Kevin's Watch

Also, I have misplaced my notes (//not really, but with the haitus I'd like to know for sure//) for other commissions and favors. Although I think I remember who needed what, it would be good to make sure I have it right. Speak with me privately to make sure your order is still being prepared.

People exploring the mountains southwest of your realm return talking of strange phenomena taking place there... echoes of thunder where no storm is present, snow melting in an unnatural heat, reddish fires dancing on naked stone, whispers echoing when no one is there, avalanches for no reason whatsoever

It appears that the strange phenomena which are manifesting on the mountains are caused by a quick unraveling of reality's fabric somewhere in a secluded valley; it's as if something were pressing from the other side, creating a "bulge" in reality which causes the threads to threaten to burst. Some sort of divine power is intertwined with the fabric of reality, but it is impossible to say who poured it there and whether it is keeping reality together or helping to unravel it.

Chisi La'Roo wrote:Quite a while ago, I got this message:

People exploring the mountains southwest of your realm return talking of strange phenomena taking place there... echoes of thunder where no storm is present, snow melting in an unnatural heat, reddish fires dancing on naked stone, whispers echoing when no one is there, avalanches for no reason whatsoever

I investigated, and....

It appears that the strange phenomena which are manifesting on the mountains are caused by a quick unraveling of reality's fabric somewhere in a secluded valley; it's as if something were pressing from the other side, creating a "bulge" in reality which causes the threads to threaten to burst. Some sort of divine power is intertwined with the fabric of reality, but it is impossible to say who poured it there and whether it is keeping reality together or helping to unravel it.

I will do what I can to solve this. I will not ask for aid until I know that I can not do it on my own, but if you would like to send a point or two my way next turn out of the kindness of your heart, I would not turn it down. (That wasn't asking for aid, was it? Because I didn't mean to do that...)

I hope all else is well for the rest of you.

Yours,
Chisi

The disturbance on the mountains seems to be caused by nothing else than something attempting to enter the world of Eiran from another dimension; the fabric of reality, which seems to be held together by the strands of divine energy, is slowly being unraveled as the force - whatever it is - tries to get into Eiran. It also appears that the divine energy keeping reality together is, for the most part, ancient, and probably placed there by the gods of old. Disquietingly enough, when trying to ascertain what kind of gods might have done so, you feel that the strongest influence is "retribution".
Shortly after you focused your attention on this "bulge", a group of adventurers traveling through the mountains, and chased by a horde of undead, happen upon one of the spots where reality is thinner. While most of them prepare for a last stand, a wizard among them perceives the strange phenomenon, and makes the mistake of believing it a possible source of power rather than a danger. As the undead approach, the wizard draws deeply on this "power" in order to fuel his magic and give his allies a chance; seduced by the ease with which this can be done, he hurls his magic against the undead again and again, gradually paying less and less attention to any damage he might be causing to his allies. As he draws on this "power", the bulge suddenly grows larger and larger, until at some point the fraying fabric of reality gives way. The wizard is overloaded with magical, divine and alien energies, and he explodes, leveling a large area around him and destroying the various undead, but the explosion also sears reality, allowing a portal to open, through which strange, alien creatures start pouring into Eiran. Their alien nature is so evident that wherever their bodies touch stone or vegetation, these are warped and twisted into alien mockeries of their former selves. Although small in number, these creatures keep coming, and somehow they are masking the presence of their gate from the other gods; even your sight is clouded, although the divine power you poured into observing the bulge allows you to see what the other gods cannot.

Mist rises from the sea around the City of Regret and Grief, and through that mist your divine sight cannot discern what is happening. But the cries of death and battle, the sounding of horns and the sudden stream of souls reaching your realm from the City of Regret scream for your attention; it is from these unfortunate souls - almost the entire population of the City of Regret - that you learn of Undine's treachery: he has sent an army to attack your City, hidden it within the fog, inspired fear into the hearts of your people, and attacked from the sea with drakes and his navy, performing atrocities... ...dismembering your greatest followers there, or hanging them from gibbets, until the city was his and no worshiper of yours - man, woman or child - was left alive.

Brothers and Sisters... I am... undone. Love is betrayed. I believe I will be dead soon. But there is little reason to go on living.

The City of Regret was founded in the early years of my reign by the Order of the same name, who had chosen for themselves the task of seeing that restless spirits find their way into the afterlife. From the City they went into the world, searching for ghosts and souls that wandered Eiran, and helping them find peace. They had begun to establish a colony on the nearby islands, which they named Grief.
Now, see what Undine has brought upon these followers of mine.
Quote:
Mist rises from the sea around the City of Regret and Grief, and through that mist your divine sight cannot discern what is happening. But the cries of death and battle, the sounding of horns and the sudden stream of souls reaching your realm from the City of Regret scream for your attention; it is from these unfortunate souls - almost the entire population of the City of Regret - that you learn of Undine's treachery: he has sent an army to attack your City, hidden it within the fog, inspired fear into the hearts of your people, and attacked from the sea with drakes and his navy, performing atrocities... ...dismembering your greatest followers there, or hanging them from gibbets, until the city was his and no worshiper of yours - man, woman or child - was left alive.

A ship sails from the City of Regret, heading north, towards the mists that encircle the world. After months of navigation, upon first seeing the dreaded mists, the sailors begin to pray Maeror for deliverance, fearing that only death may await them beyond the mists. Yet they have a duty to perform, and none wishes to disappoint their god. So onward they sail, until the writhing, cold tendrils of the world-encircling mists stroke the ship's wooden hull like the fingers of a long-dead lover, and shapes unlike any the sailors have ever seen seem to form and dissipate in the grayness beyond. Faintly, it seems to them as if screams could be heard, blood-curdling and horrified beyond comprehension; the sailors' fright grows, but still they continue, knowing without a doubt, now, that they cannot turn back anymore. The sailors whisper a last prayer to Maeror... and then disappear from your sight, swallowed by the mists.

You suddenly realize a strange disturbance at the edges of the world - the endless mists are boiling and rolling furiously, as if wrathful or in pain. The very water of the oceans, when coming into contact with them, sizzles and writhes, and strange shapes appear from time to time as shadows behind the mists

It also appears that the divine energy keeping reality together is, for the most part, ancient, and probably placed there by the gods of old.

A question Undine - has the All-Father confirmed the the actions of the Order of Regret caused, inadvertently or not, the disturbance at the edges of Eiran?