On his fourth day as a reincarnated mortal, the Prince of Demons had finally recovered his strength, most of which had been sapped in his long, two-year hiatus from living. Not only that, but he had also learned a great deal about the Akashic Record in that time—in other words, the worldly system—as well the limits of his own personal “Character” potential. With his class and abilities in working order, his small network of minions established, and a powerful companion at his side, Orcus, Demon-King of Conquerors, was ready to set off on his glorious campaign. The purging of all demons from the mortal world would be swift and merciless… or so His Highness liked to believe.
In truth, adventuring was not such a simple matter. Earning experience, gaining levels, becoming more powerful… these things were quite tedious and oftentimes bureaucratic. As Orcus was soon to discover, certain groups of mortals would do just about anything to hold onto power, thus making life very difficult for an ambitious upstart like him. But nevertheless, the die had been cast.
Yes, the Prince of Demons’ level one journey was about to begin. For better or worse? Not even the diviners could surmise.
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His Highness’s First Legion
Way better than the original!
Party Leader: Orcus, Prince of Demons, God of the Underworld, Master of Undeath, Demon-King of Conquerors, Terror of Oathbreakers, Lord of Blood-Curses, Goat-Horned God, Dark Divine, Healing Hands
Party Member 1: Oriax Asreh of the Xanatarus Clans, Foremost Wanderer
GM: Terminus, Prototype Model II (Akashic System Alert: Outdated Arcturus keystone pathway detected; Arcturus-001 exception handler(). PL will dispense of outdated unit at the nearest Akashic Terminal posthaste. ***Advertisement*** Get the newest Terminus model XIII for the latest in adventuring management solutions, including all new party-wide, quality of life improvements! Exclusively available at your nearest Adventurers’ Guild Hall—)
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Party Status
2/2 Active Members
0/0 Standby Members
1/1 Active GM
Adventurers’ Guild Certification: N/A
Guild Affiliation(s): N/A
Weighted Delve-Grade Average: N/A
Active Quest(s): N/A
Adventuring Day Experience: +0 xp
Party Loot: 0 gp | 0 sp | 0 cp |
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Orcus
Class: Paladin 1
Squad Role: Support Leader
Experience: 5.06/300 xp
Health: 12/12
Stamina: 3/3
Mana: 4/4 (level-locked; prerequisite not met)
Armor Class: 16 (18 with shield, status: unequipped)
Oriax
Class: Barbarian 1
Squad Role: Damage
Experience: 5/300 xp (maximum retroactive experience awarded)
Health: 14/14
Stamina: 3/3
Mana: -/- (undisclosed racial features withstanding)
Armor Class: 13 (unarmored defense: 10 + Dex + Con)
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In the early hours of morning, the trio of Orcus, Oriax, and Terminus departed the farmstead together. Waiving farewell, Vurth and Shai saw them off with good tidings, offering pleasant journeys and hopeful returns as the sun began to crest above the mountains far to the east.
As it happened, the Barkhead River Valley was a relatively gentle land of gradual hills and highlands, cutting gingerly through a crop of sandstones and redbeds that otherwise made up the western half of the Wyrm’s Craw Mountains, just on the southern border of Areshlian.
Its forests were plentiful, though smaller in comparison to the greater woodlands of the region, all but hemmed in by the many escarpments, creeks, and wide-open fields that otherwise dotted its astonishing countryside. Farms of wheat and barley, hops and vegetables, cattle and livestock, honey, wool, and sageroot… all of these could be found in abundance, where the few people that lived and tended those lands were friendly enough, but cautious in such trying times.
The Prince of Demons and his modestly sized party made fine pace along the lonely dirt road, heading east-west through the valley with a sense of enthusiasm in their steps.
For his part, Orcus was delighted to be on their way, eager enough to rediscover the mortal lands and all its mysterious marvels for himself. Over a thousand years had passed since he’d last set eyes on this place, and yet it didn’t make him want to conquer it any less.
It was easy to forget that he had been a much fierier commander back in those days, leading his father’s armies into battle without a moment’s hesitation and with relentless fervor. He still possessed some of that temper, true enough, but having had his ambitions completely crushed by his own subordinates, the Prince of Demons was at least willing to concede some degree of haste in favor of efficiency. Orcus might have been deadest on conquering demons, but he was going to do it his way, and in a manner that he saw fit.
At any rate, he needed to build upon a certain foundation—a base from which his campaign could take root. Networks, retainers, servants, soldiers, equipment, supplies, logistics, fortifications… these were all well worth considering, but would take time to accumulate. At its core, Orcus’s plan for conquest of the invading demon armies fundamentally started with one crucial element: The right people in the right positions on his inner council.
In other words, he needed to create an inner council.
“How are you fairing with your class, Oriax?” Orcus asked, noticing that his companion seemed to be struggling somewhat as they walked, “Is it to your liking?”
“There’s… a lot of words.” Oriax mumbled curiously, “I think I get it? Rage. That sounds neat.”
Terminus squawked, “As someone dedicated to the Barbarian class, that’ll be one of your primary abilities, Oriax.”
“Abilities…” Oriax said puzzling, “That’s like, stuff I can do? Right? Different than normal.”
“Correct.” Terminus nodded, “You gain some very useful bonuses during combat if you enter into a Rage beforehand. Increased strength, improved damage, even resistance to all kinds of attacks! You’re a certified, frontline damage dealer.”
“Yeah.” Oriax nodded with a smile, “I guess I am.”
“No, I mean you actually are. It’s kind of your whole thing. You know, your squad role?”
Oriax chuckled, running a hand through his hair, “Whatever you say, little dude. As long as I’m up in the action, then I’m okay. You always smell things better in the front.”
“Uh… sure. Maybe we’ll just chalk that up to a high Wisdom score? I don’t see any smelling abilities on your record…”
“You can’t do everything with words, guildie.” Oriax shook his head, “Sometimes, you just got to feel it out. It’s like… instead of saying it, you just do it. You smell it. Everything’s got a smell. You can learn a lot from something’s smell.”
“…I’m lost.” Terminus cawed, “Your Highness, maybe you can interpret that?”
“Instinct.” Orcus replied plainly, “You said it yourself, bird. Oriax here clearly uses the lessons he has learned in life to intuit things about the world around him. He’s perceptive, and that makes him deadly. Or do you disagree, Oriax?”
“No… that sounds about right.” He nodded, “If you don’t pay attention, you’re never going to remember for the next time. And by then, maybe you’ll be dead. Although, I guess I am forgetful sometimes…”
“That’s why I’m here.” Orcus smirked, “With my strategy and your talent, we will become an unstoppable force in these lands. The First Legion will take the demon armies by total surprise!”
“Oh. Right on.” Oriax added coolly, but offered a puzzling look as he studied his record further, “Un-armored defense? Shit, even more numbers…”
As they ventured onward into the afternoon, the goings were mostly calm and filled by many spells of silence. The Prince of Demons, in his usual state of contemplation, couldn’t help but to regard certain information that his minions had conferred to him the night prior, and just what exactly he intended to do about it.
Orcus had surmised that the other Demon Lords would not be able to hold a unified position for any great length of time, even though he knew next to nothing about their status. All he needed was to look at the evidence: Manes running rampant of their own volition was a telltale sign of someone’s incompetence. Whoever that might be? The Prince of Demons could only guess, but it was good news for him regardless.
Even still, the di Inferi posed a significant threat on their own merits. Whether or not the infighting was true, much less serious enough to significantly hamper their plans, it wouldn’t matter if they discovered Orcus prematurely and decided to act before he even had the chance to counter them.
The Prince of Demons was currently exposed, destined to walk a very fine line until such a time came when he could strengthen is position. The only question was, which position was the most advantageous? Given his circumstances, it was difficult to say.
Thud!
Orcus was certain he’d just walked into a low-hanging tree branch, when he suddenly realized that Oriax had put out his arm to stop Orcus from moving any farther down the road.
The Prince of Demons scowled, “What is the meaning of this—!”
“Cool it, hands.” Oriax said softly, “Look.”
Orcus squinted past where Oriax motioned, where he could clearly see a wagon lying idly on its side, just off the road in a patch of tall grass and bramble. The sounds of crossing weaponry rung through the air, and the blur of several figures seemed to bounce around beyond the canopy of the toppled vehicle.
“Demons?” Orcus inquired plainly.
Oriax shook his head, “Bandits, I think. They look kind of weird though…”
As far as Orcus could tell, they were all humanoid. Three of them, however, were considerably pale and wore a type of chitinous armor on their torsos, forearms, feet, and as helmets. One stood on an outcropping of rock, wielding a shortbow and taking aim down into the field from roughly forty feet away. Another was locked in melee combat with a human-looking man, whose chain shirt glistened under the sun, whose shield echoed with a heavy crack each time that the pale individual struck with their curved blade. The third was not too far away either, having just finished killing what appeared to be a second man of similar build and armor as the first.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Are they thieves?” Orcus furrowed his brow.
“Probably, but bandits aren’t usually very strong.” Oriax replied, “That’s why there’s always a lot of them. But I only see three out there. And there’s this kind of smell… like rotten eggs?”
“My tactical overview scan should reveal preliminary information about them.” Terminus squawked, “Assuming they’re in the Akashic database, we should be able to get some rough idea of who they are. And if they're below your average DR range, current health information should also be available.”
Orcus nodded for the bird to proceed, and Terminus took flight for a moment. Seconds later, a small overlay popped up over each of the individuals out in the field.
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Kingsnake Warrior (DR 1/2)
Health: 8/11
Kingsnake Warrior (DR 1/2)
Health: 11/11
Kingsnake Warrior (DR 1)
Health: 12/18
Adventurers’ Guild: Member (Iron)
Health: 3/14
Adventurers’ Guild: Member (Iron)
Health: 0/12
Alchemists’ Guild: Merchant (DR 0)
Health: 5/5
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“Tell me what I am looking at, bird.” Orcus demanded.
“Looks like Ishu clan warriors.” Terminus resounded, “The Kingsnakes are akin to clan leaders. These warriors must have happened upon this Alchemists’ Guild wagon and hired adventurers. Not sure what Ishu are doing all the way north like this though…?”
“Ishu… like the snake folks.” Oriax said curiously, “Thought I knew that smell. It’s the poison that they use on their weapons.”
“Snake people?” Orcus murmured, but shook his head and proceeded to walk, “Then they are not demons. Which means we will continue our journey.”
“Hey, hands…”
“Hm?” Orcus glanced back over his shoulder at Oriax, whose towering form stood perfectly still as his sharp gaze peered out into the field toward the sounds and sights of fighting.
“…I’m going in.” He muttered, ice-cold and wrought with anticipation, “Cover me.”
“What? Don’t be absurd—”
“Didn’t ask!”
And before the Prince of Demons could object, a maul-wielding lunatic was stomping down the road towards inevitable bloodshed.
“Your Highness, there’s something you should know.”
Orcus pulled his incredulous gaze away from Oriax, glancing up toward Terminus with a frown, “Speak.”
“The Ishu peoples don’t attack harmless citizens on the road.” Terminus explained, “At least according to my database, not since the days of the Dominus, and that was ages ago!”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’m certain you’re not aware of this, but the Ishu peoples aren’t like other humanoids. Some of their primary deities, well… my data suggests that many Ishu offerings go to several of the Demon Lords, your fellow Gods Below. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that some of the clans worshiped you even, Your Highness. However, they could be allied with our enemies, given the unusual behavior.”
Orcus laughed.
“What absurdity.” He replied amusingly, “But I suppose divine power must come from somewhere. No? Very well, let us find out where their allegiances lie.”
Begrudgingly, albeit somewhat intrigued, the Prince of Demons set off in pursuit.
----------------------------------------
“Hyaah!” Oriax shouted, as he rushed the nearest Kingsnake warrior still locked in melee on the opposite side of the carriage.
Orcus couldn’t help but notice that a slight, reddish-brown aura now seemed to emanate from Oriax’s entire body. Furthermore, he moved with single-minded purpose; a blood-fueled rage had overcome him, and the Prince of Demons was excited by the prospect.
Launching himself from the debris of the wagon, Oriax’s frenzied shadow suddenly loomed above the warrior and the bloodied guard.
“Huh—!”
The warrior hissed as its neck craned around, but it was much too late for a reaction of any kind.
Oriax’s maul came crashing down on its chitinous helmet with tremendous force, cracking the warrior’s skull instantly as they dropped to the field, limp as straw.
[Oriax's Target] --- Takes 10 points of bludgeoning damage, 2 points of rage damage ---
The Prince of Demons quickly cut away to his right-hand side, pushing off the road and farther up onto the grassy hill. He couldn’t be certain if the warriors were aware of him, not that it mattered in the least. Their attention was fully drawn to Oriax, presenting Orcus with an interesting position.
Situated some thirty-five feet away from the archer at the top of the hill, Orcus raised a hand to his divine symbol and grasped it, murmuring, “Inspire Dread.” A second later, the Prince of Demons was wreathed in shadow. His crimson-colored irises turned to pits of black, as he glanced up toward the Kingsnake warrior, saying telepathically in its head, “You will know death before long, mongrel.”
The warrior spun on its heels, momentarily steeped in fear. Closer than he had been before, Orcus could now see the shimmer of its white and gray-colored scales. There were also horn-like antennas sprouting from its head, and a slender tail of similar white hue dithering from the small of its back, the end of which rattled ever so slightly. However, it shook its head clear all of a sudden and drew another arrow from its quiver, notching and releasing.
[Orcus's Target] --- critical save versus spell ---
--- Inspire Dread failed ---
Orcus scowled, dipping his shoulder somewhat to allow the shield slung over his back to come forward. The sharp twang of an arrowhead resounded as an arrow glanced off Orcus’s shield, falling by the wayside into the dirt and grass nearby. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the warrior quickly dart farther to his right, taking some cover beyond a small outcropping of rock.
“What the hell, bird!” Orcus shouted angrily, “Why is that mortal not completely terrified? I cast my magic and nothing happened. In fact, I would say the opposite happened!”
“They saved against your spell, meaning it didn’t affect them outright.” Terminus said hurriedly, “They might still be afraid, but you won’t benefit from it directly.”
“Worthless!”
“Nothing is guaranteed in this world, Your Highness.” Terminus replied, “Absolutes are somewhat antithetical to free will.”
“Free will…” Orcus mumbled, “What an insipid concept. Go to Oriax, then. I will deal with this one myself.”
Terminus cawed in understanding and flew off to where he was needed.
*** Oriax ***
Down beyond the hill, the other remaining Kingsnake warrior hissed at Oriax in a fragmented common language, “You meddle in affairs that are not your own, human!”
“Human?” Oriax chuckled, pulling his maw up from the ground. His eyes narrowed as he said more calmly, “That what you think I am?” Turning to the wounded, fairly shocked man standing next to him, Oriax added, “You should get out here. Don’t know how many times I got to tell you people the roads just ain’t safe.”
“Oriax!” Terminus squawked, “You can’t just run off like that!”
“Uh… sorry, little dude. Can’t help it.” Oriax scratched the back of his head with a smile, as he regarded the human next to him calmly, “Go on then. Get out of here man!”
“Thank you—” The hired guard nodded frantically, and attempted to bolt down the road in the way they’d just came.
However, the Kingsnake warrior was quick. She leapt forward to close the distance, and within ten feet hissed in its strange tongue, “Vel’athas sari.”
A vile, greenish vapor projected out from her gaped mouth and chased after the man. Before Oriax had time to react, the human was consumed by the cloud of stinking haze entirely. His skin had swelled twofold, blood poured from orifices along his face, and he was dead within moments.
The Kingsnake warrior smiled with sickening satisfaction.
“Hey, you really shouldn’t have done that…” Oriax said plainly, his mouth twisting into a perverted grin, “Now I guess I gotta kill you too!”
Oriax swung his maul up with two hands, closing the fifteen feet between he and her with lightning speed. The head of his weapon arced around and came plunging down toward the right side of her ribcage.
[Oriax's Target] --- Takes 5 points of bludgeoning damage, 2 points of rage damage ---
*** Orcus ***
Back atop the hill, Orcus continued to push his way forward up the rest of the climb.
“Necrotic Bolt!”
He reached out his hand to cast, but the spell glanced off the closest rock, allowing the warrior to remain unharmed.
“Prostrate yourself before me, warrior.” Orcus commanded, “And I may find a reason to let you live.”
“I will die before I give myself to you, ne’da.” The warrior said back its strange language, though Orcus understood quite well, “For I am chosen of Kingsnake Astlir, and indeed the Voice of the Uroboros!”
A second arrow whizzed past Orcus’s head by a few inches, as he continued to make his advance.
“Uroboros?” Orcus replied telepathically, suddenly very curious at the mention as he offered a smirk, “The self-devouring Wyrm? Do your people pay homage to such a pitiful creature? One whose very corpse resides in the deepest pits of Erebus. Endlessly rebirthing, forever consuming its own ambitions.”
“You know… of the Uroboros?”
Orcus chuckled, saying aloud, “I took great pleasure in making Vediovis chain that unruly pet of his. In fact, I find the creature to be somewhat tasteless. Regardless, your patron will not come for you. They cannot even save themselves.”
“Lies!” The warrior shouted back, “The Uroboros will deliver our salvation—break free the shackles of our people. The Kingsnake has divined it so: Humanity will perish, the Gods Below will save their children from the wickedness of your despicable kind.”
“My kind…” Orcus murmured coldly, “Are utter fools.”
*** Oriax ***
Down at the wreckage of the wagon, the female warrior let out a sudden gasp as several of her ribs shattered. But she was persistent, and immediately hissed, “Sakaraum.”
As if suddenly drawn into some allure, Oriax opened his hands and allowed his maul to fall into the dirt, almost like he was compelled to do so. He blinked his eyes several times, realizing in some way that the woman in front of him had caused the confusion.
“In my mind, huh… not cool, snake lady.” Oriax shook his head. Suddenly, he reached across and clapped his hands down over the sides of her face, saying, “My turn.”
Bolts of electricity streamlined out of Oriax’s palms, pumping currents into the warrior’s body as she spasmed with shrieks of pain. It wasn’t long before the screaming stopped, and she fell to the ground, the sides of her head burned completely.
[Oriax's Target] --- 7 points of lightning damage taken from Storm Lord's Grasp ---
*** Orcus ***
The Prince of Demons observed the pop-up in his overlay momentarily, detailing the experience gained, and glanced down from the hill to where Oriax stood. It seemed that he’d already run out of enemies to kill. Which was just the same to Orcus, who had his own plans with the last of the remaining warriors.
Turning back to his own task, Orcus removed his whip from the rung on his belt and uncoiled it, then striking quickly.
[Orcus's Target] --- Takes 6 points of slashing damage ---
The warrior reeled back with a painful groan, as the end of Orcus’s whip struck him across the face. A deep gash extending from his eye down across his cheek began to form quickly, but Orcus would not ease up just yet.
“Your delusions are commendable.” He said plainly, approaching the rock from which the warrior took cover, “But I’m afraid that is all they are. No one can save you but yourself. Whether you are worthy of living or not, is entirely in your own hands. The Gods do not care for the suffering of mortals. You are merely conduits through which our power accumulates.”
The warrior spun around and off the rock, brandishing their scimitar with a furious battle cry. Despite his shield being unequipped, the warrior was simply no match for Orcus. He brushed their two attacks away with ease and with little interest, stepping to the right of one and ducking beneath the other.
“The blood of innocence will fall on the Night of Ashran’shatha!” The warrior shouted, “If I am to die, then it will be in service to the great sacrifice! Vel’athas sari!”
A cloud of poisonous gas spewed from his mouth and doused Orcus suddenly.
[Orcus] --- Takes 7 points of poison damage from Poison Spray --
--- Spell saved! -4 points of total poison damage ---
--- Passive ability active, poison resisted!. -2 points of total poison damage ---
--- 1 point of total poison damage ---
“You good up there hands!”
Orcus didn’t reply, and hardly noticed the burning sensation of the poison as it affected him only somewhat.
Instead, he used his momentum to glide his freehand across the hilt of his mace. Quickly, he removed it from the rung on his belt. And as he came back into a stable position, swung across the distance to where the warrior’s head was perfectly exposed.
[Orcus's Target] --- Takes 8 points of bludgeoning damage ---
The warrior barely made a sound as his body hit the dirt with a heavy impact. A gory mess of scaly flesh ran down the side of his face, as he gasped for life.
As for the Prince of Demons, he stood over the warrior silently, glancing down at his work with no particular satisfaction, but neither any remorse.
“I—will—I will not—” The warrior stammered in his dying breaths, “This isn’t—how—it was—supposed—”
“Your sacrifice… is in vain.” Orcus interjected coldly.
It was a trivial matter, one’s final words.
The soul would depart to wherever it was consigned, and that was that. But to spend one’s life on a fallacy such as believing in false destiny was unmistakably sinful. There were no greater lies than the ones told to yourself, for they were the ones that lead to irrevocable failure.
“I know—that shadow.” The warrior murmured to Orcus, “Death, has come.”
“Yes, it has… for you.”
“Please—my people. I wish to… save them.”
“Silence.” Orcus shook his head, but knelt down to where the warrior lie shivering, “A soldier should die on the battlefield. See that you do with dignity.”
The warrior’s eyes rolled back into his head momentarily, as he reached desperately for his bow. Orcus did not move to help him whatsoever. It was a final test for this man’s soul, after all. And though the Prince of Demons was amused by the frantic sight, he was still the God of the Underworld. There would be no aid in achieving an honorable death, not even from its master.
As Orcus stood to his feet, he turned and glanced down the hill, saying to the other two, “What did you find down there? Anything left of worth?”
“There’s a little guy shouting in the wagon.” Oriax yelled back up at him belatedly, “Think he’s stuck…”
“It’s the Alchemists’ Guild merchant.” Terminus added, “We should probably help him out.”
Orcus furrowed his brow momentarily.
He wasn’t too familiar with alchemy, but perhaps it was an area that he couldn’t afford to overlook. After all, these snake creatures were likely proficient with both poisons and venoms. It would not be such a bad idea to look into antivenom and other such solutions.
“Very well.” Orcus nodded in approval, “See that it is done.”
Although the warriors had not proven to be much of a threat to Orcus and his party, it could not be ruled out that there wouldn’t be similar encounters with larger numbers of enemies in the future. And if this so-called ‘Kingsnake Astlir’ was indeed operating in the region on behalf of one of the Demon Lords, or in fact the Uroboros itself, then Orcus was suddenly very interested in getting involved.
“The blood of innocence will fall on the Night of Ashran’shatha…” Orcus pondered the unusual warning statement, unsure of its meaning as he glanced back over his shoulder momentarily.
He could not say for certain where the soul of the warrior would go, or that he even really cared. Nevertheless, Orcus frowned. A soul that fought for everything it believed in was worth having around, regardless of its delusion. Perhaps there were more of these Ishu clan warriors that could see the error in their ways. Perhaps, if Orcus played his hand correctly, he just might find some soldiers for himself. If this supposed Kingsnake could be swayed, or better yet removed, it might just be possible.
Upon the hill, lie the corpse of a fallen Ishu warrior. He was unlikely to be remembered or honored in any way. But even still, those dead fingers gripped their bow with desperate desire, unwilling to surrender even at the bitter end.
The Prince of Demons spun around and made his way down the hill, duly satisfied.
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Encounter Summary
--- Experience Yield: +2 xp ((0.5 DR * 2) + 1 DR); 30% of EY = party kill bonus (pkb): +0.6 xp; 30% of final DR = last kill bonus (lkb): +0.15 to Orcus ---
--- Experience (Orcus): 5/300 xp ----> 7.81/300 xp ---
--- Experience (Oriax): 5/300 xp ----> 7.6/300 xp ---
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