Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
In the beginning, there was a group of islands that would become Guildereim when the civilized world found out about them. They were inhabited by savage Minotaur, Naga, and Lizardfolk (Kaio'e) with many reefs and spires around them threatening ships. To this day there is a hoard of treasure hidden beneath the waves. Kate "Red Skull" Morgan and the rest of the crew of The Rose were the first civilized people to step onto the group of islands. There they had a great battle with the Naga, which she stopped the slaughter of the Naga to offer a deal a winner take all fight of her against their best warrior. Kate won and the island inhabitants were indebted to her.
She left, only to return many years later with all her crew dead. She crashed her ship into the reef and moved her gold and treasure of a lifetime of plunder to shore before sinking the ship. The treasure was moved to a mountain cave with a throne set up as agreed by the Naga. She died with her demon pet Scut left behind to protect her body and hoard for decades.
Many decades later, a huge lioness landed on the island in a tropical storm and sought refuge in the cave. Scut attacked the lioness, Skadowee, and was defeated by her, causing him to pledge his loyalty to her. She didn't want to disassemble the hoard, but instead went to the mainland and learned the pleasures of slavery. She met The Mint Mink and together they created The Golden Tether in the cave system of the hollowed out inactive volcano. From the beginning, the Naga were heavily involved with the Tether, but they were fiercely defensive of their lands outside the Tether walls.
As Skadowee's reign came to an end, the Muselings arrived. The otherworldly siblings (Star, Tempest, and others) came to the Tether and went out into the island, meeting with the tribes. Star met with some of the Lizardfolk and allied for their Hua-Hashi festival against the Naga. Since the Lizardfolk were prey, every Spring, they raid the Naga nests and eat the young. With the Tether participating, Lizardfolk numbers soared. Then the Muselings disappear, leaving the Tether in Chaos until a new power came to fill the void – Selene is the new and current owner of the Tether.
The sharks were introduced to the Tether by a slave ship/pirate captain by the name of Sebastian the Grim. The fierce people now know the Tether as a friendly port and many more sharks have come to the Tether with some settling on the surrounding islands.
Most recently, the Antallia Exchange Guild has set up routes between Kasuria to the east of Guildereim and the Olde World to the West. They have bought land at the Tether when it went up for sale and have set up shop for a more permanent residence.
A natural cycle of the island brought magical flares to the surface, attracting thousands of pixies to Guilderem and the Tether to mate in August. The first flare ups resulted in several deaths and nearly a hundred injuries when the golden serpent in the Aquatic cage came to life and wrought havoc in the main hall.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
[Generations before TGT]
Guildereim.
That's the name on the map given to the small cluster of islands that sat all alone from the civilized mainland. It was not until the others came that the area there had a proper name. Names define things. Names have power. Most of all, names tame an object and this place could not be tamed. Known only as "the goddess' land" to the Minotaur and naga inhabitants, Guildereim, sat all alone away from the tame lands of the other beings.
The reefs and spires below the surface were a threat equal to the creatures there on the island. They would tear the unwary ship's hull to shreds, and those that survived the ship's demise, found a far more unpleasant death at the claws and fangs of those already on the island. There is a trove of treasure and artefacts scattering the depths around the island, but even today they remain untouched as only the foolish venture into those chaotic waters.
Thankfully the combination of both legend and truth kept most of the mainlanders well far away from this place. That all changed when a single woman and her crew came. Unfortunately, legends rarely last forever.
Her first "crime" was setting foot on their land. Had the pirate known that she was breaking an unspoken law she would have relished each step. The naga seethed in anger as the woman and her crew started to make their way up to the beachhead, and did not wait one instant before slithering from their hiding spots. The naga didn't have a chance against the flintlocks. The volcanic glass and bone swords they had did little more than superficial damage to the flesh of the pirates. Kate "Red Skull" Morgan, was a cruel woman and had planned every little detail of this encounter out. After her crew had wounded and slain enough of the naga. Her raspy voice boomed out for all to stop. The naga hesitated when they heard the Scra woman speaking in their own tongue. It was a carefully guarded little trinket of hers that made negotiations and interrogations of foreigners ever so more convenient. She proposed an end to this little "annoyance." The fact that the woman called their battle an annoyance was even more an insult to their wild nature. She would face one warrior of the naga's choosing. If she lost she could have her crew and herself, and do with them as they wanted. If she won however, they would have to accept a bargain at some future date. Their entire island would be indebted to her. She also pointed out that their hesitation at her speech had given her crew time to reload and aim the cannons fully at the island. They would have to accept the bargain, or be slain there with a coward's death.
The irony of forcing them to choose death or slavery almost brought a smile to her face, but standing there she just continued to wait their response with a cold stare. Wild creatures were all the same. Just like freeborn. They always thought that they could wiggle out of a bargain, find some way to escape their servitude. They would always choose the way that didn't lead to death. She wasn't surprised when one naga glided forward on the beach. Nor was she surprised that the approaching naga was marked with both ritual and battle scars. They would of course send their best warrior to attempt to kill her would they not. The naga had one traditional bone sword as well as a rust marked steel blade. Kate knew this wouldn't be easy but she had no doubt that she'd be victorious. She never once wavered from that belief, even when she was trapped in the naga's grip, and the rusted blade came down and split her face open and forever ruined the brilliant red coloring of her left eye. She was still more than a match for the naga as she twisted in the nagas coils and ignored all the forged weapons and used her own. She bit down hard right on the naga's spine and in a split second severed it. She lost a fang in the process, but as soon as the naga lost feeling from the shoulders down he knew he was done. His request to yield and have his people perform the death rites went unanswered. Kate grabbed the fleshly skin of the Naga's hood and held up his head for the rest to see. Pulling a fresh stiletto from her boot she slammed the blade straight up through the lower skull until the point erupted through the crown of the naga's head. She had slain their best, and outlined the terms of their new servitude as the warrior's blood mingled with the slain naga's.
[A pirate's legacy]
Her crew was now long dead and the Scra woman stood proudly at her help. Other, lesser beings would have long slumped over the wheel or surrendered to the aching death that was crawling inside her. She was alone on her ship and she set it on course back to Guilderiem. She had every intention on crashing her home into those reefs surrounding the island, but there was other business to attend to as well.
Body lurched forward as the ship shuddered under a harsh stop. She had made her way back to the island and through sheer instinct had navigated the ship right up to the same beach where she fought the naga years ago. There were only a few more things to do before she could have her rest. Kate wasn't going to bother with loading the most precious treasures onto the deck and then carrying them down. She didn't have time or any patience to even bother with that. Besides, her intention was to bury her ship beneath the sea while she herself remained on this primal island. She had prepared a canon on her journey earlier and had it packed with far more powder than was necessary; it also was not tied down to deck. She took one last weary gaze around her ship before going below decks and braced herself behind several chests as she lit the fuse. The canon fired, and without any restraints, burst through the outer hull of her ship, and tore a massive opening in the forward section. The chain linked balls that were loaded within the canon did their job as well as they spiraled back into the ship's depths. They tore through the wood supports, and without the supports the upper deck was already starting to groan under the unsupported weight. The Rose was mortally wounded, and much like Kate, would soon not be in this world.
The only other living thing on the Rose was Scut, her last remaining companion. The Demon beast of claw and scale still looked to be in his prime. The beast had already crawled off the ship before the scuttling by Kate's canon and waited there on the shore for its mistress. It would have assisted her but somewhere in the beast's mind it knew that this was something she had to do for herself. Whipping around the demon reptile started to hiss towards the tree line. None of the island's inhabitants could be seen, but their scent was easy enough for Scut pick up. The growl was only a warning to not interfere with the long march, but the naga did not move from their spots. The strongest warriors there on the island were drawn there, and they were draw to be witness to the death march of pirate.
Each heavy casket she bore all on her own, the once tall figure of a wild amazon now frail, but muscle still in those wiry arms, the woman of Scra decent, her deep black hair pushed back, her wicked lion heritage shown through in long ebony claws, she was determined as she pulled every bit of her gold hoard from the wreckage and began her trek to the cursed mountain. The Nagas watched and saw her from the island forest, slowly they crept in, without a word they picked up what she could not carry herself, they envied her strength and would never spoil her death trek.
Each gold coin, crown, bracelet, precious gem and her favored ruby skulls where piled high in the midst of the great mountain, the Nagas watched on like reverent funeral marchers. They had prepared the throne as she'd ask, its great seat high atop the gold she'd spilled her blood over all her life to gain, her sinful heart gleeful as she was helped into her seat. "Rum, treasure, killing and pleasure, this is a red skull's life." her mantra spoken she tilted her head back, the blood stained bandanna and flag seen in her eyes as they finally closed. Her last breath was grinned and her faithful pet gave off a deafening roar. He was the living testament to her life, the great demon lizard now left to scurry the Nagas away and watch her hoard in death.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Decades later...
The skies rained down hard upon her ivory cast wings, spread long and burning from the strain, she'd flown long and hard from the diamond coast. The regal and unknown glint in this unseen beast as she cut through the skies, ever the vision of a lioness yet the size and shape of a great Dragon of old. She roared as she began her decent, the skies black with a tropical storm, and the way thick with peril she dove when she finally saw a speck of land over what had been days of endless seas.
Landing on this foreign coast she cast a hard breath, changing her forms and laying defeated on the sands, cursing the skies that had fallen her. She looked about, the thickest forest betraying its untouched looks, as a path seemed well cut through its cove. She saw the bare base of the great looming mountain, and soon found herself crawling forward, looking for shelter. Her lean and narrow back was still free of the rings she would wear later in life, not very far from then.
Soon she found herself before the cave, it was dry and warm and far from unkempt, unseen eyes loomed from behind her in the forest, and she'd find out more about why such a thing was maintained. In the hours that followed and with a long rest in the entrance first. Her foot falls echoing in to the darkness, many a pathway and far into the center of the great mountain, she came upon it, the glint of fire lighting the walls with torches, a sign of life she thought. Moving forward instead she found a might horde, the horde of the great Captain herself. But before she could revel the beast was upon her, a great swat of its tail caught her off guard, throwing her into a wall, barely able to turn quick enough to land on her able feet.
Without much time to spare she roared her anger to the beast, turning back into her majestic form, it was a mighty battle, as if fate had deigned it happen. Fang and tooth they raged, both their blood spilled over the gold as if rekindling it with new life, glistening madly in the firelight. The great beast fought valiantly, but despite her weary journey the white lioness battled with a fierceness he could not match. He respected her victory and in shame and defeat he lowered his head, changing back to his smaller form, the one the captain had known so well. He told her of his life, of hers, having kept her away from her throne throughout the entire battle, he told her he'd honor her defeat with his loyalty, and pleaded that she never take what he'd been honor bound to protect.
She gave him her name, "I am Skadowee, and I have not come to relinquish your Mistress of her gold, you have told me a mighty story and I will respect her in death...I will take all this under my care, I shall take you as well as your promise with me, always. In doing so I will take but a fraction now...so that I might honor her by adding to her horde even in death." For a fortnight she rested, in that time she sought out the island, surveyed its lands, (and its peoples, but that's another story). Coming to realize there was a civilization not but a few more miles toward the mainland.
It is here she learned of the debaucheries and delights of the sinful mainland, she brought with her a small testament of gold from the horde. She learned all there was of the modern peoples, of the ways of Slavery and of Sin. Also in her travels, on the outskirts of this massive place she came across a great green plane, on it various exploded craters and miniature designs for great palaces, mansions, even cavernous inventions. And with it she found The Mint Mink, he was a devious creature, with a mind like she'd never known, he boasted great pride his exploits, and in time they came to know each other well, bringing him back with her to the island she now called her own....
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Like the Naga, the Lizardfolk known as the Kaio'e are natives to the island of Guildereim. However in the chain of power they are outranked by their legless cousins and could be considered rivals.
Little is recorded about their early role on the island dating back to the arrival of Kate Morgan, known as the Red Skull, aside from merely their minor presence. They did not play as important a role as the Naga in terms of the founding of The Golden Tether. The Kaio'e might be considered a prey civilization to the illustrious serpents.
[Generations before the Tether...]
While they have no direct impact on the island, Red Skull did impact the tree-dwelling lizardfolk with her interference to the balance of Guildereim. To those unfamiliar with the story of Kate Morgan, her guardian beast Scut was left to the island after her death. Fearing the foreigners as it was, the now free-roaming demon creature was a mystery to the primitive race. Scut was scarcely seen among the thick forests and mountain of the island and become little more than a myth. Over time the Kaio'e became witness to Scut's apparent immortality as generations of the lizardfolk went by, still speaking of this elusive monstrosity. They believe the corrupt lizard-beast to be a living incarnate of their main God of life and refer to him as Hānau-o-Lā, now long worshiped among their people with the other Voodoo deities.
[Customs, Culture & Other Facts]
Yearly in the spring, the Kaio'e overcome their Naga cousins in a brutal festival. The omnivorous egg-eaters stage gruesome raids against spring clutches, destroying new eggs and feasting on the unborn serpents. With the recent alliance with the Muselings, the Tether now participates in the yearly celebration known by the lizardfolk as the Hua-Hahai.
The native lizards live in tribes scattered up the mountainside of the island. Some live deep in caves within the mountain while a few actually live in tree huts. Most tribes resemble a mixture of a crocodile and an iguana and stand at an average height between six and seven feet. A handful of smaller variations have been spotted, among those the tribe of Chamel whom are more like that of a gecko or any other smaller lizard and this subspecies are more around five feet tall. Chamel's tribe are relatives to chameleons.
OOC:
Their claimed name Kaio'e is the name of a Hawaiian lizard god. The Kaio'e's language is primarily Hawaiian based. They also are voodoo-practitioners, at least the natives are. Of course not everyone who plays with the *lizard avatar needs to be a native! They are tribal-based and primitive and have genetic differences like different lizards do from tribe to tribe. For example, Marine Iguanas and Green Iguanas. Scut's deity name roughly means "Birth of Sun"
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
The Kaio'e remained mostly undiscovered by much of the main port for nearly all of Lady Skadowee's reign. They were spoken of as much as myth as their earth-born god Scut. A few might surface in the bustling halls of traders or show up in the pens but were never regarded as a race until the Muselings took control of the establishment.
With the departure of the Mistress of the Island and the arrival of Star, Tempest and their other siblings, this was a signal for the lizardfolk to make themselves an ally against the naga. Being a highly spiritual culture, practitioners of voodoo and alchemy, the advent of the Muselings was not taken lightly. The Kaio'e were not ignorant to the immaterial realms that these siblings hailed from and approached the group with utmost consideration. At designated sacrificial pyres that surrounding their villages deep in the jungle there was daily blood offerings left for the unusual visitors, whom had increasing sightings as the months passed. Even the most remote of Kaio'e tribes were convinced of their Coming. Their strongest sign that change was in the winds was that Hānau-o-Lā, once known as Scut, was sighted almost weekly! By winter, the pocket of lizardfolk situated deepest into the mountain was visited by the one known as Star.
From a natural spring deep in their mountainous village, the tribe of a chieftain known only as Chamel woke to the mysterious entity that rose from their waterhole. The muselings had at last responded to their sacrifices of their own kin! Convinced that star was a manifestation of their own water deity, Chief Chamel called for all his people to witness this rare visit. Astonished and feeling truly blessed, they pleaded Star for good tiding in the steadily approaching new year. Chamel explained to the museling sister of their spring ritual, of how they must cull their rivaling reptiles the Naga in order to barely survive in their reclusive lifestyle. Either intrigued by these lizardfolk, or feeling kind, Star brought word of this encounter to her siblings and soon they all condoned the bloodsport of the Kaio'e's spring festival. This marked the allegiance of the lizard tribes to the island by Museling rule. Chieftains of the scattered tribes were quickly chosen as representatives to the Tether on behalf of the natives and to oversee their interpretation of the Hua-Hahai.
At last introduced to the otherwise avoided Tether, the voodoo lizards slowly began to descend closer to the shores and their sightings became frequent throughout the spring. Though they live in tension with the other reptilian natives to the island, the lizardfolk are more and more often seen in the halls of the Golden Tether much like the Naga.
And so the Muselings fell... Next to nothing is known as to why the Muselings left The Golden Tether. They disappeared as quickly as they came. There was confusion and disarray for a brief time following the loss of the Muselings until a new power rose up.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
From oceans away these aquatic behemoths are far apart from their feral ancestors. Some claim that the blood of Sea Dragons was given to create the Sharks while others call it a simple case of "there's always a bigger fish". Whatever the cause, these gilled monstrosities boast on average between seven to nine feet in height - including their dorsal fins thus letting them rival the size of the Mythic creatures. The Sharks originally hailed from a string of reef and island far from Guildereim's sea where they call both land and water their homeland. Coral and cliff side are said to be made into ports of trade and commerce while many of their people have spread out to populate the vast blue worlds. How they managed upon the Lady's island is thanks to a more recent descendant of their ancient bloodlines. A brute that was once their King.
Grim Beginnings... Sebastian Price the Grim was not always known as such. He still sails the mighty slave ship named Reefluck.
The Price blood traced back to the myth of the Sea Dragon that birthed his people. A monarch and dictatorship by the laws of Darwin, the Price sharks were perhaps always the largest and part of why these finned fiends grew to be so enormous. Since Sebastian's forefathers, like Horgoga who murdered the last line of Shark kings and Lostrizzi who first ventured onto land, his nature has demanded brutality, tenacity and above all a savage need to be at the top. Following the pioneers of his people's evolution, those along the line prestigious heirs grew fiercer as history fell upon Sebastian's time. By the age when he would be called a King, the Sharks were a culture of traders and pirates where only the strong survived. Weaker races were goods to sell -- or food.
Sebastian was as gluttonous as all Shark sea-kings. His father's death left him the Reefluck, an enormous ship that quickly became the young King's heart and home by the time he was fifteen. Their kings did not sit on thrones: Sharks were kings of trade. King Pirates. Much of their trading partners were bullied into accords and Sebastian was no different. For the years into his late teens Sebastian was a demon of business and maintained such strict 'relationships' with neighboring mainlanders. Inevitably, this lifestyle was doomed to become dull. The Price king was soon unfulfilled by routine. Nothing was a challenge as their whole ocean seemed to by claimed.
What possessed Sebastian to do what he did next remains lost to history, but it was a gruesome sight the morning that the pirate was discovered with an empty ship. His gray skin was found tainted red as the soaked planks of his galleon. Everyone was startled to discover that the bones that were driven into the walls of the Reefluck's hull were all that remained of his crew... Aside from one behemoth of a shark named Shrimpkin. Since his teens the pirate king had sailed with the same team, give or take a few lost at sea. But then, on Bas' twenty-second birthday, there was naught but ghosts and gore left. Even by Shark standard it was an unnerving sight. It was in their nature to consume - and it was no mystery that Sharks were carnivorous. But cannibals? Not until now. Sebastian was at first temporarily stripped of his crown by his very advisers who had known him practically since birth. Perhaps the gluttony of their race had taken one last step...
While being held on something of a trial, though more of an interrogation as to the 'why', it was here that Bas was determined as mad and exiled for turning on his people. It is rumored that he did it in order to evade a mutiny, but it is also commonly spoken that he had indeed gone insane on the ramblings of false Gods. Whatever the case, those loyal to Sebastian out of fear and adventure followed their ex-King onward into unknown seas.
Early into his exile Sebastian, much to his desires, discovered that his former kingdom was situated in little more than an enormous inlet of ocean. A minor sea which could not compare to the endless waters now at the whim of his new crew to explore and pirate. It was from here on in that the shiplord abandoned his heir name of Price and simply sailed as Sebastian Grim, or the Grim. Well into his forties they explored and accumulated crew. It's said mutineers were eaten as well to uphold a now customary act of cannibalism that Sharks once went without. Sebastian's vessel became an icon of the slave trade in its waning years perhaps in the excitement of evading lands that eradicated the cruel market. Soon the ex-king reigned over waters far from his home seas and, as slave ports seemed to dwindle to but a few, Sebastian the Grim entered familiar waters that now spoke of a place known as the Golden Tether. While the prices paid for slaves at this rumored port, it was also the spawning waters of the Sharks' ancestors...
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
These pages have not yet been properly documented...
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
The merchant Gargoyles are highly civilized and look as if they are comfortable living a comfortable life. However, looking past their fineries and funny little english accents you would find the shrewd, sharp mind of a businessman or woman. Not only are they merchants, but they are adventurers- travelling out and setting up trade posts in the most unlikeliest of places, only to turn around and create a massive profit. They are experts at handling money, making a deal or squeezing a copper for all it's worth. They have separated themselves from their more feral counterparts, always walking on two legs and rarely using their clawed, leathery wings or ability to turn into stone. Their clothes never fray, they always dress well - though normally in neutral tones - rarely flaunt their wealth with gaudy accessories.
It is unclear how long they have been doing this, but the merchant tradition has gone back many generations amongst this particular group (who have at least six hundred or more ‘members' across the globe) and seems to be passed down from father to son, mother to daughter. The official name of their organization is Antallia Exchange Guild - though many have resorted to calling them the 'Merchant Gargoyles' a name the Antallia Exchange Guild have come to despise but tolerate. They are not religious, instead they follow a strict business guide line. Cheating and thievery is not their game, and any members caught breaking this cardinal rule are quickly ostracised and fined so severely they are forced to claim bankruptcy (rumour has it, they'd rather be dead than have that permanent scar on their records.)
This group of merchants and traders hail from the Olde World - Londra, Albion to be exact. They have set up a multitude of trade routes and posts through the Olde World and Kasuria and are eager to spread their reach as far as possible. They have done dealings in the past with The Golden Tether, and after numerous discussions have bought a prime bit of land and set up shop and even a small port to receive goods. The Golden Tether deals with them regularly, and both groups seem to profit. The gargoyles have even dipped their hand in the slave trade, whether it is making supplies for slave training available or actively purchasing and selling slaves.
They specialize in a wide variety of goods, the Gargoyle Merchants have broken into factions, some deal primarily in textiles, other in livestock, some in crops or other luxury goods - a little bit of everything having been set up at the piece of land they bought from The Golden Tether. It is only recently they have tried their hand at slave trading, but only a select few have managed to find a true calling to the slave trade and manage to turn a lucrative profit. One of the few things they do not deal in is weapons, they do not believe in war or violence, despite the fact that most go secretly armed. However, if one looks hard enough and knows the right people to ask, and what to ask, they may find one of these merchant's dealing in weapons 'underground.'
OOC: Feel free to RP a member of the group of these ‘Merchant Gargoyles.' They could be a part of the group having set up shop on the isle of Guildereim or be visiting from somewhere else. Feel free to expand on their background but try to stay within the guidelines present. If you wish, feel free to say they have done business with TGT- however, by roleplaying this doesn't make you a TGT Merchant or IC Staff. Also feel free to RP interactions, or say you have interacted with them or purchased product from them.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
It is well known that mountain ranges of Guildereim are some of the least explored -- let alone documented -- locations on the island. Delving back to Kate Morgan's time there is little mention of much past the base of the towering formations. But whispers of mammalian mountain dwelling folk have grown louder over time, especially among the natives that have since made themselves known to the Tether's port. The Naga do not speak of them by any name, and the Kaio'e refer to them crudely as "Pu'u wahine" in their native tongue.
But from the highest peaks, where snow might dust the tops only on the coldest of days, the hooved and horned Caprids have descended into the temperate forests of the Golden Tether's port. With so much activity on the island, the mysterious mountain-dwellers could only ignore the intrusion for so long before venturing into the settlement, only to swiftly show great interest in the prospect of nautical travel. Unlike the plentiful visitors to the island, the Caprids appear eager to reach other lands and are willing to barter with their coveted mountain treasures in order to achieve their goal. Whatever their collective motive is, the stocky goatfolk are arriving in greater numbers by the day, decked in rough leathers and intimidating sneers.
Caprid Culture At a Glance Strength is highly revered among the Caprids, as is appetite: an appetite for conquest. They brink closely to the term 'gluttonous' by the sheer ambition of their toughest lords. Treasure, land, slaves - these are sought after by the three clans that live among the Guildereim peaks. They've posed an advanced threat to the island's more primitive snake and lizardfolk over the years, both races having been enslaved by the caprids in their time. Despite the hunger for conquest at any cost, however, there is an unspoken code of honour among them. Rock carving is also an important part of their culture, and their cities -- often carved into the hearts of Guildereim's mountains -- display ornate masonry.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
The First Day:
For weeks, a sense of foreboding had plagued the patrons of the Tether, not readily understood by anyone. It wasn't until the trembling began that things began to come clear. Noticeable at first only in the ripples in people's glasses -- the soft clink of metal and glass rattling against one another and dust trailing down in streams from the ceiling -- it soon grew into a proper earthquake. Violent tremors shook the whole of the island, nearly enough to rattle the teeth right out of one's skull.
The Tether had begun to crumble, great rifts opening in its polished stone floors and rugged cavern walls. Rocks fell from the lofty ceilings and thrust through the ground outside, and people began to flee the interior in terror, as the staff on hand did their best to rein in the chaos. Sink holes began to open under the patrons' feet, filling the Tether with an acrid, sulfurous smoke. Dirty, white ash began to fall from the sky like featherlight snow, peppering the faces and shoulders of those who had escaped outside. The Tether's grand stage and luxurious beach were transformed into impromptu evacuation zones, the bar decimated by a cave-in and the garden blocked off by debris.
Broken cargo littered the beach and wild animals seemed to be heading for higher ground. All natural noise ceased, though the excited babbling of those crowded into evacuation areas masked the unnatural quiet. A somewhat milder aftershock ripped through the island and then there was only silence.
By and by, the dust and ash cleared over the Tether. The destruction was widespread. Makeshift camps were set up at the beach, countless homes on the islands destroyed, and with the coming of night, one question was on everyone's lips: ... What would tomorrow bring?
The Second Day: As patrons and staff cleared the beach of its makeshift encampment, something dark and ominous began to swell on the horizon. A sense of horror rose as it approached, a dreadful distant churning. A monstrous wave was approaching; long as the beach itself and high as the cliff face, yawning wide and high as it prepared to engulf the beach.
The tsunami was caused by the earthquake of the previous day. It devastated anything in its path. Merchant and cargo ships, even passenger and slaving ships were left capsized and sinking to the depths of the ocean. The Tether's beach was pummeled by water, washing away anything and anyone still on the sandy shores. The tsunami flooded the cave where the docks resided, the water shattering timbers and rushing into the Underhall and infirmary. The force of the wave rattled the establishment, causing more debris to fall in the already ruined bar and destroying the aquarium tank. Wrought-iron slave pens crumpled under falling rocks and beams. Slaves, sensing an opportunity, spilled from their prisons as Tether guards and medics saw to the patrons injured and trapped by the rubble, only to be recaptured by a cadre of staff members.
As the evening drew to a close, servants, volunteering patrons and house slaves cleared away the debris and set up ropes around areas made inaccessible by the two disasters. Camps crowded the gardens, Evelyn had relocated to the slavers' lounge and the infirmary was officially set up at the stage. The list of the missing was up to forty-two, while eight had been confirmed dead. The private rooms were re-opened, though many rooms were damaged. It felt like the end of days.
The number of those missing and dead continued to rise as the Tether shook to its very core.
The Final Days:
It had been days since the initial destruction. The Tether seemed disconnected from the outside world, and many were missing or dead.
The rubble was slowly being cleared, but the damage was deep and widespread--it showed both in the physical makeup of the establishment and on the faces of those that lived within its walls. Yet, even among the pain and the destruction, there were signs of rebuilding. Staff and whatever patrons could help worked tirelessly on cleaning out the bar and finding a way to draw the water from the Underhall and Arena. Wooden beams were placed under sagging ceilings, doorways repaired, and private rooms cleared.
But the menace left behind by the disasters still remained. Treacherous debris and pockets of poisonous gas could be found in almost every corner. The volcano still spouted smoke, but did not erupt.
After nearly a week of careful rationing, contact was reestablished with the mainland, and essential supplies once more began to flow in. Rubble was cleared, and new rooms were slowly being built in place of those that had been destroyed. One by one, the missing were found, dead or alive.
Slowly, the Tether stuttered to life again, yet the disasters had taken their toll. A memorial erected in the once-more verdant gardens attested to the losses suffered; a silent reminder of days gone by.
A new era had begun.
OOC NOTE: A detailed listing can be read of exactly what occurred during the End of Days. A collection of character journals has been compiled on the forums that gives first hand accounts from the End of Days event. A short story contest was also held giving more detailed experiences of the events that took place.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
There was no official announcement regarding the attack, but lips flap and tongues waggle. The story came from dock hands and guards, from servants and merchants. There was an attack on a group of gargoyles, specifically a caravan belonging to the Antallia Exchange Guild. Attacks like those weren't unknown to the Gargoyles, who hire sell-swords and guards to protect their goods. The very nature of this specific attack and the goods they were trading caused an outcry amongst both groups. It was loud enough that it had reached the ears of those that helped run The Golden Tether.
The relationship between the Gargoyles and Caprids was strained at best, the former a group of business men and women of the highest class, the latter a rough and tumble species with only a mind for conquest. The Gargoyles were able to get their hands on something the Caprids wantedexpensive rock-carving tools made of metal, whose edge rarely blunted and promised to never rust. The Caprids were stonemasons, and their towns and villages up in the mountains of Guildereim held impressive examples of their work. The tools the Gargoyle Merchants were to supply would have outlived the Caprids' great-great-great-great grandchildren, and were highly prized by the goatfolk. The caravan that was attacked carried just those tools, and subsequently all the goods they were transporting were destroyed. This shipment would have been the start of a trade route between the groups that would have lasted many generations. The attack ruined, or at the very least stalled, this agreement between Gargoyles and Caprids.
Trade routes are incredibly important to Guildereim and The Golden Tether, and though the news was of interest, it was the details of the attack that spoke volumes. Each cart was blasted apart and reduced to nothing but fine splinters of wood, and the oxen that had pulled those carts were similarly butchered. Pieces of the bovines' carcasses littered the jungle trail the caravan had been using to ascend the mountain to one of the Caprid towns. Unlike the corpses of the oxen, not a single Gargoyle, whole or in pieces, could be found. What drew the attention of The Golden Tether, and of those that managed her, were the wounds on the oxen; the abrasions glittered like gold, resembling burn marks, but were surprisingly familiar.
Nearly a month prior, a group of patrons and guards set out to investigate a naga camp that a jungle patrol had come upon the previous day. The nagas rarely ventured close to the establishment and the outing promised to be an interesting onethe sort of action the Tether thought some of its more skilled, martial patrons would enjoy. The group found the camp in disarray: tents were burnt down or torn apart, strewn with the bodies of the naga. Some had been torn limb from limb, arms and heads ripped off by sheer force, while others had holes blasted clear through them. The burn marks and glittering splinters of gold in the wounds that had been found on the oxen at the caravan were consistent with the injuries sustained by the naga. Surprisingly, the burn marks were frighteningly cold to the touch, even in the humid jungle air, and had even 'burned' through someone's leather glove when the wound had been touched. The one glaring difference was that all the nagas remained, while all the Gargoyles at the second attack had been taken.
The unseemly evidence was piling up and would soon become obvious. The wounds between the two attacks matched. At the site of the naga encampment, an eerie symbol had been found by one of the patrons: roughly ten feet in length and easily a foot deep in the ground was a scorch mark, filled the the glittering splinters of gold. It was in the shape of a crescent moon and between the waning points was a perfect circle drawn out by gore, missing body parts, blood, and shards of bone. It was clear it belonged one of the dead nagas. Curiously, a day before the naga attack, there had been a lunar eclipse.
What had transpired the day following the attack on the Gargoyle caravan wasn't quite clear. There were rumours that similar attacks had happened to the land sharks, the lizardfolk, and the caprids over the previous month. One evening an air of unease settled over the island, the birds hushed, a strange wind blew, and the ocean receded, leaving sea-creatures flopping on the wet sand. Siena and Sumatra were suspiciously absent from the Tether, and if they were asked after, they were no where to be found. Though their sudden absence wasn't worrisome on its own, the fact both Managers were missing during such strange happenings was enough to brew wonder among the patrons.
One question was repeated over and over: where was Selene?
The owner of The Golden Tether hadn't been seen nor heard of the months leading up to the first attack, and her absences had grown more frequent. It was rumoured that her behaviour had become increasingly erratic over the previous months, but there had been no solid proof of this conjecture. It was never officially announced, but it was clear that Selene had been linked to these attacks. Everything pointed towards the moon Goddess. The two Managers had set out, and the rumour was they were searching for Selene.
Whatever happened, whatever deal that the Domina struck with the Devil, not more than a day later the pair returned without the Goddess.
Siena declared herself Rah and Owner of the Tether, with Sumatra as her right hand. There was no pomp, no ceremonyit simply happened. They offered no suggestion as to what had become of Selene. Over time, whispers of the Goddess would reach the Tether, and it seemed the woman was still very much alive though at a diminished capacity. Maddened by whatever had taken place, Selene, now devoid of her celestial powers, had taken to calling a naga ruin home. It was said that outcast nagas gathered to her and a cult of the Moon Goddess was born.