1. |
Oracle
07:00
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Her body came to life and Pan hovered over her chest,
Blood beads dripping down from the grin on his face
She pushed herself to the corner, recoiling in fear as he slammed the gate shut
Anesidora –
“Why must I be subjected to this fate? I’d rather die than be subservient!”
Deprived of slumber and sustenance, her mind flooded with the premonitions of a coming purge
Anesidora pleaded for mercy to the gods
Nigh, she is wracked with visions of chaos
How the Vale falls victim to the greed and the evil that dwells deep within
Surfacing from the endless nightmare, she weeps in hopelessness
Even if she escaped, the world as she knew it would never be the same
Pan argued to himself as he paced through the caves
Contemplating his actions
Pan –
“I’ll murder her, that wretched little whore..but she’s innocent, can’t you see that she’s dying?”
Nine days she remained captive, after watching the demon take the life of her love
Pan mocked the girl with the sweet sounds of Belial
Starved and fragile, she was desperately searching for any way out..
Fabricated equations to confine her suffering and drive the Great Beast mad
He grabs the dagger and snarls in rage, “This isn’t over.”
Blood soaked the floor as he drove the blade into his chest
She’s on her knees, and she cries to the heavens "Why are you doing this!?”
The sun blackened as she opened the box, and the world fell silent
The words echoed in her mind
'Why did you do this? How could you have betrayed them!?
Even a monster wouldn't succumb to such atrocities!'
She pressed her hands to the cavern
Her pupil's waned as crimson light took form
She had to escape before the blood moon fell
She is left with visions of chaos
How the Vale fell victim to the greed and the evil that dwelled deep within
Surfacing from the blighted ruins, she embraces hopelessness
Even though she escaped, the world as she knew it would never be the same
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2. |
Godless
06:55
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A titan walks the earth; birthed from the sands of Sintavia
Adorned with ornate armor forged in blood
And with the instincts of a God, he awoke to a foreign world
The winds diverged, and the skies were draped in fire
So he set off, to craft the legends of his heritage
To claim his place as a giant among the peons
His brethren calling to him..solitude fueling his ire
Arhk'Trisiun –
“Treading the earth for answers
By fate I’m disowned; By time I’m betrayed
The burden of loss is unmeasurable
The Vale is exposed, and I’ll rid of the peasants who hide in its shadow
Born from the heart of the world, I am Arhk’Trisiun!
Why is it that you’d keep me from the others? I place my trust in the sands..the fate of the Godless.”
He took the west, and for months he traveled, enduring the fervid climes
Archways of stone gave pass to the flooded valley
On the mountains of Agaloth there loomed a vile abomination
It stalked its prey, in hopes of catching the giant off guard
And finally, when a sandstorm stole his vision
The ebon beast attacked, jarred him unconscious, and dragged him away
As he awoke to find his captor ‘cross the oubliette
He’d claim his place as a giant among the peons
His brethren calling to him..solitude fueling his ire
Arhk'Trisiun –
“Treading the earth for answers
By fate I’m disowned; By time I’m betrayed
The burden of loss is unmeasurable
The Vale is exposed, and I’ll rid of the peasants who hide in its shadow
Born from the heart of the world, I am Ark’Trisiun!
Creature –
The creature turned, dried blood on it’s lips and pale white eyes
‘From the marrow of your bones, I slake my thirst’
Arhk'Trisiun –
“For centuries, we have commanded all the factions of the land”
‘Blasphemer! Come then, let us begin!’
Suddenly, it advanced on the giant and tore the flesh from his exposed arm
He grimaced in pain as the beast hovered over and stomped on him firmly
Creature –
“I will hunt your brothers down once you are no longer of use to me!”
The daemon spat at his face as he lunged forward, punctured its chest, and ripped out its heart
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3. |
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The Lich paces, treading the shores of Acheron
The rain beats down on forsaken soil
Spirits adorn the ruins and whispers sing through the frost covered vault
As he ferried the lost from the Vale to the Afterlife
Oedipus was reminded of the face that drove him from her arms
For too long, I have been without love
Ageless and Undying, I will press on
“I will be a slave to death no longer! The spectres of the ebon of the lost will bend to my will, and serve the true keeper of the afterlife! Ageless and Undying, I will decorate the Vale with their lifeblood, and forge from their fate a fortress of unpenetrable supremacy!”
The Lich traces, shaping the walls of Acheron
The rain beats down on the shoulders of Gods
Resonating off the mountain, the pillars of time
For too long, I have been alone, without love
The Ageless and Undying
Desperate for a change, longing for reprieve
I am no longer enslaved
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4. |
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This is the tale of the treacherous band of seven, beginning as nine
Sojourning the lands in search of secrets held within
Three years they scavenged the Vale for rations and treasures and clothing and shelter, but their greed would consume even the best of them – betrayal
Alas, on the eve of the dead moon, two sought to trap the others and empty the hoard
Set fire to the houses, and board up the doors
“May they burn with their avarice or die by the sword.”
Chaos, the camp ablaze, but the homes are empty
They turn to meet a slew of drawn back bows
Drykanfall –
“You cannot slay us, the Bandits of Shamblekeep
The masters of the air, lords of the land, and rulers of the sea
We are the ones who scour the unknown
We kill, collect, and move on to the next
We have no time for frivolous games..we rid of those who intend to object
You swore an oath to serve the clan until your dying breath
It is with heavy heart I must announce your departure from this earth”
That night, they heard a scream in the distance
From a cabin deep in the woods
They kicked in the door
She’s surrounded on the floor, reaching out to a cold and lifeless corpse
“No, not my child!”
But just then, they turned with weapons drawn
The attackers charged the bandits chanting 'She’s mine! She’s mine!'
Learned through years of battle they parried the blows with ease
The bandits cleaved them down ‘til only their leader remained
Thief Leader –
“The essence of fertility is hidden within this precious vessel, and I will be its claimant!
For so long we have been but dogs scavenging the vale for scraps, but now, with this relic at my fingertips, I am king!”
The room fell silent..a dagger slid across his throat
He froze in place as they grabbed the girl
Drykanfall –
“You can’t defeat us, the Bandits of Shamblekeep
The masters of the air, lords of the land, and rulers of the sea
We are the ones who scour the unknown
We kill, collect, and move on to the next
We have no time for frivolous games, we rid of those who intend to object
You swore an oath to serve the clan until your dying breath
It is with heavy heart I must announce your departure from this earth”
“Behold, the witch before us, now bound in chains!
The gods that bring new life are far gone from this wretched place
How is it then, that you begot a child?
Answer now, o blessed one..
Its time to prove your worth.”
“Release me…free me from these chains
For I will not tell you anything I know...
No, he’ll find me! He put this creature inside me..
If I but utter his name, he’ll murder me where I stand!”
Alas the Bandit Lord had journeyed the Vale in search of riches for many seasons.. but knowledge was the ultimate bounty
He'd long known the danger of such dalliances with the arcane, but the possibilities were too seductive to deny
Drykanfall untied her, and sighed in relief when she started to reveal all the answers..but then her body contorted, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. She grabbed at her neck as she fell to the ground
Aethusa was dead
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5. |
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The hunter prowled as he waited for his moment
Running low on supplies
He was forced to rob the poor traveler and save his life
He froze and pulled back his bow
The arrow's savage song ended deep in the stranger's heart
When suddenly he heard a voice yell from the forest
"Ambush! The scout has fallen..take heed, for we are not alone!"
He made a dash for the broken mountains, he had to get away
But they surrounded him and slowly advanced
They backed him to a corner
No other option..he dove from the cliff.
The candles flicker as he dropped down to the cave
A pile of corpses broke his fall
The ground was sown with relics and riches for the taking
He unearthed an artifact...an ancient skull that pulsed with tremendous power
Drykanfall –
"Finally the fates have blessed me with the discovery of timeless knowledge and unspeakable doctrine..with these relics in my possession, my might is limitless! Surely there is something here that can tip the battle in my favor..."
He gripped his dagger and a skull of the Old Gods
With a grin..he would ascend as a king
And all the bandits were waiting
They shouted insults, and spat at him as he approached
10 on each side..he was surrounded
He drove the blade into the necks
As he doubled and tripled and finished them one by one
"You will swear allegiance to me!
Gather your supplies, ready your weapon, and take your positions
For the night approaches, and we set sail for the east!
'Yes, Dread Lord Drykanfall!'
"There is a nigh a soul who would delay us
There is nigh a creature that could tear us down
We are the Masters of the Air, Lords of the Land, and Rulers of the Sea!"
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6. |
Ballad of the Lycan
01:17
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7. |
Bloodscape
08:11
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The night approached and his path would soon be realized
He was sent to the grounds for Poseidon, with 2 armored guards at his side
To find his only daughter and expand his control ‘yond the deep bloodstained walls of Holodra
Poseidon –
“Lycaon - may chaos take the night, and the Vale be stripped of its innocence
Lycaon - take her captors aside, and feed on their lifeblood..for they don’t deserve to live!"
The Hydromancer barked orders from his throne
Battle-worn and wrought with age, he vowed to turn the tides of the earth
The frost surrounds him, as blood drips down from the Orb that Swallows the Light, and it shielded him from the outside world
Poseidon –
“I own the skies! With a legion of stone at my fingertips, the lands will belong to me.
I will never relinquish my sovereignty!”
Lycaon –
“I tire of serving a man so feeble and absent of sanity..
Oh what a delight, to stab him through the heart, and end the cursed bloodline of Gods once and for all!”
He would rebel, and take the army of giants for himself
To tower atop the Bloodscape, laughing down at the peons that groveled at his feet
Forever lost to his home, the werewolf looked to the spire
Bearing the stakes of Arcadia, betrayal would set him free
Camped in the dark barren lands of Sintavia, Lycaon waited for the giants to fall to slumber
Then he'd simply slit their throats, and return to Holadra to slay the Lord of the sea
Oh, he’d simply slit their throats
With a swift hand, he put one down, but then the other giant awoke
Guard –
"What is this madness?!"
Then Lycaon lunged forward and gnawed through his neck
Oh, he'd simply slit their throat
His legacy would prevail
The stench surrounded him, and as blood dripped down from his teeth, he let out a howl that would christen him to the outside world
Lycaon –
“I’ll own the skies! With a legion of stone at my fingertips, the lands will belong to me
I am God. I will not be forgotten”
"Poseidon, you fool. Does justice not burn with such bitter sorrow?"
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8. |
Tholg
05:09
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Tholg –
"Oh this is terrible! They will pay for what they've done!"
The mystic creature made his way through the mud
"I didn't do anything to deserve this..I'm simply taking back what's mine!"
For days he hid away in solace just to stay alive
"I am the onset of power! You will bow before me!
I am the onset of havoc! You will bow before me!
You will show respect...
Yes...Belong its all belongs to me...All this belongs to Tholg!"
Finally, he fled the swamps and he headed to the dry land
He came across a battle-worn titan, clad in armor forged in blood
Tholg –
"Surely you will help me!"
He called out from afar.
"Or maybe I can help you!?
What is your story, giant man?"
Arhk'Trisiun –
"Born of blood and sand I am abandoned, left to slumber below
I am released from the shackles of sleep
Now I scour this endless wasteland in search of my brothers
Those, from who I am lost"
Tholg –
"Oh that's just terrible! I could lead you right to them.
I've heard stories with armies of stone in the sky.
And I'll do anything you need me to..I'll be your guide!
We'll roam the Vale together...just help me stay alive!"
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9. |
Desperation
01:21
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10. |
Corpsemover I
06:07
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Ovidius –
“My love, I am at my wit’s end. I write you this letter in desperation
For months this has eaten away at me, and I can stand it no more
I depart now from Solus..I feel that my time is running out
Our bond draws me close to your soul, but I feel you fading..”
Clawing through the pages of the tome
Passed down from the Necrogod
Gaining knowledge to bring back the fallen
He vowed to save his wife
“Time is a blade that pierces my heart
Begging to the fates to grant pardon
Further and further, she slips from my grasp
I have to save Corinna, or this life is not worth its length"
Through portals, he traveled to the forests of Vaddendale
Far east to the sands, and west to the seas
On the shores, he found the ruins of Acheron
In the distance, he heard a voice call to him
Corinna – "And to my heart...my heart be still
For love has yet to abandon my breast
Yet I remain captive; bound to death"
Ovidius –
“Oedipus, I see the monster you have become. You have surrendered to the evils of the Vale, and have lost your grip on sanity!”
Oedipus –
‘I was put on this earth with purpose, Ovidius, and no wretched mortal will stand in my way. With these lives as currency, I will govern the Vale, and avenge the death of my mother!’
Ovidius –
“Time is a blade that pierces my heart
Begging to fates to grant pardon
Closer and closer, she climbs to my grasp
I have to save Corinna, or this life is not worth its length”
Faced with the decision to find peace or revenge
He was left with no choice but to go to war
He’d raise an undead army to destroy the Undying
And set free the spirits locked inside the Lich’s Timeless Vault
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11. |
Corpsemover II
03:46
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And so he bestowed his declaration for all of the Vale to know and to fear.
"Upon their breast, and upon their Kingdom...There will be blood."
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