Lore
- The Ancient Maraketh
- Keth
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Garukhan nests near. What I wouldn't give to relive the halcyon days of ancient Keth, when we kept mortals in their rightful place.
Tangmazu, The Quarry
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"A simple ornament from the days when Keth's trade empire was the
glory of the world. Protectors at the massive toll gates wore these." -
"Sap of the Aturi tree, known only to grow at the meeting point of the seven waters.
Nothing since its disappearance has smelled as wondrous." - The Faridun
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Nenet is from a people that currently call themselves the Faridun. They are our rejects. Those we Maraketh left to die in the desert as children for being unworthy or flawed. I do not think ill of Nenet. I do not think of her at all.
I am not cruel, exile. It is simply that scattered groups of pariahs wandering in the desert have no effect on the world. She will not find the home she yearns for among these scoundrels. -
I am honoured, Exile, that one of your strength would even speak to me, let alone help me. I am an outcast, and it is that very status which drives me for this mission. I have traveled far, and for many years, to find the resources and allies to do what I intend. Here I am in this place, before you now, ready.
Where I am from, the Plains of Vastiri, the Maraketh hold no pity for the weak or the supposedly useless. The other outcasts found me and raised me, and though our lives are harsh, we have a meager culture of our own. We call ourselves the Faridun. The Maraketh believe we are worthless and flawed, but I am convinced I can prove that is not true.
There is a legend among my people of a bold warrior who tried to unite the scattered Faridun camps thousands of years ago. His name was Jamanra, and he wished only to unify us so that we might come into our own as a people. If I can prove that he existed by finding the Book of Jamanra, then I may be able to initiate a ritual challenge with the Maraketh to test Faridun warriors for worthiness. If we pass, they will have to accept us back into the lives we should have had! Will you help me win back my home, Exile? -
"If we can prove Jamanra existed, then the Faridun may have a chance to rejoin the
Maraketh. I, for one, would like to meet my parents. I have many questions..." -
Jamanra did exist, Exile... and they killed him. The Sekhemas agreed to meet with him to discuss recognizing the Faridun nation, but it was a trick. They poisoned him. The supposedly honourable high-and-mighty Maraketh poisoned our greatest leader.
I suppose I should have expected nothing less from this brutal world we live in, Exile. You and I know best that hope is an illusion, and that raw force is the only way to take anything for oneself. In any case, I thank you for aiding me. -
"The Faridun cannot earn burial in the sky.
They have other ways of keeping the dead." -
Lord of the Wild, of the feral and frenzied,
of the uncivilized, the untamed, the untouched. -
The old red ones left this land barren. Crops grew stunted and disease filled the air. If you don't feed an animal it will soon cast a hungry eye upon its brothers and sisters, and man is no different. The Plaguemaw and his people soon feasted on their own, devouring the very life essence of the young and innocent.
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Mouth of the Masses, whose greatness spreads by our breath and touch,
who feeds the starving with the starved, the strong with the weak. -
Sometimes death is a thief, quick on its feet and quicker with a blade. Sometimes it is a vine, slowly growing tighter and tighter around your neck. But death is not a toy. The unbreathing queen has raised an army of soulless corpses. Her actions mock death, turning it into little more than an obstacle for her puppetry of the flesh.
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She of Many Bodies, whose very flesh unites all,
whose dark whispers draw forth our souls, unfettered. -
The Infinite Mind, unbound by the tethers of sanity,
whose thirst for knowledge is all-consuming,
whose every word stands our hair on end. -
My Council,
The sky turns black as ink.
We must gather at once, for I fear the end draws close.
I have uncovered a tome that illustrates certain forbidden techniques used to prolong life far beyond ordinary means. We shall fracture our very souls, and keep safe a piece of one another's very being. With this, none of us may perish unless all of us perish at once.
It is not without a cost, for life granted requires life be paid, but it need not be any of ours. Bring your most loyal and healthy retainers, and bid the rest farewell, for we shall not see them again.
Make haste and do not speak of where you are going. Immortality is within our grasp, but there are countless who would risk death - who would kill - for a chance at eternal life.
-Inya -
Dark minds hide in dark places, but it was not always so.
The wise Red rulers were long-dead, and the strong seized power. But an unwise leader pulls the people towards ruin. So it came to pass that milk fresh from the nipple was soured, grass grew hard and sharp, and flesh walked the earth without a soul. Hinekora cast her net towards the new kings and queens, but four slipped through the holes and fled into darkness. There they remain. Beyond the reach of the Mother of Death. But not beyond her sight.