When the monstrous titan charges, the world trembles
Within the Malediction, death is the only abundance to be found. Chaos ravages the land and twists the magic of the world, so that none who face these dangers can walk away unscathed. But what if there was a creature forged from these dangers, whose body had been tempered in rage and blood? A creature so strange that its mere presence threatens to change Selejia forever?
About the Seeker
History
Legacy
From the Malediction, the festering wound that bleeds chaos, emerged a monstrous titan unlike any other being in Selejia. At first regarded as mere myth by the different nations, the sudden increase of caravan raids, the disappearance of scouts within Paxos, and the reported animosity between kiths made it clear that something had drastically changed.
The first concrete report came from a single soldier from the Order, found battered and in a state of shock. His small warband had been sent to investigate farmsteads near Paxos, after their tithes stopped flowing. What they found was utter carnage, propagated by a monstrous giant, whose single eye shone like freshly spilled blood. The soldier dropped his gear and ran, leaving his peers behind to their fate. The Order attempted to keep this story a secret, but it soon made its way through the trade routes, reaching Belyos and Quinvala. Thus, the legend began.
Now deemed one of the great banes that treads Selejia, those who follow Thundersteps claim to be enraptured by a fervor greater even than that of the battle-concoctions brewed by the shamans. His presence kindles a fire held deep within their souls, growing from a soft whisper to a mighty bellow, until it can no longer be denied. Although many attribute this to Thundersteps himself, the wise know this battle rage seeps from his Legacy.
Since his arrival, Thundersteps has had a strange effect on the Primal Blood. Long-isolated Kiths were drawn forth, choosing to align themselves with Thundersteps, or else against him. Paxos, already one of the most dangerous regions on Selejia, became a death sentence for anyone travelling without a small warband. A new age, however, is about to begin.
Some shamans claim to have translated Thundersteps’ strange language, professing that he is the will of Ymiris made manifest, who came to guide his followers into the Malediction, where the All-Mother waits to be released from her pain.
Storm’s Eye, Jewel of Rage
Many who have witnessed Thundersteps were left staggered by the sight. After all, he is the sole known member of his species, a being who speaks in a strange language, following naught but his unknown whims. What no one knows, however, is how chaotic the cyclops’s mind is. For Thundersteps, his past comes in feverish, half-remembered visions, where memory and insanity blend together in a cacophony of thoughts.
The Storm’s Eye shines, and Thundersteps’ memories slowly come back to him, as he sleeps under the smoke of burnt incense and the chant of the shamans. He dreams of the pressure of chains around his body, of his powerlessness as a red gem eclipses his vision, and the excruciating pain of it puncturing his eye. He dreams of combat, as he fights in the shadows of massive walls, his blows breaking horror-struck soldiers. He dreams of others like him, fallen to the ground, their grayish skin painted red by their own blood, as golden soldiers slit their throats. He dreams of defiance, of crushing his oppressors beneath his feet, and the short-lived joy that follows. He hears a rumbling, a deafening scream that cascades into a thousand horrified others. He dreams of anguish, hatred, and despair, but above all, he dreams of rage.
While other Seekers are empowered by their Legacies, Thundersteps is tormented by his, as the jewel burns his mind with unfathomable wrath, demanding revenge for a long forgotten crime. At the first sight of the enemy, he feels the rage seeping from his eye like a disease, overwhelming his mind and infecting those around him. Something has changed, however, for the Storm’s Eye now sears Thundersteps’ mind with visions that chart a path through the Malediction—offering long-sought answers. The cyclops will reach the truth, even if he must climb a mountain of fresh bodies, for he has been blind for too long.
Short Storys
Story
The Primal Blood
No cities, no borders, no boundaries of any kind. The kiths of the Primal Blood roam the lands of Paxos but do not call it home. They do not, in fact, call any land their home. Although the other nations of Selejia tend to assign Paxos as the dominion of the “blood clans”, they do […]
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