In Sigil, a mishappen barmy known only as the Prophet, announces the End of Time. The Beginning and the End. The Unity of Rings. Those who dare listen to this bizarre prophet, whose eyes have been sewed together, hear of things most disturbing. He speaks of the First Creature, a being called Adam, lost in the depths of the Inner Planes. He speaks of the coming of the Devourer of Worlds, of wars that will change the face of the Planes. He says that when the end is nigh, and the Multiverse realizes It's existence is at stake, It will shed a tear, and from this tear will be born the Grief of the Multiverse, a force of nature of powers unlimited, given birth in a desperate attempt to stop that which is inevitable.
Meanwhile, in Cavitius, Vecna broods. The ancient magic that set him free from the Demiplane of Dread and gave him the status of intermediate deity is unstable, failing. He is feeling the weakness overtaking him, he knows he cannot maintain these newfound powers too long. Once again, he turns his gaze to that forbidden portion of Cavitius that is dreaded enough to scare even him. A place most ancient, guarded by creatures that worship Death in a manner that even the Dustmen cannot understand. The whispered Name broods and waits. For he knows that there lies the First Creature, the only thing that can help him maintain his status as a deity, and give him powers beyond imagination.
Also of note is the approach of a mysterious human warlock in the Qualielemental Plane of Ash. Magically allocated inside his ribs is a dark artifact, a mirrored box that opens the entrance to a copy of Vecna's original library in Oerth, a shadow of the original location, a picture of it frozen in time. Inside this library, biding his time, is Kas the Vampire. The black sword he carries whispers venom into his mind. Kas hopes the Warlock of Iuz can keep his promise and put him face to face with Vecna, for a final confrontation.
Vecna has recruited the help of the Order Macabre, a cult of followers from the Prime Material Plane led by a mad lich that goes by the name of Rikutatis, Duke of Ivania and Enemy to the Free Races. The barmy believes to be the very son of Vecna, and he has the power to strike down any who dare mock his claims. The leader of an army of undead both foul and terrible, Rikutatis is served by two vile beings: Theadra the Undead-crafter, a capable necromancer (some say necrophile) obsessed with power and the bearer of a necrotic Mother-cyst, which gives her the capacity to spread undeath as a disease; and Ugen Allai, a bizarre lich that covers his face with heavy makeup in the hopes of hiding his state of decay. Allai displays refined manners and takes delight in mingling with the nobility and corrupting them through lust and dark sorcery. Both Theadra and Ugen Allai conspire against each other and specially against Rikutatis, aspiring to the position of leader of the Order, but they haven't had the power to defy him yet. This is partially because of the fact that the Lich-Lord has a very peculiar bodyguard: he enchanted his own shadow through necromantic processes to make it an unliving being, independent of him. The shadow acquried the form of a wicked child with a sinister smile, dark hair and a broad black hat covering his eyes. Rikutatis' Shadow sees all, and is everywhere.
The Order Macabre now travels the Inner Planes in an undead vessel, the Spectre, that can travel the Ethereal and the planes that touch it. They look for the three keys that can unlock the Gates that lead to the First Creature. But there's another being that knows better. Jared, a sentient construct with the form of an angel (already battered and decayed by time) sits by the Gates since time immemorial. He was sent by the celestials eons ago, to investigate an unknow and extremely powerful source of vital energy. But during the war in which Baatezu and Tanar'ri alike united to smite down the celestials, his masters were killed and his existence all but forgotten. But Jared knows the secret to access the First Creature: it takes a fourth key, a Spellhaunt, called by some as a living spell.
Inside the Gates lies a strange land lit by a difuse greenish hue. Spires and domes of alien design dot the landscape, the home of the Guardians. They come from Another Time, when the Inner Planes had a different layout, far different than the one we know today. Fire and Water Elemental Planes touched each other, and Steam, which was formed from this union and not from Water and Positive, wasn't as cool as it is today, but hot enough to burn unprotected creatures. This old configuration wasn't stable enough, the Ethereal wasn't being able to arrange the primal blocks of constructions that were the Inner Planes in any lasting way, the Multiverse was doomed to die a premature death in a final and inevitable collapse.
It was thus that the Sleeping Ones, ancestors and fathers to the Guardians, decided to act. They instructed their sons that they were to make the transition to a new Multiverse, carrying the First Creature with them, whom they called Lilith and not Adam. Thus Lilith could bring the Seeds of Life to this new Reality. To accomplish this, the Guardians had to embrace Death in a way that not not even the deities can comprehend, so as to survive this transition. They became the first Undead, made of ashes, blood, ice and sentience. The Sleeping Ones used the dark Monolith from the Paraelemental Plane of Magma, an artifact that has existed since the dawn of the Multiverse, to accomplish their goal. They weaved the powerful forces of creation that they possessed as the first sons of Lilith to reset the Multiverse in what was called the Reconfiguration. But their vital energy was extinguished in the process and now they lie in an eternal coma in what we know today as the Paraelemental Plane of Ice, their colossal frozen forms worshipped as the creators of the Multiverse by the kuo-toa. And in a sense, they are. But the Sleeping Ones aren't gods or even alive. They are lost to this Multiverse forever.
The Guardians carried Lilith through the Reconfiguration, the only witnesses to this forgotten past. They built many structures in the Inner Planes as Lilith set out on its job to give birth to new races and life forms, like the Borealis in Air, the Statues of Adrift in Steam and the four mysterious towers that stand on the borders of the Positive Energy Plane with its Quasielemental Planes. At last, they took Lilith and retreated into Cavitius, the long forgotten skull of one of the Sleeping Ones that died during the Reconfiguration. And they wait. The first time Vecna tried to gain entrance to their sanctuary, they repelled him. But they know the time has come for Lilith to be set free once again. Not only Vecna wants access to the First Creature. Other more obscure beings bide their time, watching from the darkness. Waiting for the moment to strike. The face of the Multiverse will forever change with this new turn of events.
*** OOC: Although this story can stand on its own, it's meant to be a part of a bigger plot in my campaign. More information about this plot can be found in an old thread of mine in this board, called End of Time (I can't seem to find the Search tool, to dig up old posts). If there's any interest I might try to post the whole thing In Planewalker's Hooks section or something.
The name of your old thread sounds familiar, but the search tool on the forums is broken, and Google isn't turning up anything. I think it'd be great if you submit this to Planewalker.
The name of your old thread sounds familiar, but the search tool on the forums is broken, and Google isn't turning up anything.
Ah, I found it.
I'll be submitting this material to Planewalker. I'll post more of what I have on a future occasion, as the campaign develops.
The First Creature
It was thus that the Sleeping Ones, ancestors and fathers to the Guardians, decided to act. They instructed their sons that they were to make the transition to a new Multiverse, carrying the First Creature with them, whom they called Lilith and not Adam. Thus Lilith could bring the Seeds of Life to this new Reality. To accomplish this, the Guardians had to embrace Death in a way that not not even the deities can comprehend, so as to survive this transition. They became the first Undead, made of ashes, blood, ice and sentience. The Sleeping Ones used the dark Monolith from the Paraelemental Plane of Magma, an artifact that has existed since the dawn of the Multiverse, to accomplish their goal. They weaved the powerful forces of creation that they possessed as the first sons of Lilith to reset the Multiverse in what was called the Reconfiguration. But their vital energy was extinguished in the process and now they lie in an eternal coma in what we know today as the Paraelemental Plane of Ice, their colossal frozen forms worshipped as the creators of the Multiverse by the kuo-toa. And in a sense, they are. But the Sleeping Ones aren't gods or even alive. They are lost to this Multiverse forever.
A good read, I'm glad I ran across it!
One problem I ran across while reading this, at least on my part and it was more than likely due to misinterpretation. I'm a bit confused by this paragraph; in the first part I read Lilith as being a product of the Sleeping Ones' plan or something less than the Sleeping Ones as well as the Guardians, which were vessels that allowed Lilith to be carried over. Granted though, it was greater than them, in a manner of speaking, since it survived the Reconfiguration as well as its impact on the new multiverse. Yet in the second part of the paragraph you mention the Sleeping Ones as being the "the first sons of Lilith," or at least I extrapolated that you were speaking of the Sleeping Ones by the logic path of your previous sentences.
I guess what I'm trying to get at is a clarification: are the Sleeping Ones the progenitors or offspring of Lilith? And if that is the case you may want to reword that paragraph, because I was extremely confused...but then again that is oft to happen to me.
Thanks,
Andrew
stclax_26: Hmm, maybe I should have been a little more clear on what 'First Creature' entails. Lilith (or Adam) is, literally, the first creature to ever appear on the Multiverse. Or so it's believed by that report. How she looks like, what are the true extent of her powers, does "she" even have a gender? These are questions that were left unanswered. But all that is known is that she's older than the Sleeping Ones and the Guardians, being their progenitor in a sense. She's the ultimate ancestor of all living creatures in the cosmos. Is she even sentient though? Did she actually need the Gurdians to watch over her and keep her in a safe vault? All valid questions.
One thing that kept me wondering, however, is the situation of this mechanical angel, Jared, (a fantastic concept, might I add): Why is he still wandering the forbidden sanctum within Cavitius? Did he had a sort of "instructions interrupted" event, that could further hint his mechanical nature? Or he remains there seeking a way to complete his original order?
Since he knows of the existence of the fourth key, I assume he is likely to know the existence of the other three. Therefore, since he does not seem to be actively looking for them, would he be prone to take some action once those who also seek to free Lilith/Adam show up with the opening solution?
Once again, I congratulate you for a work well done. I was really captivated by both your story and your writing style.
As for Jared, you got it right. In my own campaign, he was still around because he was following his "script". He was supposed to stay there and collect as much data as possible (without directly interfering) until called back or receiving other instructions. But his masters died and there was no one to bring him back to the upper planes or send him other orders. So he just stayed.
Jared wasn't programmed to interfere directly in the events, only to collect data. Otherwise he would have gone after the keys by himself long ago. But how would he react to someone asking him for help or information? Someone who told him that they intend to open the gates. In my own campaign he could detect good, so I figure characters of good alignment would have a better chance of dealing with him. Characters of celestial descent would do even better. Also, he could be wary of letting anyone go near such an incredible and mysterious source of energy, even his great masters were cautious about it. So he'd prolly need some convincing before giving the chant. What could convince a celestial construct? That was the theme of much roleplay in my sessions. What about Jared's own motivations? By opening the gates he could get all the info he needed about the energy source and theoretically, his mission could very well be over. What then? What would he do with the rest of his existence? Those same old (but still interesting) AI dilemas.
Heh, at some point during my campaign Jared was torn to pieces by an ogre berserker of the Order Macabre. His head, neck, right arm and a piece of his chest remained intact though, and he could still think and talk. One of my players took him and was carrying him around the planes.