(I need you all to get ready for the biggest yap you have ever seen because I realised I could fit all of His lore into a single post and I am lazy lol)
(Also just thought Iād give another warning, Orpheusā lore does have horror in it, specifically body/Eldritch horror and a mention of suicide, if any of these things make you uncomfortable, I understand your comfort is more important than my silly oc)
- Back before humans existed on Esperia, there were only gods and titans.
- For Orpheusā lore specifically I want to include a titan
- One who specifically ruled over the domain of Knowledge, Curiosity and Wonderlust
- And I think I want this titans name to be Merlin (or at-least the name most people used)
- Before humans started popping up in Esperia Merlin was practically bored to death, he already knew everything there was to know about Esperia
- Until humans started showing up,
- It didnāt take long for The titan Merlin to become enamoured by these humans
- He thought that there was nothing more to learn about Esperia, but these people proved him oh so wrong
- The way I want this titan to work is that when someone learns doing this thing does this thing, he gains that knowledge (example: if someone were to learn how to dye fabric the titan would also now know how to dye fabric)
- Soon this titan would descend to Esperia, to walk among its inhabitants
- And he didnāt realise just how beautiful it was from down thereā¦from its wildlife to its environmentsā¦to its people, this titan was beyond in love with this place now, only coming back to his godly court or to discuss something with another god/titan
- (I like to imagine it was mainly dura)
- I also want this titan to have been depicted with silver hair, and a halo
- ā¦The same halo Orpheus wears now
- I want this halo to keep the titan together so to speak, I want it to be that the knowledge this titian holds is far too much for his mortal disguise, so he wears this halo, to keep his mind from gaining too much knowledge
- And if any mortal were to see the titans true form, it would be too much for that mortal, (something something infinite knowledge crushing a humans mind who saw his actual form so on so forth)
- I also want the titan to be the one to discover that mortals could tap into the power of the leylines
- And so merlin, started teaching the people of Esperia how to wield this strange new power
- Thus causing him to be revered by mortals all across esperia
- Merlin would continue travelling Esperia helping people whenever he could
- People would start telling tales of the āpowerful magister Merlinā
- ā¦However there was something brewing in the backgroundā¦.like a pot of boiling water about to spill
- Some of the other gods had felt their power waver, feeling discarded by their own followers (classic god stuff) had decided to make contact with something bloodthirsty
- Something ancientā¦something forgottenā¦something thatās born from the deepest abyss
- The collaboration of the jealous gods andā¦this thing resulted in the birth of entities the likes of which no one could comprehend (here are some things Iām taking inspo of off :) )
- And soon these monsters would descend upon Esperia, and wreak havoc the likes of which no one has seen
- The type of chaos hypogeans could only marvel at
- This resulted in the first divine war (Iām basically switching out hypogeans for eldritch horrors yayyy!! :DD )
- The conflict between Esperia and these monsters was intense and deadly
- merlin was there on the front lines too of course, how could he not be?
- But, the titan had the ability to know things, to gain knowledge just by asking a question and *not* have to wait for an answer
- He knew when Esperia couldnāt take much more of this war, when everyone was on their last legs and it seemed like these entities they fought so hard against were going to win
- But Merlin couldnāt just stand by and watch it happen he couldnāt bear the thought of it
- Merlin would lead these creatures and the fallen gods away to his divine domain, and trap them there by sealing away his realm from anyone in the outside world, cutting off any and all ways of entry
- But how did the titan and the Celestials of his divine court get to travel between Esperia and Merlinās domain?
- Well, Iām toying around with the titan having a archive that doubled as a place of worship for some of his followers, with an intricate teleportation circle carved into the floor
- Which acted as a gateway for the titan and the Celestials to their heavenly realm
- Merlin decided he was going to lure these monsters away, distract them with a worthwhile targetā¦himself
- Not the magister merlin, but rather his true form, the Titan Merlin
- Fortunately enough, what was probably years on the battlefield was a perfect opportunity to learn about these entities
- From countless encounters, Merlin had discovered the monsters were attracted to light, like moths to a open flame
- So, the titan dedicated as much of his time away from the front lines creating a spell
- One that could create enough light for the monsters to be unable to not follow
- Thisā¦.is how the spell starshower was created
- What was more of a perfect distraction than the sky being full of shooting stars?
- Once the titan perfected the spell he went and said his goodbyes to the people he fought with (mostly his celestials)
- Of course few had caught on to his plan and made countless objections, saying that there *had* to be a better way
- There wasnāt, not in the titans eyes
- And in his eyes it was worth it, not only would it protect Esperia, it would give his divine realm a good use (which at this point he had almost been completely abandoned)
- And then the day finally came, the day the titan would save the people of esperia a final time
- He had his Celestials scout the perfect spot to cast the spell he created
- The Celestials tried one final time to get the titan to change its mind
- Which fell on deaf ears
- The titan in his true form took one final look at the world he came to love so dearly, looked back at the Celestials he had cherished so dearly, muttered one final goodbye to both of them, and flew across the entire world of esperia, dragging shooting stars across the sky with him
- Merlin had made sure to gather most of the monsters before luring them into the temple
- Making sure all of the monsters he dragged over Esperia with him would follow him through the teleportation circle, he used his magic to lock the doors behind them, before activating the circle just as all these monsters were about to attack, dragging them all through the portal into his domain, and then closing that gateway too
- He did it! The titans plan had worked!
- Now, he had to pay the price for it.
- He was far too outnumbered against these entities
- The titan was soon ripped apart by these monsters, causing his magic and power to be realised
- But, due to the fact that he sealed himself away from Esperia with seemingly no way back his magic couldnāt go and merge with the leylines, it was left adrift in his domain mixing with some of the monsters and the foul substances that caused them to exist
- Merlin died in his own domain, but it was worth it
- Because he had sealed the monsters away from the people he cared for
- And thatās all that mattered to him
- Many of his celestials didnāt know what to do with themselves, some traveled, some talked about his many deeds often being believed to be fables and storiesā¦and some simply disappeared, often either trying to go back to their old home or sadly killed themselves
- And after the war was officially over, dura, in honour of the fallen titan of knowledge, started the arcane council and had chosen to go by the name Merlin, which would soon be passed on through thousands of years and generations to come
- In a strange and oddly fitting way
- thousands of years later, some time after the second divine war
- When esperia seemed like it finally had a moment of peace
- Wandering the world all on his own seemingly always chasing the horizon, with no goal, no clear destination, just endlessly wandering the world
- This travelers name is Orpheus Stirling
- What was once a previously a promising student of the serene Lyceum was now wandering the world alone to no end
- Due to thisā¦strange itch in the back of his head
- But this itch wasnāt just a hunger to explore the world, no, this itch did something else to him
- This strange feeling in the back of his head eroded his memory over time, making him forget who he was, who his family were, his hometown, where he studied, *everything*
- (What Iām currently playing around with right now is that this itch which seemed to be a urge to go see the world was a cleverly disguised curse placed on him by Cyran back in their days in the Lyceum) ((for reasons Iām still figuring out, remember, this is one ginormous wip))
- And the only thing that seemed to scratch that itch was to just endlessly travel the world
- Going wherever roads took him, never having a proper home, this became the norm to him
- Travelling to the point the idea of settling down felt wrong to him
- āIāll put down my roots when Iām deadā to put it in his own words
- And for a while, thatās how he lived, wandering the roads and pathways, until he finds some settlement, helps out when people need it/handle the occasional odd job, before leaving without a word
- Orpheus was travelling, like he usually was until there was a storm,
- Causing Orpheus to look for the closest shelter he could find,
- Leading him to discover the noble tavern/mystic house
- At first it seemed normal until he caught a glance outside and-
- Orpheus was taken aback by the strangely beautiful creature he almost didnāt see what rested behind her, a gorgeous field, filled to the brim with wildflowers of such lovely colors and variety, Orpheus stared for so long he almost seemed lost in there, only to be caught of guard by-
- The sudden interruption caused Orpheus to flinch, without wanting to waist any time to explain himself he turned around to see a red-headed woman with green eyes, no older than 22-23? Maybe?
- Orpheusā attempts to apologise and explain himself soon turned to quiet mutters by the end of his sentences
- Luckily it was met with kind reassurance and gentle explanations
- (I like to imagine in the noble tavern there are these doors that are basically portals to the noble tavern in all the places we go in game, so Iām making it canon here lol)
- All that Orpheus could seem to muster after the small conversation was a quiet āā¦ohā¦ā and a slight nod
- (I suck a writing dialogue could you tell?)
- And soon Orpheus would come to learn that this red-heads name is Dolly
- I think at this point there would be no other patrons in the tavern, leading to dolly and Orpheus talking to one another after that small interaction
- Which would then peak the curiosity of miss Circe magnolia, the proprietor of the noble tavern and talented mage, causing her to join in their conversation
- Once both dolly and Circe learned of Orpheusā life and his amnesia the both of them insisted on him staying here, atleast until he finds somewhere to call his home
- At first Orpheus wanted to decline, he felt like heād only be a burden to the both of them
- But with the way they were both looking at him with such concern and worry
- It did not take long for Orpheus to fold
- āJust a few daysā he thought he, āI wonāt be here for long this is fine, Iām fine, itās fineā
- But soon days would turn to weeks and weeks into months
- Okay so maybe that whole ājust a few daysā thing was a lie
- Truth be told Orpheus loved his time here, it was nice to have a roof over his head, proper meals, being able to get back into old hobbies, having People he can talk to about almost anything
- He never realised what his life was missing until now
- Of course not everything was perfect, he had to deal with creepy patrons sometimes, he felt a little trapped at times due to not travelling like he used toā¦.and he was still stuck with dealing with his amnesia curse
- The curse had its days, one day everything seemed fine the next Orpheus would struggle to recall what he had done yesterday
- He felt terrible about it
- But both dolly and Circe were there for him when it got that bad, to help him up when he fell, to be a shoulder to lean on
- Orpheus was incredibly relieved to have them both by his side
- However, dolly and Circe could tell being stuck in one place (despite that place literally being able to move) was getting to him, the way Orpheus would spend more time outside āgetting fresh airā, having atleast one part of his body moving at all times, how he would stare out the window, lost in some daydream
- It didnāt take long for Circe to propose the idea of Orpheus going on his travels again, however she made painfully sure he would come back to them both
- āYouāre stuck with the both of us now, whether you like it or not <3ā
- Orpheus almost had to make a *vow* with how many times Circe was making sure heād return
- And after his journey, he did
- And soon it became almost a routine, Orpheus would start to feel that urge rise, he would go off, often scouting ahead of the noble tavern, making sure there were no hazards they should stay clear of, and then heād come back before homesickness would kick in
- And on rare occasions, he would come back with someone he met on his travels, souls who at the time didnāt feel like they had a purpose in their lives,
- (Now, do I have all their backstoryās properly written out? No, do I have their names and colours that represent them? Yes!)
- These are the others Orpheus would drag back with him to the mystical house/noble tavern
- Resulting in the creation of a lovely little found family :))
- And for a while everything was just really good, Orpheus finally had people he could talk to, to trust, to actually *know* and cherish
- Orpheus had gotten the urge to travel again, he wasnāt planning on being gone for a long time, he was only going to travel to a small village they passed by while moving the mystical house, it wasnāt that far at all really, maybe two days of travelling? (Which to Orpheus seemed like nothing)
- Heād only be gone for a week and a half at most
- Once Orpheus reached the small village, it didnāt take long for him to realise something wasā¦off
- It was small things at first, things that could be written off a while after it happens
- The way the townās people were always whispering about something, looking at a certain direction from the village with worryā¦
- It wasnāt until Orpheus learned about the 5 missing people that the worry he felt was truly starting getting to himā¦
- it was the only thing this village seemed to be able to talk about
- āHave you heard? Another person went missingā¦ā āI heard they were eatenā
- But to say his curiosity wasnāt peaked would be a lieā¦
- I didnāt take long enough for him to find out where this building the villagers were whispering aboutās location
- āJust in the forest not far from here, you go down a path there and you should end up in a clearing, thatās where you should find itā
- Thatās what the baker said at-leastā¦
- And sure enough, he found it
- A massive structure abandoned for years and years by now, covered in dust and rubble with small patches of grass and moss starting to grow on it
- Looking at it closely, it seemed to be some sort of temple? Or some place of worshipā¦
- Orpheus peered through the now broken down doors, he wouldāve been able to see inside if it wasnāt for how the sunlight was hitting the doorway
- If he wanted to take a closer lookā¦he was going to have to step insideā¦
- And so, like a moth to a candle, like a naive fish to an anglerfishās lure
- Orpheus closed his eyesā¦took a deep breath in
- the place was far different from what Orpheus first imaginedā¦
- What first seemed like a place of worship also seemed to double asā¦a library of some kind?
- Thatās what it seemed like anyway
- Multiple bookshelfās lined the hall he found himself him, multiple tapestries and murals would decorate the walls where those bookshelves did not rest, piles of books lay in stacks all around, discarded, candles that had long since melted away were perched on top of bookshelves and seating areas that were now collecting dust,
- And looking up there was no visible ceiling, instead Orpheus was silently greeted by rows upon rows of balconies and railed walkways holding up even more bookshelves and seats,
- This place was built to house an infinite amount of knowledge
- And Orpheus was enamoured by it
- He would love something like this in the mystical house
- Wonder filling his eyes, he immediately took towards one of the bookshelves, almost completely abandoning his past weariness of this place and the dangers it could holdā¦
- quickly but quietly approaching one of the bookshelves his eyes scanned for anything that grabbed his interestā¦
- Only to find out the book he grabbed was in a language heās never seen beforeā¦.
- Oh well, theres an entire ocean of books here, thereās bound to be one can read
- As Orpheus delved deeper into the abandoned temple, he started hearingā¦something
- There were people hereā¦muttering to each other about something
- Using one of the many bookshelves to hide behind Orpheus peered around the corner to find a group of people
- a group of adamant syndicate grunts
- Seeming to be lead by a figure dressed in dark robes, clutching a staff
- Looking at the mysterious figureā¦there was something achingly familiar about himā¦but Orpheus just couldnāt place it
- Five people all with theyāre hands bound and behind their backs
- These were the missing people the villagers were talking about
- It wasnāt until the familiar figure seemingly triggered a strange portal on the floor Orpheus knew he had to stop them andā¦whatever *this* is
- Orpheus acted fast darting across the hall towards the hostages but somehow managed staying out of sight
- It wasnāt until he had undone the ropes the hostages had been untied and Orpheus had dragged them all to their feet the adamant syndicate grunts had noticed
- Orpheus quickly rushed all the captured villagers straight to the front door, quickly casting a shield spell to prevent any spells to harm or hinder any of the runaway captives
- Making sure every villager was out before making a run for it himself
- And just as he was about to reach the doors, they were shut on himā¦
- Turning back to the hall he found himself surrounded by the syndicate members
- Before being knocked outā¦
- When he woke up he found himself being dragged down the hall of the temple
- Looking over his shoulder, he saw that same mage againā¦this time chanting in a strange foreign languageā¦
- Only to then see the rift in the floor grow
- ā¦thatās when Orpheus started to panic struggling against the grunts tight grip on him only for it to be futile
- And before Orpheus was tossed into the portalā¦the mage said something to him
- Sadly Orpheus couldnāt hear much of it due to his spiralling mind
- But he does remember one phraseā¦
- āGoodbye, Old friendā¦ā
- And then like a rock being tossed into a pond, Orpheus had vanished into the portalā¦
- Thatās what it felt like at-least
- He could feel the air rush past him as he descended
- And thenā¦he saw it the world he was forced into finally came into sightā¦
- for the first time in thousands of yearsā¦someone had entered the titan merlins domain
- Unfortunately he wasnāt alone
- Orpheusā fall was broken by debris and rubble
- Looking around he knew he wasnāt in Esperia anymoreā¦
- Rising to his feet he felt this quiet unease around him
- Like there was something staring at him
- This place, *wherever* this place was or is
- The first minute of Orpheus time in this place was spent trying to stop his mind from spiralling
- ā¦until he heard somethingā¦
- Something low and guttural
- Orpheusā rather rough landing woke up something
- He had to start running
- And he did, picking the exact opposite direction and not stopping until he couldnāt hear it anymore
- Orpheus was now in a desperate fight for his survival and freedom against horrid creatures beyond anyoneās comprehension
- Almost always overexerting himself and his magic
- The very few times Orpheus wasnāt using his magic in fights were spent running like hell
- Or praying to any and all gods he could think ofā¦Dura, Misarte, *any god* that Orpheus could think ofā¦
- Only to have them ignore/not hear his prayers
- Orpheus would come across a new environment and a new threat with it
- He would try to fend off the monster, either killing it or becoming too exhausted to
- And have to move due to any other creatures hearing him
- This strange almost personalised hell was endless
- He just wanted to go home
- He just wanted to see his friends againā¦
ā©āĖ.āā¾āāŗāā§
- Orpheus had stumbled across what looked to be a large body of water or something that resembled it anyway
- With no boat and not being able to see the edge of the water, he realised he couldnāt walk around nor sail across
- ā¦he had to go through it whether it ment swimming or hopefully walking through it
- As Orpheus started to move across the water he started lowering his guardā¦
- Luckily the water only seemed to be quite shallow
- Until the water behind him startedā¦bubbling
- Only for a clawed hand seemingly made out of the same material Orpheus was trudging through silently rose out of the body of water
- And quickly latched onto Orpheusā ankle
- Orpheus gasping at the sudden feeling quickly spun around to face what had grabbed him
- Only to see nothing but the claw latched onto him
- And soon more and more of the same hands rose and grappled him one after another
- Until they started dragging him down into the murky waters belowā¦
- Orpheus tried to struggle out of the hands to no avail
- Only for Orpheus to vanish underneath the waterā¦
- Thatās all Orpheusā mind could seem to think aboutā¦
- *He was drowning, this is it*
- Until he spotted something through the dark water
- It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the darknessā¦but he could make it out
- A ribcage, but this didnāt belong to a human
- This ribcage was far bigger than anything heās seen
- letting his eyes wander up the spine of the colossal skeleton reaching the collarbone and thenā¦the skull
- Jaw unhingedā¦stuck in some sort of pained expressionā¦
- And then he spotted it a rotting eyeball, staring straight at him
- Orpheus head started to spin
- He was so confusedā¦his mind going from question to question faster than his mind was able to keep up with
- What is this place? What are these monsters? Why did *he* have to end up here?
- His mind was starting to spiral again until these questions were answeredā¦
- Orpheus was stunned how did he-
- And then new answers came to himā¦flooding his mind until he could hardly think straight
- Until all he could do was shriek in pain
- (Remember when I said that if any mortal were to look at the titan Merlin their minds would be crushed underneath what they saw/ancient knowledge no mortal should have? Yeah) (that paired with corruption that could turn a sheep into a terrifying monster and most likely a titans blood? yeah I donāt think this would go so well)
- And with every new answer and flash of pain, his body would change, his bones would snap and crack into new shapes, flesh quickly warping around those bones
- Slowly becoming like the monsters he fought so hard againstā¦
- And it was excruciating
- Under the gaze of the rotting, forgotten titan, Orpheus could only think one coherent thought quickly being drowned out by all of the forgotten history, languages and ugly truths
- He had to get out of here. He had to leave.
- Quickly thrashing against the hands that had dragged him under here in the first place, he struggled to the top of the water
- Powering through each painful new piece of knowledge that had embedded itself into his mind
- Until he reached the surface gasping for air as he pulled himself to the other side of the water, the simple goal that caused this
- Orpheus tried to drag himself to his feetā¦
- ā¦only to collapse under the weight of every piece of mind-crushing knowledge he gained
- Orpheus was now on the ground, skin pale and shaking like a leafā¦turning into a terrible creature, flesh and bones still shifting and snapping into new shapes
- However, Orpheus gained a terrifying piece of knowledge just thenā¦
- he wasnāt aloneā¦there was ~~something~~ *someone* watching him
- Quickly raising his head to look at his surroundings he tried to find where this lone audience member stood
- And surely enough he found themā¦
- A tall figure dressed in tattered and stained robes with a strange halo floating around their headā¦Orpheus could faintly here the magic thrum from it
- All the two of them could do was stare at each other for a momentā¦
- Until, Orpheus through gritted teeth and horrific pain asked
- āAreā¦are you going to kill me?ā
- Andā¦after another silent moment, the figure shook their head
- And after that, Orpheus asked anotherā¦
- āā¦.whats *happening* to me?
- Orpheus couldnāt make eye contact with the mysterious silhouette after that questionā¦
- āā¦you saw the titan.ā
- Orpheus quickly looked up to see the figure standing beside him now, speaking in an oddly gentle toneā¦
- Looking at the strange person now, Orpheus could see what his underneath the off-white hoodā¦
- A mangled face rested beneath it, jaw permanently resting in a pained expression, a slash across their twisted neck with strange tentacles peaking out from the wound that would writhe and shiver when they talked
- Before Orpheus could get to lost in the mangled features the stranger spoke again
- āSeeing ancient gods would cause anyone to go mad, and with what these monsters are made out ofā¦ā the cloaked person pauses, looking out towards the body of āwaterā that now rests stillā¦stagnant. āIt was only a matter of time before something like this happenedā¦ā
- āSo am I justā¦.supposed to accept this?ā ābecome a monster?ā
- āā¦.ā The stranger didnāt answer.
- Orpheus couldnāt speakā¦he really was going to die
- Gritting his teeth again Orpheus looked at himself, seeing every exposed bone and nerve ending shift and twitchā¦feeling every wave of pain wash over him
- āthereās something I could do for youā¦ā
- Orpheus eyes filled with hope as he turned back to the figure
- He couldnāt help but sputter on about how heād do anything, letting his desperation and want for survival blind him entirely
- The cloaked stranger used that desperation to their advantageā¦
- Asking multiple times if he was sure heād do anything
- Orpheus still blinded by the sliver of hope for his freedom said āyesā over and over to the point were the word almost lost its meaning
- The stranger looked down at Orpheusā¦they looked guilty, like they didnāt want to do what they were about to
- Orpheusā was now struggling to keep awake now feeling his lower intestines starting to unravel and twist itself into a new shape, his eyes were starting to water
- The stranger asked one final time stressing how much responsibility this promise holdsā¦
- Orpheus however wasnāt able to hear their words only looking up and wheezing out a final āIāll do itā¦.i promiseā¦pleaseā
- A solemn, slightly sad nod came from the stranger, and then they slowly raised their hands, casting a spell
- At this point the exhaustion of everything was starting to really takes itās toll on Orpheus, he was on the brink of unconsciousā¦
- Even he saw a strange light form on the ground around the stranger, his eyes still remained heavyā¦
- The light in the ground that surrounded the cloaked individual slowly trickled down until it fully formed around Orpheus
- The sigil of the arcane councilā¦
- Orpheus only realised then what he had agreed to
- He was now Merlin, first seat of the arcane councilā¦
- And there was nothing to he could do about it. He agreed to this
- Wheezing, Orpheus looks up to the mangled strangerā¦this was Merlin
- *the* Merlinā¦turned into a mangled echo of who they used to beā¦
- And then the symbol dissolves back into the groundā¦Orpheus is now the new Merlinā¦he doesnāt know how to feel about thatā¦
- āIt will take sometimeā¦but you will inherit me and every past Merlinās memoriesā¦out experiences will be you own, whether they are good or badā¦I am sorryā the mage couldnāt help but apologise
- āThis next step will hurt, but Iāll try to make it quick.ā
- Slowly raising one of their hands they cast another spell of Orpheus one that undoes all of the transformation he went through
- Like a video being rewinded, Orpheus started to feel all of his bones snap back into place, feel his flesh warp into their rightful shape and his intestines neatly being put back into their rightful place and positions, it was excruciatingā¦but he was human again (or looked to be at the very least)
- The magister then came and keeled down next to Orpheus, speaking as they did
- āI need you to ask yourself if there is a way out.ā āYouāll be fine, trust me.ā
- āA way out?ā¦.ā The idea never occurred to Orpheus, might as-well tryā¦
- Pushing past all of the painful whispers of long forgotten knowledge, Orpheus tried to think over all the noise trapped in his own head
- A vision appears painful but clear in his mind, a teleportation circle similar to the one he was thrown into, farā¦.but reachable
- The vision left as quickly as it came, leaving Orpheus gasping and coughing up some strange inky substanceā¦
- Feeling light-headed he tried to steady himself by holding his head in one of his hands, only to discover he was now wearing the halo Merlin was a moment ago
- Looking up, they see the magister sitting, looking out over the inky water
- āYou know where to go?ā The mage asks, not looking at Orpheus
- āGood, I wish you luck then.ā The magister replied slightly forcing the optimistic tone in their voice
- āThatās it?ā¦.no piece of advice orā¦anything?ā Orpheus asked
- The mage let out a gentle hum at the question, until they simply said ākeep moving forward, you are a very stubborn soulā¦donāt change that, no matter what anyone saysā
- āohā¦ And keep that halo onā¦ā they added, āthats whats keeping you human, take it offā¦and you will become something rather similar to the abominations youāve faced hereā¦ā
- All Orpheus could bring himself to do was nod slightly
- Slowly rising to his feet he took one final look at the mage who saved him, still seated next to the dark waters
- Quietly muttering a thank you to them he slowly turned and started the long trek to the teleportation circle
- As he left one final sliver of knowledge seeped into his head, this one not hurting as much as the other pieces of info
- The mage who saved his life, Merlinās actual name isā¦Eurydice
.*ļ½„ļ½”ļ¾āļ¾.*ļ½„ļ½”ļ¾
- after a difficult and long journey to the teleportation circle
- Sneaking past vast monsters and making it past strange and confusing pathways and buildings
- Orpheus found himself in the middle of what was once some sort of structureā¦made of what wouldāve been pristine marble
- Walking through the colossal archway he was greeted by a vast room
- The space was oddly reminiscent of the temple Orpheus was in before he ended up hereā¦
- Bookshelves, melted candles, books with pages that look like they would crumble to dust at any moment
- Looking towards the ceiling Orpheus could see a giant moon astrolabe
- Orpheus could faintly see the broken parts that wouldāve completed the astrolabe on the ground,
- Resting on top of an intricate pattern on the floorā¦
- The teleportation circle, he found it
- Orpheus almost didnāt notice how fast he approached the circle, swiftly dragging and clearing away the astrolabes debris he was able to get a better look at the magic circle
- (So, how do I want this magic circle to work, Iām currently thinking that itās carved into the floor, and you have to cast a spell into this magic circle, but not a specific one more like you have to cast a spell that will fill up the carved lines, and once all the groves are filled up with magic the circle will activate! Thatās what Iām thinking for now anyway)
- While I think it wouldnāt take a lot of energy to do I think it would take a while to complete
- But to Orpheus if it meant his freedom so be it
- Slowly draining his magic into the groves, Orpheus made sure there wasnāt anything near by, he doesnāt really want a repeat of the last time he let his guard down
- It was about halfway of the circle being complete he started hearing somethingā¦
- Looking over his shoulder he couldnāt see anything in the large archways he came throughā¦maybe it wasnāt as close as he thought? Or maybe it just didnāt notice him
- ā¦until he felt something drip down onto his faceā¦
- Looking up Orpheus saw a horrific being, a mass made of limbs and body parts meshed together all in a colossal cacophony of flesh and bones
- And then it hit Orpheus, this wasnāt like the other entities he saw beforeā¦
- The ones he was used to were rail thin often as dark as the abyss, this was fleshyā¦
- And thatās when it clicked, Orpheus wasnāt the first person to get thrown into hereā¦and this was what happened to themā¦
- Looking at it now he could barely make out entire people, a noble woman, an old man, a young wilder lady and so so many moreā¦
- Even a few children were scattered across the entityā¦
- Orpheus could feel the bile rise in his throatā¦he quickly ripped his gaze away from the creature, only to now realise it wasnāt attacking himā¦
- Orpheus train of thought was swiftly cut of by thousands of whispers, all belonging to each and every person that was apart of the monstrosity
- All collectively whispering one thing to Orpheus
- To join them all, to be apart of them
- Orpheus couldnāt think straight until the mass of flesh slowly extended its hand to him still coaxing him to join them telling him heās home now, that he doesnāt need to fight anymore
- Orpheus reached towards their extended hand, all of the pairs of eyes looking at him expectinglyā¦
- And quickly swatted away the monsters hand shouting that this wasnāt his home, that this isnāt where he belonged
- He was going to get out
- This sparked a long and intense fight between the two
- The entity was desperately trying to grab Orpheus and fuse him with themselves, to make him apart of the monstrosity
- While Orpheus was basically treating the situation as an endurance test, casting the occasional spell at the entity, while leading it to crash into any nearby wall or pillar, and then using that brief moment of the monsters recovery to pour more magic into the carving on the floor to get the magic circle to activate as soon as possible
- Of course it wasnāt so smooth for him
- He had been scratched multiple times, gripped so hard heād have bruises and at one point got tackled to the ground
- By the time Orpheus got the circle to activate he was incredibly wounded, coughing up blood as he fell through the circle, he looked back to see the multiple faces the monster was made up off all twisted in anger and anguish a cacophony of screaming rang out at him to not leave them
- But it fell on deaf ears
- And Orpheus fell through the circle
- The one that would take him back to Esperia, take him back home.
- Orpheus found himself in the temple he found before he was shoved into the hellhole, violently gasping for air only to be cut off by coughing more blood up
- He was kneeled over the circle that sent him there in the first place, it didnāt take long for Orpheus to realise this and he swiftly staggered away from it only to fall to his knees again in the blind panic
- Quickly catching his breath he looked up ahead of him, and all scattered thoughts were hushed by what he sawā¦
- The Outside world of Esperiaā¦all plant life painted in a slight blue hue under the night skyā¦a beautiful starscape
- Orpheus barley processed his situation until he was outside the massive doors, taking everything in
- He could feel the stinging of tears in his eyes
- ā¦.and then a thought came to mind, one that soured the mania that coursed through him
- ā¦.how long was he in there for?ā¦
- For the short amount of time the thought was in his head for it plagued Orpheus
- It didnāt take long for him to push all of the exhaustion and pain to the back of his mind and sprint as far as he could get to the mystical house
- It wasnāt long until Orpheus was sprinting through the village either, sprinting through empty streets, making rough turns, he even crashed into a few things in his almost panicked haste
- Thankfully the mystical house seemed to have moved a lot closer to the village, resting just past the outskirts Orpheus had spotted Giga, sleeping
- Stars above he mustāve worried them so badly if they had gotten this close to the village
- He could faintly see golden light shine through the windows, someone must still be awake
- Before he could process it he was opening the door to the noble tavern
- When he stumbled in, the place was empty, no patrons and dolly wasnāt behind the counter either
- Orpheus stared at the empty establishment for what felt like a lifetime
- āOrpheus?ā A voice echoed
- Orpheus turned in the direction the voice came from, and up on the higher floor gripping the railing was one of his found family members
- Having a look of shock that soon stemmed into worry as they caught sight of all the wounds Orpheus had collectedā¦
- All Orpheus could do in that moment was cough up more of his blood before offering a weak smile before letting the exhaustion finally catch up to him collapse to the floor
ā©āĖ.āā¾āāŗāā§
- When Orpheus woke up, it was dawn, the sun was just barely peeking over the horizon enveloping the mystical house in sunlight
- When he looked at his surroundings he noticed he was lying down at one of the noble taverns sofas, it wasnāt the first time heās fallen asleep there and it wonāt be the last
- Looking down at himself Orpheus immediately noticed that most of his wounds were healed, while the other less severe ones were covered in bandages
- It wasnāt long until one of his family members noticed he was awake
- Cue Orpheus found family members immediately tackle hugging him to the sofa
- Orpheus would eventually tell them all what had happened, thankfully due to the proof he had (the halo, and being able to summon the first seat of the arcane councils sigil, they believe him)
- The next few months were mainly Orpheus trying to recover from his experience and wounds while having his found family almost always around him
- and a few months later is when the game would take place :))
(Anyways yeah thatās his lore! Thank you for reading it!! :DD Iām sorry itās so long)
