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The Library

Buried in the desert there is a library. It stands proudly in the middle of the desert, a massive redstone tower that juts angrily out of the sand. A simple staircase flanked by two statues of the Librarian flank the doorway. The statues ensure that no mortals enter there. Inside the tower you can stare upwards to see endless rows of circular shelves that line the wall of the round room, an ornate stained glass window stares down at you from above, illuminating the library in green and gold light.

There is a massive wooden desk in the middle of the library. It is a simple round table with a hole in the middle. Seated here is the librarian. A grotesquely fat gray-skinned man with many hands that are busy at work over countless tomes and books. The Librarian is the author of all books of divine power and knowledge.

Simply open any book to discover its secrets.

-Secrets of Metallurgy. Inside are detailed guides for working metal with mundane means. It details the shaping of only raw ore so that humans can handle it, as well as detailed methods for teaching it to Humankind.

Metallurgy is a relatively simple concept. You need ore, heat, containment, and tools to shape the metal into whatever you want.
-The Floors.
-Divine Attack.
-Alchemic Mastery.
-Ritualistic Power.
-Power for Art.
-The List of Artifacts. Even in this new world there are several things that the Craftsman created in spite of himself in the forging of this new world from true ore. True ore can be a tricky substance and often harnesses a will of its own if not handled properly. When working with such great amounts of the stuff, as the Craftsman did, a few drops are bound to stray away. These fed off of the deaths of the millions of lives that were extinguished in the Judgment and created their own properties.

The Silver Key is rumored to lay hidden in the Eastern mountains on the edge of a peninsula. At the top of the tallest mountain it is known to reside and wait for a holder. The silver key holds the ability to unlock the Iron lanterns.

The Wayward Light is a golden torch that attracts the souls of the dead even from the Cunis Door. They are called to it when they see it, and they linger about it. When operated properly it is said to even be able to woo these misguided spirits into doing the wielder's bidding. It is rumored to lay buried deep underneath a riverbed. Look for the White Lady.

The Black Key is a dangerous item indeed. Those who find it hold the power to unleash Karon from the Black Chains. Once freed two things will happen. The chains will run wild throughout the earth in search of a new host, and the beast Karon will surely go about the grim job of exacting her dark revenge on the world that has made her suffer so. Unfortunately one must follow Karon in order to find it.

The Calling Crystal is an item that is said to be able to commune with the power that is higher than the Craftsman. It is the bringer of all true answers to the one who asks the right questions. Look for the Silver Ram in the North.

The Prison Box trapped the souls of thousands of people and creatures when it was created. It is rumored to be a small Hell that torments its captives. When near it one can hear the screams from the suffering monstrosities that dwell within it. Only an Exile may open this box, and only the one who opens this box may command those who come forth from its confines. Only the one listens for the screams of the suffering will find the box.

-Amplifiers.
-The Taboo of Human Sacrifice.
-The Origins of the Stone Council.
-The Origins of the Craftsman.
-The Opposition of Order.
-Chaos
-The Tales of Brenocticus.
-The First Generation.
-The Judgment.Exactly who it was who cast the final stone is unknown. Although many people suspected the vain and hateful Ember of starting the great war, it is unlikely that he was the culprit. What happened in Freia, or The Before Land, was not a war, it was genocide. Humankind had somehow managed to harness a power that allowed them access to the level of existence above their own. When entered into this next layer of being humans are endowed with almost all of the powers of a divine being.

Humankind had been oppressed for some time before that. The Gods had become vain and concerned with their own affairs rather than the affairs of humankind. The City Pure was filled with strife and civil war as well, and so no God noticed when humanity forced its way through the barrier between the mortal world and ours.

Humanity, wielding the stolen power of the gods, marched on the City Pure. It was the Craftsman, one of the last remaining Gods of the first generation, who led the divine against humanity. With his leadership divine kind forced humanity out of the city, and then followed them into the mortal world.

From there things escalated further. Effectively hundreds of gods were locked in combat. The battled scaled the entire world, slaughtering everything. Humans who were not involved were all killed, and by the end the sheer force of the attacks had left the atmosphere poisonous and the earth cracked and useless.

The Craftsman and all Gods who reigned over creation and innovation began to fiercely attempt to piece the world back together.

Order, the Highest Power, saw all that had happened. Chaos himself crept over the world, and swallowed it whole. The Divine were deemed to have been banished to the belly of Chaos. All were punished equally. Some for attacking, some for being unaware, and some for doing nothing.
-Creating and Amplifier.
-Secret Caverns of the World.
-This Plain of Existence.
-Otherland: The World that is not our Own.
-Harnessing Human Birth.
-Creating Personalities.
-The Quest for Omnipotence.
-The Rending Blade.
-Journey to the Core.
-The Origins of the Librarian.
-Destroying the Body.
-True Ore. True ore is the building block for everything. It is the inexplicable order that pulls itself from chaos. In a way it is the polar opposite of the force of chaos. It is like pure, rigid order. It can be forced into any shape or even any element.

There are very few who know how to process it in its purest form, it needs to be heavily restricted and imprisoned as it is melted down or it will try to create on its own. True Ore may be the polar opposite of chaos but it is wild and untamed force. The most powerful substance that exists, basically.

It causes diverse effects in all who come into contact with it. It is said that too much exposure will actually burn out the eyes, replacing them with a flat metal sheen.

Everything is created in some way from true ore, all you need to do to melt it down into its purest form is heat it up enough. You will know when you have it when it glows a fiery red and is still cool to the touch. Once in that state, however, it must be properly maintained in tankards of processed and cooled true ore.

Once you have the hot ore you can shape it however you wish just so long as the only thing that touches it is made from true ore as well. Keep in mind that this is an incredibly dangerous material. It holds great power, but its effects can induce madness as well.

Once cooled the True Ore appears like a metal so pure that it's almost white. In this form it is still very unstable and must be handled carefully. The slightest suggestion and it will mold itself into whatever idea has been forced into it. These make adequate fetters for souls looking for new bodies.

True Ore that is processed into metal is called White Ore. It is the most powerful metal that exists. It is also much more stable. Items made out of white ore will still mold themselves to their bearers, but to a much lesser extent. Items made out of white ore also act as perfect amplifiers for power.

True ore that has been corrupted by chaos is called Black Ore. Black ore can be even more powerful than white ore, albeit somewhat more unpredictable.
-The Birth and Death of Karon.
-The Iron Lanterns.
-The Black Chains.
-The Feeding Engine.
-Anchoring the Soul. Anchoring the soul can be done through a ritualized chant by even the most inexperienced of magic users. The beauty of it is that it is powered by the natural force that exists everywhere, and hence any exile who is in tune with his or her domain can harness its energy.

A soul is wrought of true ore, and a body is wrought of true ore. Once the body dies the soul passes through the Cunis Door into the underworld. The soul itself, though originally created through the use of true ore is in and of itself merely a pure form of energy. If you manage to keep the soul or souls in the area then it is possible to coax them into a new body provided the new body is wrought of true ore.

The soul can even be broken down into pieces so that the true identity is lost. Thus the thing that is resurrected goes from being one individual with complex emotions and thought processes to maybe a dozen mindless automatons who can perform basic functions. This is not only relatively easy but it ensures that the resurrected subjects are loyal to the caller.

First, one must have true ore in its purest form. Once the souls have entered the amorphous mass they will take whatever shape the caller wishes. You must have one drop of true ore for every being that you wish to create. The soul or souls will divide themselves evenly between the number of drops, and animate.
Second, one must create the circle. Twelve pillars wrought of black stone and equidistant from one another. These stones must be hewn by the caller. The circle acts as a pen or cradle for the lost souls.
Third, one must sacrifice one life to show the souls the way back to the mortal world. A life just extinguished serves as a fleeting bridge between the world of the dead and the world of the living as it is leaving the body. This space of time is adequate for all of the souls to find their way back.
-The Cunis Door. The Cunis Door is the door that all of the souls pass through to reach the underworld. It is a fairly simple affair. It appears like a simple round reflecting pool carved in white stone. However at night any observed can see the faint blue glow that seems to emanate from every particle of the water within.

The Cunis Door is self explanatory, it is the location that is much more elusive. That is because the Cunis Door is never in one place. It can only be found one way. Take a life. There are many simple artifacts and items that should allow the wearer to see the fleeing soul.

The Cunis Door cannot be stemmed, save by the Wayward Light. A dual purpose for the powerful artifact. It is most widely known for attracting the souls of the dead, when introduced into the reflecting water a paradox immediately ensues. Souls are drawn to the underworld and yet they want to stay with the faint orange glow from the wayward light. Doing this, however, will destroy both the light and the gate. Souls will never leave the mortal plain, or their decaying bodies. And it is widely known that souls that are supposed to be gone from this world go mad with rage and frustration.

The List goes on. Simply ask the Librarian if he can help you discover what you want to know.

The Tales of Brenocticus: 1200 BE

Brenocticus was a human who dreamed of being a God. All his life he had been a weak and sickly boy who stood low even amongst his own kind. He was from a small village just outside the City Pure. Every day he would go to the outskirts of his village and he would look down upon the city's glowing structures and pine for the power that lay within those walls.

He was in love with a dark mistress who would withhold herself from all but the most powerful lovers. She was a wild beast who could not be tamed, and yet he loved and lusted after her in a way that was almost furious in its intensity.

Every day he was tortured by his own heart, and he thought that nothing would come to his aid. He grew bitter and more hateful with every passing day, and by the end of his life he was consumed by his hatred and lust for the dark mistress, whose name has been lost even to the most astute scholars. Many suspect her of being one of many supposed chaotic beings who dwell in the realm of order, seeking to take order apart piece by piece.

Brenocticus died, or would have died, an old man. Then he was greeted by a stranger garbed in flowing gold and silver of the purest form. He regaled Bren with all the secrets of the essence of Order, including the manipulation of true ore into pure life and power. Bren listened listlessly as he waited to die until the Golden Man offered him a deal. The deal was simply this: Brenocticus would be granted a seat among the Gods if he later promised to give up his second child.

Brenocticus agreed wholeheartedly, thinking that he would not have any need of a son or any love. And it was done.

Bren died, and he came back in a new form of pure power and elegance. His skin was a beautiful golden hue and his hair was black like the shimmering feathers of a raven. His eyes glowed a fierce silver. He strode, naked, to the gates of the City Pure and was overjoyed when the gates yawned open to receive him.

The Black Mistress, how had tempted him and teased him all his life, recognized Bren's soul and was cautious. Even afraid. A year later, Bren came to her room in the night, and forced himself upon her. The despicable act created in her a child. Brenocticus was cast out of the City Pure and was exiled to forever wander the land outside the city.

Brenocticus settled in a continent. He was the only God on the outside of the city pure. He became a wandering preacher who filled humans with hatred for the residents of the city pure. He created the Order of Abel. A human faction dedicated to the destruction of the city pure. For at that time the world was in a grim place. The Gods had become greedy and too obsessed with their own affairs and paid no heed to the prayers that came their way. Brenocticus found it only too easy to exploit this.

Meanwhile, The Dark Mistress, Wanton Goddess off Lust and Sex, had borne a child of the arts. The boy was named Job, and he was a master of all crafts. He grew up working with every material he could find, creating machines and tools for the use of the divine citizens of the City Pure.

He was shunned as a boy for being the b*****d offspring of a hideous crime. He was shunned for being the son of a sadistic battle God who was rallying the world against their perfect city. Job himself became bitter and furious at his father for creating him, and he set out in search of Brenocticus to end him forever.

At the tender age of 16 he found his father and challenged him. Needless to say Job lost to his father, but at the final moment his father would not deliver the killing blow. Instead he took Job under his wing. Brenocticus had become the god of Martial Combat, and he was renowned as the greatest swordsman to ever exist. For twenty years he taught Job everything that he knew.

Job learned the same hatred for the City that had shunned him from his father. Two exiles from the pure city, they started a violent campaign against the city, leading Millions of men into the first war against the City.

This War is simply called the Massacre. Humanity simply could not resist the raw power of Gods. Spirited though they may have been. The Massacre happened in 1140 BE.

Job and Brenocticus were both tried and condemned to be executed by their fellow Gods. Job pleaded with his executioners to see his side, and to see that they owed humanity more than they were offering them. He pleaded for fairness to people who were suffering because they were too self-centered to realize their duty.

Whether they were moved by his tearful plea or whether the younger Gods simply saw an opportunity to take power from the first generation is unclear. However the elder gods soon found themselves against the first born generation and were forced into submission by the more powerful younglings. Job killed his own mother in the battle as he and his fellows stormed the castle.

Brenocticus was furious at his son's newfound power and within the week he had prayed to the Golden Visitor who had found him the night before. The Golden Visitor laughed at his actions when compared with his earlier mercy towards his son, and then took Job's soul, leaving a mindless puppet in his stead.

Brenocticus was torn by grief and madness at his actions. He pursued the Golden Man into chaos and found his son's soul. What happened after is unknown, but he came back with Job's soul and returned it to his body. The moment Job recognized his father, he drew his sword and slit his throat there on the spot. He trapped his father in the blade so that he would suffer and hunger eternally in his prison. And he understood his father had already walked the path of chaos and might be able to find his way back after being killed.

Job soon found that he could not control the blade that hated him so. Bren's soul raged within the blade, and so Job was forced to cast the blade into Chaos itself.

Brenocticus is rumored to still drift in the depths of chaos, waiting for an opportunity and almost certainly waiting for revenge.