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Forum Name History & Lore
Topic subjectThe Horn of Fate and a Fourth Age...
Topic URLhttps://forums.carrionfields.com/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=7&topic_id=472&mesg_id=472
472, The Horn of Fate and a Fourth Age...
Posted by Daevryn on Wed 31-Dec-69 07:00 PM
It had been learned that the legendary Horn of Fate might be sounded within the twisted Heart of the Prismatic Veil to calm the Veil and its chaotic effects upon magic and reality throughout Thera.

The only problem: to enter the Heart of the Veil was certain death to all.

Learning that the secretive warrior-monks of the Order of the Macalla had been keeping guard over the Horn, a way to contact them was sought. A group of adventurers, allied with the fire dancer Asmeida, managed to recover the goddess Iunna from the Eternal Flames. A highly favored student of the Macalla, she was able to persuade them of Thera's need for the Horn. A tournament was announced, with the winner to claim the Horn of Fate.

Meanwhile, ways to survive in the Heart of the Veil long enough to sound the Horn were pursued.

The Battleragers believed that if they could achieve the flawless immunity to magic once possessed by the original anti-magic army of the First Age, they could weather the chaotic magic of the Veil long enough to sound the Horn. They learned that a vial of blood sacred to the ancient Battle goddess, Stormace, had been among the items safeguarded in the Vault of Nyastren. If drunk by a Battlerager, this blood would give them the ability to weather the Veil for a few short hours. After much searching and trial, they obtained the vial.

The Nexuns, in turn, believed that a bonded pair could survive the Veil by achieving a form of equilibrium with its rapid changes, harmonizing with the Veil's energies rather than resisting them. Indeed, this was the very reason for their resurrection. Researching the history of the Nexus of the past, they learned of a pair of stylized serpent belts sacred to the goddess Jazur which might fortify the bond for the Veil. They made some headway in discovering the location of these items, but failed to obtain them.

The day of the Tournament of Fate came. Setting honorable terms, a monk of the Macalla set all takers in a race to be the first back with an item from within the oasis of Nonviel. Blood aplenty was spilled on those inhospitable sands as many great heroes struggled against each other. Lauraine, Cardinal of the Golden Sun, returned with the sought-after bracelet and was awarded the Horn of Fate.

Unable to sound the horn themselves, the Fortress debated what to do with the Horn. Ultimately they were persuaded that it should be sounded by the Nexus. Delving into the depths of the Inferno, the Fortress obtained the crimson devouring-serpent belt. Diving beneath the Sirine Island, Lauraine acquired the golden devouring-serpent belt.

Armed with Horn and the paired belts, Fadderth and Shubtar ignited the Bond of the Nexus. Although impeded by a force of the Battleragers led by Azilaph, they had the powerful assistance of the Fortress of Light and made their way into the Heart of the Veil, harmonizing with it and surviving its energies as planned.

The Battleragers yet had a card to play. Drinking the sacred blood of Stormace, Azilaph and Grimbledorf awakened the secrets of their Villages' ancestors, briefly gaining a total immunity to magic. They rushed into the Heart of the Veil, pursuing the Nexuns! Unfortunately, Azilaph had imbibed the blood too early and its effects were too brief; the Veil still destroyed him. Grimbledorf, however, survived and struck the Nexuns even as they sought to sound the Horn! Though he fought bravely, alone he was unable to match the two. He fell, crushed by the coils of the anaconda near the Vault doors.

At last, Fadderth sounded a note on the Horn of Fate heard across Thera. The fury of the Veil began to calm, and a new Age was born, one in which mortals would determine the fate of magic and their world...