Mace of Castigation

Eldryck Venym and the Mace of Castigation

by Arnaya

History:

From what SIlk Nuvas has told us, The Mace of Castigation was created initially by him, to imprison a powerful entity. Not for use as a weapon. When it became known that the mace could emulate Dreamstrike, the Mace was stolen from Silk and used as a weapon of war to eliminate various enemies by its holders in the Idoaclesian city. These additional beings being imprisoned within the mace gave the entity it had originally trapped, a source of power and food of sorts. The reality within the mace's prison is entirely controlled by that original entity. When Zaxun took up the mace, Silk Nuvas created a replica of it. The real mace consumed the replica, further empowering itself. This was Silk's first real indication of how much power the imprisoned Prime Entity had gained. And Zaxun proceeded to fill the mace, further and further. It's power growing a little more with each strike.

As time went on, and it gained in power, it began to subtly influence Zaxun's mind. Amplifying the parts of his personality and thoughts that fueled his strike rampage. It seems that by the time he arrived in our city, he was firmly under the mace's thrall, but either ignorant of that fact... or believed that he was strong enough to control it.

As setback after setback plagued Zaxun, he lost more of himself until finally, the Prime Spirit within the mace broke his will and utterly dominated him. This rendered him nearly mindless, as we saw him at the end before Xun'rok struck him. Able to basically roar and utter threats while attacking. After Zaxun's defeat and striking, Those dreamers from our city that had been struck, were released from the Mace through use of their Soul Essences. It seems that this was the first time anyone had been released from the Mace, and it is believed by some of those best versed in the mace, that the release of these dreamers weakened the Prison that held the Prime Spirit within.

Thunderman claimed the mace a time afterwards, but whether through sheer force of will, Silk's Amulet, or because he took it up without clear intention to use it... the mace had little influence over him. This eventually caused the Prime Spirit to sever the bond between Thunderman and the Mace, preventing him from being able to pick it up again. When I attempted to claim it a couple of months later, the Mace and its spirits eagerly responded. Despite the amulet that I made to allow me to bond the mace... I almost immediately noticed its will. Like a weight in the back of my mind. Zar'tenya was present at the time, and I asked her to.. help the city stop me should the mace overcome my will. By striking me if necessary. I provided Zar'tenya with a Codex stating my wishes, should it come to be needed.

Within a dream or so, the mace's will began to make itself known more strongly. A deep voice within my head. Initially it hinted and cajoled, trying to get me to strike this person or that. Whoever was around really, but those I cared about most of all. That swiftly changed to outright attempts at dominating me. Once mustering enough will against mine to cause me to collapse before Faelyn and Jade in the Teaching Hall. Hael Frost and Uthanatos found me there, and with Jade's help were able to help me retain control of my own mind. Several similar incidents also occurred at various points during the time I held the Mace. It was seldom that the Prime Spirit was silent in my head. Nearly all of its comments were about striking someone or other, the only exception was one evening when I spoke of the Mace and situation with to a small group. The Prime Spirits will attempted to crush mine tortuously in punishment for speaking openly of it. I had the most success combating the Prime Spirit with powerful memories of tender moments, Love, or times of true camaraderie.

Uthanatos finally took it upon himself to force my hand, and floated himself. The mace's will to destroy, particularly those I cared about, rose immediately and it was able to manifest a Dreamstrike Evoke. Before the Evoke could be completely, I was able to marshal my own will strongly enough for a moment to cast the mace aside. Breaking the evoke and the bond between the mace and myself. This was in Xun'Dal Juhan Vista on the Lower Basin of Stars, and when I cast the mace aside, it landed in the waters the falls there.

Next Manifestations:

The following day, I was advised about Eldryck Venym stepping out of the mace and coming to haunt Hael Frost. He was located in Cenotaph of Dread, and while everyone went to see what he was up to, Rasputin and I went up to the Mace to take advantage of the distraction, where we attempted to use a previously created item known as the Tome of the Treasured (Tome of the Treasured Past was its original intended name) to draw out and seal as many of the trapped spirits as possible in the tome instead of leaving them to continue to feed the mace.

Eldryck responded to our efforts and came up. This eventually led to an engagement and exchange of Chakram fire. Lu Chaos, Turvy, Entropy, Uthanatos, Hael Frost, and others joined Rasputin and I. Lu Chaos, Nathan, and I attempted to keep Eldryck occupied while the others tried to seal the mace, though were unsuccessful. Turvy was sucked into the mace, and released as a "Strike Revenant".

Though I was initially able to damage Eldryck, a surge of power from the Mace strengthened his avatar to the point it began to completely absorb all offensive effects. Chakram fire, blades, and arts. Nearly all of the other people fled the area after Eldryck began pulling up Dreamstrike on collapsed opponents. Turvy joined Eldryck, fighting against the rest of us. Finally, Rasputin and I were the only ones left in the area at the time. Rasputin kept me coherent with his restore while I attempted a last ditched seal on the mace. I failed, and was drawn into the mace myself to be released as a Strike Revenant alongside Turvy. Over the next several days, the Strike Revenants attempted to eliminate pretty much anyone we could, and recruit others. Nathan was recruited, being brought under a type of hypnotic effect to bring him up to the mace.

What is a Strike Revenant? Strike Revenants differ from normal Revenants in that they are not created by a merging of Dreamer Soul Essence with Maren essence, but are instead the avatar of a trapped dreamer. Part of the dreamer, the part responsible for their normal Ethical and Moral thoughts, remains locked within the mace and some sort of spirit or fragment of consciousness "rides" the Strike Revenants avatar. The Mace Revenants are given their "orders" as a form of driving compulsion to:

A) Protect the Mace B) Destroy as many people as possible. Eldryck Venym is a Strike Revenant, though has a slightly different set of orders. I will cover him a little bit later and in more detail. The regular Strike Revenants seem to be able to be freed generally by drawing on strong positive emotional attachments and forcing the connection. The "Spirit" cannot seem to abide such, and seems to be forced out, allowing the trapped portions of the Strike Revenants consciousness to return. This severs the link between the mace and the Dreamer. While under the control of the mace, many portions of the dreamers personality remain intact, though the more negative aspects tend to be amplified. It seems to vary by individual how much memory is retained of their time as Strike Revenants.

The Assault Begins:

Eldryck almost immediately claimed the sanctuary of Cenotaph of Dread as his main working space, and began working. Generally forbidding anyone from witnessing his works. He also devoted an extreme amount of attention to Hael Frost, Guardian of House Calenture. His "affectionate" attention torturous to an extreme level. Involving frequent demonstrations of his own power and forcing her into positions where she was utterly helpless and at his complete mercy. Further attention and effort was also dedicated to Uthanatos, Initiate of the Emergence Academy, and myself. I was partly freed from the Mace's influence after just over a day as a Strike Revenant, by Uthanatos and Hael Frost. Eldryck retaliated by using the last control the mace had over me, to make me walk willingly into a Dreamstrike at the hands of Mace Rev Turvy. Uthanatos was also struck a few moments after me. Though I was retrieved a couple of dreams later by Prat Asti, another Mace entity who fell and struck her head immediately upon release from the mace and has been willing to aid dreamers of the city in various efforts by holding Eldryck at bay.

Eldryck has subsequently taken the Orb of Calenture, and claimed a senechal crest from it. The orb has subsequently been returned after a fashion, being glued to the table in Chimeric by Eldryck for some unknown reason. Eldryck's further efforts involve various distractions and creating divisions among the houses and dreamers of the city. Turvy and Nathan have now been freed as Strike Revenants as well. During one confrontation with Eldryck, Lu Chaos was struck by a very fast evoke from Eldryck, and returned as a Strike Revenant. He was subsequently released completely from the mace by Eldryck under the reasoning that sometimes "Big bad dogs are uncontrollable".

We have been further warned that destroying the mace will either release all of the spirits within it, or just the Prime Spirit while resulting in the destruction of the imprisoned ones. In either case, a generally undesirable result unless someone is to seek the destruction and rampage of the city.

Silk Nuvas:

Given Silk Nuvas's role as the Mace's creator, Eldryck deemed him a threat and managed to inflict a venom on him that drained his Dreamsoul away to nothing. Rendering him a perma-sphere and removing his ability to speak. Members of HC and the EA were able to purge the venom, but not affect a healing attempt on him initially. Neil of House Calenture spearheaded the further restoration of Silk Nuvas, and was eventually successful with the Aid of several members of AoE, KoES, and other members of HC.

Houses Efforts:

- The Alliance of the Eclipse: Has been focused largely on combating Eldryck with kindness and compassion, meeting him with complete civility and polite manners to collect information from him and figure out how to free him from the Mace's control.

- Monastery of the Shadow: Seems to have mostly stepped into a supporting role, backing and aiding the efforts of others primarily.

- Order of the Light: Has merged with House Calenture to take up a partnership as The City Guard, and has been primarily concerned with the Mace's Security.

- The Emergence Academy: As a whole has also taken a largely supportive role, though both Uthanatos and Dimitri Raith have been extremely active in events.

- House Calenture: Has been in the thick of this since it all started, and has been focused extensively on preventing people from being Dreamstruck, and undoing as much of the damage being done as possible.

- The City Guard (Lu Chaos's pack): Though not an actual house, they are prospective group and thus deserve mention in this section. Much of their effort has been in a support role, backing and aiding other groups works and providing combat aid (Though see Tembers City Guard Notice here).

What is known about the Prime Spirit Within the Mace of Castigation:

Very little is known, and Eldryck has teased that he knows more, but has revealed very little to anyone that has relayed anything to me. It is at this point known, that the Prime Spirit is a Very powerful entity. Eldryck and Silk have both refused to name this entity, though Eldryck has stated that it is THE Source of All Dreamstrike. Seemingly a force of utter entropy, devoted and hungering for the utter destruction of everything, everywhere. Feeding on, savoring pain and suffering.

The tortured screams and helpless, desperate railing against the end. A quick death and swift end are anathema's to it. It wants to watch and delight in sentient thoughts helpless horror at the upcoming demise. The slowly descending blade while the target is bound and unable to move. Their fear at never knowing when the blade will be meant for them, and when it will be meant for their loved ones, or the ideal's they cling to. The imprisonment of so many others with it inside the mace has provided it with a steady and ever growing plate of fears, crushed hopes, and terror to savor. Every one increasing its power.

As the Prime Spirit has gained in strength, and the seals holding it captive have been weakened, the mace itself has become unstable. Cracks and breeches in its structure becoming apparent. With each one, the Prime Spirit itself gains more ability to influence things beyond it's prison.

Eldryck Venym:

Little is known about Eldryck Venom's past, and he responds VERY poorly to attempts to delve into it. From little bits revealed by Silk Nuvas, Eldryck himself, and a few other hidden sources, It is known that he was a warrior of the Valourian city that Zaxun watched fall to the Arretians and Darkmaren forces nearly two years ago. Zaxun himself took little part in the actual attack that we've been able to discover, but did become involved at the very end. Eldryck was apparently much like Lu Chaos in our own city.

Proud, even arrogant. And often considered a nuisance or pest, if not a greater threat than many outside sources. During the end days of the Valourian city, likely shortly after its fall, Eldryck was forced to watch as the woman he loved (Who greatly resembles Hael Frost of House Calenture) was destroyed. It's unknown if she was struck, or otherwise slain. Then, Eldryck himself was struck by Zaxun. The striking itself was allegedly a surprise, leading me to believe that Eldryck had originally struck some sort of deal or made an arrangement with Zaxun, that Zaxun betrayed to Eldryck's demise.

Personality wise, Eldryck as he is now... as a Strike Revenant... is a sadistic, deceitful man. Dedicated to preparing the city for his masters eventual freeing, though he seems to be in little hurry to hasten this, likely due to both his and his masters delight in the torment or those that seek to prevent it. Eldryck’s temper is known to be quick and fierce, frequently involving violent outbursts with his club and dreamstrike, or more torturous replies. A highly skilled manipulator, easily capable of being friendly and welcoming until the opportunity to harm his “Guests” or “Host’s” to heighten fear and anger arises. The manipulative basic nature means that as long as his objectives are being met, he will generally continue to avail himself of goodwill.

Though very capable of kindness, his default is to delight in the process and small steps towards crushing the will and spirit of those in contact with him. Genuine displays of kindness and tenderness have been known to reach through the Prime Spirit’s to get through to Eldryck himself. Consequently, when faced with such, Eldryck will often take his leave for a time. Any publicly exposed weaknesses necessitate violent and extreme replies from him. Most frequently involving a general striking out, and a more focused reply meant to destroy or neutralize the source of that vulnerability.

His known powers include:

- 9th sphere, Multi-focal with all relevant arts (Known to use Abjure) at 90 plat.

- Very high damage, fast speed projectile weapon with seemingly unlimited charges. - Very high damage club (It’s been noted that there seems to be one of the two distinct personalities involved with Eldryck, focused on the club. It seems to be the primary focus of the link between him and the Prime Spirit).

- Teleport anywhere in the city, including house crest and rank locked area’s, and the edges of the Lightless Hollow.

- Teleport Others anywhere in the city. This includes teleporting them from Sanctuaries, or continually drawing them back into ward Traps.

- Utterly immune to all damaging effects directed at him. This includes Blades; Flames; Chakrams; and arts.

- Ability to gender swap targets.

- Can strip dreamers ability to access to their arts (Doesn’t remove the art, just blocks your ability to recognize that you Can use it).

- The ability to hear whispers of others nearby to him, and presumably the other Strike Revenants. It’s unclear if this extends to Codi notes, he has not currently responded to any such notes to the best of my knowledge. Likewise, Mind Blank seems to provide some protection from his attention. Don’t count on Mind Blank to render you proof from this ability, but it seems to help if you aren't in his direct presence.

- Dreamstrike: Provided by the mace, his evoke for this art is around two pillars. So it is presumed that his strike ability has several plateau’s behind it, since unplatted evoke speed is Five pillars. As this ability is directly fueled by the mace, it is likely that he will not suffer the normal permanent Dreamsoul drain by successful evokes of the art.

Known Dreamstruck: - Arnaya (returned) - Uthanatos (Returned) - Shurenda (Returned, Strike Revenant) - Golah (Returned) - Lu Chaos (Returned) - Arlyana Jax (Returned) - Geralt - Mizrahi - Kailoth

Known Major Efforts Involving the Mace and Eldryck to date:

- The first Sealing attempt: This is the one that revealed Eldryck's Invulnerability to harm.

- Prat Asti's appearance: My information on this event is minimal, beyond that several Alliance members and members of Lu Chaos's City Guard were present.

- Release of Shurenda: This was an attempt to release the Newly Shurenda from the mace after she was struck by the Strike Revenant Turvy. Though successful, it has been revealed that she came out corrupted as a Strike Revenant.

- The First Repair: After Shurenda's release, the striking of Arlyana Jax, Arnaya, and Uthanatos, and all of their subsequent returns. The mace had become extremely unstable and began releasing waves of energy. This was a joint effort between Calenture, the Monastery of the Shadow, and others.

- The Second Repair: After Golah's striking and forcing himself out with the power of his artifact blade "The Protector", Golah led an effort to patch the breech he had created in order to escape the mace's grasp.

- The Move: The Mace of Castigation was moved by Tember, Flower of Cienn, and other members of the HC City Guard branch to prevent it from further corrupting the cities waterways. The attempt was disrupted by Lu Chaos, and the plug placed by Golah was removed somewhere in the process and struggle. It subsequently ended up behind the cell bars in The Conclave.

- Chimeric Meeting: A chimeric meeting was held to share information and coordinate activities between the houses. This meeting was largely dominated by the Alliance ambassadors present, and revealed Eldryck's vulnerability to Hael Frost's tender touch at great cost to her.

- The Third Repair: After the maces move, with the plug popped out, A small group noticed waves of energy being released and traced them to the Conclave where the mace was located. Arcs of energy sparking from it. The group present retrieved the plug from where it had been stored after recovery, and were able to replace it. Unfortunately, another breech was sprung in the mace, though much smaller than the first. The group was unable to affect a seal or patch on that second breech.

In Closing:

I strongly urge all citizens to exercise extreme caution when roaming the city. Travel in groups and in party whenever possible. Keep your recalls set, and art layers ready. I would also strongly suggest carrying a negative Dreamsoul elem for use if you find yourself trapped, before Eldryck or another Strike Revenant can start abjuring your recall. The mace has proven strong enough that small groups are NOT effective at dealing with or containing it. I would strongly suggest that, no matter how powerful any one of us feels they are... they gather as much support as possible before moving against the Mace or Eldryck in any significant capacity. Further updates will be provided as I become aware of them.

~ Arnaya, Soulmistress

Reference

https://forums.underlight.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=3324&p=16621&hilit=entropy#p16621