a taste of adventure. He pointed out that the King had a charismatic air who would be quite capable of shepherding the realm into its future. Felix was never heard from again.
For now this page will become one long scrolling star wars paralogue of the lore. Feel free to jump around between headlines. Once we’ve established a large enough base of information on this realm of my imagination, I will be able to expand it to it’s own “subsite”
