Gods of Chaos: a Riot God Quest

"There are treasures in the Abyss… you just have to make sure you aren't Lost on the way up."

Deep within the Abyss are strange edifices built in towering shapes that shall never leave it's depths. These monuments take the shapes of buildings, statues, sculptures, or fields of battle all in aa twisted, warped reflection of historical events throughout time and history. These monuments will never be buried under the Sands of the Abyss, instead the Abyss filtering the sands around them and caring for them in the same way a gardener cares for their garden. Each monument is formed of strange, unique materials that have a variety of effects- none of which are naturally occurring within the universe. They are coated in fine glowing golden markings, these symbols of no language that ever was or ever will be as they seem to constantly shift around the edges of one's vision and are understood by the one reading them as if they were being spoken to them in their native language. These messages carry notes on the history of events and the things that lead to cause said subjects- be it greed, envy, a Maker's Will, Fear or any number of other subjects, they will be described truthfully without falsehood. Of course, to reach these monuments requires for one to travel into the depths of the Abyss, as such, a reward is to be gained by those who read form these monuments. The reader gains a twisted version of a historical artifact, not as potent, never as durable, and a warped, cloudy reflection of the object in question at best. Items that were heroic can take an ominous hue, ones known for slaughter can be warped to heal instead, blessings of wisdom can shift to curses of their same nature. While no Prize is harmful to the one who earned it, they can be unwieldy things that need to be adapted to. Of course, the most powerful of Monuments are the ones that describe historical events that have been forgotten, the more potent the forgotten event, the more potent the gift provided… and the challenge to get to it.

Of course, if you merely had to climb down the Chains, travel the Sands of the Abyss and find the Monuments it would be far, far too easy. As such, Plant life is spread through the Abyss. These plants formed from Abyss-stuff grow within the void like realm, feeding on the not-light of the Abyss and consuming Lost materials to grow stronger at the middle layers where inorganic objects start to float. At the bottom most layers, these plants take the qualities of the nearby Monuments, gaining strange otherworldly effects that can warp their surroundings. The deeper one goes into the Abyss, and the closer they head to a Monument, the more dangerous these plants shall become. What was once mere grass can be small blades of silver metal that cut through flesh like a knife, vines can be made of ethereal flame or magic, trees can heal anything under their shade- or drain them of life. These plants all vary in their hostility, but all become increasingly dangerous the closer to a Monument one travels. After all, anything Lost within the Abyss can be consumed by these Plants as materials, should they be unwary and die in the plant life's embrace.

Should one choose to find the First Monument however, they shall be greeted with their greatest challenge. In the deepest parts of the Abyss lies this strange edifice, the plant life around it growing more and more hostile the closer to it one gathers- after all, this is the Abyss's first belonging… and it is quite possessive of it. The Abyss keeps this Monument in pristine, perfect condition, the Monument suffering no ill effect from Entropy nor time's passing. With the dangers and passive guardianship over this monument, surely it must be a potent and powerful prize indeed, right?

The First Monument is a simple obelisk made of a black glossy stone that seems to blend into an almost steel like material towards its base. As one stares at this monument, they will find themselves looking at a strange glimpse of the deepest depths of space, stars and galaxies spiraling in slow motion, the shimmering colors growing stronger and more vibrant the longer one gazes upon this Monument. Illuminated in the soft violet glow of the obelisk the viewer is privileged to read the notes of a Maker, written by their hand, with the fires of creation flowing through the Monument itself. Those who read through the First Monument experience a change to their existence, they fall into a state of being both Claimed by the Abyss and yet able to leave without turning to dust. They shall be free to return into the abyss and welcomed home, with the abyss treating them like a natural part of itself- no longer leading them to suffer from its entropic effects, nor from a weakness to light, furthermore, they gain the natural ability to produce and manipulate Moonlight as if it were a solid substance. Upon leaving, they shall find every shadow welcoming them, and leading into the Abyss, as if they were doors to be opened, with the Abyss's less dangerous locations becoming as welcoming as a home to those who read from the Monument.

The message upon the First Monument often changes depending on the person, usually as something inspiring, however, for the native people of the Second Planet it is as follows:

"My first creation was one of Hope and Kindness. My Second was a people who loved Freedom and could move between the Seen and Unseen. Then, the Second World was crafted.

When this world was Empty, only monsters like the Yama roamed with few other lifeforms. It was a barren place, so I created the Me'vel, in hopes of a people who could transverse time and create wonders with it- and they did. These people of mine, they crafted wonders and loved the stars, however they were scattered and spread like the wind in the dangerous lands around them with no other race to help them survive. Thus, after an era, I made them a city, and gifted them knowledge- but most of all, I provided them the greatest gift they never asked for.

For when the Me'vel were first created, they looked to the heavens the Makers crafted and felt Wonder. They were the first of my creations to feel such, for my Eldest creation Hope sells good deeds and better futures to those in need, and the first people I crafted became a kindred race bonded to Humanity that loved freedom and mischief and needed no help from me. The Me'vel lived in a far more dangerous world, and while they were alone, they still looked upon all that was and loved it. So, while I provided a City, while I provided the Library, I provided them with a true gift- The Observatories. To see the birth and deaths of stars, the creation of galaxies, the motions of planets and the heavens far above that most will never see- for they were and are of my creation, and I loved them.

When the other Makers started to add their own races to the world, I rejoiced- my people wouldn't be alone. They would have friends to show their arts, companions to show their creations and to fight the monsters and Yama that threatened them, they could share stories and cultures and create something truly wonderful as the City I gifted became the first node of trade and culture- of progress, of Hope. The books of the Library could be transcribed and spread across the realm and great wonders would be made as the people explored and crafted.

I forgot that people were greedy while I worked.

I forgot that people feel envy for things they do not have, that they will try to take what they want, that they will try to kill for it- that they will plot for it. Because of Greed.

I forgot that people feel resentment for such things, and instead of traveling to read and write and spread the knowledge, they would rather take it for themselves.

I forgot that my greatest gift could become a curse that would crush a future where the people of the world wandered a grand city together as friends, because someone wanted it more.

Then, the Stone Plague was crafted and released upon the world. Instead of working together to fight it, the people cursed the Me'vel- the only race immune to the disease, the only race with the ability to save the afflicted, the only race with the Library with notes describing magics that create moonlight, the diseases natural cure. Greed and Envy can cause horrible things to set into motion, and the poor Gnolls were not ready for what was crafted- so maybe this will help. Maybe the Abyss will allow the Four I've chosen to gain what they need, maybe the journey here will have made you all friends who will stand together and tell this tragedy in motion to stop. Maybe those who make it here will be able to stop the horrors on the horizon… if they survive the journey.

You have blamed the Me'vel for this plague- it wasn't them who crafted it. You kill a race that is so very suited to assist you, and instead of asking for help from the ones immune to this illness, you fight and kill them. Let me tell you all a few more secrets:

They are for free- you've earned it.

The petrification of the Stone Plague is not the true terror of the illness. Nor is it it's spread and lack of easy cure- no. Those who are turned to stone, their bodies become stronger than Iron over time, and eventually are returned as maddened monsters seeking their death who only kill and kill and kill, each wound infecting one with the plague.

I had hoped that the races would have worked together to combat this threat- and maybe they will with this information. If the races of the world do not work together, I don't know how many will survive what is to come as your weapons will barely hurt the monsters assaulting you. "

__***__

One Me'vel, One Gnoll, One Dragon, and One Krokorikian are chosen by a Maker in such a way as to make sure they are likely to work together and best suited to survive the trip, and then dropped into the Abyss and given a mission. All four are told by a Maker that their goal is to find the First Monument in order to learn the secret of the Stone Plague and if they do not work together, their people are at risk of being doomed by what is to come. They are told not to harm one another- for if they do, they shall not escape the Abyss alive and be forgotten by all who care for them. Furthermore, they are supplied with the knowledge on how Abyss Stone negates the entropic effect of the realm if crafted into amulets and left to climb to the bottom of the Abyss and reach the First Monument with the words of guidance 'The Abyss protects the First gift I crafted for it most eagerly- thus, the more dangerous things get, the more likely you are going in the right direction'. They are then told there are a few other Monuments around the Abyss with various gifts and blessings that may help them in their journey- or doom them forever. The First Monument is in the most dangerous location in the Abyss, protected and nurtured by the realm as its first true belonging that isn't something stolen from the realm above.

The heart of the Abyss is currently home to all things Lost. It is a desolate wasteland where nothing ever truly dies, but nothing ever truly lives either. It is a place forsaken from entropy and home to beings that all outside Abyss have forgotten.

Now, the wasteland Abyss will have their own denizens – Shades.

Shades are castoff beings of insubstantial shadow and sand that form from fragments of narrative and story. They form from the death of Legends - when potential legends falter before realizing their potential, when heroes fall to tragedy and misfortune, when villains lose themselves to their weaknesses and personal demons. Legends are stories of personal triumph; whenever one of these stories loses this triumph and are no longer true Legends, a Shade will be born in the heart of the Abyss.

All Shades hold themselves to a Lie – a fundamental (mis)understanding of the world. The Lie is what defines and drives them, and all Shades exist to serve this lie totally. Shades do not have true names as most beings do, as Shades are forever divorced from such things by the nature of themselves and their home, but rather are labeled by the role that their Lie compels them to perform. Shades are also not truly conscious, thinking beings – they are fragments of the Legends that formed them, hollow ghosts that lack the Divine Spark of life. But they are still dangerous, for mortal beings who (consciously or unconsciously) embrace the Shade's central Lie may find themselves influenced by that Shade from beyond the Abyss.

Those deep in the throes of righteous anger might find themselves visited by a vision of the Wrathful Avenger, the nameless man who was wronged by all and so seeks to tear down and destroy everyone around him. The grieving widow might find comfort in communion with the Despairing Knight, the heroine who attempted and failed to protect those she loved and so endlessly laments the inevitability of death and loss. The scorned lover's bruised ego might find lead themselves to be drawn to the honeyed words of the Vainglorious Prince, who assures them of their self-importance and disparages all others in equal measure.

Shades will seek to take living beings as hosts. This allows the Shade to temporarily escape the Abyss and take shelter within the host. Mortals that host shades gain powers based on the abilities of their story's namesake, but always with a price. The man who embraces the Wrathful Avenger shall become skilled in violence, but in return forever forget the goodness that lies in other's hearts. The woman who embraces the Despairing Knight will find herself better equipped to protect others, but at the cost of truly ever being able to treasure those dear to them. The scorned lover who fell into the arms of the Vainglorious Prince shall gain a glamour that grants them an appearance worthy of such pride, but it will always be ultimately hollow; no amount of beauty or grace will hide their toxic personality.

Those taken by a Shade become incapable of building a Legend. Instead, everything they do will empower the Shade's pseudo-legend, strengthening the power and potency of the Shade's personal Lie. This is a parasitical relationship that weakens the host's individuality, for anything and everything that does not conform to the role that the Lie demands they perform will be ground away by the Shade.

There are three fates in store for anyone who becomes Shade-touched. The first and most common is that they at some point die, which banishes the Shade back to the Abyss. The Shade retains much of the narrative power taken from the host, though the endless sands of the lifeless Abyss will slowly grind the Shade down and steal this power away from them.

The second fate are for those rare few who come to refute the Lie that empowers the Shade. They overcome whatever initially led them to embracing that Lie, growing as a person and proving the Shade false. The Shade returns to the Abyss greatly weakened, and the formerly Shade-touched individual gains the beginning of a true legend – as well as a mutated version of the power granted to them by the shade, changed through their journey to better represent their new self (which always expels the negative "cost" associated with the power).

The third fate are for the Shade-touched who manage to gain enough power, influence, and infamy to ascend into divinity. As both Shades and Myths are living stories, it is relatively simple for Shades to become Myths, and not much more difficult for their hosts to become Avatars. At this point, any last vestigial speck of independent personality has been long subsumed by the Lie – all that is left to the Avatar is their role, driven by the narrative of their Myth.

Those who already possess Legends naturally repel Shades, and cannot be influenced by these Abyssal specters. In turn, Shades both loath and envy Legends, for Shades are simply Legends that failed to survive.

Two Dichotomies:
The form of the Mandala is three concentric circles within a triangle, the circles all touched by a single cross. The three sides of the triangle represent the three outer elements of Space, Time and Void, untouchable by mortal spellwork but fundamental for any work within them. The three circles describe, from inner to outer, the conceptual elements, the physical elements and the forces, the points at which the circles are intersected by the cross each being a single element. Starting at the top and going clockwise, first arm contains the elements of Life, Fire and Wood, the second contains the elements of Dark, Earth and Wind, the third arm contains the elements of Death, Ice and Water, the fourth contains Light, Lightning and Metal. This Mandala is one of direct opposition, elements from opposing arms will oppose one another in magic, while those from the same arm will synergize in some way.


Two States:
The form of the Mandala is a complicated pair of spirals asymptotically approaching a central point. The point is time, which sets the beat of all else but cannot be touched. The spirals intersect and overlap at many points and cycle between the elements that make them up along their length. One spiral is the arc of the Made, comprising Space, Death, Light, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood, the other is the arc of the Unmade comprising Void, Life, Dark, Lightning, Fire, Ice, and Wind. This Mandal is a twisting dance, elements from one arc will work better with those from the other, and the most complex workings can only be made by weaving twirling magics from one arc to the other and back again.


The Triumvirate:
The form of the Mandala is a river splitting into three distributaries, each of which then splits into four more. The three distributaries are Time, Space and Void, the three purer magics from which others are derived. Time splits further to Life, Death, Lightning and Wind, Space splits to Water, Metal, Wood and Earth, and Void splits to Dark, Light, Fire and Ice. This Mandala concerns itself with wholes being made of many parts, there are no special interactions between branches, but learning within the children of one of Time, Space or Void will be easier and if all four children are mastered one may start on their parent.