The Fabled Planes of Power Lore – Part 10

Additional Crypt of Decay Lore:

Lost Legends Vol. 1: Torch of Lxanvom

Throughout worlds, planes, and other dimensions there are many different objects of an immense power. These artifacts are only known of legends and rumors spread throughout the various lands. The Torch of Lxanvom is one of these artifacts.

The founding king, Bhaly Adan, of a once great civilization that was destroyed by the machinations of Bertoxxulous created it. The Torch of Lxanvom was placed in the depths of the burial tomb of kings built by Bhaly for him and his ancestors. It was used in the rite of burial ceremony performed upon the kings before they were buried sealing them away in an everlasting peace.

The whereabouts of the torch have been lost since the fall of that civilization. It is said to look like an open torch with a burning blue flame and is known to possess immense power. The power it possesses is said to envelop the user in a guardian shield of light blue flame that provides its owner with some protection.

Raex and Vindor

Long ago Raex and Vindor were childhood friends in the Kingdom of Skaxron. As they grew up together they played, fought, and competed with each other constantly. Both young men turned out to be the greatest warriors for generations to come. They became pledged as knights in service to their liege lord, the good King Randall. Two years after they were knighted the War of Ages engulfed their continent as a necromancer in service to dark powers made his bid to rule the world. This war caused them both to be separated as they fought the encroaching forces of the necromancer across the land to save their beloved kingdom. Unfortunately many years passed and their king was slain putting the entire world under the rule of the iron fisted dark emperor.

Both Raex and Vindor survived these lean years as mercenaries and they swore complete and utter vengeance upon the dark emperor that ruled the land. They did not have to wait long for someone was listening. Bertoxxulous, Lord of Decay, had heard their plea and offered to assist them for their permanent indentured servitude to him. He knew they were among the greatest of warriors to live and they would aid him greatly in his rise to power. Blinded by the vengeance they so greatly desired, both of them immediately agreed to the deal. With a mocking laugh and a snap of his fingers, Bertoxxulous banished his servant, the dark emperor, to another realm and he accepted these two great warriors into his service. To this day they still do not know he had conquered their world just to get to them.

Hands of Blood: Carprin Deatharn

Long ago on the continent of Antonica within the world of Norrath there was a small village known as Yawnwater. The village of Yawnwater was a typical village filled with happy villagers. Surrounding the village was a nice landscape of trees and wildflowers. In the middle of the village was a small shrine of a fountain with a statue in the middle in front of a small altar. The shrine was dedicated to the goddess of love, Erollisi Marr. It was located right off of a small river that flowed down into a great lake. However, there came a time when all did not remain right with the happy little village of Yawnwater.

On a dark night when the moon was just a silver sliver in the night sky, terror and destruction came down upon the happy little village of Yawnwater. The dark knight, Carprin Deatharn, was determined to prove to his god, Bertoxxulous the Lord of Decay, that he was an exalted spreader of corruption and decay that was unmatched. He came upon the village and set to destroying it. He immediately killed off any resistance and then gathered up the elderly, women, and children who were too weak to defend themselves around the shrine of Erollisi Marr.

Carprin then set to systematically desecrating the temple by performing a series of dark sacrifices on its altar. After the sacrifice he infected the rest of the survivors with an incurable malady that left them slowly wasting away and dying. When Bertoxxulous saw all that his servant did in his name he was pleased and raised him to new levels of power. Carprin joined his master in his domain soon after.

Diseased Storms: The Tale of Toluwon

Within the Plains of Karana in a time not so long ago the clergy of Karana erected a small temple in honor of their lord. Among those present at the building of this temple was young Toluwon a promising new cleric that had recently been raised up from the rank of acolyte. Young Toluwon was one of the most promising clerics to come into the service of Karana in years. He had shown wisdom beyond his years, mastered the honored rituals of Karana in a short time, and performed the extremely difficult Ritual of Thunder and Lightning for the first time in centuries. However, all this was soon to come to an end for young Toluwon for fate had a different path for him to walk.

Young Toluwon returned to his home soon after helping finish up the final building stages of the temple. He wanted to visit the love of his life in the nearby city of Qeynos. When he arrived at his lover's house, he found a small note asking him to meet her at a private locale. Concerned he made his way there immediately to find something he could not believe. His lover was a secret worshipper of the dark god Bertoxxulous. She was with a group of people in brown robes muttering chants to their Lord of Decay. She offered him a chance to join them that he immediately accepted.

When this decision was made, they immediately sent him out to prove his faith. They sent him against his old brethren in the newly built temple in the Plains of Karana. When he arrived they were surprised to see him back so early. He assured them everything was all right, and told them that he needed to get some rest, but little did they know what he was truly planning. Later in the dead of night he crept around and slit the throats of each individual priest within the temple. Then performing the dark ritual that was given to him by the priests of Bertoxxulous he desecrated the newly erected temple. He was now a full-fledged member of Bertoxxulous' clergy. This is how Bishop Toluwon came to join the legions of corruption. As years passed Toluwon rose through ranks into a powerful priest of Bertoxxulous. For his duty given and the unrelenting devotion to the spread of decay and corruption he possessed he was raised to serve his master in his domain.

Rise of Avhi Escron

Thousands of years ago in lands long gone there was a prophecy of power. It said, 'One shall be born perched between light and darkness. He will grow and one day he will shroud the world in golden light or encompassing darkness. For he will choose.' Avhi Escron was born shortly after this. She was the child foretold in the prophecy and the forces of light and dark waged war over her. As time passed she began to show signs of extreme magical power unmatched by any ever known to the world. The time for her to choose was fast approaching.

As the time came upon her she was tempted by the forces of dark with images of unseen power, wealth beyond imagining, and endless lands to rule. With these images in her mind she chose the side of darkness and the world in an encompassing darkness. Bertoxxulous was among the powers that she now served.

Decay and corruption became a daily part of Avhi's life as she explored the dark arts of necromancy. Creating new dark rituals, and spells became commonplace as she reached the pinnacle of her power. During this time she declared herself fully in the service of the Lord of Decay. Soon after, she brought down a mighty spell of foul corruption upon the land, laying waste to huge tracts of land. And so she continued until one day she was raised to the side of her lord in his domain.

Fall of the Wemmal Royal Family

The Wemmal Family had ruled their tiny self-sufficient kingdom from a small island in the middle of the endless sea for many years. Not knowing or caring about any of the other continents and lands out there it was a self-contained island of peace. One day that peace changed for chance had brought the sole survivor of a shipwreck to a beach on their land. The survivor was Banord Paffa, a cook from a pirate ship that was wrecked in a tremendous storm the night before. The islanders discovered him on the beach and brought him to the royal family.

The Wemmal's were taken with this seemingly charming pirate from lands unknown. They offered him a position on the cooking staff for he knew many exotic dishes that they had not heard of. However, the Wemmal's would soon learn that their new cook had a dark secret. Banford was a worshipper of Bertoxxulous, the Lord of Decay. He set to slowly poisoning the food he served to the royal family. Soon the whole royal family was sick and dying. It was discovered by a healer that he had been poisoning them, but it was to late for the malady was incurable and then each of the Wemmal's were dead because of Banord. The islanders maddened by grief for their beloved rulers lynched Banford. But the dark deity, Bertoxxulous, was pleased with what Banord had done and gave him a new form in the Plane of Disease where he now serves his lord.

Origins of the Bubonians

Down in the depths of some forgotten tomb Tarkon Praez, a necromancer in service to Bertoxxulous, was performing experiments on a tribe of rat men he had enslaved. During this time he bred many various rat men but none of them were what he wanted. He wanted a ravenous, festering, and foul breed that would strike terror and fear into the hearts of the pure. Tarkon decided to pray one day to his dark god for guidance.

After many hours of prayers, foul rituals and sacrifices Bertoxxulous enlightened him with a vision of what he must do. He would have to travel to the far reaches and find the necessary components to perform a ritual of the darkest evil. The four components he had to gather were a unicorn heart, tail of a phoenix, tears of a virgin, and the blood of a faerie. After many trials and tribulations he had gathered the necessary components and began the dark ritual. What took form was more than he expected. It was an extremely evil crazed race of rat men that carried a foul plague in their blood and minds. He dubbed them the Bubonians and set them upon the land.

The Bubonians tore the land a part spreading disease, death, and destruction wherever they went. This went on for a time until they were banished from the world by a good and noble order of knights. Bertoxxulous then took the Bubonians into the Crypt of Decay and that is where they have festered ever since waiting to lay waste to the world once again.

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The Fabled Planes of Power Lore

The Fabled Planes of Power Lore – Part 10

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