Achaean News
The Trials of Haskor, Part I: Twilight
Written by: Anonymous
Date: Saturday, February 8th, 2025
Addressed to: Everyone
Fresh from his encounter with Twilight and with the gauntlet having been thrown down, Haskor opted first to visit Hashan, to rally the citizens therein to the grand task laid down by the Elder Dusk. Arriving with characteristic pomp and splendour, the Self-Made was soon escorted to the Dicondron Academy where he outlined a grand plan to rescue the long-lost Teneb Trismegistus.
The Hashani were given instructions to prepare a great ritual of planar translocation in order to first determine Teneb's location and then travel there in what Haskor described as an adventurous jailbreak.
So it was that, utilising their "Class B" transplanar interstitial locating device (the author believes this to be an enchanted crystal of unspecified origins), the Champions of Progress undertook their ritual. Bringing to bear Shamanic communion, crystalline vibrations, and Alchemical prowess, those gathered strove together to weave a great working. The Serpents Aurola and Naytorlin proved indispensible in directing this wild confluence of magic into a wormhole, and success, it was believed, had been achieved.
It had not. Alchemical interference from the anchors of Sapience was soon felt and both Asmodron and Minkai were drawn through the ether toward their respective points on Sapience. The Serpents struggled to maintain the unstable wormhole while Asmodron - disconnected from communication by his own ether disruption - hurried back to the focal point. Lead was soon educed to balance out the instability and with the help of Telaan, the wormhole took on a new shape: that of a violet-edged portal, its centre shimmering with the image of a Vertani fortress.
Seven adventurers went through alongside Haskor and Telaan, whereupon they found themselves in a reinforced prison. No sooner had they arrived than the Vertani guards became alerted, and Haskor, boastful, confident, and utterly unshaken, went to battle. The Hashani, garbed in everyman clothing in order to hide their planet of origin, quickly set to opening the prison cells, a task that proved challenging and arduous.
Together they toiled at picking each lock individually while Haskor's battle raged on in the background. The Self-Made dispatched dozens of Vertani using an array of ostentatious techniques. His form was a blur of axe, then sword, then fist and foot, spell and incantation, each sending his opponents scattering, reeling, or for one particularly unfortunate berserker, toppling off the fortress ramparts. As the cells began to yield to the expertise of Hashan's dexterous hands, a variety of prisoners were discovered, and the Vertani redoubled their efforts to bring Haskor's rampage to a halt.
First to appear was a captive xabat, which seized upon its newfound freedom and chose to attack Asmodron. It was briskly dispatched. Next they came upon a veteran Death Knight commander, who advised the adventurers to continue breaking open cells and thanked them for freeing him before disappearing. Another cell at first appeared empty but for a strange presence whoosing out of its own orbit of darkness when released. This gave momentary pause, but little else.
Haskor, meanwhile, fought on unhindered. Into walls and battlements he rode his chariot while revelling in the battle. Laughter and bloodlust drove him on, through magic, sorcery, and all manner of ordnance aligned against him. Vertani after Vertani fell to his machinations, and his ego soared with the conquest, yelling out for more to face him, and demanding a worthy challenge.
The final cell at last yielded Teneb's presence. Hurrying to bring the Lich to his senses, the Hashani became aware of the Vertani Overlord calling for reinforcements and additional weaponry to defeat Haskor. Meteor strikes tore the air asunder alongside the fortress arcanum, a weapon which for the first time, pierced Haskor's divine fire and sent the demigod sprawling. As Teneb rejected all notions of freedom and refused to accept the visitors as being emissaries of Twilight, additional fortresses manifested on the horizon.
Soon Haskor regained his footing and remounted his chariot, eager to return to battle yet cognisant of the reinforcements en route. With a final plea to Teneb from Nezaya, the Lich assented to go with the Hashani and the demigod, bellowing his own victory for all to hear, urged all and sundry back through the portal into the Dicondron Academy.
And while the Hashani began making arrangements for Teneb, the Lord of the Dark made known His presence. Without word of fanfare He conferred His acknowledgement upon Haskor, the first Trial complete.
Penned by My hand on the 1st of Sarapin, in the year 968 AF.
The Trials of Haskor, Part I: Twilight
Written by: Anonymous
Date: Saturday, February 8th, 2025
Addressed to: Everyone
Fresh from his encounter with Twilight and with the gauntlet having been thrown down, Haskor opted first to visit Hashan, to rally the citizens therein to the grand task laid down by the Elder Dusk. Arriving with characteristic pomp and splendour, the Self-Made was soon escorted to the Dicondron Academy where he outlined a grand plan to rescue the long-lost Teneb Trismegistus.
The Hashani were given instructions to prepare a great ritual of planar translocation in order to first determine Teneb's location and then travel there in what Haskor described as an adventurous jailbreak.
So it was that, utilising their "Class B" transplanar interstitial locating device (the author believes this to be an enchanted crystal of unspecified origins), the Champions of Progress undertook their ritual. Bringing to bear Shamanic communion, crystalline vibrations, and Alchemical prowess, those gathered strove together to weave a great working. The Serpents Aurola and Naytorlin proved indispensible in directing this wild confluence of magic into a wormhole, and success, it was believed, had been achieved.
It had not. Alchemical interference from the anchors of Sapience was soon felt and both Asmodron and Minkai were drawn through the ether toward their respective points on Sapience. The Serpents struggled to maintain the unstable wormhole while Asmodron - disconnected from communication by his own ether disruption - hurried back to the focal point. Lead was soon educed to balance out the instability and with the help of Telaan, the wormhole took on a new shape: that of a violet-edged portal, its centre shimmering with the image of a Vertani fortress.
Seven adventurers went through alongside Haskor and Telaan, whereupon they found themselves in a reinforced prison. No sooner had they arrived than the Vertani guards became alerted, and Haskor, boastful, confident, and utterly unshaken, went to battle. The Hashani, garbed in everyman clothing in order to hide their planet of origin, quickly set to opening the prison cells, a task that proved challenging and arduous.
Together they toiled at picking each lock individually while Haskor's battle raged on in the background. The Self-Made dispatched dozens of Vertani using an array of ostentatious techniques. His form was a blur of axe, then sword, then fist and foot, spell and incantation, each sending his opponents scattering, reeling, or for one particularly unfortunate berserker, toppling off the fortress ramparts. As the cells began to yield to the expertise of Hashan's dexterous hands, a variety of prisoners were discovered, and the Vertani redoubled their efforts to bring Haskor's rampage to a halt.
First to appear was a captive xabat, which seized upon its newfound freedom and chose to attack Asmodron. It was briskly dispatched. Next they came upon a veteran Death Knight commander, who advised the adventurers to continue breaking open cells and thanked them for freeing him before disappearing. Another cell at first appeared empty but for a strange presence whoosing out of its own orbit of darkness when released. This gave momentary pause, but little else.
Haskor, meanwhile, fought on unhindered. Into walls and battlements he rode his chariot while revelling in the battle. Laughter and bloodlust drove him on, through magic, sorcery, and all manner of ordnance aligned against him. Vertani after Vertani fell to his machinations, and his ego soared with the conquest, yelling out for more to face him, and demanding a worthy challenge.
The final cell at last yielded Teneb's presence. Hurrying to bring the Lich to his senses, the Hashani became aware of the Vertani Overlord calling for reinforcements and additional weaponry to defeat Haskor. Meteor strikes tore the air asunder alongside the fortress arcanum, a weapon which for the first time, pierced Haskor's divine fire and sent the demigod sprawling. As Teneb rejected all notions of freedom and refused to accept the visitors as being emissaries of Twilight, additional fortresses manifested on the horizon.
Soon Haskor regained his footing and remounted his chariot, eager to return to battle yet cognisant of the reinforcements en route. With a final plea to Teneb from Nezaya, the Lich assented to go with the Hashani and the demigod, bellowing his own victory for all to hear, urged all and sundry back through the portal into the Dicondron Academy.
And while the Hashani began making arrangements for Teneb, the Lord of the Dark made known His presence. Without word of fanfare He conferred His acknowledgement upon Haskor, the first Trial complete.
Penned by My hand on the 1st of Sarapin, in the year 968 AF.