Cenotaph of Dread
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The Cenotaph and the Brothers Three - Researched By Innioc
Long ago in the city of Underlight, 3 brothers shared a very unique distinction within the walls of the dream. They were the first, and arguably the only true triplets to ever walk the dream. Aero, the DreamSeer of the three, was a very intelligent young man. He excelled in the ways of the writer, poet, and musician, often working into the wee hours of the morning to complete a burst of inspiration that had entered his mind. Heliolis, the FateSender, was the light hearted and jovial brother. He was comical, witty, and whenever there was a joke being told, he was there. The third brother was Terric, the Gatekeeper. He was by far the strongest of the brothers. He was always there to protect them and defend them to the very loss of his avatar, if need be.
Together, with such balanced attributes, the brothers made a force that was not to be trifled with. One day while the three were together, as they almost always were, the entered the Lost Caves. After battling a few nightmares, they turned to leave only to see the dreaded Darkmare Drakvlar standing before them. "Hw eoknu carnge putra katoke! Drakvlar carnge hw!" he shouted at them, and attacked with brutal force. The battle raged on, but the powerful dreamers were victorious in the end. Before the Soulsphere of the Darkmare was pulled back to the chaos, he made a single threat. "Drakvlar waka carnge hw!" The three made their way home that eve, proud of their accomplishments.
Time passed, and each of the brothers proceeded through their focus, improving their Arts and Spheres by leaps and bounds. They each helped the other two with their tasks, and they seemed less and less like work, and more and more like fun. Eventually, the threats of Drakvlar were forgotten, and the brothers lived their dream to its fullest. Terric became involved with a beautiful woman named Lenorana. Gradually, he began to spend more and more time with her, and less and less with his brothers. The bond between them was still there, of course, but the binding force had weakened ever so slightly. One day, the three were off for a hunt.
Rounding the corner at the Amphitheater in the Valley of Totality, Lenorana caught up to them. Using her feminine charms, she persuaded Terric to put off his hunt, so that they could spend the day alone with one another. The other two brothers, sensing that she was pulling Terric even further away, tried with all they had to keep their original plans. They failed. Terric walked with her, hand in hand, looking over his shoulder to see his brothers for what he would later find to be, the last time.
Aero and Heliolis went about their hunt, oblivious to the fact that someone was following their trail. It waited in the shadows, choosing its time to make itself known. Aero and Heliolis encountered a particularly tough Shamblix. Though they did win the battle, in the end, they each sustained some moderate damage. Drakvlar choose that moment to strike. He charged at them, catching them both off guard, and gazed at them with his paralyzing stare. This was a time long before dreamers learned of the use of Minor Arts, only possessing that of their focus. Neither were protected with the art of Free action. Had Terric been there, they would have been fine, but he was not.
The two stood motionless, unable to fight off the paralysis. Using the mighty Chakrams that he had found, Drakvlar tore through them in turn like a hot Dreamblade through butter. He called upon the powers he had attained through years of work, and evoked an art similar to what we know as Dreamstrike. The very souls of the brothers was cast out in an explosive force to all corners of the dream. So close was the bond between the three, that Terric knew something horrible had happened at once, though he knew not what. He left Lenorana in a dead sprint for the hunting grounds. When he got there, Drakvlar looked at him. He tosses the heads he had claimed from the brothers towards Terric, laughed darkly, and disappeared back into the chaos from whence he had come. Terric took the heads, look each over carefully. He knew what had occurred, and his heart wept like it had never before.
His life changed that day in so many ways, his very personality altered. He became a machine. He spent every waking moment in the dream gaining experience and knowledge, studying hard, and moving up as a dreamer. When in Cloudsbreak, he studied the structural sciences and the arts of architecture. He rarely spoke to anyone. Lenorana left him, and his seclusion became complete.
Eventually, through his diligence, he ascended to the rank of Elder Master Dreamwright, finally developing the ability to mold and form the chaotic energies around him by instilling them with order. He set to work on what he knew he had to do. Between Evernight Plateau and Trinity Rise existed a barren empty wasteland. This was the site of what would be his greatest work. For 58 years, he worked on this land, building the most intricate memorial the dream had ever seen. Dreamers would stop by and stare as he worked his magic with its structures. He developed 4 specific rooms in this memorial which he had come to call the Cenotaph of Dread, each having its own specific relevance.
The Temple of Pain, for the pain Aero felt as his soul was ripped to shreds. The Temple of Agony, for the agony felt by Heliolis as he had to first watch his brother destroyed, then experience it himself. The Temple of Sorrow and Cistern of Torture, however, were named on behalf of the builder itself. The Sorrow and Torture, were aptly named for the feelings he felt from that day on. He blamed himself. Had he been there, he could have prevented it.
But, the Cenotaph was not destined to be completed. Drakvlar had bide his time, relishing from the shadows at what emotions he had evoked in the remaining brother. Finally, he felt the punishment had been enough, and came back to finish the job. He appeared to Terric on the day of his choosing, having grown much stronger since their last encounter. Terric drew his blade to do battle, then stopped. Bowing his head slightly, he laid down his blade and merely stood. "Take me, and end it," he whispered. And that is what Drakvlar did.
From the plans of Terric found later, it seems that he had wanted to place two more objects in the Cenotaph of Dread. Each an ornately and delicately carved statue of each of his fallen brothers. The spires in the Exits to both Trinity Rise and Evernight Plateau from this plane were to be the sites. The were to stand proudly, as they had in life, at each room, immortalized in cold Stone. Perhaps someday Terric's final wishes will be completed. Only time will tell.
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