Conquest

There is something to be said about power.  Some crave it.  Some fear it.  Many respect it.

But few have it.

Fewer still have it in such quantity that they wish they could have less.

Greater Demon Lord Wtec was one such of the latter.  An entity without peer, he hasn't know what it was like to be challenged in eons.  No army provided cunning enough, no wizard powerful enough, no uprising desperate enough.  Wtec sits upon his throne of ruin, looking over what he has wrought.  Boredom overtook him as he... gave up.  Truly, he believed, there was nobody that would be able or willing to offer him a sense of pride in a battle, someone that would make him strain or hurt.

When a mortal 'gives up' they die.  One way or another their life ceases to exist.  But, for an outer entity like this, there is a much different price.  They cease to exist on a different level than simply their soul going to another plane.  Some turn to dust, some blink out of existence entirely, but Wtec turned to stone, sitting upon the throne of the last empire he challenged, his last hope of hope.  There was no joy without the challenge and as he sat upon the broken seat of the fallen people, his muscles firmed and his body stiffened.  He knew what was happening, but at that time, he didn't care.

The statue of Wtec stands through time immemorial.  New peoples have come and gone, taking him as their god, taking him as a warning, and countless other stories that they all make up in reference to the colossal statue of a monster.

But there is one story that rings eerily true and consistent among all cultures that have encountered the stone Goliath... That one day, he will awaken again.  Maybe from a ritual, maybe a challenge, maybe just time itself...  But Wtec is said to return.



Many thanks to Matt Cowder for letting me work with his art!

Chernobog

Come come, little ones.  There is every reason to fear.  Your god has arrived. 

This is a Dark Entity. Chernobog is a Primal God, one that was in existence as a concept long before mortals started to weave their faith into divine forms.  This is a God of Conflict.  Not of War, not of Strife, or anything as simple as that.  Any form of conflict feeds this god, empowers it.  It has domain over any and every form of conflict from physical to mental to emotional.  Its only enemy is true peace, but even then, Chernobog does not fear it, for it knows that True Peace can not truly last.

There are only three things that Chernobog comprehends.  Fear, Conflict, and Respect.

Typically, it only acknowledges things respecting its power, but, there is the rare occasion where it will give respect to others.  A few moments in history it has agreed to stop, out of respect of a challenge.  But don't think Chernobog to be an easy opponent.  All conflict is under its domain, and it does not lose a fight lightly.



This lovely piece of work was drawn by Matt Cowdery Thank you so much for letting me do this!

The original image was based off of a slavic god of the same name, and worked quite well for a concept I had.  Chernobog worked as a great base for an ancient 'god of conflict' and so they meshed quite well together.

The Trial

"THE BEAST IS HERE!" The voices cry, as the people cheer, hoping it will die.  The creature comes, bound and dragged by thick chains that make it impossible to move.  Thrown to the ground in front of the lord of the land, its head lowered, though not by the weight of the muzzle.

"For crimes against the crown, harming Its people and terrorizing its land, what say you beast?"  The Lord, draped in silver and gold, matching the bindings the beast was wrapped in.

"Innocent."

The hall gasped collectively, as the creature opened its piercing eyes, and looked up at the king, who's mouth was agape in horror.

"My people are not the ones who harm your people." The Beast spoke out, continuing to keep his head bowed in respect.

"A likely claim for someone trying to save your skin.  Admit your guilt and be done with it."  The king said, reclaiming his composure, as the people looked to him for explanation, many of the masses agreeing with the assessment from his Highness.

"I am not able to lie, neither for self preservation, nor convenience." The Beast continued, but this only seemed to anger the king who felt he was being made a mockery of.

"Then if you will not admit your guilt to treason, then I shall sentence you to death for insubordination to the crown!  Guards, take this monster to the gallows!  Let 'his people' see what happens when they assault you!"

The Beast said nothing as he was forced to stand and march, he did not resist the Kings Guard.  The people cheered for the judgement, blindly faithful to His Rule, certain it was the right one.





This wonderful art was drawn and provided by Matt Cowdery.  Thank you for letting me work with your art!

Primitive Wands

People like to think that they understand magic.  Wizards in particular claim this.  They are wrong.  They understand but a facet of magic. A single leaf in a forest.  Here, we see an example of primitive magic, magic that had been allowed to collect into solid form, gems if you will.  Few gems on the market are magic, mind you, but, the ones that are have many uses.  These ones were fashioned into wands.  Now, not as refined as a wizards wand, but also one that is not needing the skill of a wizard to make.

Rock Wraiths

Rock Wraiths are dwarven legend.  They are created when a dwarf is overcame with greed, digging deeper into the stone with no respect for the rock.  The stone will rise of its own accord to strike down the greedy dwarf... but a stone once awoken does not sleep so easily, and stalks the empty tunnels, looking for more dwarves to kill, too angry to slumber once more.

The Eye of Greed

So.  Not all things that I write come from images or things like that.  Sometimes, I get inspiration from phrases, or even completely out of nowhere.  So, not all lorebits come with images associated with them, sorry!  Here's one of my lorebits that was just a random inspiration.



There is an old pirates legend that speaks of the Eye of Greed.  Now, exactly WHAT the Eye is has been lost to legend and rumor, but the legends all share the same story.  Captain Sauril Axton, the pirate king (or god, depending on who you ask), was the most feared thing on the ocean, said to have rode a kraken, conquer every island in the eastern sea, and earn the respect of Umberlee herself.  When he was getting up in age, Sauril decided that he wanted to be remembered for who he was, and not slain as some petty form of one-up-manship.  He took his mightiest vessel and sailed off to the horizon.

The Eye of Greed is either one of his treasures, the location of his final resting place, or the path to his resting place.  Few but the most foolhardy of pirates seek it out, but that has all changed.  Fresh tales are coming from the eastern see if strange sightings, unexplainable lights, and things of that nature.  Rumors of being able to find the Eye of Greed have resurfaced with force and many a ship has set sail for the horizon of the eastern sea in search for this Eye, and whatever rewards might be associated with finding it.

Cowl of Stories

The cowl of stories.  Some people say that it was a gift from Sqel, the God of fate.  Some people say it was a divination mage who had seen beyond what was meant to be seen.  The cowl has an ever changing set of patterns, constantly changing depending on every decision made, and also on who wears it.  Some have claimed to be able to make sense of the twisting patchwork, and can tell their own future.