"Those who slither?" If this were an anime, one would see question marks above my head.
As our meeting wound down, I pull Robena aside. Despite her obvious relation to Rowena, the way she's tilted her head reminds me far more of Neptune.
Well, she did say she was UbeOne... that's to be expected.
"Alright, do you want t eh long explination or not?" As she nodded her head, I sighed, motioning her to follow as we walked outside. Finding a clearing, I took a seat.
"Alright. The terms 'those who slither in the dark' and 'Basement Dwelling Edgelords' both reference one of the five major factions in Fodlan, whose proper name is the Argathians. To understand them, you need to know about the history of Fodlan, including that of the Goddess, Sothis."
"When Sothis... founded? Made? Established? Eh, the nomenclature's unimportant. When she claimed Fodlan, there were scattered enclaves of humans already living here. One of these small civilizations were the original Argathians, who were skilled in the arts of Reason magic and technology. Sothis, being the goddess of Time, was able to glimpse into the future, and saw how technology might develop, and shared the secrets of advanced tech with the Argathians. Thus, they became the most developed nation on Fodlan. Eventually, Sothis stopped helping them, and focused her efforts on birthing her 'children;' the Nabateans, who were/are like divinely empowered Manakete. And for a time, there was peace between the two powers."
"Then something changed. I don't know why the Argathians became arrogant, or why they thought that Sothis and her children had to die, but they built an arsenal of 'javelins of light'; powerful missiles, each capable of leveling a city or fortress in a single shot. When they thought the time was right, they launched an all-out attack on Sothis' home atop the mountains int he center of Fodlan, spreading their weapons to wipe clean the lands around it so they could control the whole continent. They failed, for Sothis was able to protect her home, creating a web of spells to ward her citadel. In retaliation for the attack, the Nabateans went to war, destroying the citadels of the Argathians and scattering their people. Most of those who survived fled underground, where they dwell to this day."
"However, their victory did nothing to restore the lands ruined by the Argathians' attack, and so Sothis bent her powers to heal the land and restore what had been destroyed. Such an act exhausted her, and she slept, turning her home into a tomb. Her children migrated south, settling the land now known as the Red Canyon. The surviving Argathians now hungered for revenge, and wanted a place in the sun."
"The other human tribes of Fodlan fell to anarchy in the absence of the Goddess, and the Nabateans isolated themselves as they waited for their mother to awaken. The Argathians, however, saw opportunity among the chaos. They sought out the strongest of the bandit warlords on Fodlan, and granted him the location of the Tomb of the Goddess- and a tool he could use to strike her down. His name was Nemesis, and he stole into the Tomb of the Goddess, and murdered Sothis, tearing out her spine and heart and drinking her blood. The Argathians fashioned her spine and heart into a sword, and refined the power he stole from her blood into the Crest of Flames. With that power, he took eleven followers and descended into the Red Canyon, slaying each Nabatean he encountered, and having his followers claim bones and blood for themselves. This created the first eleven Crests, and the array of Heroes' Relics currently used in Fodlan. I think the Argathins wanted the heroes to fight among each other and destroy themselves, allowing them to wipe out the remnants and claim the land for themselves; Nemesis had become too powerful for them to properly control."
"However, despite Nemesis' rampage, five Nabateans survived the ambush and purge. One, Serios, despairing and enraged by the slaughter, bided her time and gathered allies among both the children of the bandit lords and those resisting their dominon. She, and her surviving kin, each gave their own blood to forge five additional bloodlines, including a man named Hresvelg, chosen by Serios herself. Endowed with weapons of Divine Nabatean make, and organized by the greatest tactical minds in Fodlan, the forces by Serios overwhelmed and destroyed Nemesis' forces. Serios herself struck down Nemesis, and reclaimed the Sword of the Creator from his grasp."
"to protect the remaining Nabateans and secure Fodlan from outside influence, Serious named Hresvelg the human ruler of the continent, creating the Adrestian empire. To preserve the Holy Tomb, now also the graves of many of her kin, Serios founded a church in her name, and built the grand monastery of Garreg Mach atop the Tomb. The Church altered history, declaring the Crests as Divine endowments from the Goddess, and the various Hero and Saint relics as Goddess-given. Each of the Crested bllodlines, save one whose initial wielder went mad, was given lands and dominions within the Empire, while all was governed by the Church of Serios."
"Those that Slither still existed, though, and have subtly manipulated events to try to bring about their revenge on Serios and wipe out the remaining Nabateans. They're small, but they still retain a lot of advanced technology Serios' edicts repressed, and have unparalleled grasp on Dark Magic and fleshcrafting."
I sigh. "Of course, all of this is secret, though it might all be about to come out in a big way. There's more, of course, but that's the broad strokes so far as I can remember. Any questions?"
---
Kel's Plan:
5 Actions: Craft wolf teeth into a set of knives (Kitchen/hunting knives)
30 Actions: Lance training (Strength, D -> C+ if possible)
15 Actions: Faith Training (Not Strength, D+ -> C+ if possible)
10 Actions: Talk with the Mercenaries, gain a better perspective on Modern Fodlan (Questions to follow, in order of priority)
If current events match with game events (Tragedy of Duscur, Edelgard's sibilings, state of the Alliance, Church's moves, etc.)
State of Technology (Are there printing presses? Sewers? Clockwork? Refined distilling? Glassworks?)
Church of Serios control (Taboo subjects, what's considered Heresy, grip on Empire)
Mercenary status in Fodlan (Numbers/prevalence of other Mercenary companies, legal status)
Investment opportunities (Awlays important)
Yes, and I want a horse. Draft horse, please.
