[Rumors and Location] Warped Eden

[Solus]

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WARPED EDEN

The southern lands are addled with the presence of a foreign world, familiar to Alterans.
A deep-blue beam of light flashed within the outskirts of the southern lands before it vanished. Dark clouds form within the skies some nights.
The lands of the southern deserts begin to form a garden corrupting anew... A Warped Eden. Trees of blue will begin to sprout. Fungi begin to grow on rocks and through the mountains of the desert. Creatures turn slightly --mutated and demonic. And occasionally, the earth rumbles in wake of the rocks beneath them, rising.
Something wicked has perched upon mortal lands.

Throughout the Eastern Continents, the night sky seems to tint a deep blue with a twinkling teal Southern star, opposite the Northern one.
Starting tonight, it stays for three nights, before it vanishes from the skies, henceforth.



OOC:
This is its area of influence.
DMs are allowed to use any mutated demonic creatures for their events in these areas if they would like. Player DMs can request if they can do small signs.
Players with regions in this area will have some odd interactions in the backgrounds- sightings of horned horses galloping, or blue fungi growing on their rocks.
Players are free to explore and learn, either in a discord ticket or event request.
Players an interact with other regions- but contact region owners first.​

 

[Solus]

+No one quite knows why, but the effects of the Warped Eden- corrupted by a rumored Archdemon- have loosened their holds upon its outer reaches. Passive creatures and the land still hold lingering effects of demonic mutations, but less and less Viands have been patrolling the skies around the shores. It is as if they have gone.. or perhaps... are amassing elsewhere not yet known.

(The effects of Warped Eden's borders have shrunk)

 

[Solus]

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The Southern Night Sky begins to see a teal hue scouring the horizon.
During daylight hours, it's obscured. But during a clear starry night, it's quite apparent.
A teal star stains the sky, outlined by white. It settels into pointing towards the direction of Warped Eden for any who pursue in tracing its whereabouts. It leads them to the edge of the Warped Eden borders, before they're accosted by a buzzing sound and a splatter of Viands with spears that drive them off.

A thrum of beats sound for those scouting the edges of the demonic borders.
It vibrates through the ground and reaches through hearts, pulling them in with the increased cresecendo of heartbeats.

A ritual has begun.​

 

[Solus]

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The Twisted Star

To the skies above, all across Altera in opposite of the northern star, there is a vibrant 7-pointed star of white, outlined in deep teals. It can be seen brightly, especially during summer nights. This southern star marked its beginning upon the Solstice of Lightshine one evening, during the Era of Inferno. Those in Warped Eden saw the remnants of a ritual, orchestrated by cultists of the Twisted Star, and took action to intersect it before it became too dangerous to stop. But the being known as Dranoden was prepared and was too far gone to reach, before he burst into a permanent staple of the Alteran world.

Although, his new form left the places he ruled to become vulernable. Those who invaded his fortress, did all in their power to remove the threats that kept the Rift that invaded into our world to close completely. Warped Eden no longer holds a link to the Hellscape. Remnants of Fiendish influences still linger, scattered throughout the land there, no longer an active threat.

Slowly, the accidental rifts and demonic summonings in the world became harder to conjure, as if their greater catalysts no longer aided them.

An Ashen storm lingered for a week, obscuring the land. Geysers of lava and fissures of great obsidian rocks clashed across the fortress by the powers of another. As the ashes calm down, there is left a ruin of the Eden Fortress within an inactive volcanoe mound. A remembrance of what was and what came to be.

The optimists say it is over. That peace against demons has come at last. The evil has been forced back and only the ruins are left to crush.
But upon these summer nights.. the twisted star remains ever present to those that look upon it.
To those that stare too long.. they believe they heard a soft, deep chuckle, whispering behind their ear.

(OOC: As of now- No new contract summons can be called by Dranoden directly or from what remains of his minions.
Only those currently under his contracts can spread other new contracts within their own capabilities.
One can still make a Faustian Bargain with the Twisted Star for arcane magic.)​

 

[Solus]

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Those searching the constellations find that the tides, the moon and other constellations remain unaffected by the current new introduction of the six-pronged twisted star. It appears constantly to the south, affixed, despite the other constellations shifting around it as the world moves. Sometimes the other stars hide behind it, as if the pointed star sat in front. It appears brighter during the hot summer temperatures. And if they observe it in the deserts, it's as if the atmosphere grew warmer, causing them to sweat bullets.

Staring at it too long, they end up hearing a demonic chuckle whispering in their ear. The star itself seems to have a halo around it, of blue hellfire, like the flare of the sun. Upon the third time they try to look upon the star and understand if its position changed, it's followed by a vision, one of a rift opening up from the ground. demonic shadows dance and crawl up from red fire that expels from within it. Before the shadows scour the skies, a teal light shines to expel the shadows, shifting the fire to its color. The crevasse in the ground remains, beginning to close up, and the vision fades.

As one pulls back into the present, the fires nearby seem to shift and turn into blue hellfire out of the corner of their eye and shadows appear to dance slightly. A bit of blood drips from the nose. The hallucination is mild and easily rectified by simple remedies. The vision, however, lingers- a sign of what is to come, or what could be.

Still, excursions take place to raid the Fortress of Dranoden in the Hellscape, as his presence remains untethered to the world of Altera, drifting and floating. Present, existing, thriving through his followers. Those contracted by Dranoden begin to find their contract marks glow softly teal, veins of purple-black prominent beneath the tattoo of the grinning skull with curled horns. They, too, see those same visions during warm nights, but don’t experience the pressure of nosebleeds.

[Last stretch of the Arc will be complete before September]​

 

[Solus]

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The twilight star has remained ever within the southern point of the sky, though one night, it never appears. Rumors begin of the rift upon the Ashlands taking upon a teal tone and color, foliage of the nether curling beneath it in tufts of crimson roots and warped fungi, leaking into the world... but contained within the area. Those who have headed in seemed not to have returned.. Miners have paused their work, spreading news of this change.

...The daylight returns and the colors of the Rift return to what the people know it to be, of reds and purples. This next night, the teal star appears once more upon the skies. None know if there is a correlation, for wilder things have occurred. In other parts of our world, there comes a flux within the Veil, unbeknowst to most. Remnants of where summon circles and rifts were created and opened will find that parts of hell leak into the world... and vice-versa. Stone and greenery from Altera finds itself within the underworld.

..A few days pass and the teal tones return to the Ashland Rift, causing surprised alarm. These interchanges have begun to occur more frequently. Another few groups begin to prepare to head inwards, to investigate upon learning the twilight star no longer lingers within the skies. ...What has become of the Rift between this world and hell? Those curious go to find out [ x ]

 

[Solus]

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The conflict remains within the rift, the teal lights perservere. No longer do those that pass through fall into an Abyss. They arrive upon the other side within a fortress, long unclaimed and abandoned, but familiar. The walls have hints of Ivory, the buildings have been looted, and only a tavern remains standing with vacant rooms. Unaligned mortals begin to claim the place, putting up light patrols to guard the place from the dangerous landscape. Though.. they do not stay long, as living within these lands wear down upon the body and soul, draining them of their lifeblood.

A brief respite has been established.
(There'll be a tentative rp spot within the Ivory King build's 'tavern' in the nether roleplay world, with some atmosphere caveats. It'll take a bit to setup, so sit tight. More conclusion still to come)

 

[Solus]

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Upon the fourth night after the bridged confrontation, the teal star appears this time atop the rift within the skies. As one observes it during the nightly hours, they can see white comets begin to fall and drift from it, towards the ground. They traject not in any one direction- some head north, some south, some west and east. The majority seem to fade into the sky, or head towards graveyards. Barely a handful remain lingering near the Twisted Star. Those who were excorcised and their shards taken by Dranoden will suddenly find themselves whole once more, as their shard finds them again. Though, a soul scar remains withim them- a reminder of what path they once chose and whom they once bound themselves to. This cannot be removed by any means.

The presence of the once leaking Hellscape within the southern deserts remain, but rumors tell that the demonic incursions within villages and foreign lands have seemed to lessen, as if the creatures could no longer be brought forth, or the cultists were unable to appeal to the dark entities to come forwards.

Still, the teal rift remains in conflict... Time will tell what will come of it.

OOC:
Dranoden still cannot be summoned by normal demonic means right now, now including being sparked.
His contracted remain, and can still contract others, but no new Abyssal can be created by him directly.
If you're looking to be excorcised, I'll help resolve it in time. Those Contracted have an inkling that if they break their binds, their favors will no longer be rewarded, but the risk of their souls are not at high stakes. It's an intuitive feeling.

Moving forward, no new demonic entities can be summoned within Altera, prevented from emerging upon this side of the realm.
Only the Seamstress and Twinned horn are able to, but with an added difficulty within the summon system.
Resolution to come more later.​

 

[Solus]

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As the hot summer nights pass and the colder ones exist longer than natural in the winter, those that once aided Dranoden might realize a ring upon their finger the next time they pass through an Infernal Rift. It's unclear if it always existed there, or if something unnatural occurred to have it.. But one thing they may feel is clear- This gift is theirs to keep.

(I apologize for how late this was in the backend to come to, but I've finally sent this as a reward for those that took part from Dranoden's side. Tagged folks are on the artifact list. If you were a part of Dranoden's group and feel like your character had a decent hand in recieving it, DM me.)​