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Ulm; Fear in a handful of dust
Topic Started: Jun 19 2015, 07:20 AM (3,386 Views)
DonCorazon
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In the mists of morning we were valiant warriors who feared no giant, demon, or beast of yore. We channeled the forces of the earth, our bodies and souls were strong and pure. Our warriors stalked the forests as proud hunters, not prey.

In the light of noon we learned the secrets of black steel and forged blades and armor that were the envy of gods. We clashed blades on the fields of battle, the drums of Ulm pounding fear into our enemy. We were men and we were soldiers who died with honor under the blue banner of Ulm.

Then night came, and the Pantokrator disappeared. With the darkness, came the Whisper, and a sickening hunger awoke in our people. Brother killed brother, the land withered and died and the Black Priesthood came to burn away the evil.

But how do you destroy evil when it is within you?

- Azeros, Chronicles of the Last Age of Ulm, Year of the Black Rose

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The Wasteland
T.S. Eliot

I. THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD

APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.
Summer surprised us, coming over the Starnbergersee
With a shower of rain; we stopped in the colonnade,
And went on in sunlight, into the Hofgarten,
And drank coffee, and talked for an hour.
Bin gar keine Russin, stamm’ aus Litauen, echt deutsch.
And when we were children, staying at the archduke’s,
My cousin’s, he took me out on a sled,
And I was frightened. He said, Marie,
Marie, hold on tight. And down we went.
In the mountains, there you feel free.
I read, much of the night, and go south in the winter.

What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow
Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,
You cannot say, or guess, for you know only
A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
And the dry stone no sound of water. Only
There is shadow under this red rock,
(Come in under the shadow of this red rock),
And I will show you something different from either
Your shadow at morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I will show you fear in a handful of dust.

----


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DonCorazon
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Some say our troubles began when the 6th Legion was defeated at the Battle of Parganos. That was the day the Heroes of Ulm were slain and the banner of the 6th lost and the expansion of Ulm halted for good, an overextended empire collapsing under the weight of too many conquests.

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Others believe it was the day the last vein of black steel was extracted from the Great Mines of Ulm. Never more would the steel of Ulm be as strong or as true as that of our ancestors. With the loss of black steel came a collapse in trade and who we were.


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But I know those were merely symptoms of the evil that was born earlier. On the day that Marie and I were walking through the Black Forest, following the footsteps of our Lord, the Pantokrator, where he would often walk under the primeval canopy to escape the burdens of command. Mischievous children we were, surely our Lord knew we trailed behind him, as we did every day, yet in his kindness he pretended not to notice, though we could often see a faint smile curled his lips.

So it was that we, thinking ourselves clever, followed him on that day, when he trod a new path, deeper into the heart of the woods than ever before he had gone. The scent of the eons, ancient pines, rippling brooks, and yet a heavy silence. No birds, and the sky lost behind the canopy of thousand year old trees. The day turned into night as he took no heed of us, his eyes feverish and intent as he scrambled over rotting pines and crumbling schist. Muttering something we couldn’t hear as he took us deeper and deeper.


His muttering was louder and faster, but unintelligible to us, as grown-up speak often was. But this sounded like a different language. Guttural, not of Ulm.

Then, from behind the trees we saw it. A graveyard. Ancient beyond reckoning. Beyond the days of the first Antlered Shaman from the time the world was born. In the middle, a raised stone platform, built around a well, and at its base, a pile of charred bones.
We saw him bend his gaze into the well. What he saw there, we’ll never know but can only imagine. What could be so horrible as to cause your god himself to unsheathe his hunting blade, draw it across his throat and plunge into the well of the Abyss?

That was the day the Pantokrator vanished. And the day the whisper told me to kill Marie, and leave her body in the woods and tell no one of what I saw in the Black Forest.

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---

T.S.O.L.
Dance with Me
Video

Dance with me my dear
On a floor of bones and skulls
The music is our master
The devil controls our soul
Swirling and swirling
The music all our turning
Swaying to the sounds of a demonic beat
All dead our partners
As we walk into the room
Frightening but delighting
Our host unearthly gloom
Cold blood in my veins roars
I've been too long uncaged
My body's in wild convulsions
As I'm falling into the dust
A ring of death is on me
Like a halo to the Gods
I'm bathed in mortal sorrow
My innocence is lost
Dance with me my dear
On a floor of bones and skulls
The music is our master
The devil control, control
Swirling and swirling
The music all our turning
Swaying to the sounds of a demonic beat
A ring of death is on me
Like a halo to the Gods
I'm bathed in mortal sorrow
My innocence is lost
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Dwarf 303
Markata
This reminds me of Hyperion. Simmons was very fond of romantic poets and mythology and his book has many references to them. Verses in your thread are also look inserted in the same way as it was in book.
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JeanwulfAutism
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Bu'Ti is getting a little intimidated with all these tryhards writing novels. I-I will d-do this.
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DonCorazon
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The Prophet

I learned nothing is as it seems. The well, the bones, Marie’s dead body. Where was the whispering coming from that spoke with such beguiling command I seemed helpless to resist? Or was it my own insanity?

I took the bones back to Count Von Ulricht. At the time I didn’t realize he was a member of the 7th Tier, the highest ranking Illuminati in Ulm (until I displaced him). Through his machinations, and my help, the Council of Nobles fell into disarray and the great civil war fell upon us, all part of our Lord's design.
- Kos, Master of the 8th Tier

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“La plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas.”
Le spleen de Paris (1862)
Charles Baudelaire
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DonCorazon
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The Spy


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What do all these things have in common?

• The Knightly order destroyed by infiltrators. Lord Thurmund was no traitor, though history will never know that little fact. His actions, which gave rise to the Night of Treason were not of his own volition. Poor sot, honorable to a fault yet history records him as the most vile of traitors.

• The establishment of the Iron Cult, to wipe out the Master Smiths and destroy the most potent rival faction in Ulm. The Master Smiths had been the source of Ulm’s power for millennia, yet destroyed by the people they were dedicated to protect.

• The Malediction, which gave rise to terrors in the night, the forests no longer safe. What would the people need, with the Master Smiths gone? Protection

We are everywhere.
Novus Ordo Seclorum.
- Karlomann

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Sympathy for the Devil
The Rolling Stones
Video

Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul and faith
And I was 'round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game

I stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed the czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain
I rode a tank
Held a general's rank
When the blitzkrieg raged
And the bodies stank

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
What's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game

I watched with glee
While your kings and queens
Fought for ten decades
For the gods they made
I shouted out,
";Who killed the Kennedys?";
When after all
It was you and me
Let me please introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
And I laid traps for troubadours
Who get killed before they reached Bombay

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name
But what's confusing you
Is just the nature of my game

Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners, saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
'Cause I'm in need of some restraint
So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I'll lay your soul to waste

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game
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DonCorazon
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The General

Letter to Kos:

Master,
The plan proceeds uncannily as you predicted. I am not sure how you knew, but the Blackfists have joined us. I am marching south with Edward and one brigade. We shall proceed to regain control of the rebelling baronies, starting with Lord Valenwood.

Otto, Member of the 3rd Tier

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The God of War hates those who hesitate
- Euripides

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DonCorazon
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The Western Front

Kos: Well I’ll be damned, so Edward and Otto are still alive?
Captain: Yes sir. Almost 3 score Valenwood woodsmen slain and just a few casualties on our side. We told Edward to engage the Lion tribe natives who hate the woodsmen, but he refused to spend the coin, and pushed on. We didn’t think the Blackfists had a chance, but Edward’s a tactical genius it seems. The Valenwood is now completely under our control.
Kos: Then push them North.
Captain: But sir, the division is now down to a third of full strength. His men now I think suspect what we are doing…
Kos: If he’s such a genius, he’ll find a way to win. Or he’ll die. Push them North and let them earn the Ulmish coin. Iron and blood. North.



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The Malazan Book of the Fallen
Steven Erikson


"Kallor said: 'I walked this land when the T'lan Imass were but children. I have commanded armies a hundred thousand strong. I have spread the fire of my wrath across entire continents, and sat alone upon tall thrones. 'Do you grasp the meaning of this?'

'Yes,' said Caladan Brood, 'you never learn.'"

-Conversations of War (Second in Command Kallor speaking with Warlord Caladan Brood), recorded by Outrider Hurlochel, 6th Army
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DonCorazon
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Western Front

Master,
As you’ve now heard, Edward was slain on our first attempt to conquer the Ballorin Field. His cousin Aimery was eager to fill his spot and with his help, we’ve now brought Lord Ballorin to his knees.

Our delay in the Ballorin campaign has given the barbarian horselords an opportunity to establish themselves on the eastern side of the River Orn. For now this is not an issue. As you know, the First Tier have inflitrated a number of their priest leaders. I shall focus my efforts now on conquering the Blessed Basin. Any movements by the barbarians into the basin shall be considered an act of war, and we will respond with immediate deadly force.

Otto


Meanwhile in Ulm…….

Karloman: The barbarians seem to lack the most basic common battle sense. Their generals are a far cry from Tamerlane of old.

Kos: Don’t underestimate them Karloman. We had some agents in the region who helped influence the outcomes of those battles, but the capabilities of the lower tier are limited to subtle shifts in reality. Leave them be for now, and focus on regaining the Blessed Basin.

Karloman: What of our cousins in the North?

Kos: Dispatch a message to Alexj. Bogarus is to remain out of the Blessed Basin. We shall not interfere in the wars with the horselords.

Karloman: Would now not be an opportune time to attack given their distraction with Bu-Ti?

Kos: The Lord’s plan has a vital role for Bogarus to play, Karloman. Remember Rasputin? Now is not the time. There is a den of necromancers south of the capital that is beginning to slow down trade. It’s time to bring them under the fold. I will lead the forces myself. Nothing better to deal with the dead than one of their own kind. The black legion marches at long last.


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“Beware the leader who has nothing to lose.” – Dust of Dreams
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DonCorazon
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Tavern Conversation among Black Knights and a new squire:

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“So Brother Beorn, who really rules Ulm?”

“You know the answer Silas. Crown Prince Dankor, House Azon, is the rightful ruler. And careful who you ask such questions, such talk can be dangerous”

“But the small folk say Prince Dankor is just a figurehead.”

“Well there may be truth in that. If I had to guess I’d say Kos, Commander of the Guardians is pulling the strings. Gods know he’s been around long enough.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You don’t know? Kos was once Prince Arkos, in line to be king. Last one to see the Pantokrator alive.”

“But that means he’d have to be, what, two hundred years old?”

“That it does. You’ll never see him with his helm off, nor any of the Guardians. Hard to look good after two centuries. He was a young lad with his cousin in the court when The Pantokrator and his cousin both vanished. Arkos was never the same. Renounced his title, took service in the Guardians, and moved into the Citadel. Called himself Kos.”

“Where is he now?”

“South, dealing with loose ends and fortifying the border. Rumor has it an emissary returned from Bogarus, rebuffed by whoever the hell rules there. Seems our old cousins are allied with the barbarians in Midgard. Wait til they see what Migardian magi can do to a Bogarusian communion. Splat!"

"So what does the Bogarusian - Midgard alliance mean to us?"

"What's wrong Silas, they never teach you geography in Valenwood? There are only two land routes out of Midgard – going through Bogarus or coming through Ulm. Relations have never been good with Midgard, especially after that incident with the whores making fun of Thunderhead’s manhood. Little Lightning Bolt they called him. Now they say Brother War is clamoring for blood and building a fort on our border. We’ve got to make ready, that’s why the Black Knights are recruiting fresh blood from the country provinces. So you can thank the whores for your position here Silas.”

“I guess that explains all the mercenaries too?”

“They are costing Crown Prince Dankor a pretty penny. You’d have to be a fool to take a contract from Ulm these days and the price keeps going up. Last two companies showed well in battle, but Kos pushed them to their limit. Both slaughtered to a man. Now he’s hired the Fist of God to bring the Blessed Basin back into the fold. Word is there's war minotaurs and wizards there. If you were serving under Kos you wouldn't last a season."

"Indeed, Silas. Lucky thing the Black Knights recruited you before the Guadians. Means you got at least a one in a hundred chance of living to see your beard sprout before you die."

"Don't listen to Beorn. Get some rest squire. Training starts at the crack of dawn. We've tough days ahead."

----


The best weapon against an enemy is another enemy.

- Friedrich Nietzsche
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DonCorazon
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A vision and then a whisper from beyond.


“ssss….Kossss…. my child….it issss I”.



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“Lord? Lord! It’s, it’s been so long…since I’ve heard your voice with such clarity.”



“Yes Kos. The time is near, the bonds of the Pantokrator’s suicide curse weaken as I speak. Soon I shall be free and the next phase of the ancient plan will begin.”

“Lord, I am overjoyed to hear this. So much time has passed….of late I’ve wondered if the voices in my head were but my own insanity. So many years of service to the Empire….”

“You’ve carried your burden well for a mortal. Soon you shall earn your rest and reward I promised at the Well of Chaining so many ages ago. But for now, tell me briefly - what are the state of affairs? Has the Valenwood rebellion been crushed?”

“Yes my Lord, for the most part. The flayed skins of Valenwood and his family adorn the High Council Chamber. There are some holdouts in the Blessed Basin where the nobles recruited two foreign wizards among others. But I plan to break them within the next moon.

We’ve also had murmurings of a war with Midgard. They are most assuredly building a fortress on our border in Low Reach where your dominion still holds sway. I’ve moved a large army, primarily to take the rebel Lord Vortan’s keep in Scimitar Point, where he still commands a powerful army of knights, but which also can serve to turn any Midgardian raiders into corpse fodder for the Guardians should the need arise.

The Order also has agents throughout Midgard sowing doubt and confusion amongst their believers.”

“My child, let’s avoid war with Midgard at this point. My ancient memory recalls a war between Midgard and Ulm many ages ago in a time of high magic when every nation was rife with artifacts

In that golden age, Ulm was led by Count Quantum of House Mechani while Midgard was ruled by relatives of House Azon. Yes, we actually have ancient blood ties to the barbarians...but that’s a story for another day.

What is relevant now though is that, for both nations, it was the bloodiest war in my 100,000 years of existence, and it left both nations vulnerable to predation, leading to the time of weakness and ultimately my banishment to the Well of Chaining. It was the only war I’ve ever had to run from.

For that reason I command the following: Have the forces on the border stand down lest we incite the barbarians. They have short attention spans and are prone to misperception. A bird shits on their head and they might think its an omen for war.

So keep a patrol and watch. Fortify the coasts and keep ranger brigades close at hand should they strike. Scout every province of their land. I sense they have control of a presence watching over us. I want equal visibility into their lands. And activate the Iron Priesthood. Their time of utility is nigh.

If Midgard’s leaders are wise, they will sail their boats for softer lands. The road north is blocked by a blizzard of iron, blood and death. The only thing that waits in Ulm is eternal agony.


No one knows that better than I.”





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"Nam Sibyllam quidem Cumis ego ipse oculis meis vidi in ampulla pendere, et cum illi pueri dicerent: Σίβυλλα τί θέλεις; respondebat illa: ἀποθανεῖν θέλω."
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DonCorazon
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Prince Dankor in the High Council Chamber with Karlomann

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“What do you mean he went East? I ordered him to attack the barbarians, damnit!”

“My prince, I am sure Kos had his reasons for not following orders.”

“It’s treason Karlomann. I want his quarters in the Ruined Keep searched. I want to see if he is communicating with anyone without consulting me.”

“As you wish my Prince.”

“And what of my mercenaries?”

“Well, it seems the aeromancer fancies the ladies. He is supposed to be searching the lands for sites of power, but unless Lisandra’s Pleasure Palace produces air gems, I think I understand why he hasn’t found shit.”

“Tell him to move his search out of the whorehouses and into the mountains. If he doesn’t find a magical site in three months, I’ll send him into the Garden of the Gods...alone. Then I'll mount his head next to my Valenwood skin collection. And what of our armies?”

“In the South, as you know, Kos and the Second Legion defeated a large force of knights at Scimitar Point. In the North, the remnants of the First Legion with the Fist of God mercs are preparing to conquer the rogue wizards holding the last of the Blessed Basin rebels. And the Third Legion prepares to take Ashford as we speak. Further north it seems the Horselords finally succeeded in taking Rimtooth Pass.”

"Surprising. Bogarus seemed so confident in rebuffing our hand of friendship Well at least we no longer have to share a border with those insolent drunkards. Though the smell of horse sweat is hardly an improvement. Let's plant a wall of rose bushes along the border to keep the barbarian odor out of Ulm."

Karlomann thinking: some might think horse sweat is better than graveyard, but then says:
“My Prince, while my mission to Bogarus was hardly a success, we did learn much from their response. They wouldn’t do anything to upset their Midgardian overlords, and who could blame them. Their eastern front must assuredly be vulnerable given the constant barbarian incursions to the west.

And we have a better sense of where Rasputin stands, which is why I sought him out. His relation to us and the Order is…complicated.

I know you are eager to make a name for yourself in glorious war, my Prince, but have patience. War always comes.”

* * *

A short time later….

“My Lords, we searched the chambers of General Kos and only found this skull - it seems to be some trophy of battle or something a wizard might keep. Otherwise, nothing, not even a bed to sleep on.”

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“Let me see that”

Prince Dankor grasps the skull, gazes into endless depths of the gem-embedded eyesockets, sees a reflection of himself, and then seems to stiffen, just barely perceptible. He looks up, and in a taut voice.

“Karlomann, release the blood hunters throughout the provinces. Time for the citizens of Ulm to show me their devotion”

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----


“They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds.”
—Mexican Proverb
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DonCorazon
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The Order

There are nine tiers in the Order. Each member usually knows only three below him and one above him. On the 9th Tier, there is only one: The Seducer of Life. We shall save his story for another time. For hundreds of years, there has been little word of him, though rumors and whispers of his return are rising up like dust from the grave these days.

Of the three Masters of the 8th Tier, General Kos is known, but is mostly in the field leading armies of Ulm or raising new soldiers from the dead. They say soldiers never rest in Ulm.

The 2nd Master is said to have gone missing, or possibly left or betrayed the Order or perhaps serving in disguise abroad. Nobody seems to know.

The 3rd Master is a fortune teller and sorceress, called Delphat, known to see the future. From the shadows in Ulm she has often pulled the strings of the High Council since the Malediction.
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Today we find her in the back of an Ulmish tavern consorting with her 3 underlings.

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Krup: “Prince Dankor needs to be dealt with Delphat…he insists on war with Midgard. His latest antics were to let his wolves chase down some captured Midgard scouts for sport. Last month, he accused Kos of treachery for failing to attack. His foolishness is making things difficult.”

Delphat: “Dankor plays a useful role in our little game. After all what story is complete without a nice eligible bachelor of a prince? But it is time we send Dankor out of the capital where he will be less….irksome. The letter will give him the reason to leave.”

Daven: “Good. With him gone, the Council will have a much easier time. I’ve heard tell that Bogarus has pledged vassalage to Midgard. Sad they could have taken our offer to help with the horselords many moons ago, secured their Eastern border, and not had to grovel on their knees to survive. Imagine how different things could have been.”

Delphat: “Indeed. We see possibilities and then guide them where we can. The Order’s influence in Bogarus is weak because the chaos that has wracked their nation, although that may be changing with the death of the patriarch and supposed return of the Countess, who now styles herself Queen.”

Krup: “But, our situation grows more dangerous every day, Delphat. Midgard circles us like a serpent. Their scouts roam our lands with impunity. Someone should tell them to shave their beards and leave the wolf skins on the border. They are about as subtle as a fist in the mouth”

Delphat: “Well Prince Dankor’s wolves have grown up slating their thirst with Midgardian blood, I suppose they can sniff it even under Ulmish cloak so their scouts don’t even bother to hide. Speaking of the barbarians, Thunderhead has claimed the Throne of Thorns in the name of Brother War. Let’s hope it pricks him in his hairy arse.”

Krup: “ So I guess that makes him the Master of Bush. We’ll tell the gardeners to keep an eye on our shrubbery”

Delphat, laughing: "..or the whores to trim their loins!"

Daven: “You laugh but it's no easy task to conquer a Throne. Just ask the spirits of the Aeromancer and Fist of God. They were massacred trying to take the Garden of Gods . Midgard must be powerfu and this is exactly why I think we should consider making cause with the fishmen.”


Delphat: “I suspect Midgard has already tied them up. And of course Midgard is powerful. They are the largest nation in Uprarrand, and can sail where they please. Now they have the drunkards in Bogarus sending them their coin. But consorting with fish is a dangerous game. It is Atlantis who has easy access to the boundless wealth and power of the sea."


Daven: "Hmm…tis a problem indeed."

Delphat: "And as for the aeromancer, Dankor sent him there as punishment for his failure to find a single site of power. The battle there was actually closer than anyone suspected. Had the wizards' heavy calvary not held for so long against our men, Obscuro might still be alive. At least, his sacrifice shall make it an easy task to take the Garden in the coming months."

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Daven: "While our magic gem resources won't notice his passing, the whores of Ulm will be a lot poorer without Obscuro the Generous. Anyway what news of the rest of the world?”

Delphat: “Well my dear, I had a dream of Jomon and Gath but their lands are far away and their people silent. We’ve heard tavern tales of Gath’s mighty warriors, Og and Goliath, but little else. Pangea seems to have taken in interest in Blood magic. And beyond the provinces of the horselords, Apep, a giant Pythian swamp snake claiming to be the new Pantokrator has claimed the Throne of War and their hero Vergilius has been miraculously healed, demonstrating the powers of believing in swamp snakes. ”

Krup: “Damn, Midgard, Pythium, Atlantis and giant swamp snakes – things just keep getting worse.”

Delphat: “Oh sweet Krup…one day you’ll look back and think these days were the best it ever was.”

---

“Knowledge is not enough. It never is. It’s the capacity to do something with that knowledge. To do it perfectly. Absolute Timing. With devastating consequences.” – Brys Beddict, Midnight Tides
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DonCorazon
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The Philosopher’s Club (a tavern)


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Silas: Cheers, let’s drink to my initiation to the Black Knights and the restoration of the grand empire of Ulm.

Beorn: Well technically, all but the Blessed Basin those crazy horsefuckers took. I am thoroughly convinced their leaders are insane. As if they didn’t have enough enemies, they dare provoke us?!

Caldor: I kind of admire their strategy. It’s so utterly unorthodox, that it catches one by surprise. Like that time old Hodges impaled himself on Varn’s pike and then stabbed him in the face as he slid down the bloody shaft!

Beorn: That’s called suicide Caldor. It’s not so much a strategy as a method of meeting one’s maker.

Caldor: Well, call it what you like, it sure was fucking unpredictable. Like if I slapped your face right now

Beorn: Like I said, that would be suicide. Surprising, but suicide.

Silas: Calm down brothers, this is a time for celebration. Let’s have another round of Valenwood Dark. Won’t be too many more nights like this. I hear Midgard’s got forts on every border with us now. Pretty soon their Sihde masters will be popping up in our lands.

Beorn: I hear they move so fast, and cover themselves in illusions, you can’t even hit’em with a blade. They wield shields made of brambles that can wrap your arm and never let go while they slice off yer head with enchanted blades of frost….

Caldor: Cover the sky in arrows I say. Then it don’t matter how fast or tricky they are. Those arrows got to land somewhere -why not in an elven arse??!!
Beorn. You think they don’t got magic to protect them from arrows too? And what about our men upfront fighting – we don’t got aeromancers in Ulm. The last one was that lech Obscuro who fell in the first assault on the Gardens of the Gods. Our men’ll take more of those bolts then the Siddhe!

Caldor. Well fuck it all then Beorn. I guess we’ll just have to lay down and die then won’t we?

Beorn. I am not saying that. There is another way.

Caldor. And what’s that?

Beorn. The Guardians. I heard a rumor the Ruined Keep’s come back to life so to speak, though death’s a better word. All manner of strange coming and going. Graveyards with a lot empty holes, if you know what I mean. And worse things in the night.

Silas. Bah, enough talk of barbarians and the dead. Let’s have another round and drink to civilization while it lasts.

----
Meanwhile in the Ruined Keep, the first of a new order has arisen.


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----

Silent Scream
by True Sounds of Liberty

Cobwebbed stairs, the ancient bones
I'm the shadow rippling cobblestones
I'm the stagnant swamp, the black lagoon
I'm the branches scratching at the moon

I'm the funeral service, the unknown mourner
I'm the demon cowering in the corner
I'm the sextons spade, the new thrown clay
I'm what's left when they walk away

I'm the ebony coffin, satin lining
Pale thin lips in the back room dying
The pale thin lips in the back room dying
I'm the walking dead, the fly by night
I'm the last of the fading light

In the unbarred door, the open encasement
I'm the stairs leading down to the basement
I'm the four post bed, the let down hair
I'm the cross that you forgot to wear
I'm the highest voltage, the shining slab
The crack of midnight in the doctors lab

I'm the night before, the morning after
Echoing of the barons laughter
Echoing of the barons laughter

Jonathan Harker, I'm Lucy's trance
Elegant counts hypnotic glance
I'm the wooden mallet, the sharpened stake
I'm the precautions you forgot to take

I'm the mummy's curse, the passing bell
I'm the fortune they wouldn't tell
I'm pyromania, I'm Transylvania
I'm out of breath, I'm worse than death

I'm the late night air, exhilarating
With you in the darkness, waiting
I'm with you in the darkness, waiting
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DonCorazon
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*Spicy* Crew
The Legend of Burkhard Nachtzehrer

It is said that at the age of 5 little Burkhard Nachtzehrer woke up one night, slew all his siblings, then went from house to house in his little village, slaying every child. He disappeared into the forest and wasn’t seen again until as young man when he joined the ranks of a Pythium mercenary company, the Bloody Hands. For many years, he roamed the wastelands, pillaging and slaughtering the foes of his Pythian paymasters before vanishing once again after slaying his entire company. For many years, there were vague and disturbing rumors, villages slaughtered in the night, travelers left flayed in the woods, families burned alive.


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But after Count Ulric Mannhome and his family disappeared, it was clear that the new muscle clad maniacal man claiming to be a distant relation was none other than Burkhard, returned to mother Ulm. Nobody dared challenge his claim to the Mannhome estate, of course.

He has been a mighty weapon for House Azon, ensuring their victory in the civil war and continues to serve its needs with his unquenchable thirst for blood, slaughtering entire war bands with his greatsword and nothing else. For how long he serves...who knows. His lust for slaughter is immortal.

- Azeros, Chronicles of the Last Age of Ulm, Year of the Black Rose


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"Witness" - Karsa Orlong
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