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Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, and all rights for characters, plots and settings belong to G.R.R. Martin and FromSoftware. I have no ownership.
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Sorceries:
Carian Sorceries - were used by those under the employ of the Carian Royal Family and revolve around the ability to summon magic projections to deal damage.
Cold Sorceries - are used by the ancient Zamor warriors and the mysterious snowy crone who influenced Princess Ranni and revolve around using magic tempests and inflicting frostbite to deal damage.
Crystalian Sorceries - are used by Crystalians and revolve around the ability to rapidly shoot out shards of crystal to deal damage.
Death Sorceries - revolve around Those Who Live in Death and other undead creatures and forces to deal magic damage.
Finger Sorceries - revolve around the other-worldly power of the fingers who served the Greater Will and is used by Count Ymir.
Glintstone Sorceries - are the primary group used by the Raya Lucaria Academy and revolve around the ability to weaponize glintstone originating from the primeval current in various ways.
Gravity Sorceries - are favored by creatures from falling stars such as Onyx Lords and Fallingstar Beasts. Gravity Sorceries were also used by General Radahn the Starscourge in his conquests and revolve around the ability to hurl rocks or summon meteorites by using gravity to deal damage.
Magma Sorceries - are used by the servants of the Lord of Blasphemy and draw upon the power of molten lava from the volcanic Mt Gelmir to deal damage.
Night Sorceries - draw from the powers of the night and conceal casters and armaments. Night Sorceries were wielded by assassins and spellcasters from the reclusive Sellia, Town of Sorcery in Caelid who employed semi-invisible magic to deal damage, with some spells originating from the Eternal Cities.
Oracle Sorceries - are used by the claymen who served as priests in the ancient dynasty and revolve around the ability to summon bubbles to deal damage.
Thorn Sorceries - they have the unusual quality amongst sorceries of only requiring Faith in order to cast. Thorn Sorceries revolve around damaging oneself in order to summon tendrils of thorns to deal damage, and some have an association with the Blood Star.
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Liurnia
973 year AS (After Shattering of the Elden Ring)
Aerion
Although after speaking with Thops and spending the day in Liurnia, he decided to return to Sellen to ask her how to get to Raya Lucaria Academy, he couldn't find her at the Waypoint Ruins, where he'd first encountered her.
The catacombs beneath the ruins were completely deserted, leaving no trace of her presence.
His thoughts immediately turned to their previous conversation, the last time they'd seen each other. His sorcery teacher had also mentioned that he should visit the Witchbane Ruins when he had the time.
He hadn't given it much thought at the time, but the ominous name alone gave him food for thought. Could this place be connected to her disappearance?
He was tempted to go there, but instead, he contacted Bernahl and instructed him to take over. In the meantime, he intended to clear Liurnia's eastern plateau, preparing this vast area for his forces to take over.
He could have rushed straight to the lair of the dragon Thops had spoken of to search for the key to the seals protecting the Academy, but he deemed haste inadvisable. Every enemy he slew meant additional runes and a potential new soldier for his slowly growing army.
Unlike his home world, where the clock ticked and the Others were constantly advancing south, here time had long since ceased to matter.
It was wiser to calmly and steadily build his strength, collecting new spells and incantations, such as the Flame of the Fell God, which would prove exceptionally effective against the Others and their servants. For this was no ordinary fire, but the flame of a god, even if long dead.
In any case, he assumed that anything built in haste was not only fragile, but also there was a significant chance it would collapse before completion.
A mad plan began to form in his mind, one that was, of course, a last resort and perhaps impossible to carry out. If all else failed and the collapse of his homeworld was certain, perhaps some of its inhabitants could be saved by relocating them here.
He didn't know, of course, if that was even possible, but he felt that at least Greater Will would be capable of it, likely at a heavy cost to him.
But that was a matter of the distant past, or at least he hoped so.
His gaze, however, was immediately drawn to the sight of a ruined building in the center of the plateau. One of the places Gideon had recommended he visit, as it was the home of the famous sage, Miriel, Pastor of the Vows.
The ruined church seemed considerably larger than any he had encountered so far, but that wasn't the biggest surprise. That name belonged to the giant turtle with an ornate tiara on its head, which resided inside.
The creature was so large that its head reached a good three meters, and its shell-topped body was massive.
As he entered, the turtle's head, as large as his torso, turned toward him. And Aerion thought he was smiling, though for obvious reasons he wasn't sure.
Then, the turtle spoke in an exceptionally calm, deep voice that carried a strange sense of comfort.
"You're Tarnished, aren't you? I welcome you to the Church of Vows. I am Miriel, steward of this sacred chamber. My apologies, for the unseemly state of affairs. Do you know the origins of this place?"
Aerion stepped closer, bowing his head slightly. "I am indeed Tarnished. Aerion, that's my name, and I've only heard snippets of information about this place, but nothing specific."
Indeed, when they discussed the details of Liurnia, Gideon mentioned this place, but more in the context of Miriel himself, claiming that the turtle sage could read any prayerbook or spell scroll.
The massive turtle sighed, with obvious pain in his voice. "Who can blame you? The Shattering has caused us—all of us—to lose sight of something very dear."
Nodding slightly as if in confirmation, he continued, "It is here, at the Church of Vows, that the great houses of the Erdtree and the Moon were joined. And so, our church holds in view the monuments of both houses: the Erdtree of the Capital, and the Academy of Raya Lucaria."
"Perhaps you are in search of instruction or knowledge? In which case, I will share all that I know. Ask away."
Mariel's calm presence and the kind, warm tone of her voice immediately reminded him of Maester Aemon. Both seemed to harbor the same wisdom that an open and curious mind acquired with age and experience.
So Aerion sat cross-legged before the turtle sage and said, "I have heard from many sources about Radagon, Rennala, and their children, but perhaps you can tell me more about them?" Something undistorted by rumors, ill will, and above all, the passage of time?"
"You wish to know more of Lord Radagon?" Miriel asked with surprising enthusiasm, as if it had been a long time since he'd met anyone willing to listen to his tale.
"Lord Radagon was a great champion, possessed of flowing red locks. He came to these lands at the head of a great golden host when he met Lady Rennala in battle. He soon repented his territorial aggressions, though, and became husband to the Carian Queen. Yes, those were golden times for Liurnia and its people."
"But all good things must come to an end, right?" Aerion interjected, and the great turtle sighed heavily.
"Indeed, for when Godfrey, the first Elden Lord, was hounded from the Lands Between, Radagon left Rennala to return to the Erdtree Capital, becoming Queen Marika's second husband and King Consort, taking the title...of second Elden Lord. The mystery endures to this day... As to why Lord Radagon would cast Lady Rennala aside... and moreover... why a mere champion would be chosen for the seat of the Elden Lord."
Aerion raised an eyebrow at this, asking in surprise, "Isn't it obvious? Was this the will of the Greater Will? I doubt Marika or Radagon has any say in the matter."
Miriel pondered these words, after a moment nodding his massive head slightly.
"You know, you may be right. God's plans and thoughts are incomprehensible to us mortals, after all, they are so different from us in every aspect. I also heard that Lord Radagon harbored a secret... A famed sculptor of the Erdtree Capital was once summoned to render Lord Radagon's likeness in giant statue. When he glimpsed the skeleton in Radagon's closet. And as such, it's said the great statue harbors his secret too."
"A secret? Was this secret used to force Radagon to return to Lyandell? Or is it completely unrelated?" he muttered to himself, but after a while he shook his head. "What about Rennala? I've heard various rumors."
"Ah, yes, poor Lady Rennala. She is Queen, head of the Carian royal family, and governor of the Academy of Raya Lucaria, the great and beautiful Full Moon Witch. Sadly, her heart was broken when Lord Radagon left her. And then, when the academy rebelled against the royals, she was locked away in the grand library."
"So it's true that she's imprisoned by her former subjects?" he asked, frowning.
"Yes, in the end, Lady Rennala was left alone, cradling the amber egg Lord Radagon bequeathed her. Now she devotes herself to it through forbidden rite; the grim art of reincarnation. You would do well to remember... Severing a vow, strongest of bonds, has consequences ever more dire."
"Oh, rest assured, I took that to heart. You also gave me a lot to think about. Perhaps your story will make me, when I stand before Queen Rennala, spare her life and take only her Great Rune. She seems a tragic figure, worthy of pity," he replied with a grim tone.
Then, summoning four items from the Inventory, he held them out. "Apparently, you can decipher their contents and help me learn them. Unfortunately, the text is illegible to me."
The turtle sage's eyes widened slightly at the sight. "Oh, what do we have here? Prayerbooks and scrolls? Very well, let us both learn together. Heresy is not native to the world; it is but a contrivance. All things can be conjoined."
The Royal House Scroll, Academy Scroll, Godskin Prayerbook, and Dragoncult Prayerbook he held in his hands flew from his hands, levitated by some invisible force, and began to float right in front of Miriel's head. The scrolls unfurled, and the prayerbook opened to its opening pages.
"Hmm. Interesting. Give me an hour or two to familiarize myself with them. You can wait or do me a favor. A band of exceptionally aggressive baestmen has infested the north of here. I'm not worried about myself, of course, but about possible travelers, of whom there are few and far between these days," the turtle said, looking at him.
The Baestmen proved as irritating as he'd expected, for when their ambush failed and the first wave fell with exceptional ease, the rest scattered across the plateau.
He had no choice but to summon his Spirit Ashes, led by Oleg Engvall, to hunt down those damned beasts.
Sam, however, instead moved to the Roundtable Hold to talk to Gideon about getting into the Academy, but Gideon truly had no other ideas than finding the key to the seal.
So he finally returned to Miriel, who was clearly already waiting for him.
"Ah, Aerion, you have returned. As promised, I have deciphered the texts you left me. Actually, the Godskin Prayerbook was the hardest part, as I have no experience with the followers of the Gload-eyed Queen." Miriel greeted him again.
Aerion approached him with a smile. "Then show me what you can teach me," he said, sitting down before him again.
As it turned out, Miriel was not only calm but also a surprisingly good teacher, much more patient than, for example, Sellen, who hated it when you didn't understand something the first time.
Thus, learning eleven new spells and incantations didn't take him long. Perhaps a little over an three hours.
Not only was it an extremely useful time, but it brought him much-needed solace and comfort. It reminded him of his numerous conversations with Maester Aemon, without which he likely wouldn't be who he is now, and perhaps wouldn't be where he is today.
Looking at the spells and incantations he had learned, which were reflected in his status, he couldn't help but feel pleased with his growing magical arsenal.
He believed that the key to survival and achieving his goals was versatility. But the kind of versatility that involved mastery in many areas. Only then could he be sure that he would be able to withstand everything these lands would throw at him.
Swift Glintstone Shard
One of the glintstone sorceries of the Academy of Raya Lucaria. The glintstone serves as a conduit, launching swift magical projectiles at foes.
Those unworthy of the stone crown typically end their brief journey into sorcery here.
Great Glintstone Shard
One of the glintstone sorceries of the Academy of Raya Lucaria.
The glintstone serves as a conduit, launching large magical projectiles at foes.
Those unworthy of the stone crown typically end their brief journey into sorcery here.
Glintblade Phalanx
One of the sorceries of the Carian royal family.
Creates a defensive arch of magic glintblades overhead, which automatically attack nearby foes.
Bestowed upon the enchanted Carian knights, who combined this art with their swordsmanship to maintain pressure upon their foes, striking in waves of steel and sorcery.
Carian Slicer
One of the sorceries of the Carian royal family.Conjures a magic sword and delivers a swift sweeping slash.
Even among the Carian sword sorceries, this is a notably effective technique.
Black Flame
A black flame incantation of the Godskin Apostles.
Throws a ball of raging black fire. Charging enhances potency and causes the fireball to explode.
Black flame is weighty. After dealing damage it continues to sap foes life for a very short time.
Black Flame Blade
A black flame incantation of the Godskin Apostles.
Engulfs armament held in the right hand with black flame.
Black flame is weighty. After dealing damage it continues to sap foes life for a very short time.
Electrify Armament
One of the incantations of the capital's ancient dragon cult.
Enchants armament held in the right hand with lightning-affinity attacks.
Long ago, Godwyn the Golden defeated the ancient dragon Fortissax, and befriended his fallen foe — an event that gave rise to the ancient dragon cult in the capital.
Honed Bolt
One of the incantations of the capital's ancient dragon cult.
Summons a bolt of lightning to strike foes from above.
Long ago, Godwyn the Golden defeated the ancient dragon Fortissax, and befriended his fallen foe — an event that gave rise to the ancient dragon cult in the capital.
Blessing's Boon
One of the ancient Erdtree incantations.
Grants a blessing to the caster and nearby allies, gradually restoring health
Blessings once fell like tears from the Erdtree, and this incantation is but a lingering remnant of their power.
Magic Glintblade
An old sorcery of the Carian Royal Family.
Creates a sigil overhead, from which an enemy-seeking glintblade appears after a brief delay. Said to be the prototype of the sword-phalanx sorceries wielded by royal enchanted knights.
Carian Greatsword
One of the sorceries of the Carian royal family.
Conjures a magic greatsword and then delivers a sweeping blow.
Armed with this spell, sorcerers gain the strength of knights, their loyalty sworn to the moon.
Each one could prove useful, and he was tempted to test them out. Honestly, sometimes he felt like a little kid who found so many wonderful toys that he didn't know which ones to play with.
'Maybe I should start using them randomly to spice up my fights?' he thought, rubbing his chin. 'It might be good practice too. Plus, I can overwhelm an opponent who won't even know what to defend against.'
"Where will you go now, Aerion? Where is Grace leading you?" came Miriel's voice. He turned his head toward the turtle sage, who was watching him curiously. His eyes conveyed only pure kindness.
Aerion smiled in response. "I think I'll see that village in the north you told me about. I need to find something that will help me get rid of this damn stigma, and as they say, it's darkest under the lamppost."
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Altus Platau
973 year AS (After Shattering of the Elden Ring)
Malenia
She and Loretta finally reached the Altus Highway Junction, which had remained virtually unchanged since the Shattering War. Bodies and ruined siege engines were everywhere, and the landscape itself perfectly captured the horrors these lands had endured.
Even after hundreds of years, the wounds hadn't healed, as if frozen in time. She wondered if this, too, was a result of the shattering of the Elden Ring.
Though all she saw with her senses were the outlines of the surrounding landscape, what her traveling companion described was as vivid as if she were seeing it with her own eyes.
"I never expected to see such a terrible war in my lifetime," Loretta, riding alongside her, said, her voice conveying disbelief and the pain built up over the centuries.
"I, on the other hand, never expected to see the end of the world." Malenia replied glumly, remembering the times when this land was still vibrant and beautiful, bathed in the golden light emanating from Erdtree. A time when she herself hadn't been consumed by the Rot.
"What do you mean?" Loretta asked, looking at her in surprise. "The world may be in ruins, but it still endures."
Malenia shook her head. "This is what the end of the world looks like. What remains is only a shattered land of broken souls. And I had my part in that.
Look at this place. Before Shattering, two hundred thousand people lived in the capital alone and several million on the Altus Plateau. These lands were covered not with dried-out yellow grass as you describe, but with golden vegetation. Even if beneath it all lay a growing rot, life still swarmed here."
Malenia placed a hand to her chest, feeling her heart pounding, and through clenched teeth she blurted out the thoughts that had long been buried, consuming her like festering wounds.
"Even Dear Miquella, despite his genius and determination, failed to achieve what we dreamed of. Haligtree and our city suffered a fate as grim as the rest of the Lands Between.
The people who trusted us either fell into madness or were consumed by Scarlet Rot and forgotten... All our efforts were in vain; hope died, leaving only desperation... And what's worse, I'm not even sure my brother is alive... I'm starting to wonder if maybe it would have been better... so he wouldn't have seen what happened to our beautiful dream."
"So you think all is lost? What's the point of searching for Lord Miquella?" Loretta asked, and Malenia detected a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
That was precisely why he wanted to keep his inner turmoil to himself. But how hard it was to bear the burden that rested on her. Though this world was shattered, the last thing she wanted was for Scarlet Rot to be torn from her body with her death.
With horror, she could only imagine that what had happened in Caelid would pale in comparison to what would happen here.
Silence fell between them, and they continued their journey in silence, passing numerous bands of wandering inhabitants of these lands, who, due to the impossibility of true death and all the horrors left in Shattering's wake, had long since fallen into madness.
Thousands of them wandered like shadows across the roads and plains of the plateau, and even more were probably waiting in Erdtree for rebirth, only to perish and be reborn again. And so on and on.
'What a terrible fate. Perhaps it's a good thing they've lost their minds,' she thought to herself, grateful that all she saw were aimlessly moving silhouettes. At such moments, even though for a brief moment she was glad she couldn't see.
Suddenly, she tilted her head to listen, her keen hearing picking up a low growl from the forests lining the road to the southeast.
She knew those growls from somewhere. A bear? No. Too loud. A runebear? More likely. During her mother's reign, it would have been unthinkable for them to roam freely. One of the Dragon Cult Knights, Godwyn, or even her father would have gone hunting; no, no.
Malenia herself had the opportunity to kill two or three, but it was so long ago that her memories were mostly blurred.
She stopped her horse, steering it toward the southern forests. Loretta, seeing this, also stopped, concerned, reaching for the war sickle attached to her saddle.
"Any danger?" she asked, but Malenia shook her head.
"Not for me. For you, perhaps... It's a large specimen. Ride on, I'll join you soon," she replied, then urged her mount, taken from the Night Cavalry rider, toward the approaching growls.
She stopped about a hundred meters from the tree line and dismounted, preferring to fight on foot, certain that even in her current state she was much faster than her mount.
She didn't have to wait long, as Runebear must have sensed her as well, for the trees at the edge of the forest shook, and from between them emerged a massive figure, a good four meters tall at the shoulder.
Although she couldn't be sure, her senses only allowed her to roughly discern the outlines of objects and the distance between them, but the precise information was pure deduction on her part. Although with living creatures, it was easier to sense their life force anyway.
A moment later, she heard a deafening roar, followed by tremors. The ground shook beneath her feet as the beast charged towards her, closing the distance between them in an instant.
At the last moment, she took two quick steps to the side, avoiding Runebear's charge, and then slashed at the beast's flank, ripping through its steel-hard fur and leaving a shaky gash.
The beast growled furiously, swinging its paws at it, even attempting to snatch it in its jaws. Malenia, however, was faster, gracefully avoiding the attacks and deftly maneuvering around it.
Of course, she didn't just avoid the attacks; every dodge, leap, or even a step backwards resulted in a single slash. Sideways, to the head, forelegs, hind legs, and underbelly. Soon, Runebear's body was bleeding from so many wounds that its brown fur began to stick together and turn red.
The beast made one last desperate charge, but Malenia deftly sidestepped it, and when the beast turned toward her again, she didn't wait. She tensed like a string and shot forward, covering the twenty meters between them, piercing Runebear's head with a forward thrust.
The beast died almost instantly, though its body convulsed for several seconds.
Such was its fate. There were few who could challenge it. Fighting, therefore, held less and less of its excitement. Even that didn't bring her the same joy it once did.
She looked around, but there was no sign of her mount.
"By my mother, I must find him," she sighed. With pain in her rotting limbs, she set out to search.