xenon

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@Zool@Calle@Saiyan@Teyao@Crusader Lord@Zapdos@Eviledd1984

"HE'S AFTER THE CUBE!!!"

Weakling No.1

My forced march throughout the night and day has used a significant portion of my magical reserves. It has been years since I ever felt like this. I'd almost forgotten what it meant to be 'tired.'

No matter. I am still beyond any of them.

The Ranger is fast, no doubt. Faster than she should be. Urgency. Adrenaline. Love for her friends. Humanity. Special qualities that make a person break through barriers. Admirable.

No matter. I am still faster.

Zigmund looked to his left as MacKensie swooped in, then changed speed instantly. He slowed almost to a stop so he could crouch down at the last second, grabbing the Ranger by the wrist before her dagger could land. He yanked her up as he stood up straight and punched her in the stomach, then tossed her aside. His sight turned back onto Lillianna and he was heading towards her once more.

"Hand it over, woman."

The time taken to deal with MacKensie had slowed him barely. He rushed the wizard, aiming to grab her by the throat.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Towns and Cities

Valhiem

Notable Characters in Valhiem

Special thanks to all our players for contributing to Valhiem with NPCs and breathing life into the city!

Lucinda Bottrill

Lucinda 'Lucy' Bottrill

Lucinda Bottrill is one of two Guildmasters for the Adventurer's Guild Valhiem Chapter. She hails from the Desert Elf Clans in North Eastern Mytheria, a region that has been in turmoil since the arrival of The Witch Queen. It is currently unknown what has become of her people, but Lucy remains confident that they found a way to go into hiding, ready to reveal themselves when the time is right. She's a workaholic, helpful and professional. In spite of not being gifted with the Source Crystal, Lucy is somewhat proficient with weapons and magic, and is very-much acquainted with the variety of personalities and uniqueness that Adventurers seem to come with. She is charismatic, can meet people at their own level and her excellent administration skills sees the Guild in Valhiem running smoothly. Romantically, Lucy has a non-comittal on/off relationship the Director of Research and Technology at the Academy, Clarissa Shields. Why they don't just get it over with and marry is anybody's guess, as they are clearly madly in love. Lucy also has a dog called Scribble, who treats the Guildhouse like his home.

Clarissa Shields

Clarissa Shields

Clarissa Shields is the Director of Research and Technology at Valhiem's Academy. She hails from Finley, a small city in Southwestern Mytheria and recieved the Source Crystal as a teenager who already well on her to being a genius in engineering. She rose in the Academy of Finley, but moved to the big city of Valhiem to increase her career prospects, a move that has born fruit. This woman is crazy, known to conduct experiments that have almost killed her. She is also somewhat lacking in interpersonal skills, which actually proves just how genius she is, as she has risen to such a position in the Academy and cultivated a strong reputation across the land without the need for excessive mingling and networking. Obssessed with work and technological progress, Clarissa also finds time to be a competent leader of her department when delegation and direction is necessary. She is also not afraid of difficult decision. Strong minded like her lover, Lucy Bottrill, she is a credit to Valhiem's Academy.

Areleth

(Areleth in his younger years, before he'd risen to the status of High Septum)

Areleth of the Snow Clan

One might first notice that Areleth has no surname. Snow Elves never do. Instead they consider themselves all one big family, as they descended from a small handful of Snow Elves who survived the wrath of The Ice Dragons back in the Mythic Age for daring to stand up to them. Such is a story for another time. Areleth left home in search of his destiny, for like most Snow Elves, there comes a time in their lives when they wake up suddenly with the foresight to know what life holds for them. And so he concieved a child with a close friend in the clan, as was tradition before leaving, then went off and eventually found himself in service of The Quinity. With great wisdom, knowledge and decision-making, Areleth rose to the position of High Septum, the highest rank one can recieve without taking his career to Capitol City and serving in the Basilica Magna Decoris, The Highest Governing Body of all things religious in Mytheria. He is calm and wise, gifted with remarkable kindness and understanding, Valhiem has never had a High Septum that would wash the feet of a beggar in the street. Perhaps no city in Mytheria has ever had such. Areleth is one of a kind.

Mayor Joseph Pendlebury

Mayor Joseph Pendlebury

A typical blue-blood and nothing more, really. That is not to say that Joseph Pendlebury is not a good man. It is not to say that Joseph Pendlebury is not a man of principle and smarts. It's just that, by the very nature of Mytherian Politics... nay, Mytherian Power Dynamics... unless one is of the highest birth, being simply of the nobility doesn't really make a person stand out. And that is what Joseph is - a noble who was pushed into politics by his father and did his father proud by achieving the highest position in local government. His 6 year service is almost up and the elections draw near, but with war on the city's doorstep, nobody really cares who is running the city. In this time of crisis, the people are looking to The Academy, The Adventurer's Guild, the High Septum at the Temple of the Quinity, Valhiem's military and especially outward to Capitol City, where sits Council of Heroes, the most powerful bearers of Source Crystals in all the land. Sorry Joseph... you're just a little too ordinary in times like this.

Gildor Hammerfist

Gildor Hammerfist

Gildor Hammerfist is an arcane Blacksmith and the very best in the business. He owns a shop in the commerical district of Valhiem by the waterside and welcomes all providing they have the coin or the knowledge to 'talk shop' with him. He is a lawful citizen and tends to stay away from anything involving Dark Domain Source. That is until a certain skelly-slaying-hero-from-the-sky walked into his shop. Anyway, Gildor is highly respected by blacksmiths all over Mytheria. He bears his own Source Crystal, and has used ascension to further his skills and expertise in his field. His wares range from a 200 Silver all the way up to 60 Platinum Chips. Yes, he is that skilled at what he does.

'The Snake' Titus Hart

'The Snake' Titus Hart

Titus once belonged to a strong, Platinum ranked Adventurer party, but they were the usual 'righteous do-gooders' and Titus felt so above all that 'protect the innocent' nonsense. His ambition involved a more 'robbing the rich' mentality, something he was very good at. In the end, after one particular incident involving Titus' ignorance of Mytherian law, Titus took it upon himself to leave the party and quite adventuring for good. The fact was, anyway, that his ascension and powers seemed far more suited to tinkering and engineering magical technology, even having the gall to try and combine alchemy, magic and tech into his personal R&D projects. He found a home at the Thieves Guild, but has recently been noticed by The Director of Research and Technology at the Academy - Clarissa Shields. And would you believe, they get along swimmingly.

Butch Sirocard

Butch Sirocard

Butch Sirocard is the co-owner of The Hunter's Lodge, a shop based just outside the North East Gate of Valhiem. He is a Sibliconian, which means that standing 7 foot tall and 400lbs is pretty normal to him. The mountain people of Northern Mytheria are known as a stubborn race, but Butch is quite the opposite. As long as he has his chewing tobacco, he is easy going and friendly to all who he interacts with.

The Group of Academy Officials and Friends known as 'The Associates'

The Associates

Neebs Jonson - Elven Water Master and the leader of the friend group. He was once part of an adventurer party, The Ark, but eventually retired once their Human party members started to age. Like Thick and Doraleus, Neebs followed Simon to Simon's birthplace, The City of Valhiem, where they all joined The Academy to help other students and Source Crystal Users to progress in the magical arts.

Simon Aldorf - Veteran Cleric allied with The Mother, Iris. Simon is a whiny, whiny individual. But if you can get past that, he is/was a solid party member and has now become a halfway decent teacher.

Appsro Rindstone - Engineer and Master of Air, Appsro is known for the extremely rare phenomenon of recieving the Source Crystal as a toddler. He was never an adventurer, but found immediate friendship in the retired adventurers. He likes dirty jokes and is always up-beat.

Thick Joaneu - Once the the adventurer party, The Ark, a Rogue Class who specialized in the Sub-Class 'Brute' which allowed him to be a versatile force in the party. He has affinity in Dark Domain, which limits his progression due to legal issues, regulations and red tape. However, he splits his time between many things - The Academy where he studies Dark Domain and does seminars, while training gifted Rogues and Rangers at both The Academy and The Thieves Guild. Very practical and patient.

Doraleus Greybor - A Fighter specializing in Cannon subclass. Has mastered a variety of weapons and has a ton of scars to show for his long list of feats. Very disciplined a soldier-like, in spite of never serving in the Military. Acts as a consultant and very willing as a test subject - anything that helps The Academy better understand magic and hone it to focus on Adventurer utility and team combat.

Margot Destine

Margot Destine

The owner of a popular shop; Destine's Premium Gear, that engages in buying, selling and trading of premium equipment and magical items - Margot Destine works with her daughter and grandaughter. While not as specialized in the Identification Magic as people like Clarissa Shields or Gildor Hammerfist, she is competant enough and, more importantly, has a very good eye for enchantments and the overall quality of pieces that adventurers bring to her. Beyond this, she is a shrewd businesswoman who has grown the Destine reputation from scratch to something that will last generations.

Nimuer Farlorn

Nimuer Farlorn

Owner of the leatherworkers shop that specializes in enchanted light armor. He is hardworking, easygoing and generally optimistic, he likes to hang out in the pub and will share funny stories with those who want to hear them. He took over the leatherworking shop after he proved himself worthy in the eyes of his old master. Nimuer is married and lives with his wife, a son (5) and a daughter (2) in Valheim.

Gods and Goddesses

Credit to @Teyao for a massive contribution to this part of the world-build

The Quinity

T H E Q U I N I T Y - The First Children of the Source
T H E Q U I N I T Y - The First Children of the Source

_______________________________________________ "First came the Light and the Dark, then the Earth and the Air, then the Fire and Water. Then came The Mother, Iris." I M A G E S A N D A R T I S T S I M P R E S S I O N S ⋮

I R I S - T h e M o t h e r I R I S - T h e M o t h e r The very first of the five. After the Domains of Source were configured, Mother Iris came into being and walked in the new world. She created all life, from plants and insects, to animals and monsters, up to the sentient races that rule Mytheria. She is most cherished of all deities and is often portrayed in paintings and sculptures as an old woman, full of warmth and love as she looks on her creations. . . . . . . H A D E S - T h e R e a p e r H A D E S - T h e R e a p e r Whatever mortal life is made, in time it must be unmade. Hades came into existence to provide catharsis for the journey of life, creating a cycle of ever-reforming Source - creation and destruction. He is represented void of appearance, to symbolize the end of the self in death, but he still has form, to show that the Source that created the self cannot die, only reform. Those who worship him, know that he is essential to the beauty of life, and do not fear him like many others do. . . . . . . . . . I S K A R A - T h e M e r c h a n t I S K A R A - T h e M e r c h a n t It is said that Iskara brought the concept of commerce and civilization to the sentient races of the world. To the layman, she represent riches and business, but those who serve and worship know that her gift was far deeper and greater than this. From her mind came economy, infrastructure and a drive to create technology. . . . . . . . . . D I A V I A N - T h e L o v e r D I A V I A N - T h e L o v e r True love and happiness were one half of the gifts that Diavian bestowed on the world, things added an emotional complexity to creatures and set in motion chains of events that would define the nature of people and the history of the world. The other half of his gifts were freedom to desire for desire's sake: Hedonism, lust and guilt. These things too had far-reaching effects on the evolution of life in the world. Diavian is perhaps the most underrated of The Quinity, for he is so uncaring and unserious, seeking only play and pleasure. But his influence on life has been significant, powerful and mostly positive. . . . . . . . . A R E S - T h e W a r r i o r A R E S - T h e W a r r i o r The father of conflict and struggle. Ares might have the most worshippers of all after Mother Iris, for he is loved by fighting tribes and fiefdoms, some adventurers, the entirety of the Empire's military branch, and even those who simply wish to protect themselves from the wildlings and monsters of the world.

Matters of Politics and Economics

Credit to @Saiyan for contributions to this section of world-build

Money

100 Copper = 1 Silver (1 US Dollar)

100 Silver = 1 Gold

100 Gold = 1 Platinum Chip

100 Platinum Chips = 1 Platinum Chunk (1 Million US Dollars)

For reference on living costs: While cost of living can drastically vary depending on location, class, city or village, land value etc. The average living cost for an average working class family in major cities is roughly 300-400 silver per month. (Food, rent and community/utility bills.)

The Divine Constitution - A Republican Empire

T H E D I V I N E C O N S T I T U T I O N - A F R E E P E O P L E ' S
T H E D I V I N E C O N S T I T U T I O N - A F R E E P E O P L E ' S

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C O N C E P T:
C O N C E P T:

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The Empire was founded by history's most famous hero; Ileandra Young. She was a powerful adventurer, leader of Claws of the Ice Wolf, who achieved maximum ascension in the chaotic Mythic Age. After the fall of tyranical Dragon race, Ileandra used her reputation and the current politcal climate to unite all peoples of Mytheria under one banner. All cultures, history and customs were to remain in tact. Even borders and laws were maintained within the varying races and peoples. Humans, Elves, Half-Orcs, Dwarves, Tieflings, Fairies, Gnomes... the wide-ranging sub-cultures within... all were united under one overarching Mytherian Rule. The Divine Constitution - The Free People's Empire.

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▅ ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ "The Executive Branch." ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

T H E D I V I N E S E A T O F T H E B L O O D L I N E || T H E V O I C E O F I L E A N D R A T H E D I V I N E S E A T O F T H E B L O O D L I N E || T H E V O I C E O F I L E A N D R A _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The unbroken bloodline of Ileandra Young still rules as Emperor to this day. House Young and the larger family offshoots that surround it, have considerable say in the governance of Mytheria and special political powers relating to vetos, executive orders, pushing policy and emergency decrees. Just like with the the other two branches of government, it is difficult to pass any laws or make any changes without approval from The Seat of the Bloodline, but while the other two brances are a large amalgamation of people and structural mechanisms, The Emperor is one person, making their power by far the largest branch, both in appearance and effectiveness.▅ ▅ ▅ ▅ ▅ ▅ Use as many or few of the above symbols as needed to balance this cell with the cell containing the image.

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▅ ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ "The Religious Branch." ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

T H E C H U R C H O F T H E S O U R C E || T H E V O I C E O F E X I S T A N C E T H E C H U R C H O F T H E S O U R C E || T H E V O I C E O F E X I S T A N C E _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Church is the overseer of all religious institutions, aswell as The WellSprings. Such influence gives them great political power and inevitabley changed what was once a two-branch governing system into a three-branch structure. The Church is deeply intertwined with Adventurer's Guild and The Council of Heroes, aswell as magical departments of Gradua Lexica. With unrestricted access to the Code Readers, nothing much gets past the eyes of The Church. It's power goes beyond politics and weaves into the fabric of society and culture.▅ ▅ ▅ ▅ ▅ Use as many or few of the above symbols as needed to balance this cell with the cell containing the image.

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▅ ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ "The Senatorial Branch." ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅

T H E D U A L P I L L A R S O F T H E S E N A T E || T H E V O I C E O F T H E P E O P L E T H E D U A L P I L L A R S O F T H E S E N A T E || T H E V O I C E O F T H E P E O P L E _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Made up of two hundred senators, divided into two parts - The House of Lords and The House of Commons. Senators come from and represent all classes, all geographic locations and all races in Mytheria. Much of nuts and bolts of policy and regulation, public spending budgets and statutes are ironed out in The Dual Pillars of the Senate. The power of this branch is immense and unmatched, protected by the Consitution that Ileandra drew up upon the founding of The Empire. When united by principle and cause, backed by the voters, this branch can overpower The Church and The Emperor. This is only a theory though, as most of the time The Dual Pillars of the Senate are at odds with eachother, all representing different interests and thus, fighting for power and influence amongst their own parties and Houses.▅ ▅ ▅ ▅ ▅ Use as many or few of the above symbols as needed to balance this cell with the cell containing the image.

Information regarding The Source and Magic

Credit to @Loksfjoer for using a basic framework to massively fill out this part of the Worldbuild

Elemental Circle

The Development of Magical Items

The Mining of Magical Caves

Only the biggest Wellsprings spew pure Source into Mytheria. And most of the major cities are built upon the biggest Wellsprings. Capitol is where the biggest Wellspring is. There are also big and medium sized Wellsprings out there in the wilderness. For example, The Mazy Hillocks. However, there are small Wellsprings where Source only manifests in one particular Domain. These are the known as Magical Caves, where the mining of condensed, tangible magic is an industry.

Simply known as Elemental Stones, they are formed near the elemental source and can be mined, but due to the conditions, it's hard. The stones are brittle and not all are extracted in one piece. Once broken the elemental magic fades away. The economy surrounding this industry is regulated as best as the Empire can, and here are some extra points of detail worth knowing.

- Craftsmen with a license can buy these elemental stones, they grind them down with gold powder to bind the elemental magic and then add it to their items (blacksmiths sprinkle it over the red-hot metal, gold smiths add it to the melted gold, and leather workers add it to oil to treat the leather with)

- Items that craftsmen can make are not as potent as that what elemental mages and rangers with elemental magic can make, but it does the job. For instance, a fire blade from a normal smith using a fire elemental stone will release embers or flames on impact, a mage making a fire blade can be a sword that is on fire when it's unsheated.

- Water elemental stones can be either water or ice stones, air elemental stones can either be wind or lighting stones. Fire and Earth only provide fire and earth.

- Elements can be combined; they either simply co-exist, or give new abilities once combined. Examples: earth by itself gives stone, earth and fire gives lava, earth and water gives mud, earth and light gives nature. An example of co-existing is air and earth, they don't combine because they are opposite, but they can exist together.

- Some elements can't be combined: light and dark or ice and fire cancel each other out.

Story Added Lore Segments

Lore Segments Pages 1-20

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Code Readers: While not necessarily magic-users themselves, Code Readers are exceptionally intelligent, highly skilled students of magic. Trained specifically in the understanding and handling of Source, Code Readers are employed to look into The Wellsprings, to pry knowledge and information about the world and current events. The majority of Code Readers reside and work in Capitol City, Northwestern Mytheria - the city built upon the largest Wellspring on the continent. This workforce is the premier source of news on happenings around Mytheria, supplying the governing branches of the Empire, the grand univerisity Gradua Lexica, the aristocracy and media outlets.

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The Mazy Hillocks: A veritable labyrinth created by thousands of years of wind and rain. The region is a series of steep hills, ravines, cliffs, earth and rock. Getting lost is only the initial danger. Uneven terrain requiring scrambling is enough break an ankle, which might prove lethal on it's own. In addition, too much noise or weight may see one the victim of a rock slide. Or a sink hole might leave an unlucky soul in the cave network below. Humans rarely venture into The Mazy Hillocks. Those who do, rarely come out, for it is home to greater predators than regular wolves. Somewhere in the bowels of this mighty maze is a conduit of Source that draws to it the fiercest of creatures. It sustains them, twists them. Makes them stronger, even gives them powers. Only the strongest survive the competition to make this fortress of nature their home.

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@Zool[@Calle]@Saiyan@Teyao@Crusader Lord@Zapdos@Eviledd1984

Each of them would feel the hum of their Source Crystal - The Gift - as it called out to the very fabric of existence. The lifeforce of their enemies faded. The Alpha Direwolves. Aurok the Maneater. Such powerful enemies. Such powerful lifeforces.

Their crystals overflowed, reaching the limit several times over, and shone purple to signify:

Ascension - The adventurers had ascended to a new level of strength. Their class-specific attacks would be innately, significantly more powerful. Their bodies could handle more damage, and their resistance to slashing, peircing, crushing or elemental injuries was considerabley higher too. Their current abilities would grow, new capabilities would be born, and a higher capacity to learn more powerful things was apparent.

Ascension - The true power and realisation of The Gift of the Source Crystals.

@xenon

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"First came the Light and the Dark, then the Earth and the Air, then the Fire and Water. Then came The Mother, Iris."

The Elemental Circle of The Source: This is the depiction of the foundational manifestation of universal fabric. Beyond the duality of the opposing elements, and the connections between those elements that sit adjacent to eachother, there are other rules that govern the relationships between the forces. Such intracacies have beeen studied by academics for centuries. The theories and formulas discovered have evolved, been outdated, debated and pondered by the smartest minds, but the technological revolution of the recent decades has thrown even more into question and pushed further investigation.

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THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@Zool@Calle@Saiyan@Teyao@Crusader Lord@Zapdos@Eviledd1984

"Finally, I've found you," came a voice from high up on the cliffside.

There he stood, his menacing presence seemingly distorting the very Source-riddled air of the Mazy Hillocks. Tall and sleek, plate-steel from head to toe. A potent mix of technology from beyond Mytheria, and powerful, forbidden magic of the Dark Domain. Zigmund Mugba-Zarak - elite unit of General Saladin's scout force - gazed down upon the battlefield, his visor glowing red, one hand resting on the pommel of his sword.

A red light beamed out from his helmet and he scanned the adventurers, searching, homing in on his primary objective. That infrared light zoned in on Lillianna's satchel. "There you are."

Diving from the cliff, he flipped once, drew his sword and threw it down towards the Alpha Male. Before he landed, water magic - his specialization - formed a bladed gauntlet of pure aqua around his fist. It all happened within seconds and with a loud crash, he plunged his magical blade through the Alpha Female for one-hit kill. The Alpha Male was dead too, the elemental ninja's sword having gone right through it's skull.

Zigmund raised his chin, set his sights on Lillianna, then sprinted towards her.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@Eviledd1984@Saiyan@Teyao

The Alpha Male raised a paw to swipe as Joji rushed in with super speed. Blood thrown into the eyes caught the huge direwolf off guard. A veteran move. By a stroke of fortune (as if the monster needed any more avdantages,) it's claws blocked the first strike blindly and it lashed out at the man in front of it, who dodged and punched it clean in the nose. The Alpha Male reeled back a step, unable to see, and couldn't avoid the flying halberd that buried itself into the tough haunches, causing it to whimper in pain.

Before Zell could land any sword strikes, the Alpha Male barked louder than ever before, creating a 360 blast of wind that knocked both swordsman several feet backwards and to the floor, the razor wind cutting at them. James' light spell landed directly, but the Alpha's eyes were already squeezed tight shut, stinging with blood, so it had no effect............

@Zool@Calle@Crusader Lord

Fenna's dagger landed squarely in the Alpha Female's neck, but it's hide was so tough, the Ranger did not have the power to sink it deep. But it hurt enough that this Alpha also was forced to use it's area-of-effect attacks to defend itself.

The direwolf's tail rattled and then a cloud of poison gas exploded all around it, causing Fenna and Arthur to cough and choke. They would be forced to retreat from the area or choke to death.

The lightning bolt of Lillianna struck the beast and stunned it long enough for MacKensie's shots to land also, but while the Twin Element Mage was powerful enough to at least scratch the Alpha Female, MacKensie's attacks were like mere wasp stings - not nearly enough to do anything more than pester the monster.

The Alpha rushed forward in the posion cloud and grabbed Fenna's spear once more, then threw the Dutch woman like a rag doll right into MacKensie, knocking them both down. Then the Chimera Wolf spun and tail-whipped Arthur across the face, sending him flying also, back toward the front line.........

@Zapdos@Teyao@Crusader Lord

.........The Alpha Female was about to capitalize. After doing so much damage with quick attacks, it was time to kill one of these adventurers. The spell casters came through with support to save the day once more.

James' blinding spell hit the Alpha Female perfectly, providing the perfect cover for Adam's great tree which came swooping down and smacked the direwolf into the gorge.

Suddenly the Alpha Male came in for a counter attack, jumping up and then air-jumping on light, to position itself high in the air above the three wizards. It barked another soundblast, the projectile of concentrated waves coming down to hit the floor amongst the Clive, James, Lillianna and Adam, exploding the rock and dirt and catching them all in the blast-radius for significant damage......

@Zool@Calle@Saiyan@Teyao@Crusader Lord@Zapdos@Eviledd1984

The party had been decimated in matter of moments. All adventurers were hurt from the unbelievable strength of the Alphas. This was just a taste of the challenges that would stand in their way on their journey for answers. How could they have known that they'd wandered into a region classified as a Platinum Tier expedition by the Adventurers Guild. And there were places out there called Diamond Tier. As complete newcomers with only a single battle fought, their mere survival thus far, spoke to how special they were.

As the Alpha Male landed in the centre of the battlefield, cutting the party off from regouping together. It growled, saliva dripping from it's bared teeth. Blood trickling from the wound where the halberd was stuck casually in it's haunches.

And from the blackness of the gorge, the Alpha Female found it's way back up, appearing one human-ish forearm at a time as it scaled the climb. When it's head appeared, it was clear it was furious and thirsting for revenge. It muscled up and jumped onto flat ground, turning it's attention to Arthur and the two Rangers.

Both Direwolves were injured, but nowhere near close to being out of the fight. And now it was their turn to go on the offensive. Things were looking grim. And just when an onlooker might think; it couldn't get any worse... an even more powerful enemy appeared..........

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@Zool@Calle@Saiyan@Teyao@Crusader Lord@Zapdos@Eviledd1984

To a wise observer, the first wave of attacks from the party on the Alphas would make it painfully clear: The Heroes from the Sky were severely outmatched.

@Zool@Crusader Lord@Zapdos

The Alpha Male direwolf's reflexes were instantaneous. It went from pouncing on Adam, paws and jaws mere inches from the Druid's face, to jumping into a 360 spin that evaded MacKensie's flurry of bolts. The giant red-striped beast's attention was now locked onto the Ranger, slipping left and right effortlessly to dodge each shot MacKensie fired, snarling with utter contempt for the woman. She couldn't hit it, but the distraction was enough that Adam could retreat without being harmed.

Yet, as soon as MacKensie stopped firing and turned to run, hand in hand with Adam, the beast struck out immediately with another lunge at the pair. Once again it was inches from the Druid and Ranger, and would have undoubtedly snapped it's jaws onto MacKensie's shoulder, but out of nowhere came the stream of lightning.

Lillianna was the first to land any kind of hit on the Alpha Male, the lightning strikingly it directly. It winced and recoiled slightly, pushed back a step. The vast majority of typical damage from a magical lightning bolt was negated by the inately high magic resistance of the animal. Barely a scratch, but it was stunned for long enough to allow it's prey to escape behind the party front-line.

@Calle@Zapdos

Fenna's charge was enough to make the Alpha Female direwolf pause her attack on Adam, and turn her canine gaze on the spear-wielding Ranger. The direwolf reared up onto it's hind legs and whacked the tip of the spear away with a claw-strike.

Yes. Claw-strike. This direwolf was no ordinary wolf but a twisted Chimera of sorts. It's body was longer than the other wolves, it's forked tongue that of a great lizard. Before Fenna could recover, the beast advanced on her and grabbed the shaft of the spear with a clawed hand, so that Fenna couldn't get away, then yanked the Ranger toward itself and opened it's jaws.

Adam's vines took it by surprise and managed to coil around it's rear half, but the plant magic was not strong enough to hold the Alpha Female in place. It shook itself easily from the trap, snapping the vines but left itself open for an attack...

@Eviledd1984

The Enchanted Gloves of Lesser Protection glowed momentarily and Joji's bite wound healed completely. His skin sealed up without leaving a scratch, although the blood still covered his arm.

@Zool@Calle@Saiyan@Teyao@Crusader Lord@Zapdos@Eviledd1984

One of the Lesser Direwolves fell to Arthur's powerful anchor attacks, but the last remaining one injured Clive, leaving the ex-farmer writhing on the ground with deep scratches and a bite wound before charging Lillianna and being killed by the flying halberd of the ghost. Clive struggled to his feet, his shovel broken leaving him unarmed and injured.

"ROOOOOAAARRRRR!!!" was the distant promise of wrath once again. Except this time, it was a little louder and little closer.

Perhaps more worryingly... it was no longer coming from the south. The roar was now north-east of their position.

But there was more pressing matters to attend to right now, in the form of two extremely powerful, extremely angry direwolves.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@Zool@Calle@Saiyan@Teyao@Crusader Lord@Zapdos@Eviledd1984

The ghost that spoke to Lillianna did not mean her ill, nor was he lying. Closing in on the party was a pack of 8 direvolves. An Alpha Female and Alpha Male leading 6 Lesser wolves. Although to call these wolves 'Lesser' betrayed the sheer size and strength of them. Each were eight feet long and 150lbs at least, claws of black steel and a bite force akin a hydraulic jaw. The Alphas were not only larger, but carried an array of mutations both deadly and aesthetic. While all the wolves were gray, the Alpha Male carried tiger stripes of blood-red fur, and each time it barked into the air, a hypersonic blast of compressed air shot from it's mouth like a missile. The Alpha Female didn't have a regular tail, but something more closely related to rattlesnake...

@Eviledd1984

Clive got into the formation, walking in front of the wizards. He flexed his shoulders, ready for a fight, though when he looked down, he realised his shoe lace was untied on his right shoe. "Darn it," he said, taking off his gloves, then passing them to Joji. "Hey partner, would you hold these for me, for just a moment."

And without realising it, he handed to Joji Yamazaki his enchanted magical gloves. The very things that protected him from damage against the skeletons. And there'd be no time to get them back.

@Zapdos

The direwolves came up the very same passage that the party had come from, and they saw Adam first and started charging. Adam barely managed to dismantle the bridge before the pack was upon him. The final tree began to come loose as the Alpha Female nimbly crossed and leapt the rest of the way, landing to the side of Adam.

2 wolves who tried to follow their leader, fell into the gorge with the last tree, unable to react in time, howling as they disappeared into the cave system below the surface. Dead or injured, but completely out of the fight and likely to become food for the predators who lurked in the darkness.

Other wolves intelligently recognized that the bridge was falling and jumped, climbed and clambered up the cliff walls to their left and right, to then get stronger run-ups and higher take-off points, diving across the gorge at narrower points that were unaccessible to the party.

The Alpha Male did no such thing as he needed no such bridge. His strong leap made it halfway across the gorge, and in mid air he displayed just one of his powers. Under his paws, a strange disc of light flashed for a second - a platform he used to jump again! The moment the Alpha Wolf air-jumped, the disc of light was gone, but his momentum was carried him the rest of the way across the gorge. Just before the patriarch landed, he barked loudly at the group, sending a powerful non-lethal punch of sonic-compressed air at them, aiming at no one in particular.

Then both Alpha Male and Female, stood on either side of Adam, growled at him before they pounced with bites and claws.

Adam would be able to dodge one of them, but if someone in the party did not help in some way, the Druid would face the consequence of the 2nd Leader wolf before he was able to retreat back into formation.............

@Zool@Calle@Saiyan@Teyao@Crusader Lord@Zapdos@Eviledd1984

The rest of the pack, of which there were now 4 Lesser wolves across the gorge and closing in back on the position of their Leaders. Once they reached them and the pack became whole again, the wolves turned at the party and charged them down........

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@CalleI look forward to your post!

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@ZapdosThat was an awesome post, brother! You tied it into @Eviledd1984's post & interpretation of the GM description, then dove into specifics as the group navigator led everyone through the environment. Made clever use of the druid powers, engaging and intense writing. Gave everyone lots to react to and left room for someone else to push on ahead if they so choose. I love it!

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

@Zool@Calle@Dark Cloud@Saiyan@Teyao@Crusader Lord@Zapdos@Eviledd1984

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The Mazy Hillocks: A veritable labyrinth created by thousands of years of wind and rain. The region is a series of steep hills, ravines, cliffs, earth and rock. Getting lost is only the initial danger. Uneven terrain requiring scrambling is enough break an ankle, which might prove lethal on it's own. In addition, too much noise or weight may see one the victim of a rock slide. Or a sink hole might leave an unlucky soul in the cave network below. Humans rarely venture into The Mazy Hillocks. Those who do, rarely come out, for it is home to greater predators than regular wolves. Somewhere in the bowels of this mighty maze is a conduit of Source that draws to it the fiercest of creatures. It sustains them, twists them. Makes them stronger, even gives them powers. Only the strongest survive the competition to make this fortress of nature their home.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The following hours were filled with anticipation for the Heroes from the Sky. With threats ahead and an even bigger threat closing in from behind, it seemed that all of their options were tainted. The party Cleric, James, who'd quickly become the group's trusted strategist, chose the fastest route through and off they went.

Open communication between the group navigator and the two rangers made for an effective team. Fenna scouted ahead of the group, reading the tracks on the ground, identifying common animal passages and rights-of-way. She relayed a steady stream of advice on where the group should avoid leaving their scent, where seemed safe and what size of threat they'd be looking at should a fight break out. MacKensie maintained her vantage up above, coming down repeatedly to alert the group about wolf sightings, then going back up to watch their movements. Adam's skilled map reading made effective use of the nooks and crannies of nature, bringing the team along shallow streams where their visibility would be low, or finding small differences in ground elevation to help shield them all from sight in tight situations. All the while, with all the twists and turns the group had to make, the Druid made sure that they consistently reoriented themselves north.

There were some close calls, with the rangers having to lethally silence a wolf or two in order to maintain their stealth, but the Heroes from the Sky made it through the territory of the two wolf packs. Leaving the woodlands behind, they reached the Mazy Hillocks at the turn of the afternoon.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

I added Fenna's familiar to the character page, just to have a spot where it can be tracked without having to dive into PMs.

I'm going to be adding a Zeroeth post on the Character and OOC tab where I'll be adding pieces of lore to give y'all a better idea of the world. Players such as @Saiyan & @Teyao have also contributed in specific areas of the world-build too, so I'll be sure to credit them when their work is displayed. If you have ideas you want implemented into the world, I'd be willing to hear them out and even radically edit what I already have to accomadate you, if I like it (especially if it relates to your character or character arc.)

Don't worry, I won't blast you 50k text walls all at once! It will be a steady process over the next few months, and I'll try to keep it relative to the current part of the story where were at.

Thanks for all your writing so far guys, it's been awesome!