Romulus stared at the floating option before him with a pounding heart, his eyes reading the words over once again as he hesitated. It wasn’t fear, per se, that stilled his hand. It was caution. He needed to ensure that he was ready for what would come, in any capacity that it arrived. His eyes drifted over to the assembled Dark Templars, watching as they readied themselves to move out the moment the order was given.
They’d arranged themselves into squads of nine, in accordance with Romulus’ desires. Each squad was led by a tenth Templar called a Decurion, with a Penturion Tesserarius as their second. The ranks weren’t quite accurate, but his knowledge of ancient Rome was operative, not scholarly. He knew enough to know what he was designating, if not the exactness of the translation. He’d gone with a more simple approach: Deca was ten, penta was five, and that was simple enough to him.
A true scholar of Rome would likely insist on just ‘Tesserarius’.
Romulus, however, was happy with the addition of Penturion. It made a nice middle ground between the full formal title and a more easy to use, simple signifier.
He had named Isolde Centurion Pro Tempore, marking her as their temporary leader. When he’d explained it, several of the Templars had shown confusion, until he elaborated that her duties as an Inquisitor meant she would eventually be unable to remain in a static command position. Isolde had reinforced his view, and the Templars had accepted it, albeit sadly. Isolde was beloved.
Finally, he’d appointed Hector as Optio, Isolde’s second. That had been met with laughing approval, and the veteran had quickly seen the Maniples — Romulus had chosen the name for the squads — organised and prepared for the potential battle to come. He’d yet to announce the formation of the Praetorian Guard, but that was coming. First… First he needed to pull the proverbial trigger. Once again his eyes drifted to the screen in his vision, and he read it over one more time.
MANA WELL INTERFACE
You have selected Dark Reconstructon.
There is currently 1 available target within your controlled territory.
Enacting Dark Reconstruction will cost 900,000 Mana per target, for a total of 900,000 Mana.
Dark Reconstruction will irrevocably alter the appearance and scope of an eligible city, transforming it into a Dark Metropolis. As the targeted city is a degraded Dark Metropolis, this will restore the city to its former level of function.
This process will restore the following buildings:
* Grand Necropolis (Seat of Power)
* Ziggurat of Knowledge (Learning Hub)
* Dark Manaforge (Crafting Hub)
* Imperial Docks (Economic Hub)
* Imperial Bay Defenses (Protection)
* Multiple Wall Segments (Protection)
Enacting Dark Reconstruction will also raise 3,150 eligible souls as Shades, bound to the will of the city’s ruler.
Do you wish to proceed?
YES NO
“Mortarius?”
“Yes?”
“Tell me about Shades again.”
The ancient King sighed, but obliged without objection. “They’re the souls of warriors who died faithful to the Dark Lady, but with a lingering desire to serve once again. Shades are somewhat akin to a mix between a Wight and a Wraith. They lack the raw physical power of a Wight and do not possess the agility or magical prowess of a Wraith, but serve as something between.”
“And you said they operate like normal troops?”
“They are shock troops, in essence.” Mortarius corrected with mild impatience. “Shades are not a permanent fixture, however. They will return to the Dark Lady’s embrace thirty days after being summoned. They’re good in a pinch, since they need no sleep, no food, and have no physical needs. They’re perfect soldiers in many ways… but again, they’re temporary.”
“I suppose that will help secure the city, if nothing else.” Romulus muttered.
“As I stated before.” Mortarius agreed as he turned. “You’re stalling, Romulus.”
“I’m… deliberating.” Romulus responded defensively.
“You’re stalling.” Mortarius said flatly. “Yes, the ritual will change Eternus. Yes, you will likely have to deal with a Solarian Crusade. Yes, you are going to be neck deep in politics, betrayal, and enemy assassins…”
“Thanks for the encouragement.” Romulus grumbled.
“...But I stand by what I said: The only path forward is forward.” He nodded to the Templars. “You won them over in a startlingly short time, even with your Sanguine bonuses. It’s time to capitalize, Romulus. Stop stalling.”
Romulus cursed the ancient spectre internally, and threw caution to the wind. With an intake of breath, he slammed his finger into the ‘YES’ option.
Instead of some grand ritual, another window populated immediately.
MANA WELL INTERFACE
You have chosen to enact Dark Reconstruction.
Before you proceed, would you like to select a new name for Blackstone City?
YES NO
Romulus blinked, and then with a grin hit ‘YES’. When the window vanished and the same interface he’d written his name into appeared, he hesitated. He almost instinctively wrote in ‘New Rome’, before realising how utterly asinine that would be. Players would understand, probably laugh at it, and he’d become a joke overnight regardless of his fancy new title and position. He could go with something edgy and dramatic, like ‘Abyssium’, but then he’d have the same problem in a different way.
He needed something with meaning, impact, and gravitas. Something that told anyone who heard it exactly what type of city it was, and exactly what sort of Faith dominated it. He needed something poignant, clear, and suitably grandiose. Something worthy of the literal incarnation of Death and Darkness.
Romulus’ eyes widened as his train of thought came to a halt.
Just like that, he knew exactly what to type. It was perfect.
He input his selection quickly and confirmed it, grinning to himself the whole time.
MANA WELL INTERFACE
Renaming complete.
Dark Reconstruction is now being precipitated.
Please allow 15:00 minutes for proper catalyzation.
This purchase is non-refundable.
Romulus dismissed the alert as a timer appeared on his HUD. With nothing left to do, he rose from his throne and sheathed Lightsbane at his side. With a nod to Mortarius, he swept down the stairs leading up to the dais, taking the seven of them quickly and joining the Dark Templars on the floor of the throne room.
Isolde came to his side as he joined them and the Templars parted, allowing him to move through them and reforming ranks after he passed. Despite the fact many of them had been faceless strangers not three hours prior, he felt no discomfort. The Dark mana flowing through them, bringing the familiar mix of icy focus and burning power resonated with his own. He was their Avatar, and they his Templars.
He would watch them, but he would also choose to trust them.
Paranoia was a lonely island, after all.
“Call them to attention.” He said to Isolde as he halted in front of the formation and turned his back to the entrance to the throne room, his ivory throne framed behind the five neat formations of ten.
Isolde glanced at him curiously, but did as he asked, snapping out an “Attend!”
Fifty sets of armoured sabatons slammed together in martial unity in response.
“Templars of the Dark Lady!” Romulus began in his best approximation of a stately voice. “We are a queer pairing, you and I. I am a Traveler. A foreigner from another world, thrown into Eternus and selected for a quest I believed beyond my scope. You are veterans, warriors and knights all, with storied pasts and lives of honour. Many of you can count your years in decades, where I cannot lay claim to my twenty-fifth year.”
The Templars shifted slightly but said nothing, watching him with rapt attention.
“I am a man alone, accompanied only by my Faith in our goddess, and the runeblade at my side. I must choose to trust, or my ignorance, my inexperience, and my lack of understanding would surely see me to a final death, one even my Traveler gifts cannot stave off.” He paused for a moment as he considered his words, tapping into the myriad of political biographies, wartime accounts and fantasy novels he’d consumed over the years.
“In this moment, as we stand at the precipice of a new dawn for this place, I have made a decision. In the world I hail from, there was a place known as Rome. It was an Empire born of a small nation, yet one that possessed a thirst for glory almost unmatched in my world’s history. The Romans were proud people, and their dominion extended from one small seaside nation into an Empire that spanned multiple continents, and conquered the known world.”
Romulus could tell he had their attention, at that point. They were watching him now with open interest, riveted by the tales of his strange land.
“The Roman Empire continued for over one thousand years in one form or another. They were tenacious, pragmatic, intelligent, and learned. The power of Rome was so great at its height, that a Roman citizen could travel from one end of the known world to the next, and do so absent weapons or protections. All he needed to guarantee his safe passage was a single phrase: ‘Civis romanus sum’.”
Romulus looked over them as he continued.
“Loosely translated, it means ‘I am a citizen of Rome’.”
“Was that some sort of special incantation?” One of the Templars asked, before being growled at by her Penturion.
“No, Templar.” Romulus said with a grin. “It was not. There is no magic in my world.” He let the mutters of surprise take them for a moment, and allowed Isolde to glare them into silence again before continuing. “The protection existed because all the world, from east to west, and north to south knew beyond a shadow of a doubt: If you harmed a Roman citizen, Rome would come for you. With fire, and blood, and Legions of such a number as to shake the earth and rattle the mountains. Such was the reputation of Rome, and such was the respect and fear it inspired.”
Romulus took a breath as he realised he was starting to drift, re-centering his mind and focusing on the point he was trying to make. “This is the example that we will build on. This is the foundation for what we will begin here, today, at the end of my beginning in Eternus. To that end, I have an announcement to make…”
He suppressed a grin when they perked up. His speech had certainly raised their interest.
“In the ancient days of Rome, it was known that its Emperors were protected by the greatest and most powerful warriors in the world. These men, each one storied and revered, were known simply as the Legio Praetoria, the First Legion of Rome. Later, they would be known as the Praetorian Guard, and individually hold the honoured title of Praetorian.”
Romulus smiled widely at them. “As Revenant-King, and Avatar of the Dark Lady, I do hereby announce the founding of the First Legion. In that founding, I do hereby and forthwith irrevocably bestow upon each of you the mantle of Praetorian, and induct you into my Legio Praetoria as the warriors in direct service to the Revenant-King.”
He looked at their faces and noted surprise, understanding, acceptance, and even wonder. “I will entrust you all with my life.” He said more levelly, and then grinned. “Try to be gentle.”
Silence greeted his words when he finished, and Romulus’ smile flickered.
He turned to Isolde to ask if he’d erred, when an explosion of sound staggered him.
The former wardens were cheering, roaring their approval and stamping their feet. With the acoustics of the throne room, the sound was deafening and had the effect of an army ten times their size. Romulus couldn’t help but laugh at their reaction, grinning to himself at the evident pride and joy they felt at his proclamation. They barely knew him, and he barely knew any of them.
But they were Templars of the Dark Lady, and he was their Avatar.
It was enough.
Romulus checked his timer quickly as the cheering started to abate. 10:34 remained, ticking down every second. He glanced at Isolde and nodded to the Templars. Like the trained professional she was, Isolde took the hint and bellowed out a command for them to be silent. It worked for the most part, though a few final cheers echoed in the chamber before the new Legio Praetoria, or at least the beginnings of it, settled down.
“As we move into this new chapter, it seems prudent that we understand what it is we are and will be fighting for. I could give you a long-winded insight into some archaic phrase brought forward and turned into something poetic and dramatic both. However, I think I’ll leave that to the scholars for later. Instead, I think there is something simple. Something we can all rally behind.”
Romulus glanced at his clock again, noted he’d lost two minutes, and continued. “We are the loyal servants of the Dark Lady. Where others fight to live, we fight to honour her. After all, other warriors count dying as failure. Do we? Of course not. Thus, our warcry should exemplify that. To that effect, our rallying cry shall be simple: Death is no disgrace.”
He fell silent as the Templars repeated the words under their breath, tasting their worth and then slowly in twos and threes nodding. He grinned. They seemed to like his idea. “Good. You understand.” Romulus glanced at his clock again and turned. “And now we need to make haste. The magic I activated is about to come into effect, and I doubt any of us will want to miss it.” He glanced back at them. “Legio Praetoria, with me!”
“You heard the Revenant-King!” Isolde called a moment later. “Order of march! First Maniple on me, Second Maniple five seconds staggered! Medium advance. For the Dark Lady! Death is no disgrace!”
“DEATH IS NO DISGRACE!”
Romulus shivered as he jogged out of the throne room ahead of the dying echoes of their warcry. That sounded way better when yelled by a large group. The thought of thousands of warriors doing that forced him to suppress a very not-Kingly giggle. He heard the thudding reverberation of armoured footsteps behind him as he moved, leading the way through the Necropolis toward the exit.
Mortarius moved languidly at his side, jogging with no discernible effort. That was probably a side effect of the fact he was technically a ghost.
“You did well back there.” The former Avatar admitted as they jogged. “Your Roman Empire sounds fascinating.”
“Maybe I can see about getting you some information on it. Not sure if there’s a way to bring historical records with me, but I can certainly try.”
Mortarius glanced at him in surprise, and then offered a curt nod. “That would be enjoyable.”
Romulus suppressed a smile at the spirit’s reserved nature. Mortarius could vacillate between expressive to a fault and icily indifferent quickly. He supposed it was part of being a King, and one that lasted centuries at that. He’d have to keep working on breaking down the former Revenant-King’s walls.
“You still have unspent points.” Mortarius said a moment later, breaking apart Romulus’ musings. “You should invest them now. I’m not sure how the reclamation of the city will go, but it may be important.”
“I will, though I almost feel like I deserve a hard time of it at this point.”
“How so?” Mortarius asked as they entered a long stretch of hallway.
“Where do I begin? I’ve entered Eternus, met a goddess, gotten a race change, and become a King all in the span of a single day.” Romulus muttered. “I haven’t even had to kill a single wild boar, or beat up goblins, or deal with a bandit camp or anything.”
“Is that what you expected it would be?”
Romulus hesitated, then remembered that Mortarius had some level of self-awareness regarding Eternus. “Well… Honestly, yeah.” He admitted as he turned, leading the way down a different section of the Necropolis.
“Does the fact it was different make it any less impactful or real to you?”
Romulus glanced at the spectre, then took a moment to think. Did he actually care about the lack of regular MMO fare? After a moment of consideration, he shook his head and peered at the path ahead. “No, I guess not. There are stories in my world that talk about people travelling to other worlds sort of like this. There’s always some big adventure, or build-up, or path to power. I guess people want to feel like there is substance behind the rise to glory.”
“Glory is glory.” Mortarius said with a snort as they turned again. “Whether it’s an abrupt rise or an extended tale, all that matters is that end result. You rose quickly, Romulus, but you’re in for a rude awakening if you think you walk the easy road. Compared to what you’re going to have to face, I imagine you’ll wish you’d travelled the wandering adventurer’s path multiple times in the days ahead.”
“That’s reassuring.” Romulus said dryly.
Mortarius shrugged. “It’s the truth. It’s easy to conflate power with freedom, but in truth it’s the opposite. You aren’t lucky, Romulus. Oh I know most people would disagree, and there will be millions who wish they could be in your place… But reality does not care for the sundry whims of wide-eyed storytellers. Leadership is hard, Kingship harder. Add the burdens of an Avatar to that…” Mortarius shook his head. “No, Romulus. You did not get lucky. You were cursed.”
“Cursed? That seems a mite odd from the thousand year faithful one.”
“My long life gave me perspective.” Mortarius responded calmly. “You were cursed with purpose beyond the ordinary. Whether or not you make that curse a blessing depends on you, Romulus. Nobody with absolute power ever escapes equivalent hardship. The question is whether you will manage to endure the suffering long enough to find the rewards.”
“So there are rewards in your eyes?” Romulus asked as they reached the stairwell.
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“Incredible ones.” Mortarius said with a nod. “If you last long enough to earn them.”
“You’re referring to the inevitable Crusade from His Holy Pompousness?”
“You shouldn’t dismiss Solarius so easily.” The ghost warned. “He may be an egomaniac, but he is both ancient and cunning. He did not imprison our goddess, nor guide the founding of the most powerful Faith in Eternus, by being a fool. He is one hurdle, but there will be others. You aren’t the only Traveler that will experience a meteoric ascension, but the chances are that you will have the hardest time solidifying your power.”
“I’m not looking forward to sitting on a throne for hours every day.” Romulus muttered, arriving at the first landing and turning right down the main set of stairs.
“You truly believe you will be?” Mortarius questioned.
“Well I can’t exactly rule in absentia.”
“That is the point of a government, Romulus.” Mortarius said with a snort. “The Revenant-King is not some bloated, throne-sitting laggard. It is a position that demands excellence in all fields, and that includes martial pursuits.”
“So I can go adventuring?”
“Certainly.” Mortarius said with a nod. “Especially given your status as a Traveler. Death isn’t remotely permanent for you.”
“Doesn’t that open up avenues for betrayal?”
“That is why you have checks and balances in the form of Inquisitors and Dark Templars, Romulus.” Mortarius said patiently. “The power of the Revenant-King is not a mere inheritance, it is a divine mandate. It is quite literally a sin to act against you within Her dominion.”
Romulus chuckled quietly as they crossed the grand entrance hall. “I suppose you have a point there.”
“There are a dozen city-states in this part of Eternus, each one a kingdom in its own right, with armies powerful enough to stave off even Solarius’ Unification Crusades. At the start of my rise, I conquered one of them every two years.” Mortarius stated it with such detached simplicity that Romulus couldn’t even call it ego. He had simply been that powerful, and that capable. “I challenge you to do better.” The spectre finished with a glance.
“Challenge accepted.” Romulus said with a grin. “Now if you’re done pissing on my parade, I’m going to spend my points.”
“Urinating on your…? Ah, an idiom.” Mortarius shook his head and fell silent.
Romulus glanced at the timer in his HUD again, noting that he had a scant 02:29 remaining. When they crossed the threshold of the colossal double doors leading into the entrance hall, he slowed to a halt with a huff of air near the top of the stairs leading up from the marshalling courtyard. The upper courtyard he corrected as he looked out at the statue-marked pair of segregated stairs leading down to the lower, obelisk-dominated courtyard below.
“Unobstructed view of the city.” He commented to himself approvingly as he shifted his attention to his HUD and muttered “character sheet” under his breath. With a grin perusal of his current levels, after factoring in his new modifiers, he set to work quickly assessing his current points and bonuses. There was no time to spend admiring his progress, not with the timer steadily ticking down and the catalyzation of the ritual he’d activated close at hand.
“Mind, body, and spirit.” He repeated to himself under his breath, also factoring in his new skills. Necromancy was fun in concept, but willpower wasn’t something he could points dump on a whim. He had to consider his actual combat style, and the role he’d likely play in any party he created: Frontline. Romulus had played more than enough MMOs and VRMMOs to know that someone with his particular set of skills would be badly sought after as a tank and damage dealer hybrid.
To that end, he needed to focus on how to play to those strengths. He could worry about commanding legions of the dead when he was stronger. For the immediate, he needed to double down on what would allow him to not only survive; but to thrive.
PLAYER INFORMATION
DETAILS
Name
Romulus
Alignment
Neutral Evil
Level
25
Experience
1,400 / 2,700
VALUES
Health
12,650
HPM
2,547 (42.45/s)
Stamina
5,000
SPM
1,500 (25/s)
ATTRIBUTES
Strength
105 (85)
Agility
46
Dexterity
13
Intellect
52 (47)
Willpower
15
Charisma
49 (39)
Vitality
67 (42)
Endurance
50 (35)
MODIFIERS
Strength
47.5% BPD
47.5% BDR
71.25KG CC
Agility
28.5% BSM
11.4% UDC
Dexterity
6.5% ARW
6.5% WFS
-6.5% RT
Intellect
36% (26%) SP
5,200 MP
5.2 MPS
13% LS
Willpower
750 MP
3.75 MPS
7.5% SR
4 MC
Charisma
8.2% CAD
8.2% CRDA
Vitality
6,700 HP
33.5 HPS
Endurance
5,000 SP
25 SPS
Romulus nodded at the expected changes. He could see the bonuses to his mana pool and regeneration rate from willpower and intellect, but they’d evidently been merged into his health and added to its totals. His entire mana line had also been deleted, further evidence of the sweeping change that becoming a Sanguine Revenant had wrought. His bonuses were, bluntly, absurd as he looked them over. He had ballooned exponentially in frontline capability.
He could also see where his attributes had increased with the addition of Isolde’s. 15 Strength, 11 Agility, 3 Dexterity, 7 Intellect, 5 Willpower, 8 Charisma, 12 Vitality, and 13 Endurance. Most interestingly, the values appeared to have been applied to his base stats, not as bonuses. The implication was that even if he lost Isolde, he’d never lose the bonuses. That was probably why Lilith had called it a ‘permanent’ addition.
“It’s ten percent of her total.” Mortarius said before he could ask.
Romulus just nodded as he looked at the rest of his stats.
In fact when he looked at his dexterity, he spotted where the balance gods had decided to curb him. His ability with ranged weapons was, in a word, pathetic. More than that, his willpower was also horrendous. Even with Isolde’s bonuses, he would be next to useless in anything resembling a distance conflict, barring a very lucky throw of Lightsbane. The image of the blade careening end over end to brain someone entered his mind, and he couldn’t help but snort in amusement.
A glance at the timer showed him he had less than a minute and a half left.
Romulus took a breath and got to work quickly, ignoring the sounds of the Maniples organising beside and around him. First things first he slammed 20 points into strength, bringing it up to 125, and then added 14 into agility for a total of 60. With 16 left, he put the remainder straight into intellect for a total of 68.
His ability with Sanguimancy might become his only reliable means to fight at anything resembling range, and he wasn’t about to pass that up. His other stats were fine as they were, and the intellect would increase his health anyway so it offered a nice dump stat. In some ways, intellect almost removed the need for vitality completely, barring the fact that its scaling was far worse as far as regeneration went. He’d need to be mindful of that.
After checking everything over quickly, Romulus took a breath and then confirmed.
Immediately he shuddered as he felt his body change; his muscles growing denser, his flesh and bones strengthening to resist damage, and his mind subtly expanding to better grant him access both to his view of the world around him and the knowledge in his mind. Each time his intellect increased, he had the strangest sensation that his memory improved as well.
It was like the world became… clearer. Like a fog was lifting from his brain.
Romulus shuddered as the changes finalised and rolled his shoulders to test out the ‘newness’ of his slightly improved body. It felt good. Really good. The thought of sacrificing the feeling for sitting on a throne had, subconsciously, been gnawing at him. Mortarius’ mix of light castigation and motivational doomsaying had lifted his spirits considerably. He wanted to explore the world. He was glad he’d have reason to do so like any other adventurer.
He glanced at the Templars ruefully.
Well, almost any other adventurer.
With thirty seconds left, Romulus pulled up his sheet one more time to look it over.
PLAYER INFORMATION
DETAILS
Name
Romulus
Alignment
Neutral Evil
Level
25
Experience
1,400 / 2,700
VALUES
Health
14,250
HPM
2,643 (44.05/s)
Stamina
5,000
SPM
1,500 (25/s)
ATTRIBUTES
Strength
125 (85)
Agility
60
Dexterity
13
Intellect
68 (47)
Willpower
15
Charisma
49 (39)
Vitality
67 (42)
Endurance
50 (35)
MODIFIERS
Strength
62.5% BPD
62.5% BDR
93.75KG CC
Agility
30% BSM
12% UDC
Dexterity
6.5% ARW
6.5% WFS
-6.5% RT
Intellect
44% (34%) SP
6,800 MP
6.8 MPS
17% LS
Willpower
750 MP
3.75 MPS
7.5% SR
4 MC
Charisma
9.8% CAD
9.8% CRDA
Vitality
6,700 HP
33.5 HPS
Endurance
5,000 SP
25 SPS
Romulus dismissed the character sheet as the timer in his vision continued down, eyeing it as it descended toward the last minute. He glanced left to see the five Maniples of Templars filing down into the marshalling courtyard under Hector’s watch while Isolde made her way over to him, coming to a halt on his left. Mortarius stood unseen on his right, but said nothing as the woman joined them.
“I never expected this.” She said without preamble.
“I don’t think anyone would expect to be turned into a Vampire, Isolde.”
“Not that.” She said with a snort. “I mean you. This. My… loyalty. I’ve always been a good soldier, even my father…” She caught herself and sighed. “I have always been a good soldier, but this is… different. I feel drawn to you. Tethered. It’s like an anchor holding me close.”
“Do you resent me for it?”
“No.” She said with certainty. “It just puzzles me. If someone had said I’d earn immortality at the side of a Traveler two years my junior, I’d have dismissed them as mad. Yet… here we are.”
“One year.” Romulus corrected idly. “I turn twenty-four in a few weeks.”
“One year.” Isolde accepted. “The point stands, though.”
“I get it. It’s not something anyone really expects. Certainly not me. I thought I’d be punting goblins or collecting exact amounts of bear ribs from puzzlingly rib-lacking bears. I definitely didn’t think I’d be selected as the champion of a goddess who’s been imprisoned for over a thousand years.”
“I suppose we’re both finding our way…” Isolde said thoughtfully.
“I suppose we are.” Romulus agreed with a smile. “At least we can do it together.”
“Together.” Isolde agreed with a smile.
Romulus opened his mouth to say something, and snapped it shut when his timer hit 00:00. A flash of red alerted him, and then abruptly a system message filled his view. As it did, the sun above darkened as clouds rolled suddenly across the sky, crackling with lightning and blasts of thunder.
His eyes lowered to the system message, and he read it in silence.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Attention inhabitants of Blackstone City.
Hearken to glorious news: the goddess of Darkness, Death, Order, and Sin has returned! Freed from the shackles of her imprisonment, the Dark Lady has resumed her rightful place among the gods!
By decree of her newly anointed Avatar of Darkness, this city has been reclaimed for the glory of the Dark Lady and her deathless servants. The city of Blackstone will now undergo a Dark Reconstruction and return in full glory to its status as a Dark Metropolis.
All those who call this place home are now faced with a choice: You may choose to swear your Faith to the Dark Lady, and in so doing swear your fealty to her champion, the Revenant-King… or you may attempt to resist her Avatar of Darkness as he prosecutes his claim.
Once the Dark Reconstruction is complete, the Battle for Blackstone shall begin. Those who swear eternal Faith to the Dark Lady shall be shielded from the carnage, those who refuse shall be marked as enemies of Death herself.
Should the Revenant-King fall or the Grand Necropolis be captured, the Avatar of Darkness will be declared defeated and Blackstone City shall go to the victors.
Should the Revenant-King subdue or kill 80% of his opposition, he will be declared the victor and his claim over Blackstone City shall be complete, and the city renamed per his desires.
Let it be done.
“I am Death, and I am inevitable. Will you go to my embrace as my follower or my foe? Choose wisely.” - The Dark Lady
Romulus dismissed the prompt as the earth rumbled, glancing down at the slight tremor subtly shifting the stone beneath his feet. He raised his eyebrow and glanced at Mortarius, who seemed calm and unsurprised. Either it was because he expected the shaking, or he was simply enjoying his lack of true physical body.
“What’s happening?” Isolde asked with a hint of worry.
“I’d wager it’s part of the process.” Romulus said with forced calm. “Wait and see.”
Another window popped up the moment he finished speaking.
When it did, Romulus’ lips erupted into a wide grin.
MANA WELL INTERFACE
Precipitation complete.
Dark Reconstruction is now being catalyzed.
All glory to the Dark Lady.
This purchase is non-refundable.
“Be calm, my Templars!” He roared over the rumbling, silencing the growing sounds of distressed men and women. “Take heart and remember your Faith. The Dark Lady is with us, and works to reshape her dominion. Be glad and rejoice! You have a front row ticket to an event that will be talked about for centuries to come!”
Isolde glanced at him in surprise as he spoke, but Romulus didn’t elaborate.
There was nothing more to say. Instead he turned to look out at the city.
All that was left was to watch as the world of Eternus was changed forever.