Baldur's Gate : The Sword Coast Chronicles : NWN2 Persistent World

Another silent night upon the Under-city. The silence within the sacred streets would only give way to the many undead workers who worked in silence of their daunting task of moving rubble and mundane repairs to the ruined streets and buildings. Dim magical lights would give off an artificial showcasing of street lambs and other light sources within usable homes and buildings. All the while, skeletal knights baring armor engraved with the symbol of the beholder take patrols around the streets. The bone-loyal hive-mind would continue their operations same as any other day without hesitation to complete the many task before them.

Soon enough, the chime of a church bell would ring upon the city.

Ding. . .

Dong. . .

Ding. . .

The chime of the bell would give away the arrival of something new to the city once again. As a small caravan is soon enough mushed past the entrance gate and into the city, entirely guarded by a small patrol of skeletal legionaries. A skeletal horse slowly carts a wagon deeper into the city following a small hin and a two larger pure black armored men. The caravan would take some time as it is wheeled slowly towards the temple of All-Seeing Eyes throughout the streets of the Under-city and stopping at the entrance of the temple itself. As the doors of the temple open slowly with a loud screech of metal grinding on metal, the church bell would finally end it's chime as silence took to the city once again.

As the hin and the two men took stride into the temple they were followed by two zombies who hauled a coffin along with their stride. The coffin itself made a terrible noise as it was dragged along the floor and brought towards the center of the temple where it would lay in full display for all to see.

Batibat would stand from her make-shift throne as it is brought forth.

"Unveil the offering. . ."

As commanded the seal to the coffin is lifted up and carefully laid to the side by the two zombies.

Within the coffin would lie an elven man who looked down on his luck. With nothing but a beaten up and bloody shirt and makeshift shorts to his name, the elven man would seem apprehended by his arms, legs and mouth as he struggles to free himself at every given moment.

Finally as he is unveiled Batibat would seem hesitant but pleased by the sight and take steps forward with a small rustic dagger in hand.

"All those with who bare vision to witness this day, vision as one of many who are All-Seeing lend me thy'n ear."

"Today marks a day that we give thanks to one of the many who watch and witness our daunting task for a greater future."

"It is customary that we show our thanks to the lords above who guide us in our time, and bring forth to them their feast of their dogma to be pleased with our presence here."

"Today we are giving thanks to he who of which this sacred temple was founded."

"We owe him and many others our thanks and our servitude for their vision, and for that they must reap."

"For we are those who Witness, For we are those who Judge, For we are those who Die."

Finally Batibat takes a small step towards the tied up man in the battered wooden coffin muttering and chanting with every step closer. . .

Bhaal awaits thee, Bhaal embraces thee, none escape Bhaal, Bhaal awaits thee, Bhaal embraces thee, none escape Bhaal, Bhaal awaits thee, Bhaal embraces thee, none escape Bhaal, Bhaal awaits thee, Bhaal embraces thee, none escape Bhaal, Bhaal awaits thee, Bhaal embraces thee, none escape Bhaal, Bhaal awaits thee, Bhaal embraces thee, none escape Bhaal, Bhaal awaits thee, Bhaal embraces thee, none escape Bhaal, Bhaal awaits thee, Bhaal embraces thee, none escape Bhaal. . .

After a long pause the knife is held high and plunged into the elven peasent's heart giving forth a cry of pain and struggle as the crimson color painted the wooden coffin. . .

And silence was all that was left.

Rumour has it that a strange purple bog of sinister magic has been spreading all across the northern sword coast region of late. The bog itself many would know as a bad omen only as a sign that the living dead are or were once following along to it's sweet scent. Within the veil of the morning some wandering travelers along the roads near the Boarskyr Bridge may have noticed this heavy purple bog linger around the bridge along with the smell of rotting flesh. Other news may have spread that they heard a subtle pulsating sound at dawn once traveling around the region to cross the bridge. A small shadowed silhouette of a halfling women and the disfigured silhouette of the unearthed began to take stride north from that time.

Skilled trackers or travelers wandering around the High Mor and Serpent Hills region may have come across a plethora of countless half eaten corpses all along both regions leaving a trail of purple bog and heavy desecration in the carnage. The trail of blood and gore would lead first through a ransacked a desecrated hob-goblin village and all along the lower region of the serpents hills.

Others may have sighted another purple bog entirely along the northern trade-way later that day.







/// Thank you DM Anansi for the mini-event. ///

The calming chime of the of the church bell rings across the under-city once again fore-telling of new events that have graced the halls. As they chime echos across the city the temple doors open to a familiar face being guided in by a patrol of undead minions. . .

The church bell centering the Under-city would chime once again as the dead arise from the ground again being reanimated under the symphony of the temple chime. The song echos within the cavernous walls in symphony with the hums and chants of prayer and magic conducting the orchestra of flesh and bone. Small bands of undead laborers seem to be busy at work shoveling rubble from the roads and moving collapsed cobble-stone walls from walk-ways and collapsed side-paths. Other undead are rather busy monitoring the work being done more as wardens against the many hostile gelatinous cubes, phase spiders and wraiths that cause trouble for the laborers. Deep within the heart of the city a small twinkling light slowly motions solemnly through-out the city streets as the dancing lights slowly darken and brighten again into new colors pallets. A menacing patrol of Skeletal Knight's on Bone Horseback ride along the streets escorting a small hin who seems to survey the work of the collective effort of the undead.

Commotion would dawn upon the Under-city as undead flock to the Temple of All-Seeing Eyes to take witness to the gathering that is taking place within. A bright light flashes within the halls of the temple followed by a calming chime of a church bell that would echo about the city as the High Priestess Batibat takes steps out of a mirror teleportation doorway followed by the holy temple guardian Vikstor. As they make their way into the main conference of the commotion the champion of Myrkul "The Black Knight" would stand tall in his position next to the throne in the center while vikstor would take up the other side as the topic of events are discussed.

After a long briefing and speech given by Batibat to those gathered is given, Batibat and the two champions of the Temple would waste no time gathering their bone legionaries for a departure...


"Let us not be late, for the meeting..."

Within the silent streets of the Under-city the usual calming chime of a church bell would echo throughout the halls once more bringing forth a summon of the living and the dead to take witness to a new event that takes place in the Temple of All-Seeing Eyes. As the inhabitant come forth and begin to pile into to temple halls a man would be present standing present in-front of the High Priestess Batibat. Something was up... as commotion piled more and more as time went on as the walking dead and the clergymen of the temple would quiet down at the raised fist of the High Priestess as she continues...

"You know if this is to come to past eventually you will be called upon to serve a task that will likely be in the defense of the city and it's inhabitant? It's not to say this will occur any time soon but... Eventually... You won't be able to deny your association with the temple..."

"I'm tired of hiding in the shadows. Being ridiculed. Being thought of as naught but a joke, a laughing stock. I am a very wise, and powerful man. And you're one of the few people who actually takes me seriously. So if it comes to past that I am deemed Villain. So be it. But I would rather be a villain than a Pawn of some fool-hearty crusade or some hypocrite. At least with you, I get face value. And if I have to rain down hell on those who may attack your church...it will be raining down hell upon those whom have laughed at me. And when I stand above their smoldering, broken bodies. The former shells of themselves that I have laid to ruin..."

"I will ask them, plainly..."

"Who's laughing now?"

"Then I ask you... Will you bend the knee to not only me but for the servitude of something greater? For the servitude of the great bastion of ancient knowledge and eldritch past-time. A land to be reforged and reconstructed by us who look upon it to bring these ruined halls into a spitting image of their former glory... Will you bend the knee.. For the Under-city?"

"If one is to stand for a cause he believes in...sometimes it requires that they kneel". "For it is written that No Man who Stands before their Lord as Equal can not raise eyes to Sky and Behold their Better. For to gaze skyward is to lay eyes as unto hope and find their penance in submission." Call me many things, Judge me as Thy Will. Call me full of Foul and Folly. Full of merriment and Mirth. Call me all things under the Earth and Moon. But never insult me as to call me something so ill-suited...as Humble.

Then kneel...

As the man kneels before Batibat at her throne, Batibat takes the time to stand and hum a chant of summonace as two skeletal death knights come forth to hear her call. As they two knights arrive through a black cloud of smoke to make their presence known, do the other lesser undead fall to their knees and bow to their glory.

Come forth those who watch! Come forth those who witness! Come forth those who have died! Come forth and take witness to another who wishes to carry out the bidding of the makers above. Look upon him my knights. Look upon him, descendants of the Undercity!

This man has sworn his fealty not only to me... but to the greatness that is the Undercity this day! He is a boon not only to me but to you... and with his very breath neither to be damned by he who he draws his prayers... If you truly mean what you say... if you truly mean to serve under the veil of the dead.. under the veil of ancient eldritch knowledge of the many who watch over us. Then bow your head to me and be knighted as a Champion of Temple of All-Seeing Eyes... As a champion of the Undercity!

I vow to champion the pursuit of all knowledge. And to be unbiased as to the source of that knowledge. I vow to champion the Undercity. I vow to protect the sanctity and the secrets of this Temple with my life, mind, body, and soul.

Let it be so... So let it be...

The death knights raise their swords, the chill of their blades electrocuting the hairs on the back of his neck, for a moment you think they truly will graze the hair on your head as they raise them and strike down with incredible precision... the process complete...

Within the veil of the night a hushed-whisper would echo as a hum and chant of dark blessings ebbs and flows in the air in the norther sword coast. A dark-deed come-th and an even darker reward is to be received from the events that transpired today as the ritual of communication is spoken by way of bone and rot...

My lord... There has been many steps taken today to further the steps upon your path you have laid before me and my apostates. There is a balance in all things as you foretold to me so many moons ago... Life & death... Light and Darkness... But in this balance do we who tug the line towards the domain YOU, your holiness... have forsaken upon us and our enemies.

The Elder Circle...



A clear opposition to this balance you seek to sway... They preach the word of balance, Promise the link of true nature, Vow upon the testaments of equality. They, through my eyes and the eyes of the many, they carry themselves as liberators and beacons of hope against the dark perils that plague the lands. Hunters who in turn only defend the hunted... the weak... and the insignificant...



They have done many things to off-set the balance they hold so close to represent... Consecrated our lands in the fields of the dead... Sullied our knights under your domain... Killed our pastors and priest upon a whim of rebuttal.





Today they will given a lesson and an indication to what happens when they gain the attention of your chosen my lord... A symbol of what the gaze from an apostate of your faith, merely a fraction of your gift... can do to those who do not bend the knee.



They frolic merrily in their circle, an afront to the Three... And a afront to you... They must learn to respect and fear the Three...

Their last Arch-druid failed to acknowledged this... Failed to understand my message... Failed to understand my influence....

Mayhaps he will think differently now... once he sees what his successor is to become from this...

Within the region of Thunder's Ride rumor would likely spread of a hin leading a large division of undead towards the Feilds of the Dead... The women and her troop seem to have halted as a man baring the symbol of Myrkul on his cloak would race after the hin in question to gain her attention in hushed whispers of introductions...

The calming chime of a church bell echos throughout the Under-city yet again, as the loyal undead and inhabitant of the city venture forth towards the Temple of All-Seeing Eyes at the far end of the necropolis. Whails and moans follow in the step of the dead as the clergy robed in black and walking among-st the dead file into the Temple to take witness of the current events within. There is much excitement and curiosity inside the halls as the inhabitant would take witnesses of a new face who would stand before the High Priestess Batibat before kneeling upon her gaze of him.

Tell me new-bone... Why have you come to seek out my whisper and what does your audience here entail? Judging from the fact that you lack much exploration of this realm I suppose you have yet to find and converse with the many others of the faith...

It is not often to see a Necromancer... Most often people are assaulted for such deeds. Everyone chooses to attack or arrest the moment I utilize necromancy. Just moments ago a band of holier than thou wretches attacked me near the Crypts inside of the lords domain. I had looked everywhere for those of my faith... into the Underdark... The surface... You are the first I have found...

Tell me if you are attune to the dead who is it you serve?

Praise Myrkul, the Lord of Bones...

And why do you serve the lord of bones? What do you seek to gain from the gaze of the great death & undeath?

I see it as a means of glory most misunderstood or misdirected angst. People fear death, so they fear those that wield it. I see death as a tool for change. Myrkul is one for those traits. Mhm.. I wish to learn more. I do not pretend to understand enough. But it is hard the surface dwellers band together and assault prominent followers like myself.

Is there opportunity to learn more and meet more of our many? You are the first in many many times of exploration.. but it seems not quite vast enough of a search.

Hmm... If you wish to learn more then I will show you. However you are new to these lands and have yet to hear my whispers to those who seek to commune in death and undeath. This much is apparent... Here in the Under-city there are many others like you and me... Servents of the great lords of death and undeath, wanderlust, lost, forsaken and undead guardians walk these city streets in search of homes and loyalties. This place... This under-city is ancient... Old and necrotic full of Myrkul's gaze but not of Myrkul's control. We of the Temple seek to change that and bring this under-city into the glorious landscape it should be. Praise be the lord of Bones... Praise be the dead three... Praise be the lords of death and undeath...

Most often I am assaulted for my ways, and have found it best to avoid others with patience and cover. High Priestess... Something seems too aligned, or perhaps too far to chance. I haven't seen another of our kind here. Yet I found you so overtly. Did you have a telling I was out there?

Here within the Under-city you have nothing to fear from this... Like you we all suffer the same fate you do and are ridiculed and burdened for the path we have chosen. And now that fate has brought you to me I think it is time that you learned of ours ways... Once you do... No longer will you need to hide... no longer will you need to cover your devotion... no longer will you be the seeker. You will be a champion of our lord Myrkul under my gaze of him.

Tell me your name...

Balkoth...

Well... Balkoth... There is only one thing you must do now to submit your new legacy...






Bend... The... Knee...

Within the caverns of the Upperdark the whail and moan of undead would drown the upper-caverns in sounds of horrifying battle. A large force of undead sweep the upper-caverns laying waste to any and all that stand in their way. Bodies of Ice Elementals, Frigid Merphits, Fat Dire Rat and Ferocious Basilisk lay in waste to tell the tale of the carnage. Some of the bodies would be torn and gnawed on... Others chews and spit out... while even fewer would be completely frozen in a medusa's gaze. Any scouts and trackers who would follow the smell of rotting flesh and decaying corpses would be lead to Kro's Labyrinth where the bulk of the fighting was done. The only piece of evidence that would lie there is a small wooden effigy of Myrkul sitting atop a mound of rat-guts.

The usual calming chime of the temple bell rings upon the under-city as the chime calls forth a new event that would take place in the Temple of All-Seeing Eyes. The usual gathering of undead and clergymen would pile into the temple as yet again a new face is seen in the temple as a stalwart dwarf bearing the symbol of Myrkul takes steps into the temple before standing front and center amongst all eyes and the eyes of the High Priestess Batibat, before the dwarf kneels and rises again to address himself.

Yet another comes forth to the Under-City and the grand temple before it... You bare the symbol of Myrkul, however... you have yet to claim your rites to the lord of bones Grimwald Dreadbearer. You bare his sigil and of course have shown me you have a kin-ship to his domain through you creation of his legion and his most holy of warriors. Your contribution to the path ahead is right here before you... Here in the under-city we seek to make a kingdom for the lord above. A true kingdom to showcase to the Lord Myrkul he is owned his respects with a glorious city of the dead.

You will aid in ascending this kingdom to greatness won't you?

I believe we have already contributed on that endeavor. We desecrated a shrine south of hilltop ruins in the name of Myrkul. A druidic shrine. A shrine of life.

Ahhh the shrine of the disgusting druidic culture.... The shrine of the All-Father Silvanus...

As glorious as it was. We were fortunate enough to witness the reaction of the shrines keeper.

This is good... you show more promise day by day. However Grimwald you have yet to join the city and the temple a-like yet in rites... If you wish to be granted my boons and blessing and allow me, the eye of Myrkul to witness onto you for the lord above to judge your task at hand through me.

There is only one thing you must do to submit your new legacy...





Bend... The... Knee...

Submit...

The calming chime of the temple bell would emit across the city streets once again calling forth the arrival of the High Priestess within the halls, this time in the company of two new faces. Followers of the temple and citizens of the city both of life and death come forth to take witness to the two new faces upon the temple as the High Priestess along toward her throne and silences any who would mutter and moan with a hand signal before addressing the two women before her.

Citizen's of the Under-city as you all know... The many lords above have been kind to us and showered us with bountiful gifts and promises. Today is no different as today the temple is graced with two new potential followers of the faith. These two sisters who hold the oath bound by Long Death and have come forth to give their devotion to the cause and grant upon us their aid and servitude toward the creation of a new bastion for those who seek a renewed salvation!

With that said, I have already seen their interest and judged their kinship, and they like many of you they are curious! They wish to know of the secrets that hide away in the very depths of bone and brittle and want to give their lives to a new cause worth fighting for!

I High Priestess Batibat Kok-Lir Kasdeya, approve of their curiosity as interest in the temple and the great City of Bones and because of this would also invite them into the temple as new-bones of the faith!

All they must do is...



Bend... The... Knee...

I don't know who I am. Through all of my struggles, my toil, I never learned that one thing. No matter how far I reached, the question would evade me, as though to never be answered. I took no glory, nor satisfaction in my misdeeds, my commitment to that which is unnatural, even evil. But, there are some things that must be done, to set things right. To do harm to those that would harm their kin, their friends, their own children. There are those so evil, that I would stoop to damnation in the Nine Hells, if it meant they got there sooner than I.

I still remember that darkness, the shambling, the clawing at the door. The heavy breathing of the corpse that was my Aunt Rosaline. I won't dare forget it, as it drives the question of who I am. If that question can't be answered, then I will have to make an answer to it.

That day begins now. In this moment, I will have finally properly learned how to use the Arcane Spell 'Sending'. I heard her name, whispered in fear and awe- I know that only this person could be the catalyst of my pilgrimage, my deliverer of vengeance, to do ill to those who wronged me. Now I whisper hear name in fear- but for fear of not hearing back...

My greatest hope, answered. She spoke back, and guided me to a Circle of death, where the Lord of Bones asked me my allegiance. When he spoke to me through her, everything came crashing clear, the curtains of the windows opened wide, revealing something. They revealed who I am. Or at least who I was, I was nobody.