The following are descriptions of character deaths and any afterlife experiences they may have had before resurrection. Characters are listed in alphabetical order.
Adoril Urthadar, Knight of the Silver Order
Death: TBD
Cause: Self immolation in the Fireblood tomb in the outlands.
Disposition: Restored to life by Primordial Fire
Afterlife Experience
TBD
Death: 6th of Aries, 1055
Cause: Massive fire damage from a fireball cast by Vallen Dirthridir in the Gauntlet
Disposition: Resurrected by Vallen Dirthridir and the Matrons of Marlquet Island
Afterlife Experience
Adoril found himself walking at night alone on a path lit by lanterns without any questions or knowledge of how he got there. There was a chill in the air, the sort that hearkened the coming of winter. For some time he walked, lost in his own thoughts and unconcerned with where he was headed. Eventually the trees broke and revealed a large clan house atop a rocky hill, lit for celebration. As Adoril approached the house, he could hear their revelry and songs, and he realized it was Rhyehall, the resting place of Jovaran spirits of worth.
Eager for the chance to knock upon the doors of the mythical hall and be judged for his worth, Adoril was about to quicken his pace when a warm hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. It was Tindra in all her fiery glory. “You are Fireblood!” she exclaimed.
Confused, Adoril responded, “But I am also Jovaran, and I seek to celebrate with my brethren in Rhyehall.”
Annoyed, Tindra sighed and said, “You died to a fireball! Embarrassing.” Then, she smacked Adoril upon his forehead with the palm of her hand, indignantly.
The next thing Adoril remembered was waking up in the barracks of the Silver Order port on Marlquet Island. He learned that he had died in the Gauntlet and that Vallen had brought his soul back to his body. Some time later, he realized that Tindra had bestowed upon him a gift.
Kai Tsintah, Knight of the Silver Order
Death: 6th of Aries, 1055
Cause: Ran through by Elre Hyrhorn on horseback in the Gauntlet
Disposition: Resurrected by Vallen Dirthridir and the Matrons of Marlquet Island
Afterlife Experience
With a stroke of pain, Kai fell unconscious and everything faded to black until her vision adjusted to the moonlit night. The fact that she could not see as well in the darkness as she could usually did not concern her. There was a chill in the air, the sort that hearkened the coming of winter. She was alone in the woods of the outlands, casually walking.
It did not occur to her where she was walking or how she got to the woods. She merely walked ahead, the sporadic beams of moonlight that pierced the canopy illuminating her way. The woods were quiet, and the rustle of the leaves under her feet lulled her into aimless thought. After some time, she noticed the rustle of her feet were joined by another set matching her pace. She paused and looked around. The night was still, only her breath breaking into the silence. When she turned back around to continue forward, her gaze was met with that of a creature’s eyes reflected by the moonlight within the darkness ahead.
The eyes in the darkness approached her, but Kai was neither startled nor concerned. She caught glimpses of the creature’s form; it was a very large wolf. Just before it reached her, the wolf changed form into that of a young Errow woman with traditional garb. She stepped forward to Kai and put her hand on Kai’s cheek. “My poor daughter. You’ve had to endure so much, and now this.”
“Who are you?” Kai asked.
The woman took pity upon Kai and hugged her. “I am sorry, daughter. I am sorry for what had to be done.”
Kai stood motionless. “What was done, exactly?”
The woman pulled back, her hands gasping Kai’s arms, and sighed. “All this time you had a misconception of who I was, and when we finally met by happenstance, you could not accept it.”
“I don’t understand. Who are you?”
“Your mother, Kai. I am your mother, Doli.”
Unsure, Kai responded, “No, you’re not my mother. She was a simple tribeswoman. It was my father, the dark shaman, who was the skinwalker.”
The woman dropped her arms and shook her head. “Your father was dark indeed, darker than I had ever realized, but no, Kai, I am the skinwalker. You couldn’t have become one if it were your father. Our gift is only passed down from mother to daughter, father to son. Your aunt was trying to not only protect you from the tribe but also protect you from the truth.”
“But why? Why would she let me believe you were dead, that father had killed you?”
“Because she was weak!” another voice shot out from the darkness behind her. Though the woman was hiding it, Kai could see the fear in her countenance. Kai looked back to see an Errow man walking up behind her, his garb and hair wild and unkempt and his eyes burning yellow. “Turn around, daughter. Show your father what you have become.”
Kai turned to face the man, and he sized her up. “Yes, even in the spirit world I can sense the fury within you—but you are holding back. You feel too much.”
From behind her, the woman spoke into Kai’s ear. “Kai, do not listen to his words. They are an alluring poison upon the mind.”
“Be gone, woman! Can’t you see the stifled flame within her? If she would only let go and embrace her nature, she could become…” His words trailed off as his gaze focused upon Kai’s head. “What is this? What is this band of dark power upon your crown?”
Kai reached her hands up and patted her head, but there was nothing but her hair. “What do you mean?”
“Your soul is stained with a band of dark power the likes of which I have never witnessed.” The man began to pace back and forth, his gestures accentuating his words. “You should embrace this, Kai, use it to bend the will of others, to make others fear and serve you.”
From behind her, the woman wrapped her arms around Kai and exclaimed, “No! I will not let you take her, not the way you tried to take me!”
“It is not up to you, now is it? It is up to her. Will she wallow in this pathetic state, forever suffering at the hands of fools who would tell her what to do, or will she embrace that which she was given, that which she has found and suffer no more, bending others to her will?”
The next thing Kai remembered was waking up in the barracks of the Silver Order port on Marlquet island. She learned that she had died in the Gauntlet and Vallen had brought her soul back to her body. After some time to reflect, Kai realized she was being given a choice to follow one path or the other. And she realized that before she was brought back, she had already made her decision.
Death: 16th of Geminon, 1055
Cause: Decapitated by a Knight of Tydothos in the Gauntlet
Disposition: Resurrected by Vallen Dirthridir, Adoril Urthadar, and Sarafina Valhorn
Afterlife Experience
In the Gauntlet, Kai felt that there was some kind of magic trying to be cast upon her a number of times, and finally, it seemed, the magic was successful. She was teleported to a spot where a knight with a two-handed sword was waiting to lop her head off. Kai saw the blow coming and felt pain for a moment. She remembers falling to the ground and suddenly there was silence. Confused, she stood up and looked around. The arena was empty. She brushed herself off and started to walk around. None of her comrades or her opponents were there. As she was walking, a circle began to light up around her. It was the Gauntlet emblem, a dragon encircling a metal gauntlet in the form of a fist. Suddenly she was standing on the terrace where she was deposited by the indigo dragon.
The terrace was just as calm as the empty arena. There was no breeze or distant clamor of battle, just the serene lavender sand landscape under an indigo sky dotted with stars and a very large moon. Hearing footsteps, Kai turned to see Katrina emerging from the interior. She stopped about five paces away and said, “So you have returned?” Unsure what was happening, Kai responded, “Yeah, it seems I just can’t get enough of this place.” Katrina’s countenance changed into her signature expression, the smirk where one just cannot say if she is amused or if she is plotting. “It seems you are here because the Master has an offer for you.” Before Kai could respond, a clap of thunder broke over the conversation, drawing Katrina’s gaze toward the horizon and her consternation. “It seems someone else has laid claim to you.”
Kai turned to see a cloud of grey and white billowing out from within itself. Thunder followed flashes of light from within as the cloud billowed toward the tower. The cloud drew closer until it revealed a glowing eye in the center with lightning crackling about it. In an instant, Kai was struck by the searing lightning and transported to a landscaped devastated by an intense thunderstorm overhead. Repeatedly, lightning crashed all around Kai, forcing her to run for cover. No matter where she went, the storm was above, striking lightning, setting trees alight, and marring the land. The lightning chased her and the thunder deafened her. She was in perpetual torment, running, ducking, and dodging until she suddenly felt her very being tugged back to her body on the cold stone floor of the Elemental prison with the scarred face of Vallen looking down upon her.
Death: 18th of Geminon, 1055
Cause: Repeatedly being thrown against the stone walls in the Primordial prison.
Disposition: Restored to life by Primordial Air
Afterlife Experience
After succumbing to her self-imposed bludgeoning ritual, Kai awoke to the feeling of falling out of her bed, only to realize she was in free fall in the sky. After falling long enough for her panic to subside, she looked around and saw nothing but sky all around, above, and below. She fell for so long that eventually she tired of it and began thinking of ways to pass the time. She began angling her body to dart throughout the air, like fish do in water. Once she mastered that to her satisfaction, she decided to play a game of “Hit the Cloud,” and so she selected her target some distance below and aimed for it, imagining herself to be the head of an arrow. She had a few near misses before she struck a target, but she was surprised when she rebounded off the cloud into another direction. Having found it quite humorous and a little fun, she began playing “Bounce Off the Cloud” and later “Bounce Off as Many Clouds in a Row as Possible.”
Eventually without realizing it, she was having so much fun with her games that she had begun giggling and shrieking like a worry-free little girl, which caught the attention of some nearby sylphs. Barely discernible puffs of apple-sized air, the sylphs played along with Kai, doing as she did, following her, flying about her, and partaking in her merriment. Together they created new games to play, but eventually the sylphs tired of Kai and her games, and their attention took them elsewhere.
Alone again, Kai realized she had nothing to do but continue falling, so she began calling out to the sylphs, hoping they would return and help her out of her predicament. The little sylphs were far gone, but another appeared, larger than the others, and approached Kai. The sylph seemed curious about her. “You body is solid and so stiff. Does it hurt you when you move?”
Kai explained, “No, it moves just fine, but because it is heavier than air, all I can do is fall. Is there something you can do to help me with that?”
Still curious about her corporealness, the sylph poked at her and continued with her questions. “How is it that you arrived in this realm.”
Kai felt that she should know why, but all she could muster was, “I didn’t quite remember.”
“Hmm. Well, you can call me Atmos, and I’ll teach you how become one with air.”
The next thin Kai remembered was waking up on the cold floor of the Elemental prison to her comrades announcing, “Oh, Kai’s finally up. Maybe now we can get moving.”
Marcus Muddywaters, Knight of the Silver Order
Death: 6th of Aries, 1055
Cause: Repeated bludgeoning to the head by Tavin Grimmane in the Gauntlet
Disposition: Resurrected by Vallen Dirthridir and the Matrons of Marlquet Island
Afterlife Experience
As Marcus fell unconscious, everything faded to black. Then everything got so bright that Marcus had to shade his eyes. Eventually, the spots from the brightness faded, and he realized he had been staring at the sun. He was alone on a small boat about a mile off some tropical coast, fishing in calm, clear waters. The setting was serene; the weather was pleasant, with a slight breeze running across his face and the sun hanging high within an azure sky, dotted with clouds. Marcus was content. He had no questions of how he got to the boat or memory of what he was doing last. His thoughts drifted off aimlessly as the surf lapping against his boat lulled him.
Some time passed, and then suddenly a voice spoke out to him, breaking his serenity but not startling him. “Any bites?”
The voice was familiar. Marcus turned to see Giovanni in the boat. He was sitting on the bench beside him, tending to a fishing pole cast out on the side opposite Marcus’s pole. Marcus just shook his head and looked back to his pole.
“Very nice out here. I see why you like it,” Giovanni added.
“It’s peaceful,” Marcus responded, his gaze remaining upon his bobber.
Giovanni nodded in agreement, “Hmm.”
More time passed, with only the lapping of the waves and the clicking of the fishing reels breaking the silence. Then a different voice spoke. “There seems to be a number of people gathering ashore.”
Marcus looked over to the new voice and saw a different man sitting where Giovanni was moments before, though he remained unfazed as if it were this man and not Giovanni who had been sitting there all along. Then, Marcus looked to the shore and saw a small crowd on the sandy beach, looking his direction. “What are they looking at?”
“You, I’d surmise.”
“Why?”
“Well, they’re waiting—waiting for you to arrive.”
“I have no desire to go ashore. I’m fine here.”
“I can see that.” Some time passed further as Marcus continued fishing. Then the man spoke again. “Are you simply going to stay here?”
“Why not? I enjoy fishing.”
“You cannot stay here forever.”
“The sun’s still high, and the water is calm. I’ll go in when I’m tired.”
“Marcus,” the man spoke with presence, drawing Marcus’s gaze, “you cannot stay here forever. When the time comes, you are going to have to choose.”
“Choose what?”
“Choose between one side or the other. You cannot remain in between.”
“In between what?” The man motioned to the horizon, opposite the shore. Off in the distance was a shadow over a dark land. Marcus looked back over to the crowd at the nearby shore still gathering. Then he looked back to his fishing pole and let the man’s words fall into silence.
Some more time passed, and Marcus turned to the man to ask a question, but the man was gone. He looked to the shore once again; the crowd was still there. He looked once again to the dark land; flashes of lightning flickered across it. He looked to his pole in the pristine sea; the water was still lapping, the sun was still high, and the breeze still blowing gently.
The next thing Marcus recalled was waking up in the barracks of the Silver Order port. He learned that he had died in the Gauntlet and that Vallen had brought his soul back to his body. Later, Marcus was reflecting upon his experience as he fished a few miles from the port. He wondered about the man. He was someone Marcus didn’t know, and yet Marcus acted like he knew the man. In an epiphany, it occurred to Marcus where he had seen the man before: it was the statue in the tomb outside Casperia. Then he remembered the question he was about to ask before the man disappeared: which side do I choose?
Marcus looked to the port where his comrades were preparing for their journey. He looked over the horizon toward Hauther where darkness hovered high above. He looked to his bobber, with the water lapping upon his boat and a breeze across his face. When the time came, which side would he choose?
Death: 15th of Geminon, 1055
Cause: Suffocation due to lungs filling up with soil in the Primordial prison
Disposition: Restored to life by Primordial Earth
Afterlife Experience
Marcus remembers being buried and trying to climb out of the earth. Despite his efforts, he finally tired relented to the fact that his death was inevitable. Everything went still as he awaited blackness, but after far too many moments before blacking out, he realized nothing wad happening. Then a stillness washed over him, similar to a meditative state. In this state, he got a sense of his surroundings as if he could feel the earth through vibrations reaching his skin. From his mind’s eye interpreting what he “saw” though the vibrations he felt, a figure of stone approached Marcus in the earth and looked him over. Finally, after being “inspected” for quite a few moments, Marcus introduced himself and asked what he could call the entity. As with all responses he received, there was a longer-than-usual pause. “You may call me Grant.”
“Hello, Grant. Where am I? Am I going to become Earthbound now?”
“You died an earthy death but not of our doing, so the fact that you were brought before us is unusual.”
“Oh. Well, I was in a Primordial temple on the Isle of Marr, and I touched an earthen staff. So, can I become Earthbound now?”
“If you were present at a Primordial temple, we would have been aware.”
“It was a magic temple under an Ancient floating palace. In the middle of was a giant being of purple energy.”
Grant remained still for quite some time. “The structure of which you speak may be an Ancient prison containing an Aetherial Scion, not a temple venerating the primordial elements.”
“Well, we were trying to free the scion in the center, so if I remain dead I can’t help my comrades do that. So, can I become Earthbound now? I can go back and free the scion.”
“You were not taken by Earthen means, so tradition dictates that your energy move onward.”
“But, I can free the scion.”
“In time, the scion will be released. To Earthbound, time is not the burden it is to fleeting beings.”
“But, I can do it now. Now is better, right?”
“Your impatience is indicative of the Airborne within you.”
“I am not Airborne.”
“You have the ability to stir wind, do you not? We sense it in you.”
“I can move a little bit of wind because of my ancestor. He was a powerful wizard.”
“Wizard or not, the Airborne is already within you. Your energy should have been brought to them.”
“But, I am already here. Two of my comrades are already Fireblood and Waterborne. If I become Earthbound, my other comrades could become Airborne and Aethereal, and then we would be a Primordial force in Hauther. We could be, like, power knights.”
Grant moved away from Marcus, and for what seemed like hours, he stayed in place, stuck in the earth. Then he remembers having hiccups, which soon built up to convulsions. Then Marcus remembers gasping for breath. When he opened his eyes, he was on the floor of the Primordial prison, alone.
Tavin Grimmane, Knight of the Silver Order
Death: 2nd of Aries, 1055
Cause: Drowning in the Primordial Temple of Water on Marlquet Island
Disposition: Restored to life by Primordial Air
Afterlife Experience
TBD
Death: 6th of Aries, 1055
Cause: Massive fire damage from a fireball cast by Vallen Dirthridir in the Gauntlet
Disposition: Resurrected by Vallen Dirthridir and the Matrons of Marlquet Island
Afterlife Experience
As burning pain covered Tavin’s entire body, everything went dark. Soon, he was awoken by small drops of water upon his face. Tavin stood up without remembering or questioning what he was doing beforehand and looked around. He was standing in a cave, his feet in about six inches of crystalline water that illuminated everything in a surreal dance of refracted light. Unconcerned with the source of the light, Tavin found a stone and sat, allowing the dancing light and drops of water to lull him into aimless thought.
After some time had passed, Tavin noticed a figure standing in the water, gazing at him. It was Hruja Helder, his former commander in the Lamekh army. She was dripping wet, as if she had risen out of the water below. “Well met, Tavin,” she said, once his eyes met hers.
Tavin was neither startled nor concerned about her sudden presence. “Oh, hi. I went looking for you, you know.”
“I am not the person you see. I have simply taken her form to appear to you. I am Precipe of the Waterborne. I am your familiar, your guide and mentor. What brings you to us so soon?”
Tavin thought, but he couldn’t recall just how he had come to arrive in the cave. “I’m not sure. I’m just…here.”
Precipe pointed toward a stone near Tavin. “Look. What do you see?”
“A rock.”
“What do you see striking the stone?”
“Water.”
“Drops of water. Drops of water that individually, have little impact upon the stone. However, over time, as each drop strikes the surface, the stone yields.” As Precipe’s words reverberated throughout the cavern, Tavin witnessed an acceleration of time. He watched the countless drops of water striking the stone blur together into what appeared like a watery drill, boring through the stone. “Do you see the effect water can have, Tavin, with determination and persistence?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you understand?”
“Yeah, that over time, water can poke through rocks.”
“The power of water is not just in the rushing of a river or the ebb and flow of the tide. The power of water is in the persistence and determination of even the smallest drops. You are those drops of water, Tavin, and it is your persistence that will shape your fortune. Do you understand, Tavin?”
Tavin looked back down at the drops of water striking the stone, which had returned to its original state. “Yeah. I think I go it.”
Precipe walked toward Tavin and kissed him on the forehead. The next thing Tavin remembered was waking up in the barracks of the Silver Order port on Marlquet Island. He learned that he had died in the Gauntlet and that Vallen had brought his soul back to his body. Some time later, Tavin realized that Precipe had bestowed a gift upon him.
Yugao, Knight of the Silver Order
Death: 16th of Geminon, 1055
Cause: Decapitation by a Knight of Tydothos in the Gauntlet
Disposition: Resurrected by Vallen Dirthridir, Adoril Urthadar, and Sarafina Valhorn
Afterlife Experience
In the Gauntlet, Yugao remembers getting caught on the wrong end of three knights wielding two-handed swords. She dodged the first two but suddenly experienced the curious sensation of cold steel brushing through her throat and then her vision tumbling backwards toward the ground. Then she remembers sudden silence. Confused, she stood up and looked around. The arena was empty. She brushed herself off and started to walk around. None of her comrades or her opponents were there. As she was walking, a circle began to light up around her. It was the Gauntlet emblem, a dragon encircling a metal gauntlet in the form of a fist. Suddenly she was standing on the terrace where she was first gated in when the Gauntlet called.
The terrace was just as calm as the empty arena. There was no breeze or distant clamor of battle, just the serene lavender sand landscape under an indigo sky dotted with stars and a very large moon. Hearing footsteps, Yugao turned to see Katrina emerging from the interior. She stopped about five paces away and said, “That was quick.”
Unsure what was happening, Yugao responded, “Where are all my comrades?”
“They’re still preoccupied, but that’s not the question you should be asking.”
“Oh yeah? How do you know I don’t already know the answer to the question you think I should be asking?”
Katrina’s countenance changed into her signature expression, the smirk where one just cannot say if she is amused or if she is plotting. “All right, then answer the question for me then, because I’m truly curious as to know; Why is it that you’re worthy to be here?”
“Well don’t you know? You’re the one in charge of this place.”
Before Katrina could respond, a clap of thunder broke over the conversation, drawing her gaze toward the horizon. “Well,” she responded, “Now it matters not. Someone else has laid claim to you.”
Yugao turned to see a cloud of grey and white billowing out from within itself. Thunder followed flashes of light from within as the cloud billowed toward the tower. The cloud drew closer until it revealed a glowing eye in the center with lightning crackling about it. In an instant, Yugao was struck by the searing lightning and transported to a landscaped devastated by an intense thunderstorm overhead. Repeatedly, lightning crashed all around her, forcing her to run for cover.
No matter where she went, the storm was above, striking lightning, setting trees alight, and marring the land. The lightning chased her and the thunder deafened her, but she was determined not to succumb to its wrath. She ran, ducked, and dodged, but there was no respite. She eventually encountered others, harried as her. She ignored them at first, but as the unrelenting storm crashed all around her, she began to think that perhaps this was part of the Guantlet, or perhaps she had been drawn into some mind magic and she was imagining it all. Either way, she realized what she had to do to escape. She had to kill…everyone.
And so she began her onslaught, killing everyone she encountered, taking advantage of their confusion and fear, striking true each time without hesitation. She ran the gauntlet of lightning, thunder clapping overhead, slowly driving her mad—mad with drive to succeed, mad with a single dark purpose. One, two, three, four score slain, and yet she continued. She hunted while being hunted, becoming ever more bloodthirsty, convinced that the next one would be the one that releases her, and when that wasn’t the case, she willed herself onward to the next.
To keep what little sanity she had remaining, she howled in defiance against the storm, calling out her death count. And just as her body was spent, just as her energy was spent, she fell to her knees, but she still had the will to howl once more, “You cannot break me! For I am death, reaper of souls!” Suddenly she felt her very being tugged back to her body on the cold stone floor of the Elemental prison with the scarred face of Vallen looking down upon her.
And she understood her new purpose.