Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
The day I died. (FAN LORE)
ArchivedUser
Guest
in Fan Stories
DISCLAIMER: The story that follows is entirely a product of my imagination, any similarities to real game lore is a coincidence. I am not a part of the development team of Ashes of Creation, and therefore, this story should be taken as that, a story.
I remember well the day I died. A strong hand guided me to a pit in the ground. It was, by estimation, 2 feet wide, 7 feet long, and 6 feet deep. A shining, silvery gray metal coated the outside, and a thick panel lay to the side, some sort of lid? I had seen a lot of death in my time, I knew full well what this was. But I was just a travelling bard, what was this about?
A calm, strong voice spoke out from behind me. "Ah, at last we can finally have silence. I trust everything is to my design?" "Of course sir. Metal extracted from the southern temples, forged into this grave, as you specified", a deep voice answered. "Excellent. Begin."
I turn my head, determined to look upon the man who had ordered my imprisonment. I look around, and see the face of a man known only as Mr Rozzers. A man I thought I knew. A man I thought as a close friend. Yet here he was, ordering my entombment beneath the ground. "You will be unable to die in this tomb, bard. A magical field laid over the ground will prevent you from aging, from starving, even from suffocating. You will suffer, in torment, until your body finally decays, and your mind finally rots. The world shall never hear of your songs again."
I began to struggle, I would not suffer this fate. But try as I may, I was lifted, quite unceremoniously, and thrown bodily into the grave. My head impacted the solid metal floor, and I lost consciousness.
An unknown amount of time later.
I woke, in nothing but darkness, in a panic. I must escape! But how? The metal from the ancient temples was unbreakable. Nothing I had could even scar its flawless surface. Only powerful artisans could hope to shape it into anything but the original design. My mind began to wander, why not kill me outright? They certainly have no qualms about causing suffering, but I had done nothing to warrant something this extreme, that I could remember.
I began to search for answers. My mind sought answers, but the answer it found I was tempted to reject. It was nothing more than a bards story, I had seen no proof of it! It surely couldn't actually be fact, could it? A few nights ago, I had heard a story from a fellow bard, this story was about how nobody in this world could die. Every time someone died, they would be resurrected, somewhere nearby, with almost everything they had when they died.
The story began when we first entered this world. Through the great blue portals we came, to rediscover the lands we came from. But something happened to us on the way. We found ourselves unable to return, and unable to die. The gods had taken pity on mortalkind, and blessed us with immortality, but at a price. The pain of resurrection was... painful to say the least, and often left the most prized possessions of the deceased behind. There was certainly no benevolence behind the design, for good and evil alike were saved. Nobody knew how, or why those that died returned, time and time again, and most refused to believe such stories.
I was one of those that refused to believe. I had seen no proof, and encountered no one who had returned from death. Perhaps if I had stayed near the settlements, I might have, but it was my duty to explore this ancient world, and so explore I did. I told stories of ancient ruins, sung songs of other budding civilizations, and wrote plays of epic encounters, with the dangerous creatures of our new home.
Perhaps my exploits drove my friend to the brink. Perhaps I uncovered, and mistakenly shared one of his dark secrets, or perhaps he just hated the way I went about life, carefree, and happy. But whatever it was, it did not matter anymore. I was here, stuck beneath the ground, in an unbreakable prison.
I began to keep track of time by singing songs, I knew exactly how long each song lasted, and as long as I kept calm, my songs would keep track of time, and my sanity intact. Days passed, and I began to lose hope. My songs began to falter, and my voice began to fade.
My mind began to wander again, and I knew my sanity would not hold out too much longer. I began to panic.
A flash of deep blue filled my mind. As I gazed upon it, my mind pieced together the picture I had long been missing, the picture of my lover, in the great Northern Plains. I wanted to see her again, hear her sing, see her dance. How had I kept her from my mind, I do not know, even to this day. But there she was, smiling, holding her hand out, beckoning me forward. Her deep blue eyes pierced into my soul, and forced me to realize the one thing I had always known, but never realized. No distance, no pain, no challenge could stand in my way, of returning home, to her.
A deep understanding filled my mind, and I called out to the metal that surrounded me, willing it to collapse inwards. I could navigate by the stars, and nothing I had on me was more important than my lover. A soft blue light filled the tomb, a screech filled the air, and everything went dark.
Pain flared across my body, agony beyond anything I had ever felt before. It seemed like hours before the pain faded, but eventually, it did. Shakily, I stood. Night was upon me, and I could see the way home. The stories were true, we were indeed resurrected upon death. As for why, that's a different story, for a different day. For now, I must head north, to my home, and to my lover.
END.
(I hope you enjoyed the story! I changed it a lot from my original conception, so there may be one or... 20 plot holes. I'm not the best at writing, but I am always looking to improve! Please tell me what you think of the story, and remember that any potential lore in this story is non-canon.)
I remember well the day I died. A strong hand guided me to a pit in the ground. It was, by estimation, 2 feet wide, 7 feet long, and 6 feet deep. A shining, silvery gray metal coated the outside, and a thick panel lay to the side, some sort of lid? I had seen a lot of death in my time, I knew full well what this was. But I was just a travelling bard, what was this about?
A calm, strong voice spoke out from behind me. "Ah, at last we can finally have silence. I trust everything is to my design?" "Of course sir. Metal extracted from the southern temples, forged into this grave, as you specified", a deep voice answered. "Excellent. Begin."
I turn my head, determined to look upon the man who had ordered my imprisonment. I look around, and see the face of a man known only as Mr Rozzers. A man I thought I knew. A man I thought as a close friend. Yet here he was, ordering my entombment beneath the ground. "You will be unable to die in this tomb, bard. A magical field laid over the ground will prevent you from aging, from starving, even from suffocating. You will suffer, in torment, until your body finally decays, and your mind finally rots. The world shall never hear of your songs again."
I began to struggle, I would not suffer this fate. But try as I may, I was lifted, quite unceremoniously, and thrown bodily into the grave. My head impacted the solid metal floor, and I lost consciousness.
An unknown amount of time later.
I woke, in nothing but darkness, in a panic. I must escape! But how? The metal from the ancient temples was unbreakable. Nothing I had could even scar its flawless surface. Only powerful artisans could hope to shape it into anything but the original design. My mind began to wander, why not kill me outright? They certainly have no qualms about causing suffering, but I had done nothing to warrant something this extreme, that I could remember.
I began to search for answers. My mind sought answers, but the answer it found I was tempted to reject. It was nothing more than a bards story, I had seen no proof of it! It surely couldn't actually be fact, could it? A few nights ago, I had heard a story from a fellow bard, this story was about how nobody in this world could die. Every time someone died, they would be resurrected, somewhere nearby, with almost everything they had when they died.
The story began when we first entered this world. Through the great blue portals we came, to rediscover the lands we came from. But something happened to us on the way. We found ourselves unable to return, and unable to die. The gods had taken pity on mortalkind, and blessed us with immortality, but at a price. The pain of resurrection was... painful to say the least, and often left the most prized possessions of the deceased behind. There was certainly no benevolence behind the design, for good and evil alike were saved. Nobody knew how, or why those that died returned, time and time again, and most refused to believe such stories.
I was one of those that refused to believe. I had seen no proof, and encountered no one who had returned from death. Perhaps if I had stayed near the settlements, I might have, but it was my duty to explore this ancient world, and so explore I did. I told stories of ancient ruins, sung songs of other budding civilizations, and wrote plays of epic encounters, with the dangerous creatures of our new home.
Perhaps my exploits drove my friend to the brink. Perhaps I uncovered, and mistakenly shared one of his dark secrets, or perhaps he just hated the way I went about life, carefree, and happy. But whatever it was, it did not matter anymore. I was here, stuck beneath the ground, in an unbreakable prison.
I began to keep track of time by singing songs, I knew exactly how long each song lasted, and as long as I kept calm, my songs would keep track of time, and my sanity intact. Days passed, and I began to lose hope. My songs began to falter, and my voice began to fade.
My mind began to wander again, and I knew my sanity would not hold out too much longer. I began to panic.
A flash of deep blue filled my mind. As I gazed upon it, my mind pieced together the picture I had long been missing, the picture of my lover, in the great Northern Plains. I wanted to see her again, hear her sing, see her dance. How had I kept her from my mind, I do not know, even to this day. But there she was, smiling, holding her hand out, beckoning me forward. Her deep blue eyes pierced into my soul, and forced me to realize the one thing I had always known, but never realized. No distance, no pain, no challenge could stand in my way, of returning home, to her.
A deep understanding filled my mind, and I called out to the metal that surrounded me, willing it to collapse inwards. I could navigate by the stars, and nothing I had on me was more important than my lover. A soft blue light filled the tomb, a screech filled the air, and everything went dark.
Pain flared across my body, agony beyond anything I had ever felt before. It seemed like hours before the pain faded, but eventually, it did. Shakily, I stood. Night was upon me, and I could see the way home. The stories were true, we were indeed resurrected upon death. As for why, that's a different story, for a different day. For now, I must head north, to my home, and to my lover.
END.
(I hope you enjoyed the story! I changed it a lot from my original conception, so there may be one or... 20 plot holes. I'm not the best at writing, but I am always looking to improve! Please tell me what you think of the story, and remember that any potential lore in this story is non-canon.)
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