Lore24 Roundup 16
- Aelyrya Payne
- Aug 5, 2024
- 9 min read
April 15th - 21st (Days 106-112)
Welcome to Lore24 Roundup 16!
With more artefacts and legends to explore, we continue our wander through the halls of stories old, with quite a lot of focus on the Gods, this time around! If you want to see the original post, they can all be found on my Mastodon.
Remember, all Lore24 posts are initial thoughts - they are not finalised at this stage!
Breakdown of Lore24 Roundup 16
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106. The Cup of the Divine Sun
Gifted to Haul’s followers during the Age of Chaos, the Cup of the Divine Sun is a Celestial Relic crafted by Haul and Adarvan to provide a guiding light in the darkness of chaos. The cup, made of Celestial Gold and studded with Solar Rubies and Sunstones, is capable of emitting sunlight in a 250ft radius, as well as temporarily purifying an area of Fiendish, Necrotic and Aberrant energies. It was given to Haul’s followers so that they may lead people of all faiths to safety amongst the chaos, allowing them to create pockets of Sanctuary for travellers to rest within. Drinking water purified within the cup also imbued the drinkers with courage, and allowed them to more easily empower themselves to discover their true selves and place within the world.
At one point during the Age of Darkness, the Cup was stolen by followers of Fachnan, hoping to appease their God by sowing discourse. Fachnan was amused, but Haul was less so, and eventually forced Fachnan to order his followers to relinquish the Relic. True to his chaotic nature, Fachnan had his followers leave the Cup to be reclaimed, but the location was hidden when the followers slew themselves. Early in the Age of Redemption the Cup was finally reclaimed when Haul’s Chosen found the Cup’s resting place, bested the traps and trials within and completed the riddles to open the tomb. The Cup now resides at Haul’s Temple of the Blessed Sun.
Holy objects, especially cups or goblets, are quite common as symbols of light in darkness. For Haul's relic, I took inspiration from the concept of the Holy Grail as a healing and guiding entity, and the concept of the cup as a container. Cups are, of course, actual containers so that makes sense, but as a cup or chalice is traditionally considered a feminine object of the water element, I may have turned it a little on its head by relating it to two male, fire Deities! This was important for me because cup-like objects, such as braziers and oil torches, are also used for, yes, fire. The cup is merely the container from which the people of A'arde can drink the gift of the Sun God. It could easily have been a sword, or even something silly like a horseshoe. But it was a cup. Maybe in honour of Haul's wife and Adarvan's cousin, the Goddesses of Healing and Water. Who knows...
107. The Breath of the Esurient
In the north of Eirinn and Duraloth, children are taught to fear the fog, for the things that lurk within are straight from nightmares borne. The fog alone can be dangerous; impairing vision, disorienting, obscuring other hazards such as beasts and monsters… But the biggest problem in the North is that you can never tell if fog is JUST fog, or the Breath of the Esurient, heralding the coming of its hunger. In the Breath of an Esurient, your physical hunger is amplified while your deepest, darkest desires are turned against you. It toys with your mind and body; encourages primal urges and whispers of all the things it could grant to you. Food, wealth, sex… even eternal life. But you are never alone in an Esurient’s Breath. Apparitions haunt you and Biastan Gortach, the Hunger Beasts, stalk your every move, luring and driving you closer to the Esurient’s lair, where the monstrous Master of Hungers will decide your fate. To die as food, or to serve as it's ever-tormented puppet.
Always fear the fog in the North, weary travellers. Seek shelter inside; lock your doors. If caught out… well… pray then, that your stomach doesn’t grumble…
The Esurient, and it's mythic breath, are a bit of a weird one for me, because when I came up with it I was actually working on something else entirely. I'm not sure what triggered the descent into the realms of Wendigos (this is something I have struggled to effectively include in A'arde thus far due to sensitivity) but I eventually ended up creating the concept for a giant monstrosity that could create Biastan Gortach on a whim as well as manipulate others by using their hungers, both physical and mental, against them. The Breath was the final touch - fog is always something of a fear inducer, as anyone who has ever played Silent Hill will know!
108. The Last Floating City
In the Age of Arcana, Mages and Artificers built massive floating cities that moved around the world seemingly on a whim. Living on one of these marvels was considered a privilege, but in the fall of the Age of Arcana, it was a curse. One by one, the floating cities fell from the sky, the cause of their failures not truly known, and all life upon them perishing as they impacted the world below. All cities, that is, except one.
Ustaf-Vriel; the City of Iron-Heart. She alone remained afloat as chaos reigned on A’arde below, and the residents of Ustaf-Vriel closed themselves off from all that was happening, ignoring the plight of all life on A’arde for the next 10,000 years. Now, Ustaf-Vriel wanders the sky, protected by powerful magic that both keeps ground-dwellers out, and their own people in. It mainly floats over uninhabited areas, never staying in one place for too long, and of all the attempts by ground-dwellers to reach it, only a handful have returned alive. Of those few, none have returned with their minds intact, so no-one knows if they even reached Ustaf-Vriel at all. Rumour has it that the city is cursed with the dying words of a powerful sorcerer, but the truth of that, much like Ustaf-Vriel herself, is a mystery.
Based on the floating cities of Netheril from Forgotten Realms, Laputa of Gulliver's Travels, Skypiea of One Piece, Sky City of Flash Gordon, and various other floating cities of fiction, I appear to just... like the idea of them?! A floating city is a symbol of the peak of technology or magic, and the fact that they all fell to begin the Age of Chaos, except for one, is pretty significant. But it's not the haven or sanctuary that people believe it to be.
109. The Temple of Sersah-Zaco
Also known as the Temple of the Shadow Host, ‘Tempulli i Pritësit të Hijes’ in Draconic, the temple of the Dragon God Sersah-Zaco is a difficult place to find. Located on Caestar Valdurduuin in the Spine of Ythrynaar, between Zeratal and East Eirinn, the peak of the mountain is permanently shrouded in thick clouds that block the view of the temple from below. At 29,000 feet, the summit is impossible to reach without magic, unless you are a dragon, meaning that Mortals have rarely visited Sersah-Zaco’s temple. The highest most Mortals can climb is 20,000 feet, to the Kreshta e Vdekur (Dead Ridge). Legend has it that the summit was chosen as the site of the temple in honour of the Death God’s preference for quiet and contemplative places. Only the truly devout would ever dare make the journey, and those that succeeded would be greatly rewarded. The temple is said to be carved from shadowstone inlaid with black diamonds and lapis lazuli, and Sersah-Zaco himself is said to have helped build it. Inside, the altar is said to be made out of dragon bones donated by Sersah-Zaco’s priests, and a pool of shadow hides a gateway to his lair in Kupï Qiellore, but few have ever reached it.
Despite being a God of Death, Sersah-Zaco is a pretty cool guy who values life, but also values his quiet and peace. Priests of the Temple are under strict orders to rescue and return to the foothills as many of the visitors who fall in their journey as they can, but as so few Mortals dare to make the journey in the first place, it is rare that they need to interfere. Sersah-Zaco is predominantly an observer of the Material Plane, but he is known to have at least one child, believed to be a son by a Priestess that he favours greatly.
110. The Torc of Aerona
Sometimes known as the Ergydwir Torc or the Trueshot Torc, this intricately woven neck ring is decorated with images of leaves and vines inlaid with powdered malachite. The Torc is thought to be made from Empyrean Gold and is a Divine Artefact of the Elven Goddess, Aerona Ergydwir. The Torc was originally given to her Chosen Champion during the Age of Chaos, and after their death was given to the Church of the Trueshot for safe keeping. The Torc is now considered a sacred relic of the Church and is kept within a secure vault deep within the Temple of the Wild Lady in Cnuic Ghlainne. Only a Chosen is able to use the powers of the Torc, but Aerona is very careful about who she chooses to give her Mark to. This has not prevented thieves from attempting to steal the Torc, but all attempts have resulted in the dispatch of Trueshot’s Holy Paladins, who are relentless in pursuit of their quarry. The Torc is said to increase its wearer’s Dexterity, precision with ranged weapons, and awareness, as well as gifting additional resilience against attacks. It naturally glows in the dark, most likely due to its Divine nature, and allows the wearer to cast True Strike, even if they cannot normally cast spells.
I have always loved the concept of torcs, though I've never worn one myself because in a way, they're also quite terrifying! Perhaps it's the idea that I might not be able to get it off again and I'll be stuck wearing it forever like some kind of jougs... It's a weird fear, I know. I should probably expand on the Trueshot Holy Paladins at some point in the future, but who knows when I'll get around to it.
111. Riverthorn
A mythical longbow supposedly crafted by Berwyn Gwylltionwyrdd, the Elven God of Mountains, Rivers and Wilderness, as a gift for his lover, Aerona Ergydwir. Riverthorn was one of Aerona’s favourite bows, and she was heartbroken when it was stolen from her by Cyfrinach Calonwyllt, the Goddess of Rebellion, Betrayal and Wild Magic. Cyfrinach attempted to corrupt Riverthorn to her preferences, but a sentience within the bow awoke and rejected the Wildheart Lady, teleporting itself away to safety. However, the now-sentient bow did not know where on A’arde it was, nor how to get back to its beloved “parents”, and its magical power was all but spent. So, Riverthorn prayed for help, hoping that Aerona or Berwyn would hear its call. And hear they did, but they did not recognise the Soul that was calling them. They asked for Arawn’s help in identifying the Soul, but he did not know it either, and so the three went on a Hunt to find this mysterious call. When they finally found Riverthorn, Aerona and the bow were both delighted, and Berwyn was pleased with Riverthorn’s loyalty. He crafted the bow a new, Elven body, and Riverthorn became Anhun Riverthorn, Aerona’s closest Knight and most powerful weapon.
I was on a run with Aerona, it seems, when I wrote about Riverthorn. I've always been fascinated with stories of Knights who were cursed and trapped within objects, but the idea of an object awakening sentience and becoming a Knight was one I was not familiar with. I tried looking for examples in media, but came up with nothing, so I had to wing it with Riverthorn.
112. The Anvil of Jernmand
The Anvil of Jernmand is both a Divine Object and a magical ability gifted to those who Jernmand favours, generally his Chosen. The object is literally Jernmand’s anvil, located in the Grand Forge of Stringens Fœstning, the Fortress of Rigor in Mountainforge. Jernmand creates all of his most prized works on this anvil, including Oluf’s Battlehammer, Asger’s Waraxe, and Helle’s Scepter. It is said that any weapon created upon the Anvil of Jernmand is stronger and more deadly than normal, while armour is more resilient and protective. The anvil also imbues all of its creations with holy radiance, which can manifest as holy fire, divine shielding, or some other manifestation of Godly power. For this reason, Jernmand keeps the anvil well protected, and any use of it without his permission will incur his divine wrath.
The magical ability allows Jernmand’s Chosen to temporarily imbue weapons or armour with magical benefits, such as increased resilience, a higher damage output, or an additional damage type. Chosen can use these abilities a number of times depending on the Grade of their Mark and the level of their favour with the smithing God.
One of my NPCs is a Chosen of Jernmand, but his history with the God is long and complicated. There's a lot of self-doubt in him; he doesn't believe he should be a Chosen, he doesn't think he's good enough, and all because he doesn't truly know who he is. It's pretty tough for the guy, but he gets through it with a stern face and just... keeping his feelings to himself.
Now that we have survived the creepy that is the Esurient, next time will be exploring more artefacts, and a famous hero! Follow me on socials to keep up with my various projects!
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